A Sort of Family (Una especie de familia)

  • 2018 Miami Film Festival Award Winners – A SORT OF FAMILY Wins Best Film | Complete List

    2018 Miami Film Festival Award Winners Miami Dade College’s Miami Film Festival unveiled award winners this past weekend and Argentine Diego Lerman’s drama A Sort of Family (Una especie de familia) won the top award – the Grand Jury Prize for Best Film. The film is currently nominated for 8 Argentinian Academy Awards (Premios Sur), including Best Picture and Best Director. The Festival’s Audience Award for Best Feature went to the Argentina-Spain co-production The Last Suit (El último traje), written and directed by Argentine Pablo Solarz. The film is being released theatrically in the US by Outsider Pictures on March 23rd. “The Driver is Red”, a true crime documentary set in Argentina in 1960, directed by American filmmaker Randall Christopher, won the Audience Award for Best Short Film. The $10,000 Knight Documentary Achievement Award, voted on by the public, was split equally between three US films in a race that Festival Director Jaie Laplante said was simply “too close to call”. The winning films included two films that world premiered at the Festival: When The Beat Drops, directed by celebrity choreographer and first time filmmaker Jamal Sims; and Amigo Skate, Cuba, directed by first-time feature director Vanesa Wilkey-Escobar. The films share the cash award and title with a third film, Liyana (a co-production with Swaziland), directed by Aaron Kopp and Amanda Kopp. Mateo Gil won the Knight Competition Best Director award and $5,000 cash for The Laws of Thermodynamics (Las leyes de la termodinámica), which world premiered at the Festival on the same day Netflix announced that it had acquired worldwide SVOD rights to the title. Rodrigo Sorogoyen, recent winner of Spain’s Goya (Academy Award) for Best Short Film with “Mother” (“Madre”), repeated that feat at Miami Film Festival as Grand Jury Winner of the IMDbPro Short Film Competition. The acclaimed Venezuelan feature La familia written and directed by Gustavo Rondón Córdova, won two awards: the $10,000 HBO Ibero-American Feature Film Award, and the Rene Rodriguez Critics Award. The $10,000 Jordan Ressler Screenwriting Award for best first-produced screenplay in the Festival went to France’s Xavier Legrand, for the film Custody (Jusqu’à la garde). The film will be released theatrically in the US by Kino Lorber. The $5,000 Knight Competition Best Performance Award went to Cesar Troncoso from Uruguay’s Another Story of the World (Otra historia del mundo). The Festival’s inaugural $10,000 Knight Made in MIA Competition, sponsored by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, open to any film – short or feature, documentary or narrative – in the Festival’s Official Selection that features a qualitatively/quantitatively substantial portion of its content (story, setting and actual filming location) in South Florida, from West Palm Beach to the Florida Keys, and that most universally demonstrates a common ground of pride, emotion, and faith for the South Florida community, went to David Abel’s Gladesmen: The Last of the Sawgrass Cowboys. The $5,000 Zeno Mountain Award is a $5,000 cash prize established at Miami Film Festival’s 2017 edition and funded by Miami-based Fringe Partners, seeking to reward a film of any length or genre in the Festival’s Official Selection which helps break down barriers to our understanding of people living with disabilities, went to the short documentary about the legacy of a Miami Beach high school educator whose incredible achievements were undaunted by his affliction with multiple sclerosis: “Carry That Weight: A Rockumentary” by Brian J. Leitten. The Jordan Ressler Screenwriting Award, sponsored by the family of the late Jordan Alexander Ressler, an aspiring screenwriter and Cornell film studies graduate who died in a tragic hiking accident at the age of 23, before realizing his dream, was presented by Ressler family member Gary Ressler, after the winner was unveiled by jury members, filmmaker Matthew Porterfield (Sollers Point), international programmer Jane Schoettle, and Miami-based writer, actor and storyteller Rudi Goblen. The Jordan Ressler jury also elected to give an Honorable Mention for Audacity of Vision to Georgian screenwriter and filmmaker Ana Urushadze for her debut Scary Mother. Earlier in the week, the Festival’s CinemaSlam competition for work of undergraduate and graduate students in Miami/South Florida film schools was unveiled by jury members, artist Omilani Alarcón and filmmaker Michael Arcos, speaking on behalf of fellow jury member and filmmaker Jessica Kavana Dornbusch. This year’s winning film was “Rene de Dios and the South Beach Shark Club” by Miami Dade College student Robert Requejo Ramos.

    2018 Miami Film Festival Award Winners

    KNIGHT COMPETITION

    BEST FILM: $30,000 GRAND PRIZE – A Sort of Family (Una especie de familia) (ARGENTINA, Campo Cine – Directed by Diego Lerman) BEST DIRECTOR: $5,000 PRIZE– MATEO GIL for The Laws of Thermodynamics (Las leyes de la termodinámica) (SPAIN) BEST PERFORMANCE: $5,000 PRIZE – Cesar Troncoso for Another Story of the World (Otra historia del mundo) (URUGUAY)

    KNIGHT MADE IN MIA AWARD

    BEST FILM: $10,000 PRIZE – Gladesmen: The Last of the Sawgrass Cowboys (USA, directed by David Abel)

    HBO IBERO-AMERICAN FEATURE FILM COMPETITION

    BEST FILM: $10,000 PRIZE –  La familia (VENEZUELA/CHILE/NORWAY, La Pandilla Producciones, directed by Gustavo Rondón Córdova)

    JORDAN RESSLER SCREENWRITING COMPETITION

    BEST SCREENPLAY: $10,000 PRIZE –  XAVIER LEGRAND for Custody (FRANCE) Honorable Mention:  Ana Urushadze for Scary Mother (GEORGIA/ESTONIA)

    KNIGHT DOCUMENTARY ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

    BEST FILM: $10,000 PRIZE (3-WAY TIE):
    • When The Beat Drops (USA), directed by Jamal Sims
    • Amigo Skate, Cuba (USA) directed by Vanesa Wilkey-Escobar
    • Liyana (USA/Swaziland/Qatar), directed by Aaron Kopp and Amanda Kopp

    ZENO MOUNTAIN AWARD:

    $5,000 Prize –  “Carry That Weight: A Rockumentary” (USA), directed by Brian J. Leitten

    AUDIENCE AWARD (FEATURE FILM):

    THE LAST SUIT (ARGENTINA/SPAIN), directed by Pablo Solarz

    IMDB PRO SHORT FILM AWARD:

    BEST FILM: $2,500 PRIZE – MOTHER (SPAIN), directed by Rodrigo Sorogoyen

    AUDIENCE AWARD (SHORT FILM):

    THE DRIVER IS RED (USA) directed by Randall Christopher

    RENE RODRIGUEZ CRITICS AWARD:

    BEST FILM: La familia (VENEZUELA/CHILE/NORWAY, La Pandilla Producciones, directed by Gustavo Rondón Córdova)

    CINEMASLAM

    CINEMASLAM CHAMPION –RENE DE DIOS AND THE SOUTH BEACH SHARK CLUB (Miami Dade College) Best Narrative Film: P.R.A. NATION – Jorge L. Martinez F. (University of Miami) Best Director: Robert Ramos  – RENE DE DIOS AND THE SOUTH BEACH SHARK CLUB (Miami Dade College) Best Writing: Robert Ramos  – RENE DE DIOS AND THE SOUTH BEACH SHARK CLUB (Miami Dade College) Best Actor: Jaydev Hemrajani – ZINDAGI (University of Miami) Best Actress: Samantha Miller – CHERRY (University of Miami) Best Technical Achievement: RENE DE DIOS AND THE SOUTH BEACH SHARK CLUB (Miami Dade College) Cinemaslam Audience Award – Opposite Sex by Lidia Rosa Hernandez from Center of Cinematography, Arts, and Television

    Read more

  • Jason Reitman’s TULLY Starring Charlize Theron to Open 35th Miami Film Festival | Trailier

    [caption id="attachment_26870" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]TULLY, Starring Charlize Theron TULLY[/caption] Jason Reitman latest film Tully, written by Diablo Cody and starring Charlize Theron, will premiere as the Opening Night film of the 35th edition of  Miami Film Festival, on Friday, March 9th at the Olympia Theater. “Charlize Theron’s fearless performance as a struggling suburban mother on the brink of losing mental control is made possible by another brilliant collaboration by the creators of Juno and Young Adult,” said Festival director Jaie Laplante. “Tully is both a parable and a salve for our stressed-out times – it reminds us all of who we are, and there is no more beautiful way to open our 35th edition than with this film.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRtBP07gIHY The Festival will give its Precious Gem – Icon Award to the great French actress Isabelle Huppert, recent Oscar nominee for Elle and the most nominated actress in César Award history – a total of 16 nominations from France’s Academy – winning twice. She has also twice won the Best Actress award at the Cannes Film Festival, in a career that has seen her work with some of the greatest directors of contemporary times. Huppert will be honored on Friday, March 16th at the Olympia Theater. “Isabelle Huppert has made profound contributions to cinema over the course of her illustrious career,” Laplante said. “With her recent performances in Things to Come and Elle, as well as Souvenir and Claire’s Camera, both of which we will be screening in conjunction with her Festival appearance, Ms. Huppert reaches ever-new pinnacles that continually astonish us, and add to her iconic status.” The Festival will give its Precious Gem – Master Award to Spain’s greatest living filmmaker, Carlos Saura, on the occasion of a new documentary about the master’s career and family life, Félix Viscarret’s Goya-lauded Saura(s), on Sunday, March 11th at the Olympia Theater. “Carlos Saura returns to Miami after receiving the Festival’s Career Achievement Tribute Award at our 20th edition in 2003,” said Laplante. “At that time, he was 71. Now, he’s 86 and has made eight more brilliant films since his last visit to Miami – but with Saura(s), we see him in a new light, as both a filmmaker and a family-maker. He is a peerless master, and we celebrate the life that continues to nourish his art.” In all, the Festival will present 148 feature narratives, documentaries and short films of all genres, from 50 different countries, including three countries being represented in the Festival’s Official Selection for the first time– Benin, Georgia and Swaziland. The 35th edition of the Festival runs March 9th – 18th. Thirty-eight of the films are directed or co-directed by women filmmakers. The Festival will wrap up with an Awards Night Gala screening at Olympia Theater of the International premiere of Curro Velázquez’s smash hit Spanish comedy Holy Goalie (Que baje Dios y lo vea), with star Alain Hernández in attendance. All Olympia Theater screenings are part of the Festival’s CINEDWNTWN GALA series, sponsored by Miami Downtown Development Authority. A KORBEL Awards Night Party at The Historic Alfred I. Dupont Building will follow the Awards Night ceremony and screening. Academy Award winning filmmaker Michel Hazanavicius (The Artist) and revered American screenwriter and director Paul Schrader (Taxi Driver, Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters, Affliction) will attend the Festival for Marquee presentations of their newest films. The Festival’s Marquee series features screenings accompanied by on-stage conversations with major film personalities of the moment, discussing their career and sharing an exciting new work. Hazanavicius will present Godard Mon Amour, his serio-comic look at Jean-Luc Godard’s love affair with the actress Anne Wiazemsky during the shooting of his classic films La Chinoise and Weekend. Schrader will present First Reformed, a dramatic thriller starring Ethan Hawke, Amanda Seyfried and Cedric The Entertainer. They join (previously announced) Mateo Gil and Jean-Marc Barr in the Marquee section. Ten finalists were selected for the Festival’s signature $40,000 Knight Competition, open to feature films directed by filmmakers who have presented at least one feature in a previous edition of the Festival. Three of these films will also screen as CINEDWNTWN GALAS at the Olympia Theater. The finalists are: Another Story of the World (Uruguay, directed by Guillermo Casanova). April’s Daughter (Mexico, directed by Michel Franco). In Love & In Hate (Argentina, directed by Alejandro Maci). *CINEDWNTWN GALA The Laws of Thermodynamics (Spain, directed by Mateo Gil). *WORLD PREMIERE My Love or My Passion (Argentina, directed by Marcos Carnevale). *CINEDWNTWN GALA Sergio and Sergei (Cuba/Spain, directed by Ernesto Daranás). A Sort of Family (Argentina, directed by Diego Lerman). The Summit (Argentina/Spain, directed by Santiago Mitre). *CINEDWNTWN GALA Time Share (Mexico, directed by Sebastián Hofmann). The Warning (Spain, directed by Daniel Calparsoro). Eleven finalists were selected for the Festival’s inaugural $10,000 Knight Made in MIA Competition, which is open to any film – short or feature, documentary or narrative – in the Festival’s Official Selection that features a qualitatively/quantitatively substantial portion of its content (story, setting and actual filming location) in South Florida, from West Palm Beach to the Florida Keys, and that most universally demonstrates a common ground of pride, emotion, and faith for the South Florida community. The new award was inspired by the international success and 2017 Best Picture Oscar win by the Miami-set Moonlight, directed by former Miami resident Barry Jenkins and co-written by Tarell McCraney. The finalists are: “#THECONNECTEDMAN”, directed by Fabián Cárdenas. “Ayita’s Dream”, directed by Isis Masoud, Roger Ingraham. “Fight Like a Girl”, directed by Agustín Gonzalez, Nicole Wulf. Gladesmen: The Last of The Sawgrass Cowboys, directed by David Abel. Latinegras: The Journey of Self-Love Through An Afrolatina Lens, directed by Omilani Alarcón. *WORLD PREMIERE Love in Youth, directed by Quincy Perkins. *WORLD PREMIERE Make Love Great Again, directed by Aaron Agrasanchez. “Noa”, directed by Angel Barrota. *WORLD PREMIERE Operation Odessa, directed by Tiller Russell. “Roadside Attraction”, directed by Ivette Lucas, Patrick Bresnan. “Supermarket”, directed by Rhonda Mitrani. *WORLD PREMIERE Two significant Soiree nights will pair a major film event with one of Miami Film Festival’s world-famous parties. An Evening with Tim Clancy, the showrunner of HBO’s acclaimed Vice series through six seasons, will present a big-screen return look at three significant Vice episodes, followed by an in-depth, on-stage conversation about Vice’s Emmy Award-winning approach, philosophies and techniques. “HBO NIGHT” continues with a party at downtown Miami’s newest hotspot, The Wharf. Greg Berlanti’s Love, Simon will have its Festival premiere at the Regal Cinemas South Beach and continue with a Light Box Love Story soiree at Miami Light Project’s Goldman Warehouse in Wynwood. The fiercely-contested, audience-voted $10,000 Knight Documentary Achievement Award, sponsored by Knight Foundation, returns with 24 finalists, including 4 world premieres, and new films from Oscar winner Morgan Neville (20 Feet From Stardom), Oscar nominee Djimon Hounsou (Blood Diamond, In America), Goya winners Félix Viscarret and Gustavo Salmerón, Emmy winner Rene Balcer (Law & Order), Sundance 2018 prize winners Tim Wardle and Maxim Pozdorovkin, Pulitzer Prize winning journalist David Abel and the late Oscar winner Jonathan Demme, as executive producer on The Foreigner’s Home. Subjects featured in the films include Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Edwidge Danticat, Toni Morrison, Mr. Rogers, Andre Agassi, Imagine Dragons’ Dan Reynolds in the Live Nation production Believer, Cuban-America playwright María Irene Fornés and Miami’s Rene Lecour. The finalists are: 6 Weeks To Mother’s Day (USA, directed by Marvin Blunte). Above The Drowning Sea (Canada, directed by Rene Balcer, Nicola Zavaglia). Amigo Skate, Cuba (USA, directed by Vanesa Wilkey-Escobar). *WORLD PREMIERE Believer (USA, directed by Don Argott). Cuban Food Stories (USA, directed by Asori Soto). Dolphin Man (Greece/Canada/France/Japan, directed by Lefteris Charitos). Foreign Land (Israel, directed by Shlomi Eldar). The Foreigner’s Home (USA/France, directed by Rian Brown, Geoff Pingree). Gladesmen: The Last of The Sawgrass Cowboys (USA, directed by David Abel). In Search of Voodoo: Roots To Heaven (USA/Benin, directed by Djimon Hounsou). *WORLD PREMIERE Liyana (USA/Qatar/Swaziland, directed by Aaron Kopp, Amanda Kopp). Lots of Kids, A Monkey and a Castle (Spain, directed by Gustavo Salmerón). Love Means Zero (USA, directed by Jason Kohn). The Music of the Spheres (Cuba/USA, directed by Marcel Beltrán). *WORLD PREMIERE Nuyorican Basquet (Puerto Rico, directed by Julio César Torres, Ricardo Olivero Lora). The Oldies (Cuba/USA/Venezuela, directed by Rosana Matecki). Operation Odessa (USA, directed by Tiller Russell). Our New President (USA, directed by Maxim Pozdorovkin). RBG (USA, directed by Betsy West, Julie Cohen). The Rest I Make Up (USA, directed by Michelle Memran). Saura(s) (Spain, directed by Félix Viscarret). Three Identical Strangers (USA, directed by Tim Wardle). When The Beat Drops (USA, directed by Jamal Sims). *WORLD PREMIERE Won’t You Be My Neighbor? (USA, directed by Morgan Neville). HBO returns as sponsor of the Festival’s $10,000 Ibero-American Feature Film Competition, this year featuring 25 finalists, including three world premieres. Three of the films in this section star Argentine actress Dolores Fonzi, prompting Festival organizers to declare Monday, March 12th “DOLORES FONZI DAY” at Miami Film Festival. The finalists are: Al Berto (Portugal, directed by Vicente Alves do Ó). Another Story of the World (Uruguay, directed by Guillermo Casanova). April’s Daughter (Mexico, directed by Michel Franco). Ashes (Ecuador/Uruguay, directed by Juan Sebastián Jácome). *WORLD PREMIERE Bingo: The King of the Mornings (Brazil, directed by Daniel Rezende). Candelaria (Colombia/Cuba/Argentina/Germany/Norway, directed by Jhonny Hendrix-Hinestroza). Cocote (Dominican Republic, directed by Nelson Carlo de Los Santos Arias). The Eternal Feminine (Mexico, directed by Natalia Beristáin). The Future Ahead (Argentina, directed by Constanza Novick). *DOLORES FONZI DAY Film Hunting Season (Argentina/USA/Germany/France, directed by Natalia Garagiola). In Love & In Hate (Argentina, directed by Alejandro Maci). *CINEDWNTWN GALA Killing Jesus (Colombia/Argentina, directed by Laura Mora). La Familia (Venezuela/Chile/Norway, directed by Gustavo Rondón Córdova). The Last Suit (Argentina/Spain, directed by Pablo Solarz). The Laws of Thermodynamics (Spain, directed by Mateo Gil). *WORLD PREMIERE On The Seventh Day (USA, directed by Jim McKay). The River (Bolivia/Ecuador, directed by Juan Pablo Richter). *WORLD PREMIERE Sergio and Sergei (Cuba/Spain, directed by Ernesto Daranás). The Skin of the Wolf (Spain, directed by Samu Fuentes). A Sort of Family (Argentina, directed by Diego Lerman). The Summit (Argentina/Spain, directed by Santiago Mitre). *CINEDWNTWN GALA Tigre (Argentina, directed by Silvina Schnicer, Ulises Porra Guardiola). Time Share (Mexico, directed by Sebastián Hofmann). The Warning (Spain, directed by Daniel Calparsoro). Wind Traces (Mexico, directed by Jimena Montemayor Loyo). *DOLORES FONZI DAY Film The highly sought-after $10,000 Jordan Ressler Screenwriting Award, won in recent years by Oscar nominated Theeb, Venice Golden Lion winner From Afar and Chilean world premiere launch Little White Lie, has 20 diverse and intriguing first-produced screenplays in competition. All but two of the finalists also directed his or her screenplay. The finalists are: Michael Pearce for Beast (UK). Cory Bowles for Black Cop (Canada). Taylor Allen, Andrew Logan for Chappaquiddick (USA). Nelson Carlo de Los Santos Arias for Cocote (Dominican Republic). Xavier Legrand for Custody (France). Feifei Wang for From Where We’ve Fallen (China). Constanza Novick for The Future Ahead (Argentina). Sonja Maria Kröner for The Garden (Germany). Lucien Bourjeily for Heaven Without People (Lebanon). Natalia Garagiola for Hunting Season (Argentina). Christian Papierniak for Izzy Gets the F*ck Across Town (USA). Blake Jenner for Juvenile (USA). Quincy Perkins for Love in Youth (USA). *WORLD PREMIERE Molly McGlynn for Mary Goes Round (Canada). Ziyang Zhou for Old Beast (China). Juan Pablo Richter for The River (Bolivia/Ecuador). *WORLD PREMIERE Ana Urushadze for Scary Mother (Georgia). Samu Fuentes for The Skin of the Wolf (Spain). Silvina Schnicer for Tigre (Argentina). Hlynur Palmason for Winter Brothers (Denmark). Films showing out of competition include selections by Oscar-nominee Michaël R. Roskam (Bullhead), Oscar-nominee and Emmy-winner Armando Iannucci (In the Loop, HBO’s Veep), and a US premiere starring retired NFL veteran and South Florida resident, actor/producer Thomas Q. Jones (A Violent Man). The films are: Ali’s Wedding (Australia, directed by Jeffrey Walker). Darling (Denmark, directed by Birgitte Stærmose). The Death of Stalin (UK, directed by Armando Iannucci). “The Driver is Red” (USA, directed by Randall Christopher). Grace and Splendor (Panama/Dominican Republic, directed by Arturo Montenegro). The Journey (Iran/UK/France/Qatar/The Netherlands, directed by Mohamed Jabarah Al-Daradji). Kiss Me Not (Egypt, directed by Ahmed Amer). Life is a Bitch (Brazil, directed by Julia Rezende). Racer and the Jailbird (Belgium/France, directed by Michaël R. Roskam). Sollers Point (USA, directed by Matthew Porterfield). Three Peaks (Germany/Italy, directed by Jan Zabeil). Under The Tree (Iceland/Denmark/Poland/Germany, directed by Hafsteinn Gummar). A Violent Man (USA, directed by Matthew Berkowitz). Wajib (Palestine/France/Germany/Colombia/Norway/Qatar, directed by Annemarie Jacir). The Festival takes a special look at the Chinese film market this year in Cinema & China. This section features the Florida premiere of the Cannes Film Festival 2017’s Palme d’Or winner for Best Short Film, “A Gentle Night”, directed by Yang Qui, and the documentary Above the Drowning Sea, a historical look at an amazing story of European Jews being safeguarded by Shanghai and Chinese diplomats during World War II. A day-long symposium on the trends and markets will be held, in conjunction with the Festival screening of four Chinese-produced features: From Where We’ve Fallen, directed by Feifei Wang. Love Education, directed by Sylvia Chang. Old Beast, directed by Ziyang Zhou. *KEYNOTE FILM Walking Past The Future, directed by Li Ruijun. The Festival’s exceedingly popular Reel Music section returns with five outstanding selections, including a world premiere from Panama and a feature about famed flamenco star Diego “El Cigala” as he explores the world of salsa in Cuba and beyond: Guaco: Semblanza (Venezuela, directed by Alberto Arvelo). I Tita, A Life of Tango (Argentina, directed by Teresa Constantini). Indestructible: The Soul of Salsa (Spain, directed by David Pareja). Me, My Father and the Cariocas: 70 Years of Music in Brazil (Brazil, directed by Lucia Verissimo). A Night of Calypso (Panama, directed by Fernando Muñoz). *WORLD PREMIERE MIFFecito, the beloved Films for Families section, returns with four new feature films for film fans of all ages. This section includes Fishtronaut The Movie (Brazil), Home Team (Uruguay/Brazil/Argentina), Lila’s Book (Colombia/Uruguay) and Zombillenium (France/Belgium). An animated short film winner from MDC’s Miami Animation and Gaming International Complex 2017 MIA Animation Conference & Festival will also be shown in this section. South Florida’s college film students will again battle it out in Cinemaslam 2018. The nine finalists include films from Center of Cinematography, Arts & Television’s Lidia Rosa Hernandez; Miami Dade College’s Armando Stephano Rivero, Robert Requejo Ramos, Christopher Foode and Fernando Dumas; and University of Miami’s Chantal Gabriel, Jorge Martinez and Vasisth Sukul. The Festival’s parallel industry activities include a French film market sponsored by Unifrance, and a Producing in South Florida panel moderated by Kevin Sharpley. The Festival will co-present three special events during this year’s event. A “From The Vault” of Todd Haynes’ classic Velvet Goldmine will be held on Sunday, March 11th in partnership with Flaming Classics. On Friday, March 16th, in partnership with The Black Lounge Series, a screening of In The Morning with filmmaker Nefertiti Nguvu in person. In celebration of the Festival’s Tribute to Carlos Saura, one of Saura’s greatest classics, Cría cuervos, will screen on Sunday, March 18th at Miami Beach Cinematheque.

    Read more

  • 53rd Chicago International Film Festival Awards – A SORT OF FAMILY Wins Gold Hugo

    [caption id="attachment_25259" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]A Sort of Family A Sort of Family[/caption] Diego Lerman’s A Sort of Family took home the top prize at the 2017 Chicago International Film Festival, the Gold Hugo, in the International Feature Film Competition.   A Sort of Family, which had its U.S. premiere in Chicago, tells the story of a doctor’s desperate journey to adopt a baby girl. The Silver Hugo for Best Director was awarded to Joanna Kos-Krause and co-director Krzysztof Krauze for Birds Are Singing in Kigali (Poland), and the Silver Hugo Special Jury Prize was awarded to Félicité, (Senegal, France, Belgium) directed by Alain Gomis. Iranian director Vahid Jalilvand took home top honors in the New Directors Competition with a Gold Hugo for No Date, No Signature, and the Silver Hugo was awarded to Milad Alami for The Charmer (Denmark). The Roger Ebert Award, presented to an emerging filmmaker with a fresh and uncompromising vision by Chaz Ebert, was awarded to Colombian director Laura Mora for Killing Jesús, and the Chicago Award was taken home by Stephen Cone for Princess Cyd. The Founder’s Award, given to one film across all categories that captures the spirit of the Chicago International Film Festival for its unique and innovative approach to the art of the moving image, was presented to Guillermo Del Toro’s The Shape of Water. “All of the films competing for prizes this year were outstanding, and I salute our jury for rising to the daunting task of selecting those that received the top honors,” said Festival Artistic Director Mimi Plauché. “We are proud to honor such a diverse group of films, shining a spotlight on the extraordinary work being created by men and women throughout the world.  This year’s honorees span the globe, featuring talent from almost every continent, as well as one who lives only a few miles from the theater.”

    2017 Chicago International Film Festival Award Winners

    International Feature Film Competition

    Gold Hugo A Sort of Family (Una especie de familia), Dir. Diego Lerman, Argentina. This film amazed the jury in two ways that are difficult to achieve by themselves and even more difficult together. At a personal level, it delivers a journey of wrenching twists, maintaining tension while also enabling empathy with a complicated, sometimes reckless character in an impossible situation. At a political level, it draws attention to systemic abuses of women, especially poor women, that transpire all over our world. A Sort of Family synthesizes these two tracks seamlessly, with sterling craftsmanship and superb performances throughout. Best Director Birds Are Singing in Kigali (Ptaki śpiewają w Kigali), Dirs. Joanna Kos-Krauze and Krzysztof Krauze, Poland. This film sets itself a huge challenge, both artistic and ethical, of evoking a tragedy without simply re-staging its events or relying on sentimentality to move its audience. The tough, inventive direction allows such risks to pay off, alternating between realist and poetic styles in ways that achieve a tremendous emotional force, expanding the boundaries for how trauma can be commemorated on screen. The jury acknowledges with sorrow the many places around the globe where this story remains relevant, and honors Joanna Kos-Krauze as well as, posthumously, her late husband and co-director, Krzysztof Krauze. Silver Hugo Jury Prize Félicité, Dir. Alain Gomis, Senegal, France, Belgium. This movie transports its audience to a vividly evoked community in Kinshasa, without indulging the stereotypes by which Africa is often depicted on screen. Instead, we meet a tenacious, complex heroine who insists on living by her own terms, even amid situations that deprive her of easy choices. The music in the movie is unforgettable, and its structure is itself musical, building in unexpected movements, interludes, and crescendos toward its rewarding conclusion. Silver Hugo Best Actresses Awarded ex-aequo to Jowita Budnik and Eliane Umuhire in Birds are Singing in Kigali (Ptaki śpiewają w Kigali), Dirs. Joanna Kos-Krauze and Krzysztof Krauze, Poland. The only way to honor these two performances, so dissimilar in style yet perfectly in sync, is to award a joint citation. Each actress brought depth and power to the scenes that emphasized her character, making Anna and Claudine accessible to the audience without divulging all their secrets. When acting together, they conveyed a unique symbiosis, sometimes painful, sometimes comforting, that will bond these women forever. Silver Hugo Best Actor Awarded to Aleksandr Yatsenko in Arrhythmia, Dir. Boris Khlebnikov, Russia, Finland, Germany The versatile Yatsenko, maintaining his fruitful collaboration with director Boris Khlebnikov, hits a new creative peak as a skillful but unreliable paramedic, eliciting the audience’s contempt at times and its sympathy at others. The actor finds endless degrees of human imperfection between these two poles, giving a performance that allows the whole movie to work. Silver Plaque Best Screenplay Awarded to Mohammad Rasoulof for A Man of Integrity (Lerd), Dir. Mohammad Rasoulof, Iran. Early on, this film introduces us to many different facets of its main character’s life that barely seem to relate.  Gradually and powerfully, the script teases out the connections, all of which culminate in a haunting finale. This structure requires patience and discipline from its writer-director Mohammad Rasoulof.  In a festival full of modern spins on film noir, he gives us one of the best, set in an unlikely place. Silver Plaque Best Cinematography Awarded to Chayse Irvin for Hannah, Dir. Andreas Pallaoro, Italy, France, Belgium. Hannah tells the story of a very guarded woman and is itself a guarded film, refusing to spell out the motives or contexts behind a lonely woman’s behavior. The images, then, must convey feelings and ideas that the screenplay and character will not. Through meticulous composition, unexpected framing, and a finely calibrated color palette, they do just that. Best Art Direction Awarded to Václav Novak for The Line (Čiara), Dir. Peter Bebjak, Slovakia, Ukraine, Czech Republic. The jury marveled at the natural locations in The Line, all expertly chosen and photographed.  The built environments, too, abound with subtle and character-revealing detail. Without calling undue attention to itself, the scenery always served the entertaining story, while colorfully avoiding the visual clichés one might expect from a tribute to film noir.

    Founders Award

    The Shape of Water, Dir. Guillermo Del Toro, USA The Founders Award is personally presented by Festival Founder Michael Kutza to the single film he feels best embodies the spirit of curiosity, optimism and love of film that led to his starting the Chicago International Film Festival 53-year ago. “The Shape of Water is beautiful, inspiring and the epitome of why I love the movies,” remarked Kutza.  “Del Toro is a master filmmaker, and this is one of his most magnificent films to date.”

    New Directors Competition

    Gold Hugo No Date, No Signature (Bedoune Tarikh, Bedoune Emza). Dir. Vahid Jalilvand, Iran. The Gold Hugo goes to Vahid Jalilvand’s No Date, No Signature (Iran) for the austere beauty of its imagery and the satisfying complexity with which this assured second feature explores dilemmas of guilt and grief in a medical examiner who may or may not have accidentally killed a small boy. Silver Hugo The Charmer (Charmøren), Dir. Milad Alami, Denmark. The Silver Hugo goes to Milad Alami’s The Charmer (Denmark), a gripping, beautifully lensed drama that continues to haunt us with its portrayal of paranoia and frayed human connection. The journey of an Iranian man seeking courtship in Denmark culminates in a final sequence so startling and deftly executed that it is guaranteed to provoke debate for years to come. Roger Ebert Award Killing Jesús (Matar a Jesús), Dir. Laura Mora, Colombia, Argentina. The Roger Ebert Award goes to Laura Mora’s Killing Jesús (Colombia), which contains the richest example of a quality Roger Ebert treasured in cinema. Mora’s lead heroine tracks down her father’s killer initially in pursuit of vengeance, until she realizes that his crime was merely a symptom of a corrupted society. The film is wise and perceptive in its suggestion that empathy itself can serve as a form of catharsis.

    Documentary Competition

    Gold Hugo The Other Side of the Wall (Al otro lado del muro), Dir. Pau Ortiz, Spain, Mexico. The Gold Hugo goes to The Other Side of the Wall, a film with two of the most riveting characters we’ve had the pleasure to see in a documentary. With intimate access, filmmaker Pau Ortiz tells the poignant story of a family in the midst of crisis, struggling to survive with their matriarch incarcerated. With extraordinary sensitivity, Ortiz presents their lives as an unflinching portrait of the ties that bind. Silver Hugo Mr. Gay Syria, Dir. Ayse Toprak, France, Germany, Turkey. The Silver Hugo goes to Mr. Gay Syria directed by Ayse Toprak, a film that looks at the Syrian refugee crisis through the lens of the LGBT community. At times sad and at times humorous, she captures a slice of life of a community in transition.

    Out-Look Competition

    Gold Q-Hugo BPM (120 battements par minute), Dir. Robin Campillo, France. The Gold Q Hugo Film Award goes to BPM-Beats Per Minute (France) for its necessary honesty, unmatched portrayal of love and loss, but most importantly for embodying what it really means to make the personal political. Silver Q-Hugo God’s Own Country, Dir. Francis Lee, United Kingdom. The Silver Q Hugo Film Award goes to God’s Own Country (UK) for its simple yet robust exploration of masculinity, desire, and   unspoken intimacy within our most important relationships.

    Chicago Award

    Princess Cyd, Dir. Stephen Cone, USA. Princess Cyd won for its clear tonality, lyrical storytelling, and graceful authenticity. With strong writing and relatable characters, director Stephen Cone crafts a very honest, very human story that features a capable and complex female lead. The entire cast plays a substantial role in bringing a subtle delicacy to this coming-of-age story, set against an intimate Chicago backdrop.

    Documentary Short Film Competition

    Silver Hugo The Rabbit Hunt, Dir. Patrick Bresnan, USA. No shot is wasted in this epic 12-minute observational documentary gem. It is truly our privilege to be invited on this journey as seventeen-year-old Chris and his family partake in a local right of passage as well as making ends meet while living in an industrial community in the Florida Everglades. Masterful and precise. Gold Plaque The Streets Are Ours: Two Lives Cross in Karachi, Dir. Michelle Fiordaliso, USA. The Streets Are Ours: Two Lives Cross in Karachi chronicles two women who stand es examples of the ongoing struggle in Pakistan to open up creative and democratic spaces where people of all genders, sexual orientations, creeds and colors can express themselves freely and without fear. This film is a way to inspire people to voice their stories and to work with passion in order to overcome intolerance and silence. Special Mention The Painted Calf, Dir. David Pantaleón, Spain. With its biblical soundtrack and the Canary Islands as a backdrop, this documentary is a reminder that film can say so much about a small place in the world simply through song, cinematography, and pacing. The Painted Calf is a special film because despite its simple story, the film transports the viewer visually, sonically, and most importantly patiently.

    Animated Short Film Competition

    Silver Hugo Airport, Dir. Michaela Müller, Switzerland, Croatia. Great art can make you feel like you are living an experience. Watching Airport gave us all the sensation we were in that space. A film that takes us to a place we don’t want to go  in the most kinetic, sensual way possible. An ominous, topical film that is never heavy-handed. Gold Plaque Drop by Drop, Dirs. Xá, Laura Gonçalves, Portugal. Great transitions and flow combine to create a moving portrait of diminishing returns. Special Mention Beyond Fields of Paper, Dir. Yiyi Ma, USA Special mention to Yiyi Ma for her moving portrait of an artist in transition.

    Narrative Short Film Competition

    Gold Hugo Night Shift, Dir. Marshall Tyler, USA. The jury awards the Gold Hugo to Night Shift for developing a rich character whose Dantesque journey of colorful self-reflection inspires us to break free and gamble on ourselves. Silver Hugo A Gentle Night, Dir. Qui Yang, China. The jury awards the Silver Hugo to A Gentle Night for it’s challenging look at familial complacency, which is exposed when cultural barriers are breached during a crisis. Special Mention Fucking Bunnies, Dir. Teemu Niukkanen, Finland. The jury would like to offer special mention to Fucking Bunnies for its humorous take on finding common ground and celebrating our differences.

    Read more

  • 65th San Sebastian Film Festival Awards – James Franco’s THE DISASTER ARTIST Wins Golden Shell for Best Film

    [caption id="attachment_20971" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]The Disaster Artist The Disaster Artist[/caption] James Franco’s The Disaster Artist is the winner of the top award – Golden Shell for Best Film at the 65th San Sebastian Film Festival. The film also won the Zinemaldia FEROZ Award. The Disaster Artist is the true story of the making of the film The Room, which has been called “the Citizen Kane of bad movies”. Tommy Wiseau’s cult classic has been screening to sold-out audiences nationwide for more than a decade. The Disaster Artist is a buddy comedy about two outsiders chasing a dream. When the world rejects them, they decide to make their own movie – and it’s a movie so wonderfully awful due to its unintentional hilarious moments, meandering plots and terrible acting.

    OFFICIAL AWARDS – FIAPF

    Golden Shell for Best Film THE DISASTER ARTIST JAMES FRANCO (USA) Special Jury Prize HANDIA AITOR ARREGI, JON GARAÑO (SPAIN) Silver Shell for Best Director ANAHÍ BERNERI ALANIS ANAHÍ BERNERI (ARGENTINA) Silver Shell for Best Actress SOFÍA GALA CASTIGLIONE ALANIS ANAHÍ BERNERI (ARGENTINA) SPECIAL MENTION ANNE GRUWEZ NI JUGE, NI SOUMISE / SO HELP ME GOD JEAN LIBON, YVES HINANT (FRANCE – BELGIUM) Silver Shell for Best Actor BOGDAN DUMITRACHE POROROCA CONSTANTIN POPESCU (ROMANIA – FRANCE) Jury Prize for Best Screenplay DIEGO LERMAN, MARÍA MEIRA UNA ESPECIE DE FAMILIA (A SORT OF FAMILY) DIEGO LERMAN (ARGENTINA – BRAZIL – POLAND – FRANCE) Jury Prize for Best Cinematography FLORIAN BALLHAUS DER HAUPTMANN / THE CAPTAIN ROBERT SCHWENTKE (GERMANY – FRANCE – POLAND)

    OTHER OFFICIAL AWARDS

    Kutxabank-New Directors Award LE SEMEUR / THE SOWER MARINE FRANCEN (FRANCE) SPECIAL MENTION MATAR A JESÚS (KILLING JESUS ) LAURA MORA (COLOMBIA – ARGENTINA) Horizontes Award LOS PERROS MARCELA SAID (CHILE – FRANCE) Zabaltegi-Tabakalera Award BRAGUINO CLÉMENT COGITORE (FRANCE) SPECIAL MENTION DARYA ZHOVNER (Actress) TESNOTA / CLOSENESS KANTEMIR BALAGOV (RUSSIA) SPECIAL MENTION SPELL REEL FILIPA CÉSAR (FRANCE) City of Donostia / San Sebastian Audience Award THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI MARTIN MCDONAGH (UK) AWARD TO THE EUROPEAN FILM JUSQU’À LA GARDE / CUSTODY XAVIER LEGRAND (FRANCE) Irizar Basque Film Award HANDIA AITOR ARREGI, JON GARAÑO (SPAIN) EROSKI Youth Award MATAR A JESÚS (KILLING JESUS ) LAURA MORA (COLOMBIA – ARGENTINA)

    Films in Progress Awards

    FILMS IN PROGRESS 32 INDUSTRY AWARD FERRUGEM (RUST) ALY MURITIBA (BRAZIL) Ad Hoc Studios, Deluxe-Spain, Dolby Iberia, Laserfilm Cine y Video, Nephilim producciones, No Problem Sonido and Wanda Visión FILM FACTORY AWARD FERRUGEM (RUST) ALY MURITIBA (BRAZIL) CAACI/IBERMEDIA TV FILMS IN PROGRESS AWARD FERRUGEM (RUST) ALY MURITIBA (BRAZIL)

    Glocal in Progress Award

    GLOCAL IN PROGRESS INDUSTRY AWARD DANTZA TELMO ESNAL (SPAIN) Ad Hoc Studios, BTeam Pictures, Deluxe-Spain, Dolby Iberia, Laserfilm Cine y Video, Nephilim producciones and No Problem Sonido GLOCAL IN PROGRESS AWARD DANTZA TELMO ESNAL (SPAIN)

    Europe-Latin America Co-production Forum

    VI EUROPE-LATIN AMERICA CO-PRODUCTION FORUM BEST PROJECT AWARD PLANTA PERMANENTE (PERMANENT STAFF) EZEQUIEL RADUSKY (ARGENTINA) EFADs-CAACI EUROPE-LATIN AMERICA CO-PRODUCTION GRANT EL AGENTE TOPO (THE MOLE AGENT) MAITE ALBERDI SOTO (CHILE – FRANCE – USA) EURIMAGES DEVELOPMENT CO-PRODUCTION AWARD LAS CONSECUENCIAS (THE CONSEQUENCES) CLAUDIA PINTO EMPERADOR (SPAIN – MEXICO) ARTE INTERNATIONAL PRIZE AKELARRE (WITCHES’ SABBATH) PABLO AGÜERO (SPAIN – FRANCE)

    Ikusmira Berriak Award

    REC GRABAKETA ESTUDIOA POST-PRODUCTION AWARD LAS LETRAS DE JORDI (JORDI’S LETTERS) MAIDER FERNÁNDEZ IRIARTE (SPAIN)

    International Film Students Meeting Awards

    212 Short film BOAZ FRANKEL (ISRAEL) The Sam Spiegel Film and TV School- Jerusalem (JSFS) (Israel) Panavision Award. Special nominal mention ZEIT DER UNRUHE / NEWS 23/06/2016 Short film ELSA ROSENGREN (GERMANY) Deutsche Film- und Fernsehakademie Berlin (DFFB) (Germany) Orona Award ZEIT DER UNRUHE / NEWS 23/06/2016 Short film ELSA ROSENGREN (GERMANY) Deutsche Film- und Fernsehakademie Berlin (DFFB) (Germany)

    OTHER AWARDS

    TVE-Another Look Award JUSQU’À LA GARDE / CUSTODY XAVIER LEGRAND (FRANCE) Spanish Cooperation Award ALANIS ANAHÍ BERNERI (ARGENTINA)

    HONORIFIC AWARDS

    Donostia Award AGNÈS VARDA RICARDO DARÍN MONICA BELLUCCI Jaeger-LeCoultre Latin Cinema Award PAZ VEGA Zinemira Award JULIA JUANIZ PARALLEL AWARDS FIPRESCI Award LIFE AND NOTHING MORE ANTONIO MÉNDEZ ESPARZA (SPAIN – USA) Fedeora Award CHARMØREN / THE CHARMER MILAD ALAMI (DENMARK) MATAR A JESÚS (KILLING JESUS ) LAURA MORA (COLOMBIA – ARGENTINA) SPECIAL MENTION PAILALIM / UNDERGROUND DANIEL PALACIO (FILIPINAS) Zinemaldia FEROZ Award THE DISASTER ARTIST JAMES FRANCO (USA) Award to the Basque Best Screenplay XIMUN FUCHS NON / NO EÑAUT CASTAGNET, XIMUN FUCHS Greenpeace – Lurra Award AN INCONVENIENT SEQUEL: TRUTH TO POWER JON SHENK , BONNI COHEN (USA) SIGNIS Award LIFE AND NOTHING MORE ANTONIO MÉNDEZ ESPARZA (SPAIN – USA) SPECIAL MENTION NI JUGE, NI SOUMISE / SO HELP ME GOD JEAN LIBON, YVES HINANT (FRANCE – BELGIUM) SPECIAL AWARD 60 YEARS OF SIGNIS JURY IN SAN SEBASTIAN MATAR A JESÚS (KILLING JESUS ) LAURA MORA (COLOMBIA – ARGENTINA) Guipuzcoan Blood-Donors’ Association Corresponding to the Solidarity Award AU REVOIR LÀ-HAUT / SEE YOU UP THERE ALBERT DUPONTEL (FRANCE) Sebastiane Award 120 BATTEMENTS PAR MINUTE (120 BPM) / 120 BEATS PER MINUTE ROBIN CAMPILLO (FRANCE) SPECIAL MENTION SOLDAŢII. POVESTE DIN FERENTARI / SOLDIERS. STORY FROM FERENTARI IVANA MLADENOVIC (ROMANIA – SERBIA – BELGIUM)

    Read more

  • 8 Films Competing for ‘Cooperación Española Award’ at San Sebastian Film Festival

    [caption id="attachment_24570" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]ALANIS 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.

    Films competing for the Cooperación Española Award

    OFFICIAL SELECTION

    ALANIS ANAHÍ BERNERI (ARGENTINA) Alanis works as a prostitute. She has a baby and, with her friend Gisela, shares the flat in which she lives and attends to her clients, until two municipal inspectors close down her home and arrest Gisela, accused of procurement. Let down by everybody, Alanis heads for her aunt’s place, across from the Plaza Miserere. From this mixed race and violent neighbourhood, Alanis struggles to recover her dignity, help her friend and take care of her son. She offers her services in the street, but even that has its own rules and Alanis must fight for her place. UNA ESPECIE DE FAMILIA (A SORT OF FAMILY) DIEGO LERMAN (ARGENTINA – BRAZIL – POLAND – FRANCE) Malena is a middle-class doctor in Buenos Aires. One afternoon she receives a call from Dr Costas, telling her she must leave immediately for the north of the country: the baby she was expecting is about to be born. Suddenly and almost without a thought, Malena decides to set out on an uncertain voyage, packed with crossroads at which she has to deal with all sorts of legal and moral obstacles to the extent that she constantly asks herself to what limits she is prepared to go to get the thing she wants most.

    NEW DIRECTORS

    MATAR A JESÚS (KILLING JESUS ) LAURA MORA (COLOMBIA – ARGENTINA) Paula, a 22 year-old student, witnesses the murder of her beloved father, a popular political sciences professor at a public university in Medellin. From the distance, she catches a glimpse of the murderer as he beats a hasty retreat on a motorcycle. Devastated by the pain of their loss, Paula and her family will have to deal with official lethargy. The authorities will make no effort to clarify the events and the case is soon archived and abandoned. When Christmas comes round, a couple of months after the murder, Paula accidentally bumps into Jesús, the young man who killed her father. So what happens when revenge becomes a real possibility? Paula decides to approach the man, initially motivated by an almost primitive instinct to get answers and eventually to find the courage to cross the moral and ethical line of killing a man, thereby avenging her father’s death. PRINCESITA (PRINCESS) MARIALY RIVAS (CHILE – SPAIN – ARGENTINA) 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 (CHILE- GERMANY – SPAIN – USA) 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. LA EDUCACIÓN DEL REY (REY’S EDUCATION) SANTIAGO ESTEVES (ARGENTINA – SPAIN) 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) 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. LOS PERROS MARCELA SAID (CHILE – FRANCE) 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.

    Read more

  • 48 Films from International Filmmakers Among Contemporary World Cinema Slate of 2017 Toronto International Film Festival

    [caption id="attachment_23745" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts (Marlina si Pembunuh dalam Empat Babak) Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts (Marlina si Pembunuh dalam Empat Babak)[/caption] The Contemporary World Cinema slate of the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival will feature 48 titles from international filmmakers, that covers disparate regions of the world with a strong presence from Latin America, Scandinavia, and Central Europe. “Each film in Contemporary World Cinema offers a much-needed look at another part of the world through the eyes of a storyteller embedded in that culture,” said Cameron Bailey, Artistic Director of TIFF. “Taken together, these four dozen films invite us all to expand and deepen our picture of the world.” The Contemporary World Cinema program is being bolstered with a series of 23 World Premieres, among them Argentinian filmmaker Diego Lerman’s A Sort of Family, South African Khalo Matabane’s The Number, Iraqi Mohamed Jabarah Al-daradji’s The Journey, Finnish Teemu Nikki’s Euthanizer and Australian actor Simon Baker’s directorial debut, Breath. The program also highlights an impressive selection of films that have captivated audiences worldwide, including Félicité by Alain Gomis and the animated film The Big Bad Fox & Other Tales by Benjamin Renner and Patrick Imbert.

    2017 Toronto International Film Festival Contemporary World Cinema Program

    A Ciambra Jonas Carpignano, Italy/France/USA/Germany International Premiere A Sort of Family (Una Especie de Familia) Diego Lerman, Argentina/Brazil/France/Poland World Premiere Alanis Anahí Berneri, Argentina World Premiere Ana, mon amour Călin Peter Netzer, Romania/Germany/France North American Premiere Angels Wear White (Jia Nian Hua) Vivian Qu, China/France North American Premiere April’s Daughter (Las Hijas de Abril) Michel Franco, Mexico North American Premiere Arrhythmia Boris Khlebnikov, Russia/Finland/Germany North American Premiere Beyond Words Urszula Antoniak, Netherlands/Poland World Premiere Birds Without Names (Kanojo ga Sono Na wo Shiranai Toritachi) Kazuya Shiraishi, Japan World Premiere Breath Simon Baker, Australia World Premiere Dark is the Night (Madilim ang Gabi) Adolfo Alix Jr., Philippines World Premiere Directions (Posoki) Stephan Komandarev, Bulgaria/Germany/Macedonia North American Premiere Disappearance (Verdwijnen) Boudewijn Koole, Netherlands/Norway International Premiere Euthanizer (Armomurhaaja) Teemu Nikki, Finland World Premiere Félicité Alain Gomis, France/Senegal/Belgium/Germany/Lebanon North American Premiere Good Favour Rebecca Daly, Ireland/Belgium/Denmark/Netherlands World Premiere Hannah Andrea Pallaoro, Italy/Belgium/France North American Premiere Insyriated Philippe Van Leeuw, Belgium/France/Lebanon Canadian Premiere Life and nothing more Antonio Méndez Esparza, Spain/USA World Premiere Longing (Gaagua) Savi Gabizon, Israel North American Premiere Looking for Oum Kulthum Shirin Neshat, Germany/Austria/Italy/Lebanon/Qatar North American Premiere Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts (Marlina si Pembunuh dalam Empat Babak) Mouly Surya, Indonesia/France/Malaysia/Thailand North American Premiere Miami Zaida Bergroth, Finland International Premiere Motorrad Vicente Amorim, Brazil World Premiere Nina Juraj Lehotský, Slovakia/Czech Republic North American Premiere On Body and Soul Ildikó Enyedi, Hungary North American Premiere Samui Song (Mai Mee Samui Samrab Ter) Pen-ek Ratanaruang, Thailand/Germany/Norway North American Premiere Sergio & Sergei (Sergio & Serguéi) Ernesto Daranas Serrano, Spain/Cuba World Premiere The Big Bad Fox & Other Tales (Le Grand Méchant Renard et autres contes) Benjamin Renner, Patrick Imbert, France North American Premiere The Insult (L’Insulte) Ziad Doueiri, France/Lebanon Canadian Premiere The Journey (Al Rahal) Mohamed Jabarah Al-daradji, Iraq/United Kingdom/France/Qatar/Netherlands World Premiere The Lodgers Brian O’Malley, Ireland World Premiere The Number Khalo Matabane, South Africa World Premiere The Royal Hibiscus Hotel Ishaya Bako, Nigeria World Premiere The Summit (La Cordillera) Santiago Mitre, Argentina/Spain/France North American Premiere Tulipani, Love, Honour and a Bicycle Mike van Diem, Netherlands/Italy/Canada World Premiere Under the Tree (Undir Trénu) Hafsteinn Gunnar Sigurðsson, Iceland/Denmark/Poland/Germany International Premiere Veronica (Verónica) Paco Plaza, Spain International Premiere Wajib Annemarie Jacir, Palestine/France/Germany/Colombia/Norway/Qatar/United Arab Emirates North American Premiere Western Valeska Grisebach, Germany/Bulgaria/Austria North American Premiere Previously announced Canadian titles in the Contemporary World Cinema programme include Simon Lavoie’s The Little Girl Who Was Too Fond Of Matches, Adam MacDonald’s Pyewacket, Kyle Rideout’s Public Schooled, Ingrid Veninger’s Porcupine Lake, Mina Shum’s Meditation Park, Robin Aubert’s Les Affamés, Pat Mills’ Don’t Talk to Irene, and Tarique Qayumi’s BLACK KITE. The 42nd Toronto International Film Festival runs September 7 to 17, 2017.

    Read more

  • James Franco, Diego Lerman Among Filmmakers Competing for Golden Shell at 2017 San Sebastian Festival

    [caption id="attachment_23476" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]THE DISASTER ARTIST, JAMES FRANCO THE DISASTER ARTIST, JAMES FRANCO[/caption] Films from some of the most important filmmakers will screen as Official Selections of the 2017 San Sebastian Festival, running from September 22 to 30.  The Austrian filmmaker Barbara Albert, the Greek helmer Alexandros Avranas, the American James Franco and Matt Porterfield, the Argentine Diego Lerman, the Serbian Ivana Mladenovic, the French Olivier Nakache and Éric Toledano, and the Japanese Nobuhiro Suwa will compete alongside others for the Golden Shell. Una especie de familia, the film starring Bárbara Lennie, is the fifth feature by Diego Lerman (Buenos Aires, 1976), whose debut movie, Tan de repente (Suddenly), received, among many other acknowledgments, the Silver Leopard for Best Film at the Locarno Festival. His films have been selected for Venice, the Cannes Directors’ Fortnight and the Horizontes Latinos section at San Sebastian, where his two previous films were screened, La mirada invisible (The Invisible Eye, 2010) and Refugiado (2014). The subject matter of Una especie de familia is similar to Love Me Not, the fourth film by Alexandros Avranas (Larissa, Greece, 1977) winner of the Best Director Silver Lion at Venice for Miss Violence (2013). After True Crimes (2016), starring Jim Carrey and Charlotte Gainsbourg, Avranas now presents Love Me Not, a Greek-French co-production about a couple who hire a surrogate mother. James Franco (Palo Alto, California, USA, 1978) directs, produces and stars in the comedy The Disaster Artist, narrating the filming of what is considered to be the best worst movie ever made, The Room (Tommy Wiseau, 2003), which has now become a cult film. The Disaster Artist is based on the book of the same name written by the actor Greg Sestero, one of the leading actors in The Room. Franco (127 hours) plays Tommy Wiseau, director, screenwriter, actor and producer ofThe Room. Olivier Nakache (Suresnes, France, 1973) and Éric Toledano (Paris, 1971) closed the Festival in 2011 with the world premiere of Intouchables (The Intouchables), winner of 35 awards in its subsequent international career and the biggest French box-office success worldwide; they also closed the 2014 Festival with Samba. With their new collaboration, Le sens de la fête / C’est la vie!, a comedy set at a frenzied wedding in an 18th century French castle, they now compete for the first time for the Golden Shell. Soldaţii. Poveste din Ferentari / Soldiers. Story from Ferentari is the feature film debut by Ivana Mladenovic (Kladovo, Serbia, 1984). This Romanian, Serbian and Belgian co-production tells the tale of a young anthropologist who heads for Ferentari, the poorest district of Bucharest, to write a study on pop music among the Roma community. The Austrian actress, screenwriter, producer and director Barbara Albert (Vienna, 1970) returns to the Official Selection with Licht / Mademoiselle Paradis. Albert, who competed in Locarno with Böse Zellen / Free Radicals (2003), in Venice with Fallen (2006) and in San Sebastian with Die Lebenden / The Dead and the Living (2012), takes a closer look at the dramatic dilemma faced by a young blind pianist. Sollers Point is the latest film by Matt Porterfield (Baltimore, USA, 1977), author of Hamilton (2006), Putty Hill (2010) and I Used to Be Darker (2013), three films acclaimed by the critics and premiered respectively at the Wisconsin, Berlin and Sundance festivals. Starring McCaul Lombardi (American Honey), Sollers Point opens with the house arrest of a small-time drug dealer. Nobuhiro Suwa (Hiroshima, Japan, 1960) won the Fipresci Prize at Cannes for his second film, M/Other (1999) and the Jury Special Prize at Locarno for Un couple parfait (A Perfect Couple, 2005). He also wrote and co-directed, with Hippolyte Girardot, Yuki & Nina (2009), premiered at the Cannes Directors’ Fortnight and selected for Zabaltegi-Pearls. His impossible remake of Hiroshima mon amour, H Story, was part of the Festival retrospective New Japanese Independent Cinema 2000-2015. In Le lion est mort ce soir / The Lion Sleeps Tonight he brings long-standing actor (Jean-Pierre Léaud) together with a group of children, apprentice filmmakers, in an abandoned house. These bring the number of confirmed titles for the Official Selection to fifteen. In addition to those mentioned in this press release are the opening film and those announced in the Spanish cinema press conference last week: Submergence (Wim Wenders), El autor (Manuel Martín-Cuenca), Handia (Jon Garaño and Aitor Arregi) and Life and Nothing More (Antonio Méndez Esparza), all contenders for the Golden Shell; Marrowbone (Sergio G. Sánchez) and the TV series La peste (Alberto Rodríguez), which will participate out of competition; and the special screening of Morir (Fernando Franco). The other films completing the Official Selection at the 65th edition will be announced in the coming weeks. LE LION EST MORT CE SOIR / THE LION SLEEPS TONIGHT NOBUHIRO SUWA (FRANCE – JAPAN) Cast: Jean-Pierre Léaud, Pauline Etienne South of France. Present day. Jean, an aging actor caught by the past, settles himself secretly in an abandoned house where Juliette, the great love of his life, once lived. A group of young friends discover the same house, the perfect set to shoot their next horror movie. Jean and the children will meet face to face eventually and share… LE SENS DE LA FÊTE / C’EST LA VIE! OLIVIER NAKACHE, ÉRIC TOLEDANO (FRANCE) Cast: Jean-Pierre Bacri, Gilles Lellouche, Suzanne Clément, Jean-Paul Rouve For the happy couple this is the biggest night of their lives. But it’s just another of many for Max, from the catering company, Guy the photographer, James the singer, and everyone else working at the event. Pierre and Hélène have decided to celebrate their marriage in a beautiful 18th century castle on the outskirts of Paris. We follow the occasion from its preparation until the sun comes up, almost in real time, but only seen through the eyes of those working at the marriage. This will be a night full of surprises. LICHT / MADEMOISELLE PARADIS BARBARA ALBERT (AUSTRIA – GERMANY) Cast: Maria Dragus, Devid Striesow, Katja Kolm, Lukas Miko, Maresi Riegner, Johanna Orsini-Rosenberg, Susanne Wuest, Stefanie Reinsperger, Christoph Luser Vienna, 1777. The blind 18-year-old ‘Wunderkind’ pianist Maria Theresia Paradis lost her eyesight overnight when she was three years old. After countless failed medical experiments, her parents take her to the estate of controversial ‘miracle doctor’ Franz Anton Mesmer, where she joins a group of outlandish patients. She enjoys the liberal household in a Rococo world and tastes freedom for the first time, but begins to notice that as Mesmer’s treatment brings back her eyesight, she is losing her cherished musical virtuosity… LOVE ME NOT ALEXANDROS AVRANAS (GREECE – FRANCE) Cast: Eleni Roussinou, Christos Loulis A couple hires a young migrant to be their surrogate mother and moves her to their beautiful villa. While the man is away for work, the woman and the girl start to bond and enjoy the couple’s wealthy way of life. But behind her forced cheerfulness, the woman seems more and more depressed. After a few drinks with the girl, she goes for a drive. The next morning, her husband gets a call: his wife is dead, her burned body was found in her wrecked car. SOLDAŢII. POVESTE DIN FERENTARI / SOLDIERS. STORY FROM FERENTARI IVANA MLADENOVIC (ROMANIA – SERBIA – BELGIUM) Cast: Adrian Schiop, Vasile Pavel-Digudai, Stefan Iancu, Nicolae Marin-Spaniolul, Kana Hashimoto, Dan Bursuc Adi (40), a young anthropologist recently left by his girlfriend, moves to Ferentari (the poorest neighborhood in Bucharest) to write a study on manele music (the pop music of the Roma community). While researching his subject, he meets Alberto, a Roma ex-convict who promises to help him. Soon, the two begin a romance in which Adi feeds Alberto improbable plans to escape poverty while Alberto reciprocates with well-concocted phrases of love. When the money runs out, both find themselves trapped in an apartment where they love and use each other, in a game of need and power that has no winners. SOLLERS POINT MATT PORTERFIELD (USA – FRANCE) Cast: McCaul Lombardi, Jim Belushi, Zazie Beetz On probation and living in his father’s house after a year of incarceration, 24-year-old Keith navigates his deeply stratified Baltimore neighborhood in search of work and something to give his life new meaning. Though the outside world provides its own share of threats, Keith’s greatest enemies are the demons he harbors within. THE DISASTER ARTIST JAMES FRANCO (USA) Cast: James Franco, Dave Franco, Seth Rogen, Alison Brie, Zac Efron, Josh Hutcherson, Jacki Weaver, Ari Graynor, Jason Mantzoukas James Franco’s The Disaster Artist is the true story of the making of the film The Room, which has been called “the Citizen Kane of bad movies”. Tommy Wiseau’s cult classic has been screening to sold-out audiences nationwide for more than a decade. Franco directed The Disaster Artist from a screenplay by Scott Neustadter & Michael H. Weber, based on the book by Greg Sestero and Tom Bissell. Franco leads the cast, along with Dave Franco and Seth Rogen. The ensemble also features Alison Brie, Zac Efron, Josh Hutcherson, Jacki Weaver, Ari Graynor, and Jason Mantzoukas. The film was produced by Franco, Vince Jolivette, Seth Rogen, James Weaver, and Evan Goldberg. The Disaster Artist is a New Line Cinema presentation in association with Good Universe and RatPac-Dune, a Point Grey production in association with Ramona Films. Warner Bros. Pictures will oversee international distribution. UNA ESPECIE DE FAMILIA (A SORT OF FAMILY) DIEGO LERMAN (ARGENTINA – BRAZIL – POLAND – FRANCE) Cast: Bárbara Lennie, Daniel Araoz, Claudio Tolcachir, Yanina Ávila Malena is a middle-class doctor in Buenos Aires. One afternoon she receives a call from Dr Costas, telling her she must leave immediately for the north of the country: the baby she was expecting is about to be born. Suddenly and almost without a thought, Malena decides to set out on an uncertain voyage, packed with crossroads at which she has to deal with all sorts of legal and moral obstacles to the extent that she constantly asks herself to what limits she is prepared to go to get the thing she wants most.

    Read more