Birds of Passage (Pajaros de verano) (2018)

  • 71st Locarno Festival Announces Complete Film Program Lineup, Jury + Tributes

    [caption id="attachment_30681" align="aligncenter" width="1023"]I FEEL GOOD by Benoît Delépine, Gustave Kervern I FEEL GOOD by Benoît Delépine, Gustave Kervern[/caption] The official program of the 71st edition of the Locarno Festival was announced at a press conference today, Wednesday July 11, 2018. The line-up for the official juries was also announced as were tributes to Wolf-Eckart Bühler, Pierre Rissient, Francis Reusser and Claude Lanzmann. The 71st Locarno Festival will take place from August 1 to 11, 2018. In the program introduction, Carlo Chatrian, Artistic director, notes “This year’s program also includes films that, instead of portraying the conflicts raging around the world, concentrate on private stories, while allowing the present to resonate like the echoes of a thunderstorm. Examples are Yara by Abbas Fahdel, who following his epic Homeland (Iraq Year Zero) has left the war zone to plunge into the Lebanese countryside; or the portrait which Ethan Hawke – Excellence Award 2018 – dedicates in the eponymous film to the musician BLAZE, conflicted but charming hero, a rebel against the system and a profoundly free spirit, fated for a tragic end. These are just two films that create a bond between the self and the world, between the details of an individual life and the universal truths revealed by their story. Another of their common traits is also found in many other titles: the courage shown by their protagonists when faced with an insurmountable obstacle. Perhaps that’s why these and so many other films this year simply take a name for their title (Diane, Alice T., M., Menocchio, Sibel, Ray & Liz, Siyabonga). It may well be a sign of renewed trust in film as an art form capable of telling the stories of men and women without filtering them through symbolism, proof that the human face may be back as the be-all and end-all of a film. If so, I should like to present this year’s program as a single, magnificent and very long portrait gallery of unique faces, disarming even when well aware of the artfulness of their fiction. From Stan Laurel to the young Israeli Menahem and his disturbing statements in M.; from Mae West’s opulence to the sublime beauty of Julio Bressane’s muse in Sedução da Carne; from the discreet charm of Ingrid Bergman to the appeal of Noée Abita in Genèse; from the madcap elegance of Irene Dunne to the disenchanted appeal of Mary Kay Place in Diane.”

    Official Juries

    The Jury of the Concorso internazionale

    President: Jia Zhang-ke, Filmmaker (China) Emmanuel Carrère, Writer (France) Sean Baker, Filmmaker (United States of America) Tizza Covi, Filmmaker (Italy/Austria) Isabella Ragonese, Actress (Italy)

    The Jury of the Concorso Cineasti del presente

    President: Andrei Ujică, Filmmaker (Romania) Ben Rivers, Filmmaker (United Kingdom) Lætitia Dosch, Actress (Switzerland/France)

    The Jury of the Pardi di domani

    President: Yann Gonzalez, Filmmaker (France) Deepak Rauniyar, Filmmaker (Nepal) Marta Mateus, Filmmaker (Portugal)

    The Jury of Signs of Life

    Emilie Bujès, Festival Director (Switzerland) Josh Siegel, Curator (United States of America) Tiziana Finzi, Curator (Italy)

    The Jury of the First Feature

    Funa Maduka, Creative and Acquisitions Executive (United States of America) Susan Vahabzadeh, Film Critic (Germany) Kieron Corless, Film Critic (United Kingdom)

    Piazza Grande

    BLACKKKLANSMAN by Spike Lee USA – 2018 – 135’ with John David Washington, Adam Driver, Topher Grace, Corey Hawkins, Laura Harrier, Ryan Eggold, Jaspar Pääkkönen, Ashlie Atkinson Production: Focus Features Swiss distributor: Universal Pictures International Switzerland BLAZE by Ethan Hawke USA – 2017 – 128’ with Ben Dickey, Alia Shawkat, Josh Hamilton, Charlie Sexton Production: Under the Influence Productions, Ansgar Media/Village Studios, Cinetic Media Swiss distributor: Look Now! Film Distribution International Premiere COINCOIN ET LES Z’INHUMAINS by Bruno Dumont France – 2018 – 4×52’ with Alane Delhaye, Bernard Pruvost, Philippe Jore, Julien Bodart, Christophe Verheeck, Alexia Depret, Lucy Caron, Marie-Josée Wlodarczack, Jason Cirot, Nicolas Leclaire, Priscilla Benoist Production: Taos Films Co-production: ARTE France Cinéma World Sales: Doc & Film International Swiss distributor: Praesens-Film World Premiere Closing Film I FEEL GOOD by Benoît Delépine, Gustave Kervern France – 2018 – 103’ with Jean Dujardin, Yolande Moreau Production: JD PROD, No Money Productions Co-production: ARTE France Cinéma, Hugar Prod World Sales: Wild Bunch Swiss distributor: Praesens-Film World Premiere LE VENT TOURNE by Bettina Oberli Switzerland/France – 2018 – 86’ with Mélanie Thierry, Pierre Deladonchamps, Nuno Lopes, Anastasia Shevtsova Production: Rita Productions Co-production: Silex Films World Sales: Be for Films Swiss distributor: Filmcoopi Zürich World Premiere Opening Film LES BEAUX ESPRITS by Vianney Lebasque France – 2017 – 93’ with Ahmed Sylla, Olivier Barthelemey, Jean-Pierre Darroussin, Camélia Jordana Production: Monkey Pack Films, M.E.S Productions World Sales: SND Distribution Swiss distributor: Impuls Pictures World Premiere LIBERTY by Leo McCarey USA – 1929 – 23’ – Intertitles English with Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, Tom Kennedy, Sam Lufkin, James Finlayson Production: Hal Roach Studios L’ORDRE DES MÉDECINS by David Roux France – 2018 – 93’ with Jérémie Renier, Marthe Keller, Zita Hanrot Production: ElianeAntoinette, Reboot Films World Sales: Pyramide International World Premiere, First Feature L’OSPITE by Duccio Chiarini Italy/Switzerland/France – 2018 – 94’ with Daniele Parisi, Silvia D’Amico, Anna Bellato, Thony ., Sergio Pierattini, Milvia Marigliano, Daniele Natali, Guglielmo Favilla Production: Mood Film Co-production: House on Fire, Cinédokké, Relief World Sales: Urban Distribution International Swiss distributor: First Hand Films World Premiere MAYNILA SA MGA KUKO NG LIWANAG (Manila in the Claws of Light) by Lino Brocka Philippines – 1975 – 126’ with Hilda Koronel, Bembol Roco, Lou Salvador Jr., Joonee Gamboa Production: Cinema Artists PÁJAROS DE VERANO (Birds of Passage) by Cristina Gallego, Ciro Guerra Colombia – 2018 – 125’ with Carmina Martinez, José Acosta, John Narváez, José Vicente Cotes, Juan Martinez, Natalia Reyes Production: Ciudad Lunar Bogota World Sales: Films Boutique Swiss distributor: trigon-film RUBEN BRANDT, COLLECTOR by Milorad Krstic Hungary – 2018 – 94’ with Gabriella Hámori Hámori, Iván Kamarás, Csaba “Kor” Márton Production: Ruben Brandt LLC. World Premiere, First Feature SE7EN by David Fincher USA – 1995 – 127’ with Morgan Freeman, Brad Pitt, Gwyneth Paltrow, John C. McGinley Production: Cecchi Gori Pictures, Juno Pix, New Line Cinema World Sales: Park Circus SEARCHING by Aneesh Chaganty USA – 2018 – 101’ with John Cho, Debra Messing, Joseph Lee, Michelle La, Sara Sohn Swiss distributor: Sony Pictures Releasing Switzerland First Feature THE EQUALIZER 2 by Antoine Fuqua USA – 2018 – 121’ Swiss distributor: Sony Pictures Releasing Switzerland with Denzel Washington, Pedro Pascal, Bill Pullman, Melissa Leo, Jonathan Scarfe UN NEMICO CHE TI VUOLE BENE by Denis Rabaglia Italy/Switzerland – 2018 – 97’ with Denis Rabaglia, Diego Abatantuono, Antonio Folletto, Mirko Trovato, Sandra Milo, Roberto Ciufoli, Annabella Calabrese, Gisella Donadoni Production: Falkor Production Co-production: Turnus Film Swiss distributor: Filmcoopi Zürich World Premiere WAS UNS NICHT UMBRINGT by Sandra Nettelbeck Germany – 2018 – 110’ with August Zirner, Johanna Ter Steege, Barbara Auer, Oliver Broumis, Jenny Schily, Christian Berkel Production: Sommerhaus filmproduktion Co-production: Zdf, Cine Plus Filmpoduktion, RuhrsoundStudios World Sales: Beta Cinema World Premiere

    Concorso internazionale

    A FAMILY TOUR by YING Liang Taiwan/Hong Kong/Singapore/Malaysia – 2018 – 107’ with An Nai, Zhe Gong, Pete Teo, Xin Yue Tham Production: Taiwan Public Television Service, 90 Minutes Film Studio, Potocol, Shine Pictures World Sales: Golden Scene World Premiere A LAND IMAGINED by YEO Siew Hua Singapore/France/Netherlands – 2018 – 95’ with Peter Yu, Xiaoyi Liu, Luna Kwok, Jack Tan, Ishtiaque Zico Production: Akanga Film Asia, mm2 Entertainment, Films de Force Majeure, Volya Films World Premiere ALICE T. by Radu Muntean Romania/France/Sweden – 2018 – 105’ with Andra Guti, Mihaela Sîrbu, Cristine Hămbăşanu, Ela Ionescu, Bogdan Dumitrache Production: Multi Media Est Co-production: Les Film de l’apres-Midi, Chimney, Film i Väst World Sales: Films Boutique World Premiere DIANE by Kent Jones USA – 2018 – 94’ with Mary Kay Place, Jake Lacy, Andrea Martin, Estelle Parsons, Deirdre O’Connell, Joyce van Patten, Phyllis Somerville, Glynnis O’Connor Production: AgX, Sight Unseen Pictures World Sales: Visit Films International Premiere GANGBYUN HOTEL (Hotel by the River) by HONG Sangsoo South Korea – 2018 – 96’ with KI Joobong, KIM Minhee, SONG Seonmi, KWON Haehyo, YU Junsang Production: Jeonwonsa Film World Sales: Finecut World Premiere GENÈSE by Philippe Lesage Canada – 2018 – 130’ with Noée Abita, Théodore Pellerin, Édouard Tremblay-Grenier, Pier-Luc Funk, Émilie Bierre, Maxime Dumontier, Paul Ahmarani, Jules Roy Sicotte, Antoine Marchand-Gagnon Production: Productions l’unité centrale World Sales: Be For Films World Premiere GLAUBENBERG by Thomas Imbach Switzerland – 2018 – 115’ with Zsofia Körös, Francis Meier, Milan Peschel, Bettina Stucky, Morgane Ferru, Nikola Šošić, Ilayda Akdoğan, Gonca De Haas, Erol Afşin Production: Okofilm Productions World Premiere LA FLOR by Mariano Llinás Argentina – 2018 – 815’ with Elisa Carricajo, Pilar Gamboa, Valeria Correa, Laura Paredes Production: El Pampero Cine International Premiere M by Yolande Zauberman France – 2018 – 106’ with Menahem Lang Production: CG Cinema, Phobics World Premiere MENOCCHIO by Alberto Fasulo Italy/Romania – 2018 – 103’ with Marcello Martini Production: Nefertiti Film Co-production: RAI Cinema, Hai Hui Entertainment World Premiere RAY & LIZ by Richard Billingham United Kingdom – 2018 – 108’ with Ella Smith, Justin Salinger, Patrick Romer, Deirdre Kelly, Sam Gittins, Joshua Millard-Lloyd Production: Primitive Film World Sales: Luxbox World Premiere, First Feature SIBEL by Çağla Zencirci, Guillaume Giovanetti Turkey/France/Germany/Luxembourg – 2018 – 95’ Production: Les Films du Tambour Co-production: Riva Filmproduktion, Bidibul Productions, Mars Production, Reborn Production World Sales: Pyramide International World Premiere TARDE PARA MORIR JOVEN by Dominga Sotomayor Chile/Brazil/Argentina/Netherlands/Qatar – 2018 – 110’ with Demian Hernández, Antar Machado, Magdalena Tótoro, Matías Oviedo, Antonia Zegers, Alejandro Goic, Mercedes Mujica, Eyal Meyer, Gabriel Cañas, Andrés Aliaga Production: Cinestación, RT Features Co-production: Ruda Cine, Circe Films World Premiere WINTERMÄRCHEN by Jan Bonny Germany – 2018 – 125’ with Thomas Schubert, Ricarda Seifried, Jean-Luc Bubert Production: Heimatfilm World Premiere YARA by Abbas Fahdel Lebanon/Iraq/France – 2018 – 101’ with Michelle Wehbe, Elias Freifer, Mary Alkady, Elias Alkady, Charbel Alkady Production: Stalker Production World Premier

    Concorso Cineasti del presente

    ALLES IST GUT by Eva Trobisch Germany – 2018 – 93’ with Aenne Schwarz, Andreas Döhler, Hans Löw, Tilo Nest, Lisa Hagmeister, Lina Wendel Production: TRIMAFILM Co-production: Starhaus FilmproduktionInternational International Premiere, First Feature CEUX QUI TRAVAILLENT by Antoine Russbach Switzerland/Belgium – 2018 – 102’ with Olivier Gourmet, Adèle Bochatay, Delphine Bibet, Michel Voïta, Pauline Schneider Production: Box Productions Co-production: Novak Prod World Sales: Be For Films Swiss distributor: Outside the Box World Premiere, First Feature CHAOS by Sara Fattahi Austria/Syria/Lebanon/Qatar – 2018 – 100’ Production: Little Magnet Films World Premiere CLOSING TIME by Nicole Vögele Switzerland/Germany – 2018 – 116’ with KUO Chung-Shu, LIN Li-Jiao Production: Beauvoir Films Co-production: Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg World Sales: Taskovski Films Swiss distributor: Xenix Filmdistribution World Premiere FAMILIA SUMERGIDA by María Alché Argentina/Brazil/Germany/Norway – 2018 – 91’ with Mercedes Morán, Marcelo Subiotto, Esteban Bigliardi, Diego Velazquez, Laila Maltz Production: Pasto Cine Co-production: Bubbles Project, Pandora Film Produktion, 4 1/2 World Premiere, First Feature FAUSTO by Andrea Bussmann Mexico/Canada – 2018 – 70’ with Victor Pueyo, Fernando Renjifo, Ziad Chakaroun, Alberto Núñez, Gabino Rodríguez World Premiere, First Feature HATZLILA (The Dive) by Yona Rozenkier Israel – 2018 – 90’ with Yoel Rozenkier, Micha Rozenkier, Yona Rozenkier, Claudia Dulitchi, Miki Marmor, Daniel Sabag, Shmuel Edelman Production: Gaudeamus Productions World Sales: Stray Dogs International Premiere, First Feature JIAO QU DE NIAO (Suburban Birds) by QIU Sheng China – 2018 – 118’ with LEE Mason, HUANG Lu Production: Chan Films Co-production: Flash Forward Entertainment World Sales: Luxbox, Flash Forward Entertainment International Premiere, First Feature L’ÉPOQUE by Matthieu Bareyre France – 2018 – 94’ Production: Artisans du Film Co-production: Alter Ego, ADF L’Atelier World Sales: BAC Films World Premiere, First Feature LIKEMEBACK by Leonardo Guerra Seràgnoli Italy/Croatia – 2018 – 80’ with Angela Fontana, Denise Tantucci, Blu Yoshimi, Goran Marković Production: Nightswim, Essentia, RAI Cinema, Indiana Production Co-production: Antitalent World Sales: Media Luna World Premiere NEBULA (DEAD HORSE NEBULA) by Tarık Aktaş Turkey – 2018 – 73’ with Barış Bilgi, Ali Beyazit, Ömer Bora, Serkan Aydın, Dilara Topuklular, Hasan Türker, Mümin Süren Production: Hay Film World Premiere, First Feature SIYABONGA (We are thankul) by Joshua Magor SouthAfrica/United Kingdom – 2018 – 93’ with Siyabonga Majola, Sabelo Khoza, Xolani Malinga, Percy Zulu, Amanda Ncube, Ntokozo Mkhize, Sibusiso Nzama, Luthando Ngcobo, Mancane Dlomo, Nkanyiso Ndumiso, Nonduh Zuma, Mondli Ndlovu, Joshua Magor Production: Other People World Sales: Other People World Premiere, First Feature SOPHIA ANTIPOLIS by Virgil Vernier France – 2018 – 98’ with Dewi Kunetz, Sandra Poitoux, Hugues Njiba-Mukuna, Bruck , Lilith Grasmug Production: Kazak Productions World Sales: mk2 Films World Premiere TEGNAP (Hier) by Bálint Kenyeres Hungary/Germany/France/Netherlands/Morocco/Sweden – 2018 – 119’ with Vlad Ivanov, Feodor Atkine, Jo Prestia, Rainer Kühn, Djemel Barek, Nadia Niazi, Amine Ennaji, Salah Bensalah, Gamil Ratib, Oussama Oussous, Mohamed Rabiaa, Abdelhamid Ait Abbou Ali, Milhoudia Nassih, Toulou Kiki, Johanna Ter Steege, Issaka Sawadogo, Jacques Weber Production: Mirage Film Co-production: One Two Films, Les Films de l’Après-Midi, Film i Väst, Chimney, La Prod, Saarländischer Rundfunk, Eye-Lite, Travissss Film, Rotterdam Films World Premiere, First Feature TEMPORADA (Long way Home) by André Novais Oliveira Brazil – 2018 – 112’ with Grace Passô, Russo APR, Rejane Faria, Renato Novaes, Juliana Abreu, Hélio Ricardo Production: Filmes de Plástico World Sales: FiGa Films World Premiere TROTE by Xacio Baño Spain/Lithuania – 2018 – 83’ with María Vázquez, Celso Bugallo, Diego Anido, Tamara Canosa Production: Frida Films Co-production: M-Films World Premiere, First Feature

    Pardi di domani

    Concorso internazionale

    3 ANOS DEPOIS by Marco Amaral – Portugal – 2018 – 13’ A COLD SUMMER NIGHT by Yash Sawant – India – 2018 – 21’ D’UN CHÂTEAU L’AUTRE by Emmanuel Marre – Belgium/France – 2018 – 40’ EL LABERINTO by Laura Huertas Millán – France/Colombia/USA – 2018 – 21’ FRASE D’ARME by Federico Di Corato – Italy/France – 2018 – 30’ FUCK YOU by Anette Sidor – Sweden – 2018 – 15’ GRBAVICA by Manel Raga Raga – Portugal/Bosnia and Herzegovina/Spain – 19’ HEART OF HUNGER by Bernardo Zanotta – Netherlands – 2018 – 29’ HI I NEED TO BE LOVED by Marnie Ellen Hertzler – USA – 2018 – 11’ JE SORS ACHETER DES CIGARETTES by Osman Cerfon – France – 2018 – 13’ KAUKAZAS (Caucasus) by Laurynas Bareisa – Lithuania – 2018 – 14’ LA CARTOGRAPHE by Nathan Douglas – Canada – 2018 – 34’ LA MÁXIMA LONGITUD DE UN PUENTE by Simón Vélez – Colombia/Argentina – 2018 – 13’ LAST YEAR WHEN THE TRAIN PASSED BY by HUANG Pang-Chuan – France – 2018 – 17’ LUNAR-ORBIT RENDEZVOUS by Mélanie Charbonneau – Canada – 2018 – 15’ MALO SE SJEĆAM TOG DANA (I Can Barely Remember the Day) by Leon Lučev – Croatia – 2018 – 21’ MY EXPANDED VIEW by Corey Hughes – USA – 2018 – 8’ OUT by Alon Sahar – Israel – 2018 – 27’ PATUL LUI PROCUST (Bed of Procustes) by Andrian Împărățel – Romania – 2018 – 17’ REKONSTRUKCE (Reconstruction) by Jiří Havlíček, Ondřej Novák – Czech Republic – 2017 – 16’ RENEEPOPTOSIS by Renee Zhan – USA/Japan – 2018 – 9’ SARAS INTIME BETROELSER (Sara’s Intimate Confessions) by Emilie Blichfeldt – Norway – 2018 – 22’ SASHLELI (Eraser) by Davit Pirtskhalava – Georgia – 2018 – 18’ SMERT MENYA (The Death of Father Men) by Mikhail Maksimov – Russia – 2018 – 12’ THE SILENCE OF THE DYING FISH by Vasilis Kekatos – Greece/France – 2018 – 19’ TOURNEUR by Yalda Afsah – Germany – 2018 – 14’ VIOLETA + GUILLERMO by Óscar Vincentelli – Spain/Venezuela – 2018 – 6’ WORDS, PLANETS by Laida Lertxundi – USA/Spain – 2018 – 11’ ZHI SHUO YI CI (Dream Speaking) by CHAN Paine – China – 2018 – 19’

    Concorso nazionale

    ABIGAÏL by Magdalena Froger – Switzerland – 2018 – 20’ CIRCUIT by Delia Hess – Switzerland – 2018 – 8’ EVA by Xheni Alushi – Switzerland – 2018 – 15’ FAIT DIVERS by Léon Yersin – Switzerland – 2018 – 17’ HIER by Loïc Kreyden – Switzerland – 2018 – 4’ ICI LE CHEMIN DES ÂNES by Lou Rambert Preiss – Switzerland – 2018 – 22’ IN LOVING MEMORY OF THE FUTURE by Laurence Favre – Switzerland/Germany – 2018 – 8’ LA SOURCE by Yatoni Roy Cantù – Switzerland – 2018 – 16’ LE SENS DE LA MARCHE by Jela Hasler – Switzerland – 2018 – 9’ LES ÎLES DE BRISSOGNE by Juliette Riccaboni – Switzerland – 2018 – 23’ LOS QUE DESEAN by Elena López Riera – Spain/Switzerland – 2018 – 24’ MONTE AMIATA by Tommaso Donati – Switzerland – 2018 – 22’ SELFIES by Claudius Gentinetta – Switzerland – 2018 – 4′

    Signs of Life

    Awards The Jury awards the following prizes: Signs of Life Award ELECTRONIC-ART FOUNDATION to the Best Film 5,ooo CHF to the director. Casa Wabi-Mantarraya Award Fundación Casa Wabi and Mantarraya Productions, in partnership with Festival Internacional de Cine de Morelia, will support the Fundación Casa Wabi – Mantarraya Award, consisting in a residence at Casa Wabi – Puerto Escondido (Mexico) lasting between 1 to 1.5 months. These prizes can not be awarded ex aequo. A ROOM WITH A COCONUT VIEW by Tulapop Saenjaroen Thailand – 2018 – 28’ Production: Electric Eel Films World Premiere COMMUNION LOS ANGELES by Adam R. Levine, Peter Bo Rappmund USA – 2018 – 68’ World Premiere COMO FERNANDO PESSOA SALVOU PORTUGAL by Eugène Green Portugal/France/Belgium – 2018 – 27’ with Eugène Green, Carloto Cotta, Manuel Mozos, Diogo Dória, Alexandre Pieroni Calado, Ricardo Gross, Mia Tomé Production: Les Films du Fleuve, Noodles Production, O Som E A Fúria World Sales: Agencia – Portuguese Short Film Agency International Premiere DULCINEA by Luca Ferri Italy – 2018 – 66’ with Vincenzo Turca, Naomi Morello, Dario Bacis Production: ENECE FILM World Premiere GULYABANI by Gürcan Keltek Netherlands/Turkey – 2018 – 32’ with Zeynep Kumral Production: 29P Films BV World Premiere HAI SHANG CHENG SHI (The Fragile House) by LIN Zi China – 2018 – 81’ with ZENG Xiaolian, WOO Hye Kyung, XIAO Jie, SANG Guosheng, REN Yue World Premiere, First Feature JING LI DE REN (Man in the Well) by Hu Bo China – 2017 – 16’ with ZHANG Xiaoqian, QU Yiyi, GAO Tieguang Production: FIRST International Film Festival World Sales: Rediance World Premiere LA CASA DE JULIO IGLESIAS by Natalia Marín Spain – 2018 – 12’ World Premiere LE DISCOURS D’ACCEPTATION GLORIEUX DE NICOLAS CHAUVIN by Benjamin Crotty France – 2018 – 26’ with Ragnar Arni Agustsson, Alexis Manenti, Pauline Jacquard, Caroline Deruas, Antoine Cholet, Rei Yazaki Production: Les Films du Bal World Premiere SEDUÇÃO DA CARNE by Júlio Bressane Brazil – 2018 – 70’ with Mariana Lima Production: TB Produções World Premiere SOBRE TUDO SOBRE NADA by Dídio Pestana Portugal – 2018 – 90’ Production: Kintop World Sales: Kintop World Premiere, First Feature THE GRAND BIZARRE by Jodie Mack USA – 2018 – 60’ World Premiere, First Feature TIRSS, RIHLAT ALSOO’OUD ILA ALMAR’I (Erased, Ascent of the Invisible) by Ghassan Halwani Lebanon – 2018 – 74’ World Sales: mec film World Premiere, First Feature VESLEMØY’S SONG by Sofia Bohdanowicz Canada – 2018 – 9’ with Deragh Campbell, Joan Benac, Steve Benac World Premiere

    Fuori concorso

    AMUR SENZA FIN by Christoph Schaub Switzerland – 2018 – 91’ with Rebecca Indermaur, Bruno Cathomas, Tonia Maria Zindel, Beat Marti, Murali Perumal, Marietta Jemmi, René Schnoz Production: Zodiac Pictures, SRG SSR World Premiere DE CHAQUE INSTANT by Nicolas Philibert France/Japan – 2018 – 105’ Production: France 3 Cinéma, Longride, Archipel 35 World Sales: Doc & Film International World Premiere INSULAIRE by Stéphane Goël Switzerland – 2018 – 92’ Production: Climage World Premiere MUDAR LA PIEL by Ana Schulz, Cristóbal Fernández Spain – 2018 – 89’ with Juan Gutierrez, Frauke Schulz Utermöhl, Ana Schulz, Mingo Rafols Production: Sr. y Sra. Co-production: Labyrinth Films World Premiere, First Feature MY HOME, IN LYBIA by Martina Melilli Italy – 2018 – 66’ with Mahmoud , Antonio Melilli, Narcisa Bertipaglia Production: Stefilm World Sales: Deckert Distribution World Premiere, First Feature NARCISSISTER ORGAN PLAYER by Narcissister USA – 2017 – 92’ with Narcissister , Sarah Lumpkin, Oscar Lumpkin, Bernard Lumpkin, Carmine Boccuzzi Production: Narcissister International Premiere, First Feature ORA E SEMPRE RIPRENDIAMOCI LA VITA by Silvano Agosti Italy – 2018 – 94’ with Bernardo Bertolucci, Dario Fo, Franca Rame, Nuto Revelli, Massimo Cacciari Production: Edizioni l’Immagine World Sales: Edizioni l’Immagine, Istituto Luce Cinecittà World Premiere RŪGŠTUS MIŠKAS (Acid Forest) by Rugilė Barzdžiukaitė Lithuania – 2018 – 63’ Production: neon realism World Sales: neon realism World Premiere, First Feature SEMBRA MIO FIGLIO by Costanza Quatriglio Italy/Croatia/Belgium – 2018 – 103’ with Basir Ahang, Tihana Lazovic, Dawood Yousefi Production: Ascent Film Co-production: Caviar Films, Antitalent World Sales: True Colours World Premiere THE SENTENCE by Rudy Valdez USA – 2018 – 87’ Production: Park Pictures World Sales: Cinetic Media International Premiere, First Feature WALKING ON WATER by Andrey Paounov USA/Italy – 2018 – 100’ with Christo, Vladimir Yavachev Production company: Kotva Films C-production company: Ring Film World Sales: CAA (Creative Artists Agency) World Premiere

    Shorts

    SHORT POLAR COLLECTION CANAL+ / SO FILM 4 “thriller” short films from the Canal+ / So Film genre À NOUS DEUX ! by Marie Loustalot – France – 2018 – 20’ DIVERSION by Mathieu Mégemont – France – 2018 – 23’ LA BELLE AFFAIRE by Constance Meyer – France – 2018 – 23’ TOMATIC by Christophe Saber – France/Switzerland – 2018 – 20

    Open Doors Screenings

    The Open Doors Screenings (1 – 11 August 2018) will present to the Locarno audience a selection of shorts and feature films that are particularly representative of the world of contemporary cinema in a particular area of the South and East world. This year, the section will end its three-year cycle on South Asia, bringing to Locarno films from the contemporary scene of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

    Full-length features

    DEMONS IN PARADISE by Jude Ratnam – Sri Lanka/France – 2017 – 93’ LAILA AT THE BRIDGE by Gulistan Mirzaei, Elizabeth Mirzaei – Canada/Afghanistan – 2018 – 97’ LIVE FROM DHAKA by Abdullah Mohammad Saad – Bangladesh – 2016 – 91’ MUNMO TASHI KHYIDRON (Honeygiver Among the Dogs) by Dechen Roder – Bhutan – 2016 – 132’ SETO SURYA (White Sun) by Deepak Rauniyar – Nepal/USA/Qatar/Netherlands – 2016 – 89’ THE ROAD TO MANDALAY by Midi Z – Taiwan/Myanmar/France/Germany – 2016 – 108’ THUNDENEK (Her. Him. The other) by Asoka Handagama, Vimukthi Jayasundara, Prasanna Vithanage – Sri Lanka – 2018 – 153’ ZINDA BHAAG (Run for your Life) by Meenu Gaur, Farjad Nabi – Pakistan/India – 2013 – 115’

    Short films

    298-C by Nida Mehboob – Pakistan – 2018 – 15’ – World Première A SONG OF SILENCE by Kelzang Dorjee – Bhutan – 2016 – 16’ DADYAA: THE WOODPECKERS OF ROTHA by Pooja Gurung, Bibhusan Basnet – Nepal/France – 2016 – 17’ DEATH OF A READER by Mahde Hasan – Bangladesh – 2017 – 9’ DIA by Hamza Bangash – Pakistan/United Kingdom – 2018 – 24’ – World Première SILVER BANGLES by Roshan Bikram Thakuri – Nepal – 2017 – 15’ SORKHE TIRAH (Dark Red) by Diana Saqeb – Afghanistan – 2017 – 19’ – World Première SUPERMONK by Shenang Gyamjo Tamang – Nepal/Taiwan – 2018 – 19’ – World Première THE LAST POST OFFICE by Aung Rakhine – Bangladesh – 2018 – 20’ – World Première THE OPEN DOOR by Jamyang Jamtsho Wangchuk – Bhutan/United Kingdom – 2018 – 15’ – World Première TRADITION by Lanka Bandaranayake – Sri Lanka – 2016 – 11’ WITT YONE (The Robe) by WeRa – Myanmar – 2016 – 19’ YAR-THI MOE (Seasonal Rain) by Aung Phyoe – Myanmar – 2016 – 30’

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  • Melbourne International Film Festival Unveils 2018 Program Lineup of 374 Films

    [caption id="attachment_30671" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]The Merger The Merger[/caption] The Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF) today unveiled its 2018 program featuring 254 feature films, 120 shorts and 19 virtual reality experiences over 18 action-packed days of cinema. In addition to Paul Dano’s highly anticipated Wildlife, as the Opening Night Gala film, for its middle weekend Centrepiece Gala, the festival revealed that uproarious Australian comedy The Merger would have its world premiere. Based on comedian Damian Callinan’s acclaimed stage show of the same name, The Merger is the tale of a struggling small town footy team that recruits refugees to survive. Starring John Howard, Josh McConville, Fayzaal Bazzi, Kate Mulvany and Callinan himself, The Merger is a film with big laughs, a big heart and lashings of sweet and sour chicken kiev. MIFF will screen The Coming Back Out Ball Movie to bring the festival to a close. Directed by Sue Thomson and supported through the MIFF Premiere Fund, The Coming Back Out Ball Movie is a triumphant and life-affirming love letter to Australia’s original fighters for queer equality – a film that will have audiences laughing, crying and ready to dance, darling. Reflecting an extraordinary year of filmmaking, this year’s 15 Headliners represent the most buzzed about international cinema: After receiving a 15-minute standing ovation, Nadine Labaki – one of 90 female directors in this year’s program – offers Capharnaüm, winner of this year’s Jury Prize at Cannes. Centred on a 12-year-old child attempting to divorce himself from his parents, Labaki’s neorealist fable is notable for the astonishing performances she draws out from her cast of non-professional actors. In Burning, South Korean auteur Lee Chang-dong adapts author Haruki Murakami’s short story of romantic longing into a riveting and dramatic thriller. Wildly praised at Cannes, Burning set a new record for the highest-ever score in Screen International’s poll of critics at the festival. Doubling down on the sensory experience of their past works, Colombian-born filmmakers Ciro Guerra and Cristina Gallego bring a distinct perspective to the time-honoured rags-to-riches drug saga. Mythical in its storytelling, Birds of Passage combines eye-popping traditional costumes and culture, an immersive atmosphere of surreal imagery and glorious widescreen cinematography. Equally intense in its visceral qualities, Climax is an ecstatic and nightmarish orgy of sex, drugs and 90s club music from legendary provocateur Gaspar Noé. Winner of the Art Cinema Award at Cannes, Climax reaffirms Noé as modern cinema’s most incisive and inventive observer of humanity’s animal darkness. Oscar nominated Debra Granik – a guest of this year’s festival – returns to feature filmmaking with Leave No Trace, a humane depiction of the bond between father and daughter and the universal desire to live by your own rules. Recipient of the Cannes Best Director prize, Pawel Pawlikowski’s Cold War is a love story that wends its way through a partitioned Europe. Inspired by Pawlikowski’s own parents’ story, Cold War offers audiences a lyrical and emotional work replete with virtuosic black-and-white visuals and a keen sense of music. Decades in the making, director Terry Gilliam’s near-mythical riff on Cervantes’ fantastic tale, The Man Who Killed Don Quixote, finally makes its way to Melbourne. Starring Adam Driver alongside Gilliam stalwart Jonathan Pryce, it’s the story of a cynical ad man trapped in the delusions of an old shoemaker who believes himself to be Don Quixote. The 2018 festival program highlights the rise of Australia’s next generation of filmmakers.  Alena Lodkina’s visually stunning feature debut Strange Colours is a story of family and estrangement set amid the alien landscape of Australia’s opal miners. With most of the characters played by actual opal miners, it’s a hypnotic dusky reverie, filled with quiet grace and power. Fellow Lab alumnus Ted Wilson however, delivers a feel-good film of family, cricket and one man’s hunt for David Boon, in his delicately poised Under the Cover of Cloud. The MIFF Premiere Fund-supported Acute Misfortune is the debut feature from renowned independent theatre director, Thomas M. Wright. A lyrical adaptation of journalist Erik Jensen’s acclaimed biography of infamous Archibald Prize-winning artist Adam Cullen played by Daniel Henshall, who will return from New York for the film’s world premiere. Also supported through the Fund, director Miranda Nation’s Undertow is a psychological thriller of grief, abuse and obsession set against the backdrop of local footy culture. From rising filmmaker Ben Hackworth comes Celeste, a literally operatic character study of loss and power and the things that tear us apart. A sumptuously shot psychological thriller starring Radha Mitchell and Nadine Garner, Celeste is a riveting statement of intent from one of Australia’s boldest cinematic voices. The stories of Australia’s Indigenous population will be brought to life in one of the most dynamic showcases of Indigenous content in the festival’s history. An exhilarating and immersive film that will be shown at Melbourne’s Planetarium, Carriberrie tells the expansive story of Indigenous Australian song and dance. Featuring Aboriginal dance theatre group Bangarra and actors Jack Charles and David Gulpilil, Carriberrie is an intimate and breathtaking showcase of Aboriginal performance and Australian landscape. A starkly different documentary and a powerful call to action, the MIFF Premiere Fund-supported Undermined: Tales from the Kimberley, from award-winning director Nicholas Wrathall (Gore Vidal: The United States of Amnesia), unearths the true cost of doing business in Australia’s world-famous Kimberley region; a place where mega-mining and pastoral developments threaten not just the environment but more than 200 Indigenous communities and their peoples’ sacred links to Country. In a ground-breaking work of interactive filmmaking, Thalu: Dreamtime is Now takes audiences on a journey into the modern Dreamtime stories of the western Pilbara-based Ngarluma. Directed by award-winning Ngarluma man Tyson Morwarin, this is a rare opportunity for audiences to hear these stories and to experience them through the medium of virtual reality. A tribute to an outcast musical genius; the astonishing story of three identical triplets separated at birth; the tale of a motorcycling legend; an unrestrained insight into one of music’s most provocative stars; and the story of Australia’s original working class man, all mark out this year’s documentary selection. In a coup for Melbourne audiences, MIFF will screen the world premiere of Jimmy Barnes: Working Class Boy – Mark Joffe’s captivating and compassionate portrait of one of Australia’s most well-known musical figures. Based on the best-selling memoir of the same name, the film joins Jimmy as he retraces his earliest steps through the hard streets of Glasgow and revisits childhood ghosts in South Australia. It’s a raw, yet darkly funny story set against a backdrop of never-seen-before archival footage and interviews along with captivating musical moments. Equally unflinching and honest, MATANGI/MAYA/M.I.A. presents outspoken musician M.I.A at her most candid. Winner of the Special Jury Award (World Cinema Documentary) at Sundance, this film is as dynamic, eclectic and electrifying as the artist herself. In his feature documentary debut, director Jeremy Sims turns his lens on Australia’s greatest ever professional motorcyclist – Wayne “The Wollongong Whiz” Gardner. In a film that’s as free-spirited, introspective, honest and cheeky as the man himself, Wayne offers a revealing portrait of a man who, during his career, was certainly hard to miss. Like something out of The Twilight Zone, Three Identical Strangers tells the incredible true story of triplets separated at birth…but that’s just the beginning of an even more astonishing saga. Having taken Sundance by storm, Three Identical Strangers is both a remarkable real-life tale and bona fide thriller, which will leave audiences gobsmacked. Inspired by former Prime Minister Paul Keating’s searing eulogy for Geoffrey Tozer, the Premiere Fund-supported The Eulogy explores the remarkable and tragic story of Australia’s greatest-ever, and perhaps most overlooked, pianist. Directed by Janine Hosking, the film includes Keating re-staging his famous funeral oration, as celebrated conductor Richard Gill AO embarks on a journey to restore Tozer’s legacy. From Givenchy to Gaultier, Armani to Alpha60, fashion design and style have long been influenced by cinema. In 2018, MIFF brings some of the most iconic style films to the big screen; films that launched style icons and influenced style for decades to come. In a program specially curated by Artistic Director Michelle Carey, Fashion x Cinema covers multiple genres, with each film unified by a sense of timelessness and jaw-dropping beauty. [caption id="attachment_28266" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Alexander McQueen in MCQUEEN. McQueen[/caption] This programming strand features: McQueen, director Ian Bonhôte’s ode to one of fashion’s most storied designers; Yellow is Forbidden, where veteran documentarian Pietra Brettkelly tells the haute couture Cinderella story of China’s Guo Pei – the designer behind the famed yellow dress worn by Rihanna at the 2015 Met Gala; and Westwood: Punk, Icon, Activist – an observational look at the orange-haired punk icon who rewrote the rules for the generation of designers who followed in her footsteps. Retrospective titles include: Funny Face, the film that saw Audrey Hepburn join forces with Givenchy; Berry Gordy’s rarely screened Mahogany, where Diana Ross plays an aspiring fashion designer torn between activism and a career of luxury; and Peter Weir’s inimitable Australian classic, Picnic at Hanging Rock. African Film Rediscovered is a retrospective program of recently restored and newly recovered classic African films, showcasing films from three decades and ten countries to celebrate the diversity and unique perspective of African cinema. Featuring Chronicle of the Years of Embers, the stirring, 1975 Palme d’Or winner by Mohammed Lakhdar-Hamina (Algeria); Selma Baccar’s pioneering feminist essay-film, Fatma 75 (Tunisia); and Shadi Abdel Salam’s haunting classic The Night of Counting the Years (Egypt). African Film Rediscovered is an in-depth look at the continent’s most seminal filmmaking. The Italo-Crime retrospective takes a focused look at Eurocrime and poliziotteschi – a genre of Italian crime thrillers from the 60s and 70s. Considered a defining moment in the poliziotteschi genre, the retrospective kicks off with The Violent Four, a down and dirty cinema vérité-inspired thriller set in the seedy Milan underworld. Other films include: Confessions of a Police Captain, an anti-buddy cop classic that quite literally cuts the red tape and leaves it full of bullet holes; Milan Caliber 9, one of Quentin Tarantino’s greatest inspirations; and the Oscar-winning Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion – a Kafkaesque collision of fascist noir and absurdist satire that trails the powerful police chief hunting down a vicious killer: himself. Spearheaded by this year’s Palme d’Or winning Australian film, All These Creatures, MIFF Shorts will feature 90 films, as well as a specially curated (by the Harvard Film Archive) program of the intimate diary films of Bostonian artist, Anne Charlotte Robertson. Winner of the Grand Jury Prize at this year’s Sundance, director Álvaro Gago delivers Matria; Israel’s Miki Polonski offers Shmama, the story of a mother and her daughter trapped in their own relationship; Australian Kerinne Jenkins brings the festival Cattle, a narrative of unspoken fears and inexplicable occurrences; and Iranian director Mojtaba Mousavi presents Mr. Deer – the tale of a deer attempting to rekindle the humanity of his fellow train passengers. In its largest iteration to date, the 2018 program has left no stone unturned. Presenting its core international and local selections alongside their regular programming strands – Experimentations, Music on Film, Night Shift, Retrospectives, Special Events and Talks – MIFF 2018 will beckon audiences everywhere to come and see another side of film.

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