The European Film Academy announced the nominees for the European Discovery 2019 – Prix FIPRESCI, an award presented annually as part of the European Film Awards to a director for a first full-length feature film.
Blind Spot (Blindsone)(2018)
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6 Films Nominated for European Film Awards – European Discovery 2019 Award
ATLANTICS directed by Mati Diop
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5 Nordic Films Nominated for Nordic Council Film Prize 2019
AURORA (Aurora) by Miia Tervo Five films from the five Nordic countries of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden, have been selected as candidates at The Haugesund International Film Festival for the Nordic Council Film Prize 2019.
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WOMAN AT WAR, OUR BODIES OUR DOCTORS Win Audience Awards at 42nd Portland International Film Festival
Woman at War Throughout the 42nd Portland International Film Festival, attendees were given the opportunity to register their opinions on each of the 90 features and 55 shorts. Earning top audience accolades for Best Narrative Feature is Woman at War (Iceland/France/Ukraine) by director Benedikt Erlingsson. Our Bodies Our Doctors (United States) by director Jan Haaken took the Best Documentary Feature award. Director Lila Avilés is the winner of this year’s Best New Director award for her debut feature, The Chambermaid (Mexico). The Wolf House (Chile/Germany) director Joaquín Cociña & Christóbal León takes home the Audience Award for Best Animated Feature. Fish Out of Water (United States) by director Josh Brine is the recipient of the Best Oregon Short Film Award.
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2018 San Sebastian Film Festival Awards – BETWEEN TWO WATERS Wins Best Film
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Between Two Waters (Entre dos aguas)[/caption]
Between Two Waters (Entre dos aguas) by Isaki Lacuesta won the top prize, Golden Shell for Best Film at the 2018 San Sebastian International Film Festival.
In the film, Isra and Cheíto are two Roma brothers: Isra was sent to prison for drug dealing and Cheíto signed up for the Marines. When Isra is released from prison and Cheíto returns from a long mission, they return to San Fernando. The reunion between the siblings brings memories of their father’s violent death when they were only boys. Twelve years have passed since La Leyenda del tiempo (The Legend of Time), Lacuesta’s film when Isra and Cheíto were teenagers. Now Isra returns to San Fernando to recover his wife and kids. But will he manage to go straight in a place with the highest unemployment rate in Spain? Their search for redemption, their need to sort out their lives and to find reconciliation between them unites Isra and Cheíto once again.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGGEWF_CFxs
OFFICIAL AWARDS – FIAPF
Golden Shell for Best Film BETWEEN TWO WATERS (ENTRE DOS AGUAS) ISAKI LACUESTA (SPAIN) Special Jury Prize ALPHA, THE RIGHT TO KILL BRILLANTE MENDOZA (PHILIPPINES) Silver Shell for Best Director BENJAMÍN NAISHTAT ROJO BENJAMÍN NAISHTAT (ARGENTINA – BELGIUM – BRAZIL – GERMANY – FRANCE – SWITZERLAND) Silver Shell for Best Actress PIA TJELTA BLIND SPOT TUVA NOVOTNY (NORWAY) Silver Shell for Best Actor DARIO GRANDINETTI ROJO BENJAMÍN NAISHTAT (ARGENTINA – BELGIUM – BRAZIL – GERMANY – FRANCE – SWITZERLAND) Jury Prize for Best Cinematography PEDRO SOTERO ROJO BENJAMÍN NAISHTAT (ARGENTINA – BELGIUM – BRAZIL – GERMANY – FRANCE – SWITZERLAND) Jury Prize for Best Screenplay tie PAUL LAVERTY YULI ICÍAR BOLLAÍN (SPAIN – CUBA – UK – GERMANY) LOUIS GARREL Y JEAN-CLAUDE CARRIÈRE A FAITHFUL MAN (L’HOMME FIDÈLE) LOUIS GARREL (FRANCE)OTHER OFFICIAL AWARDS
Kutxabank-New Directors Award BOKU WA IESU-SAMA GA KIRAI / JESUS HIROSHI OKUYAMA (JAPAN) SPECIAL MENTION JOURNEY TO A MOTHER’S ROOM (VIAJE AL CUARTO DE UNA MADRE) CELIA RICO CLAVELLINO (SPAIN – FRANCE) Horizontes Award A FAMILY SUBMERGED (FAMILIA SUMERGIDA) MARIA ALCHÉ (ARGENTINA – BRAZIL – GERMANY – NORWAY) SPECIAL MENTION THE SNATCH THIEF (EL MOTOARREBATADOR) AGUSTÍN TOSCANO (ARGENTINA – URUGUAY – FRANCE) Zabaltegi-Tabakalera Award SONG FOR THE JUNGLE Short film JEAN-GABRIEL PÉRIOT (FRANCE) SPECIAL MENTION THOSE WHO DESIRE (LOS QUE DESEAN) Short film ELENA LÓPEZ RIERA (SWITZERLAND – SPAIN) City of Donostia / San Sebastian Audience Award ANOTHER DAY OF LIFE (UN DÍA MÁS CON VIDA) RAÚL DE LA FUENTE, DAMIAN NENOW (SPAIN – POLAND – BELGIUM- GERMANY) City of Donostia / San Sebastian Audience Award. Best European Film GIRL LUKAS DHONT (BELGIUM – NETHERLANDS) Irizar Basque Film Award THE DEER (OREINA) KOLDO ALMANDOZ (SPAIN) Youth Award JOURNEY TO A MOTHER’S ROOM (VIAJE AL CUARTO DE UNA MADRE) CELIA RICO CLAVELLINO (SPAIN – FRANCE) Films in Progress Awards FILMS IN PROGRESS 34 INDUSTRY AWARD THE SHARKS (LOS TIBURONES) LUCÍA GARIBALDI (URUGUAY – ARGENTINA) FILM FACTORY AWARD THE SHARKS (LOS TIBURONES) LUCÍA GARIBALDI (URUGUAY – ARGENTINA) Glocal in Progress Award GLOCAL IN PROGRESS INDUSTRY AWARD INVISIBLE (NEMATOMA) IGNAS JONYNAS (LITHUANIA – LATVIA – UKRAINE) GLOCAL IN PROGRESS AWARD INVISIBLE (NEMATOMA) IGNAS JONYNAS (LITHUANIA – LATVIA – UKRAINE) Europe-Latin America Co-production Forum. EGEDA Best Project Award VII EUROPE-LATIN AMERICA CO-PRODUCTION FORUM BEST PROJECT AWARD BROTHER DANGER (HERMANO PELIGRO) PABLO FENDRIK (ARGENTINA – DENMARK) EFADs-CAACI EUROPE-LATIN AMERICA CO-PRODUCTION GRANT LA LLORONA JAYRO BUSTAMANTE (GUATEMALA) EURIMAGES DEVELOPMENT CO-PRODUCTION AWARD THE JUNGLE MATTHIAS HUSER (SWITZERLAND) ARTE INTERNATIONAL PRIZE LIBERTAD CLARA ROQUET (SPAIN – DENMARK) Ikusmira Berriak Award IKUSMIRA BERRIAK AWARD. REC GRABAKETA ESTUDIOA POST-PRODUCTION AWARD WATER (EL AGUA) ELENA LÓPEZ RIERA (SWITZERLAND) International Film Students Meeting Awards Panavision Award EL VERANO DEL LEÓN ELÉCTRICO DIEGO CÉSPEDES (CHILE) Panavision Award. Special nominal mention WHERE THE SUMMER GOES (CHAPTERS ON YOUTH) / ONDE O VERÃO VAI (EPISÓDIOS DA JUVENTUDE) DAVID PINHEIRO VICENTE (PORTUGAL) Orona Award THE GIRL WITH TWO HEADS BETZABÉ GARCÍA (UK)OTHER AWARDS
TVE-Another Look Award THE THIRD WIFE ASH MAYFAIR (VIETNAM) Spanish Cooperation Award LOS SILENCIOS BEATRIZ SEIGNER (BRAZIL – FRANCE – COLOMBIA)HONORIFIC AWARDS
Donostia Award JUDI DENCH DANNY DEVITO HIROKAZU KOREEDA Zinemira Award RAMÓN AGIRREPARALLEL AWARDS
FIPRESCI Award HIGH LIFE CLAIRE DENIS (FRANCE – GERMANY – UK – POLAND – USA) Fedeora Award JOURNEY TO A MOTHER’S ROOM (VIAJE AL CUARTO DE UNA MADRE) CELIA RICO CLAVELLINO (SPAIN – FRANCE) Zinemaldia FEROZ Award QUIÉN TE CANTARÁ CARLOS VERMUT (SPAIN – FRANCE) Award to the Basque Best Screenplay RAÚL DE LA FUENTE, AMAIA REMÍREZ ANOTHER DAY OF LIFE (UN DÍA MÁS CON VIDA) RAÚL DE LA FUENTE, DAMIAN NENOW (SPAIN – POLAND – BELGIUM- GERMANY) Greenpeace – Lurra Award DANTZA TELMO ESNAL (SPAIN) SIGNIS Award BETWEEN TWO WATERS (ENTRE DOS AGUAS) ISAKI LACUESTA (SPAIN) SPECIAL MENTION ALPHA, THE RIGHT TO KILL BRILLANTE MENDOZA (PHILIPPINES) Guipuzcoan Blood-Donors’ Association Corresponding to the Solidarity Award BABY (BAO BEI ER) LIU JIE (CHINA) Sebastiane Award GIRL LUKAS DHONT (BELGIUM – NETHERLANDS)
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46 Breakout Films Selected for 2018 Toronto International Film Festival Discovery Program
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Screwdriver[/caption]
The Toronto International Film Festival revealed the 46 breakout films from 50 international storytellers that will screen in its 2018 Discovery lineup, marking a record year for the program. Hailing from 37 different countries, these promising new filmmakers present works that explore identity, complex portraits of women, and youth as they struggle to navigate a fragile world. Twenty-nine of the films will make their World Premieres at the Festival. The lineup stands out for the impressive number of Asian and Eastern European films — accounting for 26% of the Discovery program — and the number of films directed by women.
Opening this year’s Discovery program will be Bai Xue’s The Crossing, a captivating Chinese film following the journey of an ordinary teenage girl who becomes entangled in illicit activities.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVd56lm-8Cs
The program’s highlights include: Adina Pintilie’s innovative Touch Me Not, winner of the Golden Bear and Best First Feature in Berlin; Syrian director Soudade Kaadan’s The Day I Lost My Shadow, a bewitching film on the Syrian conflict; Nino Zhvania’s Parade, the only Georgian feature in the selection; Lithuanian director Marija Kavtaradze’s touching Summer Survivors; Han Ka-ram’s charming Our Body; and renowned Nigerian actor Genevieve Nnaji’s exciting directorial debut, Lionheart.
This year’s lineup also stands out for the strong portrayals of sensitive and witty women within it. Among them are Arturo Infante’s sci-fi comedy The Extraordinary Journey of Celeste García , starring popular actor María Isabel Díaz; Mexican director Lila Avilés’ The Chambermaid; Arash Lahooti’s Orange Days; Nikos Labôt’s Her Job; and Woman at War by Icelandic director Benedikt Erlingsson, which has already earned critical praise.
Putting the struggles of young characters front and centre, the Discovery program includes UK actor-director Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje’s Farming, which tells the story of a Nigerian immigrant facing a racist skinhead gang in 1980s England; Carmel Winters’ beautiful Float Like a Butterfly; Lukas Dhont’s Girl; Daniel Sawka’s Icebox; Rosanne Pel’s Light as Feathers; Darko Štante’s Consequences; Ash Mayfair’s The Third Wife; Imogen Thomas’ poetic Emu Runner; Ethiopian–Israeli filmmaker Aäläm-Wärqe Davidian’s Fig Tree; and Joël Karekezi’s The Mercy of the Jungle, showcasing the breakthrough performance of TIFF International Rising Star Stéphane Bak.
Risk-takers and daring artists also stand out in this year’s slate, as in Wanuri Kahiu’s Rafiki, an electric female LGBTQ+ love story set in Kenya, where homosexuality is illegal; Sameh Zoabi’s border-crossing dark comedy Tel Aviv on Fire; Ognjen Glavonić’s The Load; and Irish brothers Andy and Ryan Tohill’s suspenseful thriller The Dig. Bold Australian filmmaker Benjamin Gilmour will present the groundbreaking Jirga .
To close this bright selection, Palestinian director Bassam Jarbawi will introduce North American audiences to his exceptional first feature film, Screwdriver, a gripping drama that examines the psychological impact of the Palestinian–Israeli conflict.
The 43rd Toronto International Film Festival runs from September 6 to 16, 2018
2018 Toronto International Film Festival Discovery Program
aKasha hajooj kuka | Sudan/South Africa/Qatar/Germany North American Premiere ANIARA Pella Kågerman, Hugo Lilja | Sweden World Premiere Blind Spot (Blindsone) Tuva Novotny | Norway International Premiere The Chambermaid (La Camarista) Lila Avilés | Mexico World Premiere Complicity (Kazenoki Wa Koto No Youni) Kei Chikaura | Japan/China World Premiere Consequences (Posledice) Darko Štante | Slovenia/Austria World Premiere Discovery Opening Film The Crossing (Guo Chun Tian) Bai Xue | China World Premiere The Day I Lost My Shadow (Yom Adaatou Zouli) Soudade Kaadan | Syria/France/Qatar/Lebanon North American Premiere The Dig Andy Tohill, Ryan Tohill | United Kingdom North American Premiere An Elephant Sitting Still (Da Xiang Xi Di Er Zuo) Hu Bo | China Canadian Premiere Emu Runner Imogen Thomas | Australia World Premiere ENDZEIT – EVER AFTER (ENDZEIT) Carolina Hellsgård | Germany World Premiere The Extraordinary Journey of Celeste García (El Viaje Extraordinario de Celeste García) Arturo Infante | Cuba/Germany World Premiere Farming Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje | United Kingdom World Premiere Fig Tree Aäläm-Wärqe Davidian | Israel/Germany/France/Ethiopia World Premiere Float Like a Butterfly Carmel Winters | Ireland World Premiere Girl Lukas Dhont | Belgium Canadian Premiere Gwen William McGregor | United Kingdom World Premiere Helmet Heads (Cascos Indomables) Neto Villalobos | Costa Rica/Chile World Premiere Her Job Nikos Labôt | Greece/France/Serbia World Premiere Icebox Daniel Sawka | USA World Premiere Jirga Benjamin Gilmour | Australia North American Premiere Light as Feathers Rosanne Pel | Netherlands World Premiere Lionheart Genevieve Nnaji | Nigeria World Premiere The Load (Teret) Ognjen Glavonic | Serbia/France/Croatia/Iran/Qatar North American Premiere Manta Ray (Kraben Rahu) Phuttiphong Aroonpheng | Thailand/France/China North American Premiere The Mercy of the Jungle Joël Karekezi | Belgium/France/Germany North American Premiere Orange Days (Rooz-haye Narenji) Arash Lahooti | Iran World Premiere Our Body (A-wol Ba-di) Han Ka-ram | South Korea World Premiere Parade (Aglumi) Nino Zhvania | Georgia/Russia World Premiere Phoenix (Føniks) Camilla Strøm Henriksen | Norway/Sweden World Premiere Rafiki Wanuri Kahiu | Kenya/South Africa/France/Lebanon/Norway/Netherlands/Germany/USA North American Premiere Saf Ali Vatansever | Turkey/Germany/Romania World Premiere Discovery Closing Film Screwdriver (Mafak) Bassam Jarbawi | Palestine/USA/Qatar North American Premiere Summer Survivors Marija Kavtaradze | Lithuania World Premiere Tel Aviv on Fire Sameh Zoabi | Luxembourg/France/Israel/Belgium North American Premiere The Third Wife Ash Mayfair | Vietnam World Premiere Tito and the Birds (Tito e os Pássaros) Gustavo Steinberg, Gabriel Bitar, André Catoto | Brazil North American Premiere Too Late to Die Young (Tarde para morir joven) Dominga Sotomayor | Chile/Brazil/Argentina/Netherlands/Qatar North American Premiere Touch Me Not Adina Pintilie | Romania/Germany/Czech Republic/Bulgaria/France North American Premiere Twin Flower (Fiore Gemello) Laura Luchetti | Italy World Premiere Woman at War (Kona fer í stríð) Benedikt Erlingsson | Iceland/France/Ukraine North American Premiere Previously announced Canadian titles in the Discovery programme include Akash Sherman’s Clara , Gwaai Edenshaw and Helen Haig-Brown’s Edge of the Knife, Jasmin Mozaffari’s Firecrackers, and Zach Lipovsky and Adam Stein’s Freaks.TIFF DOCS
Reason (Vivek) Anand Patwardhan | India World Premiere
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BEAUTIFUL BOY, IN FABRIC, A FAITHFUL MAN to Compete for Golden Shell at San Sebastian Film Festival
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Beautiful Boy[/caption]
L’homme fidèle / A Faithful Man (Louis Garrel), Baby (Liu Jie), Alpha, the Right to Kill (Brillante Mendoza), In Fabric (Peter Strickland), Beautiful Boy (Felix Van Groeningen) and Blind Spot (Tuva Novotny) will compete for the Golden Shell at the 66th San Sebastian Film Festival. These six films join the latest works from Icíar Bollaín, Claire Denis, Simon Jaquemet, Kim Jee-woon, Naomi Kawase, Isaki Lacuesta, Benjamín Naishtat, Valeria Sarmiento, Rodrigo Sorogoyen, Markus Schleinzer, Juan Vera and Carlos Vermut in the running for the Festival’s official awards.
The French actor and director Louis Garrel (Paris, 1983) will present his second feature as a moviemaker after Les deux amis / Two friends (2015), selected for the Semaine de la Critique at Cannes. Garrel, who has worked as an actor with Bertolucci, Bonello, Hazanavicius and Honoré, stars in L’homme fidèle alongside Laetitia Casta and Lily-Rose Depp.
Liu Jie (Tianjin, China, 1968), winner of the Orizzonti Award in Venice for his first film, Mabei shang de fating / Courthouse on Horseback, addresses in Bao bei er / Baby the tale of an 19 year-old girl determined to save a sick girl in the context of the birth control imposed by the Chinese Government.
After competing in Cannes, Berlin and Venice, Brillante Mendoza (San Fernando, Philippines, 1960) will do so for the first time in San Sebastian with Alpha: The Right to Kill, set against the backdrop of the Philippine Government’s crackdown on drugs. Last year, Mendoza’s production Pailalim / Underground, Daniel Palacio’s debut, competed in New Directors.
The Swedish actress Tuva Novotny (Stockholm, 1979), who recently starred in Annihilation (2018) and Borg / McEnroe (Pearls 2017), makes her directorial debut with Blind Spot, looking at the blind spots of the mind through the relationship between a mother and daughter.
Peter Strickland (Reading, UK, 1973) has become a cult author with only three movies: Katalin Varga (2009), which competed in Berlin and was recognised with the European Discovery of the Year award, Berberian Sound Studio (2012), a competitor in Locarno, and The Duke of Burgundy (2014). His fourth feature film, In Fabric, follows the trail of a cursed dress.
Beautiful Boy is the first film shot in English by Felix Van Groeningen (Ghent, Belgium, 1977), who presented De helaasheid der dingen / The Misfortunates (2009) at the Quinzaine des Réalisateurs and Alabama Monroe (2013) in the Panorama section of the Berlinale, where he won the Audience Award. The film was also nominated for a Best Foreign Language Film Academy Award. Beautiful Boy, based on the true story of a father’s struggle to rescue his son from drugs, stars Steve Carell and Timothée Chamalet and is produced by the winners of the Academy Award for Moonlight and 12 Years a Slave (Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner).
Now, a month before the Festival, we have already announced the eighteen competing films, as well as those to participate out of competition (Gigantes) or as special screenings (Tiempo después and Dantza). The closing film will be announced in the coming weeks.
ALPHA, THE RIGHT TO KILL
BRILLANTE MENDOZA (PHILIPPINES)
Cast: Allen Dizon, Elijah Filamor, Baron Geisler
Set against the background of the government’s crackdown on illegal drugs, the SWAT-led police force launches an operation to arrest Abel, a major methamphetamine distributor, with PO3 Moises Espino and his informant Elijah providing the intelligence. A violent battle breaks out in the slums between the SWAT and Abel’s gang. Abel flees the scene with his bag full of money and methamphetamines. The SWAT kills him, but before the investigators arrive at the crime scene, Espino makes off Abel’s bag.
BAO BEI ER / BABY
LIU JIE (CHINA)
Cast: Yang Mi, Guo Jingfei, Lee Hong-Chi, Wang Yanjun, Zhu Shaojun, Yan Surong
Born 19 years ago in Nanjing with the VACTERL syndrome, Jiang Meng was abandoned by her parents. With the help of her foster mother and Director Wang, today Jiang works in a hospital as cleaner. One day, Jiang encounters a man coming into the hospital with a newborn baby. She learns that the baby is a girl who also has the VACTERL syndrome, and that the father has decided not to care for her.
BEAUTIFUL BOY
FELIX VAN GROENINGEN (USA)
Cast: Timothée Chalamet, Steve Carell, Maura Tierney, Amy Ryan
Based on the bestselling pair of memoirs by father and son David and Nic Sheff, Felix van Groeningen’s film chronicles the heartbreaking and inspiring experience of survival, relapse and recovery in a family coping with addiction over many years.
BLIND SPOT
TUVA NOVOTNY (NORWAY)
Cast: Pia Tjelta, Anders Baasmo Christiansen, Oddgeir Thune, Per Frisch, Marianne Krogh
Blind Spot centres on a mother as she struggles to understand her teenage daughter’s crisis, when tragedy strikes the whole family.
IN FABRIC
PETER STRICKLAND (UK)
Cast: Gwendoline Christie, Hayley Squires, Marianne Jean-Baptiste
In Fabric is set against the backdrop of a busy winter sales period in a department store and follows the life of a cursed dress as it passes from person to person, with devastating consequences.
L’HOMME FIDÈLE / A FAITHFUL MAN
LOUIS GARREL (FRANCE)
Cast: Louis Garrel, Laetitia Casta, Lily-Rose Depp
Marianne leaves Abel for Paul, his best friend and the father of her unborn child. Eight years later, Paul dies. Abel and Marianne get back together, arousing feelings of jealousy in both Marianne’s son, Joseph, and Paul’s sister, Eva, who has secretly loved Abel since childhood.