Ever since he convinced cinematographer Sławomir Idziak to cover the elaborate action sequences in “Black Hawk Down” with 11 cameras, Ridley Scott has been evolving a multi-camera style that is as creatively dynamic as it is economically sensible, capturing a maximum number of angles in a minimal amount of time. The benefits of Scott‘s approach are obvious in a set piece like the Austerlitz sequence in “Napoleon,” where he maintains a clarity of geography and accelerated cutting pace while orchestrating thousands of characters engaged in battle. Yet according to the director, shooting with multiple cameras is just as valuable — perhaps even more so — in the intimate scenes between the moments of spectacle.
“My method is to always work with a minimum of four cameras,” Scott told IndieWire’s Filmmaker Toolkit podcast, noting that even logistically simple scenes between Napoleon (Joaquin Phoenix) and Josephine (Vanessa Kirby) behind closed doors benefit from this form of shooting.
“My method is to always work with a minimum of four cameras,” Scott told IndieWire’s Filmmaker Toolkit podcast, noting that even logistically simple scenes between Napoleon (Joaquin Phoenix) and Josephine (Vanessa Kirby) behind closed doors benefit from this form of shooting.
- 12/4/2023
- by Jim Hemphill
- Indiewire
Camerimage, the cinematography-oriented film festival, will bestow its Lifetime Achievement Award on auteur director Krzysztof Zanussi.
Born in Warsaw in 1939, Zanussi studied at the National Film School in Lodz, Poland, but even before enrolling he was making amateur films, winning awards at various festivals.
His directorial debut, “The Death of a Provincial” (1966), with cinematography by Jan Hesse, foreshadowed the central themes of his work – the juxtaposition of the sacred and the profane, youth and old age, life and death.
After making several medium-length and documentary films, Zanussi directed his first feature, “The Structure of Crystal” (1969), with Stefan Matyjaszkiewicz as Dp. The picture is considered part of the so-called third wave in Polish cinema, which combines asceticism, lack of a traditional plot and a profound sense of realism, reflected in the cinematography – all defining characteristics of the director’s early work.
In the 1970s, Zanussi created a series of films that...
Born in Warsaw in 1939, Zanussi studied at the National Film School in Lodz, Poland, but even before enrolling he was making amateur films, winning awards at various festivals.
His directorial debut, “The Death of a Provincial” (1966), with cinematography by Jan Hesse, foreshadowed the central themes of his work – the juxtaposition of the sacred and the profane, youth and old age, life and death.
After making several medium-length and documentary films, Zanussi directed his first feature, “The Structure of Crystal” (1969), with Stefan Matyjaszkiewicz as Dp. The picture is considered part of the so-called third wave in Polish cinema, which combines asceticism, lack of a traditional plot and a profound sense of realism, reflected in the cinematography – all defining characteristics of the director’s early work.
In the 1970s, Zanussi created a series of films that...
- 10/18/2023
- by Peter Caranicas
- Variety Film + TV
Life on the road and fantasy worlds held sway at the 29th edition of the EnergaCamerimage International Film Festival on Saturday, winning big after a week of scaled down but enthusiastic industry events, seminars and screenings celebrating cinematography.
“C’mon C’mon,” shot by Robbie Ryan and directed by Mike Mills, won this year’s Golden Frog. The film, which tells the story of a radio journalist driving between American cities with his nine-year-old nephew Jesse, enchanted jurors with its black-and-white imagery, one of several top contenders in monochrome.
Ryan, praised for his “precise and humble eye” and “cinema that touches the soul,” accepted via video from a film set in Hungary, calling “C’mon C’mon” a “small film,” made just prior to the Covid pandemic by a crew “traveling around like a circus.”
Buzz built early on during the fest for Joel Coen’s “The Tragedy of Macbeth,” shot by Bruno Delbonnel,...
“C’mon C’mon,” shot by Robbie Ryan and directed by Mike Mills, won this year’s Golden Frog. The film, which tells the story of a radio journalist driving between American cities with his nine-year-old nephew Jesse, enchanted jurors with its black-and-white imagery, one of several top contenders in monochrome.
Ryan, praised for his “precise and humble eye” and “cinema that touches the soul,” accepted via video from a film set in Hungary, calling “C’mon C’mon” a “small film,” made just prior to the Covid pandemic by a crew “traveling around like a circus.”
Buzz built early on during the fest for Joel Coen’s “The Tragedy of Macbeth,” shot by Bruno Delbonnel,...
- 11/20/2021
- by Will Tizard
- Variety Film + TV
Krzysztof Kieślowski's Three Colors Trilogy is showing from December, 2019 and January, 2020 on Mubi in the United Kingdom.I watched my first Krzysztof Kieślowski as a high schooler, sitting next to my mother, in my town’s only cinema. As with anything in the early stages of my cinephilia, that baptism had been her idea. The movie theatre we’d pay weekly pilgrimages to had allocated a whole three-day run to The Decalogue (1989), and she thought that Kieślowski’s Ten Commandments TV saga would be a good place to start. I forgot much about those few hours, but not the perturbing feeling that crept up on me as the ten chapters began to unfold on screen. I sensed—and it’s a feeling that keeps resurfacing anytime I tread into a Kieślowski film, however many times I may have seen it already—that I’d been there before. That curious déjà-vu...
- 12/15/2019
- MUBI
7th edition will run from April 17-21 in Bratislava.
Visegrad Film Forum has announced a series of masterclasses to take place at its 7th edition, which will run from April 17-21 at the Film and TV Faculty of the Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava.
Editor Mick Audsley (Twelve Monkeys), cinematographer Slawomir Idziak (Black Hawk Down), special effects supervisor Eggert Ketilsson (Batman Begins) and director Marcel Lozinski (89mm From Europe) will all attend the event to discuss their respective fields.
Idziak will also host a workshop in which attendees will attempt to recreate Three Colours: Blue, the 1993 film he shot with director Krzysztof Kieslowski.
Visegrad Film Forum has announced a series of masterclasses to take place at its 7th edition, which will run from April 17-21 at the Film and TV Faculty of the Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava.
Editor Mick Audsley (Twelve Monkeys), cinematographer Slawomir Idziak (Black Hawk Down), special effects supervisor Eggert Ketilsson (Batman Begins) and director Marcel Lozinski (89mm From Europe) will all attend the event to discuss their respective fields.
Idziak will also host a workshop in which attendees will attempt to recreate Three Colours: Blue, the 1993 film he shot with director Krzysztof Kieslowski.
- 4/3/2018
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
Amy Adams and Steve Carrell also in negotiations.
After a string of blockbuster comedies starring Will Ferrell — Anchorman, The Other Guys, Step Brothers — writer-director Adam McKay side-stepped a little a couple years back with The Big Short, an ensemble flick about the real-life housing bubble collapse of the mid-2000s. The film earned the best reviews of McKay’s well-reviewed career, and wound up with five Oscar nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director, and one win for McKay’s screenplay (with Charles Randolph).
It shouldn’t be surprising then that for his big screen follow-up, McKay would return to the ripped-from-the-headlines genre, this time tackling a biopic of one of the most shadowy and misunderstood figures of this century to-date: Former Vice President Dick Cheney. And the cast he’s building? Start polishing the Oscars.
According to Variety’s sources Bale is on board to play Cheney, while Amy Adams is in talks to play his...
After a string of blockbuster comedies starring Will Ferrell — Anchorman, The Other Guys, Step Brothers — writer-director Adam McKay side-stepped a little a couple years back with The Big Short, an ensemble flick about the real-life housing bubble collapse of the mid-2000s. The film earned the best reviews of McKay’s well-reviewed career, and wound up with five Oscar nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director, and one win for McKay’s screenplay (with Charles Randolph).
It shouldn’t be surprising then that for his big screen follow-up, McKay would return to the ripped-from-the-headlines genre, this time tackling a biopic of one of the most shadowy and misunderstood figures of this century to-date: Former Vice President Dick Cheney. And the cast he’s building? Start polishing the Oscars.
According to Variety’s sources Bale is on board to play Cheney, while Amy Adams is in talks to play his...
- 4/6/2017
- by H. Perry Horton
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
Speaking at Locarno, Switzerland’s Interior Minister has talked up the country’s recent efforts to compete more on the international stage.
Switzerland’s Interior Minister Alain Berset has announced plans to make Swiss cinema more competitive in the international arena.
Speaking at this week’s Locarno Film Festival (Aug 3-13), Berset noted that Switzerland’s Interior Ministry issued a new regulation last month to promote the international presence of Swiss film-making to complement the Media compensatory measures.
A budget of $2.9m (CHF2.8m) is made available by the Federal Office of Culture for the distribution of Swiss and Swiss-international co-productions outside of Switzerland, the participation of Swiss film-makers and their films at film festivals, markets and award ceremonies, as well as training of Swiss filmmakers.
Berset said that further measures will “support the visibility of Swiss films, improve their access to the international market and position Switzerland as a shooting location.”
Cash rebate...
Switzerland’s Interior Minister Alain Berset has announced plans to make Swiss cinema more competitive in the international arena.
Speaking at this week’s Locarno Film Festival (Aug 3-13), Berset noted that Switzerland’s Interior Ministry issued a new regulation last month to promote the international presence of Swiss film-making to complement the Media compensatory measures.
A budget of $2.9m (CHF2.8m) is made available by the Federal Office of Culture for the distribution of Swiss and Swiss-international co-productions outside of Switzerland, the participation of Swiss film-makers and their films at film festivals, markets and award ceremonies, as well as training of Swiss filmmakers.
Berset said that further measures will “support the visibility of Swiss films, improve their access to the international market and position Switzerland as a shooting location.”
Cash rebate...
- 8/5/2016
- by screen.berlin@googlemail.com (Martin Blaney)
- ScreenDaily
Speaking at Locarno, Switzerland’s Interior Minister has talked up the country’s recent efforts to compete more on the international stage.
Switzerland’s Interior Minister Alain Berset has announced plans to make Swiss cinema more competitive in the international arena.
Speaking at this week’s Locarno Film Festival (Aug 3-13), Berset noted that Switzerland’s Interior Ministry issued a new regulation last month to promote the international presence of Swiss film-making to complement the Media compensatory measures.
A budget of $2.9m (CHF2.8m) is made available by the Federal Office of Culture for the distribution of Swiss and Swiss-international co-productions outside of Switzerland, the participation of Swiss film-makers and their films at film festivals, markets and award ceremonies, as well as training of Swiss filmmakers.
Berset said that further measures will “support the visibility of Swiss films, improve their access to the international market and position Switzerland as a shooting location.”
Cash rebate...
Switzerland’s Interior Minister Alain Berset has announced plans to make Swiss cinema more competitive in the international arena.
Speaking at this week’s Locarno Film Festival (Aug 3-13), Berset noted that Switzerland’s Interior Ministry issued a new regulation last month to promote the international presence of Swiss film-making to complement the Media compensatory measures.
A budget of $2.9m (CHF2.8m) is made available by the Federal Office of Culture for the distribution of Swiss and Swiss-international co-productions outside of Switzerland, the participation of Swiss film-makers and their films at film festivals, markets and award ceremonies, as well as training of Swiss filmmakers.
Berset said that further measures will “support the visibility of Swiss films, improve their access to the international market and position Switzerland as a shooting location.”
Cash rebate...
- 8/5/2016
- by screen.berlin@googlemail.com (Martin Blaney)
- ScreenDaily
"Your innocence will never abandon you..." Focus World has debuted a brand new official Us trailer for Natalie Portman's directorial debut, a drama called A Tale of Love and Darkness, set against the backdrop of the end of the British Mandate for Palestine and the early years of the State of Israel. Natalie Portman plays Fania Oz, the mother of Amos Oz, a person from real life who eventually becomes a writer, journalist, and advocate of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The film focuses mostly on his youth and his relationship with his mother. The cast includes Amir Tessler as the young Amos Oz, as well as Gilad Kahana, Ohad Knoller, Makram Khoury and Rotem Keinan. This looks powerful with some stunning cinematography by Slawomir Idziak (of Black Hawk Down, Gattaca). Have a look below. Here's an official Us trailer for Natalie Portman's A Tale of Love and Darkness,...
- 7/22/2016
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Natalie Portman will be seen in a second Terrence Malick film soon (fingers crossed), as well as new films from Xavier Dolan, Alex Garland, and Pablo Larraín within the next year, but before that, she’ll finally debut her first directorial effort in U.S. theaters this summer. Following a premiere at Cannes Film Festival last year, we now have the U.S. trailer for A Tale of Love and Darkness.
Based on a bestselling book of the same name by author Amos Oz, it chronicles Oz’s early life during the end of the British Mandate for Palestine and the beginning of the new formed Jewish state. With cinematography from Slawomir Idziak (Black Hawk Down, Gattaca), the reception thus far has been a bit muted, but we’re looking forward to see what Portman can do behind the camera considering the great directors she’s worked with thus far.
Based on a bestselling book of the same name by author Amos Oz, it chronicles Oz’s early life during the end of the British Mandate for Palestine and the beginning of the new formed Jewish state. With cinematography from Slawomir Idziak (Black Hawk Down, Gattaca), the reception thus far has been a bit muted, but we’re looking forward to see what Portman can do behind the camera considering the great directors she’s worked with thus far.
- 7/21/2016
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
School of Film Agents celebrated its third edition in Wroclaw, Poland, bringing together, once again, some of the best and most promising young players active in the European film industry today. The unique, core philosophy behind Sofa is the initiative's continuous commitment to strengthening the film landscape of countries in Central and Eastern Europe, Central Asia and the Caucasus States where unstable political and economical conditions result in an underdeveloped film industry.
Sofa-Founder Nikolaj Nikitin: "Granted, many films from these countries are being successfully screened at the big film festivals. Nonetheless, they are still lacking the necessary infrastructure and institutional support that not only acknowledges and strengthens the position of film as an art form and relevant socio-cultural and economic factor, but also backs the much-needed film mediators managing these initiatives - such as film festival-makers, distributors and cinema operators."
The Program
Ten intensive days of workshop participation were made available to the eight film agents and their top-class tutors, where, together, they were given the opportunity to successfully develop and push their promising ideas forward towards realization. Strengths and weaknesses of the projects pitched were openly and constructively discussed in close dialogue with some of the biggest names in the European film industry. Lectures and panel discussions dealing with the central topics at hand were visited and numerous in-depth one-to-one meetings took place. In comparison to last year's edition, this year, an intensive exchange between mentors and participants was able to take place already in advance guaranteeing optimal preparation for the workshop activities ahead.
The film agents and their film projects
In its third year, Sofa was, once again, able to pave the way towards realization for eight particularly committed projects. The eight participants were selected out of over one hundred applicants in total - the rising number of applications in 2015 is a clear confirmation of the growing popularity of Sofa.
The goal of strengthening the regional film culture and industries in their respective countries unified most of the participants' projects in 2015. Additionally the production and distribution of European co-productions within the international theatrical market also took center stage at this year's Sofa edition.
With her project Lviv Film Commission the Ukrainian participant Olha Reiter pursued the establishment of the first regional film commission in the Ukraine, a project which already commenced with its important work in August earlier this year.
The Dushanbe Documentary Film Center from Sergey Chutkov serves as a place for film education in Tajikistan - a platform providing space, equipment and seminars for the production of documentary films by young filmmakers.
The project Criss-Cross Film Lab developed by the Serbian participant Milica Bozanic would also like to provide a space for workshops and networking. In addition to bringing together young filmmakers with producers, business skills and marketing strategies will also be taught.
A mobile film educational project will be put into motion by the Polish participant Malgorzata Tusk. With her project Cinebus - Mobile Center of Audiovisual Education she would like to bring the already well-established workshop initiative "Film Spring Open" (led by the world-renowned Dop Slawomir Idziak) into light in Poland.
With his project Cuz We Are Talented, the Czech participant Michal Kracmer plans to steer the attention to young talents from countries in Central Europe while promoting co-productions between these countries.
Conceptualized as a full-service agency, the project Kaleidoscope, developed by the Slovakian participant Katarina Tomkova, intends to offer consultation and internationalization strategies from script to theatrical release.
The Romanian participant Dorina Oarga aims to digitize student films from the National University of Theatre and Film Archive and make them available online with her project Cinepub 2nd Life - a pilot project with the intention of preserving the film heritage of Romania.
Creating new visibility for ambitious children's films is the goal of the möwe. derKinderFilmVerleih, conceptualized by the German Sofa-participant Hella Riehl.
The Lecturers
Each of the eight participants had a tutor by his/her side offering project feedback from his/her own special and professional perspective. The following mentors lent their expertise to Sofa this year: Claudia Dillmann (Deutsches Filminstitut, Frankfurt), Maciej Jakubczyk (New Horizons Association, Wroclaw), Matthijs Wouter Knol (European Film Market, Berlin), Roberto Olla (Eurimages, Strasbourg), Katriel Schory (Israel Film Fund, Tel Aviv), Riina Sildos (Baltic Event, Tallinn), Tamara Tatishvili (Ablabudafilm, Tbilisi) und Kristina Trapp (Eave, Luxemburg). An additional lecture dealing with the topic of Marketing and Consumer Psychology was presented by Domenico la Porta (Cineuropa, Brussels).
Four further experts - each of whom have been an integral part of the Sofa-Team since the inception of the initiative - accompanied the participants from the first day to the very last of the workshop. Participants were able to develop individually tailored marketing strategies for their projects with Renaud Redien-Collot (Novancia Business School, Paris), while Pitching Expert Sibylle Kurz (Frankfurt am Main) ensured that projects are presented with a sense of confidence and ease. Oliver Baumgarten (Programme Director, Max Ophüls Preis, Saarbrücken) und Oscar-Winner Ewa Puszczynska (Opus Film, Lodz) were also present, offering individual feedback-meetings aimed at stylistically and conceptually enhancing the participants' concept drafts as well as helping them to work out appropriate budgeting and realistic timeline schemes for their projects.
The Sofa-participants and lecturers were invited to attend a Film-Preview of the Cannes-premiered Swedish-Polish co-production "The Here After" in Wroclaw's largest arthouse cinema. After the screening director Magnus von Horn and producer Mariusz Wlodarski spoke about opportunities within and the challenges facing the European co-production scene.
Film culture for the future - success stories
A look back at the last two editions of Sofa proves that the pan-European Thinktank dedicated to the future of cinema is truly making waves with sustainable signs of change and the first projects bearing fruit. Many of the projects from the last two years have been able to be successfully realized or are close to realization and implementation.
The Eurimage-backed Serbian Sofa-project Fbo - Festival Box Office by Sonja Topalovic was launched as a beta version in February at the Berlinale. A presentation of the interactive online-database for film festivals followed in the Spring in Cannes. Meanwhile, Fbo is closely cooperating with the Film Center Serbia, officially evaluating for them the number of visitors and ticket sales of art house theaters participating at Serbian film festivals. Moreover, negotiations are continuously taking place with numerous international film festivals, not only keeping the project's network flow in full-swing, but also helping to supplement their valuable database at the same time. As an innovative business tool, Fbo has long-term, world-wide plans to evaluate the success of art house films screened at festivals, thereby giving key players in the industry invaluable insight into understanding public taste.
Leana Jalukse's project Doktok - a distribution initiative for Estonian documentary films was able to be realized with the help of Sofa. Leana was also able to participate in a six-week German language course in Munich where she completed a creative internship with Beta Cinema. This combination of language training with professional internship possibilities is the result of cooperation between Sofa and the Goethe-Institut Prague and will be continued in 2016. Former Sofa-participants Anna Bielak (Poland) and Gábor Böszörményi (Hungary) have also been able to take part in a German language course whilst building up their networks of German business contacts.
The Romanian Sofa-project Transilvania Film Fund by Cristian Hordila is close to being fully implemented and the Lithuanian Sofa-project Front - Film Republic of Networked Theatres by Kestutis Drazdauskas is making headway with the digitalization of cultural centers in Lithuania. The first agreements with local government administrative agencies have been reached and plans are being made to incorporate the private sector into the overall financing scheme of the project. Kestutis is also working out further financial support with Fatima Djoumer (Europe Cinemas), who plans to visit with him in Lithuania this Fall.
Sofa-Founder Nikolaj Nikitin: "Granted, many films from these countries are being successfully screened at the big film festivals. Nonetheless, they are still lacking the necessary infrastructure and institutional support that not only acknowledges and strengthens the position of film as an art form and relevant socio-cultural and economic factor, but also backs the much-needed film mediators managing these initiatives - such as film festival-makers, distributors and cinema operators."
The Program
Ten intensive days of workshop participation were made available to the eight film agents and their top-class tutors, where, together, they were given the opportunity to successfully develop and push their promising ideas forward towards realization. Strengths and weaknesses of the projects pitched were openly and constructively discussed in close dialogue with some of the biggest names in the European film industry. Lectures and panel discussions dealing with the central topics at hand were visited and numerous in-depth one-to-one meetings took place. In comparison to last year's edition, this year, an intensive exchange between mentors and participants was able to take place already in advance guaranteeing optimal preparation for the workshop activities ahead.
The film agents and their film projects
In its third year, Sofa was, once again, able to pave the way towards realization for eight particularly committed projects. The eight participants were selected out of over one hundred applicants in total - the rising number of applications in 2015 is a clear confirmation of the growing popularity of Sofa.
The goal of strengthening the regional film culture and industries in their respective countries unified most of the participants' projects in 2015. Additionally the production and distribution of European co-productions within the international theatrical market also took center stage at this year's Sofa edition.
With her project Lviv Film Commission the Ukrainian participant Olha Reiter pursued the establishment of the first regional film commission in the Ukraine, a project which already commenced with its important work in August earlier this year.
The Dushanbe Documentary Film Center from Sergey Chutkov serves as a place for film education in Tajikistan - a platform providing space, equipment and seminars for the production of documentary films by young filmmakers.
The project Criss-Cross Film Lab developed by the Serbian participant Milica Bozanic would also like to provide a space for workshops and networking. In addition to bringing together young filmmakers with producers, business skills and marketing strategies will also be taught.
A mobile film educational project will be put into motion by the Polish participant Malgorzata Tusk. With her project Cinebus - Mobile Center of Audiovisual Education she would like to bring the already well-established workshop initiative "Film Spring Open" (led by the world-renowned Dop Slawomir Idziak) into light in Poland.
With his project Cuz We Are Talented, the Czech participant Michal Kracmer plans to steer the attention to young talents from countries in Central Europe while promoting co-productions between these countries.
Conceptualized as a full-service agency, the project Kaleidoscope, developed by the Slovakian participant Katarina Tomkova, intends to offer consultation and internationalization strategies from script to theatrical release.
The Romanian participant Dorina Oarga aims to digitize student films from the National University of Theatre and Film Archive and make them available online with her project Cinepub 2nd Life - a pilot project with the intention of preserving the film heritage of Romania.
Creating new visibility for ambitious children's films is the goal of the möwe. derKinderFilmVerleih, conceptualized by the German Sofa-participant Hella Riehl.
The Lecturers
Each of the eight participants had a tutor by his/her side offering project feedback from his/her own special and professional perspective. The following mentors lent their expertise to Sofa this year: Claudia Dillmann (Deutsches Filminstitut, Frankfurt), Maciej Jakubczyk (New Horizons Association, Wroclaw), Matthijs Wouter Knol (European Film Market, Berlin), Roberto Olla (Eurimages, Strasbourg), Katriel Schory (Israel Film Fund, Tel Aviv), Riina Sildos (Baltic Event, Tallinn), Tamara Tatishvili (Ablabudafilm, Tbilisi) und Kristina Trapp (Eave, Luxemburg). An additional lecture dealing with the topic of Marketing and Consumer Psychology was presented by Domenico la Porta (Cineuropa, Brussels).
Four further experts - each of whom have been an integral part of the Sofa-Team since the inception of the initiative - accompanied the participants from the first day to the very last of the workshop. Participants were able to develop individually tailored marketing strategies for their projects with Renaud Redien-Collot (Novancia Business School, Paris), while Pitching Expert Sibylle Kurz (Frankfurt am Main) ensured that projects are presented with a sense of confidence and ease. Oliver Baumgarten (Programme Director, Max Ophüls Preis, Saarbrücken) und Oscar-Winner Ewa Puszczynska (Opus Film, Lodz) were also present, offering individual feedback-meetings aimed at stylistically and conceptually enhancing the participants' concept drafts as well as helping them to work out appropriate budgeting and realistic timeline schemes for their projects.
The Sofa-participants and lecturers were invited to attend a Film-Preview of the Cannes-premiered Swedish-Polish co-production "The Here After" in Wroclaw's largest arthouse cinema. After the screening director Magnus von Horn and producer Mariusz Wlodarski spoke about opportunities within and the challenges facing the European co-production scene.
Film culture for the future - success stories
A look back at the last two editions of Sofa proves that the pan-European Thinktank dedicated to the future of cinema is truly making waves with sustainable signs of change and the first projects bearing fruit. Many of the projects from the last two years have been able to be successfully realized or are close to realization and implementation.
The Eurimage-backed Serbian Sofa-project Fbo - Festival Box Office by Sonja Topalovic was launched as a beta version in February at the Berlinale. A presentation of the interactive online-database for film festivals followed in the Spring in Cannes. Meanwhile, Fbo is closely cooperating with the Film Center Serbia, officially evaluating for them the number of visitors and ticket sales of art house theaters participating at Serbian film festivals. Moreover, negotiations are continuously taking place with numerous international film festivals, not only keeping the project's network flow in full-swing, but also helping to supplement their valuable database at the same time. As an innovative business tool, Fbo has long-term, world-wide plans to evaluate the success of art house films screened at festivals, thereby giving key players in the industry invaluable insight into understanding public taste.
Leana Jalukse's project Doktok - a distribution initiative for Estonian documentary films was able to be realized with the help of Sofa. Leana was also able to participate in a six-week German language course in Munich where she completed a creative internship with Beta Cinema. This combination of language training with professional internship possibilities is the result of cooperation between Sofa and the Goethe-Institut Prague and will be continued in 2016. Former Sofa-participants Anna Bielak (Poland) and Gábor Böszörményi (Hungary) have also been able to take part in a German language course whilst building up their networks of German business contacts.
The Romanian Sofa-project Transilvania Film Fund by Cristian Hordila is close to being fully implemented and the Lithuanian Sofa-project Front - Film Republic of Networked Theatres by Kestutis Drazdauskas is making headway with the digitalization of cultural centers in Lithuania. The first agreements with local government administrative agencies have been reached and plans are being made to incorporate the private sector into the overall financing scheme of the project. Kestutis is also working out further financial support with Fatima Djoumer (Europe Cinemas), who plans to visit with him in Lithuania this Fall.
- 11/12/2015
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
★★★☆☆ Tackling the period surrounding the British Mandate for Palestine and the subsequent formation of the State of Israeli is a very brave choice for a directorial debut. With A Tale of Love and Darkness (2015), Natalie Portman has not just taken on the challenge but also adapted Amos Oz's autobiographical memoirs in such a way as to attempt to present less-than-straightforward positions around a still incredibly contentious issue. There are undoubtedly kinks to iron out - the film has a particular problem with pacing during a section that requires careful handling - but this is a handsome and assured feature and certainly suggests a bright future behind the camera for Portman, who also stars.
Portman plays Oz's mother, Fania; an effervescent woman who died at the tragically young age of 38. The centre of her son's world, she is the primary focus of the narrative which is presented through the memory...
Portman plays Oz's mother, Fania; an effervescent woman who died at the tragically young age of 38. The centre of her son's world, she is the primary focus of the narrative which is presented through the memory...
- 9/11/2015
- by CineVue UK
- CineVue
This time on the podcast, Scott is joined by David Blakeslee and Trevor Berrett to discuss Krzysztof Kieślowski’s The Double Life of Véronique.
About the film:
Krzysztof Kieślowski’s international breakthrough remains one of his most beloved films, a ravishing, mysterious rumination on identity, love, and human intuition. Irène Jacob is incandescent as both Weronika, a Polish choir soprano, and her double, Véronique, a French music teacher. Though unknown to each other, the two women share an enigmatic, emotional bond, which Kieślowski details in gorgeous reflections, colors, and movements. Aided by Slawomir Idziak’s shimmering cinematography and Zbigniew Preisner’s haunting, operatic score, Kieślowski creates one of cinema’s most purely metaphysical works. The Double Life of Véronique is an unforgettable symphony of feeling.
Subscribe to the podcast via RSS or in iTunes
Buy The Film On Amazon:
Watch the trailer:
Episode Links:
The Double Life of Véronique (1991) – The...
About the film:
Krzysztof Kieślowski’s international breakthrough remains one of his most beloved films, a ravishing, mysterious rumination on identity, love, and human intuition. Irène Jacob is incandescent as both Weronika, a Polish choir soprano, and her double, Véronique, a French music teacher. Though unknown to each other, the two women share an enigmatic, emotional bond, which Kieślowski details in gorgeous reflections, colors, and movements. Aided by Slawomir Idziak’s shimmering cinematography and Zbigniew Preisner’s haunting, operatic score, Kieślowski creates one of cinema’s most purely metaphysical works. The Double Life of Véronique is an unforgettable symphony of feeling.
Subscribe to the podcast via RSS or in iTunes
Buy The Film On Amazon:
Watch the trailer:
Episode Links:
The Double Life of Véronique (1991) – The...
- 8/3/2015
- by Scott Nye
- CriterionCast
With Good Kill in UK cinemas this week, Ryan looks back at writer-director Andrew Niccol’s classic sci-fi debut, 1997's Gattaca...
It’s all there in that swooning opening music: Gattaca isn’t just another sleek film about the future. The feature debut of New Zealand-born director Andrew Niccol, the smart, elegant, intensely moving Gattaca may just be his finest film to date.
The film introduces us to Vincent Freeman (Ethan Hawke), who’s in the process of a carrying out a painstaking daily ritual: shaving every stray hair from his body, exfoliating his skin and burning the material left behind - it’s as though Vincent’s treating himself as a crime scene.
Vincent lives in a future where genetic profiling has divided society into Valids - those whose DNA has been fettled to perfection by scientists before birth - and In-valids - those conceived naturally, with all potential genetic flaws it involves.
It’s all there in that swooning opening music: Gattaca isn’t just another sleek film about the future. The feature debut of New Zealand-born director Andrew Niccol, the smart, elegant, intensely moving Gattaca may just be his finest film to date.
The film introduces us to Vincent Freeman (Ethan Hawke), who’s in the process of a carrying out a painstaking daily ritual: shaving every stray hair from his body, exfoliating his skin and burning the material left behind - it’s as though Vincent’s treating himself as a crime scene.
Vincent lives in a future where genetic profiling has divided society into Valids - those whose DNA has been fettled to perfection by scientists before birth - and In-valids - those conceived naturally, with all potential genetic flaws it involves.
- 4/8/2015
- by ryanlambie
- Den of Geek
We’re nearly fifteen years into the 21st century and despite the frequent predictions of the implosion of cinema, the industry and medium is still going strong. While much has been made recently about the end of celluloid, a great deal of the best cinematic work in the past decade has been captured photochemically in addition to digitally as a new video on Vimeo can attest. Edited by Erick Lee, this roughly six-minute long video pays tribute to some the best cinematographers working today. In an attempt to maintain uniformity throughout the video as well as not wishing to crop any of the images, Lee culled shots from films with an aspect ratio of 2.40:1 by luminaries that include Christopher Doyle, Pung-Leung Kwan, S. Ravi Varman,Frank Giebe, John Toll, Wally Pfister, Roger Deakins, Anthony Dod Mantle, Paul Cameron, Emmanuel Lubezki, J. Michael Muro, Robert Richardson, Florian Ballhaus,John R.,...
- 4/1/2014
- by Cain Rodriguez
- The Playlist
Update: Natalie Portman began production on her first feature film as a director February 11 in Jerusalem. She's adapting celebrated Israeli author Amos Oz's 2002 autobiographical novel "A Tale of Love and Darkness," while also taking on the role of playing Oz's mentally ill mother. Slawomir Idziak is the Dp -- he shot "Blue" and "The Double Life of Veronique," both gorgeous, for the late Polish auteur Krysztof Kieswlowski. David Mandil ("Footnote") is producing. Earlier: Natalie Portman will make her feature directorial debut with an adaptation of Israeli author Amos Oz's 2002 autobiographical novel "A Tale of Love and Darkness," about his youth in war-torn Jerusalem in the 1940s and '50s. Per Israeli film officials, Portman has written the screenplay, and will star in the film as the troubled mother of the lead character. Portman will reportedly head to Israel in October to cast local actors, with a production start...
- 2/12/2014
- by Beth Hanna
- Thompson on Hollywood
Ridley Scott is, in some circles anyhow, a god. Practically treated as royalty with laudatory genuflection from certain film enthusiasts -- generally genre fetishists -- he has turned in two unimpeachable cinema touchstones, "Blade Runner" and "Alien," plus a few other arguable modern semi-classics including "Black Hawk Down" (though as you'll see, not all us here agree with that assessment) and "Gladiator." But his track record overall? Scott's batting average isn't exactly amazing across the board, and while he has major peaks, his work can be frustratingly uneven for someone who is clearly and masterfully talented. While a craftsman of technically marvelous and grand spectacle cinema, his films can also be inordinately soulless and have become increasingly so with each film (Sigourney Weaver famously said that Scott paid more attention to the props and extraterrestrials than the actors on "Alien," but somehow that picture still worked).
And while his latest,...
And while his latest,...
- 6/7/2012
- by Oliver Lyttelton
- The Playlist
Chicago – Movies don’t get much more personally influential than Krzysztof Kieslowski’s “Blue,” “White,” and “Red,” collectively known as the “Three Colors” trilogy, and recently released in one gorgeous box set from The Criterion Collection. As we all do, I was a bit concerned that perhaps my memory of these films had been enhanced with time, but I found the opposite — they’re even better with age and stand as one of the best film achievements of not just their era but of all time. I can’t say enough about Kieslowski’s talent as a director and, while some may point to the “Decalogue” films or “The Double Life of Veronique,” I’ve always considered “Three Colors” to be the greatest accomplishment of one of history’s greatest directors. And Criterion has done one of their most notable acquisitions justice with one of their best releases of the year.
- 11/28/2011
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Liberty, equality and fraternity are the themes of Krzysztof Kieslowski's trilogy, Three Colours. The first, Blue, lives up to his reputation for gravitas. Yet for the director of the Decalogue and the Double Life Of Veronique his job is 'a game'
Jonathan Romney's interview with Krzysztof Kieslowski was originally published on 15 Oct 1993
Introducing a Krzysztof Kieslowski film on television a few years ago, Lindsay Anderson commented that what he most associated with Polish cinema was a quality of seriousness. No one, he added, better exemplified this seriousness than Kieslowski. Some people consider Kieslowski to be the finest film director currently working in Europe that he's among the most serious there can be no doubt.
His seriousness has an allure that can keep an audience in awestruck thrall - which is not always the best critical response a film-maker could wish for. His films are sparing with their humour...
Jonathan Romney's interview with Krzysztof Kieslowski was originally published on 15 Oct 1993
Introducing a Krzysztof Kieslowski film on television a few years ago, Lindsay Anderson commented that what he most associated with Polish cinema was a quality of seriousness. No one, he added, better exemplified this seriousness than Kieslowski. Some people consider Kieslowski to be the finest film director currently working in Europe that he's among the most serious there can be no doubt.
His seriousness has an allure that can keep an audience in awestruck thrall - which is not always the best critical response a film-maker could wish for. His films are sparing with their humour...
- 11/9/2011
- The Guardian - Film News
In case you didn’t know, the last Harry Potter film is coming out on July 15th. In countdown to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, I will be doing a bi-weekly series called “Harry Potter as Cinema”, starting with the first film in the series and working my way up to the final film. I will take an academic approach to the Harry Potter films as pieces of cinema, examining not only their quality but also what they are saying thematically.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Written by Michael Goldenberg
Directed by David Yates
USA, UK/2007
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix might be the best and most fascinating film in the Harry Potter franchise. Up to this point, it was by far the bleakest and and most mature film in the series while also being one of the best allegories for...
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Written by Michael Goldenberg
Directed by David Yates
USA, UK/2007
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix might be the best and most fascinating film in the Harry Potter franchise. Up to this point, it was by far the bleakest and and most mature film in the series while also being one of the best allegories for...
- 7/23/2011
- by Josh Youngerman
- SoundOnSight
Krzysztof Kieslowski's The Double Life of Veronique is more of a fascination for me than anything else. I would certainly never go to the lengths Roger Ebert has in expressing his love for it, listing it as one of his great movies just as he does Kieslowski's The Decalogue and Three Colors trilogy.
That said, Criterion's recent Blu-ray release of The Double Life of Veronique is a virtual no-brainer, not in terms of your need to purchase it, but because it's a visual marvel. Slawomir Idziak's cinematography is a thing of beauty and is likely the reason the film resonates with viewers above anything else. In high definition his yellowish-green filters looks marvelous. The release also comes with a DTS-hd Master Audio soundtrack that soars as it needs to. Veronique is just as much an aural film as it is a visual one, playing with the ideas of...
That said, Criterion's recent Blu-ray release of The Double Life of Veronique is a virtual no-brainer, not in terms of your need to purchase it, but because it's a visual marvel. Slawomir Idziak's cinematography is a thing of beauty and is likely the reason the film resonates with viewers above anything else. In high definition his yellowish-green filters looks marvelous. The release also comes with a DTS-hd Master Audio soundtrack that soars as it needs to. Veronique is just as much an aural film as it is a visual one, playing with the ideas of...
- 2/15/2011
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
Like your epics epic-sized? How about battle sequences featuring 3500 extras popping off the screen in three dimensions? Does that count as epic enough for you? Because that's what's coming in Jerzy Hoffman's Battle Of Warsaw 1920, a big budget spectacle created by the veteran, Oscar nominated director with the help of Black Hawk Down cinematographer Slawomir Idziak.With an all star cast and a healthy budget this should be gorgeous on the big screen. Check the first trailer below.
- 12/9/2010
- Screen Anarchy
Filed under: Features, Columns, Cinematical
Welcome to Framed, a column at Cinematical that runs every Thursday and celebrates the artistry of cinema -- one frame at a time.
A group of Delta Force soldiers and Army Rangers head into the midst of conflict in Mogadishu, Somalia. What should have been a quick mission to capture several of Somali warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid's lieutenants turned into a blood-soaked nightmare that left 1,000 Somalis and 19 American military dead. Ridley Scott's 'Black Hawk Down' isn't really concerned with addressing any of the humanitarian questions surrounding U.S. politics/military as it is with diving right into the action. Scott is interested in the brutality of war -- along with all the logistics and gory details -- versus any kind of character development. It's a visceral journey made all the more intense by cinematographer Slawomir Idziak's gritty lens and emotional hue.
Welcome to Framed, a column at Cinematical that runs every Thursday and celebrates the artistry of cinema -- one frame at a time.
A group of Delta Force soldiers and Army Rangers head into the midst of conflict in Mogadishu, Somalia. What should have been a quick mission to capture several of Somali warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid's lieutenants turned into a blood-soaked nightmare that left 1,000 Somalis and 19 American military dead. Ridley Scott's 'Black Hawk Down' isn't really concerned with addressing any of the humanitarian questions surrounding U.S. politics/military as it is with diving right into the action. Scott is interested in the brutality of war -- along with all the logistics and gory details -- versus any kind of character development. It's a visceral journey made all the more intense by cinematographer Slawomir Idziak's gritty lens and emotional hue.
- 11/18/2010
- by Alison Nastasi
- Moviefone
Filed under: Features, Columns, Cinematical
Welcome to Framed, a column at Cinematical that runs every Thursday and celebrates the artistry of cinema -- one frame at a time.
A group of Delta Force soldiers and Army Rangers head into the midst of conflict in Mogadishu, Somalia. What should have been a quick mission to capture several of Somali warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid's lieutenants turned into a blood-soaked nightmare that left 1,000 Somalis and 19 American military dead. Ridley Scott's 'Black Hawk Down' isn't really concerned with addressing any of the humanitarian questions surrounding U.S. politics/military as it is with diving right into the action. Scott is interested in the brutality of war -- along with all the logistics and gory details -- versus any kind of character development. It's a visceral journey made all the more intense by cinematographer Slawomir Idziak's gritty lens and emotional hue.
Welcome to Framed, a column at Cinematical that runs every Thursday and celebrates the artistry of cinema -- one frame at a time.
A group of Delta Force soldiers and Army Rangers head into the midst of conflict in Mogadishu, Somalia. What should have been a quick mission to capture several of Somali warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid's lieutenants turned into a blood-soaked nightmare that left 1,000 Somalis and 19 American military dead. Ridley Scott's 'Black Hawk Down' isn't really concerned with addressing any of the humanitarian questions surrounding U.S. politics/military as it is with diving right into the action. Scott is interested in the brutality of war -- along with all the logistics and gory details -- versus any kind of character development. It's a visceral journey made all the more intense by cinematographer Slawomir Idziak's gritty lens and emotional hue.
- 11/18/2010
- by Alison Nastasi
- Cinematical
Cinematography and its significance is an aspect of film that is usually overlooked by your average movie goer. Often times when a director is know for consistently maintaining a certain style it is due in part to the cinematographers contribution. Like film editors, cinematographers take a back seat to directors when it comes to the public’s perception of each of their significances. Although it is ultimately the directors medium, the cinematographer guides the tone and feel of the film by controlling the aesthetics. This is of course excluding art direction, wardrobe and set design. A beautifully constructed sequence arrests your attention with such command and power, while still displaying a subtle eloquence. This display of the mastery of film is often referred to as something “cinematic”. In that moment it is film declaring “I am what I am.” The cinematographer plays an instrumental role is deciding what that declaration is going to convey.
- 6/30/2010
- by Jordan Collins
- The Film Stage
American Cinematographer – the official magazine of the American Society of Cinematographers – just published a ranking of the best shot films for the 1998 to 2008 decade, and Amélie tops the list.
I initially thought the selections were chosen specifically by members of the Asc, but I learned that it was actually an open process; in short, the magazine asked its subscribers all over the world to nominate 10 films released between 1998 and 2008, that they believed had the best cinematography; the 50 most popular choices were then posted on the Asc website, with the rest of the public free to vote/rank the 50 finalists. Reportedly, more than 17,000 people around the world participated.
And, as already stated, Amélie was ranked in the top spot most consistently. I haven’t watched Amélie in years, but I’d certainly throw it up there on my list of one of the best shot films from 1998 to 2008. Will it be my #1? I don’t know.
I initially thought the selections were chosen specifically by members of the Asc, but I learned that it was actually an open process; in short, the magazine asked its subscribers all over the world to nominate 10 films released between 1998 and 2008, that they believed had the best cinematography; the 50 most popular choices were then posted on the Asc website, with the rest of the public free to vote/rank the 50 finalists. Reportedly, more than 17,000 people around the world participated.
And, as already stated, Amélie was ranked in the top spot most consistently. I haven’t watched Amélie in years, but I’d certainly throw it up there on my list of one of the best shot films from 1998 to 2008. Will it be my #1? I don’t know.
- 6/29/2010
- by Tambay
- ShadowAndAct
With her first feature "The Last September", gifted British theater director Deborah Warner displays an adroit facility with actors, a subtle, layered visual style and a strong command for the material. But her adaptation of Elizabeth Bowen's novel about the vanishing world of Irish aristocrats set against the violent skirmishes between British security forces and Irish revolutionaries in 1920 Ireland suffers from a script that is both too opaque and too obvious in laying out its meanings.
The film dramatizes the conflict as a crude metaphor over the heart of Lois (Keeley Hawes), the beautiful though misdirected niece of Sir Richard Naylor (Michael Gambon) and Lady Myra (Maggie Smith), whose divided loyalties are split between the pleasant British police officer Colthurst (David Tennant) and rogue Irish fighter Peter (Gary Lydon). Warner capably individualizes the secondary players (Jane Birkin, Lambert Wilson and Fiona Shaw) though John Banville's script is fatally indecisive in establishing any credible emotional interplay; the scenes rush from character to character, but never quite develop.
Warner is more successful at buildup and anticipation, using the escalation of violence to reveal the hard fissures in the loss of privilege and diminished status experienced by its character. The film's greatest virtues are the Polish cinematographer Slawomir Idziak's bold, painterly images of a visually resplendent Irish countryside in County Cork and the use of this landscape to suggest interior discord. However, Warner commits a considerable mistake in consciously replicating moments and images from Idziak's work with Krzysztof Kieslowski, in particular the use of green filters, shallow depth of field and space-disorienting lenses the cinematographer deployed to far greater and more emotionally devastating effect in respectively "A Short Film About Killing", "The Double Life of Veronique" and "Blue".
The film dramatizes the conflict as a crude metaphor over the heart of Lois (Keeley Hawes), the beautiful though misdirected niece of Sir Richard Naylor (Michael Gambon) and Lady Myra (Maggie Smith), whose divided loyalties are split between the pleasant British police officer Colthurst (David Tennant) and rogue Irish fighter Peter (Gary Lydon). Warner capably individualizes the secondary players (Jane Birkin, Lambert Wilson and Fiona Shaw) though John Banville's script is fatally indecisive in establishing any credible emotional interplay; the scenes rush from character to character, but never quite develop.
Warner is more successful at buildup and anticipation, using the escalation of violence to reveal the hard fissures in the loss of privilege and diminished status experienced by its character. The film's greatest virtues are the Polish cinematographer Slawomir Idziak's bold, painterly images of a visually resplendent Irish countryside in County Cork and the use of this landscape to suggest interior discord. However, Warner commits a considerable mistake in consciously replicating moments and images from Idziak's work with Krzysztof Kieslowski, in particular the use of green filters, shallow depth of field and space-disorienting lenses the cinematographer deployed to far greater and more emotionally devastating effect in respectively "A Short Film About Killing", "The Double Life of Veronique" and "Blue".
- 5/19/1999
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
In the near future, racial, sexual and social discrimination will be out -- that's the good news.
In the near future, genetic evaluation will rule -- that's the bad news in this cautionary glimpse into a future time when your genetic code will be your resume.
Stylishly scoped with ice-blue hues and smartly visualized with a forbiddingly cold design, "Gattaca" is an intelligently-conceived sci-fi chiller starring Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman. Sony will find strong appeal among college students. Unfortunately, like many of this species, the characters are an icy-veined and largely unemotional species that ultimately squander this provocative premise, reducing it to the status of visual essay rather than full-blooded human story.
Splicing together notions of a master race and the generic story form of man's arrogance in messing with divine planning, screenwriter and director Andrew Niccol has concocted a zesty story potion.
Catalyzing the yarn is the rivalry of two brothers, Vincent (Hawke) and Anton William Lee Scott). Vincent's future is limited, based on his inferior genetic code, while Anton's is dazzling. Indeed, in this futuristic society, one's future is determined seconds after birth, when a single blood sample can foretell everything from IQ to approximate time and cause of death. It's a predetermined world, where those with inferior genetics are referred to as "de-generates," classified as invalids, and, essentially, sentenced to a life of low-level drudgery.
What of the human spirit, what of hope? That is the beguiling core of Niccol's drama. In his scenario, Vincent dreams of being a deep-space navigator but with his makeup it will never come to be. But there are ways get around this unalterable fact; happily, there is a black market for the right genetic stuff. Vincent deals to get the essence of a brilliant young man, Jerome (Jude Law) who has been crippled in an accident.
With the help of Jerome's perfection genes, Vincent takes on Jerome's identity, winning the navigational job he has long sought.
While Niccol's theme is a winning one, and his premise perceptively brainy, "Gattaca" is of inferior stock in its narrative backbone. Once past its razzle-dazzle procedurals of Vincent getting a new genetic identity, it degenerates into a mid-section of lethargic tedium: essentially, the second half of the film is mired in the flat dramatic dynamic question of whether or not Vincent/Jerome will be found out.
Unfortunately, given his stoic, almost autonomic nature, we don't really care. While Niccol makes calculated and perfunctory expositional references to "hope," there is no passion in the characterizations. You'd have to watch "Star Trek" reruns to encounter a more soul-less gaggle of stiffs, or view documentaries on Hitler Youth to see such mechanical arrogance.
While the narrative decomposes, the visuals are altogether superior. Admittedly, former commercials director Niccol is terrific at composing looks; however, an assemblage of glossy, gelid sequences does not necessarily add up to a satisfying cohesive film.
Still, the technical team is undeniably elite. Cinematographer Slawomir Idziak's stylishly cold scopings are magnificent, heightened by composer Michael Nyman's unsettling sounds. Jan Roelfs' production design is sensational -- it's as if Albert Speer commissioned Frank Lloyd Wright to create the physical universe. It's human-unfriendly, to say the least.
Given the constraints of the writing, Hawke is fine as the ambitious Vincent/Jerome. As the uber-girl, Thurman is shrewdly chosen; alas, her portrayal is confined to mannequin dimension. Fortunately, the minor characters have more human blood in them: Alan Arkin is entertaining as a Columbo-ish investigator, while Gore Vidal is well-cast as a haughty man of science.
The most full-blooded performance is served up by Law, the young man whose promising life was shattered by an accident and who has chosen to give his genetic code to Vincent: we feel his anguish and exult in his vicarious joys.
GATTACA
Sony Pictures Releasing
Columbia Pictures Presents
A Jersey Films Prod.
A film by Andrew Niccol
Producers	Danny DeVito,
Michael Shamberg, Stacey Sher
Screenwriter-director	Andrew Niccol
Director of photography	Slawomir Idziak
Produciton designer	Jan Roelfs
Editor	:Lisa Zeno Churgin
Costume designer	Colleen Atwood
Music	Michael Nyman
Co-producer:	Gail Lyon
Sound mixer	Stephan Von Hase-Mihalik
Color/stereo
Cast:
Vincent/Jerome	Ethan Hawke
Irene	Uma Thurman
Director Josef	Gore Vidal
Lamar	Xander Berkeley
Antonio	Elias Kotas
Delivery nurse	Maya Rudolph
Head nurse	Una Damon
Pre-school teacher	Elizabeth Dennehy
Geneticist	Blair Underwood
Jerome/Eugene	Jude Law
Detective Hugo	Alan Arkin
Anton	William Lee Scott
Running time -- 112 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
In the near future, genetic evaluation will rule -- that's the bad news in this cautionary glimpse into a future time when your genetic code will be your resume.
Stylishly scoped with ice-blue hues and smartly visualized with a forbiddingly cold design, "Gattaca" is an intelligently-conceived sci-fi chiller starring Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman. Sony will find strong appeal among college students. Unfortunately, like many of this species, the characters are an icy-veined and largely unemotional species that ultimately squander this provocative premise, reducing it to the status of visual essay rather than full-blooded human story.
Splicing together notions of a master race and the generic story form of man's arrogance in messing with divine planning, screenwriter and director Andrew Niccol has concocted a zesty story potion.
Catalyzing the yarn is the rivalry of two brothers, Vincent (Hawke) and Anton William Lee Scott). Vincent's future is limited, based on his inferior genetic code, while Anton's is dazzling. Indeed, in this futuristic society, one's future is determined seconds after birth, when a single blood sample can foretell everything from IQ to approximate time and cause of death. It's a predetermined world, where those with inferior genetics are referred to as "de-generates," classified as invalids, and, essentially, sentenced to a life of low-level drudgery.
What of the human spirit, what of hope? That is the beguiling core of Niccol's drama. In his scenario, Vincent dreams of being a deep-space navigator but with his makeup it will never come to be. But there are ways get around this unalterable fact; happily, there is a black market for the right genetic stuff. Vincent deals to get the essence of a brilliant young man, Jerome (Jude Law) who has been crippled in an accident.
With the help of Jerome's perfection genes, Vincent takes on Jerome's identity, winning the navigational job he has long sought.
While Niccol's theme is a winning one, and his premise perceptively brainy, "Gattaca" is of inferior stock in its narrative backbone. Once past its razzle-dazzle procedurals of Vincent getting a new genetic identity, it degenerates into a mid-section of lethargic tedium: essentially, the second half of the film is mired in the flat dramatic dynamic question of whether or not Vincent/Jerome will be found out.
Unfortunately, given his stoic, almost autonomic nature, we don't really care. While Niccol makes calculated and perfunctory expositional references to "hope," there is no passion in the characterizations. You'd have to watch "Star Trek" reruns to encounter a more soul-less gaggle of stiffs, or view documentaries on Hitler Youth to see such mechanical arrogance.
While the narrative decomposes, the visuals are altogether superior. Admittedly, former commercials director Niccol is terrific at composing looks; however, an assemblage of glossy, gelid sequences does not necessarily add up to a satisfying cohesive film.
Still, the technical team is undeniably elite. Cinematographer Slawomir Idziak's stylishly cold scopings are magnificent, heightened by composer Michael Nyman's unsettling sounds. Jan Roelfs' production design is sensational -- it's as if Albert Speer commissioned Frank Lloyd Wright to create the physical universe. It's human-unfriendly, to say the least.
Given the constraints of the writing, Hawke is fine as the ambitious Vincent/Jerome. As the uber-girl, Thurman is shrewdly chosen; alas, her portrayal is confined to mannequin dimension. Fortunately, the minor characters have more human blood in them: Alan Arkin is entertaining as a Columbo-ish investigator, while Gore Vidal is well-cast as a haughty man of science.
The most full-blooded performance is served up by Law, the young man whose promising life was shattered by an accident and who has chosen to give his genetic code to Vincent: we feel his anguish and exult in his vicarious joys.
GATTACA
Sony Pictures Releasing
Columbia Pictures Presents
A Jersey Films Prod.
A film by Andrew Niccol
Producers	Danny DeVito,
Michael Shamberg, Stacey Sher
Screenwriter-director	Andrew Niccol
Director of photography	Slawomir Idziak
Produciton designer	Jan Roelfs
Editor	:Lisa Zeno Churgin
Costume designer	Colleen Atwood
Music	Michael Nyman
Co-producer:	Gail Lyon
Sound mixer	Stephan Von Hase-Mihalik
Color/stereo
Cast:
Vincent/Jerome	Ethan Hawke
Irene	Uma Thurman
Director Josef	Gore Vidal
Lamar	Xander Berkeley
Antonio	Elias Kotas
Delivery nurse	Maya Rudolph
Head nurse	Una Damon
Pre-school teacher	Elizabeth Dennehy
Geneticist	Blair Underwood
Jerome/Eugene	Jude Law
Detective Hugo	Alan Arkin
Anton	William Lee Scott
Running time -- 112 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
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