Veteran international film executive Rosa Bosch has partnered with Spanish distributor and sales agency Begin Again Films, joining the company’s international department.
Madrid-based Begin Again Films is known for handling arthouse fare such as doc The Year of Discovery, Zaida Carmona’s Girlfriends and Girlfriends and Nestor Ruiz Medina’s 21 Paradise.
Bosch joins as Begin Again also takes on sales for Anna Cornudella’s The Human Hibernation, winner of the Fipresci Award in the Forum section of the Berlinale 2024.
A veteran of the international film industry, Bosch’s career includes roles at AFI Fest, the London Film Festival...
Madrid-based Begin Again Films is known for handling arthouse fare such as doc The Year of Discovery, Zaida Carmona’s Girlfriends and Girlfriends and Nestor Ruiz Medina’s 21 Paradise.
Bosch joins as Begin Again also takes on sales for Anna Cornudella’s The Human Hibernation, winner of the Fipresci Award in the Forum section of the Berlinale 2024.
A veteran of the international film industry, Bosch’s career includes roles at AFI Fest, the London Film Festival...
- 3/15/2024
- ScreenDaily
Veteran producer and sales agent Rosa Bosch has joined the Madrid-based distributor and international sales agency Begin Again Films. Bosch will serve as part of the company’s international department.
Bosch has previously held roles at AFI Fest, the London Film Festival, the National Film Theatre in London (Deputy Director), and the San Sebastian Film Festival. She was a founding partner of the production company and international sales agency, Tequila Gang, along with Guillermo del Toro, Laura Esquivel, Bertha Navarro, and Alejandra Moreno. As a producer, her credits include titles such as Buena Vista Social Club by Wim Wenders, The Devil’s Backbone by Guillermo del Toro, The Gospel of Wonders by Arturo Ripstein, and Broken Silence by Montxo Armendáriz.
Bosch led the international launch and distribution strategy of films such as Amores Perros by Alejandro González Iñarritu and Corpo Celeste by Alice Rorhwacher. She also served as the Managing Director...
Bosch has previously held roles at AFI Fest, the London Film Festival, the National Film Theatre in London (Deputy Director), and the San Sebastian Film Festival. She was a founding partner of the production company and international sales agency, Tequila Gang, along with Guillermo del Toro, Laura Esquivel, Bertha Navarro, and Alejandra Moreno. As a producer, her credits include titles such as Buena Vista Social Club by Wim Wenders, The Devil’s Backbone by Guillermo del Toro, The Gospel of Wonders by Arturo Ripstein, and Broken Silence by Montxo Armendáriz.
Bosch led the international launch and distribution strategy of films such as Amores Perros by Alejandro González Iñarritu and Corpo Celeste by Alice Rorhwacher. She also served as the Managing Director...
- 3/15/2024
- by Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
A revolution is working through Latin American filmmaking. It’s powered by new gen cineastes, educated at top film schools, very often women, who are questioning pretty much everything everywhere all at once, re-representing themselves and questioning what can make up a movie these days.
Locarno’s Open Doors is a case in point. Five takeaways on this year’s lineup:
Recalibration of a Sense of Self
“Three Bullets,” at Open Doors Projects Hub, is made by Dominican Génesis Valenzuela, an alum of San Sebastian’s prestigious Elías Querejeta Zine Eskola, which plumbs the murder of Dominican immigrant Lucrecia Pérez, shot and killed by four neo-Nazis, the same year that Spain celebrated its conquest of Latin America. Valenzuela will come in at the film as she reconstructs her own identity as a “human being/woman/Afro-Caribbean/filmmaker.” “The driving force of this film is the desire for emancipation, both from...
Locarno’s Open Doors is a case in point. Five takeaways on this year’s lineup:
Recalibration of a Sense of Self
“Three Bullets,” at Open Doors Projects Hub, is made by Dominican Génesis Valenzuela, an alum of San Sebastian’s prestigious Elías Querejeta Zine Eskola, which plumbs the murder of Dominican immigrant Lucrecia Pérez, shot and killed by four neo-Nazis, the same year that Spain celebrated its conquest of Latin America. Valenzuela will come in at the film as she reconstructs her own identity as a “human being/woman/Afro-Caribbean/filmmaker.” “The driving force of this film is the desire for emancipation, both from...
- 8/1/2023
- by John Hopewell and Pablo Sandoval
- Variety Film + TV
Eugenio Caballero can conceive an enchanted forest and a disaster zone with equal levels of meticulous ingenuity. He can just as deftly recreate the space where an intimate memory occurred many decades ago, or a surrealist dream where reality and fantasy meet.
The Oscar-winning Mexican production designer learned his profession the way old trades are passed on: as an apprentice absorbing knowledge from more seasoned artisans on the job. Today, his inhabitable fabrications enrich the frames of larger-than-life epics around the globe, as well as unassuming independent dramas in his home country.
“The decisions that I make now are not based on my personal taste, but based on what the story requires,” Caballero told IndieWire during an interview at the Virginia Film Festival, where he received the festival’s 2022 Craft Award. “That’s when you realize the narrative power of the craft.”
Given his world-building dexterity, Caballero is the rare...
The Oscar-winning Mexican production designer learned his profession the way old trades are passed on: as an apprentice absorbing knowledge from more seasoned artisans on the job. Today, his inhabitable fabrications enrich the frames of larger-than-life epics around the globe, as well as unassuming independent dramas in his home country.
“The decisions that I make now are not based on my personal taste, but based on what the story requires,” Caballero told IndieWire during an interview at the Virginia Film Festival, where he received the festival’s 2022 Craft Award. “That’s when you realize the narrative power of the craft.”
Given his world-building dexterity, Caballero is the rare...
- 1/7/2023
- by Carlos Aguilar
- Indiewire
Independent film sales and distribution firm Outsider Pictures has acquired the international sales rights to Peruvian director V. Checa’s neo-noir film “Tiempos Futuros” (“The Shape of Things to Come”) and will lead sales to potential buyers at this March’s Málaga Film Festival.
Playing Zonazine, which focuses on bolder plays by up-and-coming cineastes, “Tiempos Futuros” serves as Checa’s debut feature film. It follows the relationship between an obsessive father, Luiz, and his resourceful son, Teo (Lorenzo Molina), as they build a weather-controlling machine in a dystopian Lima, Peru.
To ease financial troubles, Teo joins a gang of teenage spies who lend him money to support him and his father but strain the relationship between the two.
To Checa, the film “was nourished by the context we live in,” referencing the silence brought by the Covid-19 pandemic and the authoritarian nature of governments and parents, with the smile of...
Playing Zonazine, which focuses on bolder plays by up-and-coming cineastes, “Tiempos Futuros” serves as Checa’s debut feature film. It follows the relationship between an obsessive father, Luiz, and his resourceful son, Teo (Lorenzo Molina), as they build a weather-controlling machine in a dystopian Lima, Peru.
To ease financial troubles, Teo joins a gang of teenage spies who lend him money to support him and his father but strain the relationship between the two.
To Checa, the film “was nourished by the context we live in,” referencing the silence brought by the Covid-19 pandemic and the authoritarian nature of governments and parents, with the smile of...
- 3/10/2022
- by Justin Morgan
- Variety Film + TV
New films from Oscar laureate Vanessa Ragone (“The Secret in Their Eyes”) and Camera d’Or winners Edher Campos (“Leap Year”) and Juan Pablo Miller (“Las Acacias”) are among attractions at this year’s Ventana Sur’s Primer Corte and Copia Final, the pix-in-post industry centerpieces at Latin America’s biggest film-tv market.
Ragone co-produces “The Face of the Jellyfish,” from Argentina’s Rotterdam-prized Melisa Liebenthal. Campos unveils “Journey to the Land of the Tarahumara,” Mexican Federico Cecchetti’s follow-up to the multi-prized “Mara’akame’s Dream.”
Miller introduces “Sublime,” one of the section’s buzz titles, along with “Diogenes,” from Peru’s Leonardo Barbuy, and two titles from Brazil: Gregorio Graziosi’s “Tinnitus” and Gabriel Martin’s “Mars One,” winner of Ventana Sur’s prestigious Paradiso Wip Award.
Titles brim with talent, observes Eva Morsch-Kihn, curator of Primer Corte and Copia Final along with Mercedes Abarca and Maria Nuñez.
Ragone co-produces “The Face of the Jellyfish,” from Argentina’s Rotterdam-prized Melisa Liebenthal. Campos unveils “Journey to the Land of the Tarahumara,” Mexican Federico Cecchetti’s follow-up to the multi-prized “Mara’akame’s Dream.”
Miller introduces “Sublime,” one of the section’s buzz titles, along with “Diogenes,” from Peru’s Leonardo Barbuy, and two titles from Brazil: Gregorio Graziosi’s “Tinnitus” and Gabriel Martin’s “Mars One,” winner of Ventana Sur’s prestigious Paradiso Wip Award.
Titles brim with talent, observes Eva Morsch-Kihn, curator of Primer Corte and Copia Final along with Mercedes Abarca and Maria Nuñez.
- 11/2/2021
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
Like most countries around the world, in Mexico the entertainment industry has been heavily affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. With production halted, movie theaters closed, and no federal plan in sight for business to reignite, thousands of talented technicians and craftspeople are out of work. According to the country’s National Chamber of the Film Industry (Canacine), around 30,000 Mexican families depend on the film and television fields as their main source of income.
To alleviate some of the economic burden, the Mexican film community has launched Sifonóforo, Fondo de Emergencia Audiovisual, a new emergency fund for audiovisual workers that will provide affected below-the-line crew members with financial assistance. Born out of the solidarity within the industry and independent from any governmental aid, the initiative currently has accumulated 10 million pesos, which will be distributed based on need.
Donations came from notable individuals such as Alejandro González Iñárritu, Guillermo del Toro, Salma Hayek,...
To alleviate some of the economic burden, the Mexican film community has launched Sifonóforo, Fondo de Emergencia Audiovisual, a new emergency fund for audiovisual workers that will provide affected below-the-line crew members with financial assistance. Born out of the solidarity within the industry and independent from any governmental aid, the initiative currently has accumulated 10 million pesos, which will be distributed based on need.
Donations came from notable individuals such as Alejandro González Iñárritu, Guillermo del Toro, Salma Hayek,...
- 6/11/2020
- by Carlos Aguilar
- Indiewire
Last year, in celebration of the 10th anniversary of Guillermo del Toro's Pan's Labyrinth, the beloved film was added to the Criterion Colleciton with a new Blu-ray, and this fall the celebration continues with Warner Bros. Home Entertainment's 4K Ultra HD release of Pan's Labyrinth on October 1st:
From the Press Release (via Why So Blu?): "Written and directed by del Toro, Pan’s Labyrinth premiered at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival where it received a 22-minute standing ovation, followed by its North American premiere at the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival. The critically-acclaimed film won multiple awards, including three Academy Awards, three BAFTA Awards, the Ariel Award for Best Picture, the Saturn Award for Best International Film, and the 2007 Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form. The film also appeared on more than 20 critic’s top ten lists for 2006.
Produced by del Toro, Bertha Navarro, Alfonso Cuaron,...
From the Press Release (via Why So Blu?): "Written and directed by del Toro, Pan’s Labyrinth premiered at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival where it received a 22-minute standing ovation, followed by its North American premiere at the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival. The critically-acclaimed film won multiple awards, including three Academy Awards, three BAFTA Awards, the Ariel Award for Best Picture, the Saturn Award for Best International Film, and the 2007 Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form. The film also appeared on more than 20 critic’s top ten lists for 2006.
Produced by del Toro, Bertha Navarro, Alfonso Cuaron,...
- 9/11/2019
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
Burbank, CA, September 5, 2019 – Warner Bros. Home Entertainment announced today that Pan’s Labyrinth, the highly-acclaimed 2006 modern day dark fairy tale written and directed by Academy Award-winner Guillermo del Toro, will be released on Ultra HD Blu-ray Combo Pack and Digital on October 1.
Written and directed by del Toro, Pan’s Labyrinth premiered at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival where it received a 22-minute standing ovation, followed by its North American premiere at the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival. The critically-acclaimed film won multiple awards, including three Academy Awards, three BAFTA Awards, the Ariel Award for Best Picture, the Saturn Award for Best International Film, and the 2007 Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form. The film also appeared on more than 20 critic’s top ten lists for 2006.
Produced by del Toro, Bertha Navarro, Alfonso Cuaron, Frida Torresblanco, and Alvaro Augustin, the film stars Serio Lopez, Maribel Verdu, Ivana Baquero, Doug Jones, Ariadna Gil,...
Written and directed by del Toro, Pan’s Labyrinth premiered at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival where it received a 22-minute standing ovation, followed by its North American premiere at the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival. The critically-acclaimed film won multiple awards, including three Academy Awards, three BAFTA Awards, the Ariel Award for Best Picture, the Saturn Award for Best International Film, and the 2007 Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form. The film also appeared on more than 20 critic’s top ten lists for 2006.
Produced by del Toro, Bertha Navarro, Alfonso Cuaron, Frida Torresblanco, and Alvaro Augustin, the film stars Serio Lopez, Maribel Verdu, Ivana Baquero, Doug Jones, Ariadna Gil,...
- 9/8/2019
- by ComicMix Staff
- Comicmix.com
I somehow found myself in a swampy jungle deep in the Mexican state of Nayarit. A group of shipwrecked Spanish explorers were cutting their way through the thick underbrush. Swoosh! a hail of arrows and then splashes of blood. Suddenly a jolly young man, wearing an apron covered in blood, emerged from behind a mangrove tree. He was in charge of special effects make-up, and was laughing wickedly.
The year was 1990 and I had been invited by a friend, the Mexican producer Julio Solórzano, to join him and Bertha Navarro on location for the production of the historical epic “Cabeza de Vaca.” The film had Mexican and Spanish funding. It was set to be released to coincide with the 500th anniversary of what the Spanish insisted on calling the Encounter, and the Mexicans called the Conquest. It was to be my first encounter with Guillermo del Toro.
I was lucky...
The year was 1990 and I had been invited by a friend, the Mexican producer Julio Solórzano, to join him and Bertha Navarro on location for the production of the historical epic “Cabeza de Vaca.” The film had Mexican and Spanish funding. It was set to be released to coincide with the 500th anniversary of what the Spanish insisted on calling the Encounter, and the Mexicans called the Conquest. It was to be my first encounter with Guillermo del Toro.
I was lucky...
- 8/6/2019
- by Arthur Gorson
- Variety Film + TV
Buenos Aires — In a return to film production after serving as president of Argentina’s National Institute of Film and the Audiovisual Arts (Incaa) and then as a member of parliament, film producer Liliana Mazure is teaming with prestigious counterparts in Mexico and Brazil on a three-part, pan-regional dark comedy, “Mental Health Not Included.”
Lead produced by Mazure’s Arca Difusión in Argentina, Laura Imperiale’s Cacerola Films and Carlos Sosa’s Viento del Norte in Mexico and Beto Rodrigues Panda Filmes in Brazil, “Mental Health” will be directed by Martin Salinas, writer of 2003 Diego Luna starrer “Nicotina” and writer-director of the Diamond-distributed and then Netflix-released “Ni un hombre más,” with Valeria Bertuccelli.
Also written by Salinas, “Mental Health Not Included” kicks in with the president of the United States, Donald Cramp, announcing an end to international trade: the U.S. will henceforth function as a self-sufficient economy. He...
Lead produced by Mazure’s Arca Difusión in Argentina, Laura Imperiale’s Cacerola Films and Carlos Sosa’s Viento del Norte in Mexico and Beto Rodrigues Panda Filmes in Brazil, “Mental Health” will be directed by Martin Salinas, writer of 2003 Diego Luna starrer “Nicotina” and writer-director of the Diamond-distributed and then Netflix-released “Ni un hombre más,” with Valeria Bertuccelli.
Also written by Salinas, “Mental Health Not Included” kicks in with the president of the United States, Donald Cramp, announcing an end to international trade: the U.S. will henceforth function as a self-sufficient economy. He...
- 12/14/2018
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
Del Toro returned after winning best director, picture at the Oscars.
The 33rd Guadalajara film festival (March 9-16) paid tribute to Guillermo del Toro, back in Mexico after winning the best director and best film Oscars for The Shape Of Water.
The filmmaker, met with standing ovations during the festival, took part in three master classes attended by around 12,000 people and launched three scholarships. During the event he revealed plans to shoot a film in Mexico.
Del Toro also opened a new cinema named after him, one of nine new state of the art venues with a 3500-seat capacity in...
The 33rd Guadalajara film festival (March 9-16) paid tribute to Guillermo del Toro, back in Mexico after winning the best director and best film Oscars for The Shape Of Water.
The filmmaker, met with standing ovations during the festival, took part in three master classes attended by around 12,000 people and launched three scholarships. During the event he revealed plans to shoot a film in Mexico.
Del Toro also opened a new cinema named after him, one of nine new state of the art venues with a 3500-seat capacity in...
- 3/19/2018
- by Alexis Grivas
- ScreenDaily
When we talk about Guillermo del Toro, we’re talking about “Pan’s Labyrinth.” That isn’t to slight the Mexican auteur’s eclectic filmography: Everything from “Cronos” and “The Devil’s Backbone” to the two “Hellboy” movies are as imaginative as they are involving, and advance word on “The Shape of Water” suggests it ranks among del Toro’s finest. But “Pan’s Labyrinth,” which has only grown in esteem since opening to widespread acclaim 11 years ago, is a distillation of its maker’s essence.
That’s among the reasons why the Academy hosted a special screening of the film in Los Angeles last night. Programmed as part of their series “From Latin America to Hollywood,” the event included a panel featuring producer Bertha Navarro, cinematographer Guillermo Navarro (who won an Oscar for his work), and actors Doug Jones and Ivana Baquero. Jones, of course, plays the merman in...
That’s among the reasons why the Academy hosted a special screening of the film in Los Angeles last night. Programmed as part of their series “From Latin America to Hollywood,” the event included a panel featuring producer Bertha Navarro, cinematographer Guillermo Navarro (who won an Oscar for his work), and actors Doug Jones and Ivana Baquero. Jones, of course, plays the merman in...
- 10/31/2017
- by Michael Nordine
- Indiewire
Guillermo del Toro is about to hit the big screen in a huge way with December’s “The Shape of Water.” The fairy tale drama won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival earlier this year and is considered one of the biggest Oscar contenders of the season, but you better cherish it because it’ll be the last we see of director del Toro for at least a little while.
Speaking to press at Morelia’s Hotel Virrey de Mendoza in Mexico (via Variety), the filmmaker revealed he’s taking at least a one-year break from directing. “I’m taking a sabbatical for a year as a director,” del Toro said. “I was going to do ‘Fantastic Voyage,’ but after ‘The Shape of Water’ I need to take pause.”
Read More:Guillermo del Toro’s ‘The Shape of Water’ Announces Unusual Release Plan
Fortunately, just because del Toro...
Speaking to press at Morelia’s Hotel Virrey de Mendoza in Mexico (via Variety), the filmmaker revealed he’s taking at least a one-year break from directing. “I’m taking a sabbatical for a year as a director,” del Toro said. “I was going to do ‘Fantastic Voyage,’ but after ‘The Shape of Water’ I need to take pause.”
Read More:Guillermo del Toro’s ‘The Shape of Water’ Announces Unusual Release Plan
Fortunately, just because del Toro...
- 10/27/2017
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
Recently, while visiting the Hotel Virrey de Mendoza in Morelia, Mexico, one of the film industry's most prolific directors held court for a series of one-on-one interviews. After taking up occupancy in The Salon Escudos, a tiny room at the back of the Virrey de Mendoza establishment, del Toro spoke openly about his plans for the future. “I have two projects with Bertha Navarro which... Read More...
- 10/27/2017
- by Steve Seigh
- JoBlo.com
Happy Black Friday, everyone, and welcome back for Day 2 of Daily Dead’s fourth annual Holiday Gift Guide! Once again, our goal is to help you navigate your way through the horrors of the shopping season with our tips on unique gift ideas, and we’ll hopefully help you save a few bucks over the next few weeks, too.
This year’s Holiday Gift Guide is being sponsored by several amazing companies, including Mondo, Anchor Bay Entertainment, DC Entertainment, and Magnolia Home Entertainment, who have all donated an assortment of goodies to help you get into the spirit of the season. Daily Dead also recently teamed up with Texas-based artist Dustin Pace of Duddy in Motion to create an amazing Stranger Things print (see below) that all of our giveaway winners will receive with our amazing prize packs that feature a collection of items, including movies, graphic novels, the Duddy in Motion Stranger Things print,...
This year’s Holiday Gift Guide is being sponsored by several amazing companies, including Mondo, Anchor Bay Entertainment, DC Entertainment, and Magnolia Home Entertainment, who have all donated an assortment of goodies to help you get into the spirit of the season. Daily Dead also recently teamed up with Texas-based artist Dustin Pace of Duddy in Motion to create an amazing Stranger Things print (see below) that all of our giveaway winners will receive with our amazing prize packs that feature a collection of items, including movies, graphic novels, the Duddy in Motion Stranger Things print,...
- 11/26/2016
- by Heather Wixson
- DailyDead
Recently during the 67th Edition of the Cannes Film Festival, Cinema23, an association created in 2012 to promote Latin American, Spanish and Portuguese film culture, announced the Fénix Film Awards (Premio Iberoamericano de Cine Fénix). This unique event will take place for the first time in Mexico City in October 2014.
The Mexican actor, director and producer Gael García Bernal (in absentia because of his duties on the jury for Cannes Competition), Portuguese director and actress Maria de Medeiros, Brazilian actress Alice Braga, Spanish actress Paz Vega and Mexican actress Ana de la Reguera, presented the Fénix Film Awards to the international media as one of the key strategies of Cinema23 to provide visibility and recognition of the cinema made in the region.
“There is great variety in our region´s cinema with different forms and languages that in many cases reflect part of who we are. However we are not always able to enjoy it in our own countries, much less worldwide. The activities carried out by Cinema23 aim to develop a closer engagement between the filmmakers and their audiences. It is extremely important to have more visibility in order to gain recognition for the diversity of cinema. This is the premise under which we organized the Fénix Film Awards, commented Ricardo Giraldo, Director of Cinema23.
Ana de la Reguera added: “We have great talent in the region, but it is barely known outside film festivals; it’s important to find another way to reach a broader audience and I believe the Fénix Film Awards is a great strategy and opportunity to achieve it.”
“It is very important for us to get together, allowing us to get closer to the work of our colleagues in order to discover, meet and recognize the voices that make us so different. A celebration like this one opens up a space for us to meet and get to know each other. More importantly it will set the basis for a more profound way for us to share our ideas, create, and cooperate”, added Alice Braga.
María de Medeiros also mentioned: “We are creating a film community that has not existed till now. A community that aims to be inclusive by integrating not only those who make films but also those who study, promote, teach, distribute and exhibit films; so that we all help, support and communicate with each another, allowing our work to be shared both within and outside the region.”
Paz Vega commented: “Collaboration provides an opportunity for creative exchange that strengthens and nourishes our film culture. This collaboration and integration allows our industries to grow without losing their identity and create better opportunities. In the end, difference is what unites us.”
For the past two years, Cinema23 has been shaping a diverse film community from the 22 countries of the region and those who work closely with the region’s filmmaking. The tasks of this community include movie promotion, study, reviews, festivals, distribution, exhibition and filmmaking. The editorial project Cinema23 Notebooks, the conferences during festivals and the student program Classroom Cinema are developed throughout the year, seeking a creative, cultural and knowledge exchange between the different film cultures. These strategies are complemented and strengthened for the general audience through the Fénix Film Awards.
The Fénix Film Awards granted by more than 350 film professionals from Mexico, Latin America, USA, Europe and Canada, will award 12 categories and 4 special recognitions.
It is worth noting that the members of Cinema23 all have an active role in the selection, nomination and voting process for the Fénix Film Awards. Members include:
Karim Ainouz, Elena Anaya, José Carlos Avellar, Héctor Babenco, Luiz Carlos Barreto, Alice Braga, Brigitte Broch, Demián Bichir, Eugenio Caballero, Javier Cámara, Sebastián Cordero, Enrique Chediak, Alfonso Cuarón, Jonás Cuarón, María de Medeiros, Guillermo del Toro, Amat Escalante, Dolores Fonzi, Gael García Bernal, Daniel Giménez Cacho, Iván Giroud, Alejandro González Iñárritu, Salma Hayek, Carlos F. Heredero, Dolores Heredia, Pablo Larraín, Juan de Dios Larraín, Sebastián Lelio, Fernando León de Aranoa, Mónica Lozano, Emmanuel Lubezki, Diego Luna, Fernando Meirelles, Daniela Michel, Luis Miñarro, Wagner Moura, Bertha Navarro, Luis Ospina, Fito Páez, Marisa Paredes, Rodrigo Plá, Alejandro Ramírez, Édgar Ramírez, José Luis Rebordinos, Ana de la Reguera, Carlos Reygadas, José María Riba, Erica Rivas, Catalina Sandino, Ilda Santiago, Rodrigo Santoro, Leonardo Sbaraglia, Albert Serra, Juan Carlos Tabío, Paz Vega, Maribel Verdú & Monika Wagenberg.
Other international members that participate in the various activities of the association include:
Cameron Bailey (Artistic Director Toronto International Film Festival), Frederic Boyer (Artistic Director Tribeca Film Festival), Klaus Eder (President Fipresci), Robert Koehler (Film Critic), Claudia Landsberger (Vice-President Eye Film Institute) and Sydney Levine (Indiewire Blog Sydneys Buzz).
The award ceremony will be held in October 2014 in Mexico City and will be broadcast live on E! Entertainment Television to over 200 million people worldwide with the support of Mexico City’s Government.
To view Cinema23’s promotional video, click on the following link:
www.vimeo.com/81518414
To find out more about Cinema23 and the Fénix Film Awards please visit:
http://www.cinema23.com
About Cinema23
Cinema23 is an association created in 2012 to promote, support and raise awareness for the Latin American, Spanish and Portuguese film culture. It is formed by a diverse group of people with outstanding career trajectories from the film community mainly from the 22 countries of the region and those who work closely with the region’s filmmaking: directors, producers, actors, screenwriters, cinematographers, editors, art directors, sound designers, music composers, costume designers, festival directors and programmers, critics, researchers, distributors and film exhibitors.
Cinema23 seeks a more participative community amongst it members and provides a forum for creative and cultural exchange and cooperation among filmmakers from the region. Its yearly strategies and projects aim to promote and safeguard contemporary Ibero-American film culture, reaching new audiences, sharing ideas and enhancing the visibility and fostering the work of those who make films in Ibero-America.
About the Premio iberoamericano de cine Fénix®, (Fénix Film Awards)
The Fénix Film Awards is the key strategy to further Cinema23’s aims. It celebrates and emphasizes the work of film professionals, provides international visibility and strengthens bonds from the region’s film industry besides captivating and reaching a broader audience.
The first Fénix Film Awards’ gala will award 12 categories and 4 special recognitions. It will be held in October 2014 in Mexico City and will be broadcasted live on E! Entertainment Television to over 200 million people worldwide with the support of Mexico City’s Government.
The Mexican actor, director and producer Gael García Bernal (in absentia because of his duties on the jury for Cannes Competition), Portuguese director and actress Maria de Medeiros, Brazilian actress Alice Braga, Spanish actress Paz Vega and Mexican actress Ana de la Reguera, presented the Fénix Film Awards to the international media as one of the key strategies of Cinema23 to provide visibility and recognition of the cinema made in the region.
“There is great variety in our region´s cinema with different forms and languages that in many cases reflect part of who we are. However we are not always able to enjoy it in our own countries, much less worldwide. The activities carried out by Cinema23 aim to develop a closer engagement between the filmmakers and their audiences. It is extremely important to have more visibility in order to gain recognition for the diversity of cinema. This is the premise under which we organized the Fénix Film Awards, commented Ricardo Giraldo, Director of Cinema23.
Ana de la Reguera added: “We have great talent in the region, but it is barely known outside film festivals; it’s important to find another way to reach a broader audience and I believe the Fénix Film Awards is a great strategy and opportunity to achieve it.”
“It is very important for us to get together, allowing us to get closer to the work of our colleagues in order to discover, meet and recognize the voices that make us so different. A celebration like this one opens up a space for us to meet and get to know each other. More importantly it will set the basis for a more profound way for us to share our ideas, create, and cooperate”, added Alice Braga.
María de Medeiros also mentioned: “We are creating a film community that has not existed till now. A community that aims to be inclusive by integrating not only those who make films but also those who study, promote, teach, distribute and exhibit films; so that we all help, support and communicate with each another, allowing our work to be shared both within and outside the region.”
Paz Vega commented: “Collaboration provides an opportunity for creative exchange that strengthens and nourishes our film culture. This collaboration and integration allows our industries to grow without losing their identity and create better opportunities. In the end, difference is what unites us.”
For the past two years, Cinema23 has been shaping a diverse film community from the 22 countries of the region and those who work closely with the region’s filmmaking. The tasks of this community include movie promotion, study, reviews, festivals, distribution, exhibition and filmmaking. The editorial project Cinema23 Notebooks, the conferences during festivals and the student program Classroom Cinema are developed throughout the year, seeking a creative, cultural and knowledge exchange between the different film cultures. These strategies are complemented and strengthened for the general audience through the Fénix Film Awards.
The Fénix Film Awards granted by more than 350 film professionals from Mexico, Latin America, USA, Europe and Canada, will award 12 categories and 4 special recognitions.
It is worth noting that the members of Cinema23 all have an active role in the selection, nomination and voting process for the Fénix Film Awards. Members include:
Karim Ainouz, Elena Anaya, José Carlos Avellar, Héctor Babenco, Luiz Carlos Barreto, Alice Braga, Brigitte Broch, Demián Bichir, Eugenio Caballero, Javier Cámara, Sebastián Cordero, Enrique Chediak, Alfonso Cuarón, Jonás Cuarón, María de Medeiros, Guillermo del Toro, Amat Escalante, Dolores Fonzi, Gael García Bernal, Daniel Giménez Cacho, Iván Giroud, Alejandro González Iñárritu, Salma Hayek, Carlos F. Heredero, Dolores Heredia, Pablo Larraín, Juan de Dios Larraín, Sebastián Lelio, Fernando León de Aranoa, Mónica Lozano, Emmanuel Lubezki, Diego Luna, Fernando Meirelles, Daniela Michel, Luis Miñarro, Wagner Moura, Bertha Navarro, Luis Ospina, Fito Páez, Marisa Paredes, Rodrigo Plá, Alejandro Ramírez, Édgar Ramírez, José Luis Rebordinos, Ana de la Reguera, Carlos Reygadas, José María Riba, Erica Rivas, Catalina Sandino, Ilda Santiago, Rodrigo Santoro, Leonardo Sbaraglia, Albert Serra, Juan Carlos Tabío, Paz Vega, Maribel Verdú & Monika Wagenberg.
Other international members that participate in the various activities of the association include:
Cameron Bailey (Artistic Director Toronto International Film Festival), Frederic Boyer (Artistic Director Tribeca Film Festival), Klaus Eder (President Fipresci), Robert Koehler (Film Critic), Claudia Landsberger (Vice-President Eye Film Institute) and Sydney Levine (Indiewire Blog Sydneys Buzz).
The award ceremony will be held in October 2014 in Mexico City and will be broadcast live on E! Entertainment Television to over 200 million people worldwide with the support of Mexico City’s Government.
To view Cinema23’s promotional video, click on the following link:
www.vimeo.com/81518414
To find out more about Cinema23 and the Fénix Film Awards please visit:
http://www.cinema23.com
About Cinema23
Cinema23 is an association created in 2012 to promote, support and raise awareness for the Latin American, Spanish and Portuguese film culture. It is formed by a diverse group of people with outstanding career trajectories from the film community mainly from the 22 countries of the region and those who work closely with the region’s filmmaking: directors, producers, actors, screenwriters, cinematographers, editors, art directors, sound designers, music composers, costume designers, festival directors and programmers, critics, researchers, distributors and film exhibitors.
Cinema23 seeks a more participative community amongst it members and provides a forum for creative and cultural exchange and cooperation among filmmakers from the region. Its yearly strategies and projects aim to promote and safeguard contemporary Ibero-American film culture, reaching new audiences, sharing ideas and enhancing the visibility and fostering the work of those who make films in Ibero-America.
About the Premio iberoamericano de cine Fénix®, (Fénix Film Awards)
The Fénix Film Awards is the key strategy to further Cinema23’s aims. It celebrates and emphasizes the work of film professionals, provides international visibility and strengthens bonds from the region’s film industry besides captivating and reaching a broader audience.
The first Fénix Film Awards’ gala will award 12 categories and 4 special recognitions. It will be held in October 2014 in Mexico City and will be broadcasted live on E! Entertainment Television to over 200 million people worldwide with the support of Mexico City’s Government.
- 6/4/2014
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
Just saw Gravity (Warner Bros. Worldwide) in 3D at the Arclight Hollywood, having missed its Gala Premiere in Toronto where the line to see even the Press and Industry screening wound around corners on the street, up stairs and around the theater interior like a snake. So glad to have seen it in the comfort of my own favorite theater. (Though Laemmle on Santa Monica in West L.A. is beginning to feel like home again too.)
It occurred to me how similar Europa Report (Isa: Sierra Affinity, U.S. Magnolia) was, although Gravity was like a water ballet in space and Europa Report was all inside the space ship. And Gravity had A list American actors while Europa Report had A list international thespians. You can read my blog on Europa Report at LatinoBuzz: Europa Report 31 July 2013 12:30 Pm, Pdt | Sydney's Buzz on Indiewire or on IMDbPro under Europa Report/ News Releases.
You can read the earlier L.A. Times articles on Europa Report here: Comic-Con: Modest ‘Europa Report’ gets San Diego’s biggest stage published on July 19, 2013 and here: Review: 'Europa Report' gets good mileage from low-budget sci-fi by Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times Film Critic.
Europa Report has just been issued in the home entertainment markets today according to L.A. Times by Magnolia on DVD for $26.98 or Blu-ray for $29.98 after opening theatrically August 2, 2013 in Los Angeles at the Sundance Sunset in West Hollywood, D.C. at the E Street Cinema and New York at the Cinema Village followed by a national roll-out. See playdates here.
L.A. Times Capsule Review:
Another example of the innovative, intelligent sci-fi films that have become blessedly frequent in recent years, director Sebastián Cordero's half-mockumentary/ half-found-footage work reconstructs a doomed space mission using "news reports," "interviews" and "on-ship surveillance recordings." The result feels a little drier than the typical interstellar thriller, but "Europa Report" also achieves a rare verisimilitude with its documentary re-creations. Even though it features recognizable actors (including Sharlto Copley, Michael Nyqvist and Embeth Davidtz), it looks like a real mission, which only adds to the drama when things start to go very wrong. The DVD and Blu-ray add deleted scenes and a featurette about the film's special effects.
Gravity opened this weekend and grossed $55,785,112 at 3,575 locations. Opening weekend for The Europa Report was $22,243 in 3 theaters. It grossed $125,475 in 9.4 weeks.
Really of interest to me however, is the genealogy of the two films. Alfonso Cuaron and Sebastian Cordero are joined like George Clooney and Sandra Bullock on these two very similar films.
Sebastián, an Ecuadorian whose two films, the 2004 Cronicas was produced by Alfonso Cuarón, Guillermo del Toro, Isabel Dávalos, and Bertha Navarro, and Rabia, produced by Guillermo del Toro, have created their own exclusive cult fan clubs. The 2004 film Cronicas caused quite a stir among the acquisitions community and the cognoscenti of genre-art house films. It won the Sundance/ Nhk International Filmmakers Award in 2002, premiered in Cannes' Un Certain Regard, played Toronto, San Sebastian, Sundance and Rotterdam, sold worldwide and was picked up for U.S. by Chris Blackwell's Palm Pictures, thus confirming its cult status.
Rabia (Isa:Wild Bunch), a Spanish-Colombian coproduction premiered in 2009 at the Toronto Film Festival. His earlier film Ratas, Ratones, Rateros premiered in Venice in 1999, received over 12 international awards and played in more than 50 film festivals and Pescador, a Colombian-Ecuadorian coproduction won acting and directing awards at the Guadalajara Film Festival in 2012.
This was his first English language film in Hollywood. His cinematographer, Enrique Chediak, and production designer, Eugenio Caballero, have worked with him on three of his films. The production designer was excited to design a realistic space ship. Enrique liked the found footage idea which was still high tech, it did not have the degraded handheld effect you see in the current run of horror films. He liked the idea of working with limitations. He built a 360 degree set with eight cameras shooting continuously. It was very immersive. The cinematographer also liked the challenge.
The Production Designer, Eugenio Caballero, won the Academy Award for his work on Pan's Labyrinth. Enrique Chediak was named on Daily Variety's "10 Cinemagraphers to Watch" in 1999 and has not disappointed with his credits which include Danny Boyle's 127 Hours and was Cordero's cinematographer on Rabia.
As Guillermo del Toro and Alfonso Cuaron mentor Sebastian Cordero, he too is exploring the No. American terrain for movie making, though not at the major studio level. Cordero is creating a larger area, a newer terrain, combining Latin American talent with European talent with his own USC Film School mentality.
Gravity was a huge art film, combining a perspective on its side, upside down, spinning, slow motion on short stop-watched time lines, everything possible going wrong and survived by only one tough woman. So too in The Europa Report everything went wrong and only one woman survived. The Europa Report was the low budget version of Gravity, or Gravity, Jr. Both were told with a quietude and calmness that defies Hollywood High Tech Special Effects.
It occurred to me how similar Europa Report (Isa: Sierra Affinity, U.S. Magnolia) was, although Gravity was like a water ballet in space and Europa Report was all inside the space ship. And Gravity had A list American actors while Europa Report had A list international thespians. You can read my blog on Europa Report at LatinoBuzz: Europa Report 31 July 2013 12:30 Pm, Pdt | Sydney's Buzz on Indiewire or on IMDbPro under Europa Report/ News Releases.
You can read the earlier L.A. Times articles on Europa Report here: Comic-Con: Modest ‘Europa Report’ gets San Diego’s biggest stage published on July 19, 2013 and here: Review: 'Europa Report' gets good mileage from low-budget sci-fi by Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times Film Critic.
Europa Report has just been issued in the home entertainment markets today according to L.A. Times by Magnolia on DVD for $26.98 or Blu-ray for $29.98 after opening theatrically August 2, 2013 in Los Angeles at the Sundance Sunset in West Hollywood, D.C. at the E Street Cinema and New York at the Cinema Village followed by a national roll-out. See playdates here.
L.A. Times Capsule Review:
Another example of the innovative, intelligent sci-fi films that have become blessedly frequent in recent years, director Sebastián Cordero's half-mockumentary/ half-found-footage work reconstructs a doomed space mission using "news reports," "interviews" and "on-ship surveillance recordings." The result feels a little drier than the typical interstellar thriller, but "Europa Report" also achieves a rare verisimilitude with its documentary re-creations. Even though it features recognizable actors (including Sharlto Copley, Michael Nyqvist and Embeth Davidtz), it looks like a real mission, which only adds to the drama when things start to go very wrong. The DVD and Blu-ray add deleted scenes and a featurette about the film's special effects.
Gravity opened this weekend and grossed $55,785,112 at 3,575 locations. Opening weekend for The Europa Report was $22,243 in 3 theaters. It grossed $125,475 in 9.4 weeks.
Really of interest to me however, is the genealogy of the two films. Alfonso Cuaron and Sebastian Cordero are joined like George Clooney and Sandra Bullock on these two very similar films.
Sebastián, an Ecuadorian whose two films, the 2004 Cronicas was produced by Alfonso Cuarón, Guillermo del Toro, Isabel Dávalos, and Bertha Navarro, and Rabia, produced by Guillermo del Toro, have created their own exclusive cult fan clubs. The 2004 film Cronicas caused quite a stir among the acquisitions community and the cognoscenti of genre-art house films. It won the Sundance/ Nhk International Filmmakers Award in 2002, premiered in Cannes' Un Certain Regard, played Toronto, San Sebastian, Sundance and Rotterdam, sold worldwide and was picked up for U.S. by Chris Blackwell's Palm Pictures, thus confirming its cult status.
Rabia (Isa:Wild Bunch), a Spanish-Colombian coproduction premiered in 2009 at the Toronto Film Festival. His earlier film Ratas, Ratones, Rateros premiered in Venice in 1999, received over 12 international awards and played in more than 50 film festivals and Pescador, a Colombian-Ecuadorian coproduction won acting and directing awards at the Guadalajara Film Festival in 2012.
This was his first English language film in Hollywood. His cinematographer, Enrique Chediak, and production designer, Eugenio Caballero, have worked with him on three of his films. The production designer was excited to design a realistic space ship. Enrique liked the found footage idea which was still high tech, it did not have the degraded handheld effect you see in the current run of horror films. He liked the idea of working with limitations. He built a 360 degree set with eight cameras shooting continuously. It was very immersive. The cinematographer also liked the challenge.
The Production Designer, Eugenio Caballero, won the Academy Award for his work on Pan's Labyrinth. Enrique Chediak was named on Daily Variety's "10 Cinemagraphers to Watch" in 1999 and has not disappointed with his credits which include Danny Boyle's 127 Hours and was Cordero's cinematographer on Rabia.
As Guillermo del Toro and Alfonso Cuaron mentor Sebastian Cordero, he too is exploring the No. American terrain for movie making, though not at the major studio level. Cordero is creating a larger area, a newer terrain, combining Latin American talent with European talent with his own USC Film School mentality.
Gravity was a huge art film, combining a perspective on its side, upside down, spinning, slow motion on short stop-watched time lines, everything possible going wrong and survived by only one tough woman. So too in The Europa Report everything went wrong and only one woman survived. The Europa Report was the low budget version of Gravity, or Gravity, Jr. Both were told with a quietude and calmness that defies Hollywood High Tech Special Effects.
- 10/8/2013
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
Europa Report, a feature film by Ecuadorian director, Sebastián Cordero, was so impressive. On a personal note (not to brag…), my niece is exploring alien life in the form of starfish at the Stanford Marine Station in Monterey as the subject of her Nasa- funded PhD program, so this movie about exploring alien life in a watery environment touches close to home for me. In addition, I am very interested in Ecuador as a filmmaking country (or a non-filmmaking country) whose revenues from homegrown cinema has grown 300% in 2012, so I did something I rarely undertake, I interviewed the filmmaker.
Sebastián Cordero was in L.A. for ten days after attending Comic-Con and stayed through last night's Kcrw Special L.A. Screening at the Landmark Theater on Pico Blvd. Today he left for NYC. Magnet Releasing will release the film theatrically on August 2 and it is available now on VOD.
Europa Report opens this Friday, August 2, 2013 in Los Angeles at the Sundance Sunset in West Hollywood, D.C. at the E Street Cinema in Washington, and New York at the Cinema Village this Friday and will be followed by a national roll-out. See playdates here.
Attending Comic-Con was a great experience for Sebastián. He says that the L.A. Times coverage describes the experience very well and definitely gave the film a boost in fandom. The panel at Comic-Con's largest venue was unique for Sebastián, an Ecuadorian whose two films, the 2004 Cronicas produced by Alfonso Cuarón, Guillermo del Toro, Isabel Dávalos, and Bertha Navarro, and Rabia have created their own exclusive cult fan clubs. Rabia (Isa:Wild Bunch), a Spanish-Colombian coproduction premiered in 2009 at the Toronto Film Festival. The 2004 film Cronicas caused quite a stir among the acquisitions community and the cognoscenti of genre-art house films. It won the Sundance/ Nhk International Filmmakers Award in 2002, premiered in Cannes' Un Certain Regard, played Toronto, San Sebastian, Sundance and Rotterdam, sold worldwide and was picked up for U.S. by Chris Blackwell's Palm Pictures, thus confirming its cult status. His earlier film Ratas, Ratones, Rateros premiered in Venice in 1999, received over 12 international awards and played in more than 50 film festivals and Pescador, a Colombian-Ecuadorian coproduction won acting and directing awards at the Guadalajara Film Festival in 2012.
The Europa Report team's Comic-Con presentation included scientists from Jpl which lent real-life credentials to the film as they discussed the movie in front of 6,000 interested people who knew very little about the film until then. The mythology of Europa is well known to sci–fi fans from its prominence in Stanley Kubrick's classic 2001: A Space Odyssey and its sequel 2010: Odyssey Two, but the general public is not aware of it. The movie in fact seems poised somewhere between Nasa and Star Trek.
The dreamy calmness of professionals in an extraordinary mix of talents in the movie itself mirrors the mix of talents that went into the making of this piece of cinema. No wonder it was previewed at Comic-Com. It seemed incongruous to the mega-size this event has become. It would be nice to know that it was the sleeper hit of Comic-Con and of the summer season. We shall see as it opens this week. Even if it proves too intellectual for the masses, its credit to Team Sebastian Cordero will stand the test of time. It takes a filmmaker from Eucador to probe our collective curiosity about life on Europa, the moon of Jupiter most likely to contain life.
While I do not agree 100% with the review by Carlos Aguilar in Filmophilia today, I find his review the most intelligent of all I have read to date.
Europa Report could be called a Latino film which illustrates the draw Hollywood independent filmmaking holds on filmmakers from our South American continent. Reading the bios of the production team and the bios of the cast further illuminates this luminescent film, put together primarily by men but casting both the main interlocutor and the chief of the mission as women: Embeth Daviitz who plays Dr. Unger, the chief of the mission was the Jewish maid who survives both the abuse and attraction of Ralph Fiennes' sadistic commander 'Goeth' in Steven Spielberg's Schindler's List and costars with Gabriele Byrne in In Treatment, was in Mad Men and Californication.
How did producer Ben Browning find you after he developed the script?Ben had seen Rabia and Cronicas…both were very different from this, dealing with social issues, told as social realism, but Rabia is 90% told while the protagonist is hiding in a house, where the claustrophobia and tension might be points of reference for this film.
You usually make films about social issues, what was it about this film that attracted you? I am an actor's director. I need a good story and a good script but one major aspect of this film for me was its six characters. It was a challenge to put together a great cast and give them one space in which to act. I liked the story and the real science behind it. There have been no significant manned explorations of space since the Apollo expeditions in the 70s. I did lots of research, and we had great science advisors.
I was an unusual choice, but I felt an immediate connection to the project.
You seem to have gathered an award winning production team for casting, cinematography, production design, music and sound design.I had a great team. It is my first English language film in Hollywood. My cinematographer, Enrique Chediak, and production designer, Eugenio Caballero, have worked with me on three of my films.
The production designer was excited to design a realistic space ship. Enrique liked the found footage idea which was still high tech, it did not have the degraded handheld effect you see in the current run of horror films. I had been unsure of his reactions to such limitations in the project, but he actually liked them. He built a 360 degree set with eight cameras shooting continuously. It was very immersive. The cinematographer also liked the challenge.
(Editor: Production designer, Eugenio Caballero, won the Academy Award for his work on Pan's Labyrinth. Enrique Chediak was named on Daily Variety's "10 Cinemagraphers to Watch" in 1999 and has not disappointed with his credits which include Danny Boyle's 127 Hours.)
What about the cast of international actors?Casting international actors was also exciting. They are not not huge stars but they are the top thespians in their countries.
(Sydney, the blogger here: Wednesday's news that casting directors will get their own branch in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, puts this film's casting director, Avy Kaufman, in line for an Oscar for sure.)
Producer Tod Browning interjects here that casting actors from all over the world was also a key part of the film's financing plan. "Each of these actors brought value in territories we were able to pre-sell based on their involvement. Michael [Nyqvist] and Anamaria [Marinca] are very popular in Europe and Daniel Wu is a major star in Asia which allowed us to secure Chinese distribution up front", Browning says. (The international sales agent is Nick Meyers' Sierra Affinity.)
Back to Sebastian: When Michael Nyqvist (who played Andrei Blok) came on board, that made the project attractive to others. I wanted him, not just because of his work in the Millennium series, but because of his other work with Lukas Moodyson (Together).
Anamaria Marinca (who played Rosa Dasque), the actress from Romania's 4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days, (which won the Palme d'Or at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival) was not an obvious choice and I was unsure of what her reaction would be, but she said, Are you kidding? She said she loved having such an offer. No one ever offered her a role in a science fiction film before.
What about you? Do you like the lure of Hollywood? Do you want to make more films here?I am torn between two worlds.
I want to continue in both places. I enjoy Hollywood but I know, during the time of Cronicas there was a moment when I was being offered projects but in the end, nothing happened, and I understand the process now. Here when a project falls apart, all the work you have put into it is for nothing - it might waste six months of intense work. In Ecuador I have confidence that any film I am working on will eventually be made.
But I am also interested in working in the U.S. There are a lot more resources here, but it must be good project. I am looking for projects here, but I generate my own material in Ecuador. Here, when a project falls apart here all the work is for nothing.
I am now working on a film to shoot early next year in Ecuador, Sin muertos, no hay carnaval, which literally means Without the Dead, There is No Carnival. However, its English language working title is Such is Life in the Tropics. It is about property management, and more specifically about a squater as told from many perspectives. Its strong script is written by the actor in Cronicas who is also a producer in another film.
Thank you Sebastian. I wish you great success with this film and with your career. And I thank Ben Browning for undertaking this exciting project and bringing it to life.
Sebastian Cordero spent his childhood in Ecuador where he was born, his teenage years in Paris and his college years in Los Angeles, where he studied at USC's Filmic Writing program. He seems to be building a team much the way Clint Eastwood has. And like Clint Eastwood, the lure of Hollywood with its ease of procuring resources and the necessary filmmaking tools is tempered by the continuous lower budgeted filmmaking using international Iberoamerican coproductions to finance the films.
About Wayfare Entertainment:
In May 2013 New York-based Wayfare Entertainment announced its rebranding as Start Motion Pictures. Parent company Start Media LLC is unifying its branding and operations as its portfolio of entertainment and media holdings grows. Wayfare Entertainment was set up five years ago by Ben Browning and Start Media CEO Michael Maher and has produced and fully financed films that have grossed over $130 million worldwide. Wayfare’s past films include Universal’s Sanctum produced with James Cameron, the Focus Features’ drama It's Kind Of A Funny Story, Neil Jordan’s Ondine, and Sebastian Cordero's space thriller Europa Report to be released by Magnolia Pictures in summer 2013 and being sold internationally by Nicolas Meyer's Sierra Affinity.
Upcoming Wayfare projects include an adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s The Graveyard Book for Disney; the recently announced Passengers, to star Keanu Reeves and Reese Witherspoon; and a development slate including Josh Zetumer’s Villain, an adaptation of Matt Westrup’s award winning creature short The Gate and the Princess Diana conspiracy thriller Inquest. With a slate like this, it is no wonder Comic-Con was interested in showcasing Europa Report.
Start Media is a privately held media company with interests in exhibition, publishing, and technology. Start Media is acquiring and building content-driven companies well positioned to capitalize on value dislocations emerging from the rapid evolution of media and media consumption. In late 2012 Start Media partnered with exhibitor Digiplex Destinations, an industry pioneer and champion of digital conversion and alternative cinema content, to aggressively grow the Digiplex footprint to 1000 screens in the top 100 markets. The acquisition of UltraStar Cinemas earlier this year was the first acquisition of the partnership. Wayfare’s staff, upcoming film slate and film library will be folded into Start Motion Pictures, which will continue normal business operations producing and financing feature films. Browning will be the President of Start Motion Pictures.
Sebastián Cordero was in L.A. for ten days after attending Comic-Con and stayed through last night's Kcrw Special L.A. Screening at the Landmark Theater on Pico Blvd. Today he left for NYC. Magnet Releasing will release the film theatrically on August 2 and it is available now on VOD.
Europa Report opens this Friday, August 2, 2013 in Los Angeles at the Sundance Sunset in West Hollywood, D.C. at the E Street Cinema in Washington, and New York at the Cinema Village this Friday and will be followed by a national roll-out. See playdates here.
Attending Comic-Con was a great experience for Sebastián. He says that the L.A. Times coverage describes the experience very well and definitely gave the film a boost in fandom. The panel at Comic-Con's largest venue was unique for Sebastián, an Ecuadorian whose two films, the 2004 Cronicas produced by Alfonso Cuarón, Guillermo del Toro, Isabel Dávalos, and Bertha Navarro, and Rabia have created their own exclusive cult fan clubs. Rabia (Isa:Wild Bunch), a Spanish-Colombian coproduction premiered in 2009 at the Toronto Film Festival. The 2004 film Cronicas caused quite a stir among the acquisitions community and the cognoscenti of genre-art house films. It won the Sundance/ Nhk International Filmmakers Award in 2002, premiered in Cannes' Un Certain Regard, played Toronto, San Sebastian, Sundance and Rotterdam, sold worldwide and was picked up for U.S. by Chris Blackwell's Palm Pictures, thus confirming its cult status. His earlier film Ratas, Ratones, Rateros premiered in Venice in 1999, received over 12 international awards and played in more than 50 film festivals and Pescador, a Colombian-Ecuadorian coproduction won acting and directing awards at the Guadalajara Film Festival in 2012.
The Europa Report team's Comic-Con presentation included scientists from Jpl which lent real-life credentials to the film as they discussed the movie in front of 6,000 interested people who knew very little about the film until then. The mythology of Europa is well known to sci–fi fans from its prominence in Stanley Kubrick's classic 2001: A Space Odyssey and its sequel 2010: Odyssey Two, but the general public is not aware of it. The movie in fact seems poised somewhere between Nasa and Star Trek.
The dreamy calmness of professionals in an extraordinary mix of talents in the movie itself mirrors the mix of talents that went into the making of this piece of cinema. No wonder it was previewed at Comic-Com. It seemed incongruous to the mega-size this event has become. It would be nice to know that it was the sleeper hit of Comic-Con and of the summer season. We shall see as it opens this week. Even if it proves too intellectual for the masses, its credit to Team Sebastian Cordero will stand the test of time. It takes a filmmaker from Eucador to probe our collective curiosity about life on Europa, the moon of Jupiter most likely to contain life.
While I do not agree 100% with the review by Carlos Aguilar in Filmophilia today, I find his review the most intelligent of all I have read to date.
Europa Report could be called a Latino film which illustrates the draw Hollywood independent filmmaking holds on filmmakers from our South American continent. Reading the bios of the production team and the bios of the cast further illuminates this luminescent film, put together primarily by men but casting both the main interlocutor and the chief of the mission as women: Embeth Daviitz who plays Dr. Unger, the chief of the mission was the Jewish maid who survives both the abuse and attraction of Ralph Fiennes' sadistic commander 'Goeth' in Steven Spielberg's Schindler's List and costars with Gabriele Byrne in In Treatment, was in Mad Men and Californication.
How did producer Ben Browning find you after he developed the script?Ben had seen Rabia and Cronicas…both were very different from this, dealing with social issues, told as social realism, but Rabia is 90% told while the protagonist is hiding in a house, where the claustrophobia and tension might be points of reference for this film.
You usually make films about social issues, what was it about this film that attracted you? I am an actor's director. I need a good story and a good script but one major aspect of this film for me was its six characters. It was a challenge to put together a great cast and give them one space in which to act. I liked the story and the real science behind it. There have been no significant manned explorations of space since the Apollo expeditions in the 70s. I did lots of research, and we had great science advisors.
I was an unusual choice, but I felt an immediate connection to the project.
You seem to have gathered an award winning production team for casting, cinematography, production design, music and sound design.I had a great team. It is my first English language film in Hollywood. My cinematographer, Enrique Chediak, and production designer, Eugenio Caballero, have worked with me on three of my films.
The production designer was excited to design a realistic space ship. Enrique liked the found footage idea which was still high tech, it did not have the degraded handheld effect you see in the current run of horror films. I had been unsure of his reactions to such limitations in the project, but he actually liked them. He built a 360 degree set with eight cameras shooting continuously. It was very immersive. The cinematographer also liked the challenge.
(Editor: Production designer, Eugenio Caballero, won the Academy Award for his work on Pan's Labyrinth. Enrique Chediak was named on Daily Variety's "10 Cinemagraphers to Watch" in 1999 and has not disappointed with his credits which include Danny Boyle's 127 Hours.)
What about the cast of international actors?Casting international actors was also exciting. They are not not huge stars but they are the top thespians in their countries.
(Sydney, the blogger here: Wednesday's news that casting directors will get their own branch in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, puts this film's casting director, Avy Kaufman, in line for an Oscar for sure.)
Producer Tod Browning interjects here that casting actors from all over the world was also a key part of the film's financing plan. "Each of these actors brought value in territories we were able to pre-sell based on their involvement. Michael [Nyqvist] and Anamaria [Marinca] are very popular in Europe and Daniel Wu is a major star in Asia which allowed us to secure Chinese distribution up front", Browning says. (The international sales agent is Nick Meyers' Sierra Affinity.)
Back to Sebastian: When Michael Nyqvist (who played Andrei Blok) came on board, that made the project attractive to others. I wanted him, not just because of his work in the Millennium series, but because of his other work with Lukas Moodyson (Together).
Anamaria Marinca (who played Rosa Dasque), the actress from Romania's 4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days, (which won the Palme d'Or at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival) was not an obvious choice and I was unsure of what her reaction would be, but she said, Are you kidding? She said she loved having such an offer. No one ever offered her a role in a science fiction film before.
What about you? Do you like the lure of Hollywood? Do you want to make more films here?I am torn between two worlds.
I want to continue in both places. I enjoy Hollywood but I know, during the time of Cronicas there was a moment when I was being offered projects but in the end, nothing happened, and I understand the process now. Here when a project falls apart, all the work you have put into it is for nothing - it might waste six months of intense work. In Ecuador I have confidence that any film I am working on will eventually be made.
But I am also interested in working in the U.S. There are a lot more resources here, but it must be good project. I am looking for projects here, but I generate my own material in Ecuador. Here, when a project falls apart here all the work is for nothing.
I am now working on a film to shoot early next year in Ecuador, Sin muertos, no hay carnaval, which literally means Without the Dead, There is No Carnival. However, its English language working title is Such is Life in the Tropics. It is about property management, and more specifically about a squater as told from many perspectives. Its strong script is written by the actor in Cronicas who is also a producer in another film.
Thank you Sebastian. I wish you great success with this film and with your career. And I thank Ben Browning for undertaking this exciting project and bringing it to life.
Sebastian Cordero spent his childhood in Ecuador where he was born, his teenage years in Paris and his college years in Los Angeles, where he studied at USC's Filmic Writing program. He seems to be building a team much the way Clint Eastwood has. And like Clint Eastwood, the lure of Hollywood with its ease of procuring resources and the necessary filmmaking tools is tempered by the continuous lower budgeted filmmaking using international Iberoamerican coproductions to finance the films.
About Wayfare Entertainment:
In May 2013 New York-based Wayfare Entertainment announced its rebranding as Start Motion Pictures. Parent company Start Media LLC is unifying its branding and operations as its portfolio of entertainment and media holdings grows. Wayfare Entertainment was set up five years ago by Ben Browning and Start Media CEO Michael Maher and has produced and fully financed films that have grossed over $130 million worldwide. Wayfare’s past films include Universal’s Sanctum produced with James Cameron, the Focus Features’ drama It's Kind Of A Funny Story, Neil Jordan’s Ondine, and Sebastian Cordero's space thriller Europa Report to be released by Magnolia Pictures in summer 2013 and being sold internationally by Nicolas Meyer's Sierra Affinity.
Upcoming Wayfare projects include an adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s The Graveyard Book for Disney; the recently announced Passengers, to star Keanu Reeves and Reese Witherspoon; and a development slate including Josh Zetumer’s Villain, an adaptation of Matt Westrup’s award winning creature short The Gate and the Princess Diana conspiracy thriller Inquest. With a slate like this, it is no wonder Comic-Con was interested in showcasing Europa Report.
Start Media is a privately held media company with interests in exhibition, publishing, and technology. Start Media is acquiring and building content-driven companies well positioned to capitalize on value dislocations emerging from the rapid evolution of media and media consumption. In late 2012 Start Media partnered with exhibitor Digiplex Destinations, an industry pioneer and champion of digital conversion and alternative cinema content, to aggressively grow the Digiplex footprint to 1000 screens in the top 100 markets. The acquisition of UltraStar Cinemas earlier this year was the first acquisition of the partnership. Wayfare’s staff, upcoming film slate and film library will be folded into Start Motion Pictures, which will continue normal business operations producing and financing feature films. Browning will be the President of Start Motion Pictures.
- 7/31/2013
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
DVD Playhouse December 2010
By
Allen Gardner
America Lost And Found: The Bbs Story (Criterion) Perhaps the best DVD box set released this year, this ultimate cinefile stocking stuffer offered up by Criterion, the Rolls-Royce of home video labels, features seven seminal works from the late ‘60s-early ‘70s that were brought to life by cutting edge producers Bert Schneider, Steve Blauner and director/producer Bob Rafelson, the principals of Bbs Productions. In chronological order: Head (1968) star the Monkees, the manufactured (by Rafelson, et al), American answer to the Beatles who, like it or not, did make an impact on popular culture, particularly in this utterly surreal piece of cinematic anarchy (co-written by Jack Nicholson, who has a cameo), which was largely dismissed upon its initial release, but is now regarded as a counterculture classic. Easy Rider (1969) is arguably regarded as the seminal ‘60s picture, about two hippie drug dealers (director Dennis Hopper...
By
Allen Gardner
America Lost And Found: The Bbs Story (Criterion) Perhaps the best DVD box set released this year, this ultimate cinefile stocking stuffer offered up by Criterion, the Rolls-Royce of home video labels, features seven seminal works from the late ‘60s-early ‘70s that were brought to life by cutting edge producers Bert Schneider, Steve Blauner and director/producer Bob Rafelson, the principals of Bbs Productions. In chronological order: Head (1968) star the Monkees, the manufactured (by Rafelson, et al), American answer to the Beatles who, like it or not, did make an impact on popular culture, particularly in this utterly surreal piece of cinematic anarchy (co-written by Jack Nicholson, who has a cameo), which was largely dismissed upon its initial release, but is now regarded as a counterculture classic. Easy Rider (1969) is arguably regarded as the seminal ‘60s picture, about two hippie drug dealers (director Dennis Hopper...
- 12/20/2010
- by The Hollywood Interview.com
- The Hollywood Interview
Prior to receiving Criterion's Blu-ray release of Guillermo del Toro's feature directorial debut, Cronos, I'd never seen the film. Along with Mimic, it was the only del Toro film I hadn't seen as well as the only del Toro film I didn't own. I had, however, heard plenty about it, but most of what I'd heard originated from online sources so, as with most anything I read online, I took it with a grain of salt.
Del Toro seems to have become a bit of a favorite among online movie fans. I always get the impression a lot of his work is looked at through rose colored glasses so I can never tell if what I'm reading is actual opinion or affected opinion. In the case of Cronos this is bona fide del Toro, in line with The Devil's Backbone and Pan's Labyrinth. It's the reason he's achieved such...
Del Toro seems to have become a bit of a favorite among online movie fans. I always get the impression a lot of his work is looked at through rose colored glasses so I can never tell if what I'm reading is actual opinion or affected opinion. In the case of Cronos this is bona fide del Toro, in line with The Devil's Backbone and Pan's Labyrinth. It's the reason he's achieved such...
- 12/7/2010
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
Guillermo del Toro's name seems to pop in relation to a new project every week, but he hasn't actually directed that many movies. Instead of picking up whatever comes along, he has generally chosen projects that appeal to his very specific interests. del Toro's first film Cronos (1993) -- which is now available on Blu-Ray from The Criterion Collection -- lays out the stylistic and thematic approach that del Toro still follows to this day. Cronos is a good movie -- not a great one -- that paved the way for superior works like The Devil's Backbone and Pan's Labyrinth.
An antiques dealer named Jesús Gris (Federico Luppi) lives with his wife Mercedes (Margarita Isabel) and young granddaughter Aurora (Tamara Shanath). One fateful day, he comes across a mechanical gold scarab. The ancient device, which yields mysterious powers, slowly transforms Gris into a new being with strange uncontrollable passions. Gris'...
An antiques dealer named Jesús Gris (Federico Luppi) lives with his wife Mercedes (Margarita Isabel) and young granddaughter Aurora (Tamara Shanath). One fateful day, he comes across a mechanical gold scarab. The ancient device, which yields mysterious powers, slowly transforms Gris into a new being with strange uncontrollable passions. Gris'...
- 12/5/2010
- Screen Anarchy
Guillermo del Toro's 1993 chiller Cronos has been available for years, but fans will be very pleased methinks with the new Criterion blu-ray and DVD set to hit shelves December 7. So what's on it?
Director-approved Special Edition:
- New, restored high-definition digital transfer, supervised and approved by director Guillermo del Toro and cinematographer Guillermo Navarro, including optional audio with the film’s original Spanish-language voice-over introduction as well as DTS-hd Master Audio on the Blu-ray edition
-Two audio commentaries, one featuring del Toro and the other producers Arthur H. Gorson and Bertha Navarro and coproducer Alejandro Springall.
- Geometria, an unreleased 1987 short horror film by del Toro, finished by the director in 2010, plus a new video interview with him.
- Welcome to Bleak House, a video tour by del Toro of his office, featuring his collectibles and personal work
-New video interviews with del Toro, Navarro, and actor Ron Perlman...
Director-approved Special Edition:
- New, restored high-definition digital transfer, supervised and approved by director Guillermo del Toro and cinematographer Guillermo Navarro, including optional audio with the film’s original Spanish-language voice-over introduction as well as DTS-hd Master Audio on the Blu-ray edition
-Two audio commentaries, one featuring del Toro and the other producers Arthur H. Gorson and Bertha Navarro and coproducer Alejandro Springall.
- Geometria, an unreleased 1987 short horror film by del Toro, finished by the director in 2010, plus a new video interview with him.
- Welcome to Bleak House, a video tour by del Toro of his office, featuring his collectibles and personal work
-New video interviews with del Toro, Navarro, and actor Ron Perlman...
- 9/22/2010
- QuietEarth.us
This past week Criterion announced the release of a long rumored title, Guillermo Del Toro’s Cronos. We’ll finally be able to pick up a DVD and Blu-ray edition of the film on December 7th.
Along with all of the incredible supplemental materials that will accompany the discs, the cover art by Hellboy creator (and longtime Del Toro friend) Mike Mignola is absolutely gorgeous. Showcasing the Cronos device that turns our hero, Jesús Gris, into a blood craving monster, the artwork is what many love about Criterion Collection cover art, it’s simple.
It’s not a collection of floating heads, it’s not a badly photoshopped piece of marketing. It’s an elegant approach to a gruesome concept, executed by a fan favorite. The fact that Mignola drew the image is almost an easter egg in itself. His name isn’t anywhere to be found on the drawing,...
Along with all of the incredible supplemental materials that will accompany the discs, the cover art by Hellboy creator (and longtime Del Toro friend) Mike Mignola is absolutely gorgeous. Showcasing the Cronos device that turns our hero, Jesús Gris, into a blood craving monster, the artwork is what many love about Criterion Collection cover art, it’s simple.
It’s not a collection of floating heads, it’s not a badly photoshopped piece of marketing. It’s an elegant approach to a gruesome concept, executed by a fan favorite. The fact that Mignola drew the image is almost an easter egg in itself. His name isn’t anywhere to be found on the drawing,...
- 9/17/2010
- by Ryan Gallagher
- CriterionCast
Mark December 7th down on your calendars, kids! That's the date that the long talked about Criterion Collection Blu-ray/DVD release of Guillermo del Toro's classic tale Cronos is finally coming home in grand fashion! Talk about a holiday miracle!
Check out the specs and artwork below!
Director-approved Special Edition:
New, restored high-definition digital transfer, supervised and approved by director Guillermo del Toro and cinematographer Guillermo Navarro, including optional audio with the film's original Spanish-language voice-over introduction as well as DTS-hd Master Audio on the Blu-ray edition Two audio commentaries, one featuring del Toro and the other producers Arthur H. Gorson and Bertha Navarro and coproducer Alejandro Springall Geometria, an unreleased 1987 short horror film by del Toro, finished by the director in 2010, plus a new video interview with him Welcome to Bleak House, a video tour by del Toro of his office, featuring his collectibles and personal work New video interviews with del Toro,...
Check out the specs and artwork below!
Director-approved Special Edition:
New, restored high-definition digital transfer, supervised and approved by director Guillermo del Toro and cinematographer Guillermo Navarro, including optional audio with the film's original Spanish-language voice-over introduction as well as DTS-hd Master Audio on the Blu-ray edition Two audio commentaries, one featuring del Toro and the other producers Arthur H. Gorson and Bertha Navarro and coproducer Alejandro Springall Geometria, an unreleased 1987 short horror film by del Toro, finished by the director in 2010, plus a new video interview with him Welcome to Bleak House, a video tour by del Toro of his office, featuring his collectibles and personal work New video interviews with del Toro,...
- 9/15/2010
- by Uncle Creepy
- DreadCentral.com
Here we are with the last Criterion Collection new release announcement for 2010, and there are a couple amazing releases to talk about.
Last week we uncovered that Criterion was in fact prepared to finally release David Cronenberg’s Videodrome on Blu-ray on December 7th. This is the last of the Amazon pre-order announced titles that forced Criterion to reveal their cards a little early. I still haven’t seen the film, and I’m pretty glad that I waited, so that I can see this film in all of it’s high def insanity. While I’m sure there is something charming about watching the film on VHS, given the material, watching a recent fan edit trailer in HD, makes me really excited for the Blu-ray. The cover doesn’t necessarily change up the design much, aside from the color bars on the spine logo.
Now to the main course.
Last week we uncovered that Criterion was in fact prepared to finally release David Cronenberg’s Videodrome on Blu-ray on December 7th. This is the last of the Amazon pre-order announced titles that forced Criterion to reveal their cards a little early. I still haven’t seen the film, and I’m pretty glad that I waited, so that I can see this film in all of it’s high def insanity. While I’m sure there is something charming about watching the film on VHS, given the material, watching a recent fan edit trailer in HD, makes me really excited for the Blu-ray. The cover doesn’t necessarily change up the design much, aside from the color bars on the spine logo.
Now to the main course.
- 9/15/2010
- by Ryan Gallagher
- CriterionCast
No longer just a pipe dream, but the real deal. The long talked about Criterion Collection edition of Guillermo del Toro's Cronos is coming to DVD and Blu-Ray on December 7. Featuring cover art by Mike Mignola (of course), this presentation harbors a bevy of extras. Check them out just past the art. Director-approved Special Edition: . New, restored high-definition digital transfer, supervised and approved by director Guillermo del Toro and cinematographer Guillermo Navarro, including optional audio with the film's original Spanish-language voice-over introduction as well as DTS-hd Master Audio on the Blu-ray edition . Two audio commentaries, one featuring del Toro and the other producers Arthur H. Gorson and Bertha Navarro and coproducer Alejandro Springall ....
- 9/15/2010
- shocktillyoudrop.com
Fangoria UK scribe and broadcaster Alan Jones now has a title for his forthcoming Fab Press book on the amazing life and extraordinary films of award-winning writer/producer/director Guillermo del Toro: it’s called Clockwork Fables: The Fantasy Worlds Of Guillermo Del Toro. Due November 2010, Clockwork Fables is the first lavishly produced volume to focus on the Mexican-born, larger-than-life personality, the genius responsible for the Academy Award-winning Pan’S Labyrinth, whose unique perspective on horror, fantasy and visionary creature features has assured him an ever-expanding audience.
“From his feature directing debut Cronos in 1993 to recent hit Hellboy II: The Golden Army, del Toro has grown in artistic stature to become a major industry force to be reckoned with,” Jones says. “His enviable gift of appealing to both adoring fanboys and ardent cineastes alike is a rare entertainment accomplishment. Del Toro is bound to reap even greater dividends come...
“From his feature directing debut Cronos in 1993 to recent hit Hellboy II: The Golden Army, del Toro has grown in artistic stature to become a major industry force to be reckoned with,” Jones says. “His enviable gift of appealing to both adoring fanboys and ardent cineastes alike is a rare entertainment accomplishment. Del Toro is bound to reap even greater dividends come...
- 11/18/2008
- Fangoria
New York -- The fifth annual Miami International Film Festival has announced a tribute for director Luc Besson, participants in the Miami Encuentros program for emerging Latino directors, the Reel Education Seminar Series and 16 features in its World & Ibero-American Cinema documentary competition.
Besson, the French helmer of "La Femme Nikita" and "The Fifth Element," will appear at the Career Achievement Tribute and present the East Coast premiere of his tenth film, the black-and-white fable "Angel-a."
The Encuentros program, presented by Eastman Kodak and Entertainment Partners, will give filmmakers from nine Latino projects the chance to present new work to producers, agents, TV stations and distributors. The features set to be screened include Andre Ristum's Brazilian "Square Man," Carlos Moreno's Colombian "Dog Eat Dog," Gonzalo Justiniano's Chilean "Lokas" and Adrian Biniez's Argentinian "Giant." Paramount Vantage's Matt Brodlie, Warner Independent Pictures' Paul Federbush, Kodak's Anne Hubbell, Cinetic Media's Sarah Lash and Wma's Eric Rovner and Jerome Duboz are among the 22 delegates participating as filmmaker advisors.
This year's World & Ibero-American Cinema documentary feature contenders include Tali Shemesh's Holocaust survivor portrait "The Cemetery Club," Marco Williams' tale of post-Civil War discrimination, "Banished," John Fiege's immigration study "Mississippi Chicken" and Jennifer Baichwal's Toronto International Film Festival prizewinner "Manufactured Landscapes."
The winner will receive a $25,000 award sponsored by the John S. and James L. Night Foundation. Two other competitions for dramatic features, World Cinema and Ibero-American Cinema, will also award each winning film a $25,000 prize.
The 2007 World Cinema dramatic features jury includes writer/director Raoul Peck and producers Christine Vachon and Bernardo Zupnik. Sarajevo Film Festival programmer Howard Feinstein and producers Bertha Navarro and Jim Stark will judge the Ibero-American Cinema dramatic competition. American Documentary vp Cynthia Lopez, Film Forum programmer Mike Maggiore and acquisitions exec Rob Williams will judge the World & Ibero-American docu competition.
The fest's Reel Education Seminars Series will feature a hefty 26 panels. including "Agents, Packaging & Financing -- At What Stage Do I Look for Representation?" with The Collective's Shaun Redick, CAA's Roeg Sutherland, Endeavor Independent's Graham Taylor and UTA's Keya Khayatian. Other discussions include "Pitch to the Pros --? Writing Treatments That Sell" with Silverwood Films' Lynette Howell and UTA's Jon Huddle, "Documentaries --? Why Have They Become So Popular Recently?" with Submarine's Josh Braun and ThinkFilm's Daniel Katz, and "Us Distribution" with Brodlie, Federbush, Focus Features' Jason Resnick and IFC Films' Arianna Bocco.
The festival, presented by Miami Dade College, runs March 2-11.
Besson, the French helmer of "La Femme Nikita" and "The Fifth Element," will appear at the Career Achievement Tribute and present the East Coast premiere of his tenth film, the black-and-white fable "Angel-a."
The Encuentros program, presented by Eastman Kodak and Entertainment Partners, will give filmmakers from nine Latino projects the chance to present new work to producers, agents, TV stations and distributors. The features set to be screened include Andre Ristum's Brazilian "Square Man," Carlos Moreno's Colombian "Dog Eat Dog," Gonzalo Justiniano's Chilean "Lokas" and Adrian Biniez's Argentinian "Giant." Paramount Vantage's Matt Brodlie, Warner Independent Pictures' Paul Federbush, Kodak's Anne Hubbell, Cinetic Media's Sarah Lash and Wma's Eric Rovner and Jerome Duboz are among the 22 delegates participating as filmmaker advisors.
This year's World & Ibero-American Cinema documentary feature contenders include Tali Shemesh's Holocaust survivor portrait "The Cemetery Club," Marco Williams' tale of post-Civil War discrimination, "Banished," John Fiege's immigration study "Mississippi Chicken" and Jennifer Baichwal's Toronto International Film Festival prizewinner "Manufactured Landscapes."
The winner will receive a $25,000 award sponsored by the John S. and James L. Night Foundation. Two other competitions for dramatic features, World Cinema and Ibero-American Cinema, will also award each winning film a $25,000 prize.
The 2007 World Cinema dramatic features jury includes writer/director Raoul Peck and producers Christine Vachon and Bernardo Zupnik. Sarajevo Film Festival programmer Howard Feinstein and producers Bertha Navarro and Jim Stark will judge the Ibero-American Cinema dramatic competition. American Documentary vp Cynthia Lopez, Film Forum programmer Mike Maggiore and acquisitions exec Rob Williams will judge the World & Ibero-American docu competition.
The fest's Reel Education Seminars Series will feature a hefty 26 panels. including "Agents, Packaging & Financing -- At What Stage Do I Look for Representation?" with The Collective's Shaun Redick, CAA's Roeg Sutherland, Endeavor Independent's Graham Taylor and UTA's Keya Khayatian. Other discussions include "Pitch to the Pros --? Writing Treatments That Sell" with Silverwood Films' Lynette Howell and UTA's Jon Huddle, "Documentaries --? Why Have They Become So Popular Recently?" with Submarine's Josh Braun and ThinkFilm's Daniel Katz, and "Us Distribution" with Brodlie, Federbush, Focus Features' Jason Resnick and IFC Films' Arianna Bocco.
The festival, presented by Miami Dade College, runs March 2-11.
- 8/18/2008
- by By Gregg Goldstein
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
CORRECTED 9:40 a.m. PT Feb. 29
MEXICO CITY -- "El Cafe de los Maestros", a documentary about Argentina's glory days of tango music, will open the 23rd edition of the Guadalajara International Film Festival, organizers said Thursday.
The film fest, one of Latin America's top events, runs March 7-14.
In the Ibero-American fiction section, 14 features will vie for Guadalajara's top prize, including Brazil's controversial police drama, "Elite Squad", which recently won the Golden Bear Award at the Berlin Film Festival.
As for the Mexican fiction category, a dozen pictures will be in the running. Among some of the awaited titles are Rodrigo Pla's "Desierto Adentro" and Fernando Eimbcke's "Lake Tahoe", winner of the FIPRESCI Prize and Alfred Bauer Award in Berlin.
A career achievement award will go to Bertha Navarro, who has produced various pictures with Guillermo Del Toro, including the Academy Award-winning "Pan's Labyrinth". She is also working with Alfonso Cuaron on an upcoming project.
The guest country of honor is Argentina as Mexico looks to strengthen co-production ties with the South American nation.
MEXICO CITY -- "El Cafe de los Maestros", a documentary about Argentina's glory days of tango music, will open the 23rd edition of the Guadalajara International Film Festival, organizers said Thursday.
The film fest, one of Latin America's top events, runs March 7-14.
In the Ibero-American fiction section, 14 features will vie for Guadalajara's top prize, including Brazil's controversial police drama, "Elite Squad", which recently won the Golden Bear Award at the Berlin Film Festival.
As for the Mexican fiction category, a dozen pictures will be in the running. Among some of the awaited titles are Rodrigo Pla's "Desierto Adentro" and Fernando Eimbcke's "Lake Tahoe", winner of the FIPRESCI Prize and Alfred Bauer Award in Berlin.
A career achievement award will go to Bertha Navarro, who has produced various pictures with Guillermo Del Toro, including the Academy Award-winning "Pan's Labyrinth". She is also working with Alfonso Cuaron on an upcoming project.
The guest country of honor is Argentina as Mexico looks to strengthen co-production ties with the South American nation.
- 2/29/2008
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
"What a fucking day!" said Guillermo del Toro, whose "Pan's Labyrinth" scored six nominations. "I woke up without my glasses at what I believed was 5:15. I said, Holy crap, it's 5:15! I ran downstairs, and of course, it was 3:30," he said. "I browsed cable and found Peckinpah's 'Wild Bunch.' This was a blessing. I stayed with Peckinpah until the nominations. And when I heard them, I tell you, there has never been so much love in that sofa than this morning." "Labyrinth" managed quite a haul, an amazing amount for a movie that was released so late in the year. Del Toro said had it been released earlier, the score might have been different, "but the beauty of it is, whoever saw it at the time certainly loved it enough to produce this variety of nominations. What I find beautiful is whoever was touched by the movie came forth and said it in a loud voice." Del Toro, too, said he is touched that a movie that was so difficult to make is getting so much love. "The financing collapsed twice, most everybody in my camp was telling me to drop it," he said. "And I'm glad I stuck with it with my friends Alfonso (Cuaron), Bertha Navarro) and Frida Torresblanco). We co-produced this movie with Spain through sheer will. It was not business as usual making it."
****
There may be no typical way to receive notification that you have received a best actress Oscar nomination, but Helen Mirren discovered that she had been tapped for "The Queen" in "a most extraordinary way." While waiting on hold for an interview with NBC's "Today" show during a break between filming scenes for Iain Softley's "Inkheart", she was listening to the live feed of nominations and unknowingly came in during the middle of best supporting actress. Not hearing her name, she said, "I figured they were going to come on the line and say, 'Sorry, Ms. Mirren, we're not interested now.' But then I heard the actual announcement, literally live on television. I'd been cool until that point, but my heart started thumping." Talk about timing. Mirren, who this month won the Golden Globe for her titular role in "Queen" and another for HBO's "Elizabeth I", also was a front-runner for her PBS mini-series "Prime Suspect: The Final Act" this year. "It was exhausting", she recalls of having to do all three roles in one year. "It was basically 10 hours of lead role acting onscreen, which is very demanding. It was just as well that when I got to do 'Prime Suspect' I had to play a sad old drunk -- that was about as much as I could manage at that point." Overall, she said she is thrilled with the fact that "Queen" received six Oscar nominations. "It is very gratifying to have the whole film recognized," she said. But there was one person who wasn't quite ready to recognize Mirren's nomination -- her husband, director Taylor Hackford, was still asleep when she called him first with the good news. "I woke him up", she said tenderly. "And I said, Hello, darling. He said, 'Do you know what time it is?' He had forgotten what day it was."
****
"Babel" director-producer Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu was forced to celebrate the film's seven nominations, including a best helmer mention, in silence. "My kids are sick with the flu", said Gonzalez Inarritu, who watched the early-morning telecast at home with his wife. "We jumped, but we couldn't shout. So it was a strange, quiet celebration. But I woke them up later to tell them the news. After all, the film is dedicated to them." As for the unconventional, global-minded film's appeal to Academy voters, Gonzalez Inarritu said, "I think there is more of an open attitude nowadays," he said. "It's been an incredible year for international filmmakers."
****
Penelope Cruz wasn't about to let her first Academy Award nomination get in the way of a good night's sleep. "I went to sleep at 10, but then something woke me up," said Cruz, who was singled out for her starring role in "Volver". "I was nervous, but I didn't want to admit it." The Spanish actress finally awoke to the sounds of the TV set in another room. My father yelled, 'Stop pretending you are sleeping and come out here, ' " she said. "I was very excited. I was crying and laughing at the same time." Still, the celebration was dampened by the fact that "Volver" helmer and Cruz's longtime collaborator, Pedro Almodovar, was shut out of the foreign-language and director categories. "I called him immediately, and he said from all of the nominations the film could have received, he was the happiest about mine," said Cruz, who cites Almodovar as the reason she decided to become an actress.
****
Stephen Frears learned of his Oscar nom for directing while at the Savoy Hotel in London, where he was honored in the feature film category by the South Bank Awards program for his work on "The Queen". "I'm just reeling", Frears said. "You don't make films in England with that kind of possibility. If you ran your life with the idea that this is going to happen, you'd go mad, but it's phenomenal. I've had a charmed (professional) life, and if this keeps it going on a bit longer, then I'm thrilled." Frears, nominated in 1990 for "The Grifters", said he had no idea "Queen" would attract such critical renown. "I was sent a good script, and I approached it like I direct anything, really," he said. "It's really hard to say why this one took off. You go to work, and I could see the talent was giving an extraordinary performance, but you still can't anticipate anything like this. It's quite bewildering, in the best sense of the word."
****
"I woke up with my agent screaming in my ear," said "The Departed"'s Mark Wahlberg, who was in bed at his home in Los Angeles when his nomination for best supporting actor was announced. "I thought something terrible happened at first. We didn't think it was going to happen. I hoped it would happen." Wahlberg credits his "real-life experience" and being inside his "comfort zone" for the performance of his career in "Departed". "It was not a lot of preparation or learning lines," he said. "I came up with a lot of different ways to insult these guys. I spent a good part of my childhood getting in trouble with the Boston police. I had the accent. Marty encouraged me and gave me the freedom to say what I wanted. He knew I was familiar with that world. Having that freedom, having him on the other side of the camera, and making a movie inside my comfort zone, I had to pinch myself that it was real." Wahlberg said he also had inspiration from the colorful language he heard at home. "My mother liked to drop the F-bomb, all in terms of affection where I come from," he said. "After I was nominated for the Globe, my mom called in tears. When she told my dad, he started screaming in the background that I had won the Academy Award. So today my dad said, 'Again? Now we can call you a professional actor.' He was never impressed with my paychecks. It was amazing to see how proud they were."
****
It might not be yellow, but Valerie Faris and Jonathan Dayton celebrated in true "Little Miss Sunshine" fashion -- driving in their van. The married directing duo were taking their kids to school -- three children, two stops -- and doing media interviews simultaneously. They might not have scored a directing nom, but they still were thrilled that "Sunshine" earned mentions for best picture, supporting actor (Alan Arkin) and supporting actress (Abigail Breslin). Still, their celebrating will be put on hold because they are busy putting together their next project, "The Abstinence Teacher", for Warner Independent Pictures. "The benefit of the deal taking so long is maybe our price went up," Faris joked. The two are shocked, though, that a comedy was nominated among a slew of dramas. "People refer to it as a comedy, but what we love about it is the emotional component. We think audiences connected to that," Dayton said. Added Faris: "Everybody knows what it's like to be a member of a family. It's a familiar subject that everyone can relate to in some way."
****
In the wake of "The Departed"'s five nominations, including one for best director, Martin Scorsese said, "I am very pleased that 'The Departed' has been honored with five nominations for this year's Academy Awards. I am particularly happy that the hard work of the entire cast and crew has been rewarded with a best picture nomination and that the specific contributions of Mark Wahlberg, our screenwriter William Monahan and my longtime editor Thelma Schoonmaker have been recognized with nominations as well."
****
"I don't know what to do with myself," yelled "Little Children" best actress nominee Kate Winslet. "I'm pacing and screaming and laughing and crying. I'm so thrilled, I really am. I did not expect it. I was all ready to not get a nomination at all." This is Winslet's fifth nomination, and the bloom is still on the rose. "We're talking about the Academy Awards! That could never be old hat." Winslet was in between dropping off her daughter and son at their respective schools in New York when she received her first call, from husband Sam Mendes; the director was in London. "Literally as I jumped into the car my phone rang, and it was Sam. I exploded into this ridiculous display of whooping and screaming. My poor son could not work out what the hell was going on. " 'Mommy, what is it, what is it?' " she said. Winslet was especially pleased with fellow actor Jackie Earle Haley's nomination. "I have to call him", she said. "You have no idea how much this is going to literally change his life. Not as an actor, but also as a person. He didn't work for 15 years, you know." And though Todd Field might not have received a nomination for directing -- Field and Tom Perrotta did nab a nom for adapted screenplay -- Winslet said, "If it weren't for Todd, Jackie and I would not have received these nominations. This whole movie was to Todd's vision. So I do feel that Todd has been acknowledged in some way."
****
Leonardo DiCaprio got the news of his nomination for "Blood Diamond" in London, where he took a break from doing press interviews for the movie to watch the nominations announcement live. He has been on an international press tour on behalf of "Diamond" and "The Departed". The day after the Golden Globe Awards on Jan. 15, he flew to Tokyo with Martin Scorsese to premiere "Departed"; then, he jetted to London with Djimon Hounsou and director Edward Zwick to promote "Diamond", which premiered there Tuesday night. After London comes Rome and Madrid. "I'm honored to receive this nomination from the Academy -- especially in a year full of such worthy nominees," DiCaprio said. "I'm grateful to everyone who has supported 'Blood Diamond.' Being nominated is a tribute to everyone who worked on this film, especially Ed Zwick. I am also thrilled for Djimon, Mark (Wahlberg) and Marty, who are all so deserving of this recognition."
****
Forest Whitaker is a great champion of "The Last King of Scotland". The reflective actor, who received his first Oscar nomination for his role as Ugandan dictator Idi Amin, was trudging through New York, booking appearances on "Today" and "Late Show With David Letterman" to promote the movie that bowed at the end of September but has been rereleased to capitalize on the recognition for his performance. "This is an amazing time and an amazing moment," said Whitaker, a frequent meditator who had to use moments in the taxi to center himself. As for celebration, Whitaker plans to do some dining, dancing and toasting with his wife, who joined him on his New York media tour.
****
"I'm very pleased. I'm in frighteningly good company," Judi Dench said of her nomination for best actress for playing a jealous spinster in "Notes on a Scandal". "It was one of the harder parts I have played. At the end of the day, I was quite glad to get back to the person I am. I had the power to do it because of (director) Richard Eyre. He steered me through the rougher waters of it."
****
Because his best actor nomination for "Venus" represents his eighth nomination in the category, Peter O'Toole, who has never won an acting Oscar -- though he was tapped for an honorary award in 2003 -- said, "If you fail the first time, try, try, try, try, try, try, try again. Yoicks!"
****
He's thrilled on the inside, but Ryan Gosling is definitely taking a low-key approach to being nominated as best actor for his turn in ThinkFilm's "Half Nelson". "I was a big petitioner for the 'don't be too disappointed' club," he said. "I was calling everyone around me and saying, 'Don't be disappointed when I don't get nominated.'" He was even calling to make his manager feel better first thing this morning when he imagined that the nominations had been read and his name wasn't on the list. While they were on the phone, she told him they had just read his name. "But before we could register, I heard this squeal and crash outside my window," he said. He went over to learn that a motorcycle cop had just been hit. "So I was watching this guy lying in the middle of the road and (being) loaded into an ambulance while I'm getting all these calls telling me congratulations. I didn't know what to feel or how to feel." Later, it turned out the officer had broken only his arm: "So it turned out to be an OK day for both of us." The truth is, though, Gosling said getting nominated "goes against my plan. I was planning on being ostracized," he said. "I was really going to show them. Now I'm in this strange position, and I got to prove some people right. I was tempted to make bets that it wasn't going to happen -- at least I could profit from this, somehow." When he got off the phone, Gosling said he was calling his mother back to warn her not to quit her day job or anything: "She might think we've won the lottery. I have to tell her, this is just an indie film. We're getting the (Oscar swag) basket, and that's it."
****
Meryl Streep, who with her best actress nom for "The Devil Wears Prada" extended her record with a 14th nomination, said simply, "I am thrilled in a way that no one can possibly imagine. It's extraordinary that anyone in the actor's branch is even speaking to me, never mind nominating me yet again. I'm very, very grateful."
****
Will Smith was in New York working on "I Am Legend" when he received word of his nomination as best actor for "The Pursuit of Happyness". "Congratulations to all of the nominees," he said. "It is a great honor to be considered among this caliber of performers. No competition, all celebration. Let the parties begin."
****
Djimon Hounsou was in a London hotel room taking a break from a press junket with some of the cast and crew of "Blood Diamond" when the nominations were announced on television. "We were having lunch, and we didn't realize that the actual nominations were being announced, and we started hearing the nominations live," he said. "Everyone was screaming" when they heard his name for actor in a supporting role, he said. It was a fitting reward for a tough job. "It was a very hard shoot, physically and emotionally," Hounsou said. "Everything was hard. For me personally, everything was difficult." Hounsou did not meet any actual diamond workers because the shoot took place in Mozambique and South Africa, not in Sierra Leone, where the movie is set. He has, however, bought diamonds. But next time he does, he said, "I would certainly ask the right questions to whoever the vendor is about their policy on conflict diamonds."
****
"Babel"'s Rinko Kikuchi was attending a Chanel fashion show in Paris when her manager relayed the news of her best supporting actress nomination.
****
There may be no typical way to receive notification that you have received a best actress Oscar nomination, but Helen Mirren discovered that she had been tapped for "The Queen" in "a most extraordinary way." While waiting on hold for an interview with NBC's "Today" show during a break between filming scenes for Iain Softley's "Inkheart", she was listening to the live feed of nominations and unknowingly came in during the middle of best supporting actress. Not hearing her name, she said, "I figured they were going to come on the line and say, 'Sorry, Ms. Mirren, we're not interested now.' But then I heard the actual announcement, literally live on television. I'd been cool until that point, but my heart started thumping." Talk about timing. Mirren, who this month won the Golden Globe for her titular role in "Queen" and another for HBO's "Elizabeth I", also was a front-runner for her PBS mini-series "Prime Suspect: The Final Act" this year. "It was exhausting", she recalls of having to do all three roles in one year. "It was basically 10 hours of lead role acting onscreen, which is very demanding. It was just as well that when I got to do 'Prime Suspect' I had to play a sad old drunk -- that was about as much as I could manage at that point." Overall, she said she is thrilled with the fact that "Queen" received six Oscar nominations. "It is very gratifying to have the whole film recognized," she said. But there was one person who wasn't quite ready to recognize Mirren's nomination -- her husband, director Taylor Hackford, was still asleep when she called him first with the good news. "I woke him up", she said tenderly. "And I said, Hello, darling. He said, 'Do you know what time it is?' He had forgotten what day it was."
****
"Babel" director-producer Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu was forced to celebrate the film's seven nominations, including a best helmer mention, in silence. "My kids are sick with the flu", said Gonzalez Inarritu, who watched the early-morning telecast at home with his wife. "We jumped, but we couldn't shout. So it was a strange, quiet celebration. But I woke them up later to tell them the news. After all, the film is dedicated to them." As for the unconventional, global-minded film's appeal to Academy voters, Gonzalez Inarritu said, "I think there is more of an open attitude nowadays," he said. "It's been an incredible year for international filmmakers."
****
Penelope Cruz wasn't about to let her first Academy Award nomination get in the way of a good night's sleep. "I went to sleep at 10, but then something woke me up," said Cruz, who was singled out for her starring role in "Volver". "I was nervous, but I didn't want to admit it." The Spanish actress finally awoke to the sounds of the TV set in another room. My father yelled, 'Stop pretending you are sleeping and come out here, ' " she said. "I was very excited. I was crying and laughing at the same time." Still, the celebration was dampened by the fact that "Volver" helmer and Cruz's longtime collaborator, Pedro Almodovar, was shut out of the foreign-language and director categories. "I called him immediately, and he said from all of the nominations the film could have received, he was the happiest about mine," said Cruz, who cites Almodovar as the reason she decided to become an actress.
****
Stephen Frears learned of his Oscar nom for directing while at the Savoy Hotel in London, where he was honored in the feature film category by the South Bank Awards program for his work on "The Queen". "I'm just reeling", Frears said. "You don't make films in England with that kind of possibility. If you ran your life with the idea that this is going to happen, you'd go mad, but it's phenomenal. I've had a charmed (professional) life, and if this keeps it going on a bit longer, then I'm thrilled." Frears, nominated in 1990 for "The Grifters", said he had no idea "Queen" would attract such critical renown. "I was sent a good script, and I approached it like I direct anything, really," he said. "It's really hard to say why this one took off. You go to work, and I could see the talent was giving an extraordinary performance, but you still can't anticipate anything like this. It's quite bewildering, in the best sense of the word."
****
"I woke up with my agent screaming in my ear," said "The Departed"'s Mark Wahlberg, who was in bed at his home in Los Angeles when his nomination for best supporting actor was announced. "I thought something terrible happened at first. We didn't think it was going to happen. I hoped it would happen." Wahlberg credits his "real-life experience" and being inside his "comfort zone" for the performance of his career in "Departed". "It was not a lot of preparation or learning lines," he said. "I came up with a lot of different ways to insult these guys. I spent a good part of my childhood getting in trouble with the Boston police. I had the accent. Marty encouraged me and gave me the freedom to say what I wanted. He knew I was familiar with that world. Having that freedom, having him on the other side of the camera, and making a movie inside my comfort zone, I had to pinch myself that it was real." Wahlberg said he also had inspiration from the colorful language he heard at home. "My mother liked to drop the F-bomb, all in terms of affection where I come from," he said. "After I was nominated for the Globe, my mom called in tears. When she told my dad, he started screaming in the background that I had won the Academy Award. So today my dad said, 'Again? Now we can call you a professional actor.' He was never impressed with my paychecks. It was amazing to see how proud they were."
****
It might not be yellow, but Valerie Faris and Jonathan Dayton celebrated in true "Little Miss Sunshine" fashion -- driving in their van. The married directing duo were taking their kids to school -- three children, two stops -- and doing media interviews simultaneously. They might not have scored a directing nom, but they still were thrilled that "Sunshine" earned mentions for best picture, supporting actor (Alan Arkin) and supporting actress (Abigail Breslin). Still, their celebrating will be put on hold because they are busy putting together their next project, "The Abstinence Teacher", for Warner Independent Pictures. "The benefit of the deal taking so long is maybe our price went up," Faris joked. The two are shocked, though, that a comedy was nominated among a slew of dramas. "People refer to it as a comedy, but what we love about it is the emotional component. We think audiences connected to that," Dayton said. Added Faris: "Everybody knows what it's like to be a member of a family. It's a familiar subject that everyone can relate to in some way."
****
In the wake of "The Departed"'s five nominations, including one for best director, Martin Scorsese said, "I am very pleased that 'The Departed' has been honored with five nominations for this year's Academy Awards. I am particularly happy that the hard work of the entire cast and crew has been rewarded with a best picture nomination and that the specific contributions of Mark Wahlberg, our screenwriter William Monahan and my longtime editor Thelma Schoonmaker have been recognized with nominations as well."
****
"I don't know what to do with myself," yelled "Little Children" best actress nominee Kate Winslet. "I'm pacing and screaming and laughing and crying. I'm so thrilled, I really am. I did not expect it. I was all ready to not get a nomination at all." This is Winslet's fifth nomination, and the bloom is still on the rose. "We're talking about the Academy Awards! That could never be old hat." Winslet was in between dropping off her daughter and son at their respective schools in New York when she received her first call, from husband Sam Mendes; the director was in London. "Literally as I jumped into the car my phone rang, and it was Sam. I exploded into this ridiculous display of whooping and screaming. My poor son could not work out what the hell was going on. " 'Mommy, what is it, what is it?' " she said. Winslet was especially pleased with fellow actor Jackie Earle Haley's nomination. "I have to call him", she said. "You have no idea how much this is going to literally change his life. Not as an actor, but also as a person. He didn't work for 15 years, you know." And though Todd Field might not have received a nomination for directing -- Field and Tom Perrotta did nab a nom for adapted screenplay -- Winslet said, "If it weren't for Todd, Jackie and I would not have received these nominations. This whole movie was to Todd's vision. So I do feel that Todd has been acknowledged in some way."
****
Leonardo DiCaprio got the news of his nomination for "Blood Diamond" in London, where he took a break from doing press interviews for the movie to watch the nominations announcement live. He has been on an international press tour on behalf of "Diamond" and "The Departed". The day after the Golden Globe Awards on Jan. 15, he flew to Tokyo with Martin Scorsese to premiere "Departed"; then, he jetted to London with Djimon Hounsou and director Edward Zwick to promote "Diamond", which premiered there Tuesday night. After London comes Rome and Madrid. "I'm honored to receive this nomination from the Academy -- especially in a year full of such worthy nominees," DiCaprio said. "I'm grateful to everyone who has supported 'Blood Diamond.' Being nominated is a tribute to everyone who worked on this film, especially Ed Zwick. I am also thrilled for Djimon, Mark (Wahlberg) and Marty, who are all so deserving of this recognition."
****
Forest Whitaker is a great champion of "The Last King of Scotland". The reflective actor, who received his first Oscar nomination for his role as Ugandan dictator Idi Amin, was trudging through New York, booking appearances on "Today" and "Late Show With David Letterman" to promote the movie that bowed at the end of September but has been rereleased to capitalize on the recognition for his performance. "This is an amazing time and an amazing moment," said Whitaker, a frequent meditator who had to use moments in the taxi to center himself. As for celebration, Whitaker plans to do some dining, dancing and toasting with his wife, who joined him on his New York media tour.
****
"I'm very pleased. I'm in frighteningly good company," Judi Dench said of her nomination for best actress for playing a jealous spinster in "Notes on a Scandal". "It was one of the harder parts I have played. At the end of the day, I was quite glad to get back to the person I am. I had the power to do it because of (director) Richard Eyre. He steered me through the rougher waters of it."
****
Because his best actor nomination for "Venus" represents his eighth nomination in the category, Peter O'Toole, who has never won an acting Oscar -- though he was tapped for an honorary award in 2003 -- said, "If you fail the first time, try, try, try, try, try, try, try again. Yoicks!"
****
He's thrilled on the inside, but Ryan Gosling is definitely taking a low-key approach to being nominated as best actor for his turn in ThinkFilm's "Half Nelson". "I was a big petitioner for the 'don't be too disappointed' club," he said. "I was calling everyone around me and saying, 'Don't be disappointed when I don't get nominated.'" He was even calling to make his manager feel better first thing this morning when he imagined that the nominations had been read and his name wasn't on the list. While they were on the phone, she told him they had just read his name. "But before we could register, I heard this squeal and crash outside my window," he said. He went over to learn that a motorcycle cop had just been hit. "So I was watching this guy lying in the middle of the road and (being) loaded into an ambulance while I'm getting all these calls telling me congratulations. I didn't know what to feel or how to feel." Later, it turned out the officer had broken only his arm: "So it turned out to be an OK day for both of us." The truth is, though, Gosling said getting nominated "goes against my plan. I was planning on being ostracized," he said. "I was really going to show them. Now I'm in this strange position, and I got to prove some people right. I was tempted to make bets that it wasn't going to happen -- at least I could profit from this, somehow." When he got off the phone, Gosling said he was calling his mother back to warn her not to quit her day job or anything: "She might think we've won the lottery. I have to tell her, this is just an indie film. We're getting the (Oscar swag) basket, and that's it."
****
Meryl Streep, who with her best actress nom for "The Devil Wears Prada" extended her record with a 14th nomination, said simply, "I am thrilled in a way that no one can possibly imagine. It's extraordinary that anyone in the actor's branch is even speaking to me, never mind nominating me yet again. I'm very, very grateful."
****
Will Smith was in New York working on "I Am Legend" when he received word of his nomination as best actor for "The Pursuit of Happyness". "Congratulations to all of the nominees," he said. "It is a great honor to be considered among this caliber of performers. No competition, all celebration. Let the parties begin."
****
Djimon Hounsou was in a London hotel room taking a break from a press junket with some of the cast and crew of "Blood Diamond" when the nominations were announced on television. "We were having lunch, and we didn't realize that the actual nominations were being announced, and we started hearing the nominations live," he said. "Everyone was screaming" when they heard his name for actor in a supporting role, he said. It was a fitting reward for a tough job. "It was a very hard shoot, physically and emotionally," Hounsou said. "Everything was hard. For me personally, everything was difficult." Hounsou did not meet any actual diamond workers because the shoot took place in Mozambique and South Africa, not in Sierra Leone, where the movie is set. He has, however, bought diamonds. But next time he does, he said, "I would certainly ask the right questions to whoever the vendor is about their policy on conflict diamonds."
****
"Babel"'s Rinko Kikuchi was attending a Chanel fashion show in Paris when her manager relayed the news of her best supporting actress nomination.
- 1/24/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
"What a fucking day!" said Guillermo Del Toro, whose "Pan's Labyrinth" scored six nominations. "I woke up without my glasses at what I believed was 5:15. I said, 'Holy crap, it's 5:15!' I ran downstairs, and of course, it was 3:30," he said. "I browsed cable and found Peckinpah's 'Wild Bunch.' This was a blessing. I stayed with Peckinpah until the nominations. And when I heard them, I tell you, there has never been so much love in that sofa than this morning." "Labyrinth" managed quite a haul, an amazing amount for a movie that was released so late in the year. Del Toro said had it been released earlier, the score might have been different, "but the beauty of it is, whoever saw it at the time certainly loved it enough to produce this variety of nominations. What I find beautiful is whoever was touched by the movie came forth and said it in a loud voice." Del Toro, too, is touched that a movie that was so difficult to make is getting so much love. "The financing collapsed twice, most everybody in my camp was telling me to drop it," he said. "And I'm glad I stuck with it with my friends Alfonso (Cuaron), Bertha Navarro) and Frida Torresblanco). We co-produced this movie with Spain through sheer will. It was not business as usual making it."
****
There may be no typical way to receive notification that you have received a best actress Oscar nomination, but Helen Mirren discovered that she had been tapped for "The Queen" in "a most extraordinary way!" While waiting on hold for an interview with NBC's "Today" show during a break between filming scenes for Iain Softley's "Inkheart", she was listening to the live feed of nominations and unknowingly came in during the middle of best supporting actress. Not hearing her name, she said, "I figured they were going to come on the line and say, 'Sorry, Ms. Mirren, we're not interested now.' But then I heard the actual announcement, literally live on television. I'd been cool until that point, but my heart started thumping." Talk about timing. Mirren, who this month won the Golden Globe for her titular role in "Queen" and another for HBO's "Elizabeth I", also was a front-runner for her PBS miniseries "Prime Suspect: The Final Act" this year. "It was exhausting", she recalls of having to do all three roles in one year. "It was basically 10 hours of lead role acting onscreen, which is very demanding. It was just as well that when I got to do 'Prime Suspect' I had to play a sad old drunk -- that was about as much as I could manage at that point." Overall, she said she is thrilled with the fact that "Queen" received six Oscar nominations. "It is very gratifying to have the whole film recognized," she said. But there was one person who wasn't quite ready to recognize Mirren's nomination -- her husband, director Taylor Hackford, was still asleep when she called him first with the good news. "I woke him up", she said tenderly. "And I said, Hello, darling. He said, 'Do you know what time it is?' He had forgotten what day it was."
****
"Babel" director-producer Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu was forced to celebrate the film's seven nominations, including a best helmer mention, in silence. "My kids are sick with the flu", said Gonzalez Inarritu, who watched the early-morning telecast at home with his wife. "We jumped, but we couldn't shout. So it was a strange, quiet celebration. But I woke them up later to tell them the news. After all, the film is dedicated to them." As for the unconventional, global-minded film's appeal to Academy voters, Gonzalez Inarritu said, "I think there is more of an open attitude nowadays," he said. "It's been an incredible year for international filmmakers."
****
Penelope Cruz wasn't about to let her first Academy Award nomination get in the way of a good night's sleep. "I went to sleep at 10, but then something woke me up," said Cruz, who was singled out for her starring role in "Volver". "I was nervous, but I didn't want to admit it." The Spanish actress finally awoke to the sounds of the TV set in another room. My father yelled, 'Stop pretending you are sleeping and come out here, ' " she said. "I was very excited. I was crying and laughing at the same time." Still, the celebration was dampened by the fact that "Volver" helmer and Cruz's longtime collaborator, Pedro Almodovar, was shut out of the foreign-language and director categories. "I called him immediately, and he said from all of the nominations the film could have received, he was the happiest about mine," said Cruz, who cites Almodovar as the reason she decided to become an actress.
****
Stephen Frears learned of his Oscar nom for directing while at the Savoy Hotel in London, where he was honored in the feature film category by the South Bank Awards program for his work on "The Queen". "I'm just reeling", Frears said. "You don't make films in England with that kind of possibility. If you ran your life with the idea that this is going to happen, you'd go mad, but it's phenomenal. I've had a charmed (professional) life, and if this keeps it going on a bit longer, then I'm thrilled." Frears, nominated in 1990 for "The Grifters", said he had no idea "Queen" would attract such critical renown. "I was sent a good script, and I approached it like I direct anything, really," he said. "It's really hard to say why this one took off. You go to work, and I could see the talent was giving an extraordinary performance, but you still can't anticipate anything like this. It's quite bewildering, in the best sense of the word."
****
"I woke up with my agent screaming in my ear," said "The Departed"'s Mark Wahlberg, who was in bed at his home in Los Angeles when his nomination for best supporting actor was announced. "I thought something terrible happened at first. We didn't think it was going to happen. I hoped it would happen." Wahlberg credits his "real-life experience" and being inside his "comfort zone" for the performance of his career in "Departed". "It was not a lot of preparation or learning lines," he said. "I came up with a lot of different ways to insult these guys. I spent a good part of my childhood getting in trouble with the Boston police. I had the accent. Marty encouraged me and gave me the freedom to say what I wanted. He knew I was familiar with that world. Having that freedom, having him on the other side of the camera, and making a movie inside my comfort zone, I had to pinch myself that it was real." Wahlberg said he also had inspiration from the colorful language he heard at home. "My mother liked to drop the F-bomb, all in terms of affection where I come from," he said. "After I was nominated for the Globe, my mom called in tears. When she told my dad, he started screaming in the background that I had won the Academy Award. So today my dad said, 'Again? Now we can call you a professional actor.' He was never impressed with my paychecks. It was amazing to see how proud they were."
****
It might not be yellow, but Valerie Faris and Jonathan Dayton celebrated in true "Little Miss Sunshine" fashion -- driving in their van. The married directing duo were taking their kids to school -- three children, two stops -- and doing media interviews simultaneously. They might not have scored a directing nom, but they still were thrilled that "Sunshine" earned mentions for best picture, supporting actor (Alan Arkin) and supporting actress (Abigail Breslin). Still, their celebrating will be put on hold because they are busy putting together their next project, "The Abstinence Teacher", for Warner Independent Pictures. "The benefit of the deal taking so long is maybe our price went up," Faris joked. The two are shocked, though, that a comedy was nominated among a slew of dramas. "People refer to it as a comedy, but what we love about it is the emotional component. We think audiences connected to that," Dayton said. Added Faris: "Everybody knows what it's like to be a member of a family. It's a familiar subject that everyone can relate to in some way."
****
In the wake of "The Departed"'s five nominations, including one for best director, Martin Scorsese said, "I am very pleased that 'The Departed' has been honored with five nominations for this year's Academy Awards. I am particularly happy that the hard work of the entire cast and crew has been rewarded with a best picture nomination and that the specific contributions of Mark Wahlberg, our screenwriter William Monahan and my longtime editor Thelma Schoonmaker have been recognized with nominations as well."
****
"I don't know what to do with myself," yelled "Little Children" best actress nominee Kate Winslet. "I'm pacing and screaming and laughing and crying. I'm so thrilled, I really am. I did not expect it. I was all ready to not get a nomination at all." This is Winslet's fifth nomination, and the bloom is still on the rose. "We're talking about the Academy Awards! That could never be old hat." Winslet was in between dropping off her daughter and son at their respective schools in New York when she received her first call, from husband Sam Mendes; the director was in London. "Literally as I jumped into the car my phone rang, and it was Sam. I exploded into this ridiculous display of whooping and screaming. My poor son could not work out what the hell was going on. " 'Mommy what is it, what is it?' " she said. Winslet was especially pleased with fellow actor Jackie Earle Haley's nomination. "I have to call him", she said. "You have no idea how much this is going to literally change his life. Not as an actor, but also as a person. He didn't work for 15 years, you know." And though Todd Field might not have received a nomination for directing -- Field and Tom Perrotta did nab a nom for adapted screenplay -- Winslet said, "If it weren't for Todd, Jackie and I would not have received these nominations. This whole movie was to Todd's vision. So I do feel that Todd has been acknowledged in some way."
****
Leonardo DiCaprio got the news of his nomination for "Blood Diamond" in London, where he took a break from doing press interviews for the movie to watch the nominations announcement live. He has been on an international press tour on behalf of "Diamond" and "The Departed". The day after the Golden Globe Awards on Jan. 15, he flew to Tokyo with Martin Scorsese to premiere "Departed"; then, he jetted to London with Djimon Hounsou and director Edward Zwick to promote "Diamond", which premiered there Tuesday night. After London comes Rome and Madrid. "I'm honored to receive this nomination from the Academy -- especially in a year full of such worthy nominees," DiCaprio said. "I'm grateful to everyone who has supported 'Blood Diamond.' Being nominated is a tribute to everyone who worked on this film, especially Ed Zwick. I am also thrilled for Djimon, Mark (Wahlberg) and Marty, who are all so deserving of this recognition."
****
Forest Whitaker is a great champion of "The Last King of Scotland". The reflective actor, who received his first Oscar nomination for his role as Ugandan dictator Idi Amin, was trudging through New York, booking appearances on "Today" and "Late Show With David Letterman" to promote the movie that bowed at the end of September but has been rereleased to capitalize on the recognition for his performance. "This is an amazing time and an amazing moment," said Whitaker, a frequent meditator who had to use moments in the taxi to center himself. As for celebration, Whitaker plans to do some dining, dancing and toasting with his wife, who joined him on his New York media tour.
****
"I'm very pleased. I'm in frighteningly good company," Judi Dench said of her nomination as best actress for playing a jealous spinster in "Notes on a Scandal". "It was one of the harder parts I have played. At the end of the day, I was quite glad to get back to the person I am. I had the power to do it because of (director) Richard Eyre. He steered me through the rougher waters of it."
****
Because his best actor nomination for "Venus" represents his eighth nomination in the category, Peter O'Toole, who has never won an acting Oscar -- though he was tapped for an honorary award in 2003 -- said, "If you fail the first time, try, try, try, try, try, try, try again. Yoiks!"
****
He's thrilled on the inside, but Ryan Gosling is definitely taking a low-key approach to being nominated as best actor for his turn in ThinkFilm's "Half Nelson". "I was a big petitioner for the 'don't be too disappointed' club," he said. "I was calling everyone around me and saying, 'Don't be disappointed when I don't get nominated.' " He was even calling to make his manager feel better first thing this morning when he imagined that the nominations had been read and his name wasn't on the list. While they were on the phone, she told him they had just read his name. "But before we could register, I heard this squeal and crash outside my window," he said, and went over to learn that a motorcycle cop had just been hit. "So I was watching this guy lying in the middle of the road and (being) loaded into an ambulance while I'm getting all these calls telling me congratulations. I didn't know what to feel or how to feel." Later, it turned out the officer had just broken his arm: "So it turned out to be an OK day for both of us." The truth is, though, Gosling said getting nominated "goes against my plan. I was planning on being ostracized," he said. "I was really going to show them. Now I'm in this strange position, and I got to prove some people right. I was tempted to make bets that it wasn't going to happen -- at least I could profit from this, somehow." When he got off the phone, Gosling said he was calling his mother back to warn her not to quit her day job or anything: "She might think we've won the lottery. I have to tell her, this is just an indie film. We're getting the (Oscar swag) basket, and that's it."
****
Meryl Streep, who with her best actress nom for "The Devil Wears Prada" extended her record with a 14th nomination, said simply, "I am thrilled in a way that no one can possibly imagine. It's extraordinary that anyone in the actor's branch is even speaking to me, never mind nominating me yet again. I'm very, very grateful."
****
Will Smith was in New York working on "I Am Legend" when he received word of his nomination as best actor for "The Pursuit of Happyness". "Congratulations to all of the nominees," he said in a statement. "It is a great honor to be considered among this caliber of performers. No competition, all celebration. Let the parties begin."
****
Djimon Hounsou was in a London hotel room taking a break from doing a press junket with some of the cast and crew of "Blood Diamond" when the nominations were announced on television. "We were having lunch, and we didn't realize that the actual nominations were being announced, and we started hearing the nominations live," he said. "Everyone was screaming" when they heard his name for actor in a supporting role, he said. It was a fitting reward for a tough job. "It was a very hard shoot, physically and emotionally," Hounsou said. "Everything was hard. For me personally, everything was difficult." Hounsou did not meet any actual diamond workers because the shoot took place in Mozambique and South Africa, not in Sierra Leone, where the movie is set. He has, however, bought diamonds. But next time he does, he said, "I would certainly ask the right questions to whoever the vendor is about their policy on conflict diamonds."
****
"Babel"'s Rinko Kikuchi was attending a Chanel fashion show in Paris when her manager relayed the news of her best supporting actress nomination.
****
There may be no typical way to receive notification that you have received a best actress Oscar nomination, but Helen Mirren discovered that she had been tapped for "The Queen" in "a most extraordinary way!" While waiting on hold for an interview with NBC's "Today" show during a break between filming scenes for Iain Softley's "Inkheart", she was listening to the live feed of nominations and unknowingly came in during the middle of best supporting actress. Not hearing her name, she said, "I figured they were going to come on the line and say, 'Sorry, Ms. Mirren, we're not interested now.' But then I heard the actual announcement, literally live on television. I'd been cool until that point, but my heart started thumping." Talk about timing. Mirren, who this month won the Golden Globe for her titular role in "Queen" and another for HBO's "Elizabeth I", also was a front-runner for her PBS miniseries "Prime Suspect: The Final Act" this year. "It was exhausting", she recalls of having to do all three roles in one year. "It was basically 10 hours of lead role acting onscreen, which is very demanding. It was just as well that when I got to do 'Prime Suspect' I had to play a sad old drunk -- that was about as much as I could manage at that point." Overall, she said she is thrilled with the fact that "Queen" received six Oscar nominations. "It is very gratifying to have the whole film recognized," she said. But there was one person who wasn't quite ready to recognize Mirren's nomination -- her husband, director Taylor Hackford, was still asleep when she called him first with the good news. "I woke him up", she said tenderly. "And I said, Hello, darling. He said, 'Do you know what time it is?' He had forgotten what day it was."
****
"Babel" director-producer Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu was forced to celebrate the film's seven nominations, including a best helmer mention, in silence. "My kids are sick with the flu", said Gonzalez Inarritu, who watched the early-morning telecast at home with his wife. "We jumped, but we couldn't shout. So it was a strange, quiet celebration. But I woke them up later to tell them the news. After all, the film is dedicated to them." As for the unconventional, global-minded film's appeal to Academy voters, Gonzalez Inarritu said, "I think there is more of an open attitude nowadays," he said. "It's been an incredible year for international filmmakers."
****
Penelope Cruz wasn't about to let her first Academy Award nomination get in the way of a good night's sleep. "I went to sleep at 10, but then something woke me up," said Cruz, who was singled out for her starring role in "Volver". "I was nervous, but I didn't want to admit it." The Spanish actress finally awoke to the sounds of the TV set in another room. My father yelled, 'Stop pretending you are sleeping and come out here, ' " she said. "I was very excited. I was crying and laughing at the same time." Still, the celebration was dampened by the fact that "Volver" helmer and Cruz's longtime collaborator, Pedro Almodovar, was shut out of the foreign-language and director categories. "I called him immediately, and he said from all of the nominations the film could have received, he was the happiest about mine," said Cruz, who cites Almodovar as the reason she decided to become an actress.
****
Stephen Frears learned of his Oscar nom for directing while at the Savoy Hotel in London, where he was honored in the feature film category by the South Bank Awards program for his work on "The Queen". "I'm just reeling", Frears said. "You don't make films in England with that kind of possibility. If you ran your life with the idea that this is going to happen, you'd go mad, but it's phenomenal. I've had a charmed (professional) life, and if this keeps it going on a bit longer, then I'm thrilled." Frears, nominated in 1990 for "The Grifters", said he had no idea "Queen" would attract such critical renown. "I was sent a good script, and I approached it like I direct anything, really," he said. "It's really hard to say why this one took off. You go to work, and I could see the talent was giving an extraordinary performance, but you still can't anticipate anything like this. It's quite bewildering, in the best sense of the word."
****
"I woke up with my agent screaming in my ear," said "The Departed"'s Mark Wahlberg, who was in bed at his home in Los Angeles when his nomination for best supporting actor was announced. "I thought something terrible happened at first. We didn't think it was going to happen. I hoped it would happen." Wahlberg credits his "real-life experience" and being inside his "comfort zone" for the performance of his career in "Departed". "It was not a lot of preparation or learning lines," he said. "I came up with a lot of different ways to insult these guys. I spent a good part of my childhood getting in trouble with the Boston police. I had the accent. Marty encouraged me and gave me the freedom to say what I wanted. He knew I was familiar with that world. Having that freedom, having him on the other side of the camera, and making a movie inside my comfort zone, I had to pinch myself that it was real." Wahlberg said he also had inspiration from the colorful language he heard at home. "My mother liked to drop the F-bomb, all in terms of affection where I come from," he said. "After I was nominated for the Globe, my mom called in tears. When she told my dad, he started screaming in the background that I had won the Academy Award. So today my dad said, 'Again? Now we can call you a professional actor.' He was never impressed with my paychecks. It was amazing to see how proud they were."
****
It might not be yellow, but Valerie Faris and Jonathan Dayton celebrated in true "Little Miss Sunshine" fashion -- driving in their van. The married directing duo were taking their kids to school -- three children, two stops -- and doing media interviews simultaneously. They might not have scored a directing nom, but they still were thrilled that "Sunshine" earned mentions for best picture, supporting actor (Alan Arkin) and supporting actress (Abigail Breslin). Still, their celebrating will be put on hold because they are busy putting together their next project, "The Abstinence Teacher", for Warner Independent Pictures. "The benefit of the deal taking so long is maybe our price went up," Faris joked. The two are shocked, though, that a comedy was nominated among a slew of dramas. "People refer to it as a comedy, but what we love about it is the emotional component. We think audiences connected to that," Dayton said. Added Faris: "Everybody knows what it's like to be a member of a family. It's a familiar subject that everyone can relate to in some way."
****
In the wake of "The Departed"'s five nominations, including one for best director, Martin Scorsese said, "I am very pleased that 'The Departed' has been honored with five nominations for this year's Academy Awards. I am particularly happy that the hard work of the entire cast and crew has been rewarded with a best picture nomination and that the specific contributions of Mark Wahlberg, our screenwriter William Monahan and my longtime editor Thelma Schoonmaker have been recognized with nominations as well."
****
"I don't know what to do with myself," yelled "Little Children" best actress nominee Kate Winslet. "I'm pacing and screaming and laughing and crying. I'm so thrilled, I really am. I did not expect it. I was all ready to not get a nomination at all." This is Winslet's fifth nomination, and the bloom is still on the rose. "We're talking about the Academy Awards! That could never be old hat." Winslet was in between dropping off her daughter and son at their respective schools in New York when she received her first call, from husband Sam Mendes; the director was in London. "Literally as I jumped into the car my phone rang, and it was Sam. I exploded into this ridiculous display of whooping and screaming. My poor son could not work out what the hell was going on. " 'Mommy what is it, what is it?' " she said. Winslet was especially pleased with fellow actor Jackie Earle Haley's nomination. "I have to call him", she said. "You have no idea how much this is going to literally change his life. Not as an actor, but also as a person. He didn't work for 15 years, you know." And though Todd Field might not have received a nomination for directing -- Field and Tom Perrotta did nab a nom for adapted screenplay -- Winslet said, "If it weren't for Todd, Jackie and I would not have received these nominations. This whole movie was to Todd's vision. So I do feel that Todd has been acknowledged in some way."
****
Leonardo DiCaprio got the news of his nomination for "Blood Diamond" in London, where he took a break from doing press interviews for the movie to watch the nominations announcement live. He has been on an international press tour on behalf of "Diamond" and "The Departed". The day after the Golden Globe Awards on Jan. 15, he flew to Tokyo with Martin Scorsese to premiere "Departed"; then, he jetted to London with Djimon Hounsou and director Edward Zwick to promote "Diamond", which premiered there Tuesday night. After London comes Rome and Madrid. "I'm honored to receive this nomination from the Academy -- especially in a year full of such worthy nominees," DiCaprio said. "I'm grateful to everyone who has supported 'Blood Diamond.' Being nominated is a tribute to everyone who worked on this film, especially Ed Zwick. I am also thrilled for Djimon, Mark (Wahlberg) and Marty, who are all so deserving of this recognition."
****
Forest Whitaker is a great champion of "The Last King of Scotland". The reflective actor, who received his first Oscar nomination for his role as Ugandan dictator Idi Amin, was trudging through New York, booking appearances on "Today" and "Late Show With David Letterman" to promote the movie that bowed at the end of September but has been rereleased to capitalize on the recognition for his performance. "This is an amazing time and an amazing moment," said Whitaker, a frequent meditator who had to use moments in the taxi to center himself. As for celebration, Whitaker plans to do some dining, dancing and toasting with his wife, who joined him on his New York media tour.
****
"I'm very pleased. I'm in frighteningly good company," Judi Dench said of her nomination as best actress for playing a jealous spinster in "Notes on a Scandal". "It was one of the harder parts I have played. At the end of the day, I was quite glad to get back to the person I am. I had the power to do it because of (director) Richard Eyre. He steered me through the rougher waters of it."
****
Because his best actor nomination for "Venus" represents his eighth nomination in the category, Peter O'Toole, who has never won an acting Oscar -- though he was tapped for an honorary award in 2003 -- said, "If you fail the first time, try, try, try, try, try, try, try again. Yoiks!"
****
He's thrilled on the inside, but Ryan Gosling is definitely taking a low-key approach to being nominated as best actor for his turn in ThinkFilm's "Half Nelson". "I was a big petitioner for the 'don't be too disappointed' club," he said. "I was calling everyone around me and saying, 'Don't be disappointed when I don't get nominated.' " He was even calling to make his manager feel better first thing this morning when he imagined that the nominations had been read and his name wasn't on the list. While they were on the phone, she told him they had just read his name. "But before we could register, I heard this squeal and crash outside my window," he said, and went over to learn that a motorcycle cop had just been hit. "So I was watching this guy lying in the middle of the road and (being) loaded into an ambulance while I'm getting all these calls telling me congratulations. I didn't know what to feel or how to feel." Later, it turned out the officer had just broken his arm: "So it turned out to be an OK day for both of us." The truth is, though, Gosling said getting nominated "goes against my plan. I was planning on being ostracized," he said. "I was really going to show them. Now I'm in this strange position, and I got to prove some people right. I was tempted to make bets that it wasn't going to happen -- at least I could profit from this, somehow." When he got off the phone, Gosling said he was calling his mother back to warn her not to quit her day job or anything: "She might think we've won the lottery. I have to tell her, this is just an indie film. We're getting the (Oscar swag) basket, and that's it."
****
Meryl Streep, who with her best actress nom for "The Devil Wears Prada" extended her record with a 14th nomination, said simply, "I am thrilled in a way that no one can possibly imagine. It's extraordinary that anyone in the actor's branch is even speaking to me, never mind nominating me yet again. I'm very, very grateful."
****
Will Smith was in New York working on "I Am Legend" when he received word of his nomination as best actor for "The Pursuit of Happyness". "Congratulations to all of the nominees," he said in a statement. "It is a great honor to be considered among this caliber of performers. No competition, all celebration. Let the parties begin."
****
Djimon Hounsou was in a London hotel room taking a break from doing a press junket with some of the cast and crew of "Blood Diamond" when the nominations were announced on television. "We were having lunch, and we didn't realize that the actual nominations were being announced, and we started hearing the nominations live," he said. "Everyone was screaming" when they heard his name for actor in a supporting role, he said. It was a fitting reward for a tough job. "It was a very hard shoot, physically and emotionally," Hounsou said. "Everything was hard. For me personally, everything was difficult." Hounsou did not meet any actual diamond workers because the shoot took place in Mozambique and South Africa, not in Sierra Leone, where the movie is set. He has, however, bought diamonds. But next time he does, he said, "I would certainly ask the right questions to whoever the vendor is about their policy on conflict diamonds."
****
"Babel"'s Rinko Kikuchi was attending a Chanel fashion show in Paris when her manager relayed the news of her best supporting actress nomination.
- 1/23/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
- It comes as no surprise that leading this year’s pack of nominees are Little Miss Sunshine and Half Nelson, but this year’s mix of contenders are a mixed breed coming from films that were showcased a little everywhere – including this year’s Sundance. And the 2007 Independent Spirit nominees are...Feature (Award given to the Producer)"American Gun," Ted Kroeber, producer"The Dead Girl," Tom Rosenberg, Henry Winterstern, Gary Lucchesi, Richard Wright, Eric Karten, Kevin Turen, producers"Half Nelson," Jamie Patricof, Alex Orlovsky, Lynette Howell, Anna Boden, Rosanne Korenberg, producers"Little Miss Sunshine," Marc Turtletaub, David T. Friendly, Peter Saraf, Albert Berger, Ron Yerxa, producers"Pan's Labyrinth," Bertha Navarro, Alfonso Cuaron, Frida Torresblanco, Alvaro Augustin, Guillermo Del Toro, producersFIRST Feature (Award given to the director and producer)"Day Night Day Night," Julia Loktev, director; Julia Loktev, Melanie Judd, Jessica Levin, producers"Man Push Cart," Ramin Bahrani, director; Ramin Bahrani,
- 11/29/2006
- IONCINEMA.com
The bizarre beasts in a young girl's phantasmagorical imagination are nothing compared to the ruthless brutes that populate her day-to-day reality so it's no wonder she wishes to escape in Guillermo Del Toro's engrossing fable "Pan's Labyrinth".
The story is set in Spain in 1944 as Franco's victorious fascist forces bear down with punishing weight on any who resist. The film's extraordinary fantasy sequences, in which the girl must complete three arduous tasks, offer a semblance of hope and salvation compared to the short life expectancy in a merciless military state.
Definitely not for children and in fact more of a horror film, "Pan's Labyrinth" will thrive on the festival circuit and should find appreciative audiences in art houses everywhere.
Rooted in the grim pessimism of totalitarian Spain, the film begins with a prologue about the fate of a long-lost princess and the promise of her return. As the tale is told, a pregnant and sickly woman, Carmen (Ariadna Gil) and her daughter Ofelia (Ivana Baquero) arrive at a military outpost commanded by Carmen's officious new husband, Capt. Vidal (Sergi Lopez).
Ofelia still pines for her late father while her mother entreats her to embrace the stiff and unpleasant captain although it soon becomes apparent that he is more interested in fathering a son than in being a husband or father to the girl.
Worse than that, he reveals himself as a monster who kills captured rebels with extreme brutality and utter disdain for their existence. The camp is threatened by a gathering number of guerillas aided secretly by their leader's sister, Mercedes (Maribel Verdu), who is the captain's chief housekeeper. As Carmen's health deteriorates, a humane doctor (Alex Angulo) becomes a regular visitor although where his sympathies lay remains to be seen.
As Vidal's merciless character is revealed, Ofelia finds herself captivated by fairies that lead her to an ancient maze leading down to a labyrinth where she encounters a fearsome but talkative faun (Doug Jones). He claims she is a legendary lost princess and she must pass three tests in order to claim immortality.
These involve tackling a monstrous toad that has swallowed a key; braving a faceless creature with eyes in his hands who sets out a tempting banquet and devours anyone who tastes a single morsel; and a classic dilemma that requires spilling the blood of an innocent.
As Ofelia faces these challenges, her mother struggles with an increasingly difficult pregnancy and the captain devises ever more gruesome ways to torture captive resistance fighters. The girl's adventures are as real to her as the surrounding horrors and Del Toro's great accomplishment is in weaving the two together so convincingly.
The visual effects are mesmerizing and the harsh drama of the military camp has its horrific moments of torture and death, as well as when the captain sews together his cheek after being slashed by an assailant.
The performers are all good with Baquero poised and beautiful as Ofelia and Verdu vital and spirited as the rebellious Mercedes. Lopez gives an extraordinary performance as the bestial captain, an irredeemable villain to rank with Ralph Fiennes' Nazi in "Schindler's List".
PAN'S LABYRINTH
Estudios Picasso, Telecinco, Tequila Gang, Esperanto Filmoj
Credits: Writer, director, producer: Guillermo del Toro; Producers: Bertha Navarro, Alfonso Cuaron; Frida Torresblanco; Alvaro Augustin; Director of photography: Guillermo Navarro; Production designer: Eugenio Caballero; Editor: Bernat Vilaplana; Music: Javier Navarette. Cast: Captain Vidal: Sergi Lopez; Mercedes: Maribel Verdu; Ofelia: Ivana Baquero; Pan: Doug Jones; Doctor: Alex Angulo; Carmen: Ariadna Gil; Pedro: Roger Casamajor; Serrano: Cesar Bea; Casares: Frederico Luppi; Garces: Manuel Solo.
No MPAA rating, running time 112 mins.
The story is set in Spain in 1944 as Franco's victorious fascist forces bear down with punishing weight on any who resist. The film's extraordinary fantasy sequences, in which the girl must complete three arduous tasks, offer a semblance of hope and salvation compared to the short life expectancy in a merciless military state.
Definitely not for children and in fact more of a horror film, "Pan's Labyrinth" will thrive on the festival circuit and should find appreciative audiences in art houses everywhere.
Rooted in the grim pessimism of totalitarian Spain, the film begins with a prologue about the fate of a long-lost princess and the promise of her return. As the tale is told, a pregnant and sickly woman, Carmen (Ariadna Gil) and her daughter Ofelia (Ivana Baquero) arrive at a military outpost commanded by Carmen's officious new husband, Capt. Vidal (Sergi Lopez).
Ofelia still pines for her late father while her mother entreats her to embrace the stiff and unpleasant captain although it soon becomes apparent that he is more interested in fathering a son than in being a husband or father to the girl.
Worse than that, he reveals himself as a monster who kills captured rebels with extreme brutality and utter disdain for their existence. The camp is threatened by a gathering number of guerillas aided secretly by their leader's sister, Mercedes (Maribel Verdu), who is the captain's chief housekeeper. As Carmen's health deteriorates, a humane doctor (Alex Angulo) becomes a regular visitor although where his sympathies lay remains to be seen.
As Vidal's merciless character is revealed, Ofelia finds herself captivated by fairies that lead her to an ancient maze leading down to a labyrinth where she encounters a fearsome but talkative faun (Doug Jones). He claims she is a legendary lost princess and she must pass three tests in order to claim immortality.
These involve tackling a monstrous toad that has swallowed a key; braving a faceless creature with eyes in his hands who sets out a tempting banquet and devours anyone who tastes a single morsel; and a classic dilemma that requires spilling the blood of an innocent.
As Ofelia faces these challenges, her mother struggles with an increasingly difficult pregnancy and the captain devises ever more gruesome ways to torture captive resistance fighters. The girl's adventures are as real to her as the surrounding horrors and Del Toro's great accomplishment is in weaving the two together so convincingly.
The visual effects are mesmerizing and the harsh drama of the military camp has its horrific moments of torture and death, as well as when the captain sews together his cheek after being slashed by an assailant.
The performers are all good with Baquero poised and beautiful as Ofelia and Verdu vital and spirited as the rebellious Mercedes. Lopez gives an extraordinary performance as the bestial captain, an irredeemable villain to rank with Ralph Fiennes' Nazi in "Schindler's List".
PAN'S LABYRINTH
Estudios Picasso, Telecinco, Tequila Gang, Esperanto Filmoj
Credits: Writer, director, producer: Guillermo del Toro; Producers: Bertha Navarro, Alfonso Cuaron; Frida Torresblanco; Alvaro Augustin; Director of photography: Guillermo Navarro; Production designer: Eugenio Caballero; Editor: Bernat Vilaplana; Music: Javier Navarette. Cast: Captain Vidal: Sergi Lopez; Mercedes: Maribel Verdu; Ofelia: Ivana Baquero; Pan: Doug Jones; Doctor: Alex Angulo; Carmen: Ariadna Gil; Pedro: Roger Casamajor; Serrano: Cesar Bea; Casares: Frederico Luppi; Garces: Manuel Solo.
No MPAA rating, running time 112 mins.
- 5/27/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
NEW YORK -- Chris Blackwell's Palm Pictures banner has acquired North American and Caribbean rights to Ecuadorian-born writer-helmer Sebastian Cordero's Spanish-language crime thriller Cronicas. The film, which screened at this year's Festival de Cannes' Un Certain Regard section, was produced by Alfonso Cuaron, Guillermo del Toro and Jorge Vergara through the Anhelo Prods. banner. Bertha Navarro and Isabel Davalos also produced, with Frida Torresblanco executive producing. Cronicas, which Palm plans to release next year, follows a Miami reporter (John Leguizamo) who travels to a small Ecuadorian village to cover a series of brutal murders and get the biggest story of his career, tracking a possible serial killer dubbed the Monster of Babahoyo.
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