The #MeToo movement has claimed another casualty. Spain’s Málaga Film Festival, unspooling March 1-10, has canceled the participation of U.S.-born director Julio Hernandez Cordon’s vampire drama “The Day is Long and Dark” (“El día es largo y oscuro”) at the festival, citing “complaints regarding acts of gender violence.”
In a press release issued on Feb. 28, the Spanish festival declared it had decided to withdraw the film “in order to avoid situations that may endanger the vulnerability of the affected individuals and in line with the strong commitment of this Festival against any form of violence against women and in favor of full equality of rights…”
Hernandez Cordon, who resides between Mexico and Guatemala, and his Colombia-based producer, Diana Bustamante, heard about the decision in the Spanish press as the festival director’s letter to Bustamante arrived later in the afternoon in Colombia after the news had...
In a press release issued on Feb. 28, the Spanish festival declared it had decided to withdraw the film “in order to avoid situations that may endanger the vulnerability of the affected individuals and in line with the strong commitment of this Festival against any form of violence against women and in favor of full equality of rights…”
Hernandez Cordon, who resides between Mexico and Guatemala, and his Colombia-based producer, Diana Bustamante, heard about the decision in the Spanish press as the festival director’s letter to Bustamante arrived later in the afternoon in Colombia after the news had...
- 3/3/2024
- by Anna Marie de la Fuente
- Variety Film + TV
Martin Scorsese, Radu Jude, Joanna Hogg, Claire Denis, Bertrand Bonello, M. Night Shyamalan, Kristen Stewart, Hamaguchi Ryusuke and Margarethe von Trotta are among the international filmmakers and talents who have signed an open letter in support of Carlo Chatrian whose mandate as artistic director of the Berlinale will come to an end next year. The number of signatories has now exceeded 400 names and keeps growing.
As we reported last week, Chatrian had been expected to stay on beyond 2024, and was surprised to learn that the German body which oversees the festival, Kulturveranstaltungen des Bundes in Berlin (Kbb), announced that it would no extend his contract. The org had previously said it would abandon the model of having an executive director and an artistic director and return instead to having a single director, following the next edition. The festival’s executive director Mariëtte Rissenbeek will also be leaving her post after the next edition.
As we reported last week, Chatrian had been expected to stay on beyond 2024, and was surprised to learn that the German body which oversees the festival, Kulturveranstaltungen des Bundes in Berlin (Kbb), announced that it would no extend his contract. The org had previously said it would abandon the model of having an executive director and an artistic director and return instead to having a single director, following the next edition. The festival’s executive director Mariëtte Rissenbeek will also be leaving her post after the next edition.
- 9/6/2023
- by Elsa Keslassy and Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Julio Hernández Cordón’s vampire tale “The Day is Long and Dark” (“El Día es Largo y Oscuro”) is unveiling first images and trailer, which world premieres at Cannes’ Fantastic Pavilion.
Alina Rojas, Diana Bustamante and Hernández Cordón produce, for La Mitad del Continente (Mexico) and Burning (Colombia).
The film, currently in post-production, dives into a complicated family dynamic as Vera, a 17-year-old girl, needs to learn how to live with her “vampirism gene.”
Prisoners of the sun, she and her father, Cruz, spend their days in hotel rooms until she can’t take it: Feeling guilty and misunderstood, and missing her boyfriend she is afraid of hurting, Vera wants to die. Suddenly, her father – who is also a film director – has two missions in life. He can’t let her attack anyone but he also needs to make sure she doesn’t commit suicide.
Luis Alberti and Carla Nieto star,...
Alina Rojas, Diana Bustamante and Hernández Cordón produce, for La Mitad del Continente (Mexico) and Burning (Colombia).
The film, currently in post-production, dives into a complicated family dynamic as Vera, a 17-year-old girl, needs to learn how to live with her “vampirism gene.”
Prisoners of the sun, she and her father, Cruz, spend their days in hotel rooms until she can’t take it: Feeling guilty and misunderstood, and missing her boyfriend she is afraid of hurting, Vera wants to die. Suddenly, her father – who is also a film director – has two missions in life. He can’t let her attack anyone but he also needs to make sure she doesn’t commit suicide.
Luis Alberti and Carla Nieto star,...
- 5/20/2023
- by Marta Balaga
- Variety Film + TV
Creating what looks like one of the undisputed highlights of Ventana Sur’s Spanish Screenings, three of Perú’s foremost filmmakers – Daniel and Diego Vega and Joanna Lombardi –have boarded “Bienvenido Mr. Hollywood,” which promises a complete departure for one of Catalonia’s leading edge cineastes, Mar Coll.
Co-created and directed by Coll (“Three Days With the Family”) and Aina Calleja, an editor on Coll’s first series, “Killing the Father”), “Welcome Mr. Hollywood” is written by Coll, Calleja and Diego Vega, who with brother Daniel broke out with his debut, 2010 Cannes Un Certain Regard Jury Prize winner, “October.” A 2013 Locarno best actor winner for Fernando Bacilio, “El Mudo” consolidated the brothers’ reputation as top young Latin America auteurs.
““Welcome Mr. Hollywood” is lead produced by Barcelona’s Funicular Films and co-produced by Daniel and Diego Vega’s Lima-based Maretazo Cine. Lombardi, a former head of fiction at Telefonica Media Networks Latin America,...
Co-created and directed by Coll (“Three Days With the Family”) and Aina Calleja, an editor on Coll’s first series, “Killing the Father”), “Welcome Mr. Hollywood” is written by Coll, Calleja and Diego Vega, who with brother Daniel broke out with his debut, 2010 Cannes Un Certain Regard Jury Prize winner, “October.” A 2013 Locarno best actor winner for Fernando Bacilio, “El Mudo” consolidated the brothers’ reputation as top young Latin America auteurs.
““Welcome Mr. Hollywood” is lead produced by Barcelona’s Funicular Films and co-produced by Daniel and Diego Vega’s Lima-based Maretazo Cine. Lombardi, a former head of fiction at Telefonica Media Networks Latin America,...
- 11/25/2022
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
The film is directed by Costa Rica’s Ariel Escalanta Meza.
Berlin-based Films Boutique has made a significant early sale on Ariel Escalante Meza’s Un Certain Regard title Domingo And The Mist to Epicentre in France.
“It’s exciting to have a French distributor on board ahead of the market, as it is also reassuring to be working again with our long-term partners at Epicentre Film,” said Films Boutique CEO Jean-Christophe Simon.
Costa Rican director Meza is a Berlinale Talents alumnus and recipient of the National Prize for the Arts from Costa Rica’s Ministry of Culture in 2018. A renowne deditor,...
Berlin-based Films Boutique has made a significant early sale on Ariel Escalante Meza’s Un Certain Regard title Domingo And The Mist to Epicentre in France.
“It’s exciting to have a French distributor on board ahead of the market, as it is also reassuring to be working again with our long-term partners at Epicentre Film,” said Films Boutique CEO Jean-Christophe Simon.
Costa Rican director Meza is a Berlinale Talents alumnus and recipient of the National Prize for the Arts from Costa Rica’s Ministry of Culture in 2018. A renowne deditor,...
- 5/12/2022
- by Geoffrey Macnab
- ScreenDaily
The film is directed by Costa Rica’s Ariel Escalanta Meza.
Berlin-based Films Boutique has made a significant early sale on Ariel Escalante Meza’s Un Certain Regard title Domingo And The Mist to Epicentre in France.
“It’s exciting to have a French distributor on board ahead of the market, as it is also reassuring to be working again with our long-term partners at Epicentre Film,” said Films Boutique CEO Jean-Christophe Simon.
Costa Rican director Meza is a Berlinale Talents alumnus and recipient of the National Prize for the Arts from Costa Rica’s Ministry of Culture in 2018. A renowne deditor,...
Berlin-based Films Boutique has made a significant early sale on Ariel Escalante Meza’s Un Certain Regard title Domingo And The Mist to Epicentre in France.
“It’s exciting to have a French distributor on board ahead of the market, as it is also reassuring to be working again with our long-term partners at Epicentre Film,” said Films Boutique CEO Jean-Christophe Simon.
Costa Rican director Meza is a Berlinale Talents alumnus and recipient of the National Prize for the Arts from Costa Rica’s Ministry of Culture in 2018. A renowne deditor,...
- 5/12/2022
- by Geoffrey Macnab
- ScreenDaily
Carlos Ureña, Sylvia Sossa, Aris Vindas, Esteban Brenes Serrano star.
Films Boutique has come on board to represent sales on Ariel Escalante Meza’s Costa Rica-set Cannes Un Certain Regard selection Domingo And The Mist.
The Costa Rica-Qatar co-production takes place in the tropical mountains of the central American country where widower Domingo owns a coveted piece of land. When contractors send in thugs to intimidate the community, the neighbours leave one by one except Domingo, who refuses to give up his home as the place hides a special secret.
Carlos Ureña, Sylvia Sossa, Aris Vindas and Esteban Brenes Serrano...
Films Boutique has come on board to represent sales on Ariel Escalante Meza’s Costa Rica-set Cannes Un Certain Regard selection Domingo And The Mist.
The Costa Rica-Qatar co-production takes place in the tropical mountains of the central American country where widower Domingo owns a coveted piece of land. When contractors send in thugs to intimidate the community, the neighbours leave one by one except Domingo, who refuses to give up his home as the place hides a special secret.
Carlos Ureña, Sylvia Sossa, Aris Vindas and Esteban Brenes Serrano...
- 5/2/2022
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Daniela Leyva at La Mitad del Continente (“The Howls”), Andrea Toca at Mexico’s Un Beso Cine (“Human Animals”) and Diana Bustamante at Burning Sas (“Buy Me a Gun”) have teamed to co-produce the vampire drama “The Day is Long and Dark,” the eighth feature from one of Mexico’s most important directors, Julio Hernández Cordón.
“Working with Julio has always been an enthralling experience. With this film there is also a mixture of things that interests me on a narrative level. Julio’s cinema is always a welcomed surprise,” producer and artistic director of the Cartagena International Film Festival Diana Bustamante told Variety.
From his first film “Gasolina” – winner as a project at San Sebastian’s work in progress section in 2007 and one year later at its Horizontes showcase – Hernández’s features have played at festivals including Locarno, Mar del Plata (“I Promise You Anarchy”), San Sebastian and Torino...
“Working with Julio has always been an enthralling experience. With this film there is also a mixture of things that interests me on a narrative level. Julio’s cinema is always a welcomed surprise,” producer and artistic director of the Cartagena International Film Festival Diana Bustamante told Variety.
From his first film “Gasolina” – winner as a project at San Sebastian’s work in progress section in 2007 and one year later at its Horizontes showcase – Hernández’s features have played at festivals including Locarno, Mar del Plata (“I Promise You Anarchy”), San Sebastian and Torino...
- 9/24/2021
- by Emilio Mayorga
- Variety Film + TV
Mexican actor Diego Calva will join the ensemble cast of Damien Chazelle’s Hollywood period Paramount feature Babylon.
Calva joins the previously announced cast which includes Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie, Jovan Adepo and Li Jun Li.
The project, which is set for a Christmas Day 2022 release and a Jan. 6, 2023 expansion, is an R-rated drama, set in the shifting moment in Hollywood when the industry turned from silent film to talkies. The film will be produced by Olivia Hamilton, Matt Plouffe and Marc Platt.
In addition, Calva has inked with WME.
The Mexico City native has starred in the Netflix series Unstoppable and will appear in the upcoming season of the streamer’s Narcos: Mexico.
He previously starred in I Promise You Anarchy, which was screened at the Contemporary World Cinema section of the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival. The feature from Julio Hernández Cordón won several awards at such festivals as Mix Brasil,...
Calva joins the previously announced cast which includes Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie, Jovan Adepo and Li Jun Li.
The project, which is set for a Christmas Day 2022 release and a Jan. 6, 2023 expansion, is an R-rated drama, set in the shifting moment in Hollywood when the industry turned from silent film to talkies. The film will be produced by Olivia Hamilton, Matt Plouffe and Marc Platt.
In addition, Calva has inked with WME.
The Mexico City native has starred in the Netflix series Unstoppable and will appear in the upcoming season of the streamer’s Narcos: Mexico.
He previously starred in I Promise You Anarchy, which was screened at the Contemporary World Cinema section of the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival. The feature from Julio Hernández Cordón won several awards at such festivals as Mix Brasil,...
- 3/16/2021
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
The Panama Intl. Film Festival, (Iff Panama) the highest-profile film event in Central America, is using online tools to develop existing and new initiatives.
In one move, it has just completed its pix-in-post competition Primera Mirada, its new Su Mirada sidebar for women filmmakers from the region, and is now launching a new Virtual Co-Production Forum – the Panama Film Match – and a streamlined five-day online festival.
All initiatives are sponsored by the Inter-American Development Bank.
Iff Panama was initially slated to run from March 26 to April 1, but was postponed due to the Covid-19 crisis.
Undeterred, the festival has used online tools to maintain its crucial role in supporting new projects from the region.
Launched in 2015, Primera Mirada has served as an important springboard for projects from the region, providing vital post-production funding.
This year’s $10,000 first prize went to Dominican Republic revenge thriller “Rafaela,” by Tito Rodríguez (“Una fiesta inolvidable...
In one move, it has just completed its pix-in-post competition Primera Mirada, its new Su Mirada sidebar for women filmmakers from the region, and is now launching a new Virtual Co-Production Forum – the Panama Film Match – and a streamlined five-day online festival.
All initiatives are sponsored by the Inter-American Development Bank.
Iff Panama was initially slated to run from March 26 to April 1, but was postponed due to the Covid-19 crisis.
Undeterred, the festival has used online tools to maintain its crucial role in supporting new projects from the region.
Launched in 2015, Primera Mirada has served as an important springboard for projects from the region, providing vital post-production funding.
This year’s $10,000 first prize went to Dominican Republic revenge thriller “Rafaela,” by Tito Rodríguez (“Una fiesta inolvidable...
- 4/30/2020
- by Martin Dale
- Variety Film + TV
Se Escuchan Aullidos
One of Mexico’s busiest directors over the past decade has been the multi-award winning Julio Hernández Cordón, who will likely have three new titles premiering across 2020 and 2021. First up will likely be the drama Se Escuchan Aullidos (Howls Are Heard), produced by star Francisco Barreiro, Daniela Leyva Becerra Acosta and Andrea Toca. Joining Barreiro in the cast are Cordon, Alejandra Estrada, Graciela Gonzalez and Fabiana Hernandez. Cordon has competed twice in Locarno, with 2012’s Polvo and 2015’s I Promise You Anarchy.…...
One of Mexico’s busiest directors over the past decade has been the multi-award winning Julio Hernández Cordón, who will likely have three new titles premiering across 2020 and 2021. First up will likely be the drama Se Escuchan Aullidos (Howls Are Heard), produced by star Francisco Barreiro, Daniela Leyva Becerra Acosta and Andrea Toca. Joining Barreiro in the cast are Cordon, Alejandra Estrada, Graciela Gonzalez and Fabiana Hernandez. Cordon has competed twice in Locarno, with 2012’s Polvo and 2015’s I Promise You Anarchy.…...
- 12/31/2019
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
Variety reported this weekend that one of our favorite Mexican actors, Francisco Barreiro has been cast to lead Julio Hernández Cordón's upcoming film, The Day is Long and Dark (My Friends are Vampires). The project was pitched last week in Buenos Aires at Ventana Sur in the Proyecta sidebar, looking for co-production and distribution in Argentina and Spain, as well as potential sales agents. In “The Day is Long and Dark,” Ariel is a Mexican gore film director and an actual vampire. He tours Europe and Latin America’s most important festivals with his latest film, “My Friends are Vampires,” spending sleepless nights in random hotel rooms across Europe and Latin America, seeking out dealers who...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
- 12/9/2019
- Screen Anarchy
Julio Hernández Cordón, one of Mexico’s most-awarded independent filmmakers over the last decade, has found the leading man for his next feature “The Day is Long and Dark (My Friends are Vampires),” in Fantastic Fest best actor winner Francisco Barreiro, star of Adrián García Bogliano’s “Here Comes the Devil.”.
Barreiro’s casting was shared with Variety from Buenos Aires’ Ventana Sur Market where the project was pitched for the first time publicly at the event’s Proyecta sidebar for Latin American projects.
Since his debut feature “Gasolina” swept San Sebastian’s in progress awards in 2007 before returning the following year and winning the Latino Horizons Award, Hernández Cordón has been one of Latin America’s most prolific filmmakers, releasing a new feature almost every year.
In “The Day is Long and Dark,” Ariel is a Mexican gore film director and an actual vampire. He tours Europe and Latin...
Barreiro’s casting was shared with Variety from Buenos Aires’ Ventana Sur Market where the project was pitched for the first time publicly at the event’s Proyecta sidebar for Latin American projects.
Since his debut feature “Gasolina” swept San Sebastian’s in progress awards in 2007 before returning the following year and winning the Latino Horizons Award, Hernández Cordón has been one of Latin America’s most prolific filmmakers, releasing a new feature almost every year.
In “The Day is Long and Dark,” Ariel is a Mexican gore film director and an actual vampire. He tours Europe and Latin...
- 12/7/2019
- by Jamie Lang
- Variety Film + TV
The Cannes Festival and Film Market’s boldest international initiative outside France, as well as Latin America’s biggest movie mart-meet, Buenos Aires’ Ventana Sur runs Dec. 2-6. Co-organized by Argentina’s Incaa film-tv agency, it provides a telling window into Latin American market trends. Here are five takes for 2019:
1. Latin American Headwinds
For most of the past decade, Ventana Sur channeled the energies of the region’s expanding film industries. That era is now over. “Latin America is the world’s worst performing region in terms of economic output,” the Financial Times proclaimed in October. That downturn, and its sluggish growth, plays out throughout the region. Two of Latin America’s three biggest national film industries — Argentina and Brazil — have just hit rather hard walls: The plunging Argentine peso lost 37% of its value against the dollar in just 12 months; and in Brazil, President Jair Bolsonaro has envisaged a...
1. Latin American Headwinds
For most of the past decade, Ventana Sur channeled the energies of the region’s expanding film industries. That era is now over. “Latin America is the world’s worst performing region in terms of economic output,” the Financial Times proclaimed in October. That downturn, and its sluggish growth, plays out throughout the region. Two of Latin America’s three biggest national film industries — Argentina and Brazil — have just hit rather hard walls: The plunging Argentine peso lost 37% of its value against the dollar in just 12 months; and in Brazil, President Jair Bolsonaro has envisaged a...
- 11/28/2019
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
Last year, Argentina’s Ventana Sur film and TV market and co-production forum launched its inaugural Proyecta feature project showcase.
Co-organized by Ventana Sur and the San Sebastian Film Festival, Proyecta was established to aid in facilitation of international co-productions between Europe and Latin America.
16 feature film projects will participate this year, four of which come from the Basque co-founder, one from Taller Eave Puentes-Europe Latin America Co-Production Workshop and the final title from Brasil CineMundi. The others were selected by Paulo Roberto de Carvalho, Esperanza Luffiego and Clara Massot for Ventana Sur.
From the 16 projects, nine are first or second features interspersed with established, multi-award-winning filmmakers such as Lucía Puenzo, director of 2007’s Cannes Critics’ Week, Golden Rail, Acid and Regards Jeunes Prize-winner “Xxy,” and who is fresh off Fabula’s Daniela Vega-starred series “The Pack.” Puenzo will be pitching “Los Impactados,” written by her friend Lorena Ventimiglia,...
Co-organized by Ventana Sur and the San Sebastian Film Festival, Proyecta was established to aid in facilitation of international co-productions between Europe and Latin America.
16 feature film projects will participate this year, four of which come from the Basque co-founder, one from Taller Eave Puentes-Europe Latin America Co-Production Workshop and the final title from Brasil CineMundi. The others were selected by Paulo Roberto de Carvalho, Esperanza Luffiego and Clara Massot for Ventana Sur.
From the 16 projects, nine are first or second features interspersed with established, multi-award-winning filmmakers such as Lucía Puenzo, director of 2007’s Cannes Critics’ Week, Golden Rail, Acid and Regards Jeunes Prize-winner “Xxy,” and who is fresh off Fabula’s Daniela Vega-starred series “The Pack.” Puenzo will be pitching “Los Impactados,” written by her friend Lorena Ventimiglia,...
- 11/14/2019
- by Jamie Lang
- Variety Film + TV
Lucía Puenzo, Julio Hernández Cordón among participants
Six female directors and 11 female producers development projects in this year’s Proyecta co-production programme organised by Ventana Sur and San Sebastian Film Festival.
The event, set to take place in Buenos Aires on December 4, aims to match 16 feature projects at development stage from filmmakers in Latin America and Europe with financing and international distribution.
For the second consecutive year, producers will present selected projects at a pitching session to professionals from the international film industry, followed by a series of meetings to discuss the work and potential collaborations in greater depth.
Proyecta...
Six female directors and 11 female producers development projects in this year’s Proyecta co-production programme organised by Ventana Sur and San Sebastian Film Festival.
The event, set to take place in Buenos Aires on December 4, aims to match 16 feature projects at development stage from filmmakers in Latin America and Europe with financing and international distribution.
For the second consecutive year, producers will present selected projects at a pitching session to professionals from the international film industry, followed by a series of meetings to discuss the work and potential collaborations in greater depth.
Proyecta...
- 11/14/2019
- by 36¦Jeremy Kay¦54¦
- ScreenDaily
Morelia Film Festival’s (Ficm) Impulso sidebar for pix in progress will run Sunday through Tuesday this coming week, having become one of the territories most important launchpads for Latin American feature films in post-production.
Many of the participating films in recent editions have gone on to find festival success the world around.
Last year, Hari Sama’s “This is Not Berlin” was the talk of the day, and since being finished has made major impacts at Sundance, Tribeca and Malaga. From 2017, Andres Kaiser’s cabin in the woods thriller “Feral” went on to win awards at Los Cabos and participate in several major genre fests across Europe and North America. 2016 hosted Joshua Gil’s “Sanctorum” which closed Venice Critics’ Week this year.
Other standout participants include, but are not limited to: “The Chaotic Life of Nada Kadi’c” from Marta Hernaiz (Berlinale 2018); “Devil’s Freedom” from Everardo González (Berlinale...
Many of the participating films in recent editions have gone on to find festival success the world around.
Last year, Hari Sama’s “This is Not Berlin” was the talk of the day, and since being finished has made major impacts at Sundance, Tribeca and Malaga. From 2017, Andres Kaiser’s cabin in the woods thriller “Feral” went on to win awards at Los Cabos and participate in several major genre fests across Europe and North America. 2016 hosted Joshua Gil’s “Sanctorum” which closed Venice Critics’ Week this year.
Other standout participants include, but are not limited to: “The Chaotic Life of Nada Kadi’c” from Marta Hernaiz (Berlinale 2018); “Devil’s Freedom” from Everardo González (Berlinale...
- 10/18/2019
- by Jamie Lang
- Variety Film + TV
Spike Lee, Adam Driver collect tribute awards.
Andrés Kaiser’s Feral claimed the Cinemex – México Primero Award and several others at the seventh annual Los Cabos International Film Festival closing night gala ceremony at the weekend.
Spike Lee collected the Exceptional Contribution to Cinema History Tribute before presenting the Mexican premiere of BlacKkKlansman on Saturday (10), while one of the film’s stars Adam Driver received the Outstanding Work In Cinema from Terry Gilliam, who described him as “without a doubt, the best actor of his generation.”
Besides Feral’s triumph in the Cinemex – México Primero Award, the Los Cabos Competition...
Andrés Kaiser’s Feral claimed the Cinemex – México Primero Award and several others at the seventh annual Los Cabos International Film Festival closing night gala ceremony at the weekend.
Spike Lee collected the Exceptional Contribution to Cinema History Tribute before presenting the Mexican premiere of BlacKkKlansman on Saturday (10), while one of the film’s stars Adam Driver received the Outstanding Work In Cinema from Terry Gilliam, who described him as “without a doubt, the best actor of his generation.”
Besides Feral’s triumph in the Cinemex – México Primero Award, the Los Cabos Competition...
- 11/11/2018
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Los Cabos, Mexico — A mix of traditional pre-colonial and modern, urban-infused storytelling, Julio Hernández Cordón’s “Neza” pitches at this week’s Los Cabos Festival Works in Development, where the filmmaker’s most recent film “Buy Me a Gun” – Director’s Fortnight and San Sebastian Horizontes Latinos competitor – is in competition.
Born in North Carolina but educated at Mexico’s Ccc, Hernández has positioned himself as one of Mexico and Mesoamerica’s most solid filmmakers. In 2007 his feature “Gasolina” won the Filmsin Progress award at San Sebastian and a year later topped the festival’s Horizontes Latinos competition. Since that time, he has pumped out critical and festival acclaimed films regularly, including “Atrás hay relámpagos” – a participant at Rotterdam – and the aforementioned “Buy Me a Gun.”
“Neza” is a modern tale with pre-Spanish roots. It’s the story of a pair of betrayals which become too much for the titular character to bear.
Born in North Carolina but educated at Mexico’s Ccc, Hernández has positioned himself as one of Mexico and Mesoamerica’s most solid filmmakers. In 2007 his feature “Gasolina” won the Filmsin Progress award at San Sebastian and a year later topped the festival’s Horizontes Latinos competition. Since that time, he has pumped out critical and festival acclaimed films regularly, including “Atrás hay relámpagos” – a participant at Rotterdam – and the aforementioned “Buy Me a Gun.”
“Neza” is a modern tale with pre-Spanish roots. It’s the story of a pair of betrayals which become too much for the titular character to bear.
- 11/9/2018
- by Jamie Lang
- Variety Film + TV
San Sebastian — As many people talk the talk, some companies are walking the walk – acquiring and selling women’s films as part of a growing business.
In the latest move, announced Sunday at San Sebastian as the festival, the biggest in the Spanish-speaking world, signed a gender parity charter, Latido Films has acquired international rights to films by two first-time Latin American women filmmakers: Camila Urrutia’s “Polvora en el corazón,” and “La Casa de los Conejos,” from Valeria Selinger.
That’s not charity. Rather, it reflects Latido’s conviction there’s really a market for movies by striking new women directors, following on what it describes as “a string of successes,” headed by Chilean Pepa San Martín’s “Rara” and Colombian Laura Mora’s “Killing Jesús.”
“We do not look at the gender of a talented director, we look for talent,” said Latido director Antonio Saura.
But it’s no coincidence,...
In the latest move, announced Sunday at San Sebastian as the festival, the biggest in the Spanish-speaking world, signed a gender parity charter, Latido Films has acquired international rights to films by two first-time Latin American women filmmakers: Camila Urrutia’s “Polvora en el corazón,” and “La Casa de los Conejos,” from Valeria Selinger.
That’s not charity. Rather, it reflects Latido’s conviction there’s really a market for movies by striking new women directors, following on what it describes as “a string of successes,” headed by Chilean Pepa San Martín’s “Rara” and Colombian Laura Mora’s “Killing Jesús.”
“We do not look at the gender of a talented director, we look for talent,” said Latido director Antonio Saura.
But it’s no coincidence,...
- 9/24/2018
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
We’re more than 18 months deep into the Trump era, and — for better or worse — the effect of his regime is finally starting to trickle into the movies. From massive franchise blockbusters to righteous historical biopics and even the occasional family comedy, films of all shapes and sizes have been responding to (or even inspired by) the current state of world affairs, reflecting the systemic failures that got us here, and occasionally using their light to guide us through the present darkness.
The defining cinema of the Trump era is likely still to come, but these seven films — including Eugene Jarecki’s “The King,” which opens in theaters today — provide our first indications as to how the movies might process this grim period of American history.
“BlacKkKlansman”
Spike Lee is not a particularly subtle filmmaker, but we are not living in particularly subtle times. If “BlackKklansman” is blunt even by Lee’s standards,...
The defining cinema of the Trump era is likely still to come, but these seven films — including Eugene Jarecki’s “The King,” which opens in theaters today — provide our first indications as to how the movies might process this grim period of American history.
“BlacKkKlansman”
Spike Lee is not a particularly subtle filmmaker, but we are not living in particularly subtle times. If “BlackKklansman” is blunt even by Lee’s standards,...
- 6/22/2018
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
There’s a Fury Road of sorts running through “Buy Me a Gun,” Meso-American filmmaker Julio Hernández Cordón’s orderless, genre-splicing seventh feature, but it’s a bumpy, meandering one; driving along it, you’ll spot “Mad Max’s” desolate, sun-scorched vistas from the windows, passing by at a fraction of the speed. An indeterminately dystopian vision of Mexico in the full control of cartels — whether it’s post-apocalyptic, pre-apocalyptic or merely apocalypse-adjacent is among the many question marks here — the film ostensibly centers on a father and daughter struggling to stick together through a barrage of regimented violence. Yet Hernández Cordón’s narrative is too slender and sluggish to gather much emotional force; wearing such disparate influences as George Miller and Mark Twain brashly on his sleeve, he seems distracted from the task at hand by his smaller, more inventive strokes of world-building. Viewers may follow suit.
Thanks to such well-traveled,...
Thanks to such well-traveled,...
- 5/31/2018
- by Guy Lodge
- Variety Film + TV
At its start, the 2018 Cannes Film Festival wasn’t perceived as a big market for buyers, but many U.S. distributors came home happy: A24 acquired Gaspar Noé’s psychedelic dance thriller “Climax,” and Neon scored fantastical Un Certain Regard winner “Border.” Sony Pictures Classics picked up Lebanese crowdpleaser “Capernaum,” while Magnolia Pictures landed Palme d’Or winner “Shoplifters.” Even Jean-Luc Godard’s unclassifiable experimental essay film “The Image Book” found a home, with Kino Lorber, and the festival closed out with Netflix picking up prize winners “Happy as Lazzaro” and “Girl.”
Still, there were plenty of Cannes highlights that ended the festival with their futures uncertain. Here are some of our favorites that deserve to get out there. So long as buyers are still keen on acquiring foreign language films, they might want to consider these options.
“Asako I + II”
Smart indie distributors should be celebrating the fact that...
Still, there were plenty of Cannes highlights that ended the festival with their futures uncertain. Here are some of our favorites that deserve to get out there. So long as buyers are still keen on acquiring foreign language films, they might want to consider these options.
“Asako I + II”
Smart indie distributors should be celebrating the fact that...
- 5/22/2018
- by Eric Kohn and David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
Located somewhere between “The Florida Project” and “Fury Road,” Julio Hernández Cordón’s precocious and arresting “Buy Me a Gun” is a neo-realist fable that’s seen through the eyes of a child and set in a world ruled by fear. It’s a major work in a minor key, a movie that gracefully straddles the line between the tenuousness of the present day and the violence of the post-apocalyptic thunderdome we’re all racing towards, real and unreal all at once.
We know where the story takes place, but the when of it is pointedly unclear. “Mexico,” the opening text declares. “No precise date. Everything, absolutely everything, is run by the cartels. The population has declined due to the lack of women.” And then we’re dropped into the dark of night. A little girl is locked in a cage, while men with machine guns laugh by a fire in the distance.
We know where the story takes place, but the when of it is pointedly unclear. “Mexico,” the opening text declares. “No precise date. Everything, absolutely everything, is run by the cartels. The population has declined due to the lack of women.” And then we’re dropped into the dark of night. A little girl is locked in a cage, while men with machine guns laugh by a fire in the distance.
- 5/14/2018
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
The lineup for the 2018 Directors' Fortnight (Quinzaine des Réalisateurs) at Cannes has been announced.
Opening Film:Birds of Passage (Ciro Guerra & Cristina Gallego)Closing Film:Troppa grazia (Gianni Zanasi)Feature Films Amin (Philippe Faucon)Climax (Gaspar Noe)Carmen y Lola (Arantxa Echevarria)Cómprame un revólver (Julio Hernández Cordón)Les Confins du monde (Guillaume Nicloux)El motoarrebatador (Agustín Toscano)En Liberté! (Pierre Salvadori)Joueurs (Marie Monge)Leave No Trace (Debra Granik)Los silencios (Beatriz Seigner)Ming wang xing shi ke de (Ming Zhang)Mandy (Panos Cosmatos)Mirai (Mamoru Hosoda)Le monde est à toi (Romain Gavras)Petra (Jaime Rosales)Samouni Road (Stefano Savona)Teret (Ognjen Glavonic)Weldi (Mohamed Ben Attia)SHORTSBasses (Félix Imbert)Ce magnifique gâteau! (Emma De Swaef & Marc Roels)La lotta (Marco Bellocchio)Las cruces (Nicolas Boone)La Nuit des sacs plastiques (Gabriel Harel)O órfão (Carolina Markowicz)Our Song to War (Juanita Onzaga)Skip Day (Patrick Bresnan & Ivette Lucas)Le...
Opening Film:Birds of Passage (Ciro Guerra & Cristina Gallego)Closing Film:Troppa grazia (Gianni Zanasi)Feature Films Amin (Philippe Faucon)Climax (Gaspar Noe)Carmen y Lola (Arantxa Echevarria)Cómprame un revólver (Julio Hernández Cordón)Les Confins du monde (Guillaume Nicloux)El motoarrebatador (Agustín Toscano)En Liberté! (Pierre Salvadori)Joueurs (Marie Monge)Leave No Trace (Debra Granik)Los silencios (Beatriz Seigner)Ming wang xing shi ke de (Ming Zhang)Mandy (Panos Cosmatos)Mirai (Mamoru Hosoda)Le monde est à toi (Romain Gavras)Petra (Jaime Rosales)Samouni Road (Stefano Savona)Teret (Ognjen Glavonic)Weldi (Mohamed Ben Attia)SHORTSBasses (Félix Imbert)Ce magnifique gâteau! (Emma De Swaef & Marc Roels)La lotta (Marco Bellocchio)Las cruces (Nicolas Boone)La Nuit des sacs plastiques (Gabriel Harel)O órfão (Carolina Markowicz)Our Song to War (Juanita Onzaga)Skip Day (Patrick Bresnan & Ivette Lucas)Le...
- 4/18/2018
- MUBI
Heavy on Spanish language films (including a Brazilian film not in its mother tongue) and the usual block of French film items, after seven years as Artistic Director, Edouard Waintrop leaves the Directors’ Fortnight (the section that gave us The Florida Project and a Claire Denis comedy in 2017) with what appears to be a program of genre-friendly firecracker line-up items.
Opening with Ciro Guerra & Cristina Gallego‘s Birds of Passage, (#71 on our Most Anticipated list) we have Julio Hernández Cordón‘s Buy Me a Gun which is being called a mix of Peter Pan and Mad Max. We have…...
Opening with Ciro Guerra & Cristina Gallego‘s Birds of Passage, (#71 on our Most Anticipated list) we have Julio Hernández Cordón‘s Buy Me a Gun which is being called a mix of Peter Pan and Mad Max. We have…...
- 4/17/2018
- by Eric Lavallée
- IONCINEMA.com
Following the first lineup announcement for the 71st Cannes Film Festival, yesterday Critics’ Week arrived, and now today we get two more sidebar reveals. First up, there’s Directors’ Fortnight, which opens with Birds of Passage, from Embrace of the Serpent director Ciro Guerra & Cristina Gallego. Also among the lineup is Gaspar Noé’s drug-fueled (of course) drama Climax, Mamoru Hosoda’s new animation Mirai, Romain Gavras’ Le monde est à toi, as well as Sundance favorites: Panos Cosmatos’ Mandy and Debra Granik’s Leave No Trace.
Check out the lineup below, followed by the Acid lineup, featuring Jim Cummings’ SXSW winner Thunder Road.
Cannes Directors’ Fortnight Lineup
Opening Film:
Birds of Passage (Ciro Guerra & Cristina Gallego)
Closing Film:
Troppa grazia (Gianni Zanasi)
Feature Films
Amin (Philippe Faucon)
Climax (Gaspar Noé)
Carmen y Lola (Arantxa Echevarria)
Cómprame un revólver de (Julio Hernández Cordón)
Les Confins du monde (Guillaume Nicloux)
El motoarrebatador (Agustín Toscano)
En Liberté!
Check out the lineup below, followed by the Acid lineup, featuring Jim Cummings’ SXSW winner Thunder Road.
Cannes Directors’ Fortnight Lineup
Opening Film:
Birds of Passage (Ciro Guerra & Cristina Gallego)
Closing Film:
Troppa grazia (Gianni Zanasi)
Feature Films
Amin (Philippe Faucon)
Climax (Gaspar Noé)
Carmen y Lola (Arantxa Echevarria)
Cómprame un revólver de (Julio Hernández Cordón)
Les Confins du monde (Guillaume Nicloux)
El motoarrebatador (Agustín Toscano)
En Liberté!
- 4/17/2018
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
The Cinema Tropical Awards, which honor the best in Latin American film production, have announced the nominees for their seventh annual ceremony. They feature 23 films from eight countries nominated in six different categories: Best Feature Film; Best Documentary Film; Best Director, Feature Film; Best Director, Documentary Film; Best First Film and Best U.S. Latino Film.
Read More: LatinoBuzz: Nominees Announced for the 6th Annual Cinema Tropical Awards
The winners will be announced at a special evening ceremony at The New York Times Company headquarters in New York City on Friday, January 13. The winning films will be showcased as part of the Cinema Tropical Festival at Museum of the Moving Image this winter.
The jury for the festival this year includes the following: Carlos Aguilar, film critic and journalist; Fábio Andrade, film critic and screenwriter; Ela Bittencourt, film critic and programmer; Eric Hynes, Associate Curator of Film, Museum of the Moving Image; Toby Lee,...
Read More: LatinoBuzz: Nominees Announced for the 6th Annual Cinema Tropical Awards
The winners will be announced at a special evening ceremony at The New York Times Company headquarters in New York City on Friday, January 13. The winning films will be showcased as part of the Cinema Tropical Festival at Museum of the Moving Image this winter.
The jury for the festival this year includes the following: Carlos Aguilar, film critic and journalist; Fábio Andrade, film critic and screenwriter; Ela Bittencourt, film critic and programmer; Eric Hynes, Associate Curator of Film, Museum of the Moving Image; Toby Lee,...
- 12/14/2016
- by Vikram Murthi
- Indiewire
When Paz Fábrega was growing up in Costa Rica in the nineties, she loved movies, but the idea of becoming a filmmaker didn’t seem plausible. “It was really like deciding to be an astronaut or something,” she said in a recent interview at the Costa Rica International Film Festival’s fifth edition. “I didn’t know anyone who worked in film or anything like that.”
Fábrega’s experience is a typical one for aspiring directors in Costa Rica and throughout Central America. However, a number of recent developments throughout this emerging film community are starting to change the identity of the country and inspire a new generation of filmmakers to improve its reputation.
In Fábrega’s case, the desire to pursue a filmmaking career in Costa Rica arrived only once she saw a range of possibilities elsewhere. She spent three years in middle school living in New York while...
Fábrega’s experience is a typical one for aspiring directors in Costa Rica and throughout Central America. However, a number of recent developments throughout this emerging film community are starting to change the identity of the country and inspire a new generation of filmmakers to improve its reputation.
In Fábrega’s case, the desire to pursue a filmmaking career in Costa Rica arrived only once she saw a range of possibilities elsewhere. She spent three years in middle school living in New York while...
- 12/13/2016
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
Juan Andrés Arango’s migrant drama claimed the México Primero prize and Andrea Arnold’s road movie prevailed in the Competencia de Los Cabos category as the fifth annual Los Cabos International Film Festival closed on Saturday.
Both films received Mxn $200k (roughly Usd $9.6k), while Tamara And The Ladybug by Lucía Carrera took the Fipresci México Primero Award as well as the Usd $12k Art Kingdom Trailer Award presented by Art Kingdom Showbiz Agency.
Beauties Of The Night by Maria José Cuevas took the Mxn $200k Cinemex Audience prize, and Kris Avedisian’s Donald Cried claimed the Usd $15k Labodigital Incentive For Distribution award.
Three filmmakers each earned a Mxn $150k (Usd $7.2k) scholarship under the auspices of the Gabriel Figueroa Film Fund: Cómprame Un Revólver by Julio Hernández Cordón; Alicia by Michael Rowe; and Monsters And Men by Reinaldo M. Green.
The Usd $160k Gabriel Figueroa Film Fund - Labodigital Awards went to: The Rosenbergs...
Both films received Mxn $200k (roughly Usd $9.6k), while Tamara And The Ladybug by Lucía Carrera took the Fipresci México Primero Award as well as the Usd $12k Art Kingdom Trailer Award presented by Art Kingdom Showbiz Agency.
Beauties Of The Night by Maria José Cuevas took the Mxn $200k Cinemex Audience prize, and Kris Avedisian’s Donald Cried claimed the Usd $15k Labodigital Incentive For Distribution award.
Three filmmakers each earned a Mxn $150k (Usd $7.2k) scholarship under the auspices of the Gabriel Figueroa Film Fund: Cómprame Un Revólver by Julio Hernández Cordón; Alicia by Michael Rowe; and Monsters And Men by Reinaldo M. Green.
The Usd $160k Gabriel Figueroa Film Fund - Labodigital Awards went to: The Rosenbergs...
- 11/13/2016
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
12 Unique Visions We Are Excited to See at the 35th Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival
Numerous sections that range from those that focus on particular geographical regions, to one that highlights features crafted by homegrown talent, another formed by stories about people who have left their hometowns to find a better life elsewhere, and even one that honors Minnesota’s Scandinavian heritage, are some of the blocks that build the extensive and boldly curated program of the 35th Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival (Mspiff).
Discerning which films to watch from the couple hundred that will play in the Midwestern city during the next two weeks is a colossal task and one that is directed by taste and interests; however, there are plenty of options for adventurous audiences looking to watch a unique cinematic vision outside of their comfort zone.
The most audacious offers include a French animated featured focused on a war-torn African country, Joel Potrykus follow-up to “Buzzard,” a subversive Lgbt drama about skaters in Mexico City, the story of a Somali man in Minneapolis who finds friendship in a lonely dog, a dark Swedish comedy that resembles the humor of celebrated Nordic masters, or a Brazilian coming-of-ager centered on a girl obsessed with the recent murders of local women. Just from the premises is easy to predict that these will not be your typical experience at the movies, but that's not to say they won't be exponentially more entertaining and eye-opening.
Here is a list with 12 unconventional choices, including those mentioned above, playing at Mspiff that we can't wait to see.
Synopses courtesy of the festival.
The 35th Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival takes place runs April 7-23. For the full program and tickets visit Here.
"Adama"
Dir. Simon Rouby
France
12 year-old Adama, voiced by French-Malian child actor Azize Abdoulaye Diabaté, lives in an idyllic village sheltered by cliffs. When his brother Samba defies their elders and flees to join the ‘Nassara’ (colonialist French army), Adama follows in an attempt to bring Samba home. Experimental animation combining laser-scanned sculptures of clay and sand with painterly animated scenes bring magical realism to Adama’s journey north from West Africa to Europe’s Western Front in 1914. A heroic odyssey mixes elements of mysticism and allegory with action, adventure, and a little known historical African narrative
Screens April 20 at 2:30 Pm and April 16 at 3:45
"The Alchemist Cookbook"
Dir. Joel Potrykus
U.S.
Sean is a young hermit, living in near total isolation and obsessed with a mysterious alchemic and somewhat manic pursuit that challenges the laws of nature. Off the grid and turning his back on civilization, his days play out inside an old trailer in the swamps, conducting experiments. When a demonic entity appears in the shadows, Sean’s self-induced seclusion is shattered by a true force of evil. Joel Potrykus delivers another meditation on the idiosyncratic side of the male psyche that feels like a dark and demented modern-day folk tale.
Screens April 14 at 9:50 Pm and April 21 at 10:00 Pm
"The Ardennes"
Dir. Robin Pront
Belgium
Robin Pront's feature-film debut opens with a powerful punch and continues with a slow burn downward spiral of brotherly betrayal and brutal retribution. After a robbery goes hopelessly wrong, Dave escapes the scene leaving his brother Kenny behind to take the rap. Flash forward four years and Dave has been able to turn his life around while time has stood still for Kenny, now out on parole, who was left simmering in jail. The palpable tension between Dave and Kenny builds to brutal and thrilling crescendo in the shadows of Belgium's Ardennes forest.
Screens April 10 at 9:40 Pm and April 22 at 9:45 Pm
"A Decent Man"
Dir. Micha Lewinsky
Switzerland
This provocative drama chronicles a family vacation that turns into every parent’s nightmare. Thomas, an amiable man in his mid-forties, resolves that his family will take their annual skiing holiday in the Swiss Alps even though neither his wife or daughter are interested. But things soon become more complicated when his manipulative boss pressures him to include his difficult daughter, Sarah. A convincing portrait of an insecure man whose failure to be a beloved father, brilliant journalist and understanding husband is sending him over the edge.
Screens April 8 at 4:45 Pm and April 19 at 9:40 Pm
"Dragonfly"
Dir. Maribeth Romslo and Cara Greene Epstein
U.S.
Told with heart, humor, and a little bit of magic, "Dragonfly" is a film about homecoming and healing for a Midwestern family divided by divorce and illness. When Anna’s mom is diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s, Anna returns home to help but not without some reluctance tied to her emotional family baggage. As she unpacks her past, Anna rediscovers a mysterious mailbox from her childhood and embarks on a search to solve its mystery. What she learns along the way may be the key to her own reconciliation.
Screens: April 10 at 7:10 Pm and April 16 at 4:40 Pm
"Endorphine"
Dir. André Turpin
Canada
What’s the connection between trauma, memory and the relativity of space and time? Endorphine sends you down a rabbit hole where time and existence are scrambled into a Lynchian fever dream. After 12-year-old Simone helplessly witnesses the murder of her mother, she is thrust into an endless loop that explores alternate realities and parallel lives, including what may or may not be adult versions of herself. Expertly crafted by André Turpin (cinematographer on Xavier Dolan’s Mommy and Tom at the Farm and Denis Villeneuve’s Incendies), "Endorphine" is a dark and visually arresting head trip.
Screens April 10 at 9:15 Pm and April 18 at 9:30 Pm
"The Garbage Helicopter"
Dir. Jonas Selberg Augustsén
Sweden
An old Roma woman is seized by a sudden urge to reclaim her antique clock, sending her three grandchildren on an odyssey across the lonesome, big-sky highways of northern Sweden (captured in beautifully bleak black-and-white). The action takes place in the deadpan absurdist territory pioneered by Jarmusch, Kaurismäki, and Andersson. Here, crosswords are completed (including the mysterious entry, "garbage helicopter"), a speed-trap camera is demolished, a Holocaust museum is visited, the world’s second-biggest chair is solemnly viewed, and a gang of art thieves is encountered.
Screens April 21 at 9:40 Pm and April 23 at 7:05 Pm
"Kill Me Please"
Dir. Anita Rocha da Silveira
Brazil/Argentina
Anita Rocha da Silveira’s stunning debut drops us directly into the psyche of a middle-class teenage girl, piqued by raging hormones and fueled with fearless curiosity. A string of grisly neighborhood murders of women captures the imagination of a clique of girls, but especially Bia who feels more and more connected to the dead women than her high school friends. The incident ignites something in Bia, causing her to embrace fantasy and openly explore her sexuality. Built on a unique atmosphere devoid of adults, Kill Me Please is a dark yet pop-infused coming-of-age story.
Screens April 9 at 3:15 Pm and April 14 at 9:45 Pm
"I Promise Anarchy"
Dir. Julio Hernández Cordón
Mexico
Miguel and Johnny are friends from opposite sides of the tracks, but that doesn’t inhibit their romance with one another that revolves around sex, drugs and skateboarding. To support their devil-may-care lifestyle, the boys sell their own blood—and occasionally the blood of their friends and whomever they can find—to an underground network run by the drug cartel. When one such arrangement goes wrong, Miguel and Johnny find themselves way over their head. Director Julio Hernandez Cordon’s stylishly blends a breezy romance of wayward youth with a gritty nior thriller on the streets of Mexico City.
Screens April 8 at 9:15 Pm and April 11 at 9:50 Pm
"Schneider vs. Bax"
Dir. Alex van Warmerdam
Netherlands/Belgium
This black comedy makes a point of turning the hitman genre on its head with unconventional setups that spiral into absurdism. Schneider wakes to his adoring wife and two young daughters planning his birthday party only to have it interrupted by a call from his boss with a job that must be done right away: an easy hit on an isolated novelist named Bax that he can finish by noon. Needless to say, things do not go as planned. Schneider vs. Bax is as much about the contrast and comparison of these two men and their families, as it is the nascent yet ineffective real-world cage match.
Screens April 10 at 9:35 Pm and April 14 at 9:40 Pm
"A Stray"
Dir. Musa Syeed
U.S.
In the microcosm of Minneapolis’ large Somali community, Adan has run out of options. Looking to turn his life around, he finds solace, friendship and a job as a janitor at the mosque. Finding an even better job driving a taxi, Adan unexpectedly finds a new friend in a stray dog. But the mosque sees the dog as impure, and Adan finds himself on the streets again. Director Musa Syeed brings the streets of Riverside and the struggles of young Somalis to the big screen in this vivid and moving drama.
Screens April 15 at 7:20 Pm and April 17 at 3: 50 Pm
"Wednesday, May 9"
Dir. Vahid Jalilvand
Iran
Leila works in a chicken packing factory to support her family, but still has no money left over to save for a much-needed operation for her disabled husband. Setareh secretly married against her family’s wishes, and when her tyrannical cousin finds out, an altercation lands her young husband in jail, requiring 30 million tomans in “blood money” for his release. The two tragic stories of these women are connected to a potential benefactor who could help them in Vahid Jalilvand’s incredible debut feature of carefully drawn characters and bold statements of humanism.
Screens April 8 at 4:50 Pm and April 19 at 4:30 Pm...
Discerning which films to watch from the couple hundred that will play in the Midwestern city during the next two weeks is a colossal task and one that is directed by taste and interests; however, there are plenty of options for adventurous audiences looking to watch a unique cinematic vision outside of their comfort zone.
The most audacious offers include a French animated featured focused on a war-torn African country, Joel Potrykus follow-up to “Buzzard,” a subversive Lgbt drama about skaters in Mexico City, the story of a Somali man in Minneapolis who finds friendship in a lonely dog, a dark Swedish comedy that resembles the humor of celebrated Nordic masters, or a Brazilian coming-of-ager centered on a girl obsessed with the recent murders of local women. Just from the premises is easy to predict that these will not be your typical experience at the movies, but that's not to say they won't be exponentially more entertaining and eye-opening.
Here is a list with 12 unconventional choices, including those mentioned above, playing at Mspiff that we can't wait to see.
Synopses courtesy of the festival.
The 35th Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival takes place runs April 7-23. For the full program and tickets visit Here.
"Adama"
Dir. Simon Rouby
France
12 year-old Adama, voiced by French-Malian child actor Azize Abdoulaye Diabaté, lives in an idyllic village sheltered by cliffs. When his brother Samba defies their elders and flees to join the ‘Nassara’ (colonialist French army), Adama follows in an attempt to bring Samba home. Experimental animation combining laser-scanned sculptures of clay and sand with painterly animated scenes bring magical realism to Adama’s journey north from West Africa to Europe’s Western Front in 1914. A heroic odyssey mixes elements of mysticism and allegory with action, adventure, and a little known historical African narrative
Screens April 20 at 2:30 Pm and April 16 at 3:45
"The Alchemist Cookbook"
Dir. Joel Potrykus
U.S.
Sean is a young hermit, living in near total isolation and obsessed with a mysterious alchemic and somewhat manic pursuit that challenges the laws of nature. Off the grid and turning his back on civilization, his days play out inside an old trailer in the swamps, conducting experiments. When a demonic entity appears in the shadows, Sean’s self-induced seclusion is shattered by a true force of evil. Joel Potrykus delivers another meditation on the idiosyncratic side of the male psyche that feels like a dark and demented modern-day folk tale.
Screens April 14 at 9:50 Pm and April 21 at 10:00 Pm
"The Ardennes"
Dir. Robin Pront
Belgium
Robin Pront's feature-film debut opens with a powerful punch and continues with a slow burn downward spiral of brotherly betrayal and brutal retribution. After a robbery goes hopelessly wrong, Dave escapes the scene leaving his brother Kenny behind to take the rap. Flash forward four years and Dave has been able to turn his life around while time has stood still for Kenny, now out on parole, who was left simmering in jail. The palpable tension between Dave and Kenny builds to brutal and thrilling crescendo in the shadows of Belgium's Ardennes forest.
Screens April 10 at 9:40 Pm and April 22 at 9:45 Pm
"A Decent Man"
Dir. Micha Lewinsky
Switzerland
This provocative drama chronicles a family vacation that turns into every parent’s nightmare. Thomas, an amiable man in his mid-forties, resolves that his family will take their annual skiing holiday in the Swiss Alps even though neither his wife or daughter are interested. But things soon become more complicated when his manipulative boss pressures him to include his difficult daughter, Sarah. A convincing portrait of an insecure man whose failure to be a beloved father, brilliant journalist and understanding husband is sending him over the edge.
Screens April 8 at 4:45 Pm and April 19 at 9:40 Pm
"Dragonfly"
Dir. Maribeth Romslo and Cara Greene Epstein
U.S.
Told with heart, humor, and a little bit of magic, "Dragonfly" is a film about homecoming and healing for a Midwestern family divided by divorce and illness. When Anna’s mom is diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s, Anna returns home to help but not without some reluctance tied to her emotional family baggage. As she unpacks her past, Anna rediscovers a mysterious mailbox from her childhood and embarks on a search to solve its mystery. What she learns along the way may be the key to her own reconciliation.
Screens: April 10 at 7:10 Pm and April 16 at 4:40 Pm
"Endorphine"
Dir. André Turpin
Canada
What’s the connection between trauma, memory and the relativity of space and time? Endorphine sends you down a rabbit hole where time and existence are scrambled into a Lynchian fever dream. After 12-year-old Simone helplessly witnesses the murder of her mother, she is thrust into an endless loop that explores alternate realities and parallel lives, including what may or may not be adult versions of herself. Expertly crafted by André Turpin (cinematographer on Xavier Dolan’s Mommy and Tom at the Farm and Denis Villeneuve’s Incendies), "Endorphine" is a dark and visually arresting head trip.
Screens April 10 at 9:15 Pm and April 18 at 9:30 Pm
"The Garbage Helicopter"
Dir. Jonas Selberg Augustsén
Sweden
An old Roma woman is seized by a sudden urge to reclaim her antique clock, sending her three grandchildren on an odyssey across the lonesome, big-sky highways of northern Sweden (captured in beautifully bleak black-and-white). The action takes place in the deadpan absurdist territory pioneered by Jarmusch, Kaurismäki, and Andersson. Here, crosswords are completed (including the mysterious entry, "garbage helicopter"), a speed-trap camera is demolished, a Holocaust museum is visited, the world’s second-biggest chair is solemnly viewed, and a gang of art thieves is encountered.
Screens April 21 at 9:40 Pm and April 23 at 7:05 Pm
"Kill Me Please"
Dir. Anita Rocha da Silveira
Brazil/Argentina
Anita Rocha da Silveira’s stunning debut drops us directly into the psyche of a middle-class teenage girl, piqued by raging hormones and fueled with fearless curiosity. A string of grisly neighborhood murders of women captures the imagination of a clique of girls, but especially Bia who feels more and more connected to the dead women than her high school friends. The incident ignites something in Bia, causing her to embrace fantasy and openly explore her sexuality. Built on a unique atmosphere devoid of adults, Kill Me Please is a dark yet pop-infused coming-of-age story.
Screens April 9 at 3:15 Pm and April 14 at 9:45 Pm
"I Promise Anarchy"
Dir. Julio Hernández Cordón
Mexico
Miguel and Johnny are friends from opposite sides of the tracks, but that doesn’t inhibit their romance with one another that revolves around sex, drugs and skateboarding. To support their devil-may-care lifestyle, the boys sell their own blood—and occasionally the blood of their friends and whomever they can find—to an underground network run by the drug cartel. When one such arrangement goes wrong, Miguel and Johnny find themselves way over their head. Director Julio Hernandez Cordon’s stylishly blends a breezy romance of wayward youth with a gritty nior thriller on the streets of Mexico City.
Screens April 8 at 9:15 Pm and April 11 at 9:50 Pm
"Schneider vs. Bax"
Dir. Alex van Warmerdam
Netherlands/Belgium
This black comedy makes a point of turning the hitman genre on its head with unconventional setups that spiral into absurdism. Schneider wakes to his adoring wife and two young daughters planning his birthday party only to have it interrupted by a call from his boss with a job that must be done right away: an easy hit on an isolated novelist named Bax that he can finish by noon. Needless to say, things do not go as planned. Schneider vs. Bax is as much about the contrast and comparison of these two men and their families, as it is the nascent yet ineffective real-world cage match.
Screens April 10 at 9:35 Pm and April 14 at 9:40 Pm
"A Stray"
Dir. Musa Syeed
U.S.
In the microcosm of Minneapolis’ large Somali community, Adan has run out of options. Looking to turn his life around, he finds solace, friendship and a job as a janitor at the mosque. Finding an even better job driving a taxi, Adan unexpectedly finds a new friend in a stray dog. But the mosque sees the dog as impure, and Adan finds himself on the streets again. Director Musa Syeed brings the streets of Riverside and the struggles of young Somalis to the big screen in this vivid and moving drama.
Screens April 15 at 7:20 Pm and April 17 at 3: 50 Pm
"Wednesday, May 9"
Dir. Vahid Jalilvand
Iran
Leila works in a chicken packing factory to support her family, but still has no money left over to save for a much-needed operation for her disabled husband. Setareh secretly married against her family’s wishes, and when her tyrannical cousin finds out, an altercation lands her young husband in jail, requiring 30 million tomans in “blood money” for his release. The two tragic stories of these women are connected to a potential benefactor who could help them in Vahid Jalilvand’s incredible debut feature of carefully drawn characters and bold statements of humanism.
Screens April 8 at 4:50 Pm and April 19 at 4:30 Pm...
- 4/7/2016
- by Carlos Aguilar
- Sydney's Buzz
I Promise You Anarchy, by writer-director Julio Hernández Cordón, titillates equally with its queer sensuality and noirish crime, neither of which is entirely the point. In what plays like a modern take on The Godfather, queer sexual politics and Mexican machismo rasp upon each other, filing the young criminals at its heart into husks.
Miguel (Diego Calva Hernández), a big-fish-in-a-small-pond gangster, wears his racket around his neck. A necklace adorned with a set of plastic vampire teeth explains his blood-selling racket to corrupt paramedics while symbolizing a much darker thrall. Like any good local criminal, the youthful Miguel takes care of his own. From the skateboarders he rolls with to the old men who run the gay strip club in his area, everyone respects him.; people drop everything for him, and he knows who is worthy of his protection. His life is complicated by his relationship with Johnny (Eduardo Eliseo Martinez) — not just romantically,...
Miguel (Diego Calva Hernández), a big-fish-in-a-small-pond gangster, wears his racket around his neck. A necklace adorned with a set of plastic vampire teeth explains his blood-selling racket to corrupt paramedics while symbolizing a much darker thrall. Like any good local criminal, the youthful Miguel takes care of his own. From the skateboarders he rolls with to the old men who run the gay strip club in his area, everyone respects him.; people drop everything for him, and he knows who is worthy of his protection. His life is complicated by his relationship with Johnny (Eduardo Eliseo Martinez) — not just romantically,...
- 3/26/2016
- by Jacob Oller
- The Film Stage
Lorenzo Vigas’ Venice Golden Lion winner From Afar and César Augusto Acevedo’s Cannes Critics Week France 4 Visionary Award winner Land And Shade will screen at the International Film Festival of Panama.
Both selections will play in the Ibero American Showcase under the auspices of Iff Panama 2016, which runs from April 7-13.
Italian actress Lucía Bosé will be guest of honour at the festival’s fifth edition when three of films will screen — Death Of A Cyclist, Story Of A Love Affair, and No Peace Under The Olive Tree. High Heels will screen in special presentation.
Ibero American Showcase entries include Anna Muylaert’s Brazilian foreign language Oscar submission My Second Mother, Álex de la Iglesia’s My Big Night (Spain), 3 Beauties (Venezuela) by Carlos Caridad-Montero, and Spy Time (Spain) by Javier Ruiz Caldera.
Rounding out the section are: The Apostate (Spain-France-Uruguay) by Federico Veiroj; Road To La Paz (Argentina) by Francisco Varone; Semana Santa (Mexico) by [link...
Both selections will play in the Ibero American Showcase under the auspices of Iff Panama 2016, which runs from April 7-13.
Italian actress Lucía Bosé will be guest of honour at the festival’s fifth edition when three of films will screen — Death Of A Cyclist, Story Of A Love Affair, and No Peace Under The Olive Tree. High Heels will screen in special presentation.
Ibero American Showcase entries include Anna Muylaert’s Brazilian foreign language Oscar submission My Second Mother, Álex de la Iglesia’s My Big Night (Spain), 3 Beauties (Venezuela) by Carlos Caridad-Montero, and Spy Time (Spain) by Javier Ruiz Caldera.
Rounding out the section are: The Apostate (Spain-France-Uruguay) by Federico Veiroj; Road To La Paz (Argentina) by Francisco Varone; Semana Santa (Mexico) by [link...
- 3/23/2016
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Full line-up of the Stockholm film festival includes feature and documentary competition line-ups.Scroll down for full line-up
The Stockholm International Film Festival (Nov 11-22) has unveiled the line-up for its 26th edition, comprising more than 190 films from over 70 countries.
The Stockholm Xxvi Competition includes Marielle Heller’s Us title The Diary of a Teenage Girl and László Nemes’ Holocaust drama Son Of Saul.
It marks the first time Stockholm has a greater number of women than men competing for the Bronze Horse – the festival’s top prize.
The documentary competition includes Amy Berg’s An Open Secret, an investigation into accusations of teenagers being sexually abused within the film industry; and Cosima Spender’s Palio, centred on the annual horse race in Siena, Italy.
Announcing the programme, festival director Git Scheynius also revealed that Chinese artist Ai Weiwei will visit Stockholm for the first time as chairman of the jury for the first Stockholm Impact Award, which...
The Stockholm International Film Festival (Nov 11-22) has unveiled the line-up for its 26th edition, comprising more than 190 films from over 70 countries.
The Stockholm Xxvi Competition includes Marielle Heller’s Us title The Diary of a Teenage Girl and László Nemes’ Holocaust drama Son Of Saul.
It marks the first time Stockholm has a greater number of women than men competing for the Bronze Horse – the festival’s top prize.
The documentary competition includes Amy Berg’s An Open Secret, an investigation into accusations of teenagers being sexually abused within the film industry; and Cosima Spender’s Palio, centred on the annual horse race in Siena, Italy.
Announcing the programme, festival director Git Scheynius also revealed that Chinese artist Ai Weiwei will visit Stockholm for the first time as chairman of the jury for the first Stockholm Impact Award, which...
- 10/20/2015
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
The sensorial cinema of Gabriel Mascaro, who turned the life of a group of cowhands into a poetic experience in Neon Bull (Boi Neon), was the big winner at the 17th edition of Rio de Janeiro’s International Film Festival.
The allegory of the recent economic transformations in Brazil received four Redentor awards on Tuesday night: best film, best screenplay, best cinematography and best supporting actress for Alyne Santana.
Previously the film screened in Venice, where it won the Orizzonti special jury prize, and Toronto.
The best director prize was shared between Ives Rosenfeld’s Hopefuls (Aspirantes), a journey of a young amateur football player, and Anita Rocha da Silveira’s Kill Me Please (Mate-Me Por Favor), a teen horror film set at a school in Barra de Tijuca. Both works are first features.
The jury headed by the director and cinematographer Walter Carvalho also celebrated Hopefuls with a best actor prize for Ariclenes Barroso and a...
The allegory of the recent economic transformations in Brazil received four Redentor awards on Tuesday night: best film, best screenplay, best cinematography and best supporting actress for Alyne Santana.
Previously the film screened in Venice, where it won the Orizzonti special jury prize, and Toronto.
The best director prize was shared between Ives Rosenfeld’s Hopefuls (Aspirantes), a journey of a young amateur football player, and Anita Rocha da Silveira’s Kill Me Please (Mate-Me Por Favor), a teen horror film set at a school in Barra de Tijuca. Both works are first features.
The jury headed by the director and cinematographer Walter Carvalho also celebrated Hopefuls with a best actor prize for Ariclenes Barroso and a...
- 10/13/2015
- by elaineguerini@terra.com.br (Elaine Guerini)
- ScreenDaily
Top brass have announced the films in official selection at the Mexican festival’s fourth annual edition, set to run from November 11-15.
Official selection comprises Competencia Los Cabos entries from Mexico, the Us and Canada including Lorenzo Vigas’ recent Venice Golden Lion winner From Afar (Desde Allá), and México Primero. Winners from both programmes will each collect a $15,000 prize.
The films in México Primero will also compete for the Fipresci Award, the $12,200 Art Kingdom Award and the $40,000 Fox+ Award.
For the first time films in official selection will compete for the Cinemex Audience Award. Audiences at Cinemex Los Cabos–Puerto Paraíso screenings will choose their recipient of a $10,000 prize.
Competencia Los Cabos selections are:
From Afar (Desde Allá, Mexico-Venezuela, pictured), dir Lorenzo Vigas;
Tangerine (USA), dir Sean Baker;
Room (Canada-Ireland), dir Lenny Abrahamson;
Chronic (Mexico), dir Michel Franco;
James White (USA), dir Josh Mond;
Les Êtres Chers (Canada), dir Anne Émond;
Un Monstruo De Mil Cabezas (Mexico-France...
Official selection comprises Competencia Los Cabos entries from Mexico, the Us and Canada including Lorenzo Vigas’ recent Venice Golden Lion winner From Afar (Desde Allá), and México Primero. Winners from both programmes will each collect a $15,000 prize.
The films in México Primero will also compete for the Fipresci Award, the $12,200 Art Kingdom Award and the $40,000 Fox+ Award.
For the first time films in official selection will compete for the Cinemex Audience Award. Audiences at Cinemex Los Cabos–Puerto Paraíso screenings will choose their recipient of a $10,000 prize.
Competencia Los Cabos selections are:
From Afar (Desde Allá, Mexico-Venezuela, pictured), dir Lorenzo Vigas;
Tangerine (USA), dir Sean Baker;
Room (Canada-Ireland), dir Lenny Abrahamson;
Chronic (Mexico), dir Michel Franco;
James White (USA), dir Josh Mond;
Les Êtres Chers (Canada), dir Anne Émond;
Un Monstruo De Mil Cabezas (Mexico-France...
- 10/13/2015
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Lucile Hadzihalilovic’s Evolution wins special jury prize; Joachim Lafosse’s The White Knights wins Silver Shell.Scroll down for full list of winners
Rúnar Rúnarsson’s Sparrows has won the Golden Shell for best film at the 63rd San Sebastian International Film Festival (Sept 18-26).
Runarsson’s second film, following Volcano (2011), follows 16-year-old Ari, who has to leave his mother’s home in Reykjavik and move back to his former hometown in the isolated Westfjords of Iceland where he navigates a rocky relationship with his father.
Lucile Hadzihalilovic’s surreal horror film Evolution picked up the Special Jury Prize. The French director’s first feature in more than a decade follows a young boy living in a mysterious, isolated seaside clinic who uncovers the sinister purposes of his keepers.
The film also saw Manu Dacosse pick up the Jury Prize for best cinematography.
The Silver Shell for best director went to Joachim Lafosse for The White...
Rúnar Rúnarsson’s Sparrows has won the Golden Shell for best film at the 63rd San Sebastian International Film Festival (Sept 18-26).
Runarsson’s second film, following Volcano (2011), follows 16-year-old Ari, who has to leave his mother’s home in Reykjavik and move back to his former hometown in the isolated Westfjords of Iceland where he navigates a rocky relationship with his father.
Lucile Hadzihalilovic’s surreal horror film Evolution picked up the Special Jury Prize. The French director’s first feature in more than a decade follows a young boy living in a mysterious, isolated seaside clinic who uncovers the sinister purposes of his keepers.
The film also saw Manu Dacosse pick up the Jury Prize for best cinematography.
The Silver Shell for best director went to Joachim Lafosse for The White...
- 9/26/2015
- ScreenDaily
Below you will find our favorite films of the 68th Locarno Film Festival, as well as an index of our coverage.Daniel Kasmantop Picksi. L’Accademia delle Muse, CosmosII. Thithi, Happy Hour, Right Now, Wrong ThenIII. Deux Rémi, deux, 88:88COVERAGEDay 1: James White (Josh Mond), Invasion of the Body Snatchers (Don Siegel)Day 2: Infinitas (Marlen Khutsiev), I Am Twenty (Marlen Khutsiev), The Ballad of Cable Hogue (Sam Peckinpah)Day 3: Cosmos (Andrzej Żuławski), The Wild Bunch (Sam Peckinpah)Day 4: Thithi (Raam Reddy), Te prometo anarquía (Julio Hernández Cordón), Chant d'hiver (Otar Iosseliani), July Rain (Marlen Khutsiev), Year of the Dragon (Michael Cimino)Day 5: L’Accademia delle Muse (José Luis Guerín), Les idoles (Marc'o), Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid (Sam Peckinpah), The Killer Elite (Sam Peckinpah)Day 6: Good Morning, Night (Marco Bellocchio), No Home Movie (Chantal Akerman), Epilogue (Marlen Khutsiev)Day 7: Chevalier (Athina Rachel Tsangari...
- 9/1/2015
- by Notebook
- MUBI
Films set to show at the 40th Toronto International Film Festival (Tiff), updated as announcements are made in the run up to the event.
Tiff will open on September 10 with Jean-Marc Vallée’s Demolition starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Naomi Watts.
Tiff 40
Key: Wp = world premiere; Nap = North American premiere; IP = international premiere; Cp = Canadian premiere.
GALASBeeba Boys (Canada), Deepa Mehta, WPDemolition, Jean-Marc Vallée WPDisorder (Maryland) (France-Belgium), Alice Winocour NAPThe Dressmaker (Aus), Jocelyn Moorhouse, WPEye In The Sky (UK), Gavin Hood WPForsaken (Canada), Jon Cassar, WPFreeheld (Us), Peter Sollett, WPHyena Road (Canada), Paul Gross, WPLolo (France), Julie Delpy, NAPLegend (UK), Brian Helgeland, IPMan Down (Us), Dito Montiel NAPThe Man Who Knew Infinity (UK), Matt Brown, WPThe Martian (Us), Ridley Scott, WPMiss You Already (UK), Catherine Hardwicke WPMississippi Grind (Us), Ryan Fleck, Anna Boden CPMr. Right (Us), Paco Cabezas WPThe Program (UK), Stephen Frears, WPRemember (Canada), Atom Egoyan, NAPSeptembers Of Shiraz (Us), Wayne Blair, WPStonewall ([link...
Tiff will open on September 10 with Jean-Marc Vallée’s Demolition starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Naomi Watts.
Tiff 40
Key: Wp = world premiere; Nap = North American premiere; IP = international premiere; Cp = Canadian premiere.
GALASBeeba Boys (Canada), Deepa Mehta, WPDemolition, Jean-Marc Vallée WPDisorder (Maryland) (France-Belgium), Alice Winocour NAPThe Dressmaker (Aus), Jocelyn Moorhouse, WPEye In The Sky (UK), Gavin Hood WPForsaken (Canada), Jon Cassar, WPFreeheld (Us), Peter Sollett, WPHyena Road (Canada), Paul Gross, WPLolo (France), Julie Delpy, NAPLegend (UK), Brian Helgeland, IPMan Down (Us), Dito Montiel NAPThe Man Who Knew Infinity (UK), Matt Brown, WPThe Martian (Us), Ridley Scott, WPMiss You Already (UK), Catherine Hardwicke WPMississippi Grind (Us), Ryan Fleck, Anna Boden CPMr. Right (Us), Paco Cabezas WPThe Program (UK), Stephen Frears, WPRemember (Canada), Atom Egoyan, NAPSeptembers Of Shiraz (Us), Wayne Blair, WPStonewall ([link...
- 8/25/2015
- ScreenDaily
The San Sebastian Film Festival will once again present, in its 63rd edition, some of the most outstanding Latin American films of the year. The Horizontes Latinos program will include 14 productions from Argentina, Brazil, Columbia, Cuba, Chile, Guatemala, Mexico, Peru and Venezuela. Films that have competed or premiered at important international festivals, but which have not yet been screened at a Spanish festival or had their commercial release in the country.
The selected films compete for the Horizontes Award, decided by a specific jury and coming with €35,000, of which €10,000 will go to the director of the winning film, and the remaining €25,000 to its distributor in Spain.
The section will open with Pablo Larraín’s "El Club," Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize at the last Berlin Festival. The film tells the tale of four men who share a secluded house in a small beach town, sent there to purge the sins they have committed in the past.
Here is the full list of titles screening in this important section:
"El Club" (The Club) Pablo Larraín (Chile) Opening Night Film
Pablo Larraín won the Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize at the last Berlin Festival with this film. Four men share a secluded house in a small beach town, sent there to purge the sins they have committed in the past.
"600 Millas" (600 Miles) Gabriel Ripstein (Mexico) Arnulfo Rubio, a young gun trafficker between the United States and Mexico, is being followed by Atf agent Hank Harris. After a risky mistake by Harris, Rubio makes a desperate decision: he smuggles the agent to Mexico. Best First Feature Award in the Panorama section of the Berlin Festival.
"El Abrazo de la Serpiente" (Embrace of the Serpent ) Ciro Guerra (Colombia - Argentina - Venezuela) Premiered at the Cannes Festival Directors’ Fortnight, the latest film from Ciro Guerra tells the epic story of the first contact, encounter, approach, betrayal and, eventually, life-transcending friendship, between an Amazonian shaman and two Western explorers.
"El Botón de Nácar (The Pearl Button) Patricio Guzmán (France - Chile - Spain ) Chilean filmmaker Patricio Guzmán talks to us in his latest documentary about water, the cosmos and ourselves, human beings. It all begins with the discovery of two mysterious buttons in the depths of the Pacific Ocean, off the coast of Chile.
"Chronic" Michel Franco (Mexico - France) David is a nurse who works with terminally ill patients. Efficient and dedicated to his profession, he develops strong and even intimate relationships with each person he cares for. But outside of his work David is ineffectual, awkward, and reserved. Best Screenplay Award-winner at the Cannes Festival.
"Desde Allá" (From Afar) Lorenzo Vigas (Venezuela) Armando, aged 50, looks for young men in the streets of Caracas and pays them to come back to his house with him. He also regularly spies on an older man with whom he seems to have ties from the past. One day he meets Elder, aged 17, leader of a small band of thugs. Competitor in the Official Selection of the Venice Festival.
"Las Elegidas" (The Chosen Ones) David Pablos (Mexico - France) David Pablos’s second film took part at the San Sebastian Co-production Forum in 2014 and premiered in the Un Certain Regard section of Cannes Festival. Sofia, 14 years old, is in love with Ulises. Because of him, in spite of him, she is forced into a prostitution ring in Mexico. To set her free, Ulises will have to find another girl to replace her.
"Ixcanul" Jayro Bustamante (Guatemala - France) María, a 17 year-old Mayan girl, lives and works with her family in a plantation on the Guatemalan plateau. Her days go by uneventfully until her parents arrange her marriage to the estate foreman, Ignacio. A film that landed a special mention at the last edition of Films in Progress and competed at the Berlin Festival, where it won the Alfred Bauer Award.
"Magallanes"
Salvador Del Solar (Peru Argentina- Colombia - Spain) Winner of Films in Progress at last year's Festival. Magallanes recognises a woman getting into a taxi. It's Celina, the young peasant girl he randomly arrested more than twenty years ago, when he was a soldier. They both have unfinished business. And for Magallanes, this is an opportunity to redeem himself. Damián Alcázar, Magaly Solier and Federico Luppi play the leading parts.
"La Obra del Siglo" (The Projcxt of Century) Carlos M. Quintela (Cuba -Argentina- Germany -Switzerland) Amidst a mosquito plague, Leonardo, struggling with the breakdown of his relationship, moves back to live with a grandfather who fights with everyone and everything, and a father living with the melancholy of the unfinished. Tiger Award-winner at the last Rotterdam Festival.
"Pulina" Santiago Mitre (Argentina- Brazil- France) Paulina decides to leave her brilliant law career to teach in a downtrodden Argentinian region. In a hostile atmosphere, she will set about her pedagogical mission, even if it means losing her boyfriend and confrontation with her father. Fipresci Prize-winner at the last Cannes Festival Critics’ Week.
"Para Minha Amada Morta" (To My Beloved) Aly Muritiba (Brazil) Fernando is a good man who takes care of his only child, Daniel, a shy and sensitive boy. Following the death of his wife Ana, every night Fernando recalls their love as he sorts out his beloved dead spouse’s belongings. One day he finds a VHS tape that will change everything. This movie participated in the Films in Progress section at the last Festival. The film took part at the Co-Production Forum in 2014.
"Te Prometo Anarquía" (I Promise You Anarchy) Julio Hernández Cordón (Mexico - Germany) Julio Hernández Cordón’s new film was selected for the Locarno Festival Competition. Miguel and Johnny have known each other since childhood. They spend their time skateboarding and having fun. To make easy money and continue skateboarding, they sell their own blood clandestinely. They turn the ploy into a business, until a major transaction doesn't turn out as they'd expected.
"La Tierra y la Sombra" (Land and Shade) César Augusto Acevedo (Colombia- Chiles - Brazil - Netherlands - France) Winner of the Caméra d’Or at the Cannes Festival, after having participated at the San Sebastian Co-Production Forum in 2013, this film portrays a family as they try to repair the fragile ties that bind them in the face of their imminent disappearance, brought about by the overwhelming power of progress.
The selected films compete for the Horizontes Award, decided by a specific jury and coming with €35,000, of which €10,000 will go to the director of the winning film, and the remaining €25,000 to its distributor in Spain.
The section will open with Pablo Larraín’s "El Club," Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize at the last Berlin Festival. The film tells the tale of four men who share a secluded house in a small beach town, sent there to purge the sins they have committed in the past.
Here is the full list of titles screening in this important section:
"El Club" (The Club) Pablo Larraín (Chile) Opening Night Film
Pablo Larraín won the Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize at the last Berlin Festival with this film. Four men share a secluded house in a small beach town, sent there to purge the sins they have committed in the past.
"600 Millas" (600 Miles) Gabriel Ripstein (Mexico) Arnulfo Rubio, a young gun trafficker between the United States and Mexico, is being followed by Atf agent Hank Harris. After a risky mistake by Harris, Rubio makes a desperate decision: he smuggles the agent to Mexico. Best First Feature Award in the Panorama section of the Berlin Festival.
"El Abrazo de la Serpiente" (Embrace of the Serpent ) Ciro Guerra (Colombia - Argentina - Venezuela) Premiered at the Cannes Festival Directors’ Fortnight, the latest film from Ciro Guerra tells the epic story of the first contact, encounter, approach, betrayal and, eventually, life-transcending friendship, between an Amazonian shaman and two Western explorers.
"El Botón de Nácar (The Pearl Button) Patricio Guzmán (France - Chile - Spain ) Chilean filmmaker Patricio Guzmán talks to us in his latest documentary about water, the cosmos and ourselves, human beings. It all begins with the discovery of two mysterious buttons in the depths of the Pacific Ocean, off the coast of Chile.
"Chronic" Michel Franco (Mexico - France) David is a nurse who works with terminally ill patients. Efficient and dedicated to his profession, he develops strong and even intimate relationships with each person he cares for. But outside of his work David is ineffectual, awkward, and reserved. Best Screenplay Award-winner at the Cannes Festival.
"Desde Allá" (From Afar) Lorenzo Vigas (Venezuela) Armando, aged 50, looks for young men in the streets of Caracas and pays them to come back to his house with him. He also regularly spies on an older man with whom he seems to have ties from the past. One day he meets Elder, aged 17, leader of a small band of thugs. Competitor in the Official Selection of the Venice Festival.
"Las Elegidas" (The Chosen Ones) David Pablos (Mexico - France) David Pablos’s second film took part at the San Sebastian Co-production Forum in 2014 and premiered in the Un Certain Regard section of Cannes Festival. Sofia, 14 years old, is in love with Ulises. Because of him, in spite of him, she is forced into a prostitution ring in Mexico. To set her free, Ulises will have to find another girl to replace her.
"Ixcanul" Jayro Bustamante (Guatemala - France) María, a 17 year-old Mayan girl, lives and works with her family in a plantation on the Guatemalan plateau. Her days go by uneventfully until her parents arrange her marriage to the estate foreman, Ignacio. A film that landed a special mention at the last edition of Films in Progress and competed at the Berlin Festival, where it won the Alfred Bauer Award.
"Magallanes"
Salvador Del Solar (Peru Argentina- Colombia - Spain) Winner of Films in Progress at last year's Festival. Magallanes recognises a woman getting into a taxi. It's Celina, the young peasant girl he randomly arrested more than twenty years ago, when he was a soldier. They both have unfinished business. And for Magallanes, this is an opportunity to redeem himself. Damián Alcázar, Magaly Solier and Federico Luppi play the leading parts.
"La Obra del Siglo" (The Projcxt of Century) Carlos M. Quintela (Cuba -Argentina- Germany -Switzerland) Amidst a mosquito plague, Leonardo, struggling with the breakdown of his relationship, moves back to live with a grandfather who fights with everyone and everything, and a father living with the melancholy of the unfinished. Tiger Award-winner at the last Rotterdam Festival.
"Pulina" Santiago Mitre (Argentina- Brazil- France) Paulina decides to leave her brilliant law career to teach in a downtrodden Argentinian region. In a hostile atmosphere, she will set about her pedagogical mission, even if it means losing her boyfriend and confrontation with her father. Fipresci Prize-winner at the last Cannes Festival Critics’ Week.
"Para Minha Amada Morta" (To My Beloved) Aly Muritiba (Brazil) Fernando is a good man who takes care of his only child, Daniel, a shy and sensitive boy. Following the death of his wife Ana, every night Fernando recalls their love as he sorts out his beloved dead spouse’s belongings. One day he finds a VHS tape that will change everything. This movie participated in the Films in Progress section at the last Festival. The film took part at the Co-Production Forum in 2014.
"Te Prometo Anarquía" (I Promise You Anarchy) Julio Hernández Cordón (Mexico - Germany) Julio Hernández Cordón’s new film was selected for the Locarno Festival Competition. Miguel and Johnny have known each other since childhood. They spend their time skateboarding and having fun. To make easy money and continue skateboarding, they sell their own blood clandestinely. They turn the ploy into a business, until a major transaction doesn't turn out as they'd expected.
"La Tierra y la Sombra" (Land and Shade) César Augusto Acevedo (Colombia- Chiles - Brazil - Netherlands - France) Winner of the Caméra d’Or at the Cannes Festival, after having participated at the San Sebastian Co-Production Forum in 2013, this film portrays a family as they try to repair the fragile ties that bind them in the face of their imminent disappearance, brought about by the overwhelming power of progress.
- 8/19/2015
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
Anne Sewitsky‘s Sundance preemed Homesick, Cannes preemed Romanian imports from Radu Muntean‘s One Floor Below and Corneliu Porumboiu‘s The Treasure along with Athina Rachel Tsangari‘s Locarno shown Chevalier are just four of the film titles in the just announced Contemporary World Cinema programme for Tiff. Among the other noteworthy titles in what is mostly a mix of world preems and North American premieres we find Grímur Hákonarson‘s Rams (just picked up by Cohen Media), Alex van Warmerdam well-received Locarno comedy Schneider vs. Bax , the world preem for Sion Sono’s The Whispering Star, and the Oscilloscope Laboratories picked up Ciro Guerra‘s Embrace Of The Serpent. Here are today’s selections that were added to the already announced Canadian items.
25 April (New Zealand), Leanne Pooley Wp
3000 Nights (Palestine-France-Jordan-Lebanon-uae-Qatar), Mai Masri Wp
An (Japan-France-Germany), Naomi Kawase Nap
The Apostate (Spain-France-Uruguay), Federico Veiroj Wp
As I Open...
25 April (New Zealand), Leanne Pooley Wp
3000 Nights (Palestine-France-Jordan-Lebanon-uae-Qatar), Mai Masri Wp
An (Japan-France-Germany), Naomi Kawase Nap
The Apostate (Spain-France-Uruguay), Federico Veiroj Wp
As I Open...
- 8/18/2015
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
Due to the large volume of films that the Toronto International Film Festival screens every year, participants often find themselves unsure of how to decide what to see. To that end, festival organisers often distribute the films into numerous programmes to reflect commonalities among them. The Contemporary World Cinema Programme, to that end, looks at the features from filmmakers from around the world, showcasing the talents being displayed from numerous countries.
The full lineup for the 2015 Tiff Contemporary World Cinema Programme has now been announced, adding to the previously announced slate of Canadian Films in the Programme. The films, as well as their official synopses, can be seen below.
25 April, directed by Leanne Pooley, making its World Premiere
Award-winning filmmaker Leanne Pooley utilizes the letters and memoirs of New Zealand soldiers and nurses along with state of the art animation to tell the true story of the 1915 battle of Gallipoli.
The full lineup for the 2015 Tiff Contemporary World Cinema Programme has now been announced, adding to the previously announced slate of Canadian Films in the Programme. The films, as well as their official synopses, can be seen below.
25 April, directed by Leanne Pooley, making its World Premiere
Award-winning filmmaker Leanne Pooley utilizes the letters and memoirs of New Zealand soldiers and nurses along with state of the art animation to tell the true story of the 1915 battle of Gallipoli.
- 8/18/2015
- by Deepayan Sengupta
- SoundOnSight
Potential awards season contenders Truth from James Vanderbilt and Marc Abraham’s I Saw The Light starring Tom Hiddleston as Hank Williams land world premiere slots, while Paco Cabezas’s Mr. Right will close the festival.
London is the subject of the seventh annual City To City programme that features world premieres of Tom Geens’ Couple In A Hole starring Paul Higgins and Kate Dickie and Michael Caton-Jones’ Urban Hymn with Letitia Wright and Shirley Henderson. Elaine Constantine’s Northern Soul gets a North American premiere.
The world premiere of Catherine Hardwicke’s Miss You Already is among five additions to the galas alongside Mr. Right, an action comedy starring Sam Rockwell and Anna Kendrick.
Matthew Cullen’s Martin Amis adaptation London Fields and David Gordon Green’s Our Brand Is Crisis get first public screenings in the Special Presentations roster with I Saw The Light.
Tiff top brass also unveiled the Contemporary World Cinema section, featuring...
London is the subject of the seventh annual City To City programme that features world premieres of Tom Geens’ Couple In A Hole starring Paul Higgins and Kate Dickie and Michael Caton-Jones’ Urban Hymn with Letitia Wright and Shirley Henderson. Elaine Constantine’s Northern Soul gets a North American premiere.
The world premiere of Catherine Hardwicke’s Miss You Already is among five additions to the galas alongside Mr. Right, an action comedy starring Sam Rockwell and Anna Kendrick.
Matthew Cullen’s Martin Amis adaptation London Fields and David Gordon Green’s Our Brand Is Crisis get first public screenings in the Special Presentations roster with I Saw The Light.
Tiff top brass also unveiled the Contemporary World Cinema section, featuring...
- 8/18/2015
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Early this morning I left the cinema from one film on the way to another when a friend said why not this instead of that? Since nothing was driving me in my original direction more than curiosity, and my friend's own sparked more than enough for this other possibility, my path was diverted, as can happen so serendipitously at a film festival. And indeed I owe my friend thanks, as what I saw, Thithi, the debut feature by 25-year-old independent Indian director Raam Reddy, is the best new film I've so far seen in Locarno.Its beginning already promised greatness: a crumpled down, cranky old man sits in his village thoroughfare hilariously heckling and insulting every man, woman and child passing him by, each of whom pay him no mind. Walking to the nearest alley to relieve himself, this venerable citizen keels over, sending the story after his elderly son,...
- 8/13/2015
- by Daniel Kasman
- MUBI
Hong Sang-soo's Right Now, Wrong Then.The lineup for the 2015 festival has been revealed, including new films by Hong Sang-soo, Andrzej Zulawski, Chantal Akerman, Athina Rachel Tsangari, and others, alongside retrospectives and tributes dedicated to Sam Peckinpah, Michael Cimino, Bulle Ogier, and much more.Piazza GRANDERicki and the Flash (Jonathan Demme, USA)La belle saison (Catherine Corsini, France)Le dernier passage (Pascal Magontier, France)Der staat gegen Fritz Bauer (Lars Kraume, Germany)Southpaw (Antoine Fuqua, USA)Trainwreck (Judd Apatow, USA)Jack (Elisabeth Scharang, Austria)Floride (Philippe Le Guay, France)The Deer Hunter (Michael Cimino, UK/USA)Erlkönig (Georges Schwizgebel, Switzerland)Guibord s'en va-t-en guerre (Philippe Falardeau, Canada)Bombay Velvet (Anurag Kashyap, India)Pastorale cilentana (Mario Martone, Italy)La vanite (Lionel Baier, Switzerland/France)The Laundryman (Lee Chung, Taiwan)Me and Earl and the Dying Girl (Alfonso Gomez-Rejon, USA) I pugni ni tasca (Marco Bellocchio, Italy)Heliopolis (Sérgio Machado, Brazil)Amnesia (Barbet Schroeder,...
- 7/20/2015
- by Notebook
- MUBI
World premieres for new films by Athina Rachel Tsangari, Hong Sangsoo, Ben Rivers; Southpaw, Trainwreck among Piazza Grande titles.
The 68th Locarno Film Festival (August 5-15) will open with Jonathan Demme’s musical comedy-drama Ricki And The Flash, in which Meryl Streep stars as a musician who tries to make things right with her family after giving up everything to pursue her dream of rock-and-roll stardom.
Written by Diablo Cody, the film gets a Piazza Grande berth alongside Judd Apatow’s Trainwreck, Alfonso Gomez-Rejon’s Me And Earl And The Dying Girl, Catherine Corsini’s La Belle Saison and Antoine Fuqua’s Southpaw.
Also playing is Michael Cimino’s The Deer Hunter. Cimino is being honoured with a Pardo D’onore Swisscom and will be taking part in an onstage conversation.
14 of the 18 films competing in the festival’s International Competition section for the Golden Leopard Award are world premieres including Andrzej Zulawski’s Cosmos, Ben Rivers’ The Sky...
The 68th Locarno Film Festival (August 5-15) will open with Jonathan Demme’s musical comedy-drama Ricki And The Flash, in which Meryl Streep stars as a musician who tries to make things right with her family after giving up everything to pursue her dream of rock-and-roll stardom.
Written by Diablo Cody, the film gets a Piazza Grande berth alongside Judd Apatow’s Trainwreck, Alfonso Gomez-Rejon’s Me And Earl And The Dying Girl, Catherine Corsini’s La Belle Saison and Antoine Fuqua’s Southpaw.
Also playing is Michael Cimino’s The Deer Hunter. Cimino is being honoured with a Pardo D’onore Swisscom and will be taking part in an onstage conversation.
14 of the 18 films competing in the festival’s International Competition section for the Golden Leopard Award are world premieres including Andrzej Zulawski’s Cosmos, Ben Rivers’ The Sky...
- 7/15/2015
- by sarah.cooper@screendaily.com (Sarah Cooper)
- ScreenDaily
Top brass at Miami Dade College’s Miami International Film Festival announced on Tuesday (February 17) the five post-production selections.
Miami Encuentros is in its 12th year and is presented through the festival’s VeoMiami industry programme that runs parallel to the festival, set to run from March 6-15.
The winning project will receive a $10,000 cash prize presented by The John S and James L Knight Foundation.
The five Miami Encuentros 2015 projects are:
The Apostate (El Apóstata) (Spain-France-Uruguay), produced by Guadalupe Balaguer Trelles, Fernando Franco and Federico Veiroj, directed by Federico Veiroj;
Lost North (Sin Norte) (Chile), produced by Luis Cifuentes and Francisca Urrutia, directed by Fernando Lavanderos;
My Friend From The Park (Mi Amiga Del Parque) (Argentina-Uruguay), produced by Nicolás Avruj, Diego Lerman and Ana Katz, directed by Ana Katz;
Strange Days (Dias Extraños) (Argentina-Colombia), produced by Juan Villegas, Rodrigo Moreno and Juan Sebastián Quebrada, directed by Juan Sebastián Quebrada; and
Wounded Man (Te Prometo Anarquía) (Mexico-...
Miami Encuentros is in its 12th year and is presented through the festival’s VeoMiami industry programme that runs parallel to the festival, set to run from March 6-15.
The winning project will receive a $10,000 cash prize presented by The John S and James L Knight Foundation.
The five Miami Encuentros 2015 projects are:
The Apostate (El Apóstata) (Spain-France-Uruguay), produced by Guadalupe Balaguer Trelles, Fernando Franco and Federico Veiroj, directed by Federico Veiroj;
Lost North (Sin Norte) (Chile), produced by Luis Cifuentes and Francisca Urrutia, directed by Fernando Lavanderos;
My Friend From The Park (Mi Amiga Del Parque) (Argentina-Uruguay), produced by Nicolás Avruj, Diego Lerman and Ana Katz, directed by Ana Katz;
Strange Days (Dias Extraños) (Argentina-Colombia), produced by Juan Villegas, Rodrigo Moreno and Juan Sebastián Quebrada, directed by Juan Sebastián Quebrada; and
Wounded Man (Te Prometo Anarquía) (Mexico-...
- 2/17/2015
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Top brass at Miami Dade College’s Miami International Film Festival announced on Tuesday (February 17) the five post-production selections.
Miami Encuentros is in its 12th year and is presented through the festival’s VeoMiami industry programme that runs parallel to the festival, set to run from March 6-15.
The winning project will receive a $10,000 cash prize presented by The John S and James L Knight Foundation.
The five Miami Encuentros 2015 projects are:
The Apostate (El Apóstata) (Spain-France-Uruguay), produced by Guadalupe Balaguer Trelles, Fernando Franco and Federico Veiroj, directed by Federico Veiroj;
Lost North (Sin Norte) (Chile), produced by Luis Cifuentes and Francisca Urrutia, directed by Fernando Lavanderos;
My Friend From The Park (Mi Amiga Del Parque) (Argentina-Uruguay), produced by Nicolás Avruj, Diego Lerman and Ana Katz, directed by Ana Katz;
Strange Days (Dias Extraños) (Argentina-Colombia), produced by Juan Villegas, Rodrigo Moreno and Juan Sebastián Quebrada, directed by Juan Sebastián Quebrada; and
Wounded Man (Te Prometo Anarquía) (Mexico-...
Miami Encuentros is in its 12th year and is presented through the festival’s VeoMiami industry programme that runs parallel to the festival, set to run from March 6-15.
The winning project will receive a $10,000 cash prize presented by The John S and James L Knight Foundation.
The five Miami Encuentros 2015 projects are:
The Apostate (El Apóstata) (Spain-France-Uruguay), produced by Guadalupe Balaguer Trelles, Fernando Franco and Federico Veiroj, directed by Federico Veiroj;
Lost North (Sin Norte) (Chile), produced by Luis Cifuentes and Francisca Urrutia, directed by Fernando Lavanderos;
My Friend From The Park (Mi Amiga Del Parque) (Argentina-Uruguay), produced by Nicolás Avruj, Diego Lerman and Ana Katz, directed by Ana Katz;
Strange Days (Dias Extraños) (Argentina-Colombia), produced by Juan Villegas, Rodrigo Moreno and Juan Sebastián Quebrada, directed by Juan Sebastián Quebrada; and
Wounded Man (Te Prometo Anarquía) (Mexico-...
- 2/17/2015
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
The Berlinale World Cinema Fund has awarded production and distribution funding of €165,000 ($223,000) to eight films.
The jury made their selection from 121 submissions from 43 countries and chose the following features:
Production funding
Los Hongos
Dir: Óscar Ruiz Navia (Colombia). Production: Burning Blue & Contravia Films, Colombia. Feature film.
Funding: €30,000.
Benjamín o el Planetario
Dir: Carlos Machado Quintela (Cuba). Production: Rizoma, Argentina. German partner: M-Appeal. Feature film.
Funding: €35,000.
Ejercicios de la Memoria
Dir: Paz Encina (Paraguay). Production: Autentika Film, Germany. Documentary.
Funding: €35,000.
Te Prometo Anarquía
Dir: Julio Hernández Cordón (Guatemala). Production: Interior 13, Mexico. Feature film.
Funding: €30,000.
In the Last Days of the City
Dir: Tamer El Said (Egypt). Production: Zero Production (Egypt). Documentary.
Funding: €20,000.
Distribution funding
Coming Forth by Day
Dir: Hala Lofty (Egypt). German distributor: Arsenal für Film und Videokunst e.V. Release in Germany: Nov 14, 2013.
Funding: €4,357.50.
Carne de Perro
Dir: Fernando Guzzoni (Chile). German distributor: déjà-vu film Ug. Release in Germany: Jan 23, 2014.
Funding: €5,000.
Workers
Dir: José Luís Valle...
The jury made their selection from 121 submissions from 43 countries and chose the following features:
Production funding
Los Hongos
Dir: Óscar Ruiz Navia (Colombia). Production: Burning Blue & Contravia Films, Colombia. Feature film.
Funding: €30,000.
Benjamín o el Planetario
Dir: Carlos Machado Quintela (Cuba). Production: Rizoma, Argentina. German partner: M-Appeal. Feature film.
Funding: €35,000.
Ejercicios de la Memoria
Dir: Paz Encina (Paraguay). Production: Autentika Film, Germany. Documentary.
Funding: €35,000.
Te Prometo Anarquía
Dir: Julio Hernández Cordón (Guatemala). Production: Interior 13, Mexico. Feature film.
Funding: €30,000.
In the Last Days of the City
Dir: Tamer El Said (Egypt). Production: Zero Production (Egypt). Documentary.
Funding: €20,000.
Distribution funding
Coming Forth by Day
Dir: Hala Lofty (Egypt). German distributor: Arsenal für Film und Videokunst e.V. Release in Germany: Nov 14, 2013.
Funding: €4,357.50.
Carne de Perro
Dir: Fernando Guzzoni (Chile). German distributor: déjà-vu film Ug. Release in Germany: Jan 23, 2014.
Funding: €5,000.
Workers
Dir: José Luís Valle...
- 11/19/2013
- by andreas.wiseman@screendaily.com (Andreas Wiseman)
- ScreenDaily
After being cancelled last year, sadly, for lack of funding, the Latino International Film Festival (Laliff) returns stronger than ever to treat audiences to some of the best cinematic works, of all lengths and genres, created by Latino American filmmakers in their native countries or by Latino creators here in the U.S. This 16th edition of the festival will run from Thursday October 10th to Monday October 14th, and showcases a varied compilation of films from 14 Latin filmmaking countries.
"We are very excited and honored to have this record breaking number of Premieres presented at Laliff," said Marlene Dermer, Co-founder/Executive Director/Programmer of Laliff. "16 years and it keeps getting better because of the films." added co-founder Edward James Olmos.
This year's diverse selection of 62 works includes 28 features, 11 documentaries, and 23 shorts, which represent an eclectic mosaic of styles, subject matters, and experiences. The festival will close with the special presentation of the Mexican box-office smash hit Nosotros los Nobles, directed by Gary Alazraki, followed by an after party sponsored by Cine Latino. The list of films include the Guatemalan feature Polvo by Julio Hernandez or the Argentinian La Paz by Santiago Loza Directorial debuts like Water & Power by Richard Montoya, based off his acclaimed play by the same name, compelling documentaries like Narco Cultura and Gimme the Power, among many others.
For more information, single tickets, and festival passes click Here
This year's Laliff films are as follows (in alphabetical order):
Amor Cronico , Jorge Perugorria, 83 min
Country: Cuba
Premiere: West Coast
A Puerta FRÍA , Xavi Puebla, 80 min
Country: Spain
Premiere: USA
A Truth In Silence , Jonathan Salemi, 4:23 min
Country: USA
Premiere: World
Bordando La Frontera (Embroidering The Border) , Rene Rhi, 27 min
Country: Mexico/ USA
Captive Radio , Lauren Rosenfeld, 23 min
Country: USA/ Colombia
Premiere: Los Angeles
Carne De Perro (Dog's Flesh) , Fernando Guzzoni, 81min
Country: Chile
Premiere: Los Angeles
Catch , David Henrie, 10 min
Country: USA
Premiere: World
Cement Suitcase , Rick Castañeda, 94 min
Country: USA
Close Your Eyes , Sonia Malfa, 14:32 min
Country: USA
Con La Pata Quebrada (Barefoot In The Kitchen) , Diego Galán, 83 min
Country: Spain
Premiere: U.S.
Defectuosos (Defective) , Gabriela Martínez Garza & Jon Fernández López, 8 min
Country: Mexico
Dentro De Uno (Inside Oneself) , Salvador Aguirre, 8 min
Country: Mexico
Desert Road Kill , Michael Carreño, 16:57 min
Country: USA
Detained In The Desert , Iliana Sosa, 80 min
Country: USA
Premiere: World
Dragon Day , Jeffrey Travis, 95 min
Country:usa/Mexico
Premiere: World
Dreamer , Jesse Salmeron, 93 min
Country: USA
El Alcalde (The Mayor) , Emiliano Altuna, 80 min
Country: Mexico
Premiere: Los Angeles
El Cocodrillo , Steve Acevedo, 15 min
Country: USA
El Doctor , Heather de Michele, 11:24 min
Country: USA
El Jazz (Jazz) , Andrés Peralta, 10:30 min
Country: Mexico
Esther En Alguna Parte (Esther Somewhere) , Gerardo Chijona, 95 min
Country: Cuba
Premiere: World
Gimme The Power , Olallo Rubio, 101min
Country: Mexico
Greencard Warriors , Miriam Kruishoop, 91min
Country: USA
Premiere: World
Homebound , Fanny Veliz, 105 min
Country: USA
¡Huelga! (Strike) , Skeets McGrew, 57:32 min
Country: USA
Interstate , Camille Stochitch, 19:56 min
Country: USA
Premiere: World
JARDĺN De Amapolas (Field Of Amapolas) , Juan Carlos Melo Guevara, 86min
Country: Colombia
Premiere: World
Justice For My Sister , Kimberly Bautista, 69 min
Country: USA
Premiere: Los Angeles
Kill The Dictator (El Teniente Amado) , Félix Limardo, 90 min
Country: Dominican Republic
Premiere: West Coast
La Calle Estereo (The Stereo Street) , Santiago León Cuellar, 30min
Country: Colombia
La Paz , Santiago Loza, 73 min
Country: Argentina
Premiere: Los Angeles
La Piscina (The Swimming Pool) , Carlos Machado Quintela, 66 min
Country: Cuba
Premiere: Los Angeles
Las Tardes De Tintico (Tintico's Afternoons) , Alejandro García Caballero, 8:30 min
Country: Mexico
Llegar A Ti (To Reach You) , Alejandro Torres Rezzio, 8 min
Country: USA
Lo Azul Del Cielo , Juan Alfredo Uribe, 112min La
Country: Colombia
Premiere: Los Angeles
Maestra , Catherine Murphy, 33 min
Country: USA/ Cuba
Meu Pais (My Country) , André Ristum, 84min
Country: Brazil
Premiere: Los Angeles
Miradas MÚLTIPLES (La MÁQUINA Loca) / (Multiple Perspectives (The Crazy Machine) , Emilio Maillé, 90 min
Country: France/ Mexico
Muerte De Una Ama De Casa (Death Of A Housewife) , Marisé Samitier, 27 min
Country: Spain
Narco Cultura , Shaul Schwarz, 102 min
Country: USA
Premiere: West Coast
Ni Un Hombre MÁS (Iguana Stew) , Martin Salinas, 83 min
Country: Argentina
Premiere: West Coast
Nosotros Los Nobles (The Noble Family) , Gaz Alazraki, 95 min
Country: Mexico
Premiere: Los Angeles
O Afinador (The Tuner) , Fernando Camargo & Matheus Parizi, 15 min
Country: Brazil
Premiere: Los Angeles
Our Boys , Leonardo Ricagni, 88 min
Country: USA
Premiere: World
Pablo , Richard Goldgewicht, 93 min
Country: USA / Brazil
Premiere: Los Angeles
Phoenix , Stefano Capuzzi Lapietra, 13 min
Country: Brazil
Premiere: West Coast
Polvo (Dust) , Julio Hernández Cordón, 80 min
Country: Guatemala/Spain/Chile/Germany
Premiere: Los Angeles
Ponchao , Josh Crook, 85 min
Country: Dominican Republic
Premiere: World
POTOSÍ , Alfredo Castruita, 120min
Country: Mexico
Premiere: USA
Princesas Rojas (Red Princesses) , Laura Astorga Carrera, 100 min
Country: Costa Ria/ Venezuela/ Nicaragua
Premiere: Los Angeles
Rebel , Maria Agui Carter, 75 min
Country: USA
Premiere: Los Angeles
Sleeping With The Fishes , Nicole Gómez Fisher, 101 min
Country: USA
Stand & Deliver , Ramón Menéndez, 102 min Special Screening - 25Th Anniversary
Tanta Agua , Ana Guevara & Leticia Jorge, 102 min
Country: Urugua/ Mexico/ Netherlands/ Germany
Premiere: West Coast
Tierra De Sangre , James Katz, 106 min
Country: Chile
Premiere: North American
The Graduates (Los Graduados) , Bernardo Ruiz, 60 minYOUTH Program
Country: USA
The Price We Pay , Jesse Garcia, 7:24 min
Country: USA
Premiere: World Premiere
The Shooting Star Salesman , Kico Velarde, 20 min
Country: USA
Water & Power , Richard Montoya, 87 minOpera Prima
Country: USA
We Women Warriors (Tejiendo Sabiduria) , Nicole Karsin, 82 min
Country:usa/Colombia
Your Father's Daughter , Carlos Bernard, 15:20 min
Country: USA
Premiere: World
Zero Hour , Dan Carillo Levy, 7:20 min
Country: USA/Mexico...
"We are very excited and honored to have this record breaking number of Premieres presented at Laliff," said Marlene Dermer, Co-founder/Executive Director/Programmer of Laliff. "16 years and it keeps getting better because of the films." added co-founder Edward James Olmos.
This year's diverse selection of 62 works includes 28 features, 11 documentaries, and 23 shorts, which represent an eclectic mosaic of styles, subject matters, and experiences. The festival will close with the special presentation of the Mexican box-office smash hit Nosotros los Nobles, directed by Gary Alazraki, followed by an after party sponsored by Cine Latino. The list of films include the Guatemalan feature Polvo by Julio Hernandez or the Argentinian La Paz by Santiago Loza Directorial debuts like Water & Power by Richard Montoya, based off his acclaimed play by the same name, compelling documentaries like Narco Cultura and Gimme the Power, among many others.
For more information, single tickets, and festival passes click Here
This year's Laliff films are as follows (in alphabetical order):
Amor Cronico , Jorge Perugorria, 83 min
Country: Cuba
Premiere: West Coast
A Puerta FRÍA , Xavi Puebla, 80 min
Country: Spain
Premiere: USA
A Truth In Silence , Jonathan Salemi, 4:23 min
Country: USA
Premiere: World
Bordando La Frontera (Embroidering The Border) , Rene Rhi, 27 min
Country: Mexico/ USA
Captive Radio , Lauren Rosenfeld, 23 min
Country: USA/ Colombia
Premiere: Los Angeles
Carne De Perro (Dog's Flesh) , Fernando Guzzoni, 81min
Country: Chile
Premiere: Los Angeles
Catch , David Henrie, 10 min
Country: USA
Premiere: World
Cement Suitcase , Rick Castañeda, 94 min
Country: USA
Close Your Eyes , Sonia Malfa, 14:32 min
Country: USA
Con La Pata Quebrada (Barefoot In The Kitchen) , Diego Galán, 83 min
Country: Spain
Premiere: U.S.
Defectuosos (Defective) , Gabriela Martínez Garza & Jon Fernández López, 8 min
Country: Mexico
Dentro De Uno (Inside Oneself) , Salvador Aguirre, 8 min
Country: Mexico
Desert Road Kill , Michael Carreño, 16:57 min
Country: USA
Detained In The Desert , Iliana Sosa, 80 min
Country: USA
Premiere: World
Dragon Day , Jeffrey Travis, 95 min
Country:usa/Mexico
Premiere: World
Dreamer , Jesse Salmeron, 93 min
Country: USA
El Alcalde (The Mayor) , Emiliano Altuna, 80 min
Country: Mexico
Premiere: Los Angeles
El Cocodrillo , Steve Acevedo, 15 min
Country: USA
El Doctor , Heather de Michele, 11:24 min
Country: USA
El Jazz (Jazz) , Andrés Peralta, 10:30 min
Country: Mexico
Esther En Alguna Parte (Esther Somewhere) , Gerardo Chijona, 95 min
Country: Cuba
Premiere: World
Gimme The Power , Olallo Rubio, 101min
Country: Mexico
Greencard Warriors , Miriam Kruishoop, 91min
Country: USA
Premiere: World
Homebound , Fanny Veliz, 105 min
Country: USA
¡Huelga! (Strike) , Skeets McGrew, 57:32 min
Country: USA
Interstate , Camille Stochitch, 19:56 min
Country: USA
Premiere: World
JARDĺN De Amapolas (Field Of Amapolas) , Juan Carlos Melo Guevara, 86min
Country: Colombia
Premiere: World
Justice For My Sister , Kimberly Bautista, 69 min
Country: USA
Premiere: Los Angeles
Kill The Dictator (El Teniente Amado) , Félix Limardo, 90 min
Country: Dominican Republic
Premiere: West Coast
La Calle Estereo (The Stereo Street) , Santiago León Cuellar, 30min
Country: Colombia
La Paz , Santiago Loza, 73 min
Country: Argentina
Premiere: Los Angeles
La Piscina (The Swimming Pool) , Carlos Machado Quintela, 66 min
Country: Cuba
Premiere: Los Angeles
Las Tardes De Tintico (Tintico's Afternoons) , Alejandro García Caballero, 8:30 min
Country: Mexico
Llegar A Ti (To Reach You) , Alejandro Torres Rezzio, 8 min
Country: USA
Lo Azul Del Cielo , Juan Alfredo Uribe, 112min La
Country: Colombia
Premiere: Los Angeles
Maestra , Catherine Murphy, 33 min
Country: USA/ Cuba
Meu Pais (My Country) , André Ristum, 84min
Country: Brazil
Premiere: Los Angeles
Miradas MÚLTIPLES (La MÁQUINA Loca) / (Multiple Perspectives (The Crazy Machine) , Emilio Maillé, 90 min
Country: France/ Mexico
Muerte De Una Ama De Casa (Death Of A Housewife) , Marisé Samitier, 27 min
Country: Spain
Narco Cultura , Shaul Schwarz, 102 min
Country: USA
Premiere: West Coast
Ni Un Hombre MÁS (Iguana Stew) , Martin Salinas, 83 min
Country: Argentina
Premiere: West Coast
Nosotros Los Nobles (The Noble Family) , Gaz Alazraki, 95 min
Country: Mexico
Premiere: Los Angeles
O Afinador (The Tuner) , Fernando Camargo & Matheus Parizi, 15 min
Country: Brazil
Premiere: Los Angeles
Our Boys , Leonardo Ricagni, 88 min
Country: USA
Premiere: World
Pablo , Richard Goldgewicht, 93 min
Country: USA / Brazil
Premiere: Los Angeles
Phoenix , Stefano Capuzzi Lapietra, 13 min
Country: Brazil
Premiere: West Coast
Polvo (Dust) , Julio Hernández Cordón, 80 min
Country: Guatemala/Spain/Chile/Germany
Premiere: Los Angeles
Ponchao , Josh Crook, 85 min
Country: Dominican Republic
Premiere: World
POTOSÍ , Alfredo Castruita, 120min
Country: Mexico
Premiere: USA
Princesas Rojas (Red Princesses) , Laura Astorga Carrera, 100 min
Country: Costa Ria/ Venezuela/ Nicaragua
Premiere: Los Angeles
Rebel , Maria Agui Carter, 75 min
Country: USA
Premiere: Los Angeles
Sleeping With The Fishes , Nicole Gómez Fisher, 101 min
Country: USA
Stand & Deliver , Ramón Menéndez, 102 min Special Screening - 25Th Anniversary
Tanta Agua , Ana Guevara & Leticia Jorge, 102 min
Country: Urugua/ Mexico/ Netherlands/ Germany
Premiere: West Coast
Tierra De Sangre , James Katz, 106 min
Country: Chile
Premiere: North American
The Graduates (Los Graduados) , Bernardo Ruiz, 60 minYOUTH Program
Country: USA
The Price We Pay , Jesse Garcia, 7:24 min
Country: USA
Premiere: World Premiere
The Shooting Star Salesman , Kico Velarde, 20 min
Country: USA
Water & Power , Richard Montoya, 87 minOpera Prima
Country: USA
We Women Warriors (Tejiendo Sabiduria) , Nicole Karsin, 82 min
Country:usa/Colombia
Your Father's Daughter , Carlos Bernard, 15:20 min
Country: USA
Premiere: World
Zero Hour , Dan Carillo Levy, 7:20 min
Country: USA/Mexico...
- 10/10/2013
- by Carlos Aguilar
- Sydney's Buzz
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