Goran Stolevski Isn’t Precious About How People Will Watch His Must-See ‘Housekeeping for Beginners’
Goran Stolevski is the rare rising filmmaker who is three-for-three with his movies “You Won’t Be Alone,” “Of an Age,” and “Housekeeping for Beginners,” all set up at Focus Features. For Venice premiere “Housekeeping for Beginners” (out April 5), a chaotic portrait of a patched-together found family, the Australian director returns to his birthplace, North Macedonia, using a rowdy household as a microcosm for the country’s politically fraught melting pot of Macedonians and Roma people.
For this true cinéma vérité tale — true in the sense that it shot on real locations, without rehearsals, and with many unknown actors — Stolevski had a lucky stroke of dream casting led by “4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days” star Anamaria Marinca, who worked with him on “You Won’t Be Alone.” She plays healthcare worker Dita, living in modern-day North Macedonia in its capital of Skopje with her Roma girlfriend Suada’s (Alina Serban) children and their friends.
For this true cinéma vérité tale — true in the sense that it shot on real locations, without rehearsals, and with many unknown actors — Stolevski had a lucky stroke of dream casting led by “4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days” star Anamaria Marinca, who worked with him on “You Won’t Be Alone.” She plays healthcare worker Dita, living in modern-day North Macedonia in its capital of Skopje with her Roma girlfriend Suada’s (Alina Serban) children and their friends.
- 4/5/2024
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
Palme d’Or winner Cristian Mungiu and his Bucharest-based company Mobra Films will join forces with Poland’s Kijora Films on “Tales of the Golden Age – The Warsaw Pact,” a follow up to his 2009 sketch comedy referencing urban legends from the Ceausescu regime.
Expanding to accommodate stories from different ex-communist Eastern European countries, including Poland, it will be written by Mungiu and directed by Ioana Uricaru. France’s Les Films du Worso is also on board.
“Perhaps the most important function of comedy is to help us confront negative emotions and terrible events, and give us a way to talk about them that makes them less frightening. The most effective comedies are set in tragic situations,” Mungiu and Uricaru said in a statement.
“The stories presented in the script take place at a dark moment in history and talk about very grim issues in that comical and absurd way – one...
Expanding to accommodate stories from different ex-communist Eastern European countries, including Poland, it will be written by Mungiu and directed by Ioana Uricaru. France’s Les Films du Worso is also on board.
“Perhaps the most important function of comedy is to help us confront negative emotions and terrible events, and give us a way to talk about them that makes them less frightening. The most effective comedies are set in tragic situations,” Mungiu and Uricaru said in a statement.
“The stories presented in the script take place at a dark moment in history and talk about very grim issues in that comical and absurd way – one...
- 2/19/2024
- by Marta Balaga
- Variety Film + TV
“Do Not Expect Too Much From the End of the World,” from Romania’s Radu Jude, added to its ever larger silverware collection, winning the top Albar Award at Spain’s Gijón Festival.
Gijón’s big win join not only a Special Jury Prize at August’s Locarno Film Festival, where the film was the most talked about – one of Jude’s aims– and lauded of competition titles among reviewers, plus a Chicago Silver Hugo best performance nod (Ilinca Manolache) in October and a Lisbon Fest Jury Prize late last month.
Over 61 editions, and most especially when José Luis Cienfuegos, now Valladolid chief, took over its reins in 1995, the Gijón-Xijón Film Festival (Ficx) has carved out an identity as highlighting edgier international auteurs and indie fare, moving into promoting often more singular movies from a burgeoning new generation of Spanish filmmakers, greeted with enthusiasm by discerning and predominantly YA audiences...
Gijón’s big win join not only a Special Jury Prize at August’s Locarno Film Festival, where the film was the most talked about – one of Jude’s aims– and lauded of competition titles among reviewers, plus a Chicago Silver Hugo best performance nod (Ilinca Manolache) in October and a Lisbon Fest Jury Prize late last month.
Over 61 editions, and most especially when José Luis Cienfuegos, now Valladolid chief, took over its reins in 1995, the Gijón-Xijón Film Festival (Ficx) has carved out an identity as highlighting edgier international auteurs and indie fare, moving into promoting often more singular movies from a burgeoning new generation of Spanish filmmakers, greeted with enthusiasm by discerning and predominantly YA audiences...
- 11/27/2023
- by Pablo Sandoval
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Female and non-binary filmmaker-focused international training initiative Circle has kicked off its inaugural Circle Fiction Orbit initiative at a meeting in Montenegro and unveiled the participants.
The new program extends Circle’s activities beyond its founding Woman Doc Accelerator program, which has supported some 50 non-fiction projects since its launch five years ago.
Employing the same methodology as the Doc Accelerator, the inaugural fiction initiative is supporting five fiction projects in development.
They include Greenlandic birthday party-set drama Kaffemi, from director Pipaluk Jørgensen, whose short film Ivalu was Oscar nominated this year, and screenwriter-actress Nukâka Coster Waldau.
Italian director Irene Dionisio participates with Idda about two childhood friends who reconnect as they scale the perilous slopes of Mount Etna. Dionisio previously made waves with Pawn Streets which played in Venice Critics’ Week.
Finnish director Laura Hyppönen and producer Merja Ritola (Greenlit Productions) are attending with Lex Julia, exploring the dynamics...
The new program extends Circle’s activities beyond its founding Woman Doc Accelerator program, which has supported some 50 non-fiction projects since its launch five years ago.
Employing the same methodology as the Doc Accelerator, the inaugural fiction initiative is supporting five fiction projects in development.
They include Greenlandic birthday party-set drama Kaffemi, from director Pipaluk Jørgensen, whose short film Ivalu was Oscar nominated this year, and screenwriter-actress Nukâka Coster Waldau.
Italian director Irene Dionisio participates with Idda about two childhood friends who reconnect as they scale the perilous slopes of Mount Etna. Dionisio previously made waves with Pawn Streets which played in Venice Critics’ Week.
Finnish director Laura Hyppönen and producer Merja Ritola (Greenlit Productions) are attending with Lex Julia, exploring the dynamics...
- 11/22/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Unorthodox family structures yield correspondingly unpredictable drama in “Housekeeping for Beginners,” a vital, febrile multi-character study that further confirms writer-director Goran Stolevski as a talent to be reckoned with. Departing radically from the poise of his folk-horror debut “You Won’t Be Alone” and the gentle intimacy of its swift follow-up “Of an Age,” this study of domestic, romantic and generational conflicts in a crowded queer household instead embraces a spirit of antic chaos, both in subject matter and jagged, hit-the-ground-running execution. Selected as North Macedonia’s international Oscar submission shortly after its premiere in Venice’s Horizons strand, the film has already been picked up by Focus Features for its Stateside release, which speaks to the crossover appeal of its offbeat but energizing storytelling.
Following the Melbourne-set “Of an Age,” “Housekeeping for Beginners” sees the Macedonian-born, Australia-based Stolevski returning to the motherland — not the historical back country of “You Won’t Be Alone,...
Following the Melbourne-set “Of an Age,” “Housekeeping for Beginners” sees the Macedonian-born, Australia-based Stolevski returning to the motherland — not the historical back country of “You Won’t Be Alone,...
- 9/14/2023
- by Guy Lodge
- Variety Film + TV
When “Avatar 2: Way of the Water” surged to the top of the Romanian box office earlier this year to become the highest-grossing film of all time, it marked an auspicious sign for a theatrical business still looking to recover from the doldrums of the coronavirus pandemic.
Yet local industry-watchers were even more encouraged to see a historic first in 2022, with two Romanian films cracking the top 10 at the year-end box office — a striking achievement for an industry that hasn’t historically been known for cranking out crowd-pleasing hits.
Topping the list was “Teambuilding,” a satirical workplace comedy from directors Matei Dima, Alex Coteț and Cosmin Nedelcu, which briefly reigned as the top-grossing film ever in Romania before being knocked from its perch by James Cameron’s blockbuster, which has raked in more than $8.3 million to date.
Meanwhile, first-time filmmaker Cristian Ilișuan’s “Mirciulică,” a comedy about a 30-year-old forced...
Yet local industry-watchers were even more encouraged to see a historic first in 2022, with two Romanian films cracking the top 10 at the year-end box office — a striking achievement for an industry that hasn’t historically been known for cranking out crowd-pleasing hits.
Topping the list was “Teambuilding,” a satirical workplace comedy from directors Matei Dima, Alex Coteț and Cosmin Nedelcu, which briefly reigned as the top-grossing film ever in Romania before being knocked from its perch by James Cameron’s blockbuster, which has raked in more than $8.3 million to date.
Meanwhile, first-time filmmaker Cristian Ilișuan’s “Mirciulică,” a comedy about a 30-year-old forced...
- 6/13/2023
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
A new Cristian Mungiu film is always cause for celebration. “R.M.N.,” his first film since 2016’s “Graduation” won Best Director at Cannes, once again immerses us in the casual brutalities of Eastern Europe.
Here, the Romanian “4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days” filmmaker turns his camera back on Transylvania, here an ethnic melting pot of a Transylvanian village to which Matthias (Marin Grigore) returns from Germany looking for work and to possibly reconnect with his ex, Csilla (Judith State). Csilla, meanwhile, is met by town-wide derision after hiring three Sri Lankan men to work at the bread factory she’s second-in-command of, setting off a tripwire of prejudices throughout the village.
“Xenophobia is everywhere, but this was interesting because it was in a community of people living as a small minority in the middle of a majority, having a different language, traditions, culture and religions, and normally you would...
Here, the Romanian “4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days” filmmaker turns his camera back on Transylvania, here an ethnic melting pot of a Transylvanian village to which Matthias (Marin Grigore) returns from Germany looking for work and to possibly reconnect with his ex, Csilla (Judith State). Csilla, meanwhile, is met by town-wide derision after hiring three Sri Lankan men to work at the bread factory she’s second-in-command of, setting off a tripwire of prejudices throughout the village.
“Xenophobia is everywhere, but this was interesting because it was in a community of people living as a small minority in the middle of a majority, having a different language, traditions, culture and religions, and normally you would...
- 4/28/2023
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
Last fall, five days before Italy announced its official Oscar submission, filmmakers Felix van Groeningen and Charlotte Vandermeersch were nervous. The Belgian couple, who co-directed the intimate Cannes winner “The Eight Mountains” in the Italian Alps and learned the language for the project, hoped that their commitment was enough to convince the committee tasked with selecting the submission that it fulfilled their requirements.
“We want to make the Italians proud of this film, so we pray that they will feel proud enough to send it,” Vandermeersch told IndieWire at the time. “If our nationality diminishes that pride or that sense of ownership, we can’t help that, but we do think that it’s less and less important in the world of today.”
The following week, the country snubbed “The Eight Mountains” in favor of another Cannes selection, Italian director Mario Matone’s crime drama “Nostalgia;” one month later, it...
“We want to make the Italians proud of this film, so we pray that they will feel proud enough to send it,” Vandermeersch told IndieWire at the time. “If our nationality diminishes that pride or that sense of ownership, we can’t help that, but we do think that it’s less and less important in the world of today.”
The following week, the country snubbed “The Eight Mountains” in favor of another Cannes selection, Italian director Mario Matone’s crime drama “Nostalgia;” one month later, it...
- 4/26/2023
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
Xenophobia is a contagion in Cristian Mungiu’s tense and often mind-blowing “R.M.N.,” the Cannes-anointed Romanian filmmaker’s latest social thriller. His first film in the eight years since “Graduation,” “R.M.N.” premiered on the Croisette in competition last year but finally makes its way to U.S. theaters via IFC Films on April 28. Watch the trailer below.
“R.M.N.” takes us back to “Beyond the Hills” territory in immersing us in the casual brutalities of a remote corner of Eastern Europe, here an ethnic melting pot of a Transylvanian village to which Matthias (Marin Grigore) returns from Germany looking for work and to possibly reconnect with his ex, Csilla. Played by Judith State, she’s the second in command at the town’s local bread factory, which is already struggling to feed mouths that outnumber the supply. When she’s not toiling by day, by night she’s downing wine in...
“R.M.N.” takes us back to “Beyond the Hills” territory in immersing us in the casual brutalities of a remote corner of Eastern Europe, here an ethnic melting pot of a Transylvanian village to which Matthias (Marin Grigore) returns from Germany looking for work and to possibly reconnect with his ex, Csilla. Played by Judith State, she’s the second in command at the town’s local bread factory, which is already struggling to feed mouths that outnumber the supply. When she’s not toiling by day, by night she’s downing wine in...
- 3/22/2023
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
Cristian Mungiu likes to take his time.
In terms of his craft, the Romanian filmmaker behind the Palme d’Or-winning “4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days” opts for long, unbroken takes, building out tension as his camera stubbornly refuses to cut away. In terms of his career, he works at a measured clip, delivering a new project on average every five years.
And in terms of his latest effort, the dense and foreboding “R.M.N.,” which premiered in competition at the Cannes Film Festival on Saturday, that means putting his pieces on the board at an unhurried pace, weaving a tapestry that takes nearly half a runtime to reveal the full intricacy and artistry of its construction.
Also Read:
Cristian Mungiu’s ‘R.M.N.’ Acquired by IFC Films Ahead of Cannes Premiere
At first we struggle with the pieces of this puzzle: Who is this man in...
In terms of his craft, the Romanian filmmaker behind the Palme d’Or-winning “4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days” opts for long, unbroken takes, building out tension as his camera stubbornly refuses to cut away. In terms of his career, he works at a measured clip, delivering a new project on average every five years.
And in terms of his latest effort, the dense and foreboding “R.M.N.,” which premiered in competition at the Cannes Film Festival on Saturday, that means putting his pieces on the board at an unhurried pace, weaving a tapestry that takes nearly half a runtime to reveal the full intricacy and artistry of its construction.
Also Read:
Cristian Mungiu’s ‘R.M.N.’ Acquired by IFC Films Ahead of Cannes Premiere
At first we struggle with the pieces of this puzzle: Who is this man in...
- 5/22/2022
- by Ben Croll
- The Wrap
IFC Films has acquired the North American rights to “R.M.N.,” the latest film from Romanian auteur Cristian Mungiu ahead of its Cannes debut.
Mungiu is the director of the sensational Palme D’Or winner “4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days,” and “R.M.N.” now marks the fifth collaboration between Mungiu and IFC Films. IFC plans to release “R.M.N.” in theaters later this year.
“R.M.N.” is playing in the main competition at Cannes and stars Marin Grigore and Judith State.
A few days before Christmas, having quit his job in Germany, Matthias (Grigore) returns to his multi-ethnic Transylvanian village. He wishes to involve himself more in the education of his son, Rudi, left for too long in the care of his mother, Ana, and to rid the boy of the unresolved fears that have taken hold of him. He’s preoccupied with his old father,...
Mungiu is the director of the sensational Palme D’Or winner “4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days,” and “R.M.N.” now marks the fifth collaboration between Mungiu and IFC Films. IFC plans to release “R.M.N.” in theaters later this year.
“R.M.N.” is playing in the main competition at Cannes and stars Marin Grigore and Judith State.
A few days before Christmas, having quit his job in Germany, Matthias (Grigore) returns to his multi-ethnic Transylvanian village. He wishes to involve himself more in the education of his son, Rudi, left for too long in the care of his mother, Ana, and to rid the boy of the unresolved fears that have taken hold of him. He’s preoccupied with his old father,...
- 5/17/2022
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
IFC Films has acquired North American rights to “R.M.N.,” the new film from acclaimed writer, director and producer Cristian Mungiu, ahead of its world premiere in Cannes this week.
It’s a grand reunion for the indie studio and the director, marking their fifth distribution collaboration. IFC Films will release “R.M.N.” theatrically in 2022. It may have been a wise preemptive buy. The director’s films tend to get an award-winning reception in the South of France. Mungiu previously won the Palme d’Or in 2007 for “4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days,” a drama about abortion that was set in waning days of the Nicolae Ceaușescu era in Romania.
Here’s the official description of “R.M.N.”: “A few days before Christmas, having quit his job in Germany, Matthias (Marin Grigore) returns to his multi-ethnic Transylvanian village. He wishes to involve himself more in the education of his son,...
It’s a grand reunion for the indie studio and the director, marking their fifth distribution collaboration. IFC Films will release “R.M.N.” theatrically in 2022. It may have been a wise preemptive buy. The director’s films tend to get an award-winning reception in the South of France. Mungiu previously won the Palme d’Or in 2007 for “4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days,” a drama about abortion that was set in waning days of the Nicolae Ceaușescu era in Romania.
Here’s the official description of “R.M.N.”: “A few days before Christmas, having quit his job in Germany, Matthias (Marin Grigore) returns to his multi-ethnic Transylvanian village. He wishes to involve himself more in the education of his son,...
- 5/17/2022
- by Brent Lang
- Variety Film + TV
This review of “You Won’t Be Alone” was first published on Jan. 22 after its premiere at Sundance.
The dismal arthouse horror-drama “You Won’t Be Alone” will surely test the patience of viewers who expect a straightforward, character-driven, or even generic period chiller. Set in 19th century Macedonia, writer-director Goran Stolevski’s debut feature presents a disorienting narrative about Nevena (mostly played by Noomi Rapace), a shape-shifting teenage witch who’s kidnapped and then haunted by the malicious “wolf-eateress” conjurer Maria.
The movie’s heavy-handed and often distracting impressionistic style — lots of too-tight extreme close-ups, wobbly hand-held camerawork, whispery stream-of-conscious voiceover narration, and over-edited montages — will understandably frustrate some viewers and draw comparisons to recent dramas directed by Terrence Malick as well as Robert Eggers’ “elevated horror” movies “The Witch” and “The Lighthouse.”
Stolevski’s pretentious and mindlessly alienating style also smothers his ensemble cast’s performances and his crew’s diligent contributions,...
The dismal arthouse horror-drama “You Won’t Be Alone” will surely test the patience of viewers who expect a straightforward, character-driven, or even generic period chiller. Set in 19th century Macedonia, writer-director Goran Stolevski’s debut feature presents a disorienting narrative about Nevena (mostly played by Noomi Rapace), a shape-shifting teenage witch who’s kidnapped and then haunted by the malicious “wolf-eateress” conjurer Maria.
The movie’s heavy-handed and often distracting impressionistic style — lots of too-tight extreme close-ups, wobbly hand-held camerawork, whispery stream-of-conscious voiceover narration, and over-edited montages — will understandably frustrate some viewers and draw comparisons to recent dramas directed by Terrence Malick as well as Robert Eggers’ “elevated horror” movies “The Witch” and “The Lighthouse.”
Stolevski’s pretentious and mindlessly alienating style also smothers his ensemble cast’s performances and his crew’s diligent contributions,...
- 4/1/2022
- by Simon Abrams
- The Wrap
Since winning the prestigious Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival just over a month ago, French-Lebanese filmmaker Audrey Diwan has emerged as one of the most exciting and relevant new voices of contemporary world cinema with her sophomore outing, “Happening.”
Working with a tight budget, a fairly unknown lead actress (Anamaria Vartolomei) and a polarizing topic, Diwan was able to deliver a nuanced and relatable portrayal of Anne, a bright young female student determined to rise above her social upbringing who faces an unwanted pregnancy in 1960’s France — at a time when abortion was considered a crime.
“Happening,” based on Annie Emaux’s semi-autobiographical novel, is now one of the three movies pre-selected by France’s Oscar committee to vie for an international feature film nomination, along with Julia Ducournau’s Cannes’ Palme d’Or winning “Titane” and Cedric Jimenez’s “Bac Nord” (co-written by Diwan). In any other year,...
Working with a tight budget, a fairly unknown lead actress (Anamaria Vartolomei) and a polarizing topic, Diwan was able to deliver a nuanced and relatable portrayal of Anne, a bright young female student determined to rise above her social upbringing who faces an unwanted pregnancy in 1960’s France — at a time when abortion was considered a crime.
“Happening,” based on Annie Emaux’s semi-autobiographical novel, is now one of the three movies pre-selected by France’s Oscar committee to vie for an international feature film nomination, along with Julia Ducournau’s Cannes’ Palme d’Or winning “Titane” and Cedric Jimenez’s “Bac Nord” (co-written by Diwan). In any other year,...
- 10/10/2021
- by Elsa Keslassy and Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
On a strong night for female filmmakers and Netflix releases, the Venice Film Festival has come to a close with a curveball, as breakout French director Audrey Diwan’s powerful abortion drama “Happening” beat big-name competition to the Golden Lion for best film. Diwan received the award from a jury presided over by Oscar-winning filmmaker Bong Joon-ho.
Also on the jury, significantly, was last year’s Golden Lion champ, “Nomadland” director Chloé Zhao. Diwan is only the sixth woman ever to take the festival’s top award; never before has the prize gone to female directors two years in a row. Coming on the heels of her compatriot Julia Ducournau’s groundbreaking Palme d’Or win at Cannes for “Titane,” Diwan’s triumph further points to an exciting new generation of female auteurs seizing the spotlight.
Among the films Diwan’s film beat to the punch were Netflix’s three big hopefuls from the competition,...
Also on the jury, significantly, was last year’s Golden Lion champ, “Nomadland” director Chloé Zhao. Diwan is only the sixth woman ever to take the festival’s top award; never before has the prize gone to female directors two years in a row. Coming on the heels of her compatriot Julia Ducournau’s groundbreaking Palme d’Or win at Cannes for “Titane,” Diwan’s triumph further points to an exciting new generation of female auteurs seizing the spotlight.
Among the films Diwan’s film beat to the punch were Netflix’s three big hopefuls from the competition,...
- 9/11/2021
- by Guy Lodge
- Variety Film + TV
The white-hot moment of the Romanian new-wave film renaissance is long in the past. “The Death of Mr. Lazarescu” came out in 2005, “4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days” in 2007. Other landmarks of Romanian cinema also now go back quite a ways, like “Police, Adjective” (2009), “If I Want to Whistle, I Whistle” (2010), and “Graduation” (2016). That’s not to say there haven’t been good Romanian films of late — earlier this year, I championed Two Lottery Tickets, a kind of droll Romanian Jim Jarmusch film. The bitter truth, though, is that over the last decade the profile of international impact and acclaim that Romanian cinema once held has radically diminished.
It might jump-start again with the appearance of “Miracle,” one of the best films I’ve seen at the Venice Film Festival. It’s the third feature written and directed by Bogdan George Apetri, and it shares many of the classic qualities of Romanian cinema.
It might jump-start again with the appearance of “Miracle,” one of the best films I’ve seen at the Venice Film Festival. It’s the third feature written and directed by Bogdan George Apetri, and it shares many of the classic qualities of Romanian cinema.
- 9/6/2021
- by Owen Gleiberman
- Variety Film + TV
Omar El Zohairy’s comedy-drama “Feathers” has won the Nespresso Grand Prize at Critics’ Week, the Cannes Film Festival’s strand dedicated to first and second films.
Set in contemporary Egypt, “Feathers” follows the journey of a woman with three children whose idealist husband is turned into a chicken by a magician in a magic-trick gone awry. El Zohairy used over 30 real chickens in the production with the assistance of an animal trainer. It was produced by Still Moving (France), and co-produced by Film Clinic (Egypt), Lagoonie Film Production (Egypt), Kepler Film (The Netherlands) and Heretic (Greece).
Meanwhile, the Louis Roederer Foundation Rising Star Award went to Sandra Melissa Torres for her performance in Simón Mesa Soto’s “Amparo,” about a working-class mother desperately attempting to save her son from military conscription in Colombia.
The Grand Prize and Rising Star awards were given by the jury which was presided over...
Set in contemporary Egypt, “Feathers” follows the journey of a woman with three children whose idealist husband is turned into a chicken by a magician in a magic-trick gone awry. El Zohairy used over 30 real chickens in the production with the assistance of an animal trainer. It was produced by Still Moving (France), and co-produced by Film Clinic (Egypt), Lagoonie Film Production (Egypt), Kepler Film (The Netherlands) and Heretic (Greece).
Meanwhile, the Louis Roederer Foundation Rising Star Award went to Sandra Melissa Torres for her performance in Simón Mesa Soto’s “Amparo,” about a working-class mother desperately attempting to save her son from military conscription in Colombia.
The Grand Prize and Rising Star awards were given by the jury which was presided over...
- 7/14/2021
- by K.J. Yossman
- Variety Film + TV
“We are all brothers in Islam. Anyone with a problem can come to talk.” With these words, a local imam offers supposed comfort and counsel to troubled single mother Amina (Achouackh Abakar Souleymane), not considering that addressing her as his “brother” might not be the most welcoming invitation. Least of all for the problem Amina is nursing: Her 15-year-old daughter, Maria (Rihane Khalil Alio), is pregnant, and has no desire to bear the child. When, later on, a kindly midwife declares that Amina is “like my sister now,” that simple term of address is like a fresh supply of oxygen. In “Lingui,” a brief, quietly forceful new film from veteran Chadian director Mahamat-Saleh Haroun, Amina and Maria are faced with a man’s world at every turn; how they carve a woman’s one out of it makes for startling viewing.
For Haroun, “Lingui” is a bracing return to form...
For Haroun, “Lingui” is a bracing return to form...
- 7/8/2021
- by Guy Lodge
- Variety Film + TV
Palme d’Or-winning filmmaker Jacques Audiard and rising director Léa Mysius reminisce about presenting their respective debut features, “See How They Fall” and “Ava,” at Cannes’ Critics’ Week in an exclusive video celebrating the 60th anniversary of the sidebar.
Under the helm of Charles Tesson since 2011, Critics’ Week, which is dedicated to first and second films, has showcased more dozens of emerging filmmakers over the years. Some of them will have their latest movies unspool in competition at the festival. These include Audiard with “Paris, 13th District” which was co-written with Mysius and Celine Sciamma, as well as Julia Ducournau (“Raw”) with “Titane,” and Nadav Lapid (“The Kindergarten Teacher”) with “Ahed’s Knee.”
Audiard and Mysius are two of the 60 talents and artists who have shared testimonies about Critics’ Week brought to their lives and careers through videos and letters. Critics’ Week is unveiling these tributes throughout the month of June.
Under the helm of Charles Tesson since 2011, Critics’ Week, which is dedicated to first and second films, has showcased more dozens of emerging filmmakers over the years. Some of them will have their latest movies unspool in competition at the festival. These include Audiard with “Paris, 13th District” which was co-written with Mysius and Celine Sciamma, as well as Julia Ducournau (“Raw”) with “Titane,” and Nadav Lapid (“The Kindergarten Teacher”) with “Ahed’s Knee.”
Audiard and Mysius are two of the 60 talents and artists who have shared testimonies about Critics’ Week brought to their lives and careers through videos and letters. Critics’ Week is unveiling these tributes throughout the month of June.
- 6/18/2021
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
The Cannes Film Festival’s parallel Critics’ Week section is celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2021 with a lineup that is heavy on French talent and nonexistent when it comes to U.S. filmmakers. This year’s Critics’ Week selection includes 13 world premieres, seven of them in competition. As always, Critics’ Week is made of up first and-second time directorial efforts. The selection committee says it received 1,620 short films and watched 1,000 features in 2021. The lineup was selected by Critics’ Week artistic director Charles Tesson and his committee. Each section of the Critics’ Week lineup is made up of about 30 percent of films directed by women.
“The competition is very international and showcases films with many different styles and topics,” Tesson said in a statement (via Variety). “Many films tackle relationships, friendships, family bonds — especially mothers with their children, loved ones we lost, or fighting to get back into our lives.”
Critics...
“The competition is very international and showcases films with many different styles and topics,” Tesson said in a statement (via Variety). “Many films tackle relationships, friendships, family bonds — especially mothers with their children, loved ones we lost, or fighting to get back into our lives.”
Critics...
- 6/7/2021
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
A version of this story about “Collective” first appeared in the Down to the Wire issue of TheWrap’s awards magazine.
The Oscar category of Best Documentary was once a reliable safe haven for homegrown American films, but in recent years it has gone international. Since 2015, there have been at least one, and often two, non-English-language titles among the nominees. Films like Italy’s “Fire at Sea,” France’s “Faces Places,” and Brazil’s “The Edge of Democracy” have told stories not with an outsider’s eye, but from within the counties and cultures in which they take place.
But no film had ever been nominated for Best Documentary and Best International Feature Film (formerly known as Best Foreign Language Film) until North Macedonia’s “Honeyland” turned that trick last year. This year the doubleheader occurred again with Alexander Nanau’s “Collective,” an accomplishment that was even more notable considering...
The Oscar category of Best Documentary was once a reliable safe haven for homegrown American films, but in recent years it has gone international. Since 2015, there have been at least one, and often two, non-English-language titles among the nominees. Films like Italy’s “Fire at Sea,” France’s “Faces Places,” and Brazil’s “The Edge of Democracy” have told stories not with an outsider’s eye, but from within the counties and cultures in which they take place.
But no film had ever been nominated for Best Documentary and Best International Feature Film (formerly known as Best Foreign Language Film) until North Macedonia’s “Honeyland” turned that trick last year. This year the doubleheader occurred again with Alexander Nanau’s “Collective,” an accomplishment that was even more notable considering...
- 4/16/2021
- by Joe McGovern
- The Wrap
Alexander Nanau’s sobering film “Collective” is only the second movie ever nominated for Oscars in both the Best Documentary Feature and Best International Feature Film categories, but that’s not the film’s biggest Oscar landmark. Instead, “Collective” made history because it’s the first Romanian film ever nominated in the international category.
Just don’t expect Nanau to be bursting with nationalistic pride over being the guy to bring an Oscar nom to his home country. “I don’t really have these patriotic feelings,” he told TheWrap on Monday. “We live in an international community, and I think stories have to travel. The pride is more that this story is so crucial for Romanian society, and it was a turning point that changes the perception of investigative journalism and the courage of singular whistleblowers who can really change society.
“That’s something we really need now, when so...
Just don’t expect Nanau to be bursting with nationalistic pride over being the guy to bring an Oscar nom to his home country. “I don’t really have these patriotic feelings,” he told TheWrap on Monday. “We live in an international community, and I think stories have to travel. The pride is more that this story is so crucial for Romanian society, and it was a turning point that changes the perception of investigative journalism and the courage of singular whistleblowers who can really change society.
“That’s something we really need now, when so...
- 3/16/2021
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
Pascual Sisto completed his cut of “John and the Hole” for the Cannes deadline in the spring, and after submitting it, he took some time off. “And, of course, that time off became a pandemic,” Sisto says.
Though Cannes was canceled, the festival announced its lineup anyway, and “John and the Hole” made the cut. “It’s unbelievable how much support they have just by picking some films without even having a festival,” he says.
“John and the Hole” eventually premiered at Sundance. It’s a collaboration between Sisto and Nicolás Giacobone, the Oscar-winning “Birdman” screenwriter whom Sisto met in the late ’90s.
Sisto, who is from Spain, moved to the United States in 1995 to attend Pasadena’s ArtCenter College of Design as a film student. After graduating, he tried to launch a film career in Los Angeles, but soon began “working on my own sort of visual experiments,” and...
Though Cannes was canceled, the festival announced its lineup anyway, and “John and the Hole” made the cut. “It’s unbelievable how much support they have just by picking some films without even having a festival,” he says.
“John and the Hole” eventually premiered at Sundance. It’s a collaboration between Sisto and Nicolás Giacobone, the Oscar-winning “Birdman” screenwriter whom Sisto met in the late ’90s.
Sisto, who is from Spain, moved to the United States in 1995 to attend Pasadena’s ArtCenter College of Design as a film student. After graduating, he tried to launch a film career in Los Angeles, but soon began “working on my own sort of visual experiments,” and...
- 2/25/2021
- by Kate Aurthur
- Variety Film + TV
The last time the Oscars let its general voters determine the entire shortlist in the Best International Feature Film category, it was 2007 and so many quality films were snubbed that the Academy changed the rules in what was then called Best Foreign Language Film.
But this year, with the shortlist expanded to 15 entries and entrusted to the general body of voters for the first time since then, the usual suspects all made it to the shortlist and the outcry over what didn’t make the cut is likely to be muted though not entirely absent.
Denmark’s “Another Round,” Romania’s “Collective,” Mexico’s “I’m No Longer Here,” the Ivory Coast’s “Night of the Kings” and Taiwan’s “A Sun” were among the critical favorites from the record 93 films that qualified in the category, along with crowd-pleasing films like Chile’s “The Mole Agent,” the Czech Republic’s “Charlatan...
But this year, with the shortlist expanded to 15 entries and entrusted to the general body of voters for the first time since then, the usual suspects all made it to the shortlist and the outcry over what didn’t make the cut is likely to be muted though not entirely absent.
Denmark’s “Another Round,” Romania’s “Collective,” Mexico’s “I’m No Longer Here,” the Ivory Coast’s “Night of the Kings” and Taiwan’s “A Sun” were among the critical favorites from the record 93 films that qualified in the category, along with crowd-pleasing films like Chile’s “The Mole Agent,” the Czech Republic’s “Charlatan...
- 2/9/2021
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
The Oscars have made some adjustments for the best international feature category.
The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic has provided many challenges, both in viewing the films up for awards and voting. To ensure that the process’ integrity remains intact, the international feature film preliminary committee will vote via a secret ballot that will produce a shortlist of 15 films from different countries, up from the previous 10. In previous years, the preliminary voting would occur in person. This year, the process would need to be conducted in a virtual setting, which brought forth security concerns. As a result, the International Executive Committee will not meet to augment the voting with additional selections. The Board approved this change of Governors at a recent meeting.
Since 2008, the international feature branch’s voting system would occur in Los Angeles with representatives from PricewaterhouseCoopers revealing the films that received the most votes in a closed-door meeting to the International Executive Committee.
The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic has provided many challenges, both in viewing the films up for awards and voting. To ensure that the process’ integrity remains intact, the international feature film preliminary committee will vote via a secret ballot that will produce a shortlist of 15 films from different countries, up from the previous 10. In previous years, the preliminary voting would occur in person. This year, the process would need to be conducted in a virtual setting, which brought forth security concerns. As a result, the International Executive Committee will not meet to augment the voting with additional selections. The Board approved this change of Governors at a recent meeting.
Since 2008, the international feature branch’s voting system would occur in Los Angeles with representatives from PricewaterhouseCoopers revealing the films that received the most votes in a closed-door meeting to the International Executive Committee.
- 1/15/2021
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
“The Bike Thief,” “Hello Again – a Wedding a Day” and “Karnawal” are among the hottest titles on Beta Cinema’s sales slate for the virtual version of the American Film Market, which starts Monday.
The Munich-based sales company will give Matt Chambers’ “The Bike Thief” its market premiere at AFM, following its world premiere this week in competition at the Tokyo Film Festival. Beta recently showed the film to select British buyers in a private screening in London and is now negotiating the U.K./Ireland deal.
The movie, starring Alec Secareanu (“God’s Own Country”) and Anamaria Marinca, explores the question of how far a father would go in present-day London to support his family when his only means to provide, his bike, is stolen.
“Hello Again – a Wedding a Day,” another completed title, is attracting strong interest too, Beta Cinema tells Variety. Hot on the heels of its appearance at Rome’s Mia market,...
The Munich-based sales company will give Matt Chambers’ “The Bike Thief” its market premiere at AFM, following its world premiere this week in competition at the Tokyo Film Festival. Beta recently showed the film to select British buyers in a private screening in London and is now negotiating the U.K./Ireland deal.
The movie, starring Alec Secareanu (“God’s Own Country”) and Anamaria Marinca, explores the question of how far a father would go in present-day London to support his family when his only means to provide, his bike, is stolen.
“Hello Again – a Wedding a Day,” another completed title, is attracting strong interest too, Beta Cinema tells Variety. Hot on the heels of its appearance at Rome’s Mia market,...
- 11/6/2020
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
In an effort to help independently-owned movie theaters recover from the coronavirus pandemic, IFC Films announced on Tuesday that it will offer over 200 of its films to those theaters without any rental fees. This will help give those theaters some classic films to screen when they reopen while they wait for new films to be released.
“Independent theaters across the country have been essential partners for us at IFC Films, and we would not be where we are today without their support,” the distributor announced in a statement. “We wanted to take the first step and let theaters know that we are committed to helping them reopen their doors by providing a selection of films to program while the new release landscape gets back to normal.”
Dubbed “The Indie Revival Project,” the program will offer selections from IFC’s catalog in various curated packs, including a “Yes We Cannes!” program...
“Independent theaters across the country have been essential partners for us at IFC Films, and we would not be where we are today without their support,” the distributor announced in a statement. “We wanted to take the first step and let theaters know that we are committed to helping them reopen their doors by providing a selection of films to program while the new release landscape gets back to normal.”
Dubbed “The Indie Revival Project,” the program will offer selections from IFC’s catalog in various curated packs, including a “Yes We Cannes!” program...
- 4/21/2020
- by Jeremy Fuster
- The Wrap
IFC Films is offering embattled indie theaters hundreds of films from its library to screen when they re-open from their mass Covid-19 related shutdown.
The movies, which include such IFC classics as “Y Tu Mama Tambien” and “Boyhood,” will be made available to cinemas without any rental fees. The retrospective program boasts roughly 200 films. Theaters will not be charged any film rental.
“We are honoring the partnership we’ve had with theaters over the last 20 years and we’re sending them a message of solidarity and gratefulness,” said Lisa Schwartz, co-president of IFC Films. “They’ve been with us since beginning and when they come back, we want to be there with them.”
The indie studio is currently celebrating its 20th anniversary and had been putting together programming to honor the occasion. After coronavirus closed most theaters in March, IFC began to rethink its plans.
“This was a positive way...
The movies, which include such IFC classics as “Y Tu Mama Tambien” and “Boyhood,” will be made available to cinemas without any rental fees. The retrospective program boasts roughly 200 films. Theaters will not be charged any film rental.
“We are honoring the partnership we’ve had with theaters over the last 20 years and we’re sending them a message of solidarity and gratefulness,” said Lisa Schwartz, co-president of IFC Films. “They’ve been with us since beginning and when they come back, we want to be there with them.”
The indie studio is currently celebrating its 20th anniversary and had been putting together programming to honor the occasion. After coronavirus closed most theaters in March, IFC began to rethink its plans.
“This was a positive way...
- 4/21/2020
- by Brent Lang
- Variety Film + TV
Over the span of just a couple weeks, more than 300 new movies are launched into the world via the Venice, Telluride and Toronto film festivals — a trio of events that collectively kick off award season and tease what moviegoers can expect to discover in theaters over the year ahead. To help make sense of all those new offerings, Variety sends a dozen critics to the three events, sifting through the overwhelming lineups, looking for the proverbial wheat among so much chaff. Here, chief critics Owen Gleiberman and Peter Debruge identify the 15 films that impressed them most.
Bad Education (Toronto)
Hugh Jackman has become an audacious actor, and he brings an enticing real-world sneakiness to this fact-based drama built around the figure of Frank Tassone — the superintendent of the Roslyn, Long Island, school district, who gets ensnared in a singular scandal. The year is 2002, and Tassone’s assistant, played with uncaricatured moxie by Allison Janney,...
Bad Education (Toronto)
Hugh Jackman has become an audacious actor, and he brings an enticing real-world sneakiness to this fact-based drama built around the figure of Frank Tassone — the superintendent of the Roslyn, Long Island, school district, who gets ensnared in a singular scandal. The year is 2002, and Tassone’s assistant, played with uncaricatured moxie by Allison Janney,...
- 9/13/2019
- by Peter Debruge and Owen Gleiberman
- Variety Film + TV
Makoto Shinkai’s hit anime Weathering With You has been selected to represent Japan in the International Feature Film category at the 92nd Oscars. The movie, which will have its North American premiere in Toronto, is about a runaway boy who befriends a girl who can manipulate the weather. It has been a runaway success at home as it nears $100 million after six weeks in release. Gkids took U.S. distribution rights out of Cannes and will set a U.S. theatrical release for early 2020.
Shinkai is known for 2016’s anime smash Your Name, which did nearly $360M globally including resonating strongly in China. Weathering With You is the first anime Oscar submission from Japan since Hayao Miyazaki’s Prihncess Mononoke in 1997.
Japan last won the category with 2008’s Departures. It was nominated last year with Hirokazu Kore-eda’s Shoplifters.
Also joining the International Feature Film Oscar race today is...
Shinkai is known for 2016’s anime smash Your Name, which did nearly $360M globally including resonating strongly in China. Weathering With You is the first anime Oscar submission from Japan since Hayao Miyazaki’s Prihncess Mononoke in 1997.
Japan last won the category with 2008’s Departures. It was nominated last year with Hirokazu Kore-eda’s Shoplifters.
Also joining the International Feature Film Oscar race today is...
- 8/26/2019
- by Nancy Tartaglione
- Deadline Film + TV
Corneliu Porumboiu’s “The Whistlers,” which premiered in competition at the Cannes Film Festival, has been selected as Romania’s official Oscar entry in the international feature film category.
Magnolia Pictures has U.S. distribution rights to the film. The distributor has had much success in the category, having distributed nominees in five of the last seven years, including back-to-back Palme d’Or-winners “The Square” (2017) and “Shoplifters” (2018).
In “The Whistlers,” not everything is as it seems for Cristi, a police inspector in Bucharest who plays both sides of the law. Embarking with the beautiful Gilda (Catrinel Marlon) on a high-stakes heist, both will have to navigate the twists and turns of corruption, treachery and deception. A trip to the Canary Islands to learn a secret whistling language might just be what they need to pull it off.
“The Whistlers” is the second of Porumboiu’s features to be Romania’s Oscar entry,...
Magnolia Pictures has U.S. distribution rights to the film. The distributor has had much success in the category, having distributed nominees in five of the last seven years, including back-to-back Palme d’Or-winners “The Square” (2017) and “Shoplifters” (2018).
In “The Whistlers,” not everything is as it seems for Cristi, a police inspector in Bucharest who plays both sides of the law. Embarking with the beautiful Gilda (Catrinel Marlon) on a high-stakes heist, both will have to navigate the twists and turns of corruption, treachery and deception. A trip to the Canary Islands to learn a secret whistling language might just be what they need to pull it off.
“The Whistlers” is the second of Porumboiu’s features to be Romania’s Oscar entry,...
- 8/26/2019
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
It’s probably a stretch to call any of the Romanian New Wave filmmakers household names, exactly, but for over a decade now they’ve been making some of the most interesting cinema of anywhere in the world. And while the films of Corneliu Poromboiu haven’t quite yet picked up the prizes and plaudits of compatriots like Cristian Mungiu or Cristi Puiu (whose “The Death Of Mr.
Continue reading Learn A New Language With An Exclusive Clip From Corneliu Poromboiu’s Cannes Noir Comedy ‘The Whistlers’ at The Playlist.
Continue reading Learn A New Language With An Exclusive Clip From Corneliu Poromboiu’s Cannes Noir Comedy ‘The Whistlers’ at The Playlist.
- 5/18/2019
- by Maris James
- The Playlist
Jan Naszewski’s Warsaw-based sales outlet New Europe Film Sales has picked up world sales rights for the upcoming drama “Fools,” by Berlinale Silver Bear winner Tomasz Wasilewski (“United States of Love”), produced by Ewa Puszczynska, the producer behind Pawel Pawlikowski’s Oscar-winner “Ida” and nominee “Cold War.”
Leading Polish actors Dorota Kolak and Lukasz Simlat star in a film about the difficult relationship between a mother and son, and how their choices have dramatic consequences.
Puszczynska is producing for her company Extreme Emotions, in co-production with Ada Solomon at Romania’s Hi-Film and Jamila Wenske of Germany’s One Two Films, and in association with Nem Corp. Romanian DoP Oleg Mutu returns after his previous collaboration with Wasilewski on “United States of Love,” which New Europe sold to over 30 territories.
New Europe’s Cannes line-up includes the Critics’ Week selection “A White, White Day,” by Hlynur Palmason, which sold...
Leading Polish actors Dorota Kolak and Lukasz Simlat star in a film about the difficult relationship between a mother and son, and how their choices have dramatic consequences.
Puszczynska is producing for her company Extreme Emotions, in co-production with Ada Solomon at Romania’s Hi-Film and Jamila Wenske of Germany’s One Two Films, and in association with Nem Corp. Romanian DoP Oleg Mutu returns after his previous collaboration with Wasilewski on “United States of Love,” which New Europe sold to over 30 territories.
New Europe’s Cannes line-up includes the Critics’ Week selection “A White, White Day,” by Hlynur Palmason, which sold...
- 5/14/2019
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
László Nemes (looking at Martin Scorsese) on the stiff collar worn by Írisz in Sunset, costumes by Györgyi Szakács: "And it goes down with the film." Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
Sunset (Napszállta) is cinema at its astute and enchanting finest. Max Ophüls and Jean Renoir may come to mind and the scene in the shoe department of Romanze in Moll, Helmut Käutner's take on Guy De Maupassant. In a similar mode to the way László Nemes chained us to the back of the neck of Géza Röhrig's Saul Ausländer in his groundbreaking, Oscar-winning Son Of Saul (also shot by Mátyás Erdély), he attaches us firmly to his Sunset heroine Írisz Leiter (Juli Jakab), a young woman who returns, after years of apprenticeship in Trieste, to her native Budapest in hopes of working as a milliner at the famous Leiter department store her deceased parents used to own.
László...
Sunset (Napszállta) is cinema at its astute and enchanting finest. Max Ophüls and Jean Renoir may come to mind and the scene in the shoe department of Romanze in Moll, Helmut Käutner's take on Guy De Maupassant. In a similar mode to the way László Nemes chained us to the back of the neck of Géza Röhrig's Saul Ausländer in his groundbreaking, Oscar-winning Son Of Saul (also shot by Mátyás Erdély), he attaches us firmly to his Sunset heroine Írisz Leiter (Juli Jakab), a young woman who returns, after years of apprenticeship in Trieste, to her native Budapest in hopes of working as a milliner at the famous Leiter department store her deceased parents used to own.
László...
- 3/14/2019
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Touch Me Not director Adina Pintilie: "Einstürzende Neubauten and Blixa Bargeld it's very important. It has always been. In particular the piece that you hear in the film. Melancholia speaks about the subconscious of the city." Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
At the 68th Berlin Film Festival, the jury, led by Tom Tykwer, with Cécile de France, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Stephanie Zacharek, Chema Prado, and Oscar-winning producer Adele Romanski of Barry Jenkins' Moonlight and Independent Spirit winner If Beale Street Could Talk, gave the Golden Bear to Adina Pintilie's Touch Me Not, produced by Philippe Avril, and Bianca Oana.
Adina Pintilie: "I think you can find an emotional mirror of what happens within the characters." Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
Pintilie's début feature, shot by George Chiper, bested such films as Wes Anderson's Isle of Dogs, David Zellner and Nathan Zellner's Damsel, Christian Petzold's Transit, Benoît Jacquot's Eva, Cédric Kahn...
At the 68th Berlin Film Festival, the jury, led by Tom Tykwer, with Cécile de France, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Stephanie Zacharek, Chema Prado, and Oscar-winning producer Adele Romanski of Barry Jenkins' Moonlight and Independent Spirit winner If Beale Street Could Talk, gave the Golden Bear to Adina Pintilie's Touch Me Not, produced by Philippe Avril, and Bianca Oana.
Adina Pintilie: "I think you can find an emotional mirror of what happens within the characters." Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
Pintilie's début feature, shot by George Chiper, bested such films as Wes Anderson's Isle of Dogs, David Zellner and Nathan Zellner's Damsel, Christian Petzold's Transit, Benoît Jacquot's Eva, Cédric Kahn...
- 2/28/2019
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Project is the directing debut of Matt Chambers.
Munich-based powerhouse Beta Cinema has boarded international sales on The Bike Thief, Matt Chambers’ feature directing debut starring God’s Own Country actor Alec Secareanu and 4 Months, 3 Weeks And 2 Days actress Anamaria Marinca.
UK producers Ellipsis Pictures and Ugly Duckling Films have also released a first look at Secareanu in the film, which sees the actor clad in motorcycle gear.
Based on an original idea by director Chambers, the screenplay, which was on the 2018 Brit List, follows a Romanian family living in London. The father (Secareanu) delivers pizzas for a living,...
Munich-based powerhouse Beta Cinema has boarded international sales on The Bike Thief, Matt Chambers’ feature directing debut starring God’s Own Country actor Alec Secareanu and 4 Months, 3 Weeks And 2 Days actress Anamaria Marinca.
UK producers Ellipsis Pictures and Ugly Duckling Films have also released a first look at Secareanu in the film, which sees the actor clad in motorcycle gear.
Based on an original idea by director Chambers, the screenplay, which was on the 2018 Brit List, follows a Romanian family living in London. The father (Secareanu) delivers pizzas for a living,...
- 2/5/2019
- by Tom Grater
- ScreenDaily
A collective sigh by critics greeted Monday’s announcement of the nine films shortlisted for this year’s foreign-language film Oscar. For once, though, it was a sigh of relief rather than exasperation, with few complaints arising over the chosen titles, which were broadly acclaimed.
Controversy over prominent omissions is practically an annual tradition. Last year, critics castigated the Academy for leaving out France’s celebrated AIDS drama “120 Beats Per Minute,” while the year before that, they lambasted the snubbing of Pedro Almodovar’s “Julieta” and Paul Verhoeven’s “Elle” (which went on to nab a nomination for Isabelle Huppert). From “Gomorrah” to “Once Upon a Time in Anatolia” to “Two Days, One Night,” the roll call of recent critics’ darlings to fall at this first hurdle is a distinguished one.
The Academy addressed the outcry that followed the sidelining of 2007 Palme d’Or winner “4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days...
Controversy over prominent omissions is practically an annual tradition. Last year, critics castigated the Academy for leaving out France’s celebrated AIDS drama “120 Beats Per Minute,” while the year before that, they lambasted the snubbing of Pedro Almodovar’s “Julieta” and Paul Verhoeven’s “Elle” (which went on to nab a nomination for Isabelle Huppert). From “Gomorrah” to “Once Upon a Time in Anatolia” to “Two Days, One Night,” the roll call of recent critics’ darlings to fall at this first hurdle is a distinguished one.
The Academy addressed the outcry that followed the sidelining of 2007 Palme d’Or winner “4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days...
- 12/19/2018
- by Guy Lodge
- Variety Film + TV
Cable company HBO Europe has started to shoot cyber-crime thriller series “Hackerville” in Transilvania, a region of Romania, as its first international co-production, building on a string of locally shot productions, including Romania-set detective series “Umbre” (pictured).
“It will put Romania on the map of the international TV drama scene,” says co-creator and executive producer Joerg Winger (“Deutschland 83”), adding he was won over by the location “as a dynamic and colorful place with a vastly unexplored history and present.”
The project was “created in a truly multi-cultural process, with great Romanian talent attached,” Winger adds, with music a key component, as it was in “Deutschland 83,” the Cold War-set spy series for AMC Networks’ SundanceTV and Rtl Television.
The original six-part “Hackerville,” about a network of hackers and the investigators tasked with tracking them down, co-produced with TNT Serie, was created by Ralph Martin and Winger for Ufa Fiction,...
“It will put Romania on the map of the international TV drama scene,” says co-creator and executive producer Joerg Winger (“Deutschland 83”), adding he was won over by the location “as a dynamic and colorful place with a vastly unexplored history and present.”
The project was “created in a truly multi-cultural process, with great Romanian talent attached,” Winger adds, with music a key component, as it was in “Deutschland 83,” the Cold War-set spy series for AMC Networks’ SundanceTV and Rtl Television.
The original six-part “Hackerville,” about a network of hackers and the investigators tasked with tracking them down, co-produced with TNT Serie, was created by Ralph Martin and Winger for Ufa Fiction,...
- 6/2/2018
- by Will Tizard
- Variety Film + TV
Tim Roth and Christina Hendricks are set to return for a second season of Sky’s original crime drama “Tin Star,” the satcaster has confirmed. The cast for the 10-part second series, which will air in 2019, will also include Irish actor John Lynch, Romanian actress Anamaria Marinca and Canadian actress Jenessa Grant.
Created by Rowan Joffe, “Tin Star” proved a hit for Sky when it premiered on Sky Atlantic in Britain last September. Amazon has the show in the U.S.
Sky had already announced a second season was planned, but no casting was confirmed. Genevieve O’Reilly and Abigail Lawrie will also return for the second season, which is currently filming in Calgary, Canada.
“The Fall” actor Lynch most recently featured in AMC’s “The Terror.” Marinca saw her breakout out role in Cannes Palme d’Or winner “4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days” in 2007 and recently starred...
Created by Rowan Joffe, “Tin Star” proved a hit for Sky when it premiered on Sky Atlantic in Britain last September. Amazon has the show in the U.S.
Sky had already announced a second season was planned, but no casting was confirmed. Genevieve O’Reilly and Abigail Lawrie will also return for the second season, which is currently filming in Calgary, Canada.
“The Fall” actor Lynch most recently featured in AMC’s “The Terror.” Marinca saw her breakout out role in Cannes Palme d’Or winner “4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days” in 2007 and recently starred...
- 5/30/2018
- by Robert Mitchell
- Variety Film + TV
Toronto -- Asian films, led by Thai director Apichatpong Weerasethakul's "Syndromes and a Century," dominated the Toronto International Film Festival's best-of-the-decade poll results released Monday.
Weerasethakul's 2006 two-part drama captured the top spot with 53 votes in a poll of 60 film curators, historians and programmers conducted by the festival.
In second place with 49 votes was Jia Zhangke's "Platform," who also grabbed third place for his Venice award winner "Still Life" and its 48 votes.
French filmmaker Claire Denis earned fourth place for "Beau Travail" with 46 votes, followed by Wong Kar-wai's "In the Mood For Love" with 43 votes.
Weerasethakul also earned sixth place for "Tropical Malady," which garnered 38 votes in the TIFF poll.
Romanian director Cristi Puiu was next with "The Death of Mr. Lazarescu" and its 35 votes, the same tally for "Werckmeister Harmonies" from Hungarian filmmaker Bela Tarr.
Rounding out the best-of-the-decade competition was Jean-Luc Godard's "Eloge de l'amour" in...
Weerasethakul's 2006 two-part drama captured the top spot with 53 votes in a poll of 60 film curators, historians and programmers conducted by the festival.
In second place with 49 votes was Jia Zhangke's "Platform," who also grabbed third place for his Venice award winner "Still Life" and its 48 votes.
French filmmaker Claire Denis earned fourth place for "Beau Travail" with 46 votes, followed by Wong Kar-wai's "In the Mood For Love" with 43 votes.
Weerasethakul also earned sixth place for "Tropical Malady," which garnered 38 votes in the TIFF poll.
Romanian director Cristi Puiu was next with "The Death of Mr. Lazarescu" and its 35 votes, the same tally for "Werckmeister Harmonies" from Hungarian filmmaker Bela Tarr.
Rounding out the best-of-the-decade competition was Jean-Luc Godard's "Eloge de l'amour" in...
- 11/23/2009
- by By Etan Vlessing
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Cannes -- IFC is again heading to Romania, acquiring U.S. rights to "Tales From the Golden Age," a feature collection of shorts set in the country's Communist period.
"4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days" writer-director Cristian Mungiu penned all the shorts while he, and fellow Romanian helmers Ioana Uricaru, Hanno Hofer, Razvan Marculescu and Constantin Popescu each took a turn directing one.
The pic, which premieres Tuesday in Un Certain Regard at the Festival de Cannes, examines urban legends in the former Eastern bloc nation, examining life in those dark days through the experiences of ordinary people. The stories are not related but are united "by mood, narrative pattern and the details of the historical period," IFC said.
At Cannes two years ago, IFC bought Mungiu's "4 Months," a hard-bitten tale of a young girl's attempted abortion in Ceausescu's Romania; the film took the Palme d'Or and became a critics' darling when...
"4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days" writer-director Cristian Mungiu penned all the shorts while he, and fellow Romanian helmers Ioana Uricaru, Hanno Hofer, Razvan Marculescu and Constantin Popescu each took a turn directing one.
The pic, which premieres Tuesday in Un Certain Regard at the Festival de Cannes, examines urban legends in the former Eastern bloc nation, examining life in those dark days through the experiences of ordinary people. The stories are not related but are united "by mood, narrative pattern and the details of the historical period," IFC said.
At Cannes two years ago, IFC bought Mungiu's "4 Months," a hard-bitten tale of a young girl's attempted abortion in Ceausescu's Romania; the film took the Palme d'Or and became a critics' darling when...
- 5/13/2009
- by By Steven Zeitchik
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Benicio Del Toro and Penelope Cruz were the toast of the Spanish film industry on Sunday night - with the pair both landing nods at the country's prestigious Goya Awards. Puerto Rican star Del Toro triumphed in the Best Actor category at the ceremony in Madrid, Spain, for his performance as Cuban revolutionary leader Che Guevara, in the biopic Che.
Cruz also picked up a gong, landing the Best Supporting Actress prize for her turn in Woody Allen's Vicky Cristina Barcelona and thanked the director in her acceptance speech, telling the crowd, "I've always been a great fan of Woody Allen. Thank you Woody for believing in me."
The other big winner of the night was new movie Camino, which tells the story of the Opus Dei religious order.
The picture garnered six awards, including Best Film, Best Director for Javier Fesser and Best Actress for Carme Elias.
The Cannes Palme d'Or winner, 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days - about illegal abortion in Romania - was handed the best European film prize, while director Jesus Franco was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement award.
Cruz also picked up a gong, landing the Best Supporting Actress prize for her turn in Woody Allen's Vicky Cristina Barcelona and thanked the director in her acceptance speech, telling the crowd, "I've always been a great fan of Woody Allen. Thank you Woody for believing in me."
The other big winner of the night was new movie Camino, which tells the story of the Opus Dei religious order.
The picture garnered six awards, including Best Film, Best Director for Javier Fesser and Best Actress for Carme Elias.
The Cannes Palme d'Or winner, 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days - about illegal abortion in Romania - was handed the best European film prize, while director Jesus Franco was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement award.
- 2/2/2009
- WENN
Biopic Milk is the cream of the crop of Hollywood hits among New York movie experts after claiming three big honours at the 2008 Film Critics Circle Awards.
The movie, about assassinated gay San Francisco, California city supervisor Harvey Milk, has been named Best Film.
Sean Penn picked up a Best Actor prize for his performance in the title role and Josh Brolin was named Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of the politician's killer.
British film Happy-Go-Lucky was named a two-award winner - Mike Leigh for Best Director and his star Sally Hawkins (Best Actress).
The full list of New York Critics Circle Awards winners is:
Best Picture: Milk
Best Director: Mike Leigh (Happy-Go-Lucky)
Best Actor: Sean Penn (Milk)
Best Actress: Sally Hawkins (Happy-Go-Lucky)
Best Supporting Actor: Josh Brolin (Milk)
Best Supporting Actress: Penelope Cruz (Vicky Cristina Barcelona)
Best Screenplay: Jenny Lumet (Rachel Getting Married)
Best Cinematographer: Anthony Dod Mantle (Slumdog Millionaire)
Best Animated Film: Wall-e
Best Foreign Film: 4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days
Best Documentary: Man on Wire
Best First Film: Courtney Hunt (Frozen River).
The movie, about assassinated gay San Francisco, California city supervisor Harvey Milk, has been named Best Film.
Sean Penn picked up a Best Actor prize for his performance in the title role and Josh Brolin was named Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of the politician's killer.
British film Happy-Go-Lucky was named a two-award winner - Mike Leigh for Best Director and his star Sally Hawkins (Best Actress).
The full list of New York Critics Circle Awards winners is:
Best Picture: Milk
Best Director: Mike Leigh (Happy-Go-Lucky)
Best Actor: Sean Penn (Milk)
Best Actress: Sally Hawkins (Happy-Go-Lucky)
Best Supporting Actor: Josh Brolin (Milk)
Best Supporting Actress: Penelope Cruz (Vicky Cristina Barcelona)
Best Screenplay: Jenny Lumet (Rachel Getting Married)
Best Cinematographer: Anthony Dod Mantle (Slumdog Millionaire)
Best Animated Film: Wall-e
Best Foreign Film: 4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days
Best Documentary: Man on Wire
Best First Film: Courtney Hunt (Frozen River).
- 12/10/2008
- WENN
Best Picture - Milk
Best Director - Mike Leigh (Happy-Go-Lucky)
Best Actor - Sean Penn (Milk)
Best Actress - Sally Hawkins (Happy-Go-Lucky)
Best Supporting Actor - Josh Brolin (Milk)
Best Supporting Actress - Penelope Cruz (Vicky Cristina Barcelona)
Best Screenplay - Jenny Lumet (Rachel Getting Married)
Best Cinematographer - Anthony Dod Mantle (Slumdog Millionaire)
Best Foreign Film - 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days
Best Animated Film - WALL-E
Best First Film - Courtney Hunt (Frozen River)
Best Documentary - Man on Wire...
Best Director - Mike Leigh (Happy-Go-Lucky)
Best Actor - Sean Penn (Milk)
Best Actress - Sally Hawkins (Happy-Go-Lucky)
Best Supporting Actor - Josh Brolin (Milk)
Best Supporting Actress - Penelope Cruz (Vicky Cristina Barcelona)
Best Screenplay - Jenny Lumet (Rachel Getting Married)
Best Cinematographer - Anthony Dod Mantle (Slumdog Millionaire)
Best Foreign Film - 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days
Best Animated Film - WALL-E
Best First Film - Courtney Hunt (Frozen River)
Best Documentary - Man on Wire...
- 12/10/2008
- by Sasha Stone
- AwardsDaily.com
We shared with you Roger Ebert's list of the 20 best films of 2008, and we're going to see a lot more of these between now and the end of the year. Our own list will be announced on Friday, December 19th.
But I'm going to do something I seldom do here at The Big Picture and refrain from commenting on these lists as we present them to you. And with the collection assembled by Time's Richard Corliss, that's probably best. Here's a look at Corliss' list of the best of 2008:
1 - Wall-e
2 - Synecdoche, New York
3 - My Winnipeg
4 - 4 Months, 3 Weeks & 2 Days
5 - Milk
6 - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
7 - Slumdog Millionaire
8 - Iron Man
9 - Speed Racer
10 - Encounters at the End of the World...
But I'm going to do something I seldom do here at The Big Picture and refrain from commenting on these lists as we present them to you. And with the collection assembled by Time's Richard Corliss, that's probably best. Here's a look at Corliss' list of the best of 2008:
1 - Wall-e
2 - Synecdoche, New York
3 - My Winnipeg
4 - 4 Months, 3 Weeks & 2 Days
5 - Milk
6 - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
7 - Slumdog Millionaire
8 - Iron Man
9 - Speed Racer
10 - Encounters at the End of the World...
- 12/8/2008
- by Colin Boyd
- GetTheBigPicture.net
The European Film Promotion (EFP) and the San Sebastian International Film Festival (September 18-27) launched a new promotion initiative entitled "European Distributors: Up Next".
Ten independent distributors from Central and Eastern Europe attending the festival discussed the possibilities of theatrical distribution on a European level. Since the majority of European producers do not cross national borders, the meetings in San Sebastian were aimed to create possible platform and networking opportunities to improve the circulation of European productions.
• From Slovenia, Natasa Bucar, project manager of the cultural center Cankarjev Dom, a public institution that organizes many events promoting film, including the Ljubljana International Film Festival has been in art film distribution for the last 15 years. They distribute five to six titles every year to fill the gap in theatrical distribution of European high-profile films in Slovenia. Priority is given to established and not always well-known European and other international filmmakers. Their last distributed titles were Neil Jordan’s ‘Breakfast on Pluto’, Tony Gatlif’s ‘Transylvania’, Bent Hamer’s ‘Factotum’, Dagur Kari’s ‘Dark Horse’, Corneliu Porumboiu’s ‘12:08 East of Bucharest’, Roy Andersson’s ‘You, the Living’, Pascale Ferran’s ‘Lady Chatterley’, Marjane Satrapi’s ‘Persepolis’ and Shane Meadows’ ‘This Is England’.
Besides Cankarjev Dom, there are only four arthouse cinemas in Slovenia. They need more along with arthouse cinema networks to enable better film promotion. In Slovenia, like everywhere in Europe, the number of cinema viewers has fallen drastically. Audiences focus on fewer films, the top 20 films take up to almost 50% of the market in Slovenia.
• From Hungary, Rita Linda Potyondi of Cirko Film - Másképp Foundation, the only Hungarian distributor to operate as a non-profit-foundation, they also own one theater in Budapest. Working on a showstring budget, they are guided by personal tastes and focus on international and particularly European ‘difficult’ auteur films with targeted or limited audiences, especially those that explore themes related to discriminated groups: homosexuals, handicapped people, ethnic or religious minorities and victims of family abuse. Their last releases include films by Robert Guédiguian, Bruno Dumont, Fernando Leon de Aranoa, Baltasar Kormakur, Alain Corneau, Bruno Podalydès, Bertrand Bonello, Claire Denis, Ferzan Ozpetek, Catalin Mitulescu and Oskar Roehler. A recent surprise success was Anders Thomas Jensen’s ‘Adam's Apples’ which became a sort of cult film. They also did well with Palme d’Or-winner ‘4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days’, and ‘Persepolis’, Susanne Bier’s ‘After the Wedding, ‘Red Road’, ‘My Brother Is An Only Child’, ‘A Soap’, ‘Our Daily Bread’. Upcoming are the Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne's ‘Lorna’s Silence’, Gustave de Kervern and Benoit Belepine’s ‘Louise Michel’, Nic Balthazar’s ‘Ben X’, Simon Staho’s ‘Heaven’s Heart’, Ole Christian Madsen’s ‘Kira’s Reason’, Josef Fares’ ‘Leo’, Anders Thomas Jensen’s ‘The Green Butchers’ and ‘Flickering Lights’, and Ole Bornedal’s ‘Just Another Love Story’.
• Czech distributor Artcam’s Managing Director Premysl Martinek knows he is fighting an uphill battle. In 2007 combined total admissions for Artcam's films were under 50,000 — 0.4 percent of the national total. By comparison, leading distributor Falcon drew more than 4,000,000 viewers with its films, nearly a third of the market. However Martinek is convinced there is room in the market for small distributors and is interested in the shared challenges, from the opportunities offered by digital distribution and video-on-demand to how to negotiate with producers on minimum guarantees. The main problem is cultivating an audience. “It's very different from in Holland or Germany, where there are audiences for arthouse films,” he says.
Most of Artcam's target market is in Prague, home to roughly 1,000,000 people where European film is largely restricted to a handful of single-screen theatres, while the city's 14 multiplexes focus primarily on Hollywood imports and successful local films.
Artcam has distributed some of the most widely heralded European films of recent years, including Ole Madsen's drama ‘Prague’, ‘Persepolis’ and ‘The Diving Bell and the Butterfly’. The international success of such films has attracted the attention of larger distributors who are now crowding the arena. This year in Cannes when they tried to acquire ‘Waltz with Bashir’, there was greater competition. Martinek says arthouse is an important part of any film culture, and lack of access to European films is hurting Czech cinema because if they lack exposure to the cinema of other countries, from new ways of narration, they cannot develop their own cinema. The Czech Ministry of Education has introduced media studies to secondary school curricula to show young people that film is “not just fun and popcorn. It's also art.”
• Polish distribution company Gutek’s Jakub Duszyński, artistic director and head of programming (along with Roman Gutek) at the Muranow movie theater also programs for the different festivals held at the theatre and for Poland’s largest film event, the Era New Horizons Film Festival in Wroclaw. A lawyer by training and a fan of Asian genre films, Duszynski has also set up a distribution company (Blink) specializing in this type of film.
Gutek Film has always been a launching pad for auteur films and has released films by Lars Von Trier, Pedro Almodóvar, Jim Jarmush and Wong Kar-Wai. Every year, they distribute two or three films not aimed solely at auteur film enthusiasts, but also at multiplex audiences. Among such titles are Tom Tykwer’s ‘Perfume: The Story of a Murderer’ and ‘Control’. Coming up are Polish features including Jerzy Skolimowski’s ‘Four Nights With Anna’, Piotr Lazarkiewicz’s ‘0_1_0’ and Katarzyna Adamik’s ‘Boisko bezdomnych’. They distribute almost exclusively European films. The box office is certainly dominated by US films, but by only a few titles which often have, interestingly, something European about them, for example they may be inspired by European literature.
• Slovakia’s Michal Drobny is marketing manager for Slovak distributor Continental Film. Slovakia sees 2,500,000 to 3,000,000 admissions in a year. A successful film for Continental is 10,000 to 15,000 admissions, as compared to one of the Harry Potter films which will have 200,000 admissions.
Continental releases 30 to 40 films a year and, thanks largely to its partnership with Warner Bros, enjoys a market share of 20%–30%. Continental also serve as Slovak distribution partners for Hollywood Classic Entertainment, which often buys rights to European and arthouse titles for several Eastern European territories at once. Continental acquires other titles through direct negotiation with the producers, usually from the Czech Republic. Drobny seldom attends festivals other than Berlin. This year is his first visit to San Sebastian.
Margins are tight for Continental, which is the second or third largest distributor in Slovakia. Continental is also a 30% shareholder in Slovak multiplex chain Cinemax, which owns nine cinemas countrywide. Continental also operated Bratislava's only arthouse cinema until it was turned into a congress hall.
Continental counts on public money for a small portion of its operating budget. The Slovak Ministry of Culture gives support up to a maximum of SKK 160,000 (€5,500) for the distribution of European films which covers the cost of two or three prints. Continental also receives funding through the MEDIA automatic support scheme, typically receiving 40 to 60 cents per admission for European films.
Drobny says this public support is welcome but it's seldom enough to make a real difference to distributors. “A print for a US title costs $300 [€210]. For a European title, the cost is $1,000–1500 [€700–1,000] for the print, plus I still need to pay for the all the marketing materials and the cost of subtitles,” he says. “We can't be surprised that American films are everywhere.”
Not surprisingly few European films secure distribution in Slovakia. Cinemax promotes European and arthouse film through its Artmax program and screens independent films once a week, sometimes for free. Current titles in the selection include ‘Good Bye, Lenin!’, ‘The Secret Life of Words’, ‘The Science of Sleep’, ‘Volver’ and ‘Angel’. In cooperation with the Embassy of Spain, Continental and Cinemax are creating a Spanish Days celebration of Spanish cinema at Cinemax locations in November.
Drobny has hopes that digital cinema will help small distributors, but believes it will be five to ten years before the major studios settle on a common format. Even then, the costs of converting screens will be challenging for the private sector. “To install one 2K digital system costs SKK 3m–4m [€100,000–132,000] and we have 37 screens, so it's a lot of money,” he says. “We'd like to invest but it will take a long time to see a return on that investment.”
• From Romania, Transilvania Film, founded by Tudor Giurgiu and currently run by Stefan Bradea is one of the successful pioneers of arthouse film distribution in Romania. At first they distributed mainly British, German and Scandinavian features but gradually turned to quality Romanian films, genre pictures, even some mainstream American movies. Their eclectic selection is targeted to the highly educated public, basically university graduates under 35. Their latest premiere was ‘Non pensarci’ by Gianni Zanasi, an Italian comedy. Coming up are Gus Van Sant’s ‘Paranoid Park’ and a few Romanian films: Horatiu Malaele’s ‘Silent Wedding’, Adrian Sitaru’s ‘Hooked’ and Anca Damian’s debut, ‘Crossing Dates’. Their most profitable film was Tudor Giurgiu’s ‘Love Sick’ with 20,800 admissions and a box office gross of over €50,000. Other successful features were Neil Burger’s ‘The Illusionist’, with 11,500 admissions, and ‘Paris Je T’Aime’, with 9,715 admissions.
Film distribution business in Romania is rather unstable. There are eight active distributors bringing 150-160 features every year to 40-50 screens around the country. The number of distributors is growing and it is becoming a overserved field.
The Romanian mainstream public has little interest in European arthouse film and there are very few available screens, no arthouse cinemas and a poor DVD and TV arthouse market. And there is competition among distributors.
• Stefan Kitanov is the founder of the most important annual film event in Bulgaria, the Sofia International Film Festival. In 2001 he founded ART FEST Ltd., the company behind Sofia IFF. The same company is one of the key European film distributors in Bulgaria. ART FEST Ltd. has three components: production, distribution and exhibition.
Most recent releases include Fatih Akin’s ‘The Edge of Heaven’, ‘The Palermo Shooting ‘by Wim Wenders and ‘Delta’ by Kornel Mundruczo. The most successful releases were Francois Ozon’s ‘Swimming Pool’ and ‘Crossing the Bridge’ by Fatih Akin with 8,000 to 10,000 admissions.
Such a distribution business is not profitable. Festival audiences like European films but the general audience likes Hollywood films. Festival audiences don’t go to regular cinemas. The general audience goes to regular cinemas, therefore European films don’t go regularly to mainstream cinemas. There need to be events around the distribution of European films so that they be seen, such as a traveling package going to different towns, whether it is with 35mm or video screenings. There are less than 30 towns in Bulgaria with cinemas.
• From Estonia, Katrin Rajaare of Tallinnfilm, a state-owned company that used to produce the majority of Estonian films during the Soviet era has stopped production and sold its studio and now focuses on restoration of its archives. In 2004, Tallinnfilm began operating as an arthouse cinema and a year later started a distribution operation to ensure continuous programming for the cinema. Tallinnfilm acquires the rights to 12-16 films a year, mostly European films, with some titles from Asia and the US. As a state-owned company, Tallinnfilm buys mostly Estonian theatrical rights only. It is the second largest distribution company in Estonia, with a market share of 2.6%. In the Baltic countries, all rights are acquired for smaller films and shared with Lithuania’s Skalvija and Latvia’s Kino Riga. Their biggest hit in 2007 was ‘La Vie en Rose’ with 9,606 paid admissions. This film was number 43 in the 2007 national box office chart. Only US and Estonian films were at the top of the chart. Recent acquisitions include ‘Happy-Go-Lucky’ and ‘Vicky Christina Barcelona’ to be released around Christmas and the beginning of 2009.
There is a small, steady market for arthouse titles in the capital city of Tallinn, but the recent opening of a five-screen miniplex in the second city, Tartu (96,000 inhabitants), has brought hope from the outskirts as well. There are very few towns where you can screen European films, although the cinemas have received public support for technical equipment and should screen arthouse titles, but the reality is that you can’t force cinemas to screen certain films that won’t bring in audiences.
• From Lithuania Skalvija, an exhibitor since 1962 under the name of Planeta became the only arthouse in Lithuania in 1992. It has only one screen and 88 seats and is subsidized by the Vilnius Municipality. Located in the city center; it promotes quality cinema and pays special attention to young audiences and education. Its market share as an exhibitor is 1.11%. Two major multiplex theatres share 70 % of the entire Lithuanian exhibition market. Greta Akcijonaite heads its recent arthouse film distribution activity. Over the last two years they have released 10 films theatrically, and another 5 have been acquired for Lithuania and/or all the Baltic States. As a very small and specialized distributor, Skalvija has a market share of 0.64%. Most recent releases were the Danish film ‘Adam's Apples’, with almost 8,000 admissions and the Spanish film ‘Dark Blue Almost Black’ with over 6000 admissions. Recent acquisitions include Sam Garbarski’s ‘Irina Palm’ (Belgium/UK), Kornel Mundruczo’s ‘Delta’ (Hungary), the Palme d’Or winner ‘The Class’ (France) by Laurent Cantet, Thomas Clay’s ‘Soy Cowboy’ (Thailand/UK), Ruben Östlund’s’ Involuntary’ (Sweden), and Ilmar Raag’s ‘The Class’ (Estonia).
The market share of the European films released theatrically was 25% in 2007 although the share of admissions to European films was only 11%. There is definitely a lack of venues for screening European and quality films.
• Latvia’s Oskars Killo heads Acme Film Sia the leading independent film distributor in Latvia, established in 2004 and owned by Acme, a Lithuanian based company. The rights for Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia are bought by the mother company in Lithuania. In 2007, Acme Film had 62 theatrical releases and a 25% market share. In 2008, the number of films released will be the same, but the revenue is expected to be higher. In 2008, Acme Film has had such European successes as French films ‘99 Francs’ and ‘Asterix at the Olympic Games’, and Spain’s ‘The Orphanage’. The last European hit was ‘2 Days in Paris’, released on one print on July 4, 2008 and still in release with 12,500 admissions thus far. ‘Cash’ was released on one print on August 1 and has 8,500 admissions so far. The results for ‘2 Days in Paris’ and ‘Cash’ are comparable to recent US releases in Latvia such as ‘The X-Files 2’, and ‘Disaster Movie’. Recent European acquisitions include ‘Happy-Go-Lucky’, ‘Paris’, ‘JCVD’, ‘The Duchess’, ‘Vicky Christina Barcelona’, ‘Vinyan’, ‘Ne te retourne pas’ among others.
In 2007, European films had a 18.3% market share, US films a 66% market share, the rest of the world 10.1% and national films a 5.5% market share.
Ten independent distributors from Central and Eastern Europe attending the festival discussed the possibilities of theatrical distribution on a European level. Since the majority of European producers do not cross national borders, the meetings in San Sebastian were aimed to create possible platform and networking opportunities to improve the circulation of European productions.
• From Slovenia, Natasa Bucar, project manager of the cultural center Cankarjev Dom, a public institution that organizes many events promoting film, including the Ljubljana International Film Festival has been in art film distribution for the last 15 years. They distribute five to six titles every year to fill the gap in theatrical distribution of European high-profile films in Slovenia. Priority is given to established and not always well-known European and other international filmmakers. Their last distributed titles were Neil Jordan’s ‘Breakfast on Pluto’, Tony Gatlif’s ‘Transylvania’, Bent Hamer’s ‘Factotum’, Dagur Kari’s ‘Dark Horse’, Corneliu Porumboiu’s ‘12:08 East of Bucharest’, Roy Andersson’s ‘You, the Living’, Pascale Ferran’s ‘Lady Chatterley’, Marjane Satrapi’s ‘Persepolis’ and Shane Meadows’ ‘This Is England’.
Besides Cankarjev Dom, there are only four arthouse cinemas in Slovenia. They need more along with arthouse cinema networks to enable better film promotion. In Slovenia, like everywhere in Europe, the number of cinema viewers has fallen drastically. Audiences focus on fewer films, the top 20 films take up to almost 50% of the market in Slovenia.
• From Hungary, Rita Linda Potyondi of Cirko Film - Másképp Foundation, the only Hungarian distributor to operate as a non-profit-foundation, they also own one theater in Budapest. Working on a showstring budget, they are guided by personal tastes and focus on international and particularly European ‘difficult’ auteur films with targeted or limited audiences, especially those that explore themes related to discriminated groups: homosexuals, handicapped people, ethnic or religious minorities and victims of family abuse. Their last releases include films by Robert Guédiguian, Bruno Dumont, Fernando Leon de Aranoa, Baltasar Kormakur, Alain Corneau, Bruno Podalydès, Bertrand Bonello, Claire Denis, Ferzan Ozpetek, Catalin Mitulescu and Oskar Roehler. A recent surprise success was Anders Thomas Jensen’s ‘Adam's Apples’ which became a sort of cult film. They also did well with Palme d’Or-winner ‘4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days’, and ‘Persepolis’, Susanne Bier’s ‘After the Wedding, ‘Red Road’, ‘My Brother Is An Only Child’, ‘A Soap’, ‘Our Daily Bread’. Upcoming are the Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne's ‘Lorna’s Silence’, Gustave de Kervern and Benoit Belepine’s ‘Louise Michel’, Nic Balthazar’s ‘Ben X’, Simon Staho’s ‘Heaven’s Heart’, Ole Christian Madsen’s ‘Kira’s Reason’, Josef Fares’ ‘Leo’, Anders Thomas Jensen’s ‘The Green Butchers’ and ‘Flickering Lights’, and Ole Bornedal’s ‘Just Another Love Story’.
• Czech distributor Artcam’s Managing Director Premysl Martinek knows he is fighting an uphill battle. In 2007 combined total admissions for Artcam's films were under 50,000 — 0.4 percent of the national total. By comparison, leading distributor Falcon drew more than 4,000,000 viewers with its films, nearly a third of the market. However Martinek is convinced there is room in the market for small distributors and is interested in the shared challenges, from the opportunities offered by digital distribution and video-on-demand to how to negotiate with producers on minimum guarantees. The main problem is cultivating an audience. “It's very different from in Holland or Germany, where there are audiences for arthouse films,” he says.
Most of Artcam's target market is in Prague, home to roughly 1,000,000 people where European film is largely restricted to a handful of single-screen theatres, while the city's 14 multiplexes focus primarily on Hollywood imports and successful local films.
Artcam has distributed some of the most widely heralded European films of recent years, including Ole Madsen's drama ‘Prague’, ‘Persepolis’ and ‘The Diving Bell and the Butterfly’. The international success of such films has attracted the attention of larger distributors who are now crowding the arena. This year in Cannes when they tried to acquire ‘Waltz with Bashir’, there was greater competition. Martinek says arthouse is an important part of any film culture, and lack of access to European films is hurting Czech cinema because if they lack exposure to the cinema of other countries, from new ways of narration, they cannot develop their own cinema. The Czech Ministry of Education has introduced media studies to secondary school curricula to show young people that film is “not just fun and popcorn. It's also art.”
• Polish distribution company Gutek’s Jakub Duszyński, artistic director and head of programming (along with Roman Gutek) at the Muranow movie theater also programs for the different festivals held at the theatre and for Poland’s largest film event, the Era New Horizons Film Festival in Wroclaw. A lawyer by training and a fan of Asian genre films, Duszynski has also set up a distribution company (Blink) specializing in this type of film.
Gutek Film has always been a launching pad for auteur films and has released films by Lars Von Trier, Pedro Almodóvar, Jim Jarmush and Wong Kar-Wai. Every year, they distribute two or three films not aimed solely at auteur film enthusiasts, but also at multiplex audiences. Among such titles are Tom Tykwer’s ‘Perfume: The Story of a Murderer’ and ‘Control’. Coming up are Polish features including Jerzy Skolimowski’s ‘Four Nights With Anna’, Piotr Lazarkiewicz’s ‘0_1_0’ and Katarzyna Adamik’s ‘Boisko bezdomnych’. They distribute almost exclusively European films. The box office is certainly dominated by US films, but by only a few titles which often have, interestingly, something European about them, for example they may be inspired by European literature.
• Slovakia’s Michal Drobny is marketing manager for Slovak distributor Continental Film. Slovakia sees 2,500,000 to 3,000,000 admissions in a year. A successful film for Continental is 10,000 to 15,000 admissions, as compared to one of the Harry Potter films which will have 200,000 admissions.
Continental releases 30 to 40 films a year and, thanks largely to its partnership with Warner Bros, enjoys a market share of 20%–30%. Continental also serve as Slovak distribution partners for Hollywood Classic Entertainment, which often buys rights to European and arthouse titles for several Eastern European territories at once. Continental acquires other titles through direct negotiation with the producers, usually from the Czech Republic. Drobny seldom attends festivals other than Berlin. This year is his first visit to San Sebastian.
Margins are tight for Continental, which is the second or third largest distributor in Slovakia. Continental is also a 30% shareholder in Slovak multiplex chain Cinemax, which owns nine cinemas countrywide. Continental also operated Bratislava's only arthouse cinema until it was turned into a congress hall.
Continental counts on public money for a small portion of its operating budget. The Slovak Ministry of Culture gives support up to a maximum of SKK 160,000 (€5,500) for the distribution of European films which covers the cost of two or three prints. Continental also receives funding through the MEDIA automatic support scheme, typically receiving 40 to 60 cents per admission for European films.
Drobny says this public support is welcome but it's seldom enough to make a real difference to distributors. “A print for a US title costs $300 [€210]. For a European title, the cost is $1,000–1500 [€700–1,000] for the print, plus I still need to pay for the all the marketing materials and the cost of subtitles,” he says. “We can't be surprised that American films are everywhere.”
Not surprisingly few European films secure distribution in Slovakia. Cinemax promotes European and arthouse film through its Artmax program and screens independent films once a week, sometimes for free. Current titles in the selection include ‘Good Bye, Lenin!’, ‘The Secret Life of Words’, ‘The Science of Sleep’, ‘Volver’ and ‘Angel’. In cooperation with the Embassy of Spain, Continental and Cinemax are creating a Spanish Days celebration of Spanish cinema at Cinemax locations in November.
Drobny has hopes that digital cinema will help small distributors, but believes it will be five to ten years before the major studios settle on a common format. Even then, the costs of converting screens will be challenging for the private sector. “To install one 2K digital system costs SKK 3m–4m [€100,000–132,000] and we have 37 screens, so it's a lot of money,” he says. “We'd like to invest but it will take a long time to see a return on that investment.”
• From Romania, Transilvania Film, founded by Tudor Giurgiu and currently run by Stefan Bradea is one of the successful pioneers of arthouse film distribution in Romania. At first they distributed mainly British, German and Scandinavian features but gradually turned to quality Romanian films, genre pictures, even some mainstream American movies. Their eclectic selection is targeted to the highly educated public, basically university graduates under 35. Their latest premiere was ‘Non pensarci’ by Gianni Zanasi, an Italian comedy. Coming up are Gus Van Sant’s ‘Paranoid Park’ and a few Romanian films: Horatiu Malaele’s ‘Silent Wedding’, Adrian Sitaru’s ‘Hooked’ and Anca Damian’s debut, ‘Crossing Dates’. Their most profitable film was Tudor Giurgiu’s ‘Love Sick’ with 20,800 admissions and a box office gross of over €50,000. Other successful features were Neil Burger’s ‘The Illusionist’, with 11,500 admissions, and ‘Paris Je T’Aime’, with 9,715 admissions.
Film distribution business in Romania is rather unstable. There are eight active distributors bringing 150-160 features every year to 40-50 screens around the country. The number of distributors is growing and it is becoming a overserved field.
The Romanian mainstream public has little interest in European arthouse film and there are very few available screens, no arthouse cinemas and a poor DVD and TV arthouse market. And there is competition among distributors.
• Stefan Kitanov is the founder of the most important annual film event in Bulgaria, the Sofia International Film Festival. In 2001 he founded ART FEST Ltd., the company behind Sofia IFF. The same company is one of the key European film distributors in Bulgaria. ART FEST Ltd. has three components: production, distribution and exhibition.
Most recent releases include Fatih Akin’s ‘The Edge of Heaven’, ‘The Palermo Shooting ‘by Wim Wenders and ‘Delta’ by Kornel Mundruczo. The most successful releases were Francois Ozon’s ‘Swimming Pool’ and ‘Crossing the Bridge’ by Fatih Akin with 8,000 to 10,000 admissions.
Such a distribution business is not profitable. Festival audiences like European films but the general audience likes Hollywood films. Festival audiences don’t go to regular cinemas. The general audience goes to regular cinemas, therefore European films don’t go regularly to mainstream cinemas. There need to be events around the distribution of European films so that they be seen, such as a traveling package going to different towns, whether it is with 35mm or video screenings. There are less than 30 towns in Bulgaria with cinemas.
• From Estonia, Katrin Rajaare of Tallinnfilm, a state-owned company that used to produce the majority of Estonian films during the Soviet era has stopped production and sold its studio and now focuses on restoration of its archives. In 2004, Tallinnfilm began operating as an arthouse cinema and a year later started a distribution operation to ensure continuous programming for the cinema. Tallinnfilm acquires the rights to 12-16 films a year, mostly European films, with some titles from Asia and the US. As a state-owned company, Tallinnfilm buys mostly Estonian theatrical rights only. It is the second largest distribution company in Estonia, with a market share of 2.6%. In the Baltic countries, all rights are acquired for smaller films and shared with Lithuania’s Skalvija and Latvia’s Kino Riga. Their biggest hit in 2007 was ‘La Vie en Rose’ with 9,606 paid admissions. This film was number 43 in the 2007 national box office chart. Only US and Estonian films were at the top of the chart. Recent acquisitions include ‘Happy-Go-Lucky’ and ‘Vicky Christina Barcelona’ to be released around Christmas and the beginning of 2009.
There is a small, steady market for arthouse titles in the capital city of Tallinn, but the recent opening of a five-screen miniplex in the second city, Tartu (96,000 inhabitants), has brought hope from the outskirts as well. There are very few towns where you can screen European films, although the cinemas have received public support for technical equipment and should screen arthouse titles, but the reality is that you can’t force cinemas to screen certain films that won’t bring in audiences.
• From Lithuania Skalvija, an exhibitor since 1962 under the name of Planeta became the only arthouse in Lithuania in 1992. It has only one screen and 88 seats and is subsidized by the Vilnius Municipality. Located in the city center; it promotes quality cinema and pays special attention to young audiences and education. Its market share as an exhibitor is 1.11%. Two major multiplex theatres share 70 % of the entire Lithuanian exhibition market. Greta Akcijonaite heads its recent arthouse film distribution activity. Over the last two years they have released 10 films theatrically, and another 5 have been acquired for Lithuania and/or all the Baltic States. As a very small and specialized distributor, Skalvija has a market share of 0.64%. Most recent releases were the Danish film ‘Adam's Apples’, with almost 8,000 admissions and the Spanish film ‘Dark Blue Almost Black’ with over 6000 admissions. Recent acquisitions include Sam Garbarski’s ‘Irina Palm’ (Belgium/UK), Kornel Mundruczo’s ‘Delta’ (Hungary), the Palme d’Or winner ‘The Class’ (France) by Laurent Cantet, Thomas Clay’s ‘Soy Cowboy’ (Thailand/UK), Ruben Östlund’s’ Involuntary’ (Sweden), and Ilmar Raag’s ‘The Class’ (Estonia).
The market share of the European films released theatrically was 25% in 2007 although the share of admissions to European films was only 11%. There is definitely a lack of venues for screening European and quality films.
• Latvia’s Oskars Killo heads Acme Film Sia the leading independent film distributor in Latvia, established in 2004 and owned by Acme, a Lithuanian based company. The rights for Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia are bought by the mother company in Lithuania. In 2007, Acme Film had 62 theatrical releases and a 25% market share. In 2008, the number of films released will be the same, but the revenue is expected to be higher. In 2008, Acme Film has had such European successes as French films ‘99 Francs’ and ‘Asterix at the Olympic Games’, and Spain’s ‘The Orphanage’. The last European hit was ‘2 Days in Paris’, released on one print on July 4, 2008 and still in release with 12,500 admissions thus far. ‘Cash’ was released on one print on August 1 and has 8,500 admissions so far. The results for ‘2 Days in Paris’ and ‘Cash’ are comparable to recent US releases in Latvia such as ‘The X-Files 2’, and ‘Disaster Movie’. Recent European acquisitions include ‘Happy-Go-Lucky’, ‘Paris’, ‘JCVD’, ‘The Duchess’, ‘Vicky Christina Barcelona’, ‘Vinyan’, ‘Ne te retourne pas’ among others.
In 2007, European films had a 18.3% market share, US films a 66% market share, the rest of the world 10.1% and national films a 5.5% market share.
- 10/11/2008
- Sydney's Buzz
Nine films will advance to the next round of voting in the foreign-language film category for the 80th Annual Academy Awards, though the big surprise is the omission of Romania's 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days, which won the Palme d'Or at the 2007 Festival de Cannes and has been named best foreign-language film by numerous critics groups.
The films that were named are: Austria's The Counterfeiters, directed by Stefan Ruzowitzky; Brazil's The Year My Parents Went on Vacation, helmed by Cao Hamburger; Canada's Days of Darkness, helmed by Denys Arcand; Israel's Beaufort, directed by Joseph Cedar; Italy's The Unknown, directed by Giuseppe Tornatore; Kazakhstan's Mongol, directed by Sergei Bodrov; Poland's Katyn, directed by Andrzej Wajda; Russia's 12, helmed by Nikita Mikhalkov, and Serbia's The Trap, directed by Srdan Golubovic.
In addition to 4 Months, a notable omission is France's animated film Persepolis, which has already earned recognition including the Jury Prize at Cannes.
Foreign-language film nominations are being determined in two phases. The Phase I committee, consisting of several hundred Los Angeles-based members, screened the 63 eligible films and their ballots determined the above shortlist.
The films that were named are: Austria's The Counterfeiters, directed by Stefan Ruzowitzky; Brazil's The Year My Parents Went on Vacation, helmed by Cao Hamburger; Canada's Days of Darkness, helmed by Denys Arcand; Israel's Beaufort, directed by Joseph Cedar; Italy's The Unknown, directed by Giuseppe Tornatore; Kazakhstan's Mongol, directed by Sergei Bodrov; Poland's Katyn, directed by Andrzej Wajda; Russia's 12, helmed by Nikita Mikhalkov, and Serbia's The Trap, directed by Srdan Golubovic.
In addition to 4 Months, a notable omission is France's animated film Persepolis, which has already earned recognition including the Jury Prize at Cannes.
Foreign-language film nominations are being determined in two phases. The Phase I committee, consisting of several hundred Los Angeles-based members, screened the 63 eligible films and their ballots determined the above shortlist.
- 1/16/2008
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
There Will Be Blood has been hailed as the Best Picture of the Year for 2007 by the National Society of Film Critics. The movie, which was directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, beat competition from Joel Coen and Ethan Coen's No Country For Old Men and Julian Schnabel's The Diving Bell And The Butterfly to take the award, while he beat the same filmmakers for the Best Director prize. There Will Be Blood was also praised for Daniel Day-Lewis' portrayal of an oil-hungry businessman, winning him the honor for Best Actor. Best Actress went to Julie Christie for her starring role in Away From Her, while Best Supporting awards were awarded to Casey Affleck for The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, and Cate Blanchett for I'm Not There. Other winners included the Romanian 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days as Best Foreign-Language Film, while No End In Sight, by Charles Ferguson, won the award for Best Non-Fiction Film.
- 1/7/2008
- WENN
The last of the major film critics groups, the National Society of Film Critics has given the bulk of its awards to Paul Thomas Anderson's There Will Be Blood, honoring the period epic with its Best Picture, Best Actor (Daniel Day-Lewis), Best Cinematography and Best Director awards. Though it bucked the trend of honoring the Coen brothers' No Country for Old Men (which was shut out entirely from the group's awards), the NSFC bestowed a few of its awards to previous critics' winners. In addition to Day-Lewis, who's emerging as the front runner for Best Actor, acting honors went to Julie Christie (Best Actress for Away from Her), Casey Affleck (Supporting Actor for The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford), and in a bit of a surprise, Cate Blanchett for I'm Not There, who bypassed perennial Supporting Actress winner Amy Ryan (Gone Baby Gone). No End in Sight was named Best Non-Fiction Film, Tamara Jenkins' The Savages received the Best Screenplay award, and Foreign Language Film Honors went to 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days. --Mark Englehart, IMDb staff...
- 1/4/2008
- WENN
LONDON -- Paul Thomas Anderson's There Will Be Blood is nominated in a trio of major categories for this year's London Film Critics' Circle awards.
Anderson's tale of U.S. oil prospectors in a frontier town is nominated for film of the year and director of the year as well as actor of the year for Daniel Day-Lewis.
The nominations were announced Friday.
To win the best film award, Blood will have to fend off the mighty challenge of No Country for Old Men, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, Zodiac and The Bourne Ultimatum.
Anderson will slug it out with Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck (The Lives of Others), Joel and Ethan Coen (No Country for Old Men), David Fincher (Zodiac) and Cristian Mungiu (4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days) in the fight for director of the year.
Up against Lewis in the actor category are the late Ulrich Muhe (The Lives of Others), Casey Affleck (Jesse James), George Clooney (Michael Clayton) and Tommy Lee Jones (In the Valley of Elah).
Vying for actress of the year are Laura Linney (The Savages), Marion Cotillard (La Vie en Rose), Maggie Gyllenhaal (SherryBaby), Angelina Jolie (A Mighty Heart) and Anamaria Marinca (4 Months).
The London Critics' Circle awards concentrate heavily on U.K. endeavors at the cinema, with eight of the 14 categories exclusively there to reward British talent.
The Attenborough Award for British film of the year will go to either Once, Control, Atonement, Eastern Promises or This Is England.
British director of the year might just go to Dutch-born Anton Corbijn for his stint behind the lens of Control, with challenges from Paul Greengrass (The Bourne Ultimatum), Shane Meadows (This Is England), Joe Wright (Atonement) and Danny Boyle (Sunshine).
The awards will be given out at a ceremony in the British capital Feb.
Anderson's tale of U.S. oil prospectors in a frontier town is nominated for film of the year and director of the year as well as actor of the year for Daniel Day-Lewis.
The nominations were announced Friday.
To win the best film award, Blood will have to fend off the mighty challenge of No Country for Old Men, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, Zodiac and The Bourne Ultimatum.
Anderson will slug it out with Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck (The Lives of Others), Joel and Ethan Coen (No Country for Old Men), David Fincher (Zodiac) and Cristian Mungiu (4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days) in the fight for director of the year.
Up against Lewis in the actor category are the late Ulrich Muhe (The Lives of Others), Casey Affleck (Jesse James), George Clooney (Michael Clayton) and Tommy Lee Jones (In the Valley of Elah).
Vying for actress of the year are Laura Linney (The Savages), Marion Cotillard (La Vie en Rose), Maggie Gyllenhaal (SherryBaby), Angelina Jolie (A Mighty Heart) and Anamaria Marinca (4 Months).
The London Critics' Circle awards concentrate heavily on U.K. endeavors at the cinema, with eight of the 14 categories exclusively there to reward British talent.
The Attenborough Award for British film of the year will go to either Once, Control, Atonement, Eastern Promises or This Is England.
British director of the year might just go to Dutch-born Anton Corbijn for his stint behind the lens of Control, with challenges from Paul Greengrass (The Bourne Ultimatum), Shane Meadows (This Is England), Joe Wright (Atonement) and Danny Boyle (Sunshine).
The awards will be given out at a ceremony in the British capital Feb.
- 12/15/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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