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Title: Lo Scambio (The Exchange) Director: Salvo Cuccia Starring: Filippo Luna, Paolo Briguglia, Barbara Tabita, Vincenzo Pirrotta, Maziar Fioruzi, Orio Scaduto, Sergio Vespertino, Alessandro Agnello, Giovanni Cintura. Salvo Cuccia’s first feature film – Lo Scambio (The Exchange) - is set in a plumbeous Palermo in 1995. Nameless characters drift towards their ambiguous destiny. Nothing is what it seems. A couple opens the story. She is in her forties and tormented by the fact she can’t have children. Her husband appears to be a chief of police engrossed in his work. His driver takes him everywhere, also to interrogate a young man who was acquainted with two men that were killed [ Read More ]

The post Lo Scambio (The Exchange) Movie Review (Torino Film Festival) appeared first on Shockya.com.

‘Summer 82: When Zappa came to Sicily’ is a moving documentary by Salvo Cuccia that intertwines Frank Zappa’s Sicilian concert with the director’s personal and spiritual journey. In this Exclusive Interview Salvo Cuccia tells us how the documentary came to life: Tell me about your passion for Frank Zappa… It begun in the 70s, when I used to play. As a matter of fact, I bought a guitar in New York and I had to wait for three months to get that Gibson Sg that he used to play. This musical discovery has been crucial for me, because it taught me so many things I ignored at the time and [ Read More ]

The post Exclusive Interview: Salvo Cuccia on Frank Zappa Documentary appeared first on Shockya.com.

With the rise of the encroaching Toronto, the domestic competition offered by Rome and a hugely successful Cannes this year, the 70th Venice Film Festival - which begins on 28 August - is facing some pretty stiff competition. The lineup, however, is on the face of it relatively low-key, though there are some very interesting possibilities and potential surprises. Regular attendee George Clooney opens proceedings with Alfonso Cuarón's Gravity, whilst in the main competition lie a mix of old hands - Errol Morris with his Donald Rumsfeld documentary, Hayao Miyazaki's last fable - along with fresh talents such as Kelly Reichardt (Night Moves) and Jonathan Glazer (with his Birth follow-up, Under the Skin).

Terry Gilliam also returns after an elongated absence, his The Zero Theorem starring Christoph Waltz as a hacker searching for the meaning of existence. The film hopefully marks a return to form for a filmmaker who...

The Venice International Film Festival has announced the lineup for its 70th edition.

Official Competition

Es-Stouh (Merzak Allouache, Algeria/France)

L'Intrepido (Gianna Amelio, Italy)

Miss Violence (Alexandros Avranas, Greece)

Via Castellana Bandiera (Emma Dante, Italy/Switzerland/France)

Tom à la ferme (Xavier Dolan, Canada/France)

Child of God (James Franco, USA)

Philomena (Stephen Frears, UK)

La Jalousie (Philippe Garrel, France)

The Zero Theorem (Terry Gilliam, UK/USA)

Ana Arabia (Amos Gitai, Israel/France)

Under the Skin (Jonathan Glazer, UK/USA)

Joe (David Gordon Green, USA)

The Police Officer's Wife (Philip Gröning, Germany)

Parkland (Peter Landesman, USA)

The Wind Rises (Hayao Miyazaki, Japan)

The Unknown Known: The Life and Times of Donald Rumsfeld (Errol Morris, USA)

Night Moves (Kelly Reichardt, USA)

Sacro Gra (Gianfranco Rosi, Italy)

Stray Dogs (Tsai Ming-liang, Chinese Taipei/France)

Out Of Competition

Space Pirate Captain Harlock (Shinji Aramaki, Japan)

Gravity (Alfonso Cuarón, USA)

Summer '82 — When Zappa Came to Siciliy (Salvo Cuccia,...

Following the announcement that came earlier this week, launching yet another hugely impressive line-up at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival, the respective line-up has now been announced for what is in some ways its European counterpart, the 2013 Venice Film Festival.

The announcement shows that the two will continue to have a number of films overlapping, including Alfonso Cuarón’s Gravity (the Opening Night Film in Venice), Peter Landesman’s Parkland, Stephen Frears’ Philomena, and more. But it also brings with its news of where a number of films will be making their debut, including Terry Gilliam’s The Zero Theorem; the latest film from Hayao Miyazaki, The Wind Rises; James Franco’s Child of God; Lee Sang-il’s Yurusarezaru Mono, the Japanese remake of Unforgiven; and Steven Knight’s Locke, led by Tom Hardy, and shot in one take.

In Competition

Es-Stouh – Merzak Alloucache (Algeria, France, 94’) L’Intrepido – Gianni Amelio (Italy,...

The Toronto Film Festival has 12 Years A Slave and Gravity, but the Venice Film Festival does not intend to be outdone. Gravity will open the festival, yes, but Terry Gilliam’s The Zero Theorem will also put in an appearance. Plus there are new films from Stephen Frears, Paul Schrader and James Franco, who brings his Child Of God to play at Venice. Hayao Miyazaki’s latest The Wind Rises will show up at Venice too, after its Japanese tour. Then there are films from Errol Morris, Kelly Reichardt, and Frederick Wiseman. Oh, and the Japanese Unforgiven remake Yurusarezaru mono.

All in all, it’s not a bad line-up for Venice this year. Lots of films that we’ve already heard of and, as usual, a whole slew that we probably haven’t. Festival season is always an exciting time, less for the major works and more for the ones...

The films screened at the 70th Venice film festival – as the programme release is staggered, this will be updated as more information comes in

The 70th Venice film festival runs from 28 August until 7 September

Opening night film

Gravity, Dir: Alfonso Cuaron

Closing night film

Amazonia, Dir: Thierry Ragobert

Competition

Ana Arabia, Dir: Amos Gitai

Child of God, Dir: James Franco

Die Frau des Polizisten (The Police Officer's Wife), Dir: Philip Groning

L'intrepido, Dir: Gianni Amelio

La Jalousie, Dir: Philippe Garrel

Jiaoyou,, Dir: (Stray Dogs), Tsai Ming-liang

Joe, Dir: David Gordon Green

Kaze Tachinu, Dir: Hayao Miyazaki

Miss Violence, Dir: Alexandros Avranas

Night Moves, Dir: Kelly Reichardt

Parkland, Dir: Peter Landesman

Philomena, Dir: Stephen Frears

Sacro Gra, Dir: Gianfranco Rosi

Es-Stouh (The Rooftops), Dir: Merzak Allouache

Tom at the Farm, Dir: Xavier Dolan

Tracks, Dir: John Curran

Under the Skin, Dir: Jonathan Glazer

The Unknown Known: the Life and Times of...

With still several films not yet announced for the behemoth Toronto Int. Film Festival, it appears that 2013 will be a significant cross-over year for Venice titles (Joe, Night Moves, Parkland, Philomena, Tracks, Under the Skin) landing in the Canadian capitol and from the get-go, it appears that Toronto programmers have indeed stole some of the thunder from the Alberto Barbera’s Lido, specifically in the case where they grabbed world premiere rights to Steve McQueen’s 12 Years A Slave with the Fox Searchlight folks possibly looking to keep the film on North American soil. However, for the time being that are titles that are worth salivating over that will be making their preems on the Lido – along with a grab bag of Euro and Asian titles we have the highly anticipated showings for Hayao Miyazaki’s Kaze Tachinu, Tsai Ming-liang’s Stray Dogs, Xavier Dolan’s Tom a la Ferme...

Competition titles include new films from Reichardt, Morris, Miyazaki, Glazer, Gitai, Gilliam, Frears.See below for full lists

The 70th Venice International Film Festival includes an array of exciting new features, including films from Kelly Reichardt, Errol Morris, Jonathan Glazer, Terry Gilliam, Amos Gitai and Stephen Frears.

As previously announced Alfonso Cuaron’s Gravity will open the festival and Thierry Ragobert’s Amazonia will close.

Director Bernardo Bertolucci will head the jury at the event, which runs from August 28 to September 7.

A total of 20 titles in all will compete for the festival’s Golden Lion award.

Gilliam’s The Zero Theorem stars Christoph Waltz playing a reclusive computer genius, and also features Tilda Swinton, Ben Whishaw, Melanie Thierry and David Thewlis.

Glazer is launching anticipated sci-fi Under the Skin, starring Scarlett Johansson, while Reichardt’s thriller Night Moves stars Jesse Eisenberg, Peter Sarsgaard and Dakota Fanning as three environmentalists who plot to blow up a dam. Frears...