Notícias

Partho Sen-Gupta..

Screen Australia, Screenwest and France.s Cnc Cinémas du Monde have all backed Slam, the latest film from writer-director Partho Sen-Gupta (Sunrise, Let The Wind Blow)..

To be shot in Western Sydney later this year, Slam follows the disappearance of a young Muslim woman in a climate of mistrust and xenophobia.

Cast will include Adam Bakri (Omar), Rachael Blake (Sleeping Beauty, Lantana) and Abbey Aziz (Let it Be Love). Post-production will be completed in Western Australia and France.

"I wrote Slam with urgency and anger in reaction to the world around me nose-diving into hatred and fratricide,. said Sen-Gupta..

.But I am very pleased that what has resulted is a poetic appeal to reason, a socially motivated thriller that transcends language and nationality. I am very excited to work with such a talented international cast and crew who were touched by the human story and will collaborate with...

International Sales Agent LevelK is looking for a paid intern to start in January 2017..

A digital distributor as well as sales agent, LevelK is headquartered in Copenhagen and has offices in Hong Kong and, as of 2016, in Sydney.

The company has worked with Aussie titles since its inception in 2009, including Kieran Darcy-Smith's Wish You Were Here — LevelK's first acquisition.—.as well as The Little Death, The Rocket and The Turning.

"We are really excited about working on the ground here in Australia with our partners, and [having] the chance to provide the successful applicant with an opportunity to gain experience in this field," LevelK Australia director Alexandra Burke told If.

The internship is open to women only and is supported by Screen Australia's Gender Matters — Brilliant Careers program..

It will involve close work with the LevelK sales team — Tine Klint in Copenhagen and Derek Lui in Hong Kong.

Tasks will...

Writer-director-producer Greg Sneddon.s Bhutan-set drama Arrows of the Thunder Dragon is Australia.s entry for the best foreign language film Oscar.

Set in the 1970s, the story follows brother and sister Kuenphen and Jamyang who live in a remote Bhutanese village where they learn traditional archery from their old warrior grandfather.

Their mother's sudden sickness gives Kuenphen the opportunity to explore the world outside the village while Jamyang must stay home to weave, cook and get married- a fate she is not willing to accept without a fight.

The self-financed film was shot on location in the Himalayan mountains with a cast of local highland village people and a Bhutanese crew including DoP Leki Dorji, none of whom had worked on a feature. Jill Bilock is the editor.

"I'm thrilled to bits," Sneddon tell If. A former Buddhist monk, he got the idea for the film while on a pilgrimage to the country.

Icon Film Distribution head of acquisitions and development, Susan Boehm, has departed after three years with the company.

Boehm, will leave Icon Film Distribution on November 11 to focus on further opportunities in Australia and the Us market..

Boehm said working at Icon had been a great experience and an invaluable opportunity to buy high profile, award winning films as well as build on and expand relationships in the Australian and international film community..

"But the time has come for new challenges," she said..

"I.m looking forward to exploring opportunities in the Us while also developing and producing projects with Australian colleagues.".

She will be taking meetings at the upcoming Toronto Film Festival..

Dendy/Icon chief executive, Greg Hughes, said Boehm had made a significant contribution to Icon.s acquisitions and development capabilities.

"The Icon team has benefited greatly from having Susan.s expertise embedded in the business and we...

Ifd Australia’s head of acquisitions and development will leave the company after three years.

Susan Boehm, the head of acquisitions and development at Icon Film Distribution Australia, is leaving the company after three years.

Boehm plans to focus on new opportunities in Australia and the Us and will be taking meetings at Toronto International Film Festival (Sept 10-20).

During her three-year tenure, Icon acquired the Oscar-winning Still Alice and Love & Mercy, as well as Toronto galas The Man Who Knew Infinity and Mr. Right, and upcoming titles Alone In Berlin, War On Everyone and The Wife.

She had previously held the position of development executive at Screen Australia where she developed festival hit The Rocket, Looking For Grace and Last Cab To Darwin.

She later acquired Last Cab To Darwin for Icon and the film will screen at Toronto next month.

“Susan has made a significant contribution to Icon’s acquisitions and development capabilities over the...

Production, post and distribution company Curious has announced a ramped up production slate across both Australian and Nz projects, including Pat Nalin.s highly anticipated Beyond the Known World due for completion in mid-2015.

Set in The Himalayas, the Nz-India co-production follows an estranged couple who journey to India in order to search for their missing daughter. The cast includes David Wenham (Lord of the Rings, 300, Top of the Lake), Sia Trokenheim (Step Dave, Everything We Loved), and Emmanuelle Beart (8 Femmes) and is currently in post-production at Curious Auckland.

Matthew Horrocks and Kristian Eek will produce while Matt Noonan and Sarah Noonan are the EPs. Arclight Films is handling international sales. Curious will distribute in Australia and Nz.

Director Taika Watiti of Boy and What We Do in The Shadows has a new comic adventure up his sleeve, with Hunt for the Wilderpeople commencing production on May 18, 2015 in New Zealand.

Seven Australian films have been released in Us cinemas this year, of which only The Railway Man is likely to have recouped the Pa& and turned a profit.

Stuart Beattie.s I, Frankenstein tops the list with $US19 million but that.s a poor result considering the reported $65 million budget and the money Lionsgate shelled out to support the launch on 2,753 screens.

Jonathan Teplitzky's The Railway Man platformed on four screens in Los Angeles and New York and gradually expanded to 164 theatres via The Weinstein Co, raking in $US4.4 million. That brings its worldwide B.O. total to $US22.3 million led by the UK.s $8.5 million, according to Box Office Mojo.

A24 launched David Michôd.s The Rover on 608 screens but the thriller was D.O.A., finishing with $1.1 million, which mirrors its results in Australia and the UK.

Greg Mclean.s Wolf Creek 2, Kim Mordaunt.s The Rocket...

After shooting his debut film The Rocket in northern Laos and Thailand, Kim Mordaunt will go back to the region to direct a biopic about the legendary Australian combat photo-journalist Neil Davis.

One Crowded Hour is based on Tim Bowden.s biography of that title and is set in Australia, Vietnam and Cambodia.

For more than 20 years from the early 1960s, Davis brought enduring images of the full horror of war directly from the battlefront to the world.s TV.s screens.

After surviving numerous wars he was killed in September 1985 while filming an attempted coup in the streets of Bangkok. His still-running camera recorded his own death.

Andy Cox is writing the screenplay for producers Todd Fellman (Bait, Mental, A Few Best Men) and Lance Kelleher, with Screen Australia funding development.

.We will shoot mostly in Australia and likely Vietnam but are yet to scout in Asia so we...

UK producer Kevin Loader joins comedy drama B Model, to be directed by actor Rachel Griffiths.

Now that it is likely to be set up as a UK/Australian co-production, prolific UK producer Kevin Loader (In the Loop, Hyde Park on Hudson, Le Week-End) has become part of the team behind the comedy drama B Model, to be directed by actor Rachel Griffiths.

Griffiths has directed two shorts, Roundabout and Tulip and this will be her first feature – providing the money can be raised.

Australian producer Louise Smith was reluctant to provide details of the project precisely because it is yet to be financed. The current draft of the script is being written by Samantha Stauss, co-creator of the series Dance Academy.

B Model is included in a list of 18 features that Screen Australia has injected a total of Us$500,000 worth of development money into in the last four months.

One of the...

★★★☆☆During the making of his 2007 film, Bomb Harvest, director Kim Mordaunt was inspired by the experience of young people in Laos who make their living extracting for sale, the metal and explosives from bombs dropped during the 'secret war' in the 1960s-70s. That such a huge risk was taken by children just to survive was demonstrable of a tragic tradition of innocent lives being exploited in a country reportedly the "most bombed place on the planet". The Rocket (2013) is Mordaunt's tribute to this mostly unrepresented culture, with the only other Laotian film to date being Good Morning, Luang Prabang (2008), a romance about a photographer falling in love with his tour guide.

At least 17 Australian films look set to be released theatrically in the Us this year following the latest batch of deals announced in Cannes. If that's how it pans out, that will be an all-time record, or the highest in the last few decades. The previous high point was 1997 when 15 features were distributed in the Us, according to Screen Australia, whose records go back to 1985.

The preponderance of VOD-targeted deals with limited theatrical play-off partly explains the upswing this year. Only five Australian features got theatrical exposure in the Us in 2012 and seven in 2011, according to Screen Australia's research.

Main Street Films bought Tim Winton.s The Turning, A24 picked up Julius Avery.s crime thriller Son of a Gun and XLrator Media collared Tony Mahony and Angus Sampson.s dark comedy The Mule. Murali Thuralli.s post-Apocalyptic drama One will also be released in the Us by Main...

At least 17 Australian films will be released theatrically in the Us this year following the latest batch of deals announced in Cannes. If that isn.t a record, it must be close, albeit that some of those deals are VOD-driven, with a limited theatrical release. Main Street Films bought Tim Winton.s The Turning, A24 picked up Julius Avery.s crime thriller Son of a Gun and XLrator Media collared Tony Mahony and Angus Sampson.s dark comedy The Mule. Murali Thuralli.s post-Apocalyptic drama One will also be released in the Us by Main Street Films but that won.t be until next year (see separate story). .The number of Us deals secured for the latest crop of Australian films demonstrates the strength and international audience appeal of Australian storytelling,. Kathleen Drumm, head of marketing at Screen Australia, tells If from Cannes. .Expanding platforms offer new ways into the...

The list of Australian films released in Us cinemas so far this year is short and, on the surface, unimpressive.

Stuart Beattie.s I, Frankenstein tops the list with $US19 million but that.s a poor result for a film that cost a reported $65 million and was launched on 2,753 screens by Lionsgate.

Apart from The Railway Man, the other films had a limited theatrical release, primarily as a platform for Video-on-Demand and DVD sales.

Kim Mordaunt.s The Rocket screened in seven cinemas. The producer, Red Lamp Films. Sylvia Wilczynski, tells If, .It.s doing very well on iTunes internationally; it launched on iTunes on April 22."

Rechristened Patrick: Evil Awakens, Mark Hartley.s re-imagining of Richard Franklin.s 1978 cult horror film Patrick, opened simultaneously on VoD and in cinemas in Los Angeles, New York and Columbus, Ohio; no figures are available yet.

Jonathan Teplitzky's The Railway Man platformed on...

Kim Mordaunt, Rowan Woods and Rachel Perkins were among the winners in the Australian Directors Guild awards presented in Sydney at the Powerhouse Museum on Friday night.

Mordaunt took the Adg award for best direction in a feature film for his debut film The Rocket. The best direction in a telemovie gong went to Woods for The Broken Shore.. Perkins won the prize for best direction in a TV drama series for Redfern Now series 2, episode 2, Starting Over.

The Adg Awards celebrate the outstanding work of Australian screen directors in the past year in 16 categories including film, television, multiplatform, music and advertising. .The winners include some of the industry.s most experienced directors such as Ray Lawrence, Rowan Woods, Geoffrey Nottage and Rachel Perkins, but also reflect the incredible new talent rising through the ranks who are working across the various screen platforms,. said Adg executive director Kingston Anderson. The...

Female directors have dominated the Documentary Feature category of the 2014 Australian Directors Guild Awards, whilst Home & Away has muscled out any other competition for TV Drama Serial. The nominees, announced this morning, cover 16 categories across film, television, multiplatform, music and advertising. This year has seen the Adg receive more entries than ever before, making the judging process a difficult one. .In the TV drama category, the documentary feature category and the feature film categories especially, the caliber is really high so that.s why there are so many nominations,. says Adg Executive Director Kingston Anderson. .The judges take it very seriously and fully understand the recognition the awards can bring.. In the feature film category, Baz Luhrmann was unsurprisingly nominated for box office hit The Great Gatsby alongside strong contenders Kim Mordaunt (The Rocket), Ivan Sen (Mystery Road), Jonathan Teplitzky (The Railway Man) and Zak Hilditch, whose film These Final Hours,...

★★★☆☆Magical realism helps bring to life one child's search for a new home in the eminently likeable The Rocket (2013), the latest narrative feature from Australian director Kim Mordaunt. Shot entirely on location in Laos, Mordaunt's heartwarming tale of redemption displays a solid - if somewhat basic - understanding of the tumultuous recent history of this green yet war-torn land. Constantly reminded of the mass American bombings of the last half a century, whilst also facing a new threat in the form of unscrupulous energy corporations intent on flooding great expanses of rural Laos, The Rocket's cast of eccentric waifs and strays must band together in order to start afresh in pastures new.

The Rocket | Under The Skin | The Zero Theorem | Suzanne | Veronica Mars | Need For Speed | Plot For Peace

The Rocket (12A)

(Kim Mordaunt, 2013, Aus/Thai/Laos) Sitthiphon Disamoe, Loungnam Kaosainam, Thep Phongam, Bunsri Yindi. 96 mins

Children are often the best ambassadors for world cinema and so it proves here, in a Laos-set tale that's sympathetic but never condescending. The story centres on a displaced boy burdened by a perceived "curse". But it's told with documentary-like conviction and distinctly local details, from James Brown-worshipping war vets to the unexploded ordnance littering the landscape.

Under The Skin (15)

(Jonathan Glazer, 2013, UK) Scarlett Johansson, Paul Brannigan. Krystof Hádek. 108 mins

Glazer's delectably mystifying sci-fi makes Glasgow look like another planet – as seen through the eyes of Johansson's alien seductress, on the prowl for unsuspecting males. It sounds like a highbrow Species, but the imagery and sustained strangeness put it in a realm of its own.

The Zero Theorem (15)

(Terry Gilliam,...

Australian filmmaker Kim Mordaunt has used his background in documentary film to stunning effect in his Laos-set feature debut, The Rocket. We talked to the director about what inspired him to craft his tale of a young boy seeking redemption in his journey through a war-ravaged country, and how, as a director, he navigated some of the challenges and obstacles which can occur when shooting in a volatile and exotic landscape.

You touched on some of the themes found in The Rocket in a previous documentary [2007’s Bomb Harvest] but how was the narrative formed?

We couldn’t have done this film in the Lao language with protagonists from the country unless we’d made the documentary beforehand. The producer Silvia [Wilczynski] and myself lived in Hanoi, Vietnam about ten years ago and we worked there as teachers, on a propaganda newspapers, and I even landed a job as gameshow host on a rigged programme.

This Laos-set drama about a firework competition – and unexploded wartime ordnance – is sweet natured, if low-key

Kim Mordaunt's The Rocket is a debut fiction feature from an Australian documentary-maker, set in Laos. It is a likable piece of work whose gentleness is an interesting contrast to the grim and even tragic subject matter. It should, perhaps, be seen specifically as a children's film. The Rocket seems to have grown out of Mordaunt's 2007 documentary Bomb Harvest, about the work of an Australian bomb disposal expert trying to clear away the huge number of unexploded devices dropped on Laos by the Us during the Vietnam war. Children are still at risk from these terrifying objects in the ground. The story is about a young Laotian boy, Ahlo (Sitthiphon Disamoe), who is believed by his family to be "cursed", a bringer of bad luck. Ahlo battles on, however, making friends with an orphan and her wacky uncle,...

The repercussions of the past are felt in more ways than one in The Rocket – an elegantly-told and spirited yarn which hints at a magical realism, while keeping its (at times, sobering) feet firmly on the ground. In the dilapidated, war-scarred country of Laos, an old superstition deems a baby named Ahlo (Sitthiphon Disamoe) as the harbinger of bad luck from birth, when his twin brother is stillborn. A decade on, the young boy and his family are forced to relocate from their soon-to-be purposely flooded village. Ahlo is still being labelled a curse, and that accusation is sadly magnified when his insistence on talking his cherished boat cross-country results in tragedy.

Relocated to a temporary, slum-like housing encampment, the deflated Ahlo strikes up a much-needed friendship with a similarly-aged orphan girl and her uncle – the local drunk who (somewhat bizarrely) models himself on the late soul superstar, James Brown.

Ivan Sen.s Mystery Road and Kim Mordaunt.s The Rocket shared the best film honours at the Film Critics Circle of Australia Awards presented last night.

The Great Gatsby collected four awards followed by The Rocket with 3 and Mystery Road and The Turning with 2 awards each.

Naomi Watts was named best actress for her role in the little-seen Adoration and Aaron Pedersen was best actor for Mystery Road. Sen was best director.

There was another tie for the supporting actor prize: The Great Gatsby.s Joel Edgerton and Mystery Road.s Hugo Weaving. The Turning.s Rose Byrne was best supporting actress. The Rocket.s Sitthiphon Disamoe was on hand to receive the gong for best young performer.

Best script award went to The Railway Man.s Frank Cottrell Boyce and Andy Paterson. Haydn Keenan's Persons of Interest was named best documentary.

An Acknowledgment Award was presented to...

Sydney - The producers of three recent Australian features -- The Babadook, 52 Tuesdays and The Rocket  -- have received Feature Enterprise funding from agency Screen Australia to help build their production businesses over the next two years . Sa will give a total of $343,236 (Aus$380,000) to Kristina Ceyton of Causeway Film, Sophie Hyde at Closer Productions and Sylvia Wilczynski's Red Lamp Pty Ltd. to develop their slates. "We are delighted to be supporting these three filmmakers -- they have proven their exceptional capability with the international success of their last feature projects, all of which have performed exceptionally well at key

read more...

Ivan Sen.s Mystery Road. won six of the eight awards for Australian films at the Australian Film Critics Association 2014 film and writing awards.

The murder mystery produced by David Jowsey was feted as best film and for Sen.s direction, screenplay and cinematography, lead actor Aaron Pedersen and supporting actor Hugo Weaving.

Nicole Kidman was named best actress for The Railway Man and Rose Byrne took the supporting actress prize for Tim Winton's The Turning.

Tarantino's Django Unchanged was judged best international film and Michael Haneke.s Amour best foreign-language international film. Best documentary went to Sarah Polley.s Stories We Tell.

The Afca has about 75 members. .All our members voted on the Awards and the majority clearly felt Ivan Sen's gripping outback noir was the best Australian film from the last 12 months,. said Afca chair Richard Haridy, whose outlets are ABC Radio Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast,...

Vendetta Films will release Sophie Hyde.s 52 Tuesdays in Australia on May 1, working with the producers, Closer Productions.

The gender-bending drama won the Crystal Bear for best film in the Generation 14plus strand at the Berlin Film Festival..

The fest.s youth jury said, .The situation is exceptional but familiar. This year.s winning movie is both surprising and touching. It is a movie about family and the quest for identity, and despite all the conflicts, the protagonists stay connected through their love to each other. The moving story is presented in a fascinating structure and convinces with strong characters, humour, clever ideas and sensitivity..

Emo (the musical), a short film from Australian director Neil Triffett dealing with a strange holy war in a school between Christian musicians and Emo boys, received a special mention from the youth jury..

The jury said the film "takes a look at group identity and peer pressure,...

Eureka! Entertainment has announced the DVD & Blu-ray release for the multi-award winning The Rocket, Australia's official selection for the Best Foreign Language Film category for the 86th Academy Awards. The Rocket is the debut feature from director Kim Mordaunt about a 'cursed' twin who guides his family to a new life in Laos. Yours to own from June 02, 2014 in the UK. Synopsis: A ten year old boy, Ahlo, who is believed to bring bad luck, is blamed for a string of disasters. When his family loses their home and are forced to move, Ahlo meets the spirited orphan Kia and her eccentric uncle Purple: an ex-soldier with a purple suit, a rice-wine habit and a fetish for James Brown. Struggling to hang on to his father's trust, Ahlo leads his family, Purple and Kia, through a land scarred by war in search of a new home. In a last plea...

The first international distribution deals for Tim Winton.s The Turning have been concluded at the Berlin Film Festival, while 52 Tuesdays has found a Us distributor.

Also, Shoreline Entertainment has acquired international sales rights to The Infinite Man, a time-travel romantic comedy from first-time director Hugh Sullivan.

Russian Report (Russia/Cis), FilmFreak Distribution (Benelux) and Cinesky Pics (world airlines) bought The Turning before its gala screening in Berlin on Sunday night.

Sales agent LevelK began the international sales campaign for the film starring Cate Blanchett, Rose Byrne, Miranda Otto, Richard Roxburgh and Hugo Weaving, in Berlin.

"Commendably ambitious and clocking in at three hours, this unwieldy portmanteau pic boasts a handful of standout contributions . none more striking than the writing-directing debut of actress Mia Wasikowska . amid a surfeit of gauchely literal ones in a composite meditation on forgiveness, family, firearms and the persistence of memory," said Variety reviewer Guy Lodge.

"The Great Gatsby" was the life of the party at the Australian Academy Awards, winning in six of its seven nominated categories, including Best Film, Director and Best Actor (Leonardo DiCaprio). Plus, the show featured a razzle-dazzle closing number that paid tribute to director Baz Luhrmann's "Strictly Ballroom," "Moulin Rouge," "Romeo and Juliet" and "Gatsby." Actress Elizabeth Debicki also scored a Supporting Nod, as did Joel Edgerton, while the film's script nabbed Best Adapted Screenplay.  Meanwhile, Kim Mordaunt's Aussie Oscar entry (for the stateside Foreign Language competition) "The Rocket" took home Best Original Screenplay. Also of note, Kiwi auteur Jane Campion's mystery "Top of the Lake," starring Golden Globe winner Elisabeth Moss, won Best Mini-Series. The full list of winners is here.

While a lively debate over the 13 Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards for The Great Gatsby rages on social media, TV viewers have given their verdict on the Network Ten telecast.

The delayed two-hour show, which started at 8.30 pm, drew an average audience of 400,000 in the capital cities and a peak of 540,000. That was better than last year.s one-hour telecast which had 331,000 viewers. To be fair the AFI confirmed Ten as its broadcast partner only a couple of weeks before that so there was a lack of promotion last year.

The show, which had a weak lead-in from Jamie Oliver's new series Save with Jamie,. was beaten by Person of Interest on Nine and Bones on Seven.

On Facebook and Twitter there was a pronounced backlash against The Great Gatsby.s domination over The Rocket. Kim Mordaunt.s low-budget Lao-set drama got 12 nominations, two fewer than Baz Luhrmann.s opus,...

Hollywood extravaganza The Great Gatsby dominates movie category while Redfern Now scoops best drama series

Video: Jacki Weaver - 'I'm a little bit overwhelmed'

A David-and-Goliath battle between a low budget film set in Laos and an extravagant Hollywood production of The Great Gatsby ended with the giant victorious at Australia's Academy Awards, the Aactas

Baz Luhrmann's blockbuster, filmed entirely in Sydney studios with computer graphics helping to create the F Scott Fitzgerald story's Long Island and New York backdrops, took six of the top prizes on 30 January, including best film, director, and adapted screenplay for Luhrmann and long-time collaborator Craig Pearce. This brought its tally to 13 following its sweep of the craft awards announced two days earlier at the country's top annual film and TV awards.

In the television categories, Jane Campion's quirky crime series Top of the Lake, a four nation co-production set in rural New Zealand,...

Baz Luhrmann’s adaptation wins every film category but two at the annual Australian awards ceremony.

The big budget Us-financed jazz age extravaganza The Great Gatsby won every film category but two at the annual Aacta (Australian Academy of Cinema and Television) Awards this evening Australian time in Sydney.

This included the best film gong, which goes to Australian producers Baz Luhrmann, Catherine Martin and Catherine Knapman and their Us counterparts Douglas Wick and Lucy Fisher.

Luhrmann also scored best director and, with his high school friend and regular collaborator Craig Pearce, best adapted screenplay.

The only award The Great Gatsby could have won but didn’t was for best actress: that instead went to Rose Byrne for her small part — all the actors had small roles overall — in the bold anthology film The Turning, adapted from a book of short stories by popular novelist Tim Winton.

The Rocket, a festival hit made on a shoestring budget...

Baz Luhrmann’s adaptation wins every film category but two at the annual Australian awards ceremony.

The big budget Us-financed jazz age extravaganza The Great Gatsby won every film category but two at the annual Aacta (Australian Academy of Cinema and Television) Awards this evening Australian time in Sydney.

This included the best film gong, which goes to Australian producers Baz Luhrmann, Catherine Martin and Catherine Knapman and their Us counterparts Douglas Wick and Lucy Fisher.

Luhrmann also scored best director and, with his high school friend and regular collaborator Craig Pearce, best adapted screenplay.

The only award The Great Gatsby could have won but didn’t was for best actress: that instead went to Rose Byrne for her small part — all the actors had small roles overall — in the bold anthology film The Turning, adapted from a book of short stories by popular novelist Tim Winton.

The Rocket, a festival hit made on a shoestring budget...

Baz Luhrmann’s adaptation wins every film category but two at the annual Australian awards ceremony.

The big budget Us-financed jazz age extravaganza The Great Gatsby won every film category but two at the annual Aacta (Australian Academy of Cinema and Television) Awards this evening Australian time in Sydney.

This included the best film gong, which goes to Australian producers Baz Luhrmann, Catherine Martin and Catherine Knapman and their Us counterparts Douglas Wick and Lucy Fisher.

Luhrmann also scored best director and, with his high school friend and regular collaborator Craig Pearce, best adapted screenplay.

The only award The Great Gatsby could have won but didn’t was for best actress: that instead went to Rose Byrne for her small part — all the actors had small roles overall — in the bold anthology film The Turning, adapted from a book of short stories by popular novelist Tim Winton.

The Rocket, a festival hit made on a shoestring budget...

If the 3rd annual Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards could be categorised as a David vs Goliath battle between The Rocket and The Great Gatsby, Goliath is the hands-down winner.

Baz Luhrmann.s opulent romantic drama won six awards tonight, for best film, director, adapted screenplay, lead actor Leonardo DiCaprio, supporting actor Joel Edgerton and supporting actress Elizabeth Debicki.

That.s in addition to the six awards in craft categories plus the Aacta award for outstanding achievement in visual effects bestowed on Luhrmann.s film on Tuesday.

Kim Mordaunt's The Rocket, which had 12 nominations versus 14 for Gatsby, had to be content with just one trophy, for Mordaunt.s original screenplay.

The outcome is likely to reignite the debate about the near-impossibility of comparing a lavishly-mounted 3D film financed by Warner Bros. and Village Roadshow Pictures, which cost $160 million, with an independently-funded Lao-set film from a first-time director budgeted at about $2 million.

The Great Gatsby dominated. Aacta.s technical and short films awards today, collecting gongs in all six craft categories for which it was nominated, plus the Aacta award for outstanding achievement in visual effects.

The co-production Top of the Lake bagged two TV trophies while Matchbox Pictures. Nowhere Boys, created by Tony Ayres, was named best children.s TV series.

The TV documentary prize went to Redesign My Brain, which explores the revolutionary new science of brain plasticity, written and directed by Paul Scott and produced by Isabel Perez and Scott for ABC TV.

Writer-director Nick Verso's The Last Time I Saw Richard, produced by John Molloy, was honoured as best short fiction film. Developed and funded through Screen Australia.s Springboard program, the short is a prequel to the upcoming feature film Boys In The Trees, tracing the friendship between two teenagers in a mental health clinic in...

New York.s notoriously hard-to-please critics have embraced The Rocket with as much enthusiasm as their counterparts around the world since it premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival, where it was named best debut film. Kim Mordaunt.s Lao-set feature launched at two Gotham cinemas on Friday, beginning a roll-out which will encompass 24 cities through late February. The Lao-language drama earned an estimated $US7,000 in three days at the IFC Centre, according to Deadline.com. .While not stratospheric, the film showed a strong word of mouth bump, doubling its gross from Friday to Saturday night, consistent with its performance in other territories,. distributor Kino Lorber told Deadline. The Wall Street Journal.s Joe Morgenstern opined, .A special pleasure of moviegoing is sitting down with low expectations and coming out with surprised delight. The Rocket will do that for you.It's a small film, set in Laos, with a big theme.changing one's destiny.

As this year's Academy Awards nominations approach, and after the shocking selection of films conforming the Academy's shortlist for the Best Foreign Language Film Award, audiences will get the opportunity to see some of the films that were dismissed but which are absolutely deserving of attention. Rather than including all of the 76 Submissions the Palm Spring Film Festival decided to shorten their program to 45 of what they considered the best representation of the extensive amount of films.

Included in the program are all of the 9 shortlisted films, all the other major omissions, and many more obscure titles that showcase some of the most interesting voices in World Cinema today. Most of these films have been awarded prizes and received praise at major festivals from Sundance to Cannes and Toronto, and will give the viewer a broader view of the category beyond the assumed frontrunners.

Below is a list with more information on each of the films that will be screening at Palm Springs with reviews and interviews with the filmmakers for the majority of them. Read more about the complete list of 76 Foreign Language Oscar Submissions visit Here

For more information on the Palm Springs International Film Festival visit Here

Argentina

The German Doctor (Wakolda)

Dir: Lucia Puenzo

Language: Spanish, German, Hebrew

U.S Release: Samuel Goldwyn Films

Isa: Pyramide

Festivals: Cannes 2013 Un Certain Regard

Trailer

Review by Carlos Aguilar

Case Study by Sydney Levine

Australia

The Rocket

Dir: Kim Mordaunt

Language: Lao

U.S Release: Kino Lorber

Isa: Level K

Festivals: Berlin 2013: Best First Feature Film ,Tribeca 2013: World Narrative Competition

Trailer

Austria

The Wall

Dir: Julian Polsler

Language: German

U.S Release: Music Box Films - May 31, 2013

Isa: The Match Factory

Festivals: Sitges Ff 2012 Official Fantastic, Mumbai Ff 2012 Int'l Competition

Trailer

Review by Carlos Aguilar

Belgium

The Broken Circle Breakdown

Dir: Felix van Groeningen

Language: Flemish

U.S Release: Tribeca Film - November 1, 2013

Isa: The Match Factory

Festivals: Berlinale - Efm 2013 - Panorama

Trailer

Review by Carlos Aguilar

Interview by Carlos Aguilar

Bosnia And Herzegovina

An Episode in the Life of an Iron Picker

Dir: Danis Tanović

Language: Bosnian, Romani

U.S Release: Tba

Isa: The Match Factory

Festivals: Berlinale Competition,Efm Tiff 2013 Contemporary World Cinema

Trailer

Cambodia

The Missing Picture

Dir: Rithy Panh

Language: French

U.S Release: Acquired by Strand Releasing for U.S Distribution

Festivals: Cannes 2013 - Un Certain Regard Prix, San Sebastian 2013 Pearls

Trailer

Review by Carlos Aguilar

Canada

Gabrielle

Dir: Louise Archambault

Language: French

U.S Release: eOne

Isa: eOne

Festivals: Toronto- Tiff 2013, Locarno International Film Festival 2013

Trailer

Review by Carlos Aguilar

Interview by Carlos Aguilar

Chile

Gloria

Dir: Sebastian Lelio

Language: Spanish

U.S Release: Roadside Attractions

Isa: Funny Balloons

Festivals: Berlin Efm 2013, Toronto - Tiff 2013

Trailer

Review by Carlos Aguilar

Interview by Sydney Levine

China

Back to 1942

Dir: Feng Xiaogang

Language: Mandarin, English

U.S Release: Well Go USA - May 14, 2013

Isa: Huayi Brothers

Festivals: Rome Film Festival 2012, Dubai International Film Festival 2012

Trailer

Croatia

Halima's Path

Dir: Arsen Anton Ostojić

Language: Bosnian

U.S Release: Tba

Festivals: Berlin Efm 2013, Tallinn Black Nights Iff 2012 - EurAsia (Special Jury Prize)

Trailer

Review by Carlos Aguilar

Denmark

The Hunt

Dir: Thomas Vinterberg

Language: Danish

U.S Release: Magnolia Pictures - July 12, 2013

Isa: TrustNordisk

Festivals: Cannes 2012 Competition, Toronto - Tiff 2012, AFI Fest 2012

Trailer

Egypt

Winter of Discontent

Dir: Ibrahim el-Batout

Language: Arabic

U.S Release: Tba

Festivals: Venice International Film Festival, Cairo International Film Festival, Dubai Film Festival

Trailer

Review by Carlos Aguilar

Finland

Disciple

Dir: Ulrika Bengts

Language: Finnish

U.S Release: Tba

Festivals: Helsinki Ff 2012, Montréal World Ff 2013

Trailer

Review by Carlos Aguilar

Interview by Carlos Aguilar

France

Renoir

Dir: Gilles Bourdos

Language: French

U.S Release: Samuel Goldwyn Films - March 29, 2013

Isa: Wild Bunch

Festivals: Cannes 2012 Un Certain Regard

Trailer

Georgia

In Bloom

Dir: Nana Ekvtimishvili and Simon Groß

Language: Georgian

U.S Release: Big World Pictures

Isa: Memento

Festivals: Cicae award Berlinale Forum 2013

Trailer

Review by Carlos Aguilar

Germany

Two Lives

Dir: Georg Maas

Language: German

U.S Release: Tba

Isa: Beta Cinema

Festivals: Berlin Efm 2013, Toronto-tiff 2013, Busan 2013

Trailer

Hong Kong

The Grandmaster

Dir: Wong Kar-wai

Language: Cantonese, Mandarin

U.S Release: The Weinstein Company - August 23, 2013

Isa: Fortissimo

Festivals: Berlinale -Efm 2013

Trailer

Hungary

The Notebook

Dir: Janosz Szasz

Language: Hungarian

U.S Release: Tba

Festivals: Tiff 2013 Contemporary World Cinema

Trailer

Review by Carlos Aguilar

Iceland

Of Horses and Men

Dir: Benedikt Erlingsson

Language: Icelandic

U.S Release: Tba

Isa: Icelandic Film Centre

Festivals: Berlin Efm 2013, Sundance 2013

Trailer

Review by Carlos Aguilar

India

The Good Road

Dir: Gyan Correa

Language: Gujarati

U.S Release: Tba

Isa: National Film Board of India

Festivals: London Indian Film Festival in 2013

Trailer

Review by Carlos Aguilar

Iran

The Past

Dir: Asghar Farhadi

Language: French, Persian

U.S Release: Sony Pictures Classics - December 20, 2013

Isa: Memento

Festivals:Cannes 2013 Competition-Won Best Actress, Toronto - Tiff 2013

Trailer

Review by Carlos Aguilar

Interview by Carlos Aguilar

Israel

Bethlehem

Dir: Yuval Adler

Language: Hebrew

U.S Release: Adopt

Isa: Westend

Festivals: Toronto - Tiff 2013 Discovery, Telluride Film Festival, Venice International Film Festival

Trailer

Italy

The Great Beauty

Dir: Paolo Sorrentino

Language: Italian

U.S Release: AJanus Films

Isa: Pathe

Festivals: Cannes 2013 Competition, Berlin Efm 2013,

Trailer

Interview by Sydney Levine

Japan

The Great Passage

Dir: Yuya Ishii

Language: Japanese

U.S Release: Tba

Isa: Shochiku

Festivals: Fantasia Ff 2013 Official Selection

Trailer

Kazakhstan

Shal (The Old Man)

Dir: Yermek Tursunov

Language: Russian, Kazakh

U.S Release: Tba

Festivals: N/A

Trailer

Review by Carlos Aguilar

Latvia

Mother, I Love You

Dir: Janis Nords

Language: Latvian

U.S Release: Tba

Isa: New Europe Film Sales

Festivals: Los Angeles Film Festival 2013, Berlinale Generation KPlus (Grand Prix of the International Jury for the best feature film)

Trailer

Review by Carlos Aguilar

Mexico

Heli

Dir: Amat Escalante

Language: Spanish

U.S Release: Tba

Isa: Ndm

Festivals: Cannes 2013 Competition-Winner Best Director, San Sebastian 2013 Horizontes Latinos,

Trailer

Review by Carlos Aguilar

Interview by Carlos Aguilar

Morocco

Horses of God

Dir: Nabil Ayouch

Language: Arabic

U.S Release: Tba

Festivals: Cannes 2012, Bif London Film Festival 2012

Trailer

Review by Carlos Aguilar

The Netherlands

Borgman

Dir: Alex van Warmerdam

Language: Dutch

U.S Release: Drafthouse Films

Isa: Fortissimo

Festivals: Cannes 2013 Competition, Busan 2013, Toronto-tiff 2013

Trailer

Review by Carlos Aguilar

New Zealand

White Lies

Dir: Dana Rotberg

Language: Maori

U.S Release: Tba

Isa: Film Sales Company

Festivals: N/A

Trailer

Norway

I Am Yours

Dir: Iram Haq

Language: Norwegian, Urdu

U.S Release: Tba

Festivals: Toronto-tiff 2013

Trailer

Palestine

Omar

Dir: Hany Abu-Assad

Language: Arabic

U.S Release: Adopt FilmsIsa: The Match Factory

Festivals: Cannes 2013 Un Certain Regard, Toronto-tiff 2013

Trailer

Review by Carlos Aguilar

Interview by Carlos Aguilar

Philippines

Transit

Dir: Hannah Espia

Language: Filipino, Tagalog, Hebrew

U.S Release: Tba

Festivals: Cinemalaya Film Festival 2013

Trailer

Review by Carlos Aguilar

Poland

Walesa

Dir: Andrzej Wajda

Language: Polish

U.S Release: Tba

Isa: Films Boutique

Festivals: Toronto - Tiff 2013, Venice- Biennale 2013

Trailer

Romania

Child's Pose

Dir: Calin Peter Netzer

Language: Romanian

U.S Release: Tba

Isa: Beta Cinema

Festivals: Berlinale - Efm 2013 - Competition (Golden Bear for the Best Film), Toronto - Tiff 2013 Contemporary World Cinema

Trailer

Articles by Sydney Levine, Berlin Diary #2

Russia

Stalingrad

Dir: Fedor Bondarchuk

Language: Russian

U.S Release: Tba

Festivals: N/A

Trailer

Saudi Arabia

Wadjda

Dir: Haifaa al-Mansour

Language: Arabic

U.S Release: Sony Pictures Classics - September 13, 2013

Isa: The Match Factory

Festivals: Cannes 2012, Venice International Film Festival 2012, Los Angeles Film Festival, Toronto-tiff 2013

Trailer

Review by Carlos Aguilar

Serbia

Circles

Dir: Srdan Golubovic

Language: Serbian

U.S Release: Tba

Isa: Memento

Festivals: Sundance 2013 World Dramatic, Berlinale - Efm 2013 Forum

Trailer

Review by Carlos Aguilar

Interview by Sydney Levine

Singapore

Ilo Ilo

Dir: Anthony Chen

Language: Mandarin, Hokkien, English, Tagalog

U.S Release: Tba

Isa: Memento

Festivals: Cannes 2013 Directors Fortnight, Toronto - Tiff 2013 Discovery

Trailer

Review by Carlos Aguilar

Slovenia

Class Enemy

Dir: Rok Biček

Language: Slovene

U.S Release: Tba

Festivals: Toronto-tiff 2013

Trailer

Review by Carlos Aguilar

South Korea

Juvenile Offender

Dir: Kang Yi-kwan

Language: Korean

U.S Release: Tba

Isa: Finecut

Festivals: Toronto - Tiff 2012 Contemporary World Cinema,

Trailer

Spain

15 Years and One Day

Dir: Gracia Querejeta

Language: Spanish

U.S Release: Tba

Isa: Latido

Festivals: San Sebastian 2013 Made in Spain, Berlin Efm 2013

Trailer

Review by Carlos Aguilar

Interview by Carlos Aguilar

Switzerland

More Than Honey

Dir: Markus Imhoof

Language: German, Mandarin

U.S Release: Tba

Isa: Films Boutique

Festivals: Toronto - Tiff 2012 Tiff Docs, Berlin Efm 2013

Trailer

Turkey

The Butterfly's Dream

Dir: Yılmaz Erdoğan

Language: Turkish

U.S Release: Tba

Festivals: Istanbul Film Festival, Los Angeles Turkish Film Festival

Trailer

Review by Carlos Aguilar

United Kingdom

Metro Manila

Dir: Sean Elllis

Language: Filipino, Tagalog

U.S Release: Paladin/108 Media

Isa:

Festivals: Sundance 2013 World Dramatic, Berlin Efm 2012, Cannes 2012, Afm 2012, Berlin Efm 2013

Trailer

Uruguay

Anina

Dir: Alfredo Soderguit

Language: Spanish

U.S Release: Tba

Festivals: Berlin International Film Festival, Buenos Aires International Festival of Independent Cinema

Trailer

Review by Carlos Aguilar...

Making magnificent use of the Laotian landscape and tribal traditions, Australian director Kim Mordaunt's The Rocket is a coming-of-age tale infused with fantastic elements that more than compensate for its predictability.

In every set of twins lives a curse, according to tribal elders. Ahlo (Sitthiphon Disamoe) survived childbirth while his sibling was stillborn, but even this good fortune is dampened by beliefs that all but brandish him a bad seed from the womb.

He spends the entirety of his youth trying to unburden himself from this shadow, constantly attempting to prove his worth and goodness to his parents and grandmother.

When his mother dies during a freak accident for which he appears responsible, Ahlo sets out to make something of himself and f...

There’s a tricky balance to be found in Australian documentarian Kim Mordaunt’s impressive narrative debut “The Rocket.” Mordaunt, who returns to Laos after exploring the country in his documentary “The Bomb Harvest,” tells a tale that’s both humanistic and soulful, yet political and socially aware. Tip the scales in either direction and your tonal equilibrium is thrown out of order. And that’s perhaps what makes “The Rocket” so special; it’s a thoughtful, well-observed drama that contains many painful struggles and hardships, quietly chronicles third world poverty and social inequities, and yet never condescends to preach or teach. In fact, when the beleaguered protagonists finally receive some much-needed respite and joy, the payoff is well-earned. In rural Laos, a young boy, Ahlo (Sitthiphon Disamoe), is unknowingly born into bad luck. Local superstition dictates that twins are evil omens and the children should be killed off. Ahlo...

New Release

The Invisible Woman

R, 1 Hr., 51 Mins.

It’s a pleasure to see Ralph Fiennes, in the second film he’s directed, abandon his reticence to play Charles Dickens as an ebullient, laughing mensch a Victorian rock star whose literary celebrity masks his hunger for love. Dickens’ wife has borne him 10 children, but the two have little communion. So when he meets Nelly (Felicity Jones), a young actress with a yen for his novels, he falls for her but must keep their bond a secret. Alas, the impeccably shot film dribbles more than it builds. B- —Owen Gleiberman

New Release

Divorce Corp.

There’s some seductively primeval scenery decorating Aussie director Kim Mordaunt’s “The Rocket,” which is Australia's Oscar entry, if only because its setting -- Laos -- has so seldom appeared on western screens. The film opens in New York City on January 10 and in Los Angeles on January 17 at the Nuart Theatre.Stirring landscapes, however -- and the occasional flash of cinematographic virtuosity from Dp Andrew Commis -- will only get you so far, something Mordaunt obviously knows, as he goes about creating a primitivist parable with an anti-corporate message replete with plucky preteens, a James Brown impersonator, ripely symbolic mangoes, unexploded landmines and a tone that roams from Italian post-war neo-realism (think an Asian “Stromboli”) to the magical conjuring of that elusive Vietnamese genius, Tranh Anh Hung. However: Mordaunt makes a more than adept fiction debut with a story that picks scabs off a number of sore subjects,...

Silver Linings: Morduant’s Debut a Breezy, Formulaic Crowd Pleaser

After winning awards and audience accolades at nearly every film festival it’s screened at (including Berlin, Tribeca, and AFI), Australian documentarian Kim Morduant’s narrative debut, The Rocket, is sure to become an art-house favorite for its heartwarming tale of a young Laotian boy’s struggles, presented as it is without douses of miserablism, melodrama, or exploitation. A unique locale and cinematically underexplored group of people serves an intriguing jumping point into a tale that’s otherwise quite predictable, though enhanced by its ability to remain, simply, a tale of overcoming unfortunate circumstances.

In the Northern mountains of Laos, Mali (Alice Keohavong) gives birth to her son Ahlo, whose large testicles earn him the immediate nickname of “Little Balls” by grandmother Taitok (Bunsri Yindi). But soon after his delivery, she discovers that she’s about to give birth to twins,...

North American distributor Kino Lorber is showing plenty of faith in Kim Mordaunt.s The Rocket, which premieres in New York City on Friday in a roll-out which will encompass 24 cities through late February.

The Lao-set feature has been banned from cinemas in China but has been cleared to screen on Video-On-Demand platforms in that country.

Producer Sylvia Wilczynski of Red Lamp Films tells If the Chinese censors regarded the film.s depiction of developers razing a village to make way for a hydro-electric dam in neighbouring Laos as a .sensitive issue..

However the producer is delighted with Kino Lorber.s release plans, starting with New York.s IFC Centre and the Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Centre. She.s praying the vicious cold snap which has hit parts of the Us including Gotham and hurt ticket sales, has abated by then.

The film is getting more playdates in North America...

An analysis of the Australian films released in cinemas in 2013 makes for grim reading, with a handful of critical and/or commercial successes outnumbered by misfires and under-achievers.

On the positive side, the debut films from directors Kim Mordaunt (The Rocket), Catriona McKenzie (Satellite Boy) and Mark Grentell (Backyard Ashes) unearthed talent with plenty of potential.

The year ended on a strong note with the Boxing Day launch of Jonathan Teplitzy.s The Railway Man, which ranks as the second-highest local grosser behind Baz Luhrmann.s The Great Gatsby, which amassed $27.4 million to become the fifth-biggest Australian title of all time.

Tellingly, the drama starring Colin Firth and Nicole Kidman raked in more money in its first week than the lifetime earnings of every other title. According to If.s estimate, the combined B.O. tally of the 26 local films and documentaries is $38.88 million, well short of 2012.s $47.9 million.

Only...

Actor-filmmaker Kamal Hassan will inaugurate the 6th Bengaluru International Film Festival on Thursday at Jnana Jyothi Auditorium, Central College (Near Mysore bank Circle).

Bekas by Karzan Kader will be screened as the opening film while The Rocket by Kim Mordaunt will close the festival.

The festival that is scheduled to run from December 26 to January 2, 2014 will showcase 152 films from 45 countries, with Country Focus on Taiwan and Germany.

On December 29 at 11.30 am, the festival will host a seminar on ‘The Digital Experience: Talking Red, Alexa and Black Magic’. The panelists – Dr Bedabrata Pain, Manohar Joshi, Br Viswanath – will share their experiences with lighting, composition, resolution, conditions under hot weather, battery life and many problems they faced and solutions found while handling the cameras. The seminar will be presided over by Dr Bedabrata Pain, scientist, filmmaker and specialist on digital cinema, who will guide the seminar through the relevant topics and answer...

Best Foreign Language Film Oscar 2014 submissions (photo: Ziyi Zhang in ‘The Grandmaster’) (See previous post: Best Foreign Language Film Oscar: ‘The Past,’ ‘Wadjda,’ Andrzej Wajda Among Omissions) In case you missed it, here’s the full list of submissions (in alphabetical order, per country) for the 2014 Best Foreign Language Film Academy Award. The list of contenders was originally announced on October 7, 2013. Of note: Saudi Arabia and Moldova were first-timers; Montenegro was a first-timer as an independent country. Afghanistan, Wajma — An Afghan Love Story, Barmak Akram, director; Albania, Agon, Robert Budina, director; Argentina, The German Doctor, Lucía Puenzo, director; Australia, The Rocket, Kim Mordaunt, director; Austria, The Wall, Julian Pölsler, director; Azerbaijan, Steppe Man, Shamil Aliyev, director; Bangladesh, Television, Mostofa Sarwar Farooki, director; Belgium, The Broken Circle Breakdown, Felix van Groeningen, director; Bosnia and Herzegovina, An Episode in the Life of an Iron Picker, Danis Tanovic, director; Brazil, Neighboring Sounds, Kleber Mendonça Filho,...

Kim Mordaunt's The Rocket is about a child’s at-times comic battle against the insanity of the post-war culture in Laos. In a country riddled with governmental corruption and inefficiency; in one spattered with the remnants of still-live bombs and other remnants of a lengthy, brutalizing bloodshed; and in one populated by impoverished communities often without such basic necessities as electricity and plumbing, the odds seem stacked against ten-year-old Ahlo (Sitthiphon Disamoe) achieving any lasting happiness in this lifetime.

But matters get worse. He was born a twin, and in his society, all twins are immediately slaughtered because one is blessed and the other cursed, and it's impossible to tell which one has the devil within him. Luckily for Ahlo, his sibling was a stillborn, who’s secretly buried, so no one knows he was a twin except his loving mother Mali (Alice Keohavong) and his bellyaching grandmother who wishes he had never survived.

Kim Mordaunt's The Rocket is about a child’s at-times comic battle against the insanity of the post-war culture in Laos. In a country riddled with governmental corruption and inefficiency; in one spattered with the remnants of still-live bombs and other remnants of a lengthy, brutalizing bloodshed; and in one populated by impoverished communities often without such basic necessities as electricity and plumbing, the odds seem stacked against ten-year-old Ahlo (Sitthiphon Disamoe) achieving any lasting happiness in this lifetime.

But matters get worse. He was born a twin, and in his society, all twins are immediately slaughtered because one is blessed and the other cursed, and it's impossible to tell which one has the devil within him. Luckily for Ahlo, his sibling was a stillborn, who’s secretly buried, so no one knows he was a twin except his loving mother Mali (Alice Keohavong) and his bellyaching grandmother who wishes he had never survived.

Multi-award winning Australian feature, The Rocket, is set for a theatrical run in the UK and Eire in early 2014, courtesy of Eureka Entertainment. Kim Mordaunt's feature debut has picked up a slew of awards on the festival circuit, including Audience Awards in AFI Fest, Sydney, CineKid, Leeds, Melbourne and Tribeca, where it also won the Best Film and Best Actor awards, together with three accolades at the Berlinale. The Rocket is Australia's official Best Foreign Language Film entry for this year's Academy Awards and tells the gripping yet heartwarming story of a young Laos boy, supposedly cursed and a harbinger of bad luck, setting out on a treacherous journey to prove his worth once and for all.Laos: A ten year old boy, Ahlo, who is...

[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...

The Rocket (Bang fai) Director: Kim Mordaunt Screenwriter: Kim Mordaunt Cast: Sitthiphon Disamoe, Loungnam Kaosainam, Bunsri Yindi, Sumrit Warin, Alice Keohavong Screened at: Review 2, NYC, 12/12/13 Opens: January 10, 2014 Part National Geographic, part Hallmark Hall of Fame and even some leftist political points make up this exotic fare called “The Rocket.” “The Rocket” is filmed mostly in rural Laos but some in Thailand and is directed by Australian Kim Mordaunt—whose documentary “Bomb Harvest” in 2007 deals with efforts to clean up the unexploded bombs in Laos, known as per capita the most bombed country in the world. “The Rocket” is right up her alley, then, as she focuses [ Read More ]

The post The Rocket Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.

Top brass at the 25th annual Palm Springs International Film Festival (Psiff) have announced a new programme on Canadian Cinema as well as the traditionally strong roster of foreign-language films eligible for the Fipresci Award in the Awards Buzz section, and Modern Masters.

The festival will screen 45 of the 76 official foreign-language Oscar submissions under the umbrella of Awards Buzz.

“We’ve selected Canadian films for a special focus at this year’s festival for many reasons, not the least of which is the wealth of talent emerging from its relatively small, indigenous film industry, and the depth and richness of story and character portrayal its films exemplify,” said festival director Darryl Macdonald.

“Whether it’s established auteurs like Denis Coté, Denis Villenueve and Atom Egoyan, gifted actor-directors like Don McKellar and Sarah Polley or newly emerging talents like Chloé Robichaud, Craig Goodwill and Sébastien Pilote, Canadian creative ingenuity is on abundant display in its films. All of this...