The lineup for the 77th Cannes Film Festival has officially been unveiled. As of right now, 19 films will be competing for the prestigious top prize, the Palme d’Or. The festival will be running from May 14 through the closing ceremony on May 25 in the small town on the French Riviera. This year’s jury will be led by Greta Gerwig, fresh off of her success writing and directing “Barbie,” which earned her an Oscar nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay. The remaining members of the jury have yet to be announced.
Having an idea of a filmmaker’s history at the festival can sometimes help give us an insight as to who could be in the best position to take home the Palme. For example, two of this year’s entries come from filmmakers who have previously claimed the Palme. Another five are from directors who have won prizes in official...
Having an idea of a filmmaker’s history at the festival can sometimes help give us an insight as to who could be in the best position to take home the Palme. For example, two of this year’s entries come from filmmakers who have previously claimed the Palme. Another five are from directors who have won prizes in official...
- 4/18/2024
- by Charles Bright
- Gold Derby
Chinese filmmaker Jia Zhangke, who “humanizes China’s modern history – and turns it into poetry,” according to one critic, will be the guest of honor at Visions du Réel. The documentary film festival’s 55th edition runs April 12-21 in Nyon, Switzerland.
Jia, a leading figure in independent Chinese cinema, will present a masterclass exploring his body of work, and a retrospective of his films will run throughout the edition. The tribute is made possible thanks to the collaboration with the Cinémathèque suisse and Ecal, the university of art and design in Lausanne.
“Since the outbreak of Covid-19, I haven’t left China for almost four years,” Jia said. “I feel like embracing the world again, as excited as a child about to go on a long trip for the first time. I am heading to Nyon for cinema that reveals the world as it really is.”
Jia belongs to...
Jia, a leading figure in independent Chinese cinema, will present a masterclass exploring his body of work, and a retrospective of his films will run throughout the edition. The tribute is made possible thanks to the collaboration with the Cinémathèque suisse and Ecal, the university of art and design in Lausanne.
“Since the outbreak of Covid-19, I haven’t left China for almost four years,” Jia said. “I feel like embracing the world again, as excited as a child about to go on a long trip for the first time. I am heading to Nyon for cinema that reveals the world as it really is.”
Jia belongs to...
- 1/18/2024
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
Next month’s Criterion Channel selection is here, and as 2021 winds down further cements their status as our single greatest streaming service. Off the top I took note of their eight-film Jia Zhangke retro as well as the streaming premieres of Center Stage and Malni. And, yes, Margaret has been on HBO Max for a while, but we can hope Criterion Channel’s addition—as part of the 63(!)-film “New York Stories”—opens doors to a more deserving home-video treatment.
Aki Kaurismäki’s Finland Trilogy, Bruno Dumont’s Joan of Arc duology, and Criterion’s editions of Irma Vep and Flowers of Shanghai also mark major inclusions—just a few years ago the thought of Hou’s masterpiece streaming in HD was absurd.
I could implore you not to sleep on The Hottest August and Point Blank and Variety and In the Cut or, look, so many Ernst Lubitsch movies,...
Aki Kaurismäki’s Finland Trilogy, Bruno Dumont’s Joan of Arc duology, and Criterion’s editions of Irma Vep and Flowers of Shanghai also mark major inclusions—just a few years ago the thought of Hou’s masterpiece streaming in HD was absurd.
I could implore you not to sleep on The Hottest August and Point Blank and Variety and In the Cut or, look, so many Ernst Lubitsch movies,...
- 8/25/2021
- by Leonard Pearce
- The Film Stage
Above: Jia Zhangke. Photo by Darren Hughes.Near the end of Swimming Out Till the Sea Turns Blue, Jia Zhangke turns his attention from the celebrated author, critic, and professor, Liang Hong, to her 14-year-old son. He appears briefly earlier in the film, staring silently at his phone while on a train, surrounded by other teenagers who likewise stare at screens. To underline his point about China’s Generation Z, Jia layers subjective sounds of video games and WeChat over the images.In the film’s final interview, Jia asks the boy to introduce himself in Henan dialect, the native tongue of his mother, who was born into poverty in Dengzhou, more than a thousand kilometers away from their current home in Beijing. He’s uncomfortable in front of the camera, shy, a bit awkward, and the request makes him even more so. Liang rescues him by asking him to repeat after her,...
- 9/29/2020
- MUBI
In 2006, having won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival, Jia Zhangke’s rocketing journey to the pinnacle of the international art house circuit seemed complete. While his first three features circulated almost exclusively on the festival circuit abroad and on bootleg at home (where they were made without official sanction and thus technically banned), his 2004 feature The World had received broad-based international funding, governmental approval from the Chinese censorship apparatus, and art-house distribution worldwide. The World was a critical hit, and Still Life (2006) was even more generously received. Then he spent most of the next decade making documentaries, most of which were ignored by critics and distributors. Still Life itself grew out of a documentary project: he traveled to the Three Gorges region to make a film about a friend and artist, Liu Xiaodong. While there, he was so struck by the landscape of a town preparing for its own destruction,...
- 1/24/2020
- MUBI
The latest Jia Zhangke film to arrive in the United States is technically not a new film, but rather a director’s cut of his 2010 documentary, I Wish I Knew. While the previous cut made it to festivals, it rarely screened elsewhere. One of cinema’s modern masters, his surge in popularity coming from his latest three masterpieces–A Touch of Sin, Mountains May Depart, and Ash is Purest White–has thankfully meant that an underseen work is getting proper U.S. distribution and hopefully a sustainable way to experience it for years to come.
I Wish I Knew is immediately reminiscent of 24 City, his 2008 documentary-narrative hybrid which examined the impact that changing economic factors had on working-class Chinese people. An essential watch for anyone interested in politics, art or people themselves, 24 City had a very specific focus: how the changes towards factories and the economy affect the workers...
I Wish I Knew is immediately reminiscent of 24 City, his 2008 documentary-narrative hybrid which examined the impact that changing economic factors had on working-class Chinese people. An essential watch for anyone interested in politics, art or people themselves, 24 City had a very specific focus: how the changes towards factories and the economy affect the workers...
- 1/23/2020
- by Logan Kenny
- The Film Stage
Jia Zhangke is one of the most daring and prolific Chinese filmmakers currently working today, having burst onto the international scene with his sophomore film “Platform” in 2000, and most recently releasing “Ash Is Purest White” last year. The triptych emotional epic teamed him again with his wife and muse, Zhao Tao. His films “24 City,” “A Touch of Sin,” and “Mountains May Depart” also screened at the Cannes Film Festival to massive acclaim. IndieWire now shares an exclusive trailer for his rare 2010 film “I Wish I Knew” below, which opens at New York City’s Metrograph on January 24.
While Jia has primarily worked in narrative fiction films, he has, throughout his 20-plus-year career, forayed into documentary, and his 2010 nonfiction outing “I Wish I Knew” is a standout. Featuring sequences with Zhao Tao and even Taiwanese filmmaker Hou Hsiao-hsien, “I Wish I Knew” is imbued with Jia’s poetic sensibilities, and...
While Jia has primarily worked in narrative fiction films, he has, throughout his 20-plus-year career, forayed into documentary, and his 2010 nonfiction outing “I Wish I Knew” is a standout. Featuring sequences with Zhao Tao and even Taiwanese filmmaker Hou Hsiao-hsien, “I Wish I Knew” is imbued with Jia’s poetic sensibilities, and...
- 1/16/2020
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
An habitual of both Cannes and Venice, now in his third decade of filmmaking, Jia Zhangke first arrived in Cannes for 2002’s Unknown Pleasures, then followed that with 2008’s 24 City, 2010’s Un Certain Regard selected I Wish I Knew, 2013’s A Touch of Sin and Mountains May Depart in 2015. This year, he presents his almost two decade spanning Ash Is Purest White – with wife-actress Zhao Tao owning the screen.
With the first screenings taking place yesterday night, this two plus hour opus tackles several issues: feminism, expropriation, the changing face of China, and survivalism and takes the…...
With the first screenings taking place yesterday night, this two plus hour opus tackles several issues: feminism, expropriation, the changing face of China, and survivalism and takes the…...
- 5/12/2018
- by Eric Lavallée
- IONCINEMA.com
The Cannes Film Festival is always a major turning point for the year in cinema. While Sundance kicks off the calendar with an overview of new American movies, Cannes casts a much wider net, digging through an international set of possibilities that includes its usual stable of reliable auteurs in addition to some rising stars. Unlike most high-profile festivals, the Cannes selection is fairly small, with most attention being paid to the roughly 20 features that crack the Official Competition. Artistic director Thierry Fremaux and his mysterious programming team tend to wait until the last second before securing titles, which means it’s a bit of a crapshoot to pontificate about which movies will actually score a spot at the festival.
Until April 12, the full program is anybody’s guess, but a few possibilities can be eliminated from the outset. Richard Linklater’s Amazon-produced Cate Blanchett vehicle “Where’d You...
Until April 12, the full program is anybody’s guess, but a few possibilities can be eliminated from the outset. Richard Linklater’s Amazon-produced Cate Blanchett vehicle “Where’d You...
- 3/19/2018
- by Eric Kohn, Kate Erbland, David Ehrlich, Anne Thompson, Jude Dry and Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
Rights RoundUP Toronto, Pusan and other Fall Festivals
Toronto International Film Festival acquisitions this year were sparse which was no surprise given the recent closings of the well funded specialty arms of the studios. The noticeable slowdown in the business at these large festival cum market events (e.g., Toronto) has continued since Cannes although Locarno was happily surprised at the increased number of acquisitions which took place there albeit by international sales agents rather than by distributors. At least it attests to some enthusiasm in what seems to be a lackluster low energy year for the film business. Venice[/link] also created some sales in spite of its never quite becoming the market it might be. Pusan was disappointing leaving buyers and sellers looking toward the upcoming Tokyo International Film Festival and AFM as the place where deals will close. The European sales agents did better selling to the Asian distributors than the Asian sales agents. Bavaria sold 'Into the Great Silence' to Jin Jin of South Korea. Celsius sold 'Vivaldi' to Mirovision for South Korea, and new international sales agent M-Appeal's Maren Kroymann sold 'Trick' to Coral for South Korea.
This is a sample of the Rights Roundup Reports available from sales-filmfinders@imdb.com. For more information on acquisitions in the future you can purchase the Fall Festival and Market RightsRoundup and Rights Roundup Reports for AFM/ American Film Market, Berlin Film Festival and EFM/ European Film Market and Cannes Film Festival and Marche du Film after those events.
In Toronto, Fox Searchlight remained the strong buyer, picking up 'The Wrestler' for the highest sales figure of the market, but still less than $4,000,000 and ‘Slumdog Millionaire’, the other hit of the festival. Summit, an A list international sales agent who entered the domestic distribution business this year also acquired ‘Hurt Locker' for U.S.. Both 'The Wrestler' and 'Hurt Locker' were packaged, financed and represented by CAA and both were significant in that only U.S. rights were acquired (without Canada) at a good high price. IFC Films continued its acquisitions activities for IFC in Theaters, its day and date distribution platform making independent films available to a national audience in theaters and on demand simultaneously, buying ‘Flame & Citron’, ‘Fear Me Not’, ‘Everlasting Moments’ and ‘Che’. Sony Pictures Classics was also active acquiring distribution rights to ‘Every Little Step: The Journey of a Chorus Line’, ‘Faubourg 36’ (aka ‘Paris 36’). The micro distributors such as Strand, Kino, Zeitgeist, Panorama, etc. continued business as usual, which generally means hanging back until there are no obvious offers for a film and then coming in with a modest proposal.
Here are the international sales agents whose sales (licensing of distribution rights on behalf of the producers) have been reported thus far:
Bavaria Film International licensed ‘Krabat’ to SPI for Poland and Romania and to Film Depot for Russia ahead of the first public screening. Strong interest is also reported from Spain, France, Italy, Czech Republic, Hungary, Latin America, Japan and USA. ‘The Window’ (aka ‘La Ventana’) sold to Cinemien for Benelux, Imovison for Brazil. A deal with France is expected to close. ‘Cherry Blossoms’ went to Against Gravity for Poland. ‘Empty Nest’ has interest from U.S. as does ‘Restless’.
Celluloid Dreams has acquired all international sales rights to ‘Soul Power’ from Submarine Entertainment who was repping the film. There are offers in major territories soon to close. It also acquired ‘Youssou NDour: I Bring What I Love’ for world sales. Oscilloscope acquired it for U.S. ‘Birdwatchers’ sold to Artificial Eye for the U.K., Filmladen for Austria, Trigon for Switzerland, Pandora for Germany, Cinemien for Benelux, Hopscotch for Australia and New Zealand. ‘Mark Of An Angel’ has sold to Metrodome for the UK, Odeon for Greece, Seville for Canada, Xenix for Switzerland. Diaphana is about to gross $5m with its French theatrical release and Lumiere released in Belgium. ‘Achilles and the Tortoise’ sold to Odeon for France and Maywin for Russia.
Cinema Management Group has closed several territories on ‘The People Speak’ which screened 20 minutes in Toronto FF Special Screening. ‘Zambezia’, ‘Killer Bean Forever’ and ‘The People Speak’ went to Vision Film for Poland and to Film Pop for Turkey.
Elle Driver licensed ’35 Rhums’ to New Wave Films for the U.K.
Fandango Portobello licensed ‘Mid August Lunch' (aka'Pranzo di ferragosto’) to Le Pacte for France, Pandora for Germany, Cinemien for Benelux, Xenix for Switzerland, Filmladen for Austria.
Films Distribution licensed ‘Sea Wall’ to Axiom for the U.K.
Finecut licensed 'Daytime Drinking' to Japan's Eleven Arts who will release it in 30 North American cities. Fortissimo Films signed a six picture deal with Canadian distributor Maximum Films for ‘$9.99’, ‘Laila's Birthday’, ‘Country Wedding’, ‘Serbis’, ‘Native Dancer’, and ‘Tokyo Sonata’. ‘Disgrace’ also went to Maximum. ‘Every Little Step: The Journey of A Chorus Line’ went to Sony Pictures Classics for North America and Australia and New Zealand. ‘Serbis’ and 'Tokyo Sonata' went to Regent for North America.
Hanway Films licensed ‘Of Time and City’ to Strand Releasing for all U.S. rights. ‘Genova’ went to ThinkFilm for North America just before Toronto. Wanda acquired all rights for Spain.
Maximum licensed ‘Sugar‘ to Axiom for the U.K.
Momento licensed ‘Goodbye Solo’ to Imagine for Benelux, Axiom for the U.K. and Xenix for Switzerland. It also has offers from France, Portugal, Greece and Italy among others.
MK2 licensed ‘24 City’ to The Cinema Guild for U.S.
Pathe licensed ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ to Warner Bros. and Fox Searchlight for North America. ‘Faubourg 36’ (aka ‘Paris 36’) went to Sony Pictures Classics for U.S., Australasia, and Scandinavia just before Toronto.
Rai Trade licensed ‘Il Papa di Giovanna’ to Paradis for France, ABC for Benelux, Palace of Australia and New Zealand, MFD for Switzerland.
Roissy has licensed 'Seraphine' to Metrodome for U.K. and Ireland and to Rialto for Australia and New Zealand.
Sahamonkol licensed 'Chocolate' to Magnet for North America.
The Match Factory licensed ‘Flame & Citron’ to IFC Films for U.S. ‘Teza’ went to Trigon for Switzerland and Ripley’s Film for Italy.
TrustNordisk licensed ‘Fear Me Not’ and ‘Everlasting Moments’ and 'Heaven's Heart' to IFC Films for North America. Visit Films licensed five titles including ‘Hannah Takes The Stairs’, ‘LOL’, and ‘Kissing on The Mouth’, ‘Dance Party USA’ and ‘Quiet City’ to Beyond Entertainment for Australia/ New Zealand.
Voltage licensed ‘The Hurt Locker’ to Summit for U.S.
Wild Bunch licensed ‘Che’ to IFC Films. ‘Ponyo’ went to Lucky Red for Italy.
This is a sample of the Rights Roundup Reports available from sales-filmfinders@imdb.com. For more information on acquisitions in the future you can purchase the Fall Festival and Market RightsRoundup and Rights Roundup Reports for AFM/ American Film Market, Berlin Film Festival and EFM/ European Film Market and Cannes Film Festival and Marche du Film after those events.
In Toronto, Fox Searchlight remained the strong buyer, picking up 'The Wrestler' for the highest sales figure of the market, but still less than $4,000,000 and ‘Slumdog Millionaire’, the other hit of the festival. Summit, an A list international sales agent who entered the domestic distribution business this year also acquired ‘Hurt Locker' for U.S.. Both 'The Wrestler' and 'Hurt Locker' were packaged, financed and represented by CAA and both were significant in that only U.S. rights were acquired (without Canada) at a good high price. IFC Films continued its acquisitions activities for IFC in Theaters, its day and date distribution platform making independent films available to a national audience in theaters and on demand simultaneously, buying ‘Flame & Citron’, ‘Fear Me Not’, ‘Everlasting Moments’ and ‘Che’. Sony Pictures Classics was also active acquiring distribution rights to ‘Every Little Step: The Journey of a Chorus Line’, ‘Faubourg 36’ (aka ‘Paris 36’). The micro distributors such as Strand, Kino, Zeitgeist, Panorama, etc. continued business as usual, which generally means hanging back until there are no obvious offers for a film and then coming in with a modest proposal.
Here are the international sales agents whose sales (licensing of distribution rights on behalf of the producers) have been reported thus far:
Bavaria Film International licensed ‘Krabat’ to SPI for Poland and Romania and to Film Depot for Russia ahead of the first public screening. Strong interest is also reported from Spain, France, Italy, Czech Republic, Hungary, Latin America, Japan and USA. ‘The Window’ (aka ‘La Ventana’) sold to Cinemien for Benelux, Imovison for Brazil. A deal with France is expected to close. ‘Cherry Blossoms’ went to Against Gravity for Poland. ‘Empty Nest’ has interest from U.S. as does ‘Restless’.
Celluloid Dreams has acquired all international sales rights to ‘Soul Power’ from Submarine Entertainment who was repping the film. There are offers in major territories soon to close. It also acquired ‘Youssou NDour: I Bring What I Love’ for world sales. Oscilloscope acquired it for U.S. ‘Birdwatchers’ sold to Artificial Eye for the U.K., Filmladen for Austria, Trigon for Switzerland, Pandora for Germany, Cinemien for Benelux, Hopscotch for Australia and New Zealand. ‘Mark Of An Angel’ has sold to Metrodome for the UK, Odeon for Greece, Seville for Canada, Xenix for Switzerland. Diaphana is about to gross $5m with its French theatrical release and Lumiere released in Belgium. ‘Achilles and the Tortoise’ sold to Odeon for France and Maywin for Russia.
Cinema Management Group has closed several territories on ‘The People Speak’ which screened 20 minutes in Toronto FF Special Screening. ‘Zambezia’, ‘Killer Bean Forever’ and ‘The People Speak’ went to Vision Film for Poland and to Film Pop for Turkey.
Elle Driver licensed ’35 Rhums’ to New Wave Films for the U.K.
Fandango Portobello licensed ‘Mid August Lunch' (aka'Pranzo di ferragosto’) to Le Pacte for France, Pandora for Germany, Cinemien for Benelux, Xenix for Switzerland, Filmladen for Austria.
Films Distribution licensed ‘Sea Wall’ to Axiom for the U.K.
Finecut licensed 'Daytime Drinking' to Japan's Eleven Arts who will release it in 30 North American cities. Fortissimo Films signed a six picture deal with Canadian distributor Maximum Films for ‘$9.99’, ‘Laila's Birthday’, ‘Country Wedding’, ‘Serbis’, ‘Native Dancer’, and ‘Tokyo Sonata’. ‘Disgrace’ also went to Maximum. ‘Every Little Step: The Journey of A Chorus Line’ went to Sony Pictures Classics for North America and Australia and New Zealand. ‘Serbis’ and 'Tokyo Sonata' went to Regent for North America.
Hanway Films licensed ‘Of Time and City’ to Strand Releasing for all U.S. rights. ‘Genova’ went to ThinkFilm for North America just before Toronto. Wanda acquired all rights for Spain.
Maximum licensed ‘Sugar‘ to Axiom for the U.K.
Momento licensed ‘Goodbye Solo’ to Imagine for Benelux, Axiom for the U.K. and Xenix for Switzerland. It also has offers from France, Portugal, Greece and Italy among others.
MK2 licensed ‘24 City’ to The Cinema Guild for U.S.
Pathe licensed ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ to Warner Bros. and Fox Searchlight for North America. ‘Faubourg 36’ (aka ‘Paris 36’) went to Sony Pictures Classics for U.S., Australasia, and Scandinavia just before Toronto.
Rai Trade licensed ‘Il Papa di Giovanna’ to Paradis for France, ABC for Benelux, Palace of Australia and New Zealand, MFD for Switzerland.
Roissy has licensed 'Seraphine' to Metrodome for U.K. and Ireland and to Rialto for Australia and New Zealand.
Sahamonkol licensed 'Chocolate' to Magnet for North America.
The Match Factory licensed ‘Flame & Citron’ to IFC Films for U.S. ‘Teza’ went to Trigon for Switzerland and Ripley’s Film for Italy.
TrustNordisk licensed ‘Fear Me Not’ and ‘Everlasting Moments’ and 'Heaven's Heart' to IFC Films for North America. Visit Films licensed five titles including ‘Hannah Takes The Stairs’, ‘LOL’, and ‘Kissing on The Mouth’, ‘Dance Party USA’ and ‘Quiet City’ to Beyond Entertainment for Australia/ New Zealand.
Voltage licensed ‘The Hurt Locker’ to Summit for U.S.
Wild Bunch licensed ‘Che’ to IFC Films. ‘Ponyo’ went to Lucky Red for Italy.
- 9/16/2008
- Sydney's Buzz
Toronto -- Even before the 33rd Toronto International Film Festival kicked off Thursday with a gala premiere of Paul Gross' wartime romance "Passchendaele," a number of films in the lineup, ranging from the horror film "Vinyan" to the lyrical documentary "Of Time and the City," found buyers.
In the first of what sellers hope will be a flood of Toronto buys, Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions Group acquired domestic and Australian rights to "Vinyan." Fabrice Du Welz's film stars Rufus Sewell and Emmanuelle Beart as a couple searching for their missing son in a jungle filled with feral children.
Wild Bunch is repping sales for the France-u.K.-Belgium co-production, which premiered last weekend at the Venice Film Festival and bows in Toronto tonight. Release plans haven't yet been determined.
At the opening-night screening of "Passchendaele" at Roy Thomas Hall, the invitation-only audience embraced the epic romance as a crowd-pleaser,...
In the first of what sellers hope will be a flood of Toronto buys, Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions Group acquired domestic and Australian rights to "Vinyan." Fabrice Du Welz's film stars Rufus Sewell and Emmanuelle Beart as a couple searching for their missing son in a jungle filled with feral children.
Wild Bunch is repping sales for the France-u.K.-Belgium co-production, which premiered last weekend at the Venice Film Festival and bows in Toronto tonight. Release plans haven't yet been determined.
At the opening-night screening of "Passchendaele" at Roy Thomas Hall, the invitation-only audience embraced the epic romance as a crowd-pleaser,...
- 9/5/2008
- by By Etan Vlessing and Gregg Goldstein
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
New York -- The North American premiere of Clint Eastwood's "Changeling," Darren Aronofsky's "The Wrestler" and a host of Festival de Cannes titles from Steven Soderbergh and other auteurs highlight the 46th New York Film Festival lineup.
Seventeen of the fest's 28 foreign-language-heavy titles appeared at Cannes in May, including Soderbergh's four-hour-plus Spanish-language biopic, "Che." The Centerpiece spot for Universal Pictures' "Changeling" cements the Angelina Jolie-toplined Cannes entry as a prime Oscar contender, as well as the closing-night slot for "The Wrestler."
IFC Films leads the pack with four titles on the slate ("A Christmas Tale," "Gomorrah," "Summer Hours" and "Hunger"), followed by Sony Pictures Classics (the NYFF opening-night film and Palme d'Or winner "The Class," Wong Kar Wai's "Ashes of Time Redux" and Ari Folman's "Waltz With Bashir"). Both will likely be on the hunt for further acquisitions following each company's record number of Cannes buys, with the large IFC In Theaters, new IFC direct-to-vod Festival Direct slate and Spc's 16-22 annual release slots to fill.
New distributor Oscilloscope Pictures is represented with the Cannes title "Wendy and Lisa," starring Michelle Williams, and Miramax has Mike Leigh's "Happy-Go-Lucky." A newly restored print of Max Ophuls' final film, "Lola Montes" (Rialto Pictures), will be featured as the festival's spotlight retrospective film.
NYFF's Richard Pena cited this year's large crop of politically charged films among both the selected slate and the 2,000-odd submissions, an uptick he attributes to the larger number of digitally filmed features.
"The Class," "Changeling" and "The Wrestler" will screen at the Ziegfeld Theatre throughout the fest, which is set for Sept. 26-Oct. 12.
The complete New York Film Festival lineup follows:
Opening night
"The Class," Laurent Cantet, France (Sony Pictures Classics)
Centerpiece
"Changeling," Clint Eastwood, U.S. (Universal)
Closing night
"The Wrestler," Darren Aronofsky, U.S.
"24 City," Jia Zhangke, China/Hong Kong/Japan
"Afterschool," Antonio Campos, U.S.
"Ashes of Time Redux," Wong Kar Wai, Hong Kong (Sony Pictures Classics)
"Bullet in the Head," Jaime Rosales, Spain/France
"Che," Steven Soderbergh, France/Spain
"Chouga," Darezhan Omirbaev, France/Kazakhstan
"A Christmas Tale," Arnaud Desplechin, France (IFC Films)
"Four Nights With Anna," Jerzy Skolimowski, Poland/France
"Gomorrah," Matteo Garrone, Italy (IFC Films)
"Happy-Go-Lucky," Mike Leigh, U.K. (Miramax)
"The Headless Woman," Lucrecia Martel, Argentina/France/Italy/Spain
"Hunger," Steve McQueen, U.K. (IFC Films)
"I'm Going to Explode," Gerardo Naranjo, Mexico
"Let It Rain," Agnes Jaoui, France, 2008
Retrospective
"Lola Montes," Max Ophuls, France/West Germany (Rialto Pictures)
"Night and Day," Hong Sang-soo, South Korea, 2008
"The Northern Land," Joao Botelho, Portugal
"Serbis," Brillante Mendoza, Philippines/France
"Summer Hours," Olivier Assayas, France (IFC Films)
"Tokyo Sonata," Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Japan/Netherlands
"Tony Manero," Pablo Larrain, Chile/Brazil
"Tulpan," Sergey Dvortsevoy, Germany/Kazakhstan/Poland/Russia/Switzerland
"Waltz With Bashir," Ari Folman, Israel/Germany/France (Sony Pictures Classics)
"Wendy and Lucy," Kelly Reichardt, U.S. (Oscilloscope Pictures)
"The Windmill Movie," Alexander Olch, U.S.
Seventeen of the fest's 28 foreign-language-heavy titles appeared at Cannes in May, including Soderbergh's four-hour-plus Spanish-language biopic, "Che." The Centerpiece spot for Universal Pictures' "Changeling" cements the Angelina Jolie-toplined Cannes entry as a prime Oscar contender, as well as the closing-night slot for "The Wrestler."
IFC Films leads the pack with four titles on the slate ("A Christmas Tale," "Gomorrah," "Summer Hours" and "Hunger"), followed by Sony Pictures Classics (the NYFF opening-night film and Palme d'Or winner "The Class," Wong Kar Wai's "Ashes of Time Redux" and Ari Folman's "Waltz With Bashir"). Both will likely be on the hunt for further acquisitions following each company's record number of Cannes buys, with the large IFC In Theaters, new IFC direct-to-vod Festival Direct slate and Spc's 16-22 annual release slots to fill.
New distributor Oscilloscope Pictures is represented with the Cannes title "Wendy and Lisa," starring Michelle Williams, and Miramax has Mike Leigh's "Happy-Go-Lucky." A newly restored print of Max Ophuls' final film, "Lola Montes" (Rialto Pictures), will be featured as the festival's spotlight retrospective film.
NYFF's Richard Pena cited this year's large crop of politically charged films among both the selected slate and the 2,000-odd submissions, an uptick he attributes to the larger number of digitally filmed features.
"The Class," "Changeling" and "The Wrestler" will screen at the Ziegfeld Theatre throughout the fest, which is set for Sept. 26-Oct. 12.
The complete New York Film Festival lineup follows:
Opening night
"The Class," Laurent Cantet, France (Sony Pictures Classics)
Centerpiece
"Changeling," Clint Eastwood, U.S. (Universal)
Closing night
"The Wrestler," Darren Aronofsky, U.S.
"24 City," Jia Zhangke, China/Hong Kong/Japan
"Afterschool," Antonio Campos, U.S.
"Ashes of Time Redux," Wong Kar Wai, Hong Kong (Sony Pictures Classics)
"Bullet in the Head," Jaime Rosales, Spain/France
"Che," Steven Soderbergh, France/Spain
"Chouga," Darezhan Omirbaev, France/Kazakhstan
"A Christmas Tale," Arnaud Desplechin, France (IFC Films)
"Four Nights With Anna," Jerzy Skolimowski, Poland/France
"Gomorrah," Matteo Garrone, Italy (IFC Films)
"Happy-Go-Lucky," Mike Leigh, U.K. (Miramax)
"The Headless Woman," Lucrecia Martel, Argentina/France/Italy/Spain
"Hunger," Steve McQueen, U.K. (IFC Films)
"I'm Going to Explode," Gerardo Naranjo, Mexico
"Let It Rain," Agnes Jaoui, France, 2008
Retrospective
"Lola Montes," Max Ophuls, France/West Germany (Rialto Pictures)
"Night and Day," Hong Sang-soo, South Korea, 2008
"The Northern Land," Joao Botelho, Portugal
"Serbis," Brillante Mendoza, Philippines/France
"Summer Hours," Olivier Assayas, France (IFC Films)
"Tokyo Sonata," Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Japan/Netherlands
"Tony Manero," Pablo Larrain, Chile/Brazil
"Tulpan," Sergey Dvortsevoy, Germany/Kazakhstan/Poland/Russia/Switzerland
"Waltz With Bashir," Ari Folman, Israel/Germany/France (Sony Pictures Classics)
"Wendy and Lucy," Kelly Reichardt, U.S. (Oscilloscope Pictures)
"The Windmill Movie," Alexander Olch, U.S.
- 8/12/2008
- by By Gregg Goldstein
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Toronto film festival follows Cannes' lead
TORONTO -- The Toronto International Film Festival made way for some Cannes heavyweights Thursday, unveiling Special Presentation slots for Laurent Cantet's Palme d'Or winner The Class and Matteo Garrone's Grand Prix winner Gomorrah among a group of about two dozen North American premieres.
Arnaud Desplechin's Un conte de Noel and Canadian helmer Atom Egoyan's Adoration -- both Cannes Competition titles -- also will get the red-carpet treatment in Toronto, alongside South Korean filmmaker Kim Jee-woon's Out of Competition "The Good, the Bad and the Weird."
Other Cannes entries making their Canadian splash include the Dardennes brothers' Lorna's Silence, best screenplay winner in Cannes; Jerzy Skolimowksi's Four Nights With Anna; Terence Davies' Of Time and the City; Jia Zhang-ke's 24 City; and Three Monkeys, which earned director Nuri Bilge Ceylan the best director trophy.
The quintet has been programmed as part of Toronto's Masters sidebar.
On the documentary side, films headed for Toronto include Blind Loves, from Slovakian director Juraj Lehotsky, Lisandro Alonso's Liverpool and Service, by Brillante Mendoza.
Cannes Competition titles from Brazil -- Walter Salles and Daniela Thomas' Linha de Passe and Pablo Trapero's Lion's Den -- headline a Contemporary World Cinema sidebar that includes Federico Veiroj's Acne, Bent Hamer's O'Horten, Amos Kollek's Restless and Gotz Spielmann's Revanche.
The Discovery program will feature Steve McQueen's Hunger, which earned the Camera d'Or in Cannes, U.S.
Arnaud Desplechin's Un conte de Noel and Canadian helmer Atom Egoyan's Adoration -- both Cannes Competition titles -- also will get the red-carpet treatment in Toronto, alongside South Korean filmmaker Kim Jee-woon's Out of Competition "The Good, the Bad and the Weird."
Other Cannes entries making their Canadian splash include the Dardennes brothers' Lorna's Silence, best screenplay winner in Cannes; Jerzy Skolimowksi's Four Nights With Anna; Terence Davies' Of Time and the City; Jia Zhang-ke's 24 City; and Three Monkeys, which earned director Nuri Bilge Ceylan the best director trophy.
The quintet has been programmed as part of Toronto's Masters sidebar.
On the documentary side, films headed for Toronto include Blind Loves, from Slovakian director Juraj Lehotsky, Lisandro Alonso's Liverpool and Service, by Brillante Mendoza.
Cannes Competition titles from Brazil -- Walter Salles and Daniela Thomas' Linha de Passe and Pablo Trapero's Lion's Den -- headline a Contemporary World Cinema sidebar that includes Federico Veiroj's Acne, Bent Hamer's O'Horten, Amos Kollek's Restless and Gotz Spielmann's Revanche.
The Discovery program will feature Steve McQueen's Hunger, which earned the Camera d'Or in Cannes, U.S.
- 6/26/2008
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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