While waiting for Christopher Nolan to appear on the red carpet at SBIFF 2011, I stood with my buddy Ted Mills, fellow filmmaker/journalist, and we
interviewed newcomer filmmakers as they made their way down the red carpet. Ted and I interviewed the four Quebec directors of the feature film, Blind Spot (2009), FABRICE BARRILLIET, NICOLAS BOLDUC, JULIEN KNAFO and MARIE HÉLÈNE PANISSET.
We had just met and spoken with the directors at a previo...
While waiting for Christopher Nolan to appear on the red carpet at SBIFF 2011, I stood with my buddy Ted Mills, fellow filmmaker/journalist, and we interviewed newcomer filmmakers as they made their way down the red carpet. Director Alyssa Price speaks to us about her short film, The Monstrosity (2011). It's a story about the young Milly who must attend school with a huge pimple.
ALYSSA: I'm the writer/director of ‘The Monstrosity'.
...
While waiting for Christopher Nolan to appear on the red carpet at SBIFF 2011, I stood with my buddy Ted Mills, fellow filmmaker/journalist, and we interviewed newcomer filmmakers as they made their way down the red carpet. Director Nick Brandestini speaks to us about ‘Darwin'.
ME: Can you tell us about your film ‘Darwin'?
NICK: It's a feature documentary about a small town in the middle of nowhere in Death Valley. It's about why those peopl...
DONT MISS the Romanian hit everyone is talking about, Romania's first comedy film, 'Hello! How Are You?' (2010). This witty smart comedy held its North American premier at the 2011 Palm Springs International Film Festival to packed theaters and all around positive praise. Some might recall the film, 'You've Got Mail' (1998) by Nora Ephron while watching this one but there is a much deeper underlying message in this film with a story so rich it strikes home on an emotional le...
'The Albanian' (2010) by German director Johannes Naber is making its rounds through festivals worldwide raising awareness to this gripping story about die-hard old world values in a harsh modern city and coming to terms with holding on and letting go. This is one of the most moving films I have seen all year, starring Albanian screen sensation Nik Xhelila, whose talent is unforgettable and explosive on screen. Naber takes us on a poetic realism and emotional journey from the ancient la...
The Athlete
Atletu
Ethiopia, 2009, 93 Minute Running Time
Additional Countries: Germany/USA
Topics: African Interest, Biopic, Drama, Sports
Program: Awards Buzz : Best Foreign Language Film
Language: Amharic English Sub-Titles
Marathoner Abebe Bikila, the first black African to win an Olympic
gold, ran his gold medal marathon barefoot. Impressive, sure, but
Bikila's story becomes truly remarkable following an accident that
leaves him unable to walk. From Bikila'...
22nd ANNUAL
PALM SPRINGS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
ANNOUNCES FESTIVAL WINNERS
Palm Springs, CA (January 16, 2011) –The 22nd Annual Palm Springs International Film Festival announced this year’s award winners at a luncheon at Spencer’s Restaurant on Sunday, January 16, 2011. The Festival, held from January 6-17, 2011, screened 205 films from 69 countries, including 41
of the 65 foreign language entries for this year’s Academy Awards®. Palm Springs’ increas...
Interview with director Zeina Durra.
Some weeks ago, I had the opportunity to speak at length with Zeina Durra in Thessaloniki, Greece about her feature film debut, ‘The Imperialists Are Still Alive' (2010). We had a fun conversation about imperialism and proletariat, conventions, nonconformists, clothes, getting naked... and just everything about film in general.
Zeina is a spirited and passionate young woman and once you get her going, it's hard t...
This is a bittersweet romantic comedy/drama set in Australia about an American girl named Heidi (played beautifully by Australian actress Rachael Taylor) hitchhiking through anywhere Australia, seemingly directionless with only a small suitcase and her violin. Lost after her father's death and her meeting with his new family, she is torn between returning home to America or starting a new life in Australia, as her father had done. During her journey, she meets Michael (Alex Dimitriades)...
It would seem that Peter Weir's latest film, 'The Way Back' (2010) is making its own journey and 'Way Back' from
Weir's homeland in Australia to Dubai where it premiered in the Middle East last month and now to its North American
premier at the Palm Springs International Film Festival 2011. It's certainly making its way across the globe. While
it has received mixed reviews and an undecided audience opinion, it seems to be fighting its way beyond negative
popular opinion in its ubiq...
'Lula, the Son of Brazil' screened at the 2011 Palm Springs International Film Festival to a somewhat skeptical audience. But while some doubted the political subject matter, all who screened the film were pleasantly surprised by this mildly political narrative and very human story about Brazil's beloved ex-president. It isn't common knowledge that Lula grew up in poverty with a strong mother who faced unspeakable adversity to raise her child well with the drive ...
Huge congrats to the filmmakers of the first Greenlandic film to receive critical acclaim. Directed by Otto Rosing & Torben Bech. 'Nuummioq' (2010) is the official Oscar entry for Greenland. Praised internationally for its sublime cinematography and its stellar award winning performance by Lars Rosing who received the FIPRESCI Award for Best Actor at the 2011 Palm Springs International Film Festival... “for his affecting portrayal of a young man facing death against the stark landscape o...
Dont forget to check out all my entries on the Dubai International Film Festival page!
truly a favorite!
news from the DIFF 2011!
http://www.fest21.com/en/blog/dubai_international_film_festival
VM
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This was the third film I saw on my first day at PSIFF 2011...I mean, I really did pick the best for the first day... Marcel Rasquin's film, 'Hermano' (2010) conjures up reminiscence to the Brazilian hit film, 'City of God' (2002), not because it is similar, but because it is THAT GOOD! We start with a baby boy (Daniel) left to die in a dumpster. A mother picks the baby out of the dumpster and takes him home with her young son, Julio. Then we jump to years later when both boys- Daniel an...
This year at the open of Palm Springs Film Festival, 2011, I started my first film screening day with the Latin American
Oscar Buzz Award film for Chile: Matias Bize's 'La Vida de los Peces' (The Life of Fish)
This film was so perfect and heart rendering that I spent the rest of the festival having seen one of the best of the fest on the first day...
What can I say?
'The Life of Fish' is about a young man, Andres (played by Santiago Cabrera), who returns home to Santiago, Chi...
In 'Essential Killing' (2010) actor Vincent Gallo plays Mohammed, a Taliban from Afghanistan on the run from American soldiers through the mountains of Poland after slaughtering three American soldiers to bits. While I would not say this film is bad nor good, I would definitely say that it is very worth the time as it is certainly a film not soon to be forgotten. Who would of thought Gallo could pull off such a feat! He is compelling in his role as Taliban on the run and while intim...
The Life of Fish
La vida de los Peces
Chile, 2010, 83 Minute Running Time
On January 07, 2011, La vida de los Peces, (The Life of Fish) had its US premier at the Palm Springs International Film Festival.
Director Matias Bize was there to talk about his experience making the film and answered questions afterward.
Additional Countries: France. US Premiere. Topics: Drama, Romance. Program: Awards Buzz : Best Foreign Language Fil...
Last night, Thursday January 06, saw the open of the 2011 Palm Springs International Film Festival.
Palm Springs mayor, Stephen Pougnet, the PSIFF chairman Harold Matzner and festival director Darryl Mac Donald opened with speeches thanking the volunteers who make the festival possible and the filmmakers of the 200 international films that will screen at the festival over the next 10 days from 70 countries.
Speech...
Independent Filmmaker Jeremiah Sayys (www.imdb.com/name/nm1770266/), who made is directorial debut with the psychological horror film "Of Silence" (www.ofsilencefilm.com) due to begin hitting film festivals next year, is being linked to many projects that's being developed by his independent production company, WorldsLastHero Productions. Sayys' next project seems to be the werewolf film "WULF", but with many rumors floating around and misinformation being spread, S...
Potiche
France, 2010, 103 Minute Running Time
US Premiere
Topics: Comedy, Gay/Lesbian
Language: French
Catherine Deneuve commands the screen with a regal wink as Suzanne Bujol, a trophy wife (“potiche”) whose mettle is tested when catastrophe strikes in her husband’s umbrella factory. Under the assured direction of prolific French filmmaker François Ozon, this stylish French farce is an irresistible romp through 1970s kitsch, politics and fem...
The trailer and more info on the movie is available on www.damthemovie.com .
DAM 999, is an English movie with Hollywood/Bollywood starcast which is nearing completion.
A major portion of the movie was shot in UAE. It is a tribute to the
1975 banqiao dam disaster of china which took the lives of 250,000. The
movie is an Oscar bidding project and has 16 national and international
award winners in and behind it.
DAM...
Georges Hachem's Lebanese film 'Stray Bullet' sold out theaters for its two screening at DIFF 2010
It was in competition for best Middle East film at awards and won for Best Picture.
Summary:
Noha is about to get married. Her family is relieved
to see her take advantage of this last chance before officially becoming
a spinster just like her sister. Everything seems to be going well.
However, on this special Sunday of August 1976 in Lebanon, on the same
ev...
Colin Farrell speaks
Dubai International Film Festival hosts public conversation with leading actor Colin Farrell
Colin Farrell, the star of In
Bruges, Phone Booth and Minority Report, has legions of fans across the
world, and had earlier walked the red carpet at DIFF along with the cast
of ‘The Way Back,’ including Jim Sturgess (Heartless, 21, The Other
Boleyn Girl), Ed Harris (Apollo 13, A Beautiful Mind, Appaloosa),
...
Notre Jour Viendra synopsis: "What do you do when you're a red-haired teenage loser with no friends except for an older guy, your shrink? When everyone hates you, especially your family? When all your peers make fun of you and kick you around? "
Well, check out RG's teaser, a veritable kick in the head: http://vimeo.com/11900359
Daring, passionate, visionary and unapologetic filmmaker Romain Ga...
‘SON OF BABYLON' (2010) is a fiction film based on reality about three
weeks following the 2003 US invasion of Iraq and the beginning of the
Iraq War. Writer/director Mohamed Al-Daradji spent seven years on this
poetic masterpiece that touches on the timely and hypersensitive subject
of the Iraq War and the country now trying to pick itself up from
devastation and ruin.
This is a story not of war, however, but of the broken family and a lost
civilization. I...
