Tuesday, September 4---------The Toronto International Film Festival doesn't officially open for another 48 hours, but already a hurricane of film talents, industryites, press and film buffs are descending onto the Ontario metropolis with a torrent that is almost audible. Coming in from Los Angeles, New York and the four corners of the globe, including the just concluded Montreal World Film Festival, and the still continuing Venice Film Festival......all eyes are on "the gateway to North...
The Toronto International Film Festival doesn't officially open for another 48 hours, but already a hurricane of film talents, industryites, press and film buffs are descending onto the Ontario metropolis with a torrent that is almost audible. Coming in from Los Angeles, New York and the four corners of the globe, including the just concluded Montreal World Film Festival, and the still continuing Venice Film Festival......all eyes are on "the gateway to North America" as the frenzy, fun and fero...
Tueday, August 28----------The Toronto International Film Festival has become a key launching pad for the careers of films in the North American market. This is even more true for films chosen for the Gala Presentations.....mainly American prestige pictures and international titles from known auteurs. Early buzz for the awards season can be created here, and with over 3000 journalists attending from all over the globe, the international aspects (and pressure) are enormous. A film can either be...
Thursday, July 5------The Ischia Global Film and Music Fest, which begins on Monday, July 9th, is honoring two giants of the film world with the Ischia Legend Awards. Oscar-winning actor Sir Ben Kingsley and Italian director Giuseppe Tornatore will both be given this special tribute by the International Art Academy of Ischia on July 11th and July 14th respectively, at the Regina Isabella Hotel on the island resort off the coast of Naples. This year's Festival is chaired this year by ...
"Mister Fantastic" lands at the Ischia Global Festival. Ioan Gruffudd, heroe of The Fantastic Four and the Silver Surfer, the eagerly awaited film based on the famous comic strip by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby that comes out today, June 15 in theaters all over the world, will receive the Ischia Fashion Award by Fiuggi, together with Italian actress Alessandra Martines. Both will be guests of the fifth edition of the Global Fest from July 9th to 15th at the Regina Isabella hotel in the town...
British cinemagoers see more French films on release now than they did a decade ago, but the French Film Festival UK (from 15 April to 4 May 2007) still has a vital role to play in throwing a spotlight on the vast majority of le cinéma français which never makes it across the Channel.
All the films in the festival in London, Manchester, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Dundee do not as yet have a British distributor in place – but the aim is to make the industry more aware of the pote...
British cinemagoers see more French films on release now than they did a decade ago, but the French Film Festival UK (from 15 April to 4 May 2007) still has a vital role to play in throwing a spotlight on the vast majority of le cinéma français which never makes it across the Channel.
All the films in the festival in London, Manchester, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Dundee do not as yet have a British distributor in place – but the aim is to make the industry more aware of t...
THE FIRST ROME FILM FIESTA, OCT. 13 – 21, 2OO6
The whole report day by day from day one.
In less than a week, on the fateful FridayThe Thirteenth of the current month (October 13, 2OO6), the First International Film Festival ever held in Rome will open the gates of the Eternal City to a floodtide of media representatives, journalists, film professionals, actors, directors, film fans, and just plain curious stargazers of all stripes and colours. Whether this new festival turns out to be a blas...
Looking back at the just completed first Rome Film Festival and Fiesta combined one thing that can be said is that not only was it not a "flop", but it probably exceeded most people's wildest expectations. There was no lack of nay-sayers around the edges trying to disparage the event by accusing it of catering to the lowest common denominator, or slavishly bowing to Hollywood --(one paper called it "Romangeles") -- but the bottom line is that everybody had a good time, interest in cinema was gi...
Nicole Kidman is set to open the first edition of the RomeFilmFest. The Australian actress will be presenting the world premiere of Fur, by American director Steven Shainberg, at the grand opening gala on October 13th (at 20:00) in the Santa Cecilia Hall at the Auditorium Parco della Musica. “I love Italy, a country with which I feel a great affinity”, said Nicole Kidman, “and I am particularly proud to be present at the baptism of this important FilmFest”.Fur, based on the book ‘Diane...
For the third consecutive year in the history of the Festival de Cannes , the Jury met the press to explain their selected winners. At the side of President Wong Kar Wai were Patrice Leconte, Monica Bellucci, Helena Bonham Carter, Tim Roth, Samuel L. Jackson, Lucrecia Martel, Elia Suleiman and Zhang Ziyi. Highlights. On the Palme d'Or winner:Wong Kar Wai: "We chose from the heart. The selection was great, which made our viewing enjoyable but our work very hard. This year, there were so many grea...
There may not have been much to chew on in Ron Howard’s The Da Vinci Code but there are stronger signs of female power at Cannes making this festival one of the best. First of all there is the veteran actor- the magnifique Gena Rowlands featured in Paris, Je T'Aime in Un Certain Regard and gave a Master Class on acting commencing with a standing ovation. Almost everything that comes out of the mouth of this veteran actor is inspirational and provocative:
"We actors do not need to die to be r...
I have been in Cannes for over three monthes now and durring the past week the city has completly changed. The population has increased, buildings being redecorated, and prices increasing 3xs and its all because of the festival. I was lucky enough to get a good spot near the steps.
I saw all the cars drive by and some of the stars were kind enough to roll down their windows so the crowd of fans (some there since 8am) could catch a quick glimpse. I was able to see a majority of the celebrities as...
Wednesday was the first official day of the festival, but to a few select few it really started on Tuesday.
Tuesday was the arrival of the Da Vinci Code Key Players: Dan Brown, Ron Howard, Paul Bettany (who also starred in Wimbledon...a quality piece of romantic comedy with a superb soundtrack in my opinion), Ian McKellen, Audrey Tautou, and Tom Hanks...to name a few. Unfortuantely, Hanks likes his privacy, so I only got a really good picture of the reflective window in his car.
They arrived ...
WONG Kar Wai, President
Chinese director
Monica BELLUCCI - Italian actress
Helena BONHAM CARTER - English actress
Lucrecia MARTEL - Argentinean director
ZHANG Ziyi - Chinese actress
Samuel L. JACKSON - American actor
Patrice LECONTE - French director
Tim ROTH - English director, actor
Elia SULEIMAN - Palestinian director
Cinéfondation and short films Jury
Andreï KONCHALOVSKY, President
Russian director
Sandrine BONNAIRE - French actress
Daniel BRÜHL - German actor
Souleymane CISSE - Mali...
The 17th Alliance Française French Film Festival will open with the Australian Premiere of Jérôme Salle’s sexy romantic thriller Anthony Zimmer, starring Sophie Marceau and Yvan Attal, headlining a program of 21 new features – the most in the event’s history. The Festival, touring Australia in March and April (see below for dates), supported by Peugeot, sold 45,000 tickets in 2005. "I’m proud to say that this is unquestionably the strongest Festival selection yet" said Chantal Girondi...
The Italian journalists so far think that George Clooney's Good Night and Good Luck is the best film in the international competition but the journalists don’t select the awards. Still, often what film critics think turns out to be right. Add to the list Fernando Meirelles' The Constant Gardener , screened today at the fest, another strong contender for the Lion. The Venezia 62 international jury is composed of the Chinese scriptwriter and author Acheng, French filmmaker Claire Denis, Israeli ...
Fellini’s Il Casanova and the competition film Sympathy for Lady Vengeance by Park Chan-wook brought world class art cinema to the screens of Venezia 62 yesterday. There is Casanova, and there is Il Casanova. Fellini’s Il Casanova is required viewing before or after the popular success of Lasse Hallström’s Casanova. The restoration of Fellini’s 1976 print began in 2001 and was supervised by Giuseppe Rotunna, the photographer of the film present at the press conference at Venice today a...
The 61st Venice International Film Festival has long been an “A” festival of world renown. This year an anti-globalization manifestation on the first day raised the question of how Venice may more and more be bowing to Hollywood glamour and celebrities by staging world premieres to market films outside the US. Many of these films do better in the global box office as proof. The manifestation was designed to blow the horn about the presence of Hollywood movie headliners with top stars as majo...
Several films in Venice are turning heads on days 4 and 5. Agnes und seine Brüder(Agnes and His Brothers) by Oskar Roehler (Germany) is a kitchy tale of three brothers who grew up with an alcoholic pedophile. The grown children make messes of their relationships--or lack of them. Hans-Jorg (Herbert Knaupt)is a sex addicted librarian and Werner(Moritz Bleibtreu) - a rageaholic politician that ignores his wife and kids. The most tender of the three - Agnes (Martin Weiss) as had a sex change and i...
Laura Morante is to be the master of ceremony for the coming Festival de Cannes: she will launch the 57th edition by welcoming the President, Quentin Tarantino, and his jury on May 12th, as well as Pedro Almodovar who will be opening the Festival with the presentation of his film La Mala educaciòn.Laura Morante is also to compere the Palmarès ceremony on Saturday May 22nd. The Italian actress, daughter of the famous author Elsa Morante, last came to the Festival de Cannes in 2001 when she play...
