The 20th edition of this specialized festival in north-western France (March 21-- April 01, 2007) was a bit of a disappointment this year in terms of competition films and visiting personalities, at least compared to the four previous times I have made it my business to be here. In the past there have always been unusual films in the competition section and visitations by major figures, actors and/or directors, from the countries covered here, which includes, incidentally, Belgium, Holland and...

The 24th edition of the Miami International Film Festival begins a ten-day marathon of films, events, seminar and, of course, parties, this evening with the premiere of Paul Verhoeven's World War II saga BLACK BOOK. The film is a return to Verhoeven's roots as one of the great innovators of Dutch cinema and one of the great European auteurs.Verhoeven has been shocking and challenging his audiences since his early days as a pioneering Dutch filmmaker in the 1970s. After a stint as a military docu...

Friday, March 2----The 24th edition of the Miami International Film Festival begins a ten-day marathon of films, events, seminar and, of course, parties, this evening with the premiere of Paul Verhoeven's World War II saga BLACK BOOK. The film is a return to Verhoeven's roots as one of the great innovators of Dutch cinema and one of the great European auteurs.Verhoeven has been shocking and challenging his audiences since his early days as a pioneering Dutch filmmaker in the 1970s. After...