Mimi's Spotlight of the Most Important Film Festivals with Links to Official Sites.
To check for a festival not here go to the Internet Movie Data Base.
UPCOMING
The Film Festivals of 2006 came to a close with the Havana Festival.
MIMI'S FILM FESTIVALS 2007 PAGE IS NOW ONLINE!
The Film Awards Season is in full swing, too. Visit Mimi's Film Awards 2007, and see below for her other movie pages.
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28TH INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL OF NEW LATIN AMERICAN CINEMA, 5 - 15 December 2006, Havana, Cuba
This "festival of culture and spirit," was founded in 1979, with Cuban filmmaker Alfredo Guevara president of the organizing committee.
AWARDS PRESENTED!
There are many, mostly from Cuba, followed by Brasil, Argentina, Mexico, etc. Don't bother looking for PAN or VOLVER. See the complete list.
Before the Festival
This year, 100 films, mostly Spanish-language, will compete in various categories, but American's can't go -- by order of the U. S. Federal Government. Brits Ralph Finnes and Stephen Frears are expected to attend.
Roberto Rossellini, the late father Of Isabella, and director of many classic Italian films, including ROME and OPEN CITY, will be honored. Guillermo del Toro's PAN'S LABYRINTH (El laberinto del Fauno, Mexico), which opens the festival, and Pedro Almodóvar's VOLVER ("To Return," Spain), the closer, are among the most anticipated movies.
The site is in Spanish, but open it to hear the beautiful music!
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17TH STOCKHOLM INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
16 - 26 November 2006
Stockholm, Sweden
AWARDS PRESENTED!
Maggie Gyllenhaal, sister of "Brokeback Mountain" Jake, won the best actress award for her performance in SHERRYBABY. The film, directed by Laurie Collyer, follows a young woman recently released from prison who tries to reconnect with her young daughter while confronting her old life and drug abuse, was named best picture. Collyer accepted the Bronze Horse for, "a pure and heartbreaking work about survival and dignity."
Ryan Gosling was named best actor for his role in Ryan Fleck's HALF NELSON. The festival showcased 170 films from nearly 40 countries.
The 18th edition will be 15 - 25 November 2007.
[OFFICIAL SITE
- in Swedish only]
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32nd Huelva Spanish American Film Festival Huelva, Spain (Festival de cine Iberioamericano de Huelva) 18-25 November 2006 Awarding the Colón de Oro (Golden Columbus)
Golden Columbus for best feature film - El
violín, directed by Francisco Vargas Quevedo (México). Silver Columbus - best director to Alejandro Doria for Las manos (España y Argentina). Silver Sailing Ship - best directing of a movie based on a novel to Jorge Durán for Proibido proibir (Brasil, Chile, Spain). For complete list of winners see Official Site link below.
Before the Festival The 25th of September, Festival Director Eduardo Trías and members of the Andalucía Film Commission presented the agenda for the 32nd Huelva Film Festival, "The Day of the Andalusian Audiovisual," at the San Sebastián Film Festival. At that time, Trías reported they had received 359 entries from 19 countries. The countries submitting the most films: Mexico (23), Brazil (13), and Argentina (13). The Festival will honor Argentinean actor Ernesto Alterio. One section will be, "Spanish Cinema during the Second Republic" (1931 - 1936), and it will recognize such historical pioneers as Francisco Elías, Luis Buñuel, Florián Rey, and Benito Perojo. Another section will screen films for children and juveniles. [Official Site - in Spanish only] |
British Film Institute's BFI 50th LONDON FILM FESTIVAL
London, England
18 October - 2 November 2006
AWARDS PRESENTED!
The Sutherland Trophy: RED ROAD, dir. Andrea Arnold.
9th FIPRESCI International Critics Award: LOLA, dir. Javier Rebollo.
The Alfred Dunhill UK Film Talent Award: Producer Mark Herbert.
The 11th Annual Satyajit Ray Award: LIVES OF OTHERS, dir. Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck. By the way, his birth
name is, Florian Maria Georg Christian Graf Henckel von Donnersmarck, and he has credits using various combinations
of same.
The Times BFI London Film Festival Grierson Award: THIN, dir. Lauren Greenfield.
TCM Classic Shorts Award: SILENCE IS GOLDEN, dir. Chris Shepherd.
[Wikipedia list of awards this year and previous years.]
Before the Festival
THE LAST KING OF SCOTLAND, dir. Kevin McDonald, will screen at the opening gala. This festival's emphasis is on showing movies, and lots of them.
TEN CANOES will screen November 1 & 2, at the end of the Festival. Australia has submitted it for nomination in the Best Foreign Language category for the upcoming Oscars®. It is the first Aboriginal film in the Australian indigenous Aboriginal language of Ganalbingu to be submitted. See more foreign language submissions at "Mimi at the Movies".
The FIPRESCI (International Critics) award will be presented to the best first or second feature from titles nominated at the Festival. This year's list is: Barakat!, Blossoming of Maximo Oliveros, Drama/Mex, Ghosts, Little Children, Lola, Old Joy, Princess, Red Road, Reprise, Wild Tigers I Have Known, and The Year After.
This Festival has special Family Series showing movies suitable for the entire family. Tim Burton's THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS 3D was the opening gala film for this year's Family Series, Saturday 29 October. Nightmare is recommended for ages 7 and up. Other films in the series: Aurore, 7+; A Bite of Love, 7+; The Lost Treasure of the Knights Templar, 7+; Percy, Buffalo Bill & I, 7+;The Three Musketeers, 5+; and Winky's Horse, 7+, plus some shorts. As far as I know, this is the only international festival that offers a Family Series. There is also a festival for disabled film-goers.
The closing night gala will feature BABEL (USA/Mexico), Alejandro González Iñárritu's third feature. It forms a trilogy with Iñárritu's previous films, AMORES PERROS (2000) and 21 GRAMS (2003), and Babel's title comes from the biblical reference to people being scattered around the world speaking different languages and unable to communicate. It stars Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, and Gael García Bernal. Alejandro González Iñárritu (dir), Gael García Bernal, and Rinku Kikuchi (actors) are expected to attend.
[OFFICIAL SITE] [Daily Schedule (.pdf)]
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39th International Film Festival of Catalonia
Sitges (Barcelona), Spain
6 - 15 October 2006
The International Film Festival of Catalonia in Sitges celebrates movies of fantasy and horror.
AWARDS ANNOUNCED!
REQUIEM, GRIMM LOVE, and HOMECOMING are the stand-out films from the festival, all in the Horror genre.
REQUIEM (Germany), directed by Hans-Christian Schmid, received the Best Picture nod, and Jose Luis Guarner Critic Award. The lead actress, Sandra Hüller captured Best Actress.
GRIMM LOVE (Rohtenburg, Germany), received a Best Director award for Martin Weisz, Best Cinematography for Jonathan Sela, and a Best Actor tie for Thomas Krestchmann and Thomas Huber.
HOMECOMING (Season 1, Episode 6 of Showtime's "Masters of Horror" TV series, Canada/USA), directed by Joe Dante, received the Special Jury Award along with the Best Script written by Sam Hamm. [View Full List]
Before and During the Festival
The Festival will kick off its 39th edition with the premiere of PAN'S LABYRINTH (El Laberinto del Fauno), directed by Guillermo del Toro, Mexico. In addition, his filmography will receive special focus.
Sitges 06 will celebrate the 20th anniversary of the premiere of David Lynch's BLUE VELVET, which includes a premiere in Spain of his latest, INLAND EMPIRE (blurb: A nightmare to remember).
Neil Burger's THE ILLUSIONIST is the closing film on Saturday night. The award's ceremony also will be Saturday night. Sunday's program is a film marathon featuring the films shown at the festival.
There is also a salute to the Star Trek movies on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the television series.
[Synopsis of Films and Events] [OFFICIAL SITE, English]
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44th NEW YORK FILM FESTIVAL (NYC, USA)
29 September - 15 October 2006
The 17-day New York Film Festival is presented by the Film Society of Lincoln Center, New York. The Festival showcases an average of 28 feature films and 12 short films each year. There are no categories and no prizes awarded.
OCTOBER 13 - Things are heating up at the Festival. Featured screenings Friday the 13th appropriately include POISON FRIENDS (blurb: an academic vampire sucks the life out of everyone in his way), and MARIE ANTOINETTE, Sophia Coppola's imaginative interpretation of the life of France's legendary teenage queen who lost her head. Both films will screen Saturday as well.
Director Guillermo del Toro will speak and answer questions about his film PAN'S LABYRINTH on Saturday, which will close the festival. It's another film that includes horror, but the horror here is the monstrous fascist Captain Vidal (Sergi López). Blurb: A passionate, exquisitely crafted new movie which has the potency of genuine myth. Also, see below.
SEPTEMBER 17 - Opening Night: Stephen Frears’ acidly funny portrait of the British royal family, THE QUEEN (Miramax Films). Helen Mirren, who recently won Best Actress (Silver Lion) at Venice stars.
Festival Centerpiece: Pedro Almodóvar’s supernatural tale of murder, adultery and family happiness, VOLVER, brings together a remarkable ensemble of actresses (Penelope Cruz, Carmen Maura, Lola Duenas, Blanca Portillo, Yohana Cobo, Chus Lampreave), winners as an ensemble for Best Actress at Cannes this year. Almodóvar won for Best Screenplay.
Closing Night: Guillermo del Toro’s passionate, eye-popping PAN'S LABYRITH (El Laberinto del Fauno, Mexico, Spain ) is a world of wonders, where the historical, the political and the mythological become one. Mexico has submitted this film for nomination in the Best Foreign Language category for the upcoming Oscars®. See: "Mimi at the Movies."
In addition to many other special events and screenings, the Festival features Views from the Avant Garde. The sidebar will be “50 Years of Janus Films.” This series will feature many world cinema classics, some of which are not yet released on DVD or VHS. Working in conjunction with Janus Films and Criterion, the retrospective will screen new prints of almost all the presented films.
SEPTEMBER 10 - The Festival schedule and ticket information is online, in the lobbies of Alice Tully Hall and the Walter Reade Theater, as well as in the New York Times.
[DAILIES] [OFFICIAL SITE]
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25th Vancouver International Film Festival (Vancouver, British Columbia)
28 September - 13 October 2006,
AWARDS ANNOUNCED!
Most of the awards in this festival go to regional Canadian films. If you are interested, you can see the list: Winners.
Before and During the Festival
Over 340 films will be screened, ten of which are world premieres, 26 international premieres, and 28 North American premieres.
The festival opens with Pedro Almodóvar's VOLVER and closes with Stephen Frears's THE QUEEN, in which Helen Mirren plays HRH during the period before and after the death of Princess Diana.
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54th DONOSTIA-SAN SEBASTIÁN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (San Sebastián, Spain) 21-30 September 2006 The official poster of this year’s festival (above) features Spanish actress Marisa Paredes. The festival will pay homage to Ernst Lubitsch. Their Web site this year is the best ever!
Ghobadi won the Golden Shell for Best Film with TURTLES CAN FLY at San Sebastián in 2004. He was born in Baneh (Iranian Kurdistan), and studied cinema in Teheran. His first feature film, A TIME FOR DRUNKEN HORSES (2002), was presented at the Directors' Fortnight in Cannes, winning the Caméra d'Or and FIPRESCI Award. SONGS OF MY MOTHERLAND (2002), his second film, was also presented at Cannes (in Un Certain Regard) and won a prize at Chicago. Golden Shell for Best Film (2): MY SON (Mon fils à moi, France), Director Martial Fougeron's first feature film. He is native of Strasbourg. SILVER SHELL FOR BEST DIRECTOR, and Jury Prize for Best Screenplay: Tom Dicillo, DELIRIOUS (USA). Jury Prize for Best Photography: Nigel Bluck for HALF MOON. Audience Award: LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE (USA).
30 September - The Festival closes with the gala awards ceremony preceded by a screening of LONELY HEARTS (USA, out of competition), written and directed by Todd Robinson, who has mainly written and directed for television. The movie stars John Travolta, James Gandolfini, and Salma Hayek. 29 September - U. S. film director Oliver Stone criticized G. W. Bush saying Bush has "set America back 10 years." Stone was speaking to journalists at the Film Festival prior to a screening of his latest movie, WORLD TRADE CENTER. Read more about it at "Mimi at the Movies". 22 SEPTEMBER - VOLVER, directed by Pedro Almodóvar, received the FIPRESCI Grand Prix for Best Film of the Year at the opening gala. Pedro's brother and producer, Agustín Almodóvar, accepted the award in the Kursaal. FIPRESCI stands for The International Federation of Film Critics. It is the most prestegious award given to a film at a film festival. 20 SEPTEMBER - Swedish actor Max von Sydow, especially known for his work in Ingmar Bergman's films, and one of the younger American actors Matt Dillon, nominated last year for his role in the Oscar-winning film CRASH, will each receive a Donostia Award, the highest individual acting award given by the festival. 15 SEPTEMBER - Legendary Spanish actor, cinema director, writer, and academic of the Spanish Language, Fernando Fernán-Gómez will be awarded the 8th edition of the Julián Besteiro of the Arts Prize. The award recognizes the achievements of Fernán-Gómez not only as an actor, director, writer, and producer in the cinema but for his work as an actor, director and playwright of the stage, as well as his academic writings and lectures. According to the Jury, " . . . his contributions have influenced Spain's recent cultural life in a significant way, and Spain is richer for them." Fernán-Gómez is 85, and it is not know if he will be able to accept the award in person. 10 SEPTEMBER - The Official Jury will
be chaired by actress Jeanne Moreau. Members include Swiss born Bruno Ganz, star of German Cinema recently honored
with a retrospective of his film at the Montreal IFF, is a member. Other members include Bruno Barreto, Catalan
director Isabel Coixet, Sara Driver, Manuel Gómez Pereira, and José Saramago. VOLVER premiered in Spain 17 March 2006, and has been a smash hit with audiences
and critics alike. It was one of the most applauded films at the last Cannes Festival Official Selection, where
it earned the Best Actress prize for all of the six actresses in the cast: Penélope Cruz, Carmen Maura,
Lola Dueñas, Blanca Portillo, Yohana Cobo and Chus Lampreave. 31 AUGUST - Sixteen films have been selected to compete. Spanish directors Antonio Chavarrías, Víctor García León and Javier Rebollo have films in the competition. Four Spanish directors will have films in the New Directors competition. Also, the giant film theater installed at the Anoeta Velodrome, which seats
3,000 people, will be the site of three important productions presented by their stars on the 20th anniversary
of the creation of this unique venue: The "Made in Spain" section of Latino Horizons (Horizontes Latinos) will offer a selection of of what the festival considers the most interesting Spanish productions of the year. These films will compete in the "Made in Spain" section alongside other Latin American films for the Horizons Award (highlights indicate the "older hands": LOS 2 LADOS DE LA CAMA, Emilio Martínez-Lázaro |
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31st TORONTO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (Toronto, Canada)
7-16 September 2006
AWARDS
ANNOUNCED!
The International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI) jury awarded the FIPRESCI Prize to DEATH OF A PRESIDENT from the United Kingdom directed by Gabriel Range, “for the audacity with which it distorts reality, to reveal a larger truth.”
The press release said, "The movie is a fictional drama with a unique premise, told in the style of a retrospective documentary, which offers a critique of the contemporary US political landscape." Actually, the mockumentary's plot summary says, "Years after the assassination of President George W. Bush in Chicago, an investigative documentary examines that as-yet-unsolved crime. " G.W.'s filmography.
Sensing that the movie would stir controversy, it was only referred to as "D.O.A.P." in the festival's guidebook. The question it deal with is, "What would happen if G. W. Bush was assassinated, especially to the war in Iraq and to civil liberties?"
Before the awards were announced, Festival co-director Noah Cowan said, "This is easily the most dangerous and breathtakingly original film I have encountered this year."
The Peoples Choice Award went to BELLA (USA), written and directed by Alejandro Gomez Monteverde, which tells the story of two individuals whose lives converge and turn upside down on a single day in New York City. Honourable mentions went to first runner-up, Patrice Leconte’s MON MEILLEUR AMI (France), and second runner-up was Barbara Kopple and Cecilia Peck’s DIXIE CHICKS: SHUT UP AND SING (USA).
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PAN'S LABYRINTH (El Laberinto del Fauno, Mexico), written and directed by Guillermo del Toro, was warmly received by the critics. It wasnot entered at San Sebastián.
Seven world premieres and one North American premiere have been added to the Special Presentations lineup for the 31st Toronto International Film Festival. These highly-anticipated films feature some of cinema's biggest names, including Pierce Brosnan, Liam Neeson, Reese Witherspoon, Christina Ricci, Catherine O'Hara, Hugh Jackman, Rachel Weisz, Ellen Burstyn, Will Ferrell, Emma Thompson, Dustin Hoffman, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Queen Latifah, Peter O'Toole, Marc Anthony, Jennifer Lopez, Zach Braff, Rachel Bilson, Blythe Danner, and Tom Wilkinson.
The politically charged documentary DIXIE CHICKS: SHUT UP and SING is racing to completion for its world premiere at the Toronto Festival. The Weinstein Co. is the worldwide distributor. The company was founded by the Weinstein brothers after Disney forced them out of the first company they founded, Miramax. Harvy Weinstein is a strong Democrat and plans to push to film hard before the U. S. elections in November.
[Films and Special Events] [Official Site]
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AWARDS ANNOUNCED!
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AWARDS ANNOUNCED![Official Site] [Feature Film list]
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33rd TELLURIDE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (Telluride, Colorado, USA)
1 - 4 September 2006
There are no prizes, or awards, given at this festival. Before the festival unfolds nobody knows what’s playing, or who’s being honored at Telluride, or even before each event unfolds, either. It’s a secret to members of the press, also. This keeps things surprising for everybody. However, as of 8 August, all the tickets are gone. It's a sell out!
“[Telluride is] like Cannes died and went to heaven.”
– Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times.
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60th EDINBURGH INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (Edinburgh, Scotland) 14 - 27 August 2006 This festival screens new films, gives out awards, holds symposiums, but unlike most major festivals, it screens many more older films separately and within retrospective series.
Michael Powell Award for Best New British Feature Film - Keith Fulton and Louis Pepe’s genre-bending BROTHERS OF THE HEAD. The Michael Powell Award is sponsored by the UK Film Council, and the winner was chosen by the Jury, chaired by actor John Hurt. The jury included Danish filmmaker Lone Scherfig, Irish writer John Banville, Scottish Director Michael Caton-Jones, and rocker Chrissie Hynde. Tony Grisoni wrote the script. He wote "Fear and Lothing in Las Vegas." Skillset New Directors Award - Director Paul Andrew Williams,
LONDON TO BRIGHTON; Standard Life Audience Award - Kevin Smith, CLERKS II, U.S.;
BEFORE THE FESTIVAL The opening film was THE FLYING SCOTSMAN (UK ), dir. Douglas Mackinnon, the inspiring real-life story of one of Scotland's greatest sporting heroes. Oscar winning (Monster, 2003) South African-born actress Charlize Theron discussed her career as an actress and producer in the Reel Life series, August 17th. Theron also served as producer for Monster. Her latest production, EAST OF HAVANA (USA, but in Spanish), dir. Jauretsi Saizabitoria, screened 18 August. ODD MAN OUT (UK), dir. Carol Reed, a British masterpiece from the year of EIFF's birth, commemorated its 60th edition, with a screening 26 August. The last symposium guest will given by former Vice President Al Gore who will present his environmental documentary AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH on the closing day. The final screening was the UK premiere for THE AURA (EL AURA), Argentina, written and directed by Fabián Bielinsky. |
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JACKSON HOLE FILM FESTIVAL
6 - 11 June 2006, Jackson Hole, Wyoming.
AWARDS ANNOUNCED! The
2006 Cowboy Awards were held at the Mainstage Theater with Jackson Hole Mayor Mark Barron serving as the Master
of Ceremonies. Here's the FULL LIST,
but don't expect to see any of these soon in a theater near you.
The Mainstage Theatre, Teton Theater and Twin Theater was home to the more than 70 independent film screenings.
In addition to showcasing independent films and producing an array of parties, the Festival hosted its Festival Forums Series covering topics such as “Music and Film”, “The Future of Distribution”, “The Power of Film”. See PRESS RELEASE.
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17 - 28 May 2006, Cannes, France
Many consider Cannes the world's most prestigious film festival, and Venice second. Could it be the exotic locals?
AWARDS ANNOUNCED!
[Click pic for larger pic, and more pics.]
The top prize, Palme d'Or (Golden Palm), went to British director Ken Loach's THE WIND THAT SHAKES THE BARLEY, reportedly by a unanimous vote. The film stars Cillian Murphy as an Irish medical student who takes up arms against a reign of terror by British troops sent in to squash an independence movement. Loach had seven previous entries in Cannes, but this is his first Palme d'Or. Two of his films have won third-place prizes at Cannes, HIDDEN AGENDA (1990), and RAINING STONES (1993).
GRAND PRIX (second place) - FLANDRES, by French director Bruno Dumont. It is said to be a stark, dreary, grisly drama following soldiers on a tour of duty in the Middle East.
BEST SCREENPLAY - Pedro Almodóvar for VOLVER.
BEST DIRECTOR - Mexican Alejandro González Iñárritu for BABEL, starring Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, and Gael Garcia Bernal.
BEST ACTING AWARDS went to ensemble casts:
BEST ACTRESS - The female cast of Pedro Almodovar's VOLVER, headed by Penelope Cruz and Carmen Maura. The others: Yohana Cobo, Lola Dueñas, Chus Lampreave, and Blanca Portillo.
BEST ACTOR - The cast of Algerian director Rachid Bouchareb's World War II saga INDIGÉNES (DAYS OF GLORY), which includes French stars Jamel Debbouze, Samy Naceri, Sami Bouajila, along with Roschdy Zem, and Bernard Blancan. The film is about North African Muslims who volunteered in the fight to free France from the Nazis. When accepting the award the cast sang an anthem sung by French colonial soldiers during World War II.
GRAND JURY PRIZE (third place) - RED ROAD, directed by Andrea Arnold. A woman's job is to watch security monitors. One day a man appears on her monitor that she thought she would never see again, and never wants to see again. Yet, she is compelled to confront him.
UN CERTAIN REGARD - A Sidebar - (A special jury picks films of unusual merit.) - Chinese director Wang Chao won the top prize for his film LUXURY CAR.
FIPRESCI (International Federation of Film Critics) AWARDS:
Top Award for films in competition: CLIMATES (Iklimler, Turkey; Les Climats, France), directed by Turkey's Nuri Bilge Ceylan.
FIPRESCI for a film in the sidebar Un Certain Regard went to HAMACA PARAGUAYA, directed by Paz Encina of Paraguay.
FIPRESCI to a film in the Directors' Fortnight sidebar went to William Friedkin's film BUG.
WHAT ABOUT AMERICAN FILMS? How did the two highest-profile American films in competition fare? Neither received a single prize.
First, Sofia Coppola's MARIE-ANTOINETTE, starring Kirsten Dunst as the 18th century Austrian who became queen of France, earned praise for its style and visual panache but was criticized as a superficial treatment of people and events leading to the French Revolution. Secondly, Richard Linklater's FAST FOOD NATION, a consumer satire, received a lukewarm reaction.
The jury was headed by Chinese director Wong Kar-wai. The members this year were: Elia Suleiman, Helena Bonham Carter, Lucrecia Martel, Monica Bellucci, Patrice Leconte, Samuel L. Jackson, Tim Roth, and Ziyi Zhang.
FULL LIST OF WINNERS (in pdf)
READ: Mimi's 2006 Cannes Highlights
The 60th Cannes Film Festival will take place May 16th to 27th, 2007
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Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival ~ ~ 28 April - 7 May 2006, Toronto, Canada.
AWARDS ANNOUNCED! [PRESS RELEASE]
Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival wrapped up its most successful edition to date 7 May, shattering all previous attendance records. The thirteenth annual Festival presented 101 films with a 25% increase in total over-all attendance, pushing the Festival's audience to over 50 000. All films in official competition received their first Toronto showing, with the majority of screenings being world, international, North American or Canadian premieres.
A couple of things not in the above press release.
The audience picks for the top ten films at Hot Docs 2006
were:
Lion in the House (D: Steven Bognar, Julia Reichert);
Mystic Ball (D: Greg Hamilton);
Wordplay (D: Patrick Creadon);
Encounter Point (D: Ronit Avni, Julia Bacha);
Once in a Lifetime: The Extraordinary Story of the New York Cosmos (D: Paul Crowder, John Dower);
An Unreasonable Man (D: Henriette Mantel, Steve Skrovan);
The World According to Sesame Street (D: Linda Goldstein Knowlton, Linda Hawkins Costigan);
Uganda Rising (D: Jesse James Miller, Pete McCormack);
So Much So Fast (D: Steven Ascher, Jeanne Jordan); and
ABDUCTION The Megumi Yokota Story (D: Chris Sheridan, Patty Kim).
The Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) Prize was awarded to NO PAST TO SPEAK OF: A STORY OF INFANT RAPE IN SOUTH AFRICA.
U.S. documentaries in the international showcase included Luke Meyer's DARKON, which earned the Audience Award at the recent South by Southwest Film Festival in Texas; Andrew Walton's ARCTIC SON, following a father and son reuniting in the Arctic; and Linas Phillips' WALKING TO WERNER in which a filmmaker pursues German director Werner Herzog.
Spanish director Chema Rodriguez's ESTRELLAS DE LA LINEA
(The Railroad All-Stars), which bowed at the Berlin International Film Festival last month, opened the festival.
It portrays sex workers in Guatemala banding together on the field to draw attention to the dangers of their work
and the daily prejudice they face.
For information about other films and special programs are at the [OFFICIAL SITE].
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TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL ~ ~ 25 April - 7 May 2006, New York City.
AWARDS ANNOUNCED! [WINNERS, JURIES, & VIEW TRAILERS]
The 2006 Tribeca Film Festival Awards Ceremony took place on Saturday, May 6 at the Golden Bridge Restaurant in Chinatown. Awards were given for both narrative and documentary feature-length and short films. Here are only three highlights:
BEST INTERNATIONAL NARRATIVE FEATURE - BLESSED (or, ENLIGHTENED) BY FIRE (Iluminados por el Fuego) - Director, Tristán Bauer (Spain, 2005).
NEW YORK LOVES FILM - BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE - WHEN I CAME HOME - Director, Dan Lohaus (USA, 2006).
BEST DOCUMENTARY - THE WAR TAPES - Director, Deborah Scranton (USA, 2006).
MORE about these documentaries, and others in this series, below in the MAY 2 entry.
One of the films shown was THE ROAD TO GUANTANAMO, part drama, part documentary, which tells the true story of three British Muslims who were held at the U.S. prison camp in Cuba for more than two years before being released without charge. British filmmakers Michael Winterbottom and Mat Whitecross won the Silver Bear for directing at the recent Berlin Film Festival.
APRIL 28 - Premiered this past week at the Tribeca Film Festival: JESUS CAMP. It's the story Christian indoctrination of children at the "Kid's On Fire" summer camp, Devils Lake, North Dakota. Fundamentalists Evangelical Christians using the camp experience to teach children their stance on hot-button issues, i.e.,homosexuality, evolution, abortion, and George Bush. In Int'l Documentary Competition, 85 min., directed by Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady, Loki Films.
MAY 2 - Several documentaries will premiere besides THE ROAD TO GUANTANAMO that also offer perspectives on the American invasion of Iraq one cannot get from the news. They are: THE WAR TAPES shot entirely by members of the New Hampshire National Guard; THE BLOOD OF MY BROTHER focusing on a Baghdad family mourning the death of a son, who was shot by U.S. forces while he was protecting a mosque; WHEN I CAME HOME, about a veteran who returns from Iraq suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and ends up living out of his car in Brooklyn while he fights for benefits; and HOME FRONT, about a former Army ranger who was left blind at age 21 when a piece of shrapnel flew into his goggles and became lodged in his frontal lobe.
MAY 6 - DAY BREAK (Hamid Rahmanian, dir.), MEN AT WORK (Mani Haghighi, dir.), INSIDE OUT (Zohreh Shayesteh, dir.), SOUNDS OF SILENCE (Amir Hamz, dir.), and SIAH BAZI: THE JOY MAKERS (Maryam Khakipour, dir.), shown this week at the festival, were all made in Iran, and the language spoken is Farsi. According to Claudia Parsons (Reuters), "Peter Scarlet, executive director of the festival, said he chose several films that show unexpected sides of life in Iran to help Americans understand more about a country that . . . Bush has dubbed part of an 'axis of evil'."
[Official Festival Site][2005 Awards]
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SAN FRANCISCO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL ~ ~ 49th Festival, 20 April - 4 May 2006, San Francisco, CA. Sponsored by the San Francisco Film Society.
AWARDS ANNOUNCED! [FULL LIST]
Highlights:
Skyy Prize—First Narrative Feature
TAKING FATHER HOME (China), Ying Liang, director.
Awarded $10,000
FIPRESCI Prize
HALF NELSON (USA), Ryan Fleck, director.
Golden Gate Award—Documentary Feature
WORKINGMAN'S DEATH (Austria), Michael Glawogger, director.
[MIMI NOTES: For some reason the awards at this festival always seem to come out of left field, and few make it commercially. Why?]
The opening night featured Peter Chan's, PERHAPS LOVE, at the majestic Castro Theatre, with a gala party following in the Grand Ballroom of the historical Regency Center. The musical romance features, according to the film society, " an exquisite score and cinematography, and a stunning cast of Pan-Asian stars," and was the first Hong Kong film to open the SFIFF.
Do you happen to be "into" reality tv shows and Spanish Cinema? If so, check out THE GRÖNHOLM METHOD, a desperate dog-eat-dog scenario in the “human” resources department of a large multinational corporation in Madrid. The Grönholm Method is Argentine director Marcelo Piñeyro's screen adaptation of the highly successful Spanish play of the same name. A group of seven candidates is called in for an interview for an important position in the company. They are led into a cold-looking boardroom and subjected to a series of supposedly scientific tests dubbed the Grönholm Method (imported from the United States, of course) to judge their appropriateness for the job. Film stars the handsome and suave Eduardo Noriega, and the icyly beautiful Najwa Nimri.
Of course, I'm rooting for Carlos Saura's latest dance film, IBERIA (original name for Spain). In this Spanish/French co-production Saura revisits one of his prime fascinations, the Gypsy life of southern Spain through the lens of renowned composer Isaac Albéniz. The film stars the new generation of Spanish dancers -- Aída Gómez, the elegant and powerful ballet dancer featured in Saura's SALOMÉ (2002), and Enrique Morente, an innovator of flamenco composition. Saura has made over 40 films in his long career, and I have seen at least 35. Can't wait for this one! See more.
CLOSING NIGHT, MAY 4 - Robert Altman's A PRAIRIE HOME COMPANION. With a sense of jubilant nostalgia for people, places and eras past, Altman and Garrison Keillor have concocted a musical-comedy extravaganza that is, in its own unique way, as timeless as the radio show that started it all. Altman weaves together another unforgettably stellar cast, including Meryl Streep and Lily Tomlin as the country sister act Rhonda and Yolanda Johnson; John C. Reilly and Woody Harrelson as crooning cowboys Dusty and Lefty; Kevin Kline as the down-on-his-luck security guard Guy Noir; Virginia Madsen as the mysterious woman in the white trench coat; and Lindsay Lohan as a dour teen who finds her voice. Plus, many more stars you will recognize!
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SXSW |
SOUTH by SOUTHWEST FILM FESTIVAL
Film: 10 - 18 March; Music: 15 - 19 March 2006, Austin, TX
This is one of those regional, but well-attended festivals that the world press also covers in some measure, like Miami. Austin has chosen to pair the film festival with the annual music festival, probably a good economic move.
For the music festival, this year marks its 20th, and 700 atttended the first event. This year, 15,000 are expected. [Music Festival Site]
FILM WINNERS
ANNOUNCED!
Some of the major winners: Narative Film - LIVE FREE OR DIE, dirs. Andy Robin & Gregg Kavet; Documentary Feature - JAM, dir. Mark Woollen; Animated Short - THE WRAITH OF COBBLE HILL, dir. Adam Parrish King; and Music Video - Ralfe Band "Women Of Japan," dirs. Nigel Coan & Ivana Zorn.
[LIST OF WINNERS - film]
Before the Awards
The opening film was Robert Altman's A PRAIRIE HOME COMPANION, an adaptation of the popular radio program by Garrison Keillor. The cast includes Woody Harrelson, Tommy Lee Jones, Garrison Keillor, Kevin Kline, Lindsay Lohan, Virginia Madsen, John C. Reilly, Maya Rudolph, Meryl Streep and Lily Tomlin. Picturehouse will release the film in June. It will debut at the Paramount Theater, Austin, on March 10.
Another film that made its debut at the festival was THE KING, starring William Hurt and Gael Garcia Bernal, written and directed by little-known U.K. native, James Marsh. The story? A troubled man, recently discharged from the Navy, returns to his childhood home in Corpus Christi, Texas, to reunite with his father. Oh, my, seeing Gael Garcia Bernal and a city where I began my TV/film career in one movie will be almost too much!
SLITHER, with director James Gunn and star Michael Rooker on hand, was screened March 17. Filmmakers Paul and Chris Weitz along with star Dennis Quaid attended the SXSW closing night film, AMERICAN DREAMZ.
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RIVERRUN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
16 - 19 March 2006, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
(North Carolina ranks 3rd in movie/tv production in U.S. behind Los Angeles and New York City.)
WINNERS ANNOUNCED!
Best Narative Feature - A WONDERFUL NIGHT IN SPLIT (Croatia),
dir. Arsen Anton Ostojic; Best Documentary Feature - TAIMAGURA GRANDMA (Japan), dir. Yoshihiko Sumikawa; Best Director,
Narrative Feature - Arsen Anton Ostojic for A WONDERFUL NIGHT IN SPLIT; Best Director, Documentary Feature - Matt
Mahurin for I LIKE KILLING FLIES; Best Actor - Donald Sutherland in AURORA BOREALIS;
Best Actress - Maria Bello in THE SISTERS; Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature - AURORA BOREALIS (dir. James
Burke); and Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature - RENE AND I (dir. Gina Angelone). COMPLETE WINNER'S LIST
The Festival honored Ned Beatty with
the Master of Cinema Award. Beatty's first major film role, alongside Jon Voight and Burt Reynolds, was as Bobby
Trippe in the adventure-thriller DELIVERANCE (1972). The 68-year-old character
actor has appeared in more than 100 movies since then, including NASHVILLE, SILVER STREAK, and 1941. He was nominated
for a best supporting actor Oscar® for his role in 1976's NETWORK.
BULLRIDER was the SilkRoad Opening Night Premiere, 16 March. The film was directed by Josh Aronson
(The Opposite Sex, Playing for Real, and Sound
and Fury for which he received an Oscar nomination).
The 83-minute documentary feature follows three top bull riders through the 2004 season to the World Championship
in Las Vegas where the modern-day gladiators ride for pride, glory, and a million dollars, but there is a lot of
pain behind the excitement and big bucks. Aronson records it all, not just the glitz and glamour. According to
a statement on Aronson's Web site, " Bullriding and the rodeo come together as a metaphor for America today."
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MIAMI INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (Presented by Miami Dade College) ~~ March 3-12, 2006.
This festival concentrates on foreign film, especially Latin American, and other Spanish-language films. 117 films, 31 countries, 10 World Premieres.
AWARDS ANNOUNCED! [Full List of Winners
(.pdf)]
March 8th, filmmaker German filmmaker Wim Wenders received the Fourth Annual Career Achievement Award, which includes a screening of his latest film at the tribute, Don't Come Knocking. In celebration of Calle Ocho his Buena Vista Social Club screened on the closing day (March 12th).
The Opening Night film this year was the World Premiere of Heartlift from Argentinian director Eliseo Subiela. The Closing Night film was the East Coast Premiere of Friends With Money from U.S. director Nicole Holofcener starring Jennifer Aniston and Frances McDormand.
Each year the MIFF spotlights the cinema from a Spanish-speaking country, and this year the country was Chile. The films chosen were: El Rey de San Gregorio (The King of San Gregoria) directed by Alfonso Gazitúa; En la cama (In Bed) by Matías Bize; Fuga (Escape) by Pablo Larrían; La Sagrada Familia (The Holy Family) by Sebastián Campos; Paréntesis (Parenthesis) by Francisca Schweitzer and Pablo Solís; Pretendiendo (Seeking) by Claudio Dabed; and Play by Alicia Scherson, submitted by Chile for a possible Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign-Language Film of 2005, but it wasn't nominated.
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56th BERLIN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (Berlinale)
9 - 19 February 2006, Berlin, Germany
The Berlinale is the first of Europe's three major festivals in the new year. It is considered after Cannes, and alongside Venice, to be one of the world's most prestigious film showcases.
AWARDS ANNOUNCED!
The Golden Bear for Best Film in the Competition was awarded to GRBAVICA (Austria / Bosnia-Herzegovina / Germany / Croatia, 2006) Saturday, 18 February. The directorial debut of Jasmila Zbanic is about women who struggle to make their way through the aftermath of the Balkan War where hundreds, if not thousands, were raped.
Named after a settlement in Sarajevo that was occupied by Bosnian Serb forces during the 1992-1995 war in Bosnia-Herzegovina, GRBAVICA is the small Balkan state's first ever movie to compete at one of the world's most prestigious film festivals.
Jasmila Zbanic holds her Golden Bear
British actress Charlotte Rampling, the president of the festival's jury, presented the award to Zbanic at a gala ceremony in the German capital Saturday, 18th, after a competition dominated by politically charged themes.
The festival's Silver Bear for directing went to British filmmakers Michael Winterbottom and Mat Whitecross for THE ROAD TO GUANTANAMO, part drama, part documentary, which tells the true story of three British Muslims who were held at the U.S. prison camp in Cuba for more than two years before being released without charge.
The Jury Grand Prix award, a runner-up prize, was shard by two films: (1) the Danish film A SOAP (En Soap, 2006) about the love affair between a woman and a transsexual was directed by Pernille Fischer Christensen, who also accepted a new prize for best feature film debut; and (2) the Iranian soccer comedy OFFSIDE, where women's roles and the eternal fight to expand their rights in Iranian society get a light, hugely entertaining treatment in Jafar Panahi's story about girls caught dressing as boys to sneak into a World Cup-qualifying football match in Tehran.
Two German stars picked up Silver Bears for acting, Sandra Hueller won the best actress and Moritz Bleibtreu best actor.
The Berlinale also presented two honorary Golden Bear awards during its 11-day run for their life's work to: (1) British actor Ian McKellen (the Lord of the Rings trilogy); and (2) Polish director Andrzej Wayda (Ashes and Diamonds).
The winner of the Panorama Audience Award 2006 was BUBOT NIYAR (Paper Dolls, Israel/Switzerland, 2005), directed by Tomer Heymann
Saturday, following the awards, the most recent film by Italian Oscar winner Roberto Benigni (Life is Beautiful, La Vita è bella, 1997) screened. Benigni gets into serious scrapes in THE TIGER AND THE SNOW (La Tigre e la Neve, 2005) when he rushes to Iraq to save a girlfriend wounded in an air attack on the country shortly after the 2003 invasion began.
The festival closed Sunday with screenings of a restored copy of Sam Peckinpah's 1972 Western Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid, and popular films from the competition.
See Mimi's Highlights for before and during the Festival for more!
The 57th Berlin International Film Festival will be held from 8 – 18 February 2007.
[Official Site, German] [Official Site, English]
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21st SANTA BARBARA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
2 - 12 February 2006, Santa Barbara, California
(This festival does not give out any "Best Of" awards.)
George Clooney received the Modern Master Award at the seaside town 95 miles north of Los Angeles. "Entertainment Tonight" film critic Leonard Maltin hosted the closing night tribute. Attendees at the ceremony included actress Sharon Stone, and Good Night, and Good Luck producer and co-writer Grant Heslov.
Others honored during the festival were: Titanic director James Cameron, along with stars Naomi Watts (King Kong); Philip Seymour Hoffman (Capote); and Heath Ledger (Brokeback Mountain).
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25th SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL
19 - 29 January 2006, Park City, Utah
(Sundance, which is the top U.S. showcase for independent movies, including feature documentaries as well as a launching pad for art-house titles, has always focused on filmmaking outside the commercial mainstream.)
The Hispanic teen drama QUINCEAÑERA (Fifteenth Birthday), and the Sudanese refugee documentary GOD GREW TIRED OF US won top Grand Jury Prizes for drama and documentary, respectively. Both films examine immigrant life in America, and this theme dominated among the winners at the festival.
QUINCEAÑERA, written and directed by Wash Westmoreland and Richard Glatze, features a cast of newcomers and unknowns. It also won the audience award for U.S. dramatic films, chosen in voting by Sundance movie-goers. The film offers a culture-clash portrait of Los Angeles' Echo Park area, traditionally a Hispanic neighborhood that has become a trendy enclave.
Christopher Quinn's GOD GREW TIRED OF US, follows three
Sudanese boys adjusting to life in the United States after the bloody civil war in their homeland. It received
both the jury prize and audience award for U.S. documentaries.
Another immigrant story, the Mexican film DE NADIE (Nobody), won the audience
award for world-cinema documentary. Directed by Tin Dirdamal, the film traces a Central American woman's 1,300-mile
journey north in search of a new life in the United States.
A special jury prize for independent vision was awarded to director So Yong Kim's IN BETWEEN DAYS,
about a newly arrived Korean girl trying to find her place in America.
IRAQ IN FRAGMENTS, a candid observations of Iraqis' lives under U.S. occupation, won three
documentary prizes: directing, cinematography, and editing. Dito Montiel for A GUIDE TO RECOGNIZING YOUR SAINTS, received a special jury prize for best ensemble performance, and ghe dramatic directing award.
The dramatic film features Robert Downey Jr., Rosario Dawson, and Dianne Wiest, is based on Montiel's youth on
the mean streets of Astoria in Queens during the mid-1980s.
The Waldo Salt screenwriting award was given to writer-director Hilary Brougher for STEPHANIE DALEYS
about a teen accused of killing her newborn baby. The French thriller 13 TZAMETI,
written and directed by Gela Babluani, follows a young man whose spur-of-the-moment journey turns perilous, and
earned the dramatic jury prize for world cinema.
Special jury prizes were presented to the documentaries American Blackout, (Ian Inaba), TV Junkie, (Michael Cain and Matt Radecki), Into Great Silence (Die Grosse Stille, German title) written and directed by Philip Groening, and Dear Pyongyang (Yonghi Yang).
Before the Festival
Friends With Money, a comic drama starring Jennifer Aniston and Frances McDormand, premiered as the opening-night
film at the Sundance Film Festival, 19 January. Directed by Nicole Holofcener, the Sony Pictures Classics release
revolves around three married couples and a single friend. Scott Caan, Joan Cusack and Catherine Keener also star.
The festival's closing night, January 27, will feature the world premiere of Nick Cassavetes' drug-drama Alpha Dog, starring
Bruce Willis, Sharon Stone and Memphis's own, Justin Timberlake. Cassavetes is the son of pioneering U.S. film
director John Cassavetes. Timberlake is best known as a singer and former member of the band NSync, and for romancing
beautiful young actresses.
The New Line film is inspired by true events involving warring drug dealers in the San Fernando Valley and the murder of a young man, which caused Jesse James Hollywood to become one of the youngest men ever put on the FBI's most-wanted list. He recently was captured in Brazil.
International stars Gael Garcia Bernal and Charlotte Gainsbourg topline The Science of Sleep from director Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind), a sci-fi tale of a man held captive by the people in his dreams.
23 January - Sundance enteres its second week.
Only one film has registered a big sale. LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE went for more than $10 million, obtained by 20th Century Fox's specialty division Fox Searchlight. The comedy stars Steve Carell, (The Office, TV, and the recent hit film THE 40 YEAR OLD VIRGIN), Greg Kinnear and Toni Collette, and tells of a family trying to get their 7-year-old into a beauty pageant. It premiered to a packed house on Friday, won a standing ovation and sparked a bidding war that lasted until Saturday morning. The film, however, is not in competition for an award.
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17th PALM SPRINGS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
4 - 15 January 2006
BUFFALO BOY (Vietnam) received the FIPRESCI Award.
Director Minh Nguyen-Vo's feature debut is a coming-of-age journey through French Indochina shortly before World
War II. A teenage boy transports his family's buffalos to greener pastures during the seasonal floods and discovers
the joys and challenges of masculine ritual. The film was submitted, but did not get an Oscar® nomination for BFLF.
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Last Updated December 2006
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