What happens when six Hollywood Reporter film critics get together to pick their 50 favorite movies of the 21st century so far? Debating, deliberating, voting, the devising of a nerdy point system, second-guessing, fine-tuning, re-deliberating, re-second-guessing, re-fine-tuning — you get the picture.
But now the list is published, and below are things we thought readers might find interesting about our selections. Some of these things surprised us, too.
18 films not in English: 4 French, 3 Japanese, 2 Korean, 2 Romanian, 2 Mexican, 1 Spanish, 1 Taiwanese, 1 Hong Kong, 1 Russian, 1 Mauritanian 11 films directed by women 9 films directed by Black filmmakers 6 documentaries 2 animated films 4 first films 5 directors with multiple films on the list: Jane Campion (2), the Coen brothers (2), Alfonso Cuarón (2), David Fincher (2), Richard Linklater (2) 2 best picture Oscar winners (Moonlight and Parasite) 3 Cannes Palme d’Or winners (4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days; Shoplifters; Parasite) 2 Venice Golden Lion winners (The Return and Brokeback Mountain) Years with the most films represented: 2016 and 2018 (4 each) Actors with...
But now the list is published, and below are things we thought readers might find interesting about our selections. Some of these things surprised us, too.
18 films not in English: 4 French, 3 Japanese, 2 Korean, 2 Romanian, 2 Mexican, 1 Spanish, 1 Taiwanese, 1 Hong Kong, 1 Russian, 1 Mauritanian 11 films directed by women 9 films directed by Black filmmakers 6 documentaries 2 animated films 4 first films 5 directors with multiple films on the list: Jane Campion (2), the Coen brothers (2), Alfonso Cuarón (2), David Fincher (2), Richard Linklater (2) 2 best picture Oscar winners (Moonlight and Parasite) 3 Cannes Palme d’Or winners (4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days; Shoplifters; Parasite) 2 Venice Golden Lion winners (The Return and Brokeback Mountain) Years with the most films represented: 2016 and 2018 (4 each) Actors with...
- 4/6/2023
- by Jon Frosch, David Rooney, Sheri Linden, Lovia Gyarkye, Leslie Felperin and Jordan Mintzer
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
‘All The Beauty And The Bloodshed’ director Poitras will be the 2022 guest of honour.
All The Beauty And The Bloodshed director Laura Poitras will be guest of honour at the 2022 International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA), which has also set two Focus programmes and the theme for its new media section DocLab.
Fresh from winning the Venice Golden Lion for her Nan Goldin documentary All The Beauty…, Poitras has curated a ‘Top 10’ programme for the festival, of films she believes are key to the human condition. Titles announced so far include Steve McQueen’s Hunger, Frederick Wiseman’s Titicut Follies...
All The Beauty And The Bloodshed director Laura Poitras will be guest of honour at the 2022 International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA), which has also set two Focus programmes and the theme for its new media section DocLab.
Fresh from winning the Venice Golden Lion for her Nan Goldin documentary All The Beauty…, Poitras has curated a ‘Top 10’ programme for the festival, of films she believes are key to the human condition. Titles announced so far include Steve McQueen’s Hunger, Frederick Wiseman’s Titicut Follies...
- 9/20/2022
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
U.S. director-producer Laura Poitras, who won an Oscar and an Emmy with Edward Snowden film “Citizenfour,” and recently took the Golden Lion at Venice with opioid epidemic pic “All the Beauty and the Bloodshed,” will be the Guest of Honor at the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam. The 35th edition of the festival takes place from Nov. 9 to 20.
Poitras will be honored at IDFA with the Retrospective and Top 10 programs, in which she curates 10 films. The Top 10 program includes reflections on political imprisonment (“Hunger” by Steve McQueen; “This Is Not a Film” by Jafar Panahi and Mojtaba Mirtahmasb), incarceration and psychiatry (Frederick Wiseman’s “Titicut Follies”), and genocide (Claude Lanzmann’s “Shoah”). As part of the Top 10, Poitras will be in conversation with several of her selected filmmakers during the festival’s public talks program.
In the Retrospective section, IDFA presents all seven films directed by Poitras from 2003 to today.
Poitras will be honored at IDFA with the Retrospective and Top 10 programs, in which she curates 10 films. The Top 10 program includes reflections on political imprisonment (“Hunger” by Steve McQueen; “This Is Not a Film” by Jafar Panahi and Mojtaba Mirtahmasb), incarceration and psychiatry (Frederick Wiseman’s “Titicut Follies”), and genocide (Claude Lanzmann’s “Shoah”). As part of the Top 10, Poitras will be in conversation with several of her selected filmmakers during the festival’s public talks program.
In the Retrospective section, IDFA presents all seven films directed by Poitras from 2003 to today.
- 9/20/2022
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
Oscar-winning director Laura Poitras will be guest of honor at the 35th International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA), running from November 9 to 20.
Poitras is currently on a packed festival tour with All The Beauty And The Bloodshed, which won the Golden Lion in Venice and is now an awards season contender. After Venice, the title screened in Toronto and has dates set for New York and the BFI London Film Festival.
As guest of honor at IDFA, Poitras will be feted with a retrospective and has also been given carte blanche to curate 10 films that have influenced her work and shaped her view of the world.
Her Top 10 selections include Steve McQueen’s Hunger, Jafar Panahi and Mojtaba Mirtahmasb’s This is Not A Film, Frederick Wiseman’s Titicut Follies and Claude Lanzmann’s Shoah.
As part of the sidebar, Poitras will also conduct on-stage conversations with a number of the selected filmmakers.
Poitras is currently on a packed festival tour with All The Beauty And The Bloodshed, which won the Golden Lion in Venice and is now an awards season contender. After Venice, the title screened in Toronto and has dates set for New York and the BFI London Film Festival.
As guest of honor at IDFA, Poitras will be feted with a retrospective and has also been given carte blanche to curate 10 films that have influenced her work and shaped her view of the world.
Her Top 10 selections include Steve McQueen’s Hunger, Jafar Panahi and Mojtaba Mirtahmasb’s This is Not A Film, Frederick Wiseman’s Titicut Follies and Claude Lanzmann’s Shoah.
As part of the sidebar, Poitras will also conduct on-stage conversations with a number of the selected filmmakers.
- 9/20/2022
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
Laura Poitras, the Oscar-winning director of Citizenfour, whose latest doc, All the Beauty and the Bloodshed, won the Golden Lion at the 2022 Venice Film Festival, will be this year’s guest of honor at the International Documentary Festival Amsterdam (IDFA).
IDFA will host a retrospective of Poitras’ work, screening all 7 documentaries she has directed, from her 2003 feature debut Flag Wars, made in collaboration with artist Linda Goode Bryant, a cinéma vérité film on the gentrification of a working-class African American neighborhood by white gays and lesbians, to All the Beauty and the Bloodshed, which follows the career of photographer and artist Nan Goldin and her campaign to hold Purdue Pharma and the Sackler family responsible for the opioid addiction crisis. Poitras is perhaps best known for her portraits of Edward Snowden (the Oscar-winning Citizenfour) and Julian Assange (2016’s Risk).
Poitras will also curate...
Laura Poitras, the Oscar-winning director of Citizenfour, whose latest doc, All the Beauty and the Bloodshed, won the Golden Lion at the 2022 Venice Film Festival, will be this year’s guest of honor at the International Documentary Festival Amsterdam (IDFA).
IDFA will host a retrospective of Poitras’ work, screening all 7 documentaries she has directed, from her 2003 feature debut Flag Wars, made in collaboration with artist Linda Goode Bryant, a cinéma vérité film on the gentrification of a working-class African American neighborhood by white gays and lesbians, to All the Beauty and the Bloodshed, which follows the career of photographer and artist Nan Goldin and her campaign to hold Purdue Pharma and the Sackler family responsible for the opioid addiction crisis. Poitras is perhaps best known for her portraits of Edward Snowden (the Oscar-winning Citizenfour) and Julian Assange (2016’s Risk).
Poitras will also curate...
- 9/20/2022
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Facts are so often stranger than fiction: The truth can be so terrible that we struggle to believe it, or so joyous and full of life that we’re inspired or moved. The past decade has seen a boom in the documentary space as streaming platforms have invested in their production and proliferated their distribution opportunities. So many docs that could have made this list, from those that have inspired public policy changes to others that captured gorgeous slices of life often overlooked, and even a few that pushed the visual boundaries of what’s possible in non-fiction storytelling. Here are just a handful of the best documentaries from the previous decade:
10. “Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry”
Alison Klayman’s documentary may have been many Americans’ introduction to Ai Weiwei, the outspoken artist (whose work has found a devoted following on social media) and controversial voice that the Chinese government has...
10. “Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry”
Alison Klayman’s documentary may have been many Americans’ introduction to Ai Weiwei, the outspoken artist (whose work has found a devoted following on social media) and controversial voice that the Chinese government has...
- 12/16/2019
- by Monica Castillo
- The Wrap
Jafar Panahi’s latest film, 3 Faces, which is screening as part of the 56th New York Film Festival main slate, is another audacious triumph from a director who has confirmed his place as one of the most important filmmakers of the 21st century. Following his 2010 arrest and subsequent 20-year ban on filmmaking, 3 Faces marks the Iranian filmmaker’s fourth feature to be made without government authorization. After the lauded This Is Not a Film (2011), Closed Curtain (2013) and Taxi (2015), 3 Faces emerges as both a culmination and farewell to the strictures within which Panahi has flexed and maneuvered his cinematic vision over the last eight years. The film serves as an exemplary piece from which to reflect upon the continued political pertinence and cinematic innovation of Panahi’s filmmaking. As a collection, the post-ban films play out as an extended experiment in the possibilities of viable filmmaking under extreme censorship restriction.
- 10/3/2018
- MUBI
Again thumbing his nose at the regime that has banned him, the courageous Iranian director makes his latest film in a taxi rigged with three hidden cameras
Much loose talk is bandied around in the film world about directors’ bravery and the heroism of “guerrilla” film-making – but those terms genuinely mean something when applied to Iran’s Jafar Panahi. After making several robust realist dramas about the challenges of everyday life in his country – among them The Circle, Crimson Gold and the exuberantly angry football movie Offside – Panahi fell foul of the Iranian government, which threatened him with imprisonment, prevented him from travelling and banned him from making films for 20 years. He has protested by working under the wire to make three extraordinary works, contraband statements that are at once a cri de coeur from internal exile, and a bring-it-on raised fist of defiance.
This Is Not a Film (2011, directed...
Much loose talk is bandied around in the film world about directors’ bravery and the heroism of “guerrilla” film-making – but those terms genuinely mean something when applied to Iran’s Jafar Panahi. After making several robust realist dramas about the challenges of everyday life in his country – among them The Circle, Crimson Gold and the exuberantly angry football movie Offside – Panahi fell foul of the Iranian government, which threatened him with imprisonment, prevented him from travelling and banned him from making films for 20 years. He has protested by working under the wire to make three extraordinary works, contraband statements that are at once a cri de coeur from internal exile, and a bring-it-on raised fist of defiance.
This Is Not a Film (2011, directed...
- 11/1/2015
- by Jonathan Romney
- The Guardian - Film News
Again thumbing his nose at the regime that has banned him, the courageous Iranian director makes his latest film in a taxi rigged with three hidden cameras
Much loose talk is bandied around in the film world about directors’ bravery and the heroism of “guerrilla” film-making – but those terms genuinely mean something when applied to Iran’s Jafar Panahi. After making several robust realist dramas about the challenges of everyday life in his country – among them The Circle, Crimson Gold and the exuberantly angry football movie Offside – Panahi fell foul of the Iranian government, which threatened him with imprisonment, prevented him from travelling and banned him from making films for 20 years. He has protested by working under the wire to make three extraordinary works, contraband statements that are at once a cri de coeur from internal exile, and a bring-it-on raised fist of defiance.
This Is Not a Film (2011, directed...
Much loose talk is bandied around in the film world about directors’ bravery and the heroism of “guerrilla” film-making – but those terms genuinely mean something when applied to Iran’s Jafar Panahi. After making several robust realist dramas about the challenges of everyday life in his country – among them The Circle, Crimson Gold and the exuberantly angry football movie Offside – Panahi fell foul of the Iranian government, which threatened him with imprisonment, prevented him from travelling and banned him from making films for 20 years. He has protested by working under the wire to make three extraordinary works, contraband statements that are at once a cri de coeur from internal exile, and a bring-it-on raised fist of defiance.
This Is Not a Film (2011, directed...
- 11/1/2015
- by Jonathan Romney
- The Guardian - Film News
In the political discourse, when a country addresses another, whether in positive or negative terms, such statements often fail to differentiate between said country’s government and its people, between the government’s policies and the people’s unheard sentiment towards these.
While useful in the theoretical realm in which politics take place, these generalizations create a distorted image of the foreign nation fed by assumptions and dangerously insensitive stereotypes. It’s much easier for rulers to justify their actions if the adversary is made out to look like an irredeemable villain. Sensationalism and ignorance are weapons far more destructive than missiles, because once the smoke dissipates hatred remains.
On that note, it should be clear that the Iranian people are not the Iranian government. Their rich cultural history is not reflected in the actions of those in power, but in the prevailing elegance and allure of their artwork. Remarkable poets, musicians, painters, and, what we are mostly concerned with here, filmmakers.
The history of Iranian cinema is vast and has survived the many transitions and troubling periods the country has experienced. Even more impressive is the fact that as masterfully as Iranian filmmakers and actors understand the medium, they have never watered down their individuality for the sake of mainstream international success. Instead, they’ve managed to create their unique cinematic language that aligns with their idiosyncrasies and that is not silenced despite the hardships they face, but finds a way around censorship or defies it altogether.
Certainly not a definitive list, the following collection of films aims to be an introduction to the compelling and diverse voices within this captivating national cinema and to encourage you to seek out other films in the future. There are films here that are concerned with rural and working class lifestyles, others that focus on the traditions of ethnic minorities, those that deal with the modern middle class, and also several works denouncing the country’s political situation and the oppression that comes with it.
There are also some films that are note worthy even if they don’t easily fit within the parameters of what an Iranian film is.
Special Mentions:
-Iranian-American director Ana Lily Amirpour and her outstanding Farsi-language debut “A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night,” a visually striking vampire story set in a fictional Iranian town.
-American filmmaker Till Schauder and his documentary “The Iran Job,” which follows Kevin Sheppard, an American professional basketball player in Iran, and uses his experience to build cultural bridges between the two countries.
-Farhadi’s “The Past,” which though is not precisely an Iranian story, continues to show the director’s specific talent for greatly written, puzzling narratives both in his home country and abroad.
-Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud's “Chicken with Plums,” a gorgeously whimsical and darkly comedic love story set in pre-revolutionary Tehran starring Mathieu Amalric.
Lastly, in honor of Nowruz or Persian New Year, which is a peaceful celebration of renewal and rebirth that takes place from March 20-24 in Iran and Iranian communities around the world, let’s remember the deeply moving and wise words that Asghar Farhadi gifted us during his acceptance speech on Oscar night a few years back. No one could have said it better than him.
“At this time many Iranians all over the world are watching us, and I imagine them to be very happy. They are happy not just because of an important award, or a film, or a filmmaker, but because at a time in which talk of war, intimidation, and aggression is exchanged between politicians, the name of their country, Iran, is spoken here through her glorious culture, a rich and ancient culture that has been hidden under the heavy dust of politics. I proudly offer this award to the people of my country, a people that respect all cultures and civilizations and despise hostility and resentment. Thank you so much.” –Director Asghar Farhadi after winning the Best Foreign Language Film Academy Award for “A Separation” on February 26, 2012
1. "About Elly" (2009)
Dir. Asghar Farhadi
In Farhadi's tense psychological drama a casual trip to the sea evolves into a subtly plotted mystery. The director's depiction of the Iranian middle class in such a fascinatingly unexpected story connected with both local and international audiences earning him awards at home and abroad, among them Berlin's Silver Bear.
*The Cinema Guild will release the film theatrically on April 17, 2015
2. "Baran" (2001)
Dir. Majid Majidi
Taking a look at the diverse ethnic groups that coexist in Iran, the film follows a love story between a man and a young Afghan woman who must pretend to be a man in order to work. Eliciting truly naturalistic performance from his cast Majidi gives voice to his almost silent protagonist, a woman caught up in a system designed by men.
*Available on Netflix Instant Watch
3. "Children of Heaven" (1997)
Dir. Majid Majidi
Iran's first ever Academy Award nominated film is also Majidi's most renowned work. Innocence permeates this sweet story about two siblings from a working class family trying to find a pair of missing shoes. Their adventure delivers valuable life lessons that are at once heartwarming and profound. Unquestionably a classic.
*Available on Netflix Instant Watch and on DVD from Lionsgate
4. "Closed Curtain" (2013)
Dir. Jafar Panahi & Kambuzia Partovi
In this enigmatic observation on repression and surveillance an anonymous screenwriter, played by co-director Kambuzia Partovi, hides with his dog in a secluded location. Eventually, as other surprising characters appear, the film becomes a complex dance between reality and fabrication. Both filmmakers had their passports confiscated by the Iranian government due to the subversive content of the film.
*Available on Amazon Instant Video
5. "Close-Up" (1990)
Dir. Abbas Kiarostami
In one of the greatest examples of reality and fiction blending in almost seamless ways, Abbas Kiarostami's masterwork poses complex questions about identity. When a film buff impersonates his favorite director, who happens to Mohsen Makhmalbaf , a series of events unravel as he plans his next, fake, film. Surreally enough the film is based on a true story and stars the actual people involved. It's all brilliantly meta.
*Available on Blu-ray & DVD from Criterion
6. "The Color of Paradise" (1999)
Dir. Majid Majidi
Though rejected by his father, a young blind boy rejoices in nature’s beauty and tries to understand the meaning of his struggles with the help of a mentor with the same condition. Showcasing Iran’s visually stunning rural landscapes and delicately embedding with philosophical concerns, Majidi’s poetic film delivers wisdom in wondrously unassuming ways.
*Available on DVD from Sony Pictures Classics
7. "The Cow" (1969)
Dir. Dariush Mehrjui
Considered a turning point in the nation’s cinematic history, this black-and-white work revolves around a man’s devotion for his cow and how its disappearance drives him into madness. While seemingly simple in its conception, Mehrjui manages to compellingly highlight the country’s traditional lifestyles.
*Available on DVD from First Run Features
8. "Fireworks Wednesday" (2006)
Dir. Asghar Farhadi
Intimate conflicts in the Iranian middle class are Farhadi’s expertise and this domestic drama, set fittingly during the celebrations prior to the Persian New Year, is no exception. When a soon-to-be bride in need of money for her wedding gets a job cleaning a family’s house, their secrets begin to unravel through their interaction and confrontations.
*Available on DVD from Facets
9. "Gabbeh" (1996)
Dir. Mohsen Makhmalbaf
Taking its name from a type of Persian carpet, this stunningly evocative fable is adorned with mysticism and magical realist elements that shine through its colorful visual palette. Gabbeh, a young nomadic woman who is likely the incarnation of one of these traditional rugs, falls in love with horseman, but her community follows beliefs that hinder her desire.
*Available on DVD from New Yorker Video
10. "The Green Wave" (2010)
Dir. Ali Samadi Ahadi
Told through striking animated sequences, interviews and footage from the protests, this documentary constructs a bold portrait of the 2009 Green Movement following Ahmadinejad’s reelection. The regime's strong grip over its citizens is exposed, but the spirit of the Iranian people demanding change is even stronger.
*Available on DVD from Strand Releasing
11. "Hamoun" (1990)
Dir. Dariush Mehrjui
Underscored by subdued comedy and poignant dream sequences, Mehrjui’s visionary drama centers on the decaying relationship between Hamoun, a businessman with hopes of becoming a writer, and his wife Mahshid, a painter. Insanity takes over him when she decides to divorce him because of his angry outbursts. A series of drastic occurrences ensue.
*Available on DVD from First Run Features
12. "Kandahar" (2001)
Dir. Mohsen Makhmalbaf
Despite being set in Afghanistan, this Iranian production is a powerful achievement that unveils the unjust treatment of women, not only under the Taliban’s control, but also in the entire region. Nafas, an Afghan women living in Canada, decides to return to her homeland to find her depressed sister. Through this dangerous journey she discovers much more about life in the war-torn country than she expected.
*Available on DVD from New Yorker Video
13. "Leila" (1997)
Dir. Dariush Mehrjui
Starting famous Iranian actress Leila Hatami in one her earliest roles as a married woman unable to have children, this conjugal drama explores the role of women within Iranian society. Leila’s husband, Reza (played by “The Past” star Ali Mosaffa), loves her, but his mother wants him to get another wife that can give him a son. The title character is divided between her happiness and what others think is best for her marriage.
*Available on DVD from First Run Features
14. "Manuscripts Don't Burn" (2013)
Dir. Mohammad Rasoulof
Rasoulof’s brave and searing political statement was shot illegally going against the20-year-ban from filmmaking imposed on him by the Iranian government. It denounces the terrifying lack of freedom of expression via the thrilling story a pair of writers risking it all to protect an incendiary manuscript that authorities are eager to destroy.
*Available on Netflix Instant Watch and on DVD from Kino Lorber
15. "Marooned in Iraq" (2002)
Dir. Bahman Ghobadi
Highlighting the rich Kurdish culture, both in Iran and Iraq, Ghobadi’s film is set in the aftermath of the ravaging Gulf War. Marooned is an elderly man who must travel across the mountainous landscape that divides the two countries to find his ex-wife. While portraying the horrors of war in an affecting manner, the film is also a life-affirming work that finds hope in the most surprising places.
*Available on DVD from Wellspring
16. "My Tehran for Sale"
Dir. Granaz Moussavi
Devastating and current, this debut feature from renowned poet turned filmmaker Granaz Moussavi is a hard-hitting critique on the blatant criminalization of artists in Iran. An actress banned from her profession questions whether she should remain in the country or flee. Getting to safety means leaving everything she knows behind. There are no easy options for her.
*Available on DVD from Global Lens
17. "No One Knows About Persian Cats" (2009)
Dir. Bahman Ghobadi
Music as the banner of freedom is the focus of Ghobadi’s film about the underground rock scene in Tehran. Secular music is essentially forbidden, and playing in public is considered a criminal act punished with prison. Crafted between reality and fiction, this quasi-documentary takes a look at a group of young musicians desperate to express themselves through their art.
*Available on DVD from Mpi Home Video
18. "Offside" (2006)
Dir. Jafar Panahi
Attending sporting events is prohibited for women in Iran, but that doesn’t stop many of them who go as far as to dress like men to get in. Panahi’s touching and insightful film takes place during the 2006 World Cup Qualifying match between Iran and Bahrain, and follows several girls who despite being excluded cheer for their team as joyfully as any fan would.
*Available on DVD from Sony Pictures Classics
19. "Persepolis" (2007)
Dir. Marjane Satrapi & Vincent Paronnaud
Nominated for the Best Animated Feature Oscar, this French-language marvel is based on Satrapi’s autobiographical graphic novel by the same name. With eye-popping hand-drawn animation, the film revisits the director’s childhood and teenage years in Iran during the events leading up to the Islamic Revolution. It’s a love letter to the bittersweet memories of the Iran Satrapi knew.
*Available on Blu-ray & DVD from Sony Pictures Classics
20. "A Separation" (2011)
Dir. Asghar Farhadi
Dealing with a marriage in turmoil facing the country's peculiar judicial system, Farhadi’s masterpiece is the most acclaimed film in the history of Iranian cinema and earned the country's first Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. It was also nominated for Best Original Screenplay for its enthralling thriller-like narrative that grips the audience until its unnerving conclusion. A must see!
*Available on Blu-ray & DVD from Sony Pictures Classics
21. "The Song of Sparrows" (2008)
Dir. Majid Majidi
When Karim (played by Berlin’s Silver Bear Winner Reza Naji), an ostrich farm worker, is forced to find a new job in the city to pay for his daughter’s hearing aid, Iran’s rural and urban realms collide. Thanks to the captivating grace that characterizes Majidi’s films, poverty and misfortune are observed here not with pity but with an optimistic and undefeated perspective.
*Available on DVD from E1 Entertainment
22." Taste of Cherry" (1997)
Dir. Abbas Kiarostami
This quiet and minimalist meditation on death and the simple joys of its antithesis is the first and only Iranian film to have won the coveted Palme d’Or at Cannes. Kiarostami follows a man who has decided to commit suicide and is looking for someone to help him achieve this. However, those he recruits along the way come with their own views on the meaning of our existence and attempt to persuade him to reconsider.
*Available on DVD from Criterion
23. "Ten" (2002)
Dir. Abbas Kiarostami
A female cabbie drives through the streets of Tehran picking up an array of characters that via their casual conversations shine a light on the Iranian society’s expectations of women. Constructed of ten individual scenes in which the only constant is the driver, this heavily improvised and peculiarly shot cinematic experiment is a work of fiction embedded with truth in every frame.
*Available on DVD from Zeitgeist Films
24. "This is Not a Film" (2011)
Dir. Mojtaba Mirtahmasb & Jafar Panahi
In an effort to tell his story despite being banned from filmmaking and under house arrest, filmmaker Jafar Panahi takes his frustration and ingeniously turns it into a courageous visual statement. Whether is shooting video with his cell phone or blocking an imaginary scene in his living room, his passion for storytelling is resilient even when confronting such suffocating censorship.
*Available on Netflix Instant Watch and on DVD from Palisades Tartan
25. "A Time for Drunken Horses" (2000)
Dir. Bahman Ghobadi
With the snow-covered Zagros Mountains as backdrop, Ghobadi’s debut feature tells the story of Ayoub, a young Kurdish boy who must provide for his siblings after their mother’s death. Added to the already difficult circumstances, his handicapped brother desperately needs a surgery. This pushes the heroic kid to persevere against all odds in the hostile environment.
*Available on Netflix Instant Watch and on DVD from Kino Lorber
26. "Turtles Can Fly" (2004)
Dir. Bahman Ghobadi
Commanding a cast made almost entirely of children Ghobadi sets his film in an Iraqi Kurdish refugee camp just before the American occupation of 2003. Making a living by clearing the hazardous minefields that surround them, a group of orphan children create a small community to survive. The atrocities of war are ever-present, but like in most of the director’s works, the triumph of the human spirit is at the film's core.
*Available on Amazon Instant Video
27. "The White Balloon" (1995)
Dir. Jafar Panahi
Written by Kiarostami and directed by Panahi this is another film set during the important Persian New Year celebrations. It centers on a little girl trying to convince her parents to buy her a goldfish and who gets in a couple mishaps along the way. With utmost innocence, the seemingly simple premise manages to be a charming delight that showcases family values and ancient virtues with a nice dose of humor. It’s an uplifting gem.
*Sadly the film is not curently availble in any format in the U.S. Hopefully Criterion or another distributor will fix this soon.
28. "The White Meadows" (2009)
Dir. Mohammad Rasoulof
While ethereal, almost otherworldly imagery achieved by cinematographer Ebrahim Ghafori is reason enough to see this film, Rasoulof’s poetic storytelling elevates it to even greater intellectual heights. By using a barren coastal land and its inhabitant as a metaphor for the intolerance and injustice that many of his compatriots -creative people in particular - confront everyday, the filmmaker denounces these evils through melancholic beauty.
*Available on DVD from Global Lens
29. "The Willow Tree" (2005)
Dir. Majid Majidi
A writer, who had been blinded in an accident as a child, regains his vision as a middle aged adult only to be challenged by a world that has become foreign to him. At first, his miraculous new situation appears to be an answer to a prayer, but Majidi soon shows us how vision can become a curse in this spiritual drama about fate and regret. Exquisitely shot and sporting visceral performances, the film is both heart-rending and though provoking.
*Available on DVD from New Yorker Films
30. "The Wind Will Carry Us" (1999)
Dir. Abbas Kiarostami
Taking the audience on a trip to an untainted region of Iran where tradition hasn’t yet been disrupted by modernity, the acclaimed director crafted another unforgettable experience. Sublimely executed, the film joins four journalists pretending to be engineers as they document the funerary rituals of the local Kurdish people. More than learning about them as researchers, their interactions force them to engage on a much more human level.
*Availble on Blu-ray and DVD from Cohen Media Group...
While useful in the theoretical realm in which politics take place, these generalizations create a distorted image of the foreign nation fed by assumptions and dangerously insensitive stereotypes. It’s much easier for rulers to justify their actions if the adversary is made out to look like an irredeemable villain. Sensationalism and ignorance are weapons far more destructive than missiles, because once the smoke dissipates hatred remains.
On that note, it should be clear that the Iranian people are not the Iranian government. Their rich cultural history is not reflected in the actions of those in power, but in the prevailing elegance and allure of their artwork. Remarkable poets, musicians, painters, and, what we are mostly concerned with here, filmmakers.
The history of Iranian cinema is vast and has survived the many transitions and troubling periods the country has experienced. Even more impressive is the fact that as masterfully as Iranian filmmakers and actors understand the medium, they have never watered down their individuality for the sake of mainstream international success. Instead, they’ve managed to create their unique cinematic language that aligns with their idiosyncrasies and that is not silenced despite the hardships they face, but finds a way around censorship or defies it altogether.
Certainly not a definitive list, the following collection of films aims to be an introduction to the compelling and diverse voices within this captivating national cinema and to encourage you to seek out other films in the future. There are films here that are concerned with rural and working class lifestyles, others that focus on the traditions of ethnic minorities, those that deal with the modern middle class, and also several works denouncing the country’s political situation and the oppression that comes with it.
There are also some films that are note worthy even if they don’t easily fit within the parameters of what an Iranian film is.
Special Mentions:
-Iranian-American director Ana Lily Amirpour and her outstanding Farsi-language debut “A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night,” a visually striking vampire story set in a fictional Iranian town.
-American filmmaker Till Schauder and his documentary “The Iran Job,” which follows Kevin Sheppard, an American professional basketball player in Iran, and uses his experience to build cultural bridges between the two countries.
-Farhadi’s “The Past,” which though is not precisely an Iranian story, continues to show the director’s specific talent for greatly written, puzzling narratives both in his home country and abroad.
-Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud's “Chicken with Plums,” a gorgeously whimsical and darkly comedic love story set in pre-revolutionary Tehran starring Mathieu Amalric.
Lastly, in honor of Nowruz or Persian New Year, which is a peaceful celebration of renewal and rebirth that takes place from March 20-24 in Iran and Iranian communities around the world, let’s remember the deeply moving and wise words that Asghar Farhadi gifted us during his acceptance speech on Oscar night a few years back. No one could have said it better than him.
“At this time many Iranians all over the world are watching us, and I imagine them to be very happy. They are happy not just because of an important award, or a film, or a filmmaker, but because at a time in which talk of war, intimidation, and aggression is exchanged between politicians, the name of their country, Iran, is spoken here through her glorious culture, a rich and ancient culture that has been hidden under the heavy dust of politics. I proudly offer this award to the people of my country, a people that respect all cultures and civilizations and despise hostility and resentment. Thank you so much.” –Director Asghar Farhadi after winning the Best Foreign Language Film Academy Award for “A Separation” on February 26, 2012
1. "About Elly" (2009)
Dir. Asghar Farhadi
In Farhadi's tense psychological drama a casual trip to the sea evolves into a subtly plotted mystery. The director's depiction of the Iranian middle class in such a fascinatingly unexpected story connected with both local and international audiences earning him awards at home and abroad, among them Berlin's Silver Bear.
*The Cinema Guild will release the film theatrically on April 17, 2015
2. "Baran" (2001)
Dir. Majid Majidi
Taking a look at the diverse ethnic groups that coexist in Iran, the film follows a love story between a man and a young Afghan woman who must pretend to be a man in order to work. Eliciting truly naturalistic performance from his cast Majidi gives voice to his almost silent protagonist, a woman caught up in a system designed by men.
*Available on Netflix Instant Watch
3. "Children of Heaven" (1997)
Dir. Majid Majidi
Iran's first ever Academy Award nominated film is also Majidi's most renowned work. Innocence permeates this sweet story about two siblings from a working class family trying to find a pair of missing shoes. Their adventure delivers valuable life lessons that are at once heartwarming and profound. Unquestionably a classic.
*Available on Netflix Instant Watch and on DVD from Lionsgate
4. "Closed Curtain" (2013)
Dir. Jafar Panahi & Kambuzia Partovi
In this enigmatic observation on repression and surveillance an anonymous screenwriter, played by co-director Kambuzia Partovi, hides with his dog in a secluded location. Eventually, as other surprising characters appear, the film becomes a complex dance between reality and fabrication. Both filmmakers had their passports confiscated by the Iranian government due to the subversive content of the film.
*Available on Amazon Instant Video
5. "Close-Up" (1990)
Dir. Abbas Kiarostami
In one of the greatest examples of reality and fiction blending in almost seamless ways, Abbas Kiarostami's masterwork poses complex questions about identity. When a film buff impersonates his favorite director, who happens to Mohsen Makhmalbaf , a series of events unravel as he plans his next, fake, film. Surreally enough the film is based on a true story and stars the actual people involved. It's all brilliantly meta.
*Available on Blu-ray & DVD from Criterion
6. "The Color of Paradise" (1999)
Dir. Majid Majidi
Though rejected by his father, a young blind boy rejoices in nature’s beauty and tries to understand the meaning of his struggles with the help of a mentor with the same condition. Showcasing Iran’s visually stunning rural landscapes and delicately embedding with philosophical concerns, Majidi’s poetic film delivers wisdom in wondrously unassuming ways.
*Available on DVD from Sony Pictures Classics
7. "The Cow" (1969)
Dir. Dariush Mehrjui
Considered a turning point in the nation’s cinematic history, this black-and-white work revolves around a man’s devotion for his cow and how its disappearance drives him into madness. While seemingly simple in its conception, Mehrjui manages to compellingly highlight the country’s traditional lifestyles.
*Available on DVD from First Run Features
8. "Fireworks Wednesday" (2006)
Dir. Asghar Farhadi
Intimate conflicts in the Iranian middle class are Farhadi’s expertise and this domestic drama, set fittingly during the celebrations prior to the Persian New Year, is no exception. When a soon-to-be bride in need of money for her wedding gets a job cleaning a family’s house, their secrets begin to unravel through their interaction and confrontations.
*Available on DVD from Facets
9. "Gabbeh" (1996)
Dir. Mohsen Makhmalbaf
Taking its name from a type of Persian carpet, this stunningly evocative fable is adorned with mysticism and magical realist elements that shine through its colorful visual palette. Gabbeh, a young nomadic woman who is likely the incarnation of one of these traditional rugs, falls in love with horseman, but her community follows beliefs that hinder her desire.
*Available on DVD from New Yorker Video
10. "The Green Wave" (2010)
Dir. Ali Samadi Ahadi
Told through striking animated sequences, interviews and footage from the protests, this documentary constructs a bold portrait of the 2009 Green Movement following Ahmadinejad’s reelection. The regime's strong grip over its citizens is exposed, but the spirit of the Iranian people demanding change is even stronger.
*Available on DVD from Strand Releasing
11. "Hamoun" (1990)
Dir. Dariush Mehrjui
Underscored by subdued comedy and poignant dream sequences, Mehrjui’s visionary drama centers on the decaying relationship between Hamoun, a businessman with hopes of becoming a writer, and his wife Mahshid, a painter. Insanity takes over him when she decides to divorce him because of his angry outbursts. A series of drastic occurrences ensue.
*Available on DVD from First Run Features
12. "Kandahar" (2001)
Dir. Mohsen Makhmalbaf
Despite being set in Afghanistan, this Iranian production is a powerful achievement that unveils the unjust treatment of women, not only under the Taliban’s control, but also in the entire region. Nafas, an Afghan women living in Canada, decides to return to her homeland to find her depressed sister. Through this dangerous journey she discovers much more about life in the war-torn country than she expected.
*Available on DVD from New Yorker Video
13. "Leila" (1997)
Dir. Dariush Mehrjui
Starting famous Iranian actress Leila Hatami in one her earliest roles as a married woman unable to have children, this conjugal drama explores the role of women within Iranian society. Leila’s husband, Reza (played by “The Past” star Ali Mosaffa), loves her, but his mother wants him to get another wife that can give him a son. The title character is divided between her happiness and what others think is best for her marriage.
*Available on DVD from First Run Features
14. "Manuscripts Don't Burn" (2013)
Dir. Mohammad Rasoulof
Rasoulof’s brave and searing political statement was shot illegally going against the20-year-ban from filmmaking imposed on him by the Iranian government. It denounces the terrifying lack of freedom of expression via the thrilling story a pair of writers risking it all to protect an incendiary manuscript that authorities are eager to destroy.
*Available on Netflix Instant Watch and on DVD from Kino Lorber
15. "Marooned in Iraq" (2002)
Dir. Bahman Ghobadi
Highlighting the rich Kurdish culture, both in Iran and Iraq, Ghobadi’s film is set in the aftermath of the ravaging Gulf War. Marooned is an elderly man who must travel across the mountainous landscape that divides the two countries to find his ex-wife. While portraying the horrors of war in an affecting manner, the film is also a life-affirming work that finds hope in the most surprising places.
*Available on DVD from Wellspring
16. "My Tehran for Sale"
Dir. Granaz Moussavi
Devastating and current, this debut feature from renowned poet turned filmmaker Granaz Moussavi is a hard-hitting critique on the blatant criminalization of artists in Iran. An actress banned from her profession questions whether she should remain in the country or flee. Getting to safety means leaving everything she knows behind. There are no easy options for her.
*Available on DVD from Global Lens
17. "No One Knows About Persian Cats" (2009)
Dir. Bahman Ghobadi
Music as the banner of freedom is the focus of Ghobadi’s film about the underground rock scene in Tehran. Secular music is essentially forbidden, and playing in public is considered a criminal act punished with prison. Crafted between reality and fiction, this quasi-documentary takes a look at a group of young musicians desperate to express themselves through their art.
*Available on DVD from Mpi Home Video
18. "Offside" (2006)
Dir. Jafar Panahi
Attending sporting events is prohibited for women in Iran, but that doesn’t stop many of them who go as far as to dress like men to get in. Panahi’s touching and insightful film takes place during the 2006 World Cup Qualifying match between Iran and Bahrain, and follows several girls who despite being excluded cheer for their team as joyfully as any fan would.
*Available on DVD from Sony Pictures Classics
19. "Persepolis" (2007)
Dir. Marjane Satrapi & Vincent Paronnaud
Nominated for the Best Animated Feature Oscar, this French-language marvel is based on Satrapi’s autobiographical graphic novel by the same name. With eye-popping hand-drawn animation, the film revisits the director’s childhood and teenage years in Iran during the events leading up to the Islamic Revolution. It’s a love letter to the bittersweet memories of the Iran Satrapi knew.
*Available on Blu-ray & DVD from Sony Pictures Classics
20. "A Separation" (2011)
Dir. Asghar Farhadi
Dealing with a marriage in turmoil facing the country's peculiar judicial system, Farhadi’s masterpiece is the most acclaimed film in the history of Iranian cinema and earned the country's first Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. It was also nominated for Best Original Screenplay for its enthralling thriller-like narrative that grips the audience until its unnerving conclusion. A must see!
*Available on Blu-ray & DVD from Sony Pictures Classics
21. "The Song of Sparrows" (2008)
Dir. Majid Majidi
When Karim (played by Berlin’s Silver Bear Winner Reza Naji), an ostrich farm worker, is forced to find a new job in the city to pay for his daughter’s hearing aid, Iran’s rural and urban realms collide. Thanks to the captivating grace that characterizes Majidi’s films, poverty and misfortune are observed here not with pity but with an optimistic and undefeated perspective.
*Available on DVD from E1 Entertainment
22." Taste of Cherry" (1997)
Dir. Abbas Kiarostami
This quiet and minimalist meditation on death and the simple joys of its antithesis is the first and only Iranian film to have won the coveted Palme d’Or at Cannes. Kiarostami follows a man who has decided to commit suicide and is looking for someone to help him achieve this. However, those he recruits along the way come with their own views on the meaning of our existence and attempt to persuade him to reconsider.
*Available on DVD from Criterion
23. "Ten" (2002)
Dir. Abbas Kiarostami
A female cabbie drives through the streets of Tehran picking up an array of characters that via their casual conversations shine a light on the Iranian society’s expectations of women. Constructed of ten individual scenes in which the only constant is the driver, this heavily improvised and peculiarly shot cinematic experiment is a work of fiction embedded with truth in every frame.
*Available on DVD from Zeitgeist Films
24. "This is Not a Film" (2011)
Dir. Mojtaba Mirtahmasb & Jafar Panahi
In an effort to tell his story despite being banned from filmmaking and under house arrest, filmmaker Jafar Panahi takes his frustration and ingeniously turns it into a courageous visual statement. Whether is shooting video with his cell phone or blocking an imaginary scene in his living room, his passion for storytelling is resilient even when confronting such suffocating censorship.
*Available on Netflix Instant Watch and on DVD from Palisades Tartan
25. "A Time for Drunken Horses" (2000)
Dir. Bahman Ghobadi
With the snow-covered Zagros Mountains as backdrop, Ghobadi’s debut feature tells the story of Ayoub, a young Kurdish boy who must provide for his siblings after their mother’s death. Added to the already difficult circumstances, his handicapped brother desperately needs a surgery. This pushes the heroic kid to persevere against all odds in the hostile environment.
*Available on Netflix Instant Watch and on DVD from Kino Lorber
26. "Turtles Can Fly" (2004)
Dir. Bahman Ghobadi
Commanding a cast made almost entirely of children Ghobadi sets his film in an Iraqi Kurdish refugee camp just before the American occupation of 2003. Making a living by clearing the hazardous minefields that surround them, a group of orphan children create a small community to survive. The atrocities of war are ever-present, but like in most of the director’s works, the triumph of the human spirit is at the film's core.
*Available on Amazon Instant Video
27. "The White Balloon" (1995)
Dir. Jafar Panahi
Written by Kiarostami and directed by Panahi this is another film set during the important Persian New Year celebrations. It centers on a little girl trying to convince her parents to buy her a goldfish and who gets in a couple mishaps along the way. With utmost innocence, the seemingly simple premise manages to be a charming delight that showcases family values and ancient virtues with a nice dose of humor. It’s an uplifting gem.
*Sadly the film is not curently availble in any format in the U.S. Hopefully Criterion or another distributor will fix this soon.
28. "The White Meadows" (2009)
Dir. Mohammad Rasoulof
While ethereal, almost otherworldly imagery achieved by cinematographer Ebrahim Ghafori is reason enough to see this film, Rasoulof’s poetic storytelling elevates it to even greater intellectual heights. By using a barren coastal land and its inhabitant as a metaphor for the intolerance and injustice that many of his compatriots -creative people in particular - confront everyday, the filmmaker denounces these evils through melancholic beauty.
*Available on DVD from Global Lens
29. "The Willow Tree" (2005)
Dir. Majid Majidi
A writer, who had been blinded in an accident as a child, regains his vision as a middle aged adult only to be challenged by a world that has become foreign to him. At first, his miraculous new situation appears to be an answer to a prayer, but Majidi soon shows us how vision can become a curse in this spiritual drama about fate and regret. Exquisitely shot and sporting visceral performances, the film is both heart-rending and though provoking.
*Available on DVD from New Yorker Films
30. "The Wind Will Carry Us" (1999)
Dir. Abbas Kiarostami
Taking the audience on a trip to an untainted region of Iran where tradition hasn’t yet been disrupted by modernity, the acclaimed director crafted another unforgettable experience. Sublimely executed, the film joins four journalists pretending to be engineers as they document the funerary rituals of the local Kurdish people. More than learning about them as researchers, their interactions force them to engage on a much more human level.
*Availble on Blu-ray and DVD from Cohen Media Group...
- 3/23/2015
- by Carlos Aguilar
- Sydney's Buzz
Cinema is a medium that is, by nature, based around deception. Deception plays a role of central importance , as far as the storytelling mechanisms of cinema go. Many think this is because cinema has the most potential when it comes to using deception as a storytelling tactic. Shortly after its inception, film-making’s early innovators would discover just how effective this technique really was when it came to manipulating audiences.
This would be particularly evident in the genius of George Melies, who was pioneer of early special effects. His films were essentially his way of performing mind-blowing magic in a totally new way, as far back as the late 1800′s. Since then there have been all sorts of films that have focused on one part or another of the film-making process. The bulk of these films provide us with some sort of inside information about a behind-the-scenes aspect of the...
This would be particularly evident in the genius of George Melies, who was pioneer of early special effects. His films were essentially his way of performing mind-blowing magic in a totally new way, as far back as the late 1800′s. Since then there have been all sorts of films that have focused on one part or another of the film-making process. The bulk of these films provide us with some sort of inside information about a behind-the-scenes aspect of the...
- 8/24/2013
- by Josh Cornell
- Obsessed with Film
This is Not a Film; McCullin; Hope Springs; Rust and Bone; Frankenweenie; On the Road; Paranormal Activity 4; Premium Rush
It is often said that the greatest auteurs make films not because they want to but because they have to – it's as natural and essential as breathing. In December 2010 the Iranian maestro Jafar Panahi was banned from making movies and sentenced to six years in prison for creating "propaganda against the Islamic republic", a judgment that sparked outrage around the world.
While awaiting the outcome of an appeal, Panahi was visited in his home by his friend Mojtaba Mirtahmasb, who filmed Panahi wandering through his apartment, feeding his pet iguana, reflecting on scenes from his past movies and describing the latest script that he had been refused permission to shoot – the story of a young girl accepted for university but locked in her house by her zealous father.
That visit...
It is often said that the greatest auteurs make films not because they want to but because they have to – it's as natural and essential as breathing. In December 2010 the Iranian maestro Jafar Panahi was banned from making movies and sentenced to six years in prison for creating "propaganda against the Islamic republic", a judgment that sparked outrage around the world.
While awaiting the outcome of an appeal, Panahi was visited in his home by his friend Mojtaba Mirtahmasb, who filmed Panahi wandering through his apartment, feeding his pet iguana, reflecting on scenes from his past movies and describing the latest script that he had been refused permission to shoot – the story of a young girl accepted for university but locked in her house by her zealous father.
That visit...
- 2/24/2013
- by Mark Kermode
- The Guardian - Film News
The Middle East continues to be a hotbed of socio-political upheaval, sometimes with cautious hope, more often with sorrow and loss. Nonetheless many of the countries of the region continue to provide a fertile ground for the imagination of filmmakers. In keeping with what has become an Austin Film Society programming tradition, we present our seventh consecutive year of the Essential Cinema series, "Children of Abraham/Ibrahim: Films of the Middle East and Beyond" (Feb 19 – April 9, 2013).
We begin tomorrow night with one of the most important films to come out of Iran, one made by an Iranian filmmaker forbidden to write screenplays, direct movies, discuss cinema publically or travel to other countries for film festivals for a period of 20 years. This Is Not a Film (2011) is Jafar Panahi's answer (and shrill raspberry) to his repressive government's decree.
With the help of his friend and technical assistant Mojtaba Mirtahmasb, Panahi...
We begin tomorrow night with one of the most important films to come out of Iran, one made by an Iranian filmmaker forbidden to write screenplays, direct movies, discuss cinema publically or travel to other countries for film festivals for a period of 20 years. This Is Not a Film (2011) is Jafar Panahi's answer (and shrill raspberry) to his repressive government's decree.
With the help of his friend and technical assistant Mojtaba Mirtahmasb, Panahi...
- 2/18/2013
- by Chale Nafus
- Slackerwood
The Online Film Critics Society has announced the winners of its 16th annual movie awards. The winners in each category are listed below:
Best Picture
“Argo”
Best Director
Paul Thomas Anderson (“The Master”)
Best Actor
Daniel Day-Lewis (“Lincoln”)
Best Actress
Jessica Chastain (“Zero Dark Thirty”)
Best Supporting Actor
Philip Seymour Hoffman (“The Master”)
Best Supporting Actress
Anne Hathaway (“Les Misérables”)
Best Original Screenplay
Wes Anderson, Roman Coppola (“Moonrise Kingdom”)
Best Adapted Screenplay
Chris Terrio (“Argo”)
Best Cinematography
Roger Deakins (“Skyfall”)
Best Editing
Alexander Berner (“Cloud Atlas”)
Best Animated Feature
“ParaNorman”
Best Film Not in the English Language
“Holy Motors”
Best Documentary
“This Is Not a Film”
The Online Film Critics Society also gave out three special awards in 2012. The first went jointly to “This Is Not a Film” directors Jafar Panahi and Mojtaba Mirtahmasb for their act of protest against the Iranian government.
The second was given to legendary composer...
Best Picture
“Argo”
Best Director
Paul Thomas Anderson (“The Master”)
Best Actor
Daniel Day-Lewis (“Lincoln”)
Best Actress
Jessica Chastain (“Zero Dark Thirty”)
Best Supporting Actor
Philip Seymour Hoffman (“The Master”)
Best Supporting Actress
Anne Hathaway (“Les Misérables”)
Best Original Screenplay
Wes Anderson, Roman Coppola (“Moonrise Kingdom”)
Best Adapted Screenplay
Chris Terrio (“Argo”)
Best Cinematography
Roger Deakins (“Skyfall”)
Best Editing
Alexander Berner (“Cloud Atlas”)
Best Animated Feature
“ParaNorman”
Best Film Not in the English Language
“Holy Motors”
Best Documentary
“This Is Not a Film”
The Online Film Critics Society also gave out three special awards in 2012. The first went jointly to “This Is Not a Film” directors Jafar Panahi and Mojtaba Mirtahmasb for their act of protest against the Iranian government.
The second was given to legendary composer...
- 1/8/2013
- by Eric M. Armstrong
- The Moving Arts Journal
This is Not a Film
"A subtle and haunting work of art ... A masterpiece in a form that
does not yet exist.” – A.O. Scott, The New York Times
“An extraordinary film. This Is Not a Film ends with a whimper that is a bang.”
– David Edelstein, New York Magazine
EW's Grade: A
"Ignore the title This is Not a Film — this is a great film, and a triumph of creativity and courage over repression." - Lisa Schwarzbaum , Entertainment Weekly
Released by Palisades Tartan, this “breathtakingly cinematic” (Karina Longworth, Village Voice) film already opened in more than 50 markets and continues to play in select venues throughout the United States. With a rare 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes and rave reviews by The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, The New Yorker and Village Voice, to name a few, This is Not a Film has already been included on several annual Top 10 lists (Sight & Sound; The Guardian; Washington Post).
Shot partially on an iPhone and smuggled into France (in a Flash-Drive hidden inside a cake) for a last-minute submission to Cannes, This is Not a Film depicts a day in the life of acclaimed Iranian director Jafar Panahi (Offside, The Mirror, The Circle).
While appealing his sentence – six years in prison and a 20-year ban from filmmaking – fellow director Mojtaba Mirtahmasb (Lady of the Roses) visits Mr. Panahi at his Tehran apartment and films him talking to his family and lawyer on the phone, reflecting on the art of filmmaking, meeting some of his neighbors and even interacting with an inquisitive iguana. After several years of conflict with the Iranian government over the content of his films (including several short-term arrests), Panahi was arrested on March 1, 2010 and taken to Evin Prison, an Iranian penitentiary noted for its political prisoners' wing. He was released three months later on bail, and was eventually prosecuted for "assembly and colluding with the intention to commit crimes against the country’s national security and propaganda against the Islamic Republic."
On December 20, 2010, Panahi was given a six-year jail sentence and a 20-year ban on making or directing any movies, writing screenplays, giving any form of interview with Iranian or foreign media as well as leaving the country.
On Octorber 16, 2011, the appeal which is discussed in the film was denied, and Mr. Panahi can be taken to prison at any time.
The film's co-director, Motjaba Mirtahmasb, was arrested in September 2011, on his way to present This is Not a Film in Toronto. He was released on bail in December of 2011, after he was charged with being a spy for the BBC.
Since his detention in 2010, Panahi's cause has won international support from the film community. World-renowned directors, including Joel and Ethan Coen, Francis Ford Coppola, Jonathan Demme, Robert De Niro, Ang Lee, Terrence Malick, Michael Moore, Robert Redford, Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, and Frederick Wiseman, among many others, signed a letter of support calling for his release.
Confirming the importance of Mr. Panahi’s work as well as his trailblazing role in Iranian society, The European Parliament has recently honored him with the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought. The Sakharov prize is widely considered to be the most important human rights award in the world. The Prize was shared with the imprisoned Iranian Human Rights Lawyer, Nasrin Sotoudeh, who just ended her 49-day hunger strike after Iranian authorities finally met her demand to stop harassing her family. The European delegation canceled their visit to Iran in October 2012, after Iran refused for them to meet with, and present the prize to, both winners.
http://www.thisisnotafilm.net...
"A subtle and haunting work of art ... A masterpiece in a form that
does not yet exist.” – A.O. Scott, The New York Times
“An extraordinary film. This Is Not a Film ends with a whimper that is a bang.”
– David Edelstein, New York Magazine
EW's Grade: A
"Ignore the title This is Not a Film — this is a great film, and a triumph of creativity and courage over repression." - Lisa Schwarzbaum , Entertainment Weekly
Released by Palisades Tartan, this “breathtakingly cinematic” (Karina Longworth, Village Voice) film already opened in more than 50 markets and continues to play in select venues throughout the United States. With a rare 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes and rave reviews by The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, The New Yorker and Village Voice, to name a few, This is Not a Film has already been included on several annual Top 10 lists (Sight & Sound; The Guardian; Washington Post).
Shot partially on an iPhone and smuggled into France (in a Flash-Drive hidden inside a cake) for a last-minute submission to Cannes, This is Not a Film depicts a day in the life of acclaimed Iranian director Jafar Panahi (Offside, The Mirror, The Circle).
While appealing his sentence – six years in prison and a 20-year ban from filmmaking – fellow director Mojtaba Mirtahmasb (Lady of the Roses) visits Mr. Panahi at his Tehran apartment and films him talking to his family and lawyer on the phone, reflecting on the art of filmmaking, meeting some of his neighbors and even interacting with an inquisitive iguana. After several years of conflict with the Iranian government over the content of his films (including several short-term arrests), Panahi was arrested on March 1, 2010 and taken to Evin Prison, an Iranian penitentiary noted for its political prisoners' wing. He was released three months later on bail, and was eventually prosecuted for "assembly and colluding with the intention to commit crimes against the country’s national security and propaganda against the Islamic Republic."
On December 20, 2010, Panahi was given a six-year jail sentence and a 20-year ban on making or directing any movies, writing screenplays, giving any form of interview with Iranian or foreign media as well as leaving the country.
On Octorber 16, 2011, the appeal which is discussed in the film was denied, and Mr. Panahi can be taken to prison at any time.
The film's co-director, Motjaba Mirtahmasb, was arrested in September 2011, on his way to present This is Not a Film in Toronto. He was released on bail in December of 2011, after he was charged with being a spy for the BBC.
Since his detention in 2010, Panahi's cause has won international support from the film community. World-renowned directors, including Joel and Ethan Coen, Francis Ford Coppola, Jonathan Demme, Robert De Niro, Ang Lee, Terrence Malick, Michael Moore, Robert Redford, Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, and Frederick Wiseman, among many others, signed a letter of support calling for his release.
Confirming the importance of Mr. Panahi’s work as well as his trailblazing role in Iranian society, The European Parliament has recently honored him with the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought. The Sakharov prize is widely considered to be the most important human rights award in the world. The Prize was shared with the imprisoned Iranian Human Rights Lawyer, Nasrin Sotoudeh, who just ended her 49-day hunger strike after Iranian authorities finally met her demand to stop harassing her family. The European delegation canceled their visit to Iran in October 2012, after Iran refused for them to meet with, and present the prize to, both winners.
http://www.thisisnotafilm.net...
- 1/4/2013
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
#20: Cosmopolis (50 points)
Directed by David Cronenberg
Written by David Cronenberg
Canada / France, 2012
Every time Cronenberg answers the prayers of his fans with a new movie, it seems that the first reflex is to attempt to categorize it. Is this new film more like the old Cronenberg, in which very strange, very graphic bodily harm was done to its characters, or is this more in tune with his recent outputs, which, while still quite good, played things a little more on the safe side, at least visually? In a nutshell, and with the help of a little bit of retrofitting, Cosmopolis is cut from the same cloth as the director’s efforts of the early and mid 1990s. The sexuality (but not always sensuality) quota is through the stratosphere and the characters are indeed very peculiar, although there are no hands morphing into organic pistols or telepathic attacks to be found.
Directed by David Cronenberg
Written by David Cronenberg
Canada / France, 2012
Every time Cronenberg answers the prayers of his fans with a new movie, it seems that the first reflex is to attempt to categorize it. Is this new film more like the old Cronenberg, in which very strange, very graphic bodily harm was done to its characters, or is this more in tune with his recent outputs, which, while still quite good, played things a little more on the safe side, at least visually? In a nutshell, and with the help of a little bit of retrofitting, Cosmopolis is cut from the same cloth as the director’s efforts of the early and mid 1990s. The sexuality (but not always sensuality) quota is through the stratosphere and the characters are indeed very peculiar, although there are no hands morphing into organic pistols or telepathic attacks to be found.
- 12/29/2012
- by Ricky
- SoundOnSight
Vol. I Issue 3
Join us twice weekly. Send us links to your sizzle reels and film sites.
Chasing Ice directed by Jeff Orlowski
Chasing Ice is the story of James Balog’s mission to change the tide of history by gathering undeniable evidence of our changing planet. Within months of that first trip to Iceland, the photographer conceived the boldest expedition of his life: The Extreme Ice Survey. With a band of young adventurers in tow, Balog began deploying revolutionary time-lapse cameras across the brutal Arctic to capture a multi-year record of the world’s changing glaciers.
In a year where the Short Listed Academy documentary features deal with issues ranging from sexual harassment in the military to the Catholic Church’s cover-up of sexually molesting children, Chasing Ice deals with arguably the most important issue proving that the ice caps are melting and that the warming of the planet will have a catastrophic effect. But this is a year where the MPAA rating of a film about bullying school students has seemed to get the most press. That’s a shame. Chasing Ice needs to be seen. It is the most important short listed documentary film of the year. Like Davis Guggenheim’s Al Gore PowerPoint presentation, this film is scary. With never-before-seen time lapse photography we can dramatically see the ice caps and giant glaciers shrinking. A chunk of ice the size of lower Manhattan crashes into the sea. The ice flows like a river into the sea. We all know that when the ice melts, it releases its fresh water into the sea and that the water will rise. In time a few feet. Say good bye to land that several hundred million people live on.
So what’s the problem? They don’t have the press machine of Bob and Harvey Weinstein that makes a mountain out of an MPAA rating. Can the Oscar nomination go to the most important film? (could this paragraph go after next paragraph?)
But wait, there is more. This is a strikingly well made film. It has a compelling character, James Balog, who is giving his body to science and this cause. The cracks we hear are not chunks of ice but his knees disintegrating as he scales cliffs of rock and ice. The filmmakers really are risking their lives making the film, the ice takes no prisoners, the small planes and helicopters regularly crash. The film unfolds with precision; we are moved and awed by the characters and the stunning photography. The score is first rate as is the editing. This is a work that should be short listed but might be overlooked because it lacks the political coolness of some of the other films. This would be a shame.
The Filmmakers
Chasing Ice is directed by Jeff Orlowski, cinematographer for the Extreme Ice Survey, and an award-winning filmmaker. A Stanford University graduate, he has been working with Balog since 2007 and has shot over 300 hours of footage of Eis in the field. His work for Eis has screened on NBC, CNN, PBS, National Geographic, and hundreds of other venues around the world.
The film is produced by Paula DuPre’ Pesmen, the winner of the 2010 Academy Award for Best Documentary and 2010 Producers Guild of America ‘Producer of the Year’ for her role on The Cove. She has also served as producer on three Harry Potter films, Rent, and Mrs. Doubtfire. The film is also produced by Jerry Aronson, nominated for an Academy Award for the documentary The Divided Trail, and the director of The Life and Times of Allen Ginsberg.
Credits:
Director/Producer: Jeff Orlowski
Producers: Paula DuPre’ Pesmen, Jerry Aronson
Executive Producers: David and Linda Cornfield
Writer: Mark Monroe
Cinematography: Jeff Orlowski
Music Composer: J. Ralph
Editor, Mark Monroe
Production: Diamond Docs (in association with)
Exposure Production, Exposure
Distributors (Us): Submarine Deluxe and National Geographic Channel
Maggie Simpson a short animated film by David Silverman
The Longest Daycare is a four-and-a-half-minute-long animated 3D short animated film based on the animated television series The Simpsons.
Directed by David Silverman The Longest Daycare is one of my favorite short animated films short listed for the Oscar this year. Silverman, credited with creating the look of the Simpsons, has directed numerous episodes of this hit series. Daycare has no dialogue. It is hilarious in part because of its silent film style. It is smart and fun. Maggie is a delight. This short film is really special. Between the 3D, the super clever writing and the stunning animation style, it is one of the very rare animations that can be enjoyed by any audience. Silverman’s work deserves an Oscar.
Scored by Hans Zimmer, best known for his work on Hollywood blockbusters, the score references numerous films scores and adds another layer of meaning to this magnificent (really?) work. Silverman attended the University of Maryland College Park and studied animation at UCLA.
Credits:
Directed by: David Silverman
Produced by: James L. Brooks, Matt Groening, Al Jean, Richard Raynis, Richard Sakai
Written by: James L. Brooks, Joel H. Cohen, Matt Groening, Al Jean, David Mirkin, Michael Price
Music by: Hans Zimmer, James Dooley (addition music)
Distributed by: 20th Century Fox
Running time: 4:30
Academy announces 15 feature documentary films shortlisted for the Documentary Film Nomination
The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences announced the short listed documentary features on December 3, 2012. Under the new documentary branch rules all of the branch members as well as documentary nominees and award winners from other Academy branches could vote for the short listed films. About 180 Academy members participated. Dropping the committee process where four committees would screen one quarter of the submitted films, Documentary Branch Governor Michael Moore pushed the branch to use a preferential voting system with all branch members and other qualified Academy members participating. As this writer expected, works with a lot of hype, such as Bully, were short listed. One can wonder how many members who voted for this film actually saw it. In addition to changing the short listing process, the branch demanded that films had to have been reviewed in either the New York Times or the Los Angeles Times. Voters received 126 DVDs in the mail.
A number of worthy films were omitted, as is always the case, including: The Central Park Five (directed by Ken Burns, Sarah Burns, and David McMahon), West of Memphis (directed by Amy Berg), The Queen of Versailles, directed by Lauren Greenfield. I also really liked Bad 25 (directed by Spike Lee) and Love Marilyn (directed by Liz Garbus). Samsara (directed by Ron Fricke) is the year’s best documentary for its sheer poetry
The Academy can choose to nominate up to three people. However, only the director has a lock on the nomination. Individuals credited as “Producer” are vetted by the Producer’s Guild. Each must prove that they did a majority of the producer roles. This is the third year that this rule has been in force. Many of the films have multiple “producers” so it remains to be seen who will receive nominations. The decision of the Academy will be announced once the films are nominated. This has been somewhat contentious in the past.
AMPAS rules follow:
The nominee(s) should be the individual(s) most involved in the key creative aspects of the filmmaking process. A maximum of two persons may be designated as nominees, one of whom must be the credited director who exercised directorial control, and the other of whom must have a producer or director credit. If a producer is named, that individual must have performed a major portion of the producing functions, in accordance with Academy producer criteria. No more than two statuettes will normally be given in the Documentary Feature category. All individuals with a “Producer” or “Produced by” credit on films that reach the semifinal round will automatically be vetted. The Documentary Branch Executive Committee will determine which producers, if any, are eligible to receive an Oscar. In the unlikely event of a dispute, filmmakers may appeal the committee’s decision. In extremely rare circumstances, a third statuette may be awarded. Production companies or persons with the screen credit of executive producer, co-producer or any credit other than director or producer shall not be eligible as nominees for the motion picture.
The Short List:
Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry, directed by Alison Klayman
Bully, directed by Lee Hirsch
Chasing Ice, directed by Jeff Orlowski
Detropia, directed by Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady
Ethel, directed by Rory Kennedy
5 Broken Cameras, directed by Emad Burnat and Guy Davidi
The Gatekeepers, directed by Dror Moreh
The House I Live In, directed by Eugene Jarecki
How to Survive a Plague, directed by David France
The Imposter, directed by Bart Layton
The Invisible War, directed by Kirby Dick
Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God, directed by Alex Gibney
Searching for Sugar Man, directed by Malik Bendjelloul
This Is Not a Film, directed by Mojtaba Mirtahmasb and Jafar Panahi
The Waiting Room, directed by Peter Nicks
The nominations for the 85th Academy Awards will be announced at 5:30 am (Pst) on Thursday, January 10, 2013. The awards will be handed out on Sunday, February 24, 2013.
Mitchell Block specializes in conceiving, producing, marketing & distributing independent features & consulting. He is an expert in placing both completed works into distribution & working with producers to make projects fundable. He conducts regular workshops in film producing in Los Angeles and most recently in Maine, Russia and in Myanmar (Burma).
Poster Girl, produced by Block was nominated for a Documentary Academy Award and selected by the Ida as the Best Doc Short 2011. It was also nominated for two Emmy Awards and aired on HBO. He is an executive producer of the Emmy Award-winning PBS series Carrier, a 10-hour series that he conceived & co-created. Block is a graduate of Tisch School and Columbia University’s Graduate School of Business. He is a member of Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, the Television Academy, a founding member of BAFTA-la and has been teaching at USC School of Cinematic Arts since 1979. Currently Block teaches a required class in the USC Peter Stark Producing Program.
______________________________________________________________________
©2012Mwb All Rights Reserved All Rights Reserved. All information and designs on the Sites are copyrighted material owned by Block. Reproduction, dissemination, or transmission of any part of the material here without the express written consent of the owner is strictly prohibited. All other product names and marks on Block Direct, whether trademarks, service marks, or other type, and whether registered or unregistered, is the property of Block.
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Chasing Ice directed by Jeff Orlowski
Chasing Ice is the story of James Balog’s mission to change the tide of history by gathering undeniable evidence of our changing planet. Within months of that first trip to Iceland, the photographer conceived the boldest expedition of his life: The Extreme Ice Survey. With a band of young adventurers in tow, Balog began deploying revolutionary time-lapse cameras across the brutal Arctic to capture a multi-year record of the world’s changing glaciers.
In a year where the Short Listed Academy documentary features deal with issues ranging from sexual harassment in the military to the Catholic Church’s cover-up of sexually molesting children, Chasing Ice deals with arguably the most important issue proving that the ice caps are melting and that the warming of the planet will have a catastrophic effect. But this is a year where the MPAA rating of a film about bullying school students has seemed to get the most press. That’s a shame. Chasing Ice needs to be seen. It is the most important short listed documentary film of the year. Like Davis Guggenheim’s Al Gore PowerPoint presentation, this film is scary. With never-before-seen time lapse photography we can dramatically see the ice caps and giant glaciers shrinking. A chunk of ice the size of lower Manhattan crashes into the sea. The ice flows like a river into the sea. We all know that when the ice melts, it releases its fresh water into the sea and that the water will rise. In time a few feet. Say good bye to land that several hundred million people live on.
So what’s the problem? They don’t have the press machine of Bob and Harvey Weinstein that makes a mountain out of an MPAA rating. Can the Oscar nomination go to the most important film? (could this paragraph go after next paragraph?)
But wait, there is more. This is a strikingly well made film. It has a compelling character, James Balog, who is giving his body to science and this cause. The cracks we hear are not chunks of ice but his knees disintegrating as he scales cliffs of rock and ice. The filmmakers really are risking their lives making the film, the ice takes no prisoners, the small planes and helicopters regularly crash. The film unfolds with precision; we are moved and awed by the characters and the stunning photography. The score is first rate as is the editing. This is a work that should be short listed but might be overlooked because it lacks the political coolness of some of the other films. This would be a shame.
The Filmmakers
Chasing Ice is directed by Jeff Orlowski, cinematographer for the Extreme Ice Survey, and an award-winning filmmaker. A Stanford University graduate, he has been working with Balog since 2007 and has shot over 300 hours of footage of Eis in the field. His work for Eis has screened on NBC, CNN, PBS, National Geographic, and hundreds of other venues around the world.
The film is produced by Paula DuPre’ Pesmen, the winner of the 2010 Academy Award for Best Documentary and 2010 Producers Guild of America ‘Producer of the Year’ for her role on The Cove. She has also served as producer on three Harry Potter films, Rent, and Mrs. Doubtfire. The film is also produced by Jerry Aronson, nominated for an Academy Award for the documentary The Divided Trail, and the director of The Life and Times of Allen Ginsberg.
Credits:
Director/Producer: Jeff Orlowski
Producers: Paula DuPre’ Pesmen, Jerry Aronson
Executive Producers: David and Linda Cornfield
Writer: Mark Monroe
Cinematography: Jeff Orlowski
Music Composer: J. Ralph
Editor, Mark Monroe
Production: Diamond Docs (in association with)
Exposure Production, Exposure
Distributors (Us): Submarine Deluxe and National Geographic Channel
Maggie Simpson a short animated film by David Silverman
The Longest Daycare is a four-and-a-half-minute-long animated 3D short animated film based on the animated television series The Simpsons.
Directed by David Silverman The Longest Daycare is one of my favorite short animated films short listed for the Oscar this year. Silverman, credited with creating the look of the Simpsons, has directed numerous episodes of this hit series. Daycare has no dialogue. It is hilarious in part because of its silent film style. It is smart and fun. Maggie is a delight. This short film is really special. Between the 3D, the super clever writing and the stunning animation style, it is one of the very rare animations that can be enjoyed by any audience. Silverman’s work deserves an Oscar.
Scored by Hans Zimmer, best known for his work on Hollywood blockbusters, the score references numerous films scores and adds another layer of meaning to this magnificent (really?) work. Silverman attended the University of Maryland College Park and studied animation at UCLA.
Credits:
Directed by: David Silverman
Produced by: James L. Brooks, Matt Groening, Al Jean, Richard Raynis, Richard Sakai
Written by: James L. Brooks, Joel H. Cohen, Matt Groening, Al Jean, David Mirkin, Michael Price
Music by: Hans Zimmer, James Dooley (addition music)
Distributed by: 20th Century Fox
Running time: 4:30
Academy announces 15 feature documentary films shortlisted for the Documentary Film Nomination
The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences announced the short listed documentary features on December 3, 2012. Under the new documentary branch rules all of the branch members as well as documentary nominees and award winners from other Academy branches could vote for the short listed films. About 180 Academy members participated. Dropping the committee process where four committees would screen one quarter of the submitted films, Documentary Branch Governor Michael Moore pushed the branch to use a preferential voting system with all branch members and other qualified Academy members participating. As this writer expected, works with a lot of hype, such as Bully, were short listed. One can wonder how many members who voted for this film actually saw it. In addition to changing the short listing process, the branch demanded that films had to have been reviewed in either the New York Times or the Los Angeles Times. Voters received 126 DVDs in the mail.
A number of worthy films were omitted, as is always the case, including: The Central Park Five (directed by Ken Burns, Sarah Burns, and David McMahon), West of Memphis (directed by Amy Berg), The Queen of Versailles, directed by Lauren Greenfield. I also really liked Bad 25 (directed by Spike Lee) and Love Marilyn (directed by Liz Garbus). Samsara (directed by Ron Fricke) is the year’s best documentary for its sheer poetry
The Academy can choose to nominate up to three people. However, only the director has a lock on the nomination. Individuals credited as “Producer” are vetted by the Producer’s Guild. Each must prove that they did a majority of the producer roles. This is the third year that this rule has been in force. Many of the films have multiple “producers” so it remains to be seen who will receive nominations. The decision of the Academy will be announced once the films are nominated. This has been somewhat contentious in the past.
AMPAS rules follow:
The nominee(s) should be the individual(s) most involved in the key creative aspects of the filmmaking process. A maximum of two persons may be designated as nominees, one of whom must be the credited director who exercised directorial control, and the other of whom must have a producer or director credit. If a producer is named, that individual must have performed a major portion of the producing functions, in accordance with Academy producer criteria. No more than two statuettes will normally be given in the Documentary Feature category. All individuals with a “Producer” or “Produced by” credit on films that reach the semifinal round will automatically be vetted. The Documentary Branch Executive Committee will determine which producers, if any, are eligible to receive an Oscar. In the unlikely event of a dispute, filmmakers may appeal the committee’s decision. In extremely rare circumstances, a third statuette may be awarded. Production companies or persons with the screen credit of executive producer, co-producer or any credit other than director or producer shall not be eligible as nominees for the motion picture.
The Short List:
Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry, directed by Alison Klayman
Bully, directed by Lee Hirsch
Chasing Ice, directed by Jeff Orlowski
Detropia, directed by Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady
Ethel, directed by Rory Kennedy
5 Broken Cameras, directed by Emad Burnat and Guy Davidi
The Gatekeepers, directed by Dror Moreh
The House I Live In, directed by Eugene Jarecki
How to Survive a Plague, directed by David France
The Imposter, directed by Bart Layton
The Invisible War, directed by Kirby Dick
Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God, directed by Alex Gibney
Searching for Sugar Man, directed by Malik Bendjelloul
This Is Not a Film, directed by Mojtaba Mirtahmasb and Jafar Panahi
The Waiting Room, directed by Peter Nicks
The nominations for the 85th Academy Awards will be announced at 5:30 am (Pst) on Thursday, January 10, 2013. The awards will be handed out on Sunday, February 24, 2013.
Mitchell Block specializes in conceiving, producing, marketing & distributing independent features & consulting. He is an expert in placing both completed works into distribution & working with producers to make projects fundable. He conducts regular workshops in film producing in Los Angeles and most recently in Maine, Russia and in Myanmar (Burma).
Poster Girl, produced by Block was nominated for a Documentary Academy Award and selected by the Ida as the Best Doc Short 2011. It was also nominated for two Emmy Awards and aired on HBO. He is an executive producer of the Emmy Award-winning PBS series Carrier, a 10-hour series that he conceived & co-created. Block is a graduate of Tisch School and Columbia University’s Graduate School of Business. He is a member of Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, the Television Academy, a founding member of BAFTA-la and has been teaching at USC School of Cinematic Arts since 1979. Currently Block teaches a required class in the USC Peter Stark Producing Program.
______________________________________________________________________
©2012Mwb All Rights Reserved All Rights Reserved. All information and designs on the Sites are copyrighted material owned by Block. Reproduction, dissemination, or transmission of any part of the material here without the express written consent of the owner is strictly prohibited. All other product names and marks on Block Direct, whether trademarks, service marks, or other type, and whether registered or unregistered, is the property of Block.
- 12/27/2012
- by Mitchell Block
- Sydney's Buzz
25: The Dark Knight Rises
Directed by Christopher Nolan
Screenplay by Jonathan Nolan and Christopher Nolan
2012, USA
The Dark Knight Rises feels as if it was made up of two equal halves, with the most critical moment of the film breaking the movie in half, almost literally. While the second half may have been a let down, the first half is incredibly ambitious to say the least. The opening sequence, a gravity-defying skyjacking, is a tour de force – wildly choreographed, vivid, visceral, and chock full of suspense. That aerial extraction alone is worth the price of admission. Production-wise, effects-wise, Nolan’s movie (with sequences shot with Imax cameras) is staggering. There was an opportunity here for Nolan to stretch the boundaries of what is possible in the genre, alas, the final act becomes a little too conventional – complete with a doomsday device and a ticking-clock countdown. But for every quibble,...
Directed by Christopher Nolan
Screenplay by Jonathan Nolan and Christopher Nolan
2012, USA
The Dark Knight Rises feels as if it was made up of two equal halves, with the most critical moment of the film breaking the movie in half, almost literally. While the second half may have been a let down, the first half is incredibly ambitious to say the least. The opening sequence, a gravity-defying skyjacking, is a tour de force – wildly choreographed, vivid, visceral, and chock full of suspense. That aerial extraction alone is worth the price of admission. Production-wise, effects-wise, Nolan’s movie (with sequences shot with Imax cameras) is staggering. There was an opportunity here for Nolan to stretch the boundaries of what is possible in the genre, alas, the final act becomes a little too conventional – complete with a doomsday device and a ticking-clock countdown. But for every quibble,...
- 12/23/2012
- by Ricky
- SoundOnSight
The Complete Film Comment 2012 Best-of Films Lists Released 2012 1. Holy Motors Director: Leos Carax 2. The Master Director: Paul Thomas Anderson 3. Moonrise Kingdom Director: Wes Anderson 4. This Is Not a Film Directors:...
- 12/14/2012
- by Ryan Adams
- AwardsDaily.com
Jafar Panahi This Is Not a Film: Oscar 2013 Best Documentary Feature semi-finalist Jafar Panahi is in contention for the 2013 Academy Awards. Co-directed by Panahi, currently serving a six-year jail sentence for "propaganda" against the Islamic Republic of Iran, and Mojtaba Mirtahmasb, This Is Not a Film is one of fifteen semi-finalists in the Academy Awards’ Best Documentary Feature category. According to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ press release, 126 documentaries had initially qualified for the 2013 Oscar. (Photo: Jafar Panahi [...]...
- 12/8/2012
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
In at No 6 in our cinematic countdown: a glorious work by director Jafar Panahi, currently on house arrest in Iran, that was smuggled out of the country in a cake
If one accepts the judgment that Jafar Panahi is not a film-maker, then This Is Not a Film was 2012's best non-movie by a country mile. The Iranian director is currently under house arrest, convicted of "making propaganda against the system" and banned from writing scripts or shooting pictures for the next 20 years. His response, however, is by turns puckish, tragic and inspiring. It's a film about captivity that, by the very fact of its being, becomes a film about freedom. It's a cry in the darkness that's a gift to the world. Fittingly, the picture was smuggled out of Iran in a Usb stick that was, in turn, concealed inside a cake.
Shot – partly on a digital video camera,...
If one accepts the judgment that Jafar Panahi is not a film-maker, then This Is Not a Film was 2012's best non-movie by a country mile. The Iranian director is currently under house arrest, convicted of "making propaganda against the system" and banned from writing scripts or shooting pictures for the next 20 years. His response, however, is by turns puckish, tragic and inspiring. It's a film about captivity that, by the very fact of its being, becomes a film about freedom. It's a cry in the darkness that's a gift to the world. Fittingly, the picture was smuggled out of Iran in a Usb stick that was, in turn, concealed inside a cake.
Shot – partly on a digital video camera,...
- 12/7/2012
- by Xan Brooks
- The Guardian - Film News
Chicago – The short list for Academy Award contenders in the Best Documentary category have been announced. 15 potential nominees were selected with the utilization of new rules spearheaded by Academy Governor Michael Moore. Each entry was required to have screened for at least one week in Los Angeles and New York, and had to be reviewed by at least one newspaper.
Making the cut this year is Alison Klayman’s inspiring profile of the titular Chinese artist, “Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry,” Lee Hirsch’s Weinstein-distributed doc, “Bully,” Jeff Orlowski’s chilling account of global warming, “Chasing Ice,” Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady’s timely exploration of Detroit’s manufacturing collapse, “Detropia,” Rory Kennedy’s intimate ode to her mother, “Ethel,” Emad Burnat and Guy Davidi’s look at a Palestinian farmer’s nonviolent resistance, “5 Broken Cameras,” Dror Moreh’s discussions with the former heads of Israel’s Secret Service agency, “The Gatekeepers,...
Making the cut this year is Alison Klayman’s inspiring profile of the titular Chinese artist, “Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry,” Lee Hirsch’s Weinstein-distributed doc, “Bully,” Jeff Orlowski’s chilling account of global warming, “Chasing Ice,” Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady’s timely exploration of Detroit’s manufacturing collapse, “Detropia,” Rory Kennedy’s intimate ode to her mother, “Ethel,” Emad Burnat and Guy Davidi’s look at a Palestinian farmer’s nonviolent resistance, “5 Broken Cameras,” Dror Moreh’s discussions with the former heads of Israel’s Secret Service agency, “The Gatekeepers,...
- 12/5/2012
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Day seven of the 21st Annual Whitaker St. Louis International Film Festival already?!? There are still four days and hundreds of great films to go!
Sliff’s main venues are the the Hi-Pointe Theatre, Tivoli Theatre, Plaza Frontenac Cinema, Webster University’s Winifred Moore Auditorium, Washington University’s Brown Hall Auditorium and the Wildey Theatre in Edwardsville, Il
The entire schedule for the 21st Annual Whitaker St. Louis International Film Festival be found Here.
http://cinemastlouis.org/sliff-2012
Here is what will be screening at The 21st Whitaker St. Louis International Film Festival today, Wednesday, November 14th
Booker’S Place
Booker’S Place plays at 7:15pm at the Tivoli Theatre
Booker Wright was an African-American restaurant owner who also served double-duty as a waiter in a whites-only restaurant in Mississippi in the 1960s. He became an unlikely activist for the civil-rights movement when he appeared on a 1965 network TV...
Sliff’s main venues are the the Hi-Pointe Theatre, Tivoli Theatre, Plaza Frontenac Cinema, Webster University’s Winifred Moore Auditorium, Washington University’s Brown Hall Auditorium and the Wildey Theatre in Edwardsville, Il
The entire schedule for the 21st Annual Whitaker St. Louis International Film Festival be found Here.
http://cinemastlouis.org/sliff-2012
Here is what will be screening at The 21st Whitaker St. Louis International Film Festival today, Wednesday, November 14th
Booker’S Place
Booker’S Place plays at 7:15pm at the Tivoli Theatre
Booker Wright was an African-American restaurant owner who also served double-duty as a waiter in a whites-only restaurant in Mississippi in the 1960s. He became an unlikely activist for the civil-rights movement when he appeared on a 1965 network TV...
- 11/14/2012
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Day six of the 21st Annual Whitaker St. Louis International Film Festival is upon us!
Sliff’s main venues are the the Hi-Pointe Theatre, Tivoli Theatre, Plaza Frontenac Cinema, Webster University’s Winifred Moore Auditorium, Washington University’s Brown Hall Auditorium and the Wildey Theatre in Edwardsville, Il
The entire schedule for the 21st Annual Whitaker St. Louis International Film Festival be found Here.
http://cinemastlouis.org/sliff-2012
Here is what will be screening at The 21st Whitaker St. Louis International Film Festival today, Tuesday, November 13th
Band Of Sisters
Band Of Sisters plays at 5:00pm at the Tivoli Theatre
nspired by Vatican II (a 1962-65 council of Catholic bishops) and the great social movements of the 1960s and .70s, U.S. nuns left their convents, found their mission with the poor, and grew in their spirituality . often to the chagrin of the Vatican hierarchy. Against this backdrop, .Band...
Sliff’s main venues are the the Hi-Pointe Theatre, Tivoli Theatre, Plaza Frontenac Cinema, Webster University’s Winifred Moore Auditorium, Washington University’s Brown Hall Auditorium and the Wildey Theatre in Edwardsville, Il
The entire schedule for the 21st Annual Whitaker St. Louis International Film Festival be found Here.
http://cinemastlouis.org/sliff-2012
Here is what will be screening at The 21st Whitaker St. Louis International Film Festival today, Tuesday, November 13th
Band Of Sisters
Band Of Sisters plays at 5:00pm at the Tivoli Theatre
nspired by Vatican II (a 1962-65 council of Catholic bishops) and the great social movements of the 1960s and .70s, U.S. nuns left their convents, found their mission with the poor, and grew in their spirituality . often to the chagrin of the Vatican hierarchy. Against this backdrop, .Band...
- 11/13/2012
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
The 12th Osian’s Cinefan Film Festival, New Delhi (27 July to 5 August 2012) will open with Japanese director Keiichi Sato’s “Asura” and close with Rituparno Ghosh’s “Chitragandha”.
Festival announced its competition lineup and highlights on Wednesday.
According to the official press release the festival will present 15 World premieres, 8 International premieres, 104 Indian premieres and 13 Asian premieres from China, Estonia, Indonesia, Iran, Israel, Japan, Philippines, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Morocco and Algeria among other Asian and Arab countries.
Films In Competition
Asian & Arab
1. Death For Sale (Mort à Vendre)/Faouzi Bensaidi, Morocco, France, Belgium, United Arab Emirates
2011/India Premiere
2. Ex Press (Ex Press)/Jet Leyco, Philippines 2011/India Premiere
3. Headshot (Fon Tok Kuen Fah)/Pen-ek Ratanaruang, Thailand 2011/India Premiere
4. Highway (Autobahn)/Deepak Rauniyar, Nepal, USA 2011/Asia Premiere
5. Inside (Yeralti)/Zeki Demirkubuz, Turkey 2012/Asia Premiere
6. Mekong Hotel/Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Thailand, UK 2012/India Premiere
7. Milocrorze: A Love Story (Mirokurôze)/Yoshimasa Ishibashi, Japan 2011/India...
Festival announced its competition lineup and highlights on Wednesday.
According to the official press release the festival will present 15 World premieres, 8 International premieres, 104 Indian premieres and 13 Asian premieres from China, Estonia, Indonesia, Iran, Israel, Japan, Philippines, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Morocco and Algeria among other Asian and Arab countries.
Films In Competition
Asian & Arab
1. Death For Sale (Mort à Vendre)/Faouzi Bensaidi, Morocco, France, Belgium, United Arab Emirates
2011/India Premiere
2. Ex Press (Ex Press)/Jet Leyco, Philippines 2011/India Premiere
3. Headshot (Fon Tok Kuen Fah)/Pen-ek Ratanaruang, Thailand 2011/India Premiere
4. Highway (Autobahn)/Deepak Rauniyar, Nepal, USA 2011/Asia Premiere
5. Inside (Yeralti)/Zeki Demirkubuz, Turkey 2012/Asia Premiere
6. Mekong Hotel/Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Thailand, UK 2012/India Premiere
7. Milocrorze: A Love Story (Mirokurôze)/Yoshimasa Ishibashi, Japan 2011/India...
- 7/12/2012
- by NewsDesk
- DearCinema.com
It feels like only yesterday that we were talking about the best films of 2011, and yet here we are, nearly at the end of June, and we've seen pretty much everything that the first half of the year has to offer. So with the mid-point of 2012 nearly upon us, we thought we'd look over the best films we've seen in theaters over the last six months.
And it's not been a terrible year so far. There have been a few real stinkers and some disappointments, but there's also been some decent blockbuster fare and a bevy of foreign language and independent films that have been serious treats for filmgoers. How many of these will still be on our year-end lists come December remains to be seen; there's some tough competition on the way. But all in all, the first part of this year at the movies could have been a lot worse.
And it's not been a terrible year so far. There have been a few real stinkers and some disappointments, but there's also been some decent blockbuster fare and a bevy of foreign language and independent films that have been serious treats for filmgoers. How many of these will still be on our year-end lists come December remains to be seen; there's some tough competition on the way. But all in all, the first part of this year at the movies could have been a lot worse.
- 6/21/2012
- by The Playlist Staff
- The Playlist
The spirit can slip the oppressor's grasp, as Ai Weiwei and Jafar Panahi show. But this is not enough
'Could there be any joy more gratifying than that of stretching one's existence, of inhabiting the earth and the heavens at once, of doubling, as it were, one's being?" This question was asked by the 27-year-old Count Xavier de Maistre in 1790, while serving 42 days of house arrest for duelling.
Stuck in his Turin home with only a lugubrious manservant and his dog Rosine for company, De Maistre slipped the bonds of imprisonment by writing a travelogue that is also a defence of inner freedom: A Journey Around My Room. Stylish and ironic, it takes us on a tour of his home, mostly transported by an armchair that inches across the carpet as the narrator rocks it from side to side. We lurch from the mantelpiece to a row of framed prints,...
'Could there be any joy more gratifying than that of stretching one's existence, of inhabiting the earth and the heavens at once, of doubling, as it were, one's being?" This question was asked by the 27-year-old Count Xavier de Maistre in 1790, while serving 42 days of house arrest for duelling.
Stuck in his Turin home with only a lugubrious manservant and his dog Rosine for company, De Maistre slipped the bonds of imprisonment by writing a travelogue that is also a defence of inner freedom: A Journey Around My Room. Stylish and ironic, it takes us on a tour of his home, mostly transported by an armchair that inches across the carpet as the narrator rocks it from side to side. We lurch from the mantelpiece to a row of framed prints,...
- 4/8/2012
- by Sarah Bakewell
- The Guardian - Film News
The Pirates! In An Adventure With Scientists (U)
(Peter Lord, Jeff Newitt, 2012, UK/Us) Hugh Grant, Martin Freeman, David Tennant, Imelda Staunton. 88 mins
Aardman sets sail on seas of clay, in what feels more like an animated Blackadder than Pirates Of The Caribbean. Grant's inept rogue is good company, falling foul (or rather fowl) of Queen Victoria and Charles Darwin in a nonsensical, if inconsequential, romp that's lifted, as usual, by Aardman's eccentric details and fine craftsmanship.
Into The Abyss (12A)
(Werner Herzog, 2011, Us/UK/Ger) 107 mins
Herzog studies a Texas homicide from all angles, building less a polemic against the death penalty than a humane survey of death and loss.
This Is Not A Film (U)
(Mojtaba Mirtahmasb, Jafar Panahi, 2010, Ira) 75 mins
Panahi boldly defies his own house arrest by "not making" a film within his apartment, the confinement provoking a profound questioning of cinema itself.
Wrath Of The Titans (12A)
(Jonathan Liebesman,...
(Peter Lord, Jeff Newitt, 2012, UK/Us) Hugh Grant, Martin Freeman, David Tennant, Imelda Staunton. 88 mins
Aardman sets sail on seas of clay, in what feels more like an animated Blackadder than Pirates Of The Caribbean. Grant's inept rogue is good company, falling foul (or rather fowl) of Queen Victoria and Charles Darwin in a nonsensical, if inconsequential, romp that's lifted, as usual, by Aardman's eccentric details and fine craftsmanship.
Into The Abyss (12A)
(Werner Herzog, 2011, Us/UK/Ger) 107 mins
Herzog studies a Texas homicide from all angles, building less a polemic against the death penalty than a humane survey of death and loss.
This Is Not A Film (U)
(Mojtaba Mirtahmasb, Jafar Panahi, 2010, Ira) 75 mins
Panahi boldly defies his own house arrest by "not making" a film within his apartment, the confinement provoking a profound questioning of cinema itself.
Wrath Of The Titans (12A)
(Jonathan Liebesman,...
- 3/30/2012
- by Steve Rose
- The Guardian - Film News
Jailed director Jafar Panahi's agonising non-film heaps shame on the Iranian government
"One does not imprison Voltaire," General de Gaulle is reported to have said, in response to a suggestion that Jean-Paul Sartre could be silenced with a jail sentence. If only the Iranian government showed that kind of class. In December 2010, the film-makers and pro-democracy activists Jafar Panahi and Mohammad Rasoulof were sentenced to six years in prison for alleged crimes against national security. Grotesquely, Jafar Panahi – the director of The White Balloon, Crimson Gold and Offside – was also subject to a 20-year ban on film-making, and forbidden moreover to give interviews or leave the country in that period. With this crass, quasi-Soviet attempt to crush his creativity and humanity, the government disgraced itself in a unique fashion. Hollywood big-hitters have signed petitions, but in the current climate, pressure from the Us could just be counterproductive.
Meanwhile, Panahi...
"One does not imprison Voltaire," General de Gaulle is reported to have said, in response to a suggestion that Jean-Paul Sartre could be silenced with a jail sentence. If only the Iranian government showed that kind of class. In December 2010, the film-makers and pro-democracy activists Jafar Panahi and Mohammad Rasoulof were sentenced to six years in prison for alleged crimes against national security. Grotesquely, Jafar Panahi – the director of The White Balloon, Crimson Gold and Offside – was also subject to a 20-year ban on film-making, and forbidden moreover to give interviews or leave the country in that period. With this crass, quasi-Soviet attempt to crush his creativity and humanity, the government disgraced itself in a unique fashion. Hollywood big-hitters have signed petitions, but in the current climate, pressure from the Us could just be counterproductive.
Meanwhile, Panahi...
- 3/29/2012
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
Smuggled out of Iran inside a cake, Jafar Panahi's latest film is a remarkable addition to the literature of oppression
There is unlikely to be a wittier, braver, more serious film shown in Britain this year than the 51-year-old Iranian director Jafar Panahi's This is Not a Film. Made while under house arrest in Tehran using an iPhone and a digital video camera, it's an act of defiance in the face of the arbitrary, vindictive, capricious, utterly humourless regime of the ayatollahs and President Ahmadinejad. The film was smuggled out of Iran in a cake and it proved to be one of the most widely discussed entries at the 2011 Cannes festival, where it was a last-minute submission.
Following the fall of the Shah in 1979, Iran's film industry virtually collapsed for a variety of religious, economic and political reasons, but from the late 1980s it began to make a remarkable recovery,...
There is unlikely to be a wittier, braver, more serious film shown in Britain this year than the 51-year-old Iranian director Jafar Panahi's This is Not a Film. Made while under house arrest in Tehran using an iPhone and a digital video camera, it's an act of defiance in the face of the arbitrary, vindictive, capricious, utterly humourless regime of the ayatollahs and President Ahmadinejad. The film was smuggled out of Iran in a cake and it proved to be one of the most widely discussed entries at the 2011 Cannes festival, where it was a last-minute submission.
Following the fall of the Shah in 1979, Iran's film industry virtually collapsed for a variety of religious, economic and political reasons, but from the late 1980s it began to make a remarkable recovery,...
- 3/25/2012
- by Philip French
- The Guardian - Film News
Despite his house arrest, and 20-year ban on making films, the Iranian director has released a movie – the unclassifiable This Is Not a Film, smuggled out of the country in a cake
If one accepts Iran's ruling that Jafar Panahi is no longer a film-maker, then it follows that his latest release is an orphan, unnamed and unclassifiable; a 75-minute yawp in the darkness.
"This Is Not a Film," the opening title assures us, after which we are free to sit back and watch as the Iranian dissident pads distractedly about his Tehran apartment, testing the limits of his cage and implicitly highlighting the absurdity of his situation. The result may well be the most intriguing, quietly compelling non-movie we'll see all year.
In December 2010, Panahi was convicted by Iran's Islamic republic of "making propaganda against the system" and placed under house arrest. He faces a 20-year ban on writing scripts,...
If one accepts Iran's ruling that Jafar Panahi is no longer a film-maker, then it follows that his latest release is an orphan, unnamed and unclassifiable; a 75-minute yawp in the darkness.
"This Is Not a Film," the opening title assures us, after which we are free to sit back and watch as the Iranian dissident pads distractedly about his Tehran apartment, testing the limits of his cage and implicitly highlighting the absurdity of his situation. The result may well be the most intriguing, quietly compelling non-movie we'll see all year.
In December 2010, Panahi was convicted by Iran's Islamic republic of "making propaganda against the system" and placed under house arrest. He faces a 20-year ban on writing scripts,...
- 3/23/2012
- by Xan Brooks
- The Guardian - Film News
"The agony and perverse ecstasy of unrequited love permeate Terence Davies's The Deep Blue Sea," writes Graham Fuller at the top of his interview with the director. Also in the new March/April 2012 issue of Film Comment: Jonathan Rosenbaum remembers Gilbert Adair (plus a few online exclusives: Adair on Mae West and his "Cliché Expert's Guide to the Cinema"), Anton Dolin examines "The Strange Case of Russian Maverick Aleksei German" (see, too, J Hoberman's 1990 piece for Fc on German) and Terrence Malick's The Tree of Life tops the Reader's "20 Best Films of 2011" Poll — plus comments.
Then there are the shorter bits from the issue online: Nicolas Rapold on Pablo Giorgelli's Las Acacias and Athina Rachel Tsangari's Attenberg (more from Eric Hynes [Time Out New York, 4/5], Eric Kohn [indieWIRE], Anthony Lane [New Yorker], Dennis Lim [New York Times], Karina Longworth [Voice], Henry Stewart [L] and Michael Tully [Hammer to Nail]), Phillip Lopate on Jafar Panahi and Mojtaba Mirtahmasb's This Is Not a Film...
Then there are the shorter bits from the issue online: Nicolas Rapold on Pablo Giorgelli's Las Acacias and Athina Rachel Tsangari's Attenberg (more from Eric Hynes [Time Out New York, 4/5], Eric Kohn [indieWIRE], Anthony Lane [New Yorker], Dennis Lim [New York Times], Karina Longworth [Voice], Henry Stewart [L] and Michael Tully [Hammer to Nail]), Phillip Lopate on Jafar Panahi and Mojtaba Mirtahmasb's This Is Not a Film...
- 3/7/2012
- MUBI
Have we all recovered from the Oscars? I'm still steamed about Billy Crystal's blackface, but really, it's the horrible, groan-inducing jokes that were the most offensive of all. I just like to fantasize about the Tilda/Charlize/Fassbender crazy Oscar party they must have had together. That would be the place to watch! But now it's March, so awards season is over, and we must move on to new and greener pastures. You know what they say about March, in like a "Lorax" out like a lamb. Right? Something like that. This weekend, "The Lorax" ushers in spring with a little ecology lesson, and "Project X" ushers in Spring Break, Woo! We've also got curiosity "Tim and Eric's Billion Dollar Movie," somehow being released in theaters, Jafar Panahi's house arrest doc "This Is Not A Film" and plenty of other selections in our First Weekend of March Cornucopia.
- 3/2/2012
- by Katie Walsh
- The Playlist
This Is Not A Film
Directed by Mojtaba Mirtahmasb & Jafar Panahi
Written by Jafar Panahi
2010, Iran
When the Iranian government moved last year to formally ban Jafar Panahi from writing or directing any future films for the next two decades, Panahi decided to interpret the ban in the narrowest terms possible. He can not write a screenplay, true, and he can not direct a scene, but what do those two things mean when it comes to making a film?
Panahi, clearly finding the confines of his house arrest stifling, decided to explore that question, enlisting fellow filmmaker Mojbata Mirtahmasb to help him avoid the darker grey areas of the ban. The result is the appropriately titled This Is Not A Film, a sort of video experiment/exploration that of course begs the question of whether or not it is actually a film. By Panahi’s strict reasoning it is not,...
Directed by Mojtaba Mirtahmasb & Jafar Panahi
Written by Jafar Panahi
2010, Iran
When the Iranian government moved last year to formally ban Jafar Panahi from writing or directing any future films for the next two decades, Panahi decided to interpret the ban in the narrowest terms possible. He can not write a screenplay, true, and he can not direct a scene, but what do those two things mean when it comes to making a film?
Panahi, clearly finding the confines of his house arrest stifling, decided to explore that question, enlisting fellow filmmaker Mojbata Mirtahmasb to help him avoid the darker grey areas of the ban. The result is the appropriately titled This Is Not A Film, a sort of video experiment/exploration that of course begs the question of whether or not it is actually a film. By Panahi’s strict reasoning it is not,...
- 3/2/2012
- by Louis Godfrey
- SoundOnSight
I don’t think This Is Not a Film can be put into words. This is not something any professional or habitual critic is supposed to say — much less at the beginning of their review — but that’s the nature, weight, and impact of this particular work. It needs to be seen and it needs to be discussed — by those who love and consume art, and by anyone who believes in the staggering power a personal statement is capable of exuding.
This Is Not a Film can’t be fairly summarized in the most conventional of methods because it has no interest in being a conventional work. Yet I’m basically forced to categorize the thing by simply writing about it, and I can only take the multi-hyphenate route: this is a documentary, an artistic treatise, an experiment with the art of narrative filmmaking, a veiled political statement, and an...
This Is Not a Film can’t be fairly summarized in the most conventional of methods because it has no interest in being a conventional work. Yet I’m basically forced to categorize the thing by simply writing about it, and I can only take the multi-hyphenate route: this is a documentary, an artistic treatise, an experiment with the art of narrative filmmaking, a veiled political statement, and an...
- 2/29/2012
- by jpraup@gmail.com (thefilmstage.com)
- The Film Stage
The film of last year's Cannes film festival, This Is Not a Film, was reported to be smuggled to the Croisette via a cake from Iran. The humble, ingenious origins are fitting for this sweetly sad video diary created in a collaboration between repressed and imprisoned Iranian auteur Jafar Panahi and director Mojtaba Mirtahmasb, and it meditates with touching simplicity on the very nature of filmmaking (which Panahi is currently banned from, for 20 years) and on Panahi’s isolated existence in Tehran.
Folding in on itself repeatedly, the film begins as a self-shot video of Panahi staging speakerphone conversations with friends and lawyers about his current situation—created, in rough estimate, in February 2011. But he quickly sees through his own acting—an evaluation not as the director of the film but as an actor acting in it, acting falsely. In steps Mirtahmasb who helps Panahi conceptualize a different way of...
Folding in on itself repeatedly, the film begins as a self-shot video of Panahi staging speakerphone conversations with friends and lawyers about his current situation—created, in rough estimate, in February 2011. But he quickly sees through his own acting—an evaluation not as the director of the film but as an actor acting in it, acting falsely. In steps Mirtahmasb who helps Panahi conceptualize a different way of...
- 2/29/2012
- MUBI
The title of Jafar Panahi's "This Is Not A Film" is a nod to the fact that the 75-minute feature is shot on a Dv camera and an iPhone, and consists mostly of Panahi and his collaborator and friend Mojtaba Mirtahmasb hanging out in the former's high-rise apartment over the course of a day. But it's also a postmodern jab at the lousy circumstances that led to its own existence -- this is not a film, because Panahi is banned from making films for the next two decades. He's under house arrest, awaiting news of his appeal of the six-year prison sentence he was given for his actions in support of Iran's opposition movement, forbidden from talking to the press and from leaving the country, silenced. For its premiere at Cannes, which Panahi wasn't, of course, able to attend, it was reportedly smuggled out on a Usb stick hidden inside a cake.
- 2/28/2012
- by Alison Willmore
- The Playlist
(This Is Not A Film begins a two-week engagement at Film Forum today, courtesy of Palisades Tartan. The movie will then open in other U.S. locations, starting with Los Angeles in early March. Go to the film’s website for details.)
For those unfamiliar with the backstory: Jafar Panahi, one of Iran’s most acclaimed directors (The White Balloon, The Circle, Crimson Gold, Offside), was arrested in 2009. A known supporter of the opposition movement, Panahi was charged with “activity against national security and propaganda activities against the regime.” Despite domestic and international outpourings of support, he was sentenced in 2010 to a six-year prison sentence and a 20-year ban on directing movies, writing screenplays, speaking to the press, or leaving the country—an exceedingly harsh sentence, but one reflective of the Iranian government’s post-2009 crackdown on free expression. Panahi continues to appeal his sentence, but faces the possibility that...
For those unfamiliar with the backstory: Jafar Panahi, one of Iran’s most acclaimed directors (The White Balloon, The Circle, Crimson Gold, Offside), was arrested in 2009. A known supporter of the opposition movement, Panahi was charged with “activity against national security and propaganda activities against the regime.” Despite domestic and international outpourings of support, he was sentenced in 2010 to a six-year prison sentence and a 20-year ban on directing movies, writing screenplays, speaking to the press, or leaving the country—an exceedingly harsh sentence, but one reflective of the Iranian government’s post-2009 crackdown on free expression. Panahi continues to appeal his sentence, but faces the possibility that...
- 2/28/2012
- by Nelson Kim
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
-- Everything about "This Is Not a Film" is cleverly deceptive, from the title that's so self-deprecating, it sounds like a shrug to its long, first take to its many quiet moments to the peaceful demeanor of its central figure: acclaimed Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi.
But ultimately, in the span of just 75 minutes, it reveals itself to be a powerful statement about nothing less than the paramount importance of freedom and the driving urge for artistic expression.
The documentary takes place entirely in Panahi's Tehran apartment (with a few shots at the end in the elevator) over the course of a single day. This is the place where he was forced to dwell under house arrest while appealing a sentence of six years in prison and a 20-year ban on filmmaking and conducting interviews with foreign press.
Panahi received this punishment for openly supporting the opposition party in Iran's 2009 election.
But ultimately, in the span of just 75 minutes, it reveals itself to be a powerful statement about nothing less than the paramount importance of freedom and the driving urge for artistic expression.
The documentary takes place entirely in Panahi's Tehran apartment (with a few shots at the end in the elevator) over the course of a single day. This is the place where he was forced to dwell under house arrest while appealing a sentence of six years in prison and a 20-year ban on filmmaking and conducting interviews with foreign press.
Panahi received this punishment for openly supporting the opposition party in Iran's 2009 election.
- 2/28/2012
- by AP
- Huffington Post
After months of hype and enthusiastic reviews, Jafar Panahi‘s controversial, reportedly heartbreaking documentary This Is Not A Film has received its first trailer (and poster) from Apple. The preview makes it look like powerful stuff, but while I’d encourage everyone to inform themselves about the film and its main subject — not just Panahi himself, but his sickening treatment by the Iranian government — I’m not sure if I should’ve seen this trailer before checking out the final result. (Which I’ll be doing twenty days from now, as a matter of fact.)
Even these mere snatches of footage, shot in small spaces by Panahi and co-director Mojtaba Mirtahmasb, feel like… pieces without a whole, if you will — and it’s not like they really need to sell “moments” to get audiences on board, anyway. You want to get excited? Just go ahead and listen to this podcast,...
Even these mere snatches of footage, shot in small spaces by Panahi and co-director Mojtaba Mirtahmasb, feel like… pieces without a whole, if you will — and it’s not like they really need to sell “moments” to get audiences on board, anyway. You want to get excited? Just go ahead and listen to this podcast,...
- 2/2/2012
- by jpraup@gmail.com (thefilmstage.com)
- The Film Stage
February is usually seen as a burial ground for movies. But look past the studio offerings and you'll find a slew of high quality indies, and foreign-language films that are definitely worth a trip to your local art house. From Jafar Panahi and Bela Tarr to Ben Wheatley and Joshua Marston, check out Indiewire‘s picks for the seven best options, and then check out the full calendar; there’s many worthy films that didn’t make this list. 1. This is Not a Film (February 29, Palisades Tartan) What's The Deal? In December of 2010, renowned Iranian director Jafar Panahi received a 6-year prison sentence and a 20-year ban from filmmaking due to his open support of the opposition party in Iran's 2009 election. In "This is Not a Film," which was secretly shot on an iPhone and a digital camera by Panahi's close friend Mojtaba Mirtahmasb and smuggled into France in a...
- 2/2/2012
- Indiewire
Alexander Kluge speaks at the Oberhausen Manifesto press conference 1962
For all the news tumbling out of Rotterdam and Berlin over the past couple of weeks, we don't want to overlook a couple of pretty major announcements coming from other festivals regarding their upcoming editions. Starting with this one: "The 58th International Short Film Festival Oberhausen will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Oberhausen Manifesto (February 28, 2012) with a large-scale thematic program entitled Provoking Reality: Mavericks, Mouvements, Manifesto. To honor the anniversary of the Manifesto, perhaps the single most important group document in German film history, the festival has compiled a selection of films of the signatories, many of which have not been shown for decades and had to be restored expressly for the program."
In addition to the inevitable panel discussion, there'll also be a double DVD from Edition Filmmuseum and, in German, a collection of essays. Before moving on, this...
For all the news tumbling out of Rotterdam and Berlin over the past couple of weeks, we don't want to overlook a couple of pretty major announcements coming from other festivals regarding their upcoming editions. Starting with this one: "The 58th International Short Film Festival Oberhausen will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Oberhausen Manifesto (February 28, 2012) with a large-scale thematic program entitled Provoking Reality: Mavericks, Mouvements, Manifesto. To honor the anniversary of the Manifesto, perhaps the single most important group document in German film history, the festival has compiled a selection of films of the signatories, many of which have not been shown for decades and had to be restored expressly for the program."
In addition to the inevitable panel discussion, there'll also be a double DVD from Edition Filmmuseum and, in German, a collection of essays. Before moving on, this...
- 1/15/2012
- MUBI
Film Comment has announced its critics' list of the year's best films. From a list of critics including Roger Ebert, David Edelstein, Todd McCarthy, and Amy Taubin, Film Comment has compiled a list of the year's best films. Terrence Malick's "Tree of Life" topped the list of best films released in 2011, while "This is Not a Film" by Iranian filmmakers Jafar Panahi and Mojtaba Mirtahmasb were named best unreleased film of 2011. The complete list of fifty films released in 2011 and fifty unreleased films from 2011 are below. Indiewire will release our own list of the year's best films with our Criticwire end-of-year poll next week. Released 2011 1. Tree Of Life, Director: Terrence Malick 2. Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives, Director: Apichatpong Weerasethakul 3. Melancholia, Director: Lars von Trier 4. A Separation, Director: Asghar Farhadi 5. A Dangerous...
- 12/16/2011
- Indiewire
Too bad the critical symposium in the new, Winter 2012 issue of Cineaste isn't online. Participants evidently include Gianni Amelio, Olivier Assayas, Costa-Gavras, Robert Greenwald, and Sally Potter, "among others," but until we get our hands on the print edition, we'll have to make do with what is online, which, after all, is plenty: Patrick Z McGavin on Dave Kehr's When Movies Mattered: Reviews from a Transformative Decade, Richard James Havis on Kyung Hyun Kim's Virtual Hallyu: Korean Cinema of the Global Era, Andrew Horton on New Zealand Film: An Illustrated History and Henry K Miller on Brutal Intimacy: Analyzing Contemporary French Cinema and The New Extremism in Cinema: From France to Europe. And that's just the book reviews.
Besides the interviews with Mona Achache and Charlotte Rampling and festival reports (Locarno, Toronto and Montreal), the 15 reviews include David Sterritt on Kubrick's The Killing (1956), Joseph Luzzi on Raffaello Matarazzo,...
Besides the interviews with Mona Achache and Charlotte Rampling and festival reports (Locarno, Toronto and Montreal), the 15 reviews include David Sterritt on Kubrick's The Killing (1956), Joseph Luzzi on Raffaello Matarazzo,...
- 12/13/2011
- MUBI
onedotzero, London
Projection mapping? Granimator? Holotronica? Dogboarding? The digital moving image festival presents yet another lineup of next-level music videos, graphics, animation and artwork, augmented by dauntingly up-to-date terminology. Some of it is awesomely futuristic, but much is actually fluffy and friendly – especially the new family oriented Sprites strand, and the fantastically silly Dogboarding. Specialities include Adam Buxton on Björk's music video career, a new documentary on Nasa (the all-star music project, not the space agency), bracing audio-visual installations, and a workshop on projection mapping (using buildings as cinematic backdrops, but you knew that, didn't you?).
BFI Southbank, SE1, Wed to 27 Nov
The All Night Bad Movie Experience, Nottingham
Ever come out of a movie and thought, "That's two hours of my life I'll never get back"? Well, why not make it a whole night you'll never get back, with a quadruple bill of utter crud? These aren't just any bad movies,...
Projection mapping? Granimator? Holotronica? Dogboarding? The digital moving image festival presents yet another lineup of next-level music videos, graphics, animation and artwork, augmented by dauntingly up-to-date terminology. Some of it is awesomely futuristic, but much is actually fluffy and friendly – especially the new family oriented Sprites strand, and the fantastically silly Dogboarding. Specialities include Adam Buxton on Björk's music video career, a new documentary on Nasa (the all-star music project, not the space agency), bracing audio-visual installations, and a workshop on projection mapping (using buildings as cinematic backdrops, but you knew that, didn't you?).
BFI Southbank, SE1, Wed to 27 Nov
The All Night Bad Movie Experience, Nottingham
Ever come out of a movie and thought, "That's two hours of my life I'll never get back"? Well, why not make it a whole night you'll never get back, with a quadruple bill of utter crud? These aren't just any bad movies,...
- 11/19/2011
- by Steve Rose
- The Guardian - Film News
This year's AFI Fest opens this evening in Los Angeles with Clint Eastwood's J. Edgar, closes on November 10 with Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson's The Adventures of Tintin and, as the Playlist is reporting today, the festival will host the world premiere of Steven Soderbergh's Haywire on Sunday: "Haywire marks the big screen debut of Mma fighter Gina Carano, who takes the lead in the gritty spy thriller written by Lem Dobbs (The Limey) about Mallory Kane, a black ops soldier on a mission of revenge after she's double crossed by one of her teammates. As usual, Soderbergh has assembled a crackerjack ensemble that includes Michael Fassbender, Channing Tatum, Ewan McGregor, Michael Douglas, Bill Paxton, Michael Angarano, Matthieu Kassovitz and Antonio Banderas… 'People really get hit in this film and they get hurt,' the director told us this summer." Update: The Playlist's headline's been tweaked; Haywire...
- 11/4/2011
- MUBI
A scene from This Is Not a Film
The Berlin International Film Festival will screen Jafar Panahi’s latest film This Is Not a Film as a form of public protest and recognition for the courage of Iranian filmmakers. The screening will take place at Berlin’s Cinema in the KulturBrauerei on Wednesday, November 9, 2011.
The film shows a day in the life of Panahi, who was forced to wait for months under house arrest for the outcome of his appeal. Viewers see him eating breakfast, phoning his lawyer, talking with the building’s maintenance man who has come to pick up the trash.
At the Festival in February, the Berlinale had called attention to the plight of Panahi and other Iranian filmmakers with a number of initiatives. Panahi was unable to make it to the Festival after being invited to be on the Berlinale’s International Jury. Panahi’s empty...
The Berlin International Film Festival will screen Jafar Panahi’s latest film This Is Not a Film as a form of public protest and recognition for the courage of Iranian filmmakers. The screening will take place at Berlin’s Cinema in the KulturBrauerei on Wednesday, November 9, 2011.
The film shows a day in the life of Panahi, who was forced to wait for months under house arrest for the outcome of his appeal. Viewers see him eating breakfast, phoning his lawyer, talking with the building’s maintenance man who has come to pick up the trash.
At the Festival in February, the Berlinale had called attention to the plight of Panahi and other Iranian filmmakers with a number of initiatives. Panahi was unable to make it to the Festival after being invited to be on the Berlinale’s International Jury. Panahi’s empty...
- 11/1/2011
- by NewsDesk
- DearCinema.com
Marzieh Vafamehr, the Iranian actress sentenced to one year in jail and 90 lashes for taking part in Granaz Moussavi's 2009 Australian drama My Tehran for Sale, was released on Monday night (Oct. 24). According to Amnesty International, an appeals court reduced Vafamehr's jail time to three months and overturned the flogging sentence. In My Tehran for Sale, Vafamehr is shown in one scene without the head-covering scarf. In another, she "appears to drink alcohol." Despite the good news regarding Vafamehr, Iran's filmmakers continue to be persecuted by that country's rabid Islamic regime. On September 17, documentary directors Hadi Afarideh, Naser Saffarian, Mohsen Shahrnazdar, and producer and distributor Katayoun Shahabi were arrested for having allegedly sold their films to several broadcasters, including the BBC. As per Amnesty International, the first three were released on bail, but Shahabi remains in custody. Amnesty adds that director Mehran Zinatbakhsh "is also believed to have been arrested...
- 10/27/2011
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Up until last year, film festivals had always been a bit of a mystery to me. I had gone to a few conventions before and been shown advanced screenings of films, but to actually go to an event where all you did was watch films seemed a bit beyond my reach. Didn’t help either that I had never really lived in areas with affordable or frequent festivals. That is, up until last year when I was introduced to AFI Fest. They hooked me in with free tickets and the promise of engaging cinema from around the world. To say I had fun is a bit of an understatement. As the credits to the last film rolled, I decided that I would come back next year in a more professional manner and write about it.
Which brings us to now. AFI Fest 2011 Presented by Audi is a little over a...
Which brings us to now. AFI Fest 2011 Presented by Audi is a little over a...
- 10/24/2011
- by Jonathan Hardesty
- Flickchart
Chantal Akerman (center), Almayer's Folly World Cinema Selections Almayer's Folly: Chantal Akerman loosely adapts Joseph Conrad’s novel set in Malaysia, the tragic tale of a failed European trader and his "mixed blood" daughter. Dir Chantal Akerman. Cast Stanislas Merhar, Marc Barbé, Aurora Marion, Zac Andrianasolo. Belgium/France. U.S. Premiere. Alps: Dogtooth director Yorgos Lanthimos returns with a tale of a group offering an unusual service for grieving families: They inhabit the role of the recently deceased. Dir Yorgos Lanthimos. Scr Yorgos Lanthimos, Efthimis Filippou. Cast Aggeliki Papoulia, Aris Servetalis, Ariane Labed, Johnny Vekris. Greece/France. U.S. Premiere. CARRÉ Blanc: One of the strongest debuts in years, CARRÉ Blanc is a dystopian sci-fi vision of a world with limited resources and limitless cruelty. Dir/Scr Jean-Baptiste Léonetti. Cast Sami Bouajila, Julie Gayet, Jean-Pierre Andreani, Fejria Deliba, Valerie Bodson. France/Luxembourg/Russia/Belgium/Switzerland. The Day He Arrives:...
- 10/23/2011
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
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