This is not the way the members of Fo Sho thought 2022 would play out. By now, they should have wrapped up their first album, which would expand on the Cardi B–meets-Beyoncé vibe of their first few singles. They would be prepping for a few shows, including one at a European festival, and they’d be trying to figure out which of their original songs to perform in the annual Eurovision contest, where they first appeared in 2020.
Instead, the siblings from Ukraine — Bethlehem (or Betty), Miriam, and Siona Endale...
Instead, the siblings from Ukraine — Bethlehem (or Betty), Miriam, and Siona Endale...
- 4/1/2022
- by David Browne
- Rollingstone.com
The German filmmaker’s black comedy will star Bernhard Schütz and Sandra Hüller. German filmmaker Peter Meister is ready to make his feature debut with the comedy The Black Square. Penned by Meister himself, the script received the Tankred-Dorst screenwriting award in 2018. The story follows Vincent, a struggling art thief and failed artist, who steals Kazimir Malevich’s famous abstract painting ‘Black Square’ and fraudulently embarks on a cruise ship together with his younger partner Nils. It is there that they intend to sell the painting to a Russian oligarch and his art expert Martha. When Vincent and Nils discover that the two men they overpowered in order to make their way onboard are in fact cruise entertainers, they are forced to assume the roles of David Bowie and Elvis Presley impersonators. Soon, however, the crew discover their true identities and a wild chase for the painting begins. The cast of.
Germany’s film industry has been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic, but the sector remains teeming with opportunities for domestic and international productions and looks set to spring back into action in the coming months.
Boasting 10 federal and regional film funders with more than €330 million ($359 million) for film and TV production and a number of major studio and VFX facilities, the country has become a favorite location for international producers.
Warner Bros.’ “The Matrix 4” and Sony Pictures’ “Uncharted” were all set to shoot at Studio Babelsberg near Berlin before work stopped amid the Covid-19 outbreak in March. While the studio initially let go hundreds of film crew members following the shutdown, it has since reinstated them after securing financial assistance from the federal labor agency, staving off a potential legal dispute.
Other recent international projects that lensed in Germany include Abel Ferrara’s Berlinale screener “Siberia,” starring Willem Dafoe,...
Boasting 10 federal and regional film funders with more than €330 million ($359 million) for film and TV production and a number of major studio and VFX facilities, the country has become a favorite location for international producers.
Warner Bros.’ “The Matrix 4” and Sony Pictures’ “Uncharted” were all set to shoot at Studio Babelsberg near Berlin before work stopped amid the Covid-19 outbreak in March. While the studio initially let go hundreds of film crew members following the shutdown, it has since reinstated them after securing financial assistance from the federal labor agency, staving off a potential legal dispute.
Other recent international projects that lensed in Germany include Abel Ferrara’s Berlinale screener “Siberia,” starring Willem Dafoe,...
- 5/8/2020
- by Ed Meza
- Variety Film + TV
Berlin-based sales company Picture Tree Intl. has picked up international rights to Ufa Fiction’s family drama “God You’re Such a Prick”, which features Til Schweiger and Heike Makatsch leading a star-studded cast.
Inspired by the true story of Stefanie Pape and the book of the same name written by her father Frank Pape, the film follows a 16-year-old girl, played by Sinje Irslinger, whose world is turned upside down when she finds out she has terminal cancer right before a school graduation trip to Paris. When Steffi’s parents, portrayed by Schweiger and Makatsch, decide she should stay home instead, she runs away with a young motorcycle daredevil, played by Max Hubacher, who promises to take her to Paris. Driven by deep longing and a lust for life, Steffi learns it’s easier to let go of life when you’ve really loved it.
Speaking to Variety, director...
Inspired by the true story of Stefanie Pape and the book of the same name written by her father Frank Pape, the film follows a 16-year-old girl, played by Sinje Irslinger, whose world is turned upside down when she finds out she has terminal cancer right before a school graduation trip to Paris. When Steffi’s parents, portrayed by Schweiger and Makatsch, decide she should stay home instead, she runs away with a young motorcycle daredevil, played by Max Hubacher, who promises to take her to Paris. Driven by deep longing and a lust for life, Steffi learns it’s easier to let go of life when you’ve really loved it.
Speaking to Variety, director...
- 4/27/2020
- by Ed Meza
- Variety Film + TV
Sales agent Picture Tree Intl. has taken the international rights to comedy “The Black Square,” which will star Sandra Hueller, the co-lead of Oscar-nominated “Toni Erdmann,” and now appearing in “Exile,” which has its European premiere Monday in Berlin’s Panorama section, after playing at Sundance.
Port au Prince Pictures will release “The Black Square” in Germany and Austria. The distributor also released last year’s Berlinale Silver Bear winner and German Oscar entry “System Crasher,” which became an indie box office hit in Germany with a $5.15 million theatrical gross.
“The Black Square,” which starts principal photography on Tuesday, is written and directed by Peter Meister, making his feature film debut.
The film tells the story of two art thieves who have stolen the iconic avant-garde painting “Black Square” by Kazimir Malevich. The handover of the $60 million ransom is set to take place on a cruise ship, but things go...
Port au Prince Pictures will release “The Black Square” in Germany and Austria. The distributor also released last year’s Berlinale Silver Bear winner and German Oscar entry “System Crasher,” which became an indie box office hit in Germany with a $5.15 million theatrical gross.
“The Black Square,” which starts principal photography on Tuesday, is written and directed by Peter Meister, making his feature film debut.
The film tells the story of two art thieves who have stolen the iconic avant-garde painting “Black Square” by Kazimir Malevich. The handover of the $60 million ransom is set to take place on a cruise ship, but things go...
- 2/24/2020
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
Rhayne Vermette; courtesy of the artist. Punchers, burins, blade knives, and guillotine splicers invade Rhayne Vermette’s working space. Born in Notre Dame de Lourdes, Manitoba, and residing in Winnipeg, for this self-taught artist, collage, photography, and film are the tools that demolish the house of rhetoric. Inspired by architects who infused a reinterpretation of building with wood, glass, and stone, Vermette questions methodological foundations and surroundings—in her case, to make the towers fall. What once was defined as path and pillar do not govern the artist or her work. She breaks down structures that mirror the dysfunctional models and causalities of closed structures. Her schemes and patterns are not affixed or in service to a system. Instead, she shows what is beneath the logic of make-sense enunciations, and their own relational dynamics. By deconstructing edifices of rules, meaning takes its power back. Scratches, flares, glue, and tape are...
- 3/18/2019
- MUBI
Exclusive: Deals have gone to multiple territories including Italy and Australia.
Following on from the North American deal announced with FilmRise yesterday, The Match Factory’s Cate Blanchett film Manifesto has racked up multiple other sales.
The film, directed by Julian Rosefeldt and feted in Sundance last month, has now sold to fifteen territories.
Manifesto premiered in Sundance last month. I Wonder Pictures has come on board for Italy and Madman for Australia and New Zealand, Cis and Baltics is with A-One and Front Row has the Middle East. The Match Factory expects to finalise deals with further territories, including UK, South Korea, Brazil and Scandinavia, in the next couple of days.
The film questions the role of the artist in society today. Manifesto draws on the writings of Futurists, Dadaists, Fluxus artists, Suprematists, Situationists, Dogma 95 and other artist groups, and the musings of individual artists, architects, dancers and filmmakers.
Manifesto also draws...
Following on from the North American deal announced with FilmRise yesterday, The Match Factory’s Cate Blanchett film Manifesto has racked up multiple other sales.
The film, directed by Julian Rosefeldt and feted in Sundance last month, has now sold to fifteen territories.
Manifesto premiered in Sundance last month. I Wonder Pictures has come on board for Italy and Madman for Australia and New Zealand, Cis and Baltics is with A-One and Front Row has the Middle East. The Match Factory expects to finalise deals with further territories, including UK, South Korea, Brazil and Scandinavia, in the next couple of days.
The film questions the role of the artist in society today. Manifesto draws on the writings of Futurists, Dadaists, Fluxus artists, Suprematists, Situationists, Dogma 95 and other artist groups, and the musings of individual artists, architects, dancers and filmmakers.
Manifesto also draws...
- 2/11/2017
- by geoffrey@macnab.demon.co.uk (Geoffrey Macnab)
- ScreenDaily
Chichester Film Festival | A (Cumber) Batch Of Benedict | Vittorio De Sica | Pout Fest Tour
There’s a decidedly eastern European flavour to this year’s festival, spearheaded by a selection of Russian films. These bring such cultural icons as Sergei Eisenstein (Battleship Potemkin, 28 Aug), Anton Chekhov (biopic The Chekhov brothers, 28 & 30 Aug), Kazimir Malevich (in art biopic Chagall-Malevich, 17 & 26 Aug) and, er, Ralph Fiennes – who apparently learned Russian for his role in Two Women (30 Aug), a new adaptation of Turgenev’s 19th-century drama. There are modern Russian stories, too, starting with a series of films by Andrei “Leviathan” Zvyagintsev (25 to 28 Aug), plus focuses on Polish and Czech cinema.
Continue reading...
There’s a decidedly eastern European flavour to this year’s festival, spearheaded by a selection of Russian films. These bring such cultural icons as Sergei Eisenstein (Battleship Potemkin, 28 Aug), Anton Chekhov (biopic The Chekhov brothers, 28 & 30 Aug), Kazimir Malevich (in art biopic Chagall-Malevich, 17 & 26 Aug) and, er, Ralph Fiennes – who apparently learned Russian for his role in Two Women (30 Aug), a new adaptation of Turgenev’s 19th-century drama. There are modern Russian stories, too, starting with a series of films by Andrei “Leviathan” Zvyagintsev (25 to 28 Aug), plus focuses on Polish and Czech cinema.
Continue reading...
- 8/7/2015
- by Steve Rose
- The Guardian - Film News
Painter Man: Mitta’s Return to Filmmaking a Lofty, Honeycombed History Lesson
Ungainly and distractingly saccharine, Russian auteur Aleksandr Mitta returns with Chagall-Malevich, a whimsical biopic of politically opposed painters Marc Chagall and Kazimir Malevich. Considering the filmmaker is now in his eighties, there’s potential to be impressed with this technically proficient undertaking. However, as evidenced by a recent trend in sanctioned Russian cinema, this feels like the kind of watered down inconsequentiality resulting from interference of the Ministry of Culture. Perhaps more meaningful as a patriotic reenactment for those within its native climes, the film feels like a bright eyed and bushy tailed bit of propaganda, its political rhetoric washed down with an easy elixir of colorful hues.
Narrating his own birth near Vitebsk, Belarus, amidst a chaotic, fiery backdrop we come to understand as taking place during a pogrom, Marc Chagall (Leonid Bichevin) spends the next three...
Ungainly and distractingly saccharine, Russian auteur Aleksandr Mitta returns with Chagall-Malevich, a whimsical biopic of politically opposed painters Marc Chagall and Kazimir Malevich. Considering the filmmaker is now in his eighties, there’s potential to be impressed with this technically proficient undertaking. However, as evidenced by a recent trend in sanctioned Russian cinema, this feels like the kind of watered down inconsequentiality resulting from interference of the Ministry of Culture. Perhaps more meaningful as a patriotic reenactment for those within its native climes, the film feels like a bright eyed and bushy tailed bit of propaganda, its political rhetoric washed down with an easy elixir of colorful hues.
Narrating his own birth near Vitebsk, Belarus, amidst a chaotic, fiery backdrop we come to understand as taking place during a pogrom, Marc Chagall (Leonid Bichevin) spends the next three...
- 6/11/2015
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
ShiM-Film, LLC will be in charge of the U.S. Theatrical release of "Chagall-Malevich," a film by Alexander Mitta. After having screened at numerous international film festivals including Palm Springs, Montreal, Haifa, Moscow, Busan, and the L.A. Jewish Film Festival, the film will open at Cinema Village in New York on June 12 and at Laemmle Music Hall in Beverly Hills and at Town Center 5 in Encino, CA on June 19.
The artistic and political revolution of early 20th century Russia is mythologized in "Chagall-Malevich," a magical period drama about the uneasy relationship between two artistic geniuses. Inspired by the memoirs of Marc Chagall and those of his contemporaries, the film blends fact and folklore to evoke the return of the iconic Jewish artist (portrayed by Leonid Bichevin "Cargo 200") to his childhood home of Vitebsk.
Having left behind immense success in Paris, Chagall returns to the Russian empire in 1917 in hope to marry the love of his life Bella Rosenfeld (Kristina Schneidermann); he produces copious paintings and establishes the Academy of Modern Art. A rivalry develops with abstract painter Kazimir Malevich (Anatoliy Belyy), invited to teach at the art school. As Bella rekindles a childhood friendship with military Red Commissar Naum (Semyon Shkalikov), Chagall competes for the affections of his muse and future wife.
As the October Revolution sweeps across Russia, historical events intrude on personal struggles and upend the quiet provincial life in Vitebsk. Brimming with surrealistic imagery from the paintings of Chagall and Malevich (over 140 paintings were used in the film), this sumptuous melodrama marks veteran Russian filmmaker Alexander Mitta’s return after a decade-long hiatus.
The artistic and political revolution of early 20th century Russia is mythologized in "Chagall-Malevich," a magical period drama about the uneasy relationship between two artistic geniuses. Inspired by the memoirs of Marc Chagall and those of his contemporaries, the film blends fact and folklore to evoke the return of the iconic Jewish artist (portrayed by Leonid Bichevin "Cargo 200") to his childhood home of Vitebsk.
Having left behind immense success in Paris, Chagall returns to the Russian empire in 1917 in hope to marry the love of his life Bella Rosenfeld (Kristina Schneidermann); he produces copious paintings and establishes the Academy of Modern Art. A rivalry develops with abstract painter Kazimir Malevich (Anatoliy Belyy), invited to teach at the art school. As Bella rekindles a childhood friendship with military Red Commissar Naum (Semyon Shkalikov), Chagall competes for the affections of his muse and future wife.
As the October Revolution sweeps across Russia, historical events intrude on personal struggles and upend the quiet provincial life in Vitebsk. Brimming with surrealistic imagery from the paintings of Chagall and Malevich (over 140 paintings were used in the film), this sumptuous melodrama marks veteran Russian filmmaker Alexander Mitta’s return after a decade-long hiatus.
- 6/8/2015
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
Russia will present a total of six pictures at the 5th Beijing International Film Festival, to be held April 16th–23rd. Sergey Mokritsky’s "The Battle For Sevastopol" and Ramil Salakhutdinov’s "White, White Night" are included in the main competition while Andrey Konchalovsky’s "The Postman’s White Nights," Alexander Mitta’s "Chagall – Malevich" and Mikhail Kosyrev-Nesterov’s "Journey to the Mother" will be screened in the festival’s sidebar. Roman Prygunov’s "Downshifter" has been selected for the Gala Premiere section.
Among the Beijing festival jury members is Fedor Bondarchuk, the prominent Russian filmmaker, actor, producer, and Chairman of the Lenfilm studio Board of Directors. Roskino provides Public Relations support for the heavy Russian presence at the 5th International Festival in Beijing.
Katya Mtsitouridze, Roskino CEO: “From this year on, the Beijing Festival will be curated by Marco Mueller, previously at the helm of the Venice Festival. It is his ardent love of Russian culture that we have to credit for launching international careers of such stellar young filmmakers as Ivan Vyrypaev, Kirill Serebrennikov, Alexey German Jr., and Alexey Fedorchenko. Venice has also honored many a luminary from Russia, ranging from Nikita Mikhalkov to Alexey Balabanov. Alexander Sokurov’s Faust even took the Golden Lion in 2011. This tradition lives on as we can see already, in Marco Mueller’s first year, six Russian movies at Beijing. The governments of our countries are currently collaborating to expand the Russian quotas in Chinese theatres, and Roskino’s first business trip to Beijing, with any luck, should be the next step in this direction. Over the last couple of years, China has made tremendous progress undermining, by its rapid growth, the Hollywood monopoly in the film industry. There is still plenty of room for improvement for us.”
Alyona Shumakova, member of the Selection Committee, Beijing International Film Festival: “We were faced with the tall order of presenting Russian film as a vital artistic force which reflects, at the same time, a dramatically changed reality. It is also worth bearing in mind that the huge audience of these films will consist mostly of regular moviegoers, besides the usual festival crowd of film buffs. We are, mind you, dealing with a country that knows very little about Russian cinema and has yet to develop a concrete image of it. I believe that our picks, with their magnificent visuals and emotional intensity, more than rise to the challenge and accurately reflect the new world we live in.”
At the 2014 Cannes Iff, "The Battle for Sevastopol" was first pitched to industry professionals and international press at the Russian Pavilion opening ceremony. A Russian–Ukrainian co-production, this period drama tells the story of Lyudmila Pavlichenko, a legendary WWII sniper. The wide release in Russia is scheduled for April 2nd, to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Liberation. The protagonist is played by the masterful thespian Yulia Peresild.
Sergei Mokritsky, director: “As I was making a movie about the most lethal female sniper of WWII, I didn’t even dare dream of an international premiere in Beijing. It is an honor as well as a huge responsibility. Overall, China is the closest in spirit, and yet most mysterious country for me as it is for every Russian. I’m really looking forward to the Chinese reception of my movie, because what I aspired to with it was a blend of Soviet war-film mythology, modern cinematic language, and typically Slavic zest for life.”
Ramil Salakhutdinov’s "White, White Night" tells the story of a young man who suddenly goes missing when he travels to Saint Petersburg for a concert. Sent over from Moscow, the private eye hired to locate him meets a lot of people during investigation, and gradually immerses himself in the bleak present-day atmosphere of the city he once lived in. Against his better judgment, the sleuth takes the guy under his wing, which ultimately validates him and boosts his own sense of self-worth. The movie first played in competition at the 2014 edition of Kinotavr.
Ramil Salakhutdinov, director: “I strove to understand––to feel––what it’s like to live in our trying times, in an era of profound change.”
Alexey German Jr., creative director: “It’s a huge victory for Ramil. He’s a wonderful filmmaker, a magnificent actor, and an artist of incredibly fine sensibilities. His recognition by the Biff proves yet again that Salakhutdinov’s work is appreciated internationally.”
Andrey Konchalovskiy's "The Postman’s White Nights" will play in the festival’s sidebar.
In 2014, the film was awarded Silver Lion for Best Director at the Venice Film Festival. It recounts the life of a real man, village postman Alexey Tryapitsyn, who resides in the Arkhangelsk region and portrays himself on screen. Though a work of fiction rather than a documentary, the film has only one professional actress in its cast.
Mikhail Kosyrev-Nesterov’s drama "Journey to the Mother" is also playing in the festival’s parallel section. It is the story of a Russian guy who goes to France to see his mother, and meets his sister for the first time. The film’s leading actress is Adele Exarchopoulos, the star of Palme d’Or-winning "Blue Is the Warmest Color" and co-recipient of the Cannes festival’s highest honor.
Aleksandr Mitta’s "Chagall – Malevich" will play in the Special Screenings section. Set during Marc Chagall’s “Vitebsk period,” the story of an all-consuming love between the great artist and his wife Bella plays out against the backdrop of a historic duel he fought with Kazimir Malevich, his genius contemporary and fierce opponent.
Roman Prygunov’s "Downshifter" is set to bow internationally in the Gala Premiere section of the festival.
A sequel to the highest grossing Russian movie of 2012, "Downshifter" continues with the adventures of Max Andreev, a senior executive forced by the vicissitudes of his life to wipe the slate clean. The star of the production is Danila Kozlovsky, one of the most acclaimed actors of his generation. Made for $4M, the movie recouped its budget over the first weekend in theaters. Fedor Bondarchuk, who produced the box-office smash, currently predicts a final take north of $9M.
Russian filmmaker and producer Fedor Bondarchuk, whose historical drama "Stalingrad" was a runaway success in China in 2013, has been appointed a jury member for the 5 Beijing International Festival. He will share his duty with such directors as Ki-duk Kim (South Korea) and Fernando Meirelles (Brazil); screenwriter Robert Mark Kamen (USA); producer and director Peter Chan (Thailand); and Chinese actress, star of "Cloud Atlas," Zhou Xun. French director and producer Luc Besson, whose output in both capacities has long transcended the confines of local fame, will serve as President of the Jury. The festival program comprises 930 films from 90 countries. The festival’s top prize Tiantan is awarded in ten categories, including Best Film, Best Director, Best Actress, and Best Actor.
Fedor Bondarchuk, producer, filmmaker: “ I’m honored and humbled to be invited to serve as a jury member for the Beijing Iff. The strategic partnership between Russia and China is now reinforced not only in politics and economy but also in the cultural sphere, of which film is an integral part. Stalingrad’s impressive Chinese grosses show enormous demand for Russian filmmaking.”
Marco Mueller, Chief Adviser for the Beijing Iff: “Ever since Stalingrad dominated the Chinese box office in 2013 (it was the highest-grossing foreign film of the year, apart from the American “commercial heavy artillery”), the interest in Russian film has reached a new level in the country. I think that from this year on, our festival’s appreciation of Russian film will also move to the next level. This year our program boasts an amazing selection, and Fedor Bondarchuk has every chance to achieve cult status in China––he is, after all, already on the jury! I would also like to note that our cooperation with China is off to a highly professional start as the Russian presence at the festival is supported by the government-owned Roskino. It is this level of commitment that allows us to make serious plans for the future.”...
Among the Beijing festival jury members is Fedor Bondarchuk, the prominent Russian filmmaker, actor, producer, and Chairman of the Lenfilm studio Board of Directors. Roskino provides Public Relations support for the heavy Russian presence at the 5th International Festival in Beijing.
Katya Mtsitouridze, Roskino CEO: “From this year on, the Beijing Festival will be curated by Marco Mueller, previously at the helm of the Venice Festival. It is his ardent love of Russian culture that we have to credit for launching international careers of such stellar young filmmakers as Ivan Vyrypaev, Kirill Serebrennikov, Alexey German Jr., and Alexey Fedorchenko. Venice has also honored many a luminary from Russia, ranging from Nikita Mikhalkov to Alexey Balabanov. Alexander Sokurov’s Faust even took the Golden Lion in 2011. This tradition lives on as we can see already, in Marco Mueller’s first year, six Russian movies at Beijing. The governments of our countries are currently collaborating to expand the Russian quotas in Chinese theatres, and Roskino’s first business trip to Beijing, with any luck, should be the next step in this direction. Over the last couple of years, China has made tremendous progress undermining, by its rapid growth, the Hollywood monopoly in the film industry. There is still plenty of room for improvement for us.”
Alyona Shumakova, member of the Selection Committee, Beijing International Film Festival: “We were faced with the tall order of presenting Russian film as a vital artistic force which reflects, at the same time, a dramatically changed reality. It is also worth bearing in mind that the huge audience of these films will consist mostly of regular moviegoers, besides the usual festival crowd of film buffs. We are, mind you, dealing with a country that knows very little about Russian cinema and has yet to develop a concrete image of it. I believe that our picks, with their magnificent visuals and emotional intensity, more than rise to the challenge and accurately reflect the new world we live in.”
At the 2014 Cannes Iff, "The Battle for Sevastopol" was first pitched to industry professionals and international press at the Russian Pavilion opening ceremony. A Russian–Ukrainian co-production, this period drama tells the story of Lyudmila Pavlichenko, a legendary WWII sniper. The wide release in Russia is scheduled for April 2nd, to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Liberation. The protagonist is played by the masterful thespian Yulia Peresild.
Sergei Mokritsky, director: “As I was making a movie about the most lethal female sniper of WWII, I didn’t even dare dream of an international premiere in Beijing. It is an honor as well as a huge responsibility. Overall, China is the closest in spirit, and yet most mysterious country for me as it is for every Russian. I’m really looking forward to the Chinese reception of my movie, because what I aspired to with it was a blend of Soviet war-film mythology, modern cinematic language, and typically Slavic zest for life.”
Ramil Salakhutdinov’s "White, White Night" tells the story of a young man who suddenly goes missing when he travels to Saint Petersburg for a concert. Sent over from Moscow, the private eye hired to locate him meets a lot of people during investigation, and gradually immerses himself in the bleak present-day atmosphere of the city he once lived in. Against his better judgment, the sleuth takes the guy under his wing, which ultimately validates him and boosts his own sense of self-worth. The movie first played in competition at the 2014 edition of Kinotavr.
Ramil Salakhutdinov, director: “I strove to understand––to feel––what it’s like to live in our trying times, in an era of profound change.”
Alexey German Jr., creative director: “It’s a huge victory for Ramil. He’s a wonderful filmmaker, a magnificent actor, and an artist of incredibly fine sensibilities. His recognition by the Biff proves yet again that Salakhutdinov’s work is appreciated internationally.”
Andrey Konchalovskiy's "The Postman’s White Nights" will play in the festival’s sidebar.
In 2014, the film was awarded Silver Lion for Best Director at the Venice Film Festival. It recounts the life of a real man, village postman Alexey Tryapitsyn, who resides in the Arkhangelsk region and portrays himself on screen. Though a work of fiction rather than a documentary, the film has only one professional actress in its cast.
Mikhail Kosyrev-Nesterov’s drama "Journey to the Mother" is also playing in the festival’s parallel section. It is the story of a Russian guy who goes to France to see his mother, and meets his sister for the first time. The film’s leading actress is Adele Exarchopoulos, the star of Palme d’Or-winning "Blue Is the Warmest Color" and co-recipient of the Cannes festival’s highest honor.
Aleksandr Mitta’s "Chagall – Malevich" will play in the Special Screenings section. Set during Marc Chagall’s “Vitebsk period,” the story of an all-consuming love between the great artist and his wife Bella plays out against the backdrop of a historic duel he fought with Kazimir Malevich, his genius contemporary and fierce opponent.
Roman Prygunov’s "Downshifter" is set to bow internationally in the Gala Premiere section of the festival.
A sequel to the highest grossing Russian movie of 2012, "Downshifter" continues with the adventures of Max Andreev, a senior executive forced by the vicissitudes of his life to wipe the slate clean. The star of the production is Danila Kozlovsky, one of the most acclaimed actors of his generation. Made for $4M, the movie recouped its budget over the first weekend in theaters. Fedor Bondarchuk, who produced the box-office smash, currently predicts a final take north of $9M.
Russian filmmaker and producer Fedor Bondarchuk, whose historical drama "Stalingrad" was a runaway success in China in 2013, has been appointed a jury member for the 5 Beijing International Festival. He will share his duty with such directors as Ki-duk Kim (South Korea) and Fernando Meirelles (Brazil); screenwriter Robert Mark Kamen (USA); producer and director Peter Chan (Thailand); and Chinese actress, star of "Cloud Atlas," Zhou Xun. French director and producer Luc Besson, whose output in both capacities has long transcended the confines of local fame, will serve as President of the Jury. The festival program comprises 930 films from 90 countries. The festival’s top prize Tiantan is awarded in ten categories, including Best Film, Best Director, Best Actress, and Best Actor.
Fedor Bondarchuk, producer, filmmaker: “ I’m honored and humbled to be invited to serve as a jury member for the Beijing Iff. The strategic partnership between Russia and China is now reinforced not only in politics and economy but also in the cultural sphere, of which film is an integral part. Stalingrad’s impressive Chinese grosses show enormous demand for Russian filmmaking.”
Marco Mueller, Chief Adviser for the Beijing Iff: “Ever since Stalingrad dominated the Chinese box office in 2013 (it was the highest-grossing foreign film of the year, apart from the American “commercial heavy artillery”), the interest in Russian film has reached a new level in the country. I think that from this year on, our festival’s appreciation of Russian film will also move to the next level. This year our program boasts an amazing selection, and Fedor Bondarchuk has every chance to achieve cult status in China––he is, after all, already on the jury! I would also like to note that our cooperation with China is off to a highly professional start as the Russian presence at the festival is supported by the government-owned Roskino. It is this level of commitment that allows us to make serious plans for the future.”...
- 4/9/2015
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
Cultural envoys hope tense diplomatic relations will be eased by James Bond, Yuri Gagarin, Shakespeare and Stravinsky
The largest ever festival of Russian and British culture, embracing art, music, theatre, outer space, Shakespeare and pancakes, is being launched in hundreds of events across both countries next year.
One of the highlights will be a giant exhibition at the Science Museum in London next autumn on the Soviet space programme, including real spacecraft, recreating the excitement of the years between 1957 when Sputnik was launched, and 1961 when the rest of the world watched in astonishment as first a Russian dog and then a Russian man became the first earthlings to look down on the small blue planet.
The director of the Science Museum, Ian Blatchford, said such an exhibition, the science equivalent of the British Museum's legendary Tutankhamun exhibition, had long been a dream of his curators. It will include many objects from museums,...
The largest ever festival of Russian and British culture, embracing art, music, theatre, outer space, Shakespeare and pancakes, is being launched in hundreds of events across both countries next year.
One of the highlights will be a giant exhibition at the Science Museum in London next autumn on the Soviet space programme, including real spacecraft, recreating the excitement of the years between 1957 when Sputnik was launched, and 1961 when the rest of the world watched in astonishment as first a Russian dog and then a Russian man became the first earthlings to look down on the small blue planet.
The director of the Science Museum, Ian Blatchford, said such an exhibition, the science equivalent of the British Museum's legendary Tutankhamun exhibition, had long been a dream of his curators. It will include many objects from museums,...
- 11/15/2013
- by Maev Kennedy
- The Guardian - Film News
Saltz: MoMA’s Inventing Abstraction Is Illuminating—Although It Shines That Light Mighty Selectively
Early-twentieth-century abstraction is art’s version of Einstein’s Theory of Relativity. It’s the idea that changed everything everywhere: quickly, decisively, for good. In “Inventing Abstraction, 1910–1925,” the Museum of Modern Art’s madly self-aggrandizing survey of abstract art made in Europe, America, and Russia, we see the massive energy release going on in that moment. Organized by Leah Dickerman, the show is jam-packed with over 350 works by 84 painters and sculptors, poets, composers, choreographers, and filmmakers. The sight of so much radical work is riveting.Yet art of this kind still poses problems for general audiences. They look on it warily. Indeed, even we insiders sometimes don’t get why certain abstraction isn’t just fancy wallpaper or pretty arrangements of shape, line, and color. It can take a lifetime to understand not only why Kazimir Malevich’s white square on a white ground—still fissuring, still emitting aesthetic ideas...
- 1/7/2013
- by Jerry Saltz
- Vulture
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