Exclusive: Stephen Dorff and Melissa George have stepped into the leading roles for Tolkien writer David Gleeson’s mystery thriller Don’t Let Go. The project marks Gleeson’s return to directing following Disney’s Cowboys & Angels and The Front Line. Written by Oscar-nominated writer Ronan Blaney (the short Boogaloo and Graham) and Gleeson, Don’t Let Go follows a loving couple, Ben and Hazel Slater, as they struggle to cope with the loss of their child from a devastating…...
- 8/11/2017
- Deadline
Ryu Seong-hie won the Vulcain Prize For An Artist Technician, for the magnificent work he did as a set decorator on Park Chan-wook’s latest film, “The Handmaiden”.
The award rewards the work of a technician for his collaboration in the creation of a film from the official selection of the Cannes Film Festival. It is awarded by a special jury, appointed by the Superior Technical Commission of Image and Sound (French: Commission Supérieure Technique de l’Image et du Son or Cst). The actual trophy is awarded to the winner in Paris, during a special evening following the festival.
Ryu Seong-hie is one of the leading Korean in the field, having collaborated with Park on “Oldboy” and “Thirst.” She has also won two Blue Dragon Awards for art direction, for her work in “The Front Line” and “Ode to my Father.”...
The award rewards the work of a technician for his collaboration in the creation of a film from the official selection of the Cannes Film Festival. It is awarded by a special jury, appointed by the Superior Technical Commission of Image and Sound (French: Commission Supérieure Technique de l’Image et du Son or Cst). The actual trophy is awarded to the winner in Paris, during a special evening following the festival.
Ryu Seong-hie is one of the leading Korean in the field, having collaborated with Park on “Oldboy” and “Thirst.” She has also won two Blue Dragon Awards for art direction, for her work in “The Front Line” and “Ode to my Father.”...
- 5/23/2016
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
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Looking for good books about the movies to read? We've got a bumper selection of recommendations right here...
A confession. I actually started writing this article in 2013, and the reason you've only reading it now is that I've made sure I've read every book on this list, save for one or two where I've marked otherwise. As such, what you're getting is a very personal list of recommendations. Each of these books has at least something to it that I think is of interest to someone wanting to learn more about film - or just enjoy stories of movie making.
I've tended to avoid picture books, with one exception, as these ones I've chosen are all intended to be chock-full of words, to relax with at the end of a long day. Which is what I did. There are one or two notable omissions, as I'm still...
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Looking for good books about the movies to read? We've got a bumper selection of recommendations right here...
A confession. I actually started writing this article in 2013, and the reason you've only reading it now is that I've made sure I've read every book on this list, save for one or two where I've marked otherwise. As such, what you're getting is a very personal list of recommendations. Each of these books has at least something to it that I think is of interest to someone wanting to learn more about film - or just enjoy stories of movie making.
I've tended to avoid picture books, with one exception, as these ones I've chosen are all intended to be chock-full of words, to relax with at the end of a long day. Which is what I did. There are one or two notable omissions, as I'm still...
- 12/10/2015
- by simonbrew
- Den of Geek
The X Factor has finished its auditions and it's time for Boot Camp to begin! This year it's supersized, too, kicking off at a giant country house as Simon Cowell wanted the acts to misbehave and start coupling up, but did it happen?
And what's it really like at the fancy residence with a pool in Hertfordshire? We went along for a snoop around:
1. Everyone sings All The Time.
You'd think they'd want to save their voices, but visiting Boot Camp is like walking into an episode of Britannia High, as everyone is singing. "No-one's telling anyone to keep the noise down when they're singing," explained 16-year-old Nathaniel Landskroner. "If anything, they're just joining in because we're all singers here, we all love it."
Well, some more than others - 27-year-old Holly Johnson admitted: "I'm a bit of an old woman now, I'm like, 'Right, guys, I just need some peace'.
And what's it really like at the fancy residence with a pool in Hertfordshire? We went along for a snoop around:
1. Everyone sings All The Time.
You'd think they'd want to save their voices, but visiting Boot Camp is like walking into an episode of Britannia High, as everyone is singing. "No-one's telling anyone to keep the noise down when they're singing," explained 16-year-old Nathaniel Landskroner. "If anything, they're just joining in because we're all singers here, we all love it."
Well, some more than others - 27-year-old Holly Johnson admitted: "I'm a bit of an old woman now, I'm like, 'Right, guys, I just need some peace'.
- 9/20/2015
- Digital Spy
This month, fans of Korean cinema living in Australia have more than one reason to celebrate. Firstly, Korean Film Festival In Australia (Koffia) has kicked off in Sydney and so you have the opportunities to watch exciting films like The Admiral: Roaring Current and The Target on the big screen. Secondly, you also get the chance to win some Blu-rays and DVDs of awesome Korean films, thanks to local distributor Madman!1st Prize (one winner): All of the following (on Blu-rays or DVDs for titles that are available in both formats): - Jsa: Joint Security Area- Shadowless Sword- The Host- Chaw- Quick- War of the Arrows- The Tower- The Front Line- Sector 7- The Thieves- The Suspect- The Admiral: Roaring Currents 2nd Prize (3 winners):- One copy of...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 8/17/2015
- Screen Anarchy
Details are extremely sketchy at present, but the news just in is that Morgan Freeman has signed up for Focus Features' Down To A Sunless Sea. David Gleeson (The Front Line) wrote the screenplay.We know it's an action movie, but it seems unlikely that Freeman is taking the Taken route and breaking out a set of skills for the lead. Although that should totally happen. Rather, it's being touted as along the lines of Air Force One. Does that mean Freeman is playing a president again?Freeman's company Revelations is producing the project, along with Bruce Cohen (Silver Linings Playbook). There's no director yet named, but Gleeson has been known to shoot his own scripts in the past. We'll next see Freeman in the no doubt equally action-packed London Has Fallen, out in January.
- 7/28/2015
- EmpireOnline
Exclusive: BBC Films, Ifb in production on documentary about champion jockey AP McCoy.
Nineteen-time champion jump jockey AP McCoy (aka Tony McCoy) is the subject of a new all-access feature documentary made in association with BBC Films and the Irish Film Board.
Currently filming at locations and racecourses across the UK and Ireland, Being AP (working title) has exclusive access to the Northern Irish jockey, his family and racing teams for the 2014-15 season.
The 40 year-old has notched up more than 4,300 wins, 700 falls, 40 broken bones and a BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award in 2010 across a near 25-year racing career.
The film is being made by Moneyglass Films, in partnership with Partizan Films and Roads Entertainment, and in association with BBC Films with support from The Irish Film Board, Northern Ireland Screen and the British Horse Racing Authority/Great British Racing.
Directed by multiple-bafta winner and Emmy nominee Anthony Wonke (Children on The Front Line, Crackhouse...
Nineteen-time champion jump jockey AP McCoy (aka Tony McCoy) is the subject of a new all-access feature documentary made in association with BBC Films and the Irish Film Board.
Currently filming at locations and racecourses across the UK and Ireland, Being AP (working title) has exclusive access to the Northern Irish jockey, his family and racing teams for the 2014-15 season.
The 40 year-old has notched up more than 4,300 wins, 700 falls, 40 broken bones and a BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award in 2010 across a near 25-year racing career.
The film is being made by Moneyglass Films, in partnership with Partizan Films and Roads Entertainment, and in association with BBC Films with support from The Irish Film Board, Northern Ireland Screen and the British Horse Racing Authority/Great British Racing.
Directed by multiple-bafta winner and Emmy nominee Anthony Wonke (Children on The Front Line, Crackhouse...
- 1/14/2015
- by andreas.wiseman@screendaily.com (Andreas Wiseman)
- ScreenDaily
During these past four years I have been asked to provide the curation for this initiative, on behalf of the College Of Motion Picture Arts, in support of our Student Veterans the annual featured motion picture presentation. This initiative provides a platform, utilizing cinema to engage conversation surrounding issues facing our student veterans returning from their service. The Collegiate Veterans Association leaders created the concept for this festival. As the Executive Director of the Florida State University College of Motion Picture ArtsTorchlight Program, and Faculty Executive Producer to the Fsu Svff, I have been able to merge my independent film industry background with educational opportunities at the University with the vision of expanding learning opportunities through cinema.
In year one the film selected to present was ”Hell and Back Again”, directed by Danfung Dennis, which went on to be nominated for an Oscar in 2011. Year two the Svff presented “The Invisible War”, directed by Kirby Dick, which also went on to be nominated, this time, for the Oscar in 2012. In November 2013 we presented Sebastian Junger with the Fsu Student Veteran Torchlight Award for Outstanding Achievement in Filmmaking for his documentary, "Which Way Is The Front Line From Here? The Life And Time of Tim Hetherington". This year Rory Kennedy with her documentary will be the recipient of our 2014 award.
The Collegiate Veterans Association at Florida State University is one of the most universally known and well-respected student veteran groups in the nation. The university, the administration, and the student body have joined together in an effort to make Florida State University one of the most veteran friendly public universities, in the nation. Inherent in this goal is our effort to raise awareness and promote veteran’s issues. The Student Veteran Film Festival is one of our primary vehicles for achieving these goals.
The Student Veteran Film Festival is an annual event at the Florida State University that highlights veteran issues on campus, in the local community, and nationally. This event has a proud tradition of elegance, prestige, and creation of intense dialogue between filmmakers, students, and veterans.
The education and awareness that this event has been able to cultivate for issues such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Military Sexual Trauma has been both significant and impactful. The inaugural event showcased the film ”Hell and Back Again” The nature of these films show that our student veterans are not afraid of engaging in difficult conversations and are serious about impacting real, meaningful, change.
This year, Florida State University students will bring filmmaker Rory Kennedy and her documentary film “Last Days in Vietnam” to the 4th Annual Student Veteran Film Festival Tuesday, Nov. 11.
The film, which captures the thrilling account of United States service members evacuating their South Vietnamese colleagues and friends during the closing days of the Vietnam War, will be followed by a discussion with Kennedy.
Kennedy, daughter of the late Sen. Robert Kennedy, is an Emmy Award-winning independent documentary filmmaker, as well as cofounder and president of Moxie Firecracker Films. Her films cover an array of issues ranging from poverty to politics to human rights and have been shown on HBO, A&E, MTV, Lifetime and PBS.
Kennedy also will receive the “Fsu Student Veteran Torchlight Award for Outstanding Achievement in Filmmaking” following the screening of the film. The award, which comes with a $25,000 honorarium, is presented annually to a filmmaker who illuminates issues affecting veterans returning from their service.
“Florida State is committed to becoming the most veteran-friendly university in the nation, and recognizing filmmakers who document topics related to the military is another way we raise awareness and pay tribute to our veterans,” said Interim President Garnett S. Stokes. “We are pleased to honor Rory Kennedy with this award for her enthralling story about the final days of the Vietnam War.”
The film festival is intended to raise awareness of student-veterans’ issues and bridge the gap between veterans and the community.
As executive director of the College of Motion Picture Arts' Torchlight Program, I secured the rights to this year’s film from The American Experience Films and PBS. The film will make its broadcast debut April 28, 2015 on PBS.
The Student Veteran Film Festival and its Student Veteran Torchlight Award is attracting national film industry attention, which resonates on the university’s commitment and dedication to our student veterans.
In year one the film selected to present was ”Hell and Back Again”, directed by Danfung Dennis, which went on to be nominated for an Oscar in 2011. Year two the Svff presented “The Invisible War”, directed by Kirby Dick, which also went on to be nominated, this time, for the Oscar in 2012. In November 2013 we presented Sebastian Junger with the Fsu Student Veteran Torchlight Award for Outstanding Achievement in Filmmaking for his documentary, "Which Way Is The Front Line From Here? The Life And Time of Tim Hetherington". This year Rory Kennedy with her documentary will be the recipient of our 2014 award.
The Collegiate Veterans Association at Florida State University is one of the most universally known and well-respected student veteran groups in the nation. The university, the administration, and the student body have joined together in an effort to make Florida State University one of the most veteran friendly public universities, in the nation. Inherent in this goal is our effort to raise awareness and promote veteran’s issues. The Student Veteran Film Festival is one of our primary vehicles for achieving these goals.
The Student Veteran Film Festival is an annual event at the Florida State University that highlights veteran issues on campus, in the local community, and nationally. This event has a proud tradition of elegance, prestige, and creation of intense dialogue between filmmakers, students, and veterans.
The education and awareness that this event has been able to cultivate for issues such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Military Sexual Trauma has been both significant and impactful. The inaugural event showcased the film ”Hell and Back Again” The nature of these films show that our student veterans are not afraid of engaging in difficult conversations and are serious about impacting real, meaningful, change.
This year, Florida State University students will bring filmmaker Rory Kennedy and her documentary film “Last Days in Vietnam” to the 4th Annual Student Veteran Film Festival Tuesday, Nov. 11.
The film, which captures the thrilling account of United States service members evacuating their South Vietnamese colleagues and friends during the closing days of the Vietnam War, will be followed by a discussion with Kennedy.
Kennedy, daughter of the late Sen. Robert Kennedy, is an Emmy Award-winning independent documentary filmmaker, as well as cofounder and president of Moxie Firecracker Films. Her films cover an array of issues ranging from poverty to politics to human rights and have been shown on HBO, A&E, MTV, Lifetime and PBS.
Kennedy also will receive the “Fsu Student Veteran Torchlight Award for Outstanding Achievement in Filmmaking” following the screening of the film. The award, which comes with a $25,000 honorarium, is presented annually to a filmmaker who illuminates issues affecting veterans returning from their service.
“Florida State is committed to becoming the most veteran-friendly university in the nation, and recognizing filmmakers who document topics related to the military is another way we raise awareness and pay tribute to our veterans,” said Interim President Garnett S. Stokes. “We are pleased to honor Rory Kennedy with this award for her enthralling story about the final days of the Vietnam War.”
The film festival is intended to raise awareness of student-veterans’ issues and bridge the gap between veterans and the community.
As executive director of the College of Motion Picture Arts' Torchlight Program, I secured the rights to this year’s film from The American Experience Films and PBS. The film will make its broadcast debut April 28, 2015 on PBS.
The Student Veteran Film Festival and its Student Veteran Torchlight Award is attracting national film industry attention, which resonates on the university’s commitment and dedication to our student veterans.
- 11/11/2014
- by Paul Cohen
- Sydney's Buzz
A K-pop idol goes undercover in “Commitment”, an espionage thriller that marks the debut of director Park Hong Soo, who previously worked with Jang Hoon on his blockbusters “The Front Line” and “Secret Reunion”. The superstar in question is T.O.P (Choi Seung Hyun) of Big Bang fame, who follows up his supporting roles in the recent “Iris” and “71 – Into the Fire” with his first crack at headlining a film, taking on the role of a teenage North Korean agent who gets sent on a deadly mission to the South. With support coming from other top up and coming talent, including actresses Kim Yoo Jung (“The Moon That Embraces the Sun”) and Han Ye Ri (“As One”), the film is the latest in a line of North-South Korean dramas that focuses on young protagonists not even born during the early years of the conflict but caught up in its complexities and violence.
- 4/13/2014
- by James Mudge
- Beyond Hollywood
As well as helming his own critically acclaimed and frequently controversial films, Korean auteur Kim Ki Duk also runs a side line in writing scripts and acting as producer for younger directors, as seen recently in Jeon Jae Hong’s “Poongsan”, and here again in “Rough Play”. A spiritual follow up of sorts to “Rough Cut”, which he wrote back in 2008 for Jang Hoon (who went on to direct blockbusters “Secret Reunion” and “The Front Line”), the film sees Kim mixing his usual themes with somewhat more of a commercial touch than his own efforts, following a young actor whose life gradually and violently spirals out of control. The film was directed by Shin Yeon Shick, who previously made the offbeat romance “The Fair Love”, and who had a busy year in 2013, also offering up the award nominated drama “The Russian Novel”. K-pop singer Lee Joon (also in “Ninja Assassin”) headlines as Oh Young,...
- 2/16/2014
- by James Mudge
- Beyond Hollywood
The 2014 awards show season has already been especially exciting, and last night (January 19) the Producers Guild of America Awards added a new twist to the Oscar race.
Both “Gravity” and “12 Years a Slave” were honored with The Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures, making the first tie for the category in PGA history.
All the more impressive is the fact that producers from “American Hustle,” “Nebraska,” “Blue Jasmine,” “Captain Phillips,” “Dallas Buyers Club,” “Her,” “The Wolf of Wall Street” and “Saving Mr. Banks” were also up for the accolade.
“Frozen” producer Peter Del Vecho took home the Animated Motion Picture award while “Breaking Bad” snagged Best Drama Series and “Modern Family” won the Best Comedy Series.
Meanwhile, there were a number of actors there to support the people behind the camera including Brad Pitt, Ben Affleck, Leonardo DiCaprio, Claire Danes, Lupita Nyong'o and Chiwetel Ejiofor.
Both “Gravity” and “12 Years a Slave” were honored with The Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures, making the first tie for the category in PGA history.
All the more impressive is the fact that producers from “American Hustle,” “Nebraska,” “Blue Jasmine,” “Captain Phillips,” “Dallas Buyers Club,” “Her,” “The Wolf of Wall Street” and “Saving Mr. Banks” were also up for the accolade.
“Frozen” producer Peter Del Vecho took home the Animated Motion Picture award while “Breaking Bad” snagged Best Drama Series and “Modern Family” won the Best Comedy Series.
Meanwhile, there were a number of actors there to support the people behind the camera including Brad Pitt, Ben Affleck, Leonardo DiCaprio, Claire Danes, Lupita Nyong'o and Chiwetel Ejiofor.
- 1/21/2014
- GossipCenter
12 Years A Slave and Gravity have tied at this year’s PGA. With American Hustle taking the SAG ensemble on Saturday night, we have a bonafide Best Picture race on our hands folks! This is the first tie for the top film in Producers Guild Award history.
The PGA split keeps the Oscar race wide open in one of the tightest three-way battles in years, with “American Hustle” still in the game following a week of big showings at the Golden Globes, Oscar nominations and Screen Actors Guild Awards.
Tonight the Producers Guild of America (PGA) announced this year’s winning motion picture and television productions at the 25th Annual Producers Guild Awards ceremony at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles.
David Heyman, Anthony Katagas, Jeremy Kleiner, Dede Gardner, Alfonso Cuaron, Steve McQueen, Brad Pitt (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision for Producers Guild/AP Images)
In addition to the competitive awards,...
The PGA split keeps the Oscar race wide open in one of the tightest three-way battles in years, with “American Hustle” still in the game following a week of big showings at the Golden Globes, Oscar nominations and Screen Actors Guild Awards.
Tonight the Producers Guild of America (PGA) announced this year’s winning motion picture and television productions at the 25th Annual Producers Guild Awards ceremony at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles.
David Heyman, Anthony Katagas, Jeremy Kleiner, Dede Gardner, Alfonso Cuaron, Steve McQueen, Brad Pitt (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision for Producers Guild/AP Images)
In addition to the competitive awards,...
- 1/20/2014
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Winners of the 25th annual Producers Guild of America Awards were revealed Sunday (Jan. 19) during a ceremony held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. Film Awards Best Picture (Tie) "American Hustle" "Blue Jasmine" "Captain Phillips," "Dallas Buyers Club" X -- "Gravity" "Her" "Nebraska" "Saving Mr. Banks" X -- "12 Years a Slave" "The Wolf of Wall Street" Best Animated Feature "The Croods" "Despicable Me 2" "Epic" X --"Frozen" "Monsters University" Best Documentary Feature "A Place at the Table" "Far Out Isn't Far Enough: The Tomi Ungerer Story" "Life According to Sam" X -- "We Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks" "Which Way Is The Front Line From Here? The Life and Time of Tim Hetherington" TV Awards Be...
- 1/19/2014
- Gold Derby
The Producers Guild Of America have announced the nominees for the 25th Annual Producers Guild Awards on January 19th, an awards nominee list that is said to be one of the best indicators of potential Oscar nominees.
The live-action feature film category includes: "12 Years A Slave," "American Hustle," "Blue Jasmine," "Captain Phillips," "Dallas Buyers Club," "Gravity," "Her," "Nebraska," "Saving Mr Banks" and "The Wolf Of Wall Street".
The animated feature film category includes: "The Croods," "Despicable Me 2," "Epic," "Frozen" and "Monsters University". The documentary feature film category includes: "A Place At The Table," "Far Out Isn’t Far Enough," "Life According To Sam," "We Steal Secrets" and "Which Way Is The Front Line From Here".
The episodic TV drama category includes: "Breaking Bad," "Downton Abbey," "Game of Thrones," "Homeland" and "House of Cards". The episodic TV comedy category includes: "30 Rock," "Arrested Development," "The Big Bang Theory," "Modern Family," "Veep...
The live-action feature film category includes: "12 Years A Slave," "American Hustle," "Blue Jasmine," "Captain Phillips," "Dallas Buyers Club," "Gravity," "Her," "Nebraska," "Saving Mr Banks" and "The Wolf Of Wall Street".
The animated feature film category includes: "The Croods," "Despicable Me 2," "Epic," "Frozen" and "Monsters University". The documentary feature film category includes: "A Place At The Table," "Far Out Isn’t Far Enough," "Life According To Sam," "We Steal Secrets" and "Which Way Is The Front Line From Here".
The episodic TV drama category includes: "Breaking Bad," "Downton Abbey," "Game of Thrones," "Homeland" and "House of Cards". The episodic TV comedy category includes: "30 Rock," "Arrested Development," "The Big Bang Theory," "Modern Family," "Veep...
- 1/3/2014
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
Plenty of groups give out awards for excellence in film and television at the end of every year, but no set of nominations is watched more carefully by Oscar predictors than the picks from the Producers Guild. That’s because year after year their choices end up being a fairly good indicator of which films will also be granted Best Picture nominations when the Academy makes their selections.
The Guild has announced their 2014 nominations today and there aren’t really any major surprises here. All the expected films are present, including 12 Years A Slave, American Hustle, Captain Phillips, Gravity, Her and The Wolf Of Wall Street. Animated films that nabbed nominations are The Croods, Despicable Me 2, Epic, Frozen and Monsters University. Included in the documentary nominations are A Place at the Table, Far Out Isn’t Far Enough: The Tomi Ungerer Story, Life According to Sam, We Steal Secrets: The Story of Wikileaks...
The Guild has announced their 2014 nominations today and there aren’t really any major surprises here. All the expected films are present, including 12 Years A Slave, American Hustle, Captain Phillips, Gravity, Her and The Wolf Of Wall Street. Animated films that nabbed nominations are The Croods, Despicable Me 2, Epic, Frozen and Monsters University. Included in the documentary nominations are A Place at the Table, Far Out Isn’t Far Enough: The Tomi Ungerer Story, Life According to Sam, We Steal Secrets: The Story of Wikileaks...
- 1/2/2014
- by Alexander Lowe
- We Got This Covered
The Producers Guild of America has announced the nominees for the 25th annual PGA Awards. In the movie category, the Coen Brothers' "Inside Llewyn Davis" and the awards hopefuls from the Weinstein Company were ignored -- no "August: Osage County," "Fruitvale Station" (darn!), "Philomena" (another darn), "Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom," and "Lee Daniels' The Butler." Sorry Harvey and Bob Weinstein!
We'll find out the winners on Jan. 19. Here's the complete list of nominees of the 25th Annual PGA Awards (including TV categories):
The Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures:
American Hustle (Columbia Pictures)
Producers: Megan Ellison, Jon Gordon, Charles Roven, Richard Suckle
Blue Jasmine (Sony Pictures Classics)
Producers: Letty Aronson, Stephen Tenenbaum
Captain Phillips (Columbia Pictures)
Producers: Dana Brunetti, Michael De Luca, Scott Rudin
Dallas Buyers Club (Focus Features)
Producers: Robbie Brenner, Rachel Winter
Gravity (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Producers: Alfonso Cuarón, David Heyman
Her (Warner Bros.
We'll find out the winners on Jan. 19. Here's the complete list of nominees of the 25th Annual PGA Awards (including TV categories):
The Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures:
American Hustle (Columbia Pictures)
Producers: Megan Ellison, Jon Gordon, Charles Roven, Richard Suckle
Blue Jasmine (Sony Pictures Classics)
Producers: Letty Aronson, Stephen Tenenbaum
Captain Phillips (Columbia Pictures)
Producers: Dana Brunetti, Michael De Luca, Scott Rudin
Dallas Buyers Club (Focus Features)
Producers: Robbie Brenner, Rachel Winter
Gravity (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Producers: Alfonso Cuarón, David Heyman
Her (Warner Bros.
- 1/2/2014
- by Manny
- Manny the Movie Guy
The Producers Guild of America has accurately forecast the last six Best Picture Oscar winners, so it was good news for 10 films that were nominated today for the PGA’s Darryl F. Zanuck Award. While Gravity, 12 Years a Slave, and American Hustle were among the films that made the cut, Inside Llewyn Davis, The Butler, and Fruitvale Station did not. Last year, eight of the 10 movies that received nods from the PGA went on to earn Oscar nominations for Best Picture.
Fruitvale will go home with a special award when the hardware is handed out on Jan. 19. The movie from...
Fruitvale will go home with a special award when the hardware is handed out on Jan. 19. The movie from...
- 1/2/2014
- by Jeff Labrecque
- EW - Inside Movies
The Producers Guild Of America has weighed into awards season with its list of nominees ahead of the 25th Annual Producers Guild Awards on January 19.
Vying for The Darryl F Zanuck Award For Outstanding Producer Of Theatrical Motion Pictures are in alphabetical order: 12 Years A Slave, American Hustle, Blue Jasmine, Captain Phillips, Dallas Buyers Club, Gravity, Her, Nebraska, Saving Mr Banks (pictured) and The Wolf Of Wall Street.
Nominees for Outstanding Producer Of Animated Theatrical Motion Pictures are in alphabetical order: The Croods, Despicable Me 2, Epic, Frozen and Monsters University.
Contenders for Outstanding Producer Of Documentary Theatrical Motion Pictures are in alphabetical order: A Place At The Table, Far Out Isn’t Far Enough: The Tomi Ungerer Story, Life According To Sam, We Steal Secrets: The Story Of Wikileaks and Which Way Is The Front Line From Here: The Life And Time Of Tim Hetherington.
As previously announced, special PGA honours go to Barbara Broccoli and Michael G...
Vying for The Darryl F Zanuck Award For Outstanding Producer Of Theatrical Motion Pictures are in alphabetical order: 12 Years A Slave, American Hustle, Blue Jasmine, Captain Phillips, Dallas Buyers Club, Gravity, Her, Nebraska, Saving Mr Banks (pictured) and The Wolf Of Wall Street.
Nominees for Outstanding Producer Of Animated Theatrical Motion Pictures are in alphabetical order: The Croods, Despicable Me 2, Epic, Frozen and Monsters University.
Contenders for Outstanding Producer Of Documentary Theatrical Motion Pictures are in alphabetical order: A Place At The Table, Far Out Isn’t Far Enough: The Tomi Ungerer Story, Life According To Sam, We Steal Secrets: The Story Of Wikileaks and Which Way Is The Front Line From Here: The Life And Time Of Tim Hetherington.
As previously announced, special PGA honours go to Barbara Broccoli and Michael G...
- 1/2/2014
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Over the past weeks and months, we've used this space to take a close look at almost every Oscar category (bar the shorts: we'll focus on those once the nominations are out and we've seen the films), and making our rolling predictions in the process. Just in time for Christmas, we've reached the end, with just one category left: Documentary. We made our picks of the best documentaries of 2013 last week, and there's a fair amount of crossover with the 15-strong shortlist announced by the Academy a few weeks ago. We included "The Act of Killing," "Blackfish," "Cutie and the Boxer," "God Loves Uganda," "Stories We Tell" and "20 Feet From Stardom," all put forward by the Oscar nominating committee, who also picked "The Armstrong Lie," "The Crash Reel," "Dirty Wars," "First Cousin Once Removed," "Life According To Sam," "Pussy Riot: A Punk Prayer," "The Square," "Tim's Vermeer" and "Which Way...
- 12/17/2013
- by Oliver Lyttelton
- The Playlist
The Academy Of Motion Picture Arts And Sciences has announced the 15 films in the documentary feature category that will advance in the voting process for the 86th Oscars.
The list includes Joshua Oppenheimer’s Indonesian death squad reenactment The Act Of Killing, Sarah Polley’s 2013 New York Film Critics Circle winner Stories We Tell, Jehane Noujaim’s Egyptian Revolution story The Square (pictured) and Alex Gibney’s The Armstrong Lie.
One hundred and forty-seven films qualified in the category.
The 15 films are listed below in alphabetical order by title:
The Act Of Killing;
The Armstrong Lie;
Blackfish;
The Crash Reel;
Cutie And The Boxer;
Dirty Wars;
First Cousin Once Removed;
God Loves Uganda;
Life According To Sam;
Pussy Riot: A Punk Prayer;
The Square;
Stories We Tell;
Tim’s Vermeer;
20 Feet From Stardom; and
Which Way Is The Front Line From Here? The Life And Time Of Tim Hetherington.
The Academy’s documentary branch selected the shortlist...
The list includes Joshua Oppenheimer’s Indonesian death squad reenactment The Act Of Killing, Sarah Polley’s 2013 New York Film Critics Circle winner Stories We Tell, Jehane Noujaim’s Egyptian Revolution story The Square (pictured) and Alex Gibney’s The Armstrong Lie.
One hundred and forty-seven films qualified in the category.
The 15 films are listed below in alphabetical order by title:
The Act Of Killing;
The Armstrong Lie;
Blackfish;
The Crash Reel;
Cutie And The Boxer;
Dirty Wars;
First Cousin Once Removed;
God Loves Uganda;
Life According To Sam;
Pussy Riot: A Punk Prayer;
The Square;
Stories We Tell;
Tim’s Vermeer;
20 Feet From Stardom; and
Which Way Is The Front Line From Here? The Life And Time Of Tim Hetherington.
The Academy’s documentary branch selected the shortlist...
- 12/3/2013
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
This is a tough awards season! Lots of great movies to see, so little time! I'm catching up like crazy before we vote for the Critics' Choice Movie Awards for the Broadcast Film Critics Association. So I apologize if I haven't updated you with the latest on the awards season 2013-2014! And there were many award-giving bodies announcing nominations.
We already told you about the Rome Film Festival and the Film Independent Spirit Awards, now let's talk about the 2013 Gotham Awards, the Ida Documentary Awards, the Cinema Eye, and the Producers Guild announcing its best documentary choices.
First stop, we have the 2013 Gotham Awards where Steve McQueen's "12 Years a Slave" topped the nominations with three nods including best feature, best actor for Chiwetel Ejiofor and breakthrough actor for Lupita Nyong'o.
Winners will be announced on Dec. 2nd where Richard Linklater, Forest Whitaker, and Katherine Oliver (head of the NYC...
We already told you about the Rome Film Festival and the Film Independent Spirit Awards, now let's talk about the 2013 Gotham Awards, the Ida Documentary Awards, the Cinema Eye, and the Producers Guild announcing its best documentary choices.
First stop, we have the 2013 Gotham Awards where Steve McQueen's "12 Years a Slave" topped the nominations with three nods including best feature, best actor for Chiwetel Ejiofor and breakthrough actor for Lupita Nyong'o.
Winners will be announced on Dec. 2nd where Richard Linklater, Forest Whitaker, and Katherine Oliver (head of the NYC...
- 12/2/2013
- by Manny
- Manny the Movie Guy
The Producers Guild of America (PGA) has announced the Documentary Motion Picture nominees for the 25th Annual Producers Guild Awards. The nominated films, listed below in alphabetical order, are: A Place At The Table Far Out Isn’T Far Enough: The Tomi Ungerer Story Life According To Sam We Steal Secrets: The Story Of Wikileaks Which Way Is The Front Line From Here? The Life And Time Of Tim Hetherington The TV Series/Specials and Digital Series nominees will be announced on December 3, 2013. All other nominations for the 2014 Producers Guild Award categories will be announced on January 2, 2014, along with the names of the eligible producers for the nominated documentary motion pictures. The winners winners will be announced on January 19, 2014 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.
- 11/26/2013
- by Indiewire
- Indiewire
The Producers Guild of America (PGA) announced today, the Documentary Motion Picture nominees that will advance in the voting process for the 25th Annual Producers Guild Awards.
The nominated films, listed below in alphabetical order, are:
A Place At The Table Far Out Isn’T Far Enough: The Tomi Ungerer Story Life According To Sam We Steal Secrets: The Story Of Wikileaks Which Way Is The Front Line From Here? The Life And Time Of Tim Hetherington
The TV Series/Specials and Digital Series nominees will be announced on December 3, 2013. All other nominations for the 2014 Producers Guild Award categories will be announced on January 2, 2014, along with the names of the eligible producers for the nominated documentary motion pictures.
All 2014 Producers Guild Award winners will be announced on January 19, 2014 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. The Producers Guild will also present special honors to Barbara Broccoli & Michael G. Wilson, Robert Iger, Peter Jackson & Joe Letteri,...
The nominated films, listed below in alphabetical order, are:
A Place At The Table Far Out Isn’T Far Enough: The Tomi Ungerer Story Life According To Sam We Steal Secrets: The Story Of Wikileaks Which Way Is The Front Line From Here? The Life And Time Of Tim Hetherington
The TV Series/Specials and Digital Series nominees will be announced on December 3, 2013. All other nominations for the 2014 Producers Guild Award categories will be announced on January 2, 2014, along with the names of the eligible producers for the nominated documentary motion pictures.
All 2014 Producers Guild Award winners will be announced on January 19, 2014 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. The Producers Guild will also present special honors to Barbara Broccoli & Michael G. Wilson, Robert Iger, Peter Jackson & Joe Letteri,...
- 11/26/2013
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
The Producers Guild Of America (PGA) has named the documentary nominees that will advance in the voting process for the 25th Annual Producers Guild Awards.
The Producers Guild Of America (PGA) has named the documentary nominees that will advance in the voting process for the 25th Annual Producers Guild Awards.
The nominated films in alphabetical order are: A Place At The Table; Far Out Isn’t Far Enough: The Tomi Ungerer Story; Life According To Sam; We Steal Secrets: The Story Of Wikileaks; and Which Way Is The Front Line From Here? The Life And Time Of Tim Hetherington (pictured).
The TV series/specials and digital series nominees will be announced on December 3.
All other nominations for the 2014 Producers Guild Award categories will be announced on January 2 2014, along with the names of the eligible producers for the documentary feature nominees.
All 2014 Producers Guild Award winners will be announced on January 19 2014 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.
As previously...
The Producers Guild Of America (PGA) has named the documentary nominees that will advance in the voting process for the 25th Annual Producers Guild Awards.
The nominated films in alphabetical order are: A Place At The Table; Far Out Isn’t Far Enough: The Tomi Ungerer Story; Life According To Sam; We Steal Secrets: The Story Of Wikileaks; and Which Way Is The Front Line From Here? The Life And Time Of Tim Hetherington (pictured).
The TV series/specials and digital series nominees will be announced on December 3.
All other nominations for the 2014 Producers Guild Award categories will be announced on January 2 2014, along with the names of the eligible producers for the documentary feature nominees.
All 2014 Producers Guild Award winners will be announced on January 19 2014 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.
As previously...
- 11/26/2013
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
And the nominees are: Ø A Place At The Table Ø Far Out Isn’T Far Enough: The Tomi Ungerer Story Ø Life According To Sam Ø We Steal Secrets: The Story Of Wikileaks...
- 11/26/2013
- by Sasha Stone
- AwardsDaily.com
This November 11th will be the third year of The Florida State University Student Veteran Film Festival (Svff) . For the past three years I have been asked to be the executive advisor to this initiative to provide opportunity to curate on behalf of the College Of Motion Picture Arts, and at the request of my Dean Frank Patterson and the University President, Dr. Eric Barron, in support of our Student Veterans the annual featured motion picture presentation. This initiative provides a platform, utilizing cinema to engage conversation surrounding issues facing our returning student veterans returning from their service. The Collegiate Veterans Association leaders created the concept for this festival, and I have had the honor to participate in the opportunity. As the Executive Director of the Florida State University College of Motion Picture ArtsTorchlight Program, and Executive Advisor to the Fsu Svff, I have been able to merge my independent film industry background with educational opportunities at the University with the vision of expanding learning opportunities through cinema.
In year one the film selected to present was ”Hell and Back Again”, directed by Danfung Dennis, which went on to be nominated for an Oscar in 2011. Year two the Svff presented “The Invisible War”, directed by Kirby Dick, which went on to be nominated for the Oscar in 2012. Fsu President Eric Barron created an award that year to honor Kirby Dick for his filmmaking, the Fsu Student Veteran Torchlight Award (described in the material provided). This year, the award will be presented to Sebastian Junger for his documentary, "Which Way Is The Front Line From Here? The Life And Time of Tim Hetherington".
The Collegiate Veterans Association at Florida State University is one of the most universally known and well-respected student veteran groups in the nation. The university, the administration, and the student body have joined together in an effort to make Florida State University one of the most veteran friendly public universities, in the nation. Inherent in this goal is our effort to raise awareness and promote veteran’s issues. The Student Veteran Film Festival is one of our primary vehicles for achieving these goals.
The Student Veteran Film Festival is an annual event at the Florida State University that highlights veteran issues on campus, in the local community, and nationally. This event has a proud tradition of elegance, prestige, and creation of intense dialogue between filmmakers, students, and veterans.
The education and awareness that this event has been able to cultivate for issues such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Military Sexual Trauma has been both significant and impactful. The inaugural event showcased the film ”Hell and Back Again” with the following year hosting “The Invisible War”. The nature of these films show that our student veterans are not afraid of having difficult conversations and are serious about impacting real, meaningful, change.
Third Annual Student Veteran Film Festival To Feature Award-winning Author And Film Director Sebastian Junger
Tallahassee – Florida State University students will bring award-winning author and filmmaker Sebastian Junger and his critically acclaimed documentary film “Which Way is the Front Line from Here? The Life and Times of Tim Hetherington” to the 3rd Annual Student Veteran Film Festival on Monday, Nov. 11.
A collaborative effort among the Collegiate Veterans Association , Interfraternity Council, Panhellenic Association and College of Motion Picture Arts, the event will feature a discussion with Junger about the film, which traces Hetherington’s work across the world's battlefields to reveal what made him such a singular talent — and remarkable human being. The film also illuminates the incredible risks combat journalists face, at a time when they are dying with greater frequency in war zones.
“We are proud to screen this acclaimed film and host an event that facilitates discussion about what life is like in war-torn parts of the world, which Tim Hetherington captured so movingly through his images,” said Ryan Taylor, president of the Fsu Collegiate Veterans Association.
Junger is a bestselling author (“The Perfect Storm,” “War”) who, with Hetherington, co-directed “Restrepo,” an Academy Award nominated documentary about an American combat outpost in Afghanistan.
Junger will also receive the “Fsu Student Veteran Torchlight Award for Outstanding Achievement in Filmmaking” following the screening of the film. The award, which comes with a $25,000 honorarium, is given annually to a filmmaker who illuminates issues affecting veterans.
"As part of Florida State’s commitment to become the most veteran-friendly university in the nation, we are recognizing filmmakers who explore issues that affect military service members, veterans and their families,” said Fsu President Eric J. Barron. “I am pleased to honor Sebastian Junger with this award for his poignant tribute to Tim Hetherington."
The film festival is intended to raise awareness of student-veterans’ issues and bridge the gap between veterans and the community. Paul Cohen, director of the College of Motion Picture Arts’ Torchlight program, secured the rights to screen “Which Way is the Front Line from Here? The Life and Times of Tim Hetherington.” The film, telecast and distributed by HBO, was screened at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival.
The Student Veteran Film Festival will take place:
Monday, Nov. 11
3 – 7:30 P.M.
Ruby Diamond Concert Hall
222 S. Copeland St.
Florida State University
Tallahassee, Fla.
Student Veteran Film Festival website – http://vetfilmfest.fsu.edu Svff page on the Student Veterans Center website – http://veterans.fsu.edu/Student-Veteran-Film-Festival (As mentioned, the story on this page will be replaced by the news release, once its been finalized by the Communications office.) Svff Tickets – http://tickets.fsu.edu Ruby Diamond Concert Hall - http://tickets.fsu.edu/Venue-Information/Ruby-Diamond-Concert-Hall...
In year one the film selected to present was ”Hell and Back Again”, directed by Danfung Dennis, which went on to be nominated for an Oscar in 2011. Year two the Svff presented “The Invisible War”, directed by Kirby Dick, which went on to be nominated for the Oscar in 2012. Fsu President Eric Barron created an award that year to honor Kirby Dick for his filmmaking, the Fsu Student Veteran Torchlight Award (described in the material provided). This year, the award will be presented to Sebastian Junger for his documentary, "Which Way Is The Front Line From Here? The Life And Time of Tim Hetherington".
The Collegiate Veterans Association at Florida State University is one of the most universally known and well-respected student veteran groups in the nation. The university, the administration, and the student body have joined together in an effort to make Florida State University one of the most veteran friendly public universities, in the nation. Inherent in this goal is our effort to raise awareness and promote veteran’s issues. The Student Veteran Film Festival is one of our primary vehicles for achieving these goals.
The Student Veteran Film Festival is an annual event at the Florida State University that highlights veteran issues on campus, in the local community, and nationally. This event has a proud tradition of elegance, prestige, and creation of intense dialogue between filmmakers, students, and veterans.
The education and awareness that this event has been able to cultivate for issues such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Military Sexual Trauma has been both significant and impactful. The inaugural event showcased the film ”Hell and Back Again” with the following year hosting “The Invisible War”. The nature of these films show that our student veterans are not afraid of having difficult conversations and are serious about impacting real, meaningful, change.
Third Annual Student Veteran Film Festival To Feature Award-winning Author And Film Director Sebastian Junger
Tallahassee – Florida State University students will bring award-winning author and filmmaker Sebastian Junger and his critically acclaimed documentary film “Which Way is the Front Line from Here? The Life and Times of Tim Hetherington” to the 3rd Annual Student Veteran Film Festival on Monday, Nov. 11.
A collaborative effort among the Collegiate Veterans Association , Interfraternity Council, Panhellenic Association and College of Motion Picture Arts, the event will feature a discussion with Junger about the film, which traces Hetherington’s work across the world's battlefields to reveal what made him such a singular talent — and remarkable human being. The film also illuminates the incredible risks combat journalists face, at a time when they are dying with greater frequency in war zones.
“We are proud to screen this acclaimed film and host an event that facilitates discussion about what life is like in war-torn parts of the world, which Tim Hetherington captured so movingly through his images,” said Ryan Taylor, president of the Fsu Collegiate Veterans Association.
Junger is a bestselling author (“The Perfect Storm,” “War”) who, with Hetherington, co-directed “Restrepo,” an Academy Award nominated documentary about an American combat outpost in Afghanistan.
Junger will also receive the “Fsu Student Veteran Torchlight Award for Outstanding Achievement in Filmmaking” following the screening of the film. The award, which comes with a $25,000 honorarium, is given annually to a filmmaker who illuminates issues affecting veterans.
"As part of Florida State’s commitment to become the most veteran-friendly university in the nation, we are recognizing filmmakers who explore issues that affect military service members, veterans and their families,” said Fsu President Eric J. Barron. “I am pleased to honor Sebastian Junger with this award for his poignant tribute to Tim Hetherington."
The film festival is intended to raise awareness of student-veterans’ issues and bridge the gap between veterans and the community. Paul Cohen, director of the College of Motion Picture Arts’ Torchlight program, secured the rights to screen “Which Way is the Front Line from Here? The Life and Times of Tim Hetherington.” The film, telecast and distributed by HBO, was screened at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival.
The Student Veteran Film Festival will take place:
Monday, Nov. 11
3 – 7:30 P.M.
Ruby Diamond Concert Hall
222 S. Copeland St.
Florida State University
Tallahassee, Fla.
Student Veteran Film Festival website – http://vetfilmfest.fsu.edu Svff page on the Student Veterans Center website – http://veterans.fsu.edu/Student-Veteran-Film-Festival (As mentioned, the story on this page will be replaced by the news release, once its been finalized by the Communications office.) Svff Tickets – http://tickets.fsu.edu Ruby Diamond Concert Hall - http://tickets.fsu.edu/Venue-Information/Ruby-Diamond-Concert-Hall...
- 11/11/2013
- by Paul Cohen
- Sydney's Buzz
Cinema Eye Honors has announced its nominees for the 7th Annual Nonfiction Film Awards. Forty feature films and six shorts will vie for this year’s Cinema Eye Honors for Nonfiction Filmmaking.
Five films are competing for Cinema Eye’s top award, Outstanding Achievement in Nonfiction Feature Filmmaking: Joshua Oppenheimer’s The Act Of Killing, Martha Shane and Lana Wilson’s After Tiller, Zachary Heinzerling’s Cutie And The Boxer (pictured), Lucien Castaing-Taylor and Véréna Paravel’s Leviathan and Sarah Polley’s Stories We Tell.
Cutie And The Boxer led all films with six nominations, while The Act Of Killing received five. Heinzerling and the directing duos of Castaing-Taylor and Paravel and Shane and Wilson all led individual nominees with four nominations apiece.
Cinema Eye also announced nominees for their inaugural award for Nonfiction Films Made for Television. Four of the six nominees are from HBO Documentary Films, including Lucy Walker’s The Crash Reel, Dawn Porter’s Gideon...
Five films are competing for Cinema Eye’s top award, Outstanding Achievement in Nonfiction Feature Filmmaking: Joshua Oppenheimer’s The Act Of Killing, Martha Shane and Lana Wilson’s After Tiller, Zachary Heinzerling’s Cutie And The Boxer (pictured), Lucien Castaing-Taylor and Véréna Paravel’s Leviathan and Sarah Polley’s Stories We Tell.
Cutie And The Boxer led all films with six nominations, while The Act Of Killing received five. Heinzerling and the directing duos of Castaing-Taylor and Paravel and Shane and Wilson all led individual nominees with four nominations apiece.
Cinema Eye also announced nominees for their inaugural award for Nonfiction Films Made for Television. Four of the six nominees are from HBO Documentary Films, including Lucy Walker’s The Crash Reel, Dawn Porter’s Gideon...
- 11/6/2013
- ScreenDaily
Korean director Jo Dong Oh returns with “Running Man”, his first outing since his big budget 2006 fantasy “The Restless”, a relative flop that was nevertheless noted for its stunning visuals. The film is a high concept action thriller, which as the title suggests is filled with chase scenes, actor Shin Ha Kyun (“The Front Line”) starring as the titular fellow, forced to flee after inadvertently getting caught up in a dangerous conspiracy. Also featuring rising television actor Lee Min Ho (popular in dramas “Rooftop Prince” and “Moon That Embraces the Sun”), the film fared better than his previous offering, opening at number one at the domestic box office. Shin Ha Kyun plays Jong Woo, an ex-con with a long history of petty crimes and a habit of slipping the long hand of the law, now trying to go straight as a mechanic while looking after his rebellious teenage son Gi...
- 10/15/2013
- by James Mudge
- Beyond Hollywood
The Fifth Estate | Le Week-end | Machete Kills | Not Another Happy Ending | Baggage Claim | Romeo & Juliet | Nobody's Daughter Haewon
The Fifth Estate (15)
(Bill Condon, 2013, Us/Bel) Benedict Cumberbatch, Daniel Brühl, David Thewlis, Laura Linney, Peter Capaldi. 128 mins
Cumberbatch was seemingly born to play Julian Assange, though this pacy hot-button-issue thriller struggles to make the Wikileaks story into another Social Network. There are some questionable cinematic flourishes (ooh, cyberspace!), but at the core is the bromance between Brühl's wide-eyed German techie (Daniel Berg) and the enigmatic Aussie – partners in a morally hazardous social justice crusade that climaxes with, er, the Guardian.
Le Week-end (15)
(Roger Michell, 2013, UK) Jim Broadbent, Lindsay Duncan, Jeff Goldblum. 93 mins
Before Midnight for seniors, as a 60-something couple's Parisian second honeymoon gives rise to bickering, regrets, and fears for the future, but youthful romantic comedy too. There's wit and wisdom in the writing and the seasoned performers are very good company.
The Fifth Estate (15)
(Bill Condon, 2013, Us/Bel) Benedict Cumberbatch, Daniel Brühl, David Thewlis, Laura Linney, Peter Capaldi. 128 mins
Cumberbatch was seemingly born to play Julian Assange, though this pacy hot-button-issue thriller struggles to make the Wikileaks story into another Social Network. There are some questionable cinematic flourishes (ooh, cyberspace!), but at the core is the bromance between Brühl's wide-eyed German techie (Daniel Berg) and the enigmatic Aussie – partners in a morally hazardous social justice crusade that climaxes with, er, the Guardian.
Le Week-end (15)
(Roger Michell, 2013, UK) Jim Broadbent, Lindsay Duncan, Jeff Goldblum. 93 mins
Before Midnight for seniors, as a 60-something couple's Parisian second honeymoon gives rise to bickering, regrets, and fears for the future, but youthful romantic comedy too. There's wit and wisdom in the writing and the seasoned performers are very good company.
- 10/12/2013
- by Steve Rose
- The Guardian - Film News
Exclusive: Participants include Germany’s Sol Bondy, Jennifer Fox [pictured] from the Us, and Canada’s Lauren Grant.
Trans Atlantic Partners (Tap), the intensive training and networking programme for European Canadian and American producers, has announced the 26 participants selected for this year’s programme.
Partners on the initiative, which is now four years old, are the Erich Pommer Institut in Potsdam, Germany (the creator of Tap), Strategic Partners in Halifax, Canada and Ifp in New York. The scheme also includes observer producers from India and Mexico.
Tap is supported by the Media Mundus Programme of the European Union, by Telefilm Canada, and Vff (Verwertungsgesellschaft der Film- und Fernsehproduzenten mbH) Germany.
The three training modules are taking place in Berlin, Halifax and New York City between June and September 2013. The selected producers also participate in the Atlantic Film Festival’s Strategic Partners and the Ifp’s Independent Film Week in New York.
Nadja Radojevic...
Trans Atlantic Partners (Tap), the intensive training and networking programme for European Canadian and American producers, has announced the 26 participants selected for this year’s programme.
Partners on the initiative, which is now four years old, are the Erich Pommer Institut in Potsdam, Germany (the creator of Tap), Strategic Partners in Halifax, Canada and Ifp in New York. The scheme also includes observer producers from India and Mexico.
Tap is supported by the Media Mundus Programme of the European Union, by Telefilm Canada, and Vff (Verwertungsgesellschaft der Film- und Fernsehproduzenten mbH) Germany.
The three training modules are taking place in Berlin, Halifax and New York City between June and September 2013. The selected producers also participate in the Atlantic Film Festival’s Strategic Partners and the Ifp’s Independent Film Week in New York.
Nadja Radojevic...
- 6/13/2013
- by wendy.mitchell@screendaily.com (Wendy Mitchell)
- ScreenDaily
Which Way Is The Front Line From Here? The Life and Time of Tim Hetherington is a documentary about a well-regarded combat reporter who died in a rocket attack by the Gaddafi troops in Misrata, Libya, in 2011. It is directed by his friend and colleague Sebastian Junger. A few years back, they made an award-winning documentary together, Restrepo, while embedded with a platoon of U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan's deadly Korengal Valley. I got a chance to sit down with Junger this past week. Perhaps best known for his best-selling book, The Perfect Storm, Junger exudes masculinity and charisma as he speaks freely about his friend, war and dangers of combat reporting.Which Way Is The Front Line From Here? The Life and Time of Tim Hetherington...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 4/17/2013
- Screen Anarchy
Thom Powers is a friend of ours in the business and amazes us by his acumen, generosity, range of activities and devotion to what many of us consider the most frequently relevant, creative and earth changing form of feature length cinema - the documentary. I came upon this fascinating dialogue on his website (link below) where he ruminated most eloquently about what actually went on at Sundance business wise with documentaries. Fascinating. Please check out his 'Stranger Than Fiction' website which is of great value to any filmmaker wanting clarity on the business of documentary film. Two fascinating reports (for example) listed on the site among others were these two - Guide to Documentary Buyers at Tiff and Guide to Documentary Sales Agents at Tiff. Every docu filmmaker should start here. Thom Powers has been an International Documentary Programmer for the Toronto International Film Festival® since 2006. He is also responsible for Mavericks, the Festival’s discussion series with cinema innovators. Powers is the Artistic Director for the weekly documentary series, “Stranger than Fiction” at Manhattan’s IFC Center and for the Doc NYC festival in November. He also consults on programming for the Miami International Film Festival. He has directed documentaries for HBO and PBS; and is a founding member of the documentary production company Sugar Pictures. He teaches documentary courses at New York University’s School of Continuing Professional Studies and the School of Visual Arts. He is a co-founder of the Cinema Eye Honors, an annual award for documentary excellence; and the Garrrett Scott Development Grant. He has served as a juror for Sundance, SXSW, Cph: Dox and DocAviv festivals; as well as the Emmy, Ida and Independent Spirit Awards. He has written extensively on documentary filmmaking for The Boston Globe, Real Screen, and Filmmaker Magazine. Stranger than Fiction Exclusive documentary film screenings, hosted by Raphaela Neihausen and Thom Powers. Winter Season: Jan 8 - Feb 26, 2013 IFC Center 323 Sixth Ave. @ West Third St.
A Conversation With Thom Powers on the Sundance Film Festival
by Rahul Chadha | Sunday, February 3rd, 2013
For most people on the indie film circuit, the Sundance Film Festival marks the start of the new year. Park City is where filmmakers go to earn buzz for their projects, get some press and maybe even ink a distribution deal. On Jan. 30 I spoke with Thom Powers about the documentary films at Sundance that garnered the most chatter and the biggest checks, among other subjects.
[Q&A has been edited for content and clarity]
Rahul Chadha: It seemed like so much of the press attention around Sundance was focused on sales. The Hollywood Reporter said that four docs sold for at least seven figures and I read a report that Blackfish elicited a bidding war from four or five distributors. Did you get the sense that sales were better this year, and if so, why do you think that was?
Thom Powers: Some of those figures are slightly inflated. I know at least one of those films that is being reported as a million dollar sale is a little under a million dollars. But the fact remains that there were some very strong doc sales, and notably the emergence of a new player in The Weinstein Company’s RADiUS brand run by Tom Quinn and Jason Janego. Tom previously worked for Magnolia, where he worked on several successful docs such as Food Inc. and Man On Wire. Months ago RADiUS announced involvement in the new Errol Morris film about Donald Rumsfeld, The Unknown Known, due out later this year. Tom told me they would be very selective about docs which left me unprepared for their recent buying streak. Their first Sundance acquisition was the opening night title 20 Feet From Stardom, set in the music industry that gives it a solid commercial hook. Then RADiUS acquired Inequality For All, which struck me as less obvious. But if you imagine it following in the footsteps of An Inconvenient Truth you can see the commercial appeal. Then they announced Cutie And The Boxer, which has no celebrity connection and on the surface feels less obviously commercial, although it had strong word of mouth. So it seems RADiUS is trying out a wide range of docs and it’s good for the industry to have a new player in the mix. In addition to their strong showing, there was notable acquisitions by mainstay distributors including Sundance Selects, which bought Dirty Wars and The Summit, and Magnolia Pictures, which bought Blackfish.
Chadha: It seemed like Submarine had a strong presence this year.
Powers: For years Submarine–run by Josh Braun and his brother Dan–has been the dominant doc sales agent making the biggest doc deals at both Sundance and Toronto. There are certainly other big sales agents, including Cinetic and big agencies like Wme, CAA, UTA, or ICM taking on the occasional doc. But no one carries as big a slate of high prestige documentaries as Submarine. This year their lineup included 20 Feet From Stardom, Blackfish, The Summit, Dirty Wars and Cutie And The Boxer, all of which were high-profile deals. Their slate includes other films that have yet to announce deals, including God Loves Uganda, Muscle Shoals, Who Is Dayani Cristal? and Citizen Koch.
Chadha: Do you think this underscores that filmmakers really do need a sales agent at a festival the level of Sundance?
Powers: I think for a film that has real theatrical potential a sales agent is key. For a film that may find it tougher in the American marketplace, such as many of the docs in the world competition that may not be competing for deals – any subtitled film has a harder time in this marketplace – for those films I don’t know that a sales agent necessarily helps for the kinds of smaller deals that may or may not be offered.
Chadha: Do you think that as digital becomes an increasingly important distribution channel that festivals will take on a new importance?
Powers: I do. In an old model, the way a film would imprint itself on the public’s consciousness is to get a theatrical run. But now there are more documentaries and more films in general being released than ever before. There are weeks when the New York Times is reviewing 15 films, so it’s harder to leave an impression on the public. A lot of these films are seeing their financial future on digital platforms. Because viewers aren’t hearing as much about films in theatrical release, I think the festival circuit is going to have increasing importance for the life of a film.
Chadha: There were a few films at Sundance that dealt with the legacy of 9/11. You mentioned Dirty Wars but there was The World According To Dick Cheney and Which Way Is The Front Line From Here? The Life And Time Of Tim Hetherington and We Steal Secrets: The Story Of Wikileaks.
Powers: Yes that thematic cluster absolutely stood out. The legacy of 9/11 and the response to it through wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as other kinds of counter-terrorism actions played out in other countries, remains a key subject for documentary makers to grapple with. I think the distance of 12 years from 9/11 gives us time to reflect. In the film Manhunt about the hunt for Osama bin Laden, there’s a clear connection. The World According To Dick Cheney is about the chief architect of post-9/11 counter-terrorism actions. It came in for criticism that the filmmakers weren’t hard enough on Dick Cheney, weren’t asking tough enough questions. And while I shared some of those frustrations, I certainly learned a lot about Cheney’s career from watching it.
Chadha: Anthony Kaufman recently wrote a piece that singled out Dirty Wars and the Alex Gibney film We Steal Secrets: The Story Of Wikileaks as two films that he thought might presage a wave of films by left-leaning filmmakers that are critical of Obama and his policies? Do you agree with that assessment or see a similar trend?
Powers: It’s a smart observation. Dirty Wars – which is one of the films I was most impressed by at Sundance – takes a long view of American foreign policy after 9/11 in the hands of the journalist at the center of that film, Jeremy Scahill, who’s best known for his book on Blackwater, and who now has a new book coming out that ties into this film. Alex Gibney’s Wikileaksfilm looks at the harsh response of the Obama administration to Bradley Manning, the U.S. soldier who had leaked the headline grabbing documents to Wikileaks. Those two films make an interesting contrast to documentaries of the past decade which comfortably coincided with a liberal critique of the Bush administration. I’m thinking of docs like Farhenheit 9/11 or No End In Sight that liberals rallied behind to point a finger at their political opponents. These new films force a more uncomfortable confrontation with an administration that those same liberals helped get elected.
Chadha: You previously mentioned to me that you thought that filmmakers screening unfinished films at Sundance were taking a risk. Why is that?
Powers: For some reason at Sundance, more than other festivals that I’m aware of, you find filmmakers rushing to screen works that sometimes aren’t completed. In my seven years of programming at Toronto, I’m not aware of any documentaries that went back for serious editing after their premiere – other than those presented as works-in-progress. But at Sundance every year there seems to be a few films that push the deadline so hard that they get taken back to the edit room afterwards. A notable example a couple of years ago was The Interrupters which played at Sundance in a version close to three hours before getting re-edited and having nearly an hour of material taken out of it. The question is, how much does that hurt a film, to have its first presentation before critics and industry be a version of itself that’s not the best. You can point to The Interrupters as a positive example. A lot of people, myself included, appreciated the long version of that film, and it didn’t diminish our interest at all. A fresh example this year was The Square, Jehane Noujaim’s film about the last two years of protest in Egypt around Tahrir Square. In this case the film arrived without any credits on it and Jehane told audiences that she was going back into the edit room. Normally that would sound to me like a challenging strategy. However, The Square came away from Sundance with an audience award. There’s clearly a power to that film, and a power that touched me watching that film, that transcended any rough edges that it contained. So I’ve just given two examples of films that made it work for them. I wouldn’t want to call out films where I think that strategy has not worked. But there certainly are cases and I’d strongly caution filmmakers not to assume that they’ll be the happy exceptions if they’re rushing their films for a festival deadline.
Chadha: There was a lot of talk this year about how well-represented women were on the doc side. I was wondering why you think this difference exists between the doc side and the fictional narrative side, where women still are underrepresented?
Powers: You can start a documentary with just a camera, as opposed to a fiction film where you need actors, a crew, a script, a lot more start-up resources. It may be self-perpetuating. Because there have been more prominent female doc makers, dating back to Barbara Kopple winning an Academy Award in the mid-70s, they’ve become role models for other women.
Chadha: What lost opportunities do you think filmmakers are struggling through at Sundance in terms of self-promotion? I know you’re a big proponent of filmmakers using Twitter.
Powers: I continue to be surprised by filmmakers who spend thousands of dollars on a publicist, but don’t take more advantage of social media which isfree. The Sundance docs that I saw making strong use of Twitter were Sound City which had 20,000 followers at the end of the festival; and 99% – The Occupy Wall Street Collaborative Film which had 15,000 followers. Then there’s a sharp drop-off. Films such as After Tiller, Dirty Wars and American Promise had around 1,500 followers each – they are getting off to a good start. Whenever possible, filmmakers need to begin their Twitter strategy well before their first festival in order to accumulate followers who can spread what’s happening at the festival.
Chadha: Which film were you most surprised by, and why?
Powers: It’s a reality of film festivals that you can’t see everything. You’re dividing your time between seeing films and utilizing that unique space to have meetings with people that you can’t otherwise. There were around 40 docs at Sundance and I’ve now seen roughly half. I think the film Blood Brother that won the audience prize and the jury prize took a lot of people by surprise because there was hardly any chatter about it in the corridors where press and industry exchange tips. It shows you that in a big festival, things can always surprise you.
I think certain filmmakers going into Sundance or other big festivals should consider screening more for press and tastemakers before the festival. The traditional wisdom has always been the opposite: to not screen for anyone prior, let your film be seen by an audience, and generate the buzz from there. That works for a film like Supersize Me – where the description made people put it on their priority list. But for a film that doesn’t have an obvious hook – including a lot of the films in the world documentary competition – those filmmakers might be better served trying to strategically screen for certain press and tastemakers so they can enter the festival with people already talking about them.
Chadha: Are there any films that are now on your “can’t miss” list?
Powers: Some of my favorite Sundance titles I’ve programmed for the Miami International Film Festival, which just announced its line-up last week. They include 20 Feet From Stardom, Blackfish, Gideon’S Army, The Crash Reel, Valentine Road, Which Way To The Front Line From Here? and Who Is Dayani Cristal?. There were many other strong films at Sundance that I look forward to showing at the Montclair Film Festival and Stranger Than Fiction. The Square I admire a lot. Muscle Shoals really took me by surprise. It played late in the festival and didn’t gain as much buzz as I thought it deserved. The director, who I believe is a first time director, made all kinds of smart creative decisions. Another film that went under the radar but made a big impression on me was The Stuart Hall Project about the U.K.-based black intellectual Stuart Hall. The film is wholly constructed out of archival sources, primarily from the BBC.
Chadha: What were the lessons about funding that came out of Sundance?
Powers: Sundance is a good survey of how docs are getting funded. This year reflects the important influence of Kickstarter. Recently Kickstarter introduced a tag for its projects that have a Sundance affiliation, and skimming that list I was impressed to see that Inequality For All had raised $83,000 and American Promise had raised $50,000 on Kickstarter. Other documentaries raised more modest sums. What’ so significant about Kickstarter is that those filmmakers did not need to wait around for a grant application committee to give them a green light. They could take matters into their own hands. Other funding players who were prominent are the Sundance Institute, the Tribeca Institute and the Ford Foundation which last year announced a $50 million commitment through the Just Films program. That Ford initiative supported projects like Gideon’S Army, Valentine Road, American Promise, Who Is Dayani Cristal?, God Loves Uganda and Citizen Koch.
Another important player is the equity group Impact Partners, who for several years have had a strong showing of their catalog at Sundance. This year their involvement included American Promise, The Crash Reel, Who Is Dayani Cristal? and Pandora’S Promise. The last group that I would mention is Cinereach, who were the heroes of Sundance last year for their funding of Beasts Of The Southern Wild, and who were back this year with four docs: Cutie And The Boxer, Citizen Koch, God Loves Uganda, and Narco Cultura.
When you look at the kinds of films that are showing up at Sundance, you see the names of some key producers re-occurring. This year the producer Julie Goldman, whose recent Sundance titles include Buck was back with three projects – Gideon’S Army, Manhunt and God Loves Uganda. The producer John Battsek from the U.K. who last year came with Searching For Sugar Man, was back this year with The Summit and Manhunt. And Jess Search, also based in the U.K., who is the founder of Britdoc and the Good Pitch had her name attached to the films Dirty Wars and Who Is Dayani Cristal? Clearly those producers and others like them have a good eye for spotting what makes a strong documentary in development. Those producers perform a variety of roles for filmmakers, whether it’s connecting them to financial support or supplying editorial perspective or connecting them to the other kind of industry players who can take a project further.
Chadha: Going back to Kickstarter for a minute, do you think films that have success on Kickstarter have the added benefit of showing to grantmaking institutions that their films are viable and that there’s an audience for them?
Powers: Absolutely. One bit of industry news this past week was that the HotDocs Forum, which has been a key place for documentaries to raise money, mainly in the broadcast world, announced that they will now accept projects on the basis of a certain amount of funds raised on Kickstarter. It used to be that you had to demonstrate a portion of your budget, like a quarter, was already being supported by a broadcaster or other traditional grantmaking institution. This change in policy signals the way in which Kickstarter funding is being taken more seriously.
In the case of The Square, the producers launched a Kickstarter campaign at Sundance to help finish their film. That seems like a very smart strategy for other filmmakers to consider. When you’re at a film festival, you have a rapt and enthused audience and if you can point them to a Kickstarter campaign, that’s a great way to leverage that enthusiasm. Even if you don’t need finishing funds, it’s a way to get outreach funds. I also saw the team from The Square selling t-shirts. After one screening they came away with few hundred dollars of cash in hand, which can help defray costs of attending a festival. These are strategies that filmmakers like Gary Hustwit have long practiced, emulating the way rock musicians sell t-shirts and posters at live performances. The film community has been slow to catch on. Maybe filmmakers are so busy getting their films made that they don’t have time to think about merchandise. But every bit of revenue helps.
Chadha: Any final thoughts?
Powers: We’ve talked about theatrical and digital distribution and new trends in crowdfunding. But it has to be said that the most long-standing and reliable place for documentary makers to get money is the broadcast world. HBO, which usually has a strong presence at Sundance, had the most overwhelming presence that I can remember, coming with six feature length documentaries. Plus during Sundance HBO bought Pussy Riot-a Punk Prayer. When you consider that HBO also has the film that was the 2012 winner at Idfa, Alan Berliner’s First Cousin Once Removed, and had two films at the Toronto festival – Mea Maxima Culpa by Alex Gibney and First Comes Love by Nina Davenport – that’s an impressive slate of films. There was news generated by other broadcasters getting active in the documentary field, including Showtime, which came with The World According To Dick Cheney. Just before Sundane, The New York Times reported about Showtime’s announcement of several documentaries in progress, including a film about Richard Pryor by Marina Zenovich, who made the Roman Polanski film, that I am personally looking forward to. In addition, CNN made an announcement during Sundance about a slate of feature-length docs, including a film by Alex Gibney. Another major player in that realm is A&E IndieFilms, which didn’t have any films in Sundance this year, but they’re already attached to Errol Morris’s Donald Rumsfeld documentary coming out later this year. All in all, the year is off to a good start.
Link to the original article here...
A Conversation With Thom Powers on the Sundance Film Festival
by Rahul Chadha | Sunday, February 3rd, 2013
For most people on the indie film circuit, the Sundance Film Festival marks the start of the new year. Park City is where filmmakers go to earn buzz for their projects, get some press and maybe even ink a distribution deal. On Jan. 30 I spoke with Thom Powers about the documentary films at Sundance that garnered the most chatter and the biggest checks, among other subjects.
[Q&A has been edited for content and clarity]
Rahul Chadha: It seemed like so much of the press attention around Sundance was focused on sales. The Hollywood Reporter said that four docs sold for at least seven figures and I read a report that Blackfish elicited a bidding war from four or five distributors. Did you get the sense that sales were better this year, and if so, why do you think that was?
Thom Powers: Some of those figures are slightly inflated. I know at least one of those films that is being reported as a million dollar sale is a little under a million dollars. But the fact remains that there were some very strong doc sales, and notably the emergence of a new player in The Weinstein Company’s RADiUS brand run by Tom Quinn and Jason Janego. Tom previously worked for Magnolia, where he worked on several successful docs such as Food Inc. and Man On Wire. Months ago RADiUS announced involvement in the new Errol Morris film about Donald Rumsfeld, The Unknown Known, due out later this year. Tom told me they would be very selective about docs which left me unprepared for their recent buying streak. Their first Sundance acquisition was the opening night title 20 Feet From Stardom, set in the music industry that gives it a solid commercial hook. Then RADiUS acquired Inequality For All, which struck me as less obvious. But if you imagine it following in the footsteps of An Inconvenient Truth you can see the commercial appeal. Then they announced Cutie And The Boxer, which has no celebrity connection and on the surface feels less obviously commercial, although it had strong word of mouth. So it seems RADiUS is trying out a wide range of docs and it’s good for the industry to have a new player in the mix. In addition to their strong showing, there was notable acquisitions by mainstay distributors including Sundance Selects, which bought Dirty Wars and The Summit, and Magnolia Pictures, which bought Blackfish.
Chadha: It seemed like Submarine had a strong presence this year.
Powers: For years Submarine–run by Josh Braun and his brother Dan–has been the dominant doc sales agent making the biggest doc deals at both Sundance and Toronto. There are certainly other big sales agents, including Cinetic and big agencies like Wme, CAA, UTA, or ICM taking on the occasional doc. But no one carries as big a slate of high prestige documentaries as Submarine. This year their lineup included 20 Feet From Stardom, Blackfish, The Summit, Dirty Wars and Cutie And The Boxer, all of which were high-profile deals. Their slate includes other films that have yet to announce deals, including God Loves Uganda, Muscle Shoals, Who Is Dayani Cristal? and Citizen Koch.
Chadha: Do you think this underscores that filmmakers really do need a sales agent at a festival the level of Sundance?
Powers: I think for a film that has real theatrical potential a sales agent is key. For a film that may find it tougher in the American marketplace, such as many of the docs in the world competition that may not be competing for deals – any subtitled film has a harder time in this marketplace – for those films I don’t know that a sales agent necessarily helps for the kinds of smaller deals that may or may not be offered.
Chadha: Do you think that as digital becomes an increasingly important distribution channel that festivals will take on a new importance?
Powers: I do. In an old model, the way a film would imprint itself on the public’s consciousness is to get a theatrical run. But now there are more documentaries and more films in general being released than ever before. There are weeks when the New York Times is reviewing 15 films, so it’s harder to leave an impression on the public. A lot of these films are seeing their financial future on digital platforms. Because viewers aren’t hearing as much about films in theatrical release, I think the festival circuit is going to have increasing importance for the life of a film.
Chadha: There were a few films at Sundance that dealt with the legacy of 9/11. You mentioned Dirty Wars but there was The World According To Dick Cheney and Which Way Is The Front Line From Here? The Life And Time Of Tim Hetherington and We Steal Secrets: The Story Of Wikileaks.
Powers: Yes that thematic cluster absolutely stood out. The legacy of 9/11 and the response to it through wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as other kinds of counter-terrorism actions played out in other countries, remains a key subject for documentary makers to grapple with. I think the distance of 12 years from 9/11 gives us time to reflect. In the film Manhunt about the hunt for Osama bin Laden, there’s a clear connection. The World According To Dick Cheney is about the chief architect of post-9/11 counter-terrorism actions. It came in for criticism that the filmmakers weren’t hard enough on Dick Cheney, weren’t asking tough enough questions. And while I shared some of those frustrations, I certainly learned a lot about Cheney’s career from watching it.
Chadha: Anthony Kaufman recently wrote a piece that singled out Dirty Wars and the Alex Gibney film We Steal Secrets: The Story Of Wikileaks as two films that he thought might presage a wave of films by left-leaning filmmakers that are critical of Obama and his policies? Do you agree with that assessment or see a similar trend?
Powers: It’s a smart observation. Dirty Wars – which is one of the films I was most impressed by at Sundance – takes a long view of American foreign policy after 9/11 in the hands of the journalist at the center of that film, Jeremy Scahill, who’s best known for his book on Blackwater, and who now has a new book coming out that ties into this film. Alex Gibney’s Wikileaksfilm looks at the harsh response of the Obama administration to Bradley Manning, the U.S. soldier who had leaked the headline grabbing documents to Wikileaks. Those two films make an interesting contrast to documentaries of the past decade which comfortably coincided with a liberal critique of the Bush administration. I’m thinking of docs like Farhenheit 9/11 or No End In Sight that liberals rallied behind to point a finger at their political opponents. These new films force a more uncomfortable confrontation with an administration that those same liberals helped get elected.
Chadha: You previously mentioned to me that you thought that filmmakers screening unfinished films at Sundance were taking a risk. Why is that?
Powers: For some reason at Sundance, more than other festivals that I’m aware of, you find filmmakers rushing to screen works that sometimes aren’t completed. In my seven years of programming at Toronto, I’m not aware of any documentaries that went back for serious editing after their premiere – other than those presented as works-in-progress. But at Sundance every year there seems to be a few films that push the deadline so hard that they get taken back to the edit room afterwards. A notable example a couple of years ago was The Interrupters which played at Sundance in a version close to three hours before getting re-edited and having nearly an hour of material taken out of it. The question is, how much does that hurt a film, to have its first presentation before critics and industry be a version of itself that’s not the best. You can point to The Interrupters as a positive example. A lot of people, myself included, appreciated the long version of that film, and it didn’t diminish our interest at all. A fresh example this year was The Square, Jehane Noujaim’s film about the last two years of protest in Egypt around Tahrir Square. In this case the film arrived without any credits on it and Jehane told audiences that she was going back into the edit room. Normally that would sound to me like a challenging strategy. However, The Square came away from Sundance with an audience award. There’s clearly a power to that film, and a power that touched me watching that film, that transcended any rough edges that it contained. So I’ve just given two examples of films that made it work for them. I wouldn’t want to call out films where I think that strategy has not worked. But there certainly are cases and I’d strongly caution filmmakers not to assume that they’ll be the happy exceptions if they’re rushing their films for a festival deadline.
Chadha: There was a lot of talk this year about how well-represented women were on the doc side. I was wondering why you think this difference exists between the doc side and the fictional narrative side, where women still are underrepresented?
Powers: You can start a documentary with just a camera, as opposed to a fiction film where you need actors, a crew, a script, a lot more start-up resources. It may be self-perpetuating. Because there have been more prominent female doc makers, dating back to Barbara Kopple winning an Academy Award in the mid-70s, they’ve become role models for other women.
Chadha: What lost opportunities do you think filmmakers are struggling through at Sundance in terms of self-promotion? I know you’re a big proponent of filmmakers using Twitter.
Powers: I continue to be surprised by filmmakers who spend thousands of dollars on a publicist, but don’t take more advantage of social media which isfree. The Sundance docs that I saw making strong use of Twitter were Sound City which had 20,000 followers at the end of the festival; and 99% – The Occupy Wall Street Collaborative Film which had 15,000 followers. Then there’s a sharp drop-off. Films such as After Tiller, Dirty Wars and American Promise had around 1,500 followers each – they are getting off to a good start. Whenever possible, filmmakers need to begin their Twitter strategy well before their first festival in order to accumulate followers who can spread what’s happening at the festival.
Chadha: Which film were you most surprised by, and why?
Powers: It’s a reality of film festivals that you can’t see everything. You’re dividing your time between seeing films and utilizing that unique space to have meetings with people that you can’t otherwise. There were around 40 docs at Sundance and I’ve now seen roughly half. I think the film Blood Brother that won the audience prize and the jury prize took a lot of people by surprise because there was hardly any chatter about it in the corridors where press and industry exchange tips. It shows you that in a big festival, things can always surprise you.
I think certain filmmakers going into Sundance or other big festivals should consider screening more for press and tastemakers before the festival. The traditional wisdom has always been the opposite: to not screen for anyone prior, let your film be seen by an audience, and generate the buzz from there. That works for a film like Supersize Me – where the description made people put it on their priority list. But for a film that doesn’t have an obvious hook – including a lot of the films in the world documentary competition – those filmmakers might be better served trying to strategically screen for certain press and tastemakers so they can enter the festival with people already talking about them.
Chadha: Are there any films that are now on your “can’t miss” list?
Powers: Some of my favorite Sundance titles I’ve programmed for the Miami International Film Festival, which just announced its line-up last week. They include 20 Feet From Stardom, Blackfish, Gideon’S Army, The Crash Reel, Valentine Road, Which Way To The Front Line From Here? and Who Is Dayani Cristal?. There were many other strong films at Sundance that I look forward to showing at the Montclair Film Festival and Stranger Than Fiction. The Square I admire a lot. Muscle Shoals really took me by surprise. It played late in the festival and didn’t gain as much buzz as I thought it deserved. The director, who I believe is a first time director, made all kinds of smart creative decisions. Another film that went under the radar but made a big impression on me was The Stuart Hall Project about the U.K.-based black intellectual Stuart Hall. The film is wholly constructed out of archival sources, primarily from the BBC.
Chadha: What were the lessons about funding that came out of Sundance?
Powers: Sundance is a good survey of how docs are getting funded. This year reflects the important influence of Kickstarter. Recently Kickstarter introduced a tag for its projects that have a Sundance affiliation, and skimming that list I was impressed to see that Inequality For All had raised $83,000 and American Promise had raised $50,000 on Kickstarter. Other documentaries raised more modest sums. What’ so significant about Kickstarter is that those filmmakers did not need to wait around for a grant application committee to give them a green light. They could take matters into their own hands. Other funding players who were prominent are the Sundance Institute, the Tribeca Institute and the Ford Foundation which last year announced a $50 million commitment through the Just Films program. That Ford initiative supported projects like Gideon’S Army, Valentine Road, American Promise, Who Is Dayani Cristal?, God Loves Uganda and Citizen Koch.
Another important player is the equity group Impact Partners, who for several years have had a strong showing of their catalog at Sundance. This year their involvement included American Promise, The Crash Reel, Who Is Dayani Cristal? and Pandora’S Promise. The last group that I would mention is Cinereach, who were the heroes of Sundance last year for their funding of Beasts Of The Southern Wild, and who were back this year with four docs: Cutie And The Boxer, Citizen Koch, God Loves Uganda, and Narco Cultura.
When you look at the kinds of films that are showing up at Sundance, you see the names of some key producers re-occurring. This year the producer Julie Goldman, whose recent Sundance titles include Buck was back with three projects – Gideon’S Army, Manhunt and God Loves Uganda. The producer John Battsek from the U.K. who last year came with Searching For Sugar Man, was back this year with The Summit and Manhunt. And Jess Search, also based in the U.K., who is the founder of Britdoc and the Good Pitch had her name attached to the films Dirty Wars and Who Is Dayani Cristal? Clearly those producers and others like them have a good eye for spotting what makes a strong documentary in development. Those producers perform a variety of roles for filmmakers, whether it’s connecting them to financial support or supplying editorial perspective or connecting them to the other kind of industry players who can take a project further.
Chadha: Going back to Kickstarter for a minute, do you think films that have success on Kickstarter have the added benefit of showing to grantmaking institutions that their films are viable and that there’s an audience for them?
Powers: Absolutely. One bit of industry news this past week was that the HotDocs Forum, which has been a key place for documentaries to raise money, mainly in the broadcast world, announced that they will now accept projects on the basis of a certain amount of funds raised on Kickstarter. It used to be that you had to demonstrate a portion of your budget, like a quarter, was already being supported by a broadcaster or other traditional grantmaking institution. This change in policy signals the way in which Kickstarter funding is being taken more seriously.
In the case of The Square, the producers launched a Kickstarter campaign at Sundance to help finish their film. That seems like a very smart strategy for other filmmakers to consider. When you’re at a film festival, you have a rapt and enthused audience and if you can point them to a Kickstarter campaign, that’s a great way to leverage that enthusiasm. Even if you don’t need finishing funds, it’s a way to get outreach funds. I also saw the team from The Square selling t-shirts. After one screening they came away with few hundred dollars of cash in hand, which can help defray costs of attending a festival. These are strategies that filmmakers like Gary Hustwit have long practiced, emulating the way rock musicians sell t-shirts and posters at live performances. The film community has been slow to catch on. Maybe filmmakers are so busy getting their films made that they don’t have time to think about merchandise. But every bit of revenue helps.
Chadha: Any final thoughts?
Powers: We’ve talked about theatrical and digital distribution and new trends in crowdfunding. But it has to be said that the most long-standing and reliable place for documentary makers to get money is the broadcast world. HBO, which usually has a strong presence at Sundance, had the most overwhelming presence that I can remember, coming with six feature length documentaries. Plus during Sundance HBO bought Pussy Riot-a Punk Prayer. When you consider that HBO also has the film that was the 2012 winner at Idfa, Alan Berliner’s First Cousin Once Removed, and had two films at the Toronto festival – Mea Maxima Culpa by Alex Gibney and First Comes Love by Nina Davenport – that’s an impressive slate of films. There was news generated by other broadcasters getting active in the documentary field, including Showtime, which came with The World According To Dick Cheney. Just before Sundane, The New York Times reported about Showtime’s announcement of several documentaries in progress, including a film about Richard Pryor by Marina Zenovich, who made the Roman Polanski film, that I am personally looking forward to. In addition, CNN made an announcement during Sundance about a slate of feature-length docs, including a film by Alex Gibney. Another major player in that realm is A&E IndieFilms, which didn’t have any films in Sundance this year, but they’re already attached to Errol Morris’s Donald Rumsfeld documentary coming out later this year. All in all, the year is off to a good start.
Link to the original article here...
- 2/19/2013
- by Peter Belsito
- Sydney's Buzz
Not to be too much of a raving fan about it, but South Korea's Shin Ha-kyun is, quite simply, one of the finest actors of his generation from anywhere in the world. Capable of quirky comedy, stark terror, compelling drama and everything in between - sometimes within the span of a single scene - he may not be the most prolific performer but Shin is consistently quality. Just take a look at the man's resume: Joint Security Area. Sympathy For Mister Vengeance. Save The Green Planet. Sympathy For Lady Vengeance. Welcome To Dongmakgol. Thirst. The Front Line. The Thieves. You get the point. while he's done his share of movies that aren't very good, Shin is always good in them and when he hits a...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 2/18/2013
- Screen Anarchy
Here is a complete listing of the films that were shown/covered by the Ioncinema.com team comprised of Nicholas Bell (Nb), Jordan M. Smith (Js) and Eric Lavallee (El). We’ll be populating this page up until March.
U.S. Dramatic Competition
Afternoon Delight – Jill Soloway: Nb (★★ 1/2): Review
Ain’T Them Bodies Saints – David Lowery: El (★★★ 1/2), Nb (★★★ 1/2): Review // Interview
Austenland- Jerusha Hess: Nb (★): Review
C.O.G.- Kyle Patrick Alvarez: Js (★★ 1/2), Nb (★★ 1/2): Review
Concussion – Stacie Passon: El (★★★), Js (★★★ 1/2), Nb (★★★): Review // Interview
Emanuel And The Truth About Fishes – Francesca Gregorini: Js (★★★), Nb (★★★ 1/2): Review
Fruitvale – Ryan Coogler: El (★★★), Js (★★★★★), Nb (★★★★): Review // Interview // Video
In A World… – Lake Bell: El (★★★): Review
Kill Your Darlings – John Krokidas: El (★★★), Nb (★★★): Review
The Lifeguard – Liz W. Garcia: El (★★ 1/2): Review
May In The Summer...
U.S. Dramatic Competition
Afternoon Delight – Jill Soloway: Nb (★★ 1/2): Review
Ain’T Them Bodies Saints – David Lowery: El (★★★ 1/2), Nb (★★★ 1/2): Review // Interview
Austenland- Jerusha Hess: Nb (★): Review
C.O.G.- Kyle Patrick Alvarez: Js (★★ 1/2), Nb (★★ 1/2): Review
Concussion – Stacie Passon: El (★★★), Js (★★★ 1/2), Nb (★★★): Review // Interview
Emanuel And The Truth About Fishes – Francesca Gregorini: Js (★★★), Nb (★★★ 1/2): Review
Fruitvale – Ryan Coogler: El (★★★), Js (★★★★★), Nb (★★★★): Review // Interview // Video
In A World… – Lake Bell: El (★★★): Review
Kill Your Darlings – John Krokidas: El (★★★), Nb (★★★): Review
The Lifeguard – Liz W. Garcia: El (★★ 1/2): Review
May In The Summer...
- 1/29/2013
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
If you want a Bourne Identity-type thriller with a Korean twist, you’ve come to the right place. Cj Entertainment has released the trailer for the blockbuster spy thriller The Berlin File arriving in the States next month.
Ryoo Seung-wan’s latest film was shot on location in Berlin and Eastern Europe, starring Jung-woo Ha, Han Suk Kyu, Ryoo Seung-bum and Gianna Jun.
From the director of Arahan and City of Violence, Ryoo comes back to the genre with his most ambitious project yet and intends to deliver the twisty tale of political intrigue and personal redemption.
The Berlin Files is expected to make a big splash when it opens in South Korea on January 31st and will hit U.S. and Canadian theaters February 15th, 2013.
Check out the official Us trailer for Ryoo’s first film since 2010s The Unjust including trademarks like crazy violence and neo-noirish elements like...
Ryoo Seung-wan’s latest film was shot on location in Berlin and Eastern Europe, starring Jung-woo Ha, Han Suk Kyu, Ryoo Seung-bum and Gianna Jun.
From the director of Arahan and City of Violence, Ryoo comes back to the genre with his most ambitious project yet and intends to deliver the twisty tale of political intrigue and personal redemption.
The Berlin Files is expected to make a big splash when it opens in South Korea on January 31st and will hit U.S. and Canadian theaters February 15th, 2013.
Check out the official Us trailer for Ryoo’s first film since 2010s The Unjust including trademarks like crazy violence and neo-noirish elements like...
- 1/29/2013
- by Nick Martin
- Filmofilia
[Premiere Screening: Sunday, Jan. 20, 2:30pm -- Prospector Square Theatre, Park City] My film, Which Way Is The Front Line From Here?, is about the death, in combat, of my good friend and colleague Tim Hetherington. In a sense the film would not exist without the tragedy of his death, but I don’t think that’s what you are asking. I pre-sold my film rather than financing it myself — as Tim and I were forced to do with Restrepo — and I was able to hire amazing people to work with. But making a film about Tim’s death took a …...
- 1/19/2013
- by Filmmaker Staff
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
Korean cinema loves a good caper, and “The Grand Heist” offers a twist on the formula by setting the action back during the Joseon era of the 18th century, following a bunch of miscreants set on stealing ice. The film was directed by Kim Joo Ho, marking his debut, and as is usual for this kind of affair was an ensemble piece, bringing together a host of top stars, namely Oh Ji Ho (“Sector 7”), Min Hyo Rin (“Sunny”), Song Jong Ho (“The Princess’ Man”), Lee Chae Young (“Miracle”), Sung Dong Il (“Miss Conspirator”), Ko Chang Seok (“The Front Line”) and Shin Jeong Keun (“Runway Cop”). Mixing laughter and tension, the “Ocean’s Eleven” style film proved very popular at the Korean box office, emerging as one of the year’s hits alongside the similarly themed contemporary pic “The Thieves”. Cha Tae Hyun headlines as Duk Moo, the son of a government official and a concubine,...
- 1/13/2013
- by James Mudge
- Beyond Hollywood
“Romance Joe” marks the debut of writer director Lee Kwang Kuk, who served his apprenticeship by working on several films by Korean master Hong Sang Soo including “HaHaHa” and “Like You Know It All”. Unsurprisingly, the film is very much influenced by Hong’s output, revolving around a carefully constructed series of primary and secondary narratives, which intertwine and repeat each other throughout. The similarity is furthered by Lee’s use of several performers who have worked with Hong in the past, including Jo Han Cheol (“A Tale of Cinema”) and Lee Chae Eun (“Oki’s Movie”), joined by Kim Young Pil (“Rolling Home with a Bull”), Shin Dong Mi (“A Million”) and upcoming young actor David Lee (“The Front Line”). As with his mentor, the film has found Lee success at festivals at home and his abroad, winning the Citizen Reviewers’ Award at Pusan, being nominated for the Tiger...
- 10/21/2012
- by James Mudge
- Beyond Hollywood
As I wrote last week, the Korean Film Festival in Australia (Koffia) managed to smuggle some excellent, if not harrowing, crime films into the country, and fill me with an existential angst that has begun manifesting itself in increasingly troubling ways, such as the purple mohawk that I’m now sporting. I’m going through some stuff (I’d also like to take a moment to apologise to my neighbour about her late dog, Jabba the Mutt – I don’t know what came over me, but I now have some post-its stuck on all the knives in my house reminding me not to use them to hurt animals).
While The King of Pigs and Bleak Night were both set in high schools, and prominently featured social hierarchies, bullying and the general misery of being in high school as their central tenets, the films I’ll be looking at in this...
While The King of Pigs and Bleak Night were both set in high schools, and prominently featured social hierarchies, bullying and the general misery of being in high school as their central tenets, the films I’ll be looking at in this...
- 9/21/2012
- by Liam Jose
- Boomtron
A new teaser has been released for the upcoming film Ghost Sweepers, a supernatural horror comedy which follows Korean cinema's proud tradition of mashing together every film genre known to man. Ghost Sweepers is about a group of shamans who come together to oust a ghost in a village. The film sounds like a lot of fun and though I can't say I was too crazy about director Shin Jung-won's previous film Chawz (2009) there seems to be plenty going for this project. Not least the presence of young star Lee Je-hoon (The Front Line, 2011; Bleak Night, 2011; Architecture 101, 2012), everything he touches seems to turn to gold!That said I admit that I was mightily confused by this trailer which is pretty much a series...
- 6/16/2012
- Screen Anarchy
Director: Kim Han Min. Review: Adam Wing. Korean cinema is well known for startling thrillers, but occasionally they put a little more emphasis on action and War of the Arrows is the result. Orphaned as a child, Nam Yi (Hae-il Park) overcame tragic loss to become the most accomplished archer of his generation. When Chinese forces attack Korea, he returns to discover that his sister - who he’s sworn to protect - has been taken into slavery on her wedding day by invading armies. Now he must prove himself against some of the greatest archers in history, shooting to thrill in a brave attempt to re-unite his family. War of the Arrows picked up 11 international awards on its way to DVD and it’s easy to see why. Park Hae Il (The Host) won Best Actor at the Daejong and Blue Dragon Film Awards for his screen-hugging portrayal of...
- 5/18/2012
- 24framespersecond.net
Before we get started here, I thought some of you may be interested in the fact you can buy the four film Coen Brothers' Blu-ray set from Fox for $24.99 right now, which includes Blood Simple, Fargo, Miller's Crossing and Raising Arizona. If you're interested, just click here to pick it up. There's also an interesting ten-film John Wayne DVD collection featured in the "Even More" section of today's post.
Underworld: Awakening I like this film and they sent me the Blu-ray, but I haven't yet had a chance to watch it. All the Underworld films starring Kate Beckinsale I find quite fun. It's big, loud and dumb fun as far as I'm concerned and I don't really know if I make a special exception for this franchise over others, but based on how this one ends I do hope they go forward with one more, but as Underworld: Rise of the Lycans proved,...
Underworld: Awakening I like this film and they sent me the Blu-ray, but I haven't yet had a chance to watch it. All the Underworld films starring Kate Beckinsale I find quite fun. It's big, loud and dumb fun as far as I'm concerned and I don't really know if I make a special exception for this franchise over others, but based on how this one ends I do hope they go forward with one more, but as Underworld: Rise of the Lycans proved,...
- 5/8/2012
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
Welcome back to This Week In DVD! Sadly, this is one of the worst week for new releases in decades. Decades I say! Well, in weeks anyway. Some of the mediocre titles coming out this week include the occasionally entertaining Underworld: Awakening, the frustratingly uninteresting Mother’s Day remake, the low-rent Tim and Eric’s Billion Dollar Movie, and Channing Tatum’s funniest film yet, The Vow. As always, if you see something you like, click on the image to buy it. The Front Line War films are a staple here in the Us, something that’s benefited by the fact that America has dozens of wars to choose from, but not every country is as lucky (or unlucky). South Korea was a part of only one major conflict in the modern era, but out of this trauma have come several fantastic war films including 71: Into the Fire and My Way. The Front Line...
- 5/8/2012
- by Rob Hunter
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
Moviefone's Blu-ray of the Week "Gremlins 2: The New Batch" What's It About? Billy Peltzer and Gizmo wind up in New York City, where a Donald Trump-like mogul tries to experiment on the Mogwai, inadvertently unleashing a whole new gang of even more advanced gremlins. See It Because: One of the most underrated sequels of all time gets the hi-def Blu-ray treatment. Director Joe Dante turns the whole affair into a bizarre "Looney Tunes" parody of the first "Gremlins," and the end result is one of the most clever dark comedies of the past 25 years. Watch a Deleted Scene from "Gremlins 2: The New Batch" Moviefone's New Release of the Week "Tim & Eric's Billion Dollar Movie" What's It About? Um... well... Tim and Eric are given a billion dollars to make a movie by Robert Loggia, but they waste it, so they have to go on the run.
- 5/7/2012
- by Eric Larnick
- Moviefone
The Front Line is the third war film from Well Go USA that I've reviewed in recent weeks. The first, My War, was distributed theatrically by Cj but has a Well Go Blu-ray/DVD release on the horizon, and the last was the superlative Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale, which is currently enjoying unexpected success in its theatrical run. The natural consequence of seeing three similarly themed films so close to one another is the urge to compare, though I will attempt to curb that yen, as it isn't really all that valid. The Front Line is a solid war film with a lot going for it. It starts off a bit slowly, but it roars through it's ending leaves an impression after the credits...
- 5/2/2012
- Screen Anarchy
Director: Hun Jang. Review: Chris Sawin. It's 1953 and The Korean War wages on. Negotiations for a ceasefire have been going on for over two years, but nothing has come of it. The South Korean group of men fighting at Aerok Hill is known as Alligator Company. Their commander was said to be shot with a gun from his own side and Intel says there's a spy residing in their midst. First Lieutenant Eun-Pyo (Ha-kyun Shin) of the Defense Security Command is sent to look into it. Once there, Eun-Pyo is reunited with his best friend from college Su-Hyeok (Soo Go) who Eun-Pyo thought had died at the beginning of the war. But Su-Hyeok is not the man he used to be as his humanity has been stripped away, he doesn't think twice about killing anyone, and has somehow moved up in rank to Lieutenant in just two short years. But...
- 4/30/2012
- 24framespersecond.net
Director: Jang Hoon. Review: Adam Wing. War, what is it good for? Well, over-reaching sentiment and gritty action sequences for a start. The Front Line doesn’t attempt to think outside the box, but what it does do it does efficiently enough. Winner of Best Film at the 48th Daejong Film Awards, director Hun Jang (Secret Reunion) and author Park Sang Yeon (Jsa) take us back on the battlefield of The Korean War. Popular actors Ko Su (White Night) and Shin Ha Kyun (Thirst) star as lieutenants on the front line, along with an impressive cast that includes Ryu Seung Ryong (Battlefield Heroes), Ko Chang Seok (Rough Cut) and lone actress Kim Ok Bin (Thirst), who more than holds her own as a North Korean sniper nicknamed ‘Two Seconds’. The Front Line was South Korea’s entry for the 84th Academy Awards, and even though it didn’t make the shortlist,...
- 3/2/2012
- 24framespersecond.net
At the risk of starting an infinite inspiration loop, I was reading Bill Mesce’s amazing list Ten Terrific War Movies You Probably Never Heard Of (itself inspired by Edgar‘s review of The Front Line and our twitter debate about that film) when I was reminded how much I loved Kathryn Bigelow’s The Hurt Locker and how I walked out of the theatre after seeing it, convinced that no one could do a better job of directing a comic-book film (or rather one very particular comic-book film) than her.
What especially impressed me about The Hurt Locker was the way that it distilled the second Iraq War down to the universe of four men, two bomb disposal experts and the two soldiers/snipers who protect their specialists, hampered by the fact that the most dangerous weapon that a bomb maker can use is a simple cell phone to trigger their bomb.
What especially impressed me about The Hurt Locker was the way that it distilled the second Iraq War down to the universe of four men, two bomb disposal experts and the two soldiers/snipers who protect their specialists, hampered by the fact that the most dangerous weapon that a bomb maker can use is a simple cell phone to trigger their bomb.
- 3/2/2012
- by Michael Ryan
- SoundOnSight
Welcome back to This Week In DVD and the last day of February! Well, what should be the last day but is instead actually the 2nd to last thanks to the shenanigans of the evil and gilled Leap Dave Williams. Only one big title hits shelves this week, but it’s an Academy Award winner! Other titles that aren’t named Hugo include a few fantastic and exciting foreign films (The Front Line, Rabies, The Yellow Sea), a few less exciting foreign films (The Conformist, Tomorrow When the War Began, Mandrill) and more! As always, if you see something you like, click on the image to buy it. I Melt With You Four old college friends (Thomas Jane, Rob Lowe, Christian McKay, Jeremy Piven) get together annually for a drug-fueled weekend, but their latest reunion finds each of them at the lowest point of their lives. All four leads do a fantastic job in this energetic but...
- 2/29/2012
- by Rob Hunter
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
★★★★☆ Towards the end of the Korean War, high up on Aerok Hill, soldiers continue their fierce fighting in an ultimate battle for an insignificant piece of land. In a strategic move to determine the new border between the two Koreas, North and South both sacrifice millions of lives. Hun Jang's The Front Line (2011) is a poetically painful drama about the destroyed humanity and tortured souls of those in war, in a land which hope has long deserted and the few moments of empty happiness mean everything.
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- 2/28/2012
- by CineVue
- CineVue
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