With awards season gearing up, the nominees and honorees for the 2016 Ida Documentary Awards have been revealed by the International Documentary Association (Ida). The annual ceremony honors both individuals and organizations for outstanding achievements in documentary filmmaking and contributions to the field, as well as recognizes the best documentary films and nonfiction series of the year.
Among the Best Feature nominees are Ava DuVernay’s “13th,” Raoul Peck’s “I Am Not Your Negro” and “O.J.: Made in America” directed by Ezra Edelman. This year the Ida will also honor five outstanding filmmakers and documentary luminaries including Lyn and Norman Lear, Stanley Nelson, Ally Derks and director Nanfu Wang.
Read More: Oscars Documentary Race Heats up With 145 Features in Contention
Winners in the Best Feature and Best Short categories are voted on by Ida’s international membership. Outside screening committees of industry professionals around the world determine the winners in the other award categories.
Among the Best Feature nominees are Ava DuVernay’s “13th,” Raoul Peck’s “I Am Not Your Negro” and “O.J.: Made in America” directed by Ezra Edelman. This year the Ida will also honor five outstanding filmmakers and documentary luminaries including Lyn and Norman Lear, Stanley Nelson, Ally Derks and director Nanfu Wang.
Read More: Oscars Documentary Race Heats up With 145 Features in Contention
Winners in the Best Feature and Best Short categories are voted on by Ida’s international membership. Outside screening committees of industry professionals around the world determine the winners in the other award categories.
- 11/1/2016
- by Liz Calvario
- Indiewire
With AFI Fest just a few weeks away, film-festival season is nearly over for the year. In addition to Venice, Telluride and Toronto, another fest recently concluded: the 15th annual Pyongyang International Film Festival, to which the New York Times sent a correspondent. 60 movies from 21 countries comprised this year’s selection, with with 11 of them vying for the Best Torch Award.
Read More: Tricking the Government: How to Shoot a Documentary in North Korea
The main criterion for winning said prize, according to the Nyt: “how well they symbolized the festival’s official theme — ‘Independence, Peace and Friendship’ — and whether they articulated the ideology of juche, or self-reliance, developed by the country’s founding father, Kim Il-sung.” Kim Jong-il, the country’s Dear Leader who passed away five years ago, was a known cinephile, even going so far as to kidnap a South Korean filmmaker and actress so that they...
Read More: Tricking the Government: How to Shoot a Documentary in North Korea
The main criterion for winning said prize, according to the Nyt: “how well they symbolized the festival’s official theme — ‘Independence, Peace and Friendship’ — and whether they articulated the ideology of juche, or self-reliance, developed by the country’s founding father, Kim Il-sung.” Kim Jong-il, the country’s Dear Leader who passed away five years ago, was a known cinephile, even going so far as to kidnap a South Korean filmmaker and actress so that they...
- 10/19/2016
- by Michael Nordine
- Indiewire
The 27th edition of the Stockholm International Film Festival (Nov 9 - 20) will present 200 films from 70 countries.
The Stockholm International Film Festival will kick-off with Ken Loach’s Palme d’Or winner I, Daniel Blake, followed by a mid-festival ‘middle film’ screening in the shape of Nate Parker’s Birth of A Nation, and will close with Kenneth Lonergan’s Manchester By The Sea.
Directors attending the festival include Francis Ford Coppola (who will receive the lifetime achievement award, present a public talk, and screen Apocalypse Now), Ken Loach, Francois Ozon (who receives the festival’s Visionary Award), Ira Sachs, Alice Lowe, Mark Cousins, Anne Fontaine, Gabe Klinger, and many more.
The festival’s main competition line-up is:
A Decent Woman by Lukas Valenta Rinner (Arg, S Kor, Aus)A Taste Of Ink by Morgan Simon (Fr)Albüm by Mehmet Can Mertoğlu (Tur, Fr, Rom)Are We Not Cats by Xander Robin (Us)Birth Of A Nation by [link...
The Stockholm International Film Festival will kick-off with Ken Loach’s Palme d’Or winner I, Daniel Blake, followed by a mid-festival ‘middle film’ screening in the shape of Nate Parker’s Birth of A Nation, and will close with Kenneth Lonergan’s Manchester By The Sea.
Directors attending the festival include Francis Ford Coppola (who will receive the lifetime achievement award, present a public talk, and screen Apocalypse Now), Ken Loach, Francois Ozon (who receives the festival’s Visionary Award), Ira Sachs, Alice Lowe, Mark Cousins, Anne Fontaine, Gabe Klinger, and many more.
The festival’s main competition line-up is:
A Decent Woman by Lukas Valenta Rinner (Arg, S Kor, Aus)A Taste Of Ink by Morgan Simon (Fr)Albüm by Mehmet Can Mertoğlu (Tur, Fr, Rom)Are We Not Cats by Xander Robin (Us)Birth Of A Nation by [link...
- 10/18/2016
- by wendy.mitchell@screendaily.com (Wendy Mitchell)
- ScreenDaily
Films about North Korea have an unfair advantage. The country is one of such baffling oddness that films told about it are often either tragic or outrageous, two extremes that make for memorable viewing. On the other hand, the nature of North Korea’s political situation means few films are indeed made about it. Titles like Solrun Hoaas’ Pyongyang Diaries in which the Australian filmmaker ventured to a North Korean film festival and gave us a glimpse of what it means to be a traveller in this land of fake smiles and concrete, and the giddy delight of Anna Broinowski’s Aim High in Creation in which she travels to North Korea to learn how to make propaganda films from the makers themselves.
This year we can add two more entertaining docs. Both are full of surprises that beggar belief at seemingly every turn: The Lovers and the Despot and Under the Sun.
This year we can add two more entertaining docs. Both are full of surprises that beggar belief at seemingly every turn: The Lovers and the Despot and Under the Sun.
- 9/27/2016
- by Glenn Dunks
- FilmExperience
Sometimes, a story is literally too bewildering to really believe at first blush. Documentary cinema is chock full of these tales, which is partly what makes the art form so genuinely enthralling. Despite being more often than not rigid in its structure and form, a compelling, true life story can elevate even the most standard of non-fiction film. And that’s the case with the latest film from directors Rob Cannan and Ross Adam.
Entitled The Lovers and The Despot, Cannan and Adam introduce us to the husband and wife duo of South Korean filmmaker Shin Sang-ok and his muse, actress Choi Eun-hee, who met while working on a film in the 1950s, and subsequently fell head over heels in love. However, things took a troubling turn in the late 1970s, when Choi was kidnapped in Hong Kong by a group of North Korean agents after working on a cavalcade of massively popular films.
Entitled The Lovers and The Despot, Cannan and Adam introduce us to the husband and wife duo of South Korean filmmaker Shin Sang-ok and his muse, actress Choi Eun-hee, who met while working on a film in the 1950s, and subsequently fell head over heels in love. However, things took a troubling turn in the late 1970s, when Choi was kidnapped in Hong Kong by a group of North Korean agents after working on a cavalcade of massively popular films.
- 9/24/2016
- by Joshua Brunsting
- CriterionCast
In The Lovers and the Despot, Ross Adam and Robert Cannan recount the bizarre and fantastic story of Shin Sang-ok and Choi Eun-hee, two darlings of the South Korean film industry kidnapped by Kim-Jong-il to make North Korea a leader in world cinema. CineVue's Maximilian Von Thun spoke to the directorial duo about the making of the film, its unsolved mysteries, and the realities of life in North Korea.
- 9/24/2016
- by CineVue UK
- CineVue
This is a reprint of our review from the 2016 Sundance Film Festival.
We’re a little over a year from the semi-aborted release of “The Interview,” Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg’s comedy that passed almost instantly into legend when (supposedly) North Korean hackers attacked the film’s backers Sony in retribution for the film’s satirical portrait, and fictional killing of, the country’s dictatorial leader Kim Jong-Un.
Continue reading ‘The Lovers And The Despot’ Feels Like The Cliffs Notes Version Of This True Story Tale [Review] at The Playlist.
We’re a little over a year from the semi-aborted release of “The Interview,” Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg’s comedy that passed almost instantly into legend when (supposedly) North Korean hackers attacked the film’s backers Sony in retribution for the film’s satirical portrait, and fictional killing of, the country’s dictatorial leader Kim Jong-Un.
Continue reading ‘The Lovers And The Despot’ Feels Like The Cliffs Notes Version Of This True Story Tale [Review] at The Playlist.
- 9/23/2016
- by Oliver Lyttelton
- The Playlist
It wouldn’t be right to refer to “The Age of Shadows” as a “yarn.” Very loosely based on an explosive footnote in the history of Japanese-Korean relations, the latest full-bodied epic from “I Saw the Devil” director Kim Jee-woon sprouts such a labyrinthine story from a single incident that this chic (if convoluted) spy thriller would be more accurately described as a magical beanstalk. The cloak-and-dagger adventure is far too sprawling for its own good, and the air only grows thinner as the film propellers towards its underwhelming finale, but you’d be hard-pressed to find a more lavishly staged staged chunk of pulp nonsense.
Not that fans of the filmmaker should be expecting anything else. A grind-house gore-hound who’s capable of elevating filth to the level of Hieronymus Bosch (or, depending on your perspective, lowering maximalist art straight into the sewers), Kim has always been attracted to...
Not that fans of the filmmaker should be expecting anything else. A grind-house gore-hound who’s capable of elevating filth to the level of Hieronymus Bosch (or, depending on your perspective, lowering maximalist art straight into the sewers), Kim has always been attracted to...
- 9/23/2016
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
With a seemingly endless amount of streaming options — not only the titles at our disposal, but services themselves — we’ve taken it upon ourselves to highlight the titles that have recently hit platforms. Every week, one will be able to see the cream of the crop (or perhaps some simply interesting picks) of streaming titles (new and old) across platforms such as Netflix, iTunes, Amazon, and more (note: U.S. only). Check out our rundown for this week’s selections below.
Blood Simple (Joel and Ethan Coen)
For as accomplished as Joel and Ethan Coen’s debut Blood Simple comes across as to a viewer, like any director, they can’t help but recognize their flaws. That’s not to say their newly restored debut, now available on The Criterion Collection, doesn’t look and sound gorgeous — every bead of sweat dripping down M. Emmet Walsh’s face and every...
Blood Simple (Joel and Ethan Coen)
For as accomplished as Joel and Ethan Coen’s debut Blood Simple comes across as to a viewer, like any director, they can’t help but recognize their flaws. That’s not to say their newly restored debut, now available on The Criterion Collection, doesn’t look and sound gorgeous — every bead of sweat dripping down M. Emmet Walsh’s face and every...
- 9/23/2016
- by The Film Stage
- The Film Stage
In case you missed it, Fandango has started a new video series: Indie Movie Guide with Alicia Malone. In it, she'll share info and her thoughts on the latest in independent film. In this week's episode, Alicia reveals what's going on in the indie films Miss Stevens, Goat, The Lovers and the Despot, Swiss Army Man, My Blind Brother and The Dressmaker, starring Kate Winslet (pictured). Check it out, and let us know what you want to see in the comments below. ...
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- 9/22/2016
- by affiliates@fandango.com
- Fandango
In case you missed it, Fandango has started a new video series: Indie Movie Guide with Alicia Malone. In it, she'll share info and her thoughts on the latest in independent film. In this week's episode, Alicia reveals what's going on in the indie films Miss Stevens, Goat, The Lovers and the Despot, Swiss Army Man, My Blind Brother and The Dressmaker, starring Kate Winslet (pictured). Check it out, and let us know what you want to see in the comments below. ...
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- 9/22/2016
- by affiliates@fandango.com
- Fandango
★★★☆☆Two subjects one would never expect to encounter in the same film; North Korea and cinephilia. They come together - bizarrely and fascinatingly - in Robert Cannan and Ross Adam's documentary The Lovers and the Despot. In 1978, celebrated South Korean actress Choi Eun-hee visited Hong-Kong to discuss what she believed to be the offer of a highly lucrative role. Instead, Choi was lured to a beach and kidnapped by North Korean agents, who whisked her off to North Korea under orders from then dear leader Kim Jong-il, one of her biggest fans.
- 9/22/2016
- by CineVue UK
- CineVue
Christophe Gans’ retrofitted retelling of the classic “Beauty and the Beast” fairy tale opens in appropriate fashion: With a pair of wide-eyed youngsters being read a fable from a distractingly large storybook. That their narrator is played by Lea Seydoux is the first indication that the tale will have a happy ending — after all, she’s telling her own story, that of the warm-hearted beauty Belle and the misunderstood Beast she came to love (and ultimately save). But Gans isn’t especially concerned with the outcome this coupling, instead reveling in overwrought and often bloated storytelling, lush details and some of the year’s most unnerving CGI. In this “Beauty and Beast,” the happy ending can’t come soon enough.
Read More: ‘Beauty and the Beast’ Exclusive Clip: Vincent Cassel And Léa Seydoux Fall In Love In New French Adaptation Of Classic Fable
Gans’ script (written alongside Sandra Vo-Anh, in...
Read More: ‘Beauty and the Beast’ Exclusive Clip: Vincent Cassel And Léa Seydoux Fall In Love In New French Adaptation Of Classic Fable
Gans’ script (written alongside Sandra Vo-Anh, in...
- 9/21/2016
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
Mexican filmmaker Michel Franco is obsessed — seemingly at the expense of all other subjects — with how people reconfigure their worldview in the wake of unimaginable tragedies. Michael Haneke is an obvious touchstone, but Franco is more interested in the healing process than he is whatever grim, bourgeois drama caused the wound in the first place.
His debut feature, 2009’s “Daniel & Ana,” watched in nervous horror as two siblings attempted to repair their relationship after being abducted and forced to have sex with one another. “After Lucia,” which won top prize in the Un Certain Regard section of the 2012 Cannes Film Festival, is about a man who’s still reeling from his wife’s sudden death when their daughter becomes the victim of a high school sex tape scandal. “Chronic” may be the most delicate and restrained of Franco’s features to date, but in one key respect it’s also...
His debut feature, 2009’s “Daniel & Ana,” watched in nervous horror as two siblings attempted to repair their relationship after being abducted and forced to have sex with one another. “After Lucia,” which won top prize in the Un Certain Regard section of the 2012 Cannes Film Festival, is about a man who’s still reeling from his wife’s sudden death when their daughter becomes the victim of a high school sex tape scandal. “Chronic” may be the most delicate and restrained of Franco’s features to date, but in one key respect it’s also...
- 9/21/2016
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
Hollywood is full of unscrupulous, power-mad producers, but none of them could ever hold a candle to Kim Jong-il. Fondly remembered as a sociopathic dictator, the former “Dear Leader of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea” was also a notorious cinephile who — even before his father bequeathed him supreme control of the country — actively tried to weaponize motion pictures in order to fortify ideology at home and bolster North Korea’s reputation abroad. He even wrote a book about film theory called “On the Art of the Cinema,” a revolutionary text which offers almost as much insight into movies as “The Art of the Deal” does into business.
Needless to say, when Kim required something to enhance the local industry, people tended to do whatever was necessary in order to make it happen; after all, “You’ll never eat in this town again” is a particularly dire threat in...
Needless to say, when Kim required something to enhance the local industry, people tended to do whatever was necessary in order to make it happen; after all, “You’ll never eat in this town again” is a particularly dire threat in...
- 9/21/2016
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
This week, those who follow celebrity news are watching one of Hollywood’s big romances fall apart with Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie filing for divorce. Romance among moviemakers has been as old as the medium itself, but in the upcoming documentary “The Lovers And The Despot,” one tale of starry love takes a strange twist that changes the lives of both involved forever. And it’s something that can’t easily be summarized in a salty tabloid headline.
Continue reading Exclusive: Romance Blooms In Clip From Documentary ‘The Lovers And The Despot’ at The Playlist.
Continue reading Exclusive: Romance Blooms In Clip From Documentary ‘The Lovers And The Despot’ at The Playlist.
- 9/21/2016
- by Edward Davis
- The Playlist
Welcome back to the Weekend Warrior, your weekly look at the new movies hitting theaters this weekend, as well as other cool events and things to check out.
This Past Weekend:
Yikes. What a terrible weekend we just had, not only for the new movies released but also for the Weekend Warrior’s predictions. Clint Eastwood and Tom Hanks’ Sully won its second weekend in a row with just under $22 million, but as far as the new movies, neither Lionsgate’s Blair Witch nor Universal’s Bridget Jones’s Baby did very well, putting the last nail in the coffin (hopefully) for sequels/remakes trying to play upon nostalgia that just isn’t there. (Good luck to the Rings movie opening next month!) Blair Witch ended up with $9.6 million to take second place and both Bridget Jones’s Baby and Oliver Stone’s Snowden ended up with around $8 million, so...
This Past Weekend:
Yikes. What a terrible weekend we just had, not only for the new movies released but also for the Weekend Warrior’s predictions. Clint Eastwood and Tom Hanks’ Sully won its second weekend in a row with just under $22 million, but as far as the new movies, neither Lionsgate’s Blair Witch nor Universal’s Bridget Jones’s Baby did very well, putting the last nail in the coffin (hopefully) for sequels/remakes trying to play upon nostalgia that just isn’t there. (Good luck to the Rings movie opening next month!) Blair Witch ended up with $9.6 million to take second place and both Bridget Jones’s Baby and Oliver Stone’s Snowden ended up with around $8 million, so...
- 9/21/2016
- by Edward Douglas
- LRMonline.com
Contemporary filmmakers like Bong Joon-ho, Park Chan-wook, and Kim Ki-duk have landed South Korean movies in U.S. arthouses, but their success hasn’t yet led to much interest in the country’s rich cinematic history. One of the most overlooked figures in the West is Shin Sang-ok, a prolific director whose regular collaboration with his wife, actress Choi Eun-hee, produced at least one masterpiece: 1961’s romantic weepie The Houseguest And My Mother (sometimes called My Mother’s Tenant). Shin’s films are extremely difficult to see in the States, and one can only hope that The Lovers And The Despot, a new documentary about Shin and Choi, will help to change that. Unfortunately, this bland, incurious oral history focuses exclusively on what’s admittedly the most superficially fascinating chapter of their lives: the eight years they spent making movies together in North Korea, after Kim Jong-il had them ...
- 9/21/2016
- by Mike D'Angelo
- avclub.com
“Truth is stranger than fiction… because fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities. Truth isn’t.” This Mark Twain quote resonates strongly when thinking of the setup to documentary The Lovers and the Despot. What was once shrouded in urban myth-lore has since the advent of the internet garnered greater traction, and has been recognised as […]
The post The Lovers and the Despot Review appeared first on HeyUGuys.
The post The Lovers and the Despot Review appeared first on HeyUGuys.
- 9/20/2016
- by Matthew Lee
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Exclusive: The executive most recently served at Visit Films where she oversaw several territories and led marketing for the past five years.
Magnolia Pictures has hired former Visit Films executive Lorna-Lee Sagebiel Torres as director of international sales.
“We very happy to bring Lorna-Lee on board,” said Magnolia Pictures president Eamonn Bowles. “She’s going to be a terrific addition to Scott’s [Veltri, head of worldwide] team.”
Sagebiel Torres will work alongside Veltri in the New York office.
The team is currently attending Toronto. The sales roster includes The Eyes Of My Mother, Alive And Kicking, The Lovers And The Despot, Tickled and Lo And Behold: Reveries Of The Connected World.
Magnolia Pictures has hired former Visit Films executive Lorna-Lee Sagebiel Torres as director of international sales.
“We very happy to bring Lorna-Lee on board,” said Magnolia Pictures president Eamonn Bowles. “She’s going to be a terrific addition to Scott’s [Veltri, head of worldwide] team.”
Sagebiel Torres will work alongside Veltri in the New York office.
The team is currently attending Toronto. The sales roster includes The Eyes Of My Mother, Alive And Kicking, The Lovers And The Despot, Tickled and Lo And Behold: Reveries Of The Connected World.
- 9/12/2016
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Italian distributor buys docs including Zero Days and Lo And Behold and a number of narrative dramas.
Italian distributor I Wonder Pictures has struck deals for a number of documentaries, confirming its place as a key player in the doc market.
Andrea Romeo, I Wonder managing director, has picked up a number of films that screened at the recent Italian Biografilm festival, of which he is also the artistic director.
Acquisitions include Alex Gibney’s Zero Days, Werner Herzog’s Lo And Behold and Morgan Neville’s Music Of Strangers about cellist Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble.
Also picked up were the Paula Vaccaro and Jim Jarmusch-produced celebration of Howard Bookner, Uncle Howard; refugee story Those Who Jump; doc thriller The Lovers And The Despot; and Ester Gould’s Strike A Pose, the what-happened-next chronicle about the dancers of Madonna’s 1990 music tour.
I Wonder, which has previously released documentaries Citizenfour, The Look Of Silence and [link...
Italian distributor I Wonder Pictures has struck deals for a number of documentaries, confirming its place as a key player in the doc market.
Andrea Romeo, I Wonder managing director, has picked up a number of films that screened at the recent Italian Biografilm festival, of which he is also the artistic director.
Acquisitions include Alex Gibney’s Zero Days, Werner Herzog’s Lo And Behold and Morgan Neville’s Music Of Strangers about cellist Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble.
Also picked up were the Paula Vaccaro and Jim Jarmusch-produced celebration of Howard Bookner, Uncle Howard; refugee story Those Who Jump; doc thriller The Lovers And The Despot; and Ester Gould’s Strike A Pose, the what-happened-next chronicle about the dancers of Madonna’s 1990 music tour.
I Wonder, which has previously released documentaries Citizenfour, The Look Of Silence and [link...
- 7/12/2016
- ScreenDaily
Tricking the North Korean government into letting you shoot an unauthorized documentary in the communist country is punishable by decades in prison — or worse — but that’s exactly what Russian director Vitaly Mansky did for the 2015 film “Under the Sun.” Released by Icarus films, the movie had its North American theatrical premiere Wednesday at Film Forum in New York.
Read More: Under the Sun’ Review: A Terrifying Glimpse Inside North Korea’s Dictatorship
After two years of negotiations with North Korean authorities, Mansky received an invitation to document the life of an eight-year-old girl and her parents in the capital city of Pyongyang, only to learn upon arrival that every frame of his film would be scripted and controlled by state workers to create a piece of propaganda. “He realized that he didn’t have any freedom, that they wouldn’t let him go anywhere by himself, and that he...
Read More: Under the Sun’ Review: A Terrifying Glimpse Inside North Korea’s Dictatorship
After two years of negotiations with North Korean authorities, Mansky received an invitation to document the life of an eight-year-old girl and her parents in the capital city of Pyongyang, only to learn upon arrival that every frame of his film would be scripted and controlled by state workers to create a piece of propaganda. “He realized that he didn’t have any freedom, that they wouldn’t let him go anywhere by himself, and that he...
- 7/7/2016
- by Graham Winfrey
- Indiewire
The story chronicled in the new documentary The Lovers and the Despot sounds like a joke, which only makes the truth of it feel all the weirder and all the more horrifying. In 1978, North Korean dictator Kim Jong-il abducted South Korean director Shin Sang-ok and actress Choi Eun-hee (who were estranged lovers) and forced them to help […]
The post ‘The Lovers and the Despot’ Trailer: One of the Most Unbelievable True Stories in Cinema History appeared first on /Film.
The post ‘The Lovers and the Despot’ Trailer: One of the Most Unbelievable True Stories in Cinema History appeared first on /Film.
- 6/20/2016
- by Jacob Hall
- Slash Film
Called one of international cinema’s greatest love stories – and wildest – “The Lovers and the Despot” tells the true-life story of how South Korean filmmaker Shin Sang-ok and actress Choi Eun-hee, met and fell in love in post-war Korea. After a successful film career, they were both kidnapped by North Korean dictator Kim Jong-il.
A big fan of the duo and obsessed with movies, Jong-il forced them to create features for his pleasure and to improve North Korea’s film business. During their imprisonment, Choi and Shin gained the dictator’s trust and made 17 feature films, all while planning their escape.
“Kim laughed out loud like a triumphant general,” says Choi in the trailer about her experience. “Like a puppet, I was told what to eat, I was even told what to wear.”
Read More: ‘The Lovers and the Despot’ Exclusive Poster: New Doc Follows Director-Actress Couple Kidnapped By Kim Jong-il...
A big fan of the duo and obsessed with movies, Jong-il forced them to create features for his pleasure and to improve North Korea’s film business. During their imprisonment, Choi and Shin gained the dictator’s trust and made 17 feature films, all while planning their escape.
“Kim laughed out loud like a triumphant general,” says Choi in the trailer about her experience. “Like a puppet, I was told what to eat, I was even told what to wear.”
Read More: ‘The Lovers and the Despot’ Exclusive Poster: New Doc Follows Director-Actress Couple Kidnapped By Kim Jong-il...
- 6/17/2016
- by Liz Calvario
- Indiewire
Sometimes, stories of love, abduction, and espionage don’t have to be concocted by a screenwriter because they already exist. Directors Ross Adam and Robert Cannan (who made his debut in 2008 with Three Miles North of Molkom) have teamed up for the documentary The Lovers and the Despot, a bizarre story about an actress and director who are taken hostage by Kim Jong-il. Looking equal parts a tale of undying love and espionage thriller, the first trailer promises a story that is stranger than fiction.
Unfortunately, the film itself falls back onto tired documentary formulas, as we said in our review, “The doc still relies on a parade of basic interviews to tell its story, and presents them without an iota of imagination. Why have so few realized that this is the essence of telling instead of showing, that it is awfully difficult to make dramatically engaging, much less satisfying?...
Unfortunately, the film itself falls back onto tired documentary formulas, as we said in our review, “The doc still relies on a parade of basic interviews to tell its story, and presents them without an iota of imagination. Why have so few realized that this is the essence of telling instead of showing, that it is awfully difficult to make dramatically engaging, much less satisfying?...
- 6/17/2016
- by Mike Mazzanti
- The Film Stage
The Lovers And The Despot
Visitors to the Edinburgh International Film Festival expressed frustration today after the ticket purchasing system on the festival's website slowed to a crawl. According to staff at the festival, hacking is thought to be responsible. The public have been asked to persevere as each page takes around 15 minutes to load.
Although little is known about the source of the problem at this stage, suspicion has fallen on North Korea, with one industry insider speculating that it may have taken umbrage at the planned screening of a documentary about Kim Jong Il's kidnap of his favourite film director. The Lovers And The Despot explores the abduction of director Shin Sang-ok and his actress wife Choi Eun-hee, who was held hostage as Shin was forced to make films that accorded with the then leader's tastes - many of them monster movies. In 2014 the Hermit Kingdom was the.
Visitors to the Edinburgh International Film Festival expressed frustration today after the ticket purchasing system on the festival's website slowed to a crawl. According to staff at the festival, hacking is thought to be responsible. The public have been asked to persevere as each page takes around 15 minutes to load.
Although little is known about the source of the problem at this stage, suspicion has fallen on North Korea, with one industry insider speculating that it may have taken umbrage at the planned screening of a documentary about Kim Jong Il's kidnap of his favourite film director. The Lovers And The Despot explores the abduction of director Shin Sang-ok and his actress wife Choi Eun-hee, who was held hostage as Shin was forced to make films that accorded with the then leader's tastes - many of them monster movies. In 2014 the Hermit Kingdom was the.
- 6/17/2016
- by Jennie Kermode
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Highlights include the UK premiere of Finding Dory and the world premiere of the 4K restoration of Highlander [pictured].Scroll down for competition titles
The line-up for the 70th Edinburgh International Film Festival (Eiff) has been unveiled this morning by artistic director Mark Adams.
This year’s Eiff (June 15-26) will comprise a total 161 features from 46 countries including: 22 world premieres, five international premieres, 17 European premieres and 85 UK premieres.
Highlights include the UK premiere of Disney-Pixar animation Finding Dory, in-person events that include Us indie filmmaker Kevin Smith and Sex & The City actress Kim Cattrall, and the opening and closing gala world premieres of the previously announced Tommy’s Honour and Whisky Galore!.
Old classics will be re-imagined with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra performing the score to E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial live at Edinburgh’s Festival Theatre and the world premiere of the newly-restored 4K version of Highlander, celebrating its 30th anniversary with star Clancy Brown in attendance.
The...
The line-up for the 70th Edinburgh International Film Festival (Eiff) has been unveiled this morning by artistic director Mark Adams.
This year’s Eiff (June 15-26) will comprise a total 161 features from 46 countries including: 22 world premieres, five international premieres, 17 European premieres and 85 UK premieres.
Highlights include the UK premiere of Disney-Pixar animation Finding Dory, in-person events that include Us indie filmmaker Kevin Smith and Sex & The City actress Kim Cattrall, and the opening and closing gala world premieres of the previously announced Tommy’s Honour and Whisky Galore!.
Old classics will be re-imagined with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra performing the score to E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial live at Edinburgh’s Festival Theatre and the world premiere of the newly-restored 4K version of Highlander, celebrating its 30th anniversary with star Clancy Brown in attendance.
The...
- 5/25/2016
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
The new documentary "The Lovers and the Despot" follows the romance between film director Shin Sang-ok and actress Choi Eun-hee, the "Brangelina" of '70s South Korea. Though they were a glamorous couple, fame eventually took its toll on their relationship, but it also resulted in a strange twist of fate. The two eventually were kidnapped by the North Korean regime and forced to play along with a bizarre filmmaking project courtesy of dictator Kim Jong-il, a big fan of the Shin and Choi. Amidst their imprisonment and torture, the two eventually rekindled their romance and realize that making movies is their only way to escape the ugly reality of their fate. Check out the poster above. Read More: Sundance Review: Kim Jong-Il Kidnaps A Filmmaking Couple In Documentary ‘The Lovers And The Despot’ "The Lovers & The Despot" premiered at this year's Sundance Film Festival. It also screened at the Cleveland International Film Festival,...
- 5/12/2016
- by Vikram Murthi
- Indiewire
Exclusive: Veltri replaces Christina Rogers at the Us sales company.
Scott Veltri has been promoted to head of worldwide sales forcand replaces Christina Rogers, who is departing to pursue other opportunities.
Veltri previously served as vice-president of international sales and worked closely with Rogers over the last three years to increase the profile of the division.
He sold titles such as Sean Baker’s Tangerine, Steve James’ documentary Life Itself, Crystal Moselle’s The Wolfpack, Albert Maysles’ Iris, and Morgan Neville and Robert Gordon’s Best Of Enemies.
“Scott has proven himself to be an invaluable asset to the international sales team, and we’re very pleased for him to take on this new responsibility,” said Magnolia president Eamonn Bowles.
The Magnolia sales slate features Sundance horror The Eyes Of My Mother, and a slew of Park City documentaries that includes Werner Herzog’s Lo And Behold: Reveries Of The Connected World, Tickled and [link...
Scott Veltri has been promoted to head of worldwide sales forcand replaces Christina Rogers, who is departing to pursue other opportunities.
Veltri previously served as vice-president of international sales and worked closely with Rogers over the last three years to increase the profile of the division.
He sold titles such as Sean Baker’s Tangerine, Steve James’ documentary Life Itself, Crystal Moselle’s The Wolfpack, Albert Maysles’ Iris, and Morgan Neville and Robert Gordon’s Best Of Enemies.
“Scott has proven himself to be an invaluable asset to the international sales team, and we’re very pleased for him to take on this new responsibility,” said Magnolia president Eamonn Bowles.
The Magnolia sales slate features Sundance horror The Eyes Of My Mother, and a slew of Park City documentaries that includes Werner Herzog’s Lo And Behold: Reveries Of The Connected World, Tickled and [link...
- 5/12/2016
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Period drama from director Thomas Clay and the producer of the well-received Couple In A Hole.
Shooting has wrapped on Fanny Lye Deliver’d, a period drama starring Maxine Peake (The Theory of Everything), Charles Dance (Game of Thrones) and Freddie Fox (The Riot Club). The cast also includes Tanya Reynolds in her first feature film role and Peter McDonald (The Stag).
Shot over ten weeks on location in Shropshire, England, the film is written and directed by Thomas Clay and produced by Zorana Piggott (Couple In A Hole), Rob Cannan (The Lovers and the Despot) and Philippe Bober. The late Joseph Lang, Clay’s long-time producer, receives a posthumous producing credit.
Set in 1657 on an isolated farm in Shropshire, the story follows Fanny Lye (Peake) as she learns to transcend her oppressive marriage and discovers a new world of possibility.
Living a life of puritan stricture with husband John Lye (Dance) and young son Arthur...
Shooting has wrapped on Fanny Lye Deliver’d, a period drama starring Maxine Peake (The Theory of Everything), Charles Dance (Game of Thrones) and Freddie Fox (The Riot Club). The cast also includes Tanya Reynolds in her first feature film role and Peter McDonald (The Stag).
Shot over ten weeks on location in Shropshire, England, the film is written and directed by Thomas Clay and produced by Zorana Piggott (Couple In A Hole), Rob Cannan (The Lovers and the Despot) and Philippe Bober. The late Joseph Lang, Clay’s long-time producer, receives a posthumous producing credit.
Set in 1657 on an isolated farm in Shropshire, the story follows Fanny Lye (Peake) as she learns to transcend her oppressive marriage and discovers a new world of possibility.
Living a life of puritan stricture with husband John Lye (Dance) and young son Arthur...
- 5/3/2016
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
The biggest European film festival excludsively dealing with Asian cinema will open on Friday the 22nd of April with the South Korean blockbuster “The Tiger” and close with the Hong Kong thriller “The Bodyguard” on Saturday the 30th with the presence of the legendary Sammo Hung. Legendary director Johnnie To and composer Lim Giong will also attend.
The festival will feature 72 films in the official selection (5 world premieres) a retrospective of Japanese science fiction, the restored 4K versions of four Bruce Lee masterpieces and over 100 events organized around the city.
The line up of 2016 includes the followings:
Competition Section
China (10)
Chongqing Hot Pot, Yang Qing, crime-action- hipster noir, China 2016, European Premiere
The Dead End, Cao Baoping, cop-loves-cop thriller, China 2015, European Premiere
Destiny, Zhang Wei, human drama, China 2016, World Premiere
The Left Ear, Alec Su, youth drama, China 2015, European Premiere
Lost in Hong Kong, Xu Zheng, clash of cultures comedy, China 2015, International Festival Premiere
The Master,...
The festival will feature 72 films in the official selection (5 world premieres) a retrospective of Japanese science fiction, the restored 4K versions of four Bruce Lee masterpieces and over 100 events organized around the city.
The line up of 2016 includes the followings:
Competition Section
China (10)
Chongqing Hot Pot, Yang Qing, crime-action- hipster noir, China 2016, European Premiere
The Dead End, Cao Baoping, cop-loves-cop thriller, China 2015, European Premiere
Destiny, Zhang Wei, human drama, China 2016, World Premiere
The Left Ear, Alec Su, youth drama, China 2015, European Premiere
Lost in Hong Kong, Xu Zheng, clash of cultures comedy, China 2015, International Festival Premiere
The Master,...
- 4/21/2016
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
The 18th Feff will feature 50 titles in competition, including Lost In Hong Kong, Mojin: The Lost Legend and Ip Man 3, as well as a new Focus Asia market.Scroll down for full programme
The Udine Far East Film Festival (Feff) has revealed the programme for its 18th edition (April 22-30), featuring a myriad of high-profile Asian titles from the past year.
The event will close with the European premiere of director and actor Sammo Hung’s latest feature, The Bodyguard [pictured], with Hung due to be in attendance.
Hung’s appearance marks the second year in a row that the festival has played host to a Hong Kong film icon, after Jackie Chan attended last year’s edition.
The Bodyguard (also known as My Beloved Bodyguard) has grossed close to $50m since its release in China on April 1. The film stars Sammo Hung as a retired bodyguard who strikes up an unlikely friendship with a young girl.
The...
The Udine Far East Film Festival (Feff) has revealed the programme for its 18th edition (April 22-30), featuring a myriad of high-profile Asian titles from the past year.
The event will close with the European premiere of director and actor Sammo Hung’s latest feature, The Bodyguard [pictured], with Hung due to be in attendance.
Hung’s appearance marks the second year in a row that the festival has played host to a Hong Kong film icon, after Jackie Chan attended last year’s edition.
The Bodyguard (also known as My Beloved Bodyguard) has grossed close to $50m since its release in China on April 1. The film stars Sammo Hung as a retired bodyguard who strikes up an unlikely friendship with a young girl.
The...
- 4/13/2016
- ScreenDaily
The Lovers And The Despot Magnolia Films Reviewed by: Harvey Karten, Shockya Grade: B+ Director: Rob Cannan, Ross Adam Written by: Rob Cannan, Ross Adam Cast: Shin Sang-ok, Choi Eun-hee, Kim-Jong Il, Paul Courtenay Hu Screened at: Review 2, NYC, 3/29/16 Opens: August, 2016 North Korea is such a bizarre country that a documentary filmed within its confines looks like an unbelievable sci-fi film. Isolated with the world’s longest-running dictatorship, this Communist nation depends on the support of China, which has become increasingly wary of the cultish leaders. Though the only remaining, truly Communist state left, it is actually like a monarchy, with its despots passing the reign to their [ Read More ]
The post The Lovers and the Despot Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
The post The Lovers and the Despot Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
- 4/1/2016
- by Harvey Karten
- ShockYa
Exclusive: Magnolia head of worldwide sales Christina Rogers has reported a strong response from buyers in Berlin to Lo And Behold: Reveries Of The Connected World, The Lovers And The Despot, and Tickled.
Lo And Behold, Werner Herzog’s documentary about the internet, sold to the UK (Dogwoof), German-speaking Europe (Koch), Australia and New Zealand (Madman), Italy (I Wonder Pictures), and Canada (Vsc).
Further deals closed in Poland (Against Gravity), former Yugoslavia (Demiurg), Mexico (Ambulante), and Israel (Channel 8).
The Lovers And The Despot, Rob Cannan and Ross Adam’s documentary about the kidnappings by North Korea of a South Korean actress and her ex-husband, screened in Panorama at the Berlinale following its world premiere in Park City.
All rights were acquired for Italy (I Wonder Pictures), former Yugoslavia (Demiurg), Singapore (Luna Films) and Canada (Vsc).
David Farrier’s probe into the secretive world of endurance tickling contests in Tickled secured a UK deal with Studiocanal.
Elsewhere, the documentary...
Lo And Behold, Werner Herzog’s documentary about the internet, sold to the UK (Dogwoof), German-speaking Europe (Koch), Australia and New Zealand (Madman), Italy (I Wonder Pictures), and Canada (Vsc).
Further deals closed in Poland (Against Gravity), former Yugoslavia (Demiurg), Mexico (Ambulante), and Israel (Channel 8).
The Lovers And The Despot, Rob Cannan and Ross Adam’s documentary about the kidnappings by North Korea of a South Korean actress and her ex-husband, screened in Panorama at the Berlinale following its world premiere in Park City.
All rights were acquired for Italy (I Wonder Pictures), former Yugoslavia (Demiurg), Singapore (Luna Films) and Canada (Vsc).
David Farrier’s probe into the secretive world of endurance tickling contests in Tickled secured a UK deal with Studiocanal.
Elsewhere, the documentary...
- 2/22/2016
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Magnolia head of worldwide sales Christina Rogers has reported a strong response from buyers in Berlin to Lo And Behold: Reveries Of The Connected World, The Lovers And The Despot, and Tickled.
Lo And Behold, Werner Herzog’s documentary about the internet, sold to: German-speaking Europe (Koch), the UK (Dogwoof), Australia and New Zealand (Madman), Italy (I Wonder Pictures), and Canada (Vsc).
Further deals closed in Poland (Against Gravity), former Yugoslavia (Demiurg), Mexico (Ambulante), and Israel (Channel 8).
The Lovers And The Despot, Rob Cannan and Ross Adam’s documentary about the kidnappings by North Korea of a South Korean actress and her ex-husband, screened in Panorama following its world premiere in Park City.
I Wonder Pictures acquired all rights in Italy, Demiurg for the former Yugoslavia, Luna Films in Singapore, and Vsc in Canada.
David Farrier’s probe into the secretive world of endurance tickling contests in Tickled sparked a UK deal with Studiocanal.
Elsewhere, I Wonder...
Lo And Behold, Werner Herzog’s documentary about the internet, sold to: German-speaking Europe (Koch), the UK (Dogwoof), Australia and New Zealand (Madman), Italy (I Wonder Pictures), and Canada (Vsc).
Further deals closed in Poland (Against Gravity), former Yugoslavia (Demiurg), Mexico (Ambulante), and Israel (Channel 8).
The Lovers And The Despot, Rob Cannan and Ross Adam’s documentary about the kidnappings by North Korea of a South Korean actress and her ex-husband, screened in Panorama following its world premiere in Park City.
I Wonder Pictures acquired all rights in Italy, Demiurg for the former Yugoslavia, Luna Films in Singapore, and Vsc in Canada.
David Farrier’s probe into the secretive world of endurance tickling contests in Tickled sparked a UK deal with Studiocanal.
Elsewhere, I Wonder...
- 2/22/2016
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
The Park City deal flow erupted on Friday led by Paramount Home Media’s $2.25m worldwide rights play for Us Dramatic Competition entry Goat.
Andrew Neel directed the gritty drama about hazing, which will get a day-and-date VOD launch with Viacom stablemate MTV securing the first TV window.
A third party will handle theatrical distribution to the film starring Nick Jonas. CAA represented the filmmakers.
Other Sundance Film Festival deals announced on Friday included:
Sony Pictures Classics acquired Us and Asia on John Krasinski’s Premieres family comedy The Hollars starring the director and Anna Kendrick. Wme Global represented the filmmakers.
Universal has swooped on most of world rights to Matthew Ross’ Premieres drama Frank & Lola starring Michael Shannon and Imogen Poots. CAA and Preferred Content represented the filmmakers and Arclight handles international rights.
Magnolia picked up the world on Rob Cannan and Ross Adam’s World Cinema Documentary Competition entry The Lovers And The Despot and will...
Andrew Neel directed the gritty drama about hazing, which will get a day-and-date VOD launch with Viacom stablemate MTV securing the first TV window.
A third party will handle theatrical distribution to the film starring Nick Jonas. CAA represented the filmmakers.
Other Sundance Film Festival deals announced on Friday included:
Sony Pictures Classics acquired Us and Asia on John Krasinski’s Premieres family comedy The Hollars starring the director and Anna Kendrick. Wme Global represented the filmmakers.
Universal has swooped on most of world rights to Matthew Ross’ Premieres drama Frank & Lola starring Michael Shannon and Imogen Poots. CAA and Preferred Content represented the filmmakers and Arclight handles international rights.
Magnolia picked up the world on Rob Cannan and Ross Adam’s World Cinema Documentary Competition entry The Lovers And The Despot and will...
- 1/29/2016
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
The Park City deal flow erupted on Friday led by Paramount Home Media’s $2.25m worldwide rights play for Us Dramatic Competition entry Goat.
Andrew Neel directed the gritty drama about hazing, which will get a day-and-date VOD launch with Viacom stablemate MTV securing the first TV window.
A third party will handle theatrical distribution to the film starring Nick Jonas. CAA represented the filmmakers.
In other deals announced on Friday:
Sony Pictures Classics acquired Us and Asia on John Krasinski’s Premieres family comedy The Hollars starring the director and Anna Kendrick. Wme Global represented the filmmakers.Universal has swooped on most of world rights to Matthew Ross’ Premieres drama Frank & Lola starring Michael Shannon and Imogen Poots. CAA and Preferred Content represented the filmmakers and Arclight handles international rights.Magnolia picked up the world on Rob Cannan and Ross Adam’s World Cinema Documentary Competition entry The Lovers And The Despot and will commence international...
Andrew Neel directed the gritty drama about hazing, which will get a day-and-date VOD launch with Viacom stablemate MTV securing the first TV window.
A third party will handle theatrical distribution to the film starring Nick Jonas. CAA represented the filmmakers.
In other deals announced on Friday:
Sony Pictures Classics acquired Us and Asia on John Krasinski’s Premieres family comedy The Hollars starring the director and Anna Kendrick. Wme Global represented the filmmakers.Universal has swooped on most of world rights to Matthew Ross’ Premieres drama Frank & Lola starring Michael Shannon and Imogen Poots. CAA and Preferred Content represented the filmmakers and Arclight handles international rights.Magnolia picked up the world on Rob Cannan and Ross Adam’s World Cinema Documentary Competition entry The Lovers And The Despot and will commence international...
- 1/29/2016
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
The Park City trickle is turning into a stream as Paramount Home Media acquired worldwide rights to the Us Dramatic Competition entry in a deal valued at $2.25m, one of at least four festival deals that emerged on Friday.
Magnolia picked up the world on World Cinema Documentary Competition entry The Lovers And The Despot, while A24 took North American rights to the polarising Us Dramatic Competition selection Swiss Army Man and Music Box and Netflix partnered on North American rights to Norman Lear: Just Another Version Of You.
Goat, a gritty drama about hazing, will get a day-and-date VOD launch and Viacom stablemate MTV will get the first TV window.
A third party will handle theatrical distribution to the film starring Nick Jonas. Andrew Neel directed. CAA represented the filmmakers.
Magnolia Pictures brokered its worldwide rights deal on The Lovers And The Despot with Submarine Entertainment.
Rob Cannan and Ross Adam directed the story about the kidnappings...
Magnolia picked up the world on World Cinema Documentary Competition entry The Lovers And The Despot, while A24 took North American rights to the polarising Us Dramatic Competition selection Swiss Army Man and Music Box and Netflix partnered on North American rights to Norman Lear: Just Another Version Of You.
Goat, a gritty drama about hazing, will get a day-and-date VOD launch and Viacom stablemate MTV will get the first TV window.
A third party will handle theatrical distribution to the film starring Nick Jonas. Andrew Neel directed. CAA represented the filmmakers.
Magnolia Pictures brokered its worldwide rights deal on The Lovers And The Despot with Submarine Entertainment.
Rob Cannan and Ross Adam directed the story about the kidnappings...
- 1/29/2016
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
The Park City trickle is turning into a stream as Paramount Home Media acquired worldwide rights to the Us Dramatic Competition entry in a deal valued at $2.25m, one of at least four festival deals that emerged on Friday.
Magnolia picked up the world on World Cinema Documentary Competition entry The Lovers And The Despot, while A24 took North American rights to the polarising Us Dramatic Competition selection Swiss Army Man and Music Box and Netflix partnered on North American rights to Norman Lear: Just Another Version Of You.
Goat, a gritty drama about hazing, will get a day-and-date VOD launch and Viacom stablemate MTV will get the first TV window.
A third party will handle theatrical distribution to the film starring Nick Jonas. Andrew Neel directed. CAA represented the filmmakers.
Magnolia Pictures brokered its worldwide rights deal on The Lovers And The Despot with Submarine Entertainment.
Rob Cannan and Ross Adam directed the story about the kidnappings...
Magnolia picked up the world on World Cinema Documentary Competition entry The Lovers And The Despot, while A24 took North American rights to the polarising Us Dramatic Competition selection Swiss Army Man and Music Box and Netflix partnered on North American rights to Norman Lear: Just Another Version Of You.
Goat, a gritty drama about hazing, will get a day-and-date VOD launch and Viacom stablemate MTV will get the first TV window.
A third party will handle theatrical distribution to the film starring Nick Jonas. Andrew Neel directed. CAA represented the filmmakers.
Magnolia Pictures brokered its worldwide rights deal on The Lovers And The Despot with Submarine Entertainment.
Rob Cannan and Ross Adam directed the story about the kidnappings...
- 1/29/2016
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Magnolia Pictures has acquired worldwide rights to Rob Cannan and Ross Adam’s The Lovers And The Despot, a documentary that tells the true story behind the kidnappings of a celebrated South Korean actress and her director ex-husband by late North Korean dictator and film fanatic Kim Jong-il, who made them his personal filmmakers. The pic bowed this week at the Sundance Film Festival and will get a theatrical release this year after it plays in Berlin, where Magnolia…...
- 1/29/2016
- Deadline
We’re a little over a year from the semi-aborted release of “The Interview,” Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg’s comedy that passed almost instantly into legend when (supposedly) North Korean hackers attacked the film’s backers Sony in retribution for the film’s satirical portrait, and fictional killing of, the country’s dictatorial leader Kim Jong-Un. So it’s perhaps a little surprising to see another movie premiering at Sundance that hits similar territory: again focusing on a North Korean leader (Kim’s late father Kim Jong-Il) and his infatuation with celebrity, touched with some espionage and dark humor. The difference this time is that Rob Cannan and Ross Adam’s film “The Lovers And The Despot” tells an entirely true story. Read More: The 30 Most Anticipated Films Of The 2016 Sundance Film Festival It’s one that you might be familiar with in the broad strokes, but likely not in this kind of detail.
- 1/27/2016
- by Oliver Lyttelton
- The Playlist
There’s an incredible story somewhere in this tale of how an actor and her husband were forced to make films for the late dictator, but this documentary buries it by way of over-measured effects and chronic pussy-footing
There’s not a lot that’s warm and fuzzy about the late dictator of North Korea, Kim Jong-Il. One factoid that floats around is that “the guy loved movies!” As the documentary The Lovers and the Despot shows, even this is tinged with darkness.
Built around a lengthy interview with former film star Choi Eun-hee, directors Robert Cannan and Ross Adam tell the strange tale of how Choi, a South Korean, and her ex-husband, director Shin Sang-ok, were kidnapped by Kim’s agents and pressed into servitude, with the order to make North Korea’s film output great.
Continue reading...
There’s not a lot that’s warm and fuzzy about the late dictator of North Korea, Kim Jong-Il. One factoid that floats around is that “the guy loved movies!” As the documentary The Lovers and the Despot shows, even this is tinged with darkness.
Built around a lengthy interview with former film star Choi Eun-hee, directors Robert Cannan and Ross Adam tell the strange tale of how Choi, a South Korean, and her ex-husband, director Shin Sang-ok, were kidnapped by Kim’s agents and pressed into servitude, with the order to make North Korea’s film output great.
Continue reading...
- 1/24/2016
- by Jordan Hoffman
- The Guardian - Film News
Perhaps one of the last great, and truly bizarre, propaganda machines on the planet, the North Korean government has become expert at attempting to sell itself as bigger, more threatening, and as culturally advanced as the world around it. However, that bluster has also seen the leadership make desperate moves, and the upcoming documentary “The Lovers And The Despot,” premiering at the Sundance Film Festival, dives into a truly odd portion of the country’s history. Read More: The 30 Most Anticipated Films Of The 2016 Sundance Film Festival Directed by Ross Adam and Robert Cannan, the film tells the story of South Korean director Shin Sang-ok and leading actress Choi Eun-hee, both of whom wind up imprisoned and kidnapped separately by North Korea, and reunited by Kim Jong-il, who has another plan up his sleeve for them… Here’s the official synopsis: In the aftermath of the Korean War, ambitious young...
- 1/20/2016
- by Edward Davis
- The Playlist
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