‘A Town Called Panic’: The Best Stop-Motion Movie About Bulk Brick Sales to Ever Emerge from Belgium
On Friday nights, IndieWire After Dark takes a feature-length beat to honor fringe cinema in the streaming age.
First, the spoiler-free pitch for one editor’s midnight movie pick — something weird and wonderful from any age of film that deserves our memorializing.
Then, the spoiler-filled aftermath as experienced by the unwitting editor attacked by this week’s recommendation.
The Pitch: Tragically, Fifty Million Bricks Still Goes Exactly as Far as It Once Did
Two core memories stick out to me from my eighth grade French class: (1) My teacher using the overhead projector as a visual aid while she vented her frustrations about her inability to stop growing hair on her big toe; and (2) watching “A Town Called Panic” for the first time when a substitute was in charge. It’s worth noting that neither of these experiences have had any real bearing on my ability to speak French — but given...
First, the spoiler-free pitch for one editor’s midnight movie pick — something weird and wonderful from any age of film that deserves our memorializing.
Then, the spoiler-filled aftermath as experienced by the unwitting editor attacked by this week’s recommendation.
The Pitch: Tragically, Fifty Million Bricks Still Goes Exactly as Far as It Once Did
Two core memories stick out to me from my eighth grade French class: (1) My teacher using the overhead projector as a visual aid while she vented her frustrations about her inability to stop growing hair on her big toe; and (2) watching “A Town Called Panic” for the first time when a substitute was in charge. It’s worth noting that neither of these experiences have had any real bearing on my ability to speak French — but given...
- 11/4/2023
- by Christian Zilko and Alison Foreman
- Indiewire
The French animated film "Ernest & Celestine: A Trip to Gibberitia" executes a music gag you wouldn't expect to be both world-building and silly. With the stoic seriousness of a concert professional, an anthropomorphic bear musician flexes his knuckles over a piano, as if prepping for Sergei Rachmaninoff's "Piano Concerto #2 in C Minor." But instead, he proceeds to plink the C-note repeatedly. There is no variation in the tune except a change in tempo. Then the editing expands the gag by revealing a payoff: the piano really only has one piano key. The crowd lauds his music. The lead bear and mouse, the eponymous Ernest and Celestine, are gobsmacked by this display of "music." At once, they learn the hard way that this country banned multi-note instruments. This gag best represents the family-friendly politics within the "Ernest & Celestine" sequel.
Dare I say the sequel might sing a better tune than the first?...
Dare I say the sequel might sing a better tune than the first?...
- 8/28/2023
- by Caroline Cao
- Slash Film
Gkids has snapped up U.S. rights to Ernest & Celestine: A Trip To Gibberitia — the sequel to the acclaimed Ernest & Celestine, which landed a Best Animated Feature Oscar nom in 2014. The decorated producer and distributor of animation, celebrating its 15th anniversary, will put both the original French-language version of Gibberitia and a new English dub in theaters this year.
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Both Ernest & Celestine films are based on the children’s book series by Belgian author-illustrator Gabrielle Vincent. The original helmed by Stéphane Aubier, Vincent Patar and Benjamin Renner examines the unlikely friendship between a bear, Ernest (Lambert Wilson...
Related Story Laura Linney Comedy ‘The Miracle Club’ Acquired By Sony Pictures Classics Related Story 'Inu-Oh' Director Masaaki Yuasa On Exploring Undocumented Possibilities For A "Modern Interpretation Of Old Tales" Related Story As The Best Animated Feature Competition Heats Up, Can Netflix Or Another Newcomer Bring Home The Oscar?
Both Ernest & Celestine films are based on the children’s book series by Belgian author-illustrator Gabrielle Vincent. The original helmed by Stéphane Aubier, Vincent Patar and Benjamin Renner examines the unlikely friendship between a bear, Ernest (Lambert Wilson...
- 3/2/2023
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
The Criterion Channel’s July 2021 Lineup Includes Wong Kar Wai, Neo-Noir, Art-House Animation & More
The July lineup at The Criterion Channel has been revealed, most notably featuring the new Wong Kar Wai restorations from the recent box set release, including As Tears Go By, Days of Being Wild, Chungking Express, Fallen Angels, Happy Together, In the Mood for Love, 2046, and his shorts Hua yang de nian hua and The Hand.
Also among the lineup is a series on neo-noir with Body Double, Manhunter, Thief, The Last Seduction, Cutter’s Way, Brick, Night Moves, The Long Goodbye, Chinatown, and more. The channel will also feature a spotlight on art-house animation with work by Marcell Jankovics, Satoshi Kon, Ari Folman, Don Hertzfeldt, Karel Zeman, and more.
With Jodie Mack’s delightful The Grand Bizarre, the landmark doc Hoop Dreams, Orson Welles’ take on Othello, the recent Oscar entries Preparations to Be Together for an Unknown Period of Time and You Will Die at Twenty, and much more,...
Also among the lineup is a series on neo-noir with Body Double, Manhunter, Thief, The Last Seduction, Cutter’s Way, Brick, Night Moves, The Long Goodbye, Chinatown, and more. The channel will also feature a spotlight on art-house animation with work by Marcell Jankovics, Satoshi Kon, Ari Folman, Don Hertzfeldt, Karel Zeman, and more.
With Jodie Mack’s delightful The Grand Bizarre, the landmark doc Hoop Dreams, Orson Welles’ take on Othello, the recent Oscar entries Preparations to Be Together for an Unknown Period of Time and You Will Die at Twenty, and much more,...
- 6/24/2021
- by Leonard Pearce
- The Film Stage
France’s Annecy International Animation Film Festival, the leading global get-together for all things animation, has unveiled the lineup for this year’s Work in Progress section, among the most highly anticipated events of the world’s animation calendar. When a physical event is possible, lines begin to form early in the morning as fans of the high-profile projects hope to get into the limited seating available at the Salle Pierre Lamy.
A barometer for future standout awards and/or box office success, recent high-profile projects featured at Annecy’s Work in Progress include Sony Pictures Entertainment’s Oscar-winner “Spiderman: Into the Spider-Verse” and Oscar nominees in Netflix’s “Klaus” and “Over the Moon,” Cartoon Saloon’s “Wolfwalkers,” Claude Barras’ “My Life as a Zucchini,” Stéphane Aubier and Vincent Patar’s “Ernest & Celestine,” Michael Dudok de Wit’s “The Red Turtle” and Dean DeBlois’ “How to Train Your Dragon 2.
A barometer for future standout awards and/or box office success, recent high-profile projects featured at Annecy’s Work in Progress include Sony Pictures Entertainment’s Oscar-winner “Spiderman: Into the Spider-Verse” and Oscar nominees in Netflix’s “Klaus” and “Over the Moon,” Cartoon Saloon’s “Wolfwalkers,” Claude Barras’ “My Life as a Zucchini,” Stéphane Aubier and Vincent Patar’s “Ernest & Celestine,” Michael Dudok de Wit’s “The Red Turtle” and Dean DeBlois’ “How to Train Your Dragon 2.
- 5/3/2021
- by Jamie Lang
- Variety Film + TV
Paris-based arthouse outfit Autour de Minuit, producer of Oscar-winning toon short “Logorama,” will produce toon feature “Spitsbergen” and medium-length “Return to Nix,” both to be directed by Suzie Templeton, who won as Academy Award and Annecy Cristal for”Peter & the Wolf”). “Spitsbergen”marks Templeton’s much-awaited feature debut, currently in development.
The news comes as Annecy awarded a Special Jury prize to the Autour de Minuit-produced short “Homeless Home,“ from Spain’s Alberto Vázquez (“Birdboy: the Forgotten Children”), a heady B & W mix of fantasy genre, casual, modern-day dialog and a horror at blood lust and cruelty.
Yesterday, a second Autour de Minuit short, Geoffroy de Crécy’s “Empty Places” – a hypnotic portrait of a world in which humdrum machines continue to function, though human beings have disappeared – took the Festivals Connexion Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes prize, in partnership with the Lumières Numériques & Mèche Courte Award.
“Spitsbergen” turns on two kids living together...
The news comes as Annecy awarded a Special Jury prize to the Autour de Minuit-produced short “Homeless Home,“ from Spain’s Alberto Vázquez (“Birdboy: the Forgotten Children”), a heady B & W mix of fantasy genre, casual, modern-day dialog and a horror at blood lust and cruelty.
Yesterday, a second Autour de Minuit short, Geoffroy de Crécy’s “Empty Places” – a hypnotic portrait of a world in which humdrum machines continue to function, though human beings have disappeared – took the Festivals Connexion Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes prize, in partnership with the Lumières Numériques & Mèche Courte Award.
“Spitsbergen” turns on two kids living together...
- 6/20/2020
- by Emilio Mayorga
- Variety Film + TV
Annecy, France — Fulfilling expectations, Jeremy Clapin’s “I Lost My Body, the subject of one of the highest-profile Netflix deals at this year’s Cannes, won this Saturday the Annecy Festival’s top Cristal Award of best feature plus, in a relatively rare Annecy double whammy, the festival’s Audience Award.
The first was expected, the second a sign of the broad appeal of a movie whose premise – a severed hand desperately attempting to be reunited with its body – seems a highly unlikely point of departure for a movie of any kind.
Hailed as a masterpiece by many critics “I Lost My Body” was described by Peter Debruge in his Variety review as “one of the strangest ideas ever committed to animation — a severed hand seeks answers,” which “ultimately proves to be one of the medium’s most profound offerings.”
With a 2019 Annecy jury mention going to Salvador Simó’s...
The first was expected, the second a sign of the broad appeal of a movie whose premise – a severed hand desperately attempting to be reunited with its body – seems a highly unlikely point of departure for a movie of any kind.
Hailed as a masterpiece by many critics “I Lost My Body” was described by Peter Debruge in his Variety review as “one of the strangest ideas ever committed to animation — a severed hand seeks answers,” which “ultimately proves to be one of the medium’s most profound offerings.”
With a 2019 Annecy jury mention going to Salvador Simó’s...
- 6/15/2019
- by John Hopewell and Jamie Lang
- Variety Film + TV
Nicolas Schmerkin’s Paris-based Autour de Minuit has boarded Alfredo Soderguit and Alejo Schettini’s “Two Little Birds” (“Dos pajaritos”), the first winner of La Liga contest, an award created by Argentina’s Animation!, Spain’s Quirino Awards and Mexico’s Pixelatl Festival, three major events in Ibero-American animation.
The project will be pitched at the upcoming Annecy Intl. Animation Film Festival on June 13.
Autour de Minuit will co-produce the animated series. A non-dialogue slapstick about two bitter bird enemies, “Two Little Birds” is produced by Luciana Roude at Buenos Aires’ Can Can Club –a longtime associate of Argentine stop-motion master Juan Pablo Zaramella – director of “The Tiniest Man in the World” and 2011 Annecy winner and Oscar-shortlisted “Luminaris” – and Uruguay’s Palermo Estudio, ran by Alfredo Soderguit and Alejo Schettini, director and animation director/co-writer of the 2013 Bafici Audience Award winner “Anina.”
“With such a minimalist and universal non-dialogue concept,...
The project will be pitched at the upcoming Annecy Intl. Animation Film Festival on June 13.
Autour de Minuit will co-produce the animated series. A non-dialogue slapstick about two bitter bird enemies, “Two Little Birds” is produced by Luciana Roude at Buenos Aires’ Can Can Club –a longtime associate of Argentine stop-motion master Juan Pablo Zaramella – director of “The Tiniest Man in the World” and 2011 Annecy winner and Oscar-shortlisted “Luminaris” – and Uruguay’s Palermo Estudio, ran by Alfredo Soderguit and Alejo Schettini, director and animation director/co-writer of the 2013 Bafici Audience Award winner “Anina.”
“With such a minimalist and universal non-dialogue concept,...
- 6/5/2019
- by Emilio Mayorga
- Variety Film + TV
Barcelona— Finland’s Yle, Ireland’s 9 Story Distribution International and France’s Folimage have been awarded as Broadcaster, Investor/Distributor and Producer of the Year respectively at this year’s Cartoon Forum, which closes today in Toulouse.
Finnish public broadcaster Yle, through Yle TV2, airs over 3,000 hours of programming per year for 2-12s. Yle has become a proactive partner in animated TV series co-production, and alongside the recently approved 25% cash rebate for domestic and foreign investments is one of the keys to Finland’s new animation revival. Two recent productions in which Yle has participated are “Gigglebug” (Gigglebug Entertainment) and “Albi the Snowman” (Hima Light). The Nordic country was also honored at Cartoon Forum with a Spotlight.
Other nominées in this category were Italy’s DeAKids, Netflix and France’s TF1 Unite Jeunesse.
Founded in 1981 by Jacques-Rémy Girerd, France’s Folimage took the Cartoon Tribute Award for Best Producer of the Year.
Finnish public broadcaster Yle, through Yle TV2, airs over 3,000 hours of programming per year for 2-12s. Yle has become a proactive partner in animated TV series co-production, and alongside the recently approved 25% cash rebate for domestic and foreign investments is one of the keys to Finland’s new animation revival. Two recent productions in which Yle has participated are “Gigglebug” (Gigglebug Entertainment) and “Albi the Snowman” (Hima Light). The Nordic country was also honored at Cartoon Forum with a Spotlight.
Other nominées in this category were Italy’s DeAKids, Netflix and France’s TF1 Unite Jeunesse.
Founded in 1981 by Jacques-Rémy Girerd, France’s Folimage took the Cartoon Tribute Award for Best Producer of the Year.
- 9/13/2018
- by Emilio Mayorga
- Variety Film + TV
Annecy, France — In a major strategic move by one of Europe’s preeminent animation production houses, Folivari’s Didier Brunner, producer of the Academy Award nominated “Ernest & Celestine,” has launched an animation studio, Fost Studio.
Co-founded by Folivari executives Damien Brunner and Thibaut Ruby, who will serve as its president and managing director, Fost Studio will be in charge of some of the rough and clean animation on “Wolfwalkers,” the new feature from two-time Academy nominee Tomm Moore and Ross Stewart, and produced by Cartoon Saloon.
Fost Studio will oversee most backgrounds, all the animation and the overall production supervision on “Stinky Dog,” a 52-part TV series adaption of Marc Boutavant and Colas Gutman’s bestselling books, which have sold 500,000 copies in France. Davy Durand and Stéphane Aubier and Vincent Patar (“A Town Called Panic”) direct.
A third production set up at Fost, “The Summit of the Gods,” is...
Co-founded by Folivari executives Damien Brunner and Thibaut Ruby, who will serve as its president and managing director, Fost Studio will be in charge of some of the rough and clean animation on “Wolfwalkers,” the new feature from two-time Academy nominee Tomm Moore and Ross Stewart, and produced by Cartoon Saloon.
Fost Studio will oversee most backgrounds, all the animation and the overall production supervision on “Stinky Dog,” a 52-part TV series adaption of Marc Boutavant and Colas Gutman’s bestselling books, which have sold 500,000 copies in France. Davy Durand and Stéphane Aubier and Vincent Patar (“A Town Called Panic”) direct.
A third production set up at Fost, “The Summit of the Gods,” is...
- 6/11/2018
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
In 2012, the French animated film “Ernest & Clestine,” based on a series of children’s books, premiered at the Cannes Film Festival; it later went on to be nominated for an Oscar for Best Animated Feature. Now the film’s co-directors Stéphane Aubier and Vincent Patar are back with two new specials, “A Town Called Panic: Double Fun,” which features the surreal, freewheeling adventures of three plasticine toys: Cowboy, Indian, and Horse. Watch an exclusive trailer for the specials below and check out the poster as well.
Read More: Review: Oscar Nominated ‘Ernest & Celestine’ a Gentle and Delightfully Weird Animated Treat
In the first special “Christmas Panic,” Cowboy and Indian’s out-of-control antics lead Horse to call Santa and cancel the presents, and now it’s up to the boys to save Christmas by breaking into their neighbor’s house to steal his Yule Log. The second special “Back to School...
Read More: Review: Oscar Nominated ‘Ernest & Celestine’ a Gentle and Delightfully Weird Animated Treat
In the first special “Christmas Panic,” Cowboy and Indian’s out-of-control antics lead Horse to call Santa and cancel the presents, and now it’s up to the boys to save Christmas by breaking into their neighbor’s house to steal his Yule Log. The second special “Back to School...
- 9/14/2016
- by Annakeara Stinson
- Indiewire
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Need a good laugh, but only got an hour and a half? Might we recommend this little lot...
I’m of the firm belief that films work most effectively when their runtime is 90 minutes or less. It forces an economy of story and dialogue which propels the film into its best self. No bloated middle, extended ending, or wasted stories here. This goes double for comedies. They should never outstay their welcome. But they seem to be getting longer, as we recently pointed out here.
So to refresh your movie comedy palette, here are 25 films that are 90 minutes or under. I’ve tried to avoid the more obvious ones, and shine a light on those comedies which might have gone a bit unappreciated over the years, but are well worth a hour and a half of your time. This lean runtime isn’t a guarantee of greatness of course,...
google+
Need a good laugh, but only got an hour and a half? Might we recommend this little lot...
I’m of the firm belief that films work most effectively when their runtime is 90 minutes or less. It forces an economy of story and dialogue which propels the film into its best self. No bloated middle, extended ending, or wasted stories here. This goes double for comedies. They should never outstay their welcome. But they seem to be getting longer, as we recently pointed out here.
So to refresh your movie comedy palette, here are 25 films that are 90 minutes or under. I’ve tried to avoid the more obvious ones, and shine a light on those comedies which might have gone a bit unappreciated over the years, but are well worth a hour and a half of your time. This lean runtime isn’t a guarantee of greatness of course,...
- 3/2/2016
- by simonbrew
- Den of Geek
New Riga Meetings platform welcomes projects including two projects by Finnish film-maker Aku Louhimies.
Janis Nords’ second feature Mother I Love You and Juris Kursietis’ debut Modris were the big winners at the ¨Great Christopher¨ (¨Lielais Kristaps¨) National Film Competition held during the first edition of the Riga International Film Festival (December 2-12).
Nords, who graduated in film directing from the UK’s Nfts, received the top honour of best film as well as the trophy for best feature film director and best actress (for Vita Varpina’s performance as the single mother trying to make ends meet).
On presenting the direction prize to Nords, the competition jury’s chairman, veteran film director Janis Streics, said that he saw “a bright future ahead for Latvian cinema” on the strength of the line-up for this edition of the national film awards.
Mother I Love You, which is handled internationally by New Europe Film Sales, premiered at the...
Janis Nords’ second feature Mother I Love You and Juris Kursietis’ debut Modris were the big winners at the ¨Great Christopher¨ (¨Lielais Kristaps¨) National Film Competition held during the first edition of the Riga International Film Festival (December 2-12).
Nords, who graduated in film directing from the UK’s Nfts, received the top honour of best film as well as the trophy for best feature film director and best actress (for Vita Varpina’s performance as the single mother trying to make ends meet).
On presenting the direction prize to Nords, the competition jury’s chairman, veteran film director Janis Streics, said that he saw “a bright future ahead for Latvian cinema” on the strength of the line-up for this edition of the national film awards.
Mother I Love You, which is handled internationally by New Europe Film Sales, premiered at the...
- 12/12/2014
- by screen.berlin@googlemail.com (Martin Blaney)
- ScreenDaily
Unifrance has announced the titles competing in this year’s online event focused on French-language features and shorts that have had limited international exposure.
Unifrance has unveiled the line-up of the fifth edition of its MyFrenchFilmFestival.com, its online event focused on French-language features and shorts that have had little international exposure as yet.
Running January 16 to February 16 2015, the festival will showcase 10 features and 10 shorts.
This year’s jury will be presided over by Michel Gondry and also feature Belgium director Joachim Lafosse, Israeli Nadav Lapid and Mauritanian Abderrahmane Sissako.
The winning film will be awarded €15,000 to be divided equally between the director, producer and sales agent.
The festival will be available on 25 partner platforms worldwide.
The Line-up
Feature-length Competition
How I Came to Hate Maths (Comment j’ai détesté les maths), dir. Olivier PeyonEastern Boys, dir. Robin CampilloThe Strange Colour of Your Body’s Tears, dir. Hélène Cattet and Bruno ForzaniGazelles, dir Mona AchacheHippocrate...
Unifrance has unveiled the line-up of the fifth edition of its MyFrenchFilmFestival.com, its online event focused on French-language features and shorts that have had little international exposure as yet.
Running January 16 to February 16 2015, the festival will showcase 10 features and 10 shorts.
This year’s jury will be presided over by Michel Gondry and also feature Belgium director Joachim Lafosse, Israeli Nadav Lapid and Mauritanian Abderrahmane Sissako.
The winning film will be awarded €15,000 to be divided equally between the director, producer and sales agent.
The festival will be available on 25 partner platforms worldwide.
The Line-up
Feature-length Competition
How I Came to Hate Maths (Comment j’ai détesté les maths), dir. Olivier PeyonEastern Boys, dir. Robin CampilloThe Strange Colour of Your Body’s Tears, dir. Hélène Cattet and Bruno ForzaniGazelles, dir Mona AchacheHippocrate...
- 12/2/2014
- ScreenDaily
Cute in Court: Bears and Mice Controversially Live In Harmony
We are not for lack of anthropomorphized mice nor bears, from all the way back to Mickey through Ratatouille‘s Remy, to Maurice Sendak’s Little Bear and Jungle Book‘s Baloo, yet Stéphane Aubier, Vincent Patar & Benjamin Renner’s loving adaptation of Gabrielle Vincent’s charmingly subdued children’s book series Ernest & Celestine most recalls that of another beloved bear – Winnie the Pooh. While Vincent’s original works utilized a somewhat scribbly watercolor look, the adapting filmmakers have acclimated Vincent’s style to the animated form, and in doing, have produced an earthy but elegant hand drawn effect that closely resembles Disney’s watercolored take on Alan Alexander Milne’s Hundred Acre Wood. Though bumbling and forever as hungry as Pooh bear, Ernest inhibits an allegorical microcosm far less innocent and far more socially critical than his honey-crazed counterpart.
We are not for lack of anthropomorphized mice nor bears, from all the way back to Mickey through Ratatouille‘s Remy, to Maurice Sendak’s Little Bear and Jungle Book‘s Baloo, yet Stéphane Aubier, Vincent Patar & Benjamin Renner’s loving adaptation of Gabrielle Vincent’s charmingly subdued children’s book series Ernest & Celestine most recalls that of another beloved bear – Winnie the Pooh. While Vincent’s original works utilized a somewhat scribbly watercolor look, the adapting filmmakers have acclimated Vincent’s style to the animated form, and in doing, have produced an earthy but elegant hand drawn effect that closely resembles Disney’s watercolored take on Alan Alexander Milne’s Hundred Acre Wood. Though bumbling and forever as hungry as Pooh bear, Ernest inhibits an allegorical microcosm far less innocent and far more socially critical than his honey-crazed counterpart.
- 3/13/2014
- by Jordan M. Smith
- IONCINEMA.com
Cavemen, Minions, Sisters – All were part of Friday night’s Animated Feature symposium at AMPAS where the nominees discussed how their films were developed, talked about their creative processes and presented clips illustrating their techniques.
The evening was hosted by Oscar nominated actor John C. Reilly, star of last year’s lovable Wreck-it Ralph, who affably led the packed house at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater through the many interesting and often hilarious moments of the night.
Turns out, it was a great year for animated films. More people saw the five animated movies than saw all nine Best Picture nominees combined. This was also the first year that both directors and producers could be nominated in the category. In year’s past, the only nominees were the people who helmed the movie.
The Animation Branch of the Academy instituted a special rule for the Animated Feature Film Award.
Rule Seven:...
The evening was hosted by Oscar nominated actor John C. Reilly, star of last year’s lovable Wreck-it Ralph, who affably led the packed house at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater through the many interesting and often hilarious moments of the night.
Turns out, it was a great year for animated films. More people saw the five animated movies than saw all nine Best Picture nominees combined. This was also the first year that both directors and producers could be nominated in the category. In year’s past, the only nominees were the people who helmed the movie.
The Animation Branch of the Academy instituted a special rule for the Animated Feature Film Award.
Rule Seven:...
- 3/2/2014
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Might be the most ridiculously cute movie I’ve ever seen, in a way that transforms adorableness into something honest and wise and deeply satisfying. I’m “biast” (pro): nothing
I’m “biast” (con): nothing
I have not read the source material
(what is this about? see my critic’s minifesto)
This might be the most ridiculously cute movie I’ve ever seen. Not cute in a schmalty, sappy, insipid way, but in a way that transforms adorableness into something honest and wise and deeply satisfying, like how the best children’s picture books do. (Indeed, this is based on the series of books by Gabrielle Vincent.) An ineffable sweetness arises as if by accident from this simple story of a mouse, Celestine (the voice of Pauline Brunner), and a bear, Ernest (the voice of Lambert Wilson: Flawless), who overcome the “natural” animosity between their kind to...
I’m “biast” (con): nothing
I have not read the source material
(what is this about? see my critic’s minifesto)
This might be the most ridiculously cute movie I’ve ever seen. Not cute in a schmalty, sappy, insipid way, but in a way that transforms adorableness into something honest and wise and deeply satisfying, like how the best children’s picture books do. (Indeed, this is based on the series of books by Gabrielle Vincent.) An ineffable sweetness arises as if by accident from this simple story of a mouse, Celestine (the voice of Pauline Brunner), and a bear, Ernest (the voice of Lambert Wilson: Flawless), who overcome the “natural” animosity between their kind to...
- 2/26/2014
- by MaryAnn Johanson
- www.flickfilosopher.com
Though it's mostly American animated films that made up the nominees for Best Animated Feature from the 86th Academy Award nominations, France got their film Ernest & Celestine nominated alongside The Croods, Frozen, Despicable Me 2 and The Wind Rises. Now the film is poised to get a release in the United States with a more familiar cast providing the voices for the English dubbed version. The Us release of the film has the voices of Forest Whitaker, Mackenzie Foy, Lauren Bacall, William H. Macy, Megan Mullally, Nick Offerman and Jeffrey Wright. Now the first trailer featuring their voices is here. Watch! The Us trailer for Benjamin Renner, Vincent Patar & Stéphane Aubier's Ernest & Celestine from Apple: Deep below snowy, cobblestone streets, tucked away in networks of winding subterranean tunnels, lives a civilization of hardworking mice, terrified of the bears who live above ground. Unlike her fellow mice, Celestine is an...
- 2/6/2014
- by Ethan Anderton
- firstshowing.net
5. The Guest (Adam Wingard)
Having not seen A Horrible Way to Die, You’re Next or either editions of V/H/S, I had not a clue what I was in for with Adam Wingard’s latest, but I am sure as hell glad I was willing and able to squeeze in its midnight showing after 5 other eventful screenings earlier that day. The Guest is some kind of amazingly reworked Universal Soldier, retrofit with perfect servings of camp, revenge, charm and an 80s-tinged synthesizer soundtrack that’s only topped by Dan Steven’s stunningly charismatic superman performance. Over-the-top in all of the best ways and still coolly calculated in its brazenly stylized choices, The Guest is a hilarious action throwback that has future midnight classic written all over it.
4. Obvious Child (Gillian Robespierre)
I did not expect that a comedy about abortion would be one of the best films I...
Having not seen A Horrible Way to Die, You’re Next or either editions of V/H/S, I had not a clue what I was in for with Adam Wingard’s latest, but I am sure as hell glad I was willing and able to squeeze in its midnight showing after 5 other eventful screenings earlier that day. The Guest is some kind of amazingly reworked Universal Soldier, retrofit with perfect servings of camp, revenge, charm and an 80s-tinged synthesizer soundtrack that’s only topped by Dan Steven’s stunningly charismatic superman performance. Over-the-top in all of the best ways and still coolly calculated in its brazenly stylized choices, The Guest is a hilarious action throwback that has future midnight classic written all over it.
4. Obvious Child (Gillian Robespierre)
I did not expect that a comedy about abortion would be one of the best films I...
- 2/6/2014
- by Jordan M. Smith
- IONCINEMA.com
2014 Sundance Film Festival Coverage: El: Eric Lavallee. Nb: Nicholas Bell. Cc: Caitlin Coder. Js: Jordan M. Smith
Special Screening (1)
Nympho Vol. I – (El: ✮✮✮✮)
U.S. Dramatic Competition (16)
Camp X-Ray – (Nb: ✮✮✮)
Cold in July – (Nb: ✮✮✮ 1/2)
Dear White People – (Nb: ✮✮✮)
Fishing Without Nets – (El: ✮✮✮) + (Js: ✮✮✮) + (Nb: ✮✮✮)
God’s Pocket – (Cc: ✮✮ 1/2)
Happy Christmas – (Cc: ✮✮✮ 1/2) + (Js: ✮✮✮ 1/2) + (Nb: ✮✮ 1/2)
Hellion – (El: ✮✮) + (Jm: ✮✮✮1/2)
Infinitely Polar Bear – (El: ✮✮✮)
Jamie Marks Is Dead – (El: ✮✮✮) + (Js: ✮1/2) + (Nb: ✮✮ 1/2)
Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter – (Js: ✮✮✮ 1/2)
Life After Beth – (El: ✮ 1/2) + (Nb: ✮ )
Low Down – (Cc: ✮✮✮) + (Js: ✮✮✮)
The Skeleton Twins - (Nb: ✮✮✮1/2) + (El: ✮✮✮1/2) + (Cc: ✮✮✮1/2) (Review)
The Sleepwalker – (El: ✮✮✮ 1/2) + (Js: ✮✮✮1/2) + (Cc: ✮✮✮✮) + (Nb: ✮✮✮)
Song One – (El: ✮✮) + (Js: ✮✮1/2)
Wish I Was Here – (Cc: ✮✮)
U.S. Docu Competition (16)
Alive Inside: A Story of Music & Memory (Js: ✮✮✮)
All the Beautiful Things
Captivated The Trials of Pamela Smart: (El: ✮✮✮)
The Case Against 8
Cesar’s Last Fast
Dinosaur 13 – (El: ✮✮) + (Js: ✮✮) (Review)
E-team (Js: ✮✮✮)
Fed Up
The Internet’s Own Boy:...
Special Screening (1)
Nympho Vol. I – (El: ✮✮✮✮)
U.S. Dramatic Competition (16)
Camp X-Ray – (Nb: ✮✮✮)
Cold in July – (Nb: ✮✮✮ 1/2)
Dear White People – (Nb: ✮✮✮)
Fishing Without Nets – (El: ✮✮✮) + (Js: ✮✮✮) + (Nb: ✮✮✮)
God’s Pocket – (Cc: ✮✮ 1/2)
Happy Christmas – (Cc: ✮✮✮ 1/2) + (Js: ✮✮✮ 1/2) + (Nb: ✮✮ 1/2)
Hellion – (El: ✮✮) + (Jm: ✮✮✮1/2)
Infinitely Polar Bear – (El: ✮✮✮)
Jamie Marks Is Dead – (El: ✮✮✮) + (Js: ✮1/2) + (Nb: ✮✮ 1/2)
Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter – (Js: ✮✮✮ 1/2)
Life After Beth – (El: ✮ 1/2) + (Nb: ✮ )
Low Down – (Cc: ✮✮✮) + (Js: ✮✮✮)
The Skeleton Twins - (Nb: ✮✮✮1/2) + (El: ✮✮✮1/2) + (Cc: ✮✮✮1/2) (Review)
The Sleepwalker – (El: ✮✮✮ 1/2) + (Js: ✮✮✮1/2) + (Cc: ✮✮✮✮) + (Nb: ✮✮✮)
Song One – (El: ✮✮) + (Js: ✮✮1/2)
Wish I Was Here – (Cc: ✮✮)
U.S. Docu Competition (16)
Alive Inside: A Story of Music & Memory (Js: ✮✮✮)
All the Beautiful Things
Captivated The Trials of Pamela Smart: (El: ✮✮✮)
The Case Against 8
Cesar’s Last Fast
Dinosaur 13 – (El: ✮✮) + (Js: ✮✮) (Review)
E-team (Js: ✮✮✮)
Fed Up
The Internet’s Own Boy:...
- 1/28/2014
- by IONCINEMA.com Contributing Writers
- IONCINEMA.com
Title: Ernest and Celestine Directors: Benjamin Renner, Stéphane Aubier, Vincent Patar There are a few general types of animated films. There are those designed for children, those designed for adults, and those where it’s not quite clear who their target audience truly is. Ernest and Celestine is the latest animated feature to straddle the line between family-friendly entertainment and a far more mature instance of storytelling that incorporates superb animation and a moving, memorable plotline. This lovely and thoroughly entertaining film is about a friendship between a bear and a mouse, whose cultures are understandably different and whose story has plenty of layers and parallels embedded within it. Ernest and [ Read More ]
The post Ernest and Celestine Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
The post Ernest and Celestine Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
- 1/27/2014
- by abe
- ShockYa
Oscar 2014 predictions: From ‘Gravity’ to ‘The Great Gatsby’ (photo: George Clooney in ‘Gravity’) See previous post: "Oscar 2014 Predictions: From ‘American Hustle’ to ‘The Hunt.’" Among those listed are Meryl Streep, Robert Redford, Julia Roberts, Jennifer Lawrence, David O. Russell, Jared Leto, Matthew McConaughey, Cate Blanchett, Sally Hawkins, Judi Dench, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Lupita Nyong’o, Michael Fassbender, Steve McQueen, Bruce Dern, June Squibb, James Gandolfini, Alfonso Cuarón, Sandra Bullock, Tom Hanks, and Emma Thompson. Below is the follow up list to our last-minute Oscar 2014 predictions. All lists are in alphabetical order. The only categories that feature runners-up and long shots are the two screenplay categories. Curiously, several major movies and/or widely touted potential Oscar contenders have been completely shut out of our Oscar 2014 predictions (top five films). Among these are Zack Snyder-Henry Cavill’s Man of Steel; Lee Daniels-Forest Whitaker’s The Butler; Denis Villeneuve-...
- 1/16/2014
- by Steve Montgomery
- Alt Film Guide
Reworking the vision of the late Belgian author Gabrielle Vincent for the screen proved to be an utter success for director Benjamin Renner and his co-directors Stéphane Aubier and Vincent Pata. The gorgeous illustrations and endearing story of her characters has been translated into animation in a sublimely elegant manner by the trio of filmmakers. In the film Ernest & Celestine the imperfect nature of her drawings and the watercolor backgrounds have been kept intact, which makes for a delightful and warm atmosphere throughout the piece. This is an artful, handcrafted, and unforgettable piece of animation unlike the fast-paced and formulaic movies that dominate the market today. Following the story of Celestine, a loving mouse who wants to become friends with someone from another world - a huge bear named Ernest, the film is heartwarming and absolutely beautiful to look at. Director Benjamin Renner talked to us about the process of adapting Vincent's work, the music, the voice over, and why these pair of unlikely friends are so unavoidably likeable.
Ernest & Celestine will screen at this year's Sundance Film Festival as part of a new section titled 'Sundance Kids'
Carlos Aguilar: Where you familiar with the material before getting involved in the project, or how difficult did you find adapting Gabrielle Vincent’s storybooks into a film?
Benjamin Renner: I actually didn’t know the books when I was a kid. I got the book when the producer asked me to work on the film, so I didn’t have any nostalgia about the books. It was more about discovering everything. As I started working on the adaptation, I really loved the illustrations and the minimalism, and it was something very beautiful. I wanted to make animation that looked like an animated sketchbook. We wanted to be able to “feel the paper” like it was a book, so we used watercolor backgrounds and things like such.
Aguilar: Did you and your co-directors feel any pressure or great responsibility since these are characters loved by many people with an extensive fan base?
Renner: There was a lot of pressure of course. Gabrielle Vincent passed away so she couldn’t tell us what she thought of the film or anything, so we had to rely on what we thought she would have liked on the film. So surely I felt a lot of pressure.
Aguilar: Was the character design entirely inspired by the original books, or did you have other animated films as inspiration?
Renner: It was mainly based on the books. We had a wonderful designer who did all the characters, and of course he was always looking at the books. Sometimes there were some characters that like the dentist who didn’t exist in the book, so he had to create them.
Aguilar: For the voice work, where you involved in the process? Did you choose who was going to voice each character?
Renner: I was working with the man in charge of the casting. I helped directing the action telling them “Maybe you should do it more like this or like that”, and then I was also there for the recording sessions. We did it twice, once before we did the animation, and when we were done with the animation we recorded all the actors once again, so we could really be more precise on certain scenes.
Aguilar: What was the approach used by the screenwriter when creating this story out of so many different books that revolve around the characters?
Renner: He didn’t really try to take all the books and make it into one story. He wanted to make his own story. The thing is, he knew Gabrielle Vincent the author of the books, and he knew she was a very delicate person and vey sensitive. He knew her books were more like a refuge, like a little paradise. She was drawing a paradise because she was scared of the world around her. Knowing this, Daniel Benac wanted to make something that starts in a very dark world but ends in the world of Gabrielle Vincent. Through the film you can see her world. Ernest and Celestine at the beginning don’t know each other, once they know each other they live together exactly like in the book, that’s how he wanted to do it. The first part of the film has nothing to do with the books, and the second part is completely linked to the books.
Aguilar: There is an unlikely friendship between the two main characters. Ernest and Celestine aren’t supposed to be friends. What do you think is the message the author and now your film are trying to convey?
Renner: There are several messages. One is that people shouldn’t have prejudices about others, this one of the biggest messages in the film. Also, respecting the will of some people in society, like if they want to read, or draw, or play music, they should be ale to do it as long as they want it. Drawing was also very important for me. I really wanted as a message for children to have the will to pick up a pen and start drawing, it was quite important for me.
Aguilar: What do you think is special about traditional animation since now most films are being made in 3D? Do you prefer one style of animation in particular?
Renner: For me 3D animation is also great, but in France we don’t have hug e budgets for our films. Ernest & Celestine cost 9.6 million Euros, so that’s not much compared to big budgets like Pixar or DreamWorks. The thing is though we don’t have big budgets, with drawing you can draw absolutely anything you want, you just have to find the right way to draw it. There is an example that I often give. In the script there is a scenes where Ernest and Celestine are chased by hundreds of cop rats running after them, this scene had the producer really worried. She was saying “That’s too many characters, you can’t draw that, it’s going to cost too much money” So I suggested to create these characters that are sort of more like a wave of a thousand mice, which is easier to draw and in a way even more impressive. In drawing you always have to find a trick so you can tell any story but you won’t have to pay too much to make it.
Aguilar: Could you talk a bit more about creating the world? You talked about using watercolors, it seems like it was very difficult to get the feeling of the books right onto the film
Renner: Gabrielle Vincent always drew like sketchy, very spontaneously. You can really see in her drawings that she was very spontaneous. We learned that when she was drawing she would work on a single drawing and if it was not correct, she would not correct it but she would always take another piece of paper and she started redoing it, and redoing it, and redoing it until she was satisfied.
For the animation I wanted to have the spontaneous feeling, so the animation, as you can see, it’s not really clean, the lines are dirty, they are open, because it is more like you are sketching an animation rather than making something very precise. We had a very long casting process of animators so we could find exactly the right person who could feel this kind of drawing because it is very particular.
Aguilar: Why do you think the audience connects with these characters?
Renner: Ernest and Celestine are a bear and a mouse, immediately when you hear of a bear and a mouse together you can’t avoid to think about an ogre eating a small child. I really love that you see them and instantly think about that, but at the same time the relationship is completely opposite to that “eating” relationship, it’s more like a friendship. I think it is even stronger than that.
Aguilar: The music plays a crucial role in giving the film an elegant and classic atmosphere. What attracted you to this particular style or composer?
Renner: It took us a long time to find the composer, we had a long casting process, and we met Vincent Courtois who is a cello artist and I really wanted someone who was really an artist rather than a big composer. Vincent Courtois likes to play with 4 or 5 people and I really liked his intimate way of working, and we tried to have this feeling in the music. Sometimes he said he was just with his friends and he was just improvising, and I really loved his way of working.
Aguilar: What’s next for you? Are there any projects you are working on at the moment?
Renner: Right now I’m working on a graphic novel and a short film that might be extended into a feature. I’m hoping for the production we gather together the artists of Ernest & Celestine as we really wish to work together again.
Ernest & Celestine will screen at this year's Sundance Film Festival as part of a new section titled 'Sundance Kids'
Carlos Aguilar: Where you familiar with the material before getting involved in the project, or how difficult did you find adapting Gabrielle Vincent’s storybooks into a film?
Benjamin Renner: I actually didn’t know the books when I was a kid. I got the book when the producer asked me to work on the film, so I didn’t have any nostalgia about the books. It was more about discovering everything. As I started working on the adaptation, I really loved the illustrations and the minimalism, and it was something very beautiful. I wanted to make animation that looked like an animated sketchbook. We wanted to be able to “feel the paper” like it was a book, so we used watercolor backgrounds and things like such.
Aguilar: Did you and your co-directors feel any pressure or great responsibility since these are characters loved by many people with an extensive fan base?
Renner: There was a lot of pressure of course. Gabrielle Vincent passed away so she couldn’t tell us what she thought of the film or anything, so we had to rely on what we thought she would have liked on the film. So surely I felt a lot of pressure.
Aguilar: Was the character design entirely inspired by the original books, or did you have other animated films as inspiration?
Renner: It was mainly based on the books. We had a wonderful designer who did all the characters, and of course he was always looking at the books. Sometimes there were some characters that like the dentist who didn’t exist in the book, so he had to create them.
Aguilar: For the voice work, where you involved in the process? Did you choose who was going to voice each character?
Renner: I was working with the man in charge of the casting. I helped directing the action telling them “Maybe you should do it more like this or like that”, and then I was also there for the recording sessions. We did it twice, once before we did the animation, and when we were done with the animation we recorded all the actors once again, so we could really be more precise on certain scenes.
Aguilar: What was the approach used by the screenwriter when creating this story out of so many different books that revolve around the characters?
Renner: He didn’t really try to take all the books and make it into one story. He wanted to make his own story. The thing is, he knew Gabrielle Vincent the author of the books, and he knew she was a very delicate person and vey sensitive. He knew her books were more like a refuge, like a little paradise. She was drawing a paradise because she was scared of the world around her. Knowing this, Daniel Benac wanted to make something that starts in a very dark world but ends in the world of Gabrielle Vincent. Through the film you can see her world. Ernest and Celestine at the beginning don’t know each other, once they know each other they live together exactly like in the book, that’s how he wanted to do it. The first part of the film has nothing to do with the books, and the second part is completely linked to the books.
Aguilar: There is an unlikely friendship between the two main characters. Ernest and Celestine aren’t supposed to be friends. What do you think is the message the author and now your film are trying to convey?
Renner: There are several messages. One is that people shouldn’t have prejudices about others, this one of the biggest messages in the film. Also, respecting the will of some people in society, like if they want to read, or draw, or play music, they should be ale to do it as long as they want it. Drawing was also very important for me. I really wanted as a message for children to have the will to pick up a pen and start drawing, it was quite important for me.
Aguilar: What do you think is special about traditional animation since now most films are being made in 3D? Do you prefer one style of animation in particular?
Renner: For me 3D animation is also great, but in France we don’t have hug e budgets for our films. Ernest & Celestine cost 9.6 million Euros, so that’s not much compared to big budgets like Pixar or DreamWorks. The thing is though we don’t have big budgets, with drawing you can draw absolutely anything you want, you just have to find the right way to draw it. There is an example that I often give. In the script there is a scenes where Ernest and Celestine are chased by hundreds of cop rats running after them, this scene had the producer really worried. She was saying “That’s too many characters, you can’t draw that, it’s going to cost too much money” So I suggested to create these characters that are sort of more like a wave of a thousand mice, which is easier to draw and in a way even more impressive. In drawing you always have to find a trick so you can tell any story but you won’t have to pay too much to make it.
Aguilar: Could you talk a bit more about creating the world? You talked about using watercolors, it seems like it was very difficult to get the feeling of the books right onto the film
Renner: Gabrielle Vincent always drew like sketchy, very spontaneously. You can really see in her drawings that she was very spontaneous. We learned that when she was drawing she would work on a single drawing and if it was not correct, she would not correct it but she would always take another piece of paper and she started redoing it, and redoing it, and redoing it until she was satisfied.
For the animation I wanted to have the spontaneous feeling, so the animation, as you can see, it’s not really clean, the lines are dirty, they are open, because it is more like you are sketching an animation rather than making something very precise. We had a very long casting process of animators so we could find exactly the right person who could feel this kind of drawing because it is very particular.
Aguilar: Why do you think the audience connects with these characters?
Renner: Ernest and Celestine are a bear and a mouse, immediately when you hear of a bear and a mouse together you can’t avoid to think about an ogre eating a small child. I really love that you see them and instantly think about that, but at the same time the relationship is completely opposite to that “eating” relationship, it’s more like a friendship. I think it is even stronger than that.
Aguilar: The music plays a crucial role in giving the film an elegant and classic atmosphere. What attracted you to this particular style or composer?
Renner: It took us a long time to find the composer, we had a long casting process, and we met Vincent Courtois who is a cello artist and I really wanted someone who was really an artist rather than a big composer. Vincent Courtois likes to play with 4 or 5 people and I really liked his intimate way of working, and we tried to have this feeling in the music. Sometimes he said he was just with his friends and he was just improvising, and I really loved his way of working.
Aguilar: What’s next for you? Are there any projects you are working on at the moment?
Renner: Right now I’m working on a graphic novel and a short film that might be extended into a feature. I’m hoping for the production we gather together the artists of Ernest & Celestine as we really wish to work together again.
- 1/9/2014
- by Carlos Aguilar
- Sydney's Buzz
James Franco tattoos and gold teeth: Los Angeles Film Critics 2013 Awards’ surprise winners (photo: James Franco in ‘Spring Breakers’) The Los Angeles Film Critics Association (Lafca), which has been around since the mid-’70s, announced earlier today, December 8, 2013, their list of winners and runners-up. As usual, there were a number of surprises, including James Franco, tying in the Best Supporting Actor category, and Shane Carruth’s sci-fi indie drama Upstream Color, selected as the runner-up for Best Editing. (Check out the full list of 2013 Los Angeles Film Critics winners. See also: Boston Society of Film Critics 2013 winners, announced earlier today.) But really, the biggest surprise of the day was the fact that the Los Angeles Film Critics came up with no less than three ties, including Best Picture: Alfonso Cuarón’s Gravity and Spike Jonze’s Her. That’s the Lafca’s first Best Picture tie since its first awards year,...
- 12/9/2013
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Ernest & Celestine
Written by Daniel Pennac
Directed by Stéphane Aubier, Vincent Patar and Benjamin Renner
France, 2012
Based on Belgian author Gabrielle Vincent’s children’s books, Ernest & Celestine is an infectiously joyous piece of entertainment from the duo behind the manic A Town Called Panic, who direct here alongside Benjamin Renner. That earlier film’s stop-motion approach is abandoned for a more traditional hand-drawn animation style, presented in a beautiful, gentle watercolour palette. Ernest & Celestine is also not quite so anarchic in its humour, though one struggles to think of what film could match A Town Called Panic for that, but shares its predecessor’s wittiness regarding heated exchanges and heightened characters prone to snap decision-making.
In the film’s fictional universe, bears and mice live in parallel worlds. The bears live above ground, operating businesses and such, while the mice live below the surface in a metropolis within the sewers.
Written by Daniel Pennac
Directed by Stéphane Aubier, Vincent Patar and Benjamin Renner
France, 2012
Based on Belgian author Gabrielle Vincent’s children’s books, Ernest & Celestine is an infectiously joyous piece of entertainment from the duo behind the manic A Town Called Panic, who direct here alongside Benjamin Renner. That earlier film’s stop-motion approach is abandoned for a more traditional hand-drawn animation style, presented in a beautiful, gentle watercolour palette. Ernest & Celestine is also not quite so anarchic in its humour, though one struggles to think of what film could match A Town Called Panic for that, but shares its predecessor’s wittiness regarding heated exchanges and heightened characters prone to snap decision-making.
In the film’s fictional universe, bears and mice live in parallel worlds. The bears live above ground, operating businesses and such, while the mice live below the surface in a metropolis within the sewers.
- 12/9/2013
- by Josh Slater-Williams
- SoundOnSight
Los Angeles Film Critics Awards winners 2013 (photo: Sandra Bullock in ‘Gravity’) The Los Angeles Film Critics Association (Lafca), which has been around since the early ’70s, announced earlier today, December 8, 2013, their list of 2013 winners and runners-up. Although there were a handful of offbeat choices, what’s most surprising is how mainstream were most of the Los Angeles Film Critics’ picks this year — Alfonso Cuarón’s Gravity was the top film, with a total of four wins — and that there were no less than three ties, including one for Best Picture: Gravity and Spike Jonze’s Her. See below. (See also: Full list of Boston Society of Film Critics 2013 winners.) Best Picture (tie): Gravity and Her. Best Foreign-Language Film: Blue Is the Warmest Color, directed by Abdellatif Kechiche. Runner-up: The Great Beauty, directed by Paolo Sorrentino. Best Documentary: Stories We Tell, directed by Sarah Polley Runner-up: The Act of Killing,...
- 12/8/2013
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
The Sundance Institute has released the movie line-up for their Spotlight, Midnight and Sundance Kids selections for The Sundance Film Festival 2014. The Midnight selection has always been my favorite because its always packed with really crazy, fun, and messed up films. It looks like another great collection of films this next year! They include films such as Cooties with Elijah Wood, Dead Snow: Red vs. Dead and more. Sundance Kids is a new addition this year which, if you couldn't tell, is meant for younger audiences.
The Festival takes place January 16-26 in Park City, Salt Lake City, Ogden, and Sundance, Utah, and we will be there to cover as many of the films as humanly possible. Director of Programming, Trevor Groth, had this to say in a statement.
“The films in the sections announced today round out our 2014 Sundance Film Festival program and further reflect the depth and...
The Festival takes place January 16-26 in Park City, Salt Lake City, Ogden, and Sundance, Utah, and we will be there to cover as many of the films as humanly possible. Director of Programming, Trevor Groth, had this to say in a statement.
“The films in the sections announced today round out our 2014 Sundance Film Festival program and further reflect the depth and...
- 12/8/2013
- by Joey Paur
- GeekTyrant
When Sundance announced the films in competition for the 2014 festival yesterday, its organizers noted that they were impressed by the caliber of cinematic artistry — mostly due to technology — that freed up filmmakers to experiment with different genres. No category of the festival is more rooted in genre than Park City at Midnight, the late-night section that specializes in horror and the supernatural, and this year’s slate has several potential breakouts. “The Midnight lineup came together in a way that is about the strongest group we’ve ever had, top to bottom,” says Trevor Groth, Sundance’s director of programming.
- 12/5/2013
- by Jeff Labrecque
- EW - Inside Movies
Tommy Wirkola’s Dead Snow sequel, Adam Wingard’s The Guest and Xyz Films’ Killers from The Mo Brothers are among the Park City At Midnight line-up as festival heads also unveiled Spotlight selections and the inaugural Sundance Kids section on December 5.
The Sundance Kids strand is programmed in cooperation with Utah children and youth festival Tumbleweeds, and will premiere Ernest And Celestine starring Forest Whitaker and Lauren Bacall and Zip & Zap And The Marble Gang with Javier Gutiérrez.
“The films in the sections announced today round out our 2014 Sundance Film Festival programme and further reflect the depth and diversity of modern independent film-making that will satisfy everyone from festival fledglings to fanatics,” said director of programming Trevor Groth.
The Sundance Film Festival is set to run from January 16-26 2014 in Utah. Organisers will showcase 117 feature selections, of which 96 are world premieres, representing 37 countries and 53 first-time film-makers, including 34 in competition.
The selections...
The Sundance Kids strand is programmed in cooperation with Utah children and youth festival Tumbleweeds, and will premiere Ernest And Celestine starring Forest Whitaker and Lauren Bacall and Zip & Zap And The Marble Gang with Javier Gutiérrez.
“The films in the sections announced today round out our 2014 Sundance Film Festival programme and further reflect the depth and diversity of modern independent film-making that will satisfy everyone from festival fledglings to fanatics,” said director of programming Trevor Groth.
The Sundance Film Festival is set to run from January 16-26 2014 in Utah. Organisers will showcase 117 feature selections, of which 96 are world premieres, representing 37 countries and 53 first-time film-makers, including 34 in competition.
The selections...
- 12/5/2013
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Here are the two films playing in the Sundance Kids section.Ernest and Celestine / France, Belgium, Luxembourg (Directors: Benjamin Renner, Stéphane Aubier, Vincent Patar, Screenwriter: Daniel Pennac) — Unlike her fellow mice, Celestine is an artist and a dreamer. When she nearly ends up as breakfast for a bear named Ernest, the two form an unlikely bond that is quickly challenged by their respective communities. Cast: Forest Whitaker, Mackenzie Foy, Lauren Bacall, Paul Giamatti, William H. Macy, Nick Offerman. World Premiere (English version) Zip and Zap and the Marble Gang / Spain (Director: Oskar Santos, Screenwriters: Francisco Roncal, Jorge Lara, Oskar Santos) — Zip and Zap are punished by being sent to a re-education center. Guided by intelligence, they uncover a mysterious secret hidden deep within the school and end up having the most exciting adventure of their lives. Cast: Javier Gutiérrez, Daniel Cerezo, Raúl Rivas, Claudia Vega, Marcos Ruiz, Fran García. U.
- 12/5/2013
- by Indiewire
- Indiewire
Nominations for the 41st Annual Annie Awards were announced and "Frozen" and "Monsters University" led the pack with 10 nominations each. "Despicable Me 2" and "The Croods" followed closely with 9 noms each.
I am rooting for "Frozen" to win! It's a return to form to what Disney does best -- affecting fairy tale with memorable musical numbers. "Monsters University," on the other hand, was bland. The film bored me on second viewing.
Steven Spielberg will receive the Winsor McCay Award for career achievement at the awards ceremony happening on Saturday, Feb. 1, at Royce Hall on the UCLA campus. Patrick Warburton will serve as host.
2013 Annie Award Nominations
Production Categories
1 . Best Animated Feature
A Letter to Momo . Gkids
Despicable Me 2 . Universal Pictures
Ernest & Celestine . Gkids
Frozen . Walt Disney Animation Studios
Monsters University . Pixar Animation Studios
The Croods . DreamWorks Animation
The Wind Rises . The Walt Disney Studios
2 . Annie Award for Best Animated...
I am rooting for "Frozen" to win! It's a return to form to what Disney does best -- affecting fairy tale with memorable musical numbers. "Monsters University," on the other hand, was bland. The film bored me on second viewing.
Steven Spielberg will receive the Winsor McCay Award for career achievement at the awards ceremony happening on Saturday, Feb. 1, at Royce Hall on the UCLA campus. Patrick Warburton will serve as host.
2013 Annie Award Nominations
Production Categories
1 . Best Animated Feature
A Letter to Momo . Gkids
Despicable Me 2 . Universal Pictures
Ernest & Celestine . Gkids
Frozen . Walt Disney Animation Studios
Monsters University . Pixar Animation Studios
The Croods . DreamWorks Animation
The Wind Rises . The Walt Disney Studios
2 . Annie Award for Best Animated...
- 12/3/2013
- by Manny
- Manny the Movie Guy
Batul Mukhtiar won the Golden Elephant trophy for Best Live Action Director for Kaphal in the Competition International Live Action section at the International Children’s Film Festival of India.
Tamaash or The Puppet by Satyanshu Singh and Devanshu Singh won the Golden Elephant trophy for Best Short, Children’s Jury. The film was competing in the International Shorts section.
Shilpa Ranade’s Goopi Gawaiya Bagha Bajaiya was awarded the Jury Prize for Best Artwork and Arnab Chaudhuri’s Arjun won a Golden Elephant trophy for Best Animation Feature, Children’s Jury. Both films were competing in the International Animation competition section.
The 18th edition of the festival was held in Hyderabad from November 14 – 20, 2013.
Complete list of winners:
Competition Little Directors
Golden Elephant trophy for Best Little Director – Breaking The Silence by Siddhanth Joshi and Tamatar Chor by Pawanjot Singh.
Golden Plaque for Second Best Little Director – Ecole Mondiale World...
Tamaash or The Puppet by Satyanshu Singh and Devanshu Singh won the Golden Elephant trophy for Best Short, Children’s Jury. The film was competing in the International Shorts section.
Shilpa Ranade’s Goopi Gawaiya Bagha Bajaiya was awarded the Jury Prize for Best Artwork and Arnab Chaudhuri’s Arjun won a Golden Elephant trophy for Best Animation Feature, Children’s Jury. Both films were competing in the International Animation competition section.
The 18th edition of the festival was held in Hyderabad from November 14 – 20, 2013.
Complete list of winners:
Competition Little Directors
Golden Elephant trophy for Best Little Director – Breaking The Silence by Siddhanth Joshi and Tamatar Chor by Pawanjot Singh.
Golden Plaque for Second Best Little Director – Ecole Mondiale World...
- 11/21/2013
- by NewsDesk
- DearCinema.com
The 18th International Children’s Film Festival of India has announced the competition lineup for 2013. Some of the well-known Indian films in competition are Nagraj Manjule’s Fandry [Read interview], Shilpa Ranade’s Goopi Gawaiya Bagha Bajaiya [Read interview] and Batul Mukhtiar’s Kaphal.
Organized by the Children’s Film Society of India, the biennial festival also known as The Golden Elephant will be held from November 14-20, 2013 in Hyderabad.
Competition Live Action
A Horse on the Balcony
Dir.: Hüseyin Tabak (Austria)
Tainá – an Amazon Legend
Dir.: Rosanne Svartman (Brazil)
Havanastation
Dir.: Ian Padrón (Cuba)
The Great Bird Chase
Dir.: Christian Dyekjær (Denmark)
Horizon Beautiful
Dir.: Stefan Jäger (Ethiopia, Switzerland)
Windstrom
Germany
Igor and the Cranes’ Journey
Dir.: Evgeny Ruman (Germany, Israel, Poland)
Fandry
Dir.: Nagraj Manjule (India)
Kaphal
Dir.: Batul Mukhtiar (India)
Good Fellows
Iran
7 Days of Himmawari and her Puppies
Dir.: Emiko Hiramatsu (Japan)
Mother,...
Organized by the Children’s Film Society of India, the biennial festival also known as The Golden Elephant will be held from November 14-20, 2013 in Hyderabad.
Competition Live Action
A Horse on the Balcony
Dir.: Hüseyin Tabak (Austria)
Tainá – an Amazon Legend
Dir.: Rosanne Svartman (Brazil)
Havanastation
Dir.: Ian Padrón (Cuba)
The Great Bird Chase
Dir.: Christian Dyekjær (Denmark)
Horizon Beautiful
Dir.: Stefan Jäger (Ethiopia, Switzerland)
Windstrom
Germany
Igor and the Cranes’ Journey
Dir.: Evgeny Ruman (Germany, Israel, Poland)
Fandry
Dir.: Nagraj Manjule (India)
Kaphal
Dir.: Batul Mukhtiar (India)
Good Fellows
Iran
7 Days of Himmawari and her Puppies
Dir.: Emiko Hiramatsu (Japan)
Mother,...
- 10/30/2013
- by NewsDesk
- DearCinema.com
Tiff’s Midnight Madness program turned 25 this year, and for two and half decades, the hardworking programers have gathered some of the strangest, most terrifying, wild, intriguing and downright entertaining films from around the world. From dark comedies to Japanese gore-fests and indie horror gems, the Midnight Madness program hasn’t lost its edge as one the leading showcases of genre cinema. In its 25-year history, Midnight Madness has introduced adventurous late-night moviegoers to such cult faves as Richard Linklater’s Dazed and Confused and Quentin Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs. But what separates Midnight Madness from, say, Montreal’s three and half week long genre festival Fantasia, is that Tiff selects only ten films to make the cut. In other words, these programmers don’t mess around. Last week I decided that I would post reviews of my personal favourite films that screened in past years. And just like the Tiff programmers,...
- 9/18/2013
- by Ricky
- SoundOnSight
Hollywood's Costner takes home Honorary Award Speaking of Hollywood, the French Academy has frequently given its Honorary César (an equivalent to the Lifetime Achievement Award) to some curious group of Hollywood celebrities. Among those are Kate Winslet, Jude Law, Quentin Tarantino, Hugh Grant, Will Smith, Johnny Depp, Spike Lee, Andie McDowell, and Sylvester Stallone. This year, they've made another curious choice: Kevin Costner, whose Honorary Award was a tribute to his "fabulous contribution to cinematic history." Costner, among whose movie credits as actor and/or director are Dances with Wolves, Bull Durham, JFK, The Bodyguard, The Postman, and Waterworld, thanked the French Academy of Film Arts and Sciences for embracing him "for who I am." Other César winners Among this year's other César winners were, in the supporting categories, Valérie Benguigui and Guillaume de Tonquédec for What's in a Name? / Le Prénom, directed by Matthieu Delaporte and Alexandre de la Patelliere.
- 2/23/2013
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Michael Haneke’s Amour won five César awards including Best Film, Best Director, Best Actress, Best Actor and Best original screenplay. The award ceremony was held on Friday night.
Les Invisibles by Sébastien Lifshitz won the Best Documentary and Argo by Ben Affleck won the Best Foreign Film.
2013 César winners:
Best film: Amour
Best director: Michael Haneke, Amour
Best original screenplay: Haneke, Amour
Best actress: Emmanuelle Riva, Amour
Best actor: Jean-Louis Trintignant, Amour
Best foreign film: Argo, Ben Affleck
Best supporting actress: Valérie Benguigui, What’s In A Name
Best supporting actor: Guillaume de Tonquedec, What’s In A Name
Best upcoming actress: Izia Higelin, Mauvaise Fille
Best upcoming actor: Matthias Schoenaerts, Rust And Bone
Best first film: Louise Wimmer, directed by Cyril Mennegun
Best animation film: Ernest And Celestine, directed by Benjamin Renner, Vincent Patar and Stéphane Aubier
Best documentary: Les Invisibles, Sébastien Lifshitz
Best adaptation: Jacques Audiard and Thomas Bidegain,...
Les Invisibles by Sébastien Lifshitz won the Best Documentary and Argo by Ben Affleck won the Best Foreign Film.
2013 César winners:
Best film: Amour
Best director: Michael Haneke, Amour
Best original screenplay: Haneke, Amour
Best actress: Emmanuelle Riva, Amour
Best actor: Jean-Louis Trintignant, Amour
Best foreign film: Argo, Ben Affleck
Best supporting actress: Valérie Benguigui, What’s In A Name
Best supporting actor: Guillaume de Tonquedec, What’s In A Name
Best upcoming actress: Izia Higelin, Mauvaise Fille
Best upcoming actor: Matthias Schoenaerts, Rust And Bone
Best first film: Louise Wimmer, directed by Cyril Mennegun
Best animation film: Ernest And Celestine, directed by Benjamin Renner, Vincent Patar and Stéphane Aubier
Best documentary: Les Invisibles, Sébastien Lifshitz
Best adaptation: Jacques Audiard and Thomas Bidegain,...
- 2/23/2013
- by NewsDesk
- DearCinema.com
The nominations for the César Awards aka the French Oscars were announced. "Farewell, My Queen," "Amour," "Camille Redouble," "In the House," "Rust & Bone," "Holy Motors," and "What's My Name" are competing for the Best Picture category. We'll find out the winners on February 22nd.
Here's the full list of nominees of the 2013 César Awards:
Best Picture
Farewell, My Queen
Amour
Camille Redouble
In The House
Rust & Bone
Holy Motors
What.s In A Name
Best Director
Benoît Jacquot, Farewell, My Queen
Michael Haneke, Amour
Noémie Lvovsky, Camille Redouble
François Ozon, In The House
Jacques Audiard, Rust & Bone
Leos Carax, Holy Motors
Stéphane Brizé, Quelques Heures De Printemps
Best Actress
Catherine Frot, Les Sauveurs Du Palais
Marion Cotillard, Rust & Bone
Noémie Lvovsky, Camille Redouble
Corinne Masiero, Louise Wimmer
Emmanuelle Riva, Amour
Léa Seydoux, Farewell, My Queen
Hélène Vincent, Quelques Heures De Printemps
Best Actor
Jean-Pierre Bacri, Cherchez Hortense
Patrick Bruel, What...
Here's the full list of nominees of the 2013 César Awards:
Best Picture
Farewell, My Queen
Amour
Camille Redouble
In The House
Rust & Bone
Holy Motors
What.s In A Name
Best Director
Benoît Jacquot, Farewell, My Queen
Michael Haneke, Amour
Noémie Lvovsky, Camille Redouble
François Ozon, In The House
Jacques Audiard, Rust & Bone
Leos Carax, Holy Motors
Stéphane Brizé, Quelques Heures De Printemps
Best Actress
Catherine Frot, Les Sauveurs Du Palais
Marion Cotillard, Rust & Bone
Noémie Lvovsky, Camille Redouble
Corinne Masiero, Louise Wimmer
Emmanuelle Riva, Amour
Léa Seydoux, Farewell, My Queen
Hélène Vincent, Quelques Heures De Printemps
Best Actor
Jean-Pierre Bacri, Cherchez Hortense
Patrick Bruel, What...
- 1/27/2013
- by Manny
- Manny the Movie Guy
Nishtha Jain’s “Gulabi Gang” won Best Film Award in Muhr Asia Africa documentary section at the 9th Dubai Film Festival. Awards were announced at the closing ceremony on Sunday, December 16, 2012.
Sourav Sarangi’s “Char … No Man’s Island” won a special mention in the same category.
Egyptian actress Aida El-Kashef won Best Actress award in Muhr Asia Africa Feature category for Anand Gandhi’s film “Ship of Theseus”.
Musa Syeed’s “Valley of Saints” got a special jury prize in the Muhr Asia Africa feature category.
Complete List of Winners:-
Dubai Expo 2020 People’s Choice award:
• Benjamin Renner, Stéphane Aubier, Vincent Patar – Ernest Et Celestine (Ernest And Celestine): France
• Karzan Kader – Bekas: Sweden
The annual ‘Prize of the International Critics’ for Arab films from the International Federation of Film Critics (Fipresci), the world’s foremost body of film writers, academics and critics from over 60 countries, were awarded...
Sourav Sarangi’s “Char … No Man’s Island” won a special mention in the same category.
Egyptian actress Aida El-Kashef won Best Actress award in Muhr Asia Africa Feature category for Anand Gandhi’s film “Ship of Theseus”.
Musa Syeed’s “Valley of Saints” got a special jury prize in the Muhr Asia Africa feature category.
Complete List of Winners:-
Dubai Expo 2020 People’s Choice award:
• Benjamin Renner, Stéphane Aubier, Vincent Patar – Ernest Et Celestine (Ernest And Celestine): France
• Karzan Kader – Bekas: Sweden
The annual ‘Prize of the International Critics’ for Arab films from the International Federation of Film Critics (Fipresci), the world’s foremost body of film writers, academics and critics from over 60 countries, were awarded...
- 12/16/2012
- by NewsDesk
- DearCinema.com
★★★★☆ Our love of traditional and vintage styles, both of which have slowly come back into mainstream fashion today, has become something of a mini revolution in recent times. Clothes, food and music have gone full circle to confirm how history reintroduces itself to modern life, and proves how we long for homeliness and real value in a tech-focused culture. Particularly, it has been easy to get caught up in the excitement and hype of 3D and CGI - areas of cinema being steadily conquered by digital giant Pixar. Stéphane Aubier and Vincent Patar's Ernest & Célestine (2012) is thus brave to venture back into hand-drawn animation.
Read more »...
Read more »...
- 12/5/2012
- by CineVue UK
- CineVue
Ernest & Celestine
Written by Daniel Pennac
Directed by Stéphane Aubier, Vincent Patar and Benjamin Renner
France, 2012
Based on Belgian author Gabrielle Vincent’s children’s books, Ernest & Celestine is an infectiously joyous piece of entertainment from the duo behind the manic A Town Called Panic, who direct here alongside Benjamin Renner. That earlier film’s stop-motion approach is abandoned for a more traditional hand-drawn animation style, presented in a beautiful, gentle watercolour palette. Ernest & Celestine is also not quite so anarchic in its humour, though one struggles to think of what film could match A Town Called Panic for that, but shares its predecessor’s wittiness regarding heated exchanges and heightened characters prone to snap decision-making.
In the film’s fictional universe, bears and mice live in parallel worlds. The bears live above ground, operating businesses and such, while the mice live below the surface in a metropolis within the sewers.
Written by Daniel Pennac
Directed by Stéphane Aubier, Vincent Patar and Benjamin Renner
France, 2012
Based on Belgian author Gabrielle Vincent’s children’s books, Ernest & Celestine is an infectiously joyous piece of entertainment from the duo behind the manic A Town Called Panic, who direct here alongside Benjamin Renner. That earlier film’s stop-motion approach is abandoned for a more traditional hand-drawn animation style, presented in a beautiful, gentle watercolour palette. Ernest & Celestine is also not quite so anarchic in its humour, though one struggles to think of what film could match A Town Called Panic for that, but shares its predecessor’s wittiness regarding heated exchanges and heightened characters prone to snap decision-making.
In the film’s fictional universe, bears and mice live in parallel worlds. The bears live above ground, operating businesses and such, while the mice live below the surface in a metropolis within the sewers.
- 11/29/2012
- by Josh Slater-Williams
- SoundOnSight
This is the Pure Movies review of Ernest & Celestine, directed by Stéphane Aubier, Vincent Patar and Benjamin Renner, and starring Anne-Marie Loop, Dominique Maurin and Lambert Wilson. The film was reviewed by editor Dan Higgins for @puremovies at the London Film Festival. It is the simplicity of the film that makes it so enjoyable. Gabrielle Vincent’s children’s books have been brought alive with the same painted tones and styles that first accompanied the series. It is a sweet, quaint and charmingly unusual animation. If you look deep enough beyond the watercolour, you can make links to the need for a more accepting society – where bears and mice can co-exist despite their cultural differences. Okay, some bears *might* eat mice, but there are also some bears that are scared of mice and surely somewhere in between there can be a happy balance? You could perhaps go further and look...
- 10/13/2012
- by Dan Higgins
- Pure Movies
Strike one potential animated contender from the list (which was just updated this morning). You might recall that Guy was a big fan of Stéphane Aubier, Vincent Patar and Benjamin Renner's "Ernest & Celestine" at Cannes, offering that it's "schooled in the gentle economy of picture-book storytelling: its words are witty and well-chosen, yes, but it's the delicate visual construction of its parallel worlds that invites the most scrutiny and empathy." He then went on to declare that it deserved Us exposure. Well, it looks to get it, as hero to the independent animated film community Gkids has just announced acquisition...
- 8/27/2012
- by Kristopher Tapley
- Hitfix
The lineup for this year’s Toronto International Film Festival is essentially an embarrassment of riches (we’re still fanning ourselves over the sheer magnitude and quality of their first wave of programming announcement), and it’s only gotten better today with the news that the fest has added no less than sixty new films to their slate. These picks round out their Documentary, Midnight Madness, Vanguard, Kids, Cinematheque, and City to City programs, and if you weren’t drooling before, get ready to positively salivate. Stand-out picks include Matthew Cooke‘s How to Make Money Selling Drugs, Alex Gibney‘s Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God, Janet Tobias‘ No Place on Earth, Marina Zenovich‘s Roman Polanski: Odd Man Out, Benjamin Renner, Vincent Patar, and Stéphane Aubier‘s Ernest & Célestine, the world premiere of The ABCs of Death, Nicolás López‘s Aftershock, Martin McDonagh‘s Seven Psychopaths, and...
- 7/31/2012
- by Kate Erbland
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
Following up an already stellar initial line-up, the Toronto International Film Festival 2012 has announced additional sections including Midnight Madness, Documentaries and Vanguard. When the clock strikes 12, some titles one will be able to see include the highly anticipated Seven Psychopaths, from In Bruges director Martin McDonagh. There’s also the world premiere of the horror anthology The ABCs of Death, as well as Dredd and Eli Roth‘s Aftershock and new films from Rob Zombie and Barry Levinson.
The documentary section brings new films from Alex Gibney, Ken Burns and an interesting one titled How to Make Money Selling Drugs, featuring interviews with 50 Cent, Eminem and more. Rounding out the Vanguard section is many titles screened elsewhere, including the excellent documentary on The Shining, Room 237, as well as the next from Kill List director Ben Wheatley, Sightseers (Cannes review). We also have Luis Prieto‘s Pusher remake, and Michel Gondry...
The documentary section brings new films from Alex Gibney, Ken Burns and an interesting one titled How to Make Money Selling Drugs, featuring interviews with 50 Cent, Eminem and more. Rounding out the Vanguard section is many titles screened elsewhere, including the excellent documentary on The Shining, Room 237, as well as the next from Kill List director Ben Wheatley, Sightseers (Cannes review). We also have Luis Prieto‘s Pusher remake, and Michel Gondry...
- 7/31/2012
- by jpraup@gmail.com (thefilmstage.com)
- The Film Stage
Belgian animation duo Stéphane Aubier and Vincent Patar earned themselves an international cult following with their debut feature A Town Called Panic. Based on the television shorts of the same name - Panique au Village in French, actually - the intentionally primitive stop motion followed the adventures of Horse, Cowboy and Indian with hilarious results. They are, of course, doing something completely different with their sophomore feature.The friendship between a little mouse who didn't want to become a dentist and a big bear who didn't want to become a notary.Ernest, a big marginal bear, with a cold and starving, is looking through garbage to find something to eat. Just when he's ready to put the first thing he finds into his mouth, a piercing cry rings...
- 5/14/2012
- Screen Anarchy
Edouard Waintrop, Artistic Director of Directors' Fortnight, has presented the lineup for this year's edition, running from May 17 through 27.
Features
Merzak Allouache's El Taaib. Evene claims it's an angry film aimed at the malaise of Algerian society.
Rodney Ascher's Room 237. A documentary about the plethora of theories that have sprung up over the years regarding just what Stanley Kubrick was up to when he made The Shining (1980). More here. IFC Midnight picked up North American rights just yesterday.
Stéphane Aubier, Vincent Patar and Benjamin Renner's Ernest et Célestine. From the makers of A Town Called Panic, this is an animated adaptation of a series of books about a little mouse who doesn't want to become a dentist and a big bear who doesn't want to become a notary. Site.
Benjamin Ávila's Infancia clandestina. From the San Sebastian Film Festival: "Juan lives in clandestinity. Just like his mum,...
Features
Merzak Allouache's El Taaib. Evene claims it's an angry film aimed at the malaise of Algerian society.
Rodney Ascher's Room 237. A documentary about the plethora of theories that have sprung up over the years regarding just what Stanley Kubrick was up to when he made The Shining (1980). More here. IFC Midnight picked up North American rights just yesterday.
Stéphane Aubier, Vincent Patar and Benjamin Renner's Ernest et Célestine. From the makers of A Town Called Panic, this is an animated adaptation of a series of books about a little mouse who doesn't want to become a dentist and a big bear who doesn't want to become a notary. Site.
Benjamin Ávila's Infancia clandestina. From the San Sebastian Film Festival: "Juan lives in clandestinity. Just like his mum,...
- 4/25/2012
- MUBI
We’ve already got a great line-up for this year’s Cannes Film Festival, but a few more quality films have been added to the Directors’ Fortnight section. Most notably is the latest film from Michel Gondry, The We and the I (more details on that one here). Then we’ve got Sightseers, the next film from Ben Wheatley, who gave us the frightening Kill List earlier this year. There’s also two Sundance films, one the excellent documentary on Stanley Kubrick‘s The Shining, Room 237, as well as the absurdly funny Wrong, from Quentin Dupieux (update: looks like it’s actually a brand-new short titled Wrong Cops, starring Marilyn Manson). Check out the line-up below.
Longs Metrages / Feature Films
3 de / by Pablo Stoll Ward (Uruguay, Allemagne, Argentine / Uruguay, Germany, Argentina) – Première internationale
Adieu Berthe, l’enterrement de mémé / Granny’s Funeral de / by Bruno Podalydès (France) – Première mondiale...
Longs Metrages / Feature Films
3 de / by Pablo Stoll Ward (Uruguay, Allemagne, Argentine / Uruguay, Germany, Argentina) – Première internationale
Adieu Berthe, l’enterrement de mémé / Granny’s Funeral de / by Bruno Podalydès (France) – Première mondiale...
- 4/24/2012
- by jpraup@gmail.com (thefilmstage.com)
- The Film Stage
Ben Wheatley's Sightseers is selected for Directors' Fortnight special screening, while British theatre director Rufus Norris's debut Broken will open Critics' Week
The Cannes film festival's two major independent sidebars have announced their lineup for the forthcoming festival, providing UK and Us film-makers with a considerable boost to their presence on the Croisette.
Ben Wheatley, who has impressed critics and fans alike with his first two films, Down Terrace and Kill List, has seen his third, Sightseers, selected for a special screening in the Directors' Fortnight event, while British theatre director Rufus Norris's debut feature, Broken, has been given the opening slot for the Critics' Week section. Sightseers is described as a "pitch-black comedy" about a caravan trip around the north of England, while Broken is an adaptation of Daniel Clay's novel, and stars Cillian Murphy and Tim Roth.
Us film-makers have added to their total...
The Cannes film festival's two major independent sidebars have announced their lineup for the forthcoming festival, providing UK and Us film-makers with a considerable boost to their presence on the Croisette.
Ben Wheatley, who has impressed critics and fans alike with his first two films, Down Terrace and Kill List, has seen his third, Sightseers, selected for a special screening in the Directors' Fortnight event, while British theatre director Rufus Norris's debut feature, Broken, has been given the opening slot for the Critics' Week section. Sightseers is described as a "pitch-black comedy" about a caravan trip around the north of England, while Broken is an adaptation of Daniel Clay's novel, and stars Cillian Murphy and Tim Roth.
Us film-makers have added to their total...
- 4/24/2012
- by Andrew Pulver
- The Guardian - Film News
The 2012 Cannes Film Festival has announced its Directors’ Fortnight sidebar, naming the Michel Gondry-directed The We And The I as the opening film. There will be 21 films, 18 of which are premieres from around the world. Here’s the list: 3 de / by Pablo Stoll Ward (Uruguay, Allemagne, Argentine / Uruguay, Germany, Argentina) Adieu Berthe de / by Bruno Podalydès (France) Alyah de / by Elie Wajeman (France) – Caméra d’or Camille redouble de / by Noémie Lvovsky (France) Dae gi eui wang / The King of Pigs de / by Yeun Sang-Ho (Corée du Sud / South Korea) – Caméra d’or Dangerous Liaisons de / by Hur Jin-Ho (Chine / China) El Taaib / Le Repenti de / by Merzak Allouache (Algérie / Algeria) Ernest et Célestine de / by Stéphane Aubier, Vincent Patar, Benjamin Renner (France, Belgique, Luxembourg / France, Belgium, Luxembourg) Fogo de / by Yulene Olaizola (Mexique, Canada) Gangs of Wasseypur de / by Anurag Kashyap (Inde / India) Infancia clandestina/ Enfance clandestine de / by Benjamin Ávila (Argentine,...
- 4/24/2012
- by MIKE FLEMING
- Deadline
Yes, there's even more. With the lineup at the Cannes Film Festival already boasting a plethora of top-tier talent and highly anticipated films, the sidebar Directors' Fortnight is not to be outdone, and today they have unveiled their unusually name-brand-heavy lineup.
Michel Gondry's "The We & The I," Ben Wheatley's "Sightseers," plus new films by Pablo Lorrain, Quentin Dupieux and the late Raoul Ruiz will the lead the charge in 2012. Gondry's film has been rumored for south of France for a while now, but when it didn't show up in the Cannes lineup, and with the director already lensing his next effort "Mood Indigo," we figured we'd have to wait until the fall for "The We And The I." But the feature, which has been kept under wraps, and stars a cast of unknowns, will get a grand bow as the Opening Night film.
Elsewhere in the lineup: "Kill List...
Michel Gondry's "The We & The I," Ben Wheatley's "Sightseers," plus new films by Pablo Lorrain, Quentin Dupieux and the late Raoul Ruiz will the lead the charge in 2012. Gondry's film has been rumored for south of France for a while now, but when it didn't show up in the Cannes lineup, and with the director already lensing his next effort "Mood Indigo," we figured we'd have to wait until the fall for "The We And The I." But the feature, which has been kept under wraps, and stars a cast of unknowns, will get a grand bow as the Opening Night film.
Elsewhere in the lineup: "Kill List...
- 4/24/2012
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
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