Producer Pierre-Olivier Bardet has become a hero to filmmakers who rock the boat – feature and documentary revolutionaries who work in ways that he says are “completely unique,” as he puts it: Albert Serra, Frederick Wiseman, Wang Bing and Alexandr Sokurov.
And it’s hard to imagine anyone else who would have agreed to produce an English version of Mozart’s “The Magic Flute,” directed by Kenneth Branagh (after Francis Ford Coppola and several luminaries declined the project), set in World War I.
But for Bardet, the fascination of working with those who reject the usual conventions of filmmaking is what drives him – which is a key reason he was honored at this year’s Ji.hlava International Documentary Film Festival for his contribution to cinema by the Czech producers association.
Bardet’s new film with Serra, focused on the rituals of bullfighting in Spain, is likely to push boundaries still further,...
And it’s hard to imagine anyone else who would have agreed to produce an English version of Mozart’s “The Magic Flute,” directed by Kenneth Branagh (after Francis Ford Coppola and several luminaries declined the project), set in World War I.
But for Bardet, the fascination of working with those who reject the usual conventions of filmmaking is what drives him – which is a key reason he was honored at this year’s Ji.hlava International Documentary Film Festival for his contribution to cinema by the Czech producers association.
Bardet’s new film with Serra, focused on the rituals of bullfighting in Spain, is likely to push boundaries still further,...
- 10/28/2023
- by Will Tizard
- Variety Film + TV
Launching an ambitious program of compelling global and Czech work, the 27th edition of the Ji.hlava International Documentary Film Festival opened on Tuesday, kicking off six days of more than 350 film screenings by veteran and new filmmakers.
Fest head and founder Marek Hovorka, who launched the event in his hometown in 1997, introduced what is now Central and Eastern Europe’s main event for docs, defining the fest mission as “a celebration of films, image, sound, gestures and diversity.”
The films selected this year are “all very original,” he told the opening gala audience, and show filmmakers “perceive the world very differently.”
The fest, raising its curtain in the location that remains its home, the communist-era Dko “house of culture,” as the pre-1989 regime dubbed such multi-purpose spaces, attracts for its launch hundreds of guests seated at white-decked tables, sipping local wine.
Opening night moderators embraced an ironic take on AI,...
Fest head and founder Marek Hovorka, who launched the event in his hometown in 1997, introduced what is now Central and Eastern Europe’s main event for docs, defining the fest mission as “a celebration of films, image, sound, gestures and diversity.”
The films selected this year are “all very original,” he told the opening gala audience, and show filmmakers “perceive the world very differently.”
The fest, raising its curtain in the location that remains its home, the communist-era Dko “house of culture,” as the pre-1989 regime dubbed such multi-purpose spaces, attracts for its launch hundreds of guests seated at white-decked tables, sipping local wine.
Opening night moderators embraced an ironic take on AI,...
- 10/25/2023
- by Will Tizard
- Variety Film + TV
The 46th César Awards, France’s top film honors, have been handed out in Paris, with Dominik Moll’s crime thriller The Night of the 12th winning the best picture trophy.
Moll’s The Night of the 12th, which premiered in Cannes last year, scored 10 César noms coming into the awards show, just behind Louis Garrel’s The Innocent, which picked up 11 nominations. Moll also won for best director, and Bouli Lanners earned the best supporting actor trophy for his performance in The Night of the 12th.
Cédric Klapisch’s Rise, about a ballet dancer (Marion Barbeau) who, after an injury, seeks a new future in contemporary dance, was up for 9 Césars, as was Albert Serra’s Pacifiction, a thriller featuring Benoît Magimel as a morally-challenged Haut-Commissaire on an island in French Polynesia.
Valeria Bruni Tedeschi’s dramedy Forever Young, Cedric Jimenez’s terrorism drama November, Eric Gravel’s family...
Moll’s The Night of the 12th, which premiered in Cannes last year, scored 10 César noms coming into the awards show, just behind Louis Garrel’s The Innocent, which picked up 11 nominations. Moll also won for best director, and Bouli Lanners earned the best supporting actor trophy for his performance in The Night of the 12th.
Cédric Klapisch’s Rise, about a ballet dancer (Marion Barbeau) who, after an injury, seeks a new future in contemporary dance, was up for 9 Césars, as was Albert Serra’s Pacifiction, a thriller featuring Benoît Magimel as a morally-challenged Haut-Commissaire on an island in French Polynesia.
Valeria Bruni Tedeschi’s dramedy Forever Young, Cedric Jimenez’s terrorism drama November, Eric Gravel’s family...
- 2/24/2023
- by Scott Roxborough and Etan Vlessing
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Albert Serra plunges into the ghostly depths of paradise with “Pacifiction.”
Deemed the best film of the year by Cahiers du Cinema, “Pacifiction” stars Benoît Magimel (“The Piano Teacher”) as a French government official who investigates the sighting of a submarine that indicates the return of nuclear testing on Tahiti.
In “Pacifiction,” on the French Polynesian island of Tahiti, the High Commissioner of the Republic and French government official De Roller (Magimel) is a calculating man with flawless manners. His somewhat broad perception of his role brings him to navigate the high-end “establishment” as well as shady venues where he mingles with the locals. Especially since a persistent rumor has been going around: the sighting of a submarine whose ghostly presence could herald the return of French nuclear testing.
Marc Susini, Alexandre Melo, Pahoa Mahagafanau, Matahi Pambrun, Sergi López, and Montse Triola also star in the film from writer-director Serra.
Deemed the best film of the year by Cahiers du Cinema, “Pacifiction” stars Benoît Magimel (“The Piano Teacher”) as a French government official who investigates the sighting of a submarine that indicates the return of nuclear testing on Tahiti.
In “Pacifiction,” on the French Polynesian island of Tahiti, the High Commissioner of the Republic and French government official De Roller (Magimel) is a calculating man with flawless manners. His somewhat broad perception of his role brings him to navigate the high-end “establishment” as well as shady venues where he mingles with the locals. Especially since a persistent rumor has been going around: the sighting of a submarine whose ghostly presence could herald the return of French nuclear testing.
Marc Susini, Alexandre Melo, Pahoa Mahagafanau, Matahi Pambrun, Sergi López, and Montse Triola also star in the film from writer-director Serra.
- 1/5/2023
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
The docufiction follows a policeman investigating a string of local suicides
Screen can reveal the first trailer for Alessandro Comodin’s Italian docufiction Gigi La Legge (The Adventures of Gigi The Law) which is screening in Competition at Locarno Film Festival (August 3-13).
Set in a rural village in the north-east of Italy, the film follows a policeman investigating a string of local suicides.
It is produced by frequent collaborators Paolo Benzi of Okta Films, Pierre-Olivier Bardet of Idéale Audience and Alice Lemaire of Michigan Films. Shellac Films is handling international sales on the title.
Comodin previously won Locarno’s...
Screen can reveal the first trailer for Alessandro Comodin’s Italian docufiction Gigi La Legge (The Adventures of Gigi The Law) which is screening in Competition at Locarno Film Festival (August 3-13).
Set in a rural village in the north-east of Italy, the film follows a policeman investigating a string of local suicides.
It is produced by frequent collaborators Paolo Benzi of Okta Films, Pierre-Olivier Bardet of Idéale Audience and Alice Lemaire of Michigan Films. Shellac Films is handling international sales on the title.
Comodin previously won Locarno’s...
- 8/10/2022
- by Ellie Calnan
- ScreenDaily
Cannes competition title “Pacifiction,” from “Liberté” director Albert Serra, has been acquired for the U.S. by specialty distributors Grasshopper Film and Gratitude Films.
Serra won the Un Certain Regard section’s Special Jury Prize in 2019 for “Liberté” and cracked the festival’s official selection this year with “Pacifiction.”
The film is set on the French Polynesian island of Tahiti, and centers on the High Commissioner of the Republic and French government official, whose role brings him to navigate both the high-end “establishment” and shady venues where he mingles with the locals. Lately, he’s had to contend with a rumor about the sighting of a submarine whose ghostly presence could herald the return of French nuclear testing.
Grasshopper and Gratitude will release the movie in theaters in late 2022.
“Pacifiction” stars Benoît Magimel, Pahoa Mahagafanau, Cécile Guilbert, Matahi Pambrun and Sergi López. It was produced by Serra, Pierre-Olivier Bardet, Montse Triola,...
Serra won the Un Certain Regard section’s Special Jury Prize in 2019 for “Liberté” and cracked the festival’s official selection this year with “Pacifiction.”
The film is set on the French Polynesian island of Tahiti, and centers on the High Commissioner of the Republic and French government official, whose role brings him to navigate both the high-end “establishment” and shady venues where he mingles with the locals. Lately, he’s had to contend with a rumor about the sighting of a submarine whose ghostly presence could herald the return of French nuclear testing.
Grasshopper and Gratitude will release the movie in theaters in late 2022.
“Pacifiction” stars Benoît Magimel, Pahoa Mahagafanau, Cécile Guilbert, Matahi Pambrun and Sergi López. It was produced by Serra, Pierre-Olivier Bardet, Montse Triola,...
- 6/3/2022
- by Manori Ravindran
- Variety Film + TV
Upcoming films from Lucrecia Martel, Lisandro Alonso, Lav Diaz and Miguel Gomes selected for special initiative.
The Locarno Film Festival has announced the line-up of 20 features that it has selected for its exceptional The Films After Tomorrow initiative.
The special event was created to support feature films that have stalled at various stages of production due to the Covid-19 pandemic which also led to the cancellation of the physical edition of the 73rd edition of Locarno.
Locarno’s artistic director Lili Hinstin said that 545 projects had been submitted to the initiative in a sign of the impact that the pandemic has had on independent filmmaking.
The Locarno Film Festival has announced the line-up of 20 features that it has selected for its exceptional The Films After Tomorrow initiative.
The special event was created to support feature films that have stalled at various stages of production due to the Covid-19 pandemic which also led to the cancellation of the physical edition of the 73rd edition of Locarno.
Locarno’s artistic director Lili Hinstin said that 545 projects had been submitted to the initiative in a sign of the impact that the pandemic has had on independent filmmaking.
- 6/25/2020
- by 1100388¦Melanie Goodfellow¦69¦
- ScreenDaily
Strand Releasing has acquired all North American rights to Ina Weisse’s “The Audition,” the tense psychological drama which world premiered at Toronto and went on to win the Silver Shell Award (for Nina Hoss) at San Sebastian.
Represented in international markets by Les Films du Losange, the film stars Hoss as Anna Bronsky, an obsessive violin teacher at a high school focused on honing young talent. When Anna finds a young student, Alexander, she sets off to create a model of herself but her dedication gradually creates a tense situation and affects her personal life with her husband and son.
“‘The Audition’ features such a powerful performance from Hoss that is heartbreaking, vulnerable and unforgettable, we are proud to have the film for North America” said Strand Releasing’s Jon Gerrans who negotiated the deal with Alice Lesort of Les Films du Losange. Strand plans to release “The Audition” next Spring or Summer.
Represented in international markets by Les Films du Losange, the film stars Hoss as Anna Bronsky, an obsessive violin teacher at a high school focused on honing young talent. When Anna finds a young student, Alexander, she sets off to create a model of herself but her dedication gradually creates a tense situation and affects her personal life with her husband and son.
“‘The Audition’ features such a powerful performance from Hoss that is heartbreaking, vulnerable and unforgettable, we are proud to have the film for North America” said Strand Releasing’s Jon Gerrans who negotiated the deal with Alice Lesort of Les Films du Losange. Strand plans to release “The Audition” next Spring or Summer.
- 10/16/2019
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Also working on Vitor Gonçalve’s ‘The Owl’s Journey’.
Prolific Portuguese production outfit Rosa Filmes, one of the producers on Albert Serra’s Un Certain Regard selection Liberté, is preparing a raft of new features, including new films with Serra, Filipino filmmaker Lav Diaz (also a Cannes regular) and The Inbetweeners producer Christopher Young.
This activity comes as Portugal’s production incentive (a cash rebate system worth up to 30%) is making the country significantly more attractive as a coproduction partner. Since the start of 2018, the new rebate has made €36m available for production.
The Diaz project, which has the working title Magellan,...
Prolific Portuguese production outfit Rosa Filmes, one of the producers on Albert Serra’s Un Certain Regard selection Liberté, is preparing a raft of new features, including new films with Serra, Filipino filmmaker Lav Diaz (also a Cannes regular) and The Inbetweeners producer Christopher Young.
This activity comes as Portugal’s production incentive (a cash rebate system worth up to 30%) is making the country significantly more attractive as a coproduction partner. Since the start of 2018, the new rebate has made €36m available for production.
The Diaz project, which has the working title Magellan,...
- 5/14/2019
- by Geoffrey Macnab
- ScreenDaily
Big World Pictures
Founded in 2013 and run almost single-handedly by Jonathan Howell, Big World Pictures is a non-profit distribution outfit dedicated to bringing the best in world cinema to film enthusiasts across the United States.
“As an expansion of the mission of our critically-acclaimed short film distribution wing, The World According to Shorts, Big World Pictures is dedicated to bringing the best in world cinema to film enthusiasts across the United States. We acquire only three to four feature films annually for theatrical release, in addition to several short films (to be released through The World According to Shorts), and ten to twelve feature films annually for video/VOD/TV release.”
Opening at Laemmle’s Royal in L.A. day and date with New York’s Lincoln Plaza Cinemas on June 23, Luc Bondy’s modern-day adaptation of the classic Marivaux play, “False Confessions”, starring Isabelle Huppert, Louis Garrel and Bulle Ogier...
Founded in 2013 and run almost single-handedly by Jonathan Howell, Big World Pictures is a non-profit distribution outfit dedicated to bringing the best in world cinema to film enthusiasts across the United States.
“As an expansion of the mission of our critically-acclaimed short film distribution wing, The World According to Shorts, Big World Pictures is dedicated to bringing the best in world cinema to film enthusiasts across the United States. We acquire only three to four feature films annually for theatrical release, in addition to several short films (to be released through The World According to Shorts), and ten to twelve feature films annually for video/VOD/TV release.”
Opening at Laemmle’s Royal in L.A. day and date with New York’s Lincoln Plaza Cinemas on June 23, Luc Bondy’s modern-day adaptation of the classic Marivaux play, “False Confessions”, starring Isabelle Huppert, Louis Garrel and Bulle Ogier...
- 6/6/2017
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
“West of the Jordan River”, “Bones of Contention”, “False Confessions”…Created by a pool of producers in 1996, Doc & Film International was actively in selling tv documentaries. In 2008 when Daniela Elstner joined Doc & Film as head of the company and shareholder the activities of the company expanded to international sales of feature films and feature length documentaries, working with directors from all over the world and literally premiering their films everywhere in the world.“West of the Jordan River” by Amos Gitai
Their doc “West of the Jordan River” is selected for the upcoming Directors Fortnight in Cannes. Directed by Amos Gitai (“Rabin”, “Free Zone”). who eturns to the occupied territories of Palestine for the first time since his 1982 documentary “Field Diary”, “West of the Jordan River” describes the efforts of citizens, Israelis and Palestinians, who are trying to overcome the consequences of occupation. Gitai’s film shows the human ties woven by the military,...
Their doc “West of the Jordan River” is selected for the upcoming Directors Fortnight in Cannes. Directed by Amos Gitai (“Rabin”, “Free Zone”). who eturns to the occupied territories of Palestine for the first time since his 1982 documentary “Field Diary”, “West of the Jordan River” describes the efforts of citizens, Israelis and Palestinians, who are trying to overcome the consequences of occupation. Gitai’s film shows the human ties woven by the military,...
- 5/10/2017
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
Avishai Sivan’s religious drama wins Best Israeli Feature while Hotline scoops Van Leer award for Best Documentary.Scroll down for full list of winners
Avishai Sivan’s drama Tikkun has won Best Israeli Feature at the 32nd Jerusalem Film Festival, which held its awards ceremony last night [July 16] and closes on Sunday.
Tikkun, which follows a committed Hassidic student who begins to doubt himself after a life-changing experience, won the Haggiag Award for Best Israeli Feature Film, which comes with a $31,500 (Ils 120,000) prize.
The film also won the Anat Pirchi Award for Best Script, which comes with a $2,600 (Ils 10,000) prize, the Haggiag Award for Best Actor for lead Khalifa Natour, also accompanied by a $2,600 (Ils 10,000) prize, and the Van Leer Award for Best Cinematography, which scoops $2,400 (Ils 9,000).
The film was directed by Avishai Sivan and produced by Ronen Ben-Tal, Avishai Sivan, Moshe Edery and Leon Edery of Plan B Productions.
Tikkun will also...
Avishai Sivan’s drama Tikkun has won Best Israeli Feature at the 32nd Jerusalem Film Festival, which held its awards ceremony last night [July 16] and closes on Sunday.
Tikkun, which follows a committed Hassidic student who begins to doubt himself after a life-changing experience, won the Haggiag Award for Best Israeli Feature Film, which comes with a $31,500 (Ils 120,000) prize.
The film also won the Anat Pirchi Award for Best Script, which comes with a $2,600 (Ils 10,000) prize, the Haggiag Award for Best Actor for lead Khalifa Natour, also accompanied by a $2,600 (Ils 10,000) prize, and the Van Leer Award for Best Cinematography, which scoops $2,400 (Ils 9,000).
The film was directed by Avishai Sivan and produced by Ronen Ben-Tal, Avishai Sivan, Moshe Edery and Leon Edery of Plan B Productions.
Tikkun will also...
- 7/17/2015
- ScreenDaily
Titles in the Feature and Documentary Film competitions unveiled.Scroll down for full list
The programme of Israeli films at the 35th Jerusalem Film Festival (July 9-19) has been revealed, including Feature and Documentary Film competitions.
The winner of the Haggiag Competition for Isreali Feature Films will take home the biggest prize in any Israeli film competition: $32,000 (120,000 Nis).
Prizes are also awarded for best first feature, actor, actress, cinematography, editing, screenplay, music and the audience choice award, as well as the Van Leer Competition for Israeli Documentary Films.
Other competitions include the International Spirit of Freedom competition and the Jewish Experience competition.
The festival will feature more than 200 Israeli and international films.
Full line-up
Synopses provided by Jerusalem Film Festival
Haggiag Competition for Israeli Feature Films
Tikkun (dir. Avishai Sivan; pro. Ronen Ben-Tal, Avishai Sivan, Moshe Edery, Leon Edery)
Cast: Aharon Traitel, Khalifa Natour, Riki Blich, Gur Sheinberg
Haim-Aharon, a Hassidic yeshiva student, collapses and loses...
The programme of Israeli films at the 35th Jerusalem Film Festival (July 9-19) has been revealed, including Feature and Documentary Film competitions.
The winner of the Haggiag Competition for Isreali Feature Films will take home the biggest prize in any Israeli film competition: $32,000 (120,000 Nis).
Prizes are also awarded for best first feature, actor, actress, cinematography, editing, screenplay, music and the audience choice award, as well as the Van Leer Competition for Israeli Documentary Films.
Other competitions include the International Spirit of Freedom competition and the Jewish Experience competition.
The festival will feature more than 200 Israeli and international films.
Full line-up
Synopses provided by Jerusalem Film Festival
Haggiag Competition for Israeli Feature Films
Tikkun (dir. Avishai Sivan; pro. Ronen Ben-Tal, Avishai Sivan, Moshe Edery, Leon Edery)
Cast: Aharon Traitel, Khalifa Natour, Riki Blich, Gur Sheinberg
Haim-Aharon, a Hassidic yeshiva student, collapses and loses...
- 7/1/2015
- ScreenDaily
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