The 42 Film, a new Madrid and Mexico City-based film-tv company of producer Alberto Müffelmann, an executive producer on early Sundance hit “Cassandro,” is forging a first slate of titles, led by “El Origen,” to be voiced by Gael García Bernal.
Based out of Madrid and Mexico City, the new shingle is headed by Müfflemann whose producer credits take in “Museum,” Alfonso Ruizpalacios’ Berlin 2018 best screenplay winner, Fernando Frías’ 2019 “I’m No Longer Here” – a jolting, timely piece of cinema I urge everyone to see,” said Guillermo del Toro – and 2013 best film Ariel winner “The Prize,” directed by Paola Markovitch.
The 42 Film underscores the drive into international co-production by the world big arthouse players as they seek to make titles of theatrical potential in a contracted market.
News of Müffelmann’s new shingle comes as “Cassandro,” starring García Bernal as the openly gay lucha libre wrestler Saul Armendáriz, has won large critical...
Based out of Madrid and Mexico City, the new shingle is headed by Müfflemann whose producer credits take in “Museum,” Alfonso Ruizpalacios’ Berlin 2018 best screenplay winner, Fernando Frías’ 2019 “I’m No Longer Here” – a jolting, timely piece of cinema I urge everyone to see,” said Guillermo del Toro – and 2013 best film Ariel winner “The Prize,” directed by Paola Markovitch.
The 42 Film underscores the drive into international co-production by the world big arthouse players as they seek to make titles of theatrical potential in a contracted market.
News of Müffelmann’s new shingle comes as “Cassandro,” starring García Bernal as the openly gay lucha libre wrestler Saul Armendáriz, has won large critical...
- 1/23/2023
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
Picture Tree International has acquired international rights to “Mission Ulja Funk,” which has been selected for Berlin Film Festival’s youth-centric Generation KPlus competition.
The film, which is the debut feature of German writer/director Barbara Kronenberg, is about the 12 year old girl Ulja, who sets out on a road trip in a stolen hearse to Eastern Europe to witness the impact of an asteroid she discovered.
Kronenberg studied at the Academy of Media Arts Cologne, and her graduation film “The Ballade of Ella Plummhoff” screened at more than 50 festivals and received numerous awards, including a nomination for the prestigious German First Steps Award.
“Mission Ulja Funk” is produced by Roshanak Behesht Nedjad’s outfit In Good Company (Germany) with pubcaster Mdr in co-production with Samsa Films (Luxemburg) and Shipsboy (Poland).
The film received German funding from the German Ministry of Culture (Bkm) and the Dfff as well as regional...
The film, which is the debut feature of German writer/director Barbara Kronenberg, is about the 12 year old girl Ulja, who sets out on a road trip in a stolen hearse to Eastern Europe to witness the impact of an asteroid she discovered.
Kronenberg studied at the Academy of Media Arts Cologne, and her graduation film “The Ballade of Ella Plummhoff” screened at more than 50 festivals and received numerous awards, including a nomination for the prestigious German First Steps Award.
“Mission Ulja Funk” is produced by Roshanak Behesht Nedjad’s outfit In Good Company (Germany) with pubcaster Mdr in co-production with Samsa Films (Luxemburg) and Shipsboy (Poland).
The film received German funding from the German Ministry of Culture (Bkm) and the Dfff as well as regional...
- 2/8/2021
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
Berlin-based Picture Tree International, which is participating in this week’s Ventana Sur, has announced a swathe of deals on its sales slate, including a pact with HBO for U.S. rights on Mexican comedy “Go Youth,” which premiered locally at Morelia Film Festival recently.
Carlos Armella’s movie tells the intertwined stories of four teenagers struggling with the absurdities of life and rebelling against the adult world.
“Enfant Terrible,” selected for Cannes Official Selection this year, has added to previously announced sales with a deal with Encripta for all Latin America. The film, directed by Oskar Roehler, is about the life of German director Rainer Werner Fassbinder.
Deals have been closed for Norwegian romantic comedy “Diana’s Wedding” – Charlotte Blom’s bittersweet tribute to love – with Limelight for Australia and New Zealand, HBO Europe for Eastern Europe, and Ads for Hungary. Pti has received offers for the film from the U.
Carlos Armella’s movie tells the intertwined stories of four teenagers struggling with the absurdities of life and rebelling against the adult world.
“Enfant Terrible,” selected for Cannes Official Selection this year, has added to previously announced sales with a deal with Encripta for all Latin America. The film, directed by Oskar Roehler, is about the life of German director Rainer Werner Fassbinder.
Deals have been closed for Norwegian romantic comedy “Diana’s Wedding” – Charlotte Blom’s bittersweet tribute to love – with Limelight for Australia and New Zealand, HBO Europe for Eastern Europe, and Ads for Hungary. Pti has received offers for the film from the U.
- 12/3/2020
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
Berlin-based Picture Tree International has picked up global sales rights to Mexican director Raúl López Echeverría’s feature debut, the socially conscious soccer comedy “Domingo,” and will introduce the film, in final postproduction, to buyers at Latin American film market Ventana Sur this week.
The film tells the story of Domingo, a man of 55 living in a poor suburb of Guadalajara. When his wife abruptly leaves him, he decides to do everything in his power to realize his lifelong dream of becoming a professional soccer commentator. Every Sunday, he commentates on local amateur matches. Yet he could never imagine how much his impassioned commentaries are changing the life of his neighborhood.
According to the director, the screenplay of “Domingo” was inspired by observing certain working-class districts in the suburbs of Guadalajara, where soccer grounds are a central part of the community and dear to the inhabitants’ hearts.
“The way in...
The film tells the story of Domingo, a man of 55 living in a poor suburb of Guadalajara. When his wife abruptly leaves him, he decides to do everything in his power to realize his lifelong dream of becoming a professional soccer commentator. Every Sunday, he commentates on local amateur matches. Yet he could never imagine how much his impassioned commentaries are changing the life of his neighborhood.
According to the director, the screenplay of “Domingo” was inspired by observing certain working-class districts in the suburbs of Guadalajara, where soccer grounds are a central part of the community and dear to the inhabitants’ hearts.
“The way in...
- 12/1/2020
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
Less Is More, the program launched by Le Group Ouest to help young helmers such as Maimouna Doucouré (“Cuties”), has unveiled the trailer of Daria Woszek’s “Marygoround” which will have its world premiere at South By Southwest.
The film, which was developed within the framework of Less Is More, revolves around Mary, a lonely grocery store worker who lives a rather dull life in a small town. On the eve of her 50th birthday, Mary’s life soon begins to take on a totally unexpected turn when she overdoses on the hormone patches prescribed by her doctor and receives the visit of a free-spirited niece. Mary’s senses and imagination suddenly come alive.
“The film is a quirky, darkly comic tale starring a stunning screen newcomer Grażyna Misiorowska, (and it tells the) story of a woman reclaiming her own body,” said South By Southwest in its presentation of “Marygoround...
The film, which was developed within the framework of Less Is More, revolves around Mary, a lonely grocery store worker who lives a rather dull life in a small town. On the eve of her 50th birthday, Mary’s life soon begins to take on a totally unexpected turn when she overdoses on the hormone patches prescribed by her doctor and receives the visit of a free-spirited niece. Mary’s senses and imagination suddenly come alive.
“The film is a quirky, darkly comic tale starring a stunning screen newcomer Grażyna Misiorowska, (and it tells the) story of a woman reclaiming her own body,” said South By Southwest in its presentation of “Marygoround...
- 2/27/2020
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Previous projects include Nathalie Biancheri’s ‘Wolf’ starring George MacKay and Lily-Rose Depp.
European training and coaching development programme Less Is More has selected 16 low-budget feature projects for its 2020 scheme, as well as 12 ‘development angels’ to join the development process.
Open to projects at script development stage from first to third-time feature filmmakers from across the globe, the scheme received 460 applications from 90 countries – a 37% increase on the previous year’s total.
See full list of projects below.
12 of this year’s projects are European productions, with one each from Tunisia, Rwanda and Mexico plus a Palestine-Denmark co-production.
Less Is More...
European training and coaching development programme Less Is More has selected 16 low-budget feature projects for its 2020 scheme, as well as 12 ‘development angels’ to join the development process.
Open to projects at script development stage from first to third-time feature filmmakers from across the globe, the scheme received 460 applications from 90 countries – a 37% increase on the previous year’s total.
See full list of projects below.
12 of this year’s projects are European productions, with one each from Tunisia, Rwanda and Mexico plus a Palestine-Denmark co-production.
Less Is More...
- 2/24/2020
- by 1101321¦Ben Dalton¦26¦
- ScreenDaily
Berlin-based Picture Tree International (Pti) has acquired global sales rights to Leander Haussmann’s highly anticipated East German laffer “A Stasi Comedy.”
Set in the early 1980s, the film centers on East Germany’s infamous state security service, the Staatssicherheitsdienst or Stasi, and young agent Ludger, played by David Kross, who is sent to infiltrate the counterculture scene in East Berlin’s Prenzlauer Berg district, home to artists, bohemians and free-thinking radicals. Decades later, Ludger is confronted with the possibility of his secret Stasi past coming to light.
Written and directed by Haussmann, “A Stasi Comedy” is the third installment in the celebrated filmmaker’s East German-themed comedy trilogy that began with “Sonnenallee” (“Sun Alley”) in 2000 and followed with “Nva” in 2004.
“After 30 years, it should be finally allowed to laugh about the Stasi,” Haussmann said.
“A Stasi Comedy” is produced by Ufa Fiction in co-production with Constantin Film, which is...
Set in the early 1980s, the film centers on East Germany’s infamous state security service, the Staatssicherheitsdienst or Stasi, and young agent Ludger, played by David Kross, who is sent to infiltrate the counterculture scene in East Berlin’s Prenzlauer Berg district, home to artists, bohemians and free-thinking radicals. Decades later, Ludger is confronted with the possibility of his secret Stasi past coming to light.
Written and directed by Haussmann, “A Stasi Comedy” is the third installment in the celebrated filmmaker’s East German-themed comedy trilogy that began with “Sonnenallee” (“Sun Alley”) in 2000 and followed with “Nva” in 2004.
“After 30 years, it should be finally allowed to laugh about the Stasi,” Haussmann said.
“A Stasi Comedy” is produced by Ufa Fiction in co-production with Constantin Film, which is...
- 2/17/2020
- by Ed Meza
- Variety Film + TV
Picture Tree Intl. has picked up global sales rights to Mexican feature “Go Youth!” (¡Ánimo Juventud!), directed by Carlos Armella. Pti will present the project, now in final postproduction, for the first time at the Ventana Sur film market. Variety has been given exclusive access to the first teaser for the film.
The movie tells the intertwined stories of four teenagers struggling with the absurdities of life and rebelling against the adult world. Martin is madly in love with a girl he barely knows. Daniel is a musician turned taxi driver whose teenage girlfriend is pregnant. Dulce is a bully in high school, but is secretly fragile and harbors a desire to be loved. Pedro, disillusioned with the adult world, has retreated from it by speaking his own language.
In a statement, Armella said: “Nowadays, the youth are trained to obey without questioning either an authority or mass media. I...
The movie tells the intertwined stories of four teenagers struggling with the absurdities of life and rebelling against the adult world. Martin is madly in love with a girl he barely knows. Daniel is a musician turned taxi driver whose teenage girlfriend is pregnant. Dulce is a bully in high school, but is secretly fragile and harbors a desire to be loved. Pedro, disillusioned with the adult world, has retreated from it by speaking his own language.
In a statement, Armella said: “Nowadays, the youth are trained to obey without questioning either an authority or mass media. I...
- 11/27/2019
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
Alejandro G. Iñárritu is urging the film industry to guard against the influence of television storytelling in cinema, a looming crisis he said could strip film of the beauty and poetry that make it a unique artistic form of expression.
Attending the Sarajevo Film Festival to receive the Honorary Heart of Sarajevo award, the Oscar-winning director of “The Revenant” and “Birdman” spoke to Variety about his concern that a new generation of moviegoers could lose the ability to appreciate that which makes cinema special.
The most challenging issue facing cinema is the effect quick-fire storytelling associated with serialized television shows, aimed at keeping viewers constantly entertained and captivated, was having on cinema, Iñárritu said.
Storytelling “needs much more contemplation, a little bit more patience, it needs to be a little bit more mysterious, more impenetrable, more poetic, more soulful.”
In the past, films “were exploring different ways of telling stories,...
Attending the Sarajevo Film Festival to receive the Honorary Heart of Sarajevo award, the Oscar-winning director of “The Revenant” and “Birdman” spoke to Variety about his concern that a new generation of moviegoers could lose the ability to appreciate that which makes cinema special.
The most challenging issue facing cinema is the effect quick-fire storytelling associated with serialized television shows, aimed at keeping viewers constantly entertained and captivated, was having on cinema, Iñárritu said.
Storytelling “needs much more contemplation, a little bit more patience, it needs to be a little bit more mysterious, more impenetrable, more poetic, more soulful.”
In the past, films “were exploring different ways of telling stories,...
- 8/19/2019
- by Ed Meza
- Variety Film + TV
Ten works in progress also screened at Coming Soon showcase.
Laura Samani’s Italian-Slovakian project Small Body and Mikko Myllylahti’s Finnish drama The Woodcutter Story received the TorinoFilmLab’s two prestigious €40,000 production awards on the final night of Tfl’s Meeting Event which marked the culmination of the 11th edition of the TorinoFilmLab.
The event presented all of the projects developed at Tfl through the year and took place from November 23-24.
Four co-production awards of €50,000 each were also presented to Mounia Akl’s Costa Brava, Lebanon (Lebanon-France-Sweden-Norway), Felipe Gálvez’s The Settlers (Chile-Argentina-Denmark), Jianjie Lin’s Blood And Water...
Laura Samani’s Italian-Slovakian project Small Body and Mikko Myllylahti’s Finnish drama The Woodcutter Story received the TorinoFilmLab’s two prestigious €40,000 production awards on the final night of Tfl’s Meeting Event which marked the culmination of the 11th edition of the TorinoFilmLab.
The event presented all of the projects developed at Tfl through the year and took place from November 23-24.
Four co-production awards of €50,000 each were also presented to Mounia Akl’s Costa Brava, Lebanon (Lebanon-France-Sweden-Norway), Felipe Gálvez’s The Settlers (Chile-Argentina-Denmark), Jianjie Lin’s Blood And Water...
- 11/27/2018
- by Gabriele Niola
- ScreenDaily
Morelia — Carlos Armella’s “Go Youth!” stands out as one of the most lighthearted and fun projects featured at this year’s Impulso Morelia, the works in progress section of Mexico’s Morelia Film Festival.
Impulso marked the first time that Armella has screened an unfinished film at a festival, necessary as shooting only finished a couple of weeks ago. The director and producers from B Positivo Producciones and Caponeto Cine screened the first hour of the film on Thursday afternoon, where it received a number of laughs and left the audience wanting more.
Armella’s earned his fest cred with the 2008 short film “Tierra y pan,” which scooped the Golden Lion at that year’s Venice Festival, although his most mainstream successes have come from his contributions to Netflix’s “The Day I Met El Chapo” and International Emmy Award-nominated “Club of Crows.”
“Go Youth!” is split into four parts,...
Impulso marked the first time that Armella has screened an unfinished film at a festival, necessary as shooting only finished a couple of weeks ago. The director and producers from B Positivo Producciones and Caponeto Cine screened the first hour of the film on Thursday afternoon, where it received a number of laughs and left the audience wanting more.
Armella’s earned his fest cred with the 2008 short film “Tierra y pan,” which scooped the Golden Lion at that year’s Venice Festival, although his most mainstream successes have come from his contributions to Netflix’s “The Day I Met El Chapo” and International Emmy Award-nominated “Club of Crows.”
“Go Youth!” is split into four parts,...
- 10/26/2018
- by Jamie Lang
- Variety Film + TV
Films presented last year include Golden Bear wiunner Touch Me Not and Critics’ Week winner Diamantino.
This year’s Torino Film Lab (Tfl) will once again showcase 10 films developed within its programmes at the upcoming Meeting Event (23-24 November).
The projects, to be presented at the Coming Soon night, are all works in progress in their final stages of completion, half of which are still looking for a sales agent.
2018 has been an important year for many of the films previewed at last year’s Coming Soon event. Adina Pintilie Touch Me Not went on to win the Golden Bear at the Berlinale,...
This year’s Torino Film Lab (Tfl) will once again showcase 10 films developed within its programmes at the upcoming Meeting Event (23-24 November).
The projects, to be presented at the Coming Soon night, are all works in progress in their final stages of completion, half of which are still looking for a sales agent.
2018 has been an important year for many of the films previewed at last year’s Coming Soon event. Adina Pintilie Touch Me Not went on to win the Golden Bear at the Berlinale,...
- 10/25/2018
- by Gabriele Niola
- ScreenDaily
More than 60 films were submitted to form part of the 4th Impulso Morelia, the works in progress section of the Morelia Film Festival taking place this week in the pre-Colombian Mexican city.
This year’s crop of projects, as much if not more than ever before, demonstrates the reflective capabilities of Mexican filmmakers in regards to their country. Most of the films take a long and critical look at the Mexican government, the country’s culture and its people in a time when that’s not always the safest thing to do. In March of last year three film students in Guadalajara were kidnapped, killed and their bodies dissolved in acid only days after the Guadalajara Film Festival. Their only crime: Filming in a house they didn’t know belonged to a drug cartel.
“One thing that always strikes me in Mexico is the ability of its cinema to have...
This year’s crop of projects, as much if not more than ever before, demonstrates the reflective capabilities of Mexican filmmakers in regards to their country. Most of the films take a long and critical look at the Mexican government, the country’s culture and its people in a time when that’s not always the safest thing to do. In March of last year three film students in Guadalajara were kidnapped, killed and their bodies dissolved in acid only days after the Guadalajara Film Festival. Their only crime: Filming in a house they didn’t know belonged to a drug cartel.
“One thing that always strikes me in Mexico is the ability of its cinema to have...
- 10/19/2018
- by Jamie Lang
- Variety Film + TV
Sean Penn Does Not Want You to Watch Netflix’s ‘The Day I Met El Chapo: The Kate Del Castillo Story’
Actress Kate del Castillo — who joined Sean Penn on his October 2015 trek through the Mexican jungle to interview the world’s most famous fugitive — angered the two-time Oscar winner with today’s release of her Netflix docuseries, “The Day I Met El Chapo: The Kate Del Castillo Story.” The New York Times reports that Penn’s lawyer, Theodore J. Boutrous Jr., claimed in a letter last week that the three-part, Carlos Armella-directed account jeopardizes Penn’s safety by hinting the actor aided the Department of Justice in their January 8, 2016 capture of the notorious drug dealer. The next day, Rolling Stone published Penn’s 10,000-word chronicle of he and del Castillo’s trip.
“Blood will be on [Netflix’s] hands if this film causes bodily harm,” wrote Boutrous. In a separate, October 14 letter to the lawyer of del Castillo’s co-executive producer, David Broome, Boutrous wrote, “It is profoundly disappointing that Netflix...
“Blood will be on [Netflix’s] hands if this film causes bodily harm,” wrote Boutrous. In a separate, October 14 letter to the lawyer of del Castillo’s co-executive producer, David Broome, Boutrous wrote, “It is profoundly disappointing that Netflix...
- 10/20/2017
- by Jenna Marotta
- Indiewire
The Cannes Atelier will feature 15 titles.
The Cannes Film Festival (May 17-28) has unveiled this year’s Cinefondation’s L’Atelier selection of 15 projects from 16 directors.
The directors and producers, representing 14 countries, are assisted in meeting potential funding partners during the festival.
Conefoundation’s L’Atelier has invited 186 projects since its inception in 2005, of which 145 have been completed and 14 are in pre-production.
The line-up:
Sew the Winter to My Skin Jahmil X.T. Qubeka (South Africa)
Day After Tomorrow Kamar Ahmad Simon (Bangladesh)
Ningdu Lei Lei (China)
Teenage Jesus Marie Grahtø Sørensen (Denmark)
Decompression Yona Rozenkier (Israel)
Go Youth Carlos Armella (Mexico)
Bedridden Byamba Sakhya (Mongolia)
Alam Firas Khoury (Palestine)
Candy Town Yannillys Perez (Dominican Republic)
Otto the Barbarian Ruxandra Ghitescu (Romania)
Summer E5 Emily Young (UK)
City of Small Blessings Chen-His Wong (Singapore)
The Translator Rana Kazkaz & Anas Khalaf (Syria)
Cu Li Never Cries Phan Ngoc Lan (Vietnam)
Taste Le Bao (Vietnam)...
The Cannes Film Festival (May 17-28) has unveiled this year’s Cinefondation’s L’Atelier selection of 15 projects from 16 directors.
The directors and producers, representing 14 countries, are assisted in meeting potential funding partners during the festival.
Conefoundation’s L’Atelier has invited 186 projects since its inception in 2005, of which 145 have been completed and 14 are in pre-production.
The line-up:
Sew the Winter to My Skin Jahmil X.T. Qubeka (South Africa)
Day After Tomorrow Kamar Ahmad Simon (Bangladesh)
Ningdu Lei Lei (China)
Teenage Jesus Marie Grahtø Sørensen (Denmark)
Decompression Yona Rozenkier (Israel)
Go Youth Carlos Armella (Mexico)
Bedridden Byamba Sakhya (Mongolia)
Alam Firas Khoury (Palestine)
Candy Town Yannillys Perez (Dominican Republic)
Otto the Barbarian Ruxandra Ghitescu (Romania)
Summer E5 Emily Young (UK)
City of Small Blessings Chen-His Wong (Singapore)
The Translator Rana Kazkaz & Anas Khalaf (Syria)
Cu Li Never Cries Phan Ngoc Lan (Vietnam)
Taste Le Bao (Vietnam)...
- 3/3/2017
- ScreenDaily
As a film fan, self-professed cinenerd, and an ex-film programmer at the New York International Latino Film Festival, the closure of the long-running fest last year was soul crushing. There are very few spaces dedicated to exhibiting Latino cinema and a lot of the remaining ones are on shaky ground.
Simultaneously though — as many U.S. Latino film institutions are on their last legs — movies directed by Latin American-born filmmakers are circling the globe at prestigious film festivals, winning awards, and garnering praise from critics. Production numbers, south of our border, have risen astronomically. It’s a renewal, renaissance, new wave — whatever you want to call it — that began in the mid-nineties. The Film Society of Lincoln Center, with its eye on this rebirth, founded a film series in 1997. A yearly showcase of the newest voices in Latin American cinema, it would eventually be called Latinbeat.
This year’s Latinbeat, running July 11 – 20, carries on with its mission of presenting emerging directors and film trends from across Latin America with movies from powerhouses like Argentina, Mexico, Chile, and Brazil plus countries with smaller film industries like Uruguay, Colombia, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Venezuela, and the Dominican Republic. From films about a Mexican garage band ("We Are Mari Pepa") to heavy metal in the Andes ("Holiday") and from first-time directors as well as established ones, this year’s lineup is centered on young protagonists.
In advance of the series’ opening night, I got the chance to chat with Marcela Goglio — Latinbeat’s film programmer since 1999 — about the origins of the longstanding showcase, how she ended up at the Film Society of Lincoln Center, and the constant rebirth of Latin American cinema. Plus, there are some good stories about the struggles of getting filmmakers to their screenings on time. Spoiler alert: if something can go wrong, it will.
When did the Latinbeat series start? Was there something specific that motivated the creation of the series?
Latinbeat started in 1997, conceived by Richard Peña, the Programming Director of the Film Society of Lincoln Center at the time (and until the end of 2012.) He actually programmed that first edition. I came in as an intern that year and helped with the marketing, outreach, and with Q&As. He came up with the idea mainly because at the time there was a very evident explosion or renaissance of film in Latin America, mainly Argentina, Brazil, and Mexico (the so called “New Argentine Cinema” started in the mid 90s). By explosion I mean not only a spike in quantity but mainly there was some really interesting formal exploration going on and new kinds of films emerging as a reaction to drastically changing socio-political realities — end of dictatorships in some countries, devastating economic crises that changed the social landscape in others — in a film landscape that, up until then, had become rather stale. It was the perfect time and there was a real need, as no other venues existed that were showcasing that cinema in New York. Latinbeat was the very first to showcase these new emerging filmmakers that later became such symbols of their time.
Where did the name Latinbeat come from?
Richard Peña chose the name. I think it was a reference to precisely an urgent, watershed moment, urgent films, something palpitating in the air that the festival wanted to capture. Also, it was a reference to a new rhythm or language that was being created.
How did you end up programming the series?
Newly arrived in New York City in 1997, after having lived in Costa Rica for four years where I worked as a journalist and programmed a series of Latin American cinema at the Spanish Cultural Center, I heard that Richard Peña, whom I had studied under at Columbia University before moving to Costa Rica, was organizing a Latin American film festival. (At the time it was called “Latin American Cinema Now.”) I called him up and volunteered to help on that festival that he programmed. So I became an intern at the Film Society helping with Latin American outreach and other stuff. In 1998, he asked me and a fellow colleague, Cord Dueppe, to program the following edition in 1999 (it was biannual back then) and we programmed the subsequent editions together. Ines Aslan, from the Public Relations department, joined our team around 2003 under Richard’s guidance. In 2007, I became the sole programmer (Ines and Cord left the Film Society) and have programmed it since.
Richard Peña, former Programming Director at the Film Society of Lincoln Center
Can you describe the process of discovering and selecting the films each year? How is the process different now than when you first started?
I take submissions — and I watch everything that is sent to me — but I don’t do an open call for entries. Up until recently, I had traveled to the Havana Film Festival almost every year since 1996 and to every Bafici (Buenos Aires Independent Film Festival) since its first edition 12 years ago and I go to a few other festivals. Distribution companies send me titles and screeners but mostly the process involves keeping up to date with productions in the region through connections with film schools, institutes, filmmakers, and producers with whom I have developed a relationship with over the years. Also, of course, I follow the programming at all the other festivals.
The process now is different in that there are many more films to watch because, amongst other things, of an explosion in production in other countries in the region (and more production too in the aforementioned strongest countries: Argentina, Mexico, Brazil). The programming, necessarily, must become more complex because there is more to choose from and more variety but also more festivals that compete for the same films. There are more films to watch but because of technology it is also easier, in a sense, since viewing links get sent quickly instead of having to wait for screeners or videos via mail.
What was the biggest challenge in the first year of the series?
Getting a crossover audience, in terms of nationality.
Marcela Goglio with Yamandu Ross, co-director of '3 Million'
What years do you feel were the heyday of the series? What are some of your favorite memories of that time?
Definitely 2003 – 2004, when the festival was hugely successful — we had sold out screenings back to back — and longer, it ran for three weeks. We had a lot of Cuban cinema and my very favorite sidebar (in 2003) was these fabulous archival Cuban music documentaries (from the 50s, 60s, 70s) that we brought back from Havana and were never again shown in the city, or the U.S. The theater was packed and now, looking back, I realize we should have repeated that program. It was also the first year that I started to notice some crossover amongst audiences — Mexicans coming to see Chilean films, Argentines to see Cuban, etc — and that was thrilling.
One of my favorite memories is recognizing a Mexican bus boy from a neighborhood restaurant who came to see Carlos Sorin’s "Intimate Stories" (a small independent film from Argentina). He was standing in the back — there were no empty seats in the theater — laughing like crazy. One of the great things of those years too was that this “renaissance of Latin American cinema” that had started in the early/mid 90s was starting to come into its own and become more well known and popular abroad. Seeing such a new independent cinema gain popularity and fill the theaters — at least in NY, it definitely was not happening in Latin America, which made it even more exciting and special — was very gratifying. It felt like we were really a part of that big change that Latin America was experiencing cinematically.
Have you ever had trouble getting filmmakers to New York for their screenings?
In 2011, we opened the festival with Gustavo Taretto’s "Sidewalls" from Argentina. Taretto, who is of Italian descent and had a beard at the time, was coming for opening night and he almost didn’t make it because he was held up at the airport and being questioned. He claimed it was because of his “Middle Eastern” appearance. The irony is that Coca Cola was one of his clients; when the officers stopped him at the airport (because of his beard) and asked him his profession he made a joke about how he actually helped the American Empire — I’m paraphrasing — impose its products on the rest of the world.
Gustavo Taretto and Marcela Goglio
Something similar happened to another opening night guest, Roxana Blanco, coming to introduce the Uruguayan film "Kill Them All", a political thriller set in Uruguay. This time it was not because of her appearance, but because of the title of the film.
It also happened to the director and producer (Kenya Marquez and Karla Uribe) of Expiration Date, the opening night film in 2012. There was a storm so they were delayed arriving from the airport and couldn’t introduce the film. They finally showed up as the film was ending, direct from the airport and soaking wet, and practically changed in the lobby before marching into the theater to do the Q&A.
To Gustavo Taretto, it actually happened twice in that trip. After opening night (a Friday, I think) he had to travel to Mexico for a publicity gig. On his way back to New York, where he had to introduce his second screening, he was singled out in the immigration line (supposedly again because of his beard) and questioned right there.
Are there filmmakers who screened their first film at Latinbeat and are now big names? Do you feel like you took part in discovering them?
None of these are “big names” but are well known now in the Latin American film world, with a respected body of work; I feel like we took part in discovering many of them, but not all: Celina Murga, Argentina ("Ana y los otros," ‘04), Damian Szifron, Argentina ("En el fondo del mar," ‘03 ), Matias Bize, Chile ("Sabado" ‘04), Marite Ugas and Mariana Rondon from Venezuela ("A la medianoche y media," ‘01), Juan Pablo Rebella and Pablo Stoll from Uruguay ("25 Watts," ‘01), Everardo Gonzalez, Mexico ("Cancion del pulque," ‘04), Nicolas Pereda, Mexico ( "Perpetuum Mobile"— his second feature film, ‘09), Matias Meyer, Mexico ("Wadley," ‘08 ), Martin Rejtman, Argentina ("Silvia Prieto" — his second film, ‘99), Mercedes Moncada, Mexico/Nicaragua ("La pasion de Maria Elena," ‘03), Pedro Gonzales Rubio and Carlos Armella, Mexico ( "Toro Negro," ‘05), and finally Juan Jose Campanella from Argentina, we showed his "El mismo amor, la misma lluvia" in 1999. He went on to win an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film in 2009 for "El secreto de sus ojos."
Matias Meyer, director of 'The Cramp' with Marcela Goglio
How does film production compare now to when Latinbeat started?
Numbers of films have increased twenty fold or more, in most countries — a lot. Mexico, Argentina and Brazil continue to produce the most but the main difference is that countries like Chile, Uruguay, Colombia and Venezuela — though Venezuela always had a high production — underwent their own explosion in the last years, as you might have heard. So, they are also important players. Another big difference is precisely the variety of themes, formal approaches and, storylines — political and personal, different genres — though the “independent”, low budget, formal exploration strain continues to be strong in all the countries, which is what is so fascinating. It’s as if the cinema in the region is constantly renewing itself. Also, the fact that there is this variety of genres, levels of production, styles — and the fact that there are some solid commercial films produced and consumed regularly in some of these countries — to me is an indication that there is an industry that’s getting strong. That is really great, even if we may not love everything that is being produced.
Have you ever considered including U.S. Latino films in Latinbeat?
We did include a few over the years — the Dominican-American "Red Passport" and the films of U.S.-based Puerto Rican director Mario Diaz. But, we focused on Latin America mostly and we understood that as separate from “Latino”. Also, the New York International Latino Film Festival seemed to have that area covered those years. [The Nyilff launched in 1999.] Now that that festival is gone [Nyilff], I would want to consider more Latino films. I also don’t see the “Latino” and “Latin American” as that separate anymore.
What is your favorite part of being a film programmer?
I love almost all aspects of it: watching the films (even when they’re not always great); choosing them and finding the best ways to make them work together; and finally, meeting the filmmakers and having conversations with them and the audience, onstage, brings everything full circle.
Pablo Cerda, director of 'P.E.' with Marcela Goglio
When you want to just sit on the couch and unwind what sort of films do you watch in your spare time?
I generally don’t watch films to unwind — I prefer to read. But these days I enjoy watching Argentine public television — many filmmakers are directing great series.
Did you ever want to be a filmmaker?
I did, a screenwriter. But wasn’t 100% sure. I went to film school briefly at the Universidad del Cine, in Buenos Aires, while I studied Journalism at Universidad de Buenos Aires.
This year, there are lots of films about young people, from "Somos Mari Pepa" (Mexico) to "Holiday" (Ecuador) and "Mateo" (Colombia). The opening night film "Casa Grande" also centers on a teenager but in Brazil. Was this on purpose? Is it a reflection of a larger trend in Latin American filmmaking?
"The Militant," "Root," "The Summer of Flying Fish" and "Natural Sciences" are also about young people and are a variation of “coming of age” stories. So it is definitely a recurring theme in the program. Yes, it’s on purpose. Most of our past editions have had many young first-time directors; it has been like this from the start. We look to reflect the region’s new trends with the program, to highlight emerging talents always, even if they might have imperfect films. And some of these titles mentioned are definitely by filmmakers to watch.
Latinbeat runs July 11 – 20 at The Film Society of Lincoln Center’s Walter Reade Theater.
Simultaneously though — as many U.S. Latino film institutions are on their last legs — movies directed by Latin American-born filmmakers are circling the globe at prestigious film festivals, winning awards, and garnering praise from critics. Production numbers, south of our border, have risen astronomically. It’s a renewal, renaissance, new wave — whatever you want to call it — that began in the mid-nineties. The Film Society of Lincoln Center, with its eye on this rebirth, founded a film series in 1997. A yearly showcase of the newest voices in Latin American cinema, it would eventually be called Latinbeat.
This year’s Latinbeat, running July 11 – 20, carries on with its mission of presenting emerging directors and film trends from across Latin America with movies from powerhouses like Argentina, Mexico, Chile, and Brazil plus countries with smaller film industries like Uruguay, Colombia, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Venezuela, and the Dominican Republic. From films about a Mexican garage band ("We Are Mari Pepa") to heavy metal in the Andes ("Holiday") and from first-time directors as well as established ones, this year’s lineup is centered on young protagonists.
In advance of the series’ opening night, I got the chance to chat with Marcela Goglio — Latinbeat’s film programmer since 1999 — about the origins of the longstanding showcase, how she ended up at the Film Society of Lincoln Center, and the constant rebirth of Latin American cinema. Plus, there are some good stories about the struggles of getting filmmakers to their screenings on time. Spoiler alert: if something can go wrong, it will.
When did the Latinbeat series start? Was there something specific that motivated the creation of the series?
Latinbeat started in 1997, conceived by Richard Peña, the Programming Director of the Film Society of Lincoln Center at the time (and until the end of 2012.) He actually programmed that first edition. I came in as an intern that year and helped with the marketing, outreach, and with Q&As. He came up with the idea mainly because at the time there was a very evident explosion or renaissance of film in Latin America, mainly Argentina, Brazil, and Mexico (the so called “New Argentine Cinema” started in the mid 90s). By explosion I mean not only a spike in quantity but mainly there was some really interesting formal exploration going on and new kinds of films emerging as a reaction to drastically changing socio-political realities — end of dictatorships in some countries, devastating economic crises that changed the social landscape in others — in a film landscape that, up until then, had become rather stale. It was the perfect time and there was a real need, as no other venues existed that were showcasing that cinema in New York. Latinbeat was the very first to showcase these new emerging filmmakers that later became such symbols of their time.
Where did the name Latinbeat come from?
Richard Peña chose the name. I think it was a reference to precisely an urgent, watershed moment, urgent films, something palpitating in the air that the festival wanted to capture. Also, it was a reference to a new rhythm or language that was being created.
How did you end up programming the series?
Newly arrived in New York City in 1997, after having lived in Costa Rica for four years where I worked as a journalist and programmed a series of Latin American cinema at the Spanish Cultural Center, I heard that Richard Peña, whom I had studied under at Columbia University before moving to Costa Rica, was organizing a Latin American film festival. (At the time it was called “Latin American Cinema Now.”) I called him up and volunteered to help on that festival that he programmed. So I became an intern at the Film Society helping with Latin American outreach and other stuff. In 1998, he asked me and a fellow colleague, Cord Dueppe, to program the following edition in 1999 (it was biannual back then) and we programmed the subsequent editions together. Ines Aslan, from the Public Relations department, joined our team around 2003 under Richard’s guidance. In 2007, I became the sole programmer (Ines and Cord left the Film Society) and have programmed it since.
Richard Peña, former Programming Director at the Film Society of Lincoln Center
Can you describe the process of discovering and selecting the films each year? How is the process different now than when you first started?
I take submissions — and I watch everything that is sent to me — but I don’t do an open call for entries. Up until recently, I had traveled to the Havana Film Festival almost every year since 1996 and to every Bafici (Buenos Aires Independent Film Festival) since its first edition 12 years ago and I go to a few other festivals. Distribution companies send me titles and screeners but mostly the process involves keeping up to date with productions in the region through connections with film schools, institutes, filmmakers, and producers with whom I have developed a relationship with over the years. Also, of course, I follow the programming at all the other festivals.
The process now is different in that there are many more films to watch because, amongst other things, of an explosion in production in other countries in the region (and more production too in the aforementioned strongest countries: Argentina, Mexico, Brazil). The programming, necessarily, must become more complex because there is more to choose from and more variety but also more festivals that compete for the same films. There are more films to watch but because of technology it is also easier, in a sense, since viewing links get sent quickly instead of having to wait for screeners or videos via mail.
What was the biggest challenge in the first year of the series?
Getting a crossover audience, in terms of nationality.
Marcela Goglio with Yamandu Ross, co-director of '3 Million'
What years do you feel were the heyday of the series? What are some of your favorite memories of that time?
Definitely 2003 – 2004, when the festival was hugely successful — we had sold out screenings back to back — and longer, it ran for three weeks. We had a lot of Cuban cinema and my very favorite sidebar (in 2003) was these fabulous archival Cuban music documentaries (from the 50s, 60s, 70s) that we brought back from Havana and were never again shown in the city, or the U.S. The theater was packed and now, looking back, I realize we should have repeated that program. It was also the first year that I started to notice some crossover amongst audiences — Mexicans coming to see Chilean films, Argentines to see Cuban, etc — and that was thrilling.
One of my favorite memories is recognizing a Mexican bus boy from a neighborhood restaurant who came to see Carlos Sorin’s "Intimate Stories" (a small independent film from Argentina). He was standing in the back — there were no empty seats in the theater — laughing like crazy. One of the great things of those years too was that this “renaissance of Latin American cinema” that had started in the early/mid 90s was starting to come into its own and become more well known and popular abroad. Seeing such a new independent cinema gain popularity and fill the theaters — at least in NY, it definitely was not happening in Latin America, which made it even more exciting and special — was very gratifying. It felt like we were really a part of that big change that Latin America was experiencing cinematically.
Have you ever had trouble getting filmmakers to New York for their screenings?
In 2011, we opened the festival with Gustavo Taretto’s "Sidewalls" from Argentina. Taretto, who is of Italian descent and had a beard at the time, was coming for opening night and he almost didn’t make it because he was held up at the airport and being questioned. He claimed it was because of his “Middle Eastern” appearance. The irony is that Coca Cola was one of his clients; when the officers stopped him at the airport (because of his beard) and asked him his profession he made a joke about how he actually helped the American Empire — I’m paraphrasing — impose its products on the rest of the world.
Gustavo Taretto and Marcela Goglio
Something similar happened to another opening night guest, Roxana Blanco, coming to introduce the Uruguayan film "Kill Them All", a political thriller set in Uruguay. This time it was not because of her appearance, but because of the title of the film.
It also happened to the director and producer (Kenya Marquez and Karla Uribe) of Expiration Date, the opening night film in 2012. There was a storm so they were delayed arriving from the airport and couldn’t introduce the film. They finally showed up as the film was ending, direct from the airport and soaking wet, and practically changed in the lobby before marching into the theater to do the Q&A.
To Gustavo Taretto, it actually happened twice in that trip. After opening night (a Friday, I think) he had to travel to Mexico for a publicity gig. On his way back to New York, where he had to introduce his second screening, he was singled out in the immigration line (supposedly again because of his beard) and questioned right there.
Are there filmmakers who screened their first film at Latinbeat and are now big names? Do you feel like you took part in discovering them?
None of these are “big names” but are well known now in the Latin American film world, with a respected body of work; I feel like we took part in discovering many of them, but not all: Celina Murga, Argentina ("Ana y los otros," ‘04), Damian Szifron, Argentina ("En el fondo del mar," ‘03 ), Matias Bize, Chile ("Sabado" ‘04), Marite Ugas and Mariana Rondon from Venezuela ("A la medianoche y media," ‘01), Juan Pablo Rebella and Pablo Stoll from Uruguay ("25 Watts," ‘01), Everardo Gonzalez, Mexico ("Cancion del pulque," ‘04), Nicolas Pereda, Mexico ( "Perpetuum Mobile"— his second feature film, ‘09), Matias Meyer, Mexico ("Wadley," ‘08 ), Martin Rejtman, Argentina ("Silvia Prieto" — his second film, ‘99), Mercedes Moncada, Mexico/Nicaragua ("La pasion de Maria Elena," ‘03), Pedro Gonzales Rubio and Carlos Armella, Mexico ( "Toro Negro," ‘05), and finally Juan Jose Campanella from Argentina, we showed his "El mismo amor, la misma lluvia" in 1999. He went on to win an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film in 2009 for "El secreto de sus ojos."
Matias Meyer, director of 'The Cramp' with Marcela Goglio
How does film production compare now to when Latinbeat started?
Numbers of films have increased twenty fold or more, in most countries — a lot. Mexico, Argentina and Brazil continue to produce the most but the main difference is that countries like Chile, Uruguay, Colombia and Venezuela — though Venezuela always had a high production — underwent their own explosion in the last years, as you might have heard. So, they are also important players. Another big difference is precisely the variety of themes, formal approaches and, storylines — political and personal, different genres — though the “independent”, low budget, formal exploration strain continues to be strong in all the countries, which is what is so fascinating. It’s as if the cinema in the region is constantly renewing itself. Also, the fact that there is this variety of genres, levels of production, styles — and the fact that there are some solid commercial films produced and consumed regularly in some of these countries — to me is an indication that there is an industry that’s getting strong. That is really great, even if we may not love everything that is being produced.
Have you ever considered including U.S. Latino films in Latinbeat?
We did include a few over the years — the Dominican-American "Red Passport" and the films of U.S.-based Puerto Rican director Mario Diaz. But, we focused on Latin America mostly and we understood that as separate from “Latino”. Also, the New York International Latino Film Festival seemed to have that area covered those years. [The Nyilff launched in 1999.] Now that that festival is gone [Nyilff], I would want to consider more Latino films. I also don’t see the “Latino” and “Latin American” as that separate anymore.
What is your favorite part of being a film programmer?
I love almost all aspects of it: watching the films (even when they’re not always great); choosing them and finding the best ways to make them work together; and finally, meeting the filmmakers and having conversations with them and the audience, onstage, brings everything full circle.
Pablo Cerda, director of 'P.E.' with Marcela Goglio
When you want to just sit on the couch and unwind what sort of films do you watch in your spare time?
I generally don’t watch films to unwind — I prefer to read. But these days I enjoy watching Argentine public television — many filmmakers are directing great series.
Did you ever want to be a filmmaker?
I did, a screenwriter. But wasn’t 100% sure. I went to film school briefly at the Universidad del Cine, in Buenos Aires, while I studied Journalism at Universidad de Buenos Aires.
This year, there are lots of films about young people, from "Somos Mari Pepa" (Mexico) to "Holiday" (Ecuador) and "Mateo" (Colombia). The opening night film "Casa Grande" also centers on a teenager but in Brazil. Was this on purpose? Is it a reflection of a larger trend in Latin American filmmaking?
"The Militant," "Root," "The Summer of Flying Fish" and "Natural Sciences" are also about young people and are a variation of “coming of age” stories. So it is definitely a recurring theme in the program. Yes, it’s on purpose. Most of our past editions have had many young first-time directors; it has been like this from the start. We look to reflect the region’s new trends with the program, to highlight emerging talents always, even if they might have imperfect films. And some of these titles mentioned are definitely by filmmakers to watch.
Latinbeat runs July 11 – 20 at The Film Society of Lincoln Center’s Walter Reade Theater.
- 7/16/2014
- by Vanessa Erazo
- Sydney's Buzz
International Film Festival Rotterdam 2014
Bright Future
World Premieres
Above: The Pinkie
About Sarah (Elisa Miller, Mexico, United Kingdom)
Bella Vista (Vera Brunner-Sung, USA)
Creator of the Jungle (Jordi Morató (Spain)
La distancia (Sergio Caballero, Spain)
Dzma/Brother (Téona Mghvdeladze & Thierry Grenade, France, Georgia)
L’éclat furtif de l'ombre (Alain-Pascal Housiaux & Patrick Dechesne, Belgium, Germany)
Edén (Elise DuRant, USA, Mexico)
Helium (Eché Janga, Netherlands)
History of Eternity (Camilo Cavalcante, Brazil)
Hotel Nueva Isla (Irene Gutiérrez & Javier Labrador, Cuba, Spain)
The Iranian Film (Yassine el Idrissi, Morocco, Netherlands, Egypt)
Jacky au royaume des filles (Riad Sattouf, France)
L for Leisure (Lev Kalman & Whitney Horn, USA, Mexico, France, Iceland)
Little Crushes (Aleksandra Gowin & Ireneusz Grzyb, Poland)
Masked Monkey - The Evolution of Darwin’s Theory (Ismail Fahmi Lubish, Indonesia)
Oilfields Mines Hurricanes (Fabian Altenried, Germany, Iceland)
The Pinkie (Lisa Takeba, Japan)
The Quiet Roar (Henrik Hellström, Sweden, Norway)
Sitzfleisch (Lisa Weber, Austria)
The Songs of Rice (Uruphong Raksasad,...
Bright Future
World Premieres
Above: The Pinkie
About Sarah (Elisa Miller, Mexico, United Kingdom)
Bella Vista (Vera Brunner-Sung, USA)
Creator of the Jungle (Jordi Morató (Spain)
La distancia (Sergio Caballero, Spain)
Dzma/Brother (Téona Mghvdeladze & Thierry Grenade, France, Georgia)
L’éclat furtif de l'ombre (Alain-Pascal Housiaux & Patrick Dechesne, Belgium, Germany)
Edén (Elise DuRant, USA, Mexico)
Helium (Eché Janga, Netherlands)
History of Eternity (Camilo Cavalcante, Brazil)
Hotel Nueva Isla (Irene Gutiérrez & Javier Labrador, Cuba, Spain)
The Iranian Film (Yassine el Idrissi, Morocco, Netherlands, Egypt)
Jacky au royaume des filles (Riad Sattouf, France)
L for Leisure (Lev Kalman & Whitney Horn, USA, Mexico, France, Iceland)
Little Crushes (Aleksandra Gowin & Ireneusz Grzyb, Poland)
Masked Monkey - The Evolution of Darwin’s Theory (Ismail Fahmi Lubish, Indonesia)
Oilfields Mines Hurricanes (Fabian Altenried, Germany, Iceland)
The Pinkie (Lisa Takeba, Japan)
The Quiet Roar (Henrik Hellström, Sweden, Norway)
Sitzfleisch (Lisa Weber, Austria)
The Songs of Rice (Uruphong Raksasad,...
- 1/13/2014
- by Notebook
- MUBI
Picks include the latest documentary from Ai Weiwei [pictured].
The International Film Festival Rotterdam has unveiled the selections for its Bright Future and Spectrum programmes (list of premiere titles below).
Across both sections there are 37 world premieres.
Bright Future is comprised of 63 films, all first and second features. Bright Future includes five films supported by the Hubert Bals Fund, including Carlos Armella’s Las voces.
Five films from Bright Future will compete in the Big Screen Award Competition, including telepathic dwarf thriller La distancia by Sergio Caballero; and Riad Sattouf’s Jacky au royaume des filles starring Charlotte Gainsbourg.
Other notable seelctions include Burrowing director Henrik Helstrom’s second feature The Quiet Roar, about a dying woman who reconnects with her past through an acid trip.
Spectrum, focusing on artistic and experimental cinema, includes 69 films, including three supported by the Hubert Bals Fund. Five Spectrum Films, including Jos de Putter’s See No Evil and Oxana Bychkova’s Another...
The International Film Festival Rotterdam has unveiled the selections for its Bright Future and Spectrum programmes (list of premiere titles below).
Across both sections there are 37 world premieres.
Bright Future is comprised of 63 films, all first and second features. Bright Future includes five films supported by the Hubert Bals Fund, including Carlos Armella’s Las voces.
Five films from Bright Future will compete in the Big Screen Award Competition, including telepathic dwarf thriller La distancia by Sergio Caballero; and Riad Sattouf’s Jacky au royaume des filles starring Charlotte Gainsbourg.
Other notable seelctions include Burrowing director Henrik Helstrom’s second feature The Quiet Roar, about a dying woman who reconnects with her past through an acid trip.
Spectrum, focusing on artistic and experimental cinema, includes 69 films, including three supported by the Hubert Bals Fund. Five Spectrum Films, including Jos de Putter’s See No Evil and Oxana Bychkova’s Another...
- 1/13/2014
- by wendy.mitchell@screendaily.com (Wendy Mitchell)
- ScreenDaily
This year's Palme d'or winner (Apichatpong Weerasethakul's Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives) is a glowing example of exact purpose that the Hubert Bals Fund of the International Film Festival Rotterdam serves: supporting national cinemas and filmmakers through various stages of production. The Fund’s Fall 2010 Selection Round includes one of our profiled Ioncinephile filmmakers in Mexico's Pedro Gonzalez-Rubio, who won over critics and film festival prizes (2010 Tiger Award) with Alamar, and who is now in the development phase of his next project entitled, Sombra del arbol (Tree Shade). In total, four projects from Mexico are receiving well-needed coin. Here are the selected projects: Postproduction & Final Financing Ausensias (Absences) - Milagros Mumenthaler; Argentina Black Blood - Miaoyan Zhang; China Flying Fish - Sanjeewa Pelanwattage; Sri Lanka The Old Donkey - Li Ruijun; China Paraísos Artificiales (Artificial Paradises) - Yulene Olaizola; Mexico Digital Production If It Is Not Now,...
- 10/14/2010
- IONCINEMA.com
Venice -- A Venice Film Festival criticized in part for its lack of star power welcomed its last group of stars Thursday as Mickey Rourke, Marisa Tomei and Evan Rachel Wood -- the leads of Darren Aronofsky's "The Wrestler" -- took to the Lido.
"Wrestler," which centers on an aging former professional wrestler, will be the fest's final premiere at the Sala Grande when it unspools Friday. The festival wraps Saturday with its prize ceremony.
Thursday's premiere was the well-received "The Hurt Locker" from Kathryn Bigelow, the festival's lone Iraq War film a year after three were featured.
The first awards already have been dished out.
Mexico's Carlos Armella took home the Corto Cortissimo sidebar's prize for best short film for his "Tierre y Pan," while Karchi Perlmann's "The Dinner" nabbed an honorable mention. The sidebar received added attention when Natalie Portman's directorial debut, "Eve," opened the section out of competition.
"Wrestler," which centers on an aging former professional wrestler, will be the fest's final premiere at the Sala Grande when it unspools Friday. The festival wraps Saturday with its prize ceremony.
Thursday's premiere was the well-received "The Hurt Locker" from Kathryn Bigelow, the festival's lone Iraq War film a year after three were featured.
The first awards already have been dished out.
Mexico's Carlos Armella took home the Corto Cortissimo sidebar's prize for best short film for his "Tierre y Pan," while Karchi Perlmann's "The Dinner" nabbed an honorable mention. The sidebar received added attention when Natalie Portman's directorial debut, "Eve," opened the section out of competition.
- 9/4/2008
- by By Eric J. Lyman
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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