Hope Not Lost
Happy Birthday to Bob Hope who is 100 today. He obviously knows the road to long life.
Contributions
If you have any news or comments to add to this blog feel free to email them to me at: valis23a@aol.com. Also, if you would like to be a regular contributor here let me know.
Matrix Reloaded
A few days ago I noted how The Times had given given it acres of editorial coverage to The Matrix Reloaded and then had given it a bad review. On Saturday another of their reviewers gave it a good review, and The Sunday Times had one good and one bad review. So it's obviously split their reviewers. I saw the beginning of the original Matrix movie on TV the other day but wasn't that impressed. Too much hype always seems to kill films for me.
Perhaps when the fuss dies down I might appreciate what is going to be a Matrix trilogy (it's frightening that filmmakers now feel they have to make a 'trilogy' rather than produce a single film).
The National Film Theatre is Doin’ Time With TCM
TCM (Turner Classic Movies) is sponsoring Crime Scene 2003, the National Film Theatre’s annual festival of fiction and crime films taking place from 10 July to 13 July 2003. To follow TCM will air its Crime Wave season 14 to 20 July.
Crime Scene 2003 is the NFT’s fourth annual festival celebrating the crime genre in the movies and TCM is the main sponsor for the third year running. This year’s festival has a French theme and celebrates the work of legendary director Jean-Pierre Melville whose stylish thriller and gangster films have inspired a generation of contemporary moviemakers in this genre.
One of the festival highlights is the screening of John Huston’s The Asphalt Jungle (1950) starring Sterling Hayden, Jean Hagen and featuring Marilyn Monroe in one of her earlier roles. The film, which inspired Jean-Pierre Melville’s Le Cercle rouge (1970) (The Red Circle), was considered unique at the time of release for showing the human side of its band of criminals. A version restored by TCM will air both during the festival and as part of the channel’s own Crime Wave season.
Michael Riley, VP and Channel Manager TCM Europe Middle East & Africa said: ‘TCM is delighted to be sponsoring the Crime Scene Festival for the third year in a row. It is a wonderful collaboration and has helped to highlight our wealth of unmissable movies to a wider audience.’
'TCM’s on-going relationship with the NFT includes a commitment to keeping cinema history alive through film restoration work, as in the case of Asphalt Jungle, and nurturing future movie talent with its annual Classic Shorts competition, held at the NFT in November as part of the London Film Festival’.
TCM’s Crime Wave Season
TCM’s Crime Wave season airs on the channel from 14 to 20 July and features a variety of genres from gangster films of the 30s (The Public Enemy, 1931, Little Caesar, 1930) through to noir (The Big Sleep, 1946, The Postman Always Rings Twice, 1946), heist films (The Asphalt Jungle, 1950, Ocean’s 11, 1960, The Getaway, 1972) and even detective movies (The Maltese Falcon, 1941, Dirty Harry, 1971). In addition, there will be a series of documentaries, close-ups and studio insiders on some of the stars of the season including Lana Turner, James Cagney and Humphrey Bogart, to complement and give further background to these memorable movies.
Crime Scene is the 4th edition of the unique, international, annual festival of crime fiction and film held at the National Film Theatre. Crime Scene is programmed for the British Film Institute by Adrian Wootton, Head of Crime Scene and Maxim Jakubowski, Head of Crime Scene Literary programme. The British Film Institute was established in 1933 to promote greater understanding, appreciation and access to film and television culture. Find out more at www.bfi.org.uk/crimescene
Thursday, May 29, 2003
JUDE LAW, RALPH FIENNES, BERNARDO BERTOLUCCI & BARRY NORMAN JOIN TCM IN SEARCH FOR BEST BRITISH SHORT FILM DIRECTOR FOR 2003!
TCM (Turner Classic Movies) announces the launch of the TCM Classic Shorts competition, which will hold the awards ceremony as part of The Times bfi London Film Festival (the festival runs from 22 October - 6 November 2003). Jude Law, Ralph Fiennes and Bernardo Bertolucci are just three of the fifteen judges to sit on the competition’s panel to find the best short film of 2003.
TCM Classic Shorts is one of the most prestigious and valuable short film competitions in Europe offering £10,000 in prizes. It has been responsible for discovering some of the best new talent in the UK including 2001 winner Brian Percival, Director of the film About A Girl that went on to win the BAFTA for Best Short. This year, TCM is making a bigger commitment and expanding its involvement with the festival by sponsoring the Short Cuts and Animation strand of the festival for the first time.
The Short Cuts and Animation strand premieres the very best of international short and animated films. The festival recognises the importance of this strand as it can act as a launch pad for new film-makers, student films and independent productions, as well as launching the careers of many high profile actors.
TCM Classic Shorts is open to all UK made short films. The opening date is 2 June and all films must be received by 17 September to be eligible for the competition. The short-listed nominations will be aired on TCM and screened at The Times bfi London Film Festival.
The panel line up features some of the biggest names involved in the British film industry:
Jude Law Actor: Road to Perdition, The Talented Mr. Ripley
Ralph Fiennes Actor, Producer: The English Patient, Schindler’s List
Bernardo Bertolucci Actor, Director, Writer: Stealing Beauty, The Last Empire, Last Tango in Paris
Barry Norman TV Film Critic and journalist
Richard Eyre Director and Writer: Iris
Stephen Frears Actor, Director and Producer: Dirty Pretty Things, High Fidelity
Mark Herman Director, Writer: Brassed Off, Little Voice
Richard Jobson Film Critic, Writer, Producer, Director: Sixteen Years of Alcohol
John Madden Director: Mrs Brown, Shakespeare in Love
Ismail Merchant Actor Director, Producer: A Room With A View
Stephen Woolley Producer: The End of the Affair, Interview with the Vampire
Colin Kennedy Editor: Empire Film Magazine
Nick James Editor: Sight & Sound Film Magazine
Wendy Ide The Times bfi London Film Festival, short film programmer
Tina McCann General Manager of Turner Entertainment Networks Europe
Further information and entry forms are available at: www.tcmonline.co.uk and for further information about The Times bfi London Film Festival, log onto: www.lff.org.uk
TCM (Turner Classic Movies) announces the launch of the TCM Classic Shorts competition, which will hold the awards ceremony as part of The Times bfi London Film Festival (the festival runs from 22 October - 6 November 2003). Jude Law, Ralph Fiennes and Bernardo Bertolucci are just three of the fifteen judges to sit on the competition’s panel to find the best short film of 2003.
TCM Classic Shorts is one of the most prestigious and valuable short film competitions in Europe offering £10,000 in prizes. It has been responsible for discovering some of the best new talent in the UK including 2001 winner Brian Percival, Director of the film About A Girl that went on to win the BAFTA for Best Short. This year, TCM is making a bigger commitment and expanding its involvement with the festival by sponsoring the Short Cuts and Animation strand of the festival for the first time.
The Short Cuts and Animation strand premieres the very best of international short and animated films. The festival recognises the importance of this strand as it can act as a launch pad for new film-makers, student films and independent productions, as well as launching the careers of many high profile actors.
TCM Classic Shorts is open to all UK made short films. The opening date is 2 June and all films must be received by 17 September to be eligible for the competition. The short-listed nominations will be aired on TCM and screened at The Times bfi London Film Festival.
The panel line up features some of the biggest names involved in the British film industry:
Jude Law Actor: Road to Perdition, The Talented Mr. Ripley
Ralph Fiennes Actor, Producer: The English Patient, Schindler’s List
Bernardo Bertolucci Actor, Director, Writer: Stealing Beauty, The Last Empire, Last Tango in Paris
Barry Norman TV Film Critic and journalist
Richard Eyre Director and Writer: Iris
Stephen Frears Actor, Director and Producer: Dirty Pretty Things, High Fidelity
Mark Herman Director, Writer: Brassed Off, Little Voice
Richard Jobson Film Critic, Writer, Producer, Director: Sixteen Years of Alcohol
John Madden Director: Mrs Brown, Shakespeare in Love
Ismail Merchant Actor Director, Producer: A Room With A View
Stephen Woolley Producer: The End of the Affair, Interview with the Vampire
Colin Kennedy Editor: Empire Film Magazine
Nick James Editor: Sight & Sound Film Magazine
Wendy Ide The Times bfi London Film Festival, short film programmer
Tina McCann General Manager of Turner Entertainment Networks Europe
Further information and entry forms are available at: www.tcmonline.co.uk and for further information about The Times bfi London Film Festival, log onto: www.lff.org.uk
Friday, May 23, 2003
Talking Pictures
Matrix Madness
Do you know what? "What?" I hear you answer. Well, I'm sick of broadsheets like The Times being full of features about films that you know for certain will be damned by their film critics as soon as they are released. And, guesss what? "What?" I hear you say. The Times has been full of stories about The Matrix Reloaded, and quite predictably their critic, Barbara Ellen, in the T2 section, 22 May 2003, calls it a good looking dud.
My solution is they sack these critics and get ones in-line with the rest of the paper's editorial policy, or they stop promoting films just because they know they are popular but beneath their critical contempt. It would be great if they gave as much exposure to films they really believed in.
Rant over...
What do you think? Email me at: valis23a@aol.com
Matrix Madness
Do you know what? "What?" I hear you answer. Well, I'm sick of broadsheets like The Times being full of features about films that you know for certain will be damned by their film critics as soon as they are released. And, guesss what? "What?" I hear you say. The Times has been full of stories about The Matrix Reloaded, and quite predictably their critic, Barbara Ellen, in the T2 section, 22 May 2003, calls it a good looking dud.
My solution is they sack these critics and get ones in-line with the rest of the paper's editorial policy, or they stop promoting films just because they know they are popular but beneath their critical contempt. It would be great if they gave as much exposure to films they really believed in.
Rant over...
What do you think? Email me at: valis23a@aol.com
Talking Pictures
Reel Madness Festival
Reel Madness the first national festival dedicated to film portrayals of madness and mental distress will be taking place at the ICA, The Mall, London from June 19-22nd 2003.
With Dame Judi Dench as its patron and organized by Mental Health Media, the Documentary Filmmakers Group and Rethink, Reel Madness brings together a diverse range of films and genres from around the world. Included in the four day festival are autobiographical films made by people about their experiences of mental distress, feature films and documentaries, dramas, short films and experimental animation.
The programme features seven UK premieres such as Completely Cuckoo, a documentary about the making of the groundbreaking One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, and also award winners such as Kira's Reason which won awards for best film and actress in the 2002 Danish Bodil Awards.
Reel Madness includes uplifting stories of resilience and recovery, portrayals which don't flinch from recording painful realities and emotions, and films which challenge and expose the brutality with which society has responded to mental distress and madness.
For comprehensive details go to www.reelmadness.co.uk
Reel Madness Festival
Reel Madness the first national festival dedicated to film portrayals of madness and mental distress will be taking place at the ICA, The Mall, London from June 19-22nd 2003.
With Dame Judi Dench as its patron and organized by Mental Health Media, the Documentary Filmmakers Group and Rethink, Reel Madness brings together a diverse range of films and genres from around the world. Included in the four day festival are autobiographical films made by people about their experiences of mental distress, feature films and documentaries, dramas, short films and experimental animation.
The programme features seven UK premieres such as Completely Cuckoo, a documentary about the making of the groundbreaking One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, and also award winners such as Kira's Reason which won awards for best film and actress in the 2002 Danish Bodil Awards.
Reel Madness includes uplifting stories of resilience and recovery, portrayals which don't flinch from recording painful realities and emotions, and films which challenge and expose the brutality with which society has responded to mental distress and madness.
For comprehensive details go to www.reelmadness.co.uk
Wednesday, May 21, 2003
Talking Pictures
Tom Cruise Is Missing
Today's Times (21 May, 2003) notes that Kim Howells is in trouble for saying that Tom Cruise was too frightened to attend the Cannes Film Festival. That's strange since an article by James Christopher in The Times T2 section (15 May, 2003) wrote: 'The sight of Tom Cruise squiring Penelope Cruz...up the red carpet of the Festival Palais in a flashbulb blaze is the vital evidence that the madness has started.' Perhaps he was startled by the flashbulbs?
Tom Cruise Is Missing
Today's Times (21 May, 2003) notes that Kim Howells is in trouble for saying that Tom Cruise was too frightened to attend the Cannes Film Festival. That's strange since an article by James Christopher in The Times T2 section (15 May, 2003) wrote: 'The sight of Tom Cruise squiring Penelope Cruz...up the red carpet of the Festival Palais in a flashbulb blaze is the vital evidence that the madness has started.' Perhaps he was startled by the flashbulbs?
Tuesday, May 20, 2003
Facts
X Men 2 - First Movie to Feature New Copyright Notice.
The Federation Against Copyright Theft Ltd (FACT) is working with Twentieth Century Fox to protect forthcoming Hollywood blockbusters from being copied, by pirates using camcorders in UK cinemas. As a new preventative measure, a 20 second copyright warning is being introduced as a trailer, the first of which appeared on screens nationwide when ‘X Men 2’ was released on 1 May 2003.
The warning message is the latest advancement in FACT’s drive against video and DVD piracy and serves to educate film viewers that cinema camcording is a crime. It also provides a hotline number to FACT investigators for those who wish to report illegal activities. The text will appear in static form across two screens, following the British Board of Film Classification censorship notice and read as follows:
WARNING FROM THE FEDERATION AGAINST COPYRIGHT THEFT LTD (FACT) "IT IS A CRIMINAL OFFENCE TO COPY OR ATTEMPT TO COPY ANY FILM, OR FILM RELATED ARTICLE, SHOWN OR DISPLAYED IN THIS CINEMA. PUNISHMENT OR CONVICTION IS AN UNLIMITED FINE AND IMPRISONMENT UP TO A MAXIMUM OF 10 YEARS. YOU ARE NOT PERMITTED TO BRING ANY CAMERA OR RECORDING EQUIPMENT INTO THIS CINEMA. THIS WILL BE TREATED AS AN ATTEMPT TO BREACH COPYRIGHT. ANY PERSON DOING SO CAN BE EJECTED AND THE POLICE MAY CONFISCATE SUCH ARTICLES. WE ASK THE AUDIENCE TO BE VIGILANT AGAINST ANY SUCH ACTIVITY AND REPORT ANY MATTERS AROUSING SUSPICION TO CINEMA STAFF. THANK YOU."
Spencer Mott, director of operations at FACT comments: "Other than the obvious illegality of using camcorders to copy films screened in the UK, the counterfeit products produced will be sub-standard and in most cases unwatchable. Whichever way you look at this, inevitably it will be the consumer who is defrauded as a result.
"The aim of the copyright warning trailer is to act as a deterrent to potential offenders and also to provide witnesses with the means to report such illegal activity. We expect a significant decrease in the number of perpetrators as a result of this new measure."
FACT estimates that UK counterfeiters are currently costing film retailers and distributors a combined loss of £400 million per year in sales, with a piracy infiltration rate of 20-30 per cent.
X Men 2 - First Movie to Feature New Copyright Notice.
The Federation Against Copyright Theft Ltd (FACT) is working with Twentieth Century Fox to protect forthcoming Hollywood blockbusters from being copied, by pirates using camcorders in UK cinemas. As a new preventative measure, a 20 second copyright warning is being introduced as a trailer, the first of which appeared on screens nationwide when ‘X Men 2’ was released on 1 May 2003.
The warning message is the latest advancement in FACT’s drive against video and DVD piracy and serves to educate film viewers that cinema camcording is a crime. It also provides a hotline number to FACT investigators for those who wish to report illegal activities. The text will appear in static form across two screens, following the British Board of Film Classification censorship notice and read as follows:
WARNING FROM THE FEDERATION AGAINST COPYRIGHT THEFT LTD (FACT) "IT IS A CRIMINAL OFFENCE TO COPY OR ATTEMPT TO COPY ANY FILM, OR FILM RELATED ARTICLE, SHOWN OR DISPLAYED IN THIS CINEMA. PUNISHMENT OR CONVICTION IS AN UNLIMITED FINE AND IMPRISONMENT UP TO A MAXIMUM OF 10 YEARS. YOU ARE NOT PERMITTED TO BRING ANY CAMERA OR RECORDING EQUIPMENT INTO THIS CINEMA. THIS WILL BE TREATED AS AN ATTEMPT TO BREACH COPYRIGHT. ANY PERSON DOING SO CAN BE EJECTED AND THE POLICE MAY CONFISCATE SUCH ARTICLES. WE ASK THE AUDIENCE TO BE VIGILANT AGAINST ANY SUCH ACTIVITY AND REPORT ANY MATTERS AROUSING SUSPICION TO CINEMA STAFF. THANK YOU."
Spencer Mott, director of operations at FACT comments: "Other than the obvious illegality of using camcorders to copy films screened in the UK, the counterfeit products produced will be sub-standard and in most cases unwatchable. Whichever way you look at this, inevitably it will be the consumer who is defrauded as a result.
"The aim of the copyright warning trailer is to act as a deterrent to potential offenders and also to provide witnesses with the means to report such illegal activity. We expect a significant decrease in the number of perpetrators as a result of this new measure."
FACT estimates that UK counterfeiters are currently costing film retailers and distributors a combined loss of £400 million per year in sales, with a piracy infiltration rate of 20-30 per cent.
Five Years of DVD
Cannes 21 May, 2003 - Commemorating the DVD format’s highly popular first five years in the marketplace, the DVD Entertainment Group Europe (DEGE) has released some ‘DVD at Five’ celebratory facts and figures.
The DVD phenomenon shows little sign of abating as increasing sales for both DVD software and hardware across Europe have confirmed its position as the home entertainment medium of customer choice (there was a 64% increase in software titles sold in Western Europe during January-March 2003 compared to the same quarter last year, according to GfK).
DVD is the fastest selling consumer technology of all time and these DVD Top Five Facts* prove it:
1. Sales of DVDs in Western Europe were nearly 3 times greater than sales of music CDs at the equivalent point in their history
2. After just 5 years on the market, the number of DVDs sold in Western Europe will actually overtake sales of pre-recorded VHS cassettes this year
3. Spending on DVD software has already overtaken spending on VHS software. VHS software spending in Western Europe last year (2002) totalled 3.5bn Euros compared to 5.5bn Euros spent on DVD
4. European DVD player owners are buying more than 3 times as many discs as VCR owners bought tapes at the peak of the VHS tape business
5. The number of DVDs sold grew by over 100 per cent last year in Europe
“DVD has revolutionised the home entertainment market. It is also giving life back to many movies with a number of classic films being restored and released on DVD,” said Jeff Brown, President, DVD Entertainment Group Europe and Senior Vice-President, Co-Managing Director, Europe, Middle East and Africa, at Warner Bros.
According to a pan-European consumer survey conducted by the National Research Group** the Top Five DVD Attributes are:
1. Picture quality
2. Sound quality
3. Special features available,
4. Durability of DVD discs
5. DVD disc size.
Cannes 21 May, 2003 - Commemorating the DVD format’s highly popular first five years in the marketplace, the DVD Entertainment Group Europe (DEGE) has released some ‘DVD at Five’ celebratory facts and figures.
The DVD phenomenon shows little sign of abating as increasing sales for both DVD software and hardware across Europe have confirmed its position as the home entertainment medium of customer choice (there was a 64% increase in software titles sold in Western Europe during January-March 2003 compared to the same quarter last year, according to GfK).
DVD is the fastest selling consumer technology of all time and these DVD Top Five Facts* prove it:
1. Sales of DVDs in Western Europe were nearly 3 times greater than sales of music CDs at the equivalent point in their history
2. After just 5 years on the market, the number of DVDs sold in Western Europe will actually overtake sales of pre-recorded VHS cassettes this year
3. Spending on DVD software has already overtaken spending on VHS software. VHS software spending in Western Europe last year (2002) totalled 3.5bn Euros compared to 5.5bn Euros spent on DVD
4. European DVD player owners are buying more than 3 times as many discs as VCR owners bought tapes at the peak of the VHS tape business
5. The number of DVDs sold grew by over 100 per cent last year in Europe
“DVD has revolutionised the home entertainment market. It is also giving life back to many movies with a number of classic films being restored and released on DVD,” said Jeff Brown, President, DVD Entertainment Group Europe and Senior Vice-President, Co-Managing Director, Europe, Middle East and Africa, at Warner Bros.
According to a pan-European consumer survey conducted by the National Research Group** the Top Five DVD Attributes are:
1. Picture quality
2. Sound quality
3. Special features available,
4. Durability of DVD discs
5. DVD disc size.
New Interactive Freeview Player
New free keyboard, new software, new functionality - at an all-new market-beating price...
Netgem's i-Player, the only set-top box which plugs into Freeview AND the Internet, is now available at a new price and with new software options - and a free wireless keyboard too! A one-off cost of only £129.99 gives you access to Freeview TV and radio, as well as to a host of online options.
The market-beating new Netgem i-Player package comes with a stylish cordless infra-red keyboard, so you can go online while watching TV and without even leaving the sofa!
The new software lets you:
- filter TV channels to create a 'personal favourite' list
- perform manual scanning and background scanning in stand-by mode
- enter your own ISP parameters for Internet access
- use your own existing email address
- connect to a home network and share a broadband ADSL connection via a USB-Ethernet adapter.
What's more, an optimised USB port provides connection to a range of storage devices, allowing the viewing of files and the playing of MP3 files or video clips stored on PCs or other devices. The port also increases support of webcams and other devices from leading manufacturers.
The i-Player's new user interface provides background images and semi-transparency, supports VCR programming, and offers new diagnostic pages to assist with trouble-shooting.
"We've put an awful lot of functionality into this box. This is our best-ever package, and the best deal you'll get anywhere!" said Joseph Haddad, CEO of Netgem.
In particular, the i-Player package is a must-see for the 60+% of Internet users who have unmetered access. They can now watch Freeview and access their favourite services simultaneously, using their own regular service provider and their own regular email address - and the free wireless keyboard gives them more interactive freedom and mobility.
Existing i-Player users will be able to download the new software release for free.
Joseph Haddad added, "The new software and the new keyboard that we are offering - and at a fantastic new price, too - makes the i-Player the best deal around. If you're an Internet user who wants to get more out of Freeview than TV and radio, this is definitely the box for you."
To order, call the freephone number 0870 366 7055 or visit www.netgem.com
New free keyboard, new software, new functionality - at an all-new market-beating price...
Netgem's i-Player, the only set-top box which plugs into Freeview AND the Internet, is now available at a new price and with new software options - and a free wireless keyboard too! A one-off cost of only £129.99 gives you access to Freeview TV and radio, as well as to a host of online options.
The market-beating new Netgem i-Player package comes with a stylish cordless infra-red keyboard, so you can go online while watching TV and without even leaving the sofa!
The new software lets you:
- filter TV channels to create a 'personal favourite' list
- perform manual scanning and background scanning in stand-by mode
- enter your own ISP parameters for Internet access
- use your own existing email address
- connect to a home network and share a broadband ADSL connection via a USB-Ethernet adapter.
What's more, an optimised USB port provides connection to a range of storage devices, allowing the viewing of files and the playing of MP3 files or video clips stored on PCs or other devices. The port also increases support of webcams and other devices from leading manufacturers.
The i-Player's new user interface provides background images and semi-transparency, supports VCR programming, and offers new diagnostic pages to assist with trouble-shooting.
"We've put an awful lot of functionality into this box. This is our best-ever package, and the best deal you'll get anywhere!" said Joseph Haddad, CEO of Netgem.
In particular, the i-Player package is a must-see for the 60+% of Internet users who have unmetered access. They can now watch Freeview and access their favourite services simultaneously, using their own regular service provider and their own regular email address - and the free wireless keyboard gives them more interactive freedom and mobility.
Existing i-Player users will be able to download the new software release for free.
Joseph Haddad added, "The new software and the new keyboard that we are offering - and at a fantastic new price, too - makes the i-Player the best deal around. If you're an Internet user who wants to get more out of Freeview than TV and radio, this is definitely the box for you."
To order, call the freephone number 0870 366 7055 or visit www.netgem.com
Monday, May 19, 2003
Arkoff Film Library
I wonder if films like the X-Men and Matrix will be considered as kitsch and funny as the horror films being released on DVD and VHS from the Arkoff film library? I like these old movies just for their picture of life in the 1950s let alone for their cheap thrills and even cheaper monsters.
I wonder if films like the X-Men and Matrix will be considered as kitsch and funny as the horror films being released on DVD and VHS from the Arkoff film library? I like these old movies just for their picture of life in the 1950s let alone for their cheap thrills and even cheaper monsters.
The Sense and Sensationalism of Film Festivals
I've just posted this article to coincide with the Cannes Film Festival. Any comments please email me at: valis23a@aol.com
I've just posted this article to coincide with the Cannes Film Festival. Any comments please email me at: valis23a@aol.com
Thursday, May 15, 2003
Cannes Film Festival
For two weeks, Cannes becomes the centre of the filmmaking world. Anyone who is anyone in the film world heads to La Croisette for this fortnight of cinematic celebration. The festival this year takes place from 14th to 25th May 2003. This year's festival pays tribute to the great Italian director Federico Fellini on the 10th anniversary of his death. Throughout the festival Fellini's films will be screened and there will be a number of events including special interpretations of the music written for Fellini.
Aside from the prestigious Palme d'Or awarded by the jury, there are many other prizes, but perhaps more importantly the Festival serves as a platform for new talent and innovatitive filmmaking.
Past winners of the Palme d'Or are Polanski's The Pianist which went on to win 3 Oscars this year; Best Actor, Director and Adapted Screenplay. British director Mike Leigh's Secrets and Lies, Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction and in 1960 Federico Fellini's La Dolce Vita.
52 feature films will be presented during the festival this year.
There are 20 films competing In Competition for the prestigious Palme d'Or of the 2003 festival. The jury for 2003 is an international mix reflecting the various nationalities of the directors involved. Jury members include Aishwarya Rai, Bollywood star and a former Miss World, Chinese director Jiang Wen, a winner of the Grand Prix in the 2000 festival which then prompted a ban on him making films within China. The representatives from the United States are director Steven Soderbergh and actress Meg Ryan. The president of the jury is the French director Jean Rochefort.
Highlights of the films In Competition include:
Samira Makhmalbaf's A CINQ HEURES DE L'APRÈS-MIDI. This film, set in the aftermath of the downfall of the Taliban in Afghanistan, shows a young girl's attempts to make the best use of her new found freedom.
The resurgence of Brazilan Cinema is represented by CARANDIRU directed by Hector Babenco. The film is set in the largest and most overcrowded prison in South America. In the late 1980's a doctor enters the prison in Sao Paolo in order to implement an Aids prevention initiative but becomes more and more involved with the inmates. It is through the doctor that we learn about the experiences of the prisoners.
The only offering from an American director is from Hollywood veteran Clint Eastwood. MYSTIC RIVER stars Sean Penn, Kevin Bacon and Tim Robbins as three childhood friends reunited after the tragic death of one of their daughters.
DOGVILLE starring Nicole Kidman is the latest film from Danish director Lars Von Trier. The film will be the first part of a trilogy and is based around Kidman's arrival in a small town and the attitudes towards her from the established residents.
The other contenders for the Palme d'Or this year are: BRIGHT FUTURE (Kiyoshi Kurosawa) CE JOUR-LÀ ( Raoul Ruiz), ELEPHANT (Gus Van Sant), IL COURE ALTROVE ( Pupi Avati), LA PETITE LILI (Claude Miller), LES CÔTELETTES (Bertrand Blier), LES ÉGARÉS (André Téchiné), LES INVASIONS BARBARES (Denys Arcand), PÈRE ET FILS (Alexandre Sokourov), PURPLE BUTTERFLY (Ye Lou), SHARA (Naomi Kawase), SWIMMING POOL (François Ozon), THE BROWN BUNNY (Vincent Gallo), THE MOAB STORY (Peter Greenaway), TIRESIA (Bertrand Bonello) and UZAK (Nuri Bilge Ceylan).
The winner will be announced at the closing ceremony on 25th May.
For two weeks, Cannes becomes the centre of the filmmaking world. Anyone who is anyone in the film world heads to La Croisette for this fortnight of cinematic celebration. The festival this year takes place from 14th to 25th May 2003. This year's festival pays tribute to the great Italian director Federico Fellini on the 10th anniversary of his death. Throughout the festival Fellini's films will be screened and there will be a number of events including special interpretations of the music written for Fellini.
Aside from the prestigious Palme d'Or awarded by the jury, there are many other prizes, but perhaps more importantly the Festival serves as a platform for new talent and innovatitive filmmaking.
Past winners of the Palme d'Or are Polanski's The Pianist which went on to win 3 Oscars this year; Best Actor, Director and Adapted Screenplay. British director Mike Leigh's Secrets and Lies, Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction and in 1960 Federico Fellini's La Dolce Vita.
52 feature films will be presented during the festival this year.
There are 20 films competing In Competition for the prestigious Palme d'Or of the 2003 festival. The jury for 2003 is an international mix reflecting the various nationalities of the directors involved. Jury members include Aishwarya Rai, Bollywood star and a former Miss World, Chinese director Jiang Wen, a winner of the Grand Prix in the 2000 festival which then prompted a ban on him making films within China. The representatives from the United States are director Steven Soderbergh and actress Meg Ryan. The president of the jury is the French director Jean Rochefort.
Highlights of the films In Competition include:
Samira Makhmalbaf's A CINQ HEURES DE L'APRÈS-MIDI. This film, set in the aftermath of the downfall of the Taliban in Afghanistan, shows a young girl's attempts to make the best use of her new found freedom.
The resurgence of Brazilan Cinema is represented by CARANDIRU directed by Hector Babenco. The film is set in the largest and most overcrowded prison in South America. In the late 1980's a doctor enters the prison in Sao Paolo in order to implement an Aids prevention initiative but becomes more and more involved with the inmates. It is through the doctor that we learn about the experiences of the prisoners.
The only offering from an American director is from Hollywood veteran Clint Eastwood. MYSTIC RIVER stars Sean Penn, Kevin Bacon and Tim Robbins as three childhood friends reunited after the tragic death of one of their daughters.
DOGVILLE starring Nicole Kidman is the latest film from Danish director Lars Von Trier. The film will be the first part of a trilogy and is based around Kidman's arrival in a small town and the attitudes towards her from the established residents.
The other contenders for the Palme d'Or this year are: BRIGHT FUTURE (Kiyoshi Kurosawa) CE JOUR-LÀ ( Raoul Ruiz), ELEPHANT (Gus Van Sant), IL COURE ALTROVE ( Pupi Avati), LA PETITE LILI (Claude Miller), LES CÔTELETTES (Bertrand Blier), LES ÉGARÉS (André Téchiné), LES INVASIONS BARBARES (Denys Arcand), PÈRE ET FILS (Alexandre Sokourov), PURPLE BUTTERFLY (Ye Lou), SHARA (Naomi Kawase), SWIMMING POOL (François Ozon), THE BROWN BUNNY (Vincent Gallo), THE MOAB STORY (Peter Greenaway), TIRESIA (Bertrand Bonello) and UZAK (Nuri Bilge Ceylan).
The winner will be announced at the closing ceremony on 25th May.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)