The world premieres of three new films round out the program of the 74^th Venice International Film Festival (August 30 – September 9), directed by Alberto Barbera and organized by the Biennale, chaired by Paolo Baratta. The three films completing the program of the 74^th Venice Film Festival are:

·         Zhuibu (Manhunt), the much-awaited return of John Woo to the crime thriller movies which made him famous, TheKiller and Hardboiled. A contemporary remake of a Japanese classic of the genre, it’s the story of a Chinese man who is framed for murder in Japan; he tries to clear his name as he dodges a manhunt organized by the Japanese police and the attacks of mysterious killers. John Woo (A Better Tomorrow, Face/Off) received the Golden Lion for Career Achievement in Venice in 2010. The film will be presented Out of Competition.

·         L’ordine delle cose by Andrea Segre (Shun Li and the Poet, First Snowfall) tells the story of Corrado, a policeman who is a member of a task force running the system which controls the flow of immigrants. Corrado is sent to coordinate a delicate mission in Libya, where he meets Swada, a young Somali woman who is trying to rejoin her husband in Finland. The film will be presented in Special Screenings.

·         L'Enigma di Jean Rouch a Torino - Cronaca di un film raté by Marco di Castri, Paolo Favaro and Daniele Pianciola is a documentary about a true “laboratory of ideas” and the film it generated: Enigma. The documentary reconstructs the two years between the arrival of Jean Rouch and the project’s conclusion, and is told through the voices of its protagonists as they dialogue with extraordinary material: over 20 hours of making-of. The film will be presented in the competitive section Venezia Classici – Documentaries.

Summary from Variety correspondent Nick Vivarelli

A group of 50 prominent European independent film industry execs assembled Thursday for the Locarno Festival’s StepIn think tank to discuss the timely topic of “The Theatrical Experience and the Future of Auteur Cinema in the Age of Global Streaming Platforms and Social Networks.” 

Judging from the attendees reaction, it was a huge success: "We are extremely proud of the high-level of participants and the quality of the discussion - states Nadia Dresti, Deputy Artistic Director of the festival - Our best reward is to hear industry professionals praising how useful and thought-provoking was for them to participate to these round tables. This is our ultimate goal: if we were able to inspire productive conversations and facilitate solutions and networking opportunities, it means we have done our job well."

Following the recent controversy in Cannes over Netflix’s stringent theatrical release policy, Locarno’s StepIn think tank provided a forum to take the discussion to a more constructive level. 

“Every once in a while there is someone who mourns the end of the theatrical experience,” said StepIn project manager Marcello Paolillo, in his introduction. “But while researching for this event I realised that, even though we are going through a challenging period, with seismic changes in the industry, the question is not if the theatrical experience will survive, but how it will evolve."

During the opening keynote Tim League, who is CEO of the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema chain in the U.S. which operates some of the best movie theatres in the world, offered his perspective that, at least in the United States, the erosion of theatrical “is probably good in the long run” because it is forcing exhibition chains to re-invest to upgrade movie theatres so they can offer a top notch moviegoing experience.

Focus Features President Robert Walak, another keynote speaker, noted that one of the first films they greenlit under the new Focus, Sofia Coppola’s “The Beguiled,” was specifically conceived for theatrical in “The way it was shot; the way it was set up, it was just a cinematic experience. And that is our strength in terms of what we do at Focus.”

Bobby Allen, VP of Content at MUBI, the curated streaming platform available in more than 200 territories, which last year branched into theatrical distribution, also underlined that auteur cinema is “made to be seen on the big screen.” “The most important thing to us is to ensure these films have a life beyond the digital platform,” he noted.

After the keynote, participants were divided in round tables for a long session on specific topics.

During the wrap-up League’s point about the crucial need for movie theatre quality to be improved was picked up on by Marc Allenby, the CEO of the UK’s Trafalgar Releasing, who was one of the designated notetakers. Allenby pointed out that, similarly to the U.S., in Europe “Some operators have become lazy and exhibitors have abandoned their biggest asset - their relationship with their customers.” 

TrustNordisk head of sales Susan Wendt, also a note taker, pointed out that several European sales agents don't think Netflix should be allowed to put their films in competition at A-list film festivals. “As sales agents, we need those competition slots in order to sell our movies and put them in movie theatres. Why have a film in the competition that does not need that? The fact that when Netflix buys art movies in Europe they try to limit that film’s festival exposure was also bemoaned “Because this is a cultural loss for the public and also for the filmmaker,” said another note taker, Mexican producer Jaime Romandia.

StepIn was organized In partnership with Variety, in collaboration with Europa Cinemas, Europa Distribution and Europa International, and with the support of the Federal Office of Culture of Switzerland in the context of the compensatory measures Media.

The seventh edition of First Look – the Locarno Festival initiative aiming to showcase films in post-production – has presented six works in progress from Baltic Countries. Each one was introduced by its producer to various world sales agents and festival programmers attending the Industry Days. 

The jury for First Look 2017, comprising Charles Tesson (Semaine de la Critique’s Artistic Director), Jenn Murphy (Afi Fest's Senior Programmer) and Sylvain Auzou (Venice Days’ Vice Director) handed out the First Look Awards:

- to PORTUGAL by Lauri Lagle (produced by Tiina Savi, Allfilm, Estonia) an award worth 65,000 Euros in in post-production services sponsored by Cinelab Bucharest: for its originality and look at contemporary life in Estonia.

- to SELTSIMEES LAPS by Moonika Siimets (produced by Riina Sildos, Amrion, Estonia) an award worth 5,500 Euros in advertising, donated by Le Film Français:  for its great storytelling, international appeal, the great performance and historical reconstruction.

- to EL PADRE MEDICO by Vytautas Puidokas (produced by Paulius Juoceris, Ironcat, Lithuania) an award worth 5,000 Euros donated by Kaiju Cinema D/ffusion for the production of a Key Art Design:  for its wonderful material and for exposing the dark side of humanitarianism.

Baltic View and Noir Lumiere handed out an awards (consisting in DCPs and international promotion) valued 3,000 Euros to: EL PADRE MEDICO by Vytautas Puidokas (produced by Paulius Juoceris, Ironcat, Lithuania).

The full list of the 2017 selected films:

EL PADRE MEDICO, by Vytautas Puidokas

PARADĪZE 89, by Madara Dišlere

PORTUGAL, by Lauri Lagle

SELTSIMEES LAPS, by Moonika Siimets

STÁSIS, by Mantas Kvedaravicius

THE MOVER, by Davis Simanis Jr.

The festival presents popular Asian cinema in North America and has been identified as “the best film festival in New York byThe Village Voice and as “one of the city’s most valuable events” by the New York Times. Because of its reputation the festival has been expanding its program and audience, approaching now more than 6000 people. NYAFF is growing even though two similar film festivals, Japan Cuts and the Asian American International Film Festival take place in New York during July and early August.

Celebrating its 16^th anniversary the New York Asian Film Festival was held from June 30 – July 16 in collaboration with subway cinema and the Film Society of Lincoln Center presenting 57 films which were all produced in 2016 and 2017. The festival introduced the new juried NYAFF Main Competition with seven films by first- and second-time directors who had this year their North-American premiere. Honored this year were Eric Tsang, Hong-Kong with the Star Asia Lifetime Achievement Award, Gang Dong-won, South Korea with the Star Asia Award and Chutimon Chuengcharoensukying, Thailand with the Screen International Rising Star. Duan Yihong received the Star Asia Award, recognizing his body of work. He is the first actor from China to whom this award was presented. The newly created Excellence in Action Cinema Award was given to South Korea’s Jung Byung-gil. More than 30 filmmakers, and celebrity guests from mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea, Japan, and Southeast Asia attended the festival. Featured in the main competition were With Prisoner (Andrew Wong, Hong Kong), A Double Life (Yoshiyuki Kishi, Japan), Jane (Cho Hyun-hoon, South Korea) The Gangster’s Daughter (Chen Mei-juin, Taiwan), Bad Genius (Nattawut Poonpiriya, Thailand), Birdshot (Mikhail Red, Philippines) and Kfc (Le Binh Giang, Vietnam).  Bad Genius won the Best Feature award. Japan’s A Double Life received the Special Mention Award and the Vietnamese director of Kfc Le Binh Giang was given an Honorable Mention as the Most Promising Director.

NYAFF presented 6 films from China, 10 films from Hong Kong in the special Hong Kong Panorama section, 15 films from Japan, 12 films from South Korea,7 films from Taiwan, 3 films from the Philippines, and one each from Thailand, Vietnam, and Malaysia. It is interesting that 23 of the 57 films shown at the NYAFF were Chinese language productions. There were 13 features from Hong Kong, China and Taiwan in the program of the Asian American International Film Festival scheduled in New York from July 26 to August 5 2017.  Chinese language films are served by well-established festival outlets in New York City. This may account for the absence of a Chinese Film Festival in New York City, though it may be politically problematic to include Taiwan in such festival.

In 2016 the festival changed its focus towards China and South East Asia, a reorientation maintained this year with an emphasis on “Young Blood”, new film makers from Hong Kong. The Hong Kong Panorama part of the festival program also reflects the 20^th anniversary of the establishment of Hong Kong as a Special Administrative Region of China replacing the British control.  What is also emphasized is the attempt to provide more inclusivity of the story of Asian cinema by including Asian-American films and more documentaries. Programming of the festival reflects these changes. From Hong Kong’s Young Blood the selection of 6 new film makers mirrors the fact that 28 directors made their debut there over the last 12 month. The rise of China propels Chinese language films having become Asia’s leading producer of genre films and mainland China as essential for co-production enterprises and for the exhibition of foreign language films be they Americans or Indians. There are relatively few South East Asian films in the program but from the festival’s perspective articulated in the catalogue “Southeast Asian cinema has the potential to become an idea factory for global cinema. The Vietnamese film Kfc is an example of how all boundaries of traditional filmmaking can be broken.  In the festival program there is also a stress on South Korean filmmakers holding up a critical image of their society and its “moral sewers” and on the Taiwanese “resurgence with new films by some of its cinema’s best directors”. 

Birdshot, Mikhail Red, Philippines / Quatar, 2016   Set in an isolated rural environment Mikhail Red presents the story of the cover up of a dozen murdered farm laborers and the embrace of violence. A bus with farm worker passengers disappears and an eager young policeman, Domingo tries to solve the crime. Maya, an innocent young teenager living with her father Diego, the caretaker of the fields adjoining their home, kills a rare protected eagle in a nature reserve. In spite of some evidence that a powerful landowner is behind the murder as evidenced by testimony from the wife of a missing worker and the eventual discovery of the workers’ corpses Domingo is forced to abandon his quest to solve the crime due to the orders by his superiors and threats to his young wife and infant child. He and his fellow officer Mendoza are instead commanded to find out who shot the eagle. Domingo readily embraces the lawless and rule breaking behavior of his corrupt senior officers and takes part in the torture of Diego who was ordered to the police station. Diego denies having any knowledge about the eagle. Diego manages to escape and the following morning kills Mendoza and is gunned down himself by officers trying to bring him back in. Maya has a chance to shoot a wounded Domingo but lets him live. All the characters live on the fringes of society where survival is the principle goal and only those with power win. Domingo adapts to the firmly entrenched violence surrounding him and his family. In her first acting performance as teenaged Maya, Mary Joy Apostol provides an outstanding performance.

Bad Genius, Nattawut Poonpiriya, Thailand, 2017   As an international premiere Bad Genius was the opening film of the festival. It provided a striking perspective on the Thai high school milieu and the impact of class structure on that system. Those with financial means can purchase their success and those without it have a chance of survival only if their intelligence is great enough. The genius student Lynn has no problem succeeding in an elite high school and can map out her great future. For a friend who has more money than brains she devises a successful multiple choice cheating system which other students learn about. Those applying to an American Ivy League school as Lynn does need to take an exam in Sydney. She develops a sophisticated cheating system and trains students how to use it. The fee they pay her will be used to finance her studies. She takes the exam but a fellow genius student spills the beans. Both are expelled from the high school. Bank suggests setting up a system to beat all US university entrance examinations. Lynn is ambivalent.

A Double Life, Yoshiyuki Kishi, Japan, 2016    This film offers the audience a startling investigation of the question of identity, who we are and why we exist. Tama, a philosophy student is unable to complete her work on what it means to be human and appears disconnected from her world and herself. Her professor, Shinohara, proposes to follow a randomly chosen person carefully recording that person’s habits and secrets. She picks a book editor who lives across the street and is a family man with a child and dedicated wife. In her pursuit stalking him she discovers that he has an affair, and observes him and his lover having sex in an alley.  His work interaction with a writer in a restaurant is also noted. She collects information about him from a neighbor taking care of the residents’ garbage and carefully records what happens to him including his wife’s suicide attempt. At one point he confronts Tama and accuses her of tailing him. Tama responds that she is not allowed to talk with him, an answer he does not understand. He cannot understand her motivations and suspects that she was hired by his wife to follow him. Tama cannot relate to those close to her or express her emotions. Her boyfriend leaves her because she cannot give him an answer as to why they are together. The deepest parts of her have somehow remained empty but since she started tailing others those parts seem to fill up. She derives meaning by experiencing others. Her professor encourages her research and suggests small changes in her thesis. As he suggests, placing yourself in someone else’s life is a path to know yourself and passion may be the only way to truly value another human being.

The Gangster’s Daughter, Mei-juin Chen, Taiwan 2016   Separated from her parents Shaowu is raised by her grandmother on a remote island. When her mother passes away she meets for the first time her father Keiko at the funeral. Her father makes his living as a gangster and she is sent to live with him in Taipei because she had problems at the local school. As an independent spirit her adjustment to urban life and the new school is difficult. She gets attached to her father, though troubled by her father’s involvement in the criminal world. Abiding by his old criminal codes Keiko refuses to get involved with the drug trade though his bosses urge him to do so. One afternoon he discovers in Shaowu’s bag a cigarette box with hidden drugs which had been given to her by a school mate. The platform for inevitable conflict between Keiko and the bosses is set.

Claus Mueller    filmexchang@gmail.com

Director/Producer Ryan Suffern's award winning documentary 'FINDING OSCAR' (2017) recounts the tragic story of the infamous massacre of Dos Erres, Guatemala which took place on December 6^th 1982 during which over 200 people, including women and children, were brutally murdered by the Guatemalan military under de facto president Efrain Rios Montt. The film follows the decades long search for Oscar Ramirez, the unlikely survivor of the tragedy who was then only three years of age.

Produced by The Kennedy/Marshall Company, Suffern's film is a monumental work about a monumental journey; in his own words, “a journey that begins in the jungles of Guatemala and ends, of all places, in the suburbs of Boston.”

'FINDING OSCAR' is being distributed by FilmRise and international sales conducted by Preferred Content. The film can be screened on ITunes, Amazon Instant and Google Play.

I met Ryan in February at the Sedona International Film Festival where his film screened. I interviewed him recently about his experience making the film. Here is what he had to say:

How did you hear about the Dos Erres massacre and Oscar's story?

RYAN: We started making this documentary after Frank (Marshall) had dinner a few years ago with a childhood friend of his, Scott Greathead, who just so happens to be the human rights attorney that helped Oscar Ramírez and his wife Nidia get political asylum here in the U.S. Scott shared Oscar’s incredible story with Frank, and soon thereafter, Frank reached out to me and said, “You gotta hear this story.”

RYAN CONT'D: This was right around the time that Immigration and Customs Enforcement found one of the Guatemalan soldiers (Jorge Vinicio Sosa Orantes) living in Southern California as a U.S. citizen. He had been arrested, and eventually convicted, for naturalization fraud for covering up his involvement in the Dos Erres massacre. Oscar flew out from Boston to attend the sentencing of this soldier and to read a prepared victim’s statement to the judge. Both Scott and Fredy Peccerelli, the Executive Director of the Forensic Anthropology Foundation of Guatemala, joined Oscar in LA to drive out to the federal courthouse in Riverside, and I showed up with a camera in hand to document the day’s events. That was my first time meeting all three men, who I got to spend the entire day with, including sitting with them in the courtroom during the sentencing (the soldier got the maximum sentence of 10 years). That night, I came home to my wife and said, “I’ve just filmed the end to the most fascinating story I’ve ever heard. Now I just have to go get the rest of it.”

What made you feel that Oscar's story had to be told?

RYAN: My attraction to Oscar’s story is this amazing point of access that’s afforded through this very personal story. Not only do you have the existential crisis of one day discovering your whole life is not what it seems, but it’s juxtaposed with this decades-long, epic search to find a little boy; a journey that begins in the jungles of Guatemala and ends, of all places, in the suburbs of Boston. There are so many larger issues that you can’t help but touch upon in telling Oscar’s story — U.S. foreign policy, immigration, a genocide in the Americas — however, if we set out to make a documentary about any one of those issues alone, I think a large percentage of the audience would probably just tune out. So Oscar’s story gave us a way to tell a much larger and incredibly important story, but to do so in hopefully a very compelling way.

How long did it take you to make the film, from finding the research search to editing?

RYAN: We started filming the documentary in February 2014 and finished the film right before its world premiere at the Telluride Film Festival last September (2016). So it took us just about 2 1/2 years from start to finish.

How many hours of film did you have after years of filming?

RYAN: It’s hard to know how many hours exactly, but certainly quite a few terabytes! When you consider that each interview with just the two soldiers involved in the Dos Erres massacre was between 3-4 hours, you can imagine how quickly the footage can add up. Plus, we had countless hours of archive footage as well. My hat’s off to our amazing editor Martin Singer, and assistant editor Nick Loud, for keeping track of it all!

Your film played quite a few film festivals before it’s theatrical release in the spring. How have audience reactions been?

RYAN: The reaction has been pretty amazing. We’ve screened the film for all sorts of audiences now, and regardless of their demographic (age, gender, ethnicity, political persuasion, etc.), the story seems to really be resonating for folks, which has obviously been very gratifying to experience. We really tried to make this film accessible to the largest audience possible. Whether you’re a North American who knows nothing about Guatemala (much like I was), or a Guatemalan who experienced the genocide firsthand, we wanted to get this story right and tell it in such a way that it would garner the meaningful audience it deserves.

What do you hope this film will achieve in the bigger picture?

RYAN: It’s pretty devastating when you realize that the horrors that were experienced at Dos Erres were far from an anomaly in Guatemala during its 36-year internal conflict, and that many hundreds of massacres just like it took place there. Nor was Guatemala really an anomaly in Central America, or Latin America as well, when you think of what happened in El Salvador and Argentina and in so many other countries throughout the hemisphere. And the world at large continues to witness horrific violence being perpetrated on others, with Syria being an all too present reminder of this.

RYAN CONT'D: If we don’t try to learn why these events have happened and continue to happen throughout the world, then I do think we’re indeed bound to repeat them. Our hope is that FINDING OSCAR might be a way to start that much needed conversation, which is why we’re all the more grateful to be partnered with USC Shoah Foundation. They have created an amazing archive of over 55,000 video testimonies from survivors of the Holocaust, and are now committed to capturing the firsthand accounts from survivors of other genocides, including Guatemala.

Is it more difficult for documentaries to find distribution than features?

RYAN: Probably, but I haven’t made any narrative features (yet), so I can’t speak from personal experience in that regard. I’ve been very fortunate that all of the independent documentaries that I’ve been involved with so far have eventually found distribution, be it broadcast or otherwise. From my perspective, I think the real challenge in making documentaries is that the industry paradigm, more often than not, still puts the onus on the filmmaker to find the necessary funding to get the film made, or at least, get to a rough cut. Being a filmmaker and being a fundraiser are two incredibly different skill sets, and it’d be great to see more documentaries be commissioned at the start of the process. Fortunately, we’re seeing more of this as the appetite for documentaries continues to increase, but we’ve still got a ways to go.

You are a DOP, director and editor. Is there one hat you like wearing more than others? Or do you like them all?

RYAN: As a documentary filmmaker, it’s almost obligatory to have to wear many different hats in the process, cause you usually can’t afford to pay other people to do the stuff! I come from a background in photography, so I do like getting my hands on the camera, and I’ve also grown to really appreciate the discovery process in the edit room. However, my preferred role is definitely as the director as I love collaborating with others, especially when they’re better than me at whatever their individual role is. I do like being at the helm of the ship, corralling a whole group of folks towards the common goal of telling the story in the best way possible.

Will you continue making documentaries or do you also plan to film features?

RYAN: As the Head of Documentaries for The Kennedy/Marshall Company, I’m definitely continuing to make documentaries! I have the privilege of overseeing and being involved in a full slate of projects, primarily in a producer capacity. Not sure exactly what will be my next directing gig, but there are a few things percolating. As for features, I do hope to get the chance someday to direct a narrative story as that was certainly the goal when I first move to LA (from Chicago) exactly 15 years ago this month. So hopefully that opportunity will present itself at some point, but for now, I’m very grateful to be making documentaries.

What will you be working on next?

RYAN: I’ve been helping to produce a documentary called SATAN AND ADAM. It’s an incredible story, shot over 20 years, chronicling the unlikely pairing of legendary one-man band Sterling “Mr. Satan” Magee and harmonica master Adam Gussow, showcasing the greatest music duo you probably never got a chance to see. Hopefully, we’ll be premiering the film early in 2018, so stay tuned!

Director Ryan Suffern

Visit the film's website here: http://findingoscar.com/

Interview by Vanessa McMahon

Atomic Blonde, Review by Siraj Syed: Blonde, Lorraine Blonde

“Bond, James Bond” is the most famous self-introduction in spy movie history, courtesy Sean Connery playing Ian Fleming’s Cold War time British secret agent 007. Fifty-five years on, Charlize Theron has picked a graphic novel by Anthony Johnston to invent herself as Lorraine (blonde) Broughton, the present day ‘equivalent’ of not only Bond, but John Wick and Jason Bourne, with a dash of Mad Max, severely shaken and violently stirred. Maybe it is this fusion that has prompted the makers to title their film Atomic Blonde, since there is nothing atomic at the nucleus of the film.

Besides guns, cameras and microphones (“UHF devices”), there are no fancy gadgets at the disposal of the secret agents, a là Q’s armoury, which are Bond’s de rigueur tools of trade. The film works largely on the staccato bursts of calisthenics from Theron’s limbs, and a few improvised weapons. With just a little co-operation of your grey matter overseeing suspension of disbelief, you will find the fights edge-of-your seat thrilling, however one-sided. Such graphically choreographed action deserved better writing than is on offer, but we can make do with the available ambience and pace.

It is 1989 and the countdown to the breaking of Berlin’s East (Communist)-West (Capitalist) wall has begun. Even as American President Ronald Reagan goes on TV to pronounce the impending collapse, British MI6 agent James Gasciogne is chased, confronted and killed by KGB agent Yuri Bakhtin in Berlin. Bakhtin steals from him the List, on a microfilm, that contains the names of every active British field agent in the Soviet Union.

After Gasciogne's death, top-notch agent and fighting machine Lorraine Broughton is despatched to Berlin, to recover the List, and to bring back/assassinate Satchel, a British double agent, who has sold intelligence to the Soviets for years, and who betrayed Gasciogne. In Berlin, she is received by two KGB agents working for arms dealer and KGB associate Aleksander Bremovych, but pretending to represent MI6’s Berlin head, Percival. Realising the trap, she attacks the escort and the driver. Although there are several vehicles following them, Lorraine manages to escape, after a thrilling car chase.

Soon afterwards, Lorraine encounters Delphine Lasalle, a naive French agent pretending to be a translator, and has a lesbian encounter with her. Bakhtin goes to an undercover operative, a watch-dealer, and declares his intention to sell the List to the highest bidder. Percival, having been tipped off, kills him and takes the List. He then meets Bremovych, which Lasalle photographs. Percival offers to escort the ‘would be’ defector who stole and memorised the List, a most wanted Stasi (East German Secret Service) officer code-named Spyglass, across the border, to West Berlin.

Act of Valor, 300 and 300: Rise of an Empire writer Kurt Johnstad moves from classic heroes to modern action heroine with Atomic Blonde. There’s no back story for the heroine, and none is needed. In an attempt to show how far spies go in order to achieve their objectives, Johnstad weaves in a lesbian sexual encounter. Bond, remember, sticks to hetero-sexual ones, often in the line of duty. Proceedings do get confusing, what with single, double and, hold your breath, triple agents. There are also several sides to the equation: MI6, America, East German Police, Stasi, KGB, a Swedish collaborator and an arms dealer. Percival comes across as an oddball character, singing odes to Berlin and mouthing an out-of-place voice over monologue at a crucial point near the climax. Some of the combats would have ended post-haste had the bad guys just shot their victims instead of employing less efficient methods of felling their quarry. Whether Johnston had it in the book or Johnstad conceived it, the umbrella act is a bravo moment.

After co-directing John Wick with Chad Stahelski, David Leitch gets his independent break with Atomic Blonde. He had to opt out of the Wick 2 episode to do duty here. Stahelski is handling Wick 2 alone. Blonde is chic, stylish and racy, with the non-action segments just about balancing the pyrotechnics. Narrating the film in a series of flashbacks, as shared by Lorraine, deposing in front of her superiors and an American official, is a time-beaten device used in a gimmicky way. There is only one real twist to it, and that comes in the end.

Leitch gets excellent support from his SFX, VFX and Stunt teams, cases in point being the car chases, the stiletto, the cork-screw jugular and the rubber-hose improvisation scenes. There is no relief in terms of humour or intimacy, barring the homosexual scenes, which went out of the window in India, thanks to India’s Central Board of Film Certification. The same CBFC has let the oodles of blood and gore pass. Wonder if any plot points were thrown out along with steam, like the proverbial baby with the bath-water.

Producer as well, Charlize Theron (South Africa born; Snow-White and the Huntsman, Mad Max: Fury Road, The Huntsman: Winter’s War) takes her role as hard-drinking, hard smoking Lorraine very, very seriously. She trained and trained, and broke a tooth while training for a clenched teeth fight. Many of her stunt scenes appear to have been done by her, and not by doubles. Her body is slim and still well-toned. Comfortable in skimpy dresses, she carries them well, without oozing oomph. Being blonde or not is not relevant to the film, and she even uses wigs of other hair colours in some scenes. If there is a sequel, Charlize appears competent to carry it off.

The Last King of Scotland, X-Men and Victor Frankenstein actor James McAvoy comes from Scotland, as does his accent, which did pose a few hurdles to this writer. It is a meaty, albeit complex and ill-defined role, and he still seems at home. Eddie Marsan makes a fidgety, terrified Spyglass, notwithstanding his dangerous circumstance. Acts well, though. Algerian Sofia Boutella (Kingsman: The Secret Service, Star Trek: Beyond) as Delphine is the eyeful eye candy, most of it snatched away by the CBFC. Her decisive confrontation with Percival needed better writing.

Lorraine’s interrogators are played by diminutive Toby Jones and good old John Goodman (the American), while a bald James Faulkner watches from behind the mirror. Adequate support comes from Bill Skarsgård as Merkel, Broughton’s local assistant in Berlin, Sam Hargrave as James Gasciogne, Roland Møller as Aleksander Bremovych and Til Schweiger as The Watchmaker.

Jonathan Sela’s camera is at the right place at the right time, and the mood lighting of scenes at Lorraine’s home is appealing. Editor Elísabet Ronaldsdóttir makes sure the images do not stay on the screen longer than necessary. Tyler Bates (300, Guardians of the Galaxy, John Wick) uses tracks from the specific period, both originals and remixes, comprising electronic dance music (EDM), hard rock, heavy metal and pop. Tracks include 99 (Red) Balloons and Blue Monday.

Atomic Blonde had more potential than it has tapped, yet it offers a serviceable dose of high-end action, enough to merit a visit to the cinema. Those who dig the genre have enough to be kept engaged.

You won’t be able to keep a count of the bodies, bullets or other ballistics, so don’t even bother. And keep safe distance from the far-from-dumb blonde, whose weapons, customary blonde beauty excepted, are no less atomic than a bomb.

Rating: ***

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nI7HVnZlleo

The latest film by Wim Wenders, Submergence, will open the 65th edition of the San Sebastian Festival on September 22. This will be the European premiere of the co-production between Germany, France, Spain and the USA, after its screening in Toronto. The cast of the film, which will compete for the Golden Shell, is headed by James McAvoy and Alicia Vikander.

The story, shot in Berlin, Madrid, Toledo, different locations in France and Djibouti, was penned by Erin Dignam (The Yellow Handkerchief, The Last Face) based on the famous novel of the same name by The Economist correspondent J.M. Ledgard (Giraffe). James McAvoy and Alicia Vikander embody a hydraulic engineer and a bio-mathematician who meet in a hotel on the French coast, where both are preparing their missions. While she works on a project of immersion in the Greenland Sea, he is taken hostage in Somalia.

The soundtrack is written by Fernando Velázquez (A Monster Calls, The Impossible), once again featuring the Basque National Symphony Orchestra. Wenders himself came to San Sebastian in March to attend the recording.

Submergence is a German, French and Spanish production. An Atresmedia Cine’s presentation produced by Lila 9th (USA) in coproduction with Neue Road Movies, BacKup Media Studios, Morena Films, Submergence A.I.E and UMedia, with the collaboration of Atresmedia and Movistar+’s participation. It will be internationally distributed by Embankment Films and in Spain by Entertainment One Films Spain (eOne Films Spain).

 Zabaltegi-Tabakalera and Pearl selection preview

 Some of the year’s most important films will feature in the Pearls and Zabaltegi-Tabakalera sections. The Hungarian filmmaker Ilkidó Enyedi, winner of the Golden Bear with the fable Teströl és lékekröl  / On Body and Soul, will compete for the City of Donostia / San Sebastian Audience Award against the Jury Prize in Cannes, Nelyubov / Loveless, by Russian moviemaker Andrey Zvyagintsev (Leviafan / Leviathan) and the Jury Grand Prix at the French festival, 120 battements par minute (120 BMP) / 120 Beats Per Minute by Robin Campillo, screenwriter of Foxfire, which competed in San Sebastian’s Official Selection in 2012.

Also contending for the award decided by the spectators are Wonderstruck, the adaptation of a story by Brian Selznick which competed at Cannes, in which Todd Haynes (Carol) directs Julianne Moore, Michelle Williams and child actors Oakes Fegley and Millicent Simmonds, and two films premiered at Sundance:The Big Sick, third film by Michael Showalter, about an interracial couple forced to deal with their cultural differences, and Call Me By Your Nameby Luca Guadagnino (A Bigger Splash), screened at the Berlinale following its stop at the North American Festival. Besides, as it was announced last week, the co-production Loving Pablo will close the Pearls section.

For its part, The Square, latest film from the Swedish director Ruben Östlund (Turist / Force Majeure), recognised with the Golden Palm at the last Cannes Festival, will open the Zabaltegi-Tabakalera section, including contenders Philippe Garrel -to whom the Festival devoted a retrospective in 2007- with L’amant d’un jour / Lover for a Day, premiered at the Directors’ Fortnight; and Tesnota / Closeness, the debut by Kantemir Balagov, presented in Un Certain Regard. These titles join the Spanish productions announced last week: Saura(s), helmed by Félix Viscarret, a film from the Cineastas contados series; the directorial debut of Gustavo Salmerón, Muchos hijos, un mono y un castillo / Lots of Kids, a Monkey and a Castle, winner of Best Documentary at Karlovy Vary; the documentary No intenso agora / In the Intense Now, by the Brazilian filmmaker João Moreira Salles, which competed at Berlin; and the world premiere of Movistar+ series Vergüenza, written and helmed by Juan Cavestany and Álvaro Fernández Armero. This is the first time a television series will have competed for the Zabaltegi-Tabakalera Award.

The remaining titles making up both sections will be announced in the coming weeks.

     The Official Selection of the San Sebastian Festival’s 65th edition, running from 22-30 September, will gather some of the most important filmmakers on the world panorama. The Austrian filmmaker Barbara Albert, the Greek helmer Alexandros Avranas, the North American James Franco and Matt Porterfield, the Argentine Diego Lerman, the Serbian Ivana Mladenovic, the French Olivier Nakache and Éric Toledano, and the Japanese Nobuhiro Suwa will compete alongside others for the Golden Shell.

 

Olivier Nakache, Éric Toledano  (France)

Cast: Jean-Pierre Bacri, Gilles Lellouche, Suzanne Clément, Jean-Paul Rouve

For the happy couple this is the biggest night of their lives. But it’s just another of many for Max, from the catering company, Guy the photographer, James the singer, and everyone else working at the event. Pierre and Hélène have decided to celebrate their marriage in a beautiful 18th century castle on the outskirts of Paris. We follow the occasion from its preparation until the sun comes up, almost in real time, but only seen through the eyes of those working at the marriage. This will be a night full of surprises.

© Christian SchulzNGFLOOKS

{C}

The selection includes seven first or second works alongside works by acclaimed filmmakers. Some of the participants in the VI Europe-Latin America Co-Production Forum have already attended the Festival with other films, such as the moviemakers Pablo Agüero (Eva no duerme / Eva Doesn’t Sleep, Official Selection 2015) and Mikel Rueda (New York. Quinta Planta, Zinemira 2016) and the producer Macarena López (Rara, Horizontes Award 2016). Furthermore, the new projects by Koldo Zuazua, producer of Morir / Dying and Diego Lerman, director of Una especie de familia / A Sort of Family, both in this year’s Official Selection, will be presented at the Forum.

Half of the projects from the first five editions have now been filmed. Some of them have recently participated at international festivals: El auge del humano / The Human Surge, by Eduardo Williams, winner of the Cineasti del Presenti Golden Leopard at the Locarno Festival 2016, Jesús (Jesus, formerly Niño Nadie) by Fernando Guzzoni, which competed in the Official Selection at the San Sebastian Festival 2016; Rifle (formerly Até o Camiho), by David Pretto, selected for the Forum section at the last Berlinale, and X500 by Juan Andrés Arango, competitor in the Bright Future section at the Rotterdam Festival 2017.

For the first time this year the Europe-Latin America Co-Production Forum will have an extra day, on Sunday 24, at which the pitching session will take place. On the other dates it will coincide with Films in Progress 32 and Glocal in Progress, the new industry activity.

The Europe-Latin America Co-Production Forum is promoted by the Basque Government Department of Economic Development and Infrastructures.

SELECTED PROJECTS

1. 1989
Director: Alicia Scherson
Production Company: Araucaria Cine
Chile

2. AKELARRE
Director: Pablo Agüero
Production Company: Sorgin Films, AIE.
Spain - France

3. BORDERLESS
Director: Fernando Frías
Production Company: Film Tank
Mexico - The Netherlands

4. BREVE HISTORIA DEL PLANETA VERDE (BRIEF STORY OF THE GREEN PLANET)
Director: Santiago Loza
Production Company: Constanza Sanz Palacios Films, S.R.L.
Argentina - Germany

5. DOCE INFERNO NA GALÁXIA (SWEET HELL THROUGHOUT THE GALAXY)
Director: Fábio Baldo
Production Company: Glaz
Brazil

6. EL AGENTE TOPO (THE MOLE AGENT)
Director: Maite Alberdi Soto
Production Company: Micromundo Producciones
Chile

7. EL DOBLE MÁS QUINCE
Director: Mikel Rueda
Production Company: Baleuko, S.L.
Spain

8. EL GOL MÁS TRISTE (THE SADDEST GOAL)
Director: Sergio Castro San Martín
Production Company: Manufactura de películas
Chile - Mexico - Brazil

9. ESE FIN DE SEMANA
Director: Mara Pescio
Production Company: Maravillacine
Argentina

10. LA ROYA (THE RUST)
Director: Juan Sebastián Mesa
Production Company: Monociclo Cine
Colombia

11. LAS CONSECUENCIAS (THE CONSEQUENCES)
Director: Claudia Pinto Emperador
Production Company: Sin Rodeos Films España, S.L.
Spain - Mexico

12. LIMBO
Director: Mateo Bendesky
Production Company: Volpe Films
Argentina - Chile - Austria

13. MOTHER LODE
Director: Matteo Tortone
Production Company: Malfé Film
Italy - France

14. PLANTA PERMANENTE
Director: Ezequiel Radusky
Production Company: Campo Cine
Argentina

15. TENGO MIEDO TORERO (MY TENDER MATADOR)
Director: Rodrigo Sepúlveda
Production Company: Forastero
Chile - Argentina

16. A MEDIA VOZ (WHISPERING)
Directors: Heidi Hassan - Patricia Pérez
Production Company: Matriuska Producciones, S.L.
Spain - Cuba - Switzerland - France

AWARDS

The VI Europe-Latin America Co-Production Forum Best Project Award, € 10,000 for the majority producer of one of the selected projects.

The EFADs-CAACI Europe-Latin America Co-Production Award, € 20,000 for the majority producer of one of the selected projects.

The Eurimages Development Co-Production Award, € 20,000 euros for the majority producer of an Eurimage's Member Country that intends to co-produce with another country of the same programme.

The ARTE International Prize  € 5,000  for the majority producer of one of the selected projects.

Complementing the San Sebastian Forum and thanks to the collaboration with the Marché du Film-Festival de Cannes' Producers Network and the Argentina's INCAA, both organisers of Ventana Sur in Buenos Aires, some of these projects will have the opportunity to continue on their international journey by participating at the Ventana Sur market and in the coming edition of the Producers Network. This itinerary will contribute to lending their international projection a decisive boost.

The Europe-Latin America Co-Production Forum is promoted by the Basque Government Department of Economic Development and Infrastructures.

by Quendrith Johnson, Los Angeles Correspondent

After eons of human existence, or a short hop since the Sexual Revolution of the 1960’s, we still haven’t learned how to do two things well: Die or Divorce. Even with Gwyneth Paltrow’s co-opted “Conscious Uncoupling,” the recent so-called shock split of Chris Pratt and Anna Faris, that followed Ben & Jen, and Brangelina. Life, art, and pop culture peel back one common truth: we don’t know what to do after Love.

Enter a new film by director Joachim Lafosse, AFTER LOVE, pitting THE ARTIST’s Bérénice Bejo against Cédric Kahn. It’s an exploration of this very subject. And a love-letter to all the ex-es out there looking to refit the broken pieces of their domestic bliss.

Photos: Fabrizio Maltese - Courtesy of Distrib Films US

No surprise this film was in the Official Selection for Directors Fortnight – Cannes Film Festival, also at Toronto International Film Festival, London Film Festival, in AFI Fest and counting. [Original title is L'Economie du couple.]

What They’re Officially Saying About It

“From the director of Our Children Joachim Fosse, comes the story of Boris (Cédric Kahn) and Marie (Bérénice Bejo), a couple who have decided to separate after 15 years together. They have two girls that they adore, but tensions rise as cash-strapped Boris continues to live in the family home. Neither of the two is willing to compromise, making their apartment a war zone.

AFTER LOVE captures with great magnitude, the painfully intimate, harrowingly drama, emotional and financial complexities of a separation, at the end of a long love story.”

Watch What Happens AFTER LOVE

Presented by Distrib Film US, the movie opens Weds. Aug. 9 at The Quad in New York, then Sept. 1 (updated) in LA at the Laemmle Royal, followed by San Francisco’s 4 Star Cinema and a national roll-out to follow.

Director Joachim Lafosse

DISTRIB FILMS U.S. SENDS US "AFTER LOVE"

DIRECTED BY: Joachim Lafosse

STARRING: Bérénice Bejo ("The Artist") , Cédric Kahn

OFFICIAL SELECTION: Directors Fortnight – Cannes Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival, London Film Festival, AFI Fest and many more.

WEB:http://www.distribfilmsus.com/our-movies/afterlove/

Screenplay: Mazarine Pingeot, Fanny Burdino & Joachim Lafosse

Cinematography: Jean-François Hensgens

France / Belgium – 2016 – 100min – Color – Scope – 5.1 – Not Rated – Drama. In French with English Subtitles.

# # #

Rory Fradella (prodducer) and Stephen Cyrus Sepher (writer, director) at the accreditation desk of the festival.

DOA to screen this friday August 11 at 8.45 pm

Full program

Join us for our 21st annual Opening Night screening and celebration of the Rhode Island International Film Festival and the 35th Anniversary of its creator/producer, Flickers.

Revel in the talent, artistry, and creative energy that make up the Flickers' Rhode Island International Film Festival.

Thought-provoking, unforgettable and brilliant films from around the world await audiences at the August 8th Opening Night Celebration of FLICKERS -- and indeed throughout the week. The evening’s exhilarating line-up will showcase some of the finest examples of independent and international short films and World Premieres.

We could not be more pleased to be back the the magnificent Providence Performing Arts Centerfor the Festival’s Opening Night festivities with our good friends Lynn Singleton and Alan Chile, the President and General Manager, respectively, of this city-treasure. The restored Loews movie palace from the 1920s is an elegant 3,300-seat architectural gem, located in the heart of the capital city, 220 Weybosset Street, Providence.

More than 300 feature length, documentary and short films—from 64 countries, and 34 states across the U.S.—will be screened during the six-day Festival at locations throughout the state of Rhode Island. Films have been selected from a record entry base of more than 6,000 submissions, and this year’s Festival will include 107 World and North American premieres. Aside from film screenings, the Flickers team has organized a number of events to encourage filmmakers and festival attendees to widen their knowledge of filmmaking as well as explore the incredible city of Providence that RIIFF is proud to call home.

Ranked as one of the top 10 Festivals in the United States, RIIFF, as noted, is also a qualifying festival for the Live Action, Documentary and Animated Short Film through its affiliation with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences. It is also a BAFTA and Canadian Screen-qualifier. There are 6 film festivals worldwide which share this distinction and RIIFF is the only festival in New England. RIIFF is truly a place where the stars align!

The magic of year's Festival begins at 7:00 p.m. with an evening co-hosted by RIIFF Advisory Board President, Board President, Michael Drywa, Esq. and Steven Feinberg, Executive Director of the RI Film & Television Office. The Box Office Opens at 5:30 p.m. with seating starting at 6:30 p.m.

11^th TIDF is now calling for entries!

TIDF is looking for documentaries that are most creative, closely connected to social and human interests, and have unique points of view!

The 11th TIDF will take place on May 4-13, 2018.

Three major competitions with 11 awards and more than US$70,000 total cash-prize await. The entry deadline is December 8, 2017.

Filmmakers are encouraged to submit documentaries completed after December 1, 2015. All forms and lengths are welcome. No entry fee. A Taiwan Premiere is required, except for Taiwan films.

Find out more information in the Entry Regulations. 

Carlo Chatrian

Film after film, Wang Bing is creating a personal homage to his people, whether workers or prisoners in labour camps, the mentally ill in a house with circular balconies or women confined to bed, emigrants or resisters. Mrs. Fang is the latest touching volet of this particular human comedy.

2.
The search for a gunshot fired many years ago. The search for the roots of a hate that continues unabated. Somewhere between detective and traveler, in Did You Wonder Who Fired the Gun? Travis Wilkerson retraces the story of a family where the parties involved reflect the two faces of America today.

3.
Sabiha Sumar’s journey in Azmaish (A Journey through the Subcontinent) is a voyage to the heart of her country. With determination, courage and persistence, the Pardo d’oro winner questions the powerful and those who decide the fate of Pakistan.

4.
Young and up-and-coming cinema in Locarno. Verónica Echegui (cover), jury member for the Pardi di domani selection, jumps from challenge to challenge, from films with Toni Servillo to American television series. On the other hand, Il Monte delle Formiche and Ouroboros are unconventional debut films, while the return of Guillaume Brac is a work with (and about) students.

5.
The Locarno70 cavalcade continues. Today it’s the turn of a film that first saw the light ten years after being made. Odinokiy golos cheloveka (The Lonely Voice of Man) by Aleksandr Sokurov marked not only the arrival of one of the greatest modern directors but also a milestone for Locarno as a place of freedom of expression.

1.

Carlo Chatrian
He is an icon of his country, who even when appearing in international productions is still able to embody the spirit of India. She is an actress who was banned by her country but who has never stopped representing its culture and speaking for the women of the world. The Song of Scorpions marks the meeting of Irrfan Khan and Golshifteh Farahani.

2.
After the triptych of wonders that was Courgette–Elle–Toni Erdmann, what’s next for Michel Merkt? A portrait of a producer who never stops surprizing.

3.
A turn east with Qing Ting zhi yan (Dragonfly Eyes) and Edaha no koto (Sweating the Small Stuff). The first, a story told by a thousand voices, as many as the closed-circuit cameras that provided the material for a great love story; the second, focusing on the daily routine of a simple man, with the awareness that by staying so close to him, little by little the underlying currents of life will find a way to express themselves.

4.
Lost and regained. Like time for Raúl Ruiz’s beloved Proust, so La telenovela errante, the director’s 121st film, emerges from the past, revealing a brilliance able to illuminate the present. The story of a film that is already a highlight of the 70th edition.

5.
Running away and finding oneself. The past fading into the present and the present reflected into the past. On the one hand, a mother and a son in a forest crossed by gendarmes; on the other, Peter Weiss and his book, the escape from his family that becomes an odyssey. Filmus and Abschied von den Eltern offer two original cinematic experiences.

The names of prizewinners for the Open Doors Hub coproduction platform and the Open Doors Lab producer-training workshop were announced today, 8 August.

The 2017 session was the second in the three-year cycle dedicated by Open Doors to exploring eight countries in Southern Asia: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Maldives, Myanmar, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

The prizes, both cash and in the form of tangible assistance, have been awarded to projects and participants in the international platform Open Doors Hub and the training workshop Open Doors Lab, with the aim of supporting their progress after the Festival.

Open Doors Hub

The aim of the Open Doors Hub coproduction platform (2-8 August) is to allow director/producer teams from the eight countries involved to discuss their projects with potential partners, fostering international collaborations and funding.

The Open Doors Jury awarded the following prizes to Open Doors Hub projects in support of their future development or production:

Open Doors Grant (50,000 Swiss francs)

An award financed by Open Doors in collaboration with the City of Bellinzona and the Swiss film production fund Visions Sud Est, with the backing of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC):

35,000 Swiss francs
BADESZENEN, by Dawood Hilmandi (Afghanistan) 

15,000 Swiss francs
ONE SUMMER DAY, by We Ra Aung (Myanmar)

CNC grant (8,000 euros)
ONE SUMMER DAY, by We Ra Aung (Myanmar)

Prix ARTE International Open Doors (6,000 euros)
MADE IN BANGLADESH, by Rubaiyat Hossain (Bangladesh / France)

Open Doors Lab

Also bringing this year’s session to a close today is the Open Doors Lab: a five-day workshop dedicated to eight emerging producers from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.  

Three participants in the Lab have received one special mention and two awards, respectively from representatives of Initiative Film and the TorinoFilmLab. The former provides the winner with a distance development package, while the latter offers an invitation to the TFL Meeting Event in Turin, allowing the attendee to continue commercial negotiations with European decision-makers.

Open Doors to development – Initiative Film Grant
Rasitha Jinasena with his project MAHAMAYA (Sri Lanka)

Special mention to Jawed Taiman with his project THE LAST NIGHT (Afghanistan)

Open Doors – TFL Award
Jami Mahmood (Pakistan)

“Residency Internationale Kurzfilmtage Winterthur @ Villa Sträuli”

The Winterthur International Short Film Festival, in collaboration with Villa Sträuli and the Locarno Festival, offer a two-month residency to applicants in the Open Doors, Leopards of Tomorrow and Filmmakers Academy programs who are from Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe or Latin America.

PRADEEPAN RAVEENDRAN, Open Doors Screenings, Sri Lanka

Special mention to RATI TSITELADZE, Filmmakers Academy, Georgia

The program of Open Doors Screenings presents a selection of 22 films from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Sri Lanka and continues until the end of the Festival.

From the very beginning Open Doors has been able to count on the invaluable and loyal partnership of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA).

V EDITION OCTOBER 25 - 29 2017

Horrorthon Film Festival will be co-organised by the Singapore Film Society and Golden Village Cinemas in late Oct 2017.