4th Queer Lion Award Winner

No surprise that a gay interest film won the fourth Queer Lion, as the only lesbian interest film in the selection seems like a not so-positive portrait of lesbianism; but is a pleasant surprise to learn that the winner film is from Argentina. Winner comes from Orizzonti sidebar.

Queer Lion: En el Futuro (In The Future), Mauro Andrizzi, Argentina

Tonight -probably right now- many are celebrating at the party that followed the award ceremony. I really hope that next year the selection will be more balanced -interest wise. To read the announcement at the official site go here.

See you next year.

25 Settimana Internazionale della Critica Award Winner

Today the audience award "Region del Veneto per il cinema di qualità" for the best film in competition at the International Film Critics Week was announced and here it is.

Best Film: Svinalängorna (Beyond), Pernilla August, Sweden

Not that I needed this film to win the award as is must be seen for me. To read the announcement at the section official site go here. Another section closes and we'll learn the Orizzonti and Main Competition awards tomorrow.

7th Venice Days Award Winner

Not long ago the Europa Cinemas Label Award for Best European Film in Venice Days section was announced and here are the award and the mention

Best Film: Le Bruit des Glaçons (The Clink of Ice), Bertrand Blier, France

Jury statement: “This is an extremely witty film - a pitch black comedy about cancer and alcohol. Blier’s anarchic and politically incorrect take on this apparently taboo subject has the same energy and freedom of spirit shown in his earlier films like Les Valseuses. Brilliantly made and performed, the film never preaches and is sure to be enjoyed and spark debate around European arthouses.”

27 Times Cinema Mention

Best Film: Incendies, Denis Villeneuve, Canada and France
Statement: We love this film for its tackling of themes close to us as young adults. The characters found purpose through their investigation into their own distant cultural and family history through razor-sharp cinematography and its strong, surprising narrative structure.

The other two finalists were:
Cirkus Columbia (Circus Columbia), Danis Tanovic, Bosnia Herzegovina, France, UK, Slovenia, Serbia and Belgium
Life in the Time of Death, Andrea Caccia, Italy (Italian Portraits and Landscapes.

The 27 Times Cinema campus was composed by 27 young European film-goers and is a special project promoted by the Committee on Culture and Education of the European Parliament in partnership with Venice Days and with the collaboration of Europa Cinemas and Cineuropa.org. Cultural partner: Variety.

To read the official announcement go here.

So this is it for this year in this section that had films that didn't call my attention too much because of the stories filmmakers are telling. If they want to emulate Cannes Directors' Fortnight they will have to do much better, but they're still very young -only 7-years-old so time is absolutely on their side.

Cheers!!!

Day 10 @ 67th Venice International Film Festival

It's almost over but there are still many films today.

In Competition

Road To Nowhere, Monte Hellman, USA
Barney's Version, Richard J. Lewis, Canada and Italy
Drei (Three), Tom Tykwer, Germany (gay interest)

Out of Competition
L'Ultimo Gattopardo: Ritratto di Goffredo Lombardo, Giuseppe Tornatore (documentary)
Dai Nostri Inviati - La Rai Racconta La Mostra del Cinema 1954-1967 by Giuseppe Giannotti and Erico Salvatori, Italy
Dante Ferretti - Production Designer by Gianfranco Giagni, Italy (documentary)

After Dante Ferretti's film the Bianchi Award ceremony took place and this year's award went to (Oscar winner) Dante Ferreti. This award is given by the SNGCI (Sindicato Nazionale Giornalisti Cinematografici Italiani).

Orizzonti
News from Nowhere, Paul Morrissey, USA
The Forgotten Space by Noël Burch and Allan Sekula, Netherlands and Austria
Senritsu Meikyu 3D (The Shock Labyrinth: Extreme) by Takashi Shimizu, Japan
Bangdokpi (Anti Gas Skin) by Kim Gok and Kim Sun, South Korea
Many short and medium-length films
Retrospective
Fracchia, La Belva Umana by Neri Parenti, 1981
Botta e Risposta by Mario Soldati, 1950
L'Eroe Sono Io by Carlo Ludovico Bragaglia, 1952

Venice Days
La Vida de los Peces (The Life of Fish), Matias Bize, Chile

Winner(s) has been announced but will do an independent post.

International Critics' Week
Closing Film: Limbunan (The Wife's Room), Gutierrez Mangansakan II, Philippines (out of competition)

News

Was waiting to post the Persol 3D award winner but hasn't been announced yet, so will be on tomorrow's post. Here it is, Persol 3D awards were given to Avatar by James Cameron and How to Train Your Dragon by Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois.

A few minutes ago was announced the winner of La Navicella: The Ditch, Wang Bing, Hong Kong, France and Belgium. The award ceremony is tomorrow.

Nine minutes ago was announced the SIGNIS Award, that goes to: Meek's Cutoff, Kelly Reichardt, USA. Don't worry all major awards will go in one post but I'm having fun just learning the news.

The jury of 19 young viewers has declared Barney's Version by Richard J. Lewis the winner of the "Leoncino d'Oro Agiscuola per il Cinema" and Julian Schnabel's Miral winner of "31 Segnalazione Cinema for UNICEF".

If you believed that the fest has only major awards check my twitter with announcements of different (and until today, unknown) awards. Better stop or will never publish the post.

Today's Photo

My last photo had to be of Noomi Rapace and was so lucky to find this great photo of her while walking the "streets" -okay the very narrow sidewalks- of Venice.

23rd European Film Awards - Long List

Yesterday the European Film Academy (EFA) announced the titles of the forty-six (46) films on this year's selection list with films recommended for a nomination for the European Films Awards 2010. There are 32 countries represented and in the coming weeks the 2,300 Academy members will vote to define the nominees in the different categories.

As always the nominations will be announced on November 6th at the Sevilla European Film Festival in Spain and the awards ceremony this year will take place in Tallinn, Estonia on December 4th.

This is the selection.

3 SEZÓNY V PEKLE (3 SEASONS IN HELL), Tomáš Mašin, Czech Republic
ANOTHER YEAR, Mike Leigh, UK,
BAL (HONEY), Semih Kaplanoğlu, Turkey and Germany
CARLOS, Olivier Assayas, France and Germany
CELDA 211 (CELL 211), Daniel Monzón, Spain and France
LE CONCERT (THE CONCERT), Radu Mihaileanu, France
DES HOMMES ET DES DIEUX (OF GODS AND MEN), Xavier Beauvois, France
EU CAND VREAU SA FLUIER, FLUIER (IF I WANT TO WHISTLE, I WHISTLE), Florin Serban, Romania
FILM SOCIALISME (FILM SOCIALISM), Jean-Luc Godard Switzerland
DIE FREMDE (WHEN WE LEAVE), Feo Aladag, Germany, 119 min.
THE GHOST WRITER ,Roman Polanski, France, Germany and UK
GIULIAS VERSCHWINDEN (JULIA’S DISAPPEARANCE), Christoph Schaub, Switzerland
HONEYMOONS, Goran Paskaljevic,Serbia and Albania
I0, DON GIOVANNI (I, DON GIOVANNI), Carlos Saura, Austria, Italy and Spain
Как я провел этим летом -KAK YA PROVEL ETIM LETOM (HOW I ENDED THIS SUMMER), Alexei Popogrebsky, Russia
KAWASAKIHO RŮŽE (KAWASAKI’S ROSE), Jan Hřebejk, Czech Republic
KENJAC (DONKEY), Antonio Nuić, Croatia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Serbia, and UK
LEBANON, Samuel Maoz, Israel
LOURDES, Jessica Hausner,, Austria, France, and Germany
MAMMA GÓGÓ , Fridrik Thor Fridriksson, Iceland
MINE VAGANTI (LOOSE CANNONS), Ferzan Ozpetek, Italy
MY QUEEN KARO, Dorothée van den Berghe, Belgium and the Netherlands
NA PUTU (ON THE PATH), Jasmila Žbanić, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Austria, Germany, and Croatia
LA NOSTRA VITA (OUR LIFE), Daniele Luchetti, Italy, 98 min.
NOTHING PERSONAL, Urszula Antoniak, Netherlands and Ireland
NOWHERE BOY, Sam Taylor-Wood, UK, 98 min.
ONDINE, Neil Jordan, Ireland
PAHA PERHE (BAD FAMILY), Aleksi Salmenperä, Finland
PÁL ADRIENN (ADRIENN PÁL), Ágnes Kocsis, Hungary
LA PRIMA COSA BELLA (THE FIRST BEAUTIFUL THING), Paolo Virzi, Italy
PÜHA TÕNU KIUSAMINE (THE TEMPTATION OF ST.TONY), Veiko Õunpuu, Estonia
DER RÄUBER (THE ROBBER), Benjamin Heisenberg, Austria and Germany
REWERS (THE REVERSE), Borys Lankosz Poland
Cчастье моё -SCHASTYE MOYE (MY JOY), Sergei Loznitsa, Germany, Ukraine, and Netherlands
SEBBE, Babak Najafi, Sweden
EL SECRETO DE SUS OJOS (THE SECRET IN THEIR EYES), Juan José Campanella, Spain and Argentina
SLOVENKA (SLOVENIAN GIRL), Damjan Kozole, Slovenia
SOUL KITCHEN, Fatih Akin, Germany
SUBMARINO, Thomas Vinterberg, Denmark
TAMARA DREWE, Stephen Frears, UK
TESSERA MAVRA KOUSTOUMIA (4 BLACK SUITS), Renos Haralambidis, Greece
TOURNEE (ON TOUR), Mathieu Amalric, France
L’UOMO CHE VERRÀ (THE MAN WHO WILL COME), Giorgio Diritti, Italy
UPPERDOG, Sara Johnsen, Norway
DE VLIEGENIERSTER VAN KAZBEK (THE AVIATRIX OF KAZBEK), Ineke Smits, Netherlands and Georgia
ZAD KADAR (VOICE OVER), Svetoslav Ovcharov, Bulgaria

To check the list at the EFA official site go here and/or here that's the European Film Awards official site.

To my HUGE surprise the famous Swedish film is not in the list, but as you noticed in the previous post was selected for the People's Choice Award. Believe that somehow I understand why is not in this list as the movie is not as good as the amazing Noomi Rapace performance. What I regret the most is that she can't be nominated for Best Actress, but maybe a kind of 'miracle' could happen and she will be nominated (not really a miracle, she's in the other awards).

As we already know some of the European countries submission to the 2011 Oscar calls my attention that what the EFA recommended and what was submitted does not match for some countries. Interesting as criteria for selection has to be influenced by what everybody believes are the USA Academy members tastes. After all American cinema and European cinema are VERY different and you have no idea how glad I am.

Sooner that we imagine the Seville fest will open and we will learn the nominations.

Cheers!!!

2010 European Film Academy - People's Choice Award

Since September 1st all my European friends are able to cast their vote for their favorite European film of the Year. Those who vote will have a chance to attend the 23rd European Film Awards on Saturday, December 4th in the Estonian capital Tallin on the Baltic coast.

These are the nominated films.

Agora, Alejandro Amenabar, Spain
Baaria, Giuseppe Tornatore, Italy
An Education, Lone Scherfig, UK
Flickan Som Lekte Med Elden (The Girl Who Played With Fire), Daniel Alfredson, Sweden, Denmark, and Germany
The Ghost Writer, Roman Polanski, France, Germany, and UK
Kick-Ass, Matthew Vaughn, UK
Mine Vaganti (Loose Cannons), Ferzan Ozpetek, Italy (gay interest)
Mr. Nobody, Jaco Van Dormael, Belgium
Le Petit Nicolas (Little Nicholas), Laurent Tirard, France
Soul Kitchen, Fatih Akin, Germany

To cast your vote please go here.

If I could vote my vote absolutely will go to the famous Swedish film starring Noomi Rapace; but I also liked An Education. Then you have two movies by two of my favorite directors, Ferzan Ozpetek and Fatih Akin that haven't seen, plus I'm curious about Baaria that I should watch soon. One film I'm sure will not get my vote, Polanski's film as I didn't enjoyed much that film and is competing against very good films/directors.

Hope all of you, that can vote, will cast your vote for your favorite film.

Cheers!!!

THINGS TO COME: PRIEST

Around this time last year, I took a few jabs at the movie Legion based solely on its trailer. But to be fair, as promised, I finally got around to watching it a couple of weeks ago and… it was big ole smelly turd of a movie. Not too prosaic, I know, but what can I say, it’s the truth. Not only did it completely screw up every bit of theology it touched (which was expected), but it was wretched in just about every other sense of the word too. I guess if I want to watch a theologically unsound, yet still entertaining rebellious angel movie, I’ll just have to stick with the old Christopher Walken flick, The Prophecy.

But of course, Legion made a profit. So low and behold, the new trailer for director Scott Charles Stewart’s next effort, Priest, just hit the Internet. Take a look.

I’m beginning to think Scotty boy has some serious issues to work out with religion. He obviously hates it, but can’t seem to leave it alone. The usual dreck is here. Big uncaring Catholic Church? Check. Evil bishop (Pope?) interested only in power? Check. Renegade priest who must break his vows to do what is right? Check. I guess that stuff is red meat for the anti-intellectual atheists out there, but it’s gotten to be pretty yawn inducing around these parts. I did crack a little smile, though, when what appears to be a Catholic priestess popped up. Cause, you know, that’ll happen in the future, right? (Dummies.) Oh well, it could be worse, I suppose. From what I’ve read around the web, what’s in this movie is actually pretty tame compared the vitriol spewed towards religion in the original graphic novel Priest is based on. I’m curious if it was the studio or the director who decided to tone it down? I’d put my money on the producers who probably don’t mind offending regular church-goers, but don’t want to alienate all that spiritual-just-not-religious money. (Cowards.)

It’s too bad, because this looks like a bit more of a mature film than Legion did. Stewart comes from a visual effects background, which really showed through in Legion. Effects were about all that movie had going for it. Priest is obviously still effects heavy, but at least it looks like it’s trying to be more than just a few set pieces connected by badly scripted expository scenes.

Oh well, no doubt I’ll get around to watching Priest when it hits Netflix. I’m too much of a sucker for movies set in obligatorily rainy dystopian futures. And I have to admit, I’m curious now to see what Stewart’s third effort will be. If it’s got a religious theme also, then I’ll know for sure something’s working on him. That should be fun to watch. Probably more so than his movies.