2011 European Film Awards – Animated Film Nominations

Three (3) films are nominated for the EFA's award and here they are. Included trailers to check how different European animation can feel and look.

Le Chat du Rabbin (The Rabbi's Cat), Antoine Delesvaux and Joann Sfar, France



Chico & Rita, Tono Errando, Javier Mariscal and Fernando Trueba, Spain and Isle of Man



Une Vie de Chat (A Cat in Paris), Jean-Loup Felicioli and Alain Gagnol, France and Belgium



To read official announcement go here.

2011 European Film Awards – People’s Choice Award

Since September 1st up to October last day, my European friends are able to vote for their favorite film and yes, win a trip to the European Film Awards that this year will be in Berlin (I also LOVE Berlin!). The following are the nominated films and you can VOTE HERE.

Benvenuti al Sud (Welcome to the South), Luca Miniero, Italy (the hilarious Italian remake of Bienvenue chez les Ch'tis)

Hævnen (In a Better World), Susanne Bier, Denmark

The King’s Speech, Tom Hooper, UK

Konferenz der Tiere (Animals United), Reinhard Kloss and Holger Tappe, Germany

Les petits mouchoirs (Little White Lies), Guillaume Canet, France

Potiche, François Ozon, France

También la lluvia (Even the Rain), Icíar Bollaín, Spain

Unknown, Jaume Collet-Serra, Germany

If I could vote I’ll have a hard time deciding between Potiche, Hævnen or the hilarious Italian comedy (yeah for a change!). Have no idea what the animated movie plus Unknown are doing here, but after all is the People’s Choice so there had to be options for all kind of movie tastes.

Hope many of my friends and loyal blog readers VOTE so we can have a better winner that the 2010 winner.

24th European Film Awards – Long List

A few minutes ago the European Film Academy (EFA) announced the titles of the forty-five (45) films on this year’s selection list with films that will be considered for a nomination in current year European Film Awards.

This year the EFA’s will return to Berlin with the award ceremony scheduled on December 3rd; as always nominations will be announced at 2011 Seville European Film Festival – fest will run from November 6 to 14, 2011- on November 5th.

Here is the long list that includes many Cannes, Berlin and festival films in general.

ALMANYA – WILLKOMMEN IN DEUTSCHLAND (ALMANYA), Yasemin Samdereli, Germany and Turkey
AMÉRICA (AMERICA), João Nuno Pinto, Portugal, Spain, Brazil and Russia
THE ARTIST, Michel Hazanavicius, France
AS IF I AM NOT THERE, Juanita Wilson, Ireland, Macedonia and Sweden
ATTENBERG, Athina Rachel Tsangari, Greece
AVE, Konstantin Bojanov, Bulgaria
BALADA TRISTE DE TROMPETA (THE LAST CIRCUS), Alex de la Iglesia, Spain
BELI BELI SVET (WHITE WHITE WORLD), Oleg Novkovic, Serbia, Germany and Sweden
CIRKUS COLUMBIA, Danis Tanović, Bosnia & Herzegovina, France, UK, Germany, Slovenia and Belgium
CIRKUS FANTASTICUS (SILENT SONATA), Janez Burger, Slovenia and Ireland
DREI (THREE), Tom Tykwer, Germany
ELDFJALL (VOLCANO), Rúnar Rúnarsson, Iceland and Denmark
ЕЛЕНА (ELENA), Andrey Zvyagintsev, Russia
ESSENTIAL KILLING, Jerzy Skolimowski, Poland, Norway, Ireland and Hungary
LE GAMIN AU VÉLO (THE KID WITH A BIKE), Jean-Pierre & Luc Dardenne, Belgium, France and Italy
HABEMUS PAPAM, Nanni Moretti, Italy and France
HÆVNEN (IN A BETTER WORLD), Susanne Bier, Denmark
HALT AUF FREIER STRECKE (STOPPED ON TRACK), Andreas Dresen, Germany
HITGANVUT YEHIDIM (INFILTRATION), Dover Kosashvili, Israel and France
THE KING’S SPEECH, Tom Hooper, UK
LE HAVRE, Aki Kaurismäki, Finland, France and Germany
LIDICE, Petr Nikolaev, Czech Republic
LOVERBOY, Cătălin Mitulescu, Romania
MAJKI (MOTHERS), Milcho Manchevski, Macedonia
MELANCHOLIA, Lars von Trier, Denmark, Sweden, France and Germany
NEDS, Peter Mullan, UK
NOI CREDEVAMO (WE BELIEVED), Mario Martone, Italy and France
OSLO 31. AUGUST (OSLO, AUGUST 31st), Joachim Trier, Norway
ОВCЯНКИ – OVSYANKI (SILENT SOULS), Alexey Fedorchenco, Russia
PA NEGRE (BLACK BREAD), Agustí Villaronga, Spain
LA PETITE CHAMBRE (THE LITTLE ROOM), Stéphanie Chuat & Véronique Reymond, Switzerland and Luxembourg
LES PETITS MOUCHOIRS (LITTLE WHITE LIES), Guillaume Canet, France
LA PIEL QUE HABITO (THE SKIN I LIVE IN), Pedro Almodóvar, Spain
PLAY, Ruben Östlund, Sweden
PŘEŽÍT SVŮJ ŽIVOT (SURVIVING LIFE), Jan Švankmajer, Czech Republic and Slovakia
RUNDSKOP (BULLHEAD), Michaël R. Roskam, Belgium and Netherlands
SALA SAMOBÓJCÓW (SUICIDE ROOM), Jan Komasa, Poland
SVINALÄNGORNA (BEYOND), Pernilla August, Sweden, Denmark and Finland
TAMBIEN LA LLUVIA (EVEN THE RAIN), Icíar Bollaín, Spain
TILVA ROŠ, Nikola Ležaić, Serbia
TIRZA, Rudolf van den Berg, Netherlands
TOMBOY, Céline Sciamma, France
A TORINÓI LÓ (THE TURIN HORSE), Béla Tarr, Hungary, France, Switzerland and Germany
DIE UNABSICHTLICHE ENTFÜHRUNG DER FRAU ELFRIEDE OTT (THE UNINTENTIONAL KIDNAPPING OF ELFRIEDE OTT), Andreas Prochaska, Austria
WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN, Lynne Ramsay, UK

To my surprise have seen more than a few and the ones I haven’t seen of course I’m “dying” to see them. Quite unusual but in this long list there are two lesbian interest films and as usual there are more gay interest films in the list, sigh. Most of the new to me films come from Eastern Europe and there are some that definitively am interested in watching, so let’s hope I’m able before November 5th, just in case they’re nominated.

To check the list at the EFA official site go here or here at the European Film Awards official site.

Not an easy task for the Academy members as in the above list there are TOO MANY extraordinary movies that already collected the Oscar last year and/or are being submitted to Oscar this year. But let’s wait until the nominations are near to play the guessing game for the main categories.

Cheers!!!

68th Venice Film Festival Award Winners

Not sure that this festival is as exciting as the other one from Cannes that not only really gets my attention but undoubtedly gets the attention of most of the world. During the fest there was a seminar about the “future of festivals” and I was talking about the same subject -but referring exclusively to La Mostra- with a friend, in our discussion we tend to agree that fest hast to go back to be less American and more non-American (you know what we mean), should be an Italian stage that showcases the world cinema -yes should go face-to-face with the one from France as one is early in the year and the other is later in the year and each year has enough months and days to have two world worthy cinema festivals.

Anyway there are not many films that I’m “dying” to see from this year fest, but obviously there are some that are absolutely must be seen for me. So, here are the Award winners.

VENEZIA 68 (The Competition)

Golden Lion for Best Film: Faust, Alexander Sokurov, Russia
Special Jury Prize: Terraferma, Emanuele Crialese, Italy

Silver Lion for Best Director: Shangjun Cai for People Mountain People Sea, China and Hong Kong
Volpi Cup for Best Actor: Michael Fassbender in Shame, Steve McQueen, UK
Volpi Cup for Best Actress: Deanie Ip in Tao Jie (A Simple Life), Ann Hui, China and Hong Kong)

Osella for Best Screenplay: Yorgos Lanthimos for Alpis (Alps), Greece
Osella for Best Cinematography: Wuthering Heights, Andrea Arnold, UK

Marcello Mastroianni Award for Best New Young Actor or Actress: Shôta Sometani and Fumi Nikaidô in Himizu, Sion Sono, Japan

Lion of the Future – Luigi de Laurentiis Award for Best Debut Film: Là-bas (A Criminal Education), Guido Lombardi, Italy

To check all the winners go here.

ORIZZONTI AWARDS

Best Film: Kotoko, Shinya Tsukamoto, Japan
Special Jury Prize: Whores’ Glory, Michael Glawogger, Austria and Germany

Best Medium-Length Film: Accidentes Gloriosos (Glorious Accidents), Mauro Andrizzi and Marcus Lindeen, Sweden, Denmark and Argentina
Best Short Film: In Attesa Dell'Avvento, Felice D'Agostino and Arturo Lavorato, Italy

Special Mentions
O le Tulafale (The Orator), Tusi Tamasese, New Zealand and Samoa
All The Lines Flow Out, Charles Lim Yi, Singapore

Short Film Nominee for the European Film Awards: Hypercrisis, Josef Dabernig, Austria

To read Jury statements please go here.

CONTROCAMPO ITALIANO

Best Film: Scialla!, Francesco Bruni
Best Documentary: Pugni Chiusi , Fiorenza Infascelli
Best Short Film: A Chjána, Jonas Carpignano
Special Mentions
Black Block, Carlo Augusto Bachschmidt
Francesco Di Giacomo for the cinematography of Pugni Chiusi

To check winners official announcement go here.

COLLATERAL AWARDS

FIPRESCI Prize
Best Film from Venezia 68: Shame by Steven McQueen, UK
Best Film from Orizzonti and International Critics’ Week: Two Years at Sea, Ben Rivers

SIGNIS Award: Faust, Aleksandr Sokurov, Russia
Special Mention: Tao jie (A Simple Life), Ann Hui, China

CICAE Award: O le tulafale (The Orator), Tusi Tamasese

International Critics’ Week Award: Là-Bas, Guido Lombardi, Italy
Label Europa Cinemas Award for Best European Film: Présumé Coupable (Guilty), Vincent Garenq, France

Queer Lion Award: Wilde Salomé by Al Pacino, USA (To check the 12 films that were considered go here, almost all are gay interest)

La Navicella – Venezia Cinema Award: Tao jie (A Simple Life), Ann Hui

Leoncino d'Oro Agiscuola Award: Carnage, Roman Polanski
Cinema for UNICEF Commedation: Terraferma, Emanuele Crialese
Frasceso Pasinetti (SNGCI) Award: Terraferma, Emanuele Crialese
SNGCI Commendation: L’ultimo terrestre, Gian Alfonso Pacinotti
Brian Award: The Ides of March, George Clooney
C.I.C.T. UNESCO Enrico Fulchignoni Award: Tahrir 2011, Tamer Ezzat, Ayten Amin, Amr Salama

Arca CinemaGiovani Award
Best Film Venezia68: Shame, Steve McQueen, UK
Best Italian Film: L’ultimo terrestre, Gian Alfonso Pacinotti

To check all the collateral awards winners go here.

Other Awards

Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement: Marco Bellocchio
Jaeger-LeCoultre Glory to the Filmmaker Award 2011: Al Pacino
Persol 3D Award for Most Creative Stereoscopic Film of the Year: Zapruder Filmmkaers Group
L’Oreal Paris Award for Cinema: Nicole Grimaudo

Award Ceremony Highlights

อยากรักก็รักเลย Yak Rak Kor Rak Loei (Yes or No)

Not often I have the opportunity to watch a Thai movie, much less a movie that could easily have the mainstream label as this film by Saratswadee Wongsomphet looks/feels very much for general audiences; as a matter of fact film style recalls many Japanese contemporary/entertainment cinema films that I have seen. You have to recall that the last Thai movie I saw was the Cannes Palm d’Or and gee these two Thai films are absolutely opposites in the cinema range. Sigh.

But this film is not mainstream cinema, is not art cinema and is not your regular entertainment movie because it has a lovely story about how confusing first-time love can be especially if you’re unsure about your sexuality no matter how you look in the outside. Yes, the story is about Kim and Pie, two girls that eventually –against society plus their own fears- will fall in love and even when some English reviews label film as the “so-called Thai lesbian film” well, I can assure you that film and story are with 100% lesbian interest (there is nothing “so-called”) and yes, is a very nice-to-watch film that will leave you with an uplifting feeling as has a happy ending –for a change.

Performances are not the best but somehow fit the characters they’re playing, so made me wonder if is not done on purpose but have no reference to really know; yet I know that movie first half made me laugh (which is not easy) and second half made me feel whatever the characters were feeling. So surely is not a bad movie as can absorb you into living/feeling whatever is happening.

As the West tends now to produce sophisticated lesbian themed films, the East can surprise us with very simple and refreshing lesbian themed movies; Yes or No absolutely was a surprise as everything about it is so simple that became very, very refreshing. If you enjoy lesbian interest films plus the dvd comes to your rental store do not hesitate to rent and watch it as I know that you’ll not be disappointed.

Enjoy!!!

Watch trailer @MOC

Day 10 – 68th Venice International film Festival

The last festival day as tomorrow is the closing ceremony where the main awards will be given and yes, I hope can watch it live as is more exciting to learn winners as it happens.

Today the most important event is the Golden Lion to Marco Bellocchio for his career/lifetime achievement; the award will be presented by Bernardo Bertolucci. The ceremony will be followed by the screening of the new version of Nel Nome del padre (In the Name of the Father) by Marco Bellochio, who re-edited and remixed to create a new original work.

The last day of competition has the screening of Texas Killing Fields by Ami Canaan Mann, and Duo Migjin (Life Without Principle) by Johnnie To.

This morning the Bianchi Award was presented to one actress that I have seen almost all her movies, I’m talking about beautiful Virna Lisi that today looks as good as when she was young; the award will join many other honors like her seven Nasti d’Argento, four David di Donatello, one Cannes Palm d’Or and one Cesar.



Later today we will start to learn winners in the collateral sections but wish to remind you all that last year the winner of the 25th International Film Critics Week was none other than Svinalängorna (Beyond) by Pernilla August that now we know is Sweden’s submission to 2012 Oscar. So I’ll be checking to create the winners post.

Day 9 – 68th Venice International Film Festival

Today the first award winners from the fest in the Controcampo Italiano section that showcases the new trends in Italian cinema. Here are the winners.

Best Film: Scialla! By Francesco Bruni
Documentary: Pugni Chiusi by Fiorella Infasscelli
Short Film: A Chjàna by Jonas Carpignano

The Jury also awarded a special mention to the documentary Black Block by Carlo Augusto Bachschmidt and to Francesco Di Giacomo for the photography in Pugni Chiusi.

The informal ceremony



The festival is almost over but today we have three films competing for the Golden Lion. I do like –a lot- the style and movies from Aleksander Sokurov so it’s no surprise that Faust is a must be seen for me, no matter if is another adaptation of a tale that’s been told too many times, I’m sure that Sokurov will do something “fresh” with his own style all over. Another American movie in competition Killer Joe by William Friedkin starring Matthew McConaughey (?), Emile Hirsch and Gina Gershon among others. Last, an Italian production L’Ultimo Terrestre by Gian Alfonso Pacinotti.

Emile Hirch at the photocall