tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-87453287521703827552024-03-18T10:13:59.432+01:00European Film Awards ReviewsFilm reviews of the EFA (European Film Academy) nominated and awarded titles. Colin and James, publishers of the Picturenose.com web site, are your reviewers and writers.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger149125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8745328752170382755.post-38896415360549064732011-01-11T12:07:00.003+01:002011-01-11T12:16:26.790+01:002010: Ten Best Films<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguOU4cpjFiJI-d9C_AAN3SOJFHmXyZj4yJTATof7O_2mm2DabmcOqbeV_m39NblWe-ynCP00KiFuH2O1ZS-SONnB_dNmiKzuDLBGaUgNn-sRFhfCZiAwmtIihA7g4jzo91UcyU8v4Urie3/s1600/The+Ghost+Writer+2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 212px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguOU4cpjFiJI-d9C_AAN3SOJFHmXyZj4yJTATof7O_2mm2DabmcOqbeV_m39NblWe-ynCP00KiFuH2O1ZS-SONnB_dNmiKzuDLBGaUgNn-sRFhfCZiAwmtIihA7g4jzo91UcyU8v4Urie3/s320/The+Ghost+Writer+2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5560885373665151890" /></a><br /><strong>Here’s the only top ten that really matters, then, as Colin and James offer their respective five best films.<br /><br />Over to Colin first:</strong><br /><br /><strong>5. <em>TRON: Legacy (2011)</em></strong><br />Yes, yes – I know it’s not officially a 2010 release this side of the pond, but I’m just so gosh-darn excited about the release, I can’t help but mention it. It’s been so long coming, it could have feasibly been titled ‘28 Years Later’ and with budget running at an eye-watering $300 million, it had better be unrelentingly awesome. In the original <em>TRON</em> of 1982, hacker Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges), in an attempt to prove that his company stole his ideas, breaks in to their corporate system and – to cut a long story short – gets sucked in to the system and forced to compete for his life in gladiatorial games. Fast forward to 2010 and his son Sam (Garrett Hedlund), investigating his father’s mysterious disappearance, does exactly the same thing. Father and son must escape the clutches of the computer holding them prisoner, and this is essentially all TRON: Legacy is about. I frankly don’t care if it’s light on story – the original was a joy, and I’ve waited so long for the sequel I’m going to like it even if it’s utter hogwash. So there.<br /><br /><br /><strong>4. <em>The Expendables</em> </strong><br />I secretly hoped that this would not be very good, just so I could sit back with a smug expression, twisting my moustache and saying: “I told you it would be rubbish”. It wasn’t. Sure, it’s not going to win awards for story complexity or character depth but I don’t think for a moment that was ever up for discussion. Sly Stallone, Jet Li, Jason Statham and Dolph Lundgren and many other movie tough guys – including a short appearance from a certain California governor – are a guns-for-hire band of men who do other people’s dirty work for them, usually with explosive consequences. Throw into the mix a pair of foxy ladies (Giselle Itié and Charisma Carpenter) and you’re pretty much guaranteed a box office return. I won’t insult your intelligence by outlining the story, but you know what to expect. If that’s your thing, you’ll love <em>The Expendables</em>. If not, don’t bother – simple.<br /><br /><strong>3. <em>Kick-Ass</em></strong><br />Quite apart from the novelty of seeing Nicolas Cage finally make a decent movie, this is a well-made romp in good old comic book style. Modelled on the Marvel Comics character and including the now-obligatory cameo appearance by Marvel supremo Stan Lee, this story follows the elevation of an ordinary schoolboy Dave Lizewski (Aaron Johnson) from nobody to renowned super-hero. Unlike Defendor (see my number-one choice), Kick-Ass plays purely for laughs and action. Kick-Ass – by dint of the fact that he’s really not very good at the whole superhero thing, picks up a partner in crime-fighting, Hit Girl (Chloë Moretz) and her father, Big Daddy (Cage), who have more than a few tricks up their sleeve. A good, solid comedy action flick with its tongue firmly in its cheek.<br /><br /><strong>2. <em>Inception</em></strong><br />I suppose no roundup of 2010 would be complete without giving <em>Inception</em> a mention – even if it’s only because it’s directed by Christopher Nolan, and there’s no new Batman film to get all excited about. A positively stellar cast (Pete Postlethwaite, Michael Caine, Marion Cottilard and many more) do a first-rate job of bending reality in this story set in a dream within a dream. A confusing premise, but expertly handled by all, managing to be intelligent without being too clever and delivering some fast-paced thrills and spills. It really doesn’t make a lot of sense halfway in, but you’re rewarded at the end with a quite marvellous denouement. <br /><br /><strong>1. <em>Defendor</em></strong><br />Practically nobody saw this film, which for me constitutes an utter tragedy. The only big name on the credit sheet is Woody Harrelson, who delivers what is for me one of his finest roles to date. Harrelson plays Arthur Poppington, the archetypal mild-mannered man who has a secret identity as the champion of the unfortunate and the nemesis of criminals – Defendor. It is essentially a comedy, but the sheer heart that Harrelson puts into his role, and some solid support from the likes of Kat Dennings and Sandra Oh raises this movie way above expectations. Burlesque, often dark and sometimes moving, this debut by Canadian writer/director Peter Stebbings really is a must-see. The holiday season is upon us, so put it on your gift list.<br /><br /><br /><strong>And now James:</strong><br /><br /><strong>5. <em>The A-Team</em></strong><br />This is my fun choice, OK? Fun, fun, fun, because it’s great to see a remake come together. Director Joe Carnahan (<em>Smokin’ Aces </em>(2006)) first-time writer (Brian Bloom) and an ensemble cast led by Liam Neeson as Hannibal Smith combine to offer an action flick that engages guts, brains and funny bone.<br /><br /><strong>4. <em>Let Me In</em></strong><br />And a horror remake, praise the Lord, that more than does justice to the original, Tomas Alfredson’s <a href="http://efareviews.cineuropa.org/2009/06/lat-den-ratte-komma-in-let-right-one-in.html"><strong><em>Låt den rätte komma in </em>(<em>Let the Right One In</em>) (2008)</strong></a>, itself a brilliant riff on the vampire genre – <em>Cloverfield</em> (2008) director Matt Reeves delivers a tale of puppy love with real bite that’s subtle, scary and tender.<br /><br /><strong>3. <em>Green Zone</em></strong><br />Ahead of the number one film, another that had no problem pointing the finger at those in power, and quite right too – Matt Damon delivers his most adult performance to date as Chief Warrant Officer Roy Miller, who’s in the field following the American invasion of Iraq in 2003, looking for the much-touted ‘weapons of mass destruction’, whose purported existence provided President George W. Bush with the only excuse he and Tony Blair needed for US and UK involvement. But, after a third raid on a target that’s cited as being a WMD ‘hot’ spot turns up nothing, Miller starts to do his own research, and finds that turning over stones can be very risky. Director Paul Greengrass manages the rare feat of combining exciting action-film sensibilities with docu-drama intensity, and the result is a refreshingly honest and intelligent examination of the heights and depths of corruption.<br /><br /><strong>2. <em>Toy Story 3</em></strong><br />And this so nearly took top spot – nobody really believed that Pixar could extend their most succesful franchise’s charm for a third episode, but that’s exactly what they did, with this hilarious and deeply moving account of what happens when the toys finally get put away for good, from Lee Unkrich (<em>Toy Story 2 </em>(1999)), along with writers Michael Arndt (<em>Little Miss Sunshine </em>(2006)) and John Lasseter (<em>Cars</em> (2006)) If you don’t cry at the end, you’re not human.<br /><br /><a href="http://efareviews.cineuropa.org/2010/10/written-off-official-selection-european.html"><strong>1. <em>The Ghost Writer</em></strong></a><br />Roman Polanski’s back, and he’s not taking any prisoners, political or otherwise. This was a trenchant and remarkably powerful study of just how dangerous things can get behind the scenes in the corridors of power – Ewan McGregor is ‘The Ghost’ of Robert Harris’s adaptation of his own novel, who’s assigned to knock the memoirs of former ‘craze’ prime minster Adam Lang (Pierce Brosnan) into shape and who quickly realizes that a great deal more than his reputation may be at stake. It lifted six major-category gongs at the <a href="http://efareviews.cineuropa.org/2010/12/23rd-european-film-awards-winners.html"><strong>2010 European Film Awards</strong></a>, and your ‘pundit par excellence’ would hazard a guess that it won’t do too bad come Oscar time, either. Not sure whether Roman will thank me for that prediction, but I am certainly grateful to him for what was easily the year’s best film.James Drew and Colin Moorshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00690364694979729337noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8745328752170382755.post-40776304658892135112010-12-20T22:05:00.005+01:002010-12-20T22:39:38.227+01:00International Outrage: Jafar Panahi Jailed<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimIa9i46F6LFTarvaq4D6ezifWxKdXmKPnecNu7EvwEIqPSuRnsfB-bfHzJjbUOyoq_s_nyY-JCUZofy0tGsuckIpvd-ZZxJp59WHvVSF3esb9FOF9yAgBol7ix4FnsYjCGMSdC8uqQwui/s1600/JafarPanahi.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 219px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimIa9i46F6LFTarvaq4D6ezifWxKdXmKPnecNu7EvwEIqPSuRnsfB-bfHzJjbUOyoq_s_nyY-JCUZofy0tGsuckIpvd-ZZxJp59WHvVSF3esb9FOF9yAgBol7ix4FnsYjCGMSdC8uqQwui/s320/JafarPanahi.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5552874447841547250" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12045248 "><strong>This is simply disgraceful.</strong></a> <br /><br /><a href="http://efareviews.cineuropa.org/2010/06/efa-welcomes-jafar-panahi-bail-release.html"><strong>For previous news of Jafar Panahi's wrongful persecution, click here.</strong></a>James Drew and Colin Moorshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00690364694979729337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8745328752170382755.post-38730534131679670032010-12-13T13:03:00.015+01:002010-12-14T13:01:40.377+01:00Interview: Ewan McGregor<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB9m4WEuapryOJXYPrD19dgaq4b4G0bg9_js6bOWtozfwbqLeRkgP4QHW0QSj_ir88aT-vXod1d3ZQyMzB4IawTALL8jvWRt5U1ASbQIlZqSoRLdhafMhSJjj4wQZmygABG4fr6KDuOv6y/s1600/Ghost.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 170px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5550141904980743442" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB9m4WEuapryOJXYPrD19dgaq4b4G0bg9_js6bOWtozfwbqLeRkgP4QHW0QSj_ir88aT-vXod1d3ZQyMzB4IawTALL8jvWRt5U1ASbQIlZqSoRLdhafMhSJjj4wQZmygABG4fr6KDuOv6y/s320/Ghost.jpg" /></a><br /><strong>This article, by <a href="http://www.togethermag.eu/articles/stone-exile-cannes">Federico Grandesso</a>, was originally published in <strong><em>Bespoken Magazine</em></strong> by Scabal, and is reproduced here with their kind permission. To enjoy your copy, subscribe at <a href="http://www.bespoken.com/"><strong>www.bespoken.com</strong></a>.</strong><br /><br />Scottish actor and icon Ewan McGregor, who was awarded <a href="http://efareviews.cineuropa.org/2010/12/23rd-european-film-awards-winners.html"><strong>Best European Actor </strong>at the 2010 European Film Awards for his performance in <strong><em>The Ghost Writer </em>(2010)</strong></a> talks about his acting adventures.<br /><br />Known across the galaxy since his role as the young Obi-Wan Kenobi in the <em>Star Wars </em>prequel trilogy, Ewan McGregor has gone from strength to strength as an actor. Moving from sharp, unforgiving interpretations in <em>Shallow Grave </em>(1994) and <em>Trainspotting</em> (1996) to seductive romantic roles in <em>Moulin Rouge!</em> (2001) and <em>Down With Love </em>(2003) he has seldom been off our screens, and has worked with some of the world's finest directors, including Danny Boyle, Tim Burton, George Lucas, <a href="http://www.picturenose.com/cassandras-dream-movie-review.html"><strong>Woody Allen</strong></a>, Ron Howard and, most recently, Roman Polanski in <em>The Ghost Writer </em>(2010), which was adapted from the Robert Harris novel.<br /><br />McGregor plays 'The Ghost', the writer of the title, who lands the opportunity to write the memoirs of renowned UK former prime Minister Adam Lang (and any similarities to Tony Blair are mere coincidence, of course) played by Pierce Brosnan. But writing for a living can be very dangerous, as 'The Ghost' is about to discover.<br /><br />Amid all the acclaim, we caught up with Ewan for a chat.<br /><br /><strong><em>Bespoken</em></strong>: <strong>Does the location of a prospective movie play an important part in your choice of scripts, as you are well known as a man who loves to travel? Also, what was your best recent on-set experience? </strong><br /><strong>Ewan McGregor:</strong> <em>I have never had the opportunity to choose the locations for my movies, and no, it's other considerations that determine my choice. Yes, I love to travel, but I do have to say that I would be glad sometimes to have the opportunity to work at home, because it can be hard to be on location far away for so long. In </em>The Men Who Stare at Goats <em>(2009) the atmosphere on set was great because the director Grant Heslov loves to work at a certain rhythm and doesn't go for megatakes - two or three are enough, which is good, because I have had bad experiences in the past when I have had to work for an entire day on a very short scene. I loved working with George Clooney, Jeff Bridges and Kevin Spacey. We laughed a lot, had a lot of fun and, don't forget, we also worked with professional goat actors, who were fantastic! </em>[laughs]<br /><br /><strong>How do you feel about your profession?</strong><br /><em>I've always loved this job, and my passion for what I do is actually growing. What I don't like are the moments when you have to wait - not only when we are actually working on set, when make-up has to be done or when a scene is being set up, but also the gaps between a great movie and the next one. You have to wait a long time to achieve a perfect interpretation and, in our job, the chances to work on ambitious and interesting projects are rare. Sometimes, you have to wait for years.</em><br /><br /><strong>Some of your fellow actors, such as Sean Penn, are politically engaged. What about you? </strong><br /><em>Not really. To begin with, I have never been in the army, but I have a brother who, until two years ago was in the RAF, flying Tornadoes in war zones. My only experience of conflict was the 48 hours I once spent in Baghdad Airport. I met a lot of soldiers, and I was very surprised at how young they were, but I also left that airport feeling very proud, as these guys were doing something I could never have done. I didn't want to stay in that place one minute more than was absolutely necessary.<br /><br /></em><strong>Was there anything about Roman Polanski's methods that particularly stood out? </strong><br /><em>One day on set, and we had been shooting for some weeks at this point, Roman came up to me and said: 'I have an idea for the ending,' and he described it to me, and I thought it was just amazing. It's a beautiful, very clever shot, in which I don't think the camera moves apart from following my character through a door and then it's static. It's a beautiful piece of storytelling, classic filmmaking, classic Polanski. You can imagine other directors needing 50 shots for the sequence in question, and he just pans the camera and leaves us to imagine what's going on offscreen, which is marvellous.</em><br /><br /><strong>In <em>The Ghost Writer</em>, you also had the chance to work with Pierce Brosnan. How was that? </strong><br /><em>Pierce is an actor I've always followed - there's a handful of other actors that you wonder if one day you might work with, and Pierce was always one of those. I've always enjoyed watching him. My experience in </em>The Ghost Writer <em>was unique, in that I was there from the beginning to the end, and I was always there, ­I was always on set. I became like one of the crew, really, whereas other actors would come in and out. But for the first week or so, I was mainly on my own. I just did all the stuff with 'The Ghost' on my own, before Pierce arrived, and he was tremendous to work with, simple as that</em>.<br /><br /><strong>Tell us how it was, really, to work with Polanski? </strong><br /><em>I only spoke to Roman on the phone before I met him in Germany, because he was in Switzerland at the time and I was shooting</em> The Men Who Stare at Goats <em>in New Mexico and Puerto Rico, and I was unable to get to Europe, so we didn't actually meet before I turned up. That day, I was doing costume fittings when he came in, and as you know he's an iconic man and a legendary director so, for an actor, it was quite nerve-wracking to meet him. He's like a perfect host before you get on set, but he's two very different men </em>[laughs]. <em>When you're off set, he's preparing you coffee and making sure everyone's alright and then when you start working, be it on the text or actually on set, he's very direct. His direction is not guarded or sugar-coated in any way, ­he's really quite brusque with it. But his style is always very interesting, and it's no coincidence that he's considered to be a great movie director. On set, you just have to listen to him and, more often than not, in fact all the time, he is right. It's kind of annoying, but when you follow his instructions, it's like 'Oh, yeah, he's right about that.' Actors are quite sensitive, myself included, and when I tried something out, if Polanski didn't like it, he wouldn't worry about hurting your feelings. But I have to say that I realized very quickly he's like that with everybody - he directed the props guy, the painter and the set dresser in exactly the same way. In fact, all of our camera crew was Polish, he often hung out with them between scenes and you could hear them telling jokes in Polish. They were his buddies, but he was toughest with them when he was directing!</em> [laughs]James Drew and Colin Moorshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00690364694979729337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8745328752170382755.post-6764034397594620712010-12-05T11:44:00.007+01:002010-12-05T12:29:50.103+01:00The 23rd European Film Awards: The Winners<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeQQKxJjp9IHQyrU-e_V6Uj_p9jEEjEJmoCMD-Dhcw7s3HQD21beUA8jkX9t9F7fEhK5MLNaYlRUCmgGCPqEqvhkPHs8x7pM7zhmhpFdBk0OUCF0cnvuXgDKhWVVT41OM_lW8i_l1AkGtf/s1600/ghost_writer.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 216px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeQQKxJjp9IHQyrU-e_V6Uj_p9jEEjEJmoCMD-Dhcw7s3HQD21beUA8jkX9t9F7fEhK5MLNaYlRUCmgGCPqEqvhkPHs8x7pM7zhmhpFdBk0OUCF0cnvuXgDKhWVVT41OM_lW8i_l1AkGtf/s320/ghost_writer.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5547152739506523778" /></a><br />Well, for a change, I didn't go to the trouble of predicting the winners this year <strong><a href="http://efareviews.cineuropa.org/2009/12/and-winners-might-be.html">(which, considering the hash I made of it last year, is probably a very good thing)</a> </strong>but there is no doubting, to my mind, that the right film won, across six major categories.<br /><br />It only remains for us to congratulate Roman Polanski, whose quite excellent film <a href="http://efareviews.cineuropa.org/2010/10/written-off-official-selection-european.html"><strong><em>The Ghost Writer</em> (2010)</strong></a> did so very well, as may be seen below. The European Film Awards are increasingly becoming a good indicator for how the US Academy Awards may play out - we shall see. <br /><br />Anyway, the more than 2,300 members of the European Film Academy (EFA), filmmakers from across Europe voted for this year's awards and, at the ceremony in Tallinn, European Capital of Culture 2011 on 4 December, the following awards were presented:<br /><br /><strong><strong>EUROPEAN FILM 2010</strong><br /><strong><em>The Ghost Writer</em></strong>, France/Germany/UK<br />Directed by Roman Polanski<br />Written by Robert Harris and Roman Polanski<br />Produced by Robert Benmussa, Alain Sarde and Roman Polanski<br /><br /><strong>EUROPEAN DIRECTOR</strong> 2010<br />Roman Polanski for <strong><em>The Ghost Writer</em></strong><br /> <br /><strong>EUROPEAN ACTRESS 2010</strong><br />Sylvie Testud in <strong><em>Lourdes</em></strong><br /> <br /><strong>EUROPEAN ACTOR 2010</strong><br />Ewan McGregor in <strong><em>The Ghost Writer</em></strong><br /><br /><strong>EUROPEAN SCREENWRITER 2010</strong><br />Robert Harris and Roman Polanski for <strong><em>The Ghost Writer</em></strong><br /> <br /><strong>CARLO DI PALMA EUROPEAN CINEMATOGRAPHER AWARD 2010</strong><br />Giora Bejach for <strong><em>Lebanon</em></strong><br /><br /><strong>EUROPEAN EDITOR 2010</strong><br />Luc Barnier and Marion Monnier for <strong><em>Carlos</em></strong><br /> <br /><strong>EUROPEAN PRODUCTION DESIGNER 2010</strong><br />Albrecht Konrad for <strong><em>The Ghost Writer</em></strong><br /><br /><strong>EUROPEAN COMPOSER 2010</strong><br />Alexandre Desplat for <strong><em>The Ghost Writer</em></strong><br /> <br /><strong>EUROPEAN DISCOVERY 2010- Prix FIPRESCI</strong><br /><strong><em>Lebanon</em></strong><br />Israel/Germany/France<br />Written and directed by Samuel Maoz<br />Produced by Moshe Edery, Leon Edery, David Silber, Uri Sabag, Einat Bickel, Benjamina Mirnik and Illan Girard<br /><br /><strong>EUROPEAN FILM ACADEMY DOCUMENTARY - Prix ARTE 2010</strong><br /><strong><em>Nostalgia de la luz</em></strong> (<strong><em>Nostalgia for the Light</em></strong>), France/Germany/Chile<br />Directed by Patricio Guzmán<br /><br /><strong>EUROPEAN FILM ACADEMY ANIMATED FEATURE FILM 2010</strong><br /><strong><em>The Illusionist</em></strong>, by Sylvain Chomet<br /><br /><strong>EUROPEAN FILM ACADEMY SHORT FILM 2010</strong><br /><strong><em>Hanoi, Warszawa</em></strong> (<strong><em>Hanoi – Warsaw</em></strong>), Poland<br />by Katarzyna Klimkiewicz<br /><br /><a href="http://efareviews.cineuropa.org/2010/10/co-production-award-for-zeynep-ozbatur.html"><strong>EUROPEAN CO-PRODUCTION AWARD – Prix EURIMAGES 2010</strong></a><br />Zeynep Özbatur Atakan, producer<br /><br /><a href="http://efareviews.cineuropa.org/2010/09/efa-honours-bruno-ganz.html"><strong>EUROPEAN FILM ACADEMY LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD</strong></a><br />Bruno Ganz, actor<br /><br /><a href="http://efareviews.cineuropa.org/2010/10/efa-honours-gabriel-yared.html"><strong>EUROPEAN ACHIEVEMENT IN WORLD CINEMA 2010</strong></a><br />Gabriel Yared, composer<br /><br /><strong>PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD for Best European Film 2010</strong><br /><strong><em>Mr. Nobody</em></strong><br />Written and directed by Jaco van Dormael<br />Produced by Philippe Godeau</strong>James Drew and Colin Moorshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00690364694979729337noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8745328752170382755.post-58450942760825851092010-12-04T15:09:00.002+01:002010-12-04T15:14:01.670+01:00The 23rd European Film Awards: Guests and Presenters<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqQRIqM4INc_XvFaEsvH2kHsHovWEu8TKk3pQS2pa35MNb_NHq0NtLWBPZwM6kK_D_g3TenDyG5rmWF8rJpX2sE2y6lpzhwb4xZgkSE-aos0FrdafB6upEEBIM6r-TIg6QJjkK0quWZx-w/s1600/statue.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 93px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqQRIqM4INc_XvFaEsvH2kHsHovWEu8TKk3pQS2pa35MNb_NHq0NtLWBPZwM6kK_D_g3TenDyG5rmWF8rJpX2sE2y6lpzhwb4xZgkSE-aos0FrdafB6upEEBIM6r-TIg6QJjkK0quWZx-w/s320/statue.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5546830110622138258" /></a><br /><strong>When the doors at the Nokia Concert Hall in snowy Tallinn open for the 23rd European Film Awards this evening (Saturday, 4 December) winners, nominees and EFA Members – altogether 1,400 guests - will be welcomed by German comedy star Anke Engelke and Estonian actor Märt Avandi who will lead us through the evening as the show’s hosts.</strong> <br /><br />There will be an impressive line-up of European actors and actresses presenting the individual awards, among them EFA Ambassador Maria de Medeiros (Portugal), Jean-Marc Barr (France), Hannelore Elsner (Germany), Nikolaj Lie Kaas (Denmark), Miki Manojlović (Serbia), Amanda Ooms (Sweden) and – adding a bit of a local flavour to the event – Lembit and Juhan Ulfsack from Estonia. With them on stage will be some of the actors and actresses from the European Film Promotion’s 'Shooting Stars' programme: Agata Buzek (Poland), Kryštof Hádek (Czech Republic), Edward Hogg (UK), Michele Riondino (Italy), and Pihla Viitala (Finland), all of them Shooting Stars 2010, and Alba Rohrwacher from Italy (Shooting Star 2009).<br /><br />The list of presenters is completed by Russian director Victor Kossakowsky, Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth Commissioner Androulla Vassiliou and EFA President Wim Wenders.<br /><br />Among the guests this year will be Zeynep Özbatur Atakan (European Co-production Award – Prix EURIMAGES), the recipients of the honorary awards Bruno Ganz and Gabriel Yared, and some special surprise guests.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.europeanfilmawards.eu"><strong>Watch the 23rd European Film Awards live here.</strong></a>James Drew and Colin Moorshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00690364694979729337noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8745328752170382755.post-72258784739064828292010-11-23T12:36:00.004+01:002010-11-23T12:49:31.359+01:00German Comedian and Estonian Actor to Host Awards Ceremony<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXhkqTbkgel-YQc5S-4b0TIKLHgKQwRjnJkoTU_RzDiL8SsPwoRUYAxYy0_TwcsM4MtBKbo6N1G3mLMFSpPY5Xd_ZN2HQVvQwrY49e9H8xz9ZjaksH7fCzmd_rkCHsO_WCHjBeOrdA7R4n/s1600/statue.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 93px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXhkqTbkgel-YQc5S-4b0TIKLHgKQwRjnJkoTU_RzDiL8SsPwoRUYAxYy0_TwcsM4MtBKbo6N1G3mLMFSpPY5Xd_ZN2HQVvQwrY49e9H8xz9ZjaksH7fCzmd_rkCHsO_WCHjBeOrdA7R4n/s320/statue.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5542710388919485442" /></a><br /><a href="http://efareviews.cineuropa.org/2010/11/nominations-for-23rd-european-film.html"><strong>The 23rd European Film Awards ceremony</strong></a> will be hosted by German comedian <strong>Anke Engelke</strong> and Estonian actor <strong>Märt Avandi</strong>.<br /><br />When the 1,400 guests take their seats for the 23rd European Film Awards at Tallinn's modern Nokia Concert Hall, they will be welcomed by German comedy star Anke Engelke and up-and-coming Estonian actor Märt Avandi. Last year's EFA host Anke Engelke has been producing and acting in her popular comedy show <em>Ladykracher</em> for almost ten years. Joining her on stage is Märt Avandi, a young Estonian actor, known for his comedy acts both in films and on stage, and as one half of a popular parody-duo hosting different television and live-shows. <br /><br />Among the evening’s distinguished film guests will be Swiss actor <strong>Bruno Ganz</strong>, recipient of the <a href="http://efareviews.cineuropa.org/2010/09/efa-honours-bruno-ganz.html"><strong>EFA Lifetime Achievement Award</strong></a>. Another honorary award, the Eurpoean Film Academy Achievement in World Cinema 2010, will be presented to composer <a href="http://efareviews.cineuropa.org/2010/10/efa-honours-gabriel-yared.html"><strong>Gabriel Yared</strong></a> who will also be in Tallinn for a special film music concert with the Brussels Philharmonic. <br /><br />Watch the 23rd European Film Awards on 4 December at www.europeanfilmawards.eu<br /><br />The European Film Awards 2010 are presented by the European Film Academy e.V. and EFA Productions gGmbH with the support of European Capital of Culture Tallinn 2011, Estonian Ministry of Culture, the City of Tallinn, Estonian Cultural Endowment, Enterprise Estonia, Estonian Public Broadcasting, Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival and BDG.James Drew and Colin Moorshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00690364694979729337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8745328752170382755.post-16906081317763902422010-11-14T12:40:00.002+01:002010-11-14T12:47:31.825+01:00EFA Short Film Nominees<a href="http://www.picturenose.com/wp-content/uploads/statue.png"><img src="http://www.picturenose.com/wp-content/uploads/statue.png" alt="" title="statue" width="93" height="320" class="alignleft size-full wp-image-2308" /></a><br /><strong>The short film nominees for the European Film Awards 2010 were recently announced at the International Short Film Festival in Drama, in Greece.</strong><br /><br />The list of nominated short films is now complete. The short film initiative is organised by the European Film Academy in co-operation with fifteen film festivals throughout Europe. At each of these festivals, an independent jury presents one of the European short films in competition with a nomination in the short film category of the European Film Awards. Among the fifteen nominated short films there are fiction films, documentaries and animation films, representing 14 European countries. The 2,300 members of the European Film Academy will now vote for the winner.<br /><br />The overall winner will be presented during the Awards Ceremony on Saturday, 4 December, in Tallinn, Estonia.<br /><br /><strong>EUROPEAN FILM ACADEMY (EFA) SHORT FILM 2010<br /><br />The nominations:<br /><br />EFA Short Film Nominee Ghent<br />AMOR<br />by Thomas Wangsmo (Norway 2009, 14′, fiction)<br /><br />EFA Short Film Nominee Valladolid<br />AMPELMANN (<em>Lights</em>)<br />by Giulio Ricciarelli (Germany 2009, 14’, fiction)<br /><br />EFA Short Film Nominee Cork<br />LES ESCARGOTS DE JOSEPH (<em>Joseph’s Snails</em>)<br />by Sophie Roze (France 2009, 12’, animation)<br /><br />EFA Short Film Nominee Angers<br />BLIJF BIJ ME, WEG (<em>Stay, Away</em>)<br />by Paloma Aguilera Valdebenito (the Netherlands 2009, 24’, fiction)<br /><br />EFA Short Film Nominee Rotterdam<br />ØNSKEBØRN (<em>Out of Love</em>)<br />by Birgitte Stærmose (Denmark 2009, 29′, documentary)<br /><br />EFA Short Film Nominee Berlin<br />VENUS VS ME<br />by Nathalie Teirlinck (Belgium 2009, 27′, fiction)<br /><br />EFA Short Film Nominee Tampere<br />LUMIKKO (<em>The Little Snow Animal</em>)<br />by Miia Tervo (Finland 2009, 19′, documentary)<br /><br />EFA Short Film Nominee Cracow<br />TUSSILAGO<br />by Jonas Odell (Sweden 2010, 14′, documentary animation)<br /><br />EFA Short Film Nominee Grimstad<br />HANOI - WARSZAWA (Hanoi - Warsaw)<br />by Katarzyna Klimkiewicz (Poland 2009, 30′, fiction)<br /><br />EFA Short Film Nominee Edinburgh<br />MARÍA’S WAY<br />by Anne Milne (UK/Spain 2009, 16′, documentary)<br /><br />EFA Short Film Nominee Vila do Conde<br />TALLERES CLANDESTINOS<br />by Catalina Molina (Austria/Argentina 2010, 40′, fiction)<br /><br />EFA Short Film Nominee Sarajevo<br />RENDEZ-VOUS A STELLA-PLAGE (<em>Rendezvous in Stella-Plage</em>)<br />by Shalimar Preuss (France 2009, 18′, fiction)<br /><br />EFA Short Film Nominee Locarno<br />DIARCHIA (<em>Diarchy</em>)<br />by Ferdinando Cito Filomarino (Italy/France 2010, 20′, fiction)<br /><br />EFA Short Film Nominee Venice<br />THE EXTERNAL WORLD<br />by David OReilly (Germany 2010, 15′, animation)<br /><br />EFA Short Film Nominee Drama<br />ITT VAGYOK (<em>Here I Am</em>)<br />by Bálint Szimler (Hungary 2010, 36′, fiction)</strong>James Drew and Colin Moorshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00690364694979729337noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8745328752170382755.post-36498436956474492010-11-06T16:19:00.001+01:002010-11-06T16:21:31.817+01:00Nominations for 23rd European Film Awards<a href="http://www.picturenose.com/wp-content/uploads/statue.png"><img src="http://www.picturenose.com/wp-content/uploads/statue.png" alt="" title="statue" width="93" height="320" class="alignleft size-full wp-image-2308" /></a><br /><br />At the <strong>Seville European Film Festival</strong> the <strong>European Film Academy (EFA)</strong> and EFA Productions announced the nominations for the <a href="http://www.picturenose.com/european-film-awards-2010-selection-announced-movie-review.html"><strong>European Film Awards 2010</strong></a>. The more than 2,300 EFA Members will now vote for the winners, which will be honoured during the awards ceremony on 4 December in Tallinn, Estonia.<br /><br /><strong>EUROPEAN FILM 2010<br /><br /><em>Bal</em> (<em>Honey</em>), Turkey/Germany<br />Directed by Semih Kaplanoğlu<br />Written by Semih Kaplanoğlu & Orçun Köksal<br />Produced by Semih Kaplanoğlu and Johannes Rexin<br /><br /><a href="http://www.picturenose.com/des-hommes-et-des-dieux-of-gods-and-men-2010-movie-review.html"><em>Des hommes et des dieux</em> (<em>Of Gods and Men</em>)</a>, France<br />Directed by Xavier Beauvois<br />Written by Etienne Comar and Xavier Beauvois<br /><br /><a href="http://www.picturenose.com/the-ghost-writer-2010-movie-review.html"><em>The Ghost Writer</em></a>, France/Germany/UK<br />Directed by Roman Polanski<br />Written by Robert Harris and Roman Polanski<br />Produced by Robert Benmussa, Alain Sarde and Roman Polanski<br /><br /><em>Lebanon</em>, Israel/Germany/France<br />Written and directed by Samuel Maoz<br />Produced by Moshe Edery, Leon Edery, David Silber, Uri Sabag, Einat Bickel, Benjamina Mirnik and Illan Girard<br /><br /><em>El Secretos De Sus Ojos </em>(<em>The Secret in their Eyes</em>), Spain/Argentina<br />Directed by Juan José Campanella<br />Written by Eduardo Sacheri & Juan José Campanella<br />Produced by Gerardo Herrero, Mariela Besuievsky and Juan José Campanella<br /><br /><em>Soul Kitchen</em>, Germany<br />Directed by Fatih Akin<br />Written by Fatih Akin and Adam Bousdoukos<br />Produced by Fatih Akin and Klaus Maeck<br /><br />EUROPEAN DIRECTOR 2010 <br /><br />Olivier Assayas for <em>Carlos</em><br />Semih Kaplanoğlu for <em>Bal</em> (<em>Honey</em>)<br />Samuel Maoz for <em>Lebanon</em><br />Roman Polanski for <em>The Ghost Writer</em><br />Paolo Virzi for <em>La Prima Cosa Bella</em> (<em>The First Beautiful Thing</em>)<br /><br />EUROPEAN ACTRESS 2010<br /><br />Zrinka Cvitešić in <em>Na Putu</em> (<em>On the Path</em>)<br />Sibel Kekilli in <em>Die Fremde</em> (<em>When We Leave</em>)<br />Lesley Manville in <em>Another Year</em><br />Sylvie Testud in <em>Lourdes</em><br />Lotte Verbeek in <em>Nothing Personal</em><br /><br />EUROPEAN ACTOR 2010<br /><br />Jakob Cedergren in <em>Submarino</em><br />Elio Germano in <em>La Nostra Vita</em> (<em>Our Life</em>)<br />Ewan McGregor in <em>The Ghost Writer</em><br />George Pistereanu in <em>Eu cand vreau sa fluier, fluier</em> (<em>If I Want to Whistle, I Whistle</em>)<br />Luis Tosar in <em>Celda 211</em> (<em>Cell 211</em>)<br /><br />EUROPEAN SCREENWRITER 2010<br /><br />Jorge Guerricaechevarría and Daniel Monzón for <em>Celda 211</em> (<em>Cell 211</em>)<br />Robert Harris and Roman Polanski for <em>The Ghost Writer</em><br />Samuel Maoz for <em>Lebanon</em><br />Radu Mihaileanu for <a href="http://www.picturenose.com/le-concert-2009-movie-review.html"><em>Le concert</em> (<em>The Concert</em>)</a><br />CARLO DI PALMA EUROPEAN CINEMATOGRAPHER AWARD 2010<br /><br />Giora Bejach for <em>Lebanon</em><br />Caroline Champetier for <em>Des hommes et des dieux</em> (<em>Of Gods and Men</em>)<br />Pavel Kostomarov for <em>Как я провел этим летом</em> (<em>How I Ended this Summer</em>)<br />Barış Özbiçer for <em>Bal </em>(<em>Honey</em>)<br /><br />EUROPEAN EDITOR 2010<br /><br />Luc Barnier and Marion Monnier for <em>Carlos</em><br />Arik Lahav-Leibovich for <em>Lebanon</em><br />Hervé de Luze for <em>The Ghost Writer</em><br /><br />EUROPEAN PRODUCTION DESIGNER 2010<br /><br />Paola Bizzarri and Luis Ramirez for <em>Io, Don Giovanni</em> (<em>I, Don Giovanni</em>)<br />Albrecht Konrad for <em>The Ghost Writer</em><br />Markku Pätilä & Jaagup Roomet for <em>Püha Tõnu kiusamine</em> (<em>The Temptation of St. Tony</em>)<br /><br />EUROPEAN COMPOSER 2010<br /><br />Ales Brezina for <em>Kawasakiho růže</em> (<em>Kawasaki’s Rose</em>)<br />Pasquale Catalano for <em>Mine Vaganti</em> (Loose Cannons)<br />Alexandre Desplat for <em>The Ghost Writer</em><br />Gary Yershon for <em>Another Year</em></strong><br /><br />Watch the 23rd European Film Awards live on 4 December at www.europeanfilmawards.euJames Drew and Colin Moorshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00690364694979729337noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8745328752170382755.post-8699288420606741492010-10-31T11:41:00.003+01:002010-10-31T11:52:49.334+01:00Co-Production Award for Zeynep Özbatur<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJCLIyB_25HpuadWd2vzLWXXzPUfZ-5ilT6unnhcVmU4Dbm9fa4XrOCm-VNqqw0MP6Am1ZLhinj3ca9Sep4n8kOoJ6OkC3wEkoGzirM3ZEmdzG4yGDU37BakatfCmoIvCEodiOoLRZnuK_/s1600/Zeynep+%C3%96zbatur.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJCLIyB_25HpuadWd2vzLWXXzPUfZ-5ilT6unnhcVmU4Dbm9fa4XrOCm-VNqqw0MP6Am1ZLhinj3ca9Sep4n8kOoJ6OkC3wEkoGzirM3ZEmdzG4yGDU37BakatfCmoIvCEodiOoLRZnuK_/s320/Zeynep+%C3%96zbatur.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5534161117227756674" /></a><br /><strong>Turkish producer receives Prix EURIMAGES</strong><br /><br />The winner of the fourth edition of the <strong>EUROPEAN CO-PRODUCTION AWARD - Prix EURIMAGES</strong>, an award acknowledging the decisive role of co-productions in the European film industry, was recently announced in the framework of the 'New Cinema Network' in Rome, attended by many cinema industry professionals.<br /><br />This year’s prize will go to an outstanding producer who has always joined forces with European producing companies to develop and promote European cinema: Zeynep Özbatur, a major name in international film production, who heads Zeyno Film Production in Istanbul, Turkey.<br /><br />Zeynep Özbatur is a film producer whose recent credits include the award-winning <a href="http://www.picturenose.com/uc-maymun-three-monkeys-2008-movie-review.html"><strong><em>Üç maymun </em>(<em>Three Monkeys</em>) (2008)</strong></a> and <strong><em>Climates</em></strong> (2006), both directed by Nuri Bilge Ceylan and supported by Eurimages. She graduated from Marmara University Department of Cinema and Television in 1991. Ms Özbatur has been working in film and commercial production since 1986. In 1994, she became one of the founding members of CO Productions, which produced numerous commercials. She recently founded her own production company, Zeyno Film, which is also involved in training young professionals in the Turkish cinema industry.<br /><br />The EUROPEAN CO-PRODUCTION AWARD - Prix EURIMAGES will be presented during the European Film Awards Ceremony in Tallinn, Estonia, on Saturday 4 December 2010. Eurimages is a support fund for the co-production, distribution and exhibition of European cinematographic works, established by the Council of Europe in 1988.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.coe.int/Eurimages"><strong>Click here for more information.</strong></a>James Drew and Colin Moorshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00690364694979729337noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8745328752170382755.post-34247077901016277012010-10-28T11:05:00.006+02:002010-10-28T11:11:50.271+02:00EFA Nominates Three Documentaries<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1-rNd-9zfHtxhOA01Tbx-pNbBLjTaNYXdFYLYX6iz5xKdgq87jSYZhrwfIfezv0LjwQHrcIsxN0DELhMivX50lXOwzZk70RzGlME3uvplwBjBgMs2JW2oxCqKWAW3tXpb2Yg7FL2cGCXZ/s1600/statue1.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 93px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1-rNd-9zfHtxhOA01Tbx-pNbBLjTaNYXdFYLYX6iz5xKdgq87jSYZhrwfIfezv0LjwQHrcIsxN0DELhMivX50lXOwzZk70RzGlME3uvplwBjBgMs2JW2oxCqKWAW3tXpb2Yg7FL2cGCXZ/s320/statue1.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5533021848350299458" /></a><br />The European Film Academy proudly announces the nominations in the category EUROPEAN FILM ACADEMY DOCUMENTARY 2010 – PRIX ARTE. A committee consisting of EFA Board Member Despina Mouzaki (Greece), EFA Members Pierre-Henri Deleau (France) and Francine Brücher (Switzerland), experts Claas Danielsen (International Leipzig Festival for Documentary and Animated Film), Ally Derks (director IDFA, the Netherlands), and Jacques Laurent (producer, Belgium) has chosen three films for a nomination.<br /><br />For the first time, the nominated documentary films will now be made available to all 2,300 members of the European Film Academy who will vote for the winner.<br /><br /><strong>Nominated are:<br /><br />ARMADILLO: Denmark/Sweden<br />Directed by Janus Metz<br />Produced by Ronnie Fridthjof & Sara Stockman<br /><br />MIESTEN VUORO (<em>Steam of Life</em>): Finland/Sweden<br />Written and directed by Joonas Berghäll and Mika Hotakainen<br />Produced by Joonas Berghäll<br /><br />NOSTALGIA DE LA LUZ (<em>Nostalgia for the Light</em>): France/Germany/Chile<br />Written and directed by Patricio Guzmán<br />Produced by Renate Sachse</strong><br /><br />In association with the European culture channel ARTE, the winner will be presented at the 23rd European Film Awards on 4 December in Tallinn/Estonia.James Drew and Colin Moorshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00690364694979729337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8745328752170382755.post-46083659884844218552010-10-24T13:29:00.005+02:002010-10-24T14:24:43.633+02:00EFA Honours Gabriel Yared<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj37Z1Jub6q8SO0dIyboDhlFswvylT6-biT_JVHA-vDx4ExO0QMgbDpwkSWpnHVhFqjxdpx2UV9E44DdCjgUK0nAKr7TO-M362huG0x4NR7dOf48rox4xFKWOZwFTy0d1dyWC8VBAQTR8K1/s1600/gabriel_yared.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 288px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj37Z1Jub6q8SO0dIyboDhlFswvylT6-biT_JVHA-vDx4ExO0QMgbDpwkSWpnHVhFqjxdpx2UV9E44DdCjgUK0nAKr7TO-M362huG0x4NR7dOf48rox4xFKWOZwFTy0d1dyWC8VBAQTR8K1/s320/gabriel_yared.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5531587092636155170" /></a><br /><strong>The famed composer is set to receive the European Film Academy’s EUROPEAN ACHIEVEMENT IN WORLD CINEMA AWARD 2010.</strong><br /><br />A self-taught musician, Gabriel Yared started his career composing, orchestrating and producing songs for a variety of popular French, Italian and Brazilian performers such as Charles Aznavour, Gilbert Bécaud, Johnny Halliday, Mina and Françoise Hardy as well as composing a lot of ballet music, jingles and signature melodies for television, radio, and commercials.<br /><br />He wrote his first film score in 1980 for Jean-Luc Godard's <em>Sauve qui peut la vie</em> (<em>Every Man for Himself</em>) and since then the majority of his career has been essentially dedicated to music for the cinema: He wrote the score for <em>37.2 le matin</em> (<em>Betty Blue</em> (1986)) by Jean-Jacques Beineix, <em>Camille Claudel</em> (1988) by Bruno Nuytten,<em>Vincent et Théo </em>(1990) by Robert Altman, and <em>L'Amant</em> (<em>The Lover</em>, 1991) by Jean-Jacques Annaud, for which he received a French César. Yared collaborated with Anthony Minghella for The English Patient (1996), for which he received virtually every award there is, among them an Oscar, a Golden Globe, a BAFTA and a Grammy, <em>The Talented Mr Ripley</em> (1999), and for <em>Cold Mountain</em> (2003). In 2006, he was nominated for the European Film Awards for <a href="http://efareviews.cineuropa.org/2009/06/das-leben-der-anderen-lives-of-others.html"><strong><em>Das Leben der Anderen</em> (<em>The Lives of Others</em>)</strong></a> by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck. His impressive body of work includes the music for <em>City Of Angels</em> (1998) by Brad Silberling, <em>Message in a Bottle </em>(1999) by Luis Mandoki, <em>Azur et Asmar </em>(2006) by Michel Ocelot, <em>Adam Ressurected</em> (2008) by Paul Schrader, <em>Amelia</em> by Mira Nair and <em>Coco et Igor</em> by Jan Kounen (both 2009). <br /><br />In recognition of a unique contribution to the world of film the European Film Academy takes great pleasure in presenting Gabriel Yared with the award <strong>EUROPEAN ACHIEVEMENT IN WORLD CINEMA 2010</strong>. <br /><br />Gabriel Yared will be a guest of honour at the 23rd European Film Awards Ceremony on 4 December 2010 in Tallinn.James Drew and Colin Moorshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00690364694979729337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8745328752170382755.post-74782982776636408822010-10-12T16:57:00.004+02:002010-10-12T17:11:57.985+02:00EFA Discovery Award: Five Debut Films<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6NUmfL_54bIlsGorJhVYVMCwshCIMIpAkl22tj8DZ28Pn2OJ44AYzj3d2gRQqbvmppJ5vJWIz8jFS6QD2y_dXlajRZ7-BH0ddfXvKMq_6ImMIK8C_pZPWOup-7jPv0L4sNbOxhd6npyrf/s1600/statue1.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 93px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6NUmfL_54bIlsGorJhVYVMCwshCIMIpAkl22tj8DZ28Pn2OJ44AYzj3d2gRQqbvmppJ5vJWIz8jFS6QD2y_dXlajRZ7-BH0ddfXvKMq_6ImMIK8C_pZPWOup-7jPv0L4sNbOxhd6npyrf/s320/statue1.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5527176985427911778" /></a><br />The European Film Academy has announced this year’s nominations for the EUROPEAN DISCOVERY - Prix FIPRESCI, an award presented annually as part of the European Film Awards to a young and upcoming director for a first full-length feature film. This year’s nominations were chosen by a committee comprising EFA Board Member Els Vandevorst (the Netherlands), EFA Member Pierre-Henri Deleau (France), and experts Jacob Neiiendam (director of the film festival CPH:PIX, Denmark), Alin Tasciyan (film critic, Turkey), and Mariola Wiktor (Forum of European Cinema, Poland), all of them members of FIPRESCI, the International Federation of Film Critics. <br /><br /><strong>NOMINATED ARE: <br /><br />LA DOPPIA ORA (<em>The Double Hour</em>), Italy<br />directed by Giuseppe Capotondi<br />written by Alessandro Fabbri, Ludovica Rampoldi & Stefano Sardo<br />produced by Nicola Giuliano & Francesca Cima<br /><br />EU CAND VREAU SA FLUIER, FLUIER (<em>If I Want to Whistle, I Whistle</em>), Romania<br />directed by Florin Serban<br />written by Catalin Mitulescu & Florin Serban<br />produced by Catalin Mitulescu<br /><br />DIE FREMDE (<em>When We Leave</em>), Germany<br />written & directed by Feo Aladag<br />produced by Feo Aladag & Züli Aladag<br /><br />LEBANON, Israel/Germany/France<br />written & directed by Samuel Maoz<br />produced by Moshe Edery, Leon Edery, David Silber, Uri Sabag, Einat Bickel, Benjamina Mirnik & Illan Girard<br /><br />NOTHING PERSONAL, the Netherlands/Ireland<br />written & directed by Urszula Antoniak<br />produced by Reinier Selen & Edwin van Meurs</strong><br /><br />The nominated films will now be made available to all 2,300 members of the European Film Academy. They will vote for the winner who will be announced at the 23rd European Film Awards on 4 December in Tallinn/Estonia.James Drew and Colin Moorshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00690364694979729337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8745328752170382755.post-71704383160600953482010-10-10T16:06:00.004+02:002010-10-10T17:53:39.897+02:00The Ghost Writer (2010)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdv67Jn9YvjVY04Lsgk9inW0Vah2KXrSicnO8QPnmu4fENOWxDkN2fX7yrd8oMDR8mBratxP7A7ECiQavnPV0lPxekxdupaEaPIxUU6zZlOWIUqzyd5VZBOfJg18Pl7v3lRZPwddGI6SmK/s1600/The-Ghost-Writer.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 205px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdv67Jn9YvjVY04Lsgk9inW0Vah2KXrSicnO8QPnmu4fENOWxDkN2fX7yrd8oMDR8mBratxP7A7ECiQavnPV0lPxekxdupaEaPIxUU6zZlOWIUqzyd5VZBOfJg18Pl7v3lRZPwddGI6SmK/s320/The-Ghost-Writer.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526419494006840210" /></a><br /><strong>Written off</strong><br /><br /><a href="http://efareviews.cineuropa.org/2010/09/efa-2010-selection-announced.html"><strong>Official Selection, European Film Awards 2010</strong></a><br /><br />One can but hope that, while the ‘story behind the story’ concerning the sexual crimes of Roman Polanski, the director of <em>The Ghost Writer </em>(2010) has once again faded from view, the same will never occur concerning the fact that the film’s Adam Lang, a UK former prime minister, is in <em>no way </em>intended to resemble one Tony Blair. For the benefit of our American readers, that last sentence was an example of 'irony'. I thank you.<br /><br />There’s no doubt that, on the strength of <em>The Ghost Writer</em>, Polanski is still very much a class act. Despite his very ocassional slip-ups (such as, perhaps, <em>The Ninth Gate </em>(1999)), there has always been a rare expectancy to each of the films from the man behind <a href="http://www.picturenose.com/rosemarys-baby-1968-movie-review.html"><em>Rosemary’s Baby</em> (1968)</a> and <a href="http://www.picturenose.com/chinatown-1974-movie-review.html"><em>Chinatown</em> (1974)</a>, much as there always was with the work of Stanley Kubrick.<br /><br />Adapted for the screen by the author of <em>The Ghost</em>, Robert Harris, this silky smooth, slow-burning examination of just how dangerous politics can get is a perfect foil to your run-of-the-mill, facile conspiracy-theory thriller – a ghost writer (Ewan McGregor) labelled only as ‘The Ghost’ in the credits lands the plum gig of knocking the memoirs of UK former prime minister (Pierce Brosnan) into shape. A smooth operator, Lang, who held sway over British politics for many years before retiring with his beautiful wife Ruth (Olivia Williams) to a luxurious, isolated and heavily guarded retreat in the US, nevertheless becomes embroiled in scandal concerning revelations as to just how far he was prepared to go to keep it chummy with Uncle Sam. Any of this ringing any bells yet, hmmm? Anyway, things threaten to get much, much worse for The Ghost, as he gradually realizes that the convoluted mess of a manuscript on which he is working may well contain life-threatening indiscretions…<br /><br />What makes this such a joy, I believe, is how well the two central characterizations by McGregor and Brosnan hang together – the former, a cynical hack coming to realize that there are consequences to actions and the latter a Machiavellian prince of darkness who has known this for a long time – and the performances of both reveal a maturity and intelligence that have not always been so evident in either actor’s work.<br /><br />In addition, Polanski’s passion for revealing the darkness at the heart of humanity is more than amply expounded here and the kicker, when it comes, will hit you, well, like a hit-and-run. Thrillers can still be made that do not insult the intelligence – allow <em>The Ghost Writer</em> (2010) to convince you.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1139328/awards"><strong>Awards: Click here for details.</strong></a><br /><br /><strong>JD</strong><br /><em>128 mins.</em>James Drew and Colin Moorshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00690364694979729337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8745328752170382755.post-2413626241660254472010-10-02T17:19:00.005+02:002010-10-02T18:07:23.948+02:00Des Hommes et des Dieux (Of Gods and Men) (2010)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTaLm6JLbIQGqlPj2x8058r5e5oTGfZEU3SHifxChxGqAlHr_ALwNb6l5SLq37NC7JPsnIIThxHzLBOVOj7Fpw_3e7k1y426s1GgCLuTgP9CaI186x6UayoJHSvi8k_vN3R-YX9mBH4sDE/s1600/Of-Gods-and-Men.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTaLm6JLbIQGqlPj2x8058r5e5oTGfZEU3SHifxChxGqAlHr_ALwNb6l5SLq37NC7JPsnIIThxHzLBOVOj7Fpw_3e7k1y426s1GgCLuTgP9CaI186x6UayoJHSvi8k_vN3R-YX9mBH4sDE/s320/Of-Gods-and-Men.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5523473787759215618" /></a><br /><strong>Who's killing who?</strong><br /><br /><a href="http://efareviews.cineuropa.org/2010/09/efa-2010-selection-announced.html"><strong>Official Selection, European Film Awards 2010</strong></a><br /><br />Though this film portrays terrorism and its victims, this is not another 'post 9/11 film'. In fact, the events it portrays transpired between 1993 and 1996, and had nothing to do with America, George W. Bush, or Iraq. The victims were French, and the perpetrators Algerian. But which Algerians? One of the film's characters even gets to utter the question raised by countless Algerians and outside observers: "Qui tue qui?" ("Who is killing who?").<br /><br />For the monks of Tibhirine, that question may never really be answered with certainty. What is certain, however, is that Xavier Beauvois has given us a unique film - the Cannes 2010 Jury Grand Prize winner. A film that is very difficult to categorize, neither a thriller nor just a film about monks or terrorists. That said, it has plenty of suspense, even if pretty much everyone knows the eventual fate of the monks.<br /><br />Our time spent with the monks gives us a sense of their world, before Algeria's decade-plus of bloodshed intervened to change their pastoral idyll forever. It is the portrayal of the monks' lives, and their anguish over the violence taking over their adopted country, which is so powerfully rendered in Des Hommes et des Dieux. The spectator is transported to Algeria in the mid-Nineties, and the sigh that a monk utters over the sheer beauty of the landscape of the high steppes and forested hills is something that one can almost feel. And the sense of impending loss.<br /><br />Beauvois has given us a beautiful film, and the casting is perfect. Lambert Wilson as Brother Christian, the Prior of the monastery, has an ascetic intellectual steel behind wire-rimmed glasses beloved of French priests. He resents the intrusion of the warring factions on the monks' work, though his decision to stick it out in the isolated mountains causes him constant anguish. Olivier Rabourdin as Christophe is riven with doubt, and closeups of his eyes replace any need for extraneous dialogue. Brother Luc, played by an avuncular Michel Lonsdale, has seen it all - literally. During Algeria's war of liberation in the Fifties, Luc was taken prisoner by the FLN, only to be released when they realized that Dr. Luc Dochier was treating Algerians - both FLN fighters and civilians.<br /><br />Despite the difficulty of treating such a subject, Olivier Beauvois gives us a very subtle film, one that hints at the ambiguities of the record. The monks recoil at the violence perpetrated by both sides, and their stubborn insistence at staying with the villagers who depend on them for employment, for medical treatment, and for intelligent conversation becomes an annoyance to the combatants.<br /><br />A hovering helicopter gives a premonition of the fate that may have befallen the monks, the loud, whirling blades audible as they pray in their chapel. Is it Army protection, or something else? In 2009, former French military attaché in Algiers General François Buchwalter testified that the monks were in fact killed in a botched attack on what the Army took to be an Islamist group.<br /><br /><em>Of Gods and Men</em> is an ode to a group of incredibly brave men, beautifully acted and filmed. A fitting memorial to the monks buried on a hillside in their beloved Algeria.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.talimblog.org"><strong>Gerald Loftus</strong></a><br /><em>122 mins. In French.</em>James Drew and Colin Moorshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00690364694979729337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8745328752170382755.post-47251627590822672882010-09-25T14:00:00.004+02:002010-09-25T14:12:50.436+02:00Le concert (The Concert) (2009)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqw2w4nLVX70Yr-L66XvI_d1GTIaEmi5EZUQMjE8i2-TrIeZk123fl4RYnWiVuHIurqMAtZu4DPrbtwwYW-Z49CgpQ39kf2Ja3Uourr_jyKfraMoz_wY_mhw_XxHe63ezpyr62I2HUDdcj/s1600/Concert.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 212px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqw2w4nLVX70Yr-L66XvI_d1GTIaEmi5EZUQMjE8i2-TrIeZk123fl4RYnWiVuHIurqMAtZu4DPrbtwwYW-Z49CgpQ39kf2Ja3Uourr_jyKfraMoz_wY_mhw_XxHe63ezpyr62I2HUDdcj/s320/Concert.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5520821316267792610" /></a><br /><strong>The right notes</strong><br /><br /><a href="http://efareviews.cineuropa.org/2010/09/efa-2010-selection-announced.html"><strong>Official Selection, European Film Awards 2010</strong></a><br /><br />Comedies make you laugh, and tragi-comedies do too, but how to describe Radu Mihaileanu’s latest film <em>Le concert </em>(2009)? <br /><br />Its Russian settings, with hilarious takes on all the cliches we’ve come to expect of post-Cold War Russia – thuggish, gun-toting Mafia lords and their cash approach to culture, aging Communists longing for the good old Soviet days, Everyman (and Everywoman) scrounging to raise a ruble in the crudely capitalistic present – will make you laugh until you cry. The frenzied action never lets up – it might even strike some as a bit over the top, like a Kusturica film – even when the troupe is unleashed on a sedate and unsuspecting Paris.<br /><br />But the tears you’ll shed during the climactic concert – a faux Bolshoi orchestra attempting to recreate a Brezhnev-era musical moment that was cruelly cut short – will be tears of joy. A neighbour of ours, a hardy outdoorsman who had never before displayed his sentimental side, said that he was not immune to the emotion of Le concert, and I can understand. Music does that to you, especially a stirring Tchaikovsky concerto played with such virtuosity.<br /><br />Don’t get me wrong – despite its title and its story premise, this is not a musical, or even a musical comedy. There’s that difficulty again in classifying Le concert. Let’s just say that if you like a good story, a good laugh (despite the tears), and music from visa-fixing Gypsy fiddlers to the Red Army Chorus’ ever-rousing Kalinka, you’ll enjoy Le concert. But there’s a serious side to the story, which is what attracted France-based Mihaileanu to it.<br /><br />Mihaileanu, the son of a Romanian Communist who had to change his name from Buchman to escape Nazi extermination camps, has dealt with Jewish themes before. His award-winning 2005 film <em>Live and Become </em>(<em>Va, vis et deviens</em>), dealt with the difficult integration into Israeli society of the Ethiopian Falasha Jews. He has based Le concert on an amalgam of historical incidents, based on the record of Antisemitism in Brezhnev’s Soviet Union. <br /><br />With all the recent hoopla over 1989 and the Gorbachev perestroika and glasnost that helped to bring about the fall of the Soviet Union, it is worth remembering the darker days that preceded Mr. Gorbachev. Brezhnev appeared to be a throwback to the days of Stalin and his henchmen, especially as regards Soviet Jews. Writes Professor Christie Davies in The Social Affairs Unit blog:<br /><br /><strong>Official anti-Semitism was also popular. It gave the most menial of workers someone to hate, someone to blame, someone to despise. Your vilest traditional prejudices were endorsed and encouraged by your rulers. Newspapers deliberately stressed the Jewish identity of Jews executed for economic crimes…</strong><br /><br />Without miring us in historical detail, Mihaileanu focuses instead on the memory of Lea, the violin soloist whose ouster from the Bolshoi has left a lasting mark on all who knew her. The director’s choice of French actress Mélanie Laurent uncannily parallels the fictional 'faux Bolshoi' conductor’s selection of a French soloist to replace – or is it replicate? – Lea. Actress Laurent speaks of her own Jewish roots: her grandfather, like Mihaileanu’s own father, was also a Communist who resisted Nazi persecution.<br /><br />So there it is: a feel-good movie that isn’t lightweight; a comedy with a serious side; a film where music’s role is central but does not require a degree in Tchaikovsky studies…<em>Le concert </em>is a touching film, a fitting addition to Mihaileanu’s growing body of respected work.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1320082/awards"><strong>Awards: Click here for details.</strong></a><br /><br /><a href="http://avuncularamerican.typepad.com/"><strong>Gerald Loftus</strong></a><br /><em>119 mins. In French and Russian.</em>James Drew and Colin Moorshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00690364694979729337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8745328752170382755.post-80301927841385712682010-09-21T11:02:00.004+02:002010-09-21T11:06:35.515+02:00EFA Animated Feature Film 2010<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAkkjf0nCXOHTu8Yn0vzF-j9C4ZhOl1Sr2Pg3PR5orZJsq4xZih6tATUWdZOhhMF-gHrRCOvFVE16VrusLqMlhfRLZlRRAtvoZI8h57A7lAAPejFHNswyoelAFfviJUv-XyJGR-EoxVuhd/s1600/statue.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 93px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAkkjf0nCXOHTu8Yn0vzF-j9C4ZhOl1Sr2Pg3PR5orZJsq4xZih6tATUWdZOhhMF-gHrRCOvFVE16VrusLqMlhfRLZlRRAtvoZI8h57A7lAAPejFHNswyoelAFfviJUv-XyJGR-EoxVuhd/s320/statue.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519290083406114466" /></a><br />The European Film Academy proudly announces the three nominations in the category <strong>European Film Academy Animated Feature 2010.</strong><br /><br />The jury consisting of EFA Board Members Per Holst (producer, Denmark) and Antonio Saura (producer, Spain) as well as representatives of CARTOON, the European Association of Animation Film, Mark Baker (animation director, UK), Giuseppe Lagana (animation director, Italy) and Serge Siritzky (managing editor Ecran Total, France) decided to nominate the following films:<br /><br /><strong>PLANET 51 (Spain, UK) <br />Directed by: Jorge Blanco <br />Co-directed by: Javier Abad and Marcos Martínez <br /><br />SAMMY'S ADVENTURES: THE SECRET PASSAGE (Belgium) <br />Directed by: Ben Stassen <br /><br />THE ILLUSIONIST (UK, France) <br />Directed by: Sylvain Chomet </strong><br /><br />The nominated films will now be submitted to the 2,300 EFA Members to elect the winner who will be honoured at the European Film Awards Ceremony on Saturday, 4 December, in Tallinn, Estonia.James Drew and Colin Moorshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00690364694979729337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8745328752170382755.post-40885891780808353332010-09-16T11:07:00.002+02:002010-09-16T11:16:55.904+02:00EFA Honours Bruno Ganz<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMjk0FjieLmvTpfnbQc1hl2WNJPBrv437vpE-Ul7VLuEZo-kByVM_WlsOBNrsiepLNgoDalqiWx3AU0MYGeJS7I1Z1KBB9bl7eOAK_ERNvUZ45syUpbJwxCwRmEIGqN802t0OwemROGZE3/s1600/Ganz.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 299px; height: 168px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMjk0FjieLmvTpfnbQc1hl2WNJPBrv437vpE-Ul7VLuEZo-kByVM_WlsOBNrsiepLNgoDalqiWx3AU0MYGeJS7I1Z1KBB9bl7eOAK_ERNvUZ45syUpbJwxCwRmEIGqN802t0OwemROGZE3/s320/Ganz.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5517437794377318802" /></a><br />At the 23rd European Film Awards this year, the European Film Academy (EFA) will honour Swiss actor <strong>Bruno Ganz</strong> - whether as an angel in <strong><em>Wings of Desire </em>(1987)</strong> by Wim Wenders, in the Italian comedy <strong><em>Bread & Tulips </em>(2000)</strong> by Silvio Soldini, or playing Adolf Hitler in Oliver Hirschbiegel's <strong><em>The Downfall </em>(2004)</strong>, Bruno Ganz has lent his face to some of cinema's most unforgettable moments. <br /><br />Together with actress <strong>Iris Berben</strong>, Ganz was elected President of the German Film Academy in 2010.<br /><br />The European Film Academy takes great pleasure in presenting Bruno Ganz with the European Film Academy Lifetime Achievement Award for his outstanding and dedicated body of work. <br /><br />Bruno Ganz will be an honorary guest at the 23rd European Film Awards Ceremony on 4 December 2010 in Tallinn.<br /><br />The European Film Awards 2010 are presented by the European Film Academy e.V. and EFA Productions gGmbH with the support of European Capital of Culture Tallinn 2011, Estonian Ministry of Culture, the City of Tallinn, Estonian Cultural Endowment, Enterprise Estonia, Estonian Public Broadcasting, Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival and BDG.James Drew and Colin Moorshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00690364694979729337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8745328752170382755.post-4326285215116937822010-09-11T13:03:00.004+02:002010-09-11T13:13:00.699+02:00The Science of Sleep (2006)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5f2TbRwT7QuQm2n13iU2uDSlhi5SJJKBuhD01ZDn2VPkKotb8Ca8bhwsM3oOZIsClgrgrfjTNKi9IHTiiALdqQls_wBpk0o-Lx-miR8Yy5eztThV2xWpy_sUUNZ9a6dW4mCTR35eU9K7a/s1600/Science+of+Sleep.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5f2TbRwT7QuQm2n13iU2uDSlhi5SJJKBuhD01ZDn2VPkKotb8Ca8bhwsM3oOZIsClgrgrfjTNKi9IHTiiALdqQls_wBpk0o-Lx-miR8Yy5eztThV2xWpy_sUUNZ9a6dW4mCTR35eU9K7a/s320/Science+of+Sleep.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515611488213843874" /></a><br /><strong>Sleeper hit</strong><br /><br /><a href="http://www.europeanfilmacademy.org/2008/09/04/2006-2/"><strong>Winner of the European Film Academy Award For An Artistic Contribution 2006: Production Design (Pierre Pell & Stéphane Rozenbaum).</strong></a><br /><br />While the majority of the French population sit around smoking Gauloises, sipping Absinthe and trying very hard to look like tortured artists,<strong> Michel Gondry</strong> seems to have something else keeping him awake - sleep. <br /><br />The acclaimed director is something of an oddball, having directed such an eclectic range of movies, including videos for <strong>Daft Punk</strong> and<strong> Massive Attack</strong>, the quirky<strong><em> Be Kind, Rewind</em> (2008) </strong> and even an episode of the TV cult hit<em> <strong>Flight of the Conchords</strong></em>. <br /><br />He seems at his best when working with the ever-so-slightly surreal, and has the knack of making it fun, engaging and entirely unpretentious. His first sleep-themed film to catch my eye was <strong><em>Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind</em> (2004)</strong> - a film in which I was not only surprised to find that Jim Carrey is a mighty fine actor, but that Kate Winslet also has her moments.<br /><br />You will remember, if you have seen <em>Eternal Sunshine...</em>, how dreams and sleep almost interweave with real life in a subtle and quiet manner, up to the point where it's often difficult to tell which is which. This, of course, is the thrust of the story. Many ancient cultures - and some modern ones - believed that dreams were just another part of consciousness, and talked about them as if they were on a parallel with conscious thought and experience. Gondry appears to have found a way of expressing this in cinematic form and is stamping his authority all over this movie-making method. His real talent lies in making both these worlds distinctly separate, yet linear, and managing to portray them so effortlessly that there is little danger of appearing too 'arty'.<br /><br />Written by the talented Charlie Kaufman <strong>(<em>Being John Malkovitch</em> (1998)</strong>), it's a love story in essence, but don't worry - it doesn't get too squishy. If you know Kaufman's work, you'll know it's not going to be formulaic, and will require at least a medium-term attention span. The reward is a cracking story, so well worth the efort. Stéphane (Gael García Bernal) arrives in Paris, the town of his birth, from Mexico, following the death of his father. Despite his limited ability to speak French (it was his mother's language) he manages to get a job in a design studio, hoping to forge a career as a graphic designer. There follows a few really well-paced gags on his clumsiness with the language which manage to be cute and touching rather than 'oh look at the stupid foreigner', and eventually the meeting with Stéphanie (Charlotte Gainsbourg). Gainsbourg, of course, is following the French law which requires her to look nothing but gorgeous, so obviously Stéphane would like to see more of her. His courtship is something of a farce in many ways, as he clumsily stumbles from one limp excuse to another and fails to win her over - except for her fascination with his aptitude for cartooning, stop-frame animation and the invention of weird gadgets. This plot device allows a fairly seamless transition from reality to dreams.<br /><br /><strong><em>The Science of Sleep</em> (2006)</strong> is a well-acted movie by a writer with a penchant for the unusual and a director who's more than up to the job of filming his stories. Bernal and Gainsbourg make for an odd couple - not in looks, but in sensibilities, and play their respective parts with aplomb, but the real star is the set. Skipping between dreams set in a cardboard TV studio and flights of fancy lovingly rendered in stop-frame, this gentle romantic comedy (and yes, that's really what it is) should leave you with a nice, warm and fuzzy feeling and a smile on your face. If not, there's always <strong><em>A Nightmare on Elm Street</em></strong>.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0354899/awards"><strong>Awards: Click here for details.</strong></a><br /><br /><strong>CM</strong><br /><em>105 mins. In English, French and Spanish.</em>James Drew and Colin Moorshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00690364694979729337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8745328752170382755.post-30340120208546785902010-09-10T12:47:00.006+02:002010-09-14T13:31:25.887+02:00Tamara Drewe (2010)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii60lmXGrrGLLIiGE7DpuSZpEmlnBJRiNHpT52m3FsP1hvpB5okFLiG_NoFiLni1AxRz9vzChKQJ8C9q5LSXXc1vo22_imOqdHwSs8mSaBoQ1pXuLfi3e8cdO8Sl0Y5uXxAdPY7eVoIeyf/s1600/Tamara+Drewe.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 211px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii60lmXGrrGLLIiGE7DpuSZpEmlnBJRiNHpT52m3FsP1hvpB5okFLiG_NoFiLni1AxRz9vzChKQJ8C9q5LSXXc1vo22_imOqdHwSs8mSaBoQ1pXuLfi3e8cdO8Sl0Y5uXxAdPY7eVoIeyf/s320/Tamara+Drewe.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515236275410213794" /></a><br /><strong>Tamaraboomdeay!</strong><br /><br /><a href="http://efareviews.cineuropa.org/2010/09/efa-2010-selection-announced.html"><strong>Official Selection, European Film Awards 2010.</strong></a><br /><br />Well, she has obviously had the oil removed in which she was eventually covered during her short-lived appearance in <a href="http://www.picturenose.com/new-james-bond-movie-quantum-of-solace-reviewed-movie-review.html"><strong><em>Quantum of Solace </em>(2008)</strong></a>, and it is fair to say that most red-blooded males will be happy about that – Gemma Arterton's natural beauty simply lights up the screen in Stephen Frear's adaptation of Posy Simmonds' graphic shorts concerning a girl who returns to her roots.<br /><br />Tamara Drewe returns from her job as a London newspaper columnist to the idyllic country village in which she grew up. Back home to sell her parents' house and to interview rock star Ben Sargeant (Dominic Cooper), Drewe's transformation from the proverbial ugly duckling (with, it must be said a nose that was out of proportion to her face) into the strikingly attractive young woman (post nose-job) now gracing the village has not gone unnoticed, either by Ben himself, her old boyfriend Andy (Luke Evans) or Nicholas Hardiment (Roger Allam), who plans on doing the dirty on his wife Beth (Tamsin Grieg). And, on the periphery of this enclosed world are Jody (Jessica Barden) and Casey (Charlotte Christie), two precocious teens who very much have their own agenda concerning the rock star. Trouble is brewing...<br /><br />But, this being Stephen Frears (<em>The Queen </em>(2006), <em>Dirty Pretty Things </em>(2002)), the trouble is always of the entirely charming variety – perhaps, as with the films of Richard Curtis, one never quite buys the sense of genuine community that the film creates, and maybe its town mouse/country mouse motifs are a little too broad for their own good at times (as are the performances by Barden and Christie, which occasionally veer too close to caricature), but the timeless (and immaculately timed) performances from Arterton and particularly Cooper, more than make up for any reality gap. <br /><br />Yes, there may also be few too many British stereotypes laid on a little thick, but what harm is there in that, exactly? Director Frears proves that they still do make 'em like they used to, with <em>Tamara Drewe</em> (2010), and that is no bad thing at all. <br /><br /><strong>JD</strong><br /><em>111 mins.</em>James Drew and Colin Moorshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00690364694979729337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8745328752170382755.post-73454395954935953692010-09-10T09:44:00.012+02:002010-10-10T16:17:40.851+02:00EFA 2010: Selection Announced<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1rbVdSH7TcBv-26JWYhYUtk_7auPJCzE4cpZD6jLn5AXT_m_B3bms9WWi_4FmvyCT2JoEiMFKD9ZFxZO8WYCgdVdeF4udhqE4G2XkAorDVZ_uM-_jbWnqDHR_-SgsHEWhUdsz2ux2KlPF/s1600/statue.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 93px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1rbVdSH7TcBv-26JWYhYUtk_7auPJCzE4cpZD6jLn5AXT_m_B3bms9WWi_4FmvyCT2JoEiMFKD9ZFxZO8WYCgdVdeF4udhqE4G2XkAorDVZ_uM-_jbWnqDHR_-SgsHEWhUdsz2ux2KlPF/s320/statue.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515191155541918946" /></a><br /><br /><strong>46 films, 32 countries </strong><br /><br />As announced by the European Film Academy and EFA Productions and already published on the <a href="http://europeanfilmawards.eu/en_EN/home/123467"><strong>European Film Awards website</strong></a>, there are 46 films in this year’s EFA Selection, the list of films recommended for a nomination for the European Film Awards 2010. With 32 countries represented, the list once again illustrates the great diversity of European cinema. The selected films also cover a wide range of genres and themes from comedies about families, restaurants or burials to dramas about childhood, prison life or prostitution, from political thrillers, film essays, and historical epics to a 5½-hour terrorist biopic.<br /><br />The 20 countries with the most EFA members have voted one national film directly into the selection list. To complete the list, a Selection Committee, consisting of EFA board members and invited experts Gunnar Bergdahl (Sweden), Pierre-Henri Deleau (France), Stefan Kitanov (Bulgaria), Derek Malcolm (UK) and Nikolaj Nikitin (Germany), has included further films. <br /><br /><strong>The EFA Selection 2010</strong><br /><br /><br /><strong>3 SEASONS IN HELL/3 SEZÓNY V PEKLE</strong><br />by Tomáš Mašin<br />Czech Republic, 110 mins.<br /><br /><strong>4 BLACK SUITS/TESSERA MAVRA KOUSTOUMIA</strong><br />by Renos Haralambidis<br />Greece, 90 mins.<br /><br /><strong>ADRIENN PÁL/PÁL ADRIENN</strong><br />Ágnes Kocsis<br />Hungary, 136 mins.<br /><br /><strong>ANOTHER YEAR</strong><br />by Mike Leigh<br />UK, 129 min.<br /><br /><strong>THE AVIATRIX OF KAZBEK/DE VLIEGENIERSTER VAN KAZBEK</strong><br />by Ineke Smits<br />the Netherlands/Georgia, 104 min.<br /><br /><strong>BAD FAMILY/PAHA PERHE</strong><br />by Aleksi Salmenperä<br />Finland, 95 mins.<br /><br /><strong>CARLOS</strong><br />by Olivier Assayas<br />France/Germany, 318 mins.<br /><br /><strong>CELL 211/CELDA 211</strong><br />by Daniel Monzón<br />Spain/France, 114 mins.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.picturenose.com/le-concert-2009-movie-review.html"><strong>THE CONCERT/LE CONCERT</strong><br />by Radu Mihaileanu<br />France, 122 mins.</a><br /><br /><strong>DONKEY/KENJAC</strong><br />by Antonio Nuić<br />Croatia, 94 mins.<br /><br /><strong>FILM SOCIALISM/FILM SOCIALISME</strong><br />by Jean-Luc Godard<br />Switzerland, 102 mins.<br /><br /><strong>THE FIRST BEAUTIFUL THING/LA PRIMA COSA BELLA</strong><br />by Paolo Virzi<br />Italy, 116 mins.<br /><br /><a href="http://efareviews.cineuropa.org/2010/10/written-off-official-selection-european.html"><strong>THE GHOST WRITER</strong><br />by Roman Polanski<br />France/Germany/UK, 128 mins.</a><br /><br /><strong>HONEY/BAL</strong><br />by Semih Kaplanoğlu<br />Turkey/Germany, 103 mins.<br /><br /><strong>HONEYMOONS</strong><br />by Goran Paskaljevic<br />Serbia/Albania, 95 mins.<br /><br /><strong>HOW I ENDED THIS SUMMER/Как я провел этим летом (KAK YA PROVEL ETIM LETOM)</strong><br />by Alexei Popogrebsky<br />Russia, 124 mins.<br /><br /><strong>I, DON GIOVANNI/I0, DON GIOVANNI</strong><br />by Carlos Saura<br />Austria/Italy/Spain, 120 mins.<br /><br /><strong>IF I WANT TO WHISTLE, I WHISTLE/EU CAND VREAU SA FLUIER, FLUIER</strong><br />by Florin Serban<br />Romania, 94 mins.<br /><br /><strong>JULIA’S DISAPPEARANCE/GIULIAS VERSCHWINDEN</strong><br />by Christoph Schaub<br />Switzerland, 87 mins.<br /><br /><strong>KAWASAKI’S ROSE/KAWASAKIHO RŮŽE</strong><br />by Jan Hřebejk<br />Czech Republic, 95 mins.<br /><br /><strong>LEBANON</strong><br />by Samuel Maoz<br />Israel, 94 mins.<br /><br /><strong>LOOSE CANNONS/MINE VAGANTI</strong><br />by Ferzan Ozpetek<br />Italy, 116 mins.<br /><br /><strong>LOURDES</strong><br />by Jessica Hausner<br />Austria/France/Germany, 99 mins.<br /><br /><strong>MAMMA GÓGÓ</strong><br />by Fridrik Thor Fridriksson<br />Iceland, 88 mins.<br /><br /><strong>THE MAN WHO WILL COME/L’UOMO CHE VERRÀ</strong><br />by Giorgio Diritti<br />Italy, 117 mins.<br /><br /><strong>MY JOY/Cчастье моё (SCHASTYE MOYE)</strong><br />by Sergei Loznitsa<br />Germany/Ukraine/the Netherlands, 127 mins.<br /><br /><strong>MY QUEEN KARO</strong><br />by Dorothée van den Berghe<br />Belgium/the Netherlands, 101 mins.<br /><br /><strong>NOTHING PERSONAL</strong><br />by Urszula Antoniak<br />the Netherlands, Ireland, 85 mins.<br /><br /><strong>NOWHERE BOY</strong><br />by Sam Taylor-Wood<br />UK, 98 mins.<br /><br /><a href="http://efareviews.cineuropa.org/2010/10/des-hommes-et-des-dieux-of-gods-and-men.html"><strong>OF GODS AND MEN/DES HOMMES ET DES DIEUX</strong><br />by Xavier Beauvois<br />France, 120 mins.</a><br /><br /><strong>ON THE PATH/NA PUTU</strong><br />by Jasmila Žbanić<br />Bosnia & Herzegovina/Austria/Germany/Croatia, 100 mins.<br /><br /><strong>ON TOUR/TOURNÉE</strong><br />by Mathieu Amalric<br />France, 111 mins.<br /><br /><strong>ONDINE</strong><br />by Neil Jordan<br />Ireland, 111 mins.<br /><br /><strong>OUR LIFE/LA NOSTRA VITA</strong><br />by Daniele Luchetti<br />Italy, 98 min.<br /><br /><strong>THE ROBBER/DER RÄUBER</strong><br />by Benjamin Heisenberg<br />Austria/Germany, 96 mins.<br /><br /><strong>THE REVERSE/REWERS</strong><br />by Borys Lankosz<br />Poland, 101 mins.<br /><br /><strong>SEBBE</strong><br />by Babak Najafi<br />Sweden, 80 mins.<br /><br /><strong>THE SECRET IN THEIR EYES/EL SECRETO DE SUS OJOS</strong><br />by Juan José Campanella<br />Spain/Argentina, 129 mins.<br /><br /><strong>SLOVENIAN GIRL/SLOVENKA</strong><br />by Damjan Kozole<br />Slovenia, 90 mins.<br /><br /><strong>SOUL KITCHEN</strong><br />by Fatih Akin<br />Germany, 99 mins.<br /><br /><strong>SUBMARINO</strong><br />by Thomas Vinterberg<br />Denmark, 110 mins.<br /><br /><a href="http://efareviews.cineuropa.org/2010/09/tamara-drewe-2010.html"><strong>TAMARA DREWE</strong><br />by Stephen Frears<br />UK, 111 mins.</a><br /><br /><strong>THE TEMPTATION OF ST.TONY/PÜHA TÕNU KIUSAMINE</strong><br />by Veiko Õunpuu<br />Estonia, 114 mins.<br /><br /><strong>UPPERDOG</strong><br />by Sara Johnsen<br />Norway, 95 mins.<br /><br /><strong>VOICE OVER/ZAD KADAR</strong><br />by Svetoslav Ovcharov<br />Bulgaria, 107 mins.<br /><br /><strong>WHEN WE LEAVE/DIE FREMDE</strong><br />by Feo Aladag<br />Germany, 119 mins.<br /><br />In the coming weeks, the 2,300 members of the European Film Academy will vote for the nominations in the different award categories. The nominations will then be announced on 6 November at the Sevilla European Film Festival in Spain. The 23rd European Film Awards honouring the winners will then take place in Tallinn, Estonia on 4 December. For full details of this year's European Film Awards selection, <a href="http://europeanfilmawards.eu/en_EN/selection/films/by_english_title"><strong>please click here.</strong></a>James Drew and Colin Moorshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00690364694979729337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8745328752170382755.post-72816155792313607022010-09-08T13:03:00.004+02:002010-09-08T13:10:27.459+02:00Kick-Ass (2010)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh003rZZAkjHkV3aq92agjYcJ0BRFtkaDmdD0M8cAJsz18KS7bSlibjFA5DOdKxyu-8hUMUzIKy3rDDlfPPkQzGzxTpEAfPFwFCI3-1QyY4-6MdDa3g-66VOnAdFgHXdYJa_w8_pOFVAHVf/s1600/Kick-Ass.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 222px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh003rZZAkjHkV3aq92agjYcJ0BRFtkaDmdD0M8cAJsz18KS7bSlibjFA5DOdKxyu-8hUMUzIKy3rDDlfPPkQzGzxTpEAfPFwFCI3-1QyY4-6MdDa3g-66VOnAdFgHXdYJa_w8_pOFVAHVf/s320/Kick-Ass.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514497886619173922" /></a><br /><strong>Super-heroic stuff</strong><br /><br /><strong>We are delighted to welcome talented young author Eleanor Salter to the fold, with her take on the latest comic-book adaptation, which is in the selection list for the <a href="http://efareviews.cineuropa.org/2010/09/peoples-choice-awards-vote-is-open.html">People's Choice Awards 2010.</a></strong><br /><br />By now, nearly everyone must have seen or heard of <em>Kick-Ass </em>(2010) via its clever advertising and the famous actors in the cast, and the hype leading up to the release of one of the biggest films of the year was well worth it. The actors include Aaron Johnson (<em>Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging</em> (2008)), Nicolas Cage (<em>Ghost Rider</em> (2007), <em>World Trade Center </em>(2006)), Mark Strong (<em>Stardust</em> (2007), <em>Sherlock Holmes</em> (2009)) and 13-year-old Chloë Grace Moretz (<em>(500) Days of Summer</em> (2009), <em>Bolt</em> (2008)).<br /><br />It’s a film for anyone who’s a fan of gory comedy, action and slightly awkward romance – a very impressive take by actor-director Matthew Vaughn on the famous comics by Mark Millar and John Romita Jr. The storyline revolves around comic geek Dave Lizewski (Johnson) who aspires to be a real-life superhero. Despite the innocent motive behind his schemes, ‘Kick-Ass’ soon gets caught up with REAL superheroes, who kick ass cooler than he could have dreamed. <br /><br />Hit-Girl (Moretz) and Big Daddy (Cage) aren’t there to mess around, they’re trying to take out big-shot gangster Frank D’Amico (Mark Strong). Kick-Ass is now a wanted man but manages to get caught up in romance whilst still trying to keep his identity a secret! With some phoneys, torture, revenge and a massive bazooka, the end of the film sees Kick Ass discovering not only his true self, but also that normal human beings really CAN kick ass. <br /><br />I enjoyed the film hugely and couldn’t stop laughing – the gory humour could easily have been extreme but was played in such a way that I wanted even more! I found Aaron Johnson’s performance very impressive and, despite the nerdy weakness of his character, I managed to leave the cinema without hating him. <br /><br />It is definitely a movie I would recommend you watch, just for Chloe Moretz’s humour. Although young, she is extremely experienced and her performance here reflects what we can expect from her in the future. Watch <em>Kick Ass</em>. You won’t regret it.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.picturenose.com/kick-ass-2010-movie-review.html"><strong>Eleanor Salter</strong></a><br /><em>117 mins.</em>James Drew and Colin Moorshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00690364694979729337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8745328752170382755.post-75091529906808140502010-09-06T15:07:00.008+02:002010-09-18T16:00:38.183+02:00People’s Choice Awards: The Vote is Open<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm7kvLUc8WLZg6Be6I50AyA8IXrEQc6oCJzeN_YxBWCI3ADvefJfVxJI4CwYrJJxr7Y-ToseGF982AW_Y0dxvEJ-wkjgTu0ujbxkAfRmzQdxMfywAb2OrTC8urWTkXvUX87UWxkU2qJl-7/s1600/statue.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 93px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm7kvLUc8WLZg6Be6I50AyA8IXrEQc6oCJzeN_YxBWCI3ADvefJfVxJI4CwYrJJxr7Y-ToseGF982AW_Y0dxvEJ-wkjgTu0ujbxkAfRmzQdxMfywAb2OrTC8urWTkXvUX87UWxkU2qJl-7/s320/statue.gif" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514177947033749314" /></a><br /><strong><strong>Well, that is it - the build-up to the European Film Awards 2010 officially starts here, with the chance for you to cast your votes in this year's People’s Choice Awards. </strong></strong><br /><br />Film fans across Europe can now begin electing their favourite film of the year, and there's also the chance win a trip to the European Film Awards Ceremony. Every year, when the European Film Academy invites its members, Europe’s greatest film stars, directors, producers, cinematographers, screenwriters, designers, nominees and winners, to attend the European Film Awards, the People’s Choice Award casts a spotlight on the people films are made for - the audience.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.europeanfilmawards.eu"><strong>Click here to cast your vote</strong></a>, and take your chance to attend the 23rd European Film Awards on Saturday, 4 December 2010, in the Estonian capital Tallinn on the Baltic coast!<br /><br /><br /><strong>And the nominees are:</strong><br /><br /><strong>AGORA</strong><br /><strong>Written by Alejandro Amenábar & Mateo Gil<br />Directed by Alejandro Amenábar<br />Produced by Alvaro Augustín & Fernando Bovaira<br /><br />BAARÍA<br />written and directed by Giuseppe Tornatore<br />produced by Giampaolo Letta & Mario Spedaletti<br /><br />AN EDUCATION<br />Written by Nick Hornby<br />Directed by Lone Scherfig<br />Produced by Finola Dwyer & Amanda Posey<br /><br />FLICKAN SOM LEKTE MED ELDEN (The Girl Who Played With Fire)<br />Written by Jonas Frykberg<br />Directed by Daniel Alfredson<br />Produced by Sören Staermose<br /><br />THE GHOST WRITER<br />Written by Robert Harris & Roman Polanski<br />Directed by Roman Polanski<br />Produced by Robert Benmussa, Alain Sarde & Roman Polanski<br /><br /><a href="http://efareviews.cineuropa.org/2010/09/kick-ass-2010.html">KICK-ASS<br />Written by Jane Goldman & Matthew Vaughn<br />Directed by Matthew Vaughn<br />Produced by Matthew Vaughn, Brad Pitt, Kris Thykier, Adam Bohling, Tarquin Pack & David Reid</a><br /><br />MINE VAGANTI (Loose Cannons)<br />Written by Ferzan Ozpetek & Ivan Cotroneo<br />Directed by Ferzan Ozpetek<br />Produced by Domenico Procacci<br /><br />MR. NOBODY<br />Written and directed by Jaco van Dormael<br />Produced by Philippe Godeau<br /><br />LE PETIT NICOLAS (Little Nicholas)<br />Written by Laurent Tirard & Grégoire Vigneron<br />Directed by Laurent Tirard<br />Produced by Eric Jehelmann<br /><br />SOUL KITCHEN<br />Written by Fatih Akin & Adam Bousdoukos<br />Directed by Fatih Akin<br />Produced by Fatih Akin & Klaus Maeck</strong><br /><br />So, what are you waiting for? The ballot boxes await!James Drew and Colin Moorshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00690364694979729337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8745328752170382755.post-36642304123525917182010-08-28T16:05:00.003+02:002010-08-28T16:16:57.415+02:00Sarajevo Nominates French Short<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifQAM_aUb7e3PMvBRhCLxeKGFiJR8SOZzmbT0N7fh4Xx8dtMh4mr92iycccSYmFljuJxjZhdd4Owl-t-sWla-jNEwxtGYPmT-eBESbxDAYGtDT9sPH0CxRbK-jFFl7Q8rJDQEx37cxNrol/s1600/plage.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 233px; height: 139px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifQAM_aUb7e3PMvBRhCLxeKGFiJR8SOZzmbT0N7fh4Xx8dtMh4mr92iycccSYmFljuJxjZhdd4Owl-t-sWla-jNEwxtGYPmT-eBESbxDAYGtDT9sPH0CxRbK-jFFl7Q8rJDQEx37cxNrol/s320/plage.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510464029552724290" /></a><br /><br />The European Film Academy (EFA) and the Sarajevo Film Festival congratulate the Sarajevo Short Film Nominee for the European Film Awards 2010 <em>Rendez-vous à Stella-Plage</em> (2009), France, by Shalimar Preuss.<br /><br />The film is now nominated for the European Film Academy Short Film 2010 Award. It was selected by the festival’s short-film jury, which comprised Frank W. Albers, director of the Robert Bosch Stiftung (Germany), Christine Dollhofer, director of the Crossing Europe Film Festival (Austria) and Serbian director Vladimir Perišić.<br /><br />In a cemetary, the ‘present’ (attentive and collected) pay homage to the ‘absent’. A public telephone rings. A young couple is passing and takes the call. On the other end of the line, a mother wants to talk to her daughter. Albane takes the game one step further and pretends to be the daughter...<br /><br />The short film initiative is organized by the European Film Academy in co-operation with fifteen film festivals throughout Europe. At each of these festivals, an independent jury presents one of the European short films in competition with a nomination in the short film category of the European Film Awards.<br /><br />When the annual cycle is completed in September, the nominees will be presented to the over 2,000 members of the European Film Academy and it is they who will elect the overall winner: the European Film Academy Short Film 2010 which will be presented at the 23rd European Film Awards Ceremony on 4 December in Tallinn/Estonia.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.europeanfilmacademy.org/2010/08/02/sarajevo-nominates-french-short/"><strong>This feature first appeared on the European Film Academy website.</strong></a><br /><br /><em>18 mins. In French. </em>James Drew and Colin Moorshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00690364694979729337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8745328752170382755.post-33135631042090597662010-08-23T15:43:00.005+02:002010-08-23T16:06:05.947+02:00Notes on a Scandal (2006)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmKSy51CtS5lnGDTa4a2quXUTGMs0XAnkToFwttjL5mEoZ7mDjEky8KwLSMwQnW8E24aU-mgTVhudEXX2pDpGHL33QzMHB7J-uOUDaJaKIxdvx0s-ixuaUir61dPHb_oU-s_NGifAsWi6Y/s1600/Notes-Scandal-Blanchett_l.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmKSy51CtS5lnGDTa4a2quXUTGMs0XAnkToFwttjL5mEoZ7mDjEky8KwLSMwQnW8E24aU-mgTVhudEXX2pDpGHL33QzMHB7J-uOUDaJaKIxdvx0s-ixuaUir61dPHb_oU-s_NGifAsWi6Y/s320/Notes-Scandal-Blanchett_l.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508605998249661682" /></a><br /><strong>Dench does demented</strong><br /><br /><strong><a href="http://www.europeanfilmacademy.org/2009/04/01/2008-3/">Winner of the European Film Academy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2008</a>, Dame Judi Dench astonished audiences in 2006 with this, one of her darkest films.</strong><br /><br />Guess what? Another film I enjoyed. The difference this time being that it was one of a collection that was recently purchased by my good lady. Our taste in films differs quite a bit from time to time and having seen the cover of the DVD and the dreaded words ‘Starring Dame Judi Dench and Cate Blanchett’ I thought I’d be in for an evening of unbridled chick-flickery.<br /><br />Happily, I turned out to be wrong – which is, of course, highly unusual. Anyway, moving quickly on – this is a real gem of a film from director Richard Eyre (<em>Stage Beauty</em> (2004), <em>The Absence of War</em> (1995)). It’s one of those that will have you giggling at the black and acerbic one-liners and remarks as Barbara Covett (Dench) writes her diary and at the next turn getting a real tingle in your spine as you realize just exactly what she’s up to. The diary narrative is done in voice-over by Dench, who strikes the tone of just the right amount of measured insanity . Dame Judi is famous for playing a variety of roles – hard woman, quaint ageing lady, royalty – and has even appeared in a rather average sitcom on the BBC, but as far as I can remember, this is the first time I have seen her playing a part as complex as this. She is a retirement-age closet lesbian living alone except for a cat – and a chain-smoking, scheming, manipulative woman trapped in her own bitter loneliness. As John Cooper-Clarke once said: “Deliciously, deliciously deranged”.<br /><br />A teacher with a reputation for being uncompromising and a tough disciplinarian, she is held in high esteem at the Islington school where she works. She at first dismisses Sheba Hart (Blanchett) as a flighty, eager-to-please teacher with wishy-washy politics and a casual attitude. Despite her apparent dislike for her, she rescues Sheba when a classroom fight leaves her unable to control her students. Sheba invites her to a family lunch to thank her, and their friendship grows. It becomes apparent quite quickly that Barbara’s affection for Sheba is more than just merely platonic, unbeknown to anyone at first, except for Barbara and her diary. She very quickly becomes a big part of the lives of Sheba, her husband Richard (a superb Bill Nighy) and their kids.<br /><br />This cosy relationship takes a turn for the worst when Barbara slips out of a school play for a breath of fresh air and sees Sheba involved in a game of “hide the sausage” with one of the fifteen-year-old male students in a mobile classroom. Barbara soon sees this as the perfect opportunity to win a huge advantage over Sheba, and to bring her closer. She demands a meeting, telling Sheba what she’s seen and promises not to tell anyone – it’ll be “their little secret” – and demands that Sheba end the relationship straight away. Of course, it wouldn’t be a very long film if she did, but I kind of wished she had and saved herself the full horror of what awaited her.<br /><br />That’s about all I can say without giving too much of the plot away. There are some neat little twists and some powerful (and often disturbing) acting in this film. It’s very well paced and all the little bits – the black humour, the spartan musical score and the locations – all fit together extremely well. My favourite bit? When Barbara goes to Sheba’s house after her cat is put down at the vet’s. If that doesn’t leave you with your mouth open, you should probably switch it off and go and do something else. Dame Judi, please do more of this. In the nicest possible way, you are a world-class nutter.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0465551/awards"><strong>Awards: Click here for details.</strong></a><br /><br /><strong>CM</strong><br /><em>92 mins. In English and French.</em>James Drew and Colin Moorshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00690364694979729337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8745328752170382755.post-24717261198738089182010-08-23T15:16:00.004+02:002010-08-23T15:35:03.498+02:00Italian Short Diarchia (Diarchy) (2010) Nominated<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBgQAUWuML6hq4MCgcYjUc768r_TFxKVSEMdk9ytVDD3_Og0rO8nZX32qyrv_p8yPeJsGVdbmPoQ_mOhjnKUeEeAgAaE2Hg11AWHy2pxk-Zi_D2R2LWzZnQEXcY28vOEm8XZT_rRu3XSW3/s1600/diarchia2%5B1%5D.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBgQAUWuML6hq4MCgcYjUc768r_TFxKVSEMdk9ytVDD3_Og0rO8nZX32qyrv_p8yPeJsGVdbmPoQ_mOhjnKUeEeAgAaE2Hg11AWHy2pxk-Zi_D2R2LWzZnQEXcY28vOEm8XZT_rRu3XSW3/s320/diarchia2%5B1%5D.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508597478338843010" /></a><br /><strong>The European Film Academy (EFA) and the Locarno International Film Festival congratulate the Locarno Short Film Nominee for the European Film Awards 2010,<br /><em>Diarchia</em> (<em>Diarchy</em>) (2010) by Ferdinando Cito Filomarino.</strong><br /><br />Made in Italy, the film's EFA 2010 nomination was made by the festival’s international jury, comprising directors Eric Khoo (Singapore), Lionel Baier (Switzerland) and Josh Safdie (USA), actress Golshifteh Farahani (Iran) and actor Melvil Poupaud (France).<br /><br />The short film initiative is organized by the European Film Academy in co-operation with 15 film festivals throughout Europe. At each of these festivals, an independent jury presents one of the European short films in competition with a nomination in the short film category of the European Film Awards.<br /><br />When the annual cycle is completed in September, the nominees will be presented to the more than 2,000 members of the European Film Academy and it is they who will select the overall winner, the European Film Academy Short Film 2010, which will be presented at the 23rd European Film Awards Ceremony on 4 December in Tallinn, Estonia.<br /><br />The next nomination will be presented in co-operation with the Venice International Film Festival.<br /><br /><em>20 mins. In Italian.</em><br /><br /><a href="http://www.europeanfilmacademy.org/2010/08/16/italian-short-diarchia-nominated/"><strong>Previously published on www.europeanfilmacademy.org.</strong></a>James Drew and Colin Moorshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00690364694979729337noreply@blogger.com0