28th European Film Awards - Short Film Nominations

The European Film Academy and EFA Productions are proud to present this year's short film nominations. At each of the 15 participating film festivals, an independent jury presented one European short film in competition with a nomination in the short film category of the European Film Awards.

These are the 15 nominees.

Çevirmen (The Translator), Emre Kayiş, UK and Turkey, 23' Sarajevo Short Film Nominee
Dissonance, Till Nowak, Germany, 17' Berlin Short Film Nominee
El Corredor (The Runner), José Luis Montesinos, Spain, 12' Valladolid Short Film Nominee
E.T.E.R.N.I.T., Giovanni Aloi, France, 11' Venice Short Film Nominee
Field Study, Eva Weber, UK, 20' Cork Short Film Nominee
Fils du Loup (Son of the Wolf), Lola Quivoron, France, 23' Locarno Short Film Nominee
Kung Fury, David Sanberg, Sweden, 30' Vila do Conde Short Film Nominee
Kuuntele (Listen), Hamy Ramezan and Rungano Nyoni, Denmark and Finland, 13' Tampere Short Film Nominee
Naše Telo (Our Body), Dane Komljen, Serbia and Bosnia Herzegovina, 14' Rotterdam Short Film Nominee
Over, Jörn Threlfall, UK, 13' Bristol Short Film Nominee
Piknik (Picnic), Jure Pavlović, Croatia, 13' Drama Short Film Nominee
Smile, and the World Will Smile Back, Yoav Gross, Ehab Tarabieh and the Al-Haddad family, Israel and Palestine, 20' Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Nominee
Symbolic Threats, Mischa Leinkauf, Lutz Henke and Matthias Wermke, Germany, 15' Grimstad Short Film Nominee
This Place We Call Our Home, Thora Lorentzen  and Sybilla Tuxen, Denmark, 30' Krakow Short Film Nominee
Washingtonia, Konstantina Kotzamani, Greece, 24' Ghent Short Film Nominee

The nominated films will soon be submitted to the more than 3,000 EFA Members to elect the winner. The European Short Film 2015 will then be presented at the European Film Awards Ceremony in Berlin on Saturday, 12 December.

Check available info, trailer/excerpt for nominated shorts.

Çevirmen (The Translator) by Emre Kayiş
Synopsis: Yusuf is a 13 years old refugee boy who lives in a small Turkish border town in exile with his grandparents. He works on a sand quarry to support his family. The environment of the poor neighborhood and quarry are hostile, Yusuf spends his days in a complete alienation. The only things, which make Yusuf exciting, are the tumbling pigeons and the existence of a 15 years old girl, Amina, who absolutely doesn't have an idea of him. Yusuf keeps making dreams about her. One day she comes to him and ask for his help that makes Yusuf very excited but after realizing her intention Yusuf finds himself in a position that gives him an unique power. He has to make a decision between using his power wisely and abusing it.



Dissonance by Till Nowak
Synopsis: A genius musician lives a lonely life in a surreal, floating world. He plays the piano every day in a gigantic concert hall, but there is nobody to listen. One day his animated world collapses and reality breaks out. The film seamlessly transforms from an animation into a live action drama, reflecting the journey from his psychotic mind into the real world. He only has one wish: To play for his daughter, which he is not allowed to visit.



El Corredor (The Runner) by José Luis Montesinos
Synopsis: 5 years ago the boss closed the company and fired 300 workers. The first day that he goes out to run he meets one of them.



E.T.E.R.N.I.T. by Giovanni Aloi
Synopsis: Italy, 2015. Ali, a Tunisian immigrant working in asbestos removal, receives the Visas which will allow his wife and daughter to join him. To be ready to welcome his family, he must make a radical choice.

Field Study by Eva Weber
Synopsis: A story about the latent poisons in power, knowledge and innocence, Field Study tells the story of a young, shy student on a field trip to post-communist Poland who very abruptly comes of age when he makes the choice to withhold a truth.

Fils du Loup (Son of the Wolf) by Lola Quivoron
Synopsis: In a former army fort, young Johnny learns to train and command Iron, his first attack dog.



Kung Fury by David Sanberg
Synopsis: During an unfortunate series of events a friend of Kung Fury is assassinated by the most dangerous kung fu master criminal of all time; Adolf Hitler, a.k.a Kung Führer. Kung Fury decides to travel back in time, to Nazi Germany, in order to kill Hitler and end the Nazi empire once and for all.



Kuuntele (Listen) by Hamy Ramezan and Rungano Nyoni
Synopsis: A foreign woman in a burqa brings her young son to a Copenhagen police station to file a complaint against her abusive husband, but the translator assigned to her seems unwilling to convey the true meaning of her words. A tense, diamond-hard film about cultural isolation and bureaucratic ignorance.



Naše Telo (Our Body) by Dane Komljen
Synopsis: From here, you can see everything: the sea to the right, the mountains to the left, the sky in between.



Over by Jörn Threlfall
Synopsis: 'Over' appears to present a police crime scene. Over the course of 14 minutes and 9 wide shots (told in reverse order), we watch as an intriguing story unfolds and heads towards a dramatic conclusion. What has happened in this quiet, suburban neighborhood? Has there been a murder, a hit-and-run, an accident? The reality is both profound, and deeply unexpected.

Piknik (Picnic) by Jure Pavlović
Synopsis: Sarajevo, heavy traffic. A social worker accompanies fifteen year-old Emir to visit his father in prison in Igman, but they arrive late thanks to a road accident. The short visit becomes the tale, without pathos or sentimentalism, of a powerful and difficult father-son relationship.



Im Tekhayekh, Ha'Olam Yekhayekh Elekha (Smile, and the World Will Smile Back) by Yoav Gross, Abdelkarim Al-Haddad, Ahmad Al-Haddad, Diaa Al-Haddad, Ehab Tarabieh, Shada Al-Haddad
Synopsis: One cold December night, Israeli soldiers come to the Palestinian family home in Hebron and knock on the door. They've come to search the house. The teenage son reaches for the family's video camera. As the search unfolds, a strange power struggle evolves, pitting gun against camera.



Symbolic Threats by Mischa Leinkauf, Lutz Henke and Matthias Wermke
Synopsis: Poetry or threat? An act of surrender or perhaps art? These were the theories that New York puzzled over last summer. How can one incident be interpreted in so many ways? By means of press reports, Symbolic Threats allows the public at large to express their extreme disparity of interpretation. Inspired by the heated debate over the two „White American Flags“ that suddenly appeared on the towers of New York City’s iconic Brooklyn Bridge, the film asks what kind of societal scope art has in the present day. What happens when threatened freedom reinstates art with the element of danger? Who or what makes it into a threat? Are we safe in the city? What is next?

This Place We Call Our Home by Thora Lorentzen and Sybilla Tuxen
Synopsis: In this film war is an atmosphere, rather than journalistic facts. Through music we visit all layers of society. In the form of a poem we show how it feels when your country is in an invincible conflict. Dusk is setting the scene for the war that came unpredicted. Two friends spend their nights awake playing. One is preparing to go back to the front, the other for their separation. Our soldier smokes his last cigarette in the window before taking the elevator to certain death. Proud pinetrees and current rivers depicts the country he is fighting for. Mother asks for faith and prays for the sons of Ukraine. A babushka at Maidan sings: "if he meet death - may it be instant if he get wounded - may he get well".

Washingtonia by Konstantina Kotzamani
Synopsis: Washingtonia starts when the giraffes heart can no longer be heard. Washingtonia is an alternative name for Athens, a place where people, like animals, fall into summertime sadness because of the heat. Washingtonia is the only palm tree that its heart is not devoured by the red beetle. Because it’s heart is small and dry and no one likes small and dry hearts.

63rd San Sebastian International Film Festival Award Winners

Perhaps is my perception but seems that main awards tend to go to European and European co-productions movies which is interesting.  Awards ceremony was really fast which makes us wish the same speed to those traditionally-very-long awards ceremony in America.

I'm glad that a movie that is must be seen for me got the top award as I have to see everything by Rúnar Rúnarsson as his second feature film, Sparrows, seems will be as good as his first one, Volcano. Cheers! and congratulations to Iceland.

So that's it until next year!

Official Selection

Golden Shell for Best Film: Þrestir (Sparrows), Rúnar Rúnarsson, Iceland, Denmark and Croatia

Jury Special Award:  Evolution, Lucile Hadzihalilovic, France, Belgium and Spain

Silver Shell for Best Director: Joachim Lafosse for Les Chevaliers Blancs (The White Knights), Belgium and France

Silver Shell for Best Actress: Yordanka Ariosa in El Rey de la Habana, Agustí Villaronga, Spain and Dominican Republic
Silver Shell for Best Actor: (tie) Ricardo Darín and Javier Cámara in Truman, Cesc Gay, Spain and Argentina

Jury Prize for Best Screenplay: 21 Nuits avec Pattie (21 Nights with Pattie), Jean-Marie Larrieu and Arnaud Larrieu, France
Jury Prize for Best Cinematography: Manu Dacosse for Evolution, Lucile Hadzihalilovic, France, Belgium and Spain

Jury Special Mention:  El Apóstata (The Apostate), Federico Veiroj, Spain, Uruguay, and France

Kuxta-New Directors Award: Le nouveau (The New Kid), Rudi Rosenberg, France
Special Mentions
La Vida Sexual de las Plantas (Sex Life of Plants), Sebastián Brahm, Chile
Tjuvheder (Drifters), Peter Grönlund, Sweden

Horizontes Latinos

Best Film: Paulina (La Patota), Santiago Mitre, Argentina, Brazil and France
Special Mentions
Luis Silva in Desde Allá, Lorenzo Vigas, Venezuela
Te Prometo Anarquía (I Promise You Anarchy), Julio Hernández Cordón, Mexico and Germany

Other Awards

FIPRESCI Award: El Apóstata (The Apostate), Federico Veiroj, Spain, Uruguay, and France
Feroz Zinemaldia Award: Truman, Cesc Gay, Spain and Argentina

SIGNIS Award: Moira, Levan Tutberidze, Georgia
Special Mention: Amama (When a Tree Falls), Asier Altuna Iza, Spain

TVE Another Look Award: Paulina (La Patota), Santiago Mitre, Argentina, Brazil and France

Solidarity Award: Freeheld, Peter Sollett, USA

Sebastiane Award:  Freeheld, Peter Sollett, USA
Sebastiane Latino Award: Mariposa (Butterfly), Marco Berger, Argentina

Youth Award: Paulina (La Patota), Santiago Mitre, Argentina, Brazil and France

Tokyo Goham Film Festival Award: Noma, My Perfect Storm, Pierre Deschamps, UK and Denmark

Europe-Latin America Co-Production Forum EGEDA
Best Project Award: La Omisión (The Omission), Sebastián Schjaer, Argentina, Germany and France
Special Mention: Memorias del Calabozo, Alvaro Brechner, Spain and Uruguay

Cooperación Española Award: La Tierra y La Sombra (Land and Shade), César Augusto Acevedo, Colombia, France, Netherlands, Chile and Brazil

Films in Progress 28 Industry Award: Era o Hotel Cambridge (The Cambridge Squatter), Elaine Caffé, Brasil and France

Irizar Basque Film Award: Amama (When a Tree Falls), Asier Altuna Iza, Spain
Special Mention: Irene Escolar in Un Otoño sin Berlín, Lara Izaguirre, Spain

Audience Award: Unimachi Diary (Our Little Sister), Hirokazu Koreeda, Japan
European Film Audience Award: Shan he gu ren (Mountains May Depart), Jia Zhang-ke, China, France and Japan

Greenpeace Lurra Award (tie)
Psiconautas, los Niños Olvidados, Alberto Vázquez and Pedro Rivero, Spain
Un día vi 10,000 elefantes, Alex Guimerá and Juan Pajares, Spain

14th International Film Student Meetings Awards - Short Films

First Prize - Panavision Award, Freak Independent Film Agency /Feelsales Award, BioBio Cine-DuocUC Award and an invitation to participate in the Short Film Corner at Cannes Festival: Nueva Vida, Kiro Ruso, Universidad del Cine, Argentina

Second Prize - an invitation to participate in the Short Film Cornet at Cannes Festival: El Enemigo, Aldemar Matias, Escuela Internacional de Cine y TV, Cuba

Thrid Prize - an invitation to participate in the Short Film Cornet at Cannes Festival: Wada' (Prediction), Khaled Mzher, Deutsche Film - und Fernsehakademie Berlin – DFFB, Germany

Orona Award:  Nueva Vida, Kiro Ruso, Universidad del Cine Argentina
Torino Award: Isabel Lamberti for Volando Voy, Netherlands Film Academy, Netherlands

Euskaraz bizi nahi dut Short Films Awards
Professional Filmmakers
First Prize: Semeak, Iker Azkoitia
Second Prize: Lasterketa, Patxi Basabe
Third Prize: Josuneren Bidaia, Peru Galbete
Amateur Filmmakers
First Prize: Nire eguneroko hautuak, Mattin Zeberio
Second Prize: Balu eta Balitz, Egoitz Albizu
Third Prize: Zentzu guztietan, Andrea Merino

Donostia Award:  Emily Watson
Zinemira Award:  Karmele Soler
Basque Culinary Gastronomiko: Santiago Segura

To check winners at official site go here.

Videos

Awards Ceremony



Premio Lurra 2015 Awards Ceremony Summary



Donostia Award Ceremony

63rd San Sebastian Opening Ceremony - Update: Also Closing Ceremony

In less than 3 hours watch the festival closing ceremony.

Watch fest Opening Ceremony in a few minutes... includes FIPRESCI Best Film of the Year award to Mad Max director George Miller.

XVI Sebastiane Award Winner

A few hours ago was announced the award winner and the winner is none other than Freeheld by Peter Sollett that has in the two leading roles Ellen Page and Julian Moore but also in the cast Steve Carrell and Michael Shannon.

All of us that have seen Academy Award winner documentary 2007 Freeheld by Cynthia Wade know that story is not easy-to-watch and just hope that film kept the story essence without too many creative licenses, sigh. Nevertheless I'm glad that this year lesbian interest films are winning awards at top festivals.

This is a copy and paste of the Jury Statement available only in Spanish and Euskara.

"El Jurado le concede el 16 Premio Sebastiane por reflejar una hermosa historia de amor entre dos mujeres que quedan atrapadas en la realidad de la enfermedad de una de ellas y en la lucha por la reivindicación de su pensión de viudedad; una pequeña lucha particular, que sin embargo, se convierte en un impulso notable del matrimonio igualitario en EEUU, que ha sido un gran avance por los derechos humanos y la igualdad real de nuestra comunidad que contribuye a lograr una sociedad mejor y más justa para todos.

Esta película rinde un justo tributo, a menudo omitido, a la lucha de las lesbianas que han abierto camino a los hombres gais y bisexuales.

FREEHELD está llena de valores de lucha, solidaridad, igualdad y compromiso."

The award ceremony will be this afternoon at the Galería Kur and tomorrow will be the traditional party at Centro Cultural Jareño.  To read announcement at award official site go here.

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9/3/15
Yesterday award organizers announced the films that will compete for the 2015 LGBT award given at the San Sebastian International Film Festival.

Along with the Sebastiane Award organizers will also present the 3rd Sebastiane Latino award given to Latin American films; as we already know, this year Sebastiane Latino goes to Mariposa by Marco Berger that will be screened in the Zabaltegi section and will receive the award on September 20.

Also from September 24th to 26th there will be a meeting of LGBT Film Festivals directors from Latin America and Europe.

These are the films competing for 2015 Sebastiane Award.

Official Selection
El Rey de la Habana, Agustí Villaronga, Spain and Dominican Republic (G)
*Freeheld, Peter Sollett, USA (L)

New Directors
Barash, Michal Vinik, Israel (L)

Horizontes Latinos
El Club (The Club), Pablo Larraín, Chile (G)
Desde Allá (From Afar), Lorenzo Vigas, Venezuela (G)

Zabaltegi
Mariposa, Marco Berger, Argentina (G)

There is another film that is out of competition in a Thematic Retrospetive, New Japanese Independent Cinema 2000-2015: Parade by Isao Yukisada, Japan,, 2009 that I assume is just mentioned as a reference to complete all films with LGBT interest in San Sebastian fest.

The Jury president is Benoît Arnulf, artistic director of In&Out Nice festival and jury members come from the Gehitu organization. The award will be presented on September 25 at Kur Gallery and on September 26 will the the award party at Centro Cultural Jareño. If you wish to read about each film go to award official site here.

The magnificent B&W photo in this year award graphic identity is by Isabel Muñoz and to have a better look check the larger photo and the complete GM magazine cover.   If you wish to learn more about the photographer go to her official site here.

European Discovery - Prix FIPRESCI Nominations

Today at the Oldenburg International Film Festival in Germany, the European Film Academy 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 determined by a committee comprised of EFA Board Member Dagmar Jacobsen (Germany), experts Mihai Chirilov (Cluj FF, Romania), Lynda Myles (Pandora Productions, UK) and Gerwin Tamsma (Rotterdam IFF, The Netherlands), as well as Krzysztof Kwiatkowski (Poland), Marco Spagnoli (Italy) and Neil Young (UK) as representatives of FIPRESCI, the International Federation of Film Critics. On invitation by the festival, the committee met in Oldenburg and decided on the following nominations.

These are the five (5) nominees.

Ich Seh Ich Seh (Goodnight Mommy), Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala, Austria
Im Sommer Wohnt er Unten (Summers Downstairs), Tom Sommerlatte, Germany and France
Limbo, Anna Sofie Hartmann, Germany and Denmark
Mustang, Deniz Gamze Ergüven, France, Germany and Turkey
Slow West, John Maclean, New Zealand and UK



The European Film Academy congratulates the nominees. The nominated films will soon be submitted to the more than 3,000 EFA Members to elect the winner. The European Discovery 2015 – Prix FIPRESCI will then be presented at the European Film Awards Ceremony in Berlin on Saturday, 12 December and will be streamed live on the award official site.

40th Toronto International Film Festival Award Winners

Awards ceremony was quite informal, light and somehow fun-to-watch especially when the Platform jury took the stage and made us laugh (hard). Yes it was very unexpected to see Jia Zhang-ke, Claire Denis and Agnieszka Hollad doing light comedy but gee, it worked!!! Funny and fun-to-watch.

So, actually, there are several awards in Toronto fest, but will start with the Platform winners and then the others.

Platform Prize: Hurt, Alan Zweig, Canada (documentary)
Three Honorable Mentions:
Boi Neon (Neon Bull), Gabril Mascaro, Brazil, Uruguay and Netherlands
El Clan (The Clan), Pablo Trapero, Argentina and Spain
Hui dao bei ai de mei yi tian (The Promised Land), He Ping, China

People Choice Awards
Feature Film: Room, Lenny Abrahamson, Ireland and Canda
Documentary: Winter on Fire: Ukraine's Fight for Freedom, Evgeny Afineevsky, Ukraine, USA and UK
Midnight Madness Award: Hardcore, Ilya Naishuller, Russia and USA

Canadian Films
Best Feature Film: Closet Monster, Stephen Dunn
Special Mention: Guibord s'en va-t-en guerre (My Internship in Canada), Philippe Falardeau, Canada
Best First Feature Film: Sleeping Giant, Andre Cividino

Discovery Program Filmmakers Award: Black, Adil el Arbi and Bilall Fallah, Belgium

Short Cuts
Best Short Film: Maman (S), Maïmouna Doucouré, France
Best Canadian Short Film: Viaduc (Overpass), Patrice Laliberté

FIPRESCI Awards
Special Presentations: Desierto, Jonás Cuarón, Mexico and France
Discovery: Eva Nová, Marko Skop, Slovakia

NETPAC Award: Hiso Hiso Boshi (The Whispering Star), Sion Sono, Japan

To check awards at official site go here.  

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8/19/15
We all know that Toronto fest has been a non-competitive festival but in their 40th edition there will be a competition, which -if continues to happen in the future- takes fest into the road of becoming THE most important festival in the Americas.

There are hundreds of films in the festival, but most are films that come from European festivals which will have their North American premiere. Can't deny that the main function of this festival has been -until now- the showcase of films that most likely will be honored with an Academy Award nomination.

“We created this new program as a way to sharpen our focus on artistically ambitious cinema in our 40th year and we are thrilled to be able to put the spotlight on these 12 brilliant filmmakers this September,” said Piers Handling, Director and CEO of TIFF. “They are major creative forces: the next generation of masters whose personal vision will captivate audiences, industry members and media from around the world.”

“Each of the filmmakers in the program fearlessly transforms a wide range of compelling realities through their unique visual and narrative styles, and they do so with incredible command and precision,” said Cameron Bailey, Artistic Director of the Toronto International Film Festival. “From a stark coming-of-age story, a retro-futuristic science-fiction and a lyrical post-western to an abduction thriller, a raw documentary and hard-hitting and topical dramas, this lineup reflects the diversity of international directors’ cinema today.”

There are twelve films in competition, my spontaneous reaction is that there are quite a lot French productions or co productions (which has happened in all festival all year long) but when I count the realize there are only 4; still is the country with the most films in the competition.

Plataform Lineup

Bang Gang (une historie d'amour moderne) {Bang Gang (A Modern Love Story)}, Eva Husson, France
Boi Neon (Neon Bull), Gabril Mascaro, Brazil, Uruguay and Netherlands
El Clan (The Clan), Pablo Trapero, Argentina and Spain
Full Contact, David Verbeek, Netherlands and Croatia
High-Rise, Ben Wheatley, UK
Hui dao bei ai de mei yi tian (The Promised Land), He Ping, China
Hurt, Alan Zweig, Canada (documentary)
Les Chevaliers Blancs (The White Knights), Joachim Lafosse, France and Belgium
Looking for Grace, Sue Brooks, Australia
Sky, Fabienne Berthaud, France and Germany
Un Français (French Blood), Diastème, France
Under Sandet (Land of Mine), Martin Zandvliet, Denmark and Germany

Platform films will screen from Thursday, September 10 to Thursday, September 17. Each film will have its first screening for public, press and industry at the Visa Screening Room at the Elgin Theatre. An international jury composed of acclaimed filmmakers Jia Zhang-ke, Claire Denis and Agnieszka Holland will award the Toronto Platform Prize ($25,000 CAD) to the best film in the program, which will be announced at the Awards Ceremony on September 20, 2015.

If you wish to check info for each film go fest official site here.  After checking those films I'm not familiar with my conclusion is that these competition is eclectic, diverse and a bit too-strange for my taste. Of course there are exceptions, none most notorious than must-be-seen for me, Pablo Trapero's The Clan.

28th European Film Awards - Documentary Selection

 It is with great pleasure that the European Film Academy and EFA Productions announce the first ever EFA Documentary Selection, a list of 15 European documentaries recommended for a nomination for this year's European Film Awards.

The change follows a decision by the EFA Board to “acknowledge the growing importance of European documentary cinema,” says Israeli producer Marek Rozenbaum, EFA Board Member on the documentary committee, “there is a growing number of excellent documentaries which have to be seen by the members.”

Another change is the involvement of ten documentary festivals that recommended to the committee up to three films each which have had their world premiere at the respective festival’s latest edition. Chosen in co-operation with the European Documentary Network EDN, these festivals are:

• IDFA (the Netherlands)
• CPH:DOX (Denmark)
• Visions du Réel (Switzerland)
• DokLeipzig (Germany)
• Docslisboa (Portugal)
• Thessaloniki Documentary Film Festival (Greece)
• Jihlava (Czech Republic)
• Cinéma du Réel (France)
• Krakow Film Festival (Poland)
• Sheffield Doc/Fest (UK)

Based on their recommendations and the films individually submitted, the documentary committee, consisting of EFA Board Members Roberto Cicutto (Italy), Nadine Luque (Spain), Marek Rozenbaum (Israel) and Ada Solomons (Romania) and documentary expert Paul Pauwels (European Documentary Network, Belgium) decided on the following EFA Documentary Selection.

A Syrian Love Story, Sean McAllister, UK
Above and Below, Nicolas Steiner, Switzerland and Germany
Все палає All things Ablaze, Oleksandr Techynskyi, Aleksey Solodunov and Dmitry Stoykov, Ukraine
Amy, Asif Kapadia, UK
Boxing for Freedom, Juan Antonio Moreno and Silvia Venegas, Spain
Dancing with Maria, Ivan Gergolet, Italy, Argentina and Slovenia
Democrats, Camilla Nielsson, Denmark
Drifter, Gábor Hörcher, Hungary and Germany
Electroboy, Marcel Gisler, Switzerland
Gronzy Blues, Nicola Bellucci, Switzerland
La Buena Vida (The Good Life), Jens Schnaze, Germany and Switzerland
No Land's Song, Ayat Njafi, Germany and France
Så meget godt i vente (Good Things Await), Phie Ambo, Denmark
The Look of Silence, Joshua Oppenheimer, Denmark, Norway and Indonesia
Toto si surorile lui (Toto and His Sisters), Alexander Nicolae, Romania and Hungary



If you wish to read about each of the nominees go to award official site here.

EFA Members will now vote for five documentary nominations that will be announced on November 7 along with nominees in all categories. Based on these nominations, the EFA Members will, as in the past, elect the European Documentary 2015 which will be announced during the awards ceremony on 12 December in Berlin.

63rd San Sebastian International Film Festival Lineup - Update

Today with just a few days to go for opening day, organizers announced the jury of the Official Competition and yes, the president is none other than great Danish actress and director Paprika Steen.

On other news, organizers announced the Lurra Award (Earth in Basque-language) that will be presented to a film which best symbolizes environmental protection and peace. The award ceremony will be on September 25 and actress Bárbara Goenaga, producer Álvaro Longoria, reporter Carlos del Amor and Laura Pérez, Greepeace Spain Communications Director make the award jury.

If you wish to learn the many more news published since the first date of this post then go to the official site here or better, check the  Storyteller Pinterest 2015 San Sebastian festival board here that has everything relevant in one place.

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8/19/15
In the last few weeks organizers have been announcing drop by drop the films in the many sections of the festival. Seems that finally today the last drop was announced, so decided to do the post that could be upgraded if they decide there are more news. Sigh.

Up to this moment there are seventeen (17) films in the main competition, which is a true eclectic collection of films from almost every genre. Most notable are latest work by great authors like Rúnar Rúnarsson, Joachim Lafosse and Pablo Agüero.

Then, if anyone doubts about how great is the state of Latin American cinema just has to look at the films in the Horizontes Latinos competition, as many films have already collected top awards in Berlin and Cannes, are in competition in Venice, still are traveling the festival circuit and most are must be seen for me! It's been a long time since I see in one place, all together, so many great Latin American auteur films. Obviously this makes the Horizontes Latinos competition perhaps the most nerve racking -and very difficult to decide- of all competitions in San Sebastian current edition.

Official Selection (17)

21 Nuits avec Pattie (21 Nights with Pattie), Jean-Marie Larrieu and Arnaud Larrieu, France
Amama, Asier Altuna Iza, Spain
バケモノの子 Bakemono No Ko (The Boy and the Beast), Mamoru Hosoda, Japan (animation)
El Apóstata (The Apostate), Federico Veiroj, Spain, France and Uruguay
El Rey de la Habana, Agustí Villaronga, Spain and Dominican Republic
Eva No Duerme (Eva Doesn't Sleep), Pablo Agüero, Argentina, France and Spain
Evolution, Lucile Hadzihalilovic, France, Belgium and Spain
Freeheld, Peter Sollett, USA
High-Rise, Ben Wheatley, UK
Les Chevaliers Blancs (The White Knights), Joachim Lafosse, Belgium and France
Les démons (The Demons), Philippe Lesage, Canada
Moira, Levan Tutberidze, Georgia
Þrestir (Sparrows), Rúnar Rúnarsson, Iceland, Denmark and Croatia
Sunset Song, Terence Davies, UK and Luxembourg
Truman, Cesc Gay, Spain and Argentina
Un Dia Perfecte per Volar, Marc Recha, Spain
Xiang Bei Fang (Back to the North), Liu Hao, China

Official Competition Jury
President: Paprika Steen, actress and director, Denmark
Nandita Das, actress and director, India
Daniel Monzón, director and screenwriter, Spain
Hernán Musaluppi, producer, Argentina
Julie Salvador, producer, France
Uberto Pasolini, director, scriptwriter and producer, Italy
Luciano Tovoli, cinematographer, Italy

Out of Competition
Opening Night Film: Regression, Alejandro Amenábar, Spain and Canada
Closing Night Film: London Road, Rufus Norris, UK
Mi Gran Noche, Alex de la Iglesia, Spain

Special Screenings
Lejos del Mar, Imanol Uribe, Spain
No Estamos Solos, Pere Joan Ventura, Spain (documentary)

New Directors (14)

After Eden, Hans Christian Berger, Canada
Barash, Michal Vinik, Israel
Einer von Uns (One of Us), Stephan Richter, Austria
Granny's Dancing on the Table, Hanna Sköld, Sweden
Iona, Scott Graham, UK and Germany
Jajda (Thirst), Svetla Tsotsorkova, Bulgaria
Le nouveau (The New Kid), Rudi Rosenberg, France
Parasol, Valéry Rosier, Belgium
Paula, Eugenio Canevari, Argentina and Spain
Pikadero, Ben Sharrock, UK and Spain
Rodinny Film (Family Film), Olmo Omerzu, Czech Republic, Germany, France, Slovenia and Slovakia
Ul-bo (Stay With Me), Jinwoo Rhee, South Korea
Tjuvheder (Thieves Honor), Peter Grönlund, Sweden
La Vida Sexual de las Plantass (Sex Life of Plants), Sebastián Brahm, Chile

New Directors Jury
President: Diego Lerer, film critic, Argentina
Francine Brücher, Producer, France-born lives in Germany
Desirée de Fez, film critic, Spain
Olivia Stewart, producer, UK
Edgard Tenembaum, Producer, Argentina-born lives in France

Horizontes Latinos (14)

Opening Night Film: El Club (The Club), Pablo Larraín, Chile
600 Millas, Gabriel Ripstein, Mexico
El Abrazo de la Serpiente (Embrace of the Serpent), Ciro Guerra, Colombia, Argentina and Venezuela
El Botón de Nácar, Patricio Guzmán, France, Chile and Spain (documentary)
Chronic, Michel Franco, Mexico and France
Desde Allá, Lorenzo Vigas, Venezuela
Las Elegidas (The Chosen Ones), David Pablos, Mexico and France
Ixcanul, Jayro Bustamante, Guatemala and France
Magallanes, Salvador del Solar, Peru, Argentina, Colombia and Spain
La Obra del Siglo (The Project of the Century), Carlos M. Quintela, Cuba, Argentina, Germany and Switzerland
Paulina (La Patota), Santiago Mitre, Argentina, Brazil and France
Para Minha Amada Morta (To My Beloved), Aly Muritiba, Brazil
Te Prometo Anarquía (I Promise You Anarchy), Julio Hernández Cordón, Mexico and Germany
La Tierra y la Sombra (Land and Shade), Cesar Augusto Acevedo, Colombia, Chile, Brazil, Netherlands and France

Horizontes Latinos Jury
President: Agustina Chiarino, producer, Uruguay
Fran Gayo, producer, Spain
Rubén Ochandiano, actor, Spain

In the New Directors competition there are some films that called my attention but no one like Barash from Israel, a lesbian interest film that could be worth-watching. Then in Horizontes Latinos there was one film that is new for me and to my highly-positively surprise the star of the film is none other than amazing Magaly Solier; I'm talking about Magallanes, film became must be seen for me.

If you wish to learn films in other sections of the festival, Pearls, Zabaltegi, Savage Cinema, Culinary Zinema, Zinemira, Made in Spain, Retrospectives, Movies for Kids and Film in Progress please go here.

During the festival, the Europa touring expo Pasolini Roma will be at San Telmo museum. If you wish to read about the expo go to official site here or to San Telmo site here.

72nd Venice Film Festival Award Winners

After a so-so festival, especially after day four, great surprises in the award ceremony make this edition of La Biennale quite outstanding for Latin American cinema and to films that critics did NOT predict as favorites to win accolades, which always is great as a very refreshing breeze.

But my emotion is more for who did the films that got top awards as Lorenzo Vigas has behind him some of the great Latin American filmmakers and now he absolutely deserves to be equal to them; besides in his film is one my very favorite Latin American actors that always give outstanding performances, Alfredo Castro. Then you have always GREAT Pablo Trapero winning the Silver Lion and Charlie Kaufman the Grand Jury Prize!

By the way it is the first time Venezuela competes in La Mostra, the first queer Golden Lion since Brokeback Mountain won in 2005 and the first Debut Feature-film since Lebanon won in 2009.

Now I wonder what the Queer Lion organizers could be thinking after a queer film wins the festival top award and is NOT the film they chose to honor with the specific LGTB award. Sigh.

Will try to find the few awards that still I'm missing and then post will be final.

Official Selection

Venezia72

Golden Lion for Best Film: Desde Allá (From Afar), Lorenzo Vigas, Venezuela and Mexico

Grand Jury Prize: Anomalisa, Charlie Kaufman and Duke Johnson, USA

Special Jury Prize: Abluka (Frenzy), Emin Alper, Turkey, France and Qatar

Silver Lion for Best Director: Pablo Trapero for El Clan, Argentina and Spain

Coppa Volpi for Best Actress: Valeria Golino in Per Amor Vostro, Giuseppe M. Gaudino, Italy and France
Coppa Volpi for Best Actor: Fabrice Luchini in L'Hermine (Courted), Christian Vincent, France
Marcello Mastroianni Award for Best New Young Actress or Actor: Abraham Attah in Beasts of No Nation, Cary Fukunaga, USA and Ghana

Best Screenplay: L'Hermine (Courted), Christian Vincent, France
Lion of the Future - Luigi de Laurentiis Award for Best Debut Film:  The Childhood of A Leader, Brady Corbet, UK, Hungary, Belgium and France

Orizzonti Awards

Best Film: Free In Deed, Jake Mahaffy, USA and New Zealand
Special Jury Prize:  Boi Neon (Neon Bull), Gabriel Mascaro, Brazil, Uruguay and Netherlands
Best Director: Brady Corbet for The Childhood of A Leader, UK, Hungary, Belgium and France
Special Award for Best Actress or Actor: Dominique Leborne in Tempête, Samuel Collardey, France
Best Short Film: Belladona, Dubravka Turic, Coratia, 18'
Short Film Nominee for the European Film Awards: E.T.E.R.N.I.T., Giovanni Aloi, France, 11'

Venezia Classici
Best Documentary: The 1000 Eyes of Dr. Maddin, Yves Montmayeur, France
Best Restored Film: Salò o le 120 giornate di Sodoma, Pier Paolo Pasolini, Italy and France, 1975

Autonomous Sections

12th Giornate delgi Autori - Venice Days

Venice Days Award: Early Winter, Michael Rowe, Australia and Canada
Label Europa Cinemas: A peine j'ouvre les yeux (As I Open My Eyes), Leyla Bouzid, France, Tunisia, UAE and Belgium

Premio Laguna SUD
Best Film: Lolo, Julie Delpy, France
Best Italian Discovery: Arriana, Carlo Lavagna, Italy

People's Choice Awards: A peine j'ouvre les yeux (As I Open My Eyes), Leyla Bouzid, France, Tunisia, UAE and Belgium

30th Settimana Internazionale Della Critica - Venice International Film Critics' Week
Pietro Barzisa Audience Award for Best Film: Tanna, Bentley Dean and Martin Butler, Australia and Vanuatu
Saturnia Prize – SIC 30 Special Award: Peter Mullan

Collateral Awards

FIPRESCI Awards
Best Film of Venezia72: Sangue del Mio Sangue (Blood of my Blood), Marco Bellocchio, Italy, France and Switzerland
Best Film of Autonomous/Collateral sections: چهارشنبه 19 اردیبهشت Chaharshanbe 19 Ordibeheshtt (Wednesday, May 9), Vahid Jalilvand, Iran (Orizzonti)

SIGNIS Award: 悲兮魔兽 Bei xi mo shou (Behemoth), Zhao Liang, China and France (documentary)
Special Mention: L'Atessa (The Wait), Piero Messina,  Italy and France

FEDEORA Awards (Federation of Film Critics of Europe and the Mediterranean)
Venezia72 Best Film in Competition: Francofonia, Aleksandr Sokurov, France, Germany and Netherlands
Giornate degli Autori-Venice Days
Best Film: Underground Fragance, Pengfei, France and China
Best Director in a debut film: Ruchika Oberoi for Island City, India
Best Actress in a debut film: Ondina Quadri in Arriana, Carlo Lavagna, Italy
Settimana Internazionale della Critica
Best Film: Kalo Pothi (The Black Hen), Min Bahadur Bham, Nepal, France and Germany
Best Cinematography: Benthey Dean for Tanna, Martin Butler and Bentley Dean, Australia and Vanuatu

Arca CinemaGiovani Award
Best Film Venezia 72: Abluka (Frenzy), Emin Alper, Turkey, France and Qatar
Best Italian Film: Pecore in Erba, Alberto Caviglia, Italy

FEDIC Award: Non Essere Cattivo, Claudio Caligari, Italy
Special Mention: L'Atessa (The Wait), Piero Messina, Italy and France

Fondazione Mimmo Rotella Award:  Aleksandr Sokurov for Francofonia, France, Germany and Netherlands
Special Award to Johnny Depp and Terry Gillima

Francesco Pasinetti Awards
Best Film: Non Essere Cattivo, Claudio Caligari, Italy
Best Actors: Luca Marinellin and Alessandro Borghi in Non Essere Cattivo by Claudio Caligari, and Valeria Golino in Per Amor Vostro by Giuseppe Gaudino
Special Award-Best Film in Venice Days: La Prima Luce, Vicenzo Marra, Italy and Chile
Special Award- Best Actor in Venice Days: Riccardo Scamarcio in La Prima Luce, Vicenzo Marra, Italy and Chile

Future Film Festival Digital Award: Anomalisa, Charlie Kaufman and Duke Johnson, USA
Special Mention: Heart of a Dog, Laurie Anderson, USA

Online Critics Award
Mouse d'Oro for Best Film in Competition: רבין, היום האחרון Rabin, The Last Day, Amos Gitai, Israel and France
Mouse d'Argento for Best Film Out of Competition: Spotlight, Tom McCarthy, USA

Queer Lion: The Danish Girl, Tom Hooper, UK and USA
Special Mention: Baby Bump, Kuba Czekaj, Poland

Sorriso Diverso Venezia 2015 Award
Best Italian Film: Non Essere Cativo, Claudio Caligari, Italy
Best Film in a Foreign-Language:  Blanka, Kohki Hasei, Japan

Soundtrack Stars Award (tie)
A Bigger Splash, Luca Guadagnino, Italy and France
Equals, Drake Doremus, USA
Lifetime Achievement Award: Nicola Piovani

Young Jury Mediterranean Experiences Festival
Best Film from the Mediterranean Award: L'Hermine, Christian Vincent, France
Special Mention:  רבין, היום האחרון Rabin, The Last Day, Amos Gitai, Israel and France

Young Jury Members of the Vittorio Veneto Film Festival Awards
Best Film: Remember, Atom Egoyan, Canada and Germany
Special Mention: 11 Minut (11 Minutes), Jerzy Skolimowski, Poland and Ireland

Amnesty International Italia Il Cinema per i Dritti Umani Award:  Visaaranai (Interrogation), Vetri Maaran, India
AssoMusica "Ho visto una canzone" Award: to the song A Cuor Leggero by Riccardo Sinigallia in
Non Essere Cattivo, Claudio Caligari, Italy
Best Innovative Budget Award: A Bigger Splash, Luca Guadagnino, Italy and France
Brian Award: Spotlight, Tom McCarthy, USA
Cinema for Unicef: Beasts of No Nation, Cary Fukunaga, USA and Ghana
Civitas Vitae Award: Pecore in Erba, Alberto Caviglia, Italy
Gillo Pontecorvo - Arcobaleno Latino Award:  Non Essere Cattivo, Claudio Caligary, Italy
Gianni Astrei Award: Non Essere Cattivo, Claudio Caligari, Italy
Green Drop Award: 悲兮魔兽 Bei xi mo shou (Behemoth), Zhao Liang, China and France (documentary)
Human Rights Nights Award:  רבין, היום האחרון Rabin, The Last Day, Amos Gitai, Israel and France
Interfilm Award:  چهارشنبه 19 اردیبهشت Chaharshanbe 19 Ordibeheshtt (Wednesday, May 9), Vahid Jalilvand, Iran
Lanterna Magica Award CGS: Blanka, Kohki Hasei, Japan
Leoncino d'Oro Agiscuola Award: L'Attesa (The Wait), Piero Messina, Italy and France
Lina Mangiacapre Award:  Laurie Anderson for Heart of a Dog, USA
Nuovo IMAIE Talent Award: Ondina Quadri in Arianna, Carlo Lavagna, Italy and Alessandro Borghi in Non Essere Cattivo, Caludio Caligari, Italy
Open Award: Harry's Bar, Carlotta Cerquetti, Italy (documentary)
Padre Nazareno Taddei Award: Marguerite, Xavier Giannoli,  France, Czech Republic and Belgium
Schermi di Qualità – Carlo Mazzacurati Award: Non Essere Cattivo, Claudio Caligarri, Italy

Final Cut Awards (Post-production support)
Zaineb Takrahou Ethekj (Zaineb Hates the Snow), Kaouther Ben Hania, Tunisia
Ali Mea'za we Ibrahim (Ali, The Goat, and Ibrahim), Sherif Elbendary, Egypt
Tigmi Nigren (House in the Fields), Tala Hadid, Morocco

Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement: Betrand Tavernier
Jaeger-Le Coultre Glory to the Filmmaker Award: Brian De Palma
Biennale Special Award: Arturo Ripstein
L'Oreal Paris per il Cinema Award: Valeria Bilello
Persol Visionary Award: Jonathan Demme

To read about some of the collateral awards go here and here.

30th Venice International Film Critics' Week Awards Winners

A few minutes ago the few awards in this autonomous section were announced and the big winner is Tanna by Bentley Dean and Martin Butler.

Here are some excerpts from the official press release.

The audience award Premio del Publico Pietro Barzisa – 30. Settimana Internazionale della Critica for the best film of the 30th Venice International Film Critics’ Week, an independent section within the 72. Venice International Film Festival, goes to Tanna by Bentley Dean and Martin Butler.

Set amidst the unspoilt landscapes of the Vanuatu archipelago in the South Pacific, the film is a vibrant and eccentric melodrama that tells the story of the forbidden love between Wawa and Dain, a sort of a "Romeo and Juliet" of the Tanna island, who are forced to choose among the reasons of the heart and the future of their tribe, the Yakel.

We take this occasion to also announce the two awards that the FEDEORA (Federation of Film Critics of Europe and the Mediterranean) jury – composed by Dubravka Lakic (President), Rita Di Santo, Nenad Dukic and James Evans - allocates to the films of the Venice International Film Critics’ Week:

Best Film: Kalo Pothi – The Black Hen by Min Bahadur Bham.
It’s a splendid, little movie. A warm-hearted and affectionate tribute to a people who survive with tenacity and imagination.

Best Director of Photography: Bentley Dean for the film Tanna
The eye behind “Tanna” captures the subtleties and complexities of a culture under threat and provides the audience with a clear vision of that world.

Winners are below in *BLUE.

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7/23/15
One week before #Venezia72 announces this year festival lineup the collateral section from the Sindicato Nazionale Critici Cinematografici Italiani (SNCCI) announced their lineup with ten (10) films that include the seven (7) first feature films and three special events.

Founded by Lino Micciché in 1984, the Venice International Film Critics’ Week has been from the beginning committed to finding, promoting and consolidating new voices and emerging talents of world cinema. This year’s program is richer than ever and includes some celebrative moments that refer to our history: a Special Award to the best Debut over the last 30 years, conferred through a referendum by Italian Film Critics’ to director and actor Peter Mullan, that in 1998 revealed his talent within the Critics’ Week program with his film Orphans, for then to win a Golden Lion with Magdalene four years later. Orphans will be screened in the opening day of Critics’ Week, with the presence of the author.

The seven films in competition are eligible for the Lion of the Future - Luigi De Laurentiis Award given to first time directors in all festival sections and the Pietro Barzisa Audience Award given by the Circolo del Cinema di Verona. Once again FEDEORA will give two collateral prizes, one for Best Film and another for Best Script, Best Cinematography or Best Actor/Actress.

In Competition

Ana yurdu (Motherland), Senem Tuzen, Turkey and Greece
Banat (Il viaggio), Adriano Valerio, Italy, Romania, Bulgaria and Macedonia
*Kalo Pothi (The Black Hen), Min Bahadur Bham, Nepal, France and Germany
Light Years, Esther May Campbell, UK
Montanha, João Salaviza, Portugal and France
The Return, Green Zeng, Singapore
*Tanna, Martin Butler and Bentley Dean, Australia and Vanuatu

Pre-Opening Film – Special Event Out of Competition
Jia (The Family), Liu Shumin, Australia and China

Opening Film – Special Event Out of Competition – Premio Saturnia SIC 30 Special Award
Orphans, Peter Mullan, UK, 1998

Closing Film – Special Event Out of Competition
Bagnoli Jungle, Antonio Capuano,Italy

Check available trailers and info @MOC.

The closing event of this is edition is equally commemorative. In 1991 the Critics’ Week award went to Antonio Capuano’s Vito e gli altri (Vito and the others). Twenty-four years later and with a filmography that testifies a very personal and independent cinematographic path, never compromised with imperative fashions or tendencies, Capuano presents to Critics’ Week his latest film Bagnoli Jungle, yet another example of expressive and courageous freedom. A film that confronts three generations, through stories that merge into each other, that move in a difficult territory, often degraded but extremely vital as the northern periphery of Naples that developed around the former industrial complex of Bagnoli.

The collateral section will run from September 2 to September 12. To read info for each of the films go official site here.

The new opening sequence by Alessandro Rak

12th Giornate Degli Autori - Venice Days Award Winners

Today section organizers announced the films that will be honored with the awards of the Venice fest autonomous section.

The Official Jury of Venice Days, headed by Laurent Cantet, has given the Venice Days Award among the films of the Official Selection to Early Winter by Michael Rowe. The jury was also composed by the participants to the program 28 Times Cinema of the European Parliament.
Here the motivation of the jury: The Jury appreciated the accomplished execution, the originality of the depiction of the ordinary life and a very confident mise en scène. The strong performance of the actors, combined with all these elements, created a strong empathy with characters who at first might seem unlikable.

French/Tunisian/Belgian co-production, A peine j'ouvre les yeux (As I Open My Eyes) by Leyla Bouzid has won the Europa Cinemas Label as Best European Film in the Giornate degli Autori/Venice Days. Award is given by a jury of four exhibitors from the network. 2015 marks the twelfth time the Label has been awarded in Venice. In receiving the Label, the film will benefit from promotional support from Europa Cinemas and better exhibition thanks to a financial incentive for network cinemas to include it in their program schedule.

The jury issued the following statement: "Leyla Bouzid has made a fresh and insightful feature debut set in her native Tunisia. It is refreshing to see the Arab middle class portrayed in a film that concentrates on the relationship between a daughter a rebellious young singer in a political rock band - and her mother in the period immediately before the Arab spring. The excellent character development avoids stereotypes, and the director's visual approach is strong. At a time when we in Europe are so aware of the refugee crisis, this film brings a sense of optimism and potential for progress for this area of the world."

The winning film was decided by a jury of four network exhibitors: Nancy J Garceau, Spain; Nico Marzano, UK; Krijn Meerburg, The Netherlands; and Renate Wur, Austria.

To check the complete list you can go to the post that has all the festival awards here or to the official site announcement here and here.

Winners are in *BLUE.

Official Selection
Opening Film: (*) El Desconocido (Retribution), Dani de la Torre, Spain
Closing Film: (*) The Daughter, Simon Stone, Australia
* (*) A peine j'ouvre les yeux (As I Open My Eyes) (aka Dieu protège ma fille), Leyla Bouzid, France, Tunisia and Belgium Label Europa Cinemas and People's Choice Awards Winner.
* (*) Arianna, Carlo Lavagna, Italy Best Young Actress Award Winner to Ondina Quandri and Prize Laguna SUD Best Italian Discovery
*Early Winter (aka Rest Home), Michael Rowe, Australia and Canada Venice Days Award Winner.
* (*) Island City, Ruchika Oberoi, India FEDEORA Best Young Director Award Winner
(*) Klezmer, Piotr Chrzan, Poland
La Memoria del Agua (The Memory of Water), Matías Bize, Chile
La Prima Luce (First Light), Vincenzo Marra, Italy and Chile
*Lolo, July Delpy, France Prize Laguna SUD Best Film Winner
* (*) Underground Fragrance, Song Pengfei, France and China FEDEORA Best Film Winner
Viva la sposa (Long Live the Bride), Ascanio Celestini, Italy, France and Belgium

Jury
President: Laurent Cantet, director, France

Special Events
Argentina (aka Zonda: Folclore Argentino), Carlos Saura, Argentina, Spain and France (documentary)
*Harry's Bar, Carlotta Cerquetti, Italy (documentary) Open Award Winner
Innocence of Memories - Orhan Pamuk's Museum and Istanbul, Grant Gee, UK, Ireland, and Italy (documentary)
(*) Ma, Celia Rowlson Hall, USA
Milano 2015, Elio, Roberto Bolle, Silvio Soldini, Walter Veltroni, Cristiana Capotondi, and Giorgio Diritti, Italy (documentary)
Viva Ingrid!, Alessandro Rossellini, Italy (documentary)

Miu Miu Women's Tales
#9 De Djess, Alice Rohrwacher, Italy
#10 Les 3 boutons, Agnès Varda, Italy and France

Special Projects
(*) Bangland, Lorenzo Berghella, Italy (animation)
Il paese dove gli alberi volano - Eugenio Barba e i giorni dell'Odin (The Country Where Trees Fly), Davide Barletti and Jacopo Quadri, Italy (documentary)
I sogni del lago salato, Andrea Segre, Italy (documentary)

(*) First Feature Film competes for Luigi De Laurentiis Award for Debut Film

Venice Days will run from September 2 to 12th and to read info about each of the films and events go official site here.  Believe that at least one movie (Arianna) from this section will compete for the Queer Lion this year. There are a few films that call my attention but none like Matías Bize's La Memoria del Agua as lead female role is played by Elena Anaya; also because cast and story, The Daughter seems could be interesting.

Check available info and trailers @MOC.

Section Trailer



For the first time the section catalog is available in digital form and here it is. Enjoy!!!



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8/3/15
Yesterday organizers announced the eleventh film in section competitive lineup, so it's now official that the sidebar will be hosting the world premiere of Lolo by Julie Delphy.

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7/24/15
Today the #Venezia72 collateral section announced their lineup that includes some interesting figures: 20 films from 15 countries, 8 are first films, 18 are world premieres and 8 are made by women filmmakers.

Those numbers suggest an international provenance but seems this year the section is proud of their local heritage when they say the lineup "is doubtless the most varied, unpredictable, international, and at the same time most "Italian" of lineups in the history of this by now well-established cinematic event promoted by the Italian filmmakers' associations (ANAC and 100autori) in agreement with the Venice Biennale."

And continue to say some perhaps surprising (at least for me) statements like:
"Every year, ahead of the leading film festivals, the media have a field day arguing over the "national quotas" for each lineup: too many German films at the Berlinale, Cannes top-heavy with French auteurs, Venice playing favorites with its Italian directors. And we're proud to uphold the tradition this year: we'll be delighted if the three Italian films on Venice Days' competitive lineup hit the headlines. We're taking a well-pondered gamble on a debut filmmaker (Carlo Lavagna) whose fresh approach will do wonders for the image of Italy's emerging helmers; we're also betting on an important new film by Ascanio Celestini, back in Venice as an auteur filmmaker this time around; and welcoming Vincenzo Marra, a major, well-loved director who will present what is perhaps his most personal, passionate effort to date. In addition to this roster, we also will be turning our spotlight on experimental works that attest to a thriving, original film culture, thanks in no small part to our collaboration with SIAE, redoubling its efforts at Venice Days this year by supporting the "Venice Workshop The Seasons of Italian Cinema", a project in which Venice Days will be involved for the next three years."

Lastly, more from what they say:
For once, we've decided to state out front that our program is inspired by a two-fold underlying theme. On the one hand, the films on our line-up bring generational clashes to the fore, since we are aware, at different levels, that they represent a crucial dilemma today as in the past, a sort of tear in the social fabric which shatters the certainties of both those trying to find their way and those defending what they have and are afraid of losing.
On the other hand, stylistically speaking, independent cinema can once again boast an originality in terms of its gaze and its narratives that rivals that of its predecessors. After viewing hundreds of films submitted to Venice Days, we get the distinct impression of a freshness of tone, remarkable courage and an ethical power that all go into pushing the boundaries of the cinematic genre. It's another reason why we had no qualms about following up last year's "big-name directors" at Venice Days with this year's gamble on debut filmmakers and others actors as well as auteurs who have reinvented themselves and stopped playing it safe.

Perhaps I'm a bit naive but I do not see Cannes as a "French Cinema Festival" or Berlinale as a "German Cinema Festival" or San Sebastian as "Spain Cinema Festival" but sometimes perhaps too often I do see Venice as "Italian Cinema Festival" as unlike the other countries, Italy tends to have only one large festival with only one opportunity to showcase local cinema. But let me be clear, I enjoy very much Italian Cinema and do not mind if Venice could become THE place to showcase Italian films, but obviously organizers could lose much if they do it, so that's why a collateral section like Venice Days is the best place to talk and showcase Italian cinema. What do you think?

If you wish to read the complete press release go section official site here. Eleven films will be in the running for the Venice Days Award; these films will also be eligible for the BNL People's Choice Award, while all the first films premiering at Venice Days are eligible for the Lion of the Future Luigi De Laurentiis Award for Best Debut Film at the Venice Film Festival. In addition, the European films in our official selection will be vying for the Label Europa Cinemas prize assigned by a jury comprised of member exhibitors. Lastly, the jury of FEDEORA film critics will assign its own prizes for best film and best debut filmmaker.

9th Queer Lion Award Winners

A few minutes ago organizers announced the award winners and -as expected- The Danish Girl by Tom Hooper wins the Queer Lion.

For its straightforward and honest portrayal of gender issues within a marriage, presented in a handsome production that will bring its important message to a wide audience, the 2015 Queer Lion goes to Tom Hooper for THE DANISH GIRL.

They also decided to award, exceptionally, a Special Mention to Baby Bump by Kuba Czekaj: For dealing with issues such as the struggles of a young teenager to accept and understand the changes in his body, and the complicated search for his sexual identity, through the free, innocent perspective of a child, supported by a style that recalls and pays tribute to the Polish and Czechoslovakian cinematic New Waves of the 60s.

Award winners are in *BLUE. To check winners at official site go here. So that's it for this year. Ciao.

Venezia72 Competition
Desde Allá (From Afar), Lorenzo Vigas, Venezuela and Mexico (G)
Marguerite, Xavier Giannoli, France, Czech Republic and Belgium
*The Danish Girl, Tom Hooper, UK and USA (T) Winner of the Queer Lion

Out of Competition
La Calle de la Amargura (Bleak Street), Arturo Ripstein, Mexico and Spain
Human, Yann Arthus-Bertrand, France (documentary)
In Jackson Heights, Frederick Wiseman, USA (documentary)
Janis, Amy Berg, USA
那日下午 Na Ri Xiawu (Afternoon), Tsai Ming-Liang, China and Taiwan
Spotlight, Thomas McCarthy, USA

Orizzonti
למה עזבתני Lama Azavtani (Why Hast Thou Forsaken Me?), Hadar Morag, Israel and France (G)

Giornate degli Autori (Venice Days)
Arianna, Carlo Lavagna, Italy

Venezia Classici
Helmut Berger, Actor, Andreas Horvath, Austria (documentary
The 1000 Eyes of Dr. Maddin, Yves Montmayeur, France (documentary)

Biennale College - Cinema
*Baby Bump, Kuba Czekaj, Poland Winner of a Special Mention

Jury
President: Alonso Duralde, USA
Programmer for L.A. Outfest, pre-screener for the Sundance Film Festival, former arts and entertainment editor at the Advocate, film reviews editor for TheWrap.
Daniel N. Casagrande, Italy
Founder of Queer Lion Award, journalist, member of the National Union of Italian Film Critics, teacher of History of Cinematographic Language.
Marco Busato, Italy
Founder member and General Delegate of cultural association CinemArte, translator, academic in Cinema history.



If you wish to visit the recently renovated award site go here and check current edition news plus info about past editions.  If you wish to read about the seven (7) new films go official site here.

This year’s cover image, Queer Lion’s personal tribute to gay cowboys in the 10th anniversary of the Golden Lion awarded to Ang Lee’s Brokeback Mountain, was ideated by photographer Marco Visca: “From Tom of Finland to Bob Mizer, from Andy Warhol to Gus Van Sant, there is a very long list of artists who used this proudly masculine icon to literally gun down clichés, conventions and stereotypes of the American culture.” The cover model is Giorgio Ronchini, known for his participation to the tenth edition of Italian’s Big Brother.

On the wonderful lakeshore of Santa Croce (Belluno), Giorgio Ronchini models for the cover of Queer Lion 2015. A small appetizer from the set. Caution: Very Gay ... nothing Lesbian! LOL!!!



This year’s teaser, realized by the young filmmaker Fabio Carpene, wants to be a tribute from Queer Lion to the history of Venetian film industry and to the CineVillaggio that, thanks to Scalera Film studios, was built in the fall of 1943 on the Venetian island of Giudecca. The short film has been shot in low-resolution black and white to revive the language of early cinema.



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9/8/15
As in the previous editions, the jury of Queer Lion Award 2015, upon seeing them, will add further movies with LGBT contents to the ones already announced in competition.

Today organizers announced seven new titles added to the competition and they are below identified with the Purple color.

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8/25/15
Today organizers released the films in competition and there are seven (7) films that will be considered for the 2015 Queer Lion.

Besides the seven films in competition, worth mentioning are, furthermore, two documentaries of queer interest presented in the Venezia Classici sidebar: The 1000 Eyes of Dr. Maddin directed by Yves Montmayeur, and Helmut Berger, Actor helmed by Andreas Horvath; and in the same sidebar, we must as well remember the 40th anniversary restoration, courtesy of the Cineteca di Bologna, of Pier Paolo Pasolini’s controversial masterpiece Salò o le 120 giornate di Sodoma.

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8/23/15
The 9th Queer Lion Award will take place from September 2nd to September 12th, 2015, during the 72. Venice International Film Festival; competing for the award, as usual, will be all the movies with LGBTQ themes or queer interest, selected within the various sidebars: Venezia 72. In Competition, Out of Competition, Orizzonti, Venice Days and International Film Critics’ Week.

This year organizers have been cautious and haven't announced films in competition before being more sure of what movies are about; so earlier, in July, announced that films will be unveiled starting from Thursday, September 1st, and following, day after day.

Still a couple of days ago the jury was announced and surprise (!!) we not only know the three jurors but we also learned that there are seven (7) films in consideration. Then as the Queer Cannes jury this year was very-unusually all-female, the Queer Lion jury is very-traditional all-male, sigh.

Up-to-today no official list of titles in consideration has been announced but will start the list from what I have learned doing the Venezia72 Check series.

Up to this moment have discovered 2 films that could be considered for the award as have some gay (G) or transgender (T) interest. Just from main competition there could be one more film, as Oliver Hermanus second feature film was amazing Beauty, so perhaps his third has some LGBTQ interest.