This year organizers started very early to tease with constant drops that add to the torrent of films that make the Official Selection as well as the other sections of the festival. So, been trying to do post since a while back, but didn't wanted to do constant updates.
Seems that today finally the Official Selection has been announced completely and according to latest toll there are twenty-five (25) films in the Official Selection with seventeen (17) films in the main Competition, four (4) Out of Competition and four (4) Special Screenings.
Before getting into the list wish to share that my spontaneous reaction to this edition is that has many films that most of us thought will end-up in one of the three main festivals but didn't. I even thought that some were withheld for next year's Berlin or Cannes. No, they are here, so we have films by Bertrand Bonello, Emmanuelle Bercot, Baltasar Kormákur, Arnaud des Pallières among others. Sigh. In my book, the inclusion of these films elevates the fest to a different category and well, makes it a lot more interesting to follow. Also take note of the great film quality in the many French films and co productions. Still is hard to forget that most of San Sebastian fest films will also be in Toronto fest, a festival that now has a competitive section, Toronto Panorama, with an international jury; but most relevant, many films will have their world premiere in Toronto (September 8 to 18) just because runs before San Sebastian (September 16 to 24).
On September 16 at the opening ceremony the FIPRESCI Grand Prix will be presented to Toni Erdmann by Maren Ade. Yes, is the film that Germany sent to Oscars -as many of us expected. Still, I have my doubts as movie is a film critics "darling" and we all know Academy members are NOT film critics; nevertheless industry media has huge expectations for this film. Most important is to mention that Maren Ade is the first female to receive the award since its creation in 1999.
Know that will have to update post as there are no jury members announcements, so as soon as organizers announce will proceed to include them here.
Official Selection
Competition Opening Film: La Fille de Brest (150 Milligrams), Emmanuelle Bercot, France American Pastoral, Ewan McGregor, USA As You Are, Miles Joris-Peyrafitte, USA 당신 자신과 당신의 것 Dangsinjasingwa dangsinui geot (Yourself and Yours), Hong Sang-soo, South Korea Eiðurinn (The Oath), Baltasar Kormákur, Iceland El Hombre de las Mil Caras, Alberto Rodríguez, Spain El Invierno (The Winter), Emiliano Torres, Argentina and France 怒り Ikari (Rage), Lee Sang-il, Japan Jätten (The Giant), Johannes Nyholm, Sweden and Denmark Jesús, Fernando Guzzoni, France, Chile, Germany and Greece La Reconquista, Jonás Trueba, Spain Lady MacBeth, William Oldroyd, UK Nocturama, Bertrand Bonello, France, Germany and Belgium Orpheline (Orphan), Arnaud des Pallières, France Plac Zabaw (Playground), Bartosz M. Kowalski, Poland Que Dios Nos Perdone, Rodrigo Sorogoyen, Spain 我不是潘金莲 Wo Bu Shi Pan Jinlian (I Am Not Madame Bovary), Xiaogang Feng, China
Out of Competition Closing Film: L'odyssée (The Odyseey), Jérôme Salle, France and Belgium A Monster Calls, J.A. Bayona, Spain Colossal, Nacho Vigalondo, Canada Snowden, Oliver Stone, USA, Germany and France
Special Screenings Bigas x Bigas, Bigas Luna and Santiago Garrido Rua, Spai 君の名は Kimi No Na Wa (Your Name), Makoto Shinkai, Japan Manda Huevos, Diego Galán, Spain Vivir y Otras Ficciones, Jo Sol, Spain
New Directors Sixteen (16) films will compete for the Kutxabank-New Directors Award
Anişoara (Anishoara), Ana-Felicia Scutelnicu, Germany and Moldovia Compte tes blessures (A Taste of Ink), Morgan Simon, France Fin de Semana, Morocco Colman, Argentina 呼吸正常 Hu Xi Zheng Chang (Something Blue), Yunbo Li, China Bar Bahar (In Between), Maysaloun Hamoud, Israel and France Le Ciel Flamand, Peter Monsaert, Belgium Lumières d'été - Natsu no hikari (Summer Lights), Jean-Gabriel Périot, France María (y los demás), Nely Reguera, Spain Park, Sofia Exarchou, Greece and Poland Pinamar, Federico Godfrid, Argentina Porto, Gabe Klinger, Portugal, France and USA Teesklejad (Pretenders), Vallo Toomla, Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia Vanatoare (Prowl), Alexandra Balteanu, Germany Waldstille, Martijn Maria Smits, Netherlands Yeon-ae-dam (Our Love Story), Lee Hyun-ju, South Korea Yi Bai Wu Shi Sui de sheng huno (One Hundred and Fifty Years of Life), Liu Yu, China
Horizontes Latinos Five former participants in last year’s Films in Progress will this year feature in the selection of the best in Latin American cinema plus the one film by outstanding Amat Escalante that also is in competition at Venice fest. There are thirteen (13) films competing for the Horizontes Award.
Alba, Ana Cristina Barragán, Ecuador, Mexico and Greece Aquí no ha pasado nada (Much Ado about Nothing), Alejandro Fernández Almendras, Chile, USA and France El Amparo, Rober Calzadilla, Venezuela and Colombia El Cristo Ciego, Christopher Murray, Chile and France El Rey del Once, Daniel Burman, Argentina Era o Hotel Cambridge, Eliane Caffé, Brazil, France and Spain La Idea de un Lago, Milagros Mumenthaler, Argentina, Switzerland and Qatar La Larga Noche de Francisco Sanctis, Francisco Márquez and Andrea Testa, Argentina La Región Salvaje (The Untamed), Amat Escalante, Mexico, Denmark, France, Germany, Norway and Switzerland Rara, Pepa San Martín, Chile and Argentina Santa y Andrés, Carlos Lechuga, Cuba, France and Colombia Viejo Calavera, Kiro Russo, Bolivia and Qatar X Quinientos, Juan Andrés Arango, Canada, Colombia and Mexico
There are many more sections in the festival screening great films from all over the world, most come from any of the three big festivals but there are more, use below links to check the films in each section. Please note that some sections still have no movies info, but eventually everything will be listed at each section.
Pearls -a selection of best films of the year- go here. Zaaltegi-Tabakalera -competitive section, open zone with unconventional films- go here. Culinary Zinema -competitive selection of gastronmy related films accompanied by themed dinners- go here. Savage Cinema -adventure and sports films- go here. Zinemira -section dedicated to Basque film- go here. Made in Spain -non competitive selection showcasing Spanish Films- go here. International Film Students Meeting -short films- go here. Velodrome -big premieres- go here. Movies for Kids -non competitive section for younger audiences- go here. Classic Retrospective -Jacques Becker- go here. Thematic Retrospective -The Act of Killing. Cinema and global violence- go here. Films in Progress -Latin American films in progress- go here.
Here are some of the awards already announced
Donostia Award: Sigourney Weaver Donostia Award: Ethan Hawke Latin Cinema Award: Gael Garcia Bernal Zinemira Award: Actor and filmmaker Ramón Barea
As the 2016 edition has great posters will share them below.
Award organizers were supposed to announce films next Monday, August 22 but today there are some films listed and even when do not know if is the complete list, I'm in the mood of sharing the films that will or could be considered for the Venice Film Festival LGBT award.
Before checking the list, let's find out who are going to decide the winning film (or films?).
Jury President: Cecilia Ermini, film critic and programmer, Italy Rich Cline, film critic, UK Daniel N, Casagrande, founder of Queer Lion Award, journalist, Italy
The following are the films in today's list. Next Monday could modify list according to what organizers do as perhaps they could add more films and/or short films. If find which LGBT interest the film has will add info. Was reading in facebook and twitter the award publications and seems this is the complete list and there will be no award for short films. Still, according to the official site, seems on Monday there will be an official award presentation by Casagrande as well as will publish the events around the award, so will update post, if applicable.
My spontaneous reaction to list is that there are two films with clear interest and both are with gay-interest, one absolutely calls my attention for the director and the most amazing cinematography of Iceland settings; the other is Italian and well not really calls my attention (lol!) but wonder if the award will not go to any of these two films as whatever LGBT interest the other films have, seem will be of the not-so-pleasant to watch characters and storyline. Sigh.
Monday August 22, 2016 Update
No, there are no changes to the list, there are 10 films in competition for the 2016 Queer Lion and there will be NO award for short films.
Today organizers published the foreword by Daniel N. Casagrande that you could read in English here. Still, there are some news worth sharing in this post and here is the cut/paste paragraph that talks about films NOT considered for the award but have some LGBT interest. Sorry, no explanations to why films are NOT included in the competition.
Among the films not competing for the Queer Lion Award, worth of a mention are: Era ieri by Valentina Pedicini, a lesbian short film presented in the section SIC@SIC; the ambiguous and mysterious Frantz by François Ozon; Isiko (The Wound) by John Trengove, a South African gay-themed film presented as a work in progress in the Final Cut workshop in Venice; the glamour and elegance of the documentary Franca: Chaos and Creation by Francesco Carrozzini, and the libertine, pre WWII Paris of Rebecca Zlotowski’s Planetarium starring Natalie Portman and Louis Garrel and co-written by Robin Campillo.
Most interesting is to learn that the Queer Lion Award is given to the "Best Film with Homosexual & Queer Culture Themes". This is new to me as older definition was longer and perhaps more to the essence of LGBT cinema; but well, is a great summary that explains not much as if something is really diverse and engulfs so many cultural aspects is the so-called Homosexual & Queer culture. Sigh.
Wednesday, August 24 Update
A few minutes ago got the following email from Daniel N. Casagrande with some comments about why above films were not considered. Here is the copy/paste of the email.
Hi, At the request of the direction of the Venice Film Festival we only consider the medium and feature films, so movies longer less than 30’ can not compete. FRANTZ is not in competition because the gay subject is never made explicit, any homosexual relationship (if there ever was) is never discussed, mentioned, everything is subtext, it's all about the "not told" and the "not shown"; The most attentive LGBT audience will see (maybe) all of this, the remaining 95% of the audience will see another movie. The documentary on Francesco Carrozzini, that concern the fashion world, is definitely interesting for the LGBT public, but it has nothing to do with homosexual themes. PLANETARIUM has only one sequence in a gay bar in the Paris of 1937. ISIKO is a work in progress, will go to Venice in a single pass in a hall with 120 seats only for buyers and producers, we were explicitly asked not to add it in the competition because it's not finished yet. Thanks for your attention. Daniel...
We thank Mr. Casagrande communication that clarifies doubts that many of us had, including those that asked me directly. Most important, we have info to consider for future editions of this award.
From Venezia 73
Ang babaeng humayo(The Woman Who Left) by Lav Diaz with Charo Santos-Concio, John Lloyd Cruz (Philippines, 226’)
Synopsis: For Horacia Somorostro, living has become a veritable reclusion perpetua, an imprisonment. Life’s spins and randomness has been very difficult, vicious and inexplicable for her. The year is 1997. Princess Diana dies in a violent car crash. The world is saddened by the death of Mother Theresa. And the Philippines is gripped with fear. It has become the kidnap capital of Asia.
Director Lav Diaz's drama examines economic disparity in modern Filipino society through the eyes of a woman released from prison 30 years after being framed and wrongly convicted.
Director's Statement: “Existence is fragile” says Lav Diaz, “At the end of the day, we really don’t know anything”. A simple, yet complex story; a work about human existence, which raises the question “where does logic figure in all of this?” A film that seeks to push cinema towards its deeper and grander end: to find answers to the philosophical questions that each viewer asks himself. The setting in Mindoro, a province of the Philippines of which Charo Santos-Concio is a native, made the shooting even more authentic than the theme of the film could have.
La Región Salvaje(The Untamed) by Amat Escalante with Ruth Ramos, Simone Bucio (Mexico, Denmark, France, Germany, Norway, 100’)
Synopsis from Biennale: A social parable that focuses on Mexico, but also wishes to be universal. A more metaphysical film than Amat Escalante's previous film Heli (2013, Best Director at Cannes). A story about falling in love and vanishing illusions in a highland city in Mexico. Veronica (Simone Bucio) goes down to find the point of impact of a meteorite that crashed and altered the configuration of the area. In the same way, she will change the lives of Angel (Jesùs Mesa) and Alejandra (Ruth Ramos), a young couple that puts its determination to the test as they try, with their two children, to overcome adversity.
Synopsis from San Sebastian fest: Young mother Alejandra is a working housewife, raising two boys with her husband Angel in a small city. Her brother Fabien works as a nurse in a local hospital. Their provincial lives are upset with the arrival of the mysterious Veronica. Sex and love can be fragile in certain regions where strong family values, hypocrisy, homophobia and male chauvinism exist. Veronica convinces them that in the nearby woods, inside an isolated cabin, dwells something not of this world that could be the answer to all of their problems.
Amat Escalante is MUST-BE-SEEN for me and no matter what his previous films have told in their stories nor the extreme violence they could show, I'll will watch his films as they're mesmerizing. Still can't imagine a film by him with some LGBT interest and if have to push my imagination then I see something that will not be pleasant to watch; somehow suspect film could have some lesbian interest ... but not sure at all.
Questi Giorni by Giuseppe Piccioni with Margherita Buy, Filippo Timi (Italy, 120’)
Synopsis from Biennale: Questi Giorni is the story of a group of college-age girls from the provinces, an age in which decisions about the future become more pressing, and can no longer be delayed. A provincial Italian town. Inside the old city walls, in late-night forays along the seafront, in the enchantment of a temporary incursion into nature, the four girls play out their daily rituals and nurture their expectations; their friendship has not sprung from overwhelming passion, shared interests or great ideals. They are bound not by affinity but by habit, by occasional enthusiasm, by guileless clashes, and feelings they cultivate in secret. Yet their bond is as unique and inimitable as the days they travel together to Belgrade, where they will find a mysterious friend and an unlikely job opportunity.
The obvious implication is that film has some lesbian interest and probably does so, but there is no clear info -yet- anywhere.
From Orizzonti
Boys in the Trees by Nicholas Verso with Toby Wallace, Gulliver McGrath (Australia, 2016)
Synopsis: Halloween 1997 – the last night of high school for Corey, Jango and their skater gang, The Gromits. Childhood is over and adult life beckons. But for Corey, his past has some unfinished business. When he encounters Jonah, a former childhood friend but now victimised by Jango’s cruel streak, Corey takes pity on him and agrees to walk him home for old time’s sake. What starts off as a normal walk through empty suburban streets descends into something darker and magical, as trip through their memories and ghosts of the past, and Corey is surprised to discover how much he still has in common with his abandoned friend. But on the night of the grave’s delight, even the most buried truths will find a way of coming to life.
Best Narrative Screenplay (Unproduced) award winner at the 2011 New York Gay and Lesbian Film Festival. Imagine film has gay interest; but, no, I'm not sure.
From Giornate degli Autori (Venice Days)
Hjartasteinn (Heartstone) by Guðmundur Arnar Guðmundsson with Søren Malling, Gunnar Jónsson (Denmark, Iceland, 129’)
Synopsis: A remote fishing village in Iceland. Teenage boys Thor and Christian experience a turbulent summer as one tries to win the heart of a girl while the other discovers new feelings toward his best friend. When summer ends and the harsh nature of Iceland takes back its rights, it’s time to leave the playground and face the acrimony of adulthood.
Director statement: Heartstone is a personal story based on my experience growing up in a small fishing village. The core of the film is a strong, beautiful friendship between two boys, and how their environment and inner conflict drive them apart, before the bond they share manages to reunite them again. The village is a place full of contrats, where kids discover how nature and people can be both amazingly beautiful and incredibly cruel. As a kid, I wished I could show the grown-ups around me how our world really felt, and that's what I want to show as a filmmaker: because the years of youth reflect our lives in clear, beautiful, and sometimes harsh manner.
Has to have gay interest, don't you think so too?
Indivisibili (Indivisible) by Edoardo De Angelis with Angela Fontana, Marianna Fontana (Italy, 100’)
Synopsis: Viola and Dasy are a pair of conjoined twins who sing at weddings and parties and manage to support their entire family with their performances. It all works, until they realize that separation is a real option. All they want is normal lives: eating ice cream, traveling, dancing, making love, drinking wine without worrying about their other half getting drunk... A gay couple, very close to the sisters, is among the characters we will meet throughout their story.
Seems film has secondary gay interest.
Pamilya ordinaryo (Ordinary People) di Eduardo Roy Jr. con Ronwaldo Martin, Hasmine Killip (Filippine, 107’) (T)
Synopsis: A family portrait of Jane, sixteen, and her boyfriend, Aries, making a living out of stealing on the chaotic streets of Manila. Fate hits back at them when, one month after having become parents, their child is stolen by a transgender who wants to sell it to another couple. In an effort to get the baby back, the couple will be forced to take extreme measures.
From Settimana Internazionale della Critica (Venice International Film Critics Week)
Jours de France by Jérôme Reybaud with Pascal Cervo, Arthur Igual (France, 141’) (G)
Synopsis: A man leaves everything behind to travel aimlessly through France, letting himself be guided only by the people and landscapes he encounters: four days and four nights of wandering, during which his lover tries to locate him via Grindr, a smartphone dating app.
Le ultime cose by Irene Dionisio with Fabrizio Falco, Christina Rosamilia (Italy, France, Switzerland, 85’) (T)
Synopsis: In Torino, a bittersweet crowd is bringing its own belongings to a pawn shop, waiting for a ransom or the final auction. Between the thousands of faces that tell the human inventory of the crisis, three stories intertwine unconsciously in the thin line of moral debt. Sandra, a young trans, in order to escape her past sells her fur coat. Her gaze will cross Stefano’s, a novice who just started working at the bank, and who drags her towards a tender obsession. Michele, a retired porter, asks for a loan to a family member, who will turn out to be fatally the wrong person to ask a favor from.
From Cinema nel Giardino
L’estate addosso (Summertime) by Gabriele Muccino with Taylor Frey, Joseph Haro (Italy, 103’) (G)
Synopsis: 18 year-old Marco, in the summer of high-school final exams, unexpectedly ends up on a road trip to San Francisco with Mary, a classmate of his, nicknamed ‘the nun’. Mary’s company is, to Marco, a real catastrophe. When in California, the two of them will be guests of Matt and Paul, a young gay couple: the four will have to face problems and prejudices and will live an experience that will forever change their lives.
To check list at official site go here. Check available info plus trailers @MOC
Queer Lion Award 2016 will be handed out on Friday, September 9 at 7:00PM at Villa degli Autori, headquarter of Venice Days-Giornate degli Autori, in a ceremony where the most important collateral awards, such as Fedeora Award, Label Europa Cinemas, Venice Days Award, BNL Audience Critics’ Week prize will be announced.
On the night of Friday, September 9, to celebrate 10 years of the Queer Lion, QL Closing Party will take place in the park of Nicelli airport in Lido di Venezia, with free entrance and a shuttle bus service from Cittadella del Cinema (the area of Casino and Palazzo del Cinema). Music by Brian dj from Queever disco club in Turin.
Video
For obvious reasons I didn't particularly like the promotional video but well, check it to form your own opinion. Sigh.
It is with great pleasure that the European Film Academy and EFA Productions announce the titles of the 50 films on this year’s EFA Feature Film Selection, the list of feature fiction films recommended for a nomination for the European Film Awards 2016!
With 33 European countries represented, the list once again illustrates the great diversity in European cinema.
In the 20 countries with the most EFA Members, these 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 Péter Bognár (Hungary), Dave Calhoun (UK), Paz Lazaro Barquilla (Spain), Christophe Leparc (France) and Alik Shpilyuk (Ukraine) has included further films. In the coming weeks, the over 3,000 members of the European Film Academy will vote for the nominations in the categories European Film, Director, Actor, Actress and Screenwriter. The nominations will then be announced on 5 November at the Seville European Film Festival in Spain. A 7-member jury will decide on the awards recipients in the categories European Cinematographer, Editor, Production Designer, Costume Designer, Hair & Make-up Artist, Composer and Sound Designer.
The 29th European Film Awards with the presentation of the winners will take place on 10 December in Wroclaw, European Capital of Culture 2016.
Have some not-so-positive reactions to the long list as even when has many films that truly deserve to be honored, there is ONE film that I highly enjoyed that is not in list and yes, the absence upsets me. Grrr. Nevertheless hope film continues to be honored in different ways, like for example, one of the producing countries sends it to Oscars 2017 foreign-language category. Sigh
The List
24 Wochen (24 Weeks), Anne Zohra Berrached, Germany Abluka (Frenzy), Emir Alper, Turkey, France and Qatar Ausma (Dawn), Laila Pakalniņa, Latvia, Poland and Estonia Bacalaureat (Graduation), Cristian Mungiu, Romania, France and Belgium
Cartas da Guerra (Letters from War), Ivo M. Ferreira, Portugal Chevalier, Athina Rachel Tsangari, Greece and Germany Córki Dansingu (The Lure), Agnieszka Smoczyńska, Poland D'Ardennen (The Ardennes), Robin Pront, Belgium and Netherlands Der Staat Gegen Fritz Bauer (The People vs. Fritz Bauer), Lars Kraume, Germany
Einer von Uns (One of Us), Stephan Richter, Austria El Olivo (The Olive Tree), Iciar Bollain, Spain and Germany Elle, Paul Verhoeven, France and Germany En Man som heter ove (A Man Called Ove), Hannes Holm, Sweden and Norway
Florence Foster Jenkins, Stephen Frears, UK Hymyilevä mies (The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Mäki), Juho Kuosmanen, Finland, Germany and Sweden I, Daniel Blake, Ken Loach, UK and France Já, Olga Hepnarová (I, Olga Hepnarova), Tomáš Weinreb and Petr Kazda, Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia and France Julieta, Pedro Almodóvar, Spain
Kollektivet (The Commune), Thomas Vinterberg, Denmark, Sweden and Netherlands Köpek, Esen Işik, Switzerland Krigen (A War), Thomas Lindholm, Denmark
L'Avenir (Things to Come), Mia Hansen-Løve, France and Germany La Fille Inconnue (The Unknown Girl), Jean-Pierre & Luc Dardenne, Belgium and France La Pazza Gioia (Like Crazy), Paolo Virzì, Italy and France
Mammal, Rebecca Daly, Ireland, Luxembourg and Netherlands מעבר להרים ולגבעות Me'ever laharim vehagvaot (Beyond the Mountains and Hills), Eran Kolirin, Israel, Germany and Belgium Mimosas, Oliver Laxe, Spain, Morocco, Qatar and France
Non Essere Cattivo (Don't Be Bad), Claudio Galigari, Italy Obce Niebo (Strange Heaven), Dariusz Gajewski, Poland and Sweden Perfetti Sconosciuti (Perfect Strangers), Paolo Genovese, Italy Pesn Pesney (Song of Songs), Eva Neymann, Ukraine Þrestir (Sparrows), Rúnar Rúnarsson, Iceland, Denmark and Croatia Pyromanen (Pyromaniac), Erik Skjoldbjaerg, Norway, Sweden and Germany
Quand on a 17 ans (Being 17), André Téchiné, France Rauf, Barış Kaya and Soner Caner, Turkey Room, Lenny Abrahamson, Ireland and Canada
S One Strane (On the Other Side), Zrinko Ogresta, Croatia and Serbia Sieranevada, Cristi Puiu, Romania and France Smrt u Sarajevu (Death in Sarajevo), Danis Tanovic, Bosnia Herzegovina and France Suffragette, Sarah Gavron, UK Suntan, Argyris Papadimitropoulos, Greece and Germany
The Paradise Suite, Joost Van Ginkel, Netherlands, Sweden and Bulgaria Tikkun, Avishai Sivan, Israel Tiszta szívvel (Kills on Wheels), Attila Till, Hungary Toni Erdmann, Maren Ade, Germany and Austria Truman, Cesc Gay, Spain and Argentina
Ученик Uchenik (The Student), Kirill Serebrennikov, Russia Under Sandet(Land of Mine), Martin Zandvliet, Denmark and Germany Zjednoczone stany miłości (United States of Love), Tomasz Wasilewski, Poland and Sweden Ztraceni v Mnichově (Lost in Munich), Petr Zelenka, Czech Republic
It is with great pleasure that the European Film Academy and EFA Productions announce the EFA Documentary Selection, a list of 15 European documentaries recommended for a nomination for this year's European Film Awards.
Last year the European Academy changed the procedure to select the nominations in the documentary category and process became similar to the selection of short films nominees with ten (10) documentary festival recommending to EFA committee one film each which had its world premiere at the festival latest edition. Chosen in co-operation with the European Documentary Network EDN, these festivals are:
IDFA (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 Vanessa Henneman (Netherlands), Roberto Cicutto (Italy), and Marek Rozenbaum (Israel), documentary filmmaker Alexander Nanau (Romania) and documentary expert Paul Pauwels (European Documentary Network, Belgium) decided on the EFA Documentary Selection.
Most interesting is to realize that awards organizers in general are announcing earlier this year and EFA is no exception. Had to go back to find when EFA announced the doc selection and was last September, so in 2016 it's almost a month earlier. As a matter of fact this selection is announced before the most expected EFA long list! Not complaining as me, for one, enjoy to have more time to analyze and watch (if I haven't) the films before the nominations are selected.
Here are the fifteen (15) documentary films that made the 2016 EFA Selection.
21 x Nowy Jork (21 x New York), Piotr Stasik, Poland A Family Affair, Tom Fassaert, Nehterlands and Belgium Bella e Perduta (Lost and Beautiful), Pietro Marcello, Italy Bref Manuel de libération (We'll Be Alright), Alexander Kuznetsov, France Den unge Zlatan (Becoming Zlatan), Fredrik and Magnus Gertten, Sweden, Netherlands and Italy Déjà vu, Jon Bang Carlsen, Denmark Ein deutsches Leben (A German Life), Christian Krönes, Olaf S. Müller, Roland Schrotthofer and Florian Weigensamer, Austria Europe, She Loves, Jan Gassmann, Switzerland and Germany Fuocoammare (Fire at Sea), Gianfranco Rosi, Italy and Germany Herr von Bohlen, André Schäfer, Germany Mallory, Helena Třeštíková, Czech Republic Mr. Gaga, Tomer Heymann, Israel, Sweden, Germany and Netherlands Ο Πιο Μακρύς Δρόμος O Pio Makris Dromos (The Longest Run), Marianna Economou, Greece Событие Sobytie (The Event), Sergei Loznitsa, Netherlands and Belgium The Land of the Enlightened, Pieter-Jan De Pue, Belgium, Ireland, Netherlands and Germany
My spontaneous reaction to the selection is one that goes to the very-surprising side as yes, selection has some well-known docs like the 2016 Golden Bear winner or the one from one of my most favorite contemporary directors, Sergei Loznitsa; but was unaware of those films by photographers (one seems to be really disturbing BUT officially "I'm dying" to see it!) and yes definitively very interested in doc about the choreographer. Info about each film is not yet at official site but know soon will be here.
Will find info, trailer and poster for each film and will post links. Check available info and trailers @MOC Check available posters at my Pinterest
EFA Members will now vote for five documentary nominations. Based on these nominations, the EFA Members will then elect the ‘European Documentary 2016’ which will be announced during the awards ceremony on 10 December in Wroclaw, European Capital of Culture 2016.
Today the most famous Swiss competitive festival comes to an end with the screening of the award winning films and feel kind of sad as this year followed the fest via smart phone app and gee, was great! Thanks Locarno for creating a good, fine working app.
More interesting was the fest collaboration with Festival Scope as yes, was able to watch a couple of films for FREE; but to be honest, didn't enjoyed much the films (lol). Nevertheless the Festival Scope app is also very good and can be send to your TV via Airplay! Since I'm talking about the greatness of Locarno streaming and smart services, let me share that been experimenting with many app services that can stream films directly to your smart TV and my impression is that film distribution has changed! No, is not anymore, WILL change. Now streaming is an important mean to reach film audiences and is happening all over the world. After so many great news let's go back to the Swiss festival and the award winners that to the surprise of many has several awards to films by female directors, including the Top Award. That's great for a change, isn't? Now let's hope films are great, as great films have no gender...
Concorso Internazionale
Golden Leopard: Godless, Ralitza Petrova, Bulgaria, Denmark and France
Special Jury Prize: Inimi Cicatrizate (Scarred Hearts), Radu Jude, Romania and Germany Special Mention: Mister Universe, Tizza Covi and Rainer Frimmel, Austria and Italy
Best Direction: João Pedro Rodrigue for O Ornitólogo (The Ornitologist), Portugal, France and Brazil
Leopard for Best Actress: Irena Ivanova in Godless, Ralitza Petrova, Bulgaria, Denmark and France Leopard for Best Actor: Andrzej Seweryn in Ostatnia Rodzina (The Last Family), Jan P. Matuszyński, Poland
Concorso Cineasti del Presente
Golden Leopard: El Auge del Humano (The Human Surge), Eduardo Williams, Argentina, Brazil and Portugal
Special Jury Prize: The Challenge, Yuri Ancarani, Italy and France (documentary) Special Mention: Viejo Calavera (Dark Skull), Kiro Russo, Bolivia and Qatar
Best Emerging Director: Mariko Tetsuya for ディストラクション・ベイビーズ Disutorakushon Beibizu (Destruction Babies), Japan
First Feature Competition
First Feature Award:El Futuro Perfecto (The Future Perfect), Nele Wohlatz, Argentina Art Peace Hotel Award: Maud Alpi for Gorge Cœur Ventre (Still Life), France Special Mention: El Auge del Humano (The Human Surge), Eduardo Williams, Argentina, Brazil and Portugal
Pardi di Domani (Short Film Competition)
Concorso Internationale (International Competition)
Golden Leopard Cub for Best International Short Film: L'Inmmense Retour (Romance), Manon Coubia, Belgium and France, 14' Silver Leopard Cub: Cilaos, Camilo Restarepo, France, 12' Special Mention: Non Castus, Andrea Castillo, Chile, 21'
Locano Nomination for European Film Awards-Premio Pianifica: L'Inmmense Retour (Romance), Manon Coubia, Belgium and France, 14' Premio Film und Video Untertitelung: Valparaiso, Carlo Sironi, Italy, 20'
Concorso Nazionale (National Competition)
Golden Leopard Cub for Best Swiss Short Film: Die Brücke über den Fluss (The Bridge over the River), Jadwiga Kowalska, Switzerland, 6' Silver Leopard Cub: Genesis, Lucien Monot, Switzerland, 17' Best Swiss Newcomer: Manon Goupil for La Sève, Switzerland, 13'
Other Awards Audience Award: I, Daniel Blake, Ken Loach, UK and France Variety Piazza Grande Award: Moka, Frédéric Mermoud, France and Switzerland
Independent Juries and Awards
FIPRESCI Award: Mister Universo, Tizza Covi and Rainer Frimmel, Austria and Italy
Ecumenical Prize: Godless, Ralitza Petrova, Bulgaria, Denmark and France Special Mentions Mister Universo, Tizza Covi and Rainier Frimmel, Austria and Italy Marija (Maria), Michael Koch, Germany and Switzerland
Europa Cinema Label: Mister Universo, Tizza Covi and Rainer Frimmel, Austria and Italy
International Federation of Film Societies (IFFS) Award: Inimi Cicatrizate (Scarred Hearts), Radu Jude, Romania and Germany Special Mention: Slava (Glory), Kristina Grozeva and Petar Valchanov, Bulgaria and Greece
Junior Jury Awards First Prize: Bangkok Nites, Katsuya Tomita, Japan, France, Thailand and Laos Second Prize: Mister Universo, Tizza Covi and Rainer Frimmel, Austria and Italy Third Prize: 風に濡れた女 Kaze Ni Nureta Onna (Wet Woman in the Wind), Shiota Akihiko, Japan Enviroment is Quality of Life Prize: Marija (Maria), Michael Koch, Germany and Switzerland
Cinema & Gioventù Jury for the Concorso Cineasti del presente Award: Afterlov, Stergios Paschos, Greece Special Mention: El Futuro Perfecto (The Future Perfect), Nele Wohlatz, Argentina
Cinema & Gioventù Jury for the Pardi di domani Awards Best International Short Film: Alepou (Fox), Jaqueline Lentzou, Greece, 28' Best Swiss Short Film: Lost Exile, Fisnik Maxhuni, Switzerland, 29' Special Mention: Genesis, Lucien Monot, Switzerland, 17'
Semaine de la Critique SRG SSR Prize: Komunia (Communion), Anna Zamecka, Poland Zonta Club Locarno Prize: Cahier Africain, Heidi Specogna, Switzeland and Germany
To check info about any of the above films go official site here.
Finally today, August 5, we have the first submission to #Oscars2017 and to my surprise came from Switzerland that for the first time announces its selection at the festival; which by-the-way makes sense as Locarno is one of the most famous festivals in the world and gets a lot more attention than the previous fest were the Swiss submission was announced. Great.
Will not hide my approval as the Swiss film was premiered in Cannes and more interesting was written by one of my most favorite contemporary directors Céline Sciamma! As most of you know been commenting about fresh news from several countries and the links are in my Pinterest, now most of the info will be in this post, but will continue to leave links at Pinterest. Yes, links take you to several languages news; my best suggestion is to use Chrome for auto-translation.
The deadline for submissions this year is October 3, 2016. Female directors are in Blue.
Armenia: երկրաշարժ Zemletryasenie (Earthquake), Sarik Andreasyan Australia: Tanna, Martin Butler and Bentley Dean (2015 Biennale-Settimana della Critica) Austria: Vor der Morgenröte (Stefan Zweig: Farewell to Europe), Maria Schrader (Locarno)
Belgium: D'Ardennen (The Ardennes), Robin Pront Bosnia and Herzegovina: Smrt u Sarajevu (Death in Sarajevo), Danis Tanović (Berlinale)
Croatia: S One Strane (On the Other Side), Zrinko Ogresta, Croatia and Serbia (Berlinale Panorama) Cuba: El Acompañante (The Companion), Pavel Giroud
Finland: Hymyilevä mies (The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Mäki), Juho Kuosmanen (Cannes UCR)
Georgia: სხვისი სახლი (The House of Others), Rusudan Glurdjidze (Karlovy Vary) Germany: Toni Erdmann, Maren Ade (Cannes)
Hungary: Tiszta szívvel (Kills on Wheels), Attila Till (Karlovy Vary)
Iraq: El Clásico, Halkawt Mustafa (Tribeca)
Japan: 母と暮せば Haha to Kuraseba (Living with My Mother), Yôji Yamada
Nepal: कालो पोथी Kalo Pothi (The Black Hen), Min Bahadur Bham (2015 Biennale Settimana) Netherlands: Tonio, Paula van der Oest
Romania: Sieranevada, Cristi Puiu (Cannes)
Saudi Arabia: بركة يقابل بركة Barakah yoqabil Barakah (Barakah Meets Barakah), Mahmoud Sabbagh, (Berlinale Forum) Serbia: Dnevnik mašinovođe (Train Driver's Diary), Miloša Radovića (MoscowIFF) South Korea: 밀정 Miljung (The Age of Shadows), Kim Jee-Woon (Biennale) Spain: Julieta, Pedro Almodóvar (Cannes) Sweden: En man som heter Ove (A Man Called Ove), Hannes Holm Switzerland: Ma Vie de Courgette (My Life as a Courgette), Claude Barras (Cannes)
Tunisia: زهرة حلب La Fleur d'Alep (The Flower of Aleppo), Ridha Béhi
Venezuela: Desde Allá (From Afar), Lorenzo Vigas (2015 Biennale)
Check info and trailers here. Check submitted films posters here.
News
Argentina: Registration deadline was August 1st. Brazil: Announcement on Monday, September 12 at 11:00am local time. Canada: Will make a decision in September and announce the results by October 1st. Chile: Deadline for inscriptions was yesterday, August 4. No news about announcement date. Colombia: Shortlist on September 2; Selection on September 12. Costa Rica: Registration deadline is September 9. Denmark: Shortlist with three (3) films. Check films here. Selection on September 19. France: Announcement on September 26. Shortlist on Sept 13??? Israel: Ophir Awards nominations are out, Best Film winner will represent Israel. There are five films that you can check here. Italy: Deadline is September 15. Kosovo: Considering Home Sweet Home and Engjujt janë larg; expect one more by deadline on September 10. Lithuania: Announcement on September 20. Mexico: Announcement on September 14. Montenegro: Application deadline September 15. Norway: Will select its entry from 3 films. Announcement on September 7. Pakistan: Deadline is August 22nd. Announcement on September 16. Slovenia: Deadline is August 31. Ukraine: Announcement on September 9. Uruguay: Announcement on or after September 15.
This year organizers started very early to tease with constant drops that add to the torrent of films that make the Official Selection as well as the other sections of the festival. So, been trying to do post since a while back, but didn't wanted to do constant updates. 
Eiðurinn (The Oath), Baltasar Kormákur, Iceland
