Paramount Pictures in conjunction with On Animation Studio’s U.S. premiere of “The Little Prince” is slated to open the 31st Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF) at 8PM on February 3rd, 2016 at Santa Barbara’s historic Arlington Theater. The animated film’s star-studded cast features the voices of Jeff Bridges, Marion Cotillard, Bernicio Del Toro, Rachel McAdams, Mackenzie Foy, Ricky Gervais, Paul Rudd and James Franco. Click here for tickets, passes and packages.
The Opening Night Film + Gala is co-sponsored by Bella Vista Designs. “The Little Prince” is scheduled for theatrical release March 18, 2016.
“The Little Prince” is based on Antoine de Saint-Exupery’s classic tale Le Petit Prince. Writers Irena Brignull and Bob Persichetti have created an original narrative interfused with elements of the novel.
SBIFF Executive Director, Roger Durling, had this to say about “The Little Prince:”
(Photo Credit: The Santa Barbara Independent)
“Saint-Exupery’s novel is one of the most beloved works of the 2oth century. What Mark (Dir. Osborne) has done with this story is extraordinary and moving, and we think it provides a perfect tie-in to AppleBox, our free family screening program, and to the festival’s other philanthropic efforts. We are thrilled to have this film kick off our festival.”
If air travel is required, Alaska Airlines, the official airline for the 31st Santa Barbara International Film Festival, is offering 10% discounts on airfare between Santa Barbara, Los Angeles or Burbank, California and any of Alaska Airlines departure cities (excluding Hawaii, Mexico, Costa Rica and Prudhoe Bay) from February 2nd through February 16th, 2016. Book by February 16, 2016. Click here. Discounts are automatically applied. Restrictions apply. See site for details.
Here’s a peek behind the scenes of the major collaborators from “The Big Short”:
The film, directed by Adam McKay, is based on the book, “The Big Short: Inside The Doomsday Machine,” by Michael Lewis, and was adapted by McKay and Charles Randolph.
The film’s narrative is driven by four cynical, fringe Wall Street entities disgusted with the large banking institutions’ overriding greed for profits. They make the decision to capitalize on the ensuing housing market calamity and the financial meltdown of 2008 upon discovering the market frenzy is being driven by worthless “dog shit” collateral debt obligations. viewed the film at the TCL Chinese Theater in Hollywood, California as the closing night film of the 2105 AFIFEST. It was also the film’s world premiere.
McKay chooses to inject a significant dose of humor in the early scenes to condition the audience receptors for what they are about to experience. Utilizing the Martin Scorsese docu-drama style in a similar setting with “Wolf of Wall Street,” a strong narrative voice dominates particular moments. Several of these deliberately break the ‘Fourth Wall” in the style of “Wolfie,” Jordan Belfort, as the characters, including a hilarious cameo by Selena Gomez, speak directly into the camera to explain the complexities of Wall Street financials. The overall effect adds additional humor and adds another layer in creating a sense of authenticity and truth about the film’s subject matter.
After a rather lengthy dizzying, yet delightful, character introduction, the film picks up pace as the drama begins to unfold. Dr. Michael Burry, an eccentric financial analyst, with complete autonomy of an investment fund, uncovers variables in his economic forecast indicating a massive housing market collapse. He informs his higher up, Lawrence Fields, played convincingly by Tracy Letts, of his discovery and creates a financial prospectus. In essence, he creates a commodity of selling short on bundled mortgages.
The bankers laugh as they willingly sell Burry all the “insurance” he wants. Word quickly spreads of Burry’s perceived madness in a after-work cocktail scene. With interest piqued upon overhearing the Wall Street gossip of the day, Jarred Bennett, portrayed by Ryan Gosling, scoops up the essence of Burry’s move. Soon, he sells a group led by Steve Carell’s all-too-human, Mark Baum to buy in.
As the debacle is in full free-fall, Baum struggles with disbelief as he and his group have bet against their own umbrella entity, Morgan Stanley. The final team that has uncovered the impending financial crisis, made up of two Wall Street neophytes and veteran Ben Rickert, played by one of the film’s producers, Brad Pitt, also struggles with the imploding financial system caused by corporate greed and indifference.
With a mammoth cast, McKay draws on a plethora of talent in the likes of Hollywood A-listers including Brad Pitt, Ryan Gosling, Selena Gomez, Christian Bale, Karen Gillan Steve Carell, Marisa Tomei, Melissa Leo and Finn Wittrock. McKay and Randolph create characters with witty dialogue coupled with complementary cinematography provided by Barry Ackroyd. The soundtrack carries a similar tone of “Wolf of Wall Street,” with a compilation of classic rock anthems. Nicholas Britell widely recognized for his work on Steve McQueen’s “12 Years a Slave,” where Britell composed on set the on-screen violin performances, work songs, dances and spiritual songs rarely misses a beat this time out. Much like another AFI FEST 2015 film, “The Clan,” Argentina’s official entry to the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences Best Foreign Language Category for Oscar, “The Big Short,” musical score is often in juxtaposition to the the narrative and mise-en-scen adding a deeper visceral quality to the viewing experience.
In its most basic essence, “The Big Short,” builds on the visceral truth of Scorsese’s “Wolf of Wall Street.” It depicts a not-so-long-ago present where a noble ideal, making home ownership a reality for Americans, is bastardized by the indifferent market forces of capitalism. Probably not what Adam Smith had in mind when he penned his treatise, “The Wealth of Nations.” Warmly Recommended.
Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF) just announced Alicia Vikander, O’Shea Jackson, Jr. and Geza Rohrig as the second group of recipients for its 2016 Virtuoso Award. The Viruoso Award recognizes performers who have distinguished themselves through their film performances in the past year. Vikander has had a sizzling year with searing roles in the sci-fi thriller “Ex Machina,” the coming-of-age “Testament of Youth,” and in the groundbreaking transgender saga “The Danish Girl.” O’Shea Jackson, Jr. is receiving accolades for his work in “Straight Outta Compton,” while Geza Rohrig is being honored for his work in “Son of Saul.”
In addition to the recently announced second group, SBIFF had previously announced Elizabeth Banks (“Love & Mercy,” ) Joel Edgerton (“Black Mass,” ), Paul Dano (“Love & Mercy,” & “Youth,” ) and Jacob Tremblay (“Room” ) would be honored for their respective work. Past recipients of the award include Ellar Coltrane, Rosamund Pike, Jared Leto, David Oyelowo, Eddie Redmayne, Rooney Mara, Brie Larson and Marion Cotillard. The award presentation is scheduled for February 6th, 2016, 8 PM, at the historic Arlington Theater in Santa Barbara.This year’s talented and diverse and talented honorees are being recognized for their overall career as well as their breakout year.
Festival Executive Director, Roger Durling, says, ““These performers have used their craft and respective roles to transport us through the varied lives of their characters. We have followed them along their artistic pursuits and are excited to join them in next steps of their journeys.”
If air travel is required, Alaska Airlines, the official airline for the 31st Santa Barbara International Film Festival, is offering 10% discounts on airfare between Santa Barbara, Los Angeles or Burbank, California and any of Alaska Airlines departure cities (excluding Hawaii, Mexico, Costa Rica and Prudhoe Bay) from February 2nd through February 16th, 2016. Book by February 16, 2016. Click here. Discounts are automatically applied. Restrictions apply. See site for details.
In Director Tom Hooper’s (King’s Speech, Les Miserables’) latest work, The Danish Girl, Brit Eddie Redmayne and Swedish starlet, Alicia Vikander deliver tour-de-force performances as Einar and Gerda Wegener, a loving Danish couple, struggling with transgender issues that culminates in the world’s first sex reassignment surgery.
Redmayne’s performance is generating significant Oscar buzz with most pundits proclaiming it’s his best performance to date surpassing last year’s Oscar winning portrayal of Steven Hawking, in Director James Marsh’s Theory of Everything.
And not to be overlooked is Vikander’s screen steadying influence as Gerda. Gerda witnesses her husband Einar’s metamorphosis with a strength steeped in loving kindness.
Vikander’s momentum gathering acting locomotion is not going unnoticed. She’s received double nominations from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association for Best Actress for her work in The Danish Girl, and Best Supporting Actress for her work in Ex Machina, in the upcoming 2016 Golden Globes.
I saw The Danish Girl last night at the Paseo Nuevo theater in Santa Barbara. Critics are praising the film for its arthouse aesthetics and its delicate handling of “an oh so often not talked about rather taboo topic” of (until the recent emancipation of Caitlyn Jenner) – transgenderism.
In my opinion, Hooper’s work adds value to the transgender movement in attracting a more traditional audience segment with its exquisite 1920’s European mise-en-scen and its well costumed, stellar acting corps.
Eve Stewart again handles Hooper’s production design providing a familiar look and style along the lines of King’s Speech and Les Miserables’. Paco Delgado follows suits as he costumes in a fashion recognizable from his wardrobe work in Les Miserables.
In addition to Redmayne and Vikander’s immersive performances, American actress Amber Heard provides a delightful respite as Ulla from the film’s resounding seriousness while Belgian Matthias Schoenaerts provides a decidedly masculine presence as Hans Axgil during Einar metamorphosis into Lili Elbe.
Accomplished composer and Frenchman Alexandre Desplat scores The Danish Girl with a subtle nuance augmenting Hooper’s genteel helming.
The Danish Girl was adapted from American David Ebershoff’s book of the same name published in 2000. Wholeheartedly recommended.
Sundance Institute has added seven additional films and events to the 2016 Sundance Film Festival including two new feature films, three archive films and two special events.
The two new feature films are Tickled, a stranger than fiction documentary about a mysterious tickling competition, and Becoming Mike Nichols, an intimate film into the acclaimed director/producer constructed from interviews filmed in the months leading up to his death. Tickled, is entered in the World Cinema Documentary Competition and Becoming Mike Nichols is listed under Documentary Premieres. Both films are making world premieres at Sundance 2016.
The three archive films selected hail from the Sundance Collection housed at UCLA as part of the film preservation program specifically dedicated to independent documentaries, narratives and short films supported by Sundance Institute (established 1997) are City of Hope (1991), from director and screenwriter John Sayles, River of Grass (1994) from director and screenwriter, Kelly Reichardt, and Walking and Talking (1996), from director and screenwriter, Nichole Holocener.
The new special events are American Epic, and Dazed and Confused. Both events will include live conversations with the creators and producers. American Epic, is the story behind the synthesis of modern music and will include live performances by artists including the Avett Brothers as well as extended conversations from Robert Redford, Jack White and T Bone Burnett. For Dazed and Confused, Richard Linklater and Jason Reitman will share their filmmaking stories, behind-the-scenes insights and funny anecdotes about a film with a cast of unknowns who went on to become household names.
For the latest updates and to access the full line up to the 2016 Festival click here: Digital Program Guide.
The 17th annual Newport Beach Film Festival (NBFF) is set for April 21st through April 28th, 2016. While the 8 day long festival featuring over 350 films and attracting over 55,000 visitors to Orange County may seem a little ways off, not so for filmmakers wanting to make a submission. The deadline is tomorrow, Friday, December 18, 2015 for Film Submissions.
Founded in 1999, NBFF prides itself on its lifestyle films and focuses on bringing the best local, national, international and critically acclaimed films to the Newport Beach community.
The program for this year includes:
Features Community Cinema
Shorts Environmental Film Series
Documentaries Family Film Series
Action Sports Series Music
Art, Architecture, and Design Series Music Video
Collegiate Showcase Youth Film Showcase
NBFF strives to bring the best in contemporary and classical filmmaking from around the world. In addition, the Festival stimulates interest and passion in film goers of all ages and backgrounds through its integration of local community and educational institutions to foster and develop an appreciation in the art of film.
The award is the only national honor for each creative team as a whole documenting the year’s most artistically and culturally significant films and television programming. AFI recognizes and celebrates the collaborative nature of the art form with its AFI Awards.
This year the iconic TV series, Mad Men, receives recognition for its contributions to America’s cultural legacy with an AFI Special Award.
Sundance Institute has announced its feature film lineup for the 2016 Sundance Film Festival with its highly anticipated film narratives in conjunction with its Event Premieres, Documentary Premieres, Spotlight, Sundance Kids and Special Events sections.
Sundance Film Festival was founded in 1985 and is showcasing a selection of 200 feature-length and short films out of over 12,500 submissions from 120 countries. In addition, the festival also presents panels, musical programming and exhibitions for emerging media.
Several notable independent filmmakers got their big break at Sundance including Robert Rodriguez, Quentin Tarantino, David O. Russell, Steven Soderbergh, and Darren Aronofsky.
Executive Director Keri Putnam invites audiences from all over the world to witness and discover the works and voices of highly original filmmakers and to join the festival dedicated to independent storytelling.
The Festival is scheduled for January 21-31 in Park City, Salt Lake City, Sundance and Ogden, Utah. For more information click here on this year’s film lineup click here: Festival Program
Actress Rooney Mara is set to receive the Santa Barbara International Film Festival’s (SBIFF) prestigious Cinema Vanguard Award. The diminutive Rooney will join a notable group of honorees including last year’s recipients Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones. Other recipients include Amy Adams, Martin Scorsese, Leonardo DiCaprio, Nicole Kidman, Ryan Gossling and Stanley Tucci.
The award was created to recognize “actors who have forged their own path – taking artistic risks while making a significant and unique contribution to film.”
In 2012 Mara was nominated by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama for her work in The Girl With A Dragon Tattoo (2011).
SBIFF is recognizing Mara for her work in the recently released film Carol, a melodrama from acclaimed director Todd Haynes. Mara will receive the award from her co-star, Cate Blanchett, February 12, 2016 at the historic Arlington Theatre in Santa Barbara, CA. For information on attending click here: Tickets
“The Pearl Button,” viewed as part of the Santa Barbara International Film Festival Showcase Series, is the follow up work by renowned Chilean writer/director and documentarian, Patricio Guzman. Much like his mesmerizing 2010 documentary, “Nostalgia for the Light,” “The Pearl Button,” starts out showcasing the brilliance and natural beauty of the Chilean night sky. Only this time Guzman juxtaposes it against the cool, sensual freshness of the land’s natural, cascading waterways. Gently, Guzman shifts gears and slips in interviews with the indigenous Chileans and learns of a cosmic edifying way of life through the eyes of the elder Kawesqars, the ancient water nomads of Patogonia. Romantic stories of 600 mile journeys along the coastal seascape in miniature paddle boats were relived as if they emanated from another time and space that couldn’t exist today. And for all intents and purposes, it doesn’t, except in the minds and lore of the elder Kawesqars. Due to modern shipping lanes and commercial fishing rights, the boat people are no longer allowed to freely travel. Many younger members would hardly know how. It seems the modern generation is so busy surviving that they have forgotten how to live.
The film comes in at a fast moving eight-two minutes. It is shot in color with minimal color correction that deftly enhances the strong cinematography provided by Katell Djian. Unsurprisingly, the look and feel of the shooting is similar to Nostalgia for the Light, as Djian worked both. Yet, there is more to both films than gorgeous night sky spectacles and rich, ripe waterways or vast, barren deserts. Both films call attention to the brutality of the Pinochet regime. Nostalgia for the Light, provides a beautiful segue into the search for disappeared bodies much like the Chilean government searches the sky for disappeared stars. In “The Pearl Button,” Guzman connects the cosmos and the essence of life to water calling to mind that humans ultimately evolved from aquatic life forms. And, the aquatic life forms sprang forth from a cosmic impulse detonated from a massive energetic collision resulting in the first precursor of life, water, entering into the planetary environment. Water is the essence of life. And it remembers.
However, as colonialism began to encroach, a new way of life emerged that was far different that the life the cosmos had revealed. Here Guzman indulges himself in a little Chilean lore of the legend of Jemmy Button. Jemmy Button was the representation of an ordinary indigenous Chilean. He was taken under the protection of a British naval officer in exchange for a fancy pearl button. The officer took Jemmy back to Britain and learned Jemmy the ways of a British gentlemen. Jemmy attended the finest school and was dressed accordingly and even given a respectable haircut. After a year Jemmy was returned to his family and community. He never fit in again and lived the rest of his days as an outsider.
Much can be made of the plight of Jemmy Button as Guzman uncovers and delivers another horrifying example of Pinochet’s brutal attack on dissidents. Unnervingly and in a manner akin to a medical coroner, a recreation of how a body, not necessarily a corpse, would be disposed of seemingly without a trace. True to most crimes, however, an error occurred in the process and a body washed a shore eventually revealing another episodic disappearance of dissidents. Most estimates agree that somewhere between 12,000 to 14,000 bodies were disposed into these once life giving waters. Nevertheless, Guzman finds optimism and hope for the future. During reclamation efforts, one of the instruments used to hasten the drowning and to keep the body submerged, was recovered without the typical barnacles attached. It was recovered with a pearl button attached.
Guzman, once again, proves himself a gifted, master storyteller with both earthly and cosmic sensibilities. Highly recommended.
(Alicia Vikander)
(O’Shea Jackson, Jr.)
(Geza Rohrig )
(Elizabeth Banks)
(Jacob Tremblay with J.J. Abrams)
