Tag Archives: creativity

GLOBALGATE EXPANDS ITS WORLDWIDE REACH

February 3, 2017 HollywoodGlee Leave a comment

News provided by Lionsgate

Brazil’s Paris Filmes and Colombia’s Cine Colombia Join the Consortium

SANTA MONICA, Calif., Feb. 2, 2017 /PRNewswire/ — Globalgate Entertainment, the local-language film production and financing venture aligned with Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF.A, LGF.B), has added Brazil’s Paris Filmes and Colombia’s Cine Colombia to its now 11-strong, worldwide consortium of production and distribution partners, the company announced today. The consortium already includes Televisa, Gaumont, Nordisk, Kadokawa, Lotte, Tobis, TME and Belga.

Paris Filmes, founded 57 years ago, is the number-one Brazilian distributor of local-language films with an 81% market share, and it is also a leading Brazilian distributor of English-language films including those of Lionsgate. In addition, the company is a strong home entertainment distributor of premium content in DVD, blu-ray and digital platforms. Paris Filmes’ recent Brazilian hits include Os Dez Mandamentos, Loucas pra Casar, Minha Mae e uma Peca and Meu Passado me Condena 1 & 2.

Cine Colombia is the number-one distributor in Colombia with a 46% market share, where it distributes major-studio, independent and local-language films. Joining Cine Colombia in its Globalgate partnership is Colombia’s top production company, Dynamo Productions, producers of Netflix’s super-hit Narcos, the audience-pleasing The Hidden Face, and Sundance award-winning Undertow.

Said Paris Filmes’ Partner Sandi Adamiu and CEO Marcio Fraccaroli, “Clifford has been active in Brazilian cinema production for many years, and this partnership with Globalgate and our strong positioning alongside Globalgate’s partners around the world is certain to enhance Paris Filmes’ dominance in Brazil.”

“Cine Colombia will further leverage our industry-leading position as both a distributor and exhibitor in Colombia, by joining Globalgate’s assembly of best-in-class production and distribution companies,” said Cine Colombia President and CEO Munir Falah.

“Dynamo’s partnership with Globalgate complements our global strategies, and we look forward to working with Paul, William, Clifford, Lionsgate and all our other consortium partners,” said Dynamo CEO Andres Calderon.

Globalgate Co-Founders Paul Presburger, William Pfeiffer and Clifford Werber added, “Paris Filmes, Cine Colombia and Dynamo Productions are world-class film distribution and production companies and a perfect fit for Globalgate’s consortium. We’re delighted they’ve joined us and look forward to producing many great Brazilian and Colombian films together as well as augmenting Globalgate’s formidable inventory of commercial intellectual property emanating from our consortium partners’ vibrant territories.”

Globalgate management has recently been involved with several major local-language box office successes, including Pantelion Films’ recent Mexican hit No Manches Frida, based on the German box office sensation Fack ju Gohte and Pantelion’s mega-hit, Instructions Not Included, the highest-grossing Spanish-language film ever released in the U.S.

Remakes of Instructions Not Included are being produced and distributed in territories around the world, including Demain tout commence, starring Omar Sy, which has garnered nearly 3 million admissions in France and almost 800,000 admissions in its first four weeks in Germany, and Sen Benim HerSeyimsin in Turkey. The company has several upcoming local-language films in the pipeline with its consortium partners.

ABOUT GLOBALGATE ENTERTAINMENT

Globalgate Entertainment is a producer and financier of mainstream, local-language motion pictures with a proprietary, global consortium of tier-1 production and distribution partners in key and emerging territories. Globalgate’s consortium partners include Lionsgate, Televisa (Latin America), Gaumont (France), Nordisk (Scandinavia), Kadokawa (Japan), Lotte (Korea), Tobis (Germany), TME (Turkey), Belga Filmes (Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg) and Paris Filmes (Brazil). Globalgate, aligned with its consortium partners, has access to over 20,000 titles and, from its offices in Los Angeles, New York, London, and Beijing, curates additional commercial intellectual property from third-party rightsholders worldwide.

ABOUT PARIS FILMES

Paris Filmes is a Brazilian film company that was founded in 1960. Led by Marcio Fraccaroli and Sandi Adamiu, the company specializes in high-quality film distribution and production. Paris Filmes is the leading producer of Brazilian films and, in 2016, had an 81% market share of local-language films. Produced by Paris Entretenimento, “Um Marido Para Minha Mulher” was a success with audiences and critics alike in 2016, as was “Carrossel 2 – O Sumiço de Maria Joaquina.” Paris Filmes also had great success in distribution with popular Brazilian films such as “De Pernas Pro Ar” which was directed by Roberto Santucci and “Até Que a Sorte Nos Separe” which starred Camila Morgardo and Leandro Hassum. In 2017, the company released record-tying Academy Award nominee “La La Land” in Brazil and will distribute the much anticipated “Power Rangers”. International releases by the company in Brazil include: “Inside Llewyn Davis”, the Coen brothers movie; the acclaimed “The Wolf of Wall Street” by Martin Scorsese; “Maps to the Stars” by David Cronenberg (Julianne Moore was the winner of the Best Actress award in Cannes); the first animated adaptation of the masterpiece of Antoine de Saint-Exupery “The Little Prince”; the Divergent film series; “Mockingjay Part 2” from the global blockbuster Hunger Games franchise; “Now You See Me 2”; and successes of Argentine cinema such as “Kóblic” which starred Ricardo Darín, and the movie based on the life of Brazilian MMA fighting champion José Aldo, “Mais Forte que O Mundo”, which was directed by Afonso Poyart. In 2016 Paris Filmes also distributed multiple Academy Award nominees such as “Brooklyn” and “The Desert Wolf”. Other major achievements were the distribution of the Golden Globe-winning film “Silver Linings Playbook” in which American actress Jennifer Lawrence won an Oscar for Best Actress for her performance in 2013 and “Midnight in Paris“, the highest–grossing Woody Allen film in Brazil.

ABOUT CINE COLOMBIA

Cine Colombia, founded in 1927, is the first circuit in Colombia to install digital projection in 2007, evidencing its architectural and technological industry prominence. Munir Falah, President and CEO since 1990, currently oversees roughly 2,000 employees. Cine Colombia has 290 screens, at 43 locations, in 12 Colombian cities and is investing $100 million on 110 new screens opening over the next three years. Cine Colombia has several large format screens called Mega Sala Cineco, boosting a 40% bigger screen than traditional screens. The circuit also has 7 MediaMation Mx4D theatres, branded as Dinamix 4D.

In addition, Cine Colombia is the leading distributor in Colombia, with a 46% market share, representing Fox, many Latin American Consortiums and independent production companies. In 2016, the company released 88 of the 320 films released in Colombia and, on average, co-finances 5 Colombian films each year. Cine Colombia also has a very strong Alternative Content division, representing the NY MET Opera, the Bolshoi Ballet, the London National Theatre, and many other cultural events.

ABOUT DYNAMO PRODUCTIONS

DYNAMO was founded in Bogotá on 2006 by Andrés Calderón and Diego Ramírez, who today lead the Company along with their creative and executive partners Cristian Conti, Andi Baiz and Michel Ruben from their offices in Bogotá, New York, Mexico, and Madrid.

DYNAMO has consolidated itself as one of Latin America’s most important audiovisual production companies. Among their most relevant productions since their first feature film ‘Satanás’, are ‘Malcriados’, ‘Out of the Dark’, ‘Contracorriente’ and ‘The Hidden Face’. Dynamo has also produced ‘Los 33’ with Antonio Banderas, the first feature film under the Rebate Law of 2012 as well as their alliance with Netflix for the widely successful series ‘Narcos’. They also have stellar productions under the Rebate Law such as ‘American Made’ with Tom Cruise and ‘Escobar’ with Javier Bardem and Penélope Cruz.

For further information and inquiries, please contact:

Peter D. Wilkes
Lionsgate
pwilkes@lionsgate.com
310-255-3726

(Source: prnewswire.com)

#Berlinale, #BIFF, Berlin Film Festival, Venice International Film Festival

Life In Berlin: A Preview Of The Berlinale 2017 Film Festival

February 2, 2017 HollywoodGlee Leave a comment

Posted by Larry Gleeson

By Lily Kelting

“Don’t let yourself harden in these hard times.” The lyrics by East-German protest singer Wolf Biermann have been running through Berlinale director Dieter Kosslick’s head lately. He recited them for the assembled press at Tuesday’s program preview.

Officially, there is no theme for the Berlinale Film Festival’s competition program. But Kosslick wants to stress that there’s a certain bravery, even levity, that runs through the whole festival.

When asked directly whether the Berlinale will respond to recent events in US or world politics, Kosslick demurs. Not being reactive, he says, it is its own form of protest—and the diversity and range of the program is enough of a statement.

While the festival as a whole isn’t designed to respond to contemporary politics, some films certainly do.

Panorama director Wieland Speck explains:

“One film, of course, is like an anchor film, which is the Oscar-nominated film I Am Not Your Negro from Raoul Peck. I Am Not Your Negro is a find that makes my heart swell, because it’s James Baldwin, [who is] not only an icon, as a brilliant writer, but an activist, a gay person at a time when that was basically not possible.”

Also in the Panorama section is the documentary Strong Island, which brings the same questions about sexuality and race into the present tense.

“Strong Island is an incredible find of today’s America. It’s about a killing of a young man twenty years ago, but the family is of course not over this. The sister, who is now a man, is the filmmaker,” Speck explains. “This is a very deep, philosophical, almost poetic—if it wouldn’t be such a gruesome reality, you would call it that way—film to explore that kind of situation from the personal to the very political.”

The NATIVe Program, which highlights indigenous filmmakers, also serves as a kind of litmus to our rapidly changing world. The issue of climate change runs throughout this year’s selections.

Here’s section director, Maryanne Redpath:

“This year it’s on indigenous film from the Arctic region all the way around the Polar Circle. Of course we all know there are a lot of issues around climate. Many people from the Western worlds project a utopic vision of what it’s like up there, with the eternal eyes and the Aurora Borealis. We have this idea that it’s still very pristine, and of course the indigenous people have been telling us for a long time that it’s not so rosy.”

These films respond to issues like colonization and industrialization, showing both directly and indirectly the immediate impact of climate change above the Arctic Circle.

Still, as Wolf Biermann sings, “the world needs your cheerfulness.” There are plenty of comedies across the program as well.

Berlinale Film Festival starts next week February 9th, 2017 and runs until Feb 19th, 2017.

(Source: nprberlin.de)

distribution, Sundance Film Festival

Netflix snags NOLA-shot ‘Mudbound’ in $12.5 million deal: report

February 2, 2017 HollywoodGlee Leave a comment

Posted by Larry Gleeson

By Mike Scott, NOLA.com

Mudbound, the New Orleans-shot race drama that debuted this month at the Sundance Film Festival to sweeping acclaim, has been picked up by Netflix. The online streaming service paid $12.5 million for distribution rights to director Dee Rees’ film, the biggest deal to come out of this year’s fest, according to Variety and other industry publications.

With Mudbound being hailed as an instant contender for next year’s Oscars, Netflix will reportedly release the film simultaneously online and in theaters, following it with an award-season campaign. It is unclear how soon Netflix plans to release the film.

Based on Hillary Jordan’s 2008 novel of the same name, “Mudbound” tracks the complicated relationship between two families — one white, the other black — living in rural Mississippi just after World War II. Carey Mulligan plays a refined Memphis woman who relocates with her new husband (Jason Clarke) and their two young daughters to the Delta. Rob Morgan and Mary J. Blige play the heads of a black family that farms cotton on a leased part of Mulligan and Clarke’s land.

Also starring are Garret Hedlund and New Orleans native Jason Mitchell.

(Source: nola.com)

#AFI, Venice International Film Festival

AFI Statement on Asghar Farhadi

February 2, 2017 HollywoodGlee Leave a comment

Posted by Larry Gleeson

The American Film Institute (AFI) released an official statement on Iranian Filmmaker Asghar Farhadi. Farhadi’s latest film, The Salesman, is nominated for an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film. However, due to the recent travel restriction implemented by the United States via executive order, Farhadi will not be attending this year’s Oscar ceremony.

From AFI:

Asghar Farhadi has served as Artist-in-Residence for the past two years at the AFI Conservatory, and his classes had a profound impact upon the 250 young men and women who attend AFI from around the world.

The AFI Conservatory stands with artists and filmmakers who find the power of creation through freedom of expression and freedom of movement. We believe that any form of censorship — including the restriction of travel — to be against all values we cherish as a community of storytellers.

We look forward to welcoming Mr. Farhadi back to AFI in the fall.

(Source: afi.com)

#Berlinale, #BIFF, Berlin Film Festival

An Honorary Golden Bear and Homage for Oscar-winner Milena Canonero

February 1, 2017 HollywoodGlee Leave a comment

Posted by Larry Gleeson

The Homage of the 67th Berlin International Film Festival is dedicated to Italian costume designer Milena Canonero, who will also receive an Honorary Golden Bear for her lifetime achievement.

Milena Canonero is one of the world’s most celebrated costume designers. She has worked with a long list of directors, including Stanley Kubrick, Francis Ford Coppola, Sydney Pollack, Warren Beatty, Roman Polanski, Steven Soderbergh, Louis Malle, Tony Scott, Barbet Schroeder, Sofia Coppola, and Wes Anderson. Over the years she has won four Academy Awards for her outstanding costume designs and has been nominated five other times.

“Milena Canonero is an extraordinary costume designer. With her designs she has contributed decisively to the style of many cinematic masterpieces. With this year’s Homage, we would like to honour a great artist as well as direct attention to another film profession,” says Berlinale Director Dieter Kosslick.

Milena Canonero’s designs result from extensive art historical research and sophisticated concepts. She never just adopts parameters from fashion history but adapts them creatively for each movie. In doing so she excels not only in the art of subtly accentuating a character’s personality but also in enhancing the texture of a film through very detailed and original designs. Her creations have influenced global fashion trends and inspired fashion designers such as Alexander McQueen and Ralph Lauren.

Right at the beginning of her career Canonero met Stanley Kubrick and it was for his film A Clockwork Orange (United Kingdom / USA 1971) that she designed her first film costumes. With them white lost its innocence and set a new benchmark for costume design. Already with her second work for Kubrick, Barry Lyndon (United Kingdom / USA 1975), she took home her first Academy Award for Best Costume Design (shared with Ulla-Britt Söderlund).

Next came Kubrick’s The Shining (United Kingdom / USA 1980) and Hugh Hudson’s Chariots of Fire (United Kingdom 1981), for which she received her second Academy Award, as well as Francis Ford Coppola’s The Cotton Club (USA 1984) and Sydney Pollack’s Out of Africa (United Kingdom / USA 1985).

For Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather Part III (USA 1990), Milena Canonero took inspiration from the painters of the Renaissance. She made use of both subdued dark hues and striking colour compositions. In the same year, Warren Beatty’s Dick Tracy (USA 1990) was completed. For it Canonero drew on classic cuts from 1930s fashion, while referencing the original comic strip by choosing clear bright colours for the fabrics of the costumes. She limited herself to the three primary colours, plus black and white, as well as five mixed colours – and used them consistently throughout the film for all the costumes and accessories.

For Barbet Schroeder’s Single White Female (USA 1992), Milena Canonero was not only responsible for the costumes, but also for the production design. Later she received her third Academy Award for the pastel and candy-coloured garments in Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette (France / Japan / USA 2006).

In past years Milena Canonero has participated in the Berlinale with two films directed by Wes Anderson – The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (USA 2004) and The Grand Budapest Hotel (USA / Germany 2014). For her extraordinary purple and mauve hotel staff uniforms, and the fanciful design of Madame D.’s gown from The Grand Budapest Hotel, Milena Canonero won her fourth Academy Award for Best Costume Design.

Rainer Rother, Head of the Retrospective and Homage and Artistic Director of the Deutsche Kinemathek (Photo via berlinale.de)

“What is also so impressive about Milena Canonero is the versatility of her artistic interests. Her costume designs for productions at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, La Scala in Milan, and the Vienna State Opera, as well as for Roman Polanski’s stage adaptation of Amadeus have brought her international recognition and success too,” comments Rainer Rother, Head of the Retrospective and Homage and Artistic Director of the Deutsche Kinemathek.

In addition Milena Canonero recently co-produced the film Romeo & Juliet (United Kingdom / Italy / Switzerland 2013) by Carlo Carlei, and finished directing her first commercial. Currently she is developing a documentary about the costume and production designer Piero Tosi.

The presentation of the Honorary Golden Bear at the Berlinale Palast on February 16, 2017 will be accompanied by a screening of the film The Shining (United Kingdom / USA 1980) by Stanley Kubrick.

The ten films in the Homage are:

Barry Lyndon (United Kingdom / USA 1975, director: Stanley Kubrick)
Chariots of Fire (United Kingdom 1981, director: Hugh Hudson)
A Clockwork Orange (United Kingdom / USA 1971, director: Stanley Kubrick)
The Cotton Club (USA 1984, director: Francis Ford Coppola)
Dick Tracy (USA 1990, director: Warren Beatty)
The Godfather. Part III (USA 1990, director: Francis Ford Coppola)
The Grand Budapest Hotel (USA / Germany 2014, director: Wes Anderson)
Marie Antoinette (France / Japan / USA 2006, director: Sofia Coppola)
Out of Africa (United Kingdom / USA 1985, director: Sydney Pollack)
The Shining (United Kingdom / USA 1980, director: Stanley Kubrick)

(Source: Berlinale Press Office)

Oscar, Venice International Film Festival

ACADEMY’S OSCAR® WEEK EVENTS

February 1, 2017 HollywoodGlee Leave a comment

Posted by Larry Gleeson

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

LOS ANGELES, CA — In the week leading up to the 89th Oscars^®, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will present a series of public programs celebrating this year’s nominees in the Animated Feature Film, Documentary Feature, Documentary Short Subject, Foreign Language Film, Makeup and Hairstyling, and Animated and Live Action Short Film categories. All events will be held at the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills.

The Oscar^® Week schedule is as follows:

OSCAR WEEK: SHORTS
Tuesday, February 21, 7 p.m.
Hosted by director Tim Miller

Miller received an Oscar nomination in the Animated Short Film category for “Gopher Broke” and most recently directed last year’s “Deadpool.” The program will delve into the Animated Short Film and Live Action Short Film categories with complete screenings of all the nominated films as well as onstage panel discussions with the filmmakers (schedules permitting).

OSCAR WEEK: DOCUMENTARIES
Wednesday, February 22, 7:30 p.m.
Hosted by Documentary Branch governors Kate Amend and Rory Kennedy

Amend is a film editor whose film credits include “The Case against 8” and the Oscar winning documentaries “Into the Arms of Strangers: Stories of the Kindertransport” and “The Long Way Home.” Kennedy is a director-producer who received an Oscar nomination in 2015 for the documentary feature “Last Days in Vietnam.” Her other credits include “Ethel” and “Ghosts of Abu Ghraib.” All the films nominated in the Documentary Feature and Documentary Short Subject categories this year will be presented in an evening of clips and onstage discussions with the filmmakers (schedules permitting).

OSCAR WEEK: ANIMATED FEATURES
Thursday, February 23, 7:30 p.m.
Hosted by director Pete Docter and Producer Jonas Rivera

Docter and Rivera took home Animated Feature Film Oscars last year for “Inside Out.” Docter’s other feature credits include “Up, “which Rivera also produced, “Monsters Inc.” and “Toy Story.” This year’s nominees in the Animated Feature Film category (schedules permitting) will talk about their creative processes and present clips illustrating their techniques.

OSCAR WEEK: FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILMS
Saturday, February 25, 10 a.m.
Hosted by Producers Branch governor Mark Johnson

Johnson won the 1988 Best Picture Oscar for “Rain Man” and received a second nomination for “Bugsy.” The directors of the nominated films in the Foreign Language Film category (schedules permitting) will explore a wide range of topics, from their experiences developing their projects to the specific challenges of their profession. The program will include clips from each of the nominated films.

OSCAR WEEK: MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING SYMPOSIUM
Saturday, February 25, 3 p.m.
Moderated by Academy Governors Kathryn L. Blondell, Lois Burwell and Leonard Engelman

Blondell is a BAFTA winning hairstylist for “The Aviator” whose other film credits include “The Revenant,” “Django Unchained,” ” Shampoo,” and “Harold and Maude.” Burwell won an Oscar for her work on “Braveheart” and was nominated for “Saving Private Ryan.” Her other feature credits include “Lincoln” and “The Princess Bride.” Engelman, has served as a makeup artist on such features as “Burlesque,” “Heat,” “Moonstruck,” “Rocky IV,” and “Ghostbusters.” In Oscar Week’s final public event, the nominees in the Makeup and Hairstyling category (schedules permitting) will reveal the secrets behind their on-screen work. Photographs, appliances, molds, wigs and other items will be on display in the theater lobby.

Tickets are now available online at Oscars.org. Tickets to the Shorts, Docs, Animated Features and Foreign Language Films events are $5 for the general public and $3 for Academy members and students with a valid ID (Shorts and Foreign Language Films tickets limited to four per person). Admission to the Saturday afternoon Makeup and Hairstyling event is free, but advance tickets are required (limited to two per person). The Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater is located at 8949 Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills. Doors open one hour prior to each event. All ticketed seating is unreserved. For more information, visit Oscars.org or call (310) 247-3600.

The 89th Oscars will be held on Sunday, February 26, at the Dolby Theatre^® at Hollywood & Highland Center^® in Hollywood, and will be televised live by the ABC Television Network at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.

# # #

ABOUT THE ACADEMY
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is a global community of more than 7,000 of the most accomplished artists, filmmakers and executives working in film. In addition to celebrating and recognizing excellence in filmmaking through the Oscars, the Academy supports a wide range of initiatives to promote the art and science of the movies, including public programming, educational outreach and the upcoming Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, which is under construction in Los Angeles.

(Source; oscars.org/Academy Publicity Department)

#Berlinale, #BIFF, Berlin Film Festival, Venice International Film Festival

BERLIN FILM FEST PROMOTING CULTURAL PARTICIPATION, STRENGTHENING ENGAGEMENT, CREATING COMMUNAL EXPERIENCES

January 31, 2017 HollywoodGlee Leave a comment

Posted by Larry Gleeson

ACTIVITIES FOR AND WITH REFUGEES DURING THE 67TH BERLINALE

In 2017 the Berlin International Film Festival will again work towards furthering the integration of refugees. The Festival has always made a point of fostering understanding, tolerance, and acceptance, as well as responding to current events in society – not only with its film program, but also with many other activities.

The Berlinale will renew its collaboration with KulturLeben Berlin in order to promote the participation of the socially disadvantaged in the cultural life of the city. Tickets for vacant seats will again be available to people with low incomes at a 50 percent discount.

Last year several concrete projects were launched to support refugees. Due to the very positive feedback of the participants and the desire to achieve longer-lasting integration, these projects will be continued and expanded.

A call for donations

The Berlinale would like to urge Festival guests and visitors to make donations to the children and youth department of Zentrum ÜBERLEBEN (formerly called the Behandlungszentrum für Folteropfer e. V.). This Berlin-based centre provides psychological, social, and integrative support to children and adolescents who have been traumatized by torture, flight, and/or persecution. In addition to individual therapeutic care, group activities are an important feature of the centre’s work. The money collected last year enabled adolescents who have experienced flight and trauma to attend a film camp. There they were able to try out different positions in front of and behind the camera, and creatively explore topics of their choice, some of which were autobiographical.

Donations may be paid into an account (banking details are at the bottom of this press release) or made at 17 donation boxes distributed around the Festival grounds.

Participation

Movie mentors for refugees
Within the scope of a “movie mentoring”-project, volunteers from Berlin’s non-profit refugee aid organizations are asked to register as mentors and accompany refugees to Berlinale screenings.
With this project the Berlinale wants to show its appreciation to volunteers for their engagement and strengthen existing relationships, as well as promote cultural exchange.

LOLA at the Berlinale
Within the scope of a collaboration with the Berliner Volkshochschulen (VHS: schools for adult education), the Berlinale is offering 160 free tickets to VHS “integration classes” and their instructors. They will be able to select from eight German films screening in the LOLA series of the Berlinale at the Zoo Palast.

Guest trainees
During the Berlinale around 20 guest trainees who came to Germany as refugees will be given the chance to take a look at various fields behind the scenes of the Festival in collaboration with the Beratungs- und Betreuungszentrum für junge Flüchtlinge und Migrant*innen (BBZ/ KommMit e.V.).

Generation: School projects for “welcome classes”
For eleven years now, the Generation section has offered pupils the opportunity to participate within the framework of a school project in the Berlinale. With educational staff that is well versed in cinema, these pupils may see and discuss films, as well as work on assignments about them afterwards.
Since last year, the Berlinale’s school program has been extended to include “welcome classes” (introductory German language classes for refugees). This year ten “welcome classes” are to participate in the program.

Banking details for donations:

Zentrum ÜBERLEBEN GmbH
Bank für Sozialwirtschaft
IBAN: DE82 1002 0500 0001 5048 00
BIC: BFSWDE33BER
Reason for transfer: “Berlinale helps 2017”

(Source: Berlinale press Office)

#SBIFF, Santa Barbara International Film Festival

SBIFF Announces New App

January 31, 2017 HollywoodGlee 2 Comments

Posted by Larry Gleeson

The Santa Barbara International Film Festival has announced its long-awaited festival app. The app had been in beta for several months leading up to the announcement, is fully functional and can be updated easily to reflect last-minute additions to the festival’s programming.

“With the app, not only can you view the schedule and info on all films and events, you can add reminders to your device’s calendar and join in discussions about each film through a Facebook login,” according to the festival.

Utilizing an extensive drop-down menu, the new app’s design packs a powerful punch of information to keep festival goers up-to-date on films and events. Included is an interactive map for routes to the various venues, a complete schedule of films with an option to set reminders, a link for passes and tickets and detailed information on each event under the Discover tab.

Other tabs available are the Information & Social, My Profile and My Favorites. These tabs require some engagement. The payoff is a one-stop-shop for social media and up-to-date festival information. All-in-all, the SBIFF app is a comprehensive app and a most welcomed addition to the festival experience. Highly recommended!

The app is available for download on iOS and Android platforms.

#Berlinale, #BIFF, Berlin Film Festival

BERLINALE CAMERA 2017 FOR NANSUN SHI, GEOFFREY RUSH AND SAMIR FARID

January 31, 2017 HollywoodGlee Leave a comment

Posted by Larry Gleeson

Since 1986 the Berlin International Film Festival has presented the Berlinale Camera to film personalities or institutions to which it feels particularly indebted and wishes to express its thanks.

At the 67th Berlin International Film Festival, three personalities will be awarded the Berlinale Camera: film producer and distributor Nansun Shi (Hong Kong, China), actor Geoffrey Rush (Australia), and film critic and author Samir Farid (Egypt).

NANSUN SHI, PRODUCER, DISTRIBUTOR (HONG KONG, CHINA)

Nansun Shi is one of the most important and influential producers and distributors of the international film world. In the 1970s, following her studies in statistics and computer science in London, and before starting her career as a film producer, she was engaged in the field of television in Hong Kong.

In 1984, after working as executive director for Cinema City Studios for a number of years, Nansun Shi and renowned director Tsui Hark, founded Film Workshop, their own production company. It wasn’t long before its name was equated with hits at the box office. Their biggest international successes in this period include A Better Tomorrow (1986) by John Woo; Once Upon a Time in China (1991) with Jet Li, and Seven Swords (2005), both of which were directed by Tsui Hark. Produced in 2002, the multiple prize-winning thriller Infernal Affairs was the film on which Martin Scorsese based The Departed (2006).

In addition, as co-founder of Distribution Workshop, she was committed to her role as distributor of Chinese-language films. She was also the Vice Chairman of the Media Asia Group, one of the largest Asian film studios. In 2011 she served on the jury of the International Film Festival in Cannes, and in 2014 she received the Best Independent Producer Award in Locarno. In 2013 the French government honored Nansun with the title of Officier de I’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres; in 2015 the Udine Far East Film Festival, with the Golden Mulberry Life Time Achievement Award.

She has close ties with the Berlinale: in 2007 she was a member of the International Jury, and since then has been a regular guest at the Festival. In 2011 she presented Late Autumn (dir: Kim Tae-Yong) in the Forum; and in 2012 Flying Swords of Dragon Gate (dir: Tsui Hark) in the Competition section, where it screened out of competition. Most recently, she produced The Taking of Tiger Mountain, which was a big hit in China.

Nansun Shi will be awarded the Berlinale Camera in the cinema at the Martin-Gropius-Bau at 12.30 pm on Friday, February 10, 2017. Fred Tsui will give a speech in her honor. First awarded in 2016, this prestigious prize will now be presented annually to an outstanding producer.

GEOFFREY RUSH, ACTOR (AUSTRALIA)

For over 40 years, Geoffrey Rush has been recognized as one of the world’s most remarkable character actors. He is equally at home on stage and screen. The Australian is among the few to have ever won the “Triple Crown of Acting”: the Emmy, Oscar, and Tony – as well as countless other awards for his performances. He has starred in eight films presented at the Berlin International Film Festival.
Rush made his stage debut when he was just 20. In the following years, he developed an extraordinary repertoire of classical theatre roles. He first performed on screen in 1981. For his tour-de-force portrayal of the highly dysfunctional but brilliant pianist David Helfgott in Shine (dir: Scott Hicks, 1996), he won an Academy Award. He also received Golden Globe and Oscar nominations for two period dramas, Shakespeare in Love (dir: John Madden) and Quills (dir: Philip Kaufman), and participated with them in the Berlinale Competition in 1999 and 2001 respectively. Rush starred in The Tailor of Panama (dir: John Boorman), which was also screened in the 2001 Competition. In 2003, he portrayed Captain Hector Barbossa, one of the villains in Pirates of the Caribbean (dir: Gore Verbinski), for the first time. The huge international success of this adventure film led to three sequels – in all of them Rush plays the roguish Captain.
In 2006, Rush returned to the Berlinale Competition, appearing in the drug film Candy (dir: Neil Armfield). In 2011, he could be seen in the Berlinale Special, in Tom Hooper’s touching drama The King’s Speech. Among many other prizes, he received the BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actor for this film. Rush’s most recent appearance at the Festival was in 2013 when he presented the thriller The Best Offer by Giuseppe Tornatore in the Berlinale Special.

In this year’s Competition program he is playing the lead in Stanley Tucci’s Final Portrait (out of competition). Geoffrey Rush will be awarded the Berlinale Camera at the Berlinale Palast at 7.00 pm on Saturday, February 11, 2017.

SAMIR FARID, FILM CRITIC, AUTHOR (EGYPT)

Samir Farid is one of the most eminent film critics and authors of the Arab world. As an expert on cinema, his advice and opinions are in demand worldwide. As a film critic he has accompanied the Berlinale for decades.
He first trained his sharp eye for film during his studies at the Higher Institute of Dramatic Arts at the Academy of Arts in Cairo. In 1965 he began his career as a critic at the Egyptian daily Al-Gomhoreya, where he worked for 38 years. During this period, he co-founded the National Festival of Short and Documentary Films (1970), the National Festival of Feature Films (1971), as well as the Egyptian Film Critics Association (1972). Since the early 1970s, Farid has also been a member of the FIPRESCI, the international federation of film critics. Over the course of his long career, he has used his extensive knowledge while serving as a jury member at many world-renowned film festivals.

For a few years during the 1980s, he was also a correspondent for the trade magazine Variety. In 2004 he began working for the daily Al-Masry Al-Youm. Farid is the author and translator of more than 60 books on Arab and world cinema. For his achievements and contributions to the discourse on cinema, he received the Cannes Film Festival Gold Medal in both 1997 and 2000, as well as Lifetime Achievement Awards at the Osian’s-Cinefan Festival in New Delhi in 2012 and at the Dubai International Film Festival in 2013.

Samir Farid will be awarded the Berlinale Camera at the Berlinale Lunch Club at 12.30 pm on Wednesday, February 15, 2017. Journalist and FIPRESCI Secretary General Klaus Eder will give a speech in his honour.

Modelled on a real camera, the Berlinale Camera has 128 finely crafted components made by Dusseldorf-based goldsmith Georg Hornemann.

(Source: Berlinale Press Office)

#SBIFF, Santa Barbara International Film Festival

2017 SBIFF Outstanding Directors Award

January 31, 2017 HollywoodGlee Leave a comment

Posted by Larry Gleeson

Outstanding Directors of the Year Award
Honoring:
Damien Chazelle (La La Land)
Barry Jenkins (Moonlight)
Kenneth Lonergan (Manchester by the Sea)
and Denis Villeneuve (Arrival)

Tuesday, February 7, 2017 @ 8:00pm
Arlington Theatre

Click Here To Attend

sbiff_directors_32 — The Santa Barbara International Film Festival will honor this year’s Outstanding Directors at the Arlington Theatre, Tuesday, February 7, 2017, at 8 PM in Santa Barbara, Calif. (Pictured left to right; Damien Chazelle, Barry Jenkins, Kenneth Lonergan and Denis Villeneuve. Photo courtesy of sbiff.org)

Barry Jenkins, Damien Chazelle, Denis Villeneuve, and Kenneth Lonergan will receive the 2017 Outstanding Directors of the Year Award. They will each be celebrated individually for their films Moonlight, La La Land, Arrival, and Manchester by the Sea respectively. The individual honors will be followed by a joint conversation between the directors on their craft and the landscape of modern day filmmaking. The ceremony will take place on Tuesday, February 7th at the historic Arlington Theatre.

SBIFF Executive Director, Roger Durling (Photo via SBIndependent)

“These directors are true visionaries, with a body of work that exemplifies excellence in filmmaking,” said SBIFF Executive Director Roger Durling. “We are thrilled to honor this group for their indelible contributions to cinema.”

The Outstanding Directors of the Year Award is given to directors that push the boundaries of cinema with their innovative approach. They are master storytellers, bringing their vision to life on screen.

Past recipients include:

2016 – Lenny Abrahamson (ROOM), Alejandro G. Iñárritu (THE REVENANT), Tom McCarthy (SPOTLIGHT), Adam McKay (THE BIG SHORT), and George Miller (MAD MAX: FURY ROAD)

2015 – Damien Chazelle (WHIPLASH), Richard Linklater (BOYHOOD), Bennett Miller (FOXCATCHER), Laura Poitras (CITIZENFOUR), and Morten Tyldum (THE IMITATION GAME)

2014 – David O. Russell (AMERICAN HUSTLE)
2010 – Kathryn Bigelow (THE HURT LOCKER)
2009 – Danny Boyle (SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE)

(Source: sbiff.org)

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