Tag Archives: Director

Screening today 7 September at the 73rd Venice Film Festival

 

 

screen-shot-2016-09-07-at-11-49-54-amScreening in competition in the Sala Grande theatre today: Voyage of Time: Life’s Journey by Terrence Malick (5:00 pm) and Jackie by Pablo Larraín (7:15 pm).

Out of competition, The Journey by Nick Hamm (9:45 pm).
In competition in the Orizzonti section, Kékszakállú by Gastón Solnicki (3:00 pm) and Liberami by Federica Di Giacomo (5:15 pm), both in the Sala Darsena theatre.

Among other screenings today, Orizzonti Short Films (11:00 am) and Robinù by Michele Santoro (9:00 pm) in the new Sala Giardino theatre.
The PalaBiennale theatre features screenings for the public from 1:30 pm until the double screening starting at 8:15 pm.

 

See you at the cinema!

 

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(Source:www.labiennale.org)
All the screenings on Wednesday 7 September
Line-up of the 73rd Venice Film Festival

29th Tokyo International Film Festival Opening Film “Florence Foster Jenkins”

29th TIFF to Open with Florence Foster Jenkins

 

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The true story of Florence Foster Jenkins, the legendary New York heiress and socialite who obsessively pursued her dream of becoming a great singer, despite having a terrible singing voice, stars Meryl Streep, Hugh Grant, and Simon Helberg. Stephen Frears is the film’s director.

 


 

Comments from Meryl Streep:
“It’s such an honour that the film has been selected as the opening film. I am very looking forward to visiting Japan again, as I have so much enjoyed meeting the people of Japan, and experiencing the beauty of the city and its art and cuisine on my many previous trips!”

 

Comments from Hugh Grant:
“It’s a great honour that FFJ has been selected as the opening film. And I’m looking forward to being back in Tokyo. I have always had a fantastic time there.”

 


 

The 29th TIFF will be held on October 25 (Tue) ‒ November 3 (Thu), 2016 at Roppongi Hills, Ex Theater Roppongi (Minato City) and other theaters, halls and facilities in Tokyo Metropolitan Area.

Ticket Sales Start on October 15.

(Source: http://2016.tiff-jp.net)

Voyage of Time: Life’s Journey

Terrence Malick is bringing to light consciousness of the universe and what it means to be a human being in the present moment in his latest production, Voyage of Time: Life’s Journey, produced by Dede Gardner, Nicolas Gonda, Sarah Green, Bill Pohlad, Sophokles Tasioulis, Brad Pitt and Grant Hill. Paul Atkins served as the Cinematographer with Dan Glass handling special effects. Keith Fraase and Rahman Ali provided editing. Cate Blanchett narrated.

 

 

 

Over two decades ago, Malick reached out to a Harvard Professor of Natural History and the author of Life On a Young Planet: The First Three Billion Years and Biology: How LIfe Works, Andrew Knoll, and said he wanted to make a picture about natural history and the cosmos grounded in science. Malick had long been an admirer of natural history films drawing inspiration from earlier films such as Cheese Mites, a 1903 landmark film by British cinema pioneer Charles Urban and zoologist Francis Martin Duncan, depicting the microbial world inside a piece of Stilton cheese, and George Melies’ 1902 Le Voyage Dans La Lune. Knoll had seen Malick’s recent film at the time, Badlands. Having enjoyed the film, Knoll agreed to be a part of it. Little did he know of Malick’s appetite to thoroughly investigate and devour subjects and correlating theories.

 

 

 

 

An ambitious project in the making for over two decades, Voyage runs the gamut of time from the first cells splitting and foraging their way in and through their vacuuous environment to the land of the dinosaurs and Tyrannus Rex to the dawn of man up to today and into the future with sweeping visuals and spectacular effects sure to encapsulate and stimulate the mind’s imagination of time and place.

 

 

 

 

The result is a journey uncovering what shape and form time has given and what shape and form that time has taken. From the early Primordial III stars that ushered the first sparkles of light to the universe and the Tiktaalik fish that came out of the oceans to walk on land, the question of representation loomed. Four areas of particular importance needed attention: (1) Creating the astrophysical imagery before the solar system existed, and then conceiving and visualizing the futurescape of the universe referencing the latest theories on cosmic destiny; (2) Representing the protoplanetary disk that formed and condensed to become the solar system and the planet within; (3) Imagining the first unicellular forms of life in all their majesty and motion, which would learn to replicate and form increasingly complex organisms; and (4) Reconceiving animals no longer on earth and blending them with analog equivalents.

Accordingly, Producer Grant Hill introduced Malick to Dan Glass who came aboard as the film’s special effects supervisor. The two delved into wide-ranging special effects in an Austin, Texas photographic laboratory they called, Skunkworks, a techie and industry term conoting radical innovation in research and development. Included into the mix were a variety of scientists and artists who collaborated to give representation to abstract images. Conducting chemical experiments, a myriad of liquids, solids, and gasses were filmed at high speeds to generate a spectrum of effects as the team produced an array of stunning images.

 

In addition, sublime photographs from the Hubble Space Telescope, NASA’s interplanetary space probes, the Solar Dynamic Observatory – a satellite observing the sun, as well as adapted supercomputer simulations and electron-microscopy added to the production’s visual cornucopia of images.

Long time cinematographer Paul Atkins was charged with assembling a series of forest and desertscapes as well as seascapes to provide backdrop for the computer generated imagery of long-lost species. To provide contrast and to remind viewers of the ebb and flow of existence – and its future- , contemporary images of humankind were collected from lo-fi Harinezumi cameras Malick handed out to people across the globe that produced warm,fuzz, colorful images.

Sound designer Joel Dougherty was brought in to create and weave in natural and speculative sounds of the universe. Meanwhile, Music Supervisor Lauren Mikus worked closely with Malick in selecting instrumental pieces evoking the swirling, swelling and creative energy at both ends of the magnitude scale.

To watch Voyage of Time is a journey unto itself. Malick tells his story in a non-linear fashion allowing the viewer to create meaning from what’s being shown and from what’s being seen. Cate Blanchett’s voice has a soothing quality as she vocalizes some pretty heady stuff. If you like stunning visuals, this is a film for you. Warmly recommended.

Voyage of Time will be released in two differing formats. One a 90-minute poetic foray full of open questions narrated by Cate Blanchett and the second a 45-minute giant screen adventure for all ages narrated by Brad Pitt.

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(Source: Voyage of Time Pressbook)

Photos courtesy of ASAC/la_Biennale Cinema

Screening today 6 September at the 73rd Venice Film Festival

Screen Shot 2016-09-06 at 11.44.03 AMScreening in competition in the Sala Grande theatre today: Une vie by Stéphane Brizé (4:30 pm) and The Bad Batch by Ana Lily Amirpour (7:15 pm). Out of Competition, Tommaso by Kim Rossi Stuart (10:00 pm).

In competition in the Orizzonti section, White Sun by Deepak Rauniyar (3:00 pm) and Gukoroku by Kei Ishikawa (5:00 pm), both in the Sala Darsena theatre.

Among other screenings today, Dark Night by Tim Sutton (11:30 am and 5:45 pm) and My Art by Laurie Simmons (9:00 pm) in the new Sala Giardino theatre.

The PalaBiennale theatre features screenings for the public from 1:00 pm until the double screening starting at 8:00 pm.

See you at the Cinema!

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All the screenings on Tuesday 6 September
Line-up of the 73rd Venice Film Festival

(Source:www.labiennale.org)

TIFF Showcases American Classics from UCLA Film & Television Archive

The 29th Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF) is pleased to announce this year’s special program, “Film Treasures from UCLA Film & Television Archive,” which will screen rare restorations from UCLA Film & Television Archive.

Following the “Film Treasures from the Museum of Modern Art” program in 2014 and “Orson Welles: The Known and the Unknown” program in 2015, TIFF will present yet another Special Program featuring American classics. This year we have partnered with the prestigious University of California, Los Angeles, located right next to Hollywood and known for its many world-renowned film alumni. The UCLA Film & Television Archive will bring to Tokyo the restored My Darling Clementine (1946) by John Ford, The Connection (1961) by Shirley Clarke and other American classics dating from the silent era up to the 1980s.

Tentatively scheduled for October 25 (Tue) through November 6 (Sun)
The venue will be closed on Monday, October 31.
Venue: National Film Center Cinema 1

Hosted by: Tokyo International Film Festival/ National Film Center, the National Museum of Modern Art,Tokyo/ Motion Picture Association/ Japan and International Motion Picture Copyright Association
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MY DARLING CLEMENTINE

©1946 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. Renewed
©1974 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
MY DARLING CLEMENTINE: 35mm restored “special version” print courtesy of the UCLA Film & Television Archive. Restoration funding provided by The Film Foundation and American Movie Classics.”

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THE CONNECTION

Courtesy of Milestone Films
THE CONNECTION: 35mm restored print courtesy of the UCLA Film & Television Archive. Restoration funding provided by The Film Foundation.

Biennale College – Cinema: Selection announced for the 12 projects of the 5th edition 2016/17

Screen Shot 2016-09-05 at 1.28.19 AMThe first 12 projects have been selected for the fifth edition of Biennale College – Cinema 2016/17, submitted by teams composed of directors and producers who will take part in the first 10-day workshop to be held in Venice from October 5th to 14th 2016. The international Call was launched on May 6th 2016.
Biennale College is an innovative and complex experience that engages every sector of the Biennale di Venezia.
Biennale College – Cinema is the project that promotes new talents in cinema by offering them the opportunity to work closely with master filmmakers in the production of micro-budget films. 3 of these 12 projects will receive support in the amount of 150,000 Euro to produce a maximum of 3 feature-length films (debut or second film), one of which must be Italian, to be presented at the 74th Venice International Film Festival in 2016.
 
The 12 projects were announced during the press conference held on 4 September on the Lido di Venezia (Palazzo del Casinò), at the 73rd Venice International Film Festival (31 August – 10 September 2016), directed by Alberto Barbera and organized by the Biennale di Venezia, chaired by Paolo Baratta.
The 12 projects selected for the first phase of Biennale College – Cinema are:
•  The Anthill Hanna van Niekerk (director, The Netherlands)Maarten Kuit (producer, The Netherlands)
•  ClementineLara Jean Gallagher (director, USA), Karina Ripper (producer, USA)
•  Film di ConfineGiorgio Ferrero (director, Italy), Federico Biasin (producer, Italy)
•  InaccessibleLoran Bonnardot (director, France), Jean des Forêts (producer, France)
•  In the MakingKristoffer Borgli (director, Norway), Riina Zachariassen (producer, Denmark)
•  Killer?David White (director, New Zealand), James Ashcroft (producer, New Zealand)
•  LalaLudovica Fales (director, Italy), Igor Princic (producer, Italy)
•  Lightning RideAlena Lodkina (director, Australia), Kate Laurie (producer, Australia)
•  MartyrMazen Khaled (director, Lebanon), Diala Kachmar (producer, Lebanon)
•  Mirny Mining TownSaverio Pesapane (director, Italy), Costanza Julia Bani (producer, Italy), Fabian Martin Diering (Germany)
•  Night/VisionEva Weber (director, Germany), Nicole Stott (producer, United Kingdom)
•  Voice of Silence EuiJeong Hong (director, South Korea), Afolabi Kuti (producer, United Kingdom)
The 12 projects were selected by the Director of the Venice Film Festival Alberto Barbera, with the help of the Biennale College – Cinema team, and will be documented on the website http://www.labiennale.org/en/cinema/collegecinema/.
At the close of the first workshop, which will be held in Venice from October 5th to 14th 2016, 3 teams will be invited to participate in two successive workshops, to be held in Venice from December 2nd to 5th 2016 and January 9th to 13th 2017, after which production will begin on 3 feature-length films (debut or second films), one of which must be Italian, which must be low-cost, will be funded in the amount of 150,000 Euro, and will be presented at the 74th Venice International Film Festival in 2016.
Biennale College – Cinema, organized by the Biennale di Venezia, is supported by the Ministry for the Cultural Heritage and Activities – General Direction Cinema. Biennale College – Cinema relies on the academic collaboration of the IFP in New York and of the TorinoFilmLab, and continues its collaboration with the Busan International Film Festival. The Director is Alberto Barbera, the Head of Programme Savina Neirotti.
Biennale College – Hybrid
Also, the Biennale di Venezia will further integrate the activities of the Biennale College and the Venice Production Bridge with the launch of the new BIENNALE COLLEGE – HYBRID, a program developed to explore today’s most innovative technology: Virtual Reality. This supports the aim of the Biennale to investigate various facets of the audiovisual creative industries, proposing works of virtual reality and TV series, and presenting projects in the development stage in search of financing.
The Biennale College Hybrid explores the esthetics and the narrative opportunities offered by Virtual Reality, providing filmmakers and creatives all over the world with the proper knowledge for making the most of Virtual Reality. Biennale College – Hybrid, in partnership with Nederlands Filmfonds, will prepare nine teams of directors and producers who will work with Virtual Reality projects in their initial phase, helping them to advance under every aspect: creative, production, audience and the market, and financial.
All projects will be presented as a part of the industry office of the Venice Production Bridge, which this year includes feature films, documentaries, virtual reality projects, TV and web series.
Biennale College Cinema and Biennale College Hybrid 2017/2018
MEDIA – Creative Europe Programme

The 2017 edition of the Biennale College – Cinema  project, which will include Virtual Reality, will receive essential financing from the European Commission – Connect Directorate General’s Media – Creative Europe Programme.  The educational activities of the 2017-2018 edition will thus be funded by a MEDIA grant. This grant is in addition to the funding which the MEDIA Programme has given to the development of the Market and Venice Production Bridge.

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– The first edition of the 2012/13 Biennale College – Cinema closed at the 70th Venice Film Festival in 2013 with the screening of the three films: Mary is Happy, Mary is Happy, Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit (director, Thailand) and Aditya Assarat (producer, Thailand); MemphisTim Sutton (director, USA) and John Baker (producer, USA); Yuri EspositoAlessio Fava (director, Italy) and Max Chicco (producer, Italy).
– The second edition of Biennale College – Cinema 2013/14 closed at the 71st Venice Film Festival in 2014 with the screening of the three films: Blood Cells by Joseph Bull (director, Great Britain), Luke Seomore (director, Great Britain), Samm Haillay (producer, Great Britain), Ben Young (producer, Great Britain); H. by Rania Attieh (director, Lebanon), Daniel Garcia (director, USA), Shruti Rya Ganguly (producer, India), Pierce Varous (producer, USA); Short Skin by Duccio Chiarini (director, Italy), Babak Jalali (producer, Iran/Great Britain).
– The third edition of Biennale College – Cinema 2014/15 closed at the 72nd Venice Film Festival in 2015 with the screening of the three films: Baby Bump by Kuba Czekaj (director, Poland), Madgadalena Kaminska (producer, Poland); Blanka by Kohki Hasei (director, Japan), Flaminio Zandra (producer, Italy); The Fits by Anna Rose Holmer (director, USA), Lisa Kjerulff (producer, USA).
– The fourth edition of Biennale College – Cinema 2015/16 closed at the 73rd Venice Film Festival in 2016 with the screening of the four films: Mukti Bhawan – Hotel Salvation by Shubhashish Bhutiani (director, India) e Sanjay Bhutiani (producer, India); Orecchie – Ears by Alessandro Aronadio (director, Italy) and Costanza Coldagelli (producer, Italy); La Soledad by Jorge Thielen Armand (director, Venezuela), Adriana Herrera (producer, Venezuela), Rodrigo Michelangeli (producer, Venezuela) and Manon Ardisson (producer, Venezuela); Una Hermana – One Sister di Verena Kuri (director and producer, Argentina) and Sofía Brockenshire (director and producer, Argentina).
(Source:www.labiennale.org)

World Premiere of Warren Beatty’s RULES DON’T APPLY Will Open AFI FEST 2016

The world premiere of 20th Century Fox’s RULES DON’T APPLY — written, directed, produced by and starring AFI Life Achievement Award recipient and Academy Award® winner Warren Beatty — will be the Opening Night Gala of AFI FEST 2016 presented by Audi on Thursday, November 10, at the historic TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, CA.

The cast also includes Academy Award® nominees Alec Baldwin, Annette Bening, Candice Bergen, Steve Coogan and Ed Harris, as well as Haley Bennett, Matthew Broderick, Dabney Coleman, Lily Collins, Alden Ehrenreich, Taissa Farmiga, Megan Hilty, Oliver Platt and Martin Sheen. In the film, an aspiring young actress (Lily Collins) and her ambitious young driver (Alden Ehrenreich) struggle hopefully with the absurd eccentricities of the wildly unpredictable billionaire (Warren Beatty) for whom they work. (See trailer below)

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The 30th edition of AFI FEST takes place November 10–17, 2016, in the heart of Hollywood. Screenings, Galas and other events will be held at the TCL Chinese Theatre, the TCL Chinese 6 Theatres, the Egyptian Theatre and the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. The full festival lineup and schedule will be unveiled in October.

Head here to purchase festival passes and packages to ensure reserved seats for Opening Night. Passes and packages can include access to sold-out Galas and other high-demand films and events.

As part of their membership benefits, AFI members will receive a complimentary AFI FEST Cinepass, which allows access to all regular screenings and special offers at this year’s festival. AFI members at the Two-Star level and above level receive a 10% discount on all AFI FEST Patron Packages and Express Passes. Information about AFI membership is available at AFI.com/Membership.

Free tickets to AFI FEST will be available to the general public online at AFI.com beginning November 1.

(Source:http://blog.afi.com/)

Amir Naderi to receive the 2016 Jaeger-LeCoultre Glory to the Filmmaker award at Venice Film Festival

Award ceremony on Sept. 5th at 2:00 pm at the Palazzo del Cinema

Screen Shot 2016-08-18 at 8.32.46 AMLa Biennale di Venezia and Jaeger-LeCoultre are pleased to announce that the great Iranian director Amir Naderi (Vegas, Manhattan by Numbers, Davandeh-The Runner) will receive the Jaeger-LeCoultre Glory to the Filmmaker award of the 73rd Venice International Film Festival (August 31st – September 10th 2016), dedicated to a personality who has made an original contribution to innovation in contemporary cinema.
Amin Naderi will be awarded the prize in a ceremony to be held Monday September 5th at 2:00 pm in the Sala Grande (Palazzo del Cinema), before the Out of Competition screening of his new film Monte, in its world premiere showing in Venice. The film (shot on location in Italy in the mountains of the Alto Adige and Friuli regions) is set in the year 1350 and tells the dramatic story of a man who makes every attempt to bring the sunlight into his village, where his family is barely able to survive because of the prevailing darkness. In 2014 Monte has been one of the projects selected for the Venice Gap-Financing Market, a programme launched by the Venice Production Bridge.
alberto-barbera-594x350The Director of the Venice Film Festival, Alberto Barbera, made the following statement about the award: “Amir Naderi gave fundamental impetus to the birth of the New Iranian Cinema during the 1970s and ‘80s with a number of masterpieces destined to leave their mark on the history of cinema, such as Davandeh (The Runner, 1985) and Ab, bâd, khâk (Water, Wind, Dust, 1988). But even after moving to New York in 1988, Naderi remained stubbornly true to himself and to a type of cinema dedicated to research and experimentation, which refuses to bow to trends and easy shortcuts. Every film he has made clearly displays the nucleus of an identical obsession which transcends the principle of reality in order to force individuals beyond their own limits. The last half hour of Monte is a sort of synthesis of his entire opus, a larger-than-life metaphor of a struggle for survival prevailing over the dividing lines, intimidations and insults which can sometimes make human existence miserable. The breathtaking epilogue transforms the ideas, emotions and visions at the basis of all his films into powerfully expressive images. The Jaeger-LeCoultre Award is a well-deserved recognition, a tribute to the originality and greatness of a filmmaker who stands out from the crowd, the talent of a passionate director, and the generosity of a man who seems to know no limits.”
Since the 1970s, Amir Naderi (Abadan, 1945) has been among the most influential figures of New Iranian Cinema. He entered the international spotlight with cinema classics such as Tangsir (1974), Entezar (1974), awarded the Jury Prize at the Cannes children’s film festival, The Runner (1985) and Ab, Bad, Khak  (1989), which both won the Golden Montgolfiere at Three Continents Festival in Nantes. The first prominent Iranian director to move abroad in the mid ’80s, Naderi’s American films have uniquely captured the vanishing texture of New York. Sound Barrier (2005) won the Roberto Rossellini Critics’ Prize at the Rome Film Festival. Vegas: Based on a True Story, premiered In Competition at Venice in 2008. Cut was shot in Japan and premiered as the Opening Film of the Orizzonti section at Venice in 2011, later winning the 21st Japan Professional Film Awards for Best Director and Best Actor. Naderi’s work has been the subject of retrospectives at museums and film festivals around the world. He has served on international juries such as Jury President for the Competition section of Tokyo FILMeX in 2011 and the Orizzonti section of Venice in 2012. His new film Monte, starring Andrea Sartoretti and Claudia Potenza, and premiering at this year’s Venice Film Festival, is the first film by Naderi to be set and directed in Italy. Monte is an Italian/American/French co-production, by Citrullo International, Zivago Media, Cineric, Ciné-sud Promotion and KNM, in collaboration with Rai Cinema and with the support of the Ministry for the Cultural Heritage and Activities and Tourism – General Direction for Cinema.
The film was shot almost entirely on location in the mountains of the Alto Adige region, at an altitude of over 2500 metres on the Latemar mountain chain, and in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region in the towns of Erto, Casso and Sott’Anzas, with the support of the Alto Adige IDM-Film Commission and the Friuli-Venezia Giulia Film Commission. The shooting lasted 6 weeks.
Jaeger-LeCoultre is a sponsor of the Venice International Film Festival for the twelfth year in a row, and of the Glory to the Filmmaker prize for the tenth. The prize has been awarded in past years to Takeshi Kitano (2007), Abbas Kiarostami (2008), Agnès Varda (2008), Sylvester Stallone (2009), Mani Ratnam (2010), Al Pacino (2011), Spike Lee (2012), Ettore Scola (2013), James Franco (2014), and Brian De Palma (2015).
(Source:www.labiennale.org)

Screening today at the 73rd Venice Film Festival – September 3

Screen Shot 2016-09-03 at 7.37.29 PMScreening in competition in the Sala Grande theatre today: Frantz by François Ozon (4:15 pm) and Brimstone by Martin Koolhoven (9:45 pm). Out of Competition, The Young Pope by Paolo Sorrentino (7:00 pm).

In competition in the Orizzonti section, Home by Fien Troch (2:30 pm) and King of the Belgians by Peter Brosens and Jessica Woodworth (5:00 pm), both in the Sala Darsena theatre.

Among other screenings today, La Soledad by Jorge Thielen Armand (11:30 am and 5:30 pm) and In Dubious Battle by James Franco (9:00 pm) in the new Sala Giardino theatre.

The PalaBiennale theatre features screenings for the public from 1:15 pm until the double screening starting at 8:00 pm.

(Source: http://www.labiennale.org)

Paolo Sorrentino pulls out all the stops with ‘The Young Pope’

Writer/director Paolo Sorrentino has unleashed the first two episodes of a new ten-part series titled, “The Young Pope,” at the 73rd Venice International Film Festival today,  September 3rd.

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On set of “The young Pope” by Paolo Sorrentino. In the picture Jude Law. Photo by Gianni Fiorito

Jude Law plays the central character, Lenny Belardo, aka Pius XIII, the first American Pope in history. Young and charming, his election seems to be the result of a simple yet effective media strategy on the part of the College of Cardinals. But appearances can be deceptive. Above all, in the place and among the people who have chosen the great mystery of God as the compass guiding their existence. That place is the Vatican and those people are the leaders of the Church. And Pius XIII proves to be the most mysterious and contradictory of them all. Shrewd and naïve, ironical and pedantic, primeval and cutting-edge, doubting and resolute, melancholy and ruthless, Pius XIII tries to cross the endless river of human solitude to find a God he can give to mankind. And to himself.

Sorrentino is bound to shock the sensibilities of some of his Catholic viewers with the imagery in the opening sequence. He opens with a baby in a dimly lit St. Peter’s Square crawling over a sea of other babies until we see a man emerge from beneath the pile. A cut is made to Lenny awakening from a sleep and donning the attire of a Catholic Pope. As Lenny leaves his dressing area Sorrentino makes effective use of slow motion as he shows Lenny gracing the Vatican personnel with his presence. He glides across screen from left to right with non-diagetic music to the admiration and respect of the on-lookers until sitting upon his papal chair. He embodies a pious pose while envisioning a lovely topless blonde sitting in a green pasture as he presumably, as a young boy, looks on. He comes to and makes his way to the Papal Balcony where a deafening roar is heard from a rain-soaked crowd waiting to hear his Holiness. The rain stops, the clouds clear and the sun shines forth and again the crowd roars. Lenny as Pius XIII begins a most dynamic and appropriate speech on how he serves God and how he serves the audience before switching it up telling the audience to indulge in forbidden pleasures and desires including masturbation, gay marriage and a free and liberated lifestyle. At this point, his Secretary of State tells Pius he is not the Pope, that the Secretary of State is Pope and that Pius XIII is excommunicated. A cut is made to Lenny awakening from a sleep. From here Sorrentino takes the viewer on a wild ride as he delves into the psychological state of the young pope through moments of Belardo’s introspection and through his interactions with his subordinates.

Cinematographer Luca Bigazzi creates a plethora of luscious visuals throughout the first two episodes seamlessly shown. Laura Rosenthal and Annamaria Sambucco have complied a stellar cast. The cast does look the parts thanks to the work of Carlo Poggioli and Luca Canfora. The musical score by Lele Marchitelli keeps pace with the action. The production design is exquisite and is handled by Ludovica Ferrario. The editing is seamless. Cristiano Travaglioli is credited with editing.

All in all, the Young Pope proved to be highly entertaining. Law brings style and swagger to the role of Lenny. Silvio Orlando brings to life the machinations and cajoling of Secretary of State, Cardinal Voiello and Cecele De France adds nicely to the film’s rich cinematography in close ups as the Vatican Marketer Sofia Dubois. Last and certainly not least, Diane Keaton solidly depicts Sister Mary adding a much needed grounding presence as Sorrentino is not pulling any punches with his attempts for humor. Nevertheless, it is a delightful production with interesting dialogue and a dark, ominous and foreboding first Papal Speech.

My recommendation is don’t miss a chance to see ‘The Young Pope.’ Go for it! God willing…

The Young Pope is a joint Sky, HBO, CANAL+ production and will be broadcast on Sky Atlantic in 5 countries: in Italy from October 21st, in UK, Germany, Ireland and Austria from late October, and in France on CANAL+ from late October.

Director’s Note

“The clear signs of God’s existence. The clear signs of God’s absence. How faith can be searched for and lost. The greatness of holiness, so great as to be unbearable when you are fighting temptations and when all you can do is to yield to them. The inner struggle between the huge responsibility of the Head of the Catholic Church and the miseries of the simple man that fate (or the Holy Spirit) chose as Pontiff. Finally, how to handle and manipulate power in a State whose dogma and moral imperative is the renunciation of power and selfless love towards one’s neighbour. That is what The Young Pope is about”.

Paolo Sorrentino Biography

Paolo Sorrentino, director and screenwriter, was born in Naples in 1970. In 2001, he made his first feature-length film, One Man Up (L’uomo in più), starring Toni Servillo and Andrea Renzi. The movie, selected for the Orizzonti section at the Venice Film Festival, was nominated for three David di Donatello Awards, won a Silver Ribbon for best new director, and two Golden Goblet Awards. In 2004, he directed his second movie, The Consequences of Love (Le conseguenze dell’amore). An in-competition selection at the Cannes Film Festival, the movie received many awards, including five David di Donatello Awards, four Silver Ribbons and five Golden Ciak Awards. In 2006, he made his third feature, The Family Friend (L’amico di famiglia), which was presented in competition at the Cannes Film Festival and later participated at numerous international festivals.
In 2008, Paolo Sorrentino returned for the third time to the Cannes Film Festival in competition with his movie Il Divo, starring Toni Servillo, and was awarded the Prix du Jury. The movie later received seven David di Donatello Awards, five Golden Ciak Awards, five Silver Ribbons, and an Oscar® nomination for Best Achievement in Makeup. In 2010, Feltrinelli published Sorrentino’s first novel, Hanno tutti ragione. The book was a popular and critical success and was a finalist for the Strega Prize. In 2011, This Must be the Place marked Sorrentino’s directing debut in English. Starring Sean Penn and Frances McDormand, the movie was presented in competition at the 64th Cannes Film Festival and received numerous awards, including six David di Donatello Awards, three Silver Ribbons and four Golden Ciak Awards. In 2012, Feltrinelli published Sorrentino’s second book, Tony Pagoda e i suoi amici.

In 2013, The Great Beauty (La grande bellezza), starring Toni Servillo, Carlo Verdone and Sabrina Ferilli, brought Paolo Sorrentino for the fifth time to the Cannes Film Festival in competition. The movie won many awards, including an Oscar® and a Golden Globe® for Best Foreign Language film, a BAFTA for Best Film Not in the English Language, and five important EFA awards, including Best European Film, Best European Director and Best European Actor. The movie was sold to over fifty countries and was in the Top Ten of the best movies of the year, according to the prestigious English magazine “Sight & Sound.” In 2015, Youth (Youth-La giovinezza), Paolo Sorrentino’s second movie in English, starring Michael Caine, Harvey Keitel, Rachel Weisz, Paul Dano and Jane Fonda, was presented in competition at the Cannes Film Festival. It earned three European Film Awards: Best European Film, Best European Director and Best European Actor. The movie also received an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song and two Golden Globe nominations for Best Supporting Actress and best Original Song, as well as two David di Donatello
Awards and three Silver Ribbons.

(Excerpts from The Young Pope Pressbook)

 

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*Featured image  – The Young Pope director Paolo Sorrentino (Courtesy of ASAC/ Gianni Fiorito)