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Venice International Film Festival

HEARTSTONE wins Queer Lion Award in Venice

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screen-shot-2016-09-14-at-8-10-23-amHeartstone, Gudmundur Arnar Gudmundsson’s debut feature, won the Queer Lion Award at the Venice Film Festival. Heartstone was one of ten films from all of the sections of the festival that were eligible for the award. The film also came in second in the voting for Best Film in the Venice Days section.

The Queer Lion Award is awarded to the best film with homosexual and queer culture themes. Regarding their choice of Heartstone for the award, the jury wrote, “For the exquisite touch in showing the coming of age of two young friends and analyzing the acceptance of homosexual feelings and passions. For the strong and valid representation of the inner conflict that separates and then re-unites the two main characters, set against a natural environment as breathtaking as it can be hard and cruel.”

The Queer Lion was awarded this year for the tenth time. Former winners include A Single Man by Tom Ford, Philomena by Stephen Frears and The Danish Girl by Tom Hooper.

Heartstone was one of 11 films invited to participate at Venice Days, where it had its world premiere. This was the first time that an Icelandic film has been selected for Venice Days, a competitive and autonomous section at the Venice Film Festival.

Heartstone now continues its festival run. Next up are the Toronto International Film Festival, the Busan International Film Festival, the Warsaw Film Festival and the Chicago International Film Festival.

About the film

Heartstone is set in a remote fishing village in Iceland. Teenage boys Thor and Christian experience a turbulent summer as one tries to win the heart of a girl while the other discovers new feelings toward his best friend. When summer ends and the harsh nature of Iceland reclaims its rightful place, it’s time for the boys to leave the playground and face the acrimony of adulthood.

Heartstone was written and directed by Gudmundur Arnar Gudmundsson. In the last few years, Gudmundsson has garnered considerable notice for his award-winning short films, most notably Whale Valley. Among Whale Valley’s 45 international awards is a special mention in the main competition at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival.

Heartstone was produced by Anton Máni Svansson and Gudmundur Arnar Gudmundsson for Join Motion Pictures and Lise Orheim Stender and Jesper Morthorst for the Danish production company SF Studios Production. The film was shot by the Norwegian cinematographer Sturla Brandth Grøvlen, edited by the Danes Anne Østerud and Janus Billeskov Jansen, and the score was composed by the Dane Kristian Eidnes Andersen. International sales will be handled by the Berlin-based Films Boutique. The film was made with support from the Icelandic Film Centre and the Danish Film Institute.

Heartstone stars the promising young actors Baldur Einarsson, Blaer Hinriksson, Diljá Valsdóttir, Katla Njálsdóttir, Jónína Thórdís Karlsdóttir, Rán Ragnarsdóttir, Daníel Hans Erlendsson, Theodór Pálsson and Sveinn Sigurbjörnsson. The young cast is ably supported by veterans Nína Dögg Filippusdóttir, Sveinn Ólafur Gunnarsson, Nanna Kristín Magnúsdóttir, Søren Malling and Gunnar Jónsson.

(Source: http://www.icelandicfilmcentre.is)

#tiffjp

29th Tokyo International Film Festival Announces Lineup for Director in Focus: Shunji IWAI in Japan Now Section

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The 29th Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF) is pleased to announce the full lineup of films to be featured in the Japan Now Director in Focus: Shunji Iwai section.

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After his recent explorations into filmmaking in Hollywood and feature-length animation, Iwai returned this year with the much-talked-about A Bride for Rip Van Winkle. As he continues to move forward into the third decade of his career, this is a perfect time to look back at Iwai’s prolific body of work, and much-deserved international reputation.

 

Shunji Iwai
Shunji Iwai’s directing career began in 1988 with commercials, music videos and TV dramas, soon earning him acclaim for his cinematic style and vision, which came to be known as the “Iwai Aesthetic.” In 1995, he scored a huge hit across Asia with Love Letter and in 1996, PiCNiC won him a second consecutive award in the Forum section of the Berlin Film Festival, bringing him to even greater international attention. Swallowtail Butterfly (96) blazed a new trail in movie and music collaboration, and All About Lily Chou-Chou (01) won awards at Berlin and Shanghai. Other major works include Hana and Alice (04), a segment in the omnibus film New York, I Love You (09) and his first English-language film, Vampire (12), which played in competition at Sundance and in the Berlin Panorama section. Iwai’s first feature-length animated film, The Case of Hana & Alice, was invited to the 2015 Annecy Animation Festival. His latest film, A Bride for Rip Van Winkle (16), was released in Hong Kong and Taiwan prior to domestic release in Japan.
Kohei Ando, TIFF Japan Now Programming Advisor, comments:
“Shunji Iwai is a rare director who renders fable-like tales of contemporary Japanese youth and paints memory, time, space and society with his distinctive visual style. Fireworks, Should We See it from the Side or the Bottom? was a monumental early work that brought him critical praise and a Directors Guild of Japan New Directors Award. His first feature-length film, Love Letter, a masterpiece that begins when a letter is delivered to the wrong person, it won many festival awards and continues to have a strong following among Asian and international fans. Swallowtail Butterfly is a groundbreaking work, the first to depict an era when the Japanese yen is the strongest currency in the world. Iwai’s English-language debut, Vampire, is a love story set against the world’s end. And as his latest film, A Bride for Rip Van Winkle, is a sumptuous hide-and-seek story that evokes Shuji Terayama’s poetic style. This year’s director focus takes us into the mesmerizing, unforgettable world of Shunji Iwai.”

Japan Now Section: 

Created to showcase outstanding Japanese films from recent and upcoming months, Japan Now displays the diversity of Japanese film, and unique facets of Japanese culture, as well as providing a multifaceted look inside Japan today. The section highlights the work of a Director in Focus, as well as outstanding work by other directors, with subtitled screenings of films to boost their recognition overseas.

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

#Berlinale, #TIFF, North American Premiere

Toronto: Natalie Portman Biopic ‘Jackie’ Nabbed by Fox Searchlight

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Posted by Larry Gleeson

By Tatiana Siegel

Fox Searchlight has acquired U.S. rights to Jackie, which sees Natalie Portman star as former first lady Jacqueline Kennedy.

In an otherwise sleepy Toronto market, the deal marks the first significant sale of a finished film. Searchlight will release the historical drama on Dec. 9, giving it a prime awards-season birth.

Jackie, directed by Pablo Larraín, takes place in the days after the assassination of John F. Kennedy, focusing on Theodore H. White’s Life magazine interview with the widow at Hyannis Port.

Noah Oppenheim wrote the original script, which won best screenplay at this year’s Venice  Film Festival.

“Pablo Larraín’s Jackie is a daring, one-of-a-kind cinematic portrayal of a beloved icon,” said Searchlight presidents Stephen Gilula and Nancy Utley. “Led by an indelible performance from Natalie Portman and supported by a richly talented ensemble of actors and artists, the film is one we are thrilled to bring to audiences later this year.”.

Larraín will now have two potential awards-season contenders this year, as The Orchard will be pushing his Neruda, which is also playing at the Toronto Film Festival, in the foreign-language category.

Added Larraín: “[Searchlight’s] movies have been an important influence on me as a filmmaker, and it is a personal achievement for me to have them bring this very special story of a beautiful, sophisticated and mysterious woman to the world. Jackie was the most unknown of the known women of the 20th century.”

Darren Aronofsky produced Jackie along with Juan de Dios Larraín, Mickey Liddell, Scott Franklin and Ari Handel. Pete Shilaimon, Jennifer Monroe, Jayne Hong, Wei Han, Lin Qi, Josh Stern executive produced.

The film made its North American premiere in the Platform section of the festival.

Searchlight had first and last rights to negotiate on the film, which was repped by CAA.

 

See what Natalie, Noah Oppenhiem and Pablo Larrain have to say about Jackie:

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http://players.brightcove.net/769341148/E1zVmpNYx_default/index.html?videoId=5120087968001

*Featured photo courtesy of ASAC Images/Stehphanie Branchu

(Source: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com)

#AFI

15 Facts About Orson Welles’ CITIZEN KANE: America’s Greatest Film Turns 75

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Three quarters of a century after its release in 1941, Orson Welles’ towering achievement CITIZEN KANE is still a triumph of style, an endlessly fascinating mystery, a masterpiece to be marveled at for all time. It continually places atop lists of the greatest films of all time, including AFI’s 100 Years… 100 Movies lists, both in 1998 and in 2007.Welles said, in an undated statement now included in the AFI Catalog entry on CITIZEN KANE, “I wished to make a motion picture which was not a narrative of action so much as an examination of character…There have been many motion pictures and novels rigorously obeying the formula of the ‘success story,’” he continued. “I wished to do something quite different. I wished to make a picture which might be called a ‘failure story.’”While that can certainly be said of the title character — whose rise and fall pivot around that infamous last dying word “rosebud” — the story of CITIZEN KANE is anything but.

In celebration of CITIZEN KANE’s 75th birthday (it was released in theaters on September 5, 1941), here are 15 facts about the groundbreaking film that can perhaps only begin to explain its historic, enduring impact.

1. The initial working draft screenplay of CITIZEN KANE, dated April 16, 1940, was titled “American.”

2. Orson Welles was just 25 years old when he directed, co-wrote, starred in and produced the film, his very first feature.

3. CITIZEN KANE was the feature film debut of Ray Collins, Joseph Cotten, Agnes Moorehead and Everett Sloane — all of whom had worked with Welles on his theater productions or radio broadcasts as members of his Mercury Theatre. It was also the screen debut of Welles himself.

4. Co-screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz dictated a majority of the CITIZEN KANE script while bedridden and being cared for by his nurse after shattering his leg in a car crash.

5.  Newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst is the primary inspiration for CITIZEN KANE’s protagonist, Charles Foster Kane. Mankiewicz created Kane’s dialogue using — almost verbatim —lines from Hearst’s own writings and speeches.

6. Hearst was so angered by the film — and in order to keep it from being released — he accused Orson Welles of being a Communist, an accusation that, at the time, had the potential to destroy Hollywood reputations and garner government investigations.

7. The design of Kane’s estate, Xanadu, was inspired by Hearst Castle, Hearst’s extravagant mansion in San Simeon, California. In 2015 – 74 years after its release – CITIZEN KANE screened at Heart Castle for the very first time. Tickets for this benefit screening, which consisted of 60 attendees, cost $1,000 each.

8. CITIZEN KANE was nominated for nine Academy Awards®, but won only one: Best Screenplay. Co-writers Welles and Mankiewicz shared the award.

9. Welles viewed John Ford’s film STAGECOACH about 40 times over the course of one month while making the film, modeling shots from the director’s techniques. Nominated for CITIZEN KANE, Welles would end up losing out on the Best Picture Oscar® to Ford’s HOW GREEN WAS MY VALLEY held in 1942.

10. While filming a scene in which his character violently trashes a room, Welles was so immersed in his character that he cut both of his hands, causing them to bleed. Commenting on his dramatic commitment afterward, he said, “I really felt it.”

11. Welles, along with cinematographer Gregg Toland, popularized and perfected the technique of “deep focus,” keeping every object in the foreground, center and background in simultaneous focus. One example of this is during the scene inside Mrs. Kane’s house, where young Kane can clearly be scene throwing snowballs at the house in the distance while the audience is privy to the mother’s conversation inside.

12. On the ninth take of the sled-burning scene, the furnace had grown so hot, the flue caught fire, which caused the Culver City Fire Department to respond to the location. Welles was noted to be delighted with the commotion.

13. While filming a dramatic sequence in which Kane chases his rival down a flight of stairs, Welles tripped and fell about 10 feet, suffering a chipped ankle. The injury forced him to direct from a wheelchair for two weeks.

14. The opening scene, in which a dying Kane whispers the pivotal line of “Rosebud,” was shot in one take. It was the final scene shot during production. “Rosebud” ranks at #17 on AFI’s 100 top film quotes of all time.

15. In 1975, 34 years after the release of CITIZEN KANE, Welles was honored with the 3rd AFI Life Achievement Award. He was the first actor/director to receive the award. Watch his full acceptance speech below.

(Source:www.blog.afi.com/

Venice International Film Festival

Mel Gibson at Venice Film Festival’s ‘Hacksaw Ridge’: ‘Maybe I’m a Megalomanic’

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Posted by Larry Gleeson

By Jamie Manelis

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(Photo credit: Jamie Manelis)
Mel Gibson makes a triumphant directorial return at the Venice Film Festival with Hacksaw Ridge, starring Andrew Garfield, Vince Vaughn, and Teresa Palmer. This World War II film is not your average glamorized bloodbath. Unlike other war movies where combat and incessant violence may seem gratuitous, Gibson directs like a master composer, creating a visual symphony of war and relationships.

Fans swarmed the premiere of Hacksaw Ridge like starstruck bees to an illustrious honeyhive. Extra security flooded the theatre, escorting fans straight to their seats to protect some of Hollywood’s most revered stars. The film itself is an overwhelming masterpiece. Intentionally and with much success, Gibson juxtaposes the horrific scenes of war with the innocent protagonist, played by Andrew Garfield. Based on a true story, Hacksaw Ridge is about the first Seventh-Day conscientious objector, Desmond Doss, who declined to bear arms. A belief that almost sent him to military prison, but he not only persevered with his faith, he proved the military wrong and single-handedly saved 75 lives in one night. Regardless of any religious affiliation the audience may identify with, the real astonishment is Doss’s naive optimism and selflessness. Gibson is like a seasoned puppeteer, pulling each tiny string with precision and purpose, manipulating any audience into trusting humanity.

“I enjoy directing more…maybe I’m a megalomanic, I just love telling the story and I love to see the story the way I see it.” – Mel Gibson

Although Gibson’s name in the news has sparked controversy in the last ten years, journalists at the press conference neglected to ask him about his personal afflictions and only focused on questions of the film and his future. However, when Gibson was asked if he preferred acting or directing, he responded, “I enjoy directing more…maybe I’m a megalomanic, I just love telling the story and I love to see the story the way I see it.” Although the stories he chooses are directly linked to religion as Gibson is a devout Catholic, he explained that this story isn’t completely about faith. “He (Doss) didn’t regard his life to be any more valuable than his brothers…that’s the greatest expression of love.”

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(Photo credit: Jamie Manelis)
Gibson wanted to honor Doss as well as creating awareness of the unspeakable horrors soldiers deal with during and after war. “A lot of attention needs to be paid to our warriors when they come back. They need some love, they need some understanding.” Gibson says with a stern, concerned look. After a brief pause he continues, “I hope that this film departs that message and if it does nothing but that – that’s great.”

(Source: Excerpt from http://www.observer.com)

*Featured photo courtesy of ASAC Images/Biennale Cinema

Venice International Film Festival

Russia’s Konchalovsky Wins Silver Lion For Best Direction At Venice Film Festival

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September 11, 2016

Russian film director Andrei Konchalovsky has been awarded the Silver Lion — the Leone d’Argento — award for best direction at the 73rd Venice Film Festival.

An international panel led by British director Sam Mendes said on September 10 that Konchalovsky won the award for his film Paradise.

Paradise reveals entangled human life stories during World War II.

Konchalovsky’s wife, actress Yulia Vysotskaya, played the leading role in the film of a Russian emigre named Olga who is sent to a Nazi concentration camp after giving shelter to Jewish children in Paris.

It was the second Silver Lion from the Venice festival for Konchalovsky. He received the award in 2014 for his film The Postman’s White Nights.

The top prize at the Venice festival, the Golden Lion for best film, went to The Woman Who Left by director Lav Diaz.

Based on reporting by AFP and TASS

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

*Featured photo courtesy of ASAC Images/Biennale Cinema
Venice International Film Festival

Wrap Up: 73rd Venice International Film Festival Continues to Mesmerize

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I attended my first Venice International Film Festival at the Cinema del Palazzo complex in Lido this year from the Pre-Opening Night event August 30th through Closing Night September 10th, 2016 as an accredited media entity.

 

The Venice Film Festival is the oldest film festival in the world with a history dating to 1932. This year was the 73rd edition showing little signs of its age. Steeped in glamor and tradition, the festival remains a testament to the cinematic arts with its viewing venues and its programming.

 

Italian Actress Monica Bellucci takes a moment to sgn an autograph on the Red Carpet at the 73rd Venice International Film Festival. (Photo courtesy of ASAC Images/Biennale Cinema)
Amy Adams walks the Red Carpet in a shoulder baring black dress at the 73rd Venice International Film Festival. (Photo courtesy of ASAC Images/Biennale Cinema)
Liev Schreiber and Naomi Watts walk hand-in-hand on the Red Carpet at the 73rd Venice International Film Festival. (Photo courtesy of ASAC Images/Biennale Cinema)

 

Set in Lido with a plethora of screens each only a score or two steps away, these hallowed cinema grounds created a magical setting  adorned with cafes, raised walkways, and abundance of shade trees.

 

The Al Leone D’Oro sidewalk cafe on the Lido grounds at the 73rd Venice International Film Festival. (Photo credit: Larry Gleeson/HollywoodGlee)
Cinema patrons makeing their way between venues during the 73rd Venice International Film Festival. (Photo credit: Larry Gleeson/HollywoodGlee)

 

 

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Last night and final view of the 73rd Venice International Film Festival. (Photo credit: Larry Gleeson/HollywoodGlee)

 

The real magic, however, took place inside the cinema!

Leading the way were the spell-binding performances of Lily-Rose Depp and Natalie Portman in Planetarium from Director Rebecca Zlotowski.

 

Rebecca Zlotowski
Planetarium Director, Rebecca Zlotowski. (Photo courtesy of ASAC Images/Biennale Cinema)

 

Award-winning, Tom Ford’s Nocturnal Animals, took home the Silver Lion Grand Jury Prize  for Best Film.  Nocturnal Animals captured my eye and imagination with it’s captivating story lines, exceptionally rich, mise-en-scene and wildly, powerful acting. Damien Chazelle and crew mesmerized audiences with their dazzling La La Land.  The lovely Emma Stone received the Best Actress Silver Lion Volpi Cup for her heartful, soul-revealing performance as Mia.

 

Director Tom Ford receives this year’s Silver Lion for Best Film from the Grand Jury. (Photo courtesy of ASAC Images/Biennale Cinema))
Ms. Emma Stone at the La La Land Press Conference on Augsut 31st, 2016, at the 73rd Venice International Film Festival. (Photo courtesy of ASAC Images/Biennale Cinema))

 

 

 

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Director Lav Diaz, left, with Ang Babaeng Humayo film delegation at the 73rd Venice International Film Festival. (Photo courtesy of ASAC Images/Biennale Cinema)

 

This year’s Golden Lion for Best Film went to Lav Diaz for his painstaking drama, Ang Babaeng Humayo (The Woman Who Left), an epic story with a runtime of 226 minutes. The film follows one woman rediscovering her homeland after a 30 year stay in a correctional facility.

For a complete list of winners click here.

 

Other noteworthy films, not already mentioned, included: Paradise, a Russian Federation film, set amidst the Nazi WWII reign of terror (Director Andrei Konchalovsky garnered Silver Lion for Best Director for his Paradise efforts); Terrence Malick’s Voyage of Time: Life’s Journey, winner of the 5th Green Drop Award awarded by Green Cross Italy to films that bring attention to the values of ecology and sustainable development; Jackie, Pablo Larrain’s portrait of the iconic First Lady, Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy (Noah Oppenheim won Best Screenplay for Jackie); and Orecchie, a Biennale College – Cinema Production, directed by Alessandro Aronadio and produced by Costanza Coldagelli.

 

 

A special note of thanks to this year’s ushers for their efforts in ensuring my safety and well-being at the 73rd Venice International Film Festival. Until next year, Ciao’!

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Ushers at the 73rd Venice International Film Festival. (Photo credit: Larry Gleeson/HollywoodGlee)

 

 

*Featured photo courtesy of Larry Gleeson/HollywoodGlee

Venice International Film Festival

Screening today 8 September at the 73rd Venice Film Festival

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Natalie Portman and Lily Depp keep everyone on their toes in ‘Planetarium.’ (Photo Courtesy of ASAC/LaBiennale Cinema)

It’s a hot day at the Venice International Film Festival! Screening in competition in the Sala Grande theatre today: Paradise by Andrei Konchalovsky (5:00 pm) and Questi giorni by Giuseppe Piccioni (7:45 pm). Out of Competition, Gantz:O by Yasushi Kawamura (10:30 pm).

At 2:00 pm, Award Ceremony: Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement to Jean-Paul Belmondo.

 

In competition in the Orizzonti section, Koca Dünya by Reha Erdem (2:45 pm). Out of Competition, Planetarium by Rebecca Zlotowski (5:15 pm), both in the Sala Darsena theatre.

 

Among other screenings today, Orizzonti Short Films (11:00 am and 5:00 pm) and El vendedor de orquídedas by Lorenzo Vigas (3:00 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 8:00 pm.

 

• All the screenings on Thursday 8 September
• Line-up of the 73rd Venice Film Festival

 

See you at the cinema!

 

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• All the screenings on Thursday 8 September
• Line-up of the 73rd Venice Film Festival

 

la Biennale

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

Venice International Film Festival

Jackie

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Chilean director, Pablo Larrain is presenting his latest film, Jackie, in Competition for the Golden Lion, at the 73rd Venice International Film Festival.

 

Larrain has chosen to explore the complex emotions in the immediate aftermath of the assassination of the 35th President of the United States of America through the known actions and behaviors of the country’s First Lady at the time, Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy, known throughout the world simply as Jackie. Stylish, sophisticated and desirable, Jackie was one of the 2oth century’s most photographed and documented women.

 

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Jackie Director Pablo Larrain (Photo courtesy of ASAC/la_Bienalle Cinema)

 

After the death of the President, Jackie became known as and often referred to as the queen without a crown who lost her throne and her husband.

 

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Natalie Portman portrays Jacqueline Kennedy in Pablo Larrain’s, Jackie. (Photo courtesy of ASAC/la_Biennale Cinema/Stephanie Branchu)

 

I imagine Jackie experienced a complex web of emotions – sadness, anger – and wanted the world to see what was done to the distinguished leader of the free world, her husband.

 

 

Larrain is fully aware his work is not the definitive work on Jackie because in reality Jackie was a private person who valued her space as sacred. She shared moments willingly and others not so much so. Her children were of paramount importance to her and their safety and well-being came first. So Larrain gathered what he could from archives and copious research and molded what he found into a testimony of love – Jackie.

 

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A mourning First Lady, Jacqueline Kennedy, in Jackie, a new film making its world premiere at the 73rd Venice International Film Festival. The film was directed by Chilean director Pablo Larrain. (Photo courtesy of ASAC/la_Biennale Cinema/William Gray)

 

The film is screening today in the Sala Grande Theater at 7:15 PM.

 

(Source: Jackie Pressbook)

Venice International Film Festival

Voyage of Time: Life’s Journey

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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