Films I've watched for BFF 2012
This is a list of films that I have watched as part of the Programming Committee for the Bath Film Festival. Some will be shown this year, some won't. You'll have to watch this space to find out which ones are which.
www.bathfilmfestival.org.uk
Bath Film Festival 2012 (14th - 25th November)
Programme out on 6th October 2012
www.bathfilmfestival.org.uk
Bath Film Festival 2012 (14th - 25th November)
Programme out on 6th October 2012
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- DirectorLaurent TirardStarsMaxime GodartVincent ClaudeCharles VaillantNicholas has every reason to keep things in life unchanged; however, when he accidentally overhears mum and dad talking about a new baby brother, his world will turn upside down. Will they abandon him to make room for the little stranger?I can't even begin to describe how much I love this film. It is hilarious.
So the story is about a boy who thinks his parents are trying to get rid of him, but the real humour comes from his friends, family, school mates and teachers.
In my mind, this is Diary of a Wimpy Kid, but in French and therefore classier, funnier and more aesthetically pleasing. I WILL be watching this again. - DirectorAgnès VardaStarsCorinne MarchandAntoine BourseillerDominique DavrayCleo, a singer and hypochondriac, becomes increasingly worried that she might have cancer while awaiting test results from her doctor.I don't know why I haven't seen this film before. It is a true masterpiece of french cinema and storytelling. I don't know what more I can say. It shows a slice of life in Paris along side that of an emotional young singer awaiting the results of a medical examination.
Watch it for the beauty, for the city, for the girl, for the cinematography, for the emotion; just make sure you watch it. - DirectorAndrew SteggallStarsKatie BignellElliot CowanMichael CulkinA man of incredible wealth and power is haunted by a childhood memory.It's a shame this is such a strangly timed film (to short to be a feature, to long to be a short) otherwise we may have shown it in the festival. If you get a chance to watch it anyway, I would highly recommend it.
It is quite a surreal film, but beautifully done and a wonderful story. - DirectorFredrik GerttenStarsFredrik GerttenAlex RiveraAlfonso AllendeDole Food Company wages a campaign to prevent a pair of Swedish film-makers from showing their documentary about a lawsuit against the company.I'll be honest; when I sat down to watch this film I knew nothing about it accept the title. It is not what I expected, but I loved every second.
It shows a side of film-making which is rarely seen on the big screen, and allows an audience the righteous indignation that can be so satisfying. A must-see. - DirectorIcíar BollaínStarsGael García BernalLuis TosarKarra ElejaldeAs a director and his crew shoot a controversial film about Christopher Columbus in Cochabamba, Bolivia, local people rise up against plans to privatize the water supply.The fact that Gael Garcia Bernal is lovely to listen to and even more lovely to look at has nothing to do with why this is an excellent film. Ok, well, maybe it has something to do with it, but you get my point. This is a fantastic film, with a brilliant commentary on film-making and modern ethics. Beautiful settings, a brief history lesson, humour, indignation and a really heart-warming tale, what more could you ask for?
(O, and it has Gael Garcia Bernal in it...) - DirectorMark Simon HewisStarsOphelia LovibondAntonia ThomasPaul KayeWhen Dan finds himself kicked out of the family home, he's faced with no option but to secretly move into the call center where he works.
- DirectorChris PaineStarsTim RobbinsDan NeilDanny DeVitoDirector Chris Paine takes his film crew behind the closed doors of Nissan, GM, and the Silicon Valley start-up Tesla Motors to chronicle the story of the global resurgence of electric cars.I know nothing about cars. I mean nothing. I cannot drive and really have no interest in it. The closest I get are dodgems. Despite this, this film is fascinating.
I was hooked from beginning to end, perhaps because it is not just about cars, it is about the planet, it is about multi-national companies, it is about politics and it is about human nature. Great film. - DirectorRichard PressStarsBill CunninghamAnna WintourMichael KorsA profile of the noted and extraordinarily cheerful veteran New York City fashion photographer.
- DirectorTanya WexlerStarsMaggie GyllenhaalHugh DancyJonathan PryceThe truth of how Mortimer Granville devised the invention of the first vibrator in the name of medical science.
- DirectorTrisha ZiffStarsErnest AlósJuan Diego BottoSebastian del AmoThe story of three lost boxes known as the Mexican Suitcase that were recovered in 2007. The boxes, misplaced in the chaos at the start of WWII, contained many of the Spanish Civil War negatives by the legendary photographer Robert Capa and fellow photographers Gerda Taro and David "Chim" Seymour.
- DirectorGenevieve BaileyStarsBillyDaganFangThe lives and thoughts of children from all around the world. It weaves together deeply personal and at times hilarious portraits of what it means to stand on the cusp between childhood and adolescence.A wonderful documentary which looks through the eyes of eleven year olds from across the planet at the ever confusing world around them.
I really love the way this film captures the innocence of the children's view. It is amazing how insightful some of them are, and also how much it says about their parents. - DirectorPenny WoolcockThis documentary produced by Rare Day and directed by award-winning filmmaker Penny Woolcock charts the attempts by two warring gangs in inner city Birmingham, the Burger Bar Boys (B21) and the Johnson Crew (B6), to bring peace to their neighbourhoods.
- DirectorDiana FabianovaDiana is not the only one for whom the monthly period is no fun at all. Headaches, nausea, depression -- why is it so widely accepted that women all over the world should feel so lousy on a regular basis? And why is the subject still not openly discussed? With a keen sense of perspective, humor, and self-mockery, Diana goes in search of answers. The most wide-ranging theories put forward by anthropologists, psychologists, journalists, gynecologists, and belly-dance teachers are intercut with old-fashioned information films and animated clips. The connecting factor throughout the film is 11-year-old Dominika, who keeps the audience updated about her impending menstruation, bringing up all kinds of questions. Why is blue liquid used in advertisements for sanitary napkins? Is the pill being used to adjust our body's rhythm to that of a male-dominated society? Why do we bleed when, in nature, blood is synonymous with death? Diana's quest brings her a deeper understanding and appreciation of her body. And also of her moods, because as one expert claims, whereas women are sometimes perceived to be complaining during menstruation, it is actually the hormones giving them the courage to finally say what they really always thought.
- DirectorAlan LoweryJohn PilgerStarsJohn PilgerStuart EwenMelvin GoodmanThought-provoking documentary on war propaganda: how governments manipulate the facts and how most media let them get away with it.
- DirectorAndres VeielStarsAugust DiehlLena LauzemisAlexander FehlingWest Germany, early 1960s. Star crossed lovers Bern and Gudrun begin a life long affair in the stifling atmosphere of provincial Germany. Setting out to challenge the establishment they become part of the global uprising joining forces with leftist writers and political activists. By the late 60s Gudrun has joined the gang lead by Andreas Baader and Ulrike Meinhof and Bern risks his sanity to finally writing a novel to change the world. An emotional true story of an explosive era starring August Diehl (Inglourious Basterds (2009), A Hidden Life (2019), Salt (2010)).I wanted to try to describe this film without using the word fascinating, but I'm not sure that is possible. It is set in post-World War 2 Germany, an era I know little about, and follows the son of a writer of Nazi Propaganda who, to all intensive purposes, believed everything he was writing. Fascinating, right? It starts with a debate about whether something should be dismissed as bad literature because it is propaganda and traces the life of someone who cannot escape the shadow of his father, and is not always sure that he wants to. Well made, and yes, you've guessed it, fascinating.
- DirectorJoshua MarstonStarsTristan HalilajSindi LacejRefet AbaziAn Albanian family is torn apart by a murder, resulting in a blood feud that makes eldest son Nik a prime target and forces his sister, eldest daughter Rudina, to leave school in order to take over the family business.This is a remarkable story about something I knew nothing about (as the best films always are). I love the contrast between the history and heritage which is bound so tightly with the blood feud and the teenage rebellion from their parents ways, in the form of texting and videos. Definitely one I would recommend.
- DirectorUrsula MeierStarsLéa SeydouxKacey Mottet KleinMartin CompstonA drama set at a Swiss ski resort and centered on a boy who supports his sister by stealing from wealthy guests.
- DirectorDominik MollStarsVincent CasselSergi LópezJordi DauderMadrid, in the seventeenth century. Abandoned at the doorstep of a monastery, Ambrosio has been brought up by the Capucin Friars. After becoming a friar himself, he becomes an unrivaled preacher whose sermons draw crowds and earn him the admiration of all. Admired for his extreme rigor and absolute virtue, Ambrosio is certain he is safe from any temptation. But Satan has not said his final word...
- DirectorBryan ForbesStarsJohn MillsMichael CaineRalph RichardsonIn Victorian England, a fortune now depends on which of two brothers outlives the other, or can be made to have seemed to do so.I loved this film. Don't get me wrong it is truly dreadful. Despite the cast, the acting is shoddy, it is farcical and even the humour is off, but I loved it. My favourite scene was definitely ... well I was going to say Peter Sellers with all of his cats, but I'm not sure. There are too many terrible parts to pick just one. Also, as it was filmed in Bath, it is possible to play "I know where that is" with a lot of it. I managed to spot at least 3 Bath locations, and I know that Philip only spotted one. Is this a reason to watch it? Probably not. But just because it is a very poorly made film doesn't mean it can't be fun.
- DirectorSeung-jun YiStarsCho Young-ChanKim Soon-hoChoi JungahYoung-Chan comes from planet of snail where deaf blind people live slow and quiet lives. When Young-Chan came to Earth, nobody understood his language and he was desperate. Then an angel walked into his life. Soon-Ho knows how it is to be lonely and soon becomes an inseparable part of his life. Young-Chan also discovers an amazing world under his fingers as he learned to read books with braille. Hopes began to grow and he dreams of writing a book. However, Soon-Ho cannot always be there for him because of her own problem of spine disability. The couple now should learn to survive alone. While Soon-Ho uneasily spends her first day waiting for his return, Young-Chan goes out for the biggest adventure of his life.
- DirectorMiguel GomesStarsTelmo ChurroMiguel GomesHortêncílio AquinaA restless retired woman teams up with her deceased neighbor's maid to seek out a man who has a secret connection to her past life as a farm owner at the foothill of Mount Tabu in Africa.
- DirectorAndrei TarkovskyStarsAlisa FreyndlikhAleksandr KaydanovskiyAnatoliy SolonitsynA guide leads two men through an area known as the Zone to find a room that grants wishes.
- DirectorAndrew KottingStarsAnonymous BoschPhilippe CiompiMarcia FarquharSwandown is a travelogue and odyssey of Olympian ambition; a poetic film-diary in which Andrew Kötting and Iain Sinclair pedal a swan-shaped pedalo from the seaside in Hastings to Hackney in London, via the English inland waterways.I will admit, this is not my kind of film. It is quite slow-paced and the ideas discussed are done in a way which is quite difficult to access.
It is, however, full of philosophy, poetry and a very picturesque journey. Not my cup of tea, but it might be yours. - DirectorDavid SpaltroStarsMolly RymanAaron MathiasGrace FolsomGrad student dealing with eviction in Brooklyn forms a cathartic relationship with a local bartender hiding his own secrets and a terminally ill hospice patient she's interviewing for her thesis on what happens after we die.
- DirectorColin TrevorrowStarsAubrey PlazaMark DuplassJake JohnsonThree magazine employees head out on an assignment to interview a guy who placed a classified advertisement seeking a companion for time travel.