It’s been two decades since an epic fantasy film made history at the Oscars, winning every category in which it was nominated, and three women set new records. There weren’t many surprises at the 76th Academy Awards, but there were some memorable moments. Billy Crystal hosted for his eighth time on February 29, 2004. Read on for Gold Derby’s Oscars flashback 20 years ago to 2004.
It was finally Peter Jackson‘s time as the third installment of his “Lord of the Rings” trilogy earned him a trio of awards. Despite numerous nominations, the first two films failed to make big showings; however, “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” not only claimed Best Picture, but won all 11 categories in which it was nominated. It tied with “Ben-Hur” (1960) and “Titanic” (1998) for most wins in one ceremony, and holds the record for biggest sweep. It was the 10th film...
It was finally Peter Jackson‘s time as the third installment of his “Lord of the Rings” trilogy earned him a trio of awards. Despite numerous nominations, the first two films failed to make big showings; however, “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” not only claimed Best Picture, but won all 11 categories in which it was nominated. It tied with “Ben-Hur” (1960) and “Titanic” (1998) for most wins in one ceremony, and holds the record for biggest sweep. It was the 10th film...
- 3/3/2024
- by Susan Pennington
- Gold Derby
Fantasporto, the Oporto Intl. Film Festival, kicked off Friday in Portugal’s Porto — a city famed for its elegant Romanesque cathedral, a bookstore that inspired “Harry Potter,” and the heady alcoholic drink — with an eclectic mix of titles but an emphasis on fantasy films.
Typifying the broad tastes of the festival chiefs, film critics Beatriz Pacheco Pereira and Mário Dorminsky, Canadian filmmaker Denys Arcand’s satire “Testament” opened the event’s 44th edition at Batalha Centro de Cinema, and Chinese fantasy epic “Creation of Gods I: Kingdom of Storms,” directed by Wuershan, closes it.
Although Pacheco Pereira and Dorminsky, who compete with the Brussels Intl. Fantastic Film Festival and Sitges for fantasy films in Europe, know they can’t please everyone in Porto with their selection “what is really important to us is whether the audiences applaud the films,” Dorminsky says. “This is not a job for us. It is a pleasure.
Typifying the broad tastes of the festival chiefs, film critics Beatriz Pacheco Pereira and Mário Dorminsky, Canadian filmmaker Denys Arcand’s satire “Testament” opened the event’s 44th edition at Batalha Centro de Cinema, and Chinese fantasy epic “Creation of Gods I: Kingdom of Storms,” directed by Wuershan, closes it.
Although Pacheco Pereira and Dorminsky, who compete with the Brussels Intl. Fantastic Film Festival and Sitges for fantasy films in Europe, know they can’t please everyone in Porto with their selection “what is really important to us is whether the audiences applaud the films,” Dorminsky says. “This is not a job for us. It is a pleasure.
- 3/2/2024
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
Canadian filmmaker Denys Arcand’s satire “Testament” will open the 44th edition of Fantasporto, which runs March 1-10 in Portugal’s second city, Porto. Chinese fantasy epic “Creation of Gods I: Kingdom of Storms,” directed by Wuershan, closes the eclectic event.
The festival, which was named by MovieMaker magazine this year as one of the “25 coolest festivals in the world,” is headed by film critics Beatriz Pacheco Pereira and Mário Dorminsky. Around 600 feature films were submitted this year and 1,200 shorts.
Pacheco Pereira says they select films that have a “special touch but still a universal language.” Dorminsky adds: “We try to discover new directors.” These directors – having established a relationship with the festival – often return with their subsequent films, he says.
“Testament” epitomizes one trend that Pacheco Pereira identifies, which is “old people asking: ‘Where is the world going?'” She adds: “‘Testament’ is a wonderful film in which an...
The festival, which was named by MovieMaker magazine this year as one of the “25 coolest festivals in the world,” is headed by film critics Beatriz Pacheco Pereira and Mário Dorminsky. Around 600 feature films were submitted this year and 1,200 shorts.
Pacheco Pereira says they select films that have a “special touch but still a universal language.” Dorminsky adds: “We try to discover new directors.” These directors – having established a relationship with the festival – often return with their subsequent films, he says.
“Testament” epitomizes one trend that Pacheco Pereira identifies, which is “old people asking: ‘Where is the world going?'” She adds: “‘Testament’ is a wonderful film in which an...
- 12/18/2023
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
Above: 1973 New York Film Festival poster designed by Niki de Saint Phalle.The 61st edition of the New York Film Festival, which opens tonight, has 32 films in its Main Slate, fifteen films in its Spotlight section, ten films and seven collections of shorts in the Currents sidebar, and eleven revivals. That's over 60 feature films. Fifty years ago, in 1973, the 11th edition of the festival had just eighteen feature films and nineteen shorts. Just like this year’s opener—Todd Haynes’s May December—1973’s opening night film, François Truffaut’s Day for Night, had premiered four months earlier at the Cannes Film Festival. And as with this year’s festival, the 1973 edition opened, fifty years and one day ago exactly, in the shadow of an artists' strike. Local 802 of the American Federation of Musicians had been picketing the New York Philharmonic outside Lincoln Center’s Avery Fisher Hall, where the festival was taking place,...
- 9/29/2023
- MUBI
Rojek, writer-director Zaynê Akyol’s documentary that attempts to trace the beginning, rise and fall of the Islamic State through the personal stories of its members and their wives incarcerated in prison camps, was selected Thursday by Canada to represent the country in the 2024 Oscar Best International Feature Film race.
A total of 28 films were submitted for consideration, with Rojek emerging today in a vote determined by a pan-Canadian committee of industry organizations and guilds, as well as filmmakers and industry professionals appointed to represent organizations. Telefilm Canada organizes the committee.
Rojek, which features a mix of Arabic, English, French, and Kurdish languages, opened in Canadian theatres on January 20 after making the rounds at festivals including winning a special jury prize at Hot Docs. It is produced by Audrey-Ann Dupuis-Pierre, Sylvain Corbeil, and Akyol of Métafilms. Icarus Films distributes the film in the U.S.
“In what may have been...
A total of 28 films were submitted for consideration, with Rojek emerging today in a vote determined by a pan-Canadian committee of industry organizations and guilds, as well as filmmakers and industry professionals appointed to represent organizations. Telefilm Canada organizes the committee.
Rojek, which features a mix of Arabic, English, French, and Kurdish languages, opened in Canadian theatres on January 20 after making the rounds at festivals including winning a special jury prize at Hot Docs. It is produced by Audrey-Ann Dupuis-Pierre, Sylvain Corbeil, and Akyol of Métafilms. Icarus Films distributes the film in the U.S.
“In what may have been...
- 8/24/2023
- by Patrick Hipes
- Deadline Film + TV
Canadian filmmaker Zayne Akyol’s Rojek, a film about Isis terrorists and their dream of a Caliphate, has been selected as Canada’s submission for the 2023 Oscars’ best international feature film category.
The feature documentary portrays imprisoned members of the Islamic State and their wives in makeshift camps where they share an ambition to establish Islamic rule. As it explains the fundamentalist beliefs of jihadists, Akyol’s film traces the beginning, rise and fall of the Islamic State, often referred to as Isis, through personal stories.
Rojek is the latest film from Akyol, the director Gulîstan, Land of Roses, a documentary about Kurdish soldiers fighting while under siege from Isis. Her Islamic State documentary set to represent Canada at the Oscars uses the Arabic, English, French and Kurdish languages and launched in Canadian theaters in January 2023 after a world premiere at the 2022 Visions du Réel Film Festival in Switzerland.
The...
The feature documentary portrays imprisoned members of the Islamic State and their wives in makeshift camps where they share an ambition to establish Islamic rule. As it explains the fundamentalist beliefs of jihadists, Akyol’s film traces the beginning, rise and fall of the Islamic State, often referred to as Isis, through personal stories.
Rojek is the latest film from Akyol, the director Gulîstan, Land of Roses, a documentary about Kurdish soldiers fighting while under siege from Isis. Her Islamic State documentary set to represent Canada at the Oscars uses the Arabic, English, French and Kurdish languages and launched in Canadian theaters in January 2023 after a world premiere at the 2022 Visions du Réel Film Festival in Switzerland.
The...
- 8/24/2023
- by Etan Vlessing
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The rom-com has always appeared to be in safe hands with French-language cinema, but Quebecois director Monia Chokri wanted to push the boundaries of the genre even further with her new film “Simple comme Sylvain.”
“French people like to talk about love but they always do it in the same way of toxic relationships. And there aren’t so many [rom-coms] made by women,” says Chokri, who was last in Cannes in 2019 with her debut feature, “A Brother’s Love,” which won Un Certain Regard’s Jury Cup de Coeur.
“Simple comme Sylvain” centers on a posh French-Canadian woman in a sexless marriage who turns her life upside down when she has an affair with her contractor.
The Quebec-born actor broke out in meaty roles in Canadian auteur Denys Arcand’s “The Age of Darkness” and Xavier Dolan’s “Heartbeats” and “Laurence Anyways.” She also acts in “Simple comme Sylvain,” playing her protagonist’s outspoken best friend,...
“French people like to talk about love but they always do it in the same way of toxic relationships. And there aren’t so many [rom-coms] made by women,” says Chokri, who was last in Cannes in 2019 with her debut feature, “A Brother’s Love,” which won Un Certain Regard’s Jury Cup de Coeur.
“Simple comme Sylvain” centers on a posh French-Canadian woman in a sexless marriage who turns her life upside down when she has an affair with her contractor.
The Quebec-born actor broke out in meaty roles in Canadian auteur Denys Arcand’s “The Age of Darkness” and Xavier Dolan’s “Heartbeats” and “Laurence Anyways.” She also acts in “Simple comme Sylvain,” playing her protagonist’s outspoken best friend,...
- 5/20/2023
- by Manori Ravindran
- Variety Film + TV
Heart in the Right Place: Chokri Lets the Body & the Camera Do the Talking in Rom Dramedy
French Canadian filmmaker Monia Chokri adds another notch to the bedpost focusing on the romantic relationships we begin and the romantic relationships we begin to … ponder. If fellow 514 filmmaker Denys Arcand had a knack for philosophizing what makes opposites attract, with Simple Comme Sylvain we get into complex hierarchies about our role within the couple, the roles that are assigned to us and our active role-playing of sorts — dog leash et al. Working with more of a formal visual strategy that actually reminds of 70s and giallo cinema, Chokri’s tendency to overstuff the narrative with a lot of dialogue and discord as in her first two features (2019’s A Brother’s Love and 2022’s Babysitter) is replaced by more introspection, nuance and fluff.…...
French Canadian filmmaker Monia Chokri adds another notch to the bedpost focusing on the romantic relationships we begin and the romantic relationships we begin to … ponder. If fellow 514 filmmaker Denys Arcand had a knack for philosophizing what makes opposites attract, with Simple Comme Sylvain we get into complex hierarchies about our role within the couple, the roles that are assigned to us and our active role-playing of sorts — dog leash et al. Working with more of a formal visual strategy that actually reminds of 70s and giallo cinema, Chokri’s tendency to overstuff the narrative with a lot of dialogue and discord as in her first two features (2019’s A Brother’s Love and 2022’s Babysitter) is replaced by more introspection, nuance and fluff.…...
- 5/18/2023
- by Eric Lavallée
- IONCINEMA.com
Paris-based Playtime has unveiled a strong Cannes film market sales slate, which includes competition titles “About Dry Grasses” and “Homecoming.”
“About Dry Grasses” is by Turkish auteur Nuri Bilge Ceylan, who won the Palme d’Or in 2014 for “Winter Sleep.” The film follows Samet, a young art teacher, who is finishing his fourth year of compulsory service in a remote village in Anatolia. After a turn of events he can hardly make sense of, he loses his hopes of escaping the grim life he seems to be stuck in, and hopes that his encounter with fellow teacher Nuray will help him overcome his angst. Deniz Celiloğlu, Merve Dizdar and Musab Ekici are among the cast.
“Homecoming,” by French director Catherine Corsini who won the 2021 Queer Palm for “The Divide,” follows Khédidja, who minds a wealthy Parisian family’s children for a summer in Corsica. She brings along her own two...
“About Dry Grasses” is by Turkish auteur Nuri Bilge Ceylan, who won the Palme d’Or in 2014 for “Winter Sleep.” The film follows Samet, a young art teacher, who is finishing his fourth year of compulsory service in a remote village in Anatolia. After a turn of events he can hardly make sense of, he loses his hopes of escaping the grim life he seems to be stuck in, and hopes that his encounter with fellow teacher Nuray will help him overcome his angst. Deniz Celiloğlu, Merve Dizdar and Musab Ekici are among the cast.
“Homecoming,” by French director Catherine Corsini who won the 2021 Queer Palm for “The Divide,” follows Khédidja, who minds a wealthy Parisian family’s children for a summer in Corsica. She brings along her own two...
- 5/2/2023
- by Naman Ramachandran and Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
The Lumière Festival’s International Classic Film Market (Mifc) in Lyon, France, is celebrating its 10th edition this year with a wide-ranging program focusing on bolstering classic film distribution, the prospects of new commercial territories, film education and a focus on Spain’s heritage film sector.
The Mifc, which runs Oct. 18-21, kicks off with a keynote by Gian Luca Farinelli, director of Italy’s Cineteca di Bologna film archive. Market organizers praise Farinelli for “allowing classic films to be found, restored, reviewed and, most often, put back on the market firstly through the Il Cinema Ritrovato Festival, exhibition and distribution activities within the foundation, while maintaining strong links with cinemathques from around the world.”
Farinelli’s work, the Mifc notes, “contributes to ensuring that the history of cinema is always active, alive and accessible.” Many who work in the classic film sector would second that opinion.
The Classic Film Market,...
The Mifc, which runs Oct. 18-21, kicks off with a keynote by Gian Luca Farinelli, director of Italy’s Cineteca di Bologna film archive. Market organizers praise Farinelli for “allowing classic films to be found, restored, reviewed and, most often, put back on the market firstly through the Il Cinema Ritrovato Festival, exhibition and distribution activities within the foundation, while maintaining strong links with cinemathques from around the world.”
Farinelli’s work, the Mifc notes, “contributes to ensuring that the history of cinema is always active, alive and accessible.” Many who work in the classic film sector would second that opinion.
The Classic Film Market,...
- 10/16/2022
- by Ed Meza
- Variety Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
Canada has picked the animated documentary Eternal Spring to represent the country in the 2023 Oscar race for best international feature.
Jason Loftus directed the film, which looks at an event in March 2002, when members of the outlawed spiritual group Falun Gong hijacked a state TV station in China in an attempt to counter government propaganda about their spiritual practice.
Eternal Spring is the first documentary, the first animated film, and the first Mandarin-language film to be chosen by Canada for the Oscars.
Vice has picked up worldwide rights to the documentary, complementing multiple individual television territory deals with the likes of Arte for France and Germany and the Al Jazeera Doc Channel for the Middle East and North Africa.
“This is an important movie that covers so many of the topics important to Vice — censorship, creativity, religious freedom and displacement — all done in...
Canada has picked the animated documentary Eternal Spring to represent the country in the 2023 Oscar race for best international feature.
Jason Loftus directed the film, which looks at an event in March 2002, when members of the outlawed spiritual group Falun Gong hijacked a state TV station in China in an attempt to counter government propaganda about their spiritual practice.
Eternal Spring is the first documentary, the first animated film, and the first Mandarin-language film to be chosen by Canada for the Oscars.
Vice has picked up worldwide rights to the documentary, complementing multiple individual television territory deals with the likes of Arte for France and Germany and the Al Jazeera Doc Channel for the Middle East and North Africa.
“This is an important movie that covers so many of the topics important to Vice — censorship, creativity, religious freedom and displacement — all done in...
- 9/6/2022
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Hybrid doc to open in Canada on September 23.
Jason Loftus’s hybrid documentary Eternal Spring has been selected from a pool of 16 films to represent Canada at the 2023 Oscars.
Lofty Sky Entertainment produced and Sideways Film handles international sales on the film, which marks the 20th anniversary of a hack of Chinese state TV in March 2002 by outlawed Chinese religious group Falun Gong’s
Comic book illustrator Daxiong was a member of Falun Gong and fled the country after the hack triggered police raids. Arriving in North America, his views on the incident changed when he met the sole lone...
Jason Loftus’s hybrid documentary Eternal Spring has been selected from a pool of 16 films to represent Canada at the 2023 Oscars.
Lofty Sky Entertainment produced and Sideways Film handles international sales on the film, which marks the 20th anniversary of a hack of Chinese state TV in March 2002 by outlawed Chinese religious group Falun Gong’s
Comic book illustrator Daxiong was a member of Falun Gong and fled the country after the hack triggered police raids. Arriving in North America, his views on the incident changed when he met the sole lone...
- 8/24/2022
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
The pan-Canadian Selection Committee has chosen director Jason Loftus’ Eternal Spring as its entry for the Best International Feature Film Oscar.
The animated documentary highlights the work of internationally renowned comic book illustrator Daxiong who, as a member of the banned Falun Gong spiritual group, was forced to flee China after police raids in the city of Changchun.
Combining present-day footage with 3D animation inspired by Daxiong’s art, Eternal Spring retraces the events that precipitated the crackdown on their 20th anniversary, with eyewitness accounts of persecution and details of the fight for political and religious freedoms.
Eight Canadian films have been official nominees in the Best Foreign Language Film category: in 2013, Rebelle by Kim Nguyen; in 2012, Monsieur Lazhar by Philippe Falardeau and In Darkness by Agnieszka Holland (a minority co-production with Poland and Germany); in 2011, Incendies by Denis Villeneuve; and in 2007, Water by Deepa Mehta.
The animated documentary highlights the work of internationally renowned comic book illustrator Daxiong who, as a member of the banned Falun Gong spiritual group, was forced to flee China after police raids in the city of Changchun.
Combining present-day footage with 3D animation inspired by Daxiong’s art, Eternal Spring retraces the events that precipitated the crackdown on their 20th anniversary, with eyewitness accounts of persecution and details of the fight for political and religious freedoms.
Eight Canadian films have been official nominees in the Best Foreign Language Film category: in 2013, Rebelle by Kim Nguyen; in 2012, Monsieur Lazhar by Philippe Falardeau and In Darkness by Agnieszka Holland (a minority co-production with Poland and Germany); in 2011, Incendies by Denis Villeneuve; and in 2007, Water by Deepa Mehta.
- 8/24/2022
- by Tom Tapp
- Deadline Film + TV
Canada has made its selection for the Oscars.
Documentary “Eternal Spring (長春)” has been chosen as the country’s submission to the Best International Feature Film category (formerly known as Best Foreign Language Film) at the 95th Academy Awards. The Mandarin-language film was selected by a committee of 20 members representing key government agencies and national film industry associations.
A hybrid live-action and animated story, “Eternal Spring” retraces the events of a 2002 incident in which a state-run TV station was hacked by members of the banned spiritual group Falun Gong. According to the synopsis, “In the aftermath, police raids sweep Changchun City, and comic book illustrator Daxiong, a Falun Gong practitioner, is forced to flee. He arrives in North America, blaming the hijacking for worsening a violent repression. But his views are challenged when he meets the lone surviving participant to have escaped China, now living in Seoul, South Korea.
Read...
Documentary “Eternal Spring (長春)” has been chosen as the country’s submission to the Best International Feature Film category (formerly known as Best Foreign Language Film) at the 95th Academy Awards. The Mandarin-language film was selected by a committee of 20 members representing key government agencies and national film industry associations.
A hybrid live-action and animated story, “Eternal Spring” retraces the events of a 2002 incident in which a state-run TV station was hacked by members of the banned spiritual group Falun Gong. According to the synopsis, “In the aftermath, police raids sweep Changchun City, and comic book illustrator Daxiong, a Falun Gong practitioner, is forced to flee. He arrives in North America, blaming the hijacking for worsening a violent repression. But his views are challenged when he meets the lone surviving participant to have escaped China, now living in Seoul, South Korea.
Read...
- 8/24/2022
- by Rachel West
- ET Canada
After claiming four César awards, including best picture, and a Cannes jury prize with 2019’s “Les Misérables,” and co-producing last year’s Venice winner “Happening,” rising producers Toufik Ayadi and Christophe Barral have set for themselves, and for their follow-up feature, an altogether different task: Paving a new path for Quebecois talent into the French mainstream.
Co-written and directed by Nadège Loiseau (“A Bun in the Oven”), produced by Ayadi and Barral through their Srab Films banner in partnership with France 2 Cinema and Canada’s Possibles Media, and with France’s Le Pacte handling international sales, the upcoming feature “Three Times Nothing” shares much in common with traditional Gallic fare as it plucks a popular comedic star into a socially-minded story about three homeless men and a winning lottery ticket.
But the project stands apart in at a few major ways: Said star is Antoine Bertrand, one of the contemporary...
Co-written and directed by Nadège Loiseau (“A Bun in the Oven”), produced by Ayadi and Barral through their Srab Films banner in partnership with France 2 Cinema and Canada’s Possibles Media, and with France’s Le Pacte handling international sales, the upcoming feature “Three Times Nothing” shares much in common with traditional Gallic fare as it plucks a popular comedic star into a socially-minded story about three homeless men and a winning lottery ticket.
But the project stands apart in at a few major ways: Said star is Antoine Bertrand, one of the contemporary...
- 1/12/2022
- by Ben Croll
- Variety Film + TV
Drunken Birds, the migrant drama from Serbian Canadian director Ivan Grbovic that had its world premiere in the Platform section at last month’s Toronto Film Festival, has been selected by Canada as the country’s entry into the 2022 International Feature Oscar race.
Written by Grbovic and Sara Mishara, the film (Les oiseaux ivres in French) centers on a quest for lost love that sends a man from Mexico to Canada, where he is hired as a seasonal worker. Fates intertwine, tensions grow, and moments of magical realism arise during the long workdays. Jorge Antonio Guerrero, Hélène Florent, Claude Legault, Marine Johnson, Maxime Dumontier, Amaryllis Tremblay, Karl Walcott, Yoshira Escárrega, Gilberto Barraza and Normand D’Amour star.
The film is produced by micro_scope and distributed by Les Films Opale. Wazabi Films is repping international sales. Drunken Birds was one of 10 films submitted to the pan-Canadian Oscar selection committee, Telefilm Canada said Monday.
Written by Grbovic and Sara Mishara, the film (Les oiseaux ivres in French) centers on a quest for lost love that sends a man from Mexico to Canada, where he is hired as a seasonal worker. Fates intertwine, tensions grow, and moments of magical realism arise during the long workdays. Jorge Antonio Guerrero, Hélène Florent, Claude Legault, Marine Johnson, Maxime Dumontier, Amaryllis Tremblay, Karl Walcott, Yoshira Escárrega, Gilberto Barraza and Normand D’Amour star.
The film is produced by micro_scope and distributed by Les Films Opale. Wazabi Films is repping international sales. Drunken Birds was one of 10 films submitted to the pan-Canadian Oscar selection committee, Telefilm Canada said Monday.
- 10/4/2021
- by Patrick Hipes
- Deadline Film + TV
Ivan Grbovic’s Drunken Bird (Les Oiseaux Ivres) will represent Canada in the best international feature film category as its official Oscar submission.
Telefilm Canada executive director and CEO Christa Dickenson said on Monday (October 4) that 10 films had been submitted to the pan-Canadian selection committee, adding: “Telefilm will support the film’s team on this exciting journey. This vote of confidence is a phenomenal springboard for these creators and a terrific opportunity for Canada to demonstrate the excellence of its film industry.”
‘Drunken Birds’: Toronto Review
Grbovic and Sara Mishara co-wrote the film produced by micro_scope. It premiered...
Telefilm Canada executive director and CEO Christa Dickenson said on Monday (October 4) that 10 films had been submitted to the pan-Canadian selection committee, adding: “Telefilm will support the film’s team on this exciting journey. This vote of confidence is a phenomenal springboard for these creators and a terrific opportunity for Canada to demonstrate the excellence of its film industry.”
‘Drunken Birds’: Toronto Review
Grbovic and Sara Mishara co-wrote the film produced by micro_scope. It premiered...
- 10/4/2021
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Telefilm Canada and Screen Ireland have boarded “Cry From the Sea,” a co-production between Canada’s Sepia Films and Ireland’s ShinAwil, which has been greenlit to shoot in the Fall.
To be directed by Vic Sarin, the romantic drama centers on Edith, an enigmatic American widow who visits an Irish island to be near the spot where her childhood boyfriend drowned during World War I. She meets Seamus, a solitary lighthouse keeper who is at loggerheads with the island locals because of a personal tragedy he blames on them. He bonds with Edith, much to the chagrin of his loyal housekeeper who has silently loved him for years. The resulting love triangle brings unexpected changes that impact all their lives.
Los Angeles and Paris-based Cinema Management Group (Cmg) handles worldwide sales rights. “‘Cry From the Sea’ has been well received in Cannes this year and we’re thrilled for...
To be directed by Vic Sarin, the romantic drama centers on Edith, an enigmatic American widow who visits an Irish island to be near the spot where her childhood boyfriend drowned during World War I. She meets Seamus, a solitary lighthouse keeper who is at loggerheads with the island locals because of a personal tragedy he blames on them. He bonds with Edith, much to the chagrin of his loyal housekeeper who has silently loved him for years. The resulting love triangle brings unexpected changes that impact all their lives.
Los Angeles and Paris-based Cinema Management Group (Cmg) handles worldwide sales rights. “‘Cry From the Sea’ has been well received in Cannes this year and we’re thrilled for...
- 7/10/2021
- by Anna Marie de la Fuente
- Variety Film + TV
Deepa Mehta’s “Funny Boy” will represent Canada in the race for best international feature film at the 2021 Oscars.
Based on the best-selling novel by Shyam Selvadurai, the film follows a young boy’s sexual awakening in Sri Lanka during the turbulent Tamil-Sinhalese conflict leading up to the civil war. Ava DuVernay’s Array Releasing picked up the film for distribution earlier this month, with a Netflix release planned for Dec. 10, as revealed by Variety.
Mehta’s film “Water,” the third feature in her Elements trilogy, was Oscar-nominated in the international feature film category in 2007.
“Eleven outstanding films were submitted this year, and we are confident that Deepa Mehta’s ‘Funny Boy’ will appeal to Academy members just as her powerful film ‘Water’ did in 2007, when it was nominated in this prestigious category,” said Christa Dickenson, executive director of Telefilm Canada.
Telefilm coordinates and chairs — without voting right — the pan-Canadian...
Based on the best-selling novel by Shyam Selvadurai, the film follows a young boy’s sexual awakening in Sri Lanka during the turbulent Tamil-Sinhalese conflict leading up to the civil war. Ava DuVernay’s Array Releasing picked up the film for distribution earlier this month, with a Netflix release planned for Dec. 10, as revealed by Variety.
Mehta’s film “Water,” the third feature in her Elements trilogy, was Oscar-nominated in the international feature film category in 2007.
“Eleven outstanding films were submitted this year, and we are confident that Deepa Mehta’s ‘Funny Boy’ will appeal to Academy members just as her powerful film ‘Water’ did in 2007, when it was nominated in this prestigious category,” said Christa Dickenson, executive director of Telefilm Canada.
Telefilm coordinates and chairs — without voting right — the pan-Canadian...
- 10/29/2020
- by Manori Ravindran
- Variety Film + TV
Wildly uneven but sporadically affecting, Bobby Roth’s “Pearl” is . A few abrupt narrative transitions indicate that some scenes, for whatever reason, must have been discarded during the editing process. But what remains on screen is enough to hold attention and generate rooting interest, especially if you’re amused by inside-baseball allusions to the film and TV industry.
There is an unmistakable air of autobiography to “Pearl,” along with the distinct flavor of a labor of love. Writer-director Roth first attracted notice with two well-received indie films, “The Boss’ Son” (1978) and “Heartbreakers” (a 1984 Sundance Festival prize-winner) before concentrating almost exclusively (and prolifically) on TV movies and series television. Jack Wolf, Lapaglia’s character, is a filmmaker who evidently has made some very bad, maybe unforgivable career moves, but still sells the occasional TV script.
At one point, he lands a gig teaching filmmaking to college students — which Roth has successfully...
There is an unmistakable air of autobiography to “Pearl,” along with the distinct flavor of a labor of love. Writer-director Roth first attracted notice with two well-received indie films, “The Boss’ Son” (1978) and “Heartbreakers” (a 1984 Sundance Festival prize-winner) before concentrating almost exclusively (and prolifically) on TV movies and series television. Jack Wolf, Lapaglia’s character, is a filmmaker who evidently has made some very bad, maybe unforgivable career moves, but still sells the occasional TV script.
At one point, he lands a gig teaching filmmaking to college students — which Roth has successfully...
- 8/11/2020
- by Joe Leydon
- Variety Film + TV
Canada contends this year with “Antigone” for its eighth Oscar nomination in the Best International Feature category, which has been renamed from Best Foreign Language Film. Canada was a staple of the race until recently, making the shortlist seven out of 10 times from 2003 to 2012. This included the country’s first and only win, for 2003’s “The Barbarian Invasions” by Denys Arcand, as well as three consecutive nominations from 2010 to 2012. Canada has been snubbed the last six years, only making the shortlist for 2016’s “It’s Only the End of the World,” which had won the Grand Prix runner-up award at the Cannes Film Festival for director Xavier Dolan.
“Antigone” is shaping up to be Canada’s most-acclaimed submission in years. Its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival yielded the People’s Choice Award for Best Canadian Film and the film has 91% approval from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, the best rating...
“Antigone” is shaping up to be Canada’s most-acclaimed submission in years. Its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival yielded the People’s Choice Award for Best Canadian Film and the film has 91% approval from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, the best rating...
- 12/15/2019
- by Riley Chow
- Gold Derby
Antigone, the drama from Québécois writer-director Sophie Deraspe that just won the Best Canadian Feature Film prize for its world premiere at the Toronto Film Festival, has been selected to represent Canada in the 2020 Oscar International Feature Film race.
The pic is hoping to become the ninth Canadian film to be nominated for an Oscar in the category formerly known as the Best Foreign Language Film. The country’s latest nominee was Kim Nguyen’s Rebelle in 2013; the only Canadian film to win the Oscar in the category is Denys Arcand’s Les Invasions barbares in 2004.
This year’s shortlist in the category is due out in mid-December, with nominations for the 92nd Oscars being announced January 13.
Deraspe’s fifth feature film. which she wrote, directed and served as cinematographer, is a timely retelling of the Greek tragedy. It centers on Antigone (Nahéma Ricci), who in helping her brother escape...
The pic is hoping to become the ninth Canadian film to be nominated for an Oscar in the category formerly known as the Best Foreign Language Film. The country’s latest nominee was Kim Nguyen’s Rebelle in 2013; the only Canadian film to win the Oscar in the category is Denys Arcand’s Les Invasions barbares in 2004.
This year’s shortlist in the category is due out in mid-December, with nominations for the 92nd Oscars being announced January 13.
Deraspe’s fifth feature film. which she wrote, directed and served as cinematographer, is a timely retelling of the Greek tragedy. It centers on Antigone (Nahéma Ricci), who in helping her brother escape...
- 9/20/2019
- by Patrick Hipes
- Deadline Film + TV
The French-language release had the biggest local opening in a decade.
After a year in which Quebec films saw their share of Canadian box office dollars decline, French-language comedy Menteur (Compulsive Liar) has bucked the trend and taken more than $3.8m (Cad $5m) after five weeks in Canadian cinemas.
According to distributor Les Films Séville, the film’s five-day opening gross of $903,000 (Cad $1.2m), from around 100 screens, was the best opening for a Quebec film in Canada since the release of action comedy De père en flic (Father and Guns) in 2009.
Les Films Séville (owned by Entertainment One) reports that...
After a year in which Quebec films saw their share of Canadian box office dollars decline, French-language comedy Menteur (Compulsive Liar) has bucked the trend and taken more than $3.8m (Cad $5m) after five weeks in Canadian cinemas.
According to distributor Les Films Séville, the film’s five-day opening gross of $903,000 (Cad $1.2m), from around 100 screens, was the best opening for a Quebec film in Canada since the release of action comedy De père en flic (Father and Guns) in 2009.
Les Films Séville (owned by Entertainment One) reports that...
- 8/22/2019
- by John Hazelton
- ScreenDaily
Former Seville International Execs Anick Poirier & Lorne Price Launch Film Sales Outfit WaZabi Films
Exclusive: Former Seville International execs Anick Poirier and Lorne Price are launching international sales company WaZabi Films in the wake of eOne shuttering indie films stalwart Seville.
The new Montreal-based agency will serve as a full service sales agent that licenses theatrical features to distributors worldwide. The duo will serve as co-presidents of the new venture, which is backed by Canadian production group Datsit Sphere.
The focus will be on independent films with crossover potential, and art house films with awards pedigree from Québec, Canada and around the globe. The firm has also struck a deal with Les Films Séville to exclusively distribute films from the Seville International catalogue including Cannes selections Matthias et Maxime from Xavier Dolan and Monia Chokri’s La femme De Mon Frère.
“It is important that Quebec films be distributed internationally by a local company,” explained Patrick Roy, President of Les Films Séville, about the deal with WaZabi.
The new Montreal-based agency will serve as a full service sales agent that licenses theatrical features to distributors worldwide. The duo will serve as co-presidents of the new venture, which is backed by Canadian production group Datsit Sphere.
The focus will be on independent films with crossover potential, and art house films with awards pedigree from Québec, Canada and around the globe. The firm has also struck a deal with Les Films Séville to exclusively distribute films from the Seville International catalogue including Cannes selections Matthias et Maxime from Xavier Dolan and Monia Chokri’s La femme De Mon Frère.
“It is important that Quebec films be distributed internationally by a local company,” explained Patrick Roy, President of Les Films Séville, about the deal with WaZabi.
- 7/23/2019
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Left to right: Alexandre Landry as Pierre-Paul Daoust, Maripier Morin as Aspasie/Camille Lafontaine. Photo by Jaime Eduardo Urrutia Acuna, Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics
Despite the title, writer/director Denys Arcand’s film is actually a French Canadian satiric crime thriller/comedy about a delivery driver with a PhD in philosophy who finds himself in an ethical dilemma when a bag of stolen loot literally falls at his feet. But then again, maybe it is about the fall of the American empire, as income inequality and the fuzzy boundary between international high finance and high crimes are at the core of this social satire.
The title follows those of Arcand’s previous films, The Decline Of The American Empire and Barbarians At The Gate, but while those films focused on the same group of academics, this one starts anew with a new group of characters. At the center is...
Despite the title, writer/director Denys Arcand’s film is actually a French Canadian satiric crime thriller/comedy about a delivery driver with a PhD in philosophy who finds himself in an ethical dilemma when a bag of stolen loot literally falls at his feet. But then again, maybe it is about the fall of the American empire, as income inequality and the fuzzy boundary between international high finance and high crimes are at the core of this social satire.
The title follows those of Arcand’s previous films, The Decline Of The American Empire and Barbarians At The Gate, but while those films focused on the same group of academics, this one starts anew with a new group of characters. At the center is...
- 6/28/2019
- by Cate Marquis
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
News coming out of Cannes 2019 was upbeat for multiple acclaimed specialized titles. They are still months away from domestic view, per usual. What is different this year is the lack of summer releases to supply the theaters needed to sustain these later films. A year ago, within a week or so of this early June weekend, three notable narrative titles with strong reviews, “American Animals,” “First Reformed,” and “Hearts Beat Loud,” all played to decent business at core theaters. And then “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” burst into the mix, continuing the current wave of powerful documentary performers.
Whatever the varying quality, no limited opener this weekend is likely to amass a total gross of $250,000. That’s partly because they face serious competition from both “Booksmart” (United Artists) and “Rocketman” (Paramount), which debuted on thousands of screens after launching with splashy major festival attention. Both competed for the same pool of viewers.
Whatever the varying quality, no limited opener this weekend is likely to amass a total gross of $250,000. That’s partly because they face serious competition from both “Booksmart” (United Artists) and “Rocketman” (Paramount), which debuted on thousands of screens after launching with splashy major festival attention. Both competed for the same pool of viewers.
- 6/2/2019
- by Tom Brueggemann
- Indiewire
Specialties were mostly sidelined this weekend, as audiences turned to studio offerings. Some limited release holdovers, however, grabbed some attention from moviegoers looking for alternatives, including Greenwich Entertainment’s second weekend holdover, Echo In The Canyon, which took the best per theater average among the specialties in the three-day with added runs. The doc grossed an estimated $105,678 in 14 locations, averaging $7,548 bringing it cume to over $260K.
Greenwich reported “multiple sold-out shows” for the title’s second frame. The company said it added, “10 mostly mainstream locations” in the Los Angeles metro area with “stronger results in the dedicated arthouses.” Echo In the Canyon also expanded to the Angelika and Landmark 57 West in New York, buoyed by select Q&As and live performances featuring music from the documentary performed by executive producer/musician Jakob Dylan and accompanying band.
Greenwich will add over two dozen runs for the film next weekend with locations in San Francisco,...
Greenwich reported “multiple sold-out shows” for the title’s second frame. The company said it added, “10 mostly mainstream locations” in the Los Angeles metro area with “stronger results in the dedicated arthouses.” Echo In the Canyon also expanded to the Angelika and Landmark 57 West in New York, buoyed by select Q&As and live performances featuring music from the documentary performed by executive producer/musician Jakob Dylan and accompanying band.
Greenwich will add over two dozen runs for the film next weekend with locations in San Francisco,...
- 6/2/2019
- by Brian Brooks
- Deadline Film + TV
Relatively few new limited releases are launching against the likes of Rocketman and Godzilla this weekend. Sony Pictures Classics is rolling out The Fall Of The American Empire, from French-Canadian filmmaker Denys Arcand and starring Alexandre Landry, in New York and Los Angeles, and after more than a decade of very limited screenings at a few film festivals, British filmmaker Gerald Fox’s doc Leaving Home, Coming Home: A Portrait of Robert Frank is finally getting a regular theatrical release. Indie Rights is heading out with satirical comedy Loners in Los Angeles, and Strand Releasing is launching Cannes 2018 title Yomeddine by Abu Bakr Sawky in New York.
Among other limited release titles headed to theaters this weekend are Mouthpiece from Crucial Things and First Generation Films, and Dogwoof’s For The Birds and Vertical Entertainment’s Rich Boy, Rich Girl.
The Fall Of the American Empire
Director-writer: Denys Arcand
Cast: Alexandre Landry,...
Among other limited release titles headed to theaters this weekend are Mouthpiece from Crucial Things and First Generation Films, and Dogwoof’s For The Birds and Vertical Entertainment’s Rich Boy, Rich Girl.
The Fall Of the American Empire
Director-writer: Denys Arcand
Cast: Alexandre Landry,...
- 5/31/2019
- by Brian Brooks
- Deadline Film + TV
The over-increasing predominance of money in a society where all other values seem to have crumbled is a powerful driving force in how people interact with each other. The strong benefits that wealth can create in modern culture can at times be crippled by the increasing greed by people who don’t wish to use it […]
The post Interview: Denys Arcand Talks The Fall of the American Empire (Exclusive) appeared first on Shockya.com.
The post Interview: Denys Arcand Talks The Fall of the American Empire (Exclusive) appeared first on Shockya.com.
- 5/31/2019
- by Karen Benardello
- ShockYa
You could be forgiven for confusing the title of Canadian filmmaker Denys Arcand’s latest, the capitalist crime lark “The Fall of the American Empire,” with his 1986 battle-of-the-sexes talkathon, “The Decline of the American Empire.” Though they’re different stories, they’re cut from the same Arcand-ian cloth of sophisticated moral handwringing, with barbed lessons about society’s ills pouring from the mouths of cynical characters.
“Fall” has a broader entertainment canvas, however, with its commentary on avarice, inequality and charity sharing space with wry caper elements straight out of an Ealing Studios comedy. The mix is, for the most part, a welcome one, save one unappealing character, a retrograde love story, and an air that’s almost too blasé for its own good.
The set-up feels a little like something Woody Allen would have given his schlemiel persona in the early ’70s: Pierre-Paul (Alexandre Landry) is a mopey delivery service driver (with a Ph.
“Fall” has a broader entertainment canvas, however, with its commentary on avarice, inequality and charity sharing space with wry caper elements straight out of an Ealing Studios comedy. The mix is, for the most part, a welcome one, save one unappealing character, a retrograde love story, and an air that’s almost too blasé for its own good.
The set-up feels a little like something Woody Allen would have given his schlemiel persona in the early ’70s: Pierre-Paul (Alexandre Landry) is a mopey delivery service driver (with a Ph.
- 5/30/2019
- by Robert Abele
- The Wrap
What would you do if you’re a delivery driver that is presented with a stolen bag of cash, literally dropped right in front of you? It sounds like one of those ethics questions that are presented in your low-level university philosophy classes. And in the new film, “The Fall of the American Empire,” we see what happens when a man decides the best idea is to take the cash and run.
Continue reading ‘The Fall Of The American Empire’ Trailer: Oscar Winner Denys Arcand’s Latest Is A Comedic Crime Thriller at The Playlist.
Continue reading ‘The Fall Of The American Empire’ Trailer: Oscar Winner Denys Arcand’s Latest Is A Comedic Crime Thriller at The Playlist.
- 3/6/2019
- by Charles Barfield
- The Playlist
For countries in the English-speaking world, entries into the foreign-language Oscar race offer a chance to reflect on the complexity of their own cultures or examine their place in the wider world.
After digging into its colonial past last year in Francois Girard’s Quebec-set “Hochelaga, Land of Souls,” Canada enters the Oscar race with Sophie Dupuis’ “Family First.” Set in a gritty working-class neighborhood, Dupuis’ low-budget feature debut is about a Montreal family bound together by a life of crime. Canada, which took home the foreign-language Oscar in 2003 with Denys Arcand’s “The Barbarian Invasions,” has scored four nominations and three shortlist spots in the past 12 years.
Australia landed its first nomination in 2016 with “Tanna,” a Nauvhal-language romance about two young lovers defying local mores that was the first film ever shot on the island of Vanuatu. This year’s submission for the foreign-language race, “Jirga,” follows a former...
After digging into its colonial past last year in Francois Girard’s Quebec-set “Hochelaga, Land of Souls,” Canada enters the Oscar race with Sophie Dupuis’ “Family First.” Set in a gritty working-class neighborhood, Dupuis’ low-budget feature debut is about a Montreal family bound together by a life of crime. Canada, which took home the foreign-language Oscar in 2003 with Denys Arcand’s “The Barbarian Invasions,” has scored four nominations and three shortlist spots in the past 12 years.
Australia landed its first nomination in 2016 with “Tanna,” a Nauvhal-language romance about two young lovers defying local mores that was the first film ever shot on the island of Vanuatu. This year’s submission for the foreign-language race, “Jirga,” follows a former...
- 11/8/2018
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
Screen’s regularly updated list of foreign language Oscar submissions.
Nominations for the 91st Academy Awards are not until Tuesday January 22, but the first submissions for best foreign-language film are now being announced.
Last year saw a record 92 submissions for the award, which were narrowed down to a shortlist of nine. This was cut to five nominees, with Sebastián Lelio’s transgender drama A Fantastic Woman ultimately taking home the gold statue.
Screen’s interview with Mark Johnson, chair of the Academy’s foreign-language film committee, explains the shortlisting process from submission to voting.
Submitted films must be released theatrically...
Nominations for the 91st Academy Awards are not until Tuesday January 22, but the first submissions for best foreign-language film are now being announced.
Last year saw a record 92 submissions for the award, which were narrowed down to a shortlist of nine. This was cut to five nominees, with Sebastián Lelio’s transgender drama A Fantastic Woman ultimately taking home the gold statue.
Screen’s interview with Mark Johnson, chair of the Academy’s foreign-language film committee, explains the shortlisting process from submission to voting.
Submitted films must be released theatrically...
- 9/20/2018
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
Screen’s regularly updated list of foreign language Oscar submissions.
Nominations for the 91st Academy Awards are not until Tuesday January 22, but the first submissions for best foreign-language film are now being announced.
Last year saw a record 92 submissions for the award, which were narrowed down to a shortlist of nine. This was cut to five nominees, with Sebastián Lelio’s transgender drama A Fantastic Woman ultimately taking home the gold statue.
Screen’s interview with Mark Johnson, chair of the Academy’s foreign-language film committee, explains the shortlisting process from submission to voting.
Submitted films must be released theatrically...
Nominations for the 91st Academy Awards are not until Tuesday January 22, but the first submissions for best foreign-language film are now being announced.
Last year saw a record 92 submissions for the award, which were narrowed down to a shortlist of nine. This was cut to five nominees, with Sebastián Lelio’s transgender drama A Fantastic Woman ultimately taking home the gold statue.
Screen’s interview with Mark Johnson, chair of the Academy’s foreign-language film committee, explains the shortlisting process from submission to voting.
Submitted films must be released theatrically...
- 9/20/2018
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
Screen’s regularly updated list of foreign language Oscar submissions.
Nominations for the 91st Academy Awards are not until Tuesday January 22, but the first submissions for best foreign-language film are now being announced.
Last year saw a record 92 submissions for the award, which were narrowed down to a shortlist of nine. This was cut to five nominees, with Sebastián Lelio’s transgender drama A Fantastic Woman ultimately taking home the gold statue.
Screen’s interview with Mark Johnson, chair of the Academy’s foreign-language film committee, explains the shortlisting process from submission to voting.
Submitted films must be released theatrically...
Nominations for the 91st Academy Awards are not until Tuesday January 22, but the first submissions for best foreign-language film are now being announced.
Last year saw a record 92 submissions for the award, which were narrowed down to a shortlist of nine. This was cut to five nominees, with Sebastián Lelio’s transgender drama A Fantastic Woman ultimately taking home the gold statue.
Screen’s interview with Mark Johnson, chair of the Academy’s foreign-language film committee, explains the shortlisting process from submission to voting.
Submitted films must be released theatrically...
- 9/20/2018
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
Drama earned three Iris Prizes at recent Gala Québec Cinéma.
Sophie Dupuis’ Chien de garde will represent Canada in the contest for the 2019 best foreign language film Oscar.
The Québecoise filmmaker’s narrative feature directorial debut centres on a man who tries to balance the demands of a needy family, the collections work he does with his brother, and the father figure / uncle who runs a drug cartel.
Jean-Simon Leduc, Théodore Pellerin, Claudel Laberge, Maude Guérin, and Paul Ahmarani star.
Etienne Hansez of Bravo Charlie produced Chien de Garde, which Axia Films distributed in Quebec. Telefilm Canada and others funded the feature,...
Sophie Dupuis’ Chien de garde will represent Canada in the contest for the 2019 best foreign language film Oscar.
The Québecoise filmmaker’s narrative feature directorial debut centres on a man who tries to balance the demands of a needy family, the collections work he does with his brother, and the father figure / uncle who runs a drug cartel.
Jean-Simon Leduc, Théodore Pellerin, Claudel Laberge, Maude Guérin, and Paul Ahmarani star.
Etienne Hansez of Bravo Charlie produced Chien de Garde, which Axia Films distributed in Quebec. Telefilm Canada and others funded the feature,...
- 9/19/2018
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Charged with alternating currents of droll wit, sardonic cynicism, and socialist-tinged idealism, writer-director Denys Arcand’s “The Fall of the American Empire” is a richly amusing rumination on the excesses and amorality of capitalism that plays like an ingeniously contrived mashup of film noir melodrama and Ealing Studios comedy. Despite the title, the new film has nothing to do with “The Decline of the American Empire,” Arcand’s classic 1986 roundelay about the lusty lives and endless conversations of eight self-regarding French Canadian intellectuals. But it does share at least a few thematic threads with that movie’s Oscar-winning sequel, “The Barbarian Invasions” (2003), which suggested that, in times of crisis, even a die-hard socialist might appreciate the value of having a great deal of money at his disposal.
Of course, you don’t have to have seen either of those earlier works to enjoy “Fall of the American Empire.” It’s very much a stand-alone work,...
Of course, you don’t have to have seen either of those earlier works to enjoy “Fall of the American Empire.” It’s very much a stand-alone work,...
- 9/7/2018
- by Joe Leydon
- Variety Film + TV
It was opening night in Toronto Thursday, and if you think that is easy to cover, think again. There were no fewer than about 10 movies vying for attention on this first night of the 43rd annual Toronto Film Festival. Outlaw King, a Netflix movie starring Chris Pine, led the pack with screenings in the festival’s two most prestigious locations, Roy Thomson Hall and the Princess Of Wales Theatres. Thomas Vinterberg’s Kursk, Denys Arcand’s The Fall Of The American Empire, Paolo Sorrentino’s Loro, Neil Jordan’s Greta and Shane Black’s Predator reboot were a few of those flicks also vying for attention on opening night. But the one that stood out with a rollicking standing ovation was the latest from Michael Moore, Fahrenheit 11/9, which has been described as his Trump film, but is actually quite surprising and ultimately a sober warning about America’s future before it’s too late,...
- 9/7/2018
- by Pete Hammond
- Deadline Film + TV
This year’s Canadian feature slate — 25 in all — can be seen in six Tiff sections including Discovery, Tiff Docs and Wavelengths.
Among the selected features are highly anticipated films from fest alumni including Denys Arcand, Barry Avrich and the late Rob Stewart.
Arcand’s “The Fall of the American Empire” stars Alexandre Landry as Pierre-Paul Daoust, who faces a moral dilemma after discovering two bags of money. Sony Classics bought the North American rights to the film during the Cannes Film Festival in May. The film, which will play in Tiff’s special presentations section, is a thematic cousin to Arcand’s Oscar-nominated “The Decline of the American Empire” and the Oscar-winning “The Barbarian Invasions” (2003).
Avrich returns to Tiff’s docu section with “Prosecuting Evil: The Extraordinary World of Ben Ferencz,” a portrait of the United States’ chief prosecutor during the Nuremberg trial. Stewart’s final film, “Sharkwater Extinction” will...
Among the selected features are highly anticipated films from fest alumni including Denys Arcand, Barry Avrich and the late Rob Stewart.
Arcand’s “The Fall of the American Empire” stars Alexandre Landry as Pierre-Paul Daoust, who faces a moral dilemma after discovering two bags of money. Sony Classics bought the North American rights to the film during the Cannes Film Festival in May. The film, which will play in Tiff’s special presentations section, is a thematic cousin to Arcand’s Oscar-nominated “The Decline of the American Empire” and the Oscar-winning “The Barbarian Invasions” (2003).
Avrich returns to Tiff’s docu section with “Prosecuting Evil: The Extraordinary World of Ben Ferencz,” a portrait of the United States’ chief prosecutor during the Nuremberg trial. Stewart’s final film, “Sharkwater Extinction” will...
- 9/7/2018
- by Addie Morfoot
- Variety Film + TV
Lineup
Tiff Reveals First Slate of 2018 Films, Including ‘Beautiful Boy,’ ‘High Life,’ ‘First Man,’ ‘Widows,’ and Many More
Tiff 2018 Lineup: ‘A Star Is Born,’ ‘First Man,’ ‘Beautiful Boy,’ and Many More
Tiff Reveals Full Canadian Lineup, Including 19 New Films and Special Premiere Event of Rob Stewart’s Final ‘Sharkwater’ Doc
Xavier Dolan’s ‘The Death and Life of John F. Donovan’ to World Premiere at 2018 Toronto International Film Festival
Tiff 2018 Announces Platform Lineup, Including New Films From Karyn Kusama, Alex Ross Perry, and Tim Sutton
Tiff Announces Midnight Madness and Documentary Slates, Including ‘Halloween’ and ‘Fahrenheit 11/9’ World Premieres
Tiff Announces Chris Pine-Starring ‘Outlaw King’ Will Open Festival and Kristen Stewart’s ‘Jeremiah Terminator LeRoy’ to Close
Tiff Adds More High-Profile Titles, Including Jonah Hill’s ‘Mid90s,’ ‘Boy Erased,’ ‘Hold the Dark,’ and Many More
TV Comes to Tiff: Julia Roberts-Starring ‘Homecoming’ and More Set for World Premiere...
Tiff Reveals First Slate of 2018 Films, Including ‘Beautiful Boy,’ ‘High Life,’ ‘First Man,’ ‘Widows,’ and Many More
Tiff 2018 Lineup: ‘A Star Is Born,’ ‘First Man,’ ‘Beautiful Boy,’ and Many More
Tiff Reveals Full Canadian Lineup, Including 19 New Films and Special Premiere Event of Rob Stewart’s Final ‘Sharkwater’ Doc
Xavier Dolan’s ‘The Death and Life of John F. Donovan’ to World Premiere at 2018 Toronto International Film Festival
Tiff 2018 Announces Platform Lineup, Including New Films From Karyn Kusama, Alex Ross Perry, and Tim Sutton
Tiff Announces Midnight Madness and Documentary Slates, Including ‘Halloween’ and ‘Fahrenheit 11/9’ World Premieres
Tiff Announces Chris Pine-Starring ‘Outlaw King’ Will Open Festival and Kristen Stewart’s ‘Jeremiah Terminator LeRoy’ to Close
Tiff Adds More High-Profile Titles, Including Jonah Hill’s ‘Mid90s,’ ‘Boy Erased,’ ‘Hold the Dark,’ and Many More
TV Comes to Tiff: Julia Roberts-Starring ‘Homecoming’ and More Set for World Premiere...
- 9/6/2018
- by Indiewire Staff
- Indiewire
Completing the thematic trilogy that Denys Arcand began in 1986 with “The Decline of the American Empire,” and continued in 2002 with the Oscar-winning “The Barbarian Invasion,” “The Fall of the American Empire” is another of the Quebecois auteur’s playful and damning philosophical excoriations of societal values. Less of a sequel than it is a spiritual successor — there are no returning characters, and Arcand newcomers won’t have any trouble following the action — this thoroughly modern financial caper finds that America’s corruptive influence is still creeping up North, infecting its closest neighbor like a gangrenous rot that needs to be cut off at the knees.
What else is new? But if Arcand’s worldview hasn’t changed, his angle continues to grow more acute. Where “The Decline of the American Empire” focused on social ills, and “The Barbarian Invasions” was preoccupied with ideology, “The Fall of the American Empire” finds...
What else is new? But if Arcand’s worldview hasn’t changed, his angle continues to grow more acute. Where “The Decline of the American Empire” focused on social ills, and “The Barbarian Invasions” was preoccupied with ideology, “The Fall of the American Empire” finds...
- 9/6/2018
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
Other titles on slate include Firecrackers, and Toronto world premiere The Death And Life Of John F. Donovan.
Anick Poirier’s Montreal-based Seville International arrives in Toronto with a sales roster comprising the previously unannounced The Great Darkened Days and Broken Mirrors, as well as Firecrackers, and Toronto world premiere The Death And Life Of John F. Donovan.
The world premiere of Maxime Giroux’s The Great Darkened Days receives its first public screening on September 10 and hails from the director of former Canadian Oscar submission Felix And Meira. The P+I screening is set for September 8.
Martin Dubreuil, Sara Gadon,...
Anick Poirier’s Montreal-based Seville International arrives in Toronto with a sales roster comprising the previously unannounced The Great Darkened Days and Broken Mirrors, as well as Firecrackers, and Toronto world premiere The Death And Life Of John F. Donovan.
The world premiere of Maxime Giroux’s The Great Darkened Days receives its first public screening on September 10 and hails from the director of former Canadian Oscar submission Felix And Meira. The P+I screening is set for September 8.
Martin Dubreuil, Sara Gadon,...
- 9/6/2018
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
As hard as it is to make any definitive statements about awards season from the vantage point of August, it’s safe to say that the fall festivals could launch a very crowded year for films vying for gold statuettes.
If nothing else, just look at the sheer quantity of Oscar-endorsed directors who will have films premiering at the Venice, Telluride and Toronto Film Festivals. The back-to-back-to-back fests will showcase dozens of contenders and pretenders, beginning with Venice’s launch on August 29 and continuing through the conclusion of Toronto on September 16.
All four of the directors involved in the two most hard-fought recent Oscar showdowns — the one between Damien Chazelle’s “La La Land” and Barry Jenkins’ “Moonlight” in 2017, and between Alfonso Cuaron’s “Gravity” and Steve McQueen’s “12 Years a Slave” in 2014 — will be back with new features.
Also Read: Can Fall Box Office Break Records Despite Lack...
If nothing else, just look at the sheer quantity of Oscar-endorsed directors who will have films premiering at the Venice, Telluride and Toronto Film Festivals. The back-to-back-to-back fests will showcase dozens of contenders and pretenders, beginning with Venice’s launch on August 29 and continuing through the conclusion of Toronto on September 16.
All four of the directors involved in the two most hard-fought recent Oscar showdowns — the one between Damien Chazelle’s “La La Land” and Barry Jenkins’ “Moonlight” in 2017, and between Alfonso Cuaron’s “Gravity” and Steve McQueen’s “12 Years a Slave” in 2014 — will be back with new features.
Also Read: Can Fall Box Office Break Records Despite Lack...
- 8/29/2018
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
The Toronto Intl. Film Festival has added Denys Arcand’s crime thriller “The Fall of the American Empire” and 18 other Canadian films to its lineup.
Nine of the films are directed by women and 14 are world premieres.
“We’re especially proud to present such a diverse group of films,” said Steve Gravestock, senior programmer. “Ranging from science fiction to fantasy, myth to documentary, and romance to a dystopic vision of our neighbours to the south, this year’s Canadian films come from every region in the country, stretching from east to west and north to south.”
“The Fall of the American Empire” stars Alexandre Landry, Maxim Roy, Yan England, and Rémy Girard and centers Landry’s character discovering two bags of money and facing a moral dilemma. Arcand was inspired to make the film after learning about the 2010 murder of two people in a Montreal boutique.
Sony Classics bought the...
Nine of the films are directed by women and 14 are world premieres.
“We’re especially proud to present such a diverse group of films,” said Steve Gravestock, senior programmer. “Ranging from science fiction to fantasy, myth to documentary, and romance to a dystopic vision of our neighbours to the south, this year’s Canadian films come from every region in the country, stretching from east to west and north to south.”
“The Fall of the American Empire” stars Alexandre Landry, Maxim Roy, Yan England, and Rémy Girard and centers Landry’s character discovering two bags of money and facing a moral dilemma. Arcand was inspired to make the film after learning about the 2010 murder of two people in a Montreal boutique.
Sony Classics bought the...
- 8/1/2018
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
The Toronto International Film Festival has added another 19 new titles to its 2018 festival lineup, comprised entirely of features directed by Canadian filmmakers. Each year, Tiff highlights the films that hail from its own shores in a standalone announcement, and this year it includes nine new films from female directors, six debut features, a number of titles from fixtures of the Canadian film scene, and the world premiere of three films that showcase some of the country’s Indigenous talent.
The festival will also play home to a special event world premiere and tribute dedicated to the late filmmaker and conservationist Rob Stewart, centered around his final film, “Sharkwater Extinction.” Stewart passed away in 2017 while working on the film, a followup to his 2006 documentary “Sharkwater.”
“We’re especially proud to present such a diverse group of films,” said Steve Gravestock, Tiff Senior Programmer, in an official statement. “Ranging from science fiction to fantasy,...
The festival will also play home to a special event world premiere and tribute dedicated to the late filmmaker and conservationist Rob Stewart, centered around his final film, “Sharkwater Extinction.” Stewart passed away in 2017 while working on the film, a followup to his 2006 documentary “Sharkwater.”
“We’re especially proud to present such a diverse group of films,” said Steve Gravestock, Tiff Senior Programmer, in an official statement. “Ranging from science fiction to fantasy,...
- 8/1/2018
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
New films from Canadian filmmakers Denys Arcand, Maxime Giroux, Jennifer Baichwal and Bruce Sweeney have been added to 2018 Toronto International Film Festival lineup, which announced its slate of Canadian films on Wednesday.
Nine of the films are directed by women, fsix are debut features and 14 are world premieres.
Canadian features will include Arcand’s “The Fall of the American Empire,” Giroux’s “The Great Darkened Days” and Sweeney’s “Kingsway.”
Also Read: 'Beautiful Boy,' 'A Star Is Born' Highlight Toronto Film Festival Lineup
The Canadian documentaries include Baichwal, Nicholas de Pencier and Edward Burtynsky’s “Anthropocene,” Ron Mann’s “Carmine Street Guitars” and Thom Fitzgerald’s “Splinters.”
Three of the films – Gwaii Edenshaw and Helen Haig-Brown’s “Edge of the Knife,” Darlene Naponse’s “Falls Around Her” and Miranda de Pencier’s “The Grizzlies” – feature indigenous talent.
A special event will screen the documentary “Sharkwater Extinction,...
Nine of the films are directed by women, fsix are debut features and 14 are world premieres.
Canadian features will include Arcand’s “The Fall of the American Empire,” Giroux’s “The Great Darkened Days” and Sweeney’s “Kingsway.”
Also Read: 'Beautiful Boy,' 'A Star Is Born' Highlight Toronto Film Festival Lineup
The Canadian documentaries include Baichwal, Nicholas de Pencier and Edward Burtynsky’s “Anthropocene,” Ron Mann’s “Carmine Street Guitars” and Thom Fitzgerald’s “Splinters.”
Three of the films – Gwaii Edenshaw and Helen Haig-Brown’s “Edge of the Knife,” Darlene Naponse’s “Falls Around Her” and Miranda de Pencier’s “The Grizzlies” – feature indigenous talent.
A special event will screen the documentary “Sharkwater Extinction,...
- 8/1/2018
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
Anthropocene and The Fall Of The American Empire are among films joining the line-up.
The Toronto International Film Festival has added another 19 Canadian titles to its line-up, among them the world premieres of documentary Anthropocene, Rob Stewart’s Sharkwater Extinction and Miranda de Pencier’s feature directorial debut The Grizzlies.
The new titles for the forty-third edition of the festival – which runs from September 6 to 16 - include nine films directed by women and five debut features and senior programmer Steve Gravestock emphasised the diversity represented.
Scroll down for full line-up
“We’re especially proud to present such a diverse group of films,...
The Toronto International Film Festival has added another 19 Canadian titles to its line-up, among them the world premieres of documentary Anthropocene, Rob Stewart’s Sharkwater Extinction and Miranda de Pencier’s feature directorial debut The Grizzlies.
The new titles for the forty-third edition of the festival – which runs from September 6 to 16 - include nine films directed by women and five debut features and senior programmer Steve Gravestock emphasised the diversity represented.
Scroll down for full line-up
“We’re especially proud to present such a diverse group of films,...
- 8/1/2018
- by John Hazelton
- ScreenDaily
Cannes is settling down after a flurry of early-week activity thanks to theater walkouts and the outspoken Spike Lee.
Tuesday night premieres led to Wednesday reflections on the competition films, as there was no giant wookiee on the red carpet to distract reporters and industry types from their duties.
David Robert Mitchell’s “Under the Silver Lake” premiered to mixed reviews, which puts star Andrew Garfield in a familiar position. But the response to actor-director Kevin Connolly’s “Gotti” with John Travolta was about as glaring as a neon “Bada Bing!” sign.
Also Read: Whitney Houston Doc Serves Up Bombshells, Paula Abdul Shade in First Trailer (Video)
Garfield Treads Water
As Spider-Man, Garfield has stated many times how unenjoyable the commercial Hollywood machine became for him. He’s since been playing in Broadway’s sandbox and, while awards campaigning for 2016’s “Silence,” shot the hipster mystery “Under the Silver Lake” with director David Robert Mitchell.
Tuesday night premieres led to Wednesday reflections on the competition films, as there was no giant wookiee on the red carpet to distract reporters and industry types from their duties.
David Robert Mitchell’s “Under the Silver Lake” premiered to mixed reviews, which puts star Andrew Garfield in a familiar position. But the response to actor-director Kevin Connolly’s “Gotti” with John Travolta was about as glaring as a neon “Bada Bing!” sign.
Also Read: Whitney Houston Doc Serves Up Bombshells, Paula Abdul Shade in First Trailer (Video)
Garfield Treads Water
As Spider-Man, Garfield has stated many times how unenjoyable the commercial Hollywood machine became for him. He’s since been playing in Broadway’s sandbox and, while awards campaigning for 2016’s “Silence,” shot the hipster mystery “Under the Silver Lake” with director David Robert Mitchell.
- 5/16/2018
- by Matt Donnelly
- The Wrap
Sony Pictures Classics has picked up U.S. rights to Oscar winner Denys Arcand’s upcoming The Fall of the American Empire. This is a follow-up of sorts to the Canadian helmer’s 1986 Oscar nominee The Decline Of The American Empire. Spc has also acquired all rights in Latin America, Australia and New Zealand.
The film explores the predominance of capitalism in a society where all other values seem to have crumbled. It centers on Pierre-Paul, a 36-year-old intellectual with a PhD in philosophy who is forced to work as a deliveryman to earn a decent living. One day, while delivering a parcel, he gets caught in a hold-up gone terribly wrong. With two dead and millions in money bags laying on the ground, Pierre-Paul is confronted with a dilemma: leave empty-handed, or take the money and run?
Alexandre Landry (Gabrielle) stars as Pierre-Paul with newcomer Maripier Morin, Louis Morissette...
The film explores the predominance of capitalism in a society where all other values seem to have crumbled. It centers on Pierre-Paul, a 36-year-old intellectual with a PhD in philosophy who is forced to work as a deliveryman to earn a decent living. One day, while delivering a parcel, he gets caught in a hold-up gone terribly wrong. With two dead and millions in money bags laying on the ground, Pierre-Paul is confronted with a dilemma: leave empty-handed, or take the money and run?
Alexandre Landry (Gabrielle) stars as Pierre-Paul with newcomer Maripier Morin, Louis Morissette...
- 5/16/2018
- by Nancy Tartaglione
- Deadline Film + TV
Sony Pictures Classics has acquired U.S. and Latin American rights to Canadian director Denys Arcand's comedy The Fall of the American Empire.
The French-language film, now in postproduction, is the follow-up to Arcand's Oscar-nominated The Decline of the American Empire. That 1986 film completed a trilogy by Arcand, a Cannes veteran, that includes The Barbarian Invasions, which won the Oscar for best foreign-language film in 2005.
Thirty years after the original film, Fall of the American Empire explores the dominant role capitalism plays in society when other values appear to have crumbled. Pierre-Paul Daoust, an intellectual played by Alexandre Landry, is ...
The French-language film, now in postproduction, is the follow-up to Arcand's Oscar-nominated The Decline of the American Empire. That 1986 film completed a trilogy by Arcand, a Cannes veteran, that includes The Barbarian Invasions, which won the Oscar for best foreign-language film in 2005.
Thirty years after the original film, Fall of the American Empire explores the dominant role capitalism plays in society when other values appear to have crumbled. Pierre-Paul Daoust, an intellectual played by Alexandre Landry, is ...
- 5/16/2018
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
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