Format
Banijay Productions France is reviving hit reality format “Temptation Island” for French network W9, marking its return to the country after five years.
“Temptation Island” sees couples at a crossroads in their relationship embark on a journey to test their commitment. Separated in two different beach resorts, the couples interact with a group of singles to determine if their love is strong enough to withstand the challenges they will encounter on the island.
The format previously played nine seasons in France, last airing in 2019. Distributed globally by Banijay, it has been adapted in 26 countries including Italy, Germany, Finland and India.
Florence Fayard, CEO Banijay Productions France, said: “‘Temptation Island’ is a tried and tested global hit, enticing viewers around the world with its drama, emotional declarations, and conversation-inciting topics. At Banijay Productions France, we love to produce bold reality formats and we are very much looking forward to using...
Banijay Productions France is reviving hit reality format “Temptation Island” for French network W9, marking its return to the country after five years.
“Temptation Island” sees couples at a crossroads in their relationship embark on a journey to test their commitment. Separated in two different beach resorts, the couples interact with a group of singles to determine if their love is strong enough to withstand the challenges they will encounter on the island.
The format previously played nine seasons in France, last airing in 2019. Distributed globally by Banijay, it has been adapted in 26 countries including Italy, Germany, Finland and India.
Florence Fayard, CEO Banijay Productions France, said: “‘Temptation Island’ is a tried and tested global hit, enticing viewers around the world with its drama, emotional declarations, and conversation-inciting topics. At Banijay Productions France, we love to produce bold reality formats and we are very much looking forward to using...
- 1/3/2024
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Prior selections Close, Drive My Car, The Worst Person In The World all garnered international feature film Oscar submissions.
Aki Kaurismäki’s Cannes jury prize winner Fallen Leaves and Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s About Dry Grasses starring Cannes best actress winner Merve Dizdar – both Oscar submissions this year – are among the international line-up at the upcoming 59th Chicago International Film Festival (October 11–22).
Alice Rohrwacher’s La Chimera and Kleber Mendonça Filho’s Pictures Of Ghosts are two other Cannes selections to feature in the roster, while Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Evil Does Not Exist and Lina Soualem’s Bye Bye Tiberias both launched in Venice.
Aki Kaurismäki’s Cannes jury prize winner Fallen Leaves and Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s About Dry Grasses starring Cannes best actress winner Merve Dizdar – both Oscar submissions this year – are among the international line-up at the upcoming 59th Chicago International Film Festival (October 11–22).
Alice Rohrwacher’s La Chimera and Kleber Mendonça Filho’s Pictures Of Ghosts are two other Cannes selections to feature in the roster, while Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Evil Does Not Exist and Lina Soualem’s Bye Bye Tiberias both launched in Venice.
- 9/14/2023
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Iceland Documentary Film Festival ran July 19-23.
IceDocs – the Iceland Documentary Film Festival – hosted its first industry programme as part of the festival’s fifth edition this year, which ran July 19-23.
Industry speakers included Wouter Jansen from Square Eyes; Brigid O’Shea from Documentary Association of Europe; Helle Hansen, now a consultant and former commissioner at Norwegian Film Institute and Danish Film Institute, Clare Willats, producer and former head of Nordic film at Netflix; Tiago Costa from Cinemateca Portuguesa and Christof Wehmeier from the Icelandic Film Centre.
Against The Tide (India/France), directed by Sarvnik Kaur about two indigenous...
IceDocs – the Iceland Documentary Film Festival – hosted its first industry programme as part of the festival’s fifth edition this year, which ran July 19-23.
Industry speakers included Wouter Jansen from Square Eyes; Brigid O’Shea from Documentary Association of Europe; Helle Hansen, now a consultant and former commissioner at Norwegian Film Institute and Danish Film Institute, Clare Willats, producer and former head of Nordic film at Netflix; Tiago Costa from Cinemateca Portuguesa and Christof Wehmeier from the Icelandic Film Centre.
Against The Tide (India/France), directed by Sarvnik Kaur about two indigenous...
- 7/26/2023
- by Wendy Mitchell
- ScreenDaily
As talk of artificial intelligence taking on the work of humans continues to generate headlines, documentarians are also busily considering what the future of work might look like. While some have focused on specific areas, including universal income (Free Money) and the gig economy (The Gig Is Up), Italian-Swedish director Erik Gandini takes a broader, more philosophical approach to the nature of work - and our attitudes towards it.
To do this he travels from Italy to South Korea to Kuwait and beyond and speaks to everyone from heiresses to Amazon drivers in order to explore the shifting attitudes and expectations surrounding employment. His method highlights not just the wide range of individual opinions out there but the way in which certain countries have adopted certain specific stances.
In South Korea, for example, the culture of working from dawn till past dusk has ingrained itself to such a degree - and.
To do this he travels from Italy to South Korea to Kuwait and beyond and speaks to everyone from heiresses to Amazon drivers in order to explore the shifting attitudes and expectations surrounding employment. His method highlights not just the wide range of individual opinions out there but the way in which certain countries have adopted certain specific stances.
In South Korea, for example, the culture of working from dawn till past dusk has ingrained itself to such a degree - and.
- 5/9/2023
- by Amber Wilkinson
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
The Changing Face of Europe, which is presented by European Film Promotion (Efp) in collaboration with Hot Docs, returns to Toronto with the sixth edition of its festival-within-a-festival program—nine features and one mid-length film—exploring themes around identity, belonging and struggle.
“Over the years, the Changing Face of Europe has become one of the more impactful programs in the lineup, and also an essential component of our festival programming,” Hot Docs artistic director Shane Smith told Variety in advance of the festival.
“Europe has a rich history of and strong connection to the art of documentary filmmaking,” he said. “We are delighted to showcase the powerful work coming out of the continent that sheds light on crucial issues facing Europeans today.”
World-premiering “A Happy Man”, written and directed by anthropologist and filmmaker Soňa G. Lutherova (“Flooded”), tells the story of Marvin, who has moved from the Czech Republic to...
“Over the years, the Changing Face of Europe has become one of the more impactful programs in the lineup, and also an essential component of our festival programming,” Hot Docs artistic director Shane Smith told Variety in advance of the festival.
“Europe has a rich history of and strong connection to the art of documentary filmmaking,” he said. “We are delighted to showcase the powerful work coming out of the continent that sheds light on crucial issues facing Europeans today.”
World-premiering “A Happy Man”, written and directed by anthropologist and filmmaker Soňa G. Lutherova (“Flooded”), tells the story of Marvin, who has moved from the Czech Republic to...
- 4/27/2023
- by Jennie Punter
- Variety Film + TV
Paris-based Cat&Docs has come onboard as sales agent for Italian-Swedish director Erik Gandini’s “After Work,” which had its world premiere in the main competition at Cph:dox, the Copenhagen Intl. Documentary Film Festival. Variety speaks to the director at the festival.
In this stunningly cinematic doc, lensed by Ruben Östlund’s long-time Dop Fredrik Wenzel and shot in the U.S., Italy, South Korea and Kuwait, Gandini explores the notion of work in the 21st century, as automation and technology free up time, and asks what the future could be like in a work-free society.
One of the inspirations for the film, Gandini says, was Swedish sociologist Roland Paulsen’s writings on the ideology of work, which is rooted in the notion of a work ethic developed some 350 years ago.
“It was very relevant at the beginning of the industrial revolution because we needed to build so much. Everybody needed to work,...
In this stunningly cinematic doc, lensed by Ruben Östlund’s long-time Dop Fredrik Wenzel and shot in the U.S., Italy, South Korea and Kuwait, Gandini explores the notion of work in the 21st century, as automation and technology free up time, and asks what the future could be like in a work-free society.
One of the inspirations for the film, Gandini says, was Swedish sociologist Roland Paulsen’s writings on the ideology of work, which is rooted in the notion of a work ethic developed some 350 years ago.
“It was very relevant at the beginning of the industrial revolution because we needed to build so much. Everybody needed to work,...
- 3/22/2023
- by Lise Pedersen
- Variety Film + TV
Erik Gandini’s film explores work in the 21st century.
Screen can unveil the first trailer for Erik Gandini’s After Work, which has its world premiere in Cph:dox’s international main competition on March 19.
After Work explores the nature of work in the 21st century amid the rise of artificial intelligence.
An Italian-Swedish film director, writer, and producer, Gandini is also professor of documentary film at Stockholm University of the Arts.
Gandini’s credits include Videocracy, which played at Venice, Toronto and IDFA in 2009, and The Swedish Theory of Love which premiered at the Stockholm International Film Festival in...
Screen can unveil the first trailer for Erik Gandini’s After Work, which has its world premiere in Cph:dox’s international main competition on March 19.
After Work explores the nature of work in the 21st century amid the rise of artificial intelligence.
An Italian-Swedish film director, writer, and producer, Gandini is also professor of documentary film at Stockholm University of the Arts.
Gandini’s credits include Videocracy, which played at Venice, Toronto and IDFA in 2009, and The Swedish Theory of Love which premiered at the Stockholm International Film Festival in...
- 3/16/2023
- by Tim Dams
- ScreenDaily
Swiss documentary film festival Visions du Réel has revealed the first titles of its 54th edition, which runs April 21 to 30. The event will open with the world premiere of “Nightwatchers” by Juliette de Marcillac, which was filmed at night in an idyllic Alpine resort a stone’s throw from the French-Italian border. As night falls family ski days give way to a game of chase between the police and the volunteers who help migrants.
Mostly doctors, they roam the mountain slopes at night, watching for the arrival of migrants who have just completed long, life-risking journeys. Police surveillance is permanent and denunciation is commonplace, pushing the exiles ever higher up the mountain.
“Nightwatchers”
“It is a cinematic experience in a breathtaking twilight setting, bringing to light a vital and powerful closely-knit network,” the festival said.
Twelve feature films will compete for the Audience Award in the Grand Angle section, including three world premieres.
Mostly doctors, they roam the mountain slopes at night, watching for the arrival of migrants who have just completed long, life-risking journeys. Police surveillance is permanent and denunciation is commonplace, pushing the exiles ever higher up the mountain.
“Nightwatchers”
“It is a cinematic experience in a breathtaking twilight setting, bringing to light a vital and powerful closely-knit network,” the festival said.
Twelve feature films will compete for the Audience Award in the Grand Angle section, including three world premieres.
- 3/14/2023
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
The Swiss documentary festival is set to run April 21-30
The Visions du Reel film festival has unveiled the first titles for its 2023 edition, set to run April 21-30.
The documentary festival, based in Nyon, Switzerland, will open with the world premiere of French director Juliette de Marcillac’s feature debut Nightwatchers. Filmed at high-end ski resort Montgenèvre on the French-Italian border, it tells the story of volunteers trying to help migrants, and the authorities trying to catch them.
The film is part of the Grand Angle competition, with 12 titles competing for the audience award worth Chf 10,000.
The section includes...
The Visions du Reel film festival has unveiled the first titles for its 2023 edition, set to run April 21-30.
The documentary festival, based in Nyon, Switzerland, will open with the world premiere of French director Juliette de Marcillac’s feature debut Nightwatchers. Filmed at high-end ski resort Montgenèvre on the French-Italian border, it tells the story of volunteers trying to help migrants, and the authorities trying to catch them.
The film is part of the Grand Angle competition, with 12 titles competing for the audience award worth Chf 10,000.
The section includes...
- 3/14/2023
- by Orlando Parfitt
- ScreenDaily
The Copenhagen Intl. Documentary Film Festival, also known as Cph:dox, has unveiled the full program of its 20th edition, which includes 200 new films, more than half of which are world premieres, sealing Cph:dox’s reputation as one of the leading events of its kind in Europe.
For the first time, all 13 films competing for the top Dox:Award are world premieres.
These include “A Storm Foretold,” the long-awaited doc on Donald Trump’s former adviser Roger Stone by Danish political journalist Christopher Guldbrandsen; established filmmaker Margreth Olin’s highly anticipated epic film “Songs of the Earth”; “A Tiger in Paradise,” a surreal journey into Swedish singer José González’ inner world by Ruben Östlund’s regular creative partners Mikel Cee Karlsson and Erik Hemmendorff; and “Total Trust” by Jialing Zhang (“One Child Nation”), described as “the first major film about the Chinese surveillance state (…) – a disturbing tale of technology, (self-) censorship and...
For the first time, all 13 films competing for the top Dox:Award are world premieres.
These include “A Storm Foretold,” the long-awaited doc on Donald Trump’s former adviser Roger Stone by Danish political journalist Christopher Guldbrandsen; established filmmaker Margreth Olin’s highly anticipated epic film “Songs of the Earth”; “A Tiger in Paradise,” a surreal journey into Swedish singer José González’ inner world by Ruben Östlund’s regular creative partners Mikel Cee Karlsson and Erik Hemmendorff; and “Total Trust” by Jialing Zhang (“One Child Nation”), described as “the first major film about the Chinese surveillance state (…) – a disturbing tale of technology, (self-) censorship and...
- 2/21/2023
- by Lise Pedersen
- Variety Film + TV
The festival’s co-production and co-financing market runs 24-27 November.
60 projects are pitching at this year’s International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (Idfa) Forum, the festival’s co-production and co-financing market which runs 24-27 November.
Among the titles which theatrical buyers, streamers and commissioning editors are already circling are Erik Gandini’s After Work, produced through Fasad Films, which explores if conventional jobs might disappear within decades. Gandini’s previous films Gitmo, Videocracy and The Swedish Theory Of Love all sold around the world and played at multiple festivals. After Work is in development but already has Cinetic aboard for...
60 projects are pitching at this year’s International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (Idfa) Forum, the festival’s co-production and co-financing market which runs 24-27 November.
Among the titles which theatrical buyers, streamers and commissioning editors are already circling are Erik Gandini’s After Work, produced through Fasad Films, which explores if conventional jobs might disappear within decades. Gandini’s previous films Gitmo, Videocracy and The Swedish Theory Of Love all sold around the world and played at multiple festivals. After Work is in development but already has Cinetic aboard for...
- 11/26/2019
- by 57¦Geoffrey Macnab¦41¦
- ScreenDaily
TrustNordisk has closed several deals on “Swoon,” the fantasy-romance pic written and directed by Mans Marlind and Bjorn Stein, the pair behind hit drama series “The Bridge” and “Midnight Sun” as well as “Underworld Awakening” and “Shelter” with Julianne Moore.
“Swoon” unfolds in an imaginary universe and follows the love story between Ninni and John, the young heirs of two rival families who own neighboring amusement parks.
TrustNordisk, which is hosting market screenings for the movie at the Efm, has sold it to Korea (Activers Entertainment), China (Turbo Films), Greece (Weird Wave), Russia Cis (Capella Film), Croatia and Ex-Yugoslavia (Kino Mediteran), Estonia (Estin Film) and Lithuania (Scanorama/Kino Aljausas).
The movie stars Pernilla August, Albin Grenholm, Frida Gustavsson and Robert Gustafson.
“Swoon” was produced by Kristina Aberg at Atmo Rights, whose credits include Tarik Saleh’s “The Nile Hilton Incident,” Erik Gandini’s “Videocracy” and Lisa Aschan’s “She Monkeys.
“Swoon” unfolds in an imaginary universe and follows the love story between Ninni and John, the young heirs of two rival families who own neighboring amusement parks.
TrustNordisk, which is hosting market screenings for the movie at the Efm, has sold it to Korea (Activers Entertainment), China (Turbo Films), Greece (Weird Wave), Russia Cis (Capella Film), Croatia and Ex-Yugoslavia (Kino Mediteran), Estonia (Estin Film) and Lithuania (Scanorama/Kino Aljausas).
The movie stars Pernilla August, Albin Grenholm, Frida Gustavsson and Robert Gustafson.
“Swoon” was produced by Kristina Aberg at Atmo Rights, whose credits include Tarik Saleh’s “The Nile Hilton Incident,” Erik Gandini’s “Videocracy” and Lisa Aschan’s “She Monkeys.
- 2/12/2019
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
At Cph:Forum, Eurimages Award goes to Maria Back’s Psychosis in Stockholm; 31 projects pitched.
Cph:dox expanded its industry offerings this year by adding a Work-in-Progress session on the eve of its Cph:forum for six Nordic documentaries currently in production or post-production.
Short presentations including footage was shown for projects including:
The Acali Experiment (Swe/Den/Ger/Us), dir Marcus Lindeen, prod Erik Gandini
The story will examine what happened when Mexican anthropologist Santiago Genovés tried a unique experiment in 1973, putting 10 people on a raft for a 101-day voyage to study human behaviour. Lindeen brought the participants together for the first time in 43 years to talk about Genoves’ manipulative behaviour. “I wanted make a reunion and let them talk about their memories of what happened on the raft,” he said. “We let the subjects make a study of the scientist.” The team aims to deliver the film in the autumn.
Contact: gandini@fasad.se
[link...
Cph:dox expanded its industry offerings this year by adding a Work-in-Progress session on the eve of its Cph:forum for six Nordic documentaries currently in production or post-production.
Short presentations including footage was shown for projects including:
The Acali Experiment (Swe/Den/Ger/Us), dir Marcus Lindeen, prod Erik Gandini
The story will examine what happened when Mexican anthropologist Santiago Genovés tried a unique experiment in 1973, putting 10 people on a raft for a 101-day voyage to study human behaviour. Lindeen brought the participants together for the first time in 43 years to talk about Genoves’ manipulative behaviour. “I wanted make a reunion and let them talk about their memories of what happened on the raft,” he said. “We let the subjects make a study of the scientist.” The team aims to deliver the film in the autumn.
Contact: gandini@fasad.se
[link...
- 3/24/2017
- by wendy.mitchell@screendaily.com (Wendy Mitchell)
- ScreenDaily
This anecdotal look at Swedes’ love of independence, and some of its less attractive consequences, never really coheres as a documentary
Film-maker Erik Gandini’s (Gitmo, Videocracy) latest docu-essay looks at Swedes’ obsession with independence and self-sufficiency and how this ideal, coupled with a welfare state that provides for every physical need, produces loneliness and alienation. Using an infographic plotted by social historian Lars Trägårdh that posits Sweden as the most secular and individualistic of societies, Gandini segues from theory to practice with a disjointed series of anecdotes. We meet sperm-bank donors and clients, state investigators trying to find the next of kin of old people who died alone and a suicide who wasn’t found for years because all his standing orders were paid automatically. By way of contrast, here are some nice Syrian refugees learning that, to make friends with Swedes, they must be on time, and there...
Film-maker Erik Gandini’s (Gitmo, Videocracy) latest docu-essay looks at Swedes’ obsession with independence and self-sufficiency and how this ideal, coupled with a welfare state that provides for every physical need, produces loneliness and alienation. Using an infographic plotted by social historian Lars Trägårdh that posits Sweden as the most secular and individualistic of societies, Gandini segues from theory to practice with a disjointed series of anecdotes. We meet sperm-bank donors and clients, state investigators trying to find the next of kin of old people who died alone and a suicide who wasn’t found for years because all his standing orders were paid automatically. By way of contrast, here are some nice Syrian refugees learning that, to make friends with Swedes, they must be on time, and there...
- 6/23/2016
- by Leslie Felperin
- The Guardian - Film News
The Swedish Film Institute has backed nineteen projects in its latest round of funding.
Swedish director Sanna Lenken, who won Berlin’s Crystal Bear in 2015 with My Skinny Sister, is now making a 30-minute short Night Child (Nattbarn), based on a graphic novel by Hanna Gustafsson.
The story is about 14-year-old girl Iggy “who lives a parallel online life to avoid the everyday tedium. A story about identity, sexuality, borderlands and friendship.”
The film is one of several new productions getting backing from the Swedish Film Institute. Others include Dome Karukoski’s anticipated new Tom Of Finland biopic [pictured] and Agnieszka Holland’s Polish drama Game Count.
Other projects backed, listed from highest investments, are:
Becoming Zlatan, wr/dirs Fredrik Gertten, Magnus Gertten; prods Margarete Jangård, Lennart Ström. Documentary about charismatic footballer Zlatan Ibrahimović. $246,000 (2m Sek)
Tom Of Finland, dir Dome Karukoski, wr Aleksi Bardy, prods Gunnar Carlsson, Emma Åkesdotter Ronge. Drama about the...
Swedish director Sanna Lenken, who won Berlin’s Crystal Bear in 2015 with My Skinny Sister, is now making a 30-minute short Night Child (Nattbarn), based on a graphic novel by Hanna Gustafsson.
The story is about 14-year-old girl Iggy “who lives a parallel online life to avoid the everyday tedium. A story about identity, sexuality, borderlands and friendship.”
The film is one of several new productions getting backing from the Swedish Film Institute. Others include Dome Karukoski’s anticipated new Tom Of Finland biopic [pictured] and Agnieszka Holland’s Polish drama Game Count.
Other projects backed, listed from highest investments, are:
Becoming Zlatan, wr/dirs Fredrik Gertten, Magnus Gertten; prods Margarete Jangård, Lennart Ström. Documentary about charismatic footballer Zlatan Ibrahimović. $246,000 (2m Sek)
Tom Of Finland, dir Dome Karukoski, wr Aleksi Bardy, prods Gunnar Carlsson, Emma Åkesdotter Ronge. Drama about the...
- 4/4/2016
- by wendy.mitchell@screendaily.com (Wendy Mitchell)
- ScreenDaily
Read More: Attention, Filmmakers: You're Free! Sundance Institute's Documentary Program Abolishes Deadlines The Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program has just announced 33 projects chosen for support in 2015. The films were awarded grant support from the Sundance Institute for experimenting with or expanding the nonfiction form and for taking on relevant national topics like gun violence and "Black Lives Matter" as subjects. This year's projects come from a wide range of countries and tackle diverse subjects from sexual violence in the Congo to the aftermath of the Newtown school shooting. Below are the complete list of projects selected in the Development program. For a complete list of projects, visit the Sundance website here. "The Acali Experiment" (Sweden)Director: Marcus LindeenProducer: Erik Gandini "Afterglow" (Hungary)Director: Noémi Veronika SzakonyiProducer: Julianna Ugrin "Casting JonBenet"...
- 11/20/2015
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
NonStop Entertainment hits the Afm with a slew of high-profile acquisitions.
The revamped Scandinavian distributor has taken on Venice Golden Lion winner From Afar, Kate Winslet starring The Dressmaker and Laurie Anderson’s feature directorial debut Heart Of A Dog, to name just a few (full list of titles below).
Jakob Abrahamsson, CEO of NonStop, said: “Newly reborn as an independent distributor, NonStop Entertainment solidifies its profile as the leading Scandinavian distributor for great films for an upmarket audience with this latest slew of extraordinary acquisitions, ranging from Kate Winslet’s tour de force The Dressmaker, via smart post-apocalyptic thriller She Who Brings Gifts to Laurie Anderson’s outstanding and mesmerizing doc Heart Of Dog, that puts us exactly where we want to be for the upcoming 2016 season.”
The acquisitions are:
Australian comedy/drama The Dressmaker directed by Jocelyn Moorhouse and starring Kate Winslet, Judy Davis, Liam Hemsworth and Hugo Weaving. Acquired from Embankment...
The revamped Scandinavian distributor has taken on Venice Golden Lion winner From Afar, Kate Winslet starring The Dressmaker and Laurie Anderson’s feature directorial debut Heart Of A Dog, to name just a few (full list of titles below).
Jakob Abrahamsson, CEO of NonStop, said: “Newly reborn as an independent distributor, NonStop Entertainment solidifies its profile as the leading Scandinavian distributor for great films for an upmarket audience with this latest slew of extraordinary acquisitions, ranging from Kate Winslet’s tour de force The Dressmaker, via smart post-apocalyptic thriller She Who Brings Gifts to Laurie Anderson’s outstanding and mesmerizing doc Heart Of Dog, that puts us exactly where we want to be for the upcoming 2016 season.”
The acquisitions are:
Australian comedy/drama The Dressmaker directed by Jocelyn Moorhouse and starring Kate Winslet, Judy Davis, Liam Hemsworth and Hugo Weaving. Acquired from Embankment...
- 11/5/2015
- by wendy.mitchell@screendaily.com (Wendy Mitchell)
- ScreenDaily
Full line-up of the Stockholm film festival includes feature and documentary competition line-ups.Scroll down for full line-up
The Stockholm International Film Festival (Nov 11-22) has unveiled the line-up for its 26th edition, comprising more than 190 films from over 70 countries.
The Stockholm Xxvi Competition includes Marielle Heller’s Us title The Diary of a Teenage Girl and László Nemes’ Holocaust drama Son Of Saul.
It marks the first time Stockholm has a greater number of women than men competing for the Bronze Horse – the festival’s top prize.
The documentary competition includes Amy Berg’s An Open Secret, an investigation into accusations of teenagers being sexually abused within the film industry; and Cosima Spender’s Palio, centred on the annual horse race in Siena, Italy.
Announcing the programme, festival director Git Scheynius also revealed that Chinese artist Ai Weiwei will visit Stockholm for the first time as chairman of the jury for the first Stockholm Impact Award, which...
The Stockholm International Film Festival (Nov 11-22) has unveiled the line-up for its 26th edition, comprising more than 190 films from over 70 countries.
The Stockholm Xxvi Competition includes Marielle Heller’s Us title The Diary of a Teenage Girl and László Nemes’ Holocaust drama Son Of Saul.
It marks the first time Stockholm has a greater number of women than men competing for the Bronze Horse – the festival’s top prize.
The documentary competition includes Amy Berg’s An Open Secret, an investigation into accusations of teenagers being sexually abused within the film industry; and Cosima Spender’s Palio, centred on the annual horse race in Siena, Italy.
Announcing the programme, festival director Git Scheynius also revealed that Chinese artist Ai Weiwei will visit Stockholm for the first time as chairman of the jury for the first Stockholm Impact Award, which...
- 10/20/2015
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
Anne Wivel’s Mand Falder will open the festival, which will screen 200 docs including 60 world premieres.
Copenhagen documentary festival Cph:dox has revealed the programme for its 13th edition, which runs Nov 5-15.
The line-up features 200 documentaries including 60 world premieres, 18 European premieres and 14 international premieres.
Danish film Mand Falder, directed by Anne Wivel, will open the festival. The film centres around the artist Per Kirkeby and his recovery after suffering from a brain hemorrhage.
16 documentaries will compete in the main competition for the Dox:award, including Friedrich Moser’s journalistic docu-thriller A Good American about William Binney’s programme ‘Thinthread’ that could have prevented 9/11, but was cancelled by the Nsa, and Aslaug Holm’s Norwegian documentary Brodre, which was shot over 8 years and centres around two boys growing up.
Helena Trestikova’s Czech documentary Mallory about life at the bottom of Czech society also features in the competition, which was won last year by Joshua Oppenheimer’s The Look of Silence.
Sean McAllister...
Copenhagen documentary festival Cph:dox has revealed the programme for its 13th edition, which runs Nov 5-15.
The line-up features 200 documentaries including 60 world premieres, 18 European premieres and 14 international premieres.
Danish film Mand Falder, directed by Anne Wivel, will open the festival. The film centres around the artist Per Kirkeby and his recovery after suffering from a brain hemorrhage.
16 documentaries will compete in the main competition for the Dox:award, including Friedrich Moser’s journalistic docu-thriller A Good American about William Binney’s programme ‘Thinthread’ that could have prevented 9/11, but was cancelled by the Nsa, and Aslaug Holm’s Norwegian documentary Brodre, which was shot over 8 years and centres around two boys growing up.
Helena Trestikova’s Czech documentary Mallory about life at the bottom of Czech society also features in the competition, which was won last year by Joshua Oppenheimer’s The Look of Silence.
Sean McAllister...
- 10/16/2015
- by sarah.cooper@screendaily.com (Sarah Cooper)
- ScreenDaily
Ruben Ostlund’s new film The Square is among a host of intriguing projects in development in Sweden.
It has been a notable 12 months for Swedish film.
Roy Andersson’s A Pigeon Sat On A Branch Reflecting On Existence won the Golden Lion in Venice this time last year, David Sandberg’s 30-minute short Kung Fury has notched up 20 million YouTube views, August 29 marks the 100th anniversary of Ingrid Bergman’s birth and a healthy crop of Swedish films are headed to Toronto.
The trend looks set to continue as the Swedish Film Institute (Sfi) can point to a crop of exciting features now in development or production.
Among them is The Boyfriend (Jag Vill Inte Bli Gammal Nu), which will be directed by Force Majeure actress Fanni Metelius.
“Like her shorts it shows the relationships between guys and girls and sexuality from a female perspective,” said Andrea Reuter of the Sfi, speaking to ScreenDaily...
It has been a notable 12 months for Swedish film.
Roy Andersson’s A Pigeon Sat On A Branch Reflecting On Existence won the Golden Lion in Venice this time last year, David Sandberg’s 30-minute short Kung Fury has notched up 20 million YouTube views, August 29 marks the 100th anniversary of Ingrid Bergman’s birth and a healthy crop of Swedish films are headed to Toronto.
The trend looks set to continue as the Swedish Film Institute (Sfi) can point to a crop of exciting features now in development or production.
Among them is The Boyfriend (Jag Vill Inte Bli Gammal Nu), which will be directed by Force Majeure actress Fanni Metelius.
“Like her shorts it shows the relationships between guys and girls and sexuality from a female perspective,” said Andrea Reuter of the Sfi, speaking to ScreenDaily...
- 8/19/2015
- by wendy.mitchell@screendaily.com (Wendy Mitchell)
- ScreenDaily
Goteborg: Anticipated Nordic titles presented to industry.
A host of anticipated Nordic features were pitched to industry this week at the Works In Progress strand of the Gothenburg Film Festival.
Potential buyers and sellers heard about upcoming projects from directors including Antti Jokinen, Lisa Aschan and Mads Matthiesen.
Swedish outfit GarageFilm International is producing Aschan’s horror White People, currently in post-production.
Vera Vitali, Pernilla August and Issaka Sawadogo star in the feature about a woman’s clash with a corrupt head of security.
Aschan’s debut She Monkey’s received a special mention at the Berlinale and won Gothenburg’s Dragon Award for Best Nordic Film.
Solar Films’ period war-romance Wildeye, currently in post-production, comes from acclaimed Finnish features and music video director Antti Jokinen, best known for drama Purge and Hilary Swank starrer The Resident.
Set against the historical backdrop of The Lapland War in 1944-1945, Wildeye charts the story of a midwife who falls...
A host of anticipated Nordic features were pitched to industry this week at the Works In Progress strand of the Gothenburg Film Festival.
Potential buyers and sellers heard about upcoming projects from directors including Antti Jokinen, Lisa Aschan and Mads Matthiesen.
Swedish outfit GarageFilm International is producing Aschan’s horror White People, currently in post-production.
Vera Vitali, Pernilla August and Issaka Sawadogo star in the feature about a woman’s clash with a corrupt head of security.
Aschan’s debut She Monkey’s received a special mention at the Berlinale and won Gothenburg’s Dragon Award for Best Nordic Film.
Solar Films’ period war-romance Wildeye, currently in post-production, comes from acclaimed Finnish features and music video director Antti Jokinen, best known for drama Purge and Hilary Swank starrer The Resident.
Set against the historical backdrop of The Lapland War in 1944-1945, Wildeye charts the story of a midwife who falls...
- 1/31/2015
- by andreas.wiseman@screendaily.com (Andreas Wiseman)
- ScreenDaily
Our first festival will be unexpected, sometimes subversive and always informative. It'll be Trash Cannes, and I hope you can make it.
For years, Pure Movies has existed to provide film criticism and inform debate on mainstream and independent releases. In that time, we’ve covered some great moments: Zach Braff on the end of Scrubs, Erik Gandini after being banned from Venice Film Festival, and Danny Dyer revealing he wanted to headbutt Mark Kermode are certainly among them. Last year, we relaunched the site under the Jean-Luc Godard quote “If you have something to say, there is only one solution: say it” and it is in that spirit that I am delighted to announce our first film festival.
And we definitely have a lot to talk about.
For years, Pure Movies has existed to provide film criticism and inform debate on mainstream and independent releases. In that time, we’ve covered some great moments: Zach Braff on the end of Scrubs, Erik Gandini after being banned from Venice Film Festival, and Danny Dyer revealing he wanted to headbutt Mark Kermode are certainly among them. Last year, we relaunched the site under the Jean-Luc Godard quote “If you have something to say, there is only one solution: say it” and it is in that spirit that I am delighted to announce our first film festival.
And we definitely have a lot to talk about.
- 1/23/2015
- by Dan Higgins
- Pure Movies
Power to the Pixel event to include a major Nordic delegation.Scroll down for full list of projects
Power to the Pixel (PttP) has announced the 32 cross-media projects from across Europe, the Us, Canada, the Middle East, Australia and South America selected to participate in The Pixel Market (Oct 8-9).
The two-day finance and co-production market is run as part of 8th Power to the Pixel: The Cross-Media Forum (Oct 7-10), held in association with the 58th BFI London Film Festival (Oct 8-19).
From the 32 teams, PttP has selected the top eight to compete for the Arte International Prize for The Pixel Market, a €6,000 ($7,800) award sponsored by the French/German broadcaster.
The producers and creators will present to a panel of international commissioning executives, financiers and experts who will use these projects as a backdrop to discuss successful finance strategies, sustainable business models and the companies actively investing in new media.
The winning team will be...
Power to the Pixel (PttP) has announced the 32 cross-media projects from across Europe, the Us, Canada, the Middle East, Australia and South America selected to participate in The Pixel Market (Oct 8-9).
The two-day finance and co-production market is run as part of 8th Power to the Pixel: The Cross-Media Forum (Oct 7-10), held in association with the 58th BFI London Film Festival (Oct 8-19).
From the 32 teams, PttP has selected the top eight to compete for the Arte International Prize for The Pixel Market, a €6,000 ($7,800) award sponsored by the French/German broadcaster.
The producers and creators will present to a panel of international commissioning executives, financiers and experts who will use these projects as a backdrop to discuss successful finance strategies, sustainable business models and the companies actively investing in new media.
The winning team will be...
- 9/17/2014
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
Reissuing press releases wholesale adds little to any serious or illuminating discussion on film and, in the end, that's what all of us are here for. So, today I'm proud to present the new Pure Movies.
Today Pure Movies has changed. For seven years, this website has existed to provide film criticism and inform debate on mainstream and independent releases. In that time, we’ve covered some great moments: Zach Braff on the end of Scrubs, Erik Gandini after being banned from Venice Film Festival, Danny Dyer revealing he wanted to headbutt Mark Kermode are certainly among them. But the last few years has seen an unwelcome trend emerging in online film journalism.
We’re one of many film websites, and all of us receive hundreds of press releases every week.
Today Pure Movies has changed. For seven years, this website has existed to provide film criticism and inform debate on mainstream and independent releases. In that time, we’ve covered some great moments: Zach Braff on the end of Scrubs, Erik Gandini after being banned from Venice Film Festival, Danny Dyer revealing he wanted to headbutt Mark Kermode are certainly among them. But the last few years has seen an unwelcome trend emerging in online film journalism.
We’re one of many film websites, and all of us receive hundreds of press releases every week.
- 11/6/2013
- by Dan Higgins
- Pure Movies
Today, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi turns 75, a milestone birthday but one that may be quietly observed. News outlets marking the occasion note that both Italy's and Berlusconi's troubles--economic, political, legal, et al.--are making this a "bitter" occasion with "very little to celebrate." Well phooey to that. There is some fun to be had, though it's not necessarily out of respect to Berlusconi or to pay him any tribute. His birthday is a just a very good excuse to watch Erik Gandini's "Videocracy," an astonishing Swedish-produced documentary about the Italian television industry and celebrity culture. Think the U.S. is…...
- 9/29/2011
- Spout
Our film critic makes the nominations for his own personal Oscars in a widely underrated year for film
December is the season of list-making and Top 10 compiling, but when I mention this to other critics, it's been getting winces and shrugs and mutterings that 2010 hasn't been a vintage year. I'm not so sure about that. It's true that the huge arthouse hits like The White Ribbon and A Prophet are now a very distant memory — A Prophet in fact was released at the very beginning of this year, but has been so extensively discussed, that I don't mention it below. Some huge crowd-pleasers, like Danny Boyle's 127 Hours, Tom Hooper's The King's Speech and Darren Aronofsky's Black Swan, haven't yet had a full release and neither has Kelly Reichardt's western, Meek's Cutoff. These things may combine to produce the impression that 2010 is in itself a thin year.
December is the season of list-making and Top 10 compiling, but when I mention this to other critics, it's been getting winces and shrugs and mutterings that 2010 hasn't been a vintage year. I'm not so sure about that. It's true that the huge arthouse hits like The White Ribbon and A Prophet are now a very distant memory — A Prophet in fact was released at the very beginning of this year, but has been so extensively discussed, that I don't mention it below. Some huge crowd-pleasers, like Danny Boyle's 127 Hours, Tom Hooper's The King's Speech and Darren Aronofsky's Black Swan, haven't yet had a full release and neither has Kelly Reichardt's western, Meek's Cutoff. These things may combine to produce the impression that 2010 is in itself a thin year.
- 12/1/2010
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
Plagued by teenage sex scandals, charges of corruption and making Pompeii fall down, asked to step down by a former ally, Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi seems to be nearing the end of his storied turn as one of the most tabloid-friendly world leaders. Which makes it a great time to revisit "Videocracy," Erik Gandini's scathing documentary about Italy under Berlusconi that received a very limited theatrical release earlier this year but is absolutely worth looking up now that it's on DVD (as is currently streamable on Netflix Instant).
Gandini's film is unapologetically biased, a cultural overview as horror film -- Gandini has name-checked "Salò" when describing the imagery he presents, and his voiceover is laden with doom, Michael Moore with a sense of poetry. "Videocracy" gives very little larger context or background Berlusconi, but instead presents his influence as pervading the country and leaving it a soul-sick mess anesthetized...
Gandini's film is unapologetically biased, a cultural overview as horror film -- Gandini has name-checked "Salò" when describing the imagery he presents, and his voiceover is laden with doom, Michael Moore with a sense of poetry. "Videocracy" gives very little larger context or background Berlusconi, but instead presents his influence as pervading the country and leaving it a soul-sick mess anesthetized...
- 11/9/2010
- by Alison Willmore
- ifc.com
Reviewer: Erin Donovan
Rating (out of 5): ***½
At the center of Videocracy, Erik Gandini's snapshot of Italy's celebrity-obsessed popular culture, is Silvio Berlusconi. Berlusconi, a millionaire turned television mogul turned billionaire turned Prime Minister, is an untouchable figure who has become the revered and reviled focal point for Italy's perception of itself. (See Michael Moore's Roger & Me for a different version on a similar theme.) Berlusconi made his fortune by buying up 90% of Italy's television networks and churning out cheap programming that was high on nudity, silliness and spectacle.
- 9/14/2010
- by underdog
- GreenCine
Lorber Films has snapped up U.S. rights to Italian director Michelangelo Frammartino's "Le quattro volte" (Four Times), a meditative film set in rural Calabria.
Screening this month as an official selection at the Telluride, Toronto and New York film festivals, it will have its U.S. theatrical premiere March 30 at New York's Film Forum, followed by engagements in select cities nationwide.
The deal, for which no price was available, was negotiated by Kino Lorber co-president and CEO Richard Lorber and Fionnuala Jamison of Coproduction Office.
Lorber, who recently nabbed several European art titles including Stephane Brize's "Mademoiselle Chambon" and Erik Gandini's "Videocracy," described the latest from Frammartino ("The Gift") as "a brilliant integration of the rich traditions of neorealist Italian cinema and transcendental visionary filmmaking."
Frammartino's four-part ode to man and nature traces the cycle of life through the daily rituals of rural folk, connecting the dots among animal,...
Screening this month as an official selection at the Telluride, Toronto and New York film festivals, it will have its U.S. theatrical premiere March 30 at New York's Film Forum, followed by engagements in select cities nationwide.
The deal, for which no price was available, was negotiated by Kino Lorber co-president and CEO Richard Lorber and Fionnuala Jamison of Coproduction Office.
Lorber, who recently nabbed several European art titles including Stephane Brize's "Mademoiselle Chambon" and Erik Gandini's "Videocracy," described the latest from Frammartino ("The Gift") as "a brilliant integration of the rich traditions of neorealist Italian cinema and transcendental visionary filmmaking."
Frammartino's four-part ode to man and nature traces the cycle of life through the daily rituals of rural folk, connecting the dots among animal,...
- 9/7/2010
- by By Elizabeth Guider
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
If you didn't manage to catch it in theaters earlier this year via Lorber Films, Erik Gandini's Videocracy, a 2009 Venice and Tiff selection is now available for free via SnagFilms. Part of their annual Summer Screening Series, for a limited time only, you can see how the Berlusconi (the media mogul and then politician) went T&A with its television programming. The doc looks at "the high-glitz, low-politics, skin-baring media culture promulgated by Berlusconi’s ownership of the majority of the country’s television stations — a powerful tool in shaping public opinion to his financial and political benefit." Sorry the offer appears to be available only in the U.S.
- 8/9/2010
- IONCINEMA.com
SnagFilms' 2nd annual SummerFest, a free online festival showcasing exclusive, limited-duration runs of popular new documentaries, continues with Erik Gandini's "Videocracy," the fourth film in the series, premiering Friday. The film exposes a mass cult of celebrity worship that has virtually hypnotized Italian society, threatening its democracy. Gandini's film argues that this collective fixation, or what he calls "banality," is not entirely accidental. At its heart is the country's long-serving Prime ...
- 8/6/2010
- indieWIRE - People
SnagFilms' 2nd annual SummerFest, a free online festival showcasing exclusive, limited-duration runs of popular new documentaries, continues with Erik Gandini's "Videocracy," the fourth film in the series, premiering Friday. The film exposes a mass cult of celebrity worship that has virtually hypnotized Italian society, threatening its democracy. Gandini's film argues that this collective fixation, or what he calls "banality," is not entirely accidental. At its heart is the country's long-serving Prime ...
- 8/6/2010
- Indiewire
Venice Critic's Week have released their seven film (plus two) slate and have managed to lasso Swedish actress Pernilla August's highly anticipated directorial debut Svinalängorna, or what I'll now be calling by the simpler title of Beyond. A mostly European group of seven, the section is modeled much in the same way as Cannes Critic's Week: promising works from first-time filmmakers. The opening film, Carlo Mazzacurati's Notte Italiana is actually a 1987 flick that must be a silver year anniversary kind of presentation and the closing film comes from the Philippines in Gutierrez Mangansakan II's Limbunan. Last year the most "noteworthy" title from the sidebar was an out of competition showing of Erik Gandini's Videocracy which would receive a preem in Toronto, but this year I'd say more than one title has a chance at crossing over to Tiff. Here is a quick listing of the titles,...
- 7/22/2010
- IONCINEMA.com
This is an exclusive interview between Pure Movies Editor Dan Higgins and Italian filmmaker Erik Gandini. Listen to it in full by downloading the Pure Movies podcast here. Videocracy stars Silvio Berlusconi, Flavio Briatore, Fabio Calvi, ick Canelli, Fabrizio Corona, Samantha Crippa, Marella Giovannelli, Nina Heric and Lele Mora. With the release of Videocracy, an in-depth look at the Italian television culture that Silvio Berlusconi has presided over, Erik Gandini caused quite a stir. The state broadcaster in Italy banned the trailer and lawsuits were threatened. Gandini talks to Pure Movies about the reaction to Videocracy, Silvio Berlusconi and the problems that are dominating Italian culture.
- 7/7/2010
- by Dan Higgins
- Pure Movies
A disturbing look at the TV empire of Italy's leader, Silvio Berlusconi and the cult of celebrity. By Peter Bradshaw
Erik Gandini's Videocracy is an intriguing, mordant look at the world of the Italian premier Silvio Berlusconi: an acrid Dolce Vita for the modern day. But it's a very different kind of film-making from that of Berlusconi's most famous critic, the satirist Sabina Guzzanti, whose docu-polemics are influenced by Michael Moore. Gandini's film is more like a dreamy, mesmeric and highly disturbing psychogeography of 21st-century Italy, or perhaps a meandering, anthropological study of a dysfunctional cult, ruled by a thin-skinned, self-pitying leader.
It is ostensibly about Berlusconi's TV empire and its crassly sexified world of stripping housewives and endless reality shows, which has engendered in Italy an infatuation with celebrity that perhaps even outstrips Britain or the Us. (Berlusconi publishes many gossip magazines.) Everyone wants to be a...
Erik Gandini's Videocracy is an intriguing, mordant look at the world of the Italian premier Silvio Berlusconi: an acrid Dolce Vita for the modern day. But it's a very different kind of film-making from that of Berlusconi's most famous critic, the satirist Sabina Guzzanti, whose docu-polemics are influenced by Michael Moore. Gandini's film is more like a dreamy, mesmeric and highly disturbing psychogeography of 21st-century Italy, or perhaps a meandering, anthropological study of a dysfunctional cult, ruled by a thin-skinned, self-pitying leader.
It is ostensibly about Berlusconi's TV empire and its crassly sexified world of stripping housewives and endless reality shows, which has engendered in Italy an infatuation with celebrity that perhaps even outstrips Britain or the Us. (Berlusconi publishes many gossip magazines.) Everyone wants to be a...
- 6/23/2010
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
Michelangelo Frammartino, the helmer of one of the best films coming out of Cannes this year in Le quattro volte, will be making his animation feature film debut (perhaps in the watercolored CGI 3D form) taking his own biographical story of what it was like to live during the Riflusso years... - Michelangelo Frammartino, the helmer of one of the best films coming out of Cannes this year in Le quattro volte, will be making his animation feature film debut (perhaps in the watercolored CGI 3D form) taking his own biographical story of what it was like to live during the Riflusso years - which Variety describes as a period dating from the late '70s, where Italians retreated inside their homes, encouraged by a wave of terrorism and the advent of private TV: Silvio Berlusconi launched his first private channel in Italy in 1978. Reported at the...
- 6/13/2010
- IONCINEMA.com
Michelangelo Frammartino, the helmer of one of the best films coming out of Cannes this year in Le quattro volte, will be making his animation feature film debut (perhaps in the watercolored CGI 3D form) taking his own biographical story of what it was like to live during the Riflusso years - which Variety describes as a period dating from the late '70s, where Italians retreated inside their homes, encouraged by a wave of terrorism and the advent of private TV: Silvio Berlusconi launched his first private channel in Italy in 1978. Reported at the 50th Annecy Animation Festival (a logical place to find further assistance in developing an animated, social commentary type of project) this might share some affinities with Erik Gandini's Videocracy - reflecting on the Berlusconi years as a media mogul and not the politician. Written by Frammartino and Barbara Grespi, Viale Aretusa 19 is told from...
- 6/13/2010
- IONCINEMA.com
The Killer Inside Me (18)
(Michael Winterbottom, 2010, Us/UK) Casey Affleck, Kate Hudson, Jessica Alba, Ned Beatty. 109 mins
After Bad Lieutenant, meet Worse Lieutenant. Whereas Nic Cage's corrupt cop was operatically depraved, Affleck's 1950s Texan lawman hides his psychosis beneath a veneer of southern gentility, which is much creepier. He takes out his anger on various women in a few horribly violent scenes that have raised accusations of misogyny (blame Jim Thompson's source material), but the real challenge is whether Affleck and the stylish visuals are enough to hold the attention between these moments.
4.3.2.1 (15)
(Noel Clarke, 2010, UK) Tamsin Egerton, Emma Roberts, Ophelia Lovibond. 117 mins
With its zippy, attention-deficit plotting, quartet of men's-mag-friendly female leads, and servings of sex and violence, Clarke's frothy transatlantic heist movie aims for the unthinking end of the "male interest" market – what a waste.
Brothers Bloom (12A)
(Rian Johnson, 2008, Us) Adrien Brody, Rachel Weisz, Mark Ruffalo.
(Michael Winterbottom, 2010, Us/UK) Casey Affleck, Kate Hudson, Jessica Alba, Ned Beatty. 109 mins
After Bad Lieutenant, meet Worse Lieutenant. Whereas Nic Cage's corrupt cop was operatically depraved, Affleck's 1950s Texan lawman hides his psychosis beneath a veneer of southern gentility, which is much creepier. He takes out his anger on various women in a few horribly violent scenes that have raised accusations of misogyny (blame Jim Thompson's source material), but the real challenge is whether Affleck and the stylish visuals are enough to hold the attention between these moments.
4.3.2.1 (15)
(Noel Clarke, 2010, UK) Tamsin Egerton, Emma Roberts, Ophelia Lovibond. 117 mins
With its zippy, attention-deficit plotting, quartet of men's-mag-friendly female leads, and servings of sex and violence, Clarke's frothy transatlantic heist movie aims for the unthinking end of the "male interest" market – what a waste.
Brothers Bloom (12A)
(Rian Johnson, 2008, Us) Adrien Brody, Rachel Weisz, Mark Ruffalo.
- 6/4/2010
- by The guide
- The Guardian - Film News
A documentary that wakes us up to the pitfalls of politically controlled television and then puts us to sleep watching the people producing it Erik Gandini.s festival favorite .Videocracy. zeroes in on the moral bankruptcy of Italian television. This crisis in ethical programming is exacerbated by the majority share of the action owned by the top gun in the country, rambunctious uber-politico prime minister Silvio Berlusconi. He is not in this alone. He has a corps of media generals, lieutenants and privates spanning all cultural classes from no culture to almost no culture and they have the programming to match. Even after Gandini.s considered skewering of the prime minister and his tasteless cohorts the networks of the Pm and his...
- 2/18/2010
- by Ron Wilkinson
- Monsters and Critics
If a team of clever screenwriters tried to script a cautionary tale about the politics of fame (and the fame of politics), they likely couldn’t come up with anything odder or more apt than Erik Gandini’s documentary Videocracy. Gandini’s submersion into the weird relationship between Italian television and government was prompted by difficulties he had explaining his homeland to his new friends in Sweden. So Gandini returned home, cameras in tow, to illustrate how in Italy, political power can be just one reality-tv show away. Ostensibly a critique of inordinately popular prime minister Silvio Berlusconi—who owns ...
- 2/11/2010
- avclub.com
It may be harder to sell a documentary in the contemporary industry climate, but some docs are so provocative, produce so much chatter, that they find comfy homes challenging minds and perspectives in theaters and living rooms. This week, two such docs that have treated festival audiences to intrigue, disgust, and laughter, debut in theaters: Michael Palmieri and Donal Mosher's "October Country" and Erik Gandini's "Videocracy." First, we'll take up Palmieri ...
- 2/11/2010
- Indiewire
Television has been blamed for the dumbing down of the American public since the ascendance of the boob tube in the 1950s. But in Italy, where scandal-plagued prime minister Silvio Berlusconi controls the flow of information through his monopolistic holdings in that nation’s biggest media conglomerates, there is a more insidious aspect to the chronic press muzzling at Rai and trashy tits-and-ass programming that predominate on his Mediaset channels. If you want to get a sense of how the billionaire entrepreneur’s televisual imagination has transformed the political and mass-media landscape in Italy, Erik Gandini’s cunningly choreographed documentary Videocracy provides plenty of food for thought, taking a gimlet-eyed view of the Berlusconi...
- 2/10/2010
- by Damon Smith
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
Television has been blamed for the dumbing down of the American public since the ascendance of the boob tube in the 1950s. But in Italy, where scandal-plagued prime minister Silvio Berlusconi controls the flow of information through his monopolistic holdings in that nation’s biggest media conglomerates, there is a more insidious aspect to the chronic press muzzling at Rai and trashy tits-and-ass programming that predominate on his Mediaset channels. If you want to get a sense of how the billionaire entrepreneur’s televisual imagination has transformed the political and mass-media landscape in Italy, Erik Gandini’s cunningly choreographed documentary Videocracy provides plenty of food for thought, taking a gimlet-eyed view of the Berlusconi...
- 2/10/2010
- by Damon Smith
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
By Harvey Karten - Early this year, the United State Supreme Court-which has become more of a political body than a neutral, judicial one-ruled that corporations can spend all the money they desire to promote their candidates during our usual protracted campaigns. The black-robed body overturned a bevy of precedents that limited their contributions, which had been a wise policy to prevent Big Money from swamping independent voices and presumably third-party candidates. In Italy, the system takes this reasoning a couple of steps further. The prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi, doesn't have to spend money to get his face on TV and in the print media. He owns most of them! Yes, at least seventy percent of TV stations and something like ninety percent of the magazines are actually controlled by the prime minister, who spent the last thirty years building up an empire that even Rupert Murdoch could envy. In...
- 2/3/2010
- Arizona Reporter
Indie Roundup is your weekly guide to what's new and upcoming in the independent film world. (Clockwise from upper left: Videocracy, The Greatest, Crazy Heart, Prodigal Sons,)
Deals. The past seven days have been busy, according to our friends at indieWIRE. Erik Gandini's documentary Videocracy will open in New York City on February 12, via its deal with Lorber Films, and will then roll out across the country. The film examines the media culture in Italy; Todd Brown at Twitch calls it "riveting viewing, at times bizarre, at other times horrifying, but always impossible to turn away from." Nsfw trailer after the jump.
Theatrical rights to Shana Feste's The Greatest were picked up by Paladin, which plans a late March release followed by an early April expansion. Pierce Brosnan and Susan Sarandon star as parents dealing with the tragic death of their teenage son; Carey Mulligan (An Education) gives a "sharp,...
Deals. The past seven days have been busy, according to our friends at indieWIRE. Erik Gandini's documentary Videocracy will open in New York City on February 12, via its deal with Lorber Films, and will then roll out across the country. The film examines the media culture in Italy; Todd Brown at Twitch calls it "riveting viewing, at times bizarre, at other times horrifying, but always impossible to turn away from." Nsfw trailer after the jump.
Theatrical rights to Shana Feste's The Greatest were picked up by Paladin, which plans a late March release followed by an early April expansion. Pierce Brosnan and Susan Sarandon star as parents dealing with the tragic death of their teenage son; Carey Mulligan (An Education) gives a "sharp,...
- 12/26/2009
- by Peter Martin
- Cinematical
Many would say that "what comes around goes around" certainly applies if you happen to be Silvio Berlusconi. As of late, the power hungry, media mogul and prime minister (he has returned to the same seat in three separate occasions) is having his private life go public, received a bloody nose, and chipped teeth last week and hasn't been fortunate on the film fest circuit either. In February we'll get a full exposé on how Berlusconi has "added" to Italian culture with Lorber Films picking up the rights to Erik Gandini’s doc Videocracy - a film that was among the favorites from film critics who attended Tiff and Venice. - Many would say that "what comes around goes around" certainly applies if you happen to be Silvio Berlusconi. As of late, the power hungry, media mogul and prime minister (he has returned to the same seat in three separate...
- 12/22/2009
- IONCINEMA.com
Lorber Films, the theatrical releasing arm of the newly formed Kino Lorber, has picked up U.S. rights to "Videocracy," an expose of the high-glitz, low-politics media culture epitomized by Italian Prime Minister and media mogul Silvio Berlusconi.
The deal was negotiated by Susan Wendt, head of sales at TrustNordisk Films, with Richard Lorber, co-president of Kino Lorber. No financial details were made available.
Swedish-Italian director Erik Gandini, whose credits include "Gitmo: The New Rules of War," helmed the doc feature.
Lorber called the pic "more fantastical than any fiction film I've seen in a long while. As a saga of greed, decadence and privilege that's transforming a democracy into a media circus, it's both a cautionary tale and outrageous cinema entertainment."
The film was released theatrically in Italy on 90 prints by Fandango and grossed about $1.2 million. The DVD is now out, with distribution in bookstores and on newsstands.
The deal was negotiated by Susan Wendt, head of sales at TrustNordisk Films, with Richard Lorber, co-president of Kino Lorber. No financial details were made available.
Swedish-Italian director Erik Gandini, whose credits include "Gitmo: The New Rules of War," helmed the doc feature.
Lorber called the pic "more fantastical than any fiction film I've seen in a long while. As a saga of greed, decadence and privilege that's transforming a democracy into a media circus, it's both a cautionary tale and outrageous cinema entertainment."
The film was released theatrically in Italy on 90 prints by Fandango and grossed about $1.2 million. The DVD is now out, with distribution in bookstores and on newsstands.
- 12/21/2009
- by By Elizabeth Guider
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Lorber Films has acquired U.S. rights to Erik Gandini’s doc “Videocracy” the company said Monday. Richard Lorber negotiated the deal with Susan Wendt, head of sales at TrustNordisk Films will open at the IFC Center in New York on February 12th, followed by a theatrical release across the U.S. The U.S. theatrical release of the film will be supported by High Five, the new funding program of Nordisk Film & TV …...
- 12/21/2009
- Indiewire
Have Joel and Ethan Coen followed up No Country for Old Men with another Oscar winner? A clear favorite (I've got my hand up) among the film critics and bloggers polled by IndieWIRE, A Serious Man might have a big and bright future ahead of it and as Eugene points out, "the Coens latest took top honors as Toronto’s best narrative film, finding a place on nearly every single ballot. - Have Joel and Ethan Coen followed up No Country for Old Men with another Oscar winner? A clear favorite (I've got my hand up) among the film critics and bloggers polled by IndieWIRE, A Serious Man might have a big and bright future ahead of it and as Eugene points out, "the Coens latest took top honors as Toronto’s best narrative film, finding a place on nearly every single ballot. Other category winners include: Erik Gandini...
- 12/13/2009
- by Ioncinema.com Staff
- IONCINEMA.com
On our last day in Denmark, a few of us in the Cph:dox American contingent stopped by Christiania, Copenhagen's hippie paradise and self-proclaimed autonomous zone. In stark contrast to the cobblestones and slick Scandinavian design of the main city, Christiania is dirt paths and Diy housing, a neighborhood based around abandoned military barracks that were taken over by squatters in the early '70s.
It was too early for much to be going on, but on the main drag the cannabis market that's made the area a favorite for backpackers and a constant source of controversy was already open, with stalls displaying giant blocks of hash for sale, while a few nearby stands offered rasta wear. A dog trotted by, and a few dreadlocked Danes warmed their hands over a trashcan fire.
"Maybe it's just me, but this all seems incredibly 'Children of Men,'" I said.
Or maybe...
It was too early for much to be going on, but on the main drag the cannabis market that's made the area a favorite for backpackers and a constant source of controversy was already open, with stalls displaying giant blocks of hash for sale, while a few nearby stands offered rasta wear. A dog trotted by, and a few dreadlocked Danes warmed their hands over a trashcan fire.
"Maybe it's just me, but this all seems incredibly 'Children of Men,'" I said.
Or maybe...
- 11/19/2009
- by Alison Willmore
- ifc.com
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