It was announced today in Strasbourg that this year’s European Parliament LUX Film Prize has been won by the film “Welcome” by the French director Philippe Lioret. This film received the majority of EP members’ votes. The film is set in Calais, France, and shows a swimming instructor who chooses to help out a young Kurdishrefugee who needs to swim across the English Channel to join his girlfriend who has already emigrated to England along with her family.This year’s LUX Prize, worth about €87,000, will finance the subtitling of the winning film in all the 23 European Union’s official languages,…
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In addition to The long awaited concert film’s worldwide opening on October 28, THIS IS IT has been digitally remastered and released in select IMAX theatres during the film’s two-week engagement. The final footage of the King of Pop is guaranteed to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience for Michael Jackson fans and music afficionados alike. Originally intended for his personal library, THIS IS IT is a behind the scenes look at Jackson’s preparation for the comeback that tragically never was. His vision to redesign performances for twelve of his number one hits (including “Wanna Be Starting Somethin'”, “Smooth Criminal”, “Man in…
London – 28 October 2009: The Times BFI 53rd London Film Festival announced its winners at the high profile awards ceremony held at London’s Inner Temple this evening. Hosted by journalist and broadcaster, Paul Gambaccini, the six awards were presented by some of the most respected figures in the film world.BEST FILMIn recognition of original, intelligent and distinctive filmmaking, the new award for Best Film was judged by an international jury chaired by Anjelica Huston and fellow jurors John Akomfrah, Jarvis Cocker, Mathieu Kassovitz, Charlotte Rampling and Iain Softley. The Star of London for Best Film was awarded to Jacques…
AFI FEST 2009 announces that 20th Century Fox’s FANTASTIC MR. FOX has been selected as the Festival’s Opening Night Gala presentation. FANTASTIC MR. FOX will have its North American Premiere when it opens AFI FEST on Friday, October 30, 2009 at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre. The Opening Night Gala is presented by Audi of America. Heralded as “A movie that deserves to be called groundbreaking” by Peter Travers of Rolling Stone Magazine, FANTASTIC MR. FOX is visionary director Wes Anderson’s first animated film, utilizing classic handmade stop-motion techniques to tell the story of the best-selling children’s book by Roald Dahl (author…
PALM SPRINGS, CA (October 13, 2009) – The 21st Annual Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF) will honor Anna Kendrick with the Rising Star Award for her performance in Up in the Air at the Festival’s annual Awards Gala. Festival chairman Harold Matzner made the announcement at a private event at the historic Charlie Chaplin home of Patricia Barry in Beverly Hills, CA hosted by Festival board member Stephen Breimer. The Awards Gala, presented by Cartier, will kick-off the 2010 Awards Season on Tuesday, January 5, 2010 at the Palm Springs Convention Center, and will be hosted by Entertainment Tonight’s…
Penelope Cruz, Calle 13 and Diego Luna will be among the stars featured in the stellar lineup of films to be presented at the 13th Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival (LALIFF) opening this Sunday, October 11th at the Mann Chinese 6 Cinemas in Hollywood. Here are the feature films that will be screened during the 2009 festival:LA SOGADOMINICAN REPUBLICDirected by Josh CrookLa Soga is a film of such raw energy and ragged beauty that these elements alone would justify its viewing. Beyond this, though, it contains a story both timely and timeless, brutal and elegant, for what is at…
Tehran, October 8 – Today, Iranian airport police stopped Iranian actress Fatemah Motamed-Aria and Iranian filmmaker Mojtaba Mirtahmasb (Director of Lady of Roses) from leaving Iran and coming to Los Angeles for an event celebrating Iranian cinema arranged by the Academy and UCLA.Iranian police confiscated the passports of both artists and asked them to attend an interrogation at one of the centers for the Iranian Ministry of Information in Tehran.Fatemah Motamed-Aria and Mojtaba Mirtahmasb have both been actively involved in supporting the Iranian Green Movement which has been protesting the Iranian presidential election results. Fatemah Motamed-Aria had been interrogated several…
In conjunction with the planned visit of a group of prominent Iranian filmmakers to Los Angeles, the Academy and the UCLA Film & Television Archive will present a series of recent Iranian films, each followed by a discussion with one or more of the film’s principal creators.Filmmaking has a long and impressive history in Iran, a country of poets and storytellers. The large and well-established community of Iranian film artists currently working in Tehran and elsewhere has developed both technical expertise and a lyrical narrative style that has been embraced by film viewers, and honored by numerous film festivals, throughout…
Miyazaki’s latest animation, “Ponyo” reaches an American audience, quite successfully too, making it #9 in the box office charts for its opening weekend (August 14-16) and soon will be available on DVD.Recurring throughout his work, we find again themes of people’s relationship to nature, of the exploitation and carelessness of the industrial world, and of the necessary balance between man and the earth – or here, more specifically the ocean. It casts powerful nature spirits and a genius recluse rebel gone overboard, too angry at humans, also characters one might expect in a Miyazaki film. His themes may remind of…
The surprise independent film hit of the season, “(500 Days of Summer),” is set in downtown Los Angeles with its two main characters exploring the architectural gems of the city’s historic core. Also set in downtown Los Angeles, the 2009 Downtown Film Festival—Los Angeles offered 11 days (August 12-22) of adventurous programming spread throughout the area’s architecturally significant and culturally diverse neighborhoods. “There’s no doubt that downtown Los Angeles has come into its own as a vibrant residential community, a world-class arts & entertainment district and the creative nexus for the city. Hollywood is recognizing this with films like ‘(500…