Ari Folman’s Waltz with Basir – Antiwar Classic
By Ron Holloway | July 10, 2008
An antiwar film of the first rank, Ari Folman’s Waltz with Bashir (Israel/France/Germany/USA, 2008) tackles a tabu theme seldom treated in Israeli media. Programmed in the competition at Cannes, this feature-length animated documentary chronicles Israeli complicity in the June 1982 massacre of Palestinian civilians by Lebanese Phalangists in the Beirut refugee camps of Sabra and Shatila. Read the rest of this entry »
Topics: Film Reviews | Comments Off on Ari Folman’s Waltz with Basir – Antiwar Classic
Deneuve Toplines Desplechin’s Christmas Tale
By Ron Holloway | July 10, 2008
Critically acclaimed in the French press as one of the key directors in the “new” nouvelle vague – along with Luc Besson, Leos Carax, Claire Denis, and Olivier Assayas – Arnaud Desplechin rose to the top of that list when his Un Conte de Noël (A Christmas Tale) (France, 2008) was screened at Cannes – the fourth time he has competed for Palme d’Or laurels. Billed as a sure crowd pleaser, A Christmas Tale was all of that. Read the rest of this entry »
Topics: Film Reviews | Comments Off on Deneuve Toplines Desplechin’s Christmas Tale
Dardenne Brothers’ Lorna’s Silence – Hat Trick Bid
By Ron Holloway | July 10, 2008
For many Cannes critics, Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne’s were an odds-on favorite for top festival laurels with the promising Le Silence de Lorna (Lorna’s Silence) (Belgium/France/Italy/Germany, 2008). And one can surmise from some inside reports that the Belgian brothers team worked hard to find the proper thematic material to become the first to score a hat trick – a third Palme d’Or. Read the rest of this entry »
Topics: Film Reviews | Comments Off on Dardenne Brothers’ Lorna’s Silence – Hat Trick Bid
Three Monkeys – Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s Soul Searching
By Ron Holloway | July 9, 2008
Üç Maymun (Three Monkeys) (Turkey/France, 2008) marks Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s fourth visit to Cannes. His status as a genuine auteur grows with each film. This time around, he has come closer than ever before to paying homage to the director he respects the most – Andrei Tarkovsky. Read the rest of this entry »
Topics: Film Reviews | Comments Off on Three Monkeys – Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s Soul Searching
Adoration – Atom Egoyan’s Internet Chat
By Ron Holloway | July 9, 2008
He’s one of the auteur directors the Cannes festival takes pride in supporting. Atom Egoyan’s Adoration (Canada/France, 2008) marks his 10th appearance at Cannes. No mean accomplishment for the Armenian-Canadian filmmaker, whose CV reads more like a diplomat’s Who’s Who. Read the rest of this entry »
Topics: Film Reviews | Comments Off on Adoration – Atom Egoyan’s Internet Chat
61st Festival de Cannes 2008
By Ron Holloway | July 8, 2008
Any way you look at it, 2008 was a watershed year at the Cannes film festival. This was Thierry Frémaux’s initial year as délégée général, the first time he was listed in the catalogue as the man who put his own signature on the selection. Last year, Frémaux was down simply as director artistique, to wit: the festival’s artistic director under the friendly aegis of président Gilles Jacob. As for Gilles Jacob himself, he is currently penning his collection of memories as the festival icon over the past 30 years.
Topics: International Reports | Comments Off on 61st Festival de Cannes 2008
Wim Wenders – Cannes’ Favorite Auteur
By Ron Holloway | July 6, 2008
He’s Germany’s best known director, a welcomed guest at top international film festivals, a cultural icon whose reputation was boosted even more when he was elected to succeed Ingmar Bergman as president of the European Film Academy. Yet Wim has not made a good Wenders films for some time now. Would The Palermo Shooting (Germany/Italy, 2008) stop the bleeding? Read the rest of this entry »
Topics: German Film | Comments Off on Wim Wenders – Cannes’ Favorite Auteur
Judy Tossell Interview
By Ron Holloway | July 4, 2008
Egoli Tossell Film is an independent production and financing company with addresses in Berlin, Halle, Leipzig and Potsdam-Babelsberg. Founded in 2001, following the merger of their respective companies Egoli Films and Tossell Pictures, ETF is headed by producers Jens Meurer and Judy Tossell. Read the rest of this entry »
Topics: Interviews | Comments Off on Judy Tossell Interview
Jens Meurer Interview
By Ron Holloway | July 4, 2008
Egoli Tossell Film is an independent production and financing company with addresses in Berlin, Halle, Leipzig and Potsdam-Babelsberg. Founded in 2001, following the merger of their respective companies Egoli Films and Tossell Pictures, ETF is headed by producers Jens Meurer and Judy Tossell. Read the rest of this entry »
Topics: Interviews | Comments Off on Jens Meurer Interview
Phillip Bergson on Budapest and ZagrebDox 2008
By Phillip Bergson | July 4, 2008
A regular contributor to KINO – German Film, roving British film critic Phillip Bergson visited a pair of festivals at the beginning of 2008. Herewith a short resumé of his views as seen from the inside of film festival life at the 39th Hungarian Film Week Budapest and 4th ZagrebDox.
Topics: International Reports | Comments Off on Phillip Bergson on Budapest and ZagrebDox 2008