Cannes title “Petrov’s Flu” has been picked up for the U.K. and Ireland by Sovereign Distribution.
The U.K.-based producer-distributor bought rights for Kirill Serebrennikov’s film from French sales agent Charades. The sci-fi drama, which was written and directed by the Russian helmer, enjoyed its world premiere at the 74th Cannes Film Festival, where it competed for the Palme d’Or, earlier this month.
Charades has closed deals for the title in France (Bad Films), Benelux (Imagine), Greece (Weird Wave), Italy (I Wonder Pictures), Portugal (Films4you), Poland (Gutek Films), Czech Republic and Slovakia (Film Europe), Baltics (Kino Soprus) and ex-Yugoslavia (Megacom), Israel (Lev Cinema/Shani Films), Turkey (Fabula Films), Mexico (Cine Canibal) and Indonesia (Falcon Pictures).
Adapted from the novel “The Petrovs In And Around Flu” by Russian author Alexey Sainikov, the film was described by Variety as a delirious, deadpan romp through post-Soviet Russia. The story...
The U.K.-based producer-distributor bought rights for Kirill Serebrennikov’s film from French sales agent Charades. The sci-fi drama, which was written and directed by the Russian helmer, enjoyed its world premiere at the 74th Cannes Film Festival, where it competed for the Palme d’Or, earlier this month.
Charades has closed deals for the title in France (Bad Films), Benelux (Imagine), Greece (Weird Wave), Italy (I Wonder Pictures), Portugal (Films4you), Poland (Gutek Films), Czech Republic and Slovakia (Film Europe), Baltics (Kino Soprus) and ex-Yugoslavia (Megacom), Israel (Lev Cinema/Shani Films), Turkey (Fabula Films), Mexico (Cine Canibal) and Indonesia (Falcon Pictures).
Adapted from the novel “The Petrovs In And Around Flu” by Russian author Alexey Sainikov, the film was described by Variety as a delirious, deadpan romp through post-Soviet Russia. The story...
- 7/21/2021
- by Manori Ravindran
- Variety Film + TV
The One You’re With: Jacobs Brings Mature Gaze to Dark Marital Comedy
Imagine if George and Martha actually had allowed themselves the opportunity to derive pleasure from extra-marital liaisons as an avenue to re-discover the attraction they once had for one another and you get a sense of the rueful tone in Azazel Jacob’s The Lovers. Although hardly as caustic as the broken beings locking horns in Edward Albee’s classic play, Jacobs scores his most mature and sobering portrayal to date.
Compared to the focal points of earlier works like Momma’s Man (2008) and Terri (2011), featuring male protagonists in the throes of arrested development or navigating adolescence as pariah, the unhappily married couple played delectably by Debra Winger and Tracy Letts may be a familiar concept, yet plays like uncharted territory as far as American indie cinema goes. Neither the butt of a joke nor fodder for a frivolous sex farce, theirs is an emotionally sound portrayal of a complex, adult relationship, and makes absolute mincemeat out of the lethargic shenanigans of the comparably staged It’s Complicated (2009).
Michael (Letts) and Mary (Winger) have been going through the motions of a stale marriage for years. Both deeply embroiled in affairs with other people, they seem to be waiting for merely the right moment to announce the obvious to one another and begin a new chapter of their lives. When their son Joel (Tyler Ross) announces an upcoming visit home during a break from university to introduce them to his new girlfriend (Jessica Sula), Michael and Mary each hatch their own plots to use the event as a springboard for their big news. Robert (Aidan Gillen), an aspiring novelist, and Lucy (Melora Walters), an emotionally fragile ballet teacher, are both chomping at the bit for their respective lovers to end their empty husk of a marriage. As the date for Joel’s visit looms night, the anxiety induced by Robert and Lucy force Michael and Mary to seek solace elsewhere…which leads them back into the comfort of each other’s arms. Reawakening a sensuality they haven’t felt for one another in years, Michael and Mary are soon hiding their rekindled feelings from their respective lovers.
Surely, the adulterous situation Jacobs is exploring is nothing new, as we’ve seen all approximations and combinations of this synopsis (including scenarios where two lovers discover their significant others are lovers as well, as in Kirill Serebrennikov’s Betrayal, 2012). But there’s a level of nuance in his The Lovers often absent from these deliberations of heteronormative marriages made sour by the crushing combo of time and domesticity. What’s more, Michael and Mary are presented on an equal playing field, both at fault in the current state of affairs and yet also both wholly capable of exploring alternate avenues of fulfillment. Their reconnection is imperceptibly nestled in a tipping point involving Chinese take-out, and it’s this, among many other details, which nails the irrationality involved in conceptions of lust and love. Both made aware of the other’s infidelity, Jacobs steers this initial droll comedy into formidable poignancy.
Out shopping for groceries for their son’s visit, a jocular trip gets marred suddenly, allowing for Letts to walk away with one of the best scenes standing befuddled at the meat counter. With realistic tendencies and avoiding the usual heartrending, exaggerated beats which are used to enhance what, at its core, is a social melodrama, The Lovers finds notes of the sublime in the dueling performances of Winger and Letts.
★★★½/☆☆☆☆☆
The post The Lovers | Review appeared first on Ioncinema.com.
Imagine if George and Martha actually had allowed themselves the opportunity to derive pleasure from extra-marital liaisons as an avenue to re-discover the attraction they once had for one another and you get a sense of the rueful tone in Azazel Jacob’s The Lovers. Although hardly as caustic as the broken beings locking horns in Edward Albee’s classic play, Jacobs scores his most mature and sobering portrayal to date.
Compared to the focal points of earlier works like Momma’s Man (2008) and Terri (2011), featuring male protagonists in the throes of arrested development or navigating adolescence as pariah, the unhappily married couple played delectably by Debra Winger and Tracy Letts may be a familiar concept, yet plays like uncharted territory as far as American indie cinema goes. Neither the butt of a joke nor fodder for a frivolous sex farce, theirs is an emotionally sound portrayal of a complex, adult relationship, and makes absolute mincemeat out of the lethargic shenanigans of the comparably staged It’s Complicated (2009).
Michael (Letts) and Mary (Winger) have been going through the motions of a stale marriage for years. Both deeply embroiled in affairs with other people, they seem to be waiting for merely the right moment to announce the obvious to one another and begin a new chapter of their lives. When their son Joel (Tyler Ross) announces an upcoming visit home during a break from university to introduce them to his new girlfriend (Jessica Sula), Michael and Mary each hatch their own plots to use the event as a springboard for their big news. Robert (Aidan Gillen), an aspiring novelist, and Lucy (Melora Walters), an emotionally fragile ballet teacher, are both chomping at the bit for their respective lovers to end their empty husk of a marriage. As the date for Joel’s visit looms night, the anxiety induced by Robert and Lucy force Michael and Mary to seek solace elsewhere…which leads them back into the comfort of each other’s arms. Reawakening a sensuality they haven’t felt for one another in years, Michael and Mary are soon hiding their rekindled feelings from their respective lovers.
Surely, the adulterous situation Jacobs is exploring is nothing new, as we’ve seen all approximations and combinations of this synopsis (including scenarios where two lovers discover their significant others are lovers as well, as in Kirill Serebrennikov’s Betrayal, 2012). But there’s a level of nuance in his The Lovers often absent from these deliberations of heteronormative marriages made sour by the crushing combo of time and domesticity. What’s more, Michael and Mary are presented on an equal playing field, both at fault in the current state of affairs and yet also both wholly capable of exploring alternate avenues of fulfillment. Their reconnection is imperceptibly nestled in a tipping point involving Chinese take-out, and it’s this, among many other details, which nails the irrationality involved in conceptions of lust and love. Both made aware of the other’s infidelity, Jacobs steers this initial droll comedy into formidable poignancy.
Out shopping for groceries for their son’s visit, a jocular trip gets marred suddenly, allowing for Letts to walk away with one of the best scenes standing befuddled at the meat counter. With realistic tendencies and avoiding the usual heartrending, exaggerated beats which are used to enhance what, at its core, is a social melodrama, The Lovers finds notes of the sublime in the dueling performances of Winger and Letts.
★★★½/☆☆☆☆☆
The post The Lovers | Review appeared first on Ioncinema.com.
- 5/5/2017
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
For years, the debate around religious influences in schools has undergone agonizing dissection. Usually, the conflict revolves around the issue of schools having religion as part of their lesson plans. “The Student,” an official selection at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival, questions what happens when the devout passions of a young male student begin to unravel a public school in some very unexpected ways.
Read More: Watch: ‘The Student’ Struggles With Faith And Desire In First Footage From Cannes Debut
This classroom drama weaves tonally dark imagery and adolescent aggression into a striking feature. After Venya, the protagonist of the film, refuses to participate in a co-ed swimming class, claiming that it is “against his religion,” the (devout) principal of the school approves Venya’s exemption, onsetting his manipulation of power. When he encounters a teacher who contests his dogma, Venya plots to “eliminate” her.
“The Student” was written and directed by Kirill Serebrennikov (“Betrayal,...
Read More: Watch: ‘The Student’ Struggles With Faith And Desire In First Footage From Cannes Debut
This classroom drama weaves tonally dark imagery and adolescent aggression into a striking feature. After Venya, the protagonist of the film, refuses to participate in a co-ed swimming class, claiming that it is “against his religion,” the (devout) principal of the school approves Venya’s exemption, onsetting his manipulation of power. When he encounters a teacher who contests his dogma, Venya plots to “eliminate” her.
“The Student” was written and directed by Kirill Serebrennikov (“Betrayal,...
- 4/20/2017
- by Kerry Levielle
- Indiewire
Russian director Kirill Serebrennikov’s previous film, Betrayal (2012), was a romance about two people coming together after discovering their respective partners’ affair. The Student is a whole other affair, dealing with a teen’s crisis. Based on Marius von Mayenburg’s play Martyr (so brilliantly staged in London last year and adapted by Serebrennikov for the […]
The post Cannes 2016: The Student Review appeared first on HeyUGuys.
The post Cannes 2016: The Student Review appeared first on HeyUGuys.
- 5/22/2016
- by Jo-Ann Titmarsh
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
★★★☆☆ Russian writer-director Kirill Serebrennikov first came to prominence outside of Russia with 2012's Dostoyevskian tale of marital woe, Betrayal. Making his Cannes debut, Serebrennikov has adapted German playwright Marius von Mayenburg's Martyr for The Student, a dark and slightly hysterical portrait of fundamentalist fever. Veniamin (Petr Skvortsov) is a troubled young man. His mother (Julia Aug) despairs of him as he has started bunking of school, complaining that he doesn't like swimming. She suspects drugs and scoffs at his excuse that it is against his religious beliefs, assuming that this is typical teenage snark.
- 5/18/2016
- by CineVue UK
- CineVue
35th edition of the festival runs June 19-28.
The Us documentary Red Army about the Soviet Red Army hockey team will open the 36th edition of the Moscow International Film Festival (Miff), which runs from June 19-28.
Directed by Gabe Polsky, the film was first shown at last month’s Cannes Film Festival and will be released in the Us by Sony Pictures.
Speaking at this week’s press conference, programme director Kirill Razlogov exxplained that documentaries have always played “a special role” at the festival - “documentaries are practically in all of the programmes” - and said that it was “symbolic” to open with a documentary.
The festival will be rounded off on June 28 at the Pushkinsky Cinema with a screening of Matt Reeves’ Dawn of the Planet of the Apes.
Veteran Russian actor-director Gleb Panfilov (Vassa) will head the international jury for the main competition and will be joined by the German actress Franziska Petri, Georgian...
The Us documentary Red Army about the Soviet Red Army hockey team will open the 36th edition of the Moscow International Film Festival (Miff), which runs from June 19-28.
Directed by Gabe Polsky, the film was first shown at last month’s Cannes Film Festival and will be released in the Us by Sony Pictures.
Speaking at this week’s press conference, programme director Kirill Razlogov exxplained that documentaries have always played “a special role” at the festival - “documentaries are practically in all of the programmes” - and said that it was “symbolic” to open with a documentary.
The festival will be rounded off on June 28 at the Pushkinsky Cinema with a screening of Matt Reeves’ Dawn of the Planet of the Apes.
Veteran Russian actor-director Gleb Panfilov (Vassa) will head the international jury for the main competition and will be joined by the German actress Franziska Petri, Georgian...
- 6/12/2014
- by screen.berlin@googlemail.com (Martin Blaney)
- ScreenDaily
★★☆☆☆Themes of distrust, obsession and revenge all combine to somewhat underwhelming effect in Kirill Serebrennikov's Betrayal (2012), a downbeat and ironically passionless excursion into restrained melodrama. Blending some deft and weighty camerawork with an oblique narrative of bewildering twists and turns, Serebrannikov's latest is an alluring, if tedious example of cinema taking itself too seriously. When a man (Dejan Lilic) visits hospital for a routine check-up, he receives some rather distressing news. His health is perfectly fine, but the doctor recognises him as the spouse of the woman her husband is having an affair with.
- 11/17/2013
- by CineVue UK
- CineVue
Kirill Serebrennikov to look abroad to finance his planned biopic on the composer Piotr Tchaikovsky following a heated debate about the composer’s sexuality.
Russian director Kirill Serebrennikov is to look abroad to finance his planned biopic on the composer Piotr Tchaikovsky after he decided to forgo production funding of nearly $1m (30m Rub) – close to an eighth of the total budget of $7.6m (240m Rub) – which had been allocated by the Ministry of Culture following a heated public debate about the composer’s sexuality.
On his Facebook site, Serebrennikov, whose last film Betrayal competed in Venice in 2012, noted that a funding application to the Russian Cinema Fund (Fond Kino) had been turned down with the reason that “they didn’t see any audience potential.”
He suggested that this decision had been taken against the background of discussion in the media about “‘whether Piotr Ilich was gay or not’. ‘He wasn’t’, maintains the Minister of Culture...
Russian director Kirill Serebrennikov is to look abroad to finance his planned biopic on the composer Piotr Tchaikovsky after he decided to forgo production funding of nearly $1m (30m Rub) – close to an eighth of the total budget of $7.6m (240m Rub) – which had been allocated by the Ministry of Culture following a heated public debate about the composer’s sexuality.
On his Facebook site, Serebrennikov, whose last film Betrayal competed in Venice in 2012, noted that a funding application to the Russian Cinema Fund (Fond Kino) had been turned down with the reason that “they didn’t see any audience potential.”
He suggested that this decision had been taken against the background of discussion in the media about “‘whether Piotr Ilich was gay or not’. ‘He wasn’t’, maintains the Minister of Culture...
- 9/19/2013
- by screen.berlin@googlemail.com (Martin Blaney)
- ScreenDaily
European Film Academy reveals titles of the films on this year’s selection list.Scroll down for full list
The European Film Academy and Efa Productions have announced the titles of the 46 films on this year’s selection list - the list of films recommended for a nomination for the European Film Awards 2013.
A total of 32 European countries are represented. In the 20 countries with the most Efa Members, these members have voted one national film directly into the selection list. To complete the list, a selection committee consisting of Efa Board Members and invited experts have included further films.
In the coming weeks, the 2,900 Efa members will vote for the nominations in the categories European Film, Director, Actor, Actress and Screenwriter. The nominations will then be announced on Nov 9 at the Seville European Film Festival in Spain.
A seven-member jury will decide on the awards recipients in the categories European Cinematographer, Editor, Production...
The European Film Academy and Efa Productions have announced the titles of the 46 films on this year’s selection list - the list of films recommended for a nomination for the European Film Awards 2013.
A total of 32 European countries are represented. In the 20 countries with the most Efa Members, these members have voted one national film directly into the selection list. To complete the list, a selection committee consisting of Efa Board Members and invited experts have included further films.
In the coming weeks, the 2,900 Efa members will vote for the nominations in the categories European Film, Director, Actor, Actress and Screenwriter. The nominations will then be announced on Nov 9 at the Seville European Film Festival in Spain.
A seven-member jury will decide on the awards recipients in the categories European Cinematographer, Editor, Production...
- 9/9/2013
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
Director Kirill Serebrennikov describes his Venice selected Betrayal (Izmena) in unusual terms, referring to it as a 'disaster movie about male-female relationships'. He's chosen a difficult balance for his infidelity story, needing to stay on the line between loss and anger, and the results look nothing short of remarkable. Venice describes it like this:A man and a woman, two casual acquaintances, learn that their respective spouses are having an affair with each other. This discovery drives them to do things they didn't dare to do before. What will prevail--the feeling of jealousy or the passion? What to choose--revenge or forgiveness? The protagonists are looking for something to build a new life upon, but it is not easy: their every action is influenced by the fact...
- 10/3/2012
- Screen Anarchy
Venice – Oscar-winning writer and director Michael Cimino was given the Venice Film Festival’s first major award Thursday, while Ariel Vromen’s indie crime drama The Iceman, screening out of competition, was the main feature in the Palazza del Cinema. Photos: Venice Film Festival Day 1: Opening Ceremony Brings Out Glitz, Glamour and Kate Hudson Meanwhile, Kirill Serebrennikov’s drama Izmena (Betrayal); Superstar, a comedy from France’s Xavier Giannoli; and Ramin Bahani’s family adventure drama At Any Price -- all screening in competition – had their world premieres Thursday, Doha Tribeca Film Festival organizers announced they would open with Venice opening film
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- 8/30/2012
- by Eric J. Lyman
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
★★☆☆☆ Love, obsession and revenge are the themes of Kirill Serebrennikov's beguilingly strange, yet ultimately flaccid Betrayal (Izmena, 2012). The film is a Crime and Punishment-style morality tale, told via Hitchcock's Vertigo (1958). Franziska Petri plays a doctor who whilst examining one of her patients (Dejan Lilic), reveals that her husband is cheating with his wife. His life turned upside down, the pair of cuckolds are drawn together as the betrayed couple almost seem to luxuriate in detailing the exact lineaments of their spouses' infidelity.
Read more »...
Read more »...
- 8/30/2012
- by CineVue UK
- CineVue
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