Vadim Vereshchagin, CEO of leading Russian production and distribution company Central Partnership, says it’s time for the world to give a second look to Russian cinema—particularly the slick commercial titles that are racking up boffo box office back home.
“The key thing for us right now is to explain to the foreign buyers primarily, ‘Look, we’ve got great films. We’re not asking the same amount of money as Hollywood independent studios would. But you get the same [quality],’” he says.
Central Partnership began in the 1990s as a television production outfit, before branching out into distribution of mostly arthouse fare. In the early 2000s, it began moving toward mainstream titles, and since 2009 has been the exclusive distributor for Paramount Pictures in Russia. Its library includes films from top U.S. and European studios, as well as an extensive catalog of arthouse and commercial Russian movies.
The company’s current slate,...
“The key thing for us right now is to explain to the foreign buyers primarily, ‘Look, we’ve got great films. We’re not asking the same amount of money as Hollywood independent studios would. But you get the same [quality],’” he says.
Central Partnership began in the 1990s as a television production outfit, before branching out into distribution of mostly arthouse fare. In the early 2000s, it began moving toward mainstream titles, and since 2009 has been the exclusive distributor for Paramount Pictures in Russia. Its library includes films from top U.S. and European studios, as well as an extensive catalog of arthouse and commercial Russian movies.
The company’s current slate,...
- 6/7/2020
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
Matilda and Nicholas. Alexey Utichel: 'It was quite unusual before the film was screened because, no one saw it but we had those very grave accusations that I believe were undeserved' Photo: Courtesy of Kinostar Films Aleksey Uchitel on the set of Matilda Photo: Courtesy of Kinostar Films Aleksey Uchitel's Matilda (Mathilde) - which closes London's Russian Film Week tonight (November 26) tells the story of Tsar Nicholas II's (Lars Eidinger) romance with ballerina Matilda Kshesinskaya (Michalina Olszanska) prior to becoming emperor and his marriage to Alexandra Feodorovna (Luise Wolfram). Given its Merchant Ivory-style sumptuousness and fairy tale-inflected storytelling, it may seem an unlikely candidate for controversy, but before its release in Russia it sparked mass protests and even terror attacks because Nicholas is now considered a saint by the Russian Orthodox Church.
During the first Fipresci colloquium on Russian Cinema, Uchitel was on hand to introduce the film...
During the first Fipresci colloquium on Russian Cinema, Uchitel was on hand to introduce the film...
- 11/26/2017
- by Amber Wilkinson
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
In the latest salvo in a dispute over a Russian film about the last tsar's affair with a ballerina, the Russian Orthodox Church has put up 300 billboards in Moscow displaying what it called "words about love" exchanged between the tsar and his wife.
The posters, which do not explicitly refer to the release of Aleksey Uchitel's upcoming feature Matilda, carry images of Tsar Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra and quotes affirming the loving bond the couple had. The church says they are taken from the tsar's letters and diaries and affirm family values of "faith, love and mutual respect."
...
The posters, which do not explicitly refer to the release of Aleksey Uchitel's upcoming feature Matilda, carry images of Tsar Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra and quotes affirming the loving bond the couple had. The church says they are taken from the tsar's letters and diaries and affirm family values of "faith, love and mutual respect."
...
- 10/2/2017
- by Nick Holdsworth ,Vladimir Kozlov
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Aleksey Uchitel's Matilda
The leader of extremist Christianist organisation Christian State-Holy Rus, Aleksandr Kalinin, has been detained in relation to attacks that took place in Moscow earlier this month. Letters attributed to his organisation were sent to cinema owners threatening violence if they screened Aleksey Uchitel's new film, Matilda, shortly before arson attacks were carried out on related targets in Moscow, Yekaterinburg and St Petersburg.
In accordance with Russian law, Kalinin can be held for up to one month while police carry out their investgation. Three other members of the organisation are also being held in custody.
Matilda, which is set to be released across the country from 26 October, chronicles an affair between Nicholai II and the ballerina Matilda Kshesinskaya before the former became tsar. Ramzan Kadyrov, leader of the Chechen Republic, has called for it to be banned across the northern Caucasus, arguing that it is a premiditated attack on religious belief.
The leader of extremist Christianist organisation Christian State-Holy Rus, Aleksandr Kalinin, has been detained in relation to attacks that took place in Moscow earlier this month. Letters attributed to his organisation were sent to cinema owners threatening violence if they screened Aleksey Uchitel's new film, Matilda, shortly before arson attacks were carried out on related targets in Moscow, Yekaterinburg and St Petersburg.
In accordance with Russian law, Kalinin can be held for up to one month while police carry out their investgation. Three other members of the organisation are also being held in custody.
Matilda, which is set to be released across the country from 26 October, chronicles an affair between Nicholai II and the ballerina Matilda Kshesinskaya before the former became tsar. Ramzan Kadyrov, leader of the Chechen Republic, has called for it to be banned across the northern Caucasus, arguing that it is a premiditated attack on religious belief.
- 9/24/2017
- by Jennie Kermode
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
One of Russia's greatest living filmmakers, Aleksey Uchitel (The Edge) returns to screens in 2017 with Matilda. Based on the real life of Matilda Kshesinskaya - a ballerina who became the mistress to three different Grand Dukes in the twilight of Russia's Imperial era - the theatrical trailer has arrived for the film and it looks absolutely gorgeous. I can't pretend to know an awful lot about this particular era of history but in Uchitel's hands this looks like a sumptuous period drama with just the right amount of edge. And, yes, there are English subtitles included for those who don't speak Russian to follow along. Check it out below....
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
- 1/2/2017
- Screen Anarchy
Titles include Molly from British director Sally Potter (Ginger & Rosa) [pictured].Scroll down for full line-up
The 12 projects that will make up this year’s Holland Film Meeting Co-Production Platform (Sept 22-25) have been revealed and include titles from the UK, France and Germany among others.
Filmmakers this year include British filmmaker Sally Potter who will present her latest project, Molly.
Potter’s films include Oscar-nominated Orlando (1992), starring Tilda Swinton; Rage, which competed for Berlin’s Golden Bear in 2009; and her most recent feature, Ginger & Rosa (2012), which screened at Toronto and Iffr among other festivals.
Bulgaria’s Maya Vitkova is back at Hfm with upcoming project Love, following the success of her previous film Viktoria, which played in competition at Sundance and Iffr.
Serbian director Nikola Ležaić will present The Religion of Night Walks, his second feature length work after Tilva Ros, which was selected for Locarno and won the top prize at Sarajevo in 2010.
From Sweden, [link...
The 12 projects that will make up this year’s Holland Film Meeting Co-Production Platform (Sept 22-25) have been revealed and include titles from the UK, France and Germany among others.
Filmmakers this year include British filmmaker Sally Potter who will present her latest project, Molly.
Potter’s films include Oscar-nominated Orlando (1992), starring Tilda Swinton; Rage, which competed for Berlin’s Golden Bear in 2009; and her most recent feature, Ginger & Rosa (2012), which screened at Toronto and Iffr among other festivals.
Bulgaria’s Maya Vitkova is back at Hfm with upcoming project Love, following the success of her previous film Viktoria, which played in competition at Sundance and Iffr.
Serbian director Nikola Ležaić will present The Religion of Night Walks, his second feature length work after Tilva Ros, which was selected for Locarno and won the top prize at Sarajevo in 2010.
From Sweden, [link...
- 8/29/2016
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
Russia big winner at FilmFestival Cottbus for second consecutive year.
Russia was the big winner for the second year in a row at the FilmFestival Cottbus with Ivan I. Tverdovsky’s Corrections Class picking up four awards at the weekend.
The feature debut received the International Jury’s main prize ¨for its unsentimental and unpretentious presentation of a powerful social theme presented through the prism of an excellent ensemble performance¨, thereby qualifying for the Connecting Cottbus Special Pitch Award, which will allow Tverdovsky and his producers to pitch a new project at the East-West co-production market in a year’s time.
Tverdovsky’s Russian-German co-production, which won the Best Debut prize at Kinotavr in Sochi and the East of the West Award in Karlovy Vary, also picked up the prizes from the Fipresci and Interfilm juries in Cottbus.
Last year, the main prize at Cottbus went to Russian director Alexander Veledinsky’s The Geographer Drank His Globe...
Russia was the big winner for the second year in a row at the FilmFestival Cottbus with Ivan I. Tverdovsky’s Corrections Class picking up four awards at the weekend.
The feature debut received the International Jury’s main prize ¨for its unsentimental and unpretentious presentation of a powerful social theme presented through the prism of an excellent ensemble performance¨, thereby qualifying for the Connecting Cottbus Special Pitch Award, which will allow Tverdovsky and his producers to pitch a new project at the East-West co-production market in a year’s time.
Tverdovsky’s Russian-German co-production, which won the Best Debut prize at Kinotavr in Sochi and the East of the West Award in Karlovy Vary, also picked up the prizes from the Fipresci and Interfilm juries in Cottbus.
Last year, the main prize at Cottbus went to Russian director Alexander Veledinsky’s The Geographer Drank His Globe...
- 11/10/2014
- by screen.berlin@googlemail.com (Martin Blaney)
- ScreenDaily
Olivier Assayas’ Cloud of Sils Maria will open European Film Promotion’s (Efp) second edition of its WestWind showcase of European cinema in Moscow’s Formula Kino Horizont Cinema tonight.
German actor Lars Eidinger, who appears in the French-us co-production with Kristen Stewart and Juliette Binoche, will come from the shooting of Alexey Uchitel’s historical drama-thriller Mathilde (working title) to attend the screening for a Q&A.
Clouds of Sils Maria was shown at last week’s International Media Forum in St Petersburg and will be released theatrically in Russia by Cinema Prestige.
Running until Oct 19, Efp’s event will present 11 European films to Moscow audiences, including two Oscar candidates - Germany’s Beloved Sisters by Dominik Graf and the Czech Republic’s Fair Play by Andrea Sedlackova - as well as Rok Bicek’s Class Enemy, Ragnar Bragason’s Metalhead and Petra Volpe’s Dreamland.
Other talent attending WestWind include Slovenian director Bicek, actresses [link=nm...
German actor Lars Eidinger, who appears in the French-us co-production with Kristen Stewart and Juliette Binoche, will come from the shooting of Alexey Uchitel’s historical drama-thriller Mathilde (working title) to attend the screening for a Q&A.
Clouds of Sils Maria was shown at last week’s International Media Forum in St Petersburg and will be released theatrically in Russia by Cinema Prestige.
Running until Oct 19, Efp’s event will present 11 European films to Moscow audiences, including two Oscar candidates - Germany’s Beloved Sisters by Dominik Graf and the Czech Republic’s Fair Play by Andrea Sedlackova - as well as Rok Bicek’s Class Enemy, Ragnar Bragason’s Metalhead and Petra Volpe’s Dreamland.
Other talent attending WestWind include Slovenian director Bicek, actresses [link=nm...
- 10/15/2014
- by screen.berlin@googlemail.com (Martin Blaney)
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: “Russia’s Brad Pitt” to star in Alexey Uchitel’s period drama.
Danila Kozlovsky, known as Russia’s Brad Pitt, is to star in Alexey Uchitel’s historical drama-thriller Mathilde (working title) - set to be the biggest Russian production to be filmed this year.
The $30m production by Rock Films and the single purpose company Mathilda Ltd., with backing from the Russian Cinema Fund, centres on the love affair between the last Russian Tsar Nicholas II and the legendary ballerina Mathilde Kshesinskaya.
Speaking exclusively to ScreenDaily last week in St Petersburg, producer Kira Saksanganskaya explained that Kozlovsky, who was the lead in last year’s box-office hit Legend No 17 and made inroads into a Hollywood career with a part in Vampire Academy, plays a rival to Tsar Nicholas II, played by German actor Lars Eidinger (Clouds of Sils Maria)
Other Russian actors in the cast include Evgeny Mironov, Grigory Dobrygin, [link...
Danila Kozlovsky, known as Russia’s Brad Pitt, is to star in Alexey Uchitel’s historical drama-thriller Mathilde (working title) - set to be the biggest Russian production to be filmed this year.
The $30m production by Rock Films and the single purpose company Mathilda Ltd., with backing from the Russian Cinema Fund, centres on the love affair between the last Russian Tsar Nicholas II and the legendary ballerina Mathilde Kshesinskaya.
Speaking exclusively to ScreenDaily last week in St Petersburg, producer Kira Saksanganskaya explained that Kozlovsky, who was the lead in last year’s box-office hit Legend No 17 and made inroads into a Hollywood career with a part in Vampire Academy, plays a rival to Tsar Nicholas II, played by German actor Lars Eidinger (Clouds of Sils Maria)
Other Russian actors in the cast include Evgeny Mironov, Grigory Dobrygin, [link...
- 10/14/2014
- by screen.berlin@googlemail.com (Martin Blaney)
- ScreenDaily
Speaking at the Odessa Film Festival the producer of Sergey Mokritsky’s war drama Unbroken said that the project had now completed principal photography.
20th Century Fox and Universal are among the Us majors ¨in talks¨ to take on worldwide distribution for Sergey Mokritsky’s € 3.7m biopic/war drama Unbroken.
Speaking at this week’s Works in Progress showcase at the Odessa Film Industry Office, producer Egor Olesov of Kiev-based Kinorob said that the Ukrainian-Russian co-production - which had previously previously gone under the working title of The Battle Of Sevastopol - completed principal photography in Kiev on last Tuesday (July 15).
Expected to be a blockbuster success in Ukraine, the film recounts the story of student Lyudmila Pavilchenko who was a legendary sniper during the Second World War with 309 shots to her credit and later became friends with the First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt.
In an interview with Russia’s Ria-Novosti , producer Natalia Mokritskaya said that the film...
20th Century Fox and Universal are among the Us majors ¨in talks¨ to take on worldwide distribution for Sergey Mokritsky’s € 3.7m biopic/war drama Unbroken.
Speaking at this week’s Works in Progress showcase at the Odessa Film Industry Office, producer Egor Olesov of Kiev-based Kinorob said that the Ukrainian-Russian co-production - which had previously previously gone under the working title of The Battle Of Sevastopol - completed principal photography in Kiev on last Tuesday (July 15).
Expected to be a blockbuster success in Ukraine, the film recounts the story of student Lyudmila Pavilchenko who was a legendary sniper during the Second World War with 309 shots to her credit and later became friends with the First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt.
In an interview with Russia’s Ria-Novosti , producer Natalia Mokritskaya said that the film...
- 7/17/2014
- by screen.berlin@googlemail.com (Martin Blaney)
- ScreenDaily
Non Stop Productions, producer of Cannes winner Leviathan, is among nine “industry leaders” selected by the Russian Cinema Fund (Fond Kino) to take a share of $55m (RUB1.9bn).
Alexander Rodnyansky’s Non Stop Productions, producer of Andrey Zvyagintsev’s Cannes winner Leviathan, is among nine production companies selected as ¨industry leaders¨ for 2014 by the Russian Cinema Fund (Fond Kino) for the allocation of $55m (RUB1.9bn) to be distributed among them as subsidies or repayable loans.
Leviathan will be the closing film at the weekend for this week’s ‘Kinotavr’ Open Russia Film Festival in Sochi, and Non Stop is also represented by Konstantin Buslov’s second feature Adventurers as part of the open-air programme
The line-up of ¨leaders¨ also includes Igor Tolstunov’s company ProFIT, which has two films in Kinotavr’s main competition - Alexander Kott’s Test and Nigina Saifullayeva’s Whatayacallme -; Sergei Selyanov’s Ctb - in Sochi with the animation...
Alexander Rodnyansky’s Non Stop Productions, producer of Andrey Zvyagintsev’s Cannes winner Leviathan, is among nine production companies selected as ¨industry leaders¨ for 2014 by the Russian Cinema Fund (Fond Kino) for the allocation of $55m (RUB1.9bn) to be distributed among them as subsidies or repayable loans.
Leviathan will be the closing film at the weekend for this week’s ‘Kinotavr’ Open Russia Film Festival in Sochi, and Non Stop is also represented by Konstantin Buslov’s second feature Adventurers as part of the open-air programme
The line-up of ¨leaders¨ also includes Igor Tolstunov’s company ProFIT, which has two films in Kinotavr’s main competition - Alexander Kott’s Test and Nigina Saifullayeva’s Whatayacallme -; Sergei Selyanov’s Ctb - in Sochi with the animation...
- 6/5/2014
- by screen.berlin@googlemail.com (Martin Blaney)
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Call for directors, producers and sales agents to give their films for free to festivals in troubled Ukraine.
Cannes’ Thierry Fremaux, the Berlinale’s Christoph Terhechte and Venice chief Alberto Barbera are among 92 people working at 60 festivals in 38 countries to have answered a call to show solidarity with their Ukrainian festival colleagues.
Speaking exclusively to ScreenDaily, the initiative’s coordinator, Warsaw Film Festival director Stefan Laudyn, explained: “When we heard the news from Ukraine, after a quick email and SMS exchange with Sara [Norberg of Helsinki Iff ¨Love & Anarchy¨], Tiina [Lokk of Black Nights F], Tudor [Giurgiu of Tiff/Cluj] and the Stefans [Uhrik and Kitanov of Febiofest and Sofia Iff], we decided to prepare a letter of support and sent it to our friends at film festivals worldwide.”
In the letter, the six festival chiefs called on directors, producers and sales agents to give their films “willingly and for free to all film festivals in Ukraine” and also not to charge any screening fees from Ukrainian festivals this year.
In addition, they asked national...
Cannes’ Thierry Fremaux, the Berlinale’s Christoph Terhechte and Venice chief Alberto Barbera are among 92 people working at 60 festivals in 38 countries to have answered a call to show solidarity with their Ukrainian festival colleagues.
Speaking exclusively to ScreenDaily, the initiative’s coordinator, Warsaw Film Festival director Stefan Laudyn, explained: “When we heard the news from Ukraine, after a quick email and SMS exchange with Sara [Norberg of Helsinki Iff ¨Love & Anarchy¨], Tiina [Lokk of Black Nights F], Tudor [Giurgiu of Tiff/Cluj] and the Stefans [Uhrik and Kitanov of Febiofest and Sofia Iff], we decided to prepare a letter of support and sent it to our friends at film festivals worldwide.”
In the letter, the six festival chiefs called on directors, producers and sales agents to give their films “willingly and for free to all film festivals in Ukraine” and also not to charge any screening fees from Ukrainian festivals this year.
In addition, they asked national...
- 3/14/2014
- by screen.berlin@googlemail.com (Martin Blaney)
- ScreenDaily
Timur Bekmambetov’s first outing as a director since his Hollywood film Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter sees him going back in time again to the beginning of the First World War at the end of 1914.
Yolki 1914 is the fourth instalment of Bekmambetov’s New Year hit comedy franchise Yolki, which his production-distribution company Bazelevs launched in 2010.
Bekmambetov directed the first Yolki (aka The Six Degrees Of Celebration), which took $26m at the box office in the Cis territories in 2010/11.
Since then, Bekmambetov has only served as the producer on the following two Yolki films.
The first sequel Yolki 2012 – which posted $30m at the Cis box office in 2011/12 – took place on New Year’s Eve in 11 cities from small regional towns to Saint Petersburg and Moscow, and was directed by Dmitry Kiselev, Alexander Kott, Oksana Bychkova and others.
Kiselev, Kott, Alexander Karpilovsky and Olga Kharina directed the episodes of the third film Yolki 2014 which was released on Dec...
Yolki 1914 is the fourth instalment of Bekmambetov’s New Year hit comedy franchise Yolki, which his production-distribution company Bazelevs launched in 2010.
Bekmambetov directed the first Yolki (aka The Six Degrees Of Celebration), which took $26m at the box office in the Cis territories in 2010/11.
Since then, Bekmambetov has only served as the producer on the following two Yolki films.
The first sequel Yolki 2012 – which posted $30m at the Cis box office in 2011/12 – took place on New Year’s Eve in 11 cities from small regional towns to Saint Petersburg and Moscow, and was directed by Dmitry Kiselev, Alexander Kott, Oksana Bychkova and others.
Kiselev, Kott, Alexander Karpilovsky and Olga Kharina directed the episodes of the third film Yolki 2014 which was released on Dec...
- 3/11/2014
- by screen.berlin@googlemail.com (Martin Blaney)
- ScreenDaily
Meanwhile, Russia pulls the plug on its co-development fund with Germany.
Russia’s Culture Minister Vladimir Medinsky has announced plans to transform national support for the film industry into a revolving fund, increasing investment into film production by 100% by 2017.
Speaking at a press conference in Moscow reviewing the “smooth reform” of state support for cinema introduced last year, Medinsky said that, as from 2014, the proportion of the film funding budget distributed between the Ministry of Culture and the Russian Cinema Fund would increase for the latter to 60% “and maybe even more.”
He stressed that the most important principle in future would be to see revenues flowing back to the Cinema Fund from successful productions so that they could “increase the overall amount of money we invest in the film industry.” According to Medinsky’s calculations, this would mean that the $22.9m (760m Rubles) would be recouped by the Fund from 2013’s productions and $36m (1.2 bn Rubles) this year...
Russia’s Culture Minister Vladimir Medinsky has announced plans to transform national support for the film industry into a revolving fund, increasing investment into film production by 100% by 2017.
Speaking at a press conference in Moscow reviewing the “smooth reform” of state support for cinema introduced last year, Medinsky said that, as from 2014, the proportion of the film funding budget distributed between the Ministry of Culture and the Russian Cinema Fund would increase for the latter to 60% “and maybe even more.”
He stressed that the most important principle in future would be to see revenues flowing back to the Cinema Fund from successful productions so that they could “increase the overall amount of money we invest in the film industry.” According to Medinsky’s calculations, this would mean that the $22.9m (760m Rubles) would be recouped by the Fund from 2013’s productions and $36m (1.2 bn Rubles) this year...
- 1/6/2014
- by screen.berlin@googlemail.com (Martin Blaney)
- ScreenDaily
Films from former socialist bloc countries swept the awards at the 26th Panorama of European Cinema Festival in Athens.
Alexandra Strelyanaya’s The Sea, a Russian production by Alexey Uchitel, received the best film award.
The film is a sentimental drama with social and environmental overtones set in the Russian Kola peninsula on the North Sea coast.
Class Enemy by Slovenian Rok Bicek, in which students and teachers clash at a high school, received the Fipresci award.
Withering by Milos Pusic, a Serbian-Swedish-Swiss co-production about a young villager’s efforts to escape poverty by emigrating to Switzerland, received the audience award.
A career award was presented to local director Yorgos Tsemberopoulos, back from the UK where his latest The Enemy Within played at the London Film Festival.
Other career awards went to veteran art director Anastasia Arseni and celebrated theatre and film actor Minas Hatzissavas.
The festival, steered by artistic director Ninos Fenek Mikelides, featured more than...
Alexandra Strelyanaya’s The Sea, a Russian production by Alexey Uchitel, received the best film award.
The film is a sentimental drama with social and environmental overtones set in the Russian Kola peninsula on the North Sea coast.
Class Enemy by Slovenian Rok Bicek, in which students and teachers clash at a high school, received the Fipresci award.
Withering by Milos Pusic, a Serbian-Swedish-Swiss co-production about a young villager’s efforts to escape poverty by emigrating to Switzerland, received the audience award.
A career award was presented to local director Yorgos Tsemberopoulos, back from the UK where his latest The Enemy Within played at the London Film Festival.
Other career awards went to veteran art director Anastasia Arseni and celebrated theatre and film actor Minas Hatzissavas.
The festival, steered by artistic director Ninos Fenek Mikelides, featured more than...
- 11/28/2013
- by alexisgrivas@yahoo.com (Alexis Grivas)
- ScreenDaily
Stars: Vilma Kutaviciute, Aleksey Mantsygin, Alexander Novyn | Written by Alexander Mindadze, Yuliya Pankasyanova | Directed by Aleksey Uchitel
Review by Scott Clark of Cinehouse
Russia circa 1999 (perhaps even now?) looks like a dangerous place, a place where men are men and looking at someone the wrong way can result in carnage. At least in Aleksey Uchital’s Break Loose, a high-testosterone tragedy that documents the concepts of family, poverty, and cyclical violence around a Russian Ghetto at the turn of the millennium.
The first and most prominent thing about Uchital’s delve into the grungy atmosphere of Russian casuals is the inherent violence of that circle. Violence is rife and actually egged on in both the professional and non-professional lives of this band of brothers. With a keen sense of the injustice of fighting, Uchital professes at first what could be a romancing, but is ultimately a condemning of Clockwork Orange gang violence.
Review by Scott Clark of Cinehouse
Russia circa 1999 (perhaps even now?) looks like a dangerous place, a place where men are men and looking at someone the wrong way can result in carnage. At least in Aleksey Uchital’s Break Loose, a high-testosterone tragedy that documents the concepts of family, poverty, and cyclical violence around a Russian Ghetto at the turn of the millennium.
The first and most prominent thing about Uchital’s delve into the grungy atmosphere of Russian casuals is the inherent violence of that circle. Violence is rife and actually egged on in both the professional and non-professional lives of this band of brothers. With a keen sense of the injustice of fighting, Uchital professes at first what could be a romancing, but is ultimately a condemning of Clockwork Orange gang violence.
- 10/17/2013
- by Guest
- Nerdly
Loose Caboose: Uchitel’s Latest Clings to Convention
Russian director Alexey Uchitel returns with Break Loose, a romantically tinged period piece crime drama that’s nicely packaged, but for a film about breaking free from ties that bind, it ironically adheres to formula. Set during the anxiety ridden days leading up to the new millennium, a close knit group of police officers are oblivious to anything outside a current conflict with a local mob boss. While all elements are seemingly in place for a boisterous good vs. bad guys actioner laced with peculiar political shifts taking place in the background, Uchitel’s exercise is akin to the watered down stakes of Gangster Squad sans the hysterically overwrought performances.
It’s 1999, right on the cusp of a new millennium, and a group of four friends that served a tour together in the army all currently work together for Omon, a Russian...
Russian director Alexey Uchitel returns with Break Loose, a romantically tinged period piece crime drama that’s nicely packaged, but for a film about breaking free from ties that bind, it ironically adheres to formula. Set during the anxiety ridden days leading up to the new millennium, a close knit group of police officers are oblivious to anything outside a current conflict with a local mob boss. While all elements are seemingly in place for a boisterous good vs. bad guys actioner laced with peculiar political shifts taking place in the background, Uchitel’s exercise is akin to the watered down stakes of Gangster Squad sans the hysterically overwrought performances.
It’s 1999, right on the cusp of a new millennium, and a group of four friends that served a tour together in the army all currently work together for Omon, a Russian...
- 9/8/2013
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
All the ingredients are here for a fine thriller - political discord, corrupt cops, ruthless proto-oligarchs, and car chases, all set against the backdrop of the waning years of Yeltsin, and the massive social and political change that would take place under Putin ushering Russia into the new Millennium.Alas, despite its slick facade and moments of overly choreographed brutality, one's left after Alexey Uchitel's Break Loose simply wanting more - wanting more believable interactions between our characters, more believable consequences for some of the actions, and simply more excitement.This group of Special Police that have a beef with a local developer, tied to a passionate betrayal of love, should provide enough spice to keep things interesting, but even with a brisk running time things seem...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 9/8/2013
- Screen Anarchy
Russian promotional body’s deal with Gravity Venture and Hulu set to expand.
Russian promotional body Roskino continues its Doors travelling film market in Toronto, with films promoted including Alexey Uchitel’s crime drama Break Loose [pictured] and Yury Bykov’s The Major (both of which are selected for Tiff’s Contemporary World Cinema section), Avdotia Smirnova’s romantic comedy 2 Days, Vasily Serikov’s action thriller 22 Minutes, Vladimir Karabanov’s road movie Elephant, and Svetlana Baskova’s drama For Marx.
More than 20 companies are attending Toronto under the Roskino umbrella, including Central Partnership, Koktebel, Glavkino, Mosfilm, Len Film and Sverdlovsk Film Studios.
Roskino CEO Catherine Mtsitouridze said that the Doors deal with Gravity Ventures and Hulu, which presents Russian films on the online platform, is set to expand soon.
Doors will also include industry screenings at the Message to Man International Film Festival later this month in St Petersburg, which will invite global buyers.
“The Russian...
Russian promotional body Roskino continues its Doors travelling film market in Toronto, with films promoted including Alexey Uchitel’s crime drama Break Loose [pictured] and Yury Bykov’s The Major (both of which are selected for Tiff’s Contemporary World Cinema section), Avdotia Smirnova’s romantic comedy 2 Days, Vasily Serikov’s action thriller 22 Minutes, Vladimir Karabanov’s road movie Elephant, and Svetlana Baskova’s drama For Marx.
More than 20 companies are attending Toronto under the Roskino umbrella, including Central Partnership, Koktebel, Glavkino, Mosfilm, Len Film and Sverdlovsk Film Studios.
Roskino CEO Catherine Mtsitouridze said that the Doors deal with Gravity Ventures and Hulu, which presents Russian films on the online platform, is set to expand soon.
Doors will also include industry screenings at the Message to Man International Film Festival later this month in St Petersburg, which will invite global buyers.
“The Russian...
- 9/7/2013
- by wendy.mitchell@screendaily.com (Wendy Mitchell)
- ScreenDaily
The first trailer has been released for the Russian crime drama Break Loose, directed by Alexey Uchitel, of Russia’s 2010 entry for the foreign language Oscar The Edge. The film will make its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September as part of the Contemporary World Cinema section. The film is based on the Russian novel Vosmerka by Zakhar Prilepin, which draws comparisons to Training Day and Goodfellas. Set amidst the amoral criminal underbelly of Russia during the last days of 1999 – after Glasnost and before Putin – Break Loose is described as an explosive crime drama about crooked cops, smooth talking mobsters, and a femme fatale who will all do anything to survive.
The post Tiff 2013: Watch the First Trailer for Russian Crime Thriller ‘Break Loose’ appeared first on Sound On Sight.
The post Tiff 2013: Watch the First Trailer for Russian Crime Thriller ‘Break Loose’ appeared first on Sound On Sight.
- 9/4/2013
- by Ricky
- SoundOnSight
It's Russian government billy clubs-a-plenty in the first trailer for the latest from The Edge director Alexey Uchitel. From its opening scene featuring a gritty, take-no-prisoners gang brawl inside a hot and sweaty Russian nightclub, Alexey Uchitel's new crime drama explodes onto the screen. Breathlessly paced, Break Loose hurtles us into a violent rivalry between two groups of street thugs, and offers a classic story of love and camaraderie in a dangerous milieu. Herman, Lykov, Shorokh, and Grekh are the best of friends. Having each done their service in the army, they now serve as operatives in Omon, the Russian special police force. By night, they troll the crime-ridden streets, looking for whatever excitement is to be had. When a simple misunderstanding with the...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 8/28/2013
- Screen Anarchy
Exclusive: Wide Management has acquired world sales rights to Russian crime drama Break Loose, directed and produced by Alexey Uchitel.
The film will have its world premiere in Toronto’s Contemporary World Cinema section.
Break Loose is based on the autobiographical best-selling Russian novel Vosmerka by Zakhar Prilepin, and tells the story of a police operative who falls for a ganster’s moll.
Uchitel’s Rock Films produced. The Wide deal excludes Russia and the Cis, where Rock Films has already sold the rights to Timur Bekmambetov’s Bazelevs Distribution (which will launch in early 2014).
The sales deal was negotiated by Loïc Magneron, President and founder of Wide Management, and Olga Aylarova on behalf of Rock Films.
“Loïc Magneron of Wide Management is impressive in his knowledge of the market trends and the buyers but even more impressive in his individualized handling of each film and each filmmaker,” said co-producer Kira Saksaganskaya.
“This powerful...
The film will have its world premiere in Toronto’s Contemporary World Cinema section.
Break Loose is based on the autobiographical best-selling Russian novel Vosmerka by Zakhar Prilepin, and tells the story of a police operative who falls for a ganster’s moll.
Uchitel’s Rock Films produced. The Wide deal excludes Russia and the Cis, where Rock Films has already sold the rights to Timur Bekmambetov’s Bazelevs Distribution (which will launch in early 2014).
The sales deal was negotiated by Loïc Magneron, President and founder of Wide Management, and Olga Aylarova on behalf of Rock Films.
“Loïc Magneron of Wide Management is impressive in his knowledge of the market trends and the buyers but even more impressive in his individualized handling of each film and each filmmaker,” said co-producer Kira Saksaganskaya.
“This powerful...
- 8/28/2013
- by wendy.mitchell@screendaily.com (Wendy Mitchell)
- ScreenDaily
The Contemporary World Cinema section of the Toronto International Film Festival often gives the attendees an opportunity to see the kinds of ideas and methods that are being used by filmmakers outside the Us. It also gives filmmakers a chance to tell stories that may otherwise not gain attention outside of its setting, giving filmgoers a look at some unfamiliar characters and tales. One such feature this year is the newest film from veteran Russian director Alexey Uchitel, whose latest feature, titled Vosmerka, or Break Loose, is a crime drama set in Russia during 1999. The first trailer for the film, screening at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival, has now been released, and can be seen below.
(Source: Indiewire)
The post Tiff 2013: Watch the first trailer for Russian crime drama ‘Vosmerka’, aka ‘Break Loose’ appeared first on Sound On Sight.
(Source: Indiewire)
The post Tiff 2013: Watch the first trailer for Russian crime drama ‘Vosmerka’, aka ‘Break Loose’ appeared first on Sound On Sight.
- 8/28/2013
- by Deepayan Sengupta
- SoundOnSight
Watch the exclusive debut of the thrilling trailer for "Break Loose," a muscular and violent Russian crime drama by Alexey Uchitel, director of Russia's 2010 entry for the foreign language Oscar "The Edge." Starring Alexey Mantsigyn, the film will make its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September as part of the Contemporary World Cinema section. Here's the synopsis:Based on the Russian novel "Vosmerka" by Zakhar Prilepin, the film suggests "Training Day" meets "Goodfellas" in the wildly unpredictable and dangerous Russia of the not-too-distant past. Set amidst the amoral criminal underbelly of Russia during the last days of 1999 - after Glasnost and before Putin - "Break Loose" is an explosive crime drama about crooked cops, smooth talking mobsters, and a femme fatale who will all do anything to survive.
- 8/27/2013
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Thompson on Hollywood
The 38th Toronto International Film Festival has released an incredible guest list of celebrated talent from around the globe. Filmmakers expected to present their world premieres in Toronto include: Catherine Breillat, Nicole Garcia, Pawel Pawlikowski, Bertrand Tavernier, Steve McQueen, Godfrey Reggio, Denis Villeneuve, Bill Condon, Jean-Marc Vallée, John Wells, Ralph Fiennes, Richard Ayoade, Atom Egoyan, Matthew Weiner, John Carney, Jason Reitman, Jason Bateman, Yorgos Servetas, Liza Johnson, Megan Griffiths, Fernando Eimbcke, Alexey Uchitel, Johnny Ma, Biyi Bandele, Rashid Masharawi, Paul Haggis, Ron Howard, Eli Roth, Álex de la Iglesia, Bruce McDonald, Jennifer Baichwal, John Ridley, and Justin Chadwick.
The Festival also welcomes thousands of producers and other industry professionals bringing films to us.
The following filmmakers and artists are expected to attend the Toronto International Film Festival:
Ahmad Abdalla, Hany Abu-Assad, Yuval Adler, Akosua Adoma Owusu, Alexandre Aja, Bruce Alcock, Gianni Amelio, Thanos Anastopoulos, Madeline Anderson, Nimród Antal, Louise Archambault,...
The Festival also welcomes thousands of producers and other industry professionals bringing films to us.
The following filmmakers and artists are expected to attend the Toronto International Film Festival:
Ahmad Abdalla, Hany Abu-Assad, Yuval Adler, Akosua Adoma Owusu, Alexandre Aja, Bruce Alcock, Gianni Amelio, Thanos Anastopoulos, Madeline Anderson, Nimród Antal, Louise Archambault,...
- 8/21/2013
- by Ricky
- SoundOnSight
One of Russia's most consistently high quality directors, Alexey Uchitel has won acclaim around the world for his edgy yet entertaining far and he makes an appearance in this year's Toronto International Film Festival with his latest offering - crime drama Break Loose. The festival describes it like this:Gifted Russian director Alexey Uchitel (The Edge) returns to the Festival with this explosive, pulse-pounding crime drama about the violent rivalry that erupts when an elite police operative falls for a gangster's moll.Though the trailer doesn't include English subtitles it still provides more than enough to get the point. Take a look below....
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 8/16/2013
- Screen Anarchy
Final batch of Tiff titles were announced today and among the international hodgepodge of items trickling we find Berlin (Golden Bear winner Child’s Pose), Cannes (The Selfish Giant – Europa Cinemas Label winner and Stranger by the Lake by Alain Guiraudie), Karlovy Vary (Crystal Globe winner Le Grand Cahier ) and Locarno (Corneliu Porumboiu’s When Evening Falls on Bucharest or Metabolism) Film Fest items added to the Toronto Int. Film Festival’s Contemporary World Cinema lineup. Alongside those that have already premiered elsewhere, the titles that have got our attention are world premiere offerings from the likes of award-winning Icelandic helmer Ragnar Bragason (Metalhead), Revanche‘s Götz Spielmann (October November – see pic above) and Mexican filmmaker Fernando Eimbcke’s Club Sandwich. Here’s the added titles to the section which already includes: Catherine Martin’s A Journey (Une Jeune Fille), Ingrid Veninger’s The Animal Project, Terry Miles’ Cinemanovels, Bruce Sweeney...
- 8/13/2013
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
The titles just keep coming as we are now just over three weeks away from the start of the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival and they have gone and added 90 new feature length titles to the program and it's not as if they are titles you haven't heard of. New to the Galas selection is Guillaume Canet's Blood Ties which premiered at Cannes earlier this year (read my review here) and Words and Pictures starring Clive Owen and Juliette Binoche. In the Special Presentations selection you find the bulk of the more noted titles including Alex Gibney's new documentary The Armstrong Lie about cyclist Lance Armstrong, Johnnie To's Blind Detective which also premiered at Cannes, James Franco's Child of God based on the Cormac McCarthy novel, John Turturro's Fading Gigolo which features Woody Allen in one of the roles, Kevin Macdonald's How I Live Now...
- 8/13/2013
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
World premieres of Kevin Macdonald’s How I Live Now, Fred Schepisi’s Words And Pictures and John Turturro’s Fading Gigolo are among the Tiff line-up of galas and special presentations.
The Contemporary World Cinema strand includes first views of Jan Hrebejk’s Honeymoon, Donovan Marsh’s iNumber Number and Fernando Coimbra’s A Wolf At The Door.
The Toronto International Film Festival is scheduled to run from Sept 5-15.
Wp = World premiere
IP = International premiere
Np = North American premiere
Cp = Canadian premiere
Tp = Toronto premiere
GALASBlood Ties Guillaume Canet (France-us) NAPBright Days Ahead (Les Beaux Jours) Marion Vernoux (France) NAPWords & Pictures Fred Schepisi (Us) Wpspecial Presentationsa Promise (Une Promesse) Patrice Leconte (Belgium-France) NAPThe Armstrong Lie Alex Gibney (Us) NAPBlind Detective Johnnie To (Hong Kong) NAPChild Of God James Franco (Us) NAPThe Face Of Love Arie Posin (Us) WPFading Gigolo John Turturro (Us) WPThe Finishers Nils Tavernier (Belgium-France) WPHow I Live Now Kevin Macdonald (UK) WPThe...
The Contemporary World Cinema strand includes first views of Jan Hrebejk’s Honeymoon, Donovan Marsh’s iNumber Number and Fernando Coimbra’s A Wolf At The Door.
The Toronto International Film Festival is scheduled to run from Sept 5-15.
Wp = World premiere
IP = International premiere
Np = North American premiere
Cp = Canadian premiere
Tp = Toronto premiere
GALASBlood Ties Guillaume Canet (France-us) NAPBright Days Ahead (Les Beaux Jours) Marion Vernoux (France) NAPWords & Pictures Fred Schepisi (Us) Wpspecial Presentationsa Promise (Une Promesse) Patrice Leconte (Belgium-France) NAPThe Armstrong Lie Alex Gibney (Us) NAPBlind Detective Johnnie To (Hong Kong) NAPChild Of God James Franco (Us) NAPThe Face Of Love Arie Posin (Us) WPFading Gigolo John Turturro (Us) WPThe Finishers Nils Tavernier (Belgium-France) WPHow I Live Now Kevin Macdonald (UK) WPThe...
- 8/13/2013
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
World premieres of Kevin Macdonald’s How I Live Now, Fred Schepisi’s Words And Pictures and John Turturro’s Fading Gigolo are among the TIFF line-up of galas and special presentations announced on Tuesday [13].
The Contemporary World Cinema strand includes first views of Jan Hrebejk’s Honeymoon, Donovan Marsh’s iNumber Number and Fernando Coimbra’s A Wolf At The Door.
The Toronto International Film Festival is scheduled to run from Sept 5-15.
Wp = World premiere
IP = International premiere
Np = North American premiere
Cp = Canadian premiere
Tp = Toronto premiere
GALASBlood Ties Guillaume Canet (France-us) NAPBright Days Ahead (Les Beaux Jours) Marion Vernoux (France) NAPWords & Pictures Fred Schepisi (Us) Wpspecial Presentationsa Promise (Une Promesse) Patrice Leconte (Belgium-France) NAPThe Armstrong Lie Alex Gibney (Us) NAPBlind Detective Johnnie To (Hong Kong) NAPChild Of God James Franco (Us) NAPThe Face Of Love Arie Posin (Us) WPFading Gigolo John Turturro (Us) WPThe Finishers Nils Tavernier (Belgium-France) WPHow I Live Now [link...
The Contemporary World Cinema strand includes first views of Jan Hrebejk’s Honeymoon, Donovan Marsh’s iNumber Number and Fernando Coimbra’s A Wolf At The Door.
The Toronto International Film Festival is scheduled to run from Sept 5-15.
Wp = World premiere
IP = International premiere
Np = North American premiere
Cp = Canadian premiere
Tp = Toronto premiere
GALASBlood Ties Guillaume Canet (France-us) NAPBright Days Ahead (Les Beaux Jours) Marion Vernoux (France) NAPWords & Pictures Fred Schepisi (Us) Wpspecial Presentationsa Promise (Une Promesse) Patrice Leconte (Belgium-France) NAPThe Armstrong Lie Alex Gibney (Us) NAPBlind Detective Johnnie To (Hong Kong) NAPChild Of God James Franco (Us) NAPThe Face Of Love Arie Posin (Us) WPFading Gigolo John Turturro (Us) WPThe Finishers Nils Tavernier (Belgium-France) WPHow I Live Now [link...
- 8/13/2013
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
With Paul Schrader reaching and exceeding his 150K Kickstarter goal as part of funding for the upcoming film “The Canyons,” the writer/director has wasted no time at all prepping his next project, one which could prove a harder sell to audiences - the life story of 19th century ballerina Matilda Kshesinskaya. Luckily though, one of Russia's most notable contemporary directors will aid him in bringing the biopic to life.
Schrader announced recently he plans to pen only the screenplay for the film, while letting director Aleksey Uchitel, whose 2010 drama “The Edge” was submitted as Russia's Oscar entry, helm the project. The untitled biopic will follow Kshesinkaya from her poverty-stricken Polish childhood to eventually earning the highest ballet honors there are, while also focusing on her affair with the future Tsar Nicholas II of Russia, who described her as “the ultimate femme fatale.”
This was not the last moniker the charismatic Kshesinkaya attained,...
Schrader announced recently he plans to pen only the screenplay for the film, while letting director Aleksey Uchitel, whose 2010 drama “The Edge” was submitted as Russia's Oscar entry, helm the project. The untitled biopic will follow Kshesinkaya from her poverty-stricken Polish childhood to eventually earning the highest ballet honors there are, while also focusing on her affair with the future Tsar Nicholas II of Russia, who described her as “the ultimate femme fatale.”
This was not the last moniker the charismatic Kshesinkaya attained,...
- 6/11/2012
- by Charlie Schmidlin
- The Playlist
Tipping on the edge of the tracks and threatening to fall under the weight of its hysterics, this film conveys the dark humor and chaos that was post-war Russia. Aleksei Uchitel.s steam punk masterpiece copped a 2011 nomination for a Golden Globe Best Foreign Language Film Award. It also railroaded the competition for three Russian Nika wins including Vladimir Mashkov for Best Actor, Yuri Klimenko for Best Cinematographer and Best Film. Together with another four nominations, .Kray. steamed off with nominations in half of all of the Nika categories in 2011. Not bad for a film with a half dozen actors and three old locomotives. Ok, they are great locomotives. So any of you steam engine aficionados...
- 11/21/2011
- by Ron Wilkinson
- Monsters and Critics
Foreign Oscar Nominees Talk Their Process And How They Avoid The (Melo)drama We recently had the opportunity to sit in on a panel at the American Cinemateque with some of the best foreign film nominees at last month's Golden Globes (and 2 that have gone on to become Oscar nominees): Luca Guadagnino, Alejandro González Iñárritu, Susanne Bier and Aleksei Uchitel (Radu Mihaileanu, director of "The Concert" was still on a plane coming in from France). Moderating the panel was Screen International Editor, Mike Goodridge, who led a fascinating discussion that in the end, came to about 2 hours. While we…...
- 2/8/2011
- The Playlist
Mike Goodridge of Screen International moderated a panel discussion with Golden Globe nominees for Best Foreign Language Film Luca Guadagnino (I Am Love, Italy), Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu (Biutiful, Spain/Mexico), Susanne Bier (In a Better World, Denmark) and Aleksei Uchitel (The Edge, Russia), hosted by the American Cinematheque at Hollywood's Egyptian Theatre. The only no-show was Radu Mihaileanu (The Concert, France). Bier, Inarritu and Uchitel's films were also submitted by their countries for Oscar consideration (nominees will be announced January 25). Sophia Savage reports: The panelists covered their experience as international filmmakers, working with actors, why they are drawn to certain subject matter, and the reception of their films worldwide. While they all agreed that their countries' politicians were not likely to have seen their films ...
- 1/16/2011
- Thompson on Hollywood
U.S. rights to Russia’s official Academy Award entry "The Edge" by Alexey Uchitel ("Captive") have been picked up by Samuel Goldwyn Films. The film recently had its U.S. debut at the Palm Springs International Film Festival after premiering at Toronto and other international festivals. Meyer Gottlieb, president of Samuel Goldwyn Films negotiated the deal with Sergei Bespalov, president of Sun Rise Films. Goldwyn plans a Spring 2011 theatrical roll out. ...
- 1/14/2011
- Indiewire
Samuel Goldwyn Films acquired U.S. distribution rights to The Edge, Russia's Academy Award entry that is nominated for Best Foreign Language Film in Sunday's Golden Globes. The Alexey Uchitel-directed film has been set for a spring, 2011 release.
- 1/13/2011
- by MIKE FLEMING
- Deadline
I know all you Russian film fanatics out there may know which film the nation chose to represent it at the 83rd Annual Academy Awards but for those of you without a clue I’m here to help you.
The Russians have decided to go with a film by the name of Kray, also known as The Edge. It’s a film that has been described as a romantic war epic that seems to have a slight post-apocalyptic feel to it.
The reason I mention all of this to you is because a new poster has been released to help promote the film to non-Russian audiences. Below you will find the latest poster for Aleksei Uchitel’s film along with a detailed synopsis to clarify any questions you may have about the poster.
Synopsis:
Fusing steampunk aesthetics with selective fragments of Russian history, director Alexey Uchitel hurls his new love-laced...
The Russians have decided to go with a film by the name of Kray, also known as The Edge. It’s a film that has been described as a romantic war epic that seems to have a slight post-apocalyptic feel to it.
The reason I mention all of this to you is because a new poster has been released to help promote the film to non-Russian audiences. Below you will find the latest poster for Aleksei Uchitel’s film along with a detailed synopsis to clarify any questions you may have about the poster.
Synopsis:
Fusing steampunk aesthetics with selective fragments of Russian history, director Alexey Uchitel hurls his new love-laced...
- 11/17/2010
- by Alex DiGiovanna
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
While I do not think that something as edgy or unusual as Giorgos Lanthimos' Dogtooth (pictured above) will make the 'final five' short list, but kudos to Greece for throwing it out there. Perhaps something like Tetsuya Nakashima's Confessions will make the cut despite its similarly unsettling subject matter. Either way, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences did put out a big release yesterday with all of their Foreign Language film submissions, 65 of them in total even Greenland, from various countries. Many of these films have reviews in our archives.
Albania, East West East, Gjergj Xhuvani
Algeria, Hors la Loi ("Outside the Law"), Rachid Bouchareb
Argentina, Carancho, Pablo Trapero
Austria, La Pivellina, Tizza Covi and Rainer Frimmel
Azerbaijan, The Precinct, Ilgar Safat
Bangladesh, Third Person Singular Number, Mostofa Sarwar Farooki
Belgium, Illegal, Olivier Masset-Depasse
Bosnia and Herzegovina, Circus Columbia, Danis Tanovic
Brazil, Lula the Son of Brazil,...
Albania, East West East, Gjergj Xhuvani
Algeria, Hors la Loi ("Outside the Law"), Rachid Bouchareb
Argentina, Carancho, Pablo Trapero
Austria, La Pivellina, Tizza Covi and Rainer Frimmel
Azerbaijan, The Precinct, Ilgar Safat
Bangladesh, Third Person Singular Number, Mostofa Sarwar Farooki
Belgium, Illegal, Olivier Masset-Depasse
Bosnia and Herzegovina, Circus Columbia, Danis Tanovic
Brazil, Lula the Son of Brazil,...
- 10/14/2010
- Screen Anarchy
65 Countries Enter Race for 2010 Foreign Language Film Oscar®
Beverly Hills, CA: Sixty-five countries, including first-time entrants Ethiopia and Greenland, have submitted films for consideration in the Foreign Language Film category for the 83rd Academy Awards®.
The 2010 submissions are:
.Albania, .East, West, East,. Gjergj Xhuvani, director;
.Algeria, .Hors la Loi. (.Outside the Law.), Rachid Bouchareb, director;
.Argentina, .Carancho,. Pablo Trapero, director;
.Austria, .La Pivellina,. Tizza Covi and Rainer Frimmel, directors;
.Azerbaijan, .The Precinct,. Ilgar Safat, director;
.Bangladesh, .Third Person Singular Number,. Mostofa Sarwar Farooki, director;
.Belgium, .Illegal,. Olivier Masset-Depasse, director;
.Bosnia and Herzegovina, .Circus Columbia,. Danis Tanovic, director;
.Brazil, .Lula, the Son of Brazil,. Fabio Barreto, director;
.Bulgaria, .Eastern Plays,. Kamen Kalev, director;
.Canada, .Incendies,. Denis Villeneuve, director;
.Chile, .The Life of Fish,. Matias Bize, director;
.China, .Aftershock,. Feng Xiaogang, director;
.Colombia, .Crab Trap,. Oscar Ruiz Navia, director;
.Costa Rica, .Of Love and Other Demons,. Hilda Hidalgo, director;
.Croatia, .The Blacks,...
Beverly Hills, CA: Sixty-five countries, including first-time entrants Ethiopia and Greenland, have submitted films for consideration in the Foreign Language Film category for the 83rd Academy Awards®.
The 2010 submissions are:
.Albania, .East, West, East,. Gjergj Xhuvani, director;
.Algeria, .Hors la Loi. (.Outside the Law.), Rachid Bouchareb, director;
.Argentina, .Carancho,. Pablo Trapero, director;
.Austria, .La Pivellina,. Tizza Covi and Rainer Frimmel, directors;
.Azerbaijan, .The Precinct,. Ilgar Safat, director;
.Bangladesh, .Third Person Singular Number,. Mostofa Sarwar Farooki, director;
.Belgium, .Illegal,. Olivier Masset-Depasse, director;
.Bosnia and Herzegovina, .Circus Columbia,. Danis Tanovic, director;
.Brazil, .Lula, the Son of Brazil,. Fabio Barreto, director;
.Bulgaria, .Eastern Plays,. Kamen Kalev, director;
.Canada, .Incendies,. Denis Villeneuve, director;
.Chile, .The Life of Fish,. Matias Bize, director;
.China, .Aftershock,. Feng Xiaogang, director;
.Colombia, .Crab Trap,. Oscar Ruiz Navia, director;
.Costa Rica, .Of Love and Other Demons,. Hilda Hidalgo, director;
.Croatia, .The Blacks,...
- 10/13/2010
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Wow, that's a lot of flicks. Everything from Peter Mullan's Neds to Benedek Fliegauf's Womb (that's right, it's a trailer!) to more Greek weirdness in Athena Tsangari's Attenberg. I wish I was going.
It's late so I'm not writing much of a post here.. Maybe I'll update tomorrow.
Full list after the break via Variety.
Contemporary World Cinema
(World preems)
* "Home for Christmas," Bent Hamer (Norway/Germany/Sweden)
* "Behind Blue Skies," Hannes Holm (Sweden)
* "Even The Rain," Iciar Bollain (Spain/France/Mexico)
* "The First Grader," Justin Chadwick (I.K.)
* "Neds," Peter Mullan (U.K./France/Italy)
* "White Irish Drinkers," John Gray (U.S.)
* "22nd of May," Koen Mortier (Belgium)
* "African United," Deb Gardner-Paterson (U.K.)
* "Blessed Events," Isabelle Stever (Germany)
* "The Edge," Alexey Uchitel (Russia)
* "Jucy," Louise Alston (Australia)
* "Lapland Odyssey," Dome Karukoski (Finland)
* "Late Autumn," Kim Teo-Yong (South Korea)
* "Matariki" Michael Bennet (New Zealand)
* "Tracker" Ian Sharp (U.
It's late so I'm not writing much of a post here.. Maybe I'll update tomorrow.
Full list after the break via Variety.
Contemporary World Cinema
(World preems)
* "Home for Christmas," Bent Hamer (Norway/Germany/Sweden)
* "Behind Blue Skies," Hannes Holm (Sweden)
* "Even The Rain," Iciar Bollain (Spain/France/Mexico)
* "The First Grader," Justin Chadwick (I.K.)
* "Neds," Peter Mullan (U.K./France/Italy)
* "White Irish Drinkers," John Gray (U.S.)
* "22nd of May," Koen Mortier (Belgium)
* "African United," Deb Gardner-Paterson (U.K.)
* "Blessed Events," Isabelle Stever (Germany)
* "The Edge," Alexey Uchitel (Russia)
* "Jucy," Louise Alston (Australia)
* "Lapland Odyssey," Dome Karukoski (Finland)
* "Late Autumn," Kim Teo-Yong (South Korea)
* "Matariki" Michael Bennet (New Zealand)
* "Tracker" Ian Sharp (U.
- 8/25/2010
- QuietEarth.us
Rachel Weisz in The Whistleblower The Toronto International Film Festival has added even more films to their line-up today as the complete line-up was announced, which ended up causing the festival's server to crash, but I was lucky enough to get in and get out before missing out on the information.
First off, the festival's Mavericks line-up is quite interesting, which includes a series of guest presentations and this year will see Edward Norton interview Bruce Springsteen, NBA All-Star and native Canadian Steve Nash will present his hour-long film Into the Wind, Apichatpong Weerasethakul will talk with the audience as his Cannes Palm d'Or-winning film Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall his Past Lives was just added to the Masters programme, Ken Loach and Paul Laverty will be interviewed by Michael Moore on politics and cinema and Philip Seymour Hoffman will have his own panel. Also on hand will be Bill Gates,...
First off, the festival's Mavericks line-up is quite interesting, which includes a series of guest presentations and this year will see Edward Norton interview Bruce Springsteen, NBA All-Star and native Canadian Steve Nash will present his hour-long film Into the Wind, Apichatpong Weerasethakul will talk with the audience as his Cannes Palm d'Or-winning film Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall his Past Lives was just added to the Masters programme, Ken Loach and Paul Laverty will be interviewed by Michael Moore on politics and cinema and Philip Seymour Hoffman will have his own panel. Also on hand will be Bill Gates,...
- 8/24/2010
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
The sophomore film from the director of Ex Drummer, Swedish thriller Bad Faith, Pablo Trapero's Carancho (my personal favorite film from Cannes 2010), Tsui Hark's Detective Dee, Tom Tykwer's Three and a host of others populate one of the more exciting lineups for the Tiff Contemporary World Cinema Program in recent years. Here's the complete lineup:
22nd of May Koen Mortier, Belgium World Premiere
The director of Ex-Drummer returns with an artful meditation on political violence. A security guard fails to prevent a horrific explosion in a shopping mall, then lives through the aftermath as a series of overlapping what-ifs.
Africa United Debs Gardner-Paterson, United Kingdom World Premiere
Africa United tells the extraordinary story of three Rwandan children and their bid to achieve their lifelong dream - to take part in the opening ceremony of the 2010 Football World Cup in Johannesburg.
Aftershock Feng Xiaogang, China North American Premiere...
22nd of May Koen Mortier, Belgium World Premiere
The director of Ex-Drummer returns with an artful meditation on political violence. A security guard fails to prevent a horrific explosion in a shopping mall, then lives through the aftermath as a series of overlapping what-ifs.
Africa United Debs Gardner-Paterson, United Kingdom World Premiere
Africa United tells the extraordinary story of three Rwandan children and their bid to achieve their lifelong dream - to take part in the opening ceremony of the 2010 Football World Cup in Johannesburg.
Aftershock Feng Xiaogang, China North American Premiere...
- 8/24/2010
- Screen Anarchy
Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic -- The modern Danish Western "Terribly Happy" was named best film in the official competition at the 43rd Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, which ended Saturday.
The film, directed by Henrik Ruben Genz, took home the Grand Prix Crystal Globe. A special jury prize was given to "The Photograph," a story set in Indonesia directed by Singapore's Nan T. Achnas. Russia's Alexey Uchitel was named best director for his war picture "Captive."
The best film award in the major sidebar East of the West went to Kazakhstan director Sergey Dvortsevoy's "Tulpan," which won the top prize in Un Certain Regard at this year's Festival de Cannes.
Nikita Mikhalkov's "12," a modern Russian version of "12 Angry Men" that was nominated for a best foreign-language Oscar, won the audience award and British director James Marsh's "Man on Wire" was named best feature documentary.
Special jury mentions went to Polish/Czech film "The Karamazovs," directed by Petr Zelenka, and Hungary's "The Investigator," directed by Attila Gigor. Martha Issova and Jiri Madl were named best actress and actor for the Czech film "Night Owls."
Actors Robert De Niro, Danny Glover, Christopher Lee and Armin Mueller-Stahl were among those who received awards for outstanding contributions to world cinema. Czech director Ivan Passer, who was chairman of the jury for the official competition, was similarly honored.
The film, directed by Henrik Ruben Genz, took home the Grand Prix Crystal Globe. A special jury prize was given to "The Photograph," a story set in Indonesia directed by Singapore's Nan T. Achnas. Russia's Alexey Uchitel was named best director for his war picture "Captive."
The best film award in the major sidebar East of the West went to Kazakhstan director Sergey Dvortsevoy's "Tulpan," which won the top prize in Un Certain Regard at this year's Festival de Cannes.
Nikita Mikhalkov's "12," a modern Russian version of "12 Angry Men" that was nominated for a best foreign-language Oscar, won the audience award and British director James Marsh's "Man on Wire" was named best feature documentary.
Special jury mentions went to Polish/Czech film "The Karamazovs," directed by Petr Zelenka, and Hungary's "The Investigator," directed by Attila Gigor. Martha Issova and Jiri Madl were named best actress and actor for the Czech film "Night Owls."
Actors Robert De Niro, Danny Glover, Christopher Lee and Armin Mueller-Stahl were among those who received awards for outstanding contributions to world cinema. Czech director Ivan Passer, who was chairman of the jury for the official competition, was similarly honored.
- 7/13/2008
- by By Ray Bennett
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
MOSCOW -- Nominations for Russia's top film awards, the Golden Eagles, were announced Thursday amid a torrent of criticism from press and critics who disagreed with the way the films were chosen, voted on and categorized. This is the second Golden Eagles -- the National Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences launched them last year -- and they are due to be presented Jan. 31 to movies made or funded by Russians from August 2002 to October 2003. Nominations for best film include Russia's pick for Oscar contention, Andrei Zvyagintsev's The Return, which is screening at the Sundance festival this week, and Aleksei Uchitel's video-format feature The Stroll, which opened last year's Moscow International Film Festival.
- 1/16/2004
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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