Few cinematic traditions are more enduring than thinking up new and inventive ways to beat up Nazis. From “Inglourious Basterds” and “Raiders of the Lost Ark” to “Dead Snow” and “Sisu,” such projects run the gamut: prestige pictures, blockbusters, low-rent genre fare and everything in between. Icelandic helmer Óskar Thór Axelsson’s “Operation Napoleon,” an adaptation of the bestseller by Arnaldur Indriðason, is the latest offshoot of that storied subgenre: the alt-history thriller that imagines the long-lasting effects of a heretofore untold Third Reich conspiracy.
With such first-act intrigue as a shadowy CIA official instructing a subordinate to “initiate phase one” over the phone and the discovery of an intact Nazi aircraft on Iceland’s Vatnajökull glacier in the present day, the film is sure to endear itself to a certain kind of genre-loving movie buff. As the plot fails to truly thicken and the film settles into something unexpectedly self-serious,...
With such first-act intrigue as a shadowy CIA official instructing a subordinate to “initiate phase one” over the phone and the discovery of an intact Nazi aircraft on Iceland’s Vatnajökull glacier in the present day, the film is sure to endear itself to a certain kind of genre-loving movie buff. As the plot fails to truly thicken and the film settles into something unexpectedly self-serious,...
- 8/10/2023
- by Michael Nordine
- Variety Film + TV
“Operation Napoleon” is a new action thriller directed by by Óskar Thór Axelsson, releasing August 11, 2023:
“…Icelandic-based lawyer ‘Kristin’ gets drawn into the vortex of an international conspiracy when she receives footage of an airplane wreck, recently revealed by the melting of one of Iceland’s largest glaciers.
“The old German World War II plane not only brings ruthless criminals onto the scene, but also ‘CIA’ director ‘William Carr’, who has been secretly trying to remove the wreck for a long time. Kristin refuses to rest until the key has been discovered that will solve the riddle of ‘Operation Napoleon’…”
Click the images to enlarge…...
“…Icelandic-based lawyer ‘Kristin’ gets drawn into the vortex of an international conspiracy when she receives footage of an airplane wreck, recently revealed by the melting of one of Iceland’s largest glaciers.
“The old German World War II plane not only brings ruthless criminals onto the scene, but also ‘CIA’ director ‘William Carr’, who has been secretly trying to remove the wreck for a long time. Kristin refuses to rest until the key has been discovered that will solve the riddle of ‘Operation Napoleon’…”
Click the images to enlarge…...
- 8/8/2023
- by Unknown
- SneakPeek
Key deals for ’Operation Napoleon’, ’The Fox’, ’Let The River Flow’ and ’Diabolik’ films
Germany’s Beta Cinema has agreed a raft of major territory deals for its Cannes slate.
Icelandic thriller Operation Napoleon, starring Iain Glen and Ólafur Darri Ólafsson, has sold to Magnolia for North America and Signature Entertainment for UK/Ireland. It has also added Portugal (Pris) and Czech Republic (Bonton Films) to its list of sold territories which already included key territories like France (Mediawan), Spain (Twelve Oaks) and Japan (Tohokushinsha).
The English-language film is about a lawyer drawn into an international conspiracy when falsely accused of a murder.
Germany’s Beta Cinema has agreed a raft of major territory deals for its Cannes slate.
Icelandic thriller Operation Napoleon, starring Iain Glen and Ólafur Darri Ólafsson, has sold to Magnolia for North America and Signature Entertainment for UK/Ireland. It has also added Portugal (Pris) and Czech Republic (Bonton Films) to its list of sold territories which already included key territories like France (Mediawan), Spain (Twelve Oaks) and Japan (Tohokushinsha).
The English-language film is about a lawyer drawn into an international conspiracy when falsely accused of a murder.
- 5/20/2023
- by Tim Dams
- ScreenDaily
London, UK – March 28, 2023 – Ragnarok was just the beginning… of the end. Fireshine Games and Ember Paw Games are excited to announce Odinfall, a Viking-themed, roguelite twin-stick shooter, launching on Steam Early Access this summer, and with a Closed Alpha kicking off the frag-naroking action on April 10th. Sign-up now for guaranteed access.
Wreak vengeance in a post-apocalyptic world as one of multiple playable characters on a quest to prevent Odin from triggering a second Ragnarok. Because the world ending once just wasn’t enough.
Punch gods in the face as the Cyberserker, slice through mobs as the Dark Elf, mine gold to upgrade your gear as the Dwarf, dual-wield guns twice your size as the manic Gnome, or stampede your foes as a freakin’ Viking Moose.
Equip yourself with outrageous weapons in an endlessly-modifiable armoury, like an acid-spitting minigun or an ice-bow that turns enemies into popsicles, and upgrade your...
Wreak vengeance in a post-apocalyptic world as one of multiple playable characters on a quest to prevent Odin from triggering a second Ragnarok. Because the world ending once just wasn’t enough.
Punch gods in the face as the Cyberserker, slice through mobs as the Dark Elf, mine gold to upgrade your gear as the Dwarf, dual-wield guns twice your size as the manic Gnome, or stampede your foes as a freakin’ Viking Moose.
Equip yourself with outrageous weapons in an endlessly-modifiable armoury, like an acid-spitting minigun or an ice-bow that turns enemies into popsicles, and upgrade your...
- 3/28/2023
- by Technology Martin Cid Magazine
- Martin Cid Tech
Operation Napoleon, an Iceland-set conspiracy thriller from director Óskar Þór Axelsson (Black’s Game) has racked up international sales ahead of its market bow at the European Film Market (EFM) in Berlin later this month.
Sales outfit Beta Cinema unveiled on Thursday that the film has been picked up by Mediawan for France, Twelve Oaks in Spain, Hagi Film in Poland and by Tohokushinsha for Japan. Smaller sales include the territories of the former Yugoslavia (MegaCom) and Taiwan (Av-Jet).
Based on the best-selling novel of the same name by Icelandic crime author Arnaldur Indriðason, Operation Napoleon is a high-concept conspiracy thriller centered on an old German World War II plane containing dangerous secrets, is discovered as it emerges from a melting glacier in Iceland, where it crossed back in 1945.
Icelandic newcomer Vivian Ólafsdóttir (It Hatched) stars in the English-language adaptation alongside an international cast including Game of Thrones’ Iain Glen, Riviera...
Sales outfit Beta Cinema unveiled on Thursday that the film has been picked up by Mediawan for France, Twelve Oaks in Spain, Hagi Film in Poland and by Tohokushinsha for Japan. Smaller sales include the territories of the former Yugoslavia (MegaCom) and Taiwan (Av-Jet).
Based on the best-selling novel of the same name by Icelandic crime author Arnaldur Indriðason, Operation Napoleon is a high-concept conspiracy thriller centered on an old German World War II plane containing dangerous secrets, is discovered as it emerges from a melting glacier in Iceland, where it crossed back in 1945.
Icelandic newcomer Vivian Ólafsdóttir (It Hatched) stars in the English-language adaptation alongside an international cast including Game of Thrones’ Iain Glen, Riviera...
- 2/2/2023
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Ahead of the film’s market premiere at Berlin’s European Film Market, Beta Cinema has announced first deals for “Operation Napoleon” to France (Mediawan), Spain (Twelve Oaks), Poland (Hagi Film), Former Yugoslavia (MegaCom), Japan (Tohokushinsha) and Taiwan (Av-Jet).
The English-language thriller is based on the eponymous best-selling novel by Icelandic crime author Arnaldur Indriðason and stars Icelandic newcomer Vivian Ólafsdóttir (“It Hatched”) and Iain Glen, best known for his role as Dr. Alexander Isaacs in the “Resident Evil” film series and as Ser Jorah Mormont in “Game of Thrones.”
The sweeping story takes us from modern Iceland to America and Nazi Germany at the end of World War II. It centers on young Icelandic lawyer Kristin, who gets drawn into the vortex of an international conspiracy when she receives grainy footage of an old airplane wreck, recently revealed by the melting of one of Iceland’s largest glaciers.
The...
The English-language thriller is based on the eponymous best-selling novel by Icelandic crime author Arnaldur Indriðason and stars Icelandic newcomer Vivian Ólafsdóttir (“It Hatched”) and Iain Glen, best known for his role as Dr. Alexander Isaacs in the “Resident Evil” film series and as Ser Jorah Mormont in “Game of Thrones.”
The sweeping story takes us from modern Iceland to America and Nazi Germany at the end of World War II. It centers on young Icelandic lawyer Kristin, who gets drawn into the vortex of an international conspiracy when she receives grainy footage of an old airplane wreck, recently revealed by the melting of one of Iceland’s largest glaciers.
The...
- 2/2/2023
- by Leo Barraclough and Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
Breakout talents from festival favorites Saint Omer and Tori and Lokita, new faces from Netflix hits The Playlist and Babylon Berlin, and discoveries from arthouse features from across Europe are among the top 10 talents picked to be the 2023 European Shooting Stars.
The annual list of up-and-coming actors from across Europe — which has proved a reliable talent spotter over the years — was unveiled Wednesday by European Film Promotion, which organizes the selection.
The eight women and two men picked by the Shooting Star jury will attend the Berlin International Film Festival in February, where they will be introduced to the international industry, and meet with talent agents, directors and producers.
Previous European Shooting Stars have included the likes of Michaela Coel (2018), Luca Marinelli (2013), Riz Ahmed (2012), Alica Vikander (2011), Daniel Brühl (2003), Ruth Negga (2006) and Matthias Schoenaerts (2003).
Here’s a short introduction to next year’s class:...
Breakout talents from festival favorites Saint Omer and Tori and Lokita, new faces from Netflix hits The Playlist and Babylon Berlin, and discoveries from arthouse features from across Europe are among the top 10 talents picked to be the 2023 European Shooting Stars.
The annual list of up-and-coming actors from across Europe — which has proved a reliable talent spotter over the years — was unveiled Wednesday by European Film Promotion, which organizes the selection.
The eight women and two men picked by the Shooting Star jury will attend the Berlin International Film Festival in February, where they will be introduced to the international industry, and meet with talent agents, directors and producers.
Previous European Shooting Stars have included the likes of Michaela Coel (2018), Luca Marinelli (2013), Riz Ahmed (2012), Alica Vikander (2011), Daniel Brühl (2003), Ruth Negga (2006) and Matthias Schoenaerts (2003).
Here’s a short introduction to next year’s class:...
- 12/14/2022
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Click here to read the full article.
“Gun on set! Gun on set! Everyone, gun on set!”
It’s April, 2022 and we’re in Mmc Studios in Cologne for the shooting of European conspiracy thriller Operation Napoleon. It’s 5,000 miles and six months distant from the events of Oct. 2021 on the New Mexico set of Rust, when Alec Baldwin, discharged a live round from a revolver used as a prop gun killing cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. But the warning still chills.
Not that anyone here seems bothered.
Director Óskar Þór Axelsson is too busy setting up what will be the climax of Operation Napoleon: as a team of investigators prepare to board an old German World War II plane that has recently emerged from one of Iceland’s largest glaciers. The plane is at the center of the film, and the best-selling novel it’s based on, by Icelandic writer Arnaldur Indriðason.
“Gun on set! Gun on set! Everyone, gun on set!”
It’s April, 2022 and we’re in Mmc Studios in Cologne for the shooting of European conspiracy thriller Operation Napoleon. It’s 5,000 miles and six months distant from the events of Oct. 2021 on the New Mexico set of Rust, when Alec Baldwin, discharged a live round from a revolver used as a prop gun killing cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. But the warning still chills.
Not that anyone here seems bothered.
Director Óskar Þór Axelsson is too busy setting up what will be the climax of Operation Napoleon: as a team of investigators prepare to board an old German World War II plane that has recently emerged from one of Iceland’s largest glaciers. The plane is at the center of the film, and the best-selling novel it’s based on, by Icelandic writer Arnaldur Indriðason.
- 11/3/2022
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Looking for a kid-centric, supernatural-charged story after binging Stranger Things Season 2? The new film I Remember You from IFC Midnight might do the trick when it's released on November 10th, and we have an image gallery that explores the eerie events of the new movie.
Co-written and directed by Óskar Thór Axelsson, I Remember You will be released in select theaters, VOD, and digital platforms beginning November 10th from IFC Midnight. You can view the image gallery, official trailer, and poster below.
Synopsis: "An elderly woman hangs herself in a church. A grieving father searches for the truth about what happened to his missing son. And a trio of young city dwellers unleash a sinister force when they begin renovating a cursed home on a remote island. They don’t know it yet, but each of these strangers is connected by a disturbing, decades-old secret—a mystery that holds the...
Co-written and directed by Óskar Thór Axelsson, I Remember You will be released in select theaters, VOD, and digital platforms beginning November 10th from IFC Midnight. You can view the image gallery, official trailer, and poster below.
Synopsis: "An elderly woman hangs herself in a church. A grieving father searches for the truth about what happened to his missing son. And a trio of young city dwellers unleash a sinister force when they begin renovating a cursed home on a remote island. They don’t know it yet, but each of these strangers is connected by a disturbing, decades-old secret—a mystery that holds the...
- 11/2/2017
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
I Remember You is an Icelandic horror film. In Icelandic, it is titled Ég man þig. The film has been picked up by IFC Films, for a U.S. release. A trailer was just released this week. And, the clip shows a child, haunting three home restorers. More children continue to disappear in this small town. Now, their ghosts are targeting the few that remain. This film was developed by director Óskar Thór Axelsson (Black's Game, 2012) and Zik Zak Filmworks. The film's official poster and trailer are hosted here. The trailer shows townsfolk putting a mystery together. The recent disappearance of an eight year old son is related to an earlier disappearance, or series of disappearances. Locals must investigate the town's past, if they hope to lift a long running curse. A release date, for I Remember You, has been set for Video-on-demand. The film will show this November 10th,...
- 10/20/2017
- by noreply@blogger.com (Michael Allen)
- 28 Days Later Analysis
"It's impossible that this is a coincidence." IFC Films has debuted an official Us trailer for a horror thriller titled I Remember You from Iceland, about a young man and woman who move into a small abandoned town in Iceland to renovate an old house. Of course, this house has a dark past and things start to happen once they arrive. While this trailer is appropriately timed for the horror season this October, the film doesn't actually open until mid-November in America. This stars a fine set of Icelandic actors: Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson, Thor Kristjansson, Ágústa Eva Erlendsdóttir & Anna Gunndís Guðmundsdóttir. This looks like another good dark, freaky supernatural thriller with an Icelandic twist. Check it out below. Here's the official Us trailer for Óskar Thór Axelsson's I Remember You, direct from IFC's YouTube: An elderly woman hangs herself in a church. A grieving father searches for the truth...
- 10/20/2017
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
"Children don't just disappear in Iceland." And yet that's exactly what happens in the chilling trailer for the supernatural-charged mystery I Remember You, coming out in select theaters and on home media this November from IFC Midnight.
Co-written and directed by Óskar Thór Axelsson, I Remember You will be released in select theaters, VOD, and digital platforms beginning November 10th from IFC Midnight. You can watch the official trailer and check out the poster below.
Synopsis: "An elderly woman hangs herself in a church. A grieving father searches for the truth about what happened to his missing son. And a trio of young city dwellers unleash a sinister force when they begin renovating a cursed home on a remote island. They don’t know it yet, but each of these strangers is connected by a disturbing, decades-old secret—a mystery that holds the key to a series of terrifying supernatural events.
Co-written and directed by Óskar Thór Axelsson, I Remember You will be released in select theaters, VOD, and digital platforms beginning November 10th from IFC Midnight. You can watch the official trailer and check out the poster below.
Synopsis: "An elderly woman hangs herself in a church. A grieving father searches for the truth about what happened to his missing son. And a trio of young city dwellers unleash a sinister force when they begin renovating a cursed home on a remote island. They don’t know it yet, but each of these strangers is connected by a disturbing, decades-old secret—a mystery that holds the key to a series of terrifying supernatural events.
- 10/20/2017
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
Celluloid Dreams handles Valley of Shadows; Media Luna boards Little Wing; Indie Sales represents The Giant.
The old adage of ‘leaving them wanting more’ was certainly on display at the Works In Progress pitches at Goteborg’s Nordic Film Market this year (full line-up below).
The most-anticipated pitch of the session was Johannes Nyholm’s feature debut The Giant. The director showed several scenes from the film, but refrained from showing footage of the fantastical Giant as he said the VFX was still being worked on.
Also holding back were the producers of Cold Case Hammarskjold, the latest provocative documentary from Mads Brugger (of The Ambassador and The Red Chapel fame), about the death of Swedish diplomat and author Dag Hammarskjold.
Co-producer Andreas Rocksen said the filmmakers had a new theory about how Hammarskjold’s plane went down in 1961, but he said the theory won’t be revealed until the film is ready.
Several of the...
The old adage of ‘leaving them wanting more’ was certainly on display at the Works In Progress pitches at Goteborg’s Nordic Film Market this year (full line-up below).
The most-anticipated pitch of the session was Johannes Nyholm’s feature debut The Giant. The director showed several scenes from the film, but refrained from showing footage of the fantastical Giant as he said the VFX was still being worked on.
Also holding back were the producers of Cold Case Hammarskjold, the latest provocative documentary from Mads Brugger (of The Ambassador and The Red Chapel fame), about the death of Swedish diplomat and author Dag Hammarskjold.
Co-producer Andreas Rocksen said the filmmakers had a new theory about how Hammarskjold’s plane went down in 1961, but he said the theory won’t be revealed until the film is ready.
Several of the...
- 2/8/2016
- by wendy.mitchell@screendaily.com (Wendy Mitchell)
- ScreenDaily
VI Issue II
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The Invisible War written and directed by Kirby Dick
The Invisible War is a documentary about one of America’s most shameful and best kept secrets: the epidemic of rape within the U.S. military. The film paints a startling picture of the extent of the problem— the film claims that today a female soldier in combat zones is more likely to be raped by a fellow soldier than killed by enemy fire. The filmmakers’ state that the Department of Defense estimates there were 22,800 violent sex crimes in the military in 2011, that 20% of all active‐duty female soldiers are sexually assaulted and that female soldiers aged 18 to 21 account for more than half of the victims.
Focusing on the powerfully emotional stories of rape victims, The Invisible War suggests a systemic cover-up of military sex crimes by the military. The film chronicles women’s struggles to rebuild their lives and fight for justice within and outside the military and features interviews with high-ranking military officials and members of Congress that reveal the conditions that exist for rape in the military, its long history, and suggests what can be done to bring about much-needed change.
Oscar and Emmy nominated director Kirby Dick (Outrage, This Film Is Not Yet Rated), found the inspiration for The Invisible War from a 2007 Salon.com article about women serving in Iraq entitled “The Private War of Women Soldiers,” by Columbia University journalism professor Helen Benedict. When Dick and Emmy-nominated producing partner Amy Ziering (Outrage) read Benedict's piece, they were astounded by the prevalence of sexual assault in the military.
This film is beautifully made, shot, directed and produced. It is one of the strongest films of the year. It shows that rape and other sexually based harassment seems to be wide spread in our military and that the military is unwilling to adjust its culture to effect the necessary change to provide a safe work environment for all of its members. The filmmakers make excellent choices in terms of who they interview, whose stories they tell. This is a strong advocacy film that can make a difference and start pushing the civilians who control our military to demand to make the necessary changes to protect the men and women who serve from each other. Frankly, it has to have a zero tolerance for any kind of harassment. With the striking of “don’t ask, don’t tell” the armed services are on their way to addressing this. The film was short listed for the documentary feature Academy Award.
Credits:
Director/Writer: Kirby Dick
Producers: Amy Ziering, Tanner King Barklow
Cinematography: Thaddeus Wadleigh, Kirsten Johnson
Music Supervisor: Dondi Bastone, Gary Calamar/Go
Editor, Associate Producer: Doug Blush
Executive Producer for Itvs: Sally Jo Fifer Cinedigm and Docurama Films
Revolution Reykjavík a short film by Isold Uggadottir
Gudfinna, a successful 58-year old mid-level employee of the Icelandic bank Landsbankinn, finds herself a victim of the economic failure, not only losing her job, but her lifesavings as well. Proud and independent, she struggles to shield her dire circumstances from her family members and friends. But as tensions in Icelandic society grow, so does her inner turmoil. She finds that she cannot deal with her increasingly desperate financial concerns and her ideas of self-worth. Slowly, Gudfinna, much like the Icelandic economy, finds herself metamorphosed into the utterly helpless being she never could have foreseen becoming.
Revolution Reykjavík is one of the outstanding short films of the 2011/12 year. One of the few works to screen at both New Directors and Telluride and dozens of other festivals, it is evident that Isold Uggadottir, while not yet a known name as a director, is tremendously talented. Watching Gudfinna fall apart is deeply moving. Her inner struggles are evident by the nuanced direction of a subtle performance. The film is nicely shot, edited and at 19 minutes it becomes a metaphor for the 2008 Icelandic banking disaster that wiped out tens of thousands of Icelanders and three of the major banks. It caused thousands of people to lose their jobs and created a political crisis for the country. Few portfolio works try for nuanced and subtle performances but are in-your-face testosterone fueled action works. This film is a keeper.
Director/ Writer’s Bio:
Isold Uggadottir is an Icelandic writer/director. Her four short films have been invited to over 120 international film festivals, including Telluride, Sundance and New Directors/New Films hosted by Lincoln Center & MoMA. Two of her films (Clean and Committed) have been honored with Icelandic Academy Awards for Best Short Film in 2010 and 2011, while Revolution Reykjavík and Family Reunion received nominations in 2012 and 2006. Additionally, Isold has received multiple international awards, most recently in Spain and Greece.
Isold holds an Mfa in writing and directing from Columbia University in New York, where she was honored with the Adrienne Shelly Award for Best Female Director. Screen International named her “one of the rising stars of Icelandic film.”
Credits:
Written and Directed: Isold Uggadottir
Producers: Snorri Thórisson, Isold Uggadottir
Director of Photography: Óskar Thór Axelsson
Editor: Isold Uggadottir
Academy announces 11 short films shortlisted for the Short Film Nomination
Because of a voting tie the Academy short listed 11 dramatic/fiction short films instead of 10. Culled from 125 submitted films, it is perhaps the best group of films entered in the last 30 years. These films range from a thesis work from Columbia’s University’s graduate film program to When You Find Me, directed by Bryce Howard, filmmaker Ron Howard’s 31 year old daughter, to the Danish 61 year old director Anders Walther with short film Oscar winner (and nominee) producer Tivi Magnusson for 9 Meter.
Following screenings in Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco in December, Branch members will select three to five nominees from among the 11 semi-finalists. It will be challenging for the committees to find the five best in this really impressive group of films. It is an embarrassment of solid filmmaking from a global group of filmmakers. Please note: I have not seen two of the short listed films and I am relying on others for their synopses to be accurate.
Below is an alphabetical listing of the short listed films, the key filmmakers, the country of production and a link to a clip. Take a look and make up your own mind:
A Fábrica (The Factory), Aly Muritiba, director (Grafo Audiovisual)
“An inmate convinces his mother to take a risk smuggling a cell phone for him into the penitentiary.
Length: 15 min.
Language: Portuguese
Country: Brazil
“Asad,” Bryan Buckley, director, and Mino Jarjoura, producer (Hungry Man)
A Somali boy must choose either the life of a pirate or that of a fisherman
Length: 17 min.
Language: Somali with English subtitles.
Country: USA
“Buzkashi Boys,” Sam French, director, and Ariel Nasr, producer (Afghan Film Project)
Two young boys dream of a better life. One is without parents and the other the father wants him to follow into his blacksmithing.
Length: 30 min.
Language: Pashto
Country: Afghanistan, USA Production
“Curfew,” Shawn Christensen, director (Fuzzy Logic Pictures)
A suicidal New Yorker, Richie’s attempt to end his life is interrupted by a call from his estranged sister asking him to babysit his niece for the evening.
Length: 20 min
Language: English
Country: USA
“Death of a Shadow” (Dood van een Schaduw),” Tom Van Avermaet, director, and Ellen De Waele, producer(Serendipity Films)
This highly produced sci-fi fantasy work is about a dead Wwi soldier stuck in the limbo between life and death who has to collect shadows to regain a second chance at life.
Length: 20 min.
Language: German
Country: Belgium
“Henry,” Yan England, director (Yan England) Henry, a concert pianist, has his life thrown into turmoil the day the love of his life mysteriously disappears. (Confession, I have not seen this film.)
Length: 21 min.
Language: English
Country: Canadian
“Kiruna-Kigali,” Goran Kapetanovic, director (Hepp Film Ab)
This tour‐de‐force Swedish short begins in a mist of frost and snow. A woman is driving to the hospital in Kiruna, the northernmost city of Sweden. Under the scorching sunlight of Kigali, Rwanda,another woman is being carried to the hospital on a stretcher. The two single mothers‐to‐be are on the verge of giving birth to a baby are thousands of miles apart, but share the same fear of entering the unknown world of motherhood. I think this is the film to beat.
Length: 15 min.
Language: Swedish/ Kinyarwanda
Country: Swedish/Rwanda
“The Night Shift Belongs to the Stars,” Silvia Bizio and Paola Porrini Bisson, producers (Oh! Pen LLC)
The story of Matteo (Enrico Lo Verso), a passionate mountain climber, and Sonia (Nastassja Kinski), a married woman, also in love with mountain, as they set out to climb a peak on the Dolomites, in Trentino, Italy. (Confession, I have not seen this film.)
Length: 24 min.
Language: English
Country: USA
“9 meter,” Anders Walther, director, and Tivi Magnusson, producer (M & M Productions A/S)
A boy tries to set a new record in the long jump as his mother fights her illness. (Confession, I have not seen this film.)
Length: 18 min.
Language: Danish
Country: Danish
“Salar,” Nicholas Greene, director, and Julie Buck, producer (Nicholas Greene)
In an isolated Bolivian village, on the edge of the vast Uyuni salt flats, two lives collide. This powerful film is my favorite of the 11 short listed films.
Length: 18 min.
Language: English
Country: USA
“When you find me,” Ron Howard, executive producer, and Bryce Dallas Howard, director (Freestyle Production Company)
This Cannon sponsored film looks at the story of two sisters whose childhood bond is tested by a tragedy that they were too young to understand at the time.
Length: 29 min.
Language: English
Country: USA
Mitchell Block specializes in conceiving, producing, marketing & distributing independent features & consulting. He is an expert in placing both completed works into distribution & working with producers to make projects fundable. He conducts regular workshops in film producing in Los Angeles and most recently in Maine, Russia and in Myanmar (Burma).
"Poster Girl," produced by Block was nominated for a Documentary Academy Award and selected by the Ida as the "Best" Doc Short 2011. It was also nominated for two Emmy Awards and aired on HBO. He is an executive producer of the Emmy Award-winning PBS series "Carrier,” a 10-hour series that he conceived & co-created. Block is a graduate of Tisch School and Columbia University’s Graduate School of Business. He is a member of Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, the Television Academy, a founding member of BAFTA-la and has been teaching at USC School of Cinematic Arts since 1979. Currently Block teaches a required class in the USC Peter Stark Producing Program.
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Join us twice weekly. Send us links to your sizzle reels and film sites.
The Invisible War written and directed by Kirby Dick
The Invisible War is a documentary about one of America’s most shameful and best kept secrets: the epidemic of rape within the U.S. military. The film paints a startling picture of the extent of the problem— the film claims that today a female soldier in combat zones is more likely to be raped by a fellow soldier than killed by enemy fire. The filmmakers’ state that the Department of Defense estimates there were 22,800 violent sex crimes in the military in 2011, that 20% of all active‐duty female soldiers are sexually assaulted and that female soldiers aged 18 to 21 account for more than half of the victims.
Focusing on the powerfully emotional stories of rape victims, The Invisible War suggests a systemic cover-up of military sex crimes by the military. The film chronicles women’s struggles to rebuild their lives and fight for justice within and outside the military and features interviews with high-ranking military officials and members of Congress that reveal the conditions that exist for rape in the military, its long history, and suggests what can be done to bring about much-needed change.
Oscar and Emmy nominated director Kirby Dick (Outrage, This Film Is Not Yet Rated), found the inspiration for The Invisible War from a 2007 Salon.com article about women serving in Iraq entitled “The Private War of Women Soldiers,” by Columbia University journalism professor Helen Benedict. When Dick and Emmy-nominated producing partner Amy Ziering (Outrage) read Benedict's piece, they were astounded by the prevalence of sexual assault in the military.
This film is beautifully made, shot, directed and produced. It is one of the strongest films of the year. It shows that rape and other sexually based harassment seems to be wide spread in our military and that the military is unwilling to adjust its culture to effect the necessary change to provide a safe work environment for all of its members. The filmmakers make excellent choices in terms of who they interview, whose stories they tell. This is a strong advocacy film that can make a difference and start pushing the civilians who control our military to demand to make the necessary changes to protect the men and women who serve from each other. Frankly, it has to have a zero tolerance for any kind of harassment. With the striking of “don’t ask, don’t tell” the armed services are on their way to addressing this. The film was short listed for the documentary feature Academy Award.
Credits:
Director/Writer: Kirby Dick
Producers: Amy Ziering, Tanner King Barklow
Cinematography: Thaddeus Wadleigh, Kirsten Johnson
Music Supervisor: Dondi Bastone, Gary Calamar/Go
Editor, Associate Producer: Doug Blush
Executive Producer for Itvs: Sally Jo Fifer Cinedigm and Docurama Films
Revolution Reykjavík a short film by Isold Uggadottir
Gudfinna, a successful 58-year old mid-level employee of the Icelandic bank Landsbankinn, finds herself a victim of the economic failure, not only losing her job, but her lifesavings as well. Proud and independent, she struggles to shield her dire circumstances from her family members and friends. But as tensions in Icelandic society grow, so does her inner turmoil. She finds that she cannot deal with her increasingly desperate financial concerns and her ideas of self-worth. Slowly, Gudfinna, much like the Icelandic economy, finds herself metamorphosed into the utterly helpless being she never could have foreseen becoming.
Revolution Reykjavík is one of the outstanding short films of the 2011/12 year. One of the few works to screen at both New Directors and Telluride and dozens of other festivals, it is evident that Isold Uggadottir, while not yet a known name as a director, is tremendously talented. Watching Gudfinna fall apart is deeply moving. Her inner struggles are evident by the nuanced direction of a subtle performance. The film is nicely shot, edited and at 19 minutes it becomes a metaphor for the 2008 Icelandic banking disaster that wiped out tens of thousands of Icelanders and three of the major banks. It caused thousands of people to lose their jobs and created a political crisis for the country. Few portfolio works try for nuanced and subtle performances but are in-your-face testosterone fueled action works. This film is a keeper.
Director/ Writer’s Bio:
Isold Uggadottir is an Icelandic writer/director. Her four short films have been invited to over 120 international film festivals, including Telluride, Sundance and New Directors/New Films hosted by Lincoln Center & MoMA. Two of her films (Clean and Committed) have been honored with Icelandic Academy Awards for Best Short Film in 2010 and 2011, while Revolution Reykjavík and Family Reunion received nominations in 2012 and 2006. Additionally, Isold has received multiple international awards, most recently in Spain and Greece.
Isold holds an Mfa in writing and directing from Columbia University in New York, where she was honored with the Adrienne Shelly Award for Best Female Director. Screen International named her “one of the rising stars of Icelandic film.”
Credits:
Written and Directed: Isold Uggadottir
Producers: Snorri Thórisson, Isold Uggadottir
Director of Photography: Óskar Thór Axelsson
Editor: Isold Uggadottir
Academy announces 11 short films shortlisted for the Short Film Nomination
Because of a voting tie the Academy short listed 11 dramatic/fiction short films instead of 10. Culled from 125 submitted films, it is perhaps the best group of films entered in the last 30 years. These films range from a thesis work from Columbia’s University’s graduate film program to When You Find Me, directed by Bryce Howard, filmmaker Ron Howard’s 31 year old daughter, to the Danish 61 year old director Anders Walther with short film Oscar winner (and nominee) producer Tivi Magnusson for 9 Meter.
Following screenings in Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco in December, Branch members will select three to five nominees from among the 11 semi-finalists. It will be challenging for the committees to find the five best in this really impressive group of films. It is an embarrassment of solid filmmaking from a global group of filmmakers. Please note: I have not seen two of the short listed films and I am relying on others for their synopses to be accurate.
Below is an alphabetical listing of the short listed films, the key filmmakers, the country of production and a link to a clip. Take a look and make up your own mind:
A Fábrica (The Factory), Aly Muritiba, director (Grafo Audiovisual)
“An inmate convinces his mother to take a risk smuggling a cell phone for him into the penitentiary.
Length: 15 min.
Language: Portuguese
Country: Brazil
“Asad,” Bryan Buckley, director, and Mino Jarjoura, producer (Hungry Man)
A Somali boy must choose either the life of a pirate or that of a fisherman
Length: 17 min.
Language: Somali with English subtitles.
Country: USA
“Buzkashi Boys,” Sam French, director, and Ariel Nasr, producer (Afghan Film Project)
Two young boys dream of a better life. One is without parents and the other the father wants him to follow into his blacksmithing.
Length: 30 min.
Language: Pashto
Country: Afghanistan, USA Production
“Curfew,” Shawn Christensen, director (Fuzzy Logic Pictures)
A suicidal New Yorker, Richie’s attempt to end his life is interrupted by a call from his estranged sister asking him to babysit his niece for the evening.
Length: 20 min
Language: English
Country: USA
“Death of a Shadow” (Dood van een Schaduw),” Tom Van Avermaet, director, and Ellen De Waele, producer(Serendipity Films)
This highly produced sci-fi fantasy work is about a dead Wwi soldier stuck in the limbo between life and death who has to collect shadows to regain a second chance at life.
Length: 20 min.
Language: German
Country: Belgium
“Henry,” Yan England, director (Yan England) Henry, a concert pianist, has his life thrown into turmoil the day the love of his life mysteriously disappears. (Confession, I have not seen this film.)
Length: 21 min.
Language: English
Country: Canadian
“Kiruna-Kigali,” Goran Kapetanovic, director (Hepp Film Ab)
This tour‐de‐force Swedish short begins in a mist of frost and snow. A woman is driving to the hospital in Kiruna, the northernmost city of Sweden. Under the scorching sunlight of Kigali, Rwanda,another woman is being carried to the hospital on a stretcher. The two single mothers‐to‐be are on the verge of giving birth to a baby are thousands of miles apart, but share the same fear of entering the unknown world of motherhood. I think this is the film to beat.
Length: 15 min.
Language: Swedish/ Kinyarwanda
Country: Swedish/Rwanda
“The Night Shift Belongs to the Stars,” Silvia Bizio and Paola Porrini Bisson, producers (Oh! Pen LLC)
The story of Matteo (Enrico Lo Verso), a passionate mountain climber, and Sonia (Nastassja Kinski), a married woman, also in love with mountain, as they set out to climb a peak on the Dolomites, in Trentino, Italy. (Confession, I have not seen this film.)
Length: 24 min.
Language: English
Country: USA
“9 meter,” Anders Walther, director, and Tivi Magnusson, producer (M & M Productions A/S)
A boy tries to set a new record in the long jump as his mother fights her illness. (Confession, I have not seen this film.)
Length: 18 min.
Language: Danish
Country: Danish
“Salar,” Nicholas Greene, director, and Julie Buck, producer (Nicholas Greene)
In an isolated Bolivian village, on the edge of the vast Uyuni salt flats, two lives collide. This powerful film is my favorite of the 11 short listed films.
Length: 18 min.
Language: English
Country: USA
“When you find me,” Ron Howard, executive producer, and Bryce Dallas Howard, director (Freestyle Production Company)
This Cannon sponsored film looks at the story of two sisters whose childhood bond is tested by a tragedy that they were too young to understand at the time.
Length: 29 min.
Language: English
Country: USA
Mitchell Block specializes in conceiving, producing, marketing & distributing independent features & consulting. He is an expert in placing both completed works into distribution & working with producers to make projects fundable. He conducts regular workshops in film producing in Los Angeles and most recently in Maine, Russia and in Myanmar (Burma).
"Poster Girl," produced by Block was nominated for a Documentary Academy Award and selected by the Ida as the "Best" Doc Short 2011. It was also nominated for two Emmy Awards and aired on HBO. He is an executive producer of the Emmy Award-winning PBS series "Carrier,” a 10-hour series that he conceived & co-created. Block is a graduate of Tisch School and Columbia University’s Graduate School of Business. He is a member of Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, the Television Academy, a founding member of BAFTA-la and has been teaching at USC School of Cinematic Arts since 1979. Currently Block teaches a required class in the USC Peter Stark Producing Program.
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- 12/20/2012
- by Mitchell Block
- Sydney's Buzz
It was almost exactly a year ago when, in an excited state, yours truly reported that Brian De Palma would finally return with a thriller entitled The Key Man. It was heartbreaking, then, when nothing happened after that initial promise, save for the note that things were “still moving along” (as though that’s a wealth of promise) as he got ready to shoot Passion with Rachel McAdams and Noomi Rapace.
Now that his sexy story of corporate intrigue and murder is premiering at Venice in less than a month’s time, it’s about now we should hear something when it comes to The Key Man — the news just might not be what you want, though. Variety reports that the picture has passed from De Palma‘s hands and right into the grasp of Óskar Thór Axelsson, a fresh face on the Icelandic film scene and, it should be said,...
Now that his sexy story of corporate intrigue and murder is premiering at Venice in less than a month’s time, it’s about now we should hear something when it comes to The Key Man — the news just might not be what you want, though. Variety reports that the picture has passed from De Palma‘s hands and right into the grasp of Óskar Thór Axelsson, a fresh face on the Icelandic film scene and, it should be said,...
- 8/14/2012
- by jpraup@gmail.com (thefilmstage.com)
- The Film Stage
Black’s Game aka Svartur á leik
Written by Óskar Thór Axelsson, based on the novel Svartur á leik by Stefán Máni
Directed by Óskar Thór Axelsson
Iceland 2012 Fantasia imdb
It would be easy to describe dismiss Black’s Game as an Icelandic crime thriller, but that would be short changing this stylish film that zags every time you expect it to zig, making choices that make sense but are completely opposite to the choices made in other, similar crime films.
As a prime example, in the middle of the film, the crime gang performs a daring daylight bank robbery. When they count up their ill-gotten gains, the co-leader of the gang, Tóti (Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson) complains that they make more money in one day selling drugs with much less risk and without doing the dirty (criminal) work themselves. In most films, drugs are what topples a successful criminal empire; in Black’s Game,...
Written by Óskar Thór Axelsson, based on the novel Svartur á leik by Stefán Máni
Directed by Óskar Thór Axelsson
Iceland 2012 Fantasia imdb
It would be easy to describe dismiss Black’s Game as an Icelandic crime thriller, but that would be short changing this stylish film that zags every time you expect it to zig, making choices that make sense but are completely opposite to the choices made in other, similar crime films.
As a prime example, in the middle of the film, the crime gang performs a daring daylight bank robbery. When they count up their ill-gotten gains, the co-leader of the gang, Tóti (Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson) complains that they make more money in one day selling drugs with much less risk and without doing the dirty (criminal) work themselves. In most films, drugs are what topples a successful criminal empire; in Black’s Game,...
- 8/5/2012
- by Michael Ryan
- SoundOnSight
It is that time of year again. Mid-to-late July means two things if one is a film fan either living or visiting the city of Montréal. The blockbuster season is in full swing, although that can be applied to just about any city in the universe, and the Fantasia film festival is mere days away. Ryan, Justine, Ricky and myself are counting down the hours and counting down our most anticipated films as well. There may be some overlap in our lists, but it feels safe to say that said lists also speak to our individual tastes as film fans. In also speaks to the diversity of the Fantasia film festival, just in case there were still a few people believing it was a mere freak show of the weirdest films ever conceived. There will be some freak shows, that much is certain, but Fantasia also offers a little bit for everybody.
- 7/16/2012
- by Edgar Chaput
- SoundOnSight
The July 19th start of Montreal's 16th annual Fantasia International Film Festival is drawing closer (it runs through August 7th), and the powers-that-be have announced the second wave of films along with a few selections from the new Axis section of the event.
Fantasia Announces The Satoshi Kon Award For Achievement In Animation + A New Section Dedicated To International Animation Cinema + Second Wave Title Announcements
The art of animation in its many forms and disciplines has always had a strong place at Fantasia. This year, the festival has decided to give the form its own permanent section: Axis. From social realism to mind-bending fantasy, all styles and sensibilities will be showcased, now on a greater scale than ever. Further, the festival is proud to be rechristening its animation jury prize as The Satoshi Kon Award for Achievement in Animation, named after the dear, departed visionary whose feature debut, Perfect Blue,...
Fantasia Announces The Satoshi Kon Award For Achievement In Animation + A New Section Dedicated To International Animation Cinema + Second Wave Title Announcements
The art of animation in its many forms and disciplines has always had a strong place at Fantasia. This year, the festival has decided to give the form its own permanent section: Axis. From social realism to mind-bending fantasy, all styles and sensibilities will be showcased, now on a greater scale than ever. Further, the festival is proud to be rechristening its animation jury prize as The Satoshi Kon Award for Achievement in Animation, named after the dear, departed visionary whose feature debut, Perfect Blue,...
- 7/6/2012
- by Uncle Creepy
- DreadCentral.com
(How to look composed while your high-profile debut film has its world premiere at an international festival, lesson 1...) On Wednesday the 1st of February 2012, the Icelandic crime thriller "Svartur á Leik" aka. "Black's Game" had its world premiere at the International Film Festival Rotterdam, the last of this year's Tiger Award nominees to do so. Which turned out to be some pretty excellent planning on the festival's behalf, but more about that later... One day after the event I was lucky enough to interview its director Óskar Thór Axelsson. We discussed his approach of the story, the casting, the real-life events on which the book and the movie have been based, some bits about himself... What we did Not discuss was the paying...
- 3/13/2012
- Screen Anarchy
Black’s Game Trailer, Poster. Óskar Thór Axelsson‘s Black’s Game (2012) teaser trailer, movie poster stars Thor Kristjansson, Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson, María Birta, Þröstur Leó Gunnarsson, and Damon Younger. Black’s Game‘s plot synopsis: “In the mid to late 90′s, the Reykjavik crime and drug scene saw a drastic change from a relatively small and innocent world into a much more aggressive and violent one.. The film tells the story of this change through the fictional gang of pushers that took control of Iceland’s underworld.”
The Black’s Game movie poster:
Black’s Game poster
The Black’s Game (Svartur á Leik) teaser trailer looks like a solid crime movie. Hopefully it will be right up there with Animal Kingdom. That goal is achievable since its “executive produced by Nicholas Winding Refn and Chris Briggs, producer of the Hostel films”.
Watch the Black’s Game teaser trailer...
The Black’s Game movie poster:
Black’s Game poster
The Black’s Game (Svartur á Leik) teaser trailer looks like a solid crime movie. Hopefully it will be right up there with Animal Kingdom. That goal is achievable since its “executive produced by Nicholas Winding Refn and Chris Briggs, producer of the Hostel films”.
Watch the Black’s Game teaser trailer...
- 12/29/2011
- by filmbook
- Film-Book
Cinematographer of many a short film, Óskar Thór Axelsson, is making his feature directing debut with a Stefán Máni novel. Black’s Game focuses on the evolution of the 1990s Reykjavik underworld from a tepid endeavor to a stirringly violent one. At the center is a gang (based on no gang in particular) of drug dealers who aggressively fight for control of the trade. From the look of the trailer, things are about to get ugly. Check it out for yourself (now with convenient English subtitles!): Hell yes. With everyone talking about “going gritty,” it’s nice to see a filmmaker just going ahead and doing it. What say you? Source: Twitch...
- 12/28/2011
- by Cole Abaius
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
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