A small pro-Palestine protest formed outside Series Mania in France on Tuesday.
The group, which numbered no more than 10, wore Palestine flags and distributed flyers to delegates in French, while holding a banner reading “Stop Genocide In Gaza / Boycott Series Mania.”
They called for Series Mania to cut a longstanding writing residency partnership with Israeli cultural bodies over the country’s ongoing military campaign in Gaza, and said they wanted to raise awareness among delegates of the French TV festival.
Specifically, the flyer literature pointed to Series Mania’s participation in the Drama Series Co-Writing Residency between Israel and France, which has been in place at the fest for half a decade. The residency is a program initiative of France’s film body Cnc (Centre National du Cinéma) and Israel’s Gmff (Gesher Multicultural Film Fund), in cooperation with the Israeli Scriptwriters Guild, the Israeli Producers Association and the French Embassy in Israel.
The group, which numbered no more than 10, wore Palestine flags and distributed flyers to delegates in French, while holding a banner reading “Stop Genocide In Gaza / Boycott Series Mania.”
They called for Series Mania to cut a longstanding writing residency partnership with Israeli cultural bodies over the country’s ongoing military campaign in Gaza, and said they wanted to raise awareness among delegates of the French TV festival.
Specifically, the flyer literature pointed to Series Mania’s participation in the Drama Series Co-Writing Residency between Israel and France, which has been in place at the fest for half a decade. The residency is a program initiative of France’s film body Cnc (Centre National du Cinéma) and Israel’s Gmff (Gesher Multicultural Film Fund), in cooperation with the Israeli Scriptwriters Guild, the Israeli Producers Association and the French Embassy in Israel.
- 3/19/2024
- by Jesse Whittock
- Deadline Film + TV
In a time when the world is at war, it’s hard for an American to truly comprehend the hardships faced by the rest of the world. Disengagement gives us a glimpse into the conflict between Israel and Palestine, honing in on the removal of local settlers from Gaza. Juliette Binoche stars as Ana, a French woman who is unhappily married and searching for meaning in her life. After the death of her father, Ana is reunited with her adopted brother Uli, a member of the Israeli police force. Together the two travel to Israel, Ana to find the daughter she gave up at birth, Uli to help with the disengagement of Israeli settlers in Gaza. What unfolds is a heartbreaking story of family and faith.
Juliette Binoche (Chocolat) has only gotten more graceful and elegant with age, and here she brings the character of Ana to life so well...
Juliette Binoche (Chocolat) has only gotten more graceful and elegant with age, and here she brings the character of Ana to life so well...
- 12/19/2010
- by Melissa Kovner
- JustPressPlay.net
A look at what's new on DVD today:
"Gasland" (2010)
Directed by Josh Fox
Released by New Video Group
"Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work"
Directed by Ricki Stern and Annie Sundberg
Released by Mpi Home Video
"Exit Through the Gift Shop" (2010)
Directed by Banksy
Released by Oscilloscope Laboratories
If you haven't caught up on the year's best documentaries in time to fill out your top 10 list, three of them will be hitting DVD shelves this week, beginning with Josh Fox's Sundance award-winning "Gasland," an exploration of the "hydraulic fracturing" going on in own backyard, a type of drilling that has spread to 34 states in the U.S. and has left a host of reservoirs of toxic waste and frequent gas explosions along the way. For something less serious, but equally compelling, there is also Ricki Stern and Annie Sundberg's "Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work," which follows the...
"Gasland" (2010)
Directed by Josh Fox
Released by New Video Group
"Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work"
Directed by Ricki Stern and Annie Sundberg
Released by Mpi Home Video
"Exit Through the Gift Shop" (2010)
Directed by Banksy
Released by Oscilloscope Laboratories
If you haven't caught up on the year's best documentaries in time to fill out your top 10 list, three of them will be hitting DVD shelves this week, beginning with Josh Fox's Sundance award-winning "Gasland," an exploration of the "hydraulic fracturing" going on in own backyard, a type of drilling that has spread to 34 states in the U.S. and has left a host of reservoirs of toxic waste and frequent gas explosions along the way. For something less serious, but equally compelling, there is also Ricki Stern and Annie Sundberg's "Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work," which follows the...
- 12/12/2010
- by Stephen Saito
- ifc.com
Chicago – We have now reached the fourth and final week of the 13th Annual European Union Film Festival at the Siskel Film Center, and what a fantastic festival it has been. From international sensations to critically acclaimed gems rarely available in the Us, the EU annual line-up is consistently one of the finest offered by any festival in the Windy City.
The first three weeks were loaded with highlights that just seemed to get better as the days progressed. Some of the selections, such as Austria’s diabolical delight “The Bone Man” and the Netherlands’ beguiling documentary “Rembrandt’s J’Accuse,” were more entertaining than the majority of mainstream Hollywood releases. Both France and Italy had several exceptional entries this year, including Amos Gitai’s spellbinding “Disengagement” and Luca Guadagnino’s ravishing “I Am Love.” Read more here, here and here.
The final week is somewhat of a letdown in comparison,...
The first three weeks were loaded with highlights that just seemed to get better as the days progressed. Some of the selections, such as Austria’s diabolical delight “The Bone Man” and the Netherlands’ beguiling documentary “Rembrandt’s J’Accuse,” were more entertaining than the majority of mainstream Hollywood releases. Both France and Italy had several exceptional entries this year, including Amos Gitai’s spellbinding “Disengagement” and Luca Guadagnino’s ravishing “I Am Love.” Read more here, here and here.
The final week is somewhat of a letdown in comparison,...
- 3/25/2010
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Chicago – The third week of the 13th Annual EU Film Festival at the Siskel Film Center has arrived, and we’re back to give you an idea of what to expect in the second half of arguably the best fest in the Windy City. We profile several of this week’s hottest tickets, including an anticipated screening hosted by Chicago’s own Jonathan Rosenbaum.
The first half of EU 2010 (which you can read about here and here) produced some memorable films including Sweden’s taut thriller “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo,” Italy’s sumptuous romance “I Am Love,” and France’s exhilaratingly off-kilter re-telling of “Bluebeard.” As good as all of those films were, the festival has generally been offering stronger programming each week, and this is the best one yet. Out of the next four highlights, there are at least two that absolutely should not be missed.
It...
The first half of EU 2010 (which you can read about here and here) produced some memorable films including Sweden’s taut thriller “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo,” Italy’s sumptuous romance “I Am Love,” and France’s exhilaratingly off-kilter re-telling of “Bluebeard.” As good as all of those films were, the festival has generally been offering stronger programming each week, and this is the best one yet. Out of the next four highlights, there are at least two that absolutely should not be missed.
It...
- 3/18/2010
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
This week's releases arrive draped in a pervasive air of dissatisfaction -- Chris Rock's daughter is unhappy with her hair, a '70s feminist movement is unhappy with their options, and Jason Ritter and Jess Weixler are unhappy with each other. Elsewhere, British cultural icons are talked up while global corporate interests are torn down.
Download this in audio form (MP3: 19:59 minutes, 18.3 Mb)
Subscribe to the In Theaters podcast: [Xml] [iTunes]
"After The Storm"
In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, Oscar-winning filmmaker and activist James Lecesne's decision to bring a production of the Off-Broadway musical "Once on This Island" to the storm-ravaged city of New Orleans was both obvious and inspired, with an extra layer of resonance provided in the casting of local kids affected firsthand by the disaster. Captured by director Hilla Medalia, this documentary takes us behind the scenes of the production to follow 12 young actors...
Download this in audio form (MP3: 19:59 minutes, 18.3 Mb)
Subscribe to the In Theaters podcast: [Xml] [iTunes]
"After The Storm"
In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, Oscar-winning filmmaker and activist James Lecesne's decision to bring a production of the Off-Broadway musical "Once on This Island" to the storm-ravaged city of New Orleans was both obvious and inspired, with an extra layer of resonance provided in the casting of local kids affected firsthand by the disaster. Captured by director Hilla Medalia, this documentary takes us behind the scenes of the production to follow 12 young actors...
- 10/5/2009
- by Neil Pedley
- ifc.com
More Sundance coverage
Expanding its VOD offerings, IFC Films is partnering with the South by Southwest Film Conference and Festival to present five movies on IFC Festival Direct simultaneous with their appearance at the March film festival.
Joe Swanberg's "Alexander the Last," which is having its world premiere at SXSW, will be the first film to have a fest premiere the same time it becomes available on-demand.
In addition to "Alexander," produced by Swanberg, Noah Baumbach and Anish Savjani, the other SXSW titles bound for Festival Direct are Javor Gardev's "Zift" and Matthew Newton's "Three Blind Mice" as well as two films that played SXSW last year and are set for encore screenings this year: Barry Jenkins' "Medicine for Melancholy" and Joe Maggio's "Paper Covers Rock."
IFC Entertainment president Jonathan Sehring unveiled several other initiatives Monday at the Sundance Film Festival.
They included several new...
Expanding its VOD offerings, IFC Films is partnering with the South by Southwest Film Conference and Festival to present five movies on IFC Festival Direct simultaneous with their appearance at the March film festival.
Joe Swanberg's "Alexander the Last," which is having its world premiere at SXSW, will be the first film to have a fest premiere the same time it becomes available on-demand.
In addition to "Alexander," produced by Swanberg, Noah Baumbach and Anish Savjani, the other SXSW titles bound for Festival Direct are Javor Gardev's "Zift" and Matthew Newton's "Three Blind Mice" as well as two films that played SXSW last year and are set for encore screenings this year: Barry Jenkins' "Medicine for Melancholy" and Joe Maggio's "Paper Covers Rock."
IFC Entertainment president Jonathan Sehring unveiled several other initiatives Monday at the Sundance Film Festival.
They included several new...
- 1/19/2009
- by By Gregg Kilday
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
U.S. fare speaks to Toronto in fest lineup
Related story: Three at fest headed to IFC
Related story: Christie's digital gets screen billing
TORONTO -- The Toronto International Film Festival on Wednesday unveiled its most American-friendly lineup in years, capped off with new titles from Renny Harlin, Paul Schrader and Robin Swicord.
Toronto boasts no official competition. But the Hollywood contingent booked for the twice-nightly gala screenings at Roy Thomson Hall looks set to turn the high-profile venue into an industry shindig.
Among the six new gala titles are Harlin's "Cleaner", a Sony Pictures Entertainment thriller starring Samuel L. Jackson as a cop-turned-crime scene cleaner; the Richard Attenborough-directed love story "Closing the Ring", starring Shirley MacLaine, Mischa Barton and Neve Campbell; and Schrader's "The Walker", a ThinkFilm release starring Woody Harrelson and Lauren Bacall that comes to Toronto by way of Berlin, Cannes and Sydney.
Also joining the Roy Thomson Hall party are two Sony Pictures Classics releases: Kenneth Branagh's Michael Caine-Jude Law starrer "Sleuth", which first bowed in Venice, and Swicord's "The Jane Austen Book Club", starring Jimmy Smits, Amy Brenneman and Maria Bello. Also booked for a gala is French director Alain Corneau's "Le Deuxieme Souffle", starring Daniel Auteuil and Monica Bellucci.
Those titles join such earlier Roy Thomson Hall entries as Julie Taymor's "Across the Universe", Woody Allen's "Cassandra's Dream", Tony Gilroy's "Michael Clayton", Gavin Hood's "Rendition", Terry George's "Reservation Road" and Aristomenis Tsirbas' "Terra".
Toronto, which in recent years has stepped up efforts to make its festival more Hollywood friendly, also has included 28 U.S.-produced films in its 50-strong Special Presentations sidebar.
The latest Special Presentations titles include the Michael Moore documentary "Captain Mike Across America", Sidney Lumet's "Before the Devil Knows You're Dead," Melisa Wallack and Bernie Goldmann's "Bill", Gillian Armstrong's "Death Defying Acts" and Jason Reitman's "Juno", the follow-up to "Thank You for Smoking", which was a Toronto festival breakout hit two years ago.
Also joining today are the latest works from Jonathan Demme, Alison Eastwood, Brian De Palma, Thomas McCarthy and Anand Tucker.
Toronto will unspool 352 films between Sept. 6 and 15 -- 261 features and 91 shorts. The lineup includes 101 world premieres and 108 North American premieres, many of which will bow in Venice before jumping the pond to Toronto. In addition, 71 of the films are directorial debuts.
The festival lineup promises a strong French contingent, including a dozen titles arriving in Toronto with U.S. distribution deals in hand.
High-profile French titles looking for U.S. distribution include Amos Gitai's "Disengagement", Claude Chabrol's "La Fille Coupee En Deux", which will bow in Venice, and Eric Rohmer's "Les Amours D'Astreet et De Celadon," another North American premiere by way of Venice.
John Kochman, executive director of Unifrance USA, said the strong French presence in Toronto is due primarily to festival co-directors Piers Handling and Noah Cowan remaining "unreconstructed Francophiles" eager to program French titles in their event.
Other new titles announced Wednesday include Wayne Wang's "The Princess of Nebraska" and "A Thousand Years of Good Prayers," both portraits of Chinese immigrants in the U.S. Wang will bring the two indie titles films to the festival's Masters program.
Toronto added eight more documentaries to its Real to Reel section, including films by Paul Crowder and Murray Lerner, Olga Konskaya and Andrea Nekrasov, Julian Schnabel, Ran Tal, Philippe Kholy and Grant Gee.
In addition, the previously announced "Body of War", co-directed by Ellen Spiro and talk show legend Phil Donahue, will see its premiere accompanied by a live performance by Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder, who wrote original songs for the Iraq documentary.
The festival has its usual complement of films about war and political protest that, according to festival co-director Noah Cowan, reflect a "seriousness of purpose and a real sense of drive to tell political stories."
"In many ways, the body of films recalls the American independent movie of the 1970s," he added.
American auteur films including Alan Ball's "Nothing Is Private", a drama about sexual politics and bigotry set against the backdrop of the 1991 Gulf War, De Palma's war drama "Redacted" and Sean Penn's "Into the Wild" reflect anti-war "provocation," Cowan said.
Toronto's lineup also includes a surprising number of crime-themed dramas, including Alexi Tan's "Blood Brothers", a drama about three friends taking on a life of big-city crime; Comeau's fugitive drama "Le Deuxieme Souffle"; Lumet's "Before the Devil Knows You're Dead," a thriller about a botched robbery; Brad Furman's "The Take", about the aftermath of an armored car heist; and Ira Sachs' "Married Life", a drama about a husband who kills his wife to spare her the shame of divorce.
Cowan said that the crime-themed movies this year recall the '70s-era vigilante movies that coincided with Vietnam.
"When the U.S. is faced with wars that are frustrating in their inability to be totally understood, that comes out in their films," Toronto's top programr said.
"Just as the 1970s, there's films that reflect paranoia about government and police corruption and which come from a frustration and rage about what's happening in the world," he added.
Other Toronto highlights announced Wednesday include talks by President Carter and his wife, Rosalynn Carter, an update on Bill Maher and Larry Charles' anti-religion documentary and a briefing on the ongoing crisis in Darfur courtesy of International Criminal Court prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo and Don Cheadle.
Toronto is set to open Sept. 6 with Jeremy Podeswa's "Fugitive Pieces" and close 10 days later with another Canadian film, Paolo Barzman's "Emotional Arithmetic".
A complete list of titles screening at Toronto follows:
Galas:
"Across the Universe", Julie Taymor, U.S.
"L'Age Des Tenebres", Denys Arcand, Canada
"Blood Brothers", Alexi Tan, Taiwan/China/Hong Kong
"Caramel", Nadine Labaki, Lebanon/France
"Cassandra's Dream", Woody Allen, Britain
"Cleaner", Renny Harlin, U.S.
Related story: Christie's digital gets screen billing
TORONTO -- The Toronto International Film Festival on Wednesday unveiled its most American-friendly lineup in years, capped off with new titles from Renny Harlin, Paul Schrader and Robin Swicord.
Toronto boasts no official competition. But the Hollywood contingent booked for the twice-nightly gala screenings at Roy Thomson Hall looks set to turn the high-profile venue into an industry shindig.
Among the six new gala titles are Harlin's "Cleaner", a Sony Pictures Entertainment thriller starring Samuel L. Jackson as a cop-turned-crime scene cleaner; the Richard Attenborough-directed love story "Closing the Ring", starring Shirley MacLaine, Mischa Barton and Neve Campbell; and Schrader's "The Walker", a ThinkFilm release starring Woody Harrelson and Lauren Bacall that comes to Toronto by way of Berlin, Cannes and Sydney.
Also joining the Roy Thomson Hall party are two Sony Pictures Classics releases: Kenneth Branagh's Michael Caine-Jude Law starrer "Sleuth", which first bowed in Venice, and Swicord's "The Jane Austen Book Club", starring Jimmy Smits, Amy Brenneman and Maria Bello. Also booked for a gala is French director Alain Corneau's "Le Deuxieme Souffle", starring Daniel Auteuil and Monica Bellucci.
Those titles join such earlier Roy Thomson Hall entries as Julie Taymor's "Across the Universe", Woody Allen's "Cassandra's Dream", Tony Gilroy's "Michael Clayton", Gavin Hood's "Rendition", Terry George's "Reservation Road" and Aristomenis Tsirbas' "Terra".
Toronto, which in recent years has stepped up efforts to make its festival more Hollywood friendly, also has included 28 U.S.-produced films in its 50-strong Special Presentations sidebar.
The latest Special Presentations titles include the Michael Moore documentary "Captain Mike Across America", Sidney Lumet's "Before the Devil Knows You're Dead," Melisa Wallack and Bernie Goldmann's "Bill", Gillian Armstrong's "Death Defying Acts" and Jason Reitman's "Juno", the follow-up to "Thank You for Smoking", which was a Toronto festival breakout hit two years ago.
Also joining today are the latest works from Jonathan Demme, Alison Eastwood, Brian De Palma, Thomas McCarthy and Anand Tucker.
Toronto will unspool 352 films between Sept. 6 and 15 -- 261 features and 91 shorts. The lineup includes 101 world premieres and 108 North American premieres, many of which will bow in Venice before jumping the pond to Toronto. In addition, 71 of the films are directorial debuts.
The festival lineup promises a strong French contingent, including a dozen titles arriving in Toronto with U.S. distribution deals in hand.
High-profile French titles looking for U.S. distribution include Amos Gitai's "Disengagement", Claude Chabrol's "La Fille Coupee En Deux", which will bow in Venice, and Eric Rohmer's "Les Amours D'Astreet et De Celadon," another North American premiere by way of Venice.
John Kochman, executive director of Unifrance USA, said the strong French presence in Toronto is due primarily to festival co-directors Piers Handling and Noah Cowan remaining "unreconstructed Francophiles" eager to program French titles in their event.
Other new titles announced Wednesday include Wayne Wang's "The Princess of Nebraska" and "A Thousand Years of Good Prayers," both portraits of Chinese immigrants in the U.S. Wang will bring the two indie titles films to the festival's Masters program.
Toronto added eight more documentaries to its Real to Reel section, including films by Paul Crowder and Murray Lerner, Olga Konskaya and Andrea Nekrasov, Julian Schnabel, Ran Tal, Philippe Kholy and Grant Gee.
In addition, the previously announced "Body of War", co-directed by Ellen Spiro and talk show legend Phil Donahue, will see its premiere accompanied by a live performance by Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder, who wrote original songs for the Iraq documentary.
The festival has its usual complement of films about war and political protest that, according to festival co-director Noah Cowan, reflect a "seriousness of purpose and a real sense of drive to tell political stories."
"In many ways, the body of films recalls the American independent movie of the 1970s," he added.
American auteur films including Alan Ball's "Nothing Is Private", a drama about sexual politics and bigotry set against the backdrop of the 1991 Gulf War, De Palma's war drama "Redacted" and Sean Penn's "Into the Wild" reflect anti-war "provocation," Cowan said.
Toronto's lineup also includes a surprising number of crime-themed dramas, including Alexi Tan's "Blood Brothers", a drama about three friends taking on a life of big-city crime; Comeau's fugitive drama "Le Deuxieme Souffle"; Lumet's "Before the Devil Knows You're Dead," a thriller about a botched robbery; Brad Furman's "The Take", about the aftermath of an armored car heist; and Ira Sachs' "Married Life", a drama about a husband who kills his wife to spare her the shame of divorce.
Cowan said that the crime-themed movies this year recall the '70s-era vigilante movies that coincided with Vietnam.
"When the U.S. is faced with wars that are frustrating in their inability to be totally understood, that comes out in their films," Toronto's top programr said.
"Just as the 1970s, there's films that reflect paranoia about government and police corruption and which come from a frustration and rage about what's happening in the world," he added.
Other Toronto highlights announced Wednesday include talks by President Carter and his wife, Rosalynn Carter, an update on Bill Maher and Larry Charles' anti-religion documentary and a briefing on the ongoing crisis in Darfur courtesy of International Criminal Court prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo and Don Cheadle.
Toronto is set to open Sept. 6 with Jeremy Podeswa's "Fugitive Pieces" and close 10 days later with another Canadian film, Paolo Barzman's "Emotional Arithmetic".
A complete list of titles screening at Toronto follows:
Galas:
"Across the Universe", Julie Taymor, U.S.
"L'Age Des Tenebres", Denys Arcand, Canada
"Blood Brothers", Alexi Tan, Taiwan/China/Hong Kong
"Caramel", Nadine Labaki, Lebanon/France
"Cassandra's Dream", Woody Allen, Britain
"Cleaner", Renny Harlin, U.S.
- 8/23/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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