Exclusive: Oliver Trevena (Plane) will exec produce and star in the dramatic thriller Social Capital, from writer-director Emilio Mauro.
The upcoming film follows an ensemble of distinct characters making their way through a seemingly normal office workday that begins to unwind as they are pushed closer and closer to the brink under mounting pressure. Trevena plays Scott, who’s constantly in mental distress — toeing the line between angry and manic. Deep down, however, he’s a man trying to find his strength and purpose, while keeping it all together after his relationships, both personal and professional, start to unwind.
Mauro is producing Social Capital, with Trevena being joined as an exec producer by David Womark and Alecia Jean Lebeda. The actor — who can currently be seen starring alongside Gerard Butler, Mike Colter and more in the Lionsgate action-thriller Plane — is this month filming a role alongside Harvey Keitel and Olga Kurylenko...
The upcoming film follows an ensemble of distinct characters making their way through a seemingly normal office workday that begins to unwind as they are pushed closer and closer to the brink under mounting pressure. Trevena plays Scott, who’s constantly in mental distress — toeing the line between angry and manic. Deep down, however, he’s a man trying to find his strength and purpose, while keeping it all together after his relationships, both personal and professional, start to unwind.
Mauro is producing Social Capital, with Trevena being joined as an exec producer by David Womark and Alecia Jean Lebeda. The actor — who can currently be seen starring alongside Gerard Butler, Mike Colter and more in the Lionsgate action-thriller Plane — is this month filming a role alongside Harvey Keitel and Olga Kurylenko...
- 1/13/2023
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
The deadline to submit films in the international feature Oscar category was Oct. 3, but the Academy has not yet announced the full list of accepted titles, so it is a provisional report. AMPAS will release a shortlist of 15 movies on Dec. 21 and the nominations will be announced Jan. 24. The Oscar ceremony will take place March 12 at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.
Albania
A Cup of Coffee and New Shoes On
Director: Gentian Koçi
Logline: Deaf-mute twins in Tirana discover they have a genetical disease that will take away their sight slowly. They have a decision to make.
International Sales: M-Appeal
Algeria
Our Brothers
Director. Rachid Bouchareb
Logline: Mixing documentary and fiction, pic explores police violence and the deaths of student Malik Oussekine and bar patron Abdel Benyahia.
Intl. Sales: Wild Bunch
Argentina
Argentina , 1985
Director: Santiago Mitre
Logline: Lawyers battle Argentina’s military junta in the 1980s.
U.S. Distributor: Amazon...
Albania
A Cup of Coffee and New Shoes On
Director: Gentian Koçi
Logline: Deaf-mute twins in Tirana discover they have a genetical disease that will take away their sight slowly. They have a decision to make.
International Sales: M-Appeal
Algeria
Our Brothers
Director. Rachid Bouchareb
Logline: Mixing documentary and fiction, pic explores police violence and the deaths of student Malik Oussekine and bar patron Abdel Benyahia.
Intl. Sales: Wild Bunch
Argentina
Argentina , 1985
Director: Santiago Mitre
Logline: Lawyers battle Argentina’s military junta in the 1980s.
U.S. Distributor: Amazon...
- 11/2/2022
- by Shalini Dore
- Variety Film + TV
Keep track of all the submissions for best international feature at the 2023 Academy Awards.
Entries for the 2023 Oscar for best international feature are underway, and Screen is profiling each one on this page.
Scroll down for profiles of each Oscar entry
An international feature film is defined as a feature-length motion picture produced outside the US with a predominantly (more than 50) non-English dialogue track and can include animated and documentary features.
Submitted films must have been released theatrically in their respective countries between January 1, 2022 and November 30, 2022. The deadline for submissions to the Academy is October 3, 2022.
A shortlist of 15 finalists is...
Entries for the 2023 Oscar for best international feature are underway, and Screen is profiling each one on this page.
Scroll down for profiles of each Oscar entry
An international feature film is defined as a feature-length motion picture produced outside the US with a predominantly (more than 50) non-English dialogue track and can include animated and documentary features.
Submitted films must have been released theatrically in their respective countries between January 1, 2022 and November 30, 2022. The deadline for submissions to the Academy is October 3, 2022.
A shortlist of 15 finalists is...
- 8/30/2022
- by Screen staff
- ScreenDaily
Keep track of all the submissions for best international feature at the 2023 Academy Awards.
Entries for the 2023 Oscar for best international feature are underway, and Screen is profiling each one on this page.
Scroll down for profiles of each Oscar entry
An international feature film is defined as a feature-length motion picture produced outside the US with a predominantly (more than 50) non-English dialogue track and can include animated and documentary features.
Submitted films must have been released theatrically in their respective countries between January 1, 2022 and November 30, 2022. The deadline for submissions to the Academy is October 3, 2022.
A shortlist of 15 finalists is...
Entries for the 2023 Oscar for best international feature are underway, and Screen is profiling each one on this page.
Scroll down for profiles of each Oscar entry
An international feature film is defined as a feature-length motion picture produced outside the US with a predominantly (more than 50) non-English dialogue track and can include animated and documentary features.
Submitted films must have been released theatrically in their respective countries between January 1, 2022 and November 30, 2022. The deadline for submissions to the Academy is October 3, 2022.
A shortlist of 15 finalists is...
- 8/30/2022
- by Screen staff
- ScreenDaily
Unspooling March 21-25, the Malaga Festival Fund & Co-Production Event project (Maff) provides a forum for Latin American film projects to seek international production partnerships. Costa Rican productions will be highlighted by subsection Costa Rica Guest Country.
The socially impactful film “Silence of the Earth” will feature in the Maff Social subsection. Female directors earn special emphasis in the Women Screen Industry section.
Following, the profiles of Maff production.
“All My Journey Are Journeys of Return,”
A time-jumping, genre-blending “delirious adventure,” say its makers, from Los Niños Films and Vorágine, currently in production on the World Cinema Fund-backed “Carropasajero.” It depicts a journey which begins in the Rio Magdalena, in the early 19th century, during a search for poet Gaspar de la Noche, who has gone missing in northern Sweden. Carolina Zarate produces.
“Before the Memory,”
Shepherded by Agustina Chiarino, one of Uruguay’s most ambitious film producers, González’s...
The socially impactful film “Silence of the Earth” will feature in the Maff Social subsection. Female directors earn special emphasis in the Women Screen Industry section.
Following, the profiles of Maff production.
“All My Journey Are Journeys of Return,”
A time-jumping, genre-blending “delirious adventure,” say its makers, from Los Niños Films and Vorágine, currently in production on the World Cinema Fund-backed “Carropasajero.” It depicts a journey which begins in the Rio Magdalena, in the early 19th century, during a search for poet Gaspar de la Noche, who has gone missing in northern Sweden. Carolina Zarate produces.
“Before the Memory,”
Shepherded by Agustina Chiarino, one of Uruguay’s most ambitious film producers, González’s...
- 3/21/2022
- by John Hopewell, Emilio Mayorga and Justin Morgan
- Variety Film + TV
The event is a major showcase of Spanish and Latin American content to the international market.
The world premiere of Jorge Coira’s Codigo Emperador, starring Luis Tosar, opens the 25th edition of the Málaga Film Festival (Mff) today (March 18), marking the first time the Spanish and Latin American-focused event has run in-person for two years. The spy thriiller also opens in Spain today.
Roberto Bueso’s Full Of Grace is the closing night film, screening out of competition.
Codigo Emperador is playing in competition along with Alauda Ruiz de Azúa’s directorial debut Lullaby, starring Laia Costa and Susi Sánchez,...
The world premiere of Jorge Coira’s Codigo Emperador, starring Luis Tosar, opens the 25th edition of the Málaga Film Festival (Mff) today (March 18), marking the first time the Spanish and Latin American-focused event has run in-person for two years. The spy thriiller also opens in Spain today.
Roberto Bueso’s Full Of Grace is the closing night film, screening out of competition.
Codigo Emperador is playing in competition along with Alauda Ruiz de Azúa’s directorial debut Lullaby, starring Laia Costa and Susi Sánchez,...
- 3/18/2022
- by Elisabet Cabeza
- ScreenDaily
The Miami Film Festival returns this year with a hybrid event that includes nine premieres from March 4-13 in the Florida city. The festival had previously announced that “The Good Boss” would open the event while “Plaza Catedral” would be the closer. In total, 120 films from more than 35 countries will unspool next month.
The festival, organized by Miami Dade College, will bestow its Precious Gems Awards on Ramin Bahrani (“The White Tiger”) and Ryusuke Hamaguchi (“Drive My Car”), while Dp Ari Wegner and composer Cristobal Tapia de Veer will receive the Art of Light Awards.
“The collective spirit of joy and gratitude that we felt from patrons and filmmakers at last year’s shared in-person theatrical screenings strengthened the always mighty creative heart of Miami Film Festival,” said executive director Jaie Laplante. “As we take all necessary precautions to ensure the continued safety of our patrons, we look forward to...
The festival, organized by Miami Dade College, will bestow its Precious Gems Awards on Ramin Bahrani (“The White Tiger”) and Ryusuke Hamaguchi (“Drive My Car”), while Dp Ari Wegner and composer Cristobal Tapia de Veer will receive the Art of Light Awards.
“The collective spirit of joy and gratitude that we felt from patrons and filmmakers at last year’s shared in-person theatrical screenings strengthened the always mighty creative heart of Miami Film Festival,” said executive director Jaie Laplante. “As we take all necessary precautions to ensure the continued safety of our patrons, we look forward to...
- 2/1/2022
- by Shalini Dore
- Variety Film + TV
Ecuador-based Tropico Cine has pounced on the international sales rights to Javier Andrade’s drama “Lo Invisible.” This is Andrade’s second feature after his breakout film “The Porcelain Horse,” which represented Ecuador in the 2013 Academy Awards.
“Lo Invisible,” which bows its trailer exclusively in Variety, will have its world premiere Sept. 12 in the Toronto International Film Festival’s Discovery sidebar that spotlights directors to watch.
Said Tropico Cine CEO and co-founder Lucas Taillefier: “We started tracking ‘Lo Invisible’ after seeing it as a work in progress at a film festival in Ecuador and were struck by its power even then.
“It’s an elegant film that deals with a theme that is barely explored in Ecuadorian cinema; Anahi Hoeneisen’s performance is equally spectacular,” he added. Tropico Cine has handled such Latin American gems as “Alba,” “Neon Bull” and “Birds of Passage.”
Hoeneisen, who co-wrote the drama with Andrade,...
“Lo Invisible,” which bows its trailer exclusively in Variety, will have its world premiere Sept. 12 in the Toronto International Film Festival’s Discovery sidebar that spotlights directors to watch.
Said Tropico Cine CEO and co-founder Lucas Taillefier: “We started tracking ‘Lo Invisible’ after seeing it as a work in progress at a film festival in Ecuador and were struck by its power even then.
“It’s an elegant film that deals with a theme that is barely explored in Ecuadorian cinema; Anahi Hoeneisen’s performance is equally spectacular,” he added. Tropico Cine has handled such Latin American gems as “Alba,” “Neon Bull” and “Birds of Passage.”
Hoeneisen, who co-wrote the drama with Andrade,...
- 9/10/2021
- by Anna Marie de la Fuente
- Variety Film + TV
BenedictionThe lineup has been unveiled for the 2021 edition of the Toronto International Film Festival, which will take place over 10 days (September 9-18) both in-person and physically in Toronto, and digitally across Canada. Wavelengths - FEATURESFutura (Pietro Marcello, Francesco Munzi, Alice Rohrwacher)The Girl and the Spider (Ramon Zürcher, Silvan Zürcher)Neptune Frost (Saul Williams, Anisia Uzeyman)A Night of Knowing Nothing (Payal Kapadia)Ste. Anne (Rhayne Vermette)The Tsugua Diaries (Maureen Fazendeiro, Miguel Gomes)Wavelengths - SHORTSThe Capacity for Adequate Anger (Vika Kirchenbauer)Dear Chantal (Querida Chantal) (Nicolás Pereda)earthearthearth (Daïchi Saïto)Inner Outer Space (Laida Lertxundi)Polycephaly in D (Michael Robinson)“The red filter is withdrawn.” (Minjung Kim)Train Again (Peter Tscherkassky)Midnight Madness After Blue (Dirty Paradise) (Bertrand Mandico)Dashcam (Rob Savage)Saloum (Jean Luc Herbulot)Titane (Julia Ducournau)You Are Not My Mother (Kate Dolan)Zalava (Arsalan Amiri)TIFF DOCSAttica (Stanley Nelson)Beba (Rebeca Huntt)Becoming Cousteau...
- 8/4/2021
- MUBI
The Toronto Film Festival on Wednesday unveiled its lineups for the Contemporary World Cinema and Discovery programs as it ramps up toward the kickoff of its 46th edition September 9-18. The festival also solidified additional Gala and Special Presentation titles and took the wraps off TIFF Rewind, a new block that highlights memorable films from previous TIFF editions along with conversations and Q&As with directors and casts.
This comes after the festival last week announced that Dear Evan Hansen will be the opening-night film, while Zhang Yimou’s One Second will close it. It also revealed a portion of the Gala and Special presentation titles that featured films from directors Edgar Wright, Melanie Laurent, Barry Levinson, Antoine Fuqua, Jacques Audiard and Ted Melfi.
Today, TIFF added world premieres for Maya Forbes and Wallace Wolodarsky’s The Good House and Camille Griffin’s Silent Night to its Gala lineup, and...
This comes after the festival last week announced that Dear Evan Hansen will be the opening-night film, while Zhang Yimou’s One Second will close it. It also revealed a portion of the Gala and Special presentation titles that featured films from directors Edgar Wright, Melanie Laurent, Barry Levinson, Antoine Fuqua, Jacques Audiard and Ted Melfi.
Today, TIFF added world premieres for Maya Forbes and Wallace Wolodarsky’s The Good House and Camille Griffin’s Silent Night to its Gala lineup, and...
- 7/28/2021
- by Patrick Hipes
- Deadline Film + TV
New TIFF Rewind features filmmakers in conversation about memorable selections from the past.
World premieres of Ruth Paxton’s UK horror A Banquet, Agustina San Martín’s Argentinian genre tale To Kill The Beast and Sébastien Pilote’s Canadian period drama Maria Chapdelaine are among Contemporary World Cinema and Discovery selections announced by Toronto International Film festival.
Scroll down for full list of new titles
The festival also unveiled additional Gala and Special Presentations titles, and introduced TIFF Rewind featuring filmmakers in conversation about memorable selections from the past.
Gala screenings include the world premiere of Camille Griffin’s UK...
World premieres of Ruth Paxton’s UK horror A Banquet, Agustina San Martín’s Argentinian genre tale To Kill The Beast and Sébastien Pilote’s Canadian period drama Maria Chapdelaine are among Contemporary World Cinema and Discovery selections announced by Toronto International Film festival.
Scroll down for full list of new titles
The festival also unveiled additional Gala and Special Presentations titles, and introduced TIFF Rewind featuring filmmakers in conversation about memorable selections from the past.
Gala screenings include the world premiere of Camille Griffin’s UK...
- 7/28/2021
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Now that a new year is upon us let's reflect back on 2013. Something like a year in Latino film. Latin American filmmakers continued to kill it on the international film festival circuit. Chile, in particular, has been conquering the world one film festival award at a time.
Sadly, American Latino filmmakers were mostly absent from big name festivals like Sundance, Toronto, Berlin, and Cannes. Normally, the major Latino film festivals in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and San Diego offer a home to these overlooked films. The surprising collapse of the New York International Latino Film Festival this past summer and with the Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival barely recovering from financial difficulties, the exhibition of American Latino indies remains in a precarious position.
Still, there is much to celebrate. Starting in the early part of the year, at Sundance, Chilean director Sebastian Silva joined a very elite club of filmmakers -- those who have premiered two films at the same festival. His mescaline-fueled odyssey Crystal Fairy won the World Cinema Dramatic Directing Award and the psychological thriller Magic, Magic starring Michael Cera went on to play Director's Fortnight in Cannes.
The Berlinale, in February, brought the much anticipated world premiere of Sebastian Lelio's fourth film Gloria and the charming Uruguayan family comedy Tanta Agua. Cementing 2013 as the year of Chile, actress Paulina Garcia won the Silver Bear for her dazzling and dynamic performance as a middle-aged divorcee in Gloria.
Mid-year, Mexican filmmakers took Cannes by storm again, winning the Best Director prize for the second year in a row. In 2013, the victor was Amat Escalante for his feature film Heli. The year prior Carlos Reygadas took home the prize for Post Tenebras Lux.
In the fall, Toronto spoiled us with Latin American riches. The gargantuan fest showcased more than 300 films from 70 different countries including the Mexican documentary El Alcalde, Venezuela's Pelo Malo (Bad Hair), Peruvian black comedy El Mudo (The Mute), the Brazilian drama O lobo atras da porta (A Wolf at the Door), and the world premiere of Fernando Eimbcke's Club Sandwich. Costa Rica made a first-time appearance at the Toronto Film Festival with Por las plumas (All About the Feathers) and the Dominican Republic showcased Cristo Rey.
Over Labor Day weekend, Eugenio Derbez, a Mexican actor most Americans had never heard of released his sleeper hit Instructions Not Included. Totally ignored by mainstream film critics, the Spanish-language family comedy went on to shatter box office records. It beat out Woody Allen's Blue Jasmine and critical darling 12 Years a Slave making it the top grossing indie film of the year. It also became the highest grossing Spanish-language film ever in the United States. A few weeks later, when Instructions opened in Derbez's home country, it became the most-watched Mexican film of all time.
Despite being snubbed by the Academy Awards (no Latin American productions made the shortlist for Best Foreign Language Film), Latino films ended the year on a high note. The triumph of our films abroad coupled with a Spanish-language box office hit at home bodes well for the Latino films of 2014.
In case you were living under a rock this past year and missed it all, we've got you covered. Thankfully, there are professionals who get paid to keep track of what Latino movies are receiving accolades, have the most buzz, and got picked up for distribution. LatinoBuzz went straight to the experts, film programmers, to ask, "What are your top 5 Latino films of 2013?"
Christine Davila, Director of Ambulante California
There is no shortage of original and compelling Us Latino writer/directors working across different genres out there, and this list proves it. These confident artists have captured fresh and mighty perspectives far too underrepresented, and they are storming through the cluster neck of homogeneity that continues to reign in film content.
Water & Power (Richard Montoya, USA)
Los Wild Ones (Elise Salomon, USA)
Delusions of Grandeur (Iris Almaraz, Gustavo Ramos, USA)
Sleeping with the Fishes (Nicole Gomez Fisher, USA)
The House that Jack Built (Henry Barrial, USA)
Marcela Goglio, Programmer at the Film Society of Lincoln Center
No special criteria in these choices, just some of the many accomplished Latin American films that, in my opinion, create universes or make statements in beautiful, original and/or powerful ways.
Viola (Matias Pineiro, Argentina)
El alcalde (Emiliano Altuna/Carlos Rossini/Diego Osorno, Mexico)
La eterna noche de las doce lunas (Priscilla Padilla, Colombia)
El futuro (Alicia Scherson, Chile)
Gloria (Sebastian Lelio, Chile)
Carlos A. Gutierrez, Co-founder and Executive Director of Cinema Tropical
For practical purposes, my list features five Latin American films (my area of expertise) that I highly recommend, and that screened in the U.S. in 2013 (in alphabetical order):
El Alcalde / The Mayor (Carlos F. Rossini, Emiliano Altuna and Diego Osorno, Mexico)
El otro dia / The Other Day (Ignacio Aguero, Chile)
Los mejores temas / Greatest Hits (Nicolas Pereda, Mexico)
Tanta Agua / So Much Water (Ana Guevara and Leticia Jorge, Uruguay)
Viola (Matias Pineiro, Argentina)
Lucho Ramirez, Founder & Executive Director of Cine+Mas Sf, presenter of the Cm San Francisco Latino Film Festival
There are so many works by Latino and Latin American filmmakers that merit the public and the tastemaker's attention. Compiling a list of 5 is difficult for me as a festival director because each film that we program is beloved. In addition, there are the other films I see at other fests or at theaters, particularly the bigger ones replete with distribution, celebrity, and marketing budgets. It's hard for independent, quality films to break through and that's part of the reason I seek those out. I believe there is an audience for artisanal films with substance, creativity, and diversity.
I went on memory for this list. Included are films that I saw this year that really stuck with me long after watching them. What's important to me is seeing images of Latinos by Latinos on the screen. This doesn't mean sanitized. Bless Me, Ultima is an important literary work. It was a huge accomplishment to get this on the screen for all us non-readers. Sex, Love, & Salsa packs all the punch of a big romantic comedy in very local and Latino way; Tlatelolco is a historical drama that's really well done, revisiting a chaotic time in Mexico's history but interpreted in a narrow sliver of a relationship that can't be; Porcelain Horse mixes sex, drugs, and rich-kid problems and really does something different with a crime-drama; Delusions of Grandeuer is purely Latino hipster fun.
Bless Me, Ultima (Carl Franklin, USA)
Sex, Love, & Salsa (Adrian Manzano, USA)
Tlatelolco, Summer of 68 (Carlos Bolado, Mexico)
Porcelain Horse (Javier Andrade, Ecuador)
Delusions of Grandeur (Iris Almaraz, Gustavo Ramos, USA)
Glenn Heath Jr., Artistic Director of the San Diego Latino Film Festival
De Jueves a Domingo is a fascinating and subtext-heavy debut from director Dominga Sotomayor Castillo about a family road trip that could be the beginning of the end. In Viola Shakespeare is reinvented, it's art house cinema meets the off-note pacing of jazz. My Sister's Quinceañera is an honest and poignant look at the complexities of family and identity in small town America. Aqui y Alla is riveting in its acute understanding of how the mundane adds up to something grand. Fecha de Caducidad is dark comedy at its finest.
De Jueves a Domingo (Dominga Sotomayor Castillo, Chile)
Viola (Matias Pineiro, Argentina)
My Sister's Quinceanera (Aaron Douglas Johnston, USA)
Aqui y Alla (Antonio Mendez Esparza, Mexico)
Fecha de Caducidad (Kenya Marquez , Mexico)
Diana Vargas, Artistic Director at the Havana Film Festival New York
In Gloria Paulina Garcia's performance is unforgettable and the way the director talks about the middle life crisis of a woman that seems unremarkable until she finds out she can make her own choices and maybe to be single is not that bad, haha. La Sirga portrays the crude reality of the Colombian conflict without showing explicit violence, through impeccable cinematography. In a cinema verite style, La jaula de oro shows 3 Guatemalan adolescents experiencing the harshness of the journey of those who want to immigrate to U.S. 7 Cajas, the biggest Paraguayan box office hit, is as entertaining as well done. With an impeccable screenplay and Guarani dialogues, the film shows a country that usually don't have a strong representation in the festivals around the world. Sibila de Teresa Arredondo (Chile). Sibila Arguedas is the widow of one of the most iconic public figures in Peruvian literature. She's also Chilean and a political prisoner, accused of being a Sendero Luminoso collaborator. This documentary made by Sibila's niece brings to light one of the most fascinating, enimagtic and contradictory characters of the last century.
Gloria (Sebastian Lelio, Chile)
La Sirga (William Vega, Colombia).
La jaula de oro (Diego Quemada-Diez, Mexico)
7 Cajas (Tana Schembori, Juan Carlos Maneglia, Paraguay)
Sibila (Teresa Arredondo, Chile)
Juan Caceres, Director of Programming at the New York International Latino Film Festival
2013 was a great year for Latin American films. Ecuador, Panama, Guatemala and Paraguay, countries with no real infrastructure for filmmaking, all were present in festivals. Chile in particular showed no sign of slowing down their own presence on the festival circuit, taking home prizes at the major festivals. I think it's no coincidence that they share this wonderful genuine camaraderie where there is a support system that includes producing each others projects to simply rooting for one another when it comes to award nominations (you can go to all their Fb pages and occasionally they have each others films as their cover pics! It's uber dope). It's as real as it gets and I think it's something lacking here in the Us. So my list is the Chilean films you should not miss.
Gloria, (Sebastian Lelio, Chile)
No (Pablo Larrain, Chile)
Il Futuro / The Future (Alicia Scherson, Chile)
El verano de los peces voladores / The Summer of Flying Fish (Marcela Said, Chile)
Las cosas como son / Things The Way They Are (Fernando Lavanderos, Chile)
Marlene Dermer, Director/Programmer at the Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival
It has been really hard to narrow it to five I have to say. I find Latino cinema and its creators in a wonderful period. It’s alive and beats like a heart. There is so much talent in our communities and they are doing some of the most interesting work in world cinema. It's thought provoking or personal and universal. It's also tough to include U.S. works with Latin American work because there are many more countries and many with support. This year in our festival we had the largest showcase of U.S.A. films which was very exciting to see. As a programmer for 22 years I find it stimulating to discover all these new voices coming up in our community and truly sharing the screens at festivals and theaters around the world. There is a new generation in every country, that is very exciting and promising for the future of cinema, our community and the audio visual world.
Club Sandwich (Fernando Eimbcke, Mexico)
Pelo Malo (Mariana Rondón, Venezuela)
Gloria (Sebastian Lelio, Chile)
O lobo atras da porta (Fernando Coimbra, Brazil)
Tanta Agua / So Much Water (Ana Guevara and Leticia Jorge, Uruguay)
Written by Vanessa Erazo. LatinoBuzz is a weekly feature on SydneysBuzz that highlights Latino indie talent and upcoming trends in Latino film with the specific objective of presenting a broad range of Latino voices. Follow @LatinoBuzz on Twitter and Facebook.
Sadly, American Latino filmmakers were mostly absent from big name festivals like Sundance, Toronto, Berlin, and Cannes. Normally, the major Latino film festivals in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and San Diego offer a home to these overlooked films. The surprising collapse of the New York International Latino Film Festival this past summer and with the Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival barely recovering from financial difficulties, the exhibition of American Latino indies remains in a precarious position.
Still, there is much to celebrate. Starting in the early part of the year, at Sundance, Chilean director Sebastian Silva joined a very elite club of filmmakers -- those who have premiered two films at the same festival. His mescaline-fueled odyssey Crystal Fairy won the World Cinema Dramatic Directing Award and the psychological thriller Magic, Magic starring Michael Cera went on to play Director's Fortnight in Cannes.
The Berlinale, in February, brought the much anticipated world premiere of Sebastian Lelio's fourth film Gloria and the charming Uruguayan family comedy Tanta Agua. Cementing 2013 as the year of Chile, actress Paulina Garcia won the Silver Bear for her dazzling and dynamic performance as a middle-aged divorcee in Gloria.
Mid-year, Mexican filmmakers took Cannes by storm again, winning the Best Director prize for the second year in a row. In 2013, the victor was Amat Escalante for his feature film Heli. The year prior Carlos Reygadas took home the prize for Post Tenebras Lux.
In the fall, Toronto spoiled us with Latin American riches. The gargantuan fest showcased more than 300 films from 70 different countries including the Mexican documentary El Alcalde, Venezuela's Pelo Malo (Bad Hair), Peruvian black comedy El Mudo (The Mute), the Brazilian drama O lobo atras da porta (A Wolf at the Door), and the world premiere of Fernando Eimbcke's Club Sandwich. Costa Rica made a first-time appearance at the Toronto Film Festival with Por las plumas (All About the Feathers) and the Dominican Republic showcased Cristo Rey.
Over Labor Day weekend, Eugenio Derbez, a Mexican actor most Americans had never heard of released his sleeper hit Instructions Not Included. Totally ignored by mainstream film critics, the Spanish-language family comedy went on to shatter box office records. It beat out Woody Allen's Blue Jasmine and critical darling 12 Years a Slave making it the top grossing indie film of the year. It also became the highest grossing Spanish-language film ever in the United States. A few weeks later, when Instructions opened in Derbez's home country, it became the most-watched Mexican film of all time.
Despite being snubbed by the Academy Awards (no Latin American productions made the shortlist for Best Foreign Language Film), Latino films ended the year on a high note. The triumph of our films abroad coupled with a Spanish-language box office hit at home bodes well for the Latino films of 2014.
In case you were living under a rock this past year and missed it all, we've got you covered. Thankfully, there are professionals who get paid to keep track of what Latino movies are receiving accolades, have the most buzz, and got picked up for distribution. LatinoBuzz went straight to the experts, film programmers, to ask, "What are your top 5 Latino films of 2013?"
Christine Davila, Director of Ambulante California
There is no shortage of original and compelling Us Latino writer/directors working across different genres out there, and this list proves it. These confident artists have captured fresh and mighty perspectives far too underrepresented, and they are storming through the cluster neck of homogeneity that continues to reign in film content.
Water & Power (Richard Montoya, USA)
Los Wild Ones (Elise Salomon, USA)
Delusions of Grandeur (Iris Almaraz, Gustavo Ramos, USA)
Sleeping with the Fishes (Nicole Gomez Fisher, USA)
The House that Jack Built (Henry Barrial, USA)
Marcela Goglio, Programmer at the Film Society of Lincoln Center
No special criteria in these choices, just some of the many accomplished Latin American films that, in my opinion, create universes or make statements in beautiful, original and/or powerful ways.
Viola (Matias Pineiro, Argentina)
El alcalde (Emiliano Altuna/Carlos Rossini/Diego Osorno, Mexico)
La eterna noche de las doce lunas (Priscilla Padilla, Colombia)
El futuro (Alicia Scherson, Chile)
Gloria (Sebastian Lelio, Chile)
Carlos A. Gutierrez, Co-founder and Executive Director of Cinema Tropical
For practical purposes, my list features five Latin American films (my area of expertise) that I highly recommend, and that screened in the U.S. in 2013 (in alphabetical order):
El Alcalde / The Mayor (Carlos F. Rossini, Emiliano Altuna and Diego Osorno, Mexico)
El otro dia / The Other Day (Ignacio Aguero, Chile)
Los mejores temas / Greatest Hits (Nicolas Pereda, Mexico)
Tanta Agua / So Much Water (Ana Guevara and Leticia Jorge, Uruguay)
Viola (Matias Pineiro, Argentina)
Lucho Ramirez, Founder & Executive Director of Cine+Mas Sf, presenter of the Cm San Francisco Latino Film Festival
There are so many works by Latino and Latin American filmmakers that merit the public and the tastemaker's attention. Compiling a list of 5 is difficult for me as a festival director because each film that we program is beloved. In addition, there are the other films I see at other fests or at theaters, particularly the bigger ones replete with distribution, celebrity, and marketing budgets. It's hard for independent, quality films to break through and that's part of the reason I seek those out. I believe there is an audience for artisanal films with substance, creativity, and diversity.
I went on memory for this list. Included are films that I saw this year that really stuck with me long after watching them. What's important to me is seeing images of Latinos by Latinos on the screen. This doesn't mean sanitized. Bless Me, Ultima is an important literary work. It was a huge accomplishment to get this on the screen for all us non-readers. Sex, Love, & Salsa packs all the punch of a big romantic comedy in very local and Latino way; Tlatelolco is a historical drama that's really well done, revisiting a chaotic time in Mexico's history but interpreted in a narrow sliver of a relationship that can't be; Porcelain Horse mixes sex, drugs, and rich-kid problems and really does something different with a crime-drama; Delusions of Grandeuer is purely Latino hipster fun.
Bless Me, Ultima (Carl Franklin, USA)
Sex, Love, & Salsa (Adrian Manzano, USA)
Tlatelolco, Summer of 68 (Carlos Bolado, Mexico)
Porcelain Horse (Javier Andrade, Ecuador)
Delusions of Grandeur (Iris Almaraz, Gustavo Ramos, USA)
Glenn Heath Jr., Artistic Director of the San Diego Latino Film Festival
De Jueves a Domingo is a fascinating and subtext-heavy debut from director Dominga Sotomayor Castillo about a family road trip that could be the beginning of the end. In Viola Shakespeare is reinvented, it's art house cinema meets the off-note pacing of jazz. My Sister's Quinceañera is an honest and poignant look at the complexities of family and identity in small town America. Aqui y Alla is riveting in its acute understanding of how the mundane adds up to something grand. Fecha de Caducidad is dark comedy at its finest.
De Jueves a Domingo (Dominga Sotomayor Castillo, Chile)
Viola (Matias Pineiro, Argentina)
My Sister's Quinceanera (Aaron Douglas Johnston, USA)
Aqui y Alla (Antonio Mendez Esparza, Mexico)
Fecha de Caducidad (Kenya Marquez , Mexico)
Diana Vargas, Artistic Director at the Havana Film Festival New York
In Gloria Paulina Garcia's performance is unforgettable and the way the director talks about the middle life crisis of a woman that seems unremarkable until she finds out she can make her own choices and maybe to be single is not that bad, haha. La Sirga portrays the crude reality of the Colombian conflict without showing explicit violence, through impeccable cinematography. In a cinema verite style, La jaula de oro shows 3 Guatemalan adolescents experiencing the harshness of the journey of those who want to immigrate to U.S. 7 Cajas, the biggest Paraguayan box office hit, is as entertaining as well done. With an impeccable screenplay and Guarani dialogues, the film shows a country that usually don't have a strong representation in the festivals around the world. Sibila de Teresa Arredondo (Chile). Sibila Arguedas is the widow of one of the most iconic public figures in Peruvian literature. She's also Chilean and a political prisoner, accused of being a Sendero Luminoso collaborator. This documentary made by Sibila's niece brings to light one of the most fascinating, enimagtic and contradictory characters of the last century.
Gloria (Sebastian Lelio, Chile)
La Sirga (William Vega, Colombia).
La jaula de oro (Diego Quemada-Diez, Mexico)
7 Cajas (Tana Schembori, Juan Carlos Maneglia, Paraguay)
Sibila (Teresa Arredondo, Chile)
Juan Caceres, Director of Programming at the New York International Latino Film Festival
2013 was a great year for Latin American films. Ecuador, Panama, Guatemala and Paraguay, countries with no real infrastructure for filmmaking, all were present in festivals. Chile in particular showed no sign of slowing down their own presence on the festival circuit, taking home prizes at the major festivals. I think it's no coincidence that they share this wonderful genuine camaraderie where there is a support system that includes producing each others projects to simply rooting for one another when it comes to award nominations (you can go to all their Fb pages and occasionally they have each others films as their cover pics! It's uber dope). It's as real as it gets and I think it's something lacking here in the Us. So my list is the Chilean films you should not miss.
Gloria, (Sebastian Lelio, Chile)
No (Pablo Larrain, Chile)
Il Futuro / The Future (Alicia Scherson, Chile)
El verano de los peces voladores / The Summer of Flying Fish (Marcela Said, Chile)
Las cosas como son / Things The Way They Are (Fernando Lavanderos, Chile)
Marlene Dermer, Director/Programmer at the Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival
It has been really hard to narrow it to five I have to say. I find Latino cinema and its creators in a wonderful period. It’s alive and beats like a heart. There is so much talent in our communities and they are doing some of the most interesting work in world cinema. It's thought provoking or personal and universal. It's also tough to include U.S. works with Latin American work because there are many more countries and many with support. This year in our festival we had the largest showcase of U.S.A. films which was very exciting to see. As a programmer for 22 years I find it stimulating to discover all these new voices coming up in our community and truly sharing the screens at festivals and theaters around the world. There is a new generation in every country, that is very exciting and promising for the future of cinema, our community and the audio visual world.
Club Sandwich (Fernando Eimbcke, Mexico)
Pelo Malo (Mariana Rondón, Venezuela)
Gloria (Sebastian Lelio, Chile)
O lobo atras da porta (Fernando Coimbra, Brazil)
Tanta Agua / So Much Water (Ana Guevara and Leticia Jorge, Uruguay)
Written by Vanessa Erazo. LatinoBuzz is a weekly feature on SydneysBuzz that highlights Latino indie talent and upcoming trends in Latino film with the specific objective of presenting a broad range of Latino voices. Follow @LatinoBuzz on Twitter and Facebook.
- 1/1/2014
- by Vanessa Erazo
- Sydney's Buzz
Best Foreign Language Film Oscar 2014 submissions (photo: Ziyi Zhang in ‘The Grandmaster’) (See previous post: Best Foreign Language Film Oscar: ‘The Past,’ ‘Wadjda,’ Andrzej Wajda Among Omissions) In case you missed it, here’s the full list of submissions (in alphabetical order, per country) for the 2014 Best Foreign Language Film Academy Award. The list of contenders was originally announced on October 7, 2013. Of note: Saudi Arabia and Moldova were first-timers; Montenegro was a first-timer as an independent country. Afghanistan, Wajma — An Afghan Love Story, Barmak Akram, director; Albania, Agon, Robert Budina, director; Argentina, The German Doctor, Lucía Puenzo, director; Australia, The Rocket, Kim Mordaunt, director; Austria, The Wall, Julian Pölsler, director; Azerbaijan, Steppe Man, Shamil Aliyev, director; Bangladesh, Television, Mostofa Sarwar Farooki, director; Belgium, The Broken Circle Breakdown, Felix van Groeningen, director; Bosnia and Herzegovina, An Episode in the Life of an Iron Picker, Danis Tanovic, director; Brazil, Neighboring Sounds, Kleber Mendonça Filho,...
- 12/25/2013
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Porcelain Horse, Ecuador's Submission for the Academy Award Nomination for Best Foreign Language Film. U.S. : None Yet. International Sales Agent: Figa Films
In his debut feature film Porcelain Horse (Mejor No Hablar De Ciertas Cosas) Ecuadorian director Javier Andrade decided to explore characters that are certainly unlikeable, sometimes immoral, but always very human. Their flawed personalities and self-absorbed behavior lead them to a series of terrible decisions with minimal chances for redemption. Insightful and definitely entertaining his film tells the story of two brothers whose only common interest is their mutual enjoyment of illegal drugs. Imbedded with humor, poignant narration, and outstanding performances this feels like a very personal work with a unique voice. Rarely seen in the intentional landscape, Ecuadorian cinema might finally receive more prominent exposure abroad. Andrade's film was chosen as the South American nation's Oscar submission for the Best Foreign Language Film Nomination and has also played successfully in the festival circuit. The director talked to us about his inspiration for the story, his musical influences, and other peculiarities about his film.
Read the Review for Porcelain Horse Here
The protagonists in your film are two very lost men with virtually no direction or purpose. What attracted to you to a story like the one in Porcelain Horse?
The idea came from a real incident that happened in my hometown in the mid 90’s. A murder took place in a house not far from mine at around New Year’s Eve. Three brothers were killed over a drug related incident, and when the police entered the house, one of the prettiest in the neighborhood, the place was dirty, and almost completely empty. As if they had little by little pawned everything in the house to sustain their habit. In the weeks that followed, more gossip about these kids and their family came to light: they were left alone by their mother after the father passed away, and it was implied that the father had died because he could not control his children. I was a teenager back then, but that incident stayed with me, and years later I though it would be fertile ground for a fiction film about the nature of corruption.
Paco’s narration throughout the film makes a point of describing each of the characters’ “vice” or addiction, which is not necessarily drugs for all of them. Why do you think these vices are part of the human experience?
I don’t know, but I do think you can tell a lot about a person by his/her vices. Paco is an addict, so it seemed fitting that he would try and understand the world through his own vision, giving each person an addiction of their own. And it became a way to exteriorize one of the themes of the film, which is that everybody has a drug of choice. My drug of choice is fried dough by the way.
The film’s message is enhanced by the musical selection. There are classic melancholic tunes and modern songs. Perhaps this is more evident in the cover song Luis performs, did you specifically want to say something about the generational divide?
The film takes place in my hometown Portoviejo in the coast of Ecuador. I wanted to set my first movie there because I wanted to tell a story about memory using my own memories. The film is not autobiographical, but it is personal, and in the memories of my youth in that city music was everywhere but there was a great divide between old and young people. For instance, I didn’t really listen to any music in Spanish till I was in my 20’s and going to school in New York. It was on a freezing winter there that I revisited the music of Julio Jaramillo and Carlota Jaramillo and that slowly worked its way into my writing. It was then that I decided that Luis should define his identity as a musician and as a person by covering an old song, a song that belonged to his father and probably heard all his life in his house. Because of what happens in the movie with his father, I thought he would try and find a way to connect, to unite with his father in his own terms, and that would be through music, through turning his father’s music into his music.
All the characters in your film are flawed, but you give one of them a certain redemptive transformation at the end, but do you think that character, or people in general, can truly change or simply adapt to their new circumstances?
I find flawed characters interesting, compelling and challenging. I love seeing them on screen, for they remind me that we are flawed in life as well. I don’t know if we can truly change, but we can try.
Parents definitely have certain expectations of their children, which Luis and Paco seem to be reluctant to fulfill. What does the statue, the porcelain horse, symbolize about this relationship?
It is a metaphor for what can never be, which is for children to fulfill their parents expectations. But it is also an image that conjures up the inevitability of destiny, as it becomes a symbol of the “assimilation” of Paco to the established order at the end of the film.
Going back tot the last question, the original title in Spanish, which translates to “Rather Not Speak of Certain Things”, what do you think that phrase says about this family?
The title in Spanish is an ironic take on an attitude, a way of being that is very common in Ecuador: to turn your back to problems, to not spoil a dinner conversation by bringing up the fact that your kids have an addiction issue, or the fact that corruption has penetrated every faction of society. To not talk. The movie was to me a way to confront audiences with all this in the form of a narrative about a person who can’t escape his destiny, a prince who doesn’t want to be king; and since the origin of everything is family, it seemed to me that in telling the story of the family I could tell the story of the country.
As an Ecuadorian director, what do you think is specific about the cinema of your country and its stories?
All stories are universal, but in what’s happening now in Ecuador is that filmmakers are finding their own, specific way of telling those stories and figuring out what film language to use in the process. We’re in the rare position of witnessing Ecuadorian audiences watching Ecuadorian characters on screen for the first time in personal, challenging work. That’s very exciting.
Lastly, since your film is representing Ecuador at the Academy Awards, is there any pressure or expectations? How does this honor make you feel?
We are the first Ecuadorian submission to the academy awards in 9 years, and the third submission in the history of Ecuadorian cinema. It is an honor indeed and it makes me happy that my colleagues think “Porcelain Horse” is a worthy portrait of our current cinema; anything beyond that I try not to think about. If I did, I would go crazy.
In his debut feature film Porcelain Horse (Mejor No Hablar De Ciertas Cosas) Ecuadorian director Javier Andrade decided to explore characters that are certainly unlikeable, sometimes immoral, but always very human. Their flawed personalities and self-absorbed behavior lead them to a series of terrible decisions with minimal chances for redemption. Insightful and definitely entertaining his film tells the story of two brothers whose only common interest is their mutual enjoyment of illegal drugs. Imbedded with humor, poignant narration, and outstanding performances this feels like a very personal work with a unique voice. Rarely seen in the intentional landscape, Ecuadorian cinema might finally receive more prominent exposure abroad. Andrade's film was chosen as the South American nation's Oscar submission for the Best Foreign Language Film Nomination and has also played successfully in the festival circuit. The director talked to us about his inspiration for the story, his musical influences, and other peculiarities about his film.
Read the Review for Porcelain Horse Here
The protagonists in your film are two very lost men with virtually no direction or purpose. What attracted to you to a story like the one in Porcelain Horse?
The idea came from a real incident that happened in my hometown in the mid 90’s. A murder took place in a house not far from mine at around New Year’s Eve. Three brothers were killed over a drug related incident, and when the police entered the house, one of the prettiest in the neighborhood, the place was dirty, and almost completely empty. As if they had little by little pawned everything in the house to sustain their habit. In the weeks that followed, more gossip about these kids and their family came to light: they were left alone by their mother after the father passed away, and it was implied that the father had died because he could not control his children. I was a teenager back then, but that incident stayed with me, and years later I though it would be fertile ground for a fiction film about the nature of corruption.
Paco’s narration throughout the film makes a point of describing each of the characters’ “vice” or addiction, which is not necessarily drugs for all of them. Why do you think these vices are part of the human experience?
I don’t know, but I do think you can tell a lot about a person by his/her vices. Paco is an addict, so it seemed fitting that he would try and understand the world through his own vision, giving each person an addiction of their own. And it became a way to exteriorize one of the themes of the film, which is that everybody has a drug of choice. My drug of choice is fried dough by the way.
The film’s message is enhanced by the musical selection. There are classic melancholic tunes and modern songs. Perhaps this is more evident in the cover song Luis performs, did you specifically want to say something about the generational divide?
The film takes place in my hometown Portoviejo in the coast of Ecuador. I wanted to set my first movie there because I wanted to tell a story about memory using my own memories. The film is not autobiographical, but it is personal, and in the memories of my youth in that city music was everywhere but there was a great divide between old and young people. For instance, I didn’t really listen to any music in Spanish till I was in my 20’s and going to school in New York. It was on a freezing winter there that I revisited the music of Julio Jaramillo and Carlota Jaramillo and that slowly worked its way into my writing. It was then that I decided that Luis should define his identity as a musician and as a person by covering an old song, a song that belonged to his father and probably heard all his life in his house. Because of what happens in the movie with his father, I thought he would try and find a way to connect, to unite with his father in his own terms, and that would be through music, through turning his father’s music into his music.
All the characters in your film are flawed, but you give one of them a certain redemptive transformation at the end, but do you think that character, or people in general, can truly change or simply adapt to their new circumstances?
I find flawed characters interesting, compelling and challenging. I love seeing them on screen, for they remind me that we are flawed in life as well. I don’t know if we can truly change, but we can try.
Parents definitely have certain expectations of their children, which Luis and Paco seem to be reluctant to fulfill. What does the statue, the porcelain horse, symbolize about this relationship?
It is a metaphor for what can never be, which is for children to fulfill their parents expectations. But it is also an image that conjures up the inevitability of destiny, as it becomes a symbol of the “assimilation” of Paco to the established order at the end of the film.
Going back tot the last question, the original title in Spanish, which translates to “Rather Not Speak of Certain Things”, what do you think that phrase says about this family?
The title in Spanish is an ironic take on an attitude, a way of being that is very common in Ecuador: to turn your back to problems, to not spoil a dinner conversation by bringing up the fact that your kids have an addiction issue, or the fact that corruption has penetrated every faction of society. To not talk. The movie was to me a way to confront audiences with all this in the form of a narrative about a person who can’t escape his destiny, a prince who doesn’t want to be king; and since the origin of everything is family, it seemed to me that in telling the story of the family I could tell the story of the country.
As an Ecuadorian director, what do you think is specific about the cinema of your country and its stories?
All stories are universal, but in what’s happening now in Ecuador is that filmmakers are finding their own, specific way of telling those stories and figuring out what film language to use in the process. We’re in the rare position of witnessing Ecuadorian audiences watching Ecuadorian characters on screen for the first time in personal, challenging work. That’s very exciting.
Lastly, since your film is representing Ecuador at the Academy Awards, is there any pressure or expectations? How does this honor make you feel?
We are the first Ecuadorian submission to the academy awards in 9 years, and the third submission in the history of Ecuadorian cinema. It is an honor indeed and it makes me happy that my colleagues think “Porcelain Horse” is a worthy portrait of our current cinema; anything beyond that I try not to think about. If I did, I would go crazy.
- 12/13/2013
- by Carlos Aguilar
- Sydney's Buzz
Although “Porcelain Horse” depicts in unflinching detail the deterioration of an affluent family after its sons succumb to freebase addiction, writer-director Javier Andrade admits that he was simultaneously enchanted and provoked by the Ecuadorian drug culture that inspired his fiction debut. “There was a huge sort of drug culture that I was really sort of impressed by when I started to go out,” Andrade told TheWrap’s Steve Pond. “And it seemed like a metaphor for something that was lacking. And I thought, if I could make a film about corruption, it would be an interesting place to start with personal.
- 12/12/2013
- by Todd Gilchrist
- The Wrap
Porcelain Horse, Ecuador's Submission for the Academy Award Nomination for Best Foreign Language Film. U.S. : None Yet. International Sales Agent: Figa Films
There is an absurd romanticism associated with the careless trifecta representative of outlaws living on the edge in a state of pure hedonistic ecstasy: sex, drugs, and rock & roll. Those who revel in excess, oblivious to any consequence, at least temporarily, are symbols of a lifestyle glorified because they only seek instant gratification. The rock stars, the celebrities, the adored rebels who don’t abide by any restrictive norm, they are the ones the youth aspires to be like. Bigger than life creatures whose mortality seems not to concern them, but instead numbing pleasure becomes their vice. Those who can’t afford such expensive existence, but still pursue it, are even more directionless and pitiful. It is them that director Javier Andrade is most interested in exploring in his debut narrative feature Porcelain Horse.
Structured as a recollection of a series of terrible decisions, the story is narrated by Paco (Francisco Savinovich), one of two drug-addicted brothers in their twenties from an affluent family in the Ecuadorian coastal town of Portoviejo. Painting a picture of his family dynamics with nostalgic sarcasm, Paco expresses in detail his opinions on his siblings, his parents, and even his own damaged reasoning. His deranged brother Luis (Victor Arauz), the perennial black sheep, wants to be a punk rock star with his band “Los Propios” (The Proper Ones). However, higher on his list of priorities is finding ways to sustain his wicked dependency on illegal drugs. One night while celebrating New Year’s Eve with Paco the urge turns intolerable, and lacking the funds to get their fix, the pair decides to steal their father’s beloved porcelain horse. Fed up with his sons’ entitlement and leaching conduct, their old man puts up a fight that ends up killing him making the precious statue a symbol of the family’s demise.
What ensues is a downward spiral for both men provoked by situations that superficially seemed like opportunities for them to improve, but which are ruined by their lack of self-control. Their mother and sister leave the country for Miami leaving them as inheritance their family home, which they ransack to indulge their habit. Occasionally Paco meets his longtime lover Lucia (Leovanna Orlandini), who is married with a kid, for intense and substance-induced sexual encounters. Eventually she decides to leave her husband Rodrigo (Alejandro Fajardo) and begins a torrid romance with him, a move that angers her wealthy parents who refuse to support her. Meanwhile, Luis manages to get a record deal from his new romantic interest, none other than Lucia’s ex-partner who admits to being a closeted homosexual. Connected by their unforgivable faults and self-absorbed behavior, these four flawed individuals ultimately meet their fate, which gives one of them a second chance to rectify their communal mistakes.
Refusing to identify themselves as failures the brothers’ raunchy fraternal love is based on their shared guilt over their father’s death and the emotional decay and disconnect they have caused for their family. Paco’s detailed observations and commentary unveil his yearning to follow the status quo as his parent’s would have liked, but sadly the disastrous path they chose dragged them further away from realizing the havoc they created. The state of pure and carefree anarchy they pretend to enjoy is false, as they live submissive to the momentary relief the drugs provide. They are slaves to that artificial cure that helps them ignore years of regret. Heartfelt and intense, Savinovich and Arauz performances are equally praiseworthy. They imbue their characters with an armature of despicable banality that covers their shame and vulnerability. This complexity helps their problematic relationship ring true.
Enhanced by a musical selection that includes classics from bygone times and futile modern picks, the generational divide is clear. Luis aspires to be a star, dissociating himself from the established and accepted lifestyle, he refuses to be “proper.” Paco, on the other hand, is perhaps even more adrift. Dreading his job as a bank clerk he believes he could be much more, whether that means fulfilling his father’s desires or his own is what’s at stake. Andrade’s work is crude and blunt, but in that straightforward approach there is truth. His story follows these reckless pariahs simply because they have no goals, they are lost, and that’s what makes them appealing. He decided to make a film about unspoken things, about the dirty laundry of a family that finally comes to light. Porcelain Horse is a stimulating and vivid journey that is as nonchalant as it is strangely endearing.
Read more about all the 76 Best Foreign Language Film Submission for the 2014 Academy Awards...
There is an absurd romanticism associated with the careless trifecta representative of outlaws living on the edge in a state of pure hedonistic ecstasy: sex, drugs, and rock & roll. Those who revel in excess, oblivious to any consequence, at least temporarily, are symbols of a lifestyle glorified because they only seek instant gratification. The rock stars, the celebrities, the adored rebels who don’t abide by any restrictive norm, they are the ones the youth aspires to be like. Bigger than life creatures whose mortality seems not to concern them, but instead numbing pleasure becomes their vice. Those who can’t afford such expensive existence, but still pursue it, are even more directionless and pitiful. It is them that director Javier Andrade is most interested in exploring in his debut narrative feature Porcelain Horse.
Structured as a recollection of a series of terrible decisions, the story is narrated by Paco (Francisco Savinovich), one of two drug-addicted brothers in their twenties from an affluent family in the Ecuadorian coastal town of Portoviejo. Painting a picture of his family dynamics with nostalgic sarcasm, Paco expresses in detail his opinions on his siblings, his parents, and even his own damaged reasoning. His deranged brother Luis (Victor Arauz), the perennial black sheep, wants to be a punk rock star with his band “Los Propios” (The Proper Ones). However, higher on his list of priorities is finding ways to sustain his wicked dependency on illegal drugs. One night while celebrating New Year’s Eve with Paco the urge turns intolerable, and lacking the funds to get their fix, the pair decides to steal their father’s beloved porcelain horse. Fed up with his sons’ entitlement and leaching conduct, their old man puts up a fight that ends up killing him making the precious statue a symbol of the family’s demise.
What ensues is a downward spiral for both men provoked by situations that superficially seemed like opportunities for them to improve, but which are ruined by their lack of self-control. Their mother and sister leave the country for Miami leaving them as inheritance their family home, which they ransack to indulge their habit. Occasionally Paco meets his longtime lover Lucia (Leovanna Orlandini), who is married with a kid, for intense and substance-induced sexual encounters. Eventually she decides to leave her husband Rodrigo (Alejandro Fajardo) and begins a torrid romance with him, a move that angers her wealthy parents who refuse to support her. Meanwhile, Luis manages to get a record deal from his new romantic interest, none other than Lucia’s ex-partner who admits to being a closeted homosexual. Connected by their unforgivable faults and self-absorbed behavior, these four flawed individuals ultimately meet their fate, which gives one of them a second chance to rectify their communal mistakes.
Refusing to identify themselves as failures the brothers’ raunchy fraternal love is based on their shared guilt over their father’s death and the emotional decay and disconnect they have caused for their family. Paco’s detailed observations and commentary unveil his yearning to follow the status quo as his parent’s would have liked, but sadly the disastrous path they chose dragged them further away from realizing the havoc they created. The state of pure and carefree anarchy they pretend to enjoy is false, as they live submissive to the momentary relief the drugs provide. They are slaves to that artificial cure that helps them ignore years of regret. Heartfelt and intense, Savinovich and Arauz performances are equally praiseworthy. They imbue their characters with an armature of despicable banality that covers their shame and vulnerability. This complexity helps their problematic relationship ring true.
Enhanced by a musical selection that includes classics from bygone times and futile modern picks, the generational divide is clear. Luis aspires to be a star, dissociating himself from the established and accepted lifestyle, he refuses to be “proper.” Paco, on the other hand, is perhaps even more adrift. Dreading his job as a bank clerk he believes he could be much more, whether that means fulfilling his father’s desires or his own is what’s at stake. Andrade’s work is crude and blunt, but in that straightforward approach there is truth. His story follows these reckless pariahs simply because they have no goals, they are lost, and that’s what makes them appealing. He decided to make a film about unspoken things, about the dirty laundry of a family that finally comes to light. Porcelain Horse is a stimulating and vivid journey that is as nonchalant as it is strangely endearing.
Read more about all the 76 Best Foreign Language Film Submission for the 2014 Academy Awards...
- 12/7/2013
- by Carlos Aguilar
- Sydney's Buzz
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced its shortlist for the 2014 Foreign Language Film Oscar — totaling a not-so-short 76 submitted films.
The number, up from 71 films last year, sets a new record for the category and includes frontrunners such as Asghar Farhadi’s The Past from Iran, Thomas Vinterberg’s The Hunt from Denmark, and Wong Kar-Wai’s The Grandmaster from Hong Kong. Abdellatif Kechiche’s festival favorite lesbian drama Blue Is the Warmest Color from France, however, failed to make the cut-off date for eligibility, while India controversially submitted Gyan Correa’s The Good Road over Ritesh Batra’s The Lunchbox.
The number, up from 71 films last year, sets a new record for the category and includes frontrunners such as Asghar Farhadi’s The Past from Iran, Thomas Vinterberg’s The Hunt from Denmark, and Wong Kar-Wai’s The Grandmaster from Hong Kong. Abdellatif Kechiche’s festival favorite lesbian drama Blue Is the Warmest Color from France, however, failed to make the cut-off date for eligibility, while India controversially submitted Gyan Correa’s The Good Road over Ritesh Batra’s The Lunchbox.
- 10/8/2013
- by Shirley Li
- EW - Inside Movies
The Academy officially announced today that a record 76 countries have submitted films for consideration in the Foreign Language Film category for the 2014 Oscars. Among those submitting, Moldova and Saudi Arabia are first-time entrants and this is the first time Montenegro has submitted a film as an independent country. Based solely on name recognition alone I'd say Thomas Vinterberg's The Hunt (Denmark) and Asghar Farhadi's The Past (Iran) will be looked at as front-runners. However, I haven't only seen a few of the titles on this list, another of which is Mexico's entry, Heli from Amat Escalante. I have heard good things about Borgman (Netherlands) and it will be interesting to see how Haifaa al-Mansour's Wadjda is treated as it is a story unto itself, not to mention it seems to be receiving high marks from those that have seen it. I'm personally hoping to catch it soon...
- 10/7/2013
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
A record 76 countries have submitted films for consideration in the foreign language film category for the 86th Academy Awards.
Moldova and Saudi Arabia are first-time entrants while Montenegro is submitting for the first time as an independent country.
Earlier this year the Academy changed its rule allowing all voting members to vote on the shortlist.
The nominations will be announced on January 16 2014 and the Academy Awards ceremony is scheduled to take place on March 2 2014 at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.
The 2013 submissions are:
Afghanistan, Wajma: An Afghan Love Story, Barmak Akram
Albania, Agon, Robert Budina
Argentina, Wakolda, Lucía Puenzo
Australia, The Rocket, Kim Mordaunt
Austria, The Wall, Julian Pölsler
Azerbaijan, Steppe Man, Shamil Aliyev
Bangladesh, Television, Mostofa Sarwar Farooki
Belgium, The Broken Circle Breakdown, Felix van Groeningen
Bosnia and Herzegovina, An Episode in the Life of an Iron Picker, Danis Tanović
Brazil, Neighbouring Sounds, Kleber Mendonça Filho
Bulgaria, The Colour of the Chameleon, Emil Hristov
Cambodia...
Moldova and Saudi Arabia are first-time entrants while Montenegro is submitting for the first time as an independent country.
Earlier this year the Academy changed its rule allowing all voting members to vote on the shortlist.
The nominations will be announced on January 16 2014 and the Academy Awards ceremony is scheduled to take place on March 2 2014 at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.
The 2013 submissions are:
Afghanistan, Wajma: An Afghan Love Story, Barmak Akram
Albania, Agon, Robert Budina
Argentina, Wakolda, Lucía Puenzo
Australia, The Rocket, Kim Mordaunt
Austria, The Wall, Julian Pölsler
Azerbaijan, Steppe Man, Shamil Aliyev
Bangladesh, Television, Mostofa Sarwar Farooki
Belgium, The Broken Circle Breakdown, Felix van Groeningen
Bosnia and Herzegovina, An Episode in the Life of an Iron Picker, Danis Tanović
Brazil, Neighbouring Sounds, Kleber Mendonça Filho
Bulgaria, The Colour of the Chameleon, Emil Hristov
Cambodia...
- 10/7/2013
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences has released the list of the 76 countries and their submissions officially competing for the 2014 Foreign Language Film Oscar.
Amongst the high profile entries this year are Australia's "The Rocket," Denmark's "The Hunt," France's "Renoir," Wong Kar-wai's "The Grandmaster," Iran's "The Past," and Saudi Arabia's "Wadjda".
The nominations will be announced on January 16th 2014 ahead of the ceremony on March 2nd. Here is the complete list:
Afghanistan, "Wajma – An Afghan Love Story," Barmak Akram
Albania, "Agon," Robert Budina
Argentina, "The German Doctor," Lucía Puenzo
Australia, "The Rocket," Kim Mordaunt
Austria, "The Wall," Julian Pölsler
Azerbaijan, "Steppe Man," Shamil Aliyev
Bangladesh, "Television," Mostofa Sarwar Farooki
Belgium, "The Broken Circle Breakdown," Felix van Groeningen
Bosnia and Herzegovina, "An Episode in the Life of an Iron Picker," Danis Tanovic
Brazil, "Neighboring Sounds," Kleber Mendonça Filho
Bulgaria, "The Color of the Chameleon," Emil Hristov
Cambodia, "The Missing Picture,...
Amongst the high profile entries this year are Australia's "The Rocket," Denmark's "The Hunt," France's "Renoir," Wong Kar-wai's "The Grandmaster," Iran's "The Past," and Saudi Arabia's "Wadjda".
The nominations will be announced on January 16th 2014 ahead of the ceremony on March 2nd. Here is the complete list:
Afghanistan, "Wajma – An Afghan Love Story," Barmak Akram
Albania, "Agon," Robert Budina
Argentina, "The German Doctor," Lucía Puenzo
Australia, "The Rocket," Kim Mordaunt
Austria, "The Wall," Julian Pölsler
Azerbaijan, "Steppe Man," Shamil Aliyev
Bangladesh, "Television," Mostofa Sarwar Farooki
Belgium, "The Broken Circle Breakdown," Felix van Groeningen
Bosnia and Herzegovina, "An Episode in the Life of an Iron Picker," Danis Tanovic
Brazil, "Neighboring Sounds," Kleber Mendonça Filho
Bulgaria, "The Color of the Chameleon," Emil Hristov
Cambodia, "The Missing Picture,...
- 10/7/2013
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
A record 76 countries have submitted films for consideration in the Foreign Language Film category for the 86th Academy Awards®.
Moldova and Saudi Arabia are first-time entrants; Montenegro is submitting for the first time as an independent country.
The 2013 submissions are:
Afghanistan, “Wajma – An Afghan Love Story,” Barmak Akram, director;
Albania, “Agon,” Robert Budina, director;
Argentina, “The German Doctor,” Lucía Puenzo, director;
Australia, “The Rocket,” Kim Mordaunt, director;
Austria, “The Wall,” Julian Pölsler, director;
Azerbaijan, “Steppe Man,” Shamil Aliyev, director;
Bangladesh, “Television,” Mostofa Sarwar Farooki, director;
Belgium, “The Broken Circle Breakdown,” Felix van Groeningen, director;
Bosnia and Herzegovina, “An Episode in the Life of an Iron Picker,” Danis Tanovic, director;
Brazil, “Neighboring Sounds,” Kleber Mendonça Filho, director;
Bulgaria, “The Color of the Chameleon,” Emil Hristov, director;
Cambodia, “The Missing Picture,” Rithy Panh, director;
Canada, “Gabrielle,” Louise Archambault, director;
Chad, “GriGris,” Mahamat-Saleh Haroun, director;
Chile, “Gloria,” Sebastián Lelio, director;
China, “Back to 1942,” Feng Xiaogang,...
Moldova and Saudi Arabia are first-time entrants; Montenegro is submitting for the first time as an independent country.
The 2013 submissions are:
Afghanistan, “Wajma – An Afghan Love Story,” Barmak Akram, director;
Albania, “Agon,” Robert Budina, director;
Argentina, “The German Doctor,” Lucía Puenzo, director;
Australia, “The Rocket,” Kim Mordaunt, director;
Austria, “The Wall,” Julian Pölsler, director;
Azerbaijan, “Steppe Man,” Shamil Aliyev, director;
Bangladesh, “Television,” Mostofa Sarwar Farooki, director;
Belgium, “The Broken Circle Breakdown,” Felix van Groeningen, director;
Bosnia and Herzegovina, “An Episode in the Life of an Iron Picker,” Danis Tanovic, director;
Brazil, “Neighboring Sounds,” Kleber Mendonça Filho, director;
Bulgaria, “The Color of the Chameleon,” Emil Hristov, director;
Cambodia, “The Missing Picture,” Rithy Panh, director;
Canada, “Gabrielle,” Louise Archambault, director;
Chad, “GriGris,” Mahamat-Saleh Haroun, director;
Chile, “Gloria,” Sebastián Lelio, director;
China, “Back to 1942,” Feng Xiaogang,...
- 10/7/2013
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
All entries for the Best Foreign-Language Film at the Academy Awards 2014.
Submissions for the Best Foreign-Language Film at the 86th Academy Awards are coming in and will continue until October, when the full list of eligible submissions will be revealed.
Last year, a record 71 countries submitted features and the eventual winner was Austrian entry Amour, directed by Michael Haneke.
An initial nine finalists will be shortlisted, which will be whittled down to five nominees that will be announced on Jan 16, 2014.
Submissions
Afghanistan, Wajma: An Afghan Love Story, Barmak Akram
Albania, Agon, Robert Budina
Argentina, Wakolda, Lucía Puenzo
Australia, The Rocket, Kim Mordaunt
Austria, The Wall, Julian Pölsler
Azerbaijan, Steppe Man, Shamil Aliyev
Bangladesh, Television, Mostofa Sarwar Farooki
Belgium, The Broken Circle Breakdown, Felix van Groeningen
Bosnia and Herzegovina, An Episode in the Life of an Iron Picker, Danis Tanović
Brazil, Neighbouring Sounds, Kleber Mendonça Filho
Bulgaria, The Colour of the Chameleon, Emil Hristov
Cambodia...
Submissions for the Best Foreign-Language Film at the 86th Academy Awards are coming in and will continue until October, when the full list of eligible submissions will be revealed.
Last year, a record 71 countries submitted features and the eventual winner was Austrian entry Amour, directed by Michael Haneke.
An initial nine finalists will be shortlisted, which will be whittled down to five nominees that will be announced on Jan 16, 2014.
Submissions
Afghanistan, Wajma: An Afghan Love Story, Barmak Akram
Albania, Agon, Robert Budina
Argentina, Wakolda, Lucía Puenzo
Australia, The Rocket, Kim Mordaunt
Austria, The Wall, Julian Pölsler
Azerbaijan, Steppe Man, Shamil Aliyev
Bangladesh, Television, Mostofa Sarwar Farooki
Belgium, The Broken Circle Breakdown, Felix van Groeningen
Bosnia and Herzegovina, An Episode in the Life of an Iron Picker, Danis Tanović
Brazil, Neighbouring Sounds, Kleber Mendonça Filho
Bulgaria, The Colour of the Chameleon, Emil Hristov
Cambodia...
- 10/7/2013
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
To begin, Afghanistan and Ecuador have added two more titles to the list of Foreign Language Oscar contenders submitted to the 86th Academy Awards with Barmak Akram's Wajma (An Afghan Love Story) and Javier Andrade's Porcelain Horse, bringing the total number of submissions to 69 so far. Today marked the deadline for submissions and the Academy will soon announce the complete list of films accepted for consideration as this year's race for the Foreign Language category may prove a little more interesting now that the entire voting membership of the Academy can vote for the category, though the nominations will still be determined by a committee. What effect the rule change will have on the end results will be hard to determine since we won't know how it would have happened otherwise, but opening the opportunity to more members can't be a bad thing. Bad things are brewing around the category,...
- 10/2/2013
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
Ecuador’s federal government began funding films in 2006. Cncine, standing for Consejo Nacional del Cinematografia de Ecuador, funds development, production and post production for fiction features, documentaries and shorts are covered in the fund as well as two kinds of indigenous films – both Indian and African. Cinema in Equador has increased several fold. The first year of funding there were 9 films and in 2009 there were 18. The films have shown on BBC, Telesur and other televisions stations interested in emerging cinema. Since then we have seen an Ecuadorian film premiering at a festival including Pescador by Sebastian Cordero, Co mi corazón en Yambo of María Fernanda Restrepo, Abuelos of Carla Valencia, Feriado of Digo Araujo, En el nomkbre de la hija of Tania Hermida, Mejor no hablar de ciertas cosas de Javier Andrade, Uio de Micaela Rueda and Yakuaya of Marcelo Castillo among others. Since 2007 through 2013, Cncine has supported over 222 projects with about Us$ 700,000 per year distributed among eight categories.
For more info try this link:
http://www.convocatoriascncine.gob.ec/app.php
and click on Descargar Bases...
For more info try this link:
http://www.convocatoriascncine.gob.ec/app.php
and click on Descargar Bases...
- 4/24/2013
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.