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2009 | 2008

1-20 of 23 articles from 2009   « Prev | Next »

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Claire Denis Returns to Africa

20 October 2009 4:57 AM, PDT | ifc.com | See recent IFC news »

With "White Material," director Claire Denis goes back to Africa, where she was raised and where, over 20 years ago, she located her first film, "Chocolat." Set in an unnamed country on the verge of civil war, "White Material" follows Maria (Isabelle Huppert), the manager of a coffee plantation, as she struggles to pull together a harvest despite signs of impending violence and chaos around her.

IFC's Alison Willmore sat down with Denis at the New York Film Festival, where "White Material" had its U.S. premiere.

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- IFC

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Nyff 09: Title for Tattle

18 October 2009 9:43 AM, PDT | The Auteurs | See recent The Auteurs news »

Above: Todd Solondz's new film, Life in Wartime.

White Material (Claire Denis, France)

As with a lot of still-young, experimental filmmakers, Claire Denis’ strengths are her weaknesses: characters without motivation or thought who act only by instinct with whatever’s going on around them, like bugs whose raison d’etre is sensory perception; an unrelenting attempt to bring the viewer “into the moment” of these perceptions by rubbing his face against all sorts of disconnected textures from within the scene; an unnerving nonchalance about terrible things, as if everyone involved in the film, from actor to cinematographer, were always high and laughing; a penchant for ellipses, scrambled structure, and anecdote to distract from the key events of the film the characters should and would be thinking about.

In the right context, with enough remove from historical and social habit, she makes terrific films: Beau travail. In the wrong context, »

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Claire Denis:  Shooting Africa in “White Material”

9 October 2009 7:52 AM, PDT | IndieWIRE | See recent indieWIRE news »

Claire Denis’s new film “White Material” makes its New York public debut tonight at the New York Film Festival.  The film explores a conflict in an unnamed region of Africa involving a white woman (Isabelle Huppert) tending both her ancestral coffee plantation and two political factions.  After a press screening at the Walter Reade Theater yesterday, Denis and the actors who played the two factions’ leaders, the Mayor (William Nadylam) and … »

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Tiff: The Finale

19 September 2009 8:57 PM, PDT | FilmExperience | See recent FilmExperience news »

Lev Lewis signing off from the Toronto International Film Festival

For ten days a year my little big city is overtaken by the masses of the film industry. Celebrities of all kinds are spotted walking casually through Yonge St.; semi-recognizable journalists with their green laniards hurry from screening to screening. A little piece of Hollywood just one streetcar ride away from me. So, it's odd to see how a city can overnight seem the centre of the world and then, just like that, retreat back to its former, seemingly dull self.

Not that I'm complaining. As exciting as the last ten days have been, a respite from line-ups and writing and, yes, even films, will be most welcome. 18 films in ten days isn't an exorbitant amount but it's more than enough for me. I'll leave you with a write-up on the best films I saw at the festival.

Now for the movies! »

- Lev Lewis

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Tiff 2009 Day 5: Claire Denis' White Material

18 September 2009 | ioncinema | See recent ioncinema news »

- Claire Denis returns to a scene that is familiar to her and yet the Africa that she presents this time out is a black eye snapshot. Without pinpointing a region specific part on Africa's map, White Material addresses civil war unrest and unfathomable reality of children soldiers with a camerawork and pacing that never lets up – we get an intimate view of the brut violence and an Isabelle Huppert in a deviance and obliviousness mode. It's almost an event when African issues receives a fair cinematic representation and not surprisingly Denis's offers a portrait void of heroes or heroic actions. Full review coming soon.... »

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Review | Running Scared: Claire Denis’s “White Material”

15 September 2009 6:06 AM, PDT | IndieWIRE | See recent indieWIRE news »

At one point in Claire Denis’s ravaging new film, “White Material,” Isabelle Huppert’s Maria, a coffee plantation owner in an African country increasingly torn apart by escalating civil war violence, is driving her grown son, Manuel, on a tractor to bring him medical attention for a minor injury to his foot. Since she has been warned time and again to evacuate for her and her family’s safety, along with the few … »

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Ugly People and Dangerous Men

14 September 2009 8:00 AM, PDT | ifc.com | See recent IFC news »

With the Venice Film Festival having just concluded and Toronto now underway, the award season's wheels begin to roll with big name players, both indie and arthouse, making a showing, with Steven Soderbergh and Jennifer Aniston keeping things light at the multiplex.

Download this in audio form (MP3: 20:11 minutes, 18.5 Mb) Subscribe to the In Theaters podcast: [Xml] [iTunes]

"35 Shots of Rum"

While Claire Denis' latest film, "White Material," is in the midst of a prestigious festival run that will take in Venice, Toronto and soon London, fans of the French filmmaker's work can enjoy this delicate domestic portrayal of tenderness and devotion from last year that begins a small theatrical run here in New York. Set in a nondescript Parisian neighborhood, Denis' film casually unfolds the dynamic of unspoken trust and mutual support played out between a stoic widower Lionel (Alex Descas), his daughter Joséphine (Mati Diop), and the »

- Neil Pedley

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Martin & Ingrid's Tiff 09 Kick-Off Party..

9 September 2009 2:31 PM, PDT | HollywoodNorthReport.com | See recent HollywoodNorthReport.com news »

Hnr's Michael Stevens reporting from Toronto: Thanks go out to Martin & Ingrid's Tiff 09 Kick-Off Party, Wednesday, September 9th @ the Gat + M.Link Festival headquarters in downtown Toronto's Yorkville, providing select wines from Bryan J. Robertson's Kingsway Brokerage Ltd., on behalf of Wild Bunch, Elle Driver, Celluloid Dreams, Film&Doc, Capri Films, The Works International & UMedia, supporting the following films screening at this year's Toronto International Film Festival: Contemporary Cinema : Rabia directed by Sebastian Cordero, will screen a world premiere with Cordero in attendance. "...South American immigrants working in Spain, builder José María and housekeeper Rosa have been together for a few weeks and are very much in love. Rosa's bosses, Señor and Señora Torres, leave their home on a trip, and the volatile José María spends a few days at the run-down mansion, fantasizing about what life with Rosa could be. When a violent confrontation with his foreman results in the other man's death, »

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Full Programme announced for the 2009 London Film Festival

9 September 2009 3:57 AM, PDT | The Hollywood News | See recent The Hollywood News news »

The programme for The Times BFI 53rd London Film Festival, has been announced today by Artistic Director Sandra Hebron. The line-ip includes a diverse selection of world and international premieres with a total of 191 features and 113 shorts screening alongside an exciting line-up of special events and expected guests. Opening Night film, Wes Anderson's Fantastic Mr. Fox, is one of the Festival's 15 world premieres and will be presented by the director and cast members including Meryl Streep, George Clooney, Bill Murray, Jason Schwartzman and Helen McCrory.   Other films celebrating their world premieres include Sam Taylor-Wood's Closing Night Gala Nowhere Boy and the Festival's first ever Archive Gala, the BFI's new restoration of Anthony Asquith's Underground, with live music accompaniment by the Prima Vista Social Club, led by Neil Brand.  The Festival will also host 23 European premieres, including Jean-Pierre Jeunet's Micmacs, Scott Hicks' The Boys Are Back and Robert Connolly's Balibo, »

- Paul

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Guide to Tiff 2009: 40 Film Recommendations

8 September 2009 | ioncinema | See recent ioncinema news »

- I've come up with a magical number of 30 films that I'll be covering for the fest (you might have noticed the Tiff Picks countdown over the past couple of weeks), when in fact that, the number of films I hope to catch a whopping 44! So I'm going to break this down in three steps, my top three suggestions going into the fest blindly (kind of what Toronto Star's Peter Howell does annually - read here), a top 10 films that I've caught prior to Tiff that are worth seeing whether you attend the fest or not, followed by a basic recap. My top three: Samuel Maoz's LebanonInvited to compete at Venice (reviews should be arriving sometime today), the word on this pic is that it could be even more poignant than last year's Waltz with Bashir. This is told from the Pov of a tank crew - not really »

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In Pictures: 'Venice Film Festival Premieres and Photocalls'

7 September 2009 7:27 PM, PDT | Monsters and Critics | See recent Monsters and Critics news »

The actress Isabelle Huppert on the red carpet before the screening of the film: "White Material", Venice, Italy, 06 September 2009. The film by French director Claire Denis is presented in competition at the festival which runs until 12 September. Epa/Claudio Onorati The American director, Michael Moore and his wife, pose for photographers on the red carpet before the screening of his film: "Capitalism: A Love Story" submitted in the competitionduring the 66th Venice Film Festival in Venice, Italy, 06 September 2009. Epa/Claudio Onorati Simona Ventura, posing for photographers on the red carpet before the screening ofthe film: "Capitalism: A Love Story" submitted in the competitionduring the 66th Venice Film Festival in Venice, Italy, 06 September 2009. Epa/Claudio »

- James Wray

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Tiff Picks 09: Claire Denis' White Material

26 August 2009 | ioncinema | See recent ioncinema news »

- #7. White Material Director: Claire Denis Cast: Isabelle Huppert, Isaach De Bankolé, Christophe Lambert, Nicolas Duvauchelle, William NadylamDistributor: Rights Available. Buzz: Making this two in two years, (Cinema Guild is releasing 35 Shots of Rum in Sept.), for those keeping tabs on Denis' filmography, this is a return to sources for the helmer. She made her seminal film debut Chocolat (the 1988 film folks, not the overrated Lasse Hallström drama rom) and for those who know her own history, Africa was a part of her childhood. This also counts as a reunion with De Bankolé. Gist: Scripted by novelist Marie Ndiaye, in an unnamed African country torn by rebellion, Maria, an indomitable white woman, refuses to abandon her coffee crops, or to acknowledge the danger to which she is exposing her family. For Maria, to leave would be to surrender... André - her ex-husband and father of their son - is frightened by her stubborn pride. »

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Final Tiff titles include Mr. Nobody, Dogtooth

20 August 2009 12:57 PM, PDT | QuietEarth.us | See recent QuietEarth news »

242 feature length pics which 95 world premiers.. Wow, I wish I was going, but our lucky Toronto correspondent Rick McGrath will be there instead. (Very lucky Toronto correspondent) Among the standouts are:

Some serious Greek weirdness I'm dying to see in Dogtooth.

Lars Von Triers insanity leaks out in Antichrist. (review)

The long awaited scifi awesomeness starring Jared Leto, Mr. Nobody.

And Locarno winner from the hip UK firm Warp X, She, A Chinese.

List of remaining flicks after the break.

Special Presentations

Mr. Nobody Jaco Van Dormael, France/Germany/Canada/Belgium

North American Premiere

Mr. Nobody tells the story of Nemo (Jared Leto), the world's oldest man. In 2092, Mars has become a trendy vacation destination and humans have achieved immortality, thanks to advances in genetics. At the age of 120 years, Nemo is the last mortal left on Earth. His death is drawing near, and media from all over the world »

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Tiff adds Mr.Nobody, Antichrist, White Material and The White Ribbon

20 August 2009 | ioncinema | See recent ioncinema news »

- If Tiff were a person, they'd be There Will Be Blood's Daniel Plainview. The festival drains out festivals like Venice and Cannes - major suppliers of quality films, and North American audiences benefit tremendously getting a first op to see the latest from Jaco Van Dormael, Lars von Trier, Claire Denis, Michael Haneke and worth mentioning - the Locarno-winning She, A Chinese from the only filmmaker (Xiaolu Guo) who'll be presenting not one, but two films at Tiff this year. Mr.Nobody rightly receives a Special Presentations slot, it was filmed in some parts of Montreal and features Canuck Sarah Polley, and the masters section finally gets filled out including the latest from French auteur Francois Ozon (Le Refuge). Special Presentations Mr. Nobody Jaco Van Dormael, France/Germany/Canada/Belgium North American Premiere Mr. Nobody tells the story of Nemo (Jared Leto), the world’s oldest man. In »

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66th Annual Venice Film Festival Line-Up Announced

31 July 2009 2:00 PM, PDT | FilmSchoolRejects.com | See recent FilmSchoolRejects news »

The Venice Film Festival has announced it's 2009 line-up this week, showing off the films that will make-up it's 66th annual fest. The significance of this announcement is in the fact that Venice, which takes place from September 2 to September 12, shares a lot of premieres with the Toronto Film Festival. And it takes place the week before, as Toronto doesn't get underway until September 10th. Audiences in Venice will be treated to the premieres of films such as Werner Herzog's Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans, Michael Moore's financial crisis documentary Capitalism: A Love Story, Joe Dante's The Hole, Steven Soderbergh's espionage comedy The Informant and Grant Heslov's The Men Who Stare at Goats before their potential Toronto debuts. Also notable is the premiere of John Hillcoat's post-apocalyptic thriller The Road, which is at the top of our watch-list. See below for a full listing of films for this year's Venice »

- Neil Miller

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Venice Film Festival Announced 2009 Line-Up

30 July 2009 9:08 PM, PDT | Aceshowbiz | See recent Aceshowbiz news »

Which films are included in the 66th Venice International Film Festival's line-up have been unveiled. On Thursday, July 30, Paolo Baratta, the President of the Venice Biennale, and Marco Muller, the Director of the Cinema section, announced the festival's selection, which included 71 world premieres, at a press conference in Rome's Excelsior Hotel on the Via Veneto.

Listed among the movies vying for a Golden Lion are six U.S. feature films. They are Michael Moore's global meltdown documentary "Capitalism: A Love Story", John Hillcoat's adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's novel "The Road", Werner Herzog's "Bad Lieutenant" remake "Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans", George Romero's horror flick "Survival of the Dead", and Tom Ford's directorial debut "A Single Man".

For the out of competition section, four U.S. movies added the line-up. Steven Soderbergh's thriller comedy "The Informant!", Grant Heslov's military mind-control satire "The »

- AceShowbiz.com

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Venice film fest unveils lineup which includes 86 world premiers

30 July 2009 1:50 PM, PDT | QuietEarth.us | See recent QuietEarth news »

The 66th edition of the Venice Film Festival lineup includes the main festival plus the sidebar which will be playing films like Yannick Dahan's gangster zombie flick The Horde.

In competition we have the long awaited scifi awesomeness from Jaco Van Dormael, Mr. Nobody and Shinya Tsukamoto's trfiecta Tetsuo the Bulletman.

Out of competition has [Rec] 2 and the Midnight section has Nicolas Refn's long awaited Valhalla Rising which was actually made before Bronson.

Man I wish I could go! Anyone want to cover the fest for us? Use the contact link at the bottom of the page. We'd be happy to do cross-posted reviews.

Full list after the break.

66Th Annual Venice Film Festival Lineup

Competition

"36 vues du Pic Saint Loup," Jacques Rivette (France)

"Accident," Cheang Pou-Soi (China-Hong Kong)

"Baaria," Giuseppe Tornatore (Italy) – Opening Film

"Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans," Werner Herzog (U.S.)

"Between Two Worlds, »

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Denis, Rivette, and Moore!: Venice Lineup Announced

30 July 2009 1:10 PM, PDT | FilmExperience | See recent FilmExperience news »

Robert here, noticing that the Venice Film Festival announced the lineup for it's 66th installment on Thursday. Here's the in-competition list, with a few bits I managed to find about each film.

Baaria (Opening Film) dir. Giuseppe Tornatore

The director of Cinema Paradiso gives us a three-generation spanning epic about his Italian hometown.

Soul Kitchen dir. Fatih Akin (pictured)

Akin directed the terrific Head-On and The Edge of Heaven (if you haven't seen either or both, do now). He re teams with Birol Unel from Head-On for a comedy about culture and gender clash.

La Doppia Ora dir. Giuseppe Capotondi

It's been tough finding information on this as Venice's website (nor IMDb) has much at the moment. I can tell tell you is that it's a freshman effort, it's Italian, and it's fun to say... La Doppio Ora!

Yi ngoi (Accident) dir. Cheang Pou-Soi

A Hong Kong crime film about »

- Robert

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Confirmed: Akin, Denis, Moore, Solondz, van Dormael and Hillcoat Heading to Venice

30 July 2009 | ioncinema | See recent ioncinema news »

- Can't say there are many surprises with today's list, we discussed possible spots for Jacques Rivette, Michael Moore, Werner Herzog, Michele Placido, Todd Solondz, Jaco van Dormael, Patrice Chereau, Fatih Akin, Claire Denis and John Hillcoat's The Road (yes, there is a Santa Clause) beforehand. No disrespect, but I'm surprised that George Romero's Survival of the Dead receives a competition slot. At first glance, what I notice are the number of works from China and Hong Kong, India and a pair from Egypt. We see where the whole 3D appreciation thing is leading towards (they announced a yearly 3D award would be given out at the festival - regardless if the film was even at the festival) and perhaps its not milan, but it makes sense that American fashion designer Tom Ford to preem his directorial debut A Single Man in Italy. One more inclusion that I'm pleased to see, »

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Looking Ahead: 2009 Venice Film Festival Line-Up Predictions

13 June 2009 | ioncinema | See recent ioncinema news »

- A sub-par edition of Cannes might signify a better than average year for the heads of the Venice and the Toronto Int. Film Festival. I'm sure Venice's Marco Müller and Tiff's Piers Handling and Cameron Bailey are already making some tough decisions as we speak. Since I'm already looking forward to the Fall movie going season and festival editions, I thought I would speculate on some of the titles that should be unveiled at these stalwart festivals. What I've done is narrowed down the titles making a list for both fests and keep in mind that, many films that end up in Venice also receive North American premieres at Tiff. Also worth mentioning, Telluride might even steal some thunder away from these titans – they usually grab a title or two from a Fox Searchlight-like distributor and flaunt the film before anyone else.  The 66th Venice Film Festival should be »

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2009 | 2008

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