#sundance film festival 2022

[thecurvycritic]

Aubrey Plaza Finally Get Perfect Showcase with Emily The Criminal

Aubrey Plaza is badass as Emily The Criminal and it's about time #netflix #A24 #emilythecriminal

  As a college grad, I perpetually lived with the fear that those credit card collectors strategically dodged over the phone would roll up on my apartment and cart me off in cuffs for my lack of financial responsibility.  Very naive…I know.  But, it’s the desperation mixed with feat that makes one in this position do and say some crazy things. Emily (Aubrey Plaza) is saddled with student debt…

[shirkers2018dirsanditan]

Saudi officials let her speak to 150 detainees, most of whom waved her off. She found four men who would talk.

These conversations form the core of the movie and cut far deeper than earlier news reports. That did not dissuade critics. Ms. Disney, a titan in the documentary world, picked up on a point raised by the film’s opponents. “A person cannot freely consent to anything in a carceral system, particularly one in a notoriously violent dictatorship,” she wrote.

This is a debatable proposition. Journalists often interview prisoners, and documentaries like “The Thin Blue Line” give powerful voice to them, without necessarily clearing this purist hurdle of free consent.

Ms. Disney declined an interview request, saying she wished Ms. Smaker well.

…

“An entirely white team behind a film about Yemeni and South Arabian men,” the filmmaker Violeta Ayala wrote in a tweet.

Ms. Smaker’s film had a Yemeni-American executive producer and a Saudi co-producer.

More than 230 filmmakers signed a letter denouncing the documentary. A majority had not seen it. The letter noted that over 20 years, Sundance had programmed 76 films about Muslims and the Middle East, but only 35 percent of them had been directed by Muslim or Arab filmmakers.

…

Sundance officials backtracked. Tabitha Jackson, then the director of the festival, demanded to see consent forms from the detainees and Ms. Smaker’s plan to protect them once the film debuted, according to an email shown to The Times. Ms. Jackson also required an ethics review of the plans and gave Ms. Smaker four days to comply. Efforts to reach Ms. Jackson were unsuccessful.

The review concluded Ms. Smaker more than met standards of safety.

Ms. Smaker said a public relations firm recommended that she apologize. “What was I apologizing for?” she said. “For trusting my audience to make up their own mind?”

Prominent documentary executives said Sundance’s demands were without precedent.

An executive who has run a major festival went so far as to write an email to Sundance cautioning that its demands of Ms. Smaker might embolden protesters. Festivals, the executive wrote, will ask “two, three, four times what are the headwinds” before extending an invitation.

this is a gift link. emphasis mine

[yes-svetlana-world]

Luca Guadagnino will receive the International Icon Award at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. https://deadline.com/2022/12/luca-guadagnino-sundance-film-festival-award-1235200314/

by Cinema Solace

@CinemaSoIace

[whileiamdying]

Iranian Filmmakers Face Fight or Flight Amid Political Turmoil

By Nick Vivarelli

Credit: Les Films d'Ici/Berlinale

The wave of protests sparked across Iran by the death of Mahsa Amini by Iranian morality police in September came amid a banner year for Iranian cinema. 

But as 2023 kicks off, more than 500 people who have protested her death and called for justice have been killed while prominent members of the Iranian film industry were either arrested, put on trial or banned from making movies. The result being that the country’s cinematic community has largely ground to a halt. 

Which raises the question: unless something changes, how many films actually shot in Iran will be surfacing on the international festival circuit going forward?  

In 2022, Iran-based directors landed slots in all major international film festivals and won major awards. Revered auteur Jafar Panahi took the Venice Special Jury Prize for “No Bears” and Houman Seyyedi’s tragicomedy “World War III,” which was Iran’s candidate for the international Oscar, scooped two statuettes on the Lido. 

But 2023 is kicking off with only films by Iranian diaspora directors launching on the fest circuit. Case in point: native New Yorker Maryam Keshavarz’s “The Persian Version,” which bowed at Sundance. 

And the widening divide between Iran’s expat directors and Iranian filmmakers living in the country is stark at the Berlinale. 

Berlin’s Panorama section, which is titled “Films as Tools of Resistance,” is opening with Paris-based Sepideh Farsi’s feature “The Siren” which provides a timely take on the Iran-Iraq war. Incidentally, the section also features a doc by Indian director Sreemoyee Singh titled “And, Towards Happy Alleys,” which is about Panahi, who was recently released from Tehran’s Evin penitentiary after spending seven months behind bars on charges of “anti-government propaganda.”   

But the only film in this year’s Berlin selection that is by an Iran-based director is Negin Ahmadi’s doc “Dream’s Gate” which depicts an all-female Kurdish militia in Northern Syria.  

Berlin’s artistic director Carlo Chatrian says this year he actually received more submissions from Iran than ever before. But the fest’s selection committee was leery of Iranian films, many of which came from companies affiliated with the government. Why? “Because for them it’s a statement saying: ‘OK, this is not true what people abroad are saying about us,’” he said.  

Chatrian added that “at times films [from Iran] that from the outside look independent are not fully independent,” so they can still be seen as a form of government propaganda. 

In solidarity with the protests sparked by Amini’s death, the Berlinale has banned Iranian government film industry entities such as the Farabi Cinema Foundation, Iran’s national film promotion outfit which has been attending Berlin’s European Film Market with a stand for years.  

And on Feb. 18 there will be an event on the Berlinale Palast red carpet to shine a spotlight on the fest’s position against Iran’s repressive regime.  

Berlin’s executive director Mariëtte Rissenbeek pointed out that it’s bound to be more difficult these days for filmmakers in Iran, most of whom are anti-government, to make films. “They are for freedom of expression, which is exactly what the Iranian state is trying to fight right now,” she said. 

That, of course, is indeed the case.  

“Iranian cinema is now under attack in Iran,” noted “World War III” helmer Seyyedi, in an email interview from Tehran. “As a middle-aged man who is deeply involved with the present problems, I have no idea if I will really be able to start making another movie in future. We will have to wait and see what happens.” 

According to Mohammad Attebbai, head of Tehran-based sales company Iranian Independents, at the moment “Iran’s nearly 50% inflation and its severe censorship codes dissuade anyone from investing in a movie.” 

Attebbai added, “There are lots of filmmakers who, like many others in the country, believe it is impossible to keep living in Iran and are trying to immigrate.  

“They simply cannot tolerate the situation any longer, with censorship getting much worse and film production slowing down dramatically,” he said.  

Most artists at present are banned from travel outside Iran.   

Significantly, two-time Oscar winner Asghar Farhadi, Iran’s best-known director, is currently working on his new film in Los Angeles and Europe. Farhadi was at the Zurich Film Festival when protests following the death of Amini erupted. He voiced support for the protests and has returned to Iran since. 

As an Iranian diaspora director, Paris-based Farsi said she now feels a greater responsibility “to carry on the flag of making films that are relevant and have to do with Iran, though maybe not directly.”  

“I don’t know how ‘The Siren’ will travel,” she pointed out. “But for sure I would really love people in Iran to see it. 

“The end of the film has hope, and I really would like them to feel it as glow of sun for the near future of Iran. Because I’m really hoping that we will reach a victory soon.” 

[albertserra]

uhm hi. you’re the only film person on tumblr im aware of and i have a question you may know an answer to. actually i need advice not an answer: How many movies a day do you think i will be able to see during a film festival. How many are you usually able to do?? i want to see four for two days in a row (2 - 4 - 4 - 2) but idk if it’s possible. i had days at home when i saw 4/day but usually one of them was something light and easy and also i was alone and at home 😐 honestly im going alone and im just scared that i won’t have anything else to do… also one of the movies im still not sure about going bc it would be my fourth is Pacifiction. that’s bc of your constant recommendations 🫡 hope you’re having a lovely day thanks bye

so its really a matter of personal preference. For me, anything more than three in a day might get exhausting and I wouldn't be able to give every movie my full attention and might be to the movies' detriment. something like pacifiction for example needs pretty constant engagement from the viewer to get the full experience (I still highly recommend it! as far as Serra goes its probably his most accessible in terms of structure, narrative wise its still pretty oblique). So my fear would be id be wasting my time and spoiling a potentially great movie if im tired from all the other ones ive seen that day and don't have enough time to really let each movie sink in. but thats just me! if i was in your shoes I'd do three in day max unless some of the movies are short - and id skip a third movie on the day pacifiction is playing so i could do it lmao. in the down time id just sit down and eat or have coffee so id be able to come down from the movies and be ready for the next if that makes sense.

sundance is the only festival i have experience with bc it was online since the pandemic, i did it in 2021 and 2022. I did a lot per day in 2021 and don't regret it because being at home gave me a little more flexibility. 2022 i didn't do as much simply bc i couldnt make the timing work for what I wanted to watch.

i know @shesnake crams as much as they can when they do their festivals so maybe they can offer their input too

[cinema-tv-etc]

Mutt 2023

Fena, a young trans guy bustling through life in New York City, is afflicted with an incessantly challenging day that resurrects ghosts from his past. Laundromats, subway turnstiles, and airport transfers are the hectic background to this emotional drama that overlaps past, present, and future. Settling the disharmony of transitional upheaval in relationships familial, romantic, and platonic is Fena2s task at hand, and his resulting juggling act is equal parts skillful, fumbling, and honest. In negotiating his obliqueness, the poignant moments he finds between himself and others as the distance between them closes are warm, true, and touching

Q&A with MUTT Filmmaker Vuk Lungulov-Klotz and Stars Lío Mehiel, Cole Doman & MiMi Ryder

Chilean and Serbian immigrants, he was raised between Chile, the US, and Serbia. As a transgender storyteller, he hopes to expand queer narratives. His work focuses on intimate moments we often miss if we're not looking. Mutt is his debut feature film. With his feature film script, MUTT, he is an alum of the Sundance Institute Labs, the Inside Out Financing Forum, and was a top five finalist for the Tribeca / AT&T Untold Stories Grant. His award winning trans-themed short film, "Still Liam," played at festivals internationally and earned the attention of celebrated queer filmmakers Ira Sachs and Silas Howard, who have both become mentors. Vuk is also an alum of the Ryan Murphy HALF Initiative Program, where he completed a mentorship under director Janet Mock on the FX series POSE. He lives in Brooklyn, NY.

Lío Mehiel is a Puerto Rican and Greek artist, actor, and filmmaker. Their work spans film, television, multimedia installation, theater, and events. They are fascinated by the inherent contradiction of the trans experience — one deeply rooted in the body while also transcending beyond the body. Lío began their career as a professional salsa dancer and child actor on Broadway. They can now be seen on shows like WeCrashed (Apple+) and Tales of the City (Netflix). MUTT is their feature film debut. As a filmmaker, Lío produced Chaperone, a queer short film which premiered at Sundance 2022. They wrote, directed, produced, and starred in Disforia, a short film which premiered at Outfest Film Festival in 2018. They are now stuck inside of a psychomagic act with this story as they write the feature script version and confront their own medical transition. As an installation artist, their immersive piece Arcade Amerikana was included in the list of 10 Best Immersive Shows in NYC by Time Out and GOTHAMIST. Lío is currently the producer and creative director of Angels, a developing collection of stone sculptures of transgender humans. The works were first featured as part of a pop-up installation at Outfest LA in 2022, and will be debuted in full at SIZED Gallery LA in 2023. Lío is a co-founder of Voyeur Productions with Russell Kahn and Dulcinee DeGuere. They attended Northwestern University, and are an alumni of the Emerge NYC residency program for artists and activists. Photo credit: Jordan Rossi

Cole Doman is a trained stage and film actor living in Brooklyn, NY. During his time in Chicago, he studied at the School at Steppenwolf under Amy Morton, Tarell Alvin McCraney, Michael Patrick Thornton, and more. Chris Jones of the Chicago Tribune named Cole among the "Hot New Faces of Chicago Theater" in 2016. He made his film debut as the titular role in the critically acclaimed HENRY GAMBLE'S BIRTHDAY PARTY directed by Stephen Cone. He has profiles with IndieWire, Brooklyn Magazine, OUT, Milk.xyz, and was featured as one of "Best Breakout Performances of 2016" by The Film Stage. He can also be seen in Alan Ball's UNCLE FRANK (Sundance 2020, Amazon Studios) as young Frank Bledsoe played by Paul Bettany. On television he has appeared in Let the Right One In, Gossip Girl, Modern Family, Law & Order: SVU, Chicago PD, Equal, and Shameless. He developed & stars in the short film Starfuckers (MUBI) directed by Antonio Marziale which was presented in competition at Sundance Film Festival, Berlinale, and Telluride Film Festival. Other forthcoming films include: Matt Fifer’s sophomore feature TREATMENT for AMC’s Shudder and Zia Anger’s debut feature MY FIRST FILM for MUBI. Mostrecently, he starred in the world premiere of Your Own Personal Exegesis by Julia May Jonas at Lincoln Center Theatre, directed by Annie Tippe, for which his performance was lauded by The New York Times and even cartooned by The New Yorker.

[greensparty]

Hit Man trailer

Very exciting news today: Richard Linklater's new action / comedy Hit Man released a trailer today. After premiering at the 2023 Venice Film Festival, playing numerous fests including tonight's Sundance Film Festival screening, it is going to be released by Netflix on June 7, 2024! I hope it gets a limited theatrical release.

Production began in New Orleans in 2022.  Based on a Texas Monthly article, it was adapted by Linklater and star Glen Powell. Like Linklater's Bernie, it was adapted from an article by Skip Hollandsworth. Linklater has directed Powell in Fast Food Nation, Everybody Wants Some!!, and Apollo 10½: A Space Age Childhood (my #1 Movie of 2022). Another co-star of Everybody Wants Some!! Austin Amelio is in the Hitman cast as well. I'm super excited about this release!

[new-sandrafilter]

Timothée Chalamet and Taylor Russell Will Eat You Alive: How ‘Bones and All’ Became the Year’s Sexiest Cannibal Love Story

By Nick Vivarelli Photographs by Jason Hetherington

Timothée Chalamet has been on a wilder world tour than most rock stars.

Between shooting “Dune: Part Two” in Budapest and “Wonka” in London and the cannibal romance “Bones and All” in Ohio, he’s hardly had time to sleep in his own bed. “We did the ‘French Dispatch’ premiere in Cannes,” he says about the debut of the Wes Anderson comedy in the south of France two summers ago, where he walked the red carpet in a silver suit. “And then I was immediately doing the vocal and dance training at Leavesden” — to take on the role of Roald Dahl’s Willy Wonka — “which was wonderful, because I went from playing a disenfranchised cannibal on the outskirts of American society in the ’80s to a gifted young chocolatier and now a space prophet.”

On this afternoon, 26-year-old Chalamet is taking a break from inhabiting the dangerous planet Arrakis in “Dune: Part Two” to attend the London premiere of “Bones and All.” The drama, which premiered to a 10-minute standing ovation at the Venice Film Festival in early September reteams Chalamet with Luca Guadagnino, the Italian director who turned him into a movie star with 2017’s Sundance darling “Call Me by Your Name.” That gay romance, in which Chalamet plays Elio, an American teenager who falls in love with an older man, not only made Chalamet, then 22, the second-youngest best actor Oscar nominee in history, it gave peach emojis a whole new reason for existing.

If “Bones and All” could be just as culturally relevant, Hollywood would breathe a sigh of relief — because the world of indie cinema could use a jolt. Some 20 years ago, a generation of movie lovers funded art-house theaters by supporting “Boogie Nights,” “Memento” and “The Virgin Suicides.” Now, the 2022 equivalent of storytelling like that is HBO’s “Euphoria.” Post-pandemic box office numbers are sharply down, particularly for smaller movies, which is why United Artists Releasing has given “Bones and All” a Nov. 18 theatrical release: It’s the same window in which almost all installments of the “Twilight” saga dropped, setting multiplexes on fire as teen girls showed up in droves for Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson.

When I meet Chalamet in a hotel room in London, the young actor offers to pour me a glass of sparkling water as we sit down for a conversation with Guadagnino and Chalamet’s co-star, Taylor Russell. Hollywood has had a deficit of movie stars lately, particularly in the 20-something age bracket. Chalamet’s superstar appeal has always been in his “soft boy” aesthetic (which was famously parodied in a hilarious “Saturday Night Live” skit by Chloe Fineman). His fans like that he’s approachable, but he can also turn it up like royalty on a carpet — as he did at the Venice premiere of “Bones and All” in a red jumpsuit with a bare back that created a commotion on the Lido. Chalamet was showered with more cheers than even Harry Styles, who touched down in Italy at the start of awards season for “Don’t Worry Darling.” (Despite speculation on Twitter, Styles didn’t spit on Chris Pine.)

At Venice, Chalamet made headlines when he proclaimed that it’s “tough to be alive” in the age of social media, adding, “I think societal collapse is in the air.” When asked to elaborate on this assertion in London, he backpedals: “I think what I was saying was really, ‘What would it be like to grow up now?’” he says. “I guess I’m still growing up. Especially in the context of my career, I’m still growing. But I think Taylor and my generation was really the level-one social media — Vine, MySpace. And I think now it’s just more ingrained. But I’m definitely not the authority on the subject. And, equally, it could be a great space to find your people.”

I’d taken my 14-year-old daughter with me to the premiere of “Bones and All,” and we watched the screaming hysteria around Chalamet. When the movie premiered six weeks later in Milan, hundreds of Chalamet’s devotees — his followers are known as the “Chalamaniacs” — swarmed the venue, forcing police to close down the red carpet due to safety concerns. Such fandom harks back to the early days of Leo, Matt, George and Brad.

“Venice — that was fun,” Chalamet says, though “fame,” to people of his generation, is a dirty word, and Chalamet clearly wants to be seen as a regular guy (for instance, he continued to ride the subway in New York after “Call Me by Your Name” premiered). “I enjoy those moments,” he says, “and have a lot of gratitude for them. And I definitely never want to be expectant about it.” Abruptly switching subjects, he adds, “And, I must say, I get very excited about the lens we made this movie through — that there’s a fable and a metaphor at the heart of it, not some massive corporate interest.”

An arty New York City kid at heart, Chalamet chooses his own looks, including the black leather Celine jacket he wears at our photo shoot. As for his thoughts on cinema, he has a soft spot for indie films. “Those are the kind of projects that I grew up loving,” he says. “Even just on the music side, those are the kind of artists that inspire me — not because there’s a beat per minute that places well in the Top 40, but because they’re just putting their artistic ethos on something.”

Chalamet knows a little something about music. At the famed LaGuardia High School, he had the rap moniker Lil Timmy Tim. An uncovered video of him rapping about statistics class while wearing a backward baseball cap has been watched 10 million times on YouTube. Soon, he’ll be returning to those roots (sort of) by channeling a young Bob Dylan in “Going Electric,” a biopic directed by James Mangold.

Although there have been starts and stops with “Going Electric” since it was first announced two years ago, Chalamet confirms that he’s still attached. “I haven’t stopped preparing, which has been one of the greatest gifts for me,” he says. “It’s been a wonderful experience getting to dive into that world, whether we get to make it or not. But without giving anything away — because I don’t want to beat anyone to the punch, and obviously things have to come together officially — the winds that are blowing are blowing in a very positive direction.”

Before that, fans will get a taste of Chalamet’s musical gifts in “Wonka,” which is set to open in theaters around Christmas 2023. Chalamet trained hard for the movie’s seven musical numbers. “That was something I was very excited to jump into right away,” he says. Director Paul King “built a literal dance studio in one of the lots at Leavesden in London at Warner Bros.,” he adds.

The actor’s career blossomed after “Call Me by Your Name,” with two dramas directed by Greta Gerwig — “Lady Bird” and “Little Women.” And then he landed the lead as Paul Atreides in the “Dune” franchise, his biggest hit to date.

“Dune: Part Two,” which he’s filming now, reunites him with “Little Women” co-star Florence Pugh. “We were joking on set that we keep doing these movies, and we end up together even though we should be ending up with different people,” he says. “Florence is really special. She’s an incredible actor. She was incredible in ‘Dune’ — seriously incredible. She brought a gravitas to the role. And I can’t believe my good fortune at this young age … between Taylor Russell in ‘Bones and All’ and Zendaya in ‘Dune.’ And Austin Butler’s in that movie too.”

Zendaya will have a larger role in the second “Dune,” reprising her part as the warrior Chani. “She hasn’t wrapped yet,” he says, “and it’s amazing. She’s bringing exactly what she brought to the first one — which was incredible — but in greater abundance. And she’s really become a sister. I’m so grateful to count her as a partner and a sister and a friend” — he looks over at Guadagnino — “and also to share stories about how amazing it is to work with Luca, because we worked with him back to back on wildly different projects.” He’s referencing the fact that Zendaya collaborated with Guadagnino on “Challengers,” a romantic comedy set in the tennis world, which is in postproduction.

“He saw the movie,” Guadagnino teases, goading Chalamet to comment.

Chalamet hesitates, not wanting to give away anything about the film. “Loved it,” he finally says. His smile lights up the room.

If we’re being honest, this Oscar season has been a bit boring. Between the period pieces and the dramas made from memoirs, most directors aren’t cutting too deep. So perhaps we shouldn’t count out a love story about two cannibals who eat their way through the back roads of America.

The conventional wisdom is that blood and guts is too much for most Academy voters, but Guadagnino is here to tell you that’s not always the case. “In the history of the Oscars, cannibalism has been a gigantic plus,” he says. He then lists the five Academy Awards handed to the greatest flesh-eating masterpiece of all time, “The Silence of the Lambs.” “There’s a very tough novel, the talented script and Sir Anthony Hopkins as the unforgettable cannibal.” He cites the film’s director, Jonathan Demme, as a strong influence on his own career.

“I’m not comparing myself or us to that masterpiece,” he says. (OK, maybe he is, just a little.) “But that was a love story like ‘Bones and All.’ It was a fun, twisted love story between a cannibal psychoanalyst and a very stern woman who wants to save herself by saving this other girl from the lair of a serial killer.”

If you’re raising your eyebrows at someone describing “Silence of the Lambs” as “fun,” you haven’t met Guadagnino. The tall, chatty Italian director has spent his entire life obsessing over Dario Argento’s horror classic “Suspiria.” Following “Call Me by Your Name,” Guadagnino directed an elegant remake, in which flesh is ripped and heads explode.

Now, he’s reunited with Chalamet on “Bones and All, which is not quite the next “Silence of the Lambs” but more along the lines of Terrence Malick’s “Badlands” or Baz Luhrmann’s “Romeo + Juliet.” In “Bones,” Chalamet and Russell play Lee and Maren, teenage misfits in the 1980s, who find each other in a roadside convenience store as they’re both drifting across the Midwest. As they travel together, they feed on strangers they meet along the way.

But just don’t compare cannibals to vampires with this crew. “I love the ‘Twilight’ movies so much,” says Russell, who broke out in 2019 with a heart-wrenching performance in Trey Edward Shults’ family drama “Waves” and now could have a shot at some awards-season gold playing Maren. “But this is different. They both deal with blood and people who are not normal, but ‘Twilight’ has vampires and this movie has cannibals.”

For many years, Guadagnino — the director of “The Protagonists,” “I Am Love” and “A Bigger Splash” (all starring his muse, Tilda Swinton) — was either detested or ignored within Italy’s insular film milieu, and the feeling was mutual. So it’s not surprising that the first time I met him, in 2009, he told me his goal was to become “a Hollywood insider.” Surely, “Call Me by Your Name” brought him a step closer to that dream. And now his association with Chalamet has potentially clinched the deal.

When asked how “Bones and All” made it to the big screen, Guadagnino says, “The honest, direct and completely unapologetic answer is Timothée.”

Chalamet was in Rome doing reshoots for the first “Dune,” stuck in Europe during the pandemic, when Guadagnino sent him the “Bones and All” screenplay. They talked at length, and the actor realized that this could be the first project in which he might have a hand in shaping his character.

“It excited me, because it felt like it was very different than the first project we had done together,” Chalamet says. “It excited me, too, because I felt the bones of Lee — no pun intended — were there, but there was a lack of direction.” Guadagnino encouraged Chalamet to fill out the character by working with the screenwriter, David Kajganich, an experience he’d never had before.

“When Luca said I should get on the phone with David, and that process started, I was seriously warming to the idea that — without sounding pretentious — we would be going to the middle of America with Luca to shoot his first American film.” He adds, “And because a couple projects I’d done were of such a size, I felt like I really wanted the challenge of going back in a more ‘indie environment.’” He uses his fingers as quotation marks.

Kajganich, with whom Guadagnino collaborated on “Suspiria,” had originally adapted the YA novel “Bones & All” by Camille DeAngelis for “The Devil All the Time” director Antonio Campos. When Campos backed out, the writer asked Guadagnino to read it.

“When Lee shows up on the page,” says Guadagnino, “I found Timmy.”

Despite having a big star attached, the cannibal romancer was not an easy sell to investors. Guadagnino and Chalamet, both producers on the film, didn’t want a studio on board, so they sought out Italian financiers. The fact that they and all the other actors were willing to defer their fees “really helped with investors,” says producer Francesco Melzi d’Eril.

Once the $35 million film was completed, it was immediately snapped up, sight unseen, by MGM.

Taylor Russell could see her character clearly when she first read the script for “Bones and All.” “What struck me about her initially is that she’s this kind of creature who feels like there’s something off with her, like a picture frame that’s slanted,” Russell says. “And I wanted to work through that exercise of ‘If there is something inherently wrong with me, is there a way to break through that?’”

Guadagnino told Russell and Chalamet that they had to sink their teeth into the role of real cannibals. “The intention was always that we were hopefully doing justice to the reality of these people’s lives,” says Russell.

Guadagnino calls “Bones” “a fairy tale.” “It’s about two young people — a girl, in particular — roaming this world of darkness and dealing with the challenges within and without, finding love in the gaze of one another and trying to overcome impossibility.”

Still, the outcast lovers feast on human body parts, a butchery the film does not shy away from. Guadagnino says quickly that he and his editor, Marco Costa, made a point of cutting away from gratuitous gore. He was not interested in shock value but rather an intensity of desire.

Russell and Chalamet, for their part, wanted to explore the emotional relationship more than the cannibalism. But, Russell says, they also “talked about eating somebody, eating anything, using your body, your hands, your mouth — it’s so tactile, so physical, that, in some ways, it’s simple.”

Guadagnino and his team thought about the consequences of a precarious life led roaming through cornfields and along back roads in the 1980s Midwest, “dealing with violence and the unexpected.”

“We came up with a lot of very subtle ideas about wearing the fatigue of being an eater on their faces and bodies — like scars in unpredictable places because of the reactions of the victims, who wounded them.”

One of Chalamet’s first lines in the film is “If you weigh 140 pounds wet, you got to have an attitude — a big attitude.” Asked whether he lost weight for the role, Chalamet answers, “Yeah,” without elaborating on how many pounds he’d dropped. Then he says, “That look that Maren and Lee have, I think it feeds the fablelike quality of the story, and of people that are living in extremes. As opposed to what the reality would be, perhaps: If you were consistently devouring entire human bodies, it would probably leave you with a bigger figure than they have.”

Chalamet worked with costume designer Giulia Piersanti on Lee’s look, riffing off the grunge aesthetic of 1980s punk rock. “Lee would want to express himself through his clothes,” Chalamet says. To help with this mix of big attitude and skinny body, they decided to dye his hair with sun-bleached streaks of pinkish reds, chop off some curls on the sides, and give Lee tattoos on his arms and hand.

Of course, everyone wants to know if Chalamet and Guadagnino are planning a sequel to “Call Me by Your Name.” Guadagnino floated the idea almost as soon as he debuted the original at Sundance, while he was doing press with Chalamet and Armie Hammer, who played Chalamet’s older lover, Oliver. But the project’s chances of making it to the screen have dwindled in the wake of allegations against Hammer in early 2021 for being physically and emotionally abusive to women, including suggesting that he eat their flesh. (Despite speculation in the tabloids, these cannibal exchanges had nothing to do with the inspiration for “Bones and All.”)

“I would love to make a second and third and fourth chapter of all my movies,” Guadagnino says. “Why? Because I truly love the actors I work with, so I want to repeat the joy of doing what we did together.”

However, when it comes to “Call Me by Your Name,” Guadagnino says, “there is no hypothesis, so there is no movie. It’s a wish and a desire, and I have not made up my mind about what would be the story.” When asked if the film could still include Hammer’s character, he says, “Yeah, of course.” Then he presents another potential storyline for a sequel — following Mafalda, the housekeeper, played by Vanda Capriolo, who resides in Elio’s family’s summer home. “Which is divine,” he says. “I would be very interested in seeing what is the life of Mafalda when she’s not around the family.”

After our group conversation, I meet with Guadagnino again in a bare, neon-lit room that seems better suited to a police interrogation than an interview. He is walking on crutches, one leg in a short fracture boot, due to his tripping on the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures stage after presenting a Visionary Award to Tilda Swinton in L.A. a few days earlier.

On the red carpet, before the Academy Museum ceremony, Guadagnino teased “Challengers,” his first U.S. studio film, which is being produced for MGM by Amy Pascal. To get Guadagnino on board, Pascal had sent him the “Challengers” script and pushed him to read it that same afternoon. She called him every half hour “until I surrendered and I read it.”

So does Guadagnino finally feel he has become a Hollywood insider?

“No,” he says, “not yet. But I can fall from the stage of the Academy Museum and be helped by many Hollywood insiders.” Among those who came to his aid were Adrien Brody, Alicia Vikander and his longtime agent, Bryan Lourd. “That was a good feeling. A lot of Hollywood insiders love me very much.”

[01sentencereviews]

2022

Ask Any Buddy (Elizabeth Purchell) @ Anthology Film Archives 

Nope (Jordan Peele) in IMAX @ AMC Lincoln Square 13

De Humani Corporis Fabrica (Lucien Castaing-Taylor & Véréna Paravel) @ 60th NYFF

We Met In Virtual Reality (Joe Hunting) @ 2022 Virtual Sundance Film Festival 

The Rehearsal, Season 1 (Nathan Fielder)

All the Beauty and the Bloodshed (Laura Poitras)

TÁR (Todd Field)

Crimes of the Future (David Cronenberg)

Skinamarink (Kyle Edward Ball)

Jackass Forever (Jeff Tremaine)

Aftersun (Charlotte Wells)

Avatar: The Way of Water (James Cameron) in IMAX 3D @ AMC Lincoln Square 13

Artists at the Center: Tiler Peck @ New York City Center (curated by Tiler Peck)

The Fabelmans (Steven Spielberg)

Pearl (Ti West)

Decision to Leave (Park Chan-wook)

Blonde (Andrew Dominik)

RRR (S. S. Rajamouli)

The Batman (Matt Reeves)

Liquor Store Dreams (So Yun Um) @ 2022 Tribeca Film Festival

Resurrection (Andrew Semans)

Will-o’-the-Wisp (João Pedro Rodrigues) @ 60th NYFF

Orphan: First Kill (William Brent Bell)

There There (Andrew Bujalski) @ 2022 Tribeca Film Festival

Sharp Stick (Lena Dunham) @ 2022 Virtual Sundance Film Festival 

+++

The African Desperate (Martine Syms)

After Yang (Kogonada)

Ambulance (Michael Bay)

Apollo 10½: A Space Age Childhood (Richard Linklater)

Babylon (Damien Chazelle)

The Banshees of Inisherin (Martin McDonagh)

Deep Water (Adrian Lyne)

Disney Channel’s Theme: A History Mystery (Kevin Perjurer)

Halloween Ends (David Gordon Green)

Irma Vep (2022, Olivier Assayas)

Jacaranda Joe (1994, George A. Romero) @ Webinar w/ University of Pittsburgh

Jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy (Chike Ozah & Coodie Simmons)

Kate Berlant: Cinnamon in the Wind (Bo Burnham)

Kimi (Steven Soderbergh)

Marcel the Shell with Shoes On (Dean Fleischer-Camp)

The Munsters (Rob Zombie)

On the Count of Three (Jerrod Carmichael)

Terrifier 2 (Damien Leone)

Top Gun: Maverick (Joseph Kosinski)

Shin Ultraman (Shinji Higuchi)

Shit & Champagne (D’Arcy Drollinger) 

Showing Up (Kelly Reichardt)

Starfuckers (Antonio Marziale)

Vortex (Gaspar Noé)

The White Lotus [Season 2] (Mike White)

[ewh111]

2022 Annual List of Favorite Film & TV Experiences

Happy new year!  

2022 brought back some semblance of normalcy. Highlights include: virtual Sundance Film Festival seeing 16 films in 4 days in January, my first in-person Super Bowl and seeing the LA Rams win in February, return after three year absence of my special fundraiser dinners that I cook (back-to-back nights of a 16 course dinner focused on Shanghai & Sichuan cuisine) in April, attending my 35th college reunion in May, helping to celebrate the life of dear friend and colleague Ted Walch at the end of summer, and in November, going on my first global travel since the pandemic on a work trip (postponed from March 2020) that took me to Sydney, Singapore, Jakarta, Tokyo, and Kyoto. And on the family front, we continued our weekly Sunday family Zooms which began at the outset of the pandemic, still going strong at 146 weeks and counting.

Hope you have had a safe and healthy holiday season and all the best for a fabulous 2023!

Cheers, Ed

And greetings from my girls Freddy and Maxie, aged 10 and 9 respectively.

Now on to this year's compilation of my favorite film and other streaming experiences. I’m still limiting my visits to the movie theater with off-peak visits, so my most of my film intake is still via streaming. Please let me know your thoughts!

Best of the Year

Everything Everywhere All At Once

One of the trippiest film experiences ever! My first question after my initial viewing was "What drugs were the Daniels (as the directors are collectively known) on when they wrote this film? And what kind of pitch did they make to get it made? One of the most original, absurdly outlandish, and description-defying films in recent memory. What seemingly starts as a Chinese immigrant family drama centered around harried traditional mother (Michelle Yeoh), rebellious lesbian daughter, and sweet, endearing father (Ke Huy Quan of Goonies and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom) quickly turns into a bonkers, multiverse journey to save the world. Along the way, laundromat owner Yeoh’s embattled audit brings her face-to-face with a delightfully droll Jamie Lee Curtis as meticulous IRS bureaucrat with hilarious interludes involving googly eyes, hot dog fingers, dildoes, butt plugs, and everything bagels. For those of you thoroughly confused, EEAAO does boil down to a story of redemption and reconciliation between mother and daughter and finding joy and meaning in the things that matter in our hectic, fractured daily lives…told in an absurdly funny and crazy way and gets even better after multiple viewings. Trailer: https://youtu.be/wxN1T1uxQ2g

Black Comedies Set on Islands…With Donkeys

Triangle of Sadness

This Cannes Palm d’Or winner intrigued me with its trailer which evoked a luxury yacht-based White Lotus-esque send up of the wealthy, but this dark dramedy threw a completely unexpected curveball, desert-island third-act that stuck with me long after I left the theater. There’s very sharp writing and performances—the verbal jousting over a dinner check, Woody Harrelson’s hilarious Marxist captain trading drunken barbs with a manure-selling Russian capitalist guest, and the ship’s Filipina toilet manager portrayed by a commanding Dolly De Leon who is largely responsible for the memorable third act. The film continues to grow on me with repeated viewing. FYI, this film is not safe for the emetophobic, as there is an overlong scene with projectile vomiting, the likes of which have not been seen since Monty Python’s The Meaning of Life. Oh, and be warned that there is also a donkey-beating. Trailer: https://youtu.be/VDvfFIZQIuQ

The Banshees of Inisherin

Great to see the In Bruges duo of Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson back together, this time as best friends whose friendship is abruptly cut short by one party which results in ever-increasing, devastating consequences in this bleak but humorous and deeply affecting black comedy from writer-director Martin McDonough. Oh, and Jenny the donkey deserved better. Trailer: https://youtu.be/uRu3zLOJN2c

N.B. It seems to be quite the year for donkeys. I am excited but have yet to see EO, Poland’s Academy Award entry, about the adventures of a donkey named EO.

Pretentious Rich People Getting Their Comeuppance…On An Island

The Menu

As a fan of food, I really enjoyed this comically dark film with Ralph Fiennes playing to perfection the mad genius chef of the Hawthorn, a fictional restaurant on a remote Pacific Northwest island. With a fine ensemble cast directed by Mark Mylod (Succession) and with helping hands from the creator of Chef’s Table as well as the Michelin-starred chef Dominque Crenn, an exclusive $1,250 a head night at the Hawthorn turns into a twisted horror/satire of elevated food experiences and those who partake. Trailer: https://youtu.be/C_uTkUGcHv4

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery

If you liked Knives Out, you'll thoroughly enjoy Glass Onion, which gleefully brings back Daniel Craig as dandy Southern super-sleuth Benoit Blanc, this time for a murder mystery party on an island presided over by tech billionaire played by Edward Norton with his friendly band of disruptors including Janelle Monae, Leslie Odom Jr, Dave Bautista, Kathryn Hahn, and Kate Hudson. Trailer: https://youtu.be/gj5ibYSz8C0

Films About Musical Royalty

Tár

While I thought this might go down the road of a #metoo or #cancelculture themed movie, this is actually a towering, slow-burn character study with an intense and sensational Cate Blanchett as the fictional Lydia Tár, the EGOT-winning, brilliant and demanding world-class conductor of the Berlin Symphony whose trail of manipulation, abusive behavior, and hubris eventually catches up with her and the resulting finale is…well, I’ll just leave that for you to watch and react. All the accolades for her tremendous performance are well deserved. Trailer: https://youtu.be/Na6gA1RehsU

Elvis

A sensational Austin Butler brings the King back to life on the big screen. Butler truly embodies Elvis in his heartfelt performance. Baz Luhrmann’s film is not so much traditional biopic as it is a musical that captures the spectacle and cultural phenomenon of Elvis, bringing America out of the innocence of the 1950s, as seen through the eyes of Elvis’s notorious manager Col. Tom Parker (Tom Hanks)—and Luhrmann does it in the grand, dazzling style that only he can do. Perhaps a bit garish and bombastic for some, as an unabashed Luhrmann fan, I loved it. Trailer: https://youtu.be/wBDLRvjHVOY

Action Epics Based on Real Life Rebels

RRR

Wow. I was not expecting to be totally enthralled by S.S. Rajamouli’s Tollywood (Telugu language) film. Hands down, RRR (which stands for Rise Roar Revolt) will be the most glorious, hyperbolic, action-bromance-musical political epic spectacle you'll see all year. The laws of physics-defying action scenes are reminiscent of the operatic violence and stylized fight scenes of 300 and John Woo films. Taking place in 1920s British colonial India, the story centers on two men (loosely based on real life rebels), one a tribal warrior and the other an Indian policeman working for the British forces, who become friends, then enemies, and then eventually friends again and team up as Indian revolutionaries against the British Empire in action sequences that are just bonkers. And to top it all off, there are the exuberant Indians vs. Brits dance-off scene and the joyful credits dance number celebrating Indian freedom fighters (check out the extra links below). Don't miss it. Trailer: https://youtu.be/NgBoMJy386M

Naatu Naatu Dance Sequence: https://youtu.be/OsU0CGZoV8E

Solay Credits Sequence: https://youtu.be/2cyzCReoNgU

The Woman King

Based on the true story of a fierce all-woman warrior unit in the West African kingdom of Dahomey in the 19th century, Viola Davis’s powerful performance and Gina Prince-Bythewood’s confident directing elevates this to a full-blown epic with warmth and inspiration. Trailer: https://youtu.be/3RDaPV_rJ1Y

Nope, Not Your Typical Horror Films

Nope

Yup. Jordan Peele has done it again, this time with a UFO pic that raises questions about our society’s fascination with spectacle, as well as obsession in the pursuit of the perfect shot. With stunning visuals (much of the film was shot on IMAX to create a totally immersive feel) and tingly suspense, Peele has created a film whose meaning you can debate all day—Erasure of Black and marginalized people from history? Dangers of taming nature or exploiting trauma for profit? But at the end of the day, Peele has created yet another impressive and indelible piece of work. Trailer: https://youtu.be/In8fuzj3gck

Bones and All

A film about cannibalism? Yup. I was intrigued with where the appeal in this would be. But seen as a metaphor for queerness and addiction, Luca Guadagnino has actually created a tasteful (pun intended) and surprisingly tender romantic cannibal road pic—a flesh-eating Bonnie and Clyde-like trek across Reagan-era middle America. Guadagnino superbly depicts outcasts living on the edge of society, searching for identity and place. Not for the faint of heart, as it does not shy from the gruesomeness of their addiction. Strong performances from Taylor Russell, Timothée Chalamet, and Mark Rylance with memorable cameos by Chloë Sevigny and an almost unrecognizable Michael Stuhlbarg. Trailer: https://youtu.be/0Nu7Z9AxGNg

More Global Cinema

Decision To Leave

An engrossing, enigmatic slow-burn noir detective mystery with heavy dose of seductive romance and obsessive longing and tinges of Hitchcock’s Vertigo. Winner of the 2022 Cannes Best Director award, Park Chan-wook steps aside from the violence and sex of his earlier films and masterfully pulls you into this intricate web of intrigue, and just when you think you've figured out the tricky complications between the obsessive married insomniac detective and the wife of an apparent suicide victim he’s investigating, Park takes you in a different direction and ultimately to its devastating end. Trailer: https://youtu.be/9aMHyTqvIvU

All Quiet on the Western Front

An impressive and truly stunning German adaptation of the famous German novel about the horrors of war as idealistic and naive boys get swept up in nationalistic fervor only to find the stark realities of being on the front lines of the Great War. A memorable performance by Felix Kammerer in his screen debut as lead character Paul Bäumer, as he experiences the unending hells of war in intimate and personal ways. WWI’s trench warfare with flamethrowers, hand-to-hand combat, and surging tanks is terrifyingly and vividly experienced by Bäumer and indelibly depicted. This epic rivals Sam Mendes's 1917 in its beautifully shot, immersive portrayal of the bleak and brutal wretchedness of pointless war and perhaps the best war film since Saving Private Ryan. Trailer: https://youtu.be/hf8EYbVxtCY

Bullet Train

Ok, this is not an international film, but it does takes place on a Japanese bullet train. High-octane, fun thrill ride of a comedic crime film with code-named hired guns like Ladybug, Tangerine, and Lemon, each with quirky traits, all crossing paths on a Shinkansen in pursuit of a silver briefcase. The smart-alecky, joyful, and fun cast is led by Brad Pitt, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Brian Tyree Henry, Bad Bunny, and Sandra Bullock. Enjoy the ride. Trailer: https://youtu.be/0IOsk2Vlc4o

AND OTHER ENJOYABLE EXPERIENCES

Top Gun: Maverick, The Fabelmans, Cha Cha Real Smooth; Good Luck to You, Leo Grande; The Batman, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, The Exiles, Downfall: the Case Against Boeing, Wildcat, My Policeman, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent (Nicolas Cage playing himself), Navalny, Turning Red, Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio

IN THE QUEUE

Empire of Light, Women Talking, Till, The Whale, Avatar: The Way of Water. Bardo, She Said, Emancipation

FAVORITE STREAMING EXPERIENCES

Heartstopper—LOVE LOVE LOVE this sweet, charming, and adorable story of first love between two British school boys based on the bestselling YA graphic novels. For those who need a total antidote to Euphoria, this is it. Trailer: https://youtu.be/FrK4xPy4ahg

Young Royals—Take Heartstopper, add a large dose of The Crown, and plunk it down in an elite Swedish boarding school and you get this gripping drama involving a teen prince and his love interest from the other side of the tracks. Teen drama that feels real and natural. Trailer: https://youtu.be/rHmw87EpGIM

The Bear—Superbly intense and stress-inducing drama that I couldn’t stop watching, revolving around a young fine dining chef (Jeremy Allen White) who returns home to run his late brother’s Chicago hot beef sandwich eatery and oversee its colorful cast of employees that comprise a dysfunctional “family.” And if, like me, you’ve worked in a restaurant, The Bear is fully capable of giving you PTSD, especially the one-take episode 7. Trailer: https://youtu.be/y-cqqAJIXhs

The White Lotus—Season 2 in Sicily surpasses the first and brings back Jennifer Coolidge!! Trailer: https://youtu.be/Baflc_0XVfY

1899—From the folks who brought you Dark—this time trippy things happen on a cruise ship at the end of the 19th century.  Trailer: https://youtu.be/ulOOON_KYHs

Slow Horses—If you like Gary Oldman, you’ll love this spy drama where he runs an outfit of MI5 castoffs. Trailer: https://youtu.be/O9ZJChzPn0U

The Old Man—Another spy vs. spy drama, this time it’s in America with the CIA, pitting Jeff Bridges vs. John Lithgow. Trailer: https://youtu.be/xDu1Q9r6HDo

The Righteous Gemstones—I’m not sure how I missed this when it first came out, but this hysterical series is the mega-church version of Succession led by patriarch Eli Gemstone played by John Goodman and two sons played by Danny McBride and Adam Devine. It’s an absurd hoot. Trailer: https://youtu.be/t383UpoLV5k

Abbott Elementary—Top notch mockumentary style workplace sitcom that gets teachers and schools with a great cast. Trailer: https://youtu.be/cO-_7oi-61Y

Euphoria—Not for faint of heart. I thought season one was fine, but season two went to a whole different level. Zendaya is amazing. Some of the most realistic and gritty portrayal of addiction and its ripple effects. Trailer: https://youtu.be/0BG3c1ika48

House of the Dragon—For the GOT crowd. Love the dragons! Trailer: https://youtu.be/DotnJ7tTA34

[jesse-eisenberg-interview]

Jesse Eisenberg: Sarajevo is my favorite city in the world

American Academy Award-nominated actor, director, playwright and author Jesse Eisenberg received the Honorary Heart of Sarajevo Award for his outstanding contribution to the art of film at the Coca-Cola Open Air Cinema. 

After the award presentation, the public had the opportunity to watch the Special Screening of WHEN YOU FINISH SAVING THE WORLD, Eisenberg’s directorial feature debut.

“Sarajevo is my favorite city in the world and I am delighted to be here again. I bought a plane ticket in 2020, I was stopped and I couldn't go, but I did it and now I'm finally here. Thank you so much for coming to the movie tonight. I didn’t realize there would be so many people here, and if I knew that, I would have made a better movie”, said Jesse Eisenberg and greet him with big applause.

Eisenberg, special guest at the 28th Sarajevo Film Festival, before presenting the award at the Coca-Cola Open Air Cinema, also walked the Red Carpet in front of the National Theatre.

On Wednesday, August 17th, a masterclass with Eisenberg will be held at the Bosnian Cultural Center.

Eisenberg’s directorial debut and an A24 title, WHEN YOU FINISH SAVING THE WORLD premiered at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival to glowing reviews and screened as a part of Critics Week at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival. The film follows Evelyn (Julianne Moore) a woman devoted to helping people fallen on hard times, but who struggles to connect with her son Ziggy (Finn Wolfhard), an aspiring internet star oblivious to the problems of the world. This emotional comedy- based on the Audible Original of the same name, also written by Eisenberg- reveals a funny and sharply perceptive portrait of a mother and son who may seem at odds but who are more alike than either would care to admit.

SOURCE

[tinseltine]

Got to see RESURRECTION starring Rebecca Hall during #Sundance2022.  Now in theaters as of (7/29) Tinsel & Tine #MiniMovieReview - RESURRECTION -This is a disturbingly engrossing movie. Rebecca Hall delivers a gripping performance of a woman completely unraveling, with emotional impact.  And a completely chilling performance by Tim Roth. Margaret (Hall) is a single mother of a daughter, Abbie (Grace Kaufman) who’s about to graduate High School. They live a comfortable life in a nice high-rise complex, as Margaret works as a corporate boss of some kind. She’s secretly sleeping with a subordinate (not young), they only see each other outside of the office. Basically, she seems to have her life all nicely compartmentalized. 

Until one day at a business conference she catches a glimpse of the back of someone’s head and freaks out! Has to immediately leave the conference.  Then she sees him, well, the audience isn’t sure if she’s really seeing him or imagining him, again and again.  Once I decided, okay he’s really there, a man from her past; obviously this is Abbie’s father back and wanting to rekindle a relationship with his daughter. We get that Margaret is very protective and close to Abbie, but still, the girl is practically grown, let her make up her own mind about seeing him, so I thought.

Why is she so scared? Once we know the reasons, the movie becomes a full on psychological thriller, terrifying and hideous. It delves deeply into grooming, gaslighting and control…

"I started writing RESURRECTION about 7 or 8 years ago while I was working on other scripts, so it was a long gestation period. I imagined a character of a single mother acting alone to protect her child from some sort of dangerous threat or predator, but I didn’t quite know who she was or why she must act alone. Around this time, a friend of mine became involved in a relationship with a very toxic guy, and I witnessed their relationship firsthand … I became interested in and terrified by the tactics employed by manipulative, controlling people to form and maintain intense emotional bonds with their victims." – writer/director Andrew Semans

My favorite Rebecca Hall movie remains "Professor Marston and the Wonder Women", I wish more people knew how good it is.  It’s one of those movies I always recommend.  Now with this film,  "The Night House" and adapting and directing "Passing", Rebecca Hall has elevated to a new level of Hollywood A List.

https://tinseltine.com/sundance-film-festival-coverage-2022/IFC Films 

[heavenboy09]

Happy Birthday 🎂 🥳 🎉 🎈 🎁 🎊 To A Very Sassy But Strong Willed Latina Actress In The 1# Rebooted Supernatural TV Drama Show Of The WB. Charmed ✨

She is Of Puerto Rican 🇵🇷 Descent

 She is an American film and television actress who has appeared in many independent films, including four shown at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival. She received Independent Spirit Awards nominations for performances in films A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints (2006) and Fruitvale Station (2013). From 2018 to 2022, she appeared as the leading role of witch Mel Vera on the remake television series Charmed on The CW.

Please Wish This Outstanding Latina Actress A Very Happy Birthday 🎂 🥳 🎉 🎈 🎁 🎊

Ms. Melonie Diaz 🇵🇷 aka Mel Vera Of The Charmed Ones #MelonieDiaz #MelVera #Charmed

[aunti-christ-ine]

Acclaimed Daniel Roher-directed Documentary Investigates Assassination Attempt on Putin Adversary

CNN Films will broadcast the Sundance sensation, NAVALNY, directed by DanielRoher, on Saturday, Jan. 14, at 9:00pm Eastern on CNN.  As the world watches Russia’s brutal aggression continue against Ukraine, the gripping investigation of the 2020 attempted assassination of Alexey Navalny reminds the world of the serious repression and danger the Russian government presents to its own citizens. 

Just months after the attempt on his life, and during the height of the global coronavirus pandemic, Alexey Navalny and his family allowed Roher exclusive access to document his physical recovery from their secret location.  Roher and the production team weave interviews with the former Russian presidential candidate and his family, as well as Navalny’s Russian Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK) colleagues, to describe the events leading up to the attempt upon his life that the world first witnessed via social media.  Later, together with investigative journalists led by Christo Grozev, the executive director of Bellingcat, the team reveals a sprawling web of Russian government surveillance that had tracked the Putin opposition leader for years, ultimately exposing a shocking plot to poison him with the Russian government-linked nerve toxin, Novichok.

“Daniel and his team secured extraordinary access to a story of immense global significance,” said Amy Entelis, executive vice president for talent and content development for CNN Worldwide, on behalf of CNN Films.  “The film is a window into a rigorous and disciplined investigation that, beyond exposing the serious stakes for one man and his family, offers a view into the sobering stakes for a citizenry when a nation oppresses its own people.  NAVALNY is the kind of documentary that defines CNN Films.”

NAVALNY is currently nominated by the Producers Guild of America for its 2023 documentary motion picture award, nominated by the Cinema Eye Honors for the best nonfiction feature category, and named as a 2023 finalist by the duPont-Columbia Awards. NAVALNY was honored with the Audience Award in the U.S. Documentary competition, and the fan-selected Festival Favorite Award, following its world premiere at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival.  NAVALNY is produced by Odessa Rae of RaeFilm Studios, Diane Becker and Melanie Miller of Fishbowl Films, and Shane Boris of Cottage M.  Amy Entelis and Courtney Sexton of CNN Films, and Maria Pevchikh of the FBK, are executive producers of the documentary. The editorial team was led by Langdon Page and Maya Daisy Hawke. 

NAVALNY currently has a 99% Tomatometer® score at Rotten Tomatoes.  It was theatrically released by Warner Bros. Pictures.  During the Jan. 14 broadcast on CNN, NAVALNY will also stream live for pay TV subscribers via CNN.com and CNN OTT and mobile apps under “TV Channels,” or CNNgo where available.  NAVALNY will be available On Demand beginning Sunday, Jan. 15, to pay TV subscribers via CNN.com, CNN apps, and Cable Operator Platforms.  It is also available to stream via HBO Max.  Viewers can interact with others across social media by using the hashtag #NAVALNY.

#  #  #

[the-empress-7]

Re the documentaries on Chanel 4, there's two different documentaries, the real Windsors which is a three parter one in William, one on Charles and one in the queen. The Diana three part documentary is on after called investigating Diana a death in Paris.

Also here in the US, HBO has a new documentary called "The Princess." Here's the HBO announcement about it. It aired for the first time yesterday. I didn't watch it - I'm on Diana overload after watching the Harkle Show and need a break from her.

The HBO Original documentary film The Princess is an intimate an immersive look at the life of Princess Diana, directed by Academy Award nominee Ed Perkins (Black Sheep, Tell Me Who I Am) and produced by Lightbox, Academy Award-winner Simon Chinn (Man on Wire, Searching for Sugar Man) and Emmy-winner Jonathan Chinn (LA92, HBO’s Tina).

The relationship of Diana and Charles, the Prince and Princess of Wales, was tabloid fodder for nearly two decades, the subject of almost daily headlines in the 24-hour news cycle. The Princess draws solely from contemporaneous archival audio and video footage to take audiences back to key events in Diana’s life as they happened, including their seemingly fairy-tale public courtship and wedding, the birth of their two sons, their bitter divorce, and Diana’s tragic and untimely death on August 31, 1997.

Intensely emotional, The Princess is a visceral submersion into Diana’s life in the constant and often intrusive glare of the media spotlight. The film unfolds as if it were in the present, allowing viewers to experience the overwhelming adoration, but also intense scrutiny of Diana’s every move and the constant judgement of her character. Through archival material, the film is also a reflection of society at the time, revealing the public’s own preoccupations, fears, aspirations, and desires. The film debut coincides with the 25th anniversary of Princess Diana’s tragic death. 

HBO Documentary Films  presents The Princess, in association with SKY, produced by Lightbox. Directed by Ed Perkins; produced by Simon Chinn and Jonathan Chinn; editors, Jinx Godfrey and Daniel Lapira; co-producer, Vanessa Tovell. For HBO: coordinating producer, Anna Klein; executive producers, Nancy Abraham and Lisa Heller. The Princess had its world premiere at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival.

The fact that Omid tweeted about the HBO doc trying to make a correlation between Meghan and Diana turned me off, but I hear it's fairly balanced. I don't plan on watching it, all things Diana bore me.

[kalakian]

The Headhunter's Daughter

Don Josephus Raphael Eblahan | Short | 15 mins | 2022 | Philippines | WATCH NOW: vimeo.com/r/3D61/MnlRM1hWT0 FREE Promo Code: TINGIN2022

The film follows Lynn as she leaves her family behind and travels through the Cordilleran highlands to try her luck in the city as a country singer.

Winner: Short Film Grand Jury Prize, Sundance Film Festival Winner: Uppsala Award in Memory of Ingmar Bergman, Uppsala Short Film Festival Winner: Gold Hugo in the Live Action Short Film Competition,Chicago International Film Festival Winner: Best Director, Elba Film Festival Winner: Best of the Fest, Nevada City Film Festival Montana Film Festival Leeds International Film Festival Semana Internacional de Cine de Valladolid - Seminci Hamptons International Film Festival Gandhara International Film Festival Shorts Mexico SEAShorts Films Festival Jecheon Interniational Music & Film Festival Minikino Film Week, Bali International Short Film Festival HollyShorts Film Festival Concorto Film Festival Ouray International Film Festival Sydney Film Festival Golden Harvest Film Festival Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia Seattle International Film Festival Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival Montañosa Film Festival Florida Film Festival Clermont-Ferrand International Film Festival Tingin Southeast Asian Film Festival 2022