A film blog by Allan Berg Nielsen & Tue Steen Müller
A film blog by Allan Berg Nielsen & Tue Steen Müller
Just a brief follow-up note from Zagreb where the votes from the audience gave the following result:
Best film “The English surgeon” by Geoffrey Smith. Second “Cash and Marry” by Atanas Georgiev. Third “Burma vj” by Anders Østergaard.
… they had a good audience in Zagreb.
Photo. The English Surgeon
Second edition of the documentary festival in Damascus, Tartous and Homs in Syria. Reports from the 1st edition can be found on filmkommentaren.dk.
I dont have the programme schedule yet but have seen the list of films and guests who will be there. It demonstrates that the organisers, filmmakers Diana el Jeroudi and Orwa Nyrabia have made a big effort to enlarge the cinema programme. It includes a very impressive list of films to be offered to the Syrian audience is. More than 40 films where half of them are new for me… who watch quite a lot as loyal readers have discovered.
There is an official selection with an audience award. Let me mention 3 known titles (”Family” by Sami Saïf and Phie Ambro, ”From Father to Son” by Visa Koiso-Kanntila and ”Mosquito Problems and other Stories” by Andrey Paounov) and 3 I am looking forward to watch (”China is Still Far” by Malek Bensmail, ”One Man Village” by Simon el Habre and ”Six Ordinary Stories” by Meyar Alroumi). There is a series called ”Voices of Women” with films – among others – by Kim Longinotto, Eva Mulvad and Alina Mazzarati. There is 3 films by Nicholas Philibert in the ”Meet the Master” category. There is a series of ”Notes on War” with films by PeÅ Holmquist, Werner Herzog – among others. And ”Best of Fest” introduces ”The English Surgeon”, ”The Mother” and ”René”. What a fest to expect. Photo: Burma vj by Anders Østergaard, closing film in Damascus.
Plus several industry arrangements, including one where Mikael Opstrup, EDN chair and producer and I are doing a writing workshop for 12 filmmakers.
It is the fourth time the programmer Cian Smyth organises the documentary festival ”within” the Belfast Film Festival, March 26- April 4. And again it is a pleasure to see a varied selection of high quality films, 44 in all, ” from experimental to cinema verite in form” as said in the press release, with observational “gaze” perspectives in the spirit of Albert Maysles like Helena Trestikova’s manyfold awarded “Réné”, and more “staged” titles like “Blind Loves” by Jura Lehotsky and “Z32” by Avi Mograbi, and several new Irish films.
From the press release: Finally, a section of the festival that is extremely important to us, Truth/Memory/Transition, attempts to present and discuss documentary films and their worldwide stories in the context of conflict resolution, managing the emotional impact of history and the flexible nature of memory. This strand centres around debate and Pray the Devil Back to Hell will provide a thrilling centrepiece discussion in the presence of filmmaker and subject as it sits alongside a fascinating discussion about the consequences of fame in politics with world-renowned Northern Ireland civil rights campaigner Bernadette McAliskey (nee Devlin) and the film Bernadette. Photo: A mural with Bernadette Devlin.
The films in this category: Pray the Devil Back to Hell: dir. Gini Reticker, USA, 2008, Ireland Premiere. Bernadette: dir. Duncan Campbell, Northern Ireland/Ireland, 2008, World Premiere. AWingBigCell: dir. Seamus Harahan, Miriam deBurca, Northern Ireland/Ireland, 2008, World Premiere. For the Record: dir. Mairead McClean, Northern Ireland/Ireland, 2009, World Premiere. An Phailistin – Disturbing the Silence: dir. Sonia NicGiolla Easbuig, Ireland, 2004
… stands for the excellent, weekly electronic newsletter published by the MEDIA Desk France & Antennes Media Strasbourg & Grand Sud. Editor Christine Mazerau.
Excellent, because it is so rich in information, goes far beyond the promotion and information on only French events and matters, but gives solid and accurate details on markets, festivals, training programmes with links and photos. All that you need and a fine demonstration of all the good the MEDIA Programme supports. Language is French but even for non-French reading people you can catch the info and proceed through the links if more is needed. Last Friday numéro 134 came out. And it is for free. Contact below.
Photo is from Margarida Cardoso’s fine documentary “Kuxa Kanema. The Birth of Cinema” to be screened soon in Paris as part of the MEDIA supported “Un Tour d’Europe du doc”.
newsletter@mediafrance.eu
Nu er det snart… Om mindre end to uger er der festival i Randers med FOF og Filmkommentaren.dk som værter og Tue Steen Müller som kommentator hele vejen igennem. Se program og tilmelding her.
Awards were given out tonite at ZagrebDOX. The regional awards are the ones to be noticed signaling strongly the current high quality. All 3 films have or will have a well deserved international recognition. The two first have been written about on filmkommentaren.dk. Keep an eye on your local festival or tv programme. Here folllows the jury’s motivation texts:
Big Stamp
The Caviar Connection, Dragan Nikolić: A wonderful mixture of observational documentary and creative authorship. It shows the inevitable disappearing world of traditional fishing through the colorful, character driven story of one family. The film pulls us so fully into this world, that we can’t help but have warmth for these flawed characters, find humor in their ordinary situations, and feel compassion for their struggles.
Jury Special Mentions
Cash & Marry, Atanas Georgiev: Adresses the very relevant theme of illegal immigration through a highly personal and entertaining approach. Sure to please crowds around the globe, the film succeeds in touching this thorny subject in a way that will be revealing and thought-provoking for audiences from both sides of this divide.
21st Second, eljko Mirković: A refreshing look at the humanity behind the “hero” protagonist, who faces the dilemmas of rebuilding his life, and ultimately discovers the beauty of a second chance at being a good father.
Jury: Casey Cooper Johnson, Irena Taskovski, producer, Silvestar Kolbas, director of photography.
It took some time for director Atanas Georgiev (Macedonia), his producer Sinisha Juricic (Croatia) and coproducer Ralph Wiser (Austria) to make and finish ”Cash and Marry”, which will be a hit at festivals in the coming year. As it very rightfully was at the world premiere at ZagrebDOX where it was pitched as project 3 years before. Totally full house, people standing in the corridor, a super audience for this film’s first screening.
But it was worth waiting for. It is a provocative, stylistically sometimes messy and anarchistic, charming, funny, clever, touching and so very much actual document about Europe today exemplified by the hunt for a bride in Vienna that performs the director himself – for the film and for a passport that can make him stay in the European Union.
Next screening is at the Diagonale in Graz, Austria to be followed by a screening at Visions du Réel in Nyon… and so on and so forth. ORF commissioning editor Franz Grabner expects a big audence, when he shows it on television and with Austrian distributor Autlook on board it must be possible to make a strong world distribution of this film to festivals and tv stations.
I had the privilege to see the development of a film that was handled creatively and competently by a young director and his team, including first of all Sinisha Juricic from Nukleus in Zagreb. Congratulations.
12 projects from the region. I can not mention them all but again I must say that the validity of the argument, so often expressed on this place, that originality and creativeness in documentaries come from the Eastern part of Europe, this argument stays intact after ZagrebDOX 2009. As said by one of the participating editors, Wim van Rompaey from Lichtpunt in Belgium, they are good storytellers. I would add – and how wonderful it is to be surprised and entertained and witness passion and commitment.
Let me mention 3 projects that I am sure you will meet as films within the next year: ”I’ll Marry the whole Village” by Serbian Zeljko Mirkovic, who I met 8 years ago and who has developed enormously in his film skills. This story is a music based documentary on a man who wishes the best for the bachelors in his village and wants to become a matchmaker, as the filmmaker already is having publicised his film intention! ”Ritz” by Croatian Miroslav Sikavica, a story about civil action against the meaningless violence that made Luka Ritz a victim last year in Zagreb. And ”Lost Tapes of Adrian Tudor” by producer Catalin Leescu and Andra Chiriac from Romania, about a man who posted a video clip on YouTube bragging his much better life in Spain and showing his new Audi – with the result that more than a hundred fellow Romanians commented on him by making their clips for the YouTube.
The team behind the ”Lost Tapes of Adrian Tudor” received the prize (see photo, where they are accompanied by Wim van Rompaey) for the best pitch.
The ZagrebPro is the training and pitching session of the festival. 12 projects from the region were presented to 8 committed panelists, who contributed with critical, constructive and encouraging comments to the directors and producers present: Veteran Franz Grabner from ORF in Austria, in previous years he picked up succesful films, see above. Jenny Westergaard from Finnish YLE, for the first time in Zagreb, she is one of the most international orientated and knowledgeable tv editors in Europe. The same goes for Wim van Rompaey from Belgian Lichtpunt, a small oasis for the creative documentary. Hrvoje Jucincic from Croatian Television was there with money for prebuys and coproduction. Sanja Ravlic represented the local Audiovisual Institute, which functions like a film Institute. Vanja Kranjac, always supportive on behalf of Serbian B92 that does not have money but can help with archive and equipment. As can Bosnian Television that was presented by the filmmaker Namik Kabil, who was very competent in his remarks to colleagues. Irena Taskovski found several projects that she wants to help through her distribution company. And Paolo Vidali from the Italian Friuli region was there to build alliances with producers and directors.
Cecilia Lidin from EDN and I had the pleasure again to moderate the session and train the pitchers in the two days before thursday February 26.
Det med Godard var så begyndt igen.. Og heldigvis er der sidste år kommet en grundig bog, en biografi, som skildrer mandens liv ved at beskrive hans film, en efter en, omfattende, altvidende og velordnet: “Everything is Cinema, The Working Life of Jean-Luc Godard” skrevet af en medarbejder ved “The New Yorker”, Richard Brody. De følgende få citater er hentet fra den bog. Vi brugte dem i aftes i min FOF filmklub. Vi talte om “Pierrot le Fou” – talte om filmen som personligt dokument, så i dens rigdom af lag rækker af yderligere læsninger. Et mesterværk, enestående i ordets forstand var det, vi havde hentet ud af den store dvd-udgivelse.
SLUTNING OG BEGYNDELSE. “Godards næste film (efter ‘En gift kvinde’) ‘Pierrot le Fou’ bragte hans tilbedelse af klassisk filmform og metode til en imponerende slutning og påbegyndte en række værker mærket af en hysterisk, selvpinerisk desperation. I film efter film skulle Godards frustrerede kærlighed og filmiske søgen udspille sig som selvødelæggende fantasier og pirrelige voldseksplosioner. Med afslutningen på ægteskabet med Anna Karina kom afslutningen på hans søgen efter en form til at indarbejde det og forstærke det i værket. Han nye formløse måde at lave film på spejlede en afsindig sindstilstand, som ikke levnede nogen illusion om balance, færdiggjorthed eller ynde…”
Det med Godard var så begyndt igen.. Og heldigvis er der sidste år kommet en grundig bog, en biografi, som skildrer mandens liv ved at beskrive hans film, en efter en, omfattende, altvidende og velordnet: “Everything is Cinema, The Working Life of Jean-Luc Godard” skrevet af en medarbejder ved “The New Yorker”, Richard Brody. De følgende få citater er hentet fra den bog. Vi brugte dem i aftes i min FOF filmklub. Vi talte om “Pierrot le Fou” – talte om filmen som personligt dokument, så i dens rigdom af lag rækker af yderligere læsninger. Et mesterværk, enestående i ordets forstand var det, vi havde hentet ud af den store dvd-udgivelse.
SLUTNING OG BEGYNDELSE. “Godards næste film (efter ‘En gift kvinde’) ‘Pierrot le Fou’ bragte hans tilbedelse af klassisk filmform og metode til en imponerende slutning og påbegyndte en række værker mærket af en hysterisk, selvpinerisk desperation. I film efter film skulle Godards frustrerede kærlighed og filmiske søgen udspille sig som selvødelæggende fantasier og pirrelige voldseksplosioner. Med afslutningen på ægteskabet med Anna Karina kom afslutningen på hans søgen efter en form til at indarbejde det og forstærke det i værket. Han nye formløse måde at lave film på spejlede en afsindig sindstilstand, som ikke levnede nogen illusion om balance, færdiggjorthed eller ynde…”
KOMPLET PANIKSLAGEN. “Som han (Godard) senere erindrede det: ‘Da jeg skulle i gang med ‘Pierrot le Fou’, var jeg blot en uge før komplet panikslagen. Jeg vidste ikke, hvad jeg skulle gøre. På grundlag af bogen havde vi allerede etableret alle locations, vi havde ansat folk… og jeg spekulerede på, hvad vi skulle stille op med det alt sammen.’ “
DERFOR VÆLGER JEG ALTID ANNA KARINA. “Mest afgørende var, at hovedrollen blev spillet af en kvinde, som Godard elskede og havde mistet. Hans sårede sindstilstand var synlig for kollegerne. Hans skilsmisse fra Anna Karina og hendes forhold til Ronet (skuespiller og instruktør, den nye kæreste) efterlod Godard kæmpende alene, skønt han stadigvæk var bundet til Karina med såvel følelsesmæssige som kunstneriske bånd. Karina havde en karriere uafhængig af Godard, men ikke en stor, og skønt Godard havde bevist, at han kunne lave film af betydning uden Karina, havde han ikke lyst til at gøre det. Da han før optagelserne af en journalist blev spurgt om sit valg af kvindelige skuespillere, svarede Godard på en måde, som blotlagde de komplicerede og konfliktende følelser – ømhed, jalousi, selvmedlidenhed – som han herefter skulle komme til at lægge ind i filmen: ‘Jeg må elske de personer, jeg filmer, det er derfor, jeg altid vælger Anna Karina.’ “
OG FORDI DEN KVINDE FORLOD HAM. “Folks privatliv er ellers ikke noget, jeg tager mig af. Men ‘Pierrot le Fou” skriger mig ind i ansigtet, at en retsindig ung mand, som jeg kender, som har betydet en masse for mig, som med en venlighed som en aftenkyst har gemt sit liv bag stor tavshed, en ung mand… ved navn Jean-Luc Godard, døde, jeg ved ikke hvilken dag sidste år, fordi han elskede en kvinde vildt, og fordi denne kvinde forlod ham…” (Michel Cournot fra “Le Nouvel Observateur” i sin konkluderende artikel fra festivalen i Venezia 1965, hvor filmen fik kritikerprisen)
MINDST TOLV GANGE. “Jeg var i gymnasiet, jeg var 17 år gammel. Jeg gik ind for at se ‘Pierrot le Fou’ mindst tolv gange, da den kom frem. Jeg kunne den udenad, jeg har reciteret den for mine børn… ‘Pierrot le Fou’ har lært mig at elske… det var Anna Karina og Jean-Paul Belmondo i Porquerolles… jeg elskede kvinder endnu mere på grund af de film, Godard lavede. Han fandt det ranke og værdige frem under alt det fjollede…” (Bernard-Henri Lévy)
Pierrot le Fou, Frankrig, 1965, 105 min.Med Jean-Paul Belmondo og Anna Karina. Kamera: Raoul Coutard. I The Jean-Luc Godard Collectio, bokssæt med ni Godard film fra 1959 til 1985, Optimum Releasing, 2007. Franske versioner med engelske undertekster. Litt.: Christoffer Boe: The Jean-Luc Godard Collection i Ekko, #38, 2007. Richard Brody: Everything is Cinema, The Working Life of Jean-Luc Godard , New York, 2008, 702 sider.