To learn more about the process of selecting the nominees for the Best Foreign Language Film Award, we had an interview with Larry Karaszewski—Governor for the Writers branch of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences—and Diane Weyermann, a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and a member of the European Film Academy Larry Karaszewski, with his writing/directing/producing partner Scott Alexander, are best known for writing unusual true stories. They created the hit television miniseries “The People v O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story” for which they won the Golden Globe, the Emmy, the PGA and…
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When Asghar Farhadi’s A Separation became the first Iranian film to win the Oscar for Best Foreign-Language Film of 2012, it gave the world a look at the work not only of one of Iran’s most acclaimed writer-directors but also of an Iranian cinematographer whose skills have contributed to dozens of important films of Iran’s post-Revolutionary cinema. Born in 1951, Mahmoud Kalari started in the 1970s studying photography, and later became a renowned news photographer whose images of Ayatollah Khomeini and other figures of Iran’s Revolutionary era appeared in magazines around the world. After turning to cinematography during the mid-’80s revival of…
Souls of Totality, a short film directed by Richard Raymond happens during the Great American Eclipse, this is a love story about the sacrifices we make for love. Lady 18 (Tatiana Maslany) and Guy 3 (Tom Cullen) have a secret. They are members of a cult that believes if they die during a Solar Eclipse their souls will be taken to paradise. But that’s not their secret… They are also profoundly in love. Richard Raymond to introduce Souls of Totality in the video below: https://vimeo.com/289314957 Richard Raymond started his career at Pinewood Studios when he was 15 years old, establishing himself…
The 2018 Toronto International Film Festival is just around the corner with hundreds of features, short films and documentaries from around the world. TIFF also has virtual reality experiences, conferences, presentations by legendary directors and even a few parties beginning Sept. 6 and running through Sept. 16. This “festival of festivals” began in 1976 and has grown to be one of the premiere festivals in the world as both seasoned filmmakers and up-and-comers walk the red carpet and wait for the audience’s reactions to their creations. Thom Firzgerald’s newest film, “Splinters,” will make its world debut at TIFF, and I had…
A Midsummer Night’s Dream is one of Shakespeare͛s most beloved creations. The frolicking tale of lovesick young aristocrats, energetic but inept rustics, and mischievous woodland spirits is a staple of stage and screen. In the past, filmed adaptations have emphasized the play͛s traditional, Elizabethan qualities. This production however is a fresh and stylish reinvention that takes an entirely different approach. The story takes place in present day Hollywood – a place where glamorous stars, commanding moguls, starving artists and vaulting pretenders all vie to get ahead. Hollywood is sometimes called ͞The Dream Factory,͟ and like the world of Shakespeare͛s Dream,…
Opening on Friday July 13th in LA, Custody, a film by Xavier Legrand, is about a separated couple and their young child. Miriam and Antoine Besson have divorced, and Miriam is seeking sole custody of their son Julien to protect him from a father she claims is violent. Antoine pleads his case as a scorned dad and the appointed judge rules in favor of joint custody. A hostage to the escalating conflict between his parents, Julien is pushed to the edge to prevent the worst from happening. Custody was screened at 2018 COLCOA and Austin Film Society’s French Cinema Week …
CANNES, France (AP) — The Cannes Film Festival opening-night premiere of Iranian director Asghar Farhadi’s “Everybody Knows” coincided almost exactly with President Trump’s announced withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal. For Farhadi, the multi-Oscar winner and one of the foremost filmmakers in international cinema, Trump’s declaration colored the celebration with a familiar melancholy. In 2017, he boycotted the Academy Awards where his “The Salesman” won best foreign language film in protest of Trump’s travel ban of seven Muslim-majority nations, including Iran. Farhadi has also been critical of the Iranian regime and chafed at its censorship of artists like himself. On…
IN THE LAST DAYS OF THE CITY is the debut feature of filmmaker Tamer El Said. It tells the fictional story of a filmmaker from downtown Cairo played by Khalid Abdalla (The Kite Runner, The Square) as he struggles to capture the soul of a city on edge while facing loss in his own life. Shot in Cairo, Beirut, Baghdad and Berlin during the two years before the outbreak of revolution in Egypt, the film’s multi-layered stories are a visually rich exploration of friendship, loneliness, loss and life in cities shaped by the shadows of war and adversity. Below is…
On Saturday March 24th Cinema Without Borders and East Los Angeles College celebrate the 4th edition of their annual International Animation Day. The 2018 event is called Latin American Animation Day. Jaime Cañas, a Chilean animation artist is among individuals that has helped to make this event happen. Here is our video interview with Mr. Jaime Cañas about his work and state of animation in Chile. https://vimeo.com/257283888 Jaime Cañas was born in Santiago of Chile. After some design studies he moved to Germany, where Jaime studied animation at the “Hochschule für Film und Fernsehen, Konrad Wolf”, in Postdam, near Berlin. In…
The Silence is a short film written and directed by Ali Asgari and Farnoosh Samadi, Iranian-born filmmakers, also responsible for Disappearance, which we discussed when it appeared at this year’s Toronto film festival. (At the latter event, Asgari was credited as director and Samadi as co-screenwriter on Disappearance, but the pair apparently consider themselves co-directors of their various films.) The Silence, which showed at the Cannes Film Festival, has been nominated for and won numerous awards. Asgari was born in Tehran, but studied and graduated from film school in Italy. Samadi was also born in Iran and graduated from the Fine Arts Academy in…