Guardian Interview: Cate Blanchett

"It's interesting that Elizabeth had absolute power, being ordained by God, whereas Dylan was given absolute power, which I think happens in the music industry. They give people in the public eye absolute power and then are furious at them at the same time for having it. Dylan is constantly saying, 'I didn't ask for this.'" What's it like being Bob Dylan right after Queen Elizabeth I? Cate Blanchett tells Patrick Barkham about fame, sleep deprivation and losing weight to play a man. 
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SF360: Global Lens Focuses Eye on Developing World Cinema

Since its inaugural year in 2002, the Global Lens Film Festival has gotten around, rather restlessly around, crisscrossing the country from Manhattan to Vashon Island with many far-flung points in between like a Beatnik with a yen for riding the rails. Which is more or less the idea. Except that instead of setting out to discover America, the traveling series of recent Third World cinema -- a cornerstone of the nonprofit Global Film Initiative (GFI) -- is out to help overwhelmingly passportless Americans discover the world. Robert Avila reports.  
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AFP: US director Mann to direct Litvinenko film

US filmmaker Michael Mann, known for movies including "Collateral" and "Heat," will direct a film about Russian former spy Alexander Litvinenko, a foundation set up after his murder confirmed Thursday. AFP reports. 
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iW NEWS | Writers Guild Issues Statement on Contract Negotiations

John F. Bowman, chair of the WGA Negotiating Committee representing the Writers Guild of America, West (WGAW) and the Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) issued a statement late Thursday regarding ongoing negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers (AMPTP). "Our employers are growing and dominate the global entertainment industry. Yet their opening offer would have rolled back our compensation by 50%. Now they decrease the rollbacks to 45% and proclaim that they are truly bargaining. Minor adjustments to major rollbacks do not constitute forward motion," Bowman said in the statement. "To make a deal, the AMPTP must engage with us on the issues that matter in this negotiation. With that in mind, we will respond to their proposal tomorrow." [Eugene Hernandez] 
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iW NEWS | Sean Penn To Recieve Palm Springs Fest Award

The 19th Annual Palm Springs International Film Festival will honor Sean Penn with the Director of the Year Award for his film "Into The Wild." Past honorees include Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu for "Babel" and Alexander Payne for "Sideways." "'Into the Wild' is a magnificent film that showcases Sean Penn's gifted and powerhouse talent as a director. We're delighted to present him with this year's Director of the Year Award for his vision portrayed in this film," said festival chairman Earl Greenburg. Penn will recieve the award at the festival's annual Awards Gala on Saturday, January 5, 2008. [Peter Knegt] 
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iW NEWS | Magnolia Aquires "Timecrimes"

Magnolia Pictures has acquired the world rights (excluding Spain) to director Nacho Vigalondo's "Timecrimes." "Timecrimes," which won the Best Feature Prize and the Silver Medal for Audience Award at the 2007 Fantastic Fest in Austin, details a man who discovers the perils of time travel. It is the feature film debut of Vigalongo, who previously was nominated for an Academy Award for the short film "7:35 in the Morning." "Working with Magnolia on 'Timecrimes' is a dream come true. Knowing that my film is going to be shown in USA is something I can't describe," said Vigalongo. Magnolia will release the film theatrically in 2008. [Peter Knegt]  
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iW NEWS | Berlin Retrospective To Honor Bunuel

The retrospective of the 58th Berlin International Film Festival will honor Spanish director Luis Bunuel. The festival will present a comprehensive program of his works, including films to which he contributed as an assistant director, producer and/or screenwriter. A series of events with lectures and discussion panels will supplement the program. "It's impossible to classify Bunuel. His greatness lies in his persistence to present his own individual perspective on things," said Retrospective Director Dr. Rainer Rother. The film festival will run February 7-17, 2008. [Peter Knegt] 
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iW NEWS | After Dark Horrorfest Announces Line-Up

After Dark Films announced the final two films of its 2007 "8 Films To Die For" line-up, which will play November 9-18, 2007 . After Dark CEO Courtney Solomon announced "Crazy Eights," from director James Koya Jones, and George Bessudo's "Lake Dead" join previously announced films "Borderland," directed by Zev Berman, Dario Piana's "The Deaths of Ian Stone," Jim Mickle's "Mulberry Street," Rolfe Kanefsky's "Nightmare Man," Mark Young's "Tooth and Nail" and "Unearthed," directed by Matthew Leutwyler. With its partners AMC, Regal and Cinemark, After Dark Horrorfest 2007 will run on over 300 screens across the United States, making it the largest commercial film festival in the world. Last year, the fest became the first in history to break the top ten at the box office, grossing $2.5 million on only a quarter of the screens of any other film in the top ten that weekend. [Peter Knegt] 
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LAT: Indie Films Having Fall Bust

"It's as bad a fall as I've ever seen," Focus Features head James Schamus tells The Los Angeles Times. After touting October as the "new December" in terms of Oscar flicks, indie Hollywood is having a terrible time getting their films out there, with no hits among the abnormally large group of films to come out in the past six weeks or so. Rachel Abramowitz reports. 
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iW NEWS | Reel Asian Hits Toronto November 14th

The 11th annual Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival will run November 14-18, 2007, presenting 77 films from 13 countries. Showcasing contemporary Asian cinema and work from the Asian diaspora, the festival will open with Justin Lin's Bruce Lee-spirited "Finishing The Game". Additionally announced screenings include closing night film "Sakuran", directed by Mika Ninagawa, Chen Shi Zheng's "Dark Matter," Stephane Gauger's "Owl and the Sparrow" and Tan Chui Mui's "Love Conquers All." Founded in 1997 by producer Anita Lee and journalist Andrew Sun, this community-based festival has grown into an anticipated event that attracts thousands of attendees to five days of galas, screenings, industry panels and workshops. Please visit their website for more information. [Peter Knegt] 
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iW NEWS | Fortissimo Gets "Chorus Line" Doc

Fortissimo Films has annouced the acquisition of worldwide sales rights -- with the exception of North America and Japan -- to James D. Stern and Adam Del Deo's "Every Little Step: The Journey of a Phenomenon," about the hit Broadway musical, "A Chorus Line." The film, from Endgame Entertainment, will be pre-sold at next week's upcoming American Film Market. It marks the third doc for Stern and Del Deo, after "The Year of the Yao" and "...So Goes The Nation." "When Jim and Adam first described this project to us, we knew that they would be producing a film with a great story, class, charm, music, and great commercial potential -- and we had to be involved," said Fortissimo's Michael Werner, in a statement, "We are thrilled to be working with Endgame on this up-close look at one of the world's most endearing musicals." [Eugene Hernandez] 
[permalink]   [ filed under Acquisitions, Documentary ]

iW NEWS | Belladonna Unveils Mickle's "Mulberry," "July" Deals

Rene Bastian, Linda Moran, and Adam Folk's Belladonna Productions has announced a pair of deals for projects by Jim Mickle. The filmmaker's "Mulberry Street," which had its North American premiere at SXSW in March and later screened at the Tribeca Film Festival, is set for theatrical distribution on 300 screens via the After Dark Horrorfest with LIONSGATE handling DVD distribution of the event's eight films. Belladonna also announced that it has optioned Joe R. Lansdale's novel Cold in July for Mickle to direct and adapt with "Mulberry Street" co-writer Nick Domici. A graduate of film school at NYU, Mickle recently signed with UTA and the BenderSpink Management Company. "Mickle's unrivaled knowledge and experience of the suspense and horror genre will serve this property well," commented Moran, in a statement, "We have enormous faith in Jim to bring the story to the screen in a way that preserves the tone and intention of Lansdale's' novel." For more information on the After Dark Horrorfest, visit the event's website. [Eugene Hernandez] 
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AP: Anderson cited for visionary filmmaking

Wes Anderson will be awarded the Stockholm Film Festival's Visionary Award for his humane and humorous portrayals of lonely people. Anderson, director of offbeat comedies "The Royal Tenenbaums" and "The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou," has created "unique and stylized universes inhabited by characters searching for something to search for," the prize citation said. AP reports. 
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iW NEWS | Hollywood-Bollywood Co-Production Premieres at Fest

The Mahindra Indo-American Arts Council Film Festival announced the line-up and schedule for its seventh annual film festival, taking place November 7-11, 2007 in New York City. The festival will kick off with Sanjay Leela Bhansali's "Saawariya," which is the first Indian collaboration with Hollywood as Sony Pictures co-financed the film. Other notable festival selections include Rituparno Ghosh's "The Last Lear" and Feroze Abbas Khan's "Gandhi, My Father." [Peter Knegt] 
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LAT: Actors' unions spar over bargaining

An ugly feud between two actors unions burst into the open Monday, with the American Federation of Television & Radio Artists accusing its sister union of breaching a 26-year-old bargaining agreement. AFTRA and the larger Screen Actors Guild have been jointly negotiating contracts under a so-called Phase 1 Agreement adopted in 1981. But that solidarity threatened to unravel Monday when AFTRA National President Roberta Reardon blasted a decision by the SAG board to change the way votes are counted on a joint negotiating committee. Richard Verrier reports. 
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AP: Redford's new film shown at Rome fest

Robert Redford hopes his new film, "Lions for Lambs," about U.S. military action in Afghanistan will encourage American youth to "take command of their voice." In the United States, "we have lost lives, we have lost sacred freedoms, we have lost financial stability, we have lost our position of respect on the world stage," the Oscar-winning filmmaker told a news conference Tuesday. AP reports. 
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HR | 'Turkey' time for Zobel, Plum

Plum Pictures is on board to produce the next film by "Great World of Sound" director Craig Zobel, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The comedy, set in the South, is described as revolving around, "a race for county commissioner in a small town that takes an unexpected turn when one candidate shoots the other."  
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LAT: Oscar's Foreign Policy Issues

The Los Angeles Times takes on the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' rulebook in a story by Patrick Goldstein. From this year's The Band's Visit to 2004's Maria Full of Grace, Goldstein explains how the 44-page Academy rulebook has consistently fallen in the way of notable contenders in the foreign-language film category. 
[permalink]   [ filed under Awards Watch, Biz ]

iW BOT UPDATE | "Control" Tops BOT Again in Final Weekend Numbers

Anton Corbijn's feature debut, "Control" was securely atop the iW BOT for the second straight weekend, according to final numbers posted this afternoon at indieWIRE.com. The film, released by The Weinstein Company, earned a weekend gross of $38,242 at New York's Film Forum and the Nuart Theatre in Los Angeles, topping the debut of Goran Dukic's Wristcutters: A Love Story," which earned $38,443 from three runs for a per-screen average of $12,814 and the second weekend of Craig Gillespie's "Lars and the Real Girl," which earned $185,000 from 21 screens, for a $8,810 per-screen average. This week's indieWIRE box office article was posted yesterday. 
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iW NEWS | "Control" Leads British Independent Film Award Nominations

Anton Corbijn's "Control" led the nominations of the 10th annual British Independent Film Awards (BIFAs) with a record ten, including best director, best screenplay and acting nods for Sam Riley, Samantha Morton and Toby Kebbell. Other multiple nominated films included Anand Tucker's "And When Did You Last See Your Father?" with seven, David Mackenzie's "Hallam Foe" with six and David Cronenberg's "Eastern Promises" with five. All four mentioned films were nominated for Best British Independent Film alongside Richard Eyre's "Notes on a Scandal." The nominees for Best Foreign Independent Film were "Black Book," "La Vie en Rose," "The Lives of Others," "Once" and "Tell No One." Ray Winstone was also announced as the recipient of the Richard Harris Award for Outstanding Contribution by an Actor. The winners will be announced November 28, 2007 at the Roundhouse in London. For a complete list of nominations, please visit the BIFA's website. [Peter Knegt]  
[permalink]   [ filed under Awards Watch, Honors ]

NYT: Facing Competition, iTunes Revs Up Its Film Section

When Edward Burns's latest romantic comedy, "Purple Violets," had its premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival in April, it drew positive reviews, but only lukewarm offers from movie distributors...So he and his partners, who spent $4 million making "Purple Violets," instead are gambling any chance of recouping their investment on a distribution deal that involves not a single theater. On Nov. 20 the film will go up for sale exclusively on iTunes. David M. Halbringer reports. 
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Reuters: Tim Robbins wages crusade against noise in new film

Have you ever dreamt of smashing up that car in your neighborhood whose burglar alarm has the bad habit of going off in the middle of the night? U.S. director Henry Bean used to do that just that, breaking into other people's cars to disable their alarms, so he could get a good night's sleep. He ended up in court and in jail, until he decided to stop and make a film about it. "Noise," Bean's provocative second film, casts Tim Robbins as David, an upper-class family man driven insane by New York's loud sounds -- grinding garbage trucks, horns honking, back-up beepers and worst of all, car alarms squealing at all hours. Silvia Aloisi reports. 
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iW NEWS | LA Critics To Honor Sidney Lumet

The Los Angeles Film Critics Association have selected director Sidney Lumet as the recipient of its annual Career Achievement Award, LAFCA President Lael Loewenstein announced Monday. Lumet, who has twice won the organization's annual directing prize, will be presented the award on Sunday, January 12, 2008 at the InterContinental in Los Angeles. As previously announced, the organization will vote for and announce the recipients of its 33rd annual film achievement awards on Sunday, December 9, 2007. [Peter Knegt] 
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Reuters: Actor Garcia Bernal not tempted by Hollywood

Mexican actor Gael Garcia Bernal, star of "Babel" and "The Motorcycle Diaries," said he is not tempted to work in Hollywood, despite receiving many invitations. "To work in Hollywood? No!," he told reporters at a film festival underway in Brazil's biggest city. "The closest I got to Hollywood was a movie I did in Tijuana. And it is really close, about three hours," he added. Fernanda Ezabella reports. 
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"For No One" Takes Inaugural Prize at Middle East Fest

Ziad Oakes' "For No One" won the "Hayah Film Competition" at the inaugural Middle East International Film Festival in the professional category, while Kamil Roxas' "Celebrate Life" won in the amateur category. Fatima Al Shamsi, meanwhile, won the student prize for "Ramadan." "We have been very excited about the response to the Hayah Film Competition," noted Magnus Nystedt, founder of the competition and president of EmiratesMac Apple User Group. "With entries from across the Middle East and in all categories, we've seen the abundant creativity that exists in this region. From the religious and profound, to the funny and lighthearted, each entry has made us think, made us laugh, or even moved us close to tears." The winners each receive $5,000 USD, and iPod and a one year scholarship to attend the New York Film Academy's new campus in Abu Dhabi, which is scheduled to open in February, 2008. iW will have a full report from the festival this week. [Brian Brooks] 
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NYT: "Darjeeling" to Be Paired With a Short

"The Darjeeling Limited," Wes Anderson's fifth feature film, opened to mixed reviews in about 200 theaters on Sept. 29, but for its wider release to almost 800 theaters, next Friday, moviegoers will first see a short film -- one that got rave reviews -- and, the hope is, "The Darjeeling Limited" will get a bump in ticket sales. Lia Miller reports. 
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SF360: Robert Arnold, in "The Key of G"

In his first documentary feature outing, director Robert Arnold intelligently homes in on the most intimate moments of this story of a very differently abled teenager moving into adulthood, and pieces together an audio-visual experience that highlights the prickly art of creating compassionate relationships. We spoke with Arnold about his own intersections with the story, which won the Golden Gate Awards' Best Bay Area Documentary prize at San Francisco International's 50th last spring. Susan Gerhard reports. 
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HR: Coppola's latest comeback a disappointment

It has been 10 years since Oscar-winning director Francis Ford Coppola last worked behind the camera, but high expectations for his new feature "Youth Without Youth," which screened Sunday at the RomaCinemaFest, are dashed as it proves to be a muddled fantasy about the transmigration of souls. Ray Bennett reports. 
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"Four Minutes" and "Body of War" Take Audience Kudos in Hamptons

Chris Kraus' drama about an elderly piano teacher training young convicts at a women's prison, "Four Minutes" won the Hamptons International Film Festival's audience award the event announced Sunday afternoon. Also taking home an audience nod was "Body of War," directed by Ellen Spiro and produced by Phil Donahue, who both attended the five day festival that ended Sunday, while Michael Dreher's "Fair Trade" took the audience prize in the shorts category. [Brian Brooks] 
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"Bella" and "Hear and Now" Take Top Heartland Fest Prizes

Alejandro Monteverde's "Bella" won the best dramatic feature award at the Heartland Film Festival, and Irene Taylor took the Indianapolis-based fest's best doc feature award for "Hear and Now." The prizes include $100,000 and $25,000 cash awards respectively. Also taking home cash was Kurt Kuenne's "Validation" ($10,000) for best short. During the program, Heartland honored 16 dramatic and documentary short and feature-length films. Four student films received Jimmy Stewart Memorial Crystal Heart awards and 12 films were honored with Crystal Heart awards. For more information, visit the festival's website. [Brian Brooks] 
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iW NEWS | Weekend Estimates: "Control" Stays Strong; "Wristcutters" Debuts Nicely

The box office estimates for October 19-21, 2007 show Ian Curtis docudrama "Control" heading for another week high atop the iW BOT, averaging $18,226 from 2 screens, a mild drop from last weekend. And in terms of new releases, After Dark Films' "Wristcutters: A Love Story" surprised by taking in $38,443 from its 3 screens, averaging a nice $12,810. This far outweighed the other notable opener, Terry George's "Reservation Road", which averaged a poor $2,832 from 13 screens (though this beat the other high profile dramas, as "Rendition" opened wide this weekend to a per screen average of just $1,853 and "Things We Lost In The Fire" did even worse with $1,407). Among holdovers, "Lars and the Real Girl" held on well in its expansion, averaging $8,810 from 21 screens, while "The Darjeeling Limited" and "Lust, Caution" continued to impress in their fourth weekends out, averaging $6,535 and $4,687, respectively. [Peter Knegt]  
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iW NEWS | Festival du Nouveau Cinema Announces Winners

The 36th Festival du Nouveau Cinema concluded in Montreal after stellar attendance for Canada's oldest film festival. Last night, Quebec director Denys Arcand announced the festival's winners in various categories before the closing night screening of Christian Mingui's "4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days". Among the winners were Academy-snubee "The Band's Visit," directed by Eran Kolirin, which was awarded the Louve D'Or for best feature film; Richard Green, who won the acting award for his performance in Kriv Stenders' "Boxing Day"; Hana Makhmalbaf won the Daniel Langlois Innovation Prize for "Buddha Collapsed Out Of Shame"; Rodrigo Pla's "La Zona" won the Radio-Canada People's Choice Award; and "XXY," Lucia Puenzo's film, won the critic's prize. [Peter Knegt] 
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