Venice Film Festival Too

Venice Film Festival unveils lineup

By Eric J. Lyman

July 29, 2008

GENEVA, Switzerland -- The latest films from Jonathan Demme, Darren Aronofsky and Kathryn Bigelow have helped the U.S. claim the most competition slots at the 65th Venice Film Festival, which boasts 19 world premieres.

In all, 15 of the 21 films hail from just four markets. The U.S. will provide five of the 21 titles, with four from Italy and three each from France and Japan.

All but two -- Oshii Mamoru's "The Sky Crawlers" and Hayao Miyazaki's "Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea," both animated Japanese films -- are world premieres.

Demme will make the trip to Venice for the second consecutive year with "Rachel Getting Married," a comedy about a woman leaving rehab after 10 years to attend her sister's wedding.

Guillermo Arriaga, who earned an Oscar nomination for his "Babel" screenplay, will make his first appearance in competition in Venice with the mother-daughter drama "The Burning Plain."

Bigelow's war thriller "The Hurt Locker," Aronofsky's action drama "The Wrestler" and "Vegas: Based on a True Story," Amir Naderi's first film in three years, round out the U.S. selections.

The strong showing of U.S. productions came despite the threat of a SAG strike, which Venice artistic director Marco Mueller said hurt prospects for many U.S. films.

Pupi Avati's historical drama "Giovanna's Father" and "A Perfect Day" from Ferzan Ozpetek are among the highlights from Italy.

Out of competition selections include Abbas Kiarostami's "Shirin" and opening-night film "Burn After Reading" from Joel and Ethan Coen.

The festival is set for Aug. 27-Sept. 6.

A lineup for the Venice festival follows:

Competition:

"The Wrestler," Darren Aronofsky, U.S.
"The Burning Plain," Guillermo Arriaga, U.S.
"Il Papa di Giovanna," Pupi Avati, Italy
"Birdwatchers," Marco Bechis, Italy
"L'Autre," Patrick Mario Bernard and Pierre Trividic, France
"The Hurt Locker," Kathryn Bigelow, U.S.
"Il Seme Della Discordia," Pappi Corsicato, Italy
"Rachel Getting Married," Jonathan Demme, U.S.
"Teza," Haile Gerima, Ethiopia/Germany/France
"Paper Soldier (Bumaznyi Soldat)," Aleksy German Jr., Russia
"Sut," Semih Kaplanoglu, Turkey/France/Germany
"Achilles and the Tortoise (Akires to Kame)," Takeshi Kitano, Japan
"Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea," Hayao Miyazaki, Japan
"Vegas: Based on a True Story," Amir Naderi, U.S.
"The Sky Crawlers," Oshii Mamoru, Japan
"Un Giorno Perfetto," Ferzan Ozpetek, Italy
"Jerichow," Christian Petzold, Germany
"Inju, la Bete Dans l'Ombre," Barbet Schroeder, France
"Nuit de Chien," Werner Schroeter, France/Germany/Portugal
"Inland (Gabbia)," Tariq Teguia, Algeria/France
"Plastic City (Dangkou)," Yu Lik-wai, Brasil/China/Hong Kong/Japan

Oscar Buzz???????

I was reading a blog called CORRECT OPPINION and there was mention of Oscar Buzz around The Hurt Locker.

Here is the exerpt:

...but come award seasons, there will be a splurg of Oscar Baiting movies, like The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button, The Reader, The Changeling, Australia, Revolutionary Road, Che, Milk, Miracle At St. Anna, The Hurt Locker…… and thats just for starters, off the top of my head.

Web Pilot

So I shot a pilot last year and its available online at myspace.com/suburbanlegendstv . The producers have someone at Stage 9 Digital Media (ABC Studios' web series site) taking a look at the pilot!! Fingers crossed!! PLEASE add the pilot as a friend on myspace to create interest.


Check out this video: "Suburban Legends" TV Pilot



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new poster for THE HURT LOCKER

THE HURT LOCKER at TIFF

THE HURT LOCKER will premiere at the
Toronto International Film Festival

According to their latest press release....

TIFF Announces High Profile Special Presentations From Around The World

Toronto - The Toronto International Film Festival is pleased to announce the addition of six Special Presentations to the programming lineup for TIFF08, running September 4 to 13. Included are works from critically acclaimed filmmakers Kathryn Bigelow, Spike Lee and Paolo Sorrentino featuring performances by John Malkovich, Viggo Mortensen, Ralph Fiennes, Guy Pearce, John Leguizamo, Joseph Gordon Levitt and Michael Cera. The official website for the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival, tiff08.ca, is now live. Ticket packages for TIFF08 will be available for purchase by Visa† cardholders as of 10 a.m., Monday, July 7, 2008, and by cash, debit or Visa as of 10 a.m. on Monday, July 14, 2008. Purchase online at tiff08.ca, by phone at 416-968-FILM or 1-877-968- FILM or in person at the Festival Box Office at Manulife Centre, 55 Bloor Street West (main floor, north entrance). Box Office hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday to Saturday.

Disgrace Steve Jacobs, Australia/South Africa
World Premiere
Professor David Lurie's (John Malkovich) life falls apart after he has an impulsive affair with one of his students. Forced to resign from Cape Town University, he escapes to his daughter's farm in the Eastern Cape. Their relationship is tested when they both become victims of a vicious attack. In order not to lose the love of his daughter, David stands by her as she accepts her tragic circumstances. She continues her life on the farm and their individual disgrace finally settles to an uneasy grace.

Good Vicente Amorim, United Kingdom/Germany
World Premiere
John Halder (Viggo Mortensen) is a good, decent individual with family problems: a neurotic wife, two demanding children and a mother suffering from senile dementia. A literature professor in the 1930s, Halder explores his personal circumstances in a novel advocating compassionate euthanasia. When the book is unexpectedly enlisted by powerful political figures in support of government propaganda, Halder finds his career rising in an optimistic current of nationalism and prosperity. Seemingly inconsequential decisions lead to choices, which lead to more choices...with devastating effect. Directed by Vicente Amorim (The Middle of the World, TIFF 2003), Good also stars Jason Isaacs, Jodie Whittaker, Mark Strong and Gemma Jones.

Miracle at St. Anna Spike Lee, USA
World Premiere
Directed by Spike Lee from a screenplay written by James McBride, the author of the acclaimed novel of the same name, the film chronicles the story of four black American soldiers who are members of the US Army as part of the all-black 92nd "Buffalo Soldier" Division stationed in Tuscany, Italy, during World War II. They experience the tragedy and triumph of the war as they find themselves trapped behind enemy lines and separated from their unit after one of them risks his life to save an Italian boy. Starring Derek Luke, Michael Ealy, Laz Alonso, Omar Benson Miller, Matteo Sciabordi, John Leguizamo and Joseph Gordon Levitt, Miracle at St. Anna explores a deeply inspiring story that transcends national boundaries, race and class to touch the goodness within us all.

Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist Peter Sollett, USA
World Premiere
Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist is a comedy about two people thrust together for one hilarious, sleepless night of adventure in a world of mix tapes, late-night living and live, loud music. Nick (Michael Cera) frequents New York's indie rock scene nursing a broken heart and a vague ability to play the bass. Norah (Kat Dennings) is questioning pretty much all of her assumptions about the world. Though they have nothing in common except for their taste in music, their chance encounter leads to an all-night quest to find a legendary band's secret show and ends up becoming the first date in a romance that could change both their lives.

Il Divo Paolo Sorrentino, Italy/France
North American Premiere
Giulio Andreotti (Toni Servillo) has been the alpha and omega of Italian politics. Unreachable and enigmatic, he hides behind a calculated semblance of normality. Seven times prime minister, 25 times minister, he was the man who held the fate of Italy in his hands for over half a century until the disconcerting accusations of involvement with the Mafia. Winner of the Jury Prize at Cannes 2008, Il Divo is an insightful, intensely political film that delves into the hidden character of one of the most powerful figures in the history of Italian politics.

The Hurt Locker Kathryn Bigelow, USA North American Premiere Forced to play a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse in the chaos of the current Iraq war, an elite Army bomb squad unit must come together in a city where everyone is a potential enemy and every object could be a deadly bomb. From Kathryn Bigelow (The Weight of Water, TIFF 2000) comes an explosive adventure revealing the daily heroism of these willing daredevils, starring Ralph Fiennes, Guy Pearce, David Morse, Jeremy Renner and Christian Camargo.

The Special Presentations programme is made possible through the generous sponsorship of American Movie Classics Company LLC.