ITV

Category: Hollywood

  • Asian Film Summit to have a masterclass by China’s Ning Hao

    Asian Film Summit to have a masterclass by China’s Ning Hao

    NEW DELHI: The 3rd Asian Film Summit, part of the 39th Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) will have an additional masterclass with China’s Ning Hao this year. The summit will be held on 9 September.

     

    Ning began his career with independent films Incense (2003) and Mongolian Ping Pong (2005) before directing comedy Crazy Stone (2006) that transformed the business model of Mainland Chinese cinema. Ning’s road movie Breakup Buddies has its world premiere at the Canadian festival ahead of its domestic theatrical release on 30 September staring Huang Bo, Xu Zheng and Yolanda Yuan.

     

    Chinese-language cinema has a strong presence at this year’s Summit with guests Peter Loehr, directors Andrew Lau and Wang Xiaoshuai, and producers Isabelle Glachant and Abe Kwong.

     

    Loehr will host the event’s keynote speech, in which he will recount his experiences working in China from an independent producer, to head of Creative Artists Agency (Beijing), to his current role at Legendary East.

     

    A Going Global panel includes guest speakers Richie Mehta, Doris Pfardrescher (Well Go USA Inc), David Linde (Lava Bear Films), Kwong (Wanda Media Co Ltd), and Beijing-based Leslie Chen (IM Global).

     

    The Big Voices from Asia panel includes Gareth Evans and Nate Bolotin (XYZ Films), who collaborated on The Raid 2 The Raid 2: Berandal, and Wang and Glachant, whose thriller Red Amnesia which will also be screened. 

     

    TIFF opens on 4 September and continues till 14 September.

  • First film to be shot in 6K and re-framed in 5K

    First film to be shot in 6K and re-framed in 5K

    NEW DELHI: David Fincher’s Gone Girl is the first feature film anywhere in the world to be shot entirely in 6K (with the Red Dragon) and the first studio feature film to be entirely edited on Adobe Premiere Pro CC.  

     

    Though the film was shot in 6K, it was re-framed for 5K. “Shooting in 6K, we had a large amount of Red media content to be converted and reviewed,” post engineer Jeff Brue said in a NVIDIA case study. “This, combined with a need for an ability during editorial for every shot to be reframed, posed a unique challenge.”    

    Starring Ben Affleck, Rosamund Pike and Neil Patrick Harris, the film is based on a novel by Gilian Flynn who has himself written the screenplay. With his wife’s disappearance having become the focus of an intense media circus, a man sees the spotlight turned on him when it’s suspected that he may not be innocent. 

     

    It was also the first to use NVIDIA’s new Quadro K5200 GPU—which has double the memory and 30 per cent faster performance than its predecessor—in its workflow, according to the National Association of Broadcasters (US).    

     

    The NVIDIA GPU technology was used to convert the footage to DPX at “blazingly fast” speeds, according to Brue.  “The NVIDIA Quadro 5200 was extremely performant in the production by allowing the playback and real time downscaling of 6K to 4K—something that was crucial to ensuring the best post production experience,” Brue added.  

  • ‘The November Man’ coming to India on 29 August

    ‘The November Man’ coming to India on 29 August

    MUMBAI: The spy thriller based on the novel ‘There Are No Spies’ by Bill Granger, The November Man will hit the theatres on 29 August 2014.

     

    Starring former James Bond Pierce Brosnan, Australian actor Luke Bracey and Olga Kurylenko, The November Man, is directed by Roger Donaldson, known for his works like Species, The Recruit, The Bank Job and produced by Beau St. Clair of Irish Dream Time and Sriram Das of Das Films.

     

    With a screenplay by Michael Finch and Karl Gajdusek, The November Man is the ultimate cat and mouse game set in the world of international espionage. It is a dark, gritty and realistic story with its roots in spy films of the past.

     

    While Pierce Brosnan plays Peter Devereaux, a man, now living a peaceful life who is reluctantly lured back into his old CIA role for one final mission, Kurylenko is a social worker who is a brave, beautiful, compassionate and insightful woman caught in the middle of other people’s crossfire and forced to trust a complete stranger in Devereaux to protect her.

     

    ‘There’s nothing black or white about Devereaux, he’s pretty lethal,” says Brosnan. Talking about Devereaux, director Donaldson says, “He is such a tough, ruthless, bleak character that he’s been nicknamed The November Man. The idea is that it’s like the onset of winter when everything dies and Pierce, I think really rose to the challenge and does a great job with this character.”

     

    Aussie actor Luke Bracey plays the role of David Mason. When asked about acting against Pierce in the film, Luke said, “It was an absolute thrill. I couldn’t believe it at the start when I first got the job but it was great and I felt very fortunate.”

     

    With growing suspicions of a mole in the agency, there is no one Devereaux can trust, no rules and no holds barred. So get ready for this action packed film coming soon in the theatres near you.

  • Director from the Philippines bags top prize at Locarno, dedicates it to father

    Director from the Philippines bags top prize at Locarno, dedicates it to father

    NEW DELHI: Filipino director Lav Diaz’s five-and-a-half-hour epic ‘From What is Before Mula’ received the top prize at the 67th Locarno Film Festival.

     

    The 338-minute black-and-white film, about life in a rural village two years before the government declared martial law in 1972, won the Golden Leopard for best film. The award comes with a cash prize of $ 99,700 which will be shared equally between Diaz and his producer.

     

    The film, which has the Filipino title ‘Mula sa kung ano ang noon’, also picked up the FIPRESCI International Critics Prize, the Environment is Quality of Life Prize, and the International Federation of Film Societies’ (IFFS) Don Quixote Prize.

     

    The film also won the top prize at the World Premiere Film Festival in Manila last month.

     

    Alex Ross Perry’s ‘Listen Up Philip’ won the Special Jury Prize, Portugal’s Pedro Costa won the Best Director Leopard for ‘Cavalo Dinheiro ‘and Brazil’s ‘August Winds’ received a special mention.

     

    The international competition jury was headed by Italy’s Gianfranco Rosi and also included Chinese director Diao Yi’nan, filmmaker Thomas Arslan, as well as actresses Alice Braga and Connie Nielson. Diaz was the president of last year’s international competition jury in Locarno.

     

    The two other Asian winners in this year’s festival were both in the Best First Feature section. ‘Songs from the North’, a documentary by the South Korean filmmaker Yoo Soon-mi won the Leopard for the Best First Feature.  France-based Japanese filmmaker Sawada Masa also received a special mention for ‘I, Kamikaze’.

  • Highly-rated at Sundance, musical comedy ‘Frank’ released in the US

    Highly-rated at Sundance, musical comedy ‘Frank’ released in the US

    NEW DELHI: Lenny Abrahamson’s film ‘Frank’, which got rave reviews at the premiere at Sundance, was released in the United States this week.

     

    The film is about a man named Jon (Domhall Gleeson) who joins the eccentric band ‘Soronprfbs’ led by Frank (Michael Fassbender).

     

    Talking about the movie, Abrahamson said, “I think there are many hooks to the film. The first one is that it is a film with Michael Fassbender wearing a fake head, which is something that is worth talking about and it has been an endless fascination for journalists.”

     

    “The music is another thing that people hold onto,” Abrahamson continued. “The film has also got loads to say about social media, and that is another thing people are really interested in at the moment.”  

     

    “’Frank’ is a film which is full of music and is about music. There is an inventive band in the film, so when you invent the band you have to invent their sound and their music, and it so rarely works in films when there is a fictional performer or a fictional musician or band, because they usually sound like they are just doing knock-off songs,” Abrahamson added.

     

    The feature is an Element Pictures/Runaway Fridge production for Film4, BFI, Protagonist Pictures and the Irish Film Board. It stars Michael Fassbender, Domhnall Gleeson and Maggie Gyllenhaal. Abrahamson previously helmed ‘Adam & Paul’, ‘Garage’ and ‘What Richard Did’, all IFTA winners.

     

    Besides the US market, the comedy has also sold to Japan, Australia and New Zealand, Italy, Scandinavia, Benelux, Portugal, Turkey, Israel, Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Middle East and Singapore.

     

    The screenplay for ‘Frank’ was written by Jon Ronson and Peter Straughan, with music by Stephen Rennicks. The film was produced by Ed Guiney, David Barron and Stevie Lee, with executive producers Tessa Ross, Katherine Butler, Andrew Lowe and Nigel Williams. Film4, the BFI and the Irish Film Board provided funds.

  • Only three films from Asia make it to Montreal World Filmfest

    Only three films from Asia make it to Montreal World Filmfest

    NEW DELHI: Three Asian features will compete at the 38th Montreal World Film Festival. They are Zhang Wei’s ‘Factory Boss’, Oh Mipo’s ‘The Light Shines Only There’, and Narushima Izuru’s ‘Cape Nostalgia’.

     

    ‘Factory Boss’ is a social realist drama about a factory owner, who goes to desperate lengths to keep his business alive. ‘The Light Shines Only There’ is an indie romance about an unemployed slacker, who falls for his friend’s younger sister. Starring Yoshinaga Sayuri (who is also a co-producer) ‘Cape Nostalgia’ is a light drama about the owner of a small town café.

     

    In the festival being held from 21 August 21 to 1 September, several Japanese titles will also be screened out-of-competition, including IshiiI Yuya’s ‘Our Family’, erotic period drama ‘A Courtesan with Flowered Skin’, and Mishima Yukiko’s ‘A Drop of the Grapevine’.

     

    Other out-of-competition Asian feature film also includes Indian films like Nilendra Deshapriya’s ‘Between Yesterday and Tomorrow’ (Thanha rathi ranga), Bijukumar Damodaran’s ‘Names Unknown‘(Perariyathavar) and Madhureeta Anand’s ‘Kajarya’.

     

    The festival is also holding a tribute to Fortissimo Films’ Michael J Werner, with six Asian titles: ‘The Great Hypnotist’, ‘Black Coal’, ‘Thin Ice’, ‘Tears of the Black Tiger’, ‘Norwegian Wood’, and ‘The Grandmaster’.

     

    Werner is a long-time veteran of the movie sales business, with nearly 30 years experience in international film sales and consulting, specialising in the Asia-Pacific region

     

    Italian actor-director Sergio Castellitto will lead the world competition’s jury, which also includes Chinese singer Jane Zhang.

  • Charlie Chaplin to be paid tribute on 67th Locarno Film Festival

    Charlie Chaplin to be paid tribute on 67th Locarno Film Festival

    NEW DELHI: Around 274 films from 47 different countries – features, shorts and those of medium-length – are being screened at the ongoing 67th edition of the Festival del film Locarno.

     

    The second under Carlo Chatrian’s stewardship as artistic director was officially inaugurated earlier this month by its President Marco Solari.

     

    The festival paid a tribute to Charlie Chaplin to mark the centenary of his creation, The Tramp, via a screening of Modern Times with live musical accompaniment by the Orchestra della Svizzera italiana conducted by Philippe Béran.

     

    The award of the Pardo alla carriera was given to Jean-Pierre Léaud. The film Lucy introduced by its director Luc Besson was screened at the opening.

     

    The 67th edition’s guests will include, among others, Dario Argento, Olivier Assayas, Juliette Binoche, Garrett Brown, Suzanne Clément, Pedro Costa, Julie Depardieu, Lav Diaz, Víctor Erice, Mia Farrow, Florian David Fitz, Tony Gatlif, Giancarlo Giannini, Hippolyte Girardot, Melanie Griffith, HPG, Guido Lombardo, Fernand Melgar, Armin Mueller-Stahl, Rita Pavone, Alex Ross Perry, Matías Pi?eiro, Roman Polanski, Jonathan Price, Martín Rejtman, Eran Riklis, Jason Schwartzmann, Emmanuelle Seigner, Nansun Shi, Aleksandr Sokurov, Andrea Staka, Agn?s Varda, Paul Vecchiali and Jürgen Vogel.

     

    Among the institutional guests, the Federal Councillor Alain Berset at the opening day and, on Sunday, the Federal Coucillor and president of the Swiss Confederation Didier Burkhalter, as well as Navi Pillay, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.

     

    While the three official competitions offer an opportunity to take the pulse of current production all over the world, an important part of the programme is dedicated to film history, and those who have created it, giving viewers an intimate insight into those artists whose work they can discover, or re-discover, also via the numerous ‘in conversation’ events that are open to the public. 

     

    The festival will conclude over the weekend with the prize-giving ceremony on 16 August.

  • Caleb Deschanel to receive Lifetime Achievement Award at Camerimage

    Caleb Deschanel to receive Lifetime Achievement Award at Camerimage

    NEW DELHI: Five-time Oscar nominee Caleb Deschanel will receive the coveted ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ at this year’s Camerimage, the International Film Festival of the Art of Cinematography.

     

    The Festival is being held from 15 to 22 November in Poland.

     

    The legendary cinematographer and film/TV director will also screen his films at the event followed by a Q&A with the audience at the 22nd edition of the popular Festival.

     

    With over four decades of experience in the industry, Deschanel has been nominated for five Academy Awards for acclaimed features like Philip Kaufman’s ‘The Right Stuff’, Barry Levinson’s ‘The Natural’, Carroll Ballard’s ‘Fly Away Home’, Roland Emmerich’s ‘The Patriot’ and Mel Gibson’s ‘The Passion of the Christ’. In 2010, he was awarded the ASC Lifetime Achievement Award by the American Society of Cinematographers.

     

    Deschanel directed his first feature film ‘The Escape Artist’ in 1982, and later, ‘Crusoe’ in 1989. He has also directed episodes for various TV shows including the David Lynch series ‘Twin Peaks’, ‘Law & Order: Trial by Jury’, ‘Conviction’ and ‘Bones’

     

     Deschanel was an original member of the American Zoetrope production team, along with George Lucas and Francis Ford Coppola.

     

    The International Film Festival of the Art of Cinematography is the most recognised festival dedicated to the art of cinematography and is the biggest international film festival in Poland. The unconventional format of the Festival, which awards films according to their visual, aesthetic and technical values, is a unique alternative to traditional film festivals.

     

    In addition to the Main Competition, the Festival offers a Polish Films Competition, Student Etudes Competition, Documentary Films Competition, Feature Debuts Competition, Music Videos Competition, Camerimage Market, Camerimage Forum, special screenings and premieres, various reviews, retrospectives, meetings and also accompanying events such as art exhibitions and music performances.

  • Actor-comedian Robin Williams found dead in apparent suicide

    Actor-comedian Robin Williams found dead in apparent suicide

    NEW DELHI:  In a development that left millions in shock, Oscar-winning actor Robin Williams was found dead in his California home in what is suspected by investigators to be a possible suicide. He was 63.

     

    The Marin County Sheriff’s office said Williams was found unconscious and not breathing inside his home in Tiburon, California around noon local time, and was pronounced dead shortly after. Tiburon is across the Golden Gate Bridge north of San Francisco.

     

    President Barack Obama also paid laudable tributes to the American actor.

     

    Williams was famous for films such as Good Morning Vietnam and won an Oscar for his role in Good Will Hunting.

     

    His publicist said he had been “battling severe depression”.     

     

    Also known for his stand-up comedy, Williams had inspired Kamal Haasan to make ‘Chachi 420’, based on Williams’ ‘Mrs Doubtfire’. In fact, many of his films including ‘Jumanji’ did very well at the Indian boxoffice.

     

    Robin McLaurin Williams born on 21 July 1951, was also a film producer and screenwriter.

     

    Rising to fame with his role as the alien Mork in the TV series Mork and Mindy (1978–1982), Williams went on to establish a successful career in both stand-up comedy and feature film acting.

     

    His film career included such acclaimed films as The World According to Garp (1982), Good Morning, Vietnam (1987), Dead Poets Society (1989), Awakenings (1990), The Fisher King (1991), and Good Will Hunting (1997), as well as financial successes such as  Popeye  (1980),  Hook (1991), Aladdin (1992), Mrs. Doubtfire(1993), Jumanji (1995), The Birdcage (1996), Night at the Museum (2006), and Happy Feet (2006). He also appeared in the video “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” by Bobby McFerrin.

     

    Nominated for the academy award for Best Actor three times, Williams received the academy award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Good Will Hunting. He also received two Emmy Awards, four Golden Globe Awards, two Screen Actors Guild Awards and five Grammy Awards.

     

    There are four completed Williams films expected to be released posthumously: “Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb,” “Merry Friggin’ Christmas,” “Boulevard,” and “Absolutely Anything.” Given his love for his craft and his fans, the final work feels like a gift left behind by the beloved actor.

  • Chu and Blossom Top Winner at 37th Asian American International Film Fest

    Chu and Blossom Top Winner at 37th Asian American International Film Fest

    NEW DELHI: The film Chu And Blossom won two significant awards at the 37th Asian American International Film Festival in New York this week.

     

    It received Audience Award as wellas the Emerging Director Awards for Charles Chu and Gavin Kelly.

     

    The awards were presented by AAIFF programme manager Lesley Yiping Qin, honouring the best in Asian American filmmaking and emerging directors.

     

    The screening of The Penny Farthing followed the ceremony. 

     

    The closing night presentation How To Fight In Six Inch Heels by Ham Tran and a question and answer session with producer Timothy Linh.

     

    The Special Jury Prize went to The Rice Bomber directed by Cho Li while the documentary award went to Tenzin Tsetan Choklay for Bringing Tibet Home.

     

    The Best Short was Sutures by Tiffanie Hsu and the One to Watch Award went to Animals, directed by Stefanos Tai (Shorts, For Youth By Youth)

     

    The Screenplay Competition Finalists were Eugene Park for Michael’s Story. Jisen John Ho for The Tragedy of Ziad and Aysel, and Carol Lee Hall for Donaldina.

     

    This year’s jurors were ‘Lunchbox’ fame Ritesh Batra (shorts), J.P. Chan (shorts), Clarissa de los Reyes (screenplay), Christopher Fiore (screenplay), Eric Lau (feature), Claus Mueller (feature), Brandon Ruckdashel (feature), Michael Sandoval (screenplay) and Tong Shen (shorts).

     

    The Asian American International Film Festival founded by Asian Cinevision, Inc. (ACV) in 1987, is a national media arts organisation that annually presents independent cinema by Asian and Asian Americans, panel discussions, special events, screenplay competition readings, gala receptions and after parties. ACV staff members include John C. Woo, Lesley Yiping Qin, Sophia Giddens, Judy Lei and Jason Chu.