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Tag: Viggo Mortensen

  • Kirsten Dunst’s film to open 57th San Francisco International Film Festival

    Kirsten Dunst’s film to open 57th San Francisco International Film Festival

    MUMBAI: In a statement released this week, the 57th San Francisco International Film Festival (SFIFF) held from 24 April – 8 May, announced its highly-anticipated Opening Night and Closing Night selections.

    SFIFF kicks off with the Opening Night presentation of Hossein Amini’s (The Wings of the Dove, Drive) gripping adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s bestselling novel, The Two Faces of January starring Oscar Issac (Inside Llewyn Davis), Viggo Mortensen (The Lord of the Rings trilogy) and Kirsten Dunst (Spiderman trilogy) gorgeously filmed on location in Greece and Turkey. The film is set in 1962 where a well-heeled couple (Mortensen and Dunst) come to know an American expatriate acting as an Athens tour guide (Isaac). But an incident at the couple’s hotel puts all three in danger and creates a precarious interdependence between them.

     

    The Festival will come to a stirring conclusion with Chris Messina’s (The Mindy Project, Argo) drama Alex of Venice, starring Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Scott Pilgrim vs. the World), Messina and Don Johnson (Django Unchained). With this film, Messina creates a winning mix of wistful comedy and heartfelt drama in this tale of accepting the unexpected. The film revolves around Alex (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), an environmental lawyer whose job often keeps her away from the home she shares with her son, husband (Messina) and actor father (Don Johnson). When her husband rebels against being a stay-at-home dad and takes a time out from the marriage, Alex’s world quickly becomes very complicated.

     

    “We are delighted to offer these exceptional films by first-time directors who are best known for their work in other areas of the film world,” said San Francisco Film Society Executive Director Noah Cowan in the statement. “Championing talented artists who aren’t afraid of taking risks is at the heart of the Film Society’s mission and our ongoing support of filmmakers around the world. I can’t think of a better pair of films to kick off and wrap up what is going to be an amazing festival.”

    The 57th San Francisco International Film Festival, organised by the San Francisco Film Society, runs at the Sundance Kabuki Cinemas, Castro Theatre and New People Cinema in San Francisco and the Pacific Film Archive in Berkeley. Held each spring for 15 days, the festival is an extraordinary showcase of cinematic discovery and innovation in one of the country’s most beautiful cities, featuring 200 films and live events, 14 juried awards and nearly $40,000 in cash prizes, upwards of 100 participating filmmaker guests and diverse and engaged audiences with more than 65,000 in attendance.

     

  • BBC Films announces new structure

    MUMBAI: BBC Fiction controller Jane Tranter has announced the new structure for BBC Films. The day-to-day management of BBC Films and decision-making will now be the responsibility of a newly-established BBC Films Board, comprising BBC Films commissioning editor Christine Langan, executive producer Jamie Laurenson; executive producer Joe Oppenheimer, commercial affairs and GM.Jane Wright.

    Tranter is already responsible for BBC Films. While the day-to-day management of BBC Films will be handled collectively by the board, the board members will have specific areas of responsibility.

    Jane Wright will chair the board and be responsible for day-to-day operations, raising finance, distribution and executive producing feature films. Langan will executive produce feature films as well as taking on the responsibility for management of the development slate and the development team at BBC Films.

    Laurenson will executive produce feature films, as well as working with BBC Four and Ben Stephenson, Head of Drama Commissioning, on the channel’s slate of single films.

    Oppenheimer will also executive produce feature films, in addition to managing the close creative relationship with HBO Films. The philosophy behind the creation of the board is to allow for a plurality of voice and vision and a collaborative approach to decision-making, while giving the individuals on the board real independence in their executive producer roles.

    Jane Tranter and Claire Evans will work closely with the board on editorial and business affairs matters, offering their support and advice when necessary.

    The new BBC Films Board, with Jane Tranter and Claire Evans, will now put together a detailed editorial and business strategy for the BBC’s feature film output, which will be announced in due course. Physically, BBC Films will move from its existing offices to BBC Television Centre next year.

    Tranter says, “The talent, energy and ambition within the BBC Films Board is very impressive. This move will bring BBC Films back into the heart of the BBC, and in particular BBC Fiction, enabling much greater creative collaboration across BBC Fiction – Drama, Comedy and Acquisition – with films very much at the centre of the department.

    “BBC Films will also benefit from closer access to other key genres at the BBC, allowing for a more fluid traffic of talent and a more effective cross-fertilisation of ideas. We aim to build on the fantastic success BBC Films has had under David Thompson, and build on the enviable reputation it has both here and internationally.”

    Claire Evans said, “The firm intention is that ideas and projects can now flow between the departments much more easily. We aim to encourage the work of many more unique and original voices to work on an ambitious range of projects on a variety of platforms from the big screen to the laptop.

    “We also want to be even more ambitious with our external partnerships across fiction, and become better partners ourselves. We are open for business across the board.”

    BBC Vision director Jana Bennett said, “With these plans, the BBC is set to back an even stronger set of projects from BBC Films. Nowhere in the world can such a diverse range of talent be found working together under one roof, and I am confident that, by bringing the fiction team under Jane Tranter’s leadership, we will be able to better serve the creative and production communities and offer our audiences even more outstanding storytelling.”

    One of BBC Films’ recent releases is the critically acclaimed Eastern Promises from director David Cronenberg. It stars Viggo Mortensen, Naomi Watts and Vincent Cassel – will open the Times BFI London Film Festival, and will open in the UK through Pathe on 26 October 2007. In post production are John Maybury’s The Edge Of Love, starring Keira Knightley, Sienna Miller and Matthew Rhys; Justin Chadwick’s The Other Boleyn Girl starring Scarlett Johansson, Natalie Portman, Eric Bana and David Morrissey; Sam Mendes’ Revolutionary Road starring Leonardo di Caprio and Kate Winslet.

    Shooting currently is Saul Dibbs’ The Duchess starring Ralph Fiennes and Keira Knightley.

  • BBC Films head David Thompson calls it quits

        
    MUMBAI: UK pubcaster the BBC has announced that BBC Films head David Thompson will be leaving to set up a new independent production company.

    His new company will focus on film and television drama and will launch in 2008 with a first look deal with BBC Fiction. Thompson will also continue to executive produce for BBC Films, a slate of existing projects from development through to completion over the coming years.

    Thompson leaves his current role in four weeks. BBC Fiction controller Jane Tranter says, “After an amazing 32 years at the BBC, ten years of those as head of films, David Thompson leaves BBC Films with an impressive slate of international and domestic successes and a truly awesome contribution to the film and drama creative community in the UK.

    “However, despite leaving the corporation to set up his new venture I am delighted the BBC will continue to benefit not only from his unrivalled years of expertise and experience, but from his infamous tenacity, impeccable taste and sharp wit,” she said.

    BBC creative director Alan Yentob says, “Under David Thompson, BBC Films has been responsible for some remarkable British movies and television drama and has consolidated his position at the forefront of British independent filmmaking working in partnership with all the major studios – with BBC Films gathering acclaim internationally.”

    Thompson said, “I feel really privileged to have had the chance to work for BBC Films for many years and the opportunity to work with such an amazing array of talent both new and established. I am delighted that my new arrangement with the BBC will enable me to build on these relationships in the years to come. I have also been lucky enough to work with a brilliant team at BBC Films to whom I am greatly indebted. I am particularly proud of the current slate of films in development and production which is our strongest to date. The experience of running BBC Films for a long time – both the creative and the commercial side – gives me confidence in this new venture!”

    Thompson has executive produced films like Iris, Billy Elliot, Dirty Pretty Things and Notes On A Scandal. The current film slate – the majority developed by BBC films – includes Revolutionary Road starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet; The Other Boleyn Girl starring Natalie Portman, Scarlett Johansson and Eric Bana; and The Edge Of Love starring Keira Knightley, Sienna Miller, Cillian Murphy and Matthew Rhys.

    The slate also includes the recently released Eastern Promises starring Viggo Mortensen and Naomi Watts directed by David Cronenberg. It looks at the Russian mafia.

  • Pix to focus on 8, 10 pm time bands

    Pix to focus on 8, 10 pm time bands

    MUMBAI: We tell stories! That is the tagline of Pix – Sony’s new English movie channel, which launches on 1 April 2006.

    The channel will in the course of the year roll out 100 films, a mix of old and more recent titles, which have not been previously aired on Indian television.

    Information available with Indiantelevision.com indicates that Pix will focus on two key time bands – 8 pm and 10 pm. This is where its strongest properties will air. A big premiere in April for the channel is The Indian Runner.

    This was the directorial debut of actor Sean Penn. The film stars Viggo Mortensen and David Morse as two brothers who cannot overcome their opposite perceptions of life. One brother sees and feels bad in everyone and everything. Subsequently he is violent, antisocial and unable to appreciate or enjoy the good things which his brother desperately tries to point out to him.

    One brother understands the atrocities of life as a big picture, The other does not, He is content to enjoy smaller pleasures -children, family, routine. Morse mistakenly believes he can straighten his little brother Mortensen out and convince him that life is good.

    The channel will also have a Goldie Hawn festival. Three films Cactus Flower, Butterflies are Free and It Seems Like Old Times will air.

    Stay tuned for more information on Pix.