ithacafilmfest

Archive for November, 2010

Korean Film Festival underway in China 2010went in Beijing on Thursday for the screening of films, directors like Kim Ki-Duk and Park Chan-wook.

It is the largest retrospective of Korean film ever held in China, and the same increasing tensions among Beijing and Seoul to North Korea.

The most unusual title at the festival for China’s usually middle-of-the-road cinema fare is probably the Lee Young Ae-starrer Sympathy for Lady Vengeance. The film made in 2005 is about a woman taking up a torturous revenge after she’s released from prison for a murder she did not commit.

The retrospective of Korean cinema earlier title is director Han Hyung-mo’s 1956 play Madame Freedom and Kim Sung-oo Chinese cinema Ex-wife’s Wedding, premiered at the International Film Festival in Pusan in October. Kim will also host a master class for Chinese festival-goers.

“Nicole Kidman “, Australian actress will be honored with first prize at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival early next year.

Kidman has been chosen to accept the popular Vanguard Cinema during the 10 days festival.

The award, which has earlier been given to Vera Farmiga, Christoph Waltz and Peter Sarsgaard, recognizes stars, which take artistic risks and make a significant input to film.

The festival’s executive director, Roger Durling, says Kidman has demonstrated a large range in her acting work and singled out her most recent movie Rabbit Hole, which she also co-produced.

“Her work is immensely diverse and with this year’s heart-wrenching and brilliant performance in Rabbit Hole, a project she helped develop as well, it is exactly who we should be celebrating with the 2011 Cinema Vanguard Award,” he said.

Durling added Kidman had managed to master drama, horror, comedy, romance and even the musical genre.

He described the performance of Nicole Kidman in Rabbit Hole, where she plays a woman who lost her child, as captivating. 26th Annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival runs from 27 January to 6 February

Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) will host a lunch meeting Thursday, November 18th, 2010, to gather 36 participants Metro Manila Film Festival-Philippines (MMFF-P).

The event, which was officially opened by MMDA chairman Francis Tolentino, tinted the informal launching of the festival.

The MMFF-P is an annual film festival that focuses on locally-produced films and runs from the 25th of December to the first week of January. The festival also showcases a “parade of the stars”, which usually is done a day prior to the formal start of the festival, attended by the casts of participating films riding in floats.

This year’s Participating films include Ang Super Inday and the Golden Bibe, Father Jejemon, Dalaw, Rosario, Si Agimat at si Enteng Kabisote, RPG Metanoia, Shake Rattle and Roll XII and Ang Tanging Ina Mo Rin (Last Na’To).

The Metro Manila festival is planned and adjudged by the MMDA and box-office receipts represent 40 percent of the competition’s criteria.

Calgary International Film Festival is downsizing its full-time office staff by one person. Managing Director Jacqueline Dupuis said he cut costs she is the only employee on the payroll of the festival.

This means the loss of three full-time positions, including the program director and operations director for the festival. Dupuis said she and the board of the festival has made the difficult decision to cut three jobs.

“[With] reduced funding from the private sector and the public sector, we just couldn’t keep operating in the manner in which we were,” said Dupuis.

The festival’s financial woes are being watched by the arthouse movie theatres that depend on the film festival for an annual bump in revenue.

Pete Harris, manager and director of the Plaza Theatre in Kensington, said the festival and his theatre are one and the same for 10 days a year.

“It’s bringing in films that don’t play at the megaplexes,” Harris said. “So it’s very important, and we’d like to see it continue, of course.”

George Melnyk, an associate professor of film studies at the University of Calgary, said he isn’t surprised by the film festival’s financial struggles.

He said Calgary is trying to compete with Canada’s other major film festivals in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver.

“We in Calgary are using a similar formula, the same format, trying to please everybody, but we don’t have the industrial infrastructure that drives the other three film festivals,” said Melnyk.

“So we’re playing with the big boys, but we’re not a big boy.”

Dupuis says she hopes that staff can be re-hired in time for the next year festival. The Calgary International Film Festival has had a history of money problems. Reported a deficit of $ 120,000 two years ago. The festival celebrates its 11th season this year.

Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee in Kolkata recently said, the 16thKolkata Film Festival (KFF) will pay tribute to Nobel Prize winner Rabindranath on his 150th birth anniversary.

The festival organized by the West Bengal Film Centre, under the central government, is the second oldest international film festival in India. It takes place in six locations in the city from 10 to 17 and total 127 films from 38 countries to be screened this year, like last year, the equivalent of 227.

This year the festival’s budget has been decreased from Rs one crore to Rs 65 lakh, out of which the state government is contributing Rs 50 lakh. The rest will be raised through sponsorships. The inaugural film would be Costa Rican filmmaker Hilda Hidalgo’s Of Love and Other Demons. Films like Khokababur Pratyabartan, Charulata, Atithi and Streer Patra, inspired by Tagore’s stories, would be screened at the festival as a mark of tribute to the bard.

Prithviraj- Indrajith film renamed Junction

Brothers Prithviraj and Indrajith are coming together once again, after a long gap. The sons of the late actor Sukumaran will be seen in Junction that was earlier titled City Of God.

Directed by Lijo Pellissery, the shooting is in full swing in and around Kochi. Pellissery, the son of late actor Jose Pellissery, made his directorial debut with Nayakan, which had Indrajith in the lead.

Actress Parvathy, who made her debut with Notebook and later acted in Vinodayathra and Flash, making a comeback as the heroine in Junction.

Shwetha Menon in Rathinirvedham remake

Shwetha Menon is set to play a key role in the remake of Rathinirvedham. Directed by the late Bharathan, the film is about an adolescent guy’s obsessive love for an elderly woman. Krishnachandran and Jayabharathi had played key roles in the original.

TKRajeev Kumar will recreate Rathinirvedham. Shwetha play the role of older women, previously played by Jayabharathi. Suresh Kumar is producing the film under the banner of Revathy Kalamandir.

The Kolkata Film Festival will be marked off, this year gala will feature 127 films from over 38 countries. The film festival starts on 10 November and continue until 17. The Prime Minister of West Bengal, Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, inaugurated the event in Kolkata this month.

These 127 films include Satyajit Ray’s famous documentary “Sikkim is the featured film. There are eight Venus in Kolkata Film Festival this year, according that these 127 films will distribute.

The 8 day Film fest will begin with the seriously acclaimed Costa Rican film “Of Love and Other Demons” by Hilda Hidalgo.  The film is about the life of a girl born in a noble family, who lives in a protected environment throughout her life only to be discarded by her own relatives later on.

According to Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee the Kolkata Film festival will have 12 segments in it such as celebration, centenary, tribute, Homage, honor etc. The 127 films will be divided into these categories and shown at the eight venues scattered throughout Kolkata.

Reports suggest that the Celebrations section will showcase four movies based on rabindranath Tagore’s stories. On the other the legendary section will have films by the renowned Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa.

The Kolkata Film Festival is one of the most prominent events of the Bengal Film industry and movie lovers from West Bengal and all over the world wait eagerly for this occasion. The Kolkata film festival affords the movie lovers to get a straight exposure to world cinema.