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Archive for October, 2011

As reported by several film festival news publications, the 25^th edition of the Braunschweig International Film Festival shall honor noted French actress Isabelle Huppert with the European Actors Award, also known as “The Europa”. The awards committee of the Braunschweig International Film Festival has chosen Huppert for the honor in recognition of her lifetime achievements in the field of cinema and her outstanding role in the development of European film culture. Huppert will receive this award during the Braunschweig International Film Festival Awards ceremony which shall be held in Braunschweig’s State Theatre. Volkswagen Financial Services AG, which is also the primary sponsor for the 25^th Braunschweig International Film Festival, shall also be sponsoring this particular award.

Online Film Blog: Isabella Huppert’s Iconic Stature in European Cinema

“Isabelle Huppert is an icon of contemporary auteur cinema“, says festival director Volker Kufahl, “We are proud and happy to welcome this exceptional actress, who gives every role her distinctive expression.”

Huppert is considered as one of the greatest actresses in world cinema. To this day she has played in more than 80 films, 16 of which were selcted for the official competition in Cannes – a record. She is the only Frenchwoman to have been awarded the Golden Palm of Cannes twice: in 1978 for the Claude Chabrol directed “Violette Nozière”, who she worked with in seven films, and 2001 for ”The Piano Teacher” by Michael Haneke, for which she also received the European Film Award.

The list of directors she has collaborated pretty much resembles a who’s who of European arthouse cinema: André Techiné, Jean-Luc Godard, Andrzej Wajda, Marco Ferreri, the Taviani brothers and many more. The Paris-born actress became famous for her role in in Claude Goretta’s “The Lacemaker” which earned her a César and a BAFTA Award.

Hupperts Films being Screened at The Braunschweig International Film Festival

The Braunschweig International Film Festival will show Goretta’s drama as part of a retrospective with “The Piano Teacher” (director: Michael Haneke, A/F/D 2001), “8 Women” (François Ozon, 2002), “Comedy of Power” (Claude Chabrol, F/D 2006), “White material” (Claire Denis, F/Kamerun 2009), ”Villa Amalia“ (Benoît Jacquot, F/CH 2009) and “Copacabana” (F 2010) by Marc Fitoussi, where she co-stars with her daughter Lolita Chammah.

History of the Europa Award at the Braunschweig International Film Festival

Since 2007 the Braunschweig International Film Festival has awarded the “European Actors Award”, aka the Europa. Former prize winners include noted thespians such as Bruno Ganz, Stellan Skarsgård, Hanna Schygulla and John Hurt. Isabelle Huppert has already worked together with the latter two: in Marco Ferreri’s “Storia di Piera” she is Hanna Schygulla’s daughter (first Europa winner 2007), and in Michael Cimino’s late western ”Heaven’s Gate” she plays a business savvy prostitute next to John Hurt (Europa winner 2009).

For regular updates on the world of film festivals, and film festival reviews and news, including more on the Braunschweig International Film Festival, keep reading our online film blog.

Spike Lee, born Shelton Jackson Lee in Atlanta Georgia and brought up primarily in New York (Brooklyn), needs no introduction. We have already provided a brief snapshot of Spike Lee’s career and of this body of work. Speaking of which, here’s the lowdown on the films we judged to be seven of his best.

Best of Spike Lee: The Top 7

Do The Right Thing (1989): This comic drama tells the story of a day in Brooklyn, when interracial tensions flare up during the hottest day of the year. Race relations would continue to be a recurring theme or backdrop in Lee’s works throughout his career. This film stars Spike Lee in the lead role, with Danny Aiello and John Turturro in key-roles.

Mo Better Blues (1990): Denzel Washington stars in one of his best roles to date as fictional jazz trumpeteer Bleek Gilliam. The film follows Gilliam’s life through a phase where he makes all the wrong decisions in his musical career as well as his personal relationships, focusing on the themes of friendship, honesty, consequences and ultimately coming-of-age.

Malcolm X (1992): Spike Lee’s somewhat controversial biopic showcases the life and times of Malcolm X. Starting from his boyhood to his rise as perhaps the most chrismatic spokesperson for the Civil Rights movement, this movie doesn’t hesitate to starkly portray the racial attitudes in mid-20th Century America.

Jungle Fever (1991): The narrative weaves itself around a poignant and ill-fated interracial love story between an African American man and an Italian-American woman. Starring Wesley Snipes and Annabella Sciorra in lead roles.

Crooklyn (1994) is a semi-autobiographical film co-written and directed by Spike Lee. The film takes place in Brooklyn, where Lee grew up, particularly the neighborhood of Bedford-Stuyvesant during the summer of 1973. The plot is built around a young girl, Troy ( Zelda Harris), and her family. As the film progresses, Troy learns life lessons through her four brothers, her loving but stern mother (Alfre Woodard), and her father (Delroy Lindo).

Girl 6 (1996): A movie about the life of a young aspiring actress (Theresa Randle) who prefers working as a phone sex operator in order to make ends meet, rather than give in to the infamous casting couch. Guest starring Quentin Tarantino as himself.

25th Hour (2002): This Spike Lee film depicts the last 24 hours in the life of a New York drug dealer (played by Edward Norton) before his 7 year jail term begins.

Spike Lee has made several other films, and seeing as he’s yet to retire from the business, it is perhaps safe to say that we haven’t yet seen the best of Spike Lee. Keep checking this online film blog for updates on the latest industry goings-on and and film festival news.

In the veritable film factory that’s Hollywood, there have been a few film-makers who have left an indelible hand-print of a legacy spanning decades. Fewer still, of this select breed, have a body of work that’s as influential and thought provoking — yet controversial — as Spike Lee. Over the span of his career, the maverick film-maker’s movies have vividly covered topics as wide-ranging as race relations, the role played by media in contemporary life, ghetto crime and poverty, and even far-reaching political issues. Lee’s films have received widespread critical acclaim, earning him numerous awards including an Emmy; he has also been nominated for the Oscars on two occasions.

Spike Lee has made films across genres, but they have all been pioneering in their gritty approach towards issues pertaining to the sociopolitical milieu of mixed race America and offer a fresh perspective on race, class and gender stereotypes in modern-day America.

Spike Lee: The Making of a Legend

Born Shelton Jackson Lee in 1957 in Atlanta Georgia to a jazz musician and an art teacher, Lee’s parents moved base to Brooklyn when he was very young. His years growing up there have had a major impact on his movies, with Brooklyn serving as a backdrop for many of the movies made by Spike Lee. His was a precocious talent recognized as early as his sting at NYU as a film student; the short film he made for his thesis won the Student Academy Award for best director in 1983.

His lauded debut film, She’s Gotta Have It, completed its 25^th anniversary recently.  This movie, which also starred Spike Lee as a major character, was released in 1986. Shot in 12 days on a shoestring budget of USD 175,000, She’s Gotta Have It was written, produced and directed by Spike Lee.  The film stars Tracy Camilla Jones as Nora Darling, a young, confident African American career woman who is juggling three lovers, none of whom she’s able to commit to. Spike Lee himself co-starred as one of the three men in Nora’s life.

Breaking Molds & Courting Controversies, the Spike Lee way

She’s Gotta Have It, while a simple drama-comedy on the surface, was a pioneering film in its non-stereotypical portrayal of urban, intelligent African-American characters and was part of the 80s independent movie movement. The film, and Lee himself, became cause célèbre among the African-American community, who found She’s Gotta Have It to be a welcome departure from the then prevalent blaxploitation style of movies that were typically made to target the African-American viewers.  Besides accolades from moviegoers and critics alike, the film won the Prix de Jeuness at the Cannes Film Festival for the best film by a newcomer.

Even greater acclaim, however, was reserved for Malcolm X, the 1992 biopic made by Spike Lee on the legendary civil rights activist; many consider that movie to be his greatest to date. The 195 length film chronicles the rise of Malcolm X from his early childhood to the most charismatic spokesperson of the Civil Rights movement, to his assassination. Through the gritty film, Spike Lee paints a stark picture of the racially bigotry America prevalent during the 1950s and ’60s.

However, the same critics who’ve lauded Spike Lee for taking African-American cinema out of the stereotypical mold also point out that Lee has been guilty of being formulaic in his portrayal of Jews and Italians; some have even gone as far to accuse him of antisemitism and racism. His 2001 television series on the life of Black Panthers Society founder Huey P. Newton was one of his more controversial works, which nevertheless solidified his image as one of the more radical and maverick figures in the American film industry and added to the aura of the legend of Spike lee.

This was a glimpse of the remarkable career of the ground breaking career of the director and producer Spike Lee. There will be more on him and his works on this online film blog in the near future, so stay tuned.