Monthly Archives: May, 2011

Regardless what larger themes or shifting styles that are discovered or get attached to this year's Cannes batch, one of the major conversation starters is the prominence of global female filmmakers at the festival. There are 22 feature films by female directors (and I'm not even including the short films) which should be a record for any festival in recent memory.

It looks like the people who brought us the indie-smash hit Little Miss Sunshine are looking to recreate some of that same magic with their next film and they plan on doing so by rounding up ‘Sunshine’ alums anywhere they can find them. According to 24 frames, the directors, producers, distributors and as of right now, one cast member of the 2006 Oscar nominated flic are on board for the upcoming dramedy He Loves Me.

The lead part was created with Helena Albergaria in mind, she is an actress that we admired since college and we knew and respected her work at Companhia do Latão (theatre company in São Paulo). We have the same mindset for Gilda Nomacce, Lilian Blanc and Clarissa Kiste, actresses we like and became important collaborators.

Just now Cannes has added two more - one film each to Un Certain Regard and Out of Competition sections - by "imprisoned" (thankfully symbolically speaking) Iranian filmmakers Mohammad Rasoulof and Jafar Panahi. The oppressed nature in which these films were made can be detected right from their titles: Panahi's film is titled This is Not a Film (In Film Nist), while Rasoulof's has the cryptic title Goodbye (Be Omid-e Didar), though I'm told this could also translate to the more hopeful "See You Soon."

The weight-loss ritual (for reaching the range of the assigned weight class) is especially gruelling and extreme. Coupled with the likely harmful effects on the heart, this process adds another bit of ambivalence to the overall healthiness of the sport. The fights themselves are surprisingly anti-climatic. Perhaps opting for less explicit or rowdy fights for the sake of taming detractors, Epperlein & Tucker show matches that are usually over just as they begin, ending with few punches or flashy moves (save for one feel-good connection).