Search results for: Xavier Beauvois

Twenty-five percent of the filmmakers selected in the Main Competition are of French origin with Beauvois being one of the four selected. Of the four listed below, I'm most surprised to see Im Sang-soo selected in this category - which means that the film is a lot better than what I may have anticipated.

#10. Of Gods and Men - Xavier Beauvois (February 25th) Select sequences are almost worthy of comparison to Bresson, including head monk Lambert Wilson's conflicted hike into nature, or the monks' final, close-up filled suppertime farewell. The film needed a more ruthless editor, however -- many scenes come across as mundane and unnecessary. Could easily be an hour shorter, and better for it.

One short-list nominated film and Cannes winner (final nine) that was noticeably absent from the winner’s circle was Xavier Beauvois’ Of Gods and Men which debuted domestically this past weekend (on the same weekend it picked up the Best Film award at France's Oscar ceremony equivalent).

It won't be a year of Cannes "favoritism" as Gilles Jacob and the small jury have proved me wrong once again, awarding the 68th Louis Delluc prize to Raoul Ruiz's "Mysteries of Lisbon" - the four pic which I passed on at TIFF and which would go onto win Silver Shell for Best Director at the San Sebastian Film Festival. It beat out heavy favorites Xavier Beauvois' Cannes Jury Prize winner, "Of Gods and Men" and one of my favorites of the year, Olivier Assayas' "Carlos".

Vienna celebrates almost two weeks' worth of film culture via the Viennale (a.k.a. Vienna International Film Festival). Bookended by Xavier Beauvois's Of Gods and Men, which took home the Grand Prix from this year's Cannes Festival, and Pedro González-Rubio's Alamar, Tiger Awardee in Rotterdam, the non-competitive fest tries to balance fiction, documentaries and short films in its main program.