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Baran bo Odar’s The Silence
Among the titles that could make the leap from next month's Locarno to Toronto next September, is the feature debut from Baran bo Odar. An ensemble pic that comes across as a mass psychological meltdown, The Silence, or otherwise known as Das letzte Schweigen's trailer certainly sets the mood for what could be an unnerving experience a la original verson of George Sluizer's The Vanishing.
Taymor’s The Tempest Closing Venice – Headed to TIFF Next?
With Black Swan named as the opener, and Julie Taymor's The Tempest now named as the 67th Venice Film Festival's closer, I guess it's safe to say that the selection this year might be rich if we compare the bookend titles to last year's Baaria and last year's closer, a Fruit Chan that didn't make it to North American screens.
Philippe Garrel Pits Son versus Bellucci in ‘A Burning Hot Summer’
I guess Louis Garrel has a lot to be thankful for. Not only has his father paved the way for the actor (some might argue that Christophe Honoré has done a better job) but he is also hooking up his son for an onscreen tragi-romance with the curvaceous Monica Bellucci. While I can already hear the post Cannes press screening hissing sounds on this one, I think this might be an easier sell for the New Wave auteur who has a reputation for making difficult, often inaccessible films for even the most committed art-house patrons.
Chun, Rivera, Jenkins and Sean Baker Sign ‘A Contract with God’
It's not because Haneke, Lynch or Almodóvar aren't launching their next projects at Comic Con that I'm not keeping a semi watchful eye on the mountain of news spilling out from San Diego, but when I received the following press release in my inbox, my first reaction was: whoa. Up-and-coming indie filmmakers Tze Chun, Alex Rivera, Barry Jenkins and Sean Baker are embarking on a fairly special graphic novel adaptation from none other than, Will Eisner. A Contract with God will begin lensing next year.
Philippe Claudel’s ‘Tous les Soleils’ Set for Berlin 2011
Never to early to prognosticate on film festival line-up predictions that are still a good seven months away. One filmmaker who has been endorsed by the festival a couple of years back with his melodrama, I've Loved You So Long, is currently filming his sophomore feature. Formerly known as "Silence of Love", Philippe Claudel’s Tous les Soleils (“All the Suns”) is being labeled as an Italian comedy (here is some footage) set in the multi-linguistic city of Strasbourg - a place the filmmaker appears to appreciate for it's cultural Euro- diversity.
