All articles by Geoffrey Macnab – Page 164
-
Features
Belgium - Back in the habit
It is 15 years since Belgian director Stijn Coninx was Oscar-nominated for his feature Daens in 1992. Now, he is preparing a new feature likely to pique the curiosity of European buyers. La Vie Extraordinaire De Soeur Sourire - to star Cecile De France - will tell the story of ...
-
Reviews
Sugarhouse
Dir: Gary Love, UK 2007, 92mins A claustrophobic psychodrama that never quite shakes off its stage origins, Sugarhouse is performed with ferocious intensity by its three leads. First-time director Love creates a genuine sense of menace. He also effectively cranks up the tension even if the plotting ultimately seems contrived ...
-
Features
Belgium - Sacrifices made for the gods
The news their debut feature Small Gods has been selected for Venice's Critics' Week will have come as a huge boost to the Karakatsanis brothers. Dimitri and Nicolas, who come from a Greek-Belgian background, have not had an easy ride with their movie, which took three years to complete. Like ...
-
News
Brett Morgen works with Courtney Love for new Cobain documentary
US director Brett Morgen, whose new feature Chicago 10 screens on Locarno 's Piazza Grande on Friday, has revealed further details of his new 'official' feature documentary about Kurt Cobain, the lead singer of rock band Nirvana who died in 1994. The film, made with Courtney Love's backing, will take ...
-
Reviews
Extraordinary Rendition
Dir: Jim Threapleton. UK . 2007. 77mins. Extraordinary Rendition is a direct and powerful treatment of a subject that has caused huge indignation in the west - namely the kidnapping of a suspected terrorist and his transfer to a country that allows torture. Clearly made quickly and shot on a ...
-
News
Josh Hartnett to star in George Ratliff's End Zone
George Ratliff, writer-director of psychological thriller Joshua (which debuted at Sundance and is in Locarno's competition this week) has recruited Josh Hartnett to appear in his next feature, End Zone. Hartnett will play a star player at a West Texas College who becomes increasingly obsessed with the threat of nuclear ...
-
News
Anthony Hopkins says bigger festivals are like 'circuses'
Speaking at the Locarno Film Festival this weekend, Anthony Hopkins revealed that he bypassed several other European festivals, including Rome and Venice, to bring his directorial debut Slipstream to Locarno.'We lost the Rome Festival but we thought it would be better to come here,' Hopkins said. 'It is much more ...
-
Reviews
Rise Of The Footsoldier
Dir: Julian Gilbey. UK. 2007. 120mins tbc Goodfellas comes to Essex in Julian Gilbey's gangster thriller Rise Of The Footsoldier. Luridly violent, full of macho posturing and often mired in cliche, the film nonetheless has an epic sweep and relentless narrative drive that show Gilbey is more than just another ...
-
Reviews
Gandhi My Father
Dir: Feroze Abbas Khan. Ind. 2007. 128mins. 'To his nation, he was a father. To his son, he was a father...he never had.' Thus reads the tag line for Feroze Abbas Khan's Gandhi My Father, a film which never seems entirely sure whether it wants to be a sweeping historical ...
-
News
Locarno: nurturing the new
For its 60th anniversary edition, the Locarno International Film Festival (August 1-11) is underlining its strengths as an event of discovery. Geoffrey Macnab reports. Now in its 60th year, the Locarno international film festival is one of the oldest and grandest festivals in the world.Its open-air Piazza Grande screenings are ...
-
News
Locarno International Film Festival 2007: line-up
COMPETITIONTHE REBIRTH (Jap)Dir: Masahiro Kobayashi. World premiere.A gripping account of unspoken pain and survival.Int'l sales: TBCBOYS OF TOMORROW (S Kor)Dir: Noh Dong-seok. International premiere.Two boys on the outskirts of town believe their future lies elsewhere but they have no means to pursue their dreams. Can a gun be the answerInt'l ...
-
News
Ingmar Bergman dies at 89
Influential director Ingmar Bergman has died.The film-maker behind such works as The Seventh Seal, Cries & Whispers and Wild Strawberries passed away at his home on the island of Faro, Sweden, aged 89, his daughter Eve said.One of the most revered of film-makers, Bergman enjoyed a 60-year career, which ...
-
News
FX and tax credit
How does the UK's new tax credit affect the post sector' Geoffrey Macnab reports.It is understandable the Hollywood studios looked askance at the UK last year, as rules governing Gaap funds were changed and those governing the new UK tax credit were altered to conform with European Union (EU) criteria.'From ...
-
News
Cause and effects
From Harry Potter to Sunshine, the UK's post houses are creating world-class effects work. But how is the sector being affected by the exchange rate and increasing competition from India' Geoffrey Macnab reports. The past 12 months has been something of a banner year for the UK post sector. From ...
-
News
EC approves Belgian Tax Shelter system
There were sighs of relief in the Belgian production community withthe official announcement today (Thursday) that the EuropeanCommission has renewed its approval of the Belgian Tax Shelter system.Earlier this summer, the Commission had sent back proposals for therenewal, expressing concern about the lack of 'cultural' documentationin the proposals. Those concerns ...
-
News
Julie Delpy: a woman to be reckoned with
Julie Delpy is set to start shooting The Countess, her second feature as director, in Eastern Europe in October. Geoffrey Macnab reports.Julie Delpy is set to start shooting The Countess, her second feature as director, in Eastern Europe in October.She will co-star alongside Ethan Hawke, Radha Mitchell, Daniel Bruhl and ...
-
News
London UK Film Focus to screen 40 films to about 150 buyers
The London UK Film Focus (LUFF), which runs from June 25-28 at the revamped BFI Southbank, is expected to attract around 150 buyers to London. Around 40 films will be screening. The event, a showcase for British films, is now in its fourth year. LUFF's organisers claim that approximately $2m ...
-
News
When LUFF comes to town
Cementing its place in the international calendar, the London UK Film Focus (June 25-28) is attracting influential buyers and a growing number of premieres. Geoffrey Macnab reports. Four years after its inception, the London UK Film Focus (Luff) is now an established part of the calendar. UK sales agents are ...
-
News
BFI says funding issues will cause job losses but no catastrophe
Amanda Nevill, director of the British Film Institute (BFI), has responded to recent speculation in UK newspapers that the BFI is on the verge of a major withdrawal of the services and resources it offers to the research and teaching community. Nevill's remarks come in the wake of the BFI's ...
-
News
BBC Films: a drama or a crisis'
The planned relocation of BBC Films back to BBC headquarters has provoked a panic in the UK, where producers fear the future of one of the territory's most important financiers is under threat. Geoffrey Macnab reports. At Cannes last month, BBC Films arrived with what its boss, David Thompson, has ...