Several days after the Cannes festival ended, industry parents delivered a letter to director Thierry Fremaux to notify him of all the ways in which the event could be more accommodating to children. This year, complaints were filed over mothers being turned away from the Marche du Film for their kids not having badges as well as being forced to breastfeed outside. At press time, the letter had been signed by more than 340 people, including Amazon’s Ted Hope, Oscar-nominated writer Robin Swicord (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button), filmmaker Marielle Heller (The Diary of a Teenager Girl) and Sundance Institute’s Liz Manashil. (The Cannes press office, closed for vacation through June 6, could not be reached for comment.) Drafted by Agnes Films’ Alexandra Hidalgo, Moms-in-Film founder Mathilde Dratwa and Directed by Women activist Barbara Ann O’Leary, among others, the letter lists easy steps for Cannes to take that can lead to more inclusivity, from letting parents know where they can and cannot bring children to providing child care, dedicated breastfeeding venues and meet-ups for parents. Reads the letter: “There were a number of cases of parents receiving mixed information about attending with children and being sent away because they had babies in their arms.” THR spoke with one of the authors about their hope for the letter, Dratwa, who said that the festival can take great strides by taking three steps: “Prioritization,” by showing that festival organizers care about parents; “communication” in letting parents know what the rules are…more detail
Hollywood Parents Petition Cannes for More Mom-Friendly Rules
Cannes: Roman Polanskis New Film Added to Official Lineup
'Based on a True Story' will screen out of competition, while Ruben Ostlund's 'The Square' will be in the running for the Palme d'Or. Roman Polanski's latest film, D'après une histoire vraie (Based on a True Story), has been added to the official lineup at the 70th Cannes Film Festival, organizers announced late Thursday. The film will be shown out of competition. True Story had long been rumored to be in the running for a competition slot. By its late placement out of competition, the festival may be be looking to avoid the protests from French feminist groups that plagued…... [read more]
'A Matter of Interpretation' ('Kkum-bo-da Hae-mong'): Film Review
Long-time Hong Sang-soo collaborators Lee Kwang-kuk and Yu Jun-sang team up on a quirky comedy about an estranged couple and a dream-reading cop. With his second directorial effort, filmmaker Lee Kwang-kuk has finally emerged from the shadow of Hong Sang-soo, for whom he served as assistant director from 2005 to 2010. A Matter of Interpretation has proved to be not just an improvement on Lee's own debut Romance Joe (2011), but is actually more structurally intriguing and emotionally affecting than his long-time mentor's recent work. By making sense of its puzzle-like narrative - visualized as a relentless stream of its…... [read more]
Cannes: 'Timbuktu' Director Abderrahmane Sissako to Head Student, Short Films Jury
The filmmaker behind the 2014 Cannes competition entry nominated for the best foreign-language film this year follows Abbas Kiarostami as head of the jury. Director Abderrahmane Sissako, whose Timbuktu is nominated for the best foreign-language Oscar this year, will serve as president of the Cinefondation, or student, and short film jury at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, organizers said Tuesday. Timbuktu, which brought home the French Lumiere award for best film and best director earlier this month and is also nominated for both categories in the Cesar awards later this week, was one of the critical favorites at last year’s…... [read more]
London LGBT Film Festival Unveils Lineup
BFI Flare will open with Justin Kelly's 'I Am Michael,' close with Malcolm Ingram's 'Out to Win' and feature a 40th anniversary screening of 'The Rocky Horror Picture Show.' The European premiere of Malcolm Ingram's Out to Win will close the 2015 edition of BFI Flare: London LGBT Film Festival, organizers said Wednesday in unveiling the full lineup. The festival, which will take place March 19-29, says it it the U.K.’s leading LGBT film event and one of the world’s longest established. It will screen more than 50 features, more than 100 shorts and a range of special events, guest…... [read more]
Korean producers call for bigger piracy fines
Empty SEOUL -- The Korean Film Producers Assn. called on the government Monday to step up its campaign against online piracy in the new year, saying that weak penalties for intellectual property violations are insufficient.More than 150 companies in Korea are involved in online IP violations, and fines ranging from $2,340-$26,600 are not enough to deter most violators, the KPFA said in a press release. The organization welcomed the government's fining of 31 companies for providing illegal downloads, peer-to-peer file-sharing and other online services, but Kevin Chang, secretary general at the KFPA, said those fines need to be stepped up.…... [read more]
Edinburgh fest retros for Moreau, Clarke
Empty Complete Berlinale coverageBERLIN -- French cinema legend Jeanne Moreau and the late New York filmmaker and actress Shirley Clarke will be the subjects for two special retrospectives at this year's Edinburgh International Film Festival, organizers said. The Jeanne Moreau retrospective is a joint initiative between EIFF and the British Film Institute and will aim to paint a picture of the multihyphenate whose career includes singing, directing, screenwriting and producing. Her films include Francois Truffaut's New Wave classic "Jules et Jim," Louis Malle's "Lift to the Scaffold" and Luis Bunuel's "Diary of a Chambermaid," among others. Films showcased in the…... [read more]
berlin film festival digest Hollywood Reporter
Empty August date for 'Desire'BERLIN — Two-time Palme d'Or-winning Danish director Bille August is gearing up to shoot "Burden of Desire" and has assembled a cast including Gemma Arterton, who also will appear in "Quantum of Solace," the 22nd James Bond film. August's project, being touted to worldwide buyers at the European Film Market, also boasts Joshua Jackson and Wes Bentley in the film set against the backdrop of World War I. Senator gets an A BERLIN — Germany's Senator Entertainment is set to acquire a 25.1% stake in Alexander van Dulmen's A Company with an option to take majority…... [read more]
Guadalajara goes for tango music
Empty CORRECTED 9:40 a.m. PT Feb. 29MEXICO CITY -- "El Cafe de los Maestros," a documentary about Argentina's glory days of tango music, will open the 23rd edition of the Guadalajara International Film Festival, organizers said Thursday. The film fest, one of Latin America's top events, runs March 7-14. In the Ibero-American fiction section, 14 features will vie for Guadalajara's top prize, including Brazil's controversial police drama, "Elite Squad," which recently won the Golden Bear Award at the Berlin Film Festival. As for the Mexican fiction category, a dozen pictures will be in the running. Among some of the awaited…... [read more]
Fest turns to past to build its future
Empty HONG KONG -- It may be a mature 32 years old, and its new boss may be a venerable senior veteran of the global film festival scene -- but the Hong Kong International Film Festival is a brighter lure today for young and upcoming screen talents in the global ferment than many a newer worldwide film forum.And it's the aim of HKIFF's newly appointed executive director Albert Lee to ensure that the big cinema event continues to attract a vibrant young audience base while remaining a champion of Asian cinema. Lee was invited out of retirement to assume the…... [read more]
'River,' 'Death Row' rep U.S. at San Sebastian
Festival selects 16 films for New Directors Award MADRID -- The Argentinian romantic comedy "Lovely Loneliness" and U.S. titles "Frozen River" and "Letters From Death Row" will vie with 13 other films for the coveted New Directors Award at the 56th San Sebastian International Film Festival, organizers said Friday.The 90,000 euro ($133,000) prize, to be split between the director and the Spanish distributor of the film, has helped launch some of international filmmaking's hottest fresh faces over the years. This year's lineup is true to form, emphasizing such hard-hitting subjects as crime, drugs, old-age loneliness, missing children and prison life.…... [read more]
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