It was when Alonso Ruizpalacios was in London working as a dishwasher at the (now-extinct) Rainforest Cafe that he came up with the idea for La Cocina.
“I was a drama student and I’d just read the [1957] play The Kitchen by Arnold Wesker and to make the work — which is tough, monotonous and very, very hard — bearable, I’d look at it through the creative lens of the play. If you see how a kitchen works, you realize it is much like the world, like [how] society works. Wesker says for Shakespeare all the world is a stage, whereas for him all the world is a kitchen.”
It was decades later, after success with Mexican films like Museo and A Cop Movie, that Ruizpalacios came back to the idea, taking The Kitchen as the jumping-off point for his English-language debut, transferring the action from late-’50s London to modern-day New York.
“I was a drama student and I’d just read the [1957] play The Kitchen by Arnold Wesker and to make the work — which is tough, monotonous and very, very hard — bearable, I’d look at it through the creative lens of the play. If you see how a kitchen works, you realize it is much like the world, like [how] society works. Wesker says for Shakespeare all the world is a stage, whereas for him all the world is a kitchen.”
It was decades later, after success with Mexican films like Museo and A Cop Movie, that Ruizpalacios came back to the idea, taking The Kitchen as the jumping-off point for his English-language debut, transferring the action from late-’50s London to modern-day New York.
- 2/18/2024
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Soap Kitchen: Ruizpalacios Underwhelms & Over Bakes Food Drama
Making his English language debut with fourth feature La Cocina, based on the notable stage play by Arnold Wesker, Alonso Ruizpalacios presents an absurd, impulsive microcosm of oft invisible experiences. Taking place behind-the-scenes in what appears to be a mediocre tourist mainstay in Times Square (set in an era before cellphones), a teeming community of workers tossed together like a makeshift family goes about the daily grind. As circumstances dictate, the focus is one particularly grueling lunch shift in which various coinciding dilemmas come to a show stopping head.
Much like his exceptional 2018 title Museo, Ruizpalacios gravitates towards the power of process, drifting into tangentiality of the narrative to collect the milk of human experiences.…...
Making his English language debut with fourth feature La Cocina, based on the notable stage play by Arnold Wesker, Alonso Ruizpalacios presents an absurd, impulsive microcosm of oft invisible experiences. Taking place behind-the-scenes in what appears to be a mediocre tourist mainstay in Times Square (set in an era before cellphones), a teeming community of workers tossed together like a makeshift family goes about the daily grind. As circumstances dictate, the focus is one particularly grueling lunch shift in which various coinciding dilemmas come to a show stopping head.
Much like his exceptional 2018 title Museo, Ruizpalacios gravitates towards the power of process, drifting into tangentiality of the narrative to collect the milk of human experiences.…...
- 2/16/2024
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
Egos are charred and tempers seared in La Cocina, a kitchen nightmare set in the engine rooms of a vast Times Square eatery where the staff have more pressing things to worry about than rising temperatures. Take Pedro, a hardened and still-undocumented line cook whose outbursts of ideology can only mask his resentments and vulnerability for so long. Then there’s Julia (Rooney Mara), who is carrying Pedro’s unborn child, hiding her morning sickness in the staff room and planning to sneak out on break to get an abortion. And then there’s Estela (Anna Diaz), our eyes and ears: fresh off the proverbial boat, with barely a word of English, asking strangers on the subway how to get to 45th street before being unceremoniously tossed into a lunch shift that soon resembles The Raft of the Medusa, adrift on a sea of Cherry Coke.
The director of this lively tableaux is Alonso Ruizpalacios,...
The director of this lively tableaux is Alonso Ruizpalacios,...
- 2/16/2024
- by Rory O'Connor
- The Film Stage
Mexican director Alonso Ruizpalacios has had a winning record coming to the Berlin Film Festival since 2013, when his film Gueros took the Best First Feature prize. Five years later he was back with his second, the sensational museum-heist film Museo, and deservedly won the Silver Bear for Best Screenplay. His third, A Cop Movie, which plays with the traditional docu form by using actors, won Best Documentary at Mexico’s Golden Ariel Awards.
Ruizpalacios belongs in the same league as iconic current Mexican directors Guillermo del Toro, Alfonso Cuarón and particularly Alejandro González Iñárritu, whose cinematic style seems closest to what Ruizpalacios has been doing. His latest trip to Berlin, La Cocina, reinforces the thrilling talent of this singular filmmaker who for the first time has shot a film using both Spanish and English. It features American star Rooney Mara as well as a stunning, uninhibited, shoot-for-the-stars turn from Raul Briones,...
Ruizpalacios belongs in the same league as iconic current Mexican directors Guillermo del Toro, Alfonso Cuarón and particularly Alejandro González Iñárritu, whose cinematic style seems closest to what Ruizpalacios has been doing. His latest trip to Berlin, La Cocina, reinforces the thrilling talent of this singular filmmaker who for the first time has shot a film using both Spanish and English. It features American star Rooney Mara as well as a stunning, uninhibited, shoot-for-the-stars turn from Raul Briones,...
- 2/16/2024
- by Pete Hammond
- Deadline Film + TV
Before demonstrating himself to be one of Mexico’s most original and exciting new filmmaking talents, Alonso Ruizpalacios washed dishes in a bustling big-city kitchen. That experience informs every second of the “Museo” director’s fourth feature, “La Cocina,” a thrilling in-spirit adaptation of Arnold Wesker’s 1957 play “The Kitchen,” transposed from midcentury London to modern-day New York.
A chaotic symphony of nearly two dozen characters, this black-and-white indie confection (garnished with sparing touches of color) mixes biting social critique with stylistic bravura. The setting is in the guts of a high-volume midtown Manhattan restaurant called The Grill — a hectic pressure cooker where personal and professional concerns come to a boil.
The food looks edible at best, and a lot less enticing after we’ve witnessed the commotion that goes into preparing it. In Ruizpalacios’ version, practically the entire staff — not Rooney Mara’s pregnant waitress, but the ones touching the food,...
A chaotic symphony of nearly two dozen characters, this black-and-white indie confection (garnished with sparing touches of color) mixes biting social critique with stylistic bravura. The setting is in the guts of a high-volume midtown Manhattan restaurant called The Grill — a hectic pressure cooker where personal and professional concerns come to a boil.
The food looks edible at best, and a lot less enticing after we’ve witnessed the commotion that goes into preparing it. In Ruizpalacios’ version, practically the entire staff — not Rooney Mara’s pregnant waitress, but the ones touching the food,...
- 2/16/2024
- by Peter Debruge
- Variety Film + TV
The 74th Berlin International Film Festival unveiled its full lineup Monday at its official press conference in the House of World Cultures in Berlin. Berlinale managing director Mariëtte Rissenbeek and artistic director Carlo Chatrian presented the films that will compete for this year’s Golden and Silver Bears both in the competition and encounters sections.
Mexican director Alonso Ruizpalacios, a Berlinale regular and two-time Silver Bear winner — for A Cop Movie in 2022 and Museo in 2018 — returns to Berlin competition with his English-language feature debut La Cocina. Rooney Mara and The Cop Movie alum Raúl Briones star in the drama set over the course of a single day in a bustling New York City restaurant. Briones plays an undocumented cook in a relationship with Julia (Mara), an American waitress who cannot commit to their relationship. Fifth Season and WME are selling North American rights to La Cocina with HanWay handling international sales.
Mexican director Alonso Ruizpalacios, a Berlinale regular and two-time Silver Bear winner — for A Cop Movie in 2022 and Museo in 2018 — returns to Berlin competition with his English-language feature debut La Cocina. Rooney Mara and The Cop Movie alum Raúl Briones star in the drama set over the course of a single day in a bustling New York City restaurant. Briones plays an undocumented cook in a relationship with Julia (Mara), an American waitress who cannot commit to their relationship. Fifth Season and WME are selling North American rights to La Cocina with HanWay handling international sales.
- 1/22/2024
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
NYC Weekend Watch is our weekly round-up of repertory offerings.
Film Forum
As new 35mm print of Brooke Adams-starrer Vengeance Is Mine screens, Montgomery Clift is given a retro featuring the greatest of Old Hollywood; the restoration of Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s Distant continues; The Music Man screens this Sunday.
Museum of the Moving Image
Heat, Miami Vice, and Collateral all screen on 35mm for “Mann to Mann: The Manly Melodramas of Michael Mann,” while the great Dp James Wong Howe is given his dues in a new retrospective.
Film at Lincoln Center
A career-spanning Mike Leigh retro continues.
Japan Society
A print of Ozu’s Good Morning screens on Friday.
Roxy Cinema
Prints of Wild at Heart, Shivers, and M. Butterfly screen.
IFC Center
As the restoration of Inland Empire continues, Mulholland Dr., Perfect Blue, Paprika, and Enter the Void have late-night showings.
Metrograph
Wanda and Ozu’s Equinox...
Film Forum
As new 35mm print of Brooke Adams-starrer Vengeance Is Mine screens, Montgomery Clift is given a retro featuring the greatest of Old Hollywood; the restoration of Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s Distant continues; The Music Man screens this Sunday.
Museum of the Moving Image
Heat, Miami Vice, and Collateral all screen on 35mm for “Mann to Mann: The Manly Melodramas of Michael Mann,” while the great Dp James Wong Howe is given his dues in a new retrospective.
Film at Lincoln Center
A career-spanning Mike Leigh retro continues.
Japan Society
A print of Ozu’s Good Morning screens on Friday.
Roxy Cinema
Prints of Wild at Heart, Shivers, and M. Butterfly screen.
IFC Center
As the restoration of Inland Empire continues, Mulholland Dr., Perfect Blue, Paprika, and Enter the Void have late-night showings.
Metrograph
Wanda and Ozu’s Equinox...
- 6/2/2022
- by Nick Newman
- The Film Stage
Update: The BBMAs honor the year’s top performing artists on the Billboard Charts in 62 categories across all genres of music. The remaining categories will be announced tonight, when Sean “Diddy” Combs hosts the broadcast from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, stating at 8 Pm Et / 5 Pm Pt on NBC and Peacock.
Some highlights:
As a first-time finalist, Olivia Rodrigo won big with seven Billboard Music Awards, the most wins of the night by any artist. Ye followed in second place with six wins. Ye won Top Christian Artist for the first time, and Top Gospel Artist and Top Gospel Song for the third year in a row. This is Ye’s second time winning Top Gospel Album. Drake reigns as the artist with the most Billboard Music Awards of all-time, as he takes home five wins. He continues to hold the record with 34 wins total. The Kid...
Some highlights:
As a first-time finalist, Olivia Rodrigo won big with seven Billboard Music Awards, the most wins of the night by any artist. Ye followed in second place with six wins. Ye won Top Christian Artist for the first time, and Top Gospel Artist and Top Gospel Song for the third year in a row. This is Ye’s second time winning Top Gospel Album. Drake reigns as the artist with the most Billboard Music Awards of all-time, as he takes home five wins. He continues to hold the record with 34 wins total. The Kid...
- 5/16/2022
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: BBC Studios Natural History Unit (Nhu), the UK production powerhouse behind Planet Earth and The Green Planet, has hired BAFTA-winning Mike Davis to lead a major push into CGI.
Davis is one of a number of Executive Producers set to join over the coming months as the Nhu continues to expand.
He will start this summer, soon after Prehistoric Planet, the Nhu’s CGI doc for AppleTV+, drops on the platform, and the unit has also been behind the BBC/HBO’s Fantastic Beasts: A Natural History CGI feature.
Davis, who started his career at Framestore working on the globally-renowned Walking with Dinosaurs, has spent the last two years as Executive Producer for Nhu stablemate the BBC Studios Science Unit. He was previously a Creative Director at Atlantic Productions, where he produced Sky’s BAFTA-winning David Attenborough’s Natural History Museum Alive and series-directed BBC One’s Great Barrier Reef and Galapagos,...
Davis is one of a number of Executive Producers set to join over the coming months as the Nhu continues to expand.
He will start this summer, soon after Prehistoric Planet, the Nhu’s CGI doc for AppleTV+, drops on the platform, and the unit has also been behind the BBC/HBO’s Fantastic Beasts: A Natural History CGI feature.
Davis, who started his career at Framestore working on the globally-renowned Walking with Dinosaurs, has spent the last two years as Executive Producer for Nhu stablemate the BBC Studios Science Unit. He was previously a Creative Director at Atlantic Productions, where he produced Sky’s BAFTA-winning David Attenborough’s Natural History Museum Alive and series-directed BBC One’s Great Barrier Reef and Galapagos,...
- 5/12/2022
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
In the lead-up to his latest EP, Trap Cake Vol. 2, Rauw Alejandro began building a visual world that hinges on escapism. For “Caprichoso,” he set sail and found himself lost at sea. Now, for his latest single, “Museo,” the Puerto Rican star escapes into the framed art of his own museum.
The visual centers on Alejandro as the main attraction, placing him under soft pink and orange hues as he becomes art. Around him, statues come to life, moving to the cruising beat.
Trap Cake Vol. 2 arrives with a revamp...
The visual centers on Alejandro as the main attraction, placing him under soft pink and orange hues as he becomes art. Around him, statues come to life, moving to the cruising beat.
Trap Cake Vol. 2 arrives with a revamp...
- 4/11/2022
- by Larisha Paul
- Rollingstone.com
Rauw Alejandro put his musical versatility on display during his appearance on The Tonight Show Wednesday, performing a medley of the sensual, slow-burning ballad “Museo” and his reggaeton banger, “Desesperados.”
The Puerto Rican multi-hyphenate — Alejandro both dances and acts alongside his songwriting and performing duties — opened the segment seated at a piano, surrounded by statuesque dancers for “Museo,” which appears on his recently released EP, Trap Cake Vol. 2. Alejandro was then joined onstage by reggaeton trailblazer Chencho Corleone for their collaboration, “Desesperados,” off the “Todo En Ti” hitmaker’s critically acclaimed 2021 album,...
The Puerto Rican multi-hyphenate — Alejandro both dances and acts alongside his songwriting and performing duties — opened the segment seated at a piano, surrounded by statuesque dancers for “Museo,” which appears on his recently released EP, Trap Cake Vol. 2. Alejandro was then joined onstage by reggaeton trailblazer Chencho Corleone for their collaboration, “Desesperados,” off the “Todo En Ti” hitmaker’s critically acclaimed 2021 album,...
- 4/7/2022
- by Kat Bouza
- Rollingstone.com
NYC Weekend Watch is our weekly round-up of repertory offerings.
Paris Theater
Maggie Gyllenhaal’s inspirations for The Lost Daughter play this weekend, among them Persona and a print of L’Avventura, while Field of Dreams, The Last Starfighter, and Back to the Future also play.
Metrograph
Films by Varda, Chris Marker, Duras, and Resnais play in a new series on Left Bank cinema; “Metrograph A to Z” returns with L’Atalante; Contact and The Fog play in Fern Silva’s programming; prints of Bebe’s Kids and Beavis and Butthead Do America screen late.
Roxy Cinema
A new 4K restoration of the Sondra Locke-led Death Game plays Friday, while prints of Buffalo 66 and The Brown Bunny return Saturday and Sunday.
Film Forum
The massive Toshiro Mifune retro has its final weekend.
Bam
Newly restored, a retrospective of Nina Menkes‘ work has begun.
Museum of the Moving Image
The Woody Strode series closes out.
Paris Theater
Maggie Gyllenhaal’s inspirations for The Lost Daughter play this weekend, among them Persona and a print of L’Avventura, while Field of Dreams, The Last Starfighter, and Back to the Future also play.
Metrograph
Films by Varda, Chris Marker, Duras, and Resnais play in a new series on Left Bank cinema; “Metrograph A to Z” returns with L’Atalante; Contact and The Fog play in Fern Silva’s programming; prints of Bebe’s Kids and Beavis and Butthead Do America screen late.
Roxy Cinema
A new 4K restoration of the Sondra Locke-led Death Game plays Friday, while prints of Buffalo 66 and The Brown Bunny return Saturday and Sunday.
Film Forum
The massive Toshiro Mifune retro has its final weekend.
Bam
Newly restored, a retrospective of Nina Menkes‘ work has begun.
Museum of the Moving Image
The Woody Strode series closes out.
- 3/3/2022
- by Nick Newman
- The Film Stage
After a hiatus as theaters in New York City and beyond closed their doors during the pandemic, we’re delighted to announce the return of NYC Weekend Watch, our weekly round-up of repertory offerings. While many theaters are still focused on a selection of new releases, there’s a handful of worthwhile repertory screenings taking place.
IFC Center
The films of Catherine Breillat are highlighted in an extensive retrospective, while Solaris screens for its 50th anniversary.
Film Forum
A massive Toshiro Mifune retrospective has begun, while the new 35mm print of The Conversation continues its run and Girl Shy plays Sunday.
Roxy Cinema
The truly, absolutely inimitable Vincent Gallo is paid tribute with 35mm screenings of Buffalo ’66, The Brown Bunny, and Trouble Every Day.
Anthology Film Archives
“Homecoming Films” offers work by Lang, Welles, Buñuel, Mekas and more.
Metrograph
Films by Minelli, Lubitsch, Renoir, and Powell & Pressburger screen in “Technicolor Romance.
IFC Center
The films of Catherine Breillat are highlighted in an extensive retrospective, while Solaris screens for its 50th anniversary.
Film Forum
A massive Toshiro Mifune retrospective has begun, while the new 35mm print of The Conversation continues its run and Girl Shy plays Sunday.
Roxy Cinema
The truly, absolutely inimitable Vincent Gallo is paid tribute with 35mm screenings of Buffalo ’66, The Brown Bunny, and Trouble Every Day.
Anthology Film Archives
“Homecoming Films” offers work by Lang, Welles, Buñuel, Mekas and more.
Metrograph
Films by Minelli, Lubitsch, Renoir, and Powell & Pressburger screen in “Technicolor Romance.
- 2/11/2022
- by Nick Newman
- The Film Stage
Johnny Sequoyah plays Audrey Bishop, the strong-willed activist daughter of Iron Lake's police chief on Dexter: New Blood. We caught up with Johnny to discuss her role on Showtime's wildly successful series.
This interview contains spoilers, including Dexter: New Blood Season 1 Episode 5.
Content warning: Discussion of some topics that may upset sensitive viewers/readers, so continue at your discretion.
Mary Littlejohn: What led you to Dexter: New Blood, and what made you want to be part of it?
Johnny Sequoyah: I was not allowed to read any of the scripts until I was cast, so I only had about five pages of context as to who Audrey was. What attracted me to the role was how sassy and assertive she was, how she knew exactly what she wanted. I thought that was powerful and inspiring.
From there, I auditioned and had my fingers crossed that I would get it. I'm...
This interview contains spoilers, including Dexter: New Blood Season 1 Episode 5.
Content warning: Discussion of some topics that may upset sensitive viewers/readers, so continue at your discretion.
Mary Littlejohn: What led you to Dexter: New Blood, and what made you want to be part of it?
Johnny Sequoyah: I was not allowed to read any of the scripts until I was cast, so I only had about five pages of context as to who Audrey was. What attracted me to the role was how sassy and assertive she was, how she knew exactly what she wanted. I thought that was powerful and inspiring.
From there, I auditioned and had my fingers crossed that I would get it. I'm...
- 12/7/2021
- by Mary Littlejohn
- TVfanatic
Alonso Ruizpalacios’ film starts off as an addictive cop show, breaks the fourth wall and then rebuilds it in a film bristling with ideas
“Cops are like actors – you have to put on an act so people respect you.” The speaker is one of the police officers, or possibly actors playing police officers, in this startlingly clever and yet heartfelt docudrama about the contractual nature of power and authority from Mexican film-maker Alonso Ruizpalacios, who in just five years has established himself as one of the most potent talents in world cinema, with his new wave-style debut Güeros in 2014 and his true-crime heist drama Museum in 2018.
Now he gives us what looks at first glance like a conventionally gripping cop drama in chapter-length sections, about a couple of young officers, Teresa (Mónica Del Carmen) and Montoya (Raúl Briones), on the tough streets of Mexico City; they are partners, fall in love,...
“Cops are like actors – you have to put on an act so people respect you.” The speaker is one of the police officers, or possibly actors playing police officers, in this startlingly clever and yet heartfelt docudrama about the contractual nature of power and authority from Mexican film-maker Alonso Ruizpalacios, who in just five years has established himself as one of the most potent talents in world cinema, with his new wave-style debut Güeros in 2014 and his true-crime heist drama Museum in 2018.
Now he gives us what looks at first glance like a conventionally gripping cop drama in chapter-length sections, about a couple of young officers, Teresa (Mónica Del Carmen) and Montoya (Raúl Briones), on the tough streets of Mexico City; they are partners, fall in love,...
- 10/27/2021
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
After a hiatus where New York’s theaters closed during the pandemic, we’re delighted to announce the return of NYC Weekend Watch, our weekly round-up of repertory offerings. While many theaters are still focused on a selection of new releases, a handful of worthwhile repertory screenings are taking place.
Metrograph
“We Won’t Grow Old Together” includes The Brood and Carol on 35mm; a 4K restoration of Possession is running; two of Clint Eastwood’s greatest films, A Perfect World and White Hunter, Black Heart, screen this Saturday.
Film at Lincoln Center
NYFF’s Revivals winds down with new restorations of Assault on Precinct 13, Ratcatcher, and Ed Lachman’s Songs for Drella.
IFC Center
In anticipation of Bergman Island, films by Mia Hansen-Løve screen side-by-side with Ingmar Bergman; while the 4K restoration of Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s masterpiece Cure continues and World of Wong Kar-wai keeps going, Arrebato, Crash, and Mulholland Dr. have showings.
Metrograph
“We Won’t Grow Old Together” includes The Brood and Carol on 35mm; a 4K restoration of Possession is running; two of Clint Eastwood’s greatest films, A Perfect World and White Hunter, Black Heart, screen this Saturday.
Film at Lincoln Center
NYFF’s Revivals winds down with new restorations of Assault on Precinct 13, Ratcatcher, and Ed Lachman’s Songs for Drella.
IFC Center
In anticipation of Bergman Island, films by Mia Hansen-Løve screen side-by-side with Ingmar Bergman; while the 4K restoration of Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s masterpiece Cure continues and World of Wong Kar-wai keeps going, Arrebato, Crash, and Mulholland Dr. have showings.
- 10/7/2021
- by Nick Newman
- The Film Stage
After a hiatus where New York’s theaters closed during the pandemic, we’re delighted to announce the return of NYC Weekend Watch, our weekly round-up of repertory offerings. While many theaters are still focused on a selection of new releases, a handful of worthwhile repertory screenings are taking place.
Film at Lincoln Center
NYFF’s Revivals is back! There’s almost too much to count—Sweet Sweetback, Hester Street, Ratcatcher… meanwhile, the Amos Vogel retrospective has a number of treasures.
Roxy Cinema
A 35mm print of Eastwood’s underseen Bird screens, as do shorts by Agnès Varda.
Museum of the Moving Image
A print of Barry Lyndon screens on Saturday, while 2001 plays on 70mm this Friday and Dcp on Sunday. Meanwhile, a Shinya Tsukamoto double feature plays on Friday.
Paris Theater
Brokeback Mountain shows on 35mm this Saturday.
Film Forum
As a 4K restoration of Goodfellas continues, Breathless begins...
Film at Lincoln Center
NYFF’s Revivals is back! There’s almost too much to count—Sweet Sweetback, Hester Street, Ratcatcher… meanwhile, the Amos Vogel retrospective has a number of treasures.
Roxy Cinema
A 35mm print of Eastwood’s underseen Bird screens, as do shorts by Agnès Varda.
Museum of the Moving Image
A print of Barry Lyndon screens on Saturday, while 2001 plays on 70mm this Friday and Dcp on Sunday. Meanwhile, a Shinya Tsukamoto double feature plays on Friday.
Paris Theater
Brokeback Mountain shows on 35mm this Saturday.
Film Forum
As a 4K restoration of Goodfellas continues, Breathless begins...
- 9/24/2021
- by Nick Newman
- The Film Stage
Oscar®-winning actors Laura Dern and Tom Hanks are inviting a few of their friends and colleagues to spend a night in the new Academy Museum of Motion Pictures when “A Night in the Academy Museum” airs Tuesday, Oct. 12 (10:00-11:00 p.m. Edt), on ABC.
The special will give fans an exclusive look at the amazing history, exhibitions and insight into the art of filmmaking that awaits when they visit the largest institution in the United States dedicated to the arts, sciences and artists of moviemaking. Annette Bening, Cher, Jon M. Chu, Geena Davis, Danny Glover, Eiza González, Emily V. Gordon, Aldis Hodge, Marsai Martin, Marlee Matlin, Melissa McCarthy, Kumail Nanjiani, Michelle Rodriguez, Jurnee Smollett and Diane Warren will guide viewers through the halls of the institution as they explore the magic and artistry that has enlightened, enchanted and entertained movie fans for more than 120 years.
“A Night...
The special will give fans an exclusive look at the amazing history, exhibitions and insight into the art of filmmaking that awaits when they visit the largest institution in the United States dedicated to the arts, sciences and artists of moviemaking. Annette Bening, Cher, Jon M. Chu, Geena Davis, Danny Glover, Eiza González, Emily V. Gordon, Aldis Hodge, Marsai Martin, Marlee Matlin, Melissa McCarthy, Kumail Nanjiani, Michelle Rodriguez, Jurnee Smollett and Diane Warren will guide viewers through the halls of the institution as they explore the magic and artistry that has enlightened, enchanted and entertained movie fans for more than 120 years.
“A Night...
- 9/20/2021
- by Melissa Thompson
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Two decades after the 9/11 terrorist attacks on America, documentary filmmakers are still trying to make sense of the horrific events — even as aftereffects continue to ripple through the geopolitical landscape.
The U.S. military’s withdrawal from Afghanistan has renewed political debate over the invasion launched in the wake of the 2001 attacks as conspiracy theories about 9/11 permeate discourse about the events. In a measure of how fraught the subject remains, Spike Lee cut 30 minutes of 9/11 truther material from the fourth and final episode of his HBO documentary, “NYC Epicenters 9/11-2021½,” after initially releasing it to the media for review and stoking further controversy by discussing his doubts in a New York Times interview about how the twin towers were destroyed.
Filmmakers and TV programmers acknowledge that these projects require delicate treatment — especially concerning graphic scenes of the attacks and their aftermath — but stress that 9/11 is an important topic to tackle.
The U.S. military’s withdrawal from Afghanistan has renewed political debate over the invasion launched in the wake of the 2001 attacks as conspiracy theories about 9/11 permeate discourse about the events. In a measure of how fraught the subject remains, Spike Lee cut 30 minutes of 9/11 truther material from the fourth and final episode of his HBO documentary, “NYC Epicenters 9/11-2021½,” after initially releasing it to the media for review and stoking further controversy by discussing his doubts in a New York Times interview about how the twin towers were destroyed.
Filmmakers and TV programmers acknowledge that these projects require delicate treatment — especially concerning graphic scenes of the attacks and their aftermath — but stress that 9/11 is an important topic to tackle.
- 9/10/2021
- by Addie Morfoot
- Variety Film + TV
“Museo” and “Gueros” director Alonso Ruizpalacios zooms in on the paradoxes inherent in the job for a pair of Mexico City cops in the unpredictable, genre-bending documentary “A Cop Movie.” Originally a Berlin Film Festival premiere from earlier this year, “A Cop Movie” arrives on Netflix on November 5. Exclusive to IndieWire, watch the trailer below before the film hits the streaming platform.
Here’s the official synopsis courtesy of Netflix: “Director Alonso Ruizpalacios takes us deep into the Mexican police force with the story of Teresa and Montoya, together known as ‘the love patrol.’ In this thoroughly original and unpredictable documentary, Ruizpalacios plays with the boundaries of nonfiction and immerses the audience into the human experience of police work within a dysfunctional system.”
“Over the course of our investigation, I came to the conclusion that performing is an essential part of a police officer’s life. From the moment they put on the uniform,...
Here’s the official synopsis courtesy of Netflix: “Director Alonso Ruizpalacios takes us deep into the Mexican police force with the story of Teresa and Montoya, together known as ‘the love patrol.’ In this thoroughly original and unpredictable documentary, Ruizpalacios plays with the boundaries of nonfiction and immerses the audience into the human experience of police work within a dysfunctional system.”
“Over the course of our investigation, I came to the conclusion that performing is an essential part of a police officer’s life. From the moment they put on the uniform,...
- 9/7/2021
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
Film Forum
The huge Humphrey Bogart series continues, as do Le Cercle Rouge, La Piscine, and Blue Collar.
Museum of the Moving Image
2001 plays on Sunday.
Film at Lincoln Center
Jia Zhangke’s Xiao Wu and Raúl Ruiz’s The Tango of the Widower have screenings.
IFC Center
Working Girls and the World of Wong Kar-wai continue, while Miyazaki’s debut Lupin the 3rd begins its run.
Roxy Cinema
Céline and Julie has showings, while a print of Polyester returns.
The post NYC Weekend Watch: To Have and Have Not, Jia Zhangke, Céline and Julie & More first appeared on The Film Stage.
The huge Humphrey Bogart series continues, as do Le Cercle Rouge, La Piscine, and Blue Collar.
Museum of the Moving Image
2001 plays on Sunday.
Film at Lincoln Center
Jia Zhangke’s Xiao Wu and Raúl Ruiz’s The Tango of the Widower have screenings.
IFC Center
Working Girls and the World of Wong Kar-wai continue, while Miyazaki’s debut Lupin the 3rd begins its run.
Roxy Cinema
Céline and Julie has showings, while a print of Polyester returns.
The post NYC Weekend Watch: To Have and Have Not, Jia Zhangke, Céline and Julie & More first appeared on The Film Stage.
- 7/23/2021
- by Nick Newman
- The Film Stage
Get in touch to send in cinephile news and discoveries. For daily updates follow us @NotebookMUBI.NEWSAbove: Julia Ducournau at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival. (Photo by Stephane Cardinale / Getty Images)Cannes has come to a close with the Palme d'Or win of Titane, making Julia Ducournau only the second woman to win the prize in the festival's history. Check out the rest of this year's winners here. Following Cannes, we're looking ahead to fall festival season: San Sebastian's lineup includes the latest by Lucile Hadzihalilovic and Terence Davies; and Locarno has added films by Charlotte Colbert and Russian Gleb Panfilov to its now-complete roster. The Museum of the Moving Image's First Look Fest has also announced its full program, which will showcase films by Claire Simon, Lina Rodriguez, James Benning, and more, as well as the world premiere of Ken Jacob's 3D film, Double Wow. The much-anticipated lineup for this...
- 7/21/2021
- MUBI
Robert Lantos’ Serendipity Point Films (“Crimes Of The Future”) and Beta Film are joining forces on “Rise of the Raven” (working title), a big-budget epic drama series about Janos Hunyadi, a fearless warrior who defeated the vast Ottoman army and defended Europe in 1456 at the Battle of Belgrade.
Based on Bán Mór’s bestselling novels, the 10-hour series will be showrun by award-winning director George Mihalka who will also direct the final three episodes. Mihalka’s drama credits include NBC’s “The Firm,” TNT’s “Transporter: The Series” and Showtime’s “Bullet to Beijing.” He’s also the recipient of the Directors’ Guild of Canada’s Lifetime Achievement Award.
Robert Dornhelm, whose most recent TV series include “Vienna Blood” with Matthew Beard and “Maria Theresa,” will direct the first two episodes of “Rise of the Raven.” Dornhelm previously directed Emmy and Oscar-nominated productions such as “Anne Frank: The Whole Story” with Sir Ben Kingsley,...
Based on Bán Mór’s bestselling novels, the 10-hour series will be showrun by award-winning director George Mihalka who will also direct the final three episodes. Mihalka’s drama credits include NBC’s “The Firm,” TNT’s “Transporter: The Series” and Showtime’s “Bullet to Beijing.” He’s also the recipient of the Directors’ Guild of Canada’s Lifetime Achievement Award.
Robert Dornhelm, whose most recent TV series include “Vienna Blood” with Matthew Beard and “Maria Theresa,” will direct the first two episodes of “Rise of the Raven.” Dornhelm previously directed Emmy and Oscar-nominated productions such as “Anne Frank: The Whole Story” with Sir Ben Kingsley,...
- 7/16/2021
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
After a hiatus as theaters in New York City and beyond closed their doors during the pandemic, we’re delighted to announce the return of NYC Weekend Watch, our weekly round-up of repertory offerings. While many theaters are still focused on a selection of new releases, there’s a handful of worthwhile repertory screenings taking place.
Museum of the Moving Image
Prints of 2001 (on 70mm), Full Metal Jacket, and The Right Stuff have screenings; The Young Girls of Rochefort has a matinee screening on Friday, while Thief plays Sunday to kick off this year’s Caan Film Festival.
Film at Lincoln Center
The restoration of Hou Hsiao-hsien’s masterpiece Flowers of Shanghai continues, while the great Simone Barbes or Virtue shows through the weekend.
Film Forum
Le Cercle Rouge La Piscine, and 8½ continue, while a print of Paul Schrader’s Blue Collar begins a week-long run; Kent Jones will conduct a Q & A on Friday.
Museum of the Moving Image
Prints of 2001 (on 70mm), Full Metal Jacket, and The Right Stuff have screenings; The Young Girls of Rochefort has a matinee screening on Friday, while Thief plays Sunday to kick off this year’s Caan Film Festival.
Film at Lincoln Center
The restoration of Hou Hsiao-hsien’s masterpiece Flowers of Shanghai continues, while the great Simone Barbes or Virtue shows through the weekend.
Film Forum
Le Cercle Rouge La Piscine, and 8½ continue, while a print of Paul Schrader’s Blue Collar begins a week-long run; Kent Jones will conduct a Q & A on Friday.
- 7/8/2021
- by Nick Newman
- The Film Stage
After a 14-month hiatus as theaters in New York City and beyond closed their doors during the pandemic, we’re delighted to announce the return of NYC Weekend Watch, our weekly round-up of repertory offerings. While many theaters are still focused on a selection of new releases, there’s a handful of worthwhile repertory screenings taking place. If you don’t live in NYC, some of these films are also available in the respective theater’s Virtual Cinema, so check out the links below.
Film at Lincoln Center
World of Wong Kar Wai, featuring new restorations from the legendary Hong Kong director, begins today, while the new restoration of Andrei Tarkovsky’s Mirror is playing daily.
Film Forum
The new 4K restoration of Jacques Deray’s La Piscine opens, while Melvin Van Peebles’ The Story of a Three–Day Pass continues playing daily.
Museum of the Moving Image
Along with...
Film at Lincoln Center
World of Wong Kar Wai, featuring new restorations from the legendary Hong Kong director, begins today, while the new restoration of Andrei Tarkovsky’s Mirror is playing daily.
Film Forum
The new 4K restoration of Jacques Deray’s La Piscine opens, while Melvin Van Peebles’ The Story of a Three–Day Pass continues playing daily.
Museum of the Moving Image
Along with...
- 5/14/2021
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
“A Cop Movie” is almost half over before it reveals the full scope of its plot, and even then, it still has a few surprises in store. Director Alonso Ruizpalacios’ exciting and unpredictable look at a pair of Mexico City police officers — as well as the underlying corruption that makes the most earnest officers vulnerable to a system rigged against them.
There have been countless documentaries made on that subject, but Ruizpalacios’ dynamic approach roots the exploration in the energy of hardworking officers consumed by the commitments of the job, at least until it turns against them. The movie revolts as well, reinventing its structure midway through with mixed results, but the level of risk and intrigue driving its critical approach to law enforcement sustains an unusual method of interrogating a subject so often seen exclusively in gloomy terms.
With his spirited black-and-white 2014 activist coming-of-age drama “Gueros,” Ruizpalacios emerged as...
There have been countless documentaries made on that subject, but Ruizpalacios’ dynamic approach roots the exploration in the energy of hardworking officers consumed by the commitments of the job, at least until it turns against them. The movie revolts as well, reinventing its structure midway through with mixed results, but the level of risk and intrigue driving its critical approach to law enforcement sustains an unusual method of interrogating a subject so often seen exclusively in gloomy terms.
With his spirited black-and-white 2014 activist coming-of-age drama “Gueros,” Ruizpalacios emerged as...
- 3/3/2021
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
For the third year in a row, Netflix has a film in the main competition at the Berlin Film Festival. This year, Alonso Ruizpalacios’ “A Cop Movie” follows the path first blazed by Isabel Coixet’s “Elisa Y Marcela,” which at the time was met with a letter from 160 German independent exhibitors demanding the film be removed from competition. It’s likely, particularly after 2020 saw so much film driven online, that “A Cop Movie” will receive a warmer welcome.
Ruizpalacios’ third feature, his previous efforts “Gueros” and “Museo” both enjoyed fruitful festival and awards lifespans and healthy sales, is the story of Teresa and Montoya, two officers who joined the Mexico City police force only to find have their convictions crushed by a dysfunctional and corrupt system. Their partnership and later emotional bond proved a refuge from the hostility of their superiors. Through Ruizpalacios’ experimentation with narrative and documentary storytelling,...
Ruizpalacios’ third feature, his previous efforts “Gueros” and “Museo” both enjoyed fruitful festival and awards lifespans and healthy sales, is the story of Teresa and Montoya, two officers who joined the Mexico City police force only to find have their convictions crushed by a dysfunctional and corrupt system. Their partnership and later emotional bond proved a refuge from the hostility of their superiors. Through Ruizpalacios’ experimentation with narrative and documentary storytelling,...
- 3/2/2021
- by Jamie Lang
- Variety Film + TV
These days, the only thing constant is change itself, and that extends to the wild world of film festivals. While the pandemic has forced some festivals to go entirely virtual, move dates or outright cancel, or line up ambitious hybrids, this year’s Berlinale is opting to do something totally new: a little bit of all of the above. While Berlin usually follows Sundance with a February festival, the pandemic has forced organizers to develop a brand-new festival format for 2021.
The 71st Berlin International Film Festival is set to take place care of two different events in the coming months: the “Industry Event” from March 1 to 5, which will include the European Film Market (EFM), the Berlinale Co-Production Market, the Berlinale Talents, and the World Cinema Fund in online forms, which will then be followed by the June-set “Summer Special” with numerous film presentations in Berlin, both at indoor and outdoor cinemas.
The 71st Berlin International Film Festival is set to take place care of two different events in the coming months: the “Industry Event” from March 1 to 5, which will include the European Film Market (EFM), the Berlinale Co-Production Market, the Berlinale Talents, and the World Cinema Fund in online forms, which will then be followed by the June-set “Summer Special” with numerous film presentations in Berlin, both at indoor and outdoor cinemas.
- 2/25/2021
- by Kate Erbland and Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
Two leading lights on the international Spanish film-tv scene, sales agent Geraldine Gonard, director of Spain’s Conecta Fiction co-production forum, and Luis Collar, a partner and CEO of The Circular Group, a diversified film company, have joined forces to create Feel Content, which makes its public market bow at Ventana Sur.
A dedicated sales company, Feel Content, backed by Gonard’s Inside Content and Collar’s Great Waves, aims to exploit new opportunities emerging in the fast evolving sales landscape, acquiring individual titles and catalogs of Spanish-language and European films.
It hits the ground running at Ventana Sur, announcing two new acquisitions, Matías Meyer’s “Modern Loves” and “Karakol,” from Argentina’s Saula Benavente, which join two titles it introduced to buyers at Malaga’s Spanish Screenings: Gracia Querejeta’s “The Invisible” and “Pullman.”
“We think there’s a clear gap to fill in Spain for one more international sales agency,...
A dedicated sales company, Feel Content, backed by Gonard’s Inside Content and Collar’s Great Waves, aims to exploit new opportunities emerging in the fast evolving sales landscape, acquiring individual titles and catalogs of Spanish-language and European films.
It hits the ground running at Ventana Sur, announcing two new acquisitions, Matías Meyer’s “Modern Loves” and “Karakol,” from Argentina’s Saula Benavente, which join two titles it introduced to buyers at Malaga’s Spanish Screenings: Gracia Querejeta’s “The Invisible” and “Pullman.”
“We think there’s a clear gap to fill in Spain for one more international sales agency,...
- 11/30/2020
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
Srdjan Keča's Museum of the Revolution, Alexa Bakony's Colours of Tobi and Ketevani Kapanadze's Champions have received awards at Sarajevo's documentary industry event. The tenth edition of Docu Rough Cut Boutique, Sarajevo Film Festival and Balkan Documentary Centre's platform for projects in advanced stages of editing, which took place online this year, announced its prizes on Thursday (20 August).The Avanpost Media Award, which provides the winner with post-production services from the Bucharest-based company, went to Museum of the Revolution by Serbian filmmaker Srdjan Keča. Combining the political, historical and personal, it tells the story of a utopian project, a museum that socialist Yugoslavia started building in Belgrade 50 years ago and never finished it, and a little girl and an old lady living in its labyrinthine basement. Edited by Hrvoslava Brkušić and co-produced by Serbia's Uzrok, Croatia's Restart and Czech Republic's Nutprodukce, it has been one of the most anticipated.
Pete Hamill, the Brooklyn-born journalist whose street-savvy writing style and editorial hand lent an authentic, even quintessential voice to city tabloids The New York Post and The Daily News over a 50-year-career, died today in his native borough. He was 85.
His brother, the writer Denis Hamill, told The New York Times that Hamill fell at home on Saturday after returning from a dialysis treatment. He was taken to Brooklyn’s Methodist Hospital were he died apparently from kidney and heart failure.
Hamill began his newspaper career at the Post in 1960. Over the next decades he would write for the Daily News, Newsday, The Village Voice, The Saturday Evening Post, Esquire, Playboy, Rolling Stone and many other publications. Along with columnist Jimmy Breslin, Hamill popularized a streetwise writing style that could seem equal parts Norman Mailer, Damon Runyon and the millions of outer borough residents he both championed and chronicled.
The...
His brother, the writer Denis Hamill, told The New York Times that Hamill fell at home on Saturday after returning from a dialysis treatment. He was taken to Brooklyn’s Methodist Hospital were he died apparently from kidney and heart failure.
Hamill began his newspaper career at the Post in 1960. Over the next decades he would write for the Daily News, Newsday, The Village Voice, The Saturday Evening Post, Esquire, Playboy, Rolling Stone and many other publications. Along with columnist Jimmy Breslin, Hamill popularized a streetwise writing style that could seem equal parts Norman Mailer, Damon Runyon and the millions of outer borough residents he both championed and chronicled.
The...
- 8/5/2020
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Chile’s Forastero has shared with Variety the first trailer for it is highly anticipated, pan-Latin American co-production “My Tender Matador,” staring the country’s most prolific lead actor Alfredo Castro “The Club”).
Co-produced by Forestero in Chile, Tornado in Argentina, Caponeto in Mexico and Zapik Films in Chile, the feature is directed by Rodrigo Sepúlveda Urzúa and based on the the novel by celebrated Chilean writer Pedro Lemebel, a figure decades ahead of his time is his advocacy of gender issues, in an archly conservative Chile under and after the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet.
Turning on an intimate friendship, the 1986-set feature tells the story of an impoverished, elderly, cross-dresser known as the Queen of the Corner (Castro). After falling in love with a charming guerrilla, the character gets swept up in a covert anti-Pinochet operation.
In the trailer we see the first encounter between the two, and the...
Co-produced by Forestero in Chile, Tornado in Argentina, Caponeto in Mexico and Zapik Films in Chile, the feature is directed by Rodrigo Sepúlveda Urzúa and based on the the novel by celebrated Chilean writer Pedro Lemebel, a figure decades ahead of his time is his advocacy of gender issues, in an archly conservative Chile under and after the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet.
Turning on an intimate friendship, the 1986-set feature tells the story of an impoverished, elderly, cross-dresser known as the Queen of the Corner (Castro). After falling in love with a charming guerrilla, the character gets swept up in a covert anti-Pinochet operation.
In the trailer we see the first encounter between the two, and the...
- 6/19/2020
- by Jamie Lang
- Variety Film + TV
Disney+ hit 50 million subscribers globally in early April, shortly after it finally launched in the UK and other regions, and while the platform has still got a way to go until it gets close to Netflix’s 167 million-strong base, it’s not a bad result so far for a streaming service that only originally got off the starting blocks in November, 2019.
We’ll be bringing you a neat list of everything coming to Disney+ UK every month here at Den of Geek, so you can get an idea of just what you’re paying for. If you haven’t taken the plunge yet, a look ahead at the coming month’s content might also be an indication of whether now might be the time to sign up or not!
In May, the service is celebrating Star Wars Day by making the closing part of Lucasfilm’s latest trilogy, The Rise of Skywalker,...
We’ll be bringing you a neat list of everything coming to Disney+ UK every month here at Den of Geek, so you can get an idea of just what you’re paying for. If you haven’t taken the plunge yet, a look ahead at the coming month’s content might also be an indication of whether now might be the time to sign up or not!
In May, the service is celebrating Star Wars Day by making the closing part of Lucasfilm’s latest trilogy, The Rise of Skywalker,...
- 5/2/2020
- by Kirsten Howard
- Den of Geek
New Indie
“The Lighthouse” (Lionsgate) is the kind of movie that yields new discoveries with every viewing, so why not make this new Blu-ray part of your permanent collection? Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson star as keepers of the titular structure, driving themselves and each other insane in a desolate and solitary location. Jarin Blaschke’s Oscar-nominated cinematography adds layers of grotesque delight to writer-director Robert Eggers’ fascinating follow-up to “The Witch.”
Also available: Inspirational sports tale “Sprinter” (FilmRise) features a cameo by Olympic medalist Usain Bolt; Jess Wexler and Adam Pearson play star-crossed co-stars in the uniquely offbeat “Chained for Life” (Kino Lorber); the Helen Hunt thriller “I See You” (Saban/Paramount) premiered at South by Southwest; Tim Heidecker runs for public office in the unsettling mockumentary “Mister America” (Magnolia Home Entertainment).
America’s stoner superheroes snooch one last bootch in “Jay and Silent Bob Reboot” (Lionsgate); Laurence Fishburne...
“The Lighthouse” (Lionsgate) is the kind of movie that yields new discoveries with every viewing, so why not make this new Blu-ray part of your permanent collection? Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson star as keepers of the titular structure, driving themselves and each other insane in a desolate and solitary location. Jarin Blaschke’s Oscar-nominated cinematography adds layers of grotesque delight to writer-director Robert Eggers’ fascinating follow-up to “The Witch.”
Also available: Inspirational sports tale “Sprinter” (FilmRise) features a cameo by Olympic medalist Usain Bolt; Jess Wexler and Adam Pearson play star-crossed co-stars in the uniquely offbeat “Chained for Life” (Kino Lorber); the Helen Hunt thriller “I See You” (Saban/Paramount) premiered at South by Southwest; Tim Heidecker runs for public office in the unsettling mockumentary “Mister America” (Magnolia Home Entertainment).
America’s stoner superheroes snooch one last bootch in “Jay and Silent Bob Reboot” (Lionsgate); Laurence Fishburne...
- 1/24/2020
- by Alonso Duralde
- The Wrap
Endeavor Content is upping its local-language game, signing a significant first look deal with Mexico City-based producer Subtrama.
Endeavor enters the deal with Exile Content Studio, a long-form English and Spanish content maker. Subtrama is behind films like Gael García Bernal’s “Museo.” Mauricio Katz, Manuel Alcalá, and Panorama Global’s Gerardo Gatica and Alberto Muffelmann run Subtrama.
“We are thrilled to power an engine that combines Mauricio and Manuel’s unique style with Gerardo and Alberto’s seasoned experience producing compelling content for global markets”, said Daniel Eilemberg, president of content at Exile.
Adds Endeavor VP of international strategy Kelly Miller, “Subtrama is at the intersection of compelling content, global audience, and gripping storytelling, all of which are paramount to the Endeavor Content fold, and we’re excited to be working with Mauricio and the entire team.”
This deal will focus primarily on Spanish-speaking projects. First up is “Litempo,...
Endeavor enters the deal with Exile Content Studio, a long-form English and Spanish content maker. Subtrama is behind films like Gael García Bernal’s “Museo.” Mauricio Katz, Manuel Alcalá, and Panorama Global’s Gerardo Gatica and Alberto Muffelmann run Subtrama.
“We are thrilled to power an engine that combines Mauricio and Manuel’s unique style with Gerardo and Alberto’s seasoned experience producing compelling content for global markets”, said Daniel Eilemberg, president of content at Exile.
Adds Endeavor VP of international strategy Kelly Miller, “Subtrama is at the intersection of compelling content, global audience, and gripping storytelling, all of which are paramount to the Endeavor Content fold, and we’re excited to be working with Mauricio and the entire team.”
This deal will focus primarily on Spanish-speaking projects. First up is “Litempo,...
- 1/21/2020
- by Matt Donnelly
- Variety Film + TV
The Mexican Academy of Arts and Cinematographic Sciences hosted the 61st edition of their Ariel Awards on Monday evening, where Alfonso Cuarón’s “Roma” and Alejandra Márquez Abella’s “The Good Girls” stood out among the winners.
Perhaps the most surprising thing about Cuarón’s “Roma” scooping best picture is that it’s only the second of his films to win an Ariel award, and the first to be nominated for best picture. In 1992 “Sólo con Tu Pareja” was nominated for best first work and screenplay, and won best original story. In 2001 he chose not to submit his Oscar-nominated classic “Y tu mamá también” in protest at the Academy’s voting practices.
By the end of the Monday evening however, “Roma” netted 10 prizes, including best director, supporting actress, photography, screenplay, editing, sound, art design, visual effects and special effects to go along with the best picture prize.
A festival darling over the past year,...
Perhaps the most surprising thing about Cuarón’s “Roma” scooping best picture is that it’s only the second of his films to win an Ariel award, and the first to be nominated for best picture. In 1992 “Sólo con Tu Pareja” was nominated for best first work and screenplay, and won best original story. In 2001 he chose not to submit his Oscar-nominated classic “Y tu mamá también” in protest at the Academy’s voting practices.
By the end of the Monday evening however, “Roma” netted 10 prizes, including best director, supporting actress, photography, screenplay, editing, sound, art design, visual effects and special effects to go along with the best picture prize.
A festival darling over the past year,...
- 6/25/2019
- by Jamie Lang
- Variety Film + TV
Feature follows Mexican heist drama Museo, which launched in late 2018.
YouTube continues to forge ahead with its Latin American expansion and has launched its second Spanish-language YouTube Originals film, a documentary about Latin music superstar Maluma.
Maluma: Lo Que Era, Lo Que Soy, Lo Que Seré premiered for free on YouTube on Wednesday (5), and is available to YouTube Premium subscribers as an extended cut featuring additional interviews and performances.
Jessy Terrero directed the film about the singer-songwriter and rapper, which charts his life from humble origins in Medellin, Colombia, to sell-out global tours and social media stardom. Cinema Giants produced the documentary,...
YouTube continues to forge ahead with its Latin American expansion and has launched its second Spanish-language YouTube Originals film, a documentary about Latin music superstar Maluma.
Maluma: Lo Que Era, Lo Que Soy, Lo Que Seré premiered for free on YouTube on Wednesday (5), and is available to YouTube Premium subscribers as an extended cut featuring additional interviews and performances.
Jessy Terrero directed the film about the singer-songwriter and rapper, which charts his life from humble origins in Medellin, Colombia, to sell-out global tours and social media stardom. Cinema Giants produced the documentary,...
- 6/5/2019
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Feature follows Mexican heist drama Museo, which launched in late 2018.
YouTube continues to forge ahead with its Spanish-language YouTube Originals business and has launched its third piece of content, a documentary about Latin music superstar Maluma.
Maluma: Lo Que Era, Lo Que Soy, Lo Que Seré premiered for free on YouTube on Wednesday (5), and is available to YouTube Premium subscribers as an extended cut featuring additional interviews and performances.
Jessy Terrero directed the film about the singer-songwriter and rapper, which charts his life from humble origins in Medellin, Colombia, to sell-out global tours and social media stardom. Cinema Giants produced the documentary,...
YouTube continues to forge ahead with its Spanish-language YouTube Originals business and has launched its third piece of content, a documentary about Latin music superstar Maluma.
Maluma: Lo Que Era, Lo Que Soy, Lo Que Seré premiered for free on YouTube on Wednesday (5), and is available to YouTube Premium subscribers as an extended cut featuring additional interviews and performances.
Jessy Terrero directed the film about the singer-songwriter and rapper, which charts his life from humble origins in Medellin, Colombia, to sell-out global tours and social media stardom. Cinema Giants produced the documentary,...
- 6/5/2019
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Maintaining Chile’s protracted awards honeymoon with international festivals, Jorge Riqeulme’s “Some Beasts,” starring Alfredo Castro and Paulina Garcia, swept Toulouse’s 35th Films in Progress, a pix-in-post competition which also serves as a traditional launch-pad for selection at the Cannes Festival.
“Some Beasts” won three of the four prizes on offer: Toulouse Films in Progress Prize; the Cine Plus Films in Progress Prize and the Distributors and Exhibitors Prize.
Mactari awarded its Sound Prize to “Ceniza negra,” from Argentine-Costa Rican Sofía Quirós.
“Some Beasts” stars maybe the two most best-known of Chilean actors: Castro, a Pablo Larraín regular seen last year in Alfonso Ruizpalacios’ Berlin winner “Museo”; and García, a Berlin best actress winner for “Gloria,” from Academy Award winning director Sebastián Lelio (“A Fantastic Woman”), which inspired his 2018 remake, “Gloria Bell,” with Julianne Moore. García also appeared in Ira Sachs’ “Little Men,” and, like Castro, “Narcos.”
A...
“Some Beasts” won three of the four prizes on offer: Toulouse Films in Progress Prize; the Cine Plus Films in Progress Prize and the Distributors and Exhibitors Prize.
Mactari awarded its Sound Prize to “Ceniza negra,” from Argentine-Costa Rican Sofía Quirós.
“Some Beasts” stars maybe the two most best-known of Chilean actors: Castro, a Pablo Larraín regular seen last year in Alfonso Ruizpalacios’ Berlin winner “Museo”; and García, a Berlin best actress winner for “Gloria,” from Academy Award winning director Sebastián Lelio (“A Fantastic Woman”), which inspired his 2018 remake, “Gloria Bell,” with Julianne Moore. García also appeared in Ira Sachs’ “Little Men,” and, like Castro, “Narcos.”
A...
- 3/31/2019
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
The Kinoki Film Festival is a yearly celebration hosted by the Universidad Iberoamericana (Ibero), one of the most recognized universities in Mexico. From March 28 to April 5, the 14th edition of Kinoki will have Brazil as the spotlight country, with a trio of films from different periods: Glauber Rocha’s Black God, White Devil (aka Deus e o Diabo na Terra do Sol), Fernando Meirelles and Kátia Lund’s City of God and Eryk Rocha’s Cinema Novo. Both actor Jesús Ochoa, better known in the United States for such movies as Man on Fire and Quantum of Solace, and director Alonso Ruizpalacios, will he honored by the festival, each hosting a master class. Kinoki will also offer some special presentations of recent Mexican films,...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
- 3/13/2019
- Screen Anarchy
Paris-based Luxbox, whose films “The Heiresses” and “Museo” won three of the seven Silver Bears on offer at last year’s Berlinale, has acquired sales rights to three movies bowing later this year: Carlos Sironi’s “Sole,” Shahrbanoo Sadat’s “The Orphanage” and Melina Leon’s “Song Without a Name.”
Luxbox is also unveiling first images on Feb. 7 of Bruno Dumont’s “Joan of Arc,” above, about the French woman warrior’s trial, “an incredible modern portrait of a feminine heroine facing an institution ruled by men,” said Luxbox’s Fiorella Moretti and Hédi Zardi.
Afghan Sadat won the biggest prize at Cannes 2016 Director’s Fortnight for debut “Wolf & Sheep.” Her second feature, “The Orphanage,” is set in 1980s Kabul as it sinks into civil war and follows one orphan who dreams of being a Bollywood star but ends up stuck in the conflict. It’s produced by Adomeit Film and La Fabrica Nocturna.
Luxbox is also unveiling first images on Feb. 7 of Bruno Dumont’s “Joan of Arc,” above, about the French woman warrior’s trial, “an incredible modern portrait of a feminine heroine facing an institution ruled by men,” said Luxbox’s Fiorella Moretti and Hédi Zardi.
Afghan Sadat won the biggest prize at Cannes 2016 Director’s Fortnight for debut “Wolf & Sheep.” Her second feature, “The Orphanage,” is set in 1980s Kabul as it sinks into civil war and follows one orphan who dreams of being a Bollywood star but ends up stuck in the conflict. It’s produced by Adomeit Film and La Fabrica Nocturna.
- 2/7/2019
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
It was a starry Friday morning at the Parker Palm Springs, where celebrities ranging from Bradley Cooper to Olivia Wilde to Emily Blunt gathered at the Creative Impact Awards brunch feting the 22nd edition of Variety‘s 10 Directors to Watch.
On this year’s list of helmers on the rise: Ali Abbasi (“Border”); Alejandra Marquez Abella (“The Good Girls”); Bert & Bertie (“Troupe Zero”); Pippa Blanco (“Share”); Cooper (“A Star is Born”); Kent Jones (“Drake”); Tayarisha Poe (“Selah and the Spades”); Alonso Ruizpalacios (“Museo”); Lulu Wang (“Farewell”); and Wilde (“Booksmart”).
Cooper “took a film that has been made and remade multiple times before and found something personal to express with it, made a film about the power of celebrity and about what your voice can do and it’s one of the most incredible debuts I’ve seen in a long, long time,” said Variety chief film critic Peter Debruge of...
On this year’s list of helmers on the rise: Ali Abbasi (“Border”); Alejandra Marquez Abella (“The Good Girls”); Bert & Bertie (“Troupe Zero”); Pippa Blanco (“Share”); Cooper (“A Star is Born”); Kent Jones (“Drake”); Tayarisha Poe (“Selah and the Spades”); Alonso Ruizpalacios (“Museo”); Lulu Wang (“Farewell”); and Wilde (“Booksmart”).
Cooper “took a film that has been made and remade multiple times before and found something personal to express with it, made a film about the power of celebrity and about what your voice can do and it’s one of the most incredible debuts I’ve seen in a long, long time,” said Variety chief film critic Peter Debruge of...
- 1/4/2019
- by Malina Saval
- Variety Film + TV
A few years from now, there will no doubt be an official name for the explosion of talented Mexican directors breaking through on the international festival circuit — filmmakers a generation younger than such Nuevo Cine Mexicano pioneers as Guillermo del Toro and Alfonso Cuaron, but every bit as promising in the originality of their vision.
When that time comes, Ruizpalacios could well be their poster boy: a helmer who’s making headway both as an arthouse auteur — his first two features, “Güeros” and “Museo,” premiered at the Berlinale — and a sought-after television director in the U.S., where he spearheaded the “Vida” pilot for Starz and two episodes of “Narcos: Mexico.”
Ruizpalacios’ film work reflects a bold vision, informed by his background in acting and avant-garde theater. “Unlike all my peers in drama school, I went into acting with directing in mind,” explains Ruizpalacios, who studied under Mexico City stage...
When that time comes, Ruizpalacios could well be their poster boy: a helmer who’s making headway both as an arthouse auteur — his first two features, “Güeros” and “Museo,” premiered at the Berlinale — and a sought-after television director in the U.S., where he spearheaded the “Vida” pilot for Starz and two episodes of “Narcos: Mexico.”
Ruizpalacios’ film work reflects a bold vision, informed by his background in acting and avant-garde theater. “Unlike all my peers in drama school, I went into acting with directing in mind,” explains Ruizpalacios, who studied under Mexico City stage...
- 1/4/2019
- by Peter Debruge
- Variety Film + TV
Variety chief film critics — and cinema omnivores — Owen Gleiberman and Peter Debruge spend the year devouring everything from superhero movies to subtitled festival gems, which leaves a wealth of exceptional films to savor at year’s end. While “A Star Is Born” scored high with both critics, and “Eighth Grade” and “The Rider” each make the cut (the latter topped Debruge’s 2017 list), their taste otherwise ran in different directions. Click through to read the reasoning behind each of the critics’ selections.
Peter Debruge’s Top 10 Films of 2018 | Read more
1. “Blindspotting”
2. “A Star Is Born”
3. “Shoplifters”
4. “The Hate U Give”
5. “Eighth Grade”
6. “Museo”
7. “Life and Nothing More”
8. “Mission: Impossible – Fallout”
9. “Burning”
10. “In Syria”
Owen Gleiberman’s Top 10 Films of 2018 | Read more
1. “A Star Is Born”
2. “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?”
3. “The Rider”
4. “Green Book”
5. “Chappaquiddick”
6. “Red Sparrow”
7. “If Beale Street Could Talk”
8. “First Man”
9. “Wild, Wild Country”
10. “Eighth Grade...
Peter Debruge’s Top 10 Films of 2018 | Read more
1. “Blindspotting”
2. “A Star Is Born”
3. “Shoplifters”
4. “The Hate U Give”
5. “Eighth Grade”
6. “Museo”
7. “Life and Nothing More”
8. “Mission: Impossible – Fallout”
9. “Burning”
10. “In Syria”
Owen Gleiberman’s Top 10 Films of 2018 | Read more
1. “A Star Is Born”
2. “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?”
3. “The Rider”
4. “Green Book”
5. “Chappaquiddick”
6. “Red Sparrow”
7. “If Beale Street Could Talk”
8. “First Man”
9. “Wild, Wild Country”
10. “Eighth Grade...
- 12/11/2018
- by Peter Debruge and Owen Gleiberman
- Variety Film + TV
Every so often, Hollywood changes the world, but most of the time, the world changes Hollywood, which adjusts to reflect the innovation happening around it. A year after the #MeToo and Time’s Up movements forced the film industry to confront the sexism baked into the system, we are starting to see progress reflected onscreen and behind the camera — and not just for women, but for groups of all kinds.
Films like “Black Panther,” “Crazy Rich Asians” and “Love, Simon” broke barriers and minted new stars, offsetting the stumbles of “A Wrinkle in Time” and “Annihilation” (a female-powered sci-fi movie too smart for its own good). Want to know which studio is being the most open-minded about choosing its directors? That would be Netflix, where female, minority, queer, and non-English-language filmmakers are making movies — which far exceed the 80 original films estimated this time last year. Heck, the company doesn’t even discriminate against the dead,...
Films like “Black Panther,” “Crazy Rich Asians” and “Love, Simon” broke barriers and minted new stars, offsetting the stumbles of “A Wrinkle in Time” and “Annihilation” (a female-powered sci-fi movie too smart for its own good). Want to know which studio is being the most open-minded about choosing its directors? That would be Netflix, where female, minority, queer, and non-English-language filmmakers are making movies — which far exceed the 80 original films estimated this time last year. Heck, the company doesn’t even discriminate against the dead,...
- 12/11/2018
- by Peter Debruge
- Variety Film + TV
In 2018 Gael Garcia Bernal provided powerful cameo roles in Gonzalo Tobal’s “Accused” and Sara Colangelo’s “The Kindergarten Teacher” and starred in Alonso Ruizpalacios’ drama-thriller “Museo,” about the 1985 looting of 140 priceless Mayan and Meso-American artefacts from Mexico’s National Anthropology Museum. The pic bowed in Berlin, had its North American premiere in Toronto, and has been acquired by YouTube Premium as its first Spanish-language project, expected to be streamed early next year.
Bernal has also been active in Golden Globe-winning TV series “Mozart in the Jungle” and “Here on Earth,” a TV series he co-created.
He has just finished shooting his second feature as director, “Chicuarotes,” produced via his new shingle with partner Diego Luna, La Corriente del Golfo, which also produced “Here on Earth.” The Latin American rights to “Chicuarotes” have been acquired by Cinepolis Distribution.
Speaking to Variety at the Marrakech Film Festival, he talked about these...
Bernal has also been active in Golden Globe-winning TV series “Mozart in the Jungle” and “Here on Earth,” a TV series he co-created.
He has just finished shooting his second feature as director, “Chicuarotes,” produced via his new shingle with partner Diego Luna, La Corriente del Golfo, which also produced “Here on Earth.” The Latin American rights to “Chicuarotes” have been acquired by Cinepolis Distribution.
Speaking to Variety at the Marrakech Film Festival, he talked about these...
- 12/8/2018
- by Martin Dale
- Variety Film + TV
Madrid — 1844 Entertainment has acquired U.S. rights to Benjamín Naishtat’s “Rojo,” whose theatrical and home entertainment release will be handled by Distrib Films Us, headed by François Scippa-Kohn.
Theatrical releases in New York and Los Angeles are planned for spring 2019, followed by main other markets nationwide, said Distrib Films Us president Scippa-Kohn.
Closed in the run-up to Ventana Sur, the deal builds on a budding U.S. release partnership already in place for Paraguay Oscar entry “The Heiresses,” acquired like “Rojo” from Luxbox, Hedi Zardi and Fiorella Moretti’s Paris-based sales agent.
The partnership between 1844 Entertainment and Distrib Films Us forms part of a wider deal including other titles such as Iranian Oscar submission “No Date No Signature.”
Taking in two of the biggest Latin American arthouse titles of the year, the sales confirm 1844 Ent. and Distrib Films as a burgeoning U.S. outlet for Latin American and...
Theatrical releases in New York and Los Angeles are planned for spring 2019, followed by main other markets nationwide, said Distrib Films Us president Scippa-Kohn.
Closed in the run-up to Ventana Sur, the deal builds on a budding U.S. release partnership already in place for Paraguay Oscar entry “The Heiresses,” acquired like “Rojo” from Luxbox, Hedi Zardi and Fiorella Moretti’s Paris-based sales agent.
The partnership between 1844 Entertainment and Distrib Films Us forms part of a wider deal including other titles such as Iranian Oscar submission “No Date No Signature.”
Taking in two of the biggest Latin American arthouse titles of the year, the sales confirm 1844 Ent. and Distrib Films as a burgeoning U.S. outlet for Latin American and...
- 12/5/2018
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
As Oscar season heats up and the world awaits news of the Sundance Film Festival lineup, Variety announces its 10 Directors to Watch for 2019, featuring a mix of recent festival breakouts and movies yet to premiere in the coming year, all chosen on the strength of films screened for Variety’s editors (sometimes as works in progress).
While blockbuster Venice-Toronto sensation “A Star Is Born” demonstrated the birth of a major new director in Bradley Cooper, many of the other talents on this year’s list are less well-known, but no less exciting. From Cannes, Un Certain Regard winner Ali Abbasi is representing Sweden with his film “Border” in this year’s Oscar foreign language race. Film critic and festival programmer Kent Jones won the Tribeca competition with feature debut “Diane,” while Mexican directors Alejandra Márquez Abella (“The Good Girls”) and Alonso Ruizpalacios (“Museo”) were standouts of the competition sections at...
While blockbuster Venice-Toronto sensation “A Star Is Born” demonstrated the birth of a major new director in Bradley Cooper, many of the other talents on this year’s list are less well-known, but no less exciting. From Cannes, Un Certain Regard winner Ali Abbasi is representing Sweden with his film “Border” in this year’s Oscar foreign language race. Film critic and festival programmer Kent Jones won the Tribeca competition with feature debut “Diane,” while Mexican directors Alejandra Márquez Abella (“The Good Girls”) and Alonso Ruizpalacios (“Museo”) were standouts of the competition sections at...
- 11/28/2018
- by Peter Debruge
- Variety Film + TV
Nathaniel R and Murtada Elfadl welcome back Nick Davis to talk new films
Index (67 minutes)
00:01 Palme d'Or winner Shoplifters. Plus: Roma and Oscar talk.
20:22 Yorgos Lanthimos' The Favourite, directorial style, tragicomedies, and three stellar actresses: Olivia Colman, Rachel Weisz, and Emma Stone. Plus: Sandy Powell's costumes
39:45 Reader Q: Which film will get the most Oscar nods this year?
43:06 Reader Q: What is going on with Mary Queen of Scots?
48:05 Reader Q: Why did Widows underperform?
52:50 Nick on Creed 2
58:32 Randomness to wrap-up: Museo, and Ruth E. Carter's costumes for Black Panther
Further Reading / References
• Nathaniel's review of The Favourite
• Murtada's interview with Hirokazu Koreeda on Shoplifters
• Oscar Predictions, Current
• ...and this royal Angela Bassett costume in Black Panther
You can listen to the podcast here at the bottom of the post or download from iTunes. Continue the conversations in the comments,...
Index (67 minutes)
00:01 Palme d'Or winner Shoplifters. Plus: Roma and Oscar talk.
20:22 Yorgos Lanthimos' The Favourite, directorial style, tragicomedies, and three stellar actresses: Olivia Colman, Rachel Weisz, and Emma Stone. Plus: Sandy Powell's costumes
39:45 Reader Q: Which film will get the most Oscar nods this year?
43:06 Reader Q: What is going on with Mary Queen of Scots?
48:05 Reader Q: Why did Widows underperform?
52:50 Nick on Creed 2
58:32 Randomness to wrap-up: Museo, and Ruth E. Carter's costumes for Black Panther
Further Reading / References
• Nathaniel's review of The Favourite
• Murtada's interview with Hirokazu Koreeda on Shoplifters
• Oscar Predictions, Current
• ...and this royal Angela Bassett costume in Black Panther
You can listen to the podcast here at the bottom of the post or download from iTunes. Continue the conversations in the comments,...
- 11/26/2018
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
In a face-off between the world’s biggest streaming platform and second-biggest cinema theater owner, Mexico’s Cinepolis has called on Netflix to respect traditional theatrical windows for the release of Alfonso Cuarón’s “Roma” in Mexican cinemas.
If the U.S. streaming giant agrees to push back its Dec. 14 release of “Roma” online, Cinepolis said it would release the film in its theaters next week and donate 50% of grosses to causes related to domestic service in Mexico. But if Netflix does not comply, Cinepolis will not screen the film, it said in a statement Thursday.
The standoff comes days after Matt Brodlie, director of acquisitions for Netflix, publicly offered “Roma” to both Cinepolis and Mexican exhibition chain Cinemex for release across their theaters in Mexico. In an open letter to the media, Brodlie said that an “important part” of cinema grosses would be given to nonprofit organizations.
Cuarón’s...
If the U.S. streaming giant agrees to push back its Dec. 14 release of “Roma” online, Cinepolis said it would release the film in its theaters next week and donate 50% of grosses to causes related to domestic service in Mexico. But if Netflix does not comply, Cinepolis will not screen the film, it said in a statement Thursday.
The standoff comes days after Matt Brodlie, director of acquisitions for Netflix, publicly offered “Roma” to both Cinepolis and Mexican exhibition chain Cinemex for release across their theaters in Mexico. In an open letter to the media, Brodlie said that an “important part” of cinema grosses would be given to nonprofit organizations.
Cuarón’s...
- 11/23/2018
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
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