Close-Up is a feature that spotlights films now playing on Mubi. Mostafa Derkaoui's About Some Meaningless Events (1974) is exclusively showing starting January 20, 2021 in the Rediscovered series."Everything which the Arab reality offers that is generous, open and creative is crushed by regimes whose only anxiety is to perpetuate their own power and self-serving interest. And what is often worse is to see that the West remains insensitive to the daily tragedy while at the same time accommodating, not to say supporting, the ruling classes who strangle the free will and aspirations of their people."—Abdellatif LaâbShot between January and April 1974, Mostafa Derkaoui’s De quelques évènements sans signification (About Some Meaningless Events) was never actually shown in Morocco, exception being made for a few clandestine occasions over the years, including a “midnight screening” at the Khourigba Film Festival in 1977. The film was immediately banned by the authorities who deemed it “inopportune” for Moroccan audiences.
- 1/19/2021
- MUBI
The International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) has unveiled the first docu films selected for its 33rd edition, including 30 titles heading from Berlin, Sundance and Cannes, among other festivals. The lineup also comprises 10 titles selected by Gianfranco Rosi for the Top 10 program. As previously announced, the fest will take place Nov. 18-29 with a hybrid format mixing physical and virtual events.
“This year more than ever, IDFA honors the festivals that, in spite of incredible circumstances, continue to champion the art of documentary filmmaking. The initial Best of Fests selection highlights both audience favorites and award-winning masterpieces. More titles to be announced,” stated Idfa.
The Best of Fest roster includes “The Truffle Hunters” by Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw, which premiered at Sundance and was part of Cannes and Telluride selections; Elizabeth Lo’s “Stray,” an award-winning film from Hot Docs and Tribeca portraying Turkish city life through the eyes...
“This year more than ever, IDFA honors the festivals that, in spite of incredible circumstances, continue to champion the art of documentary filmmaking. The initial Best of Fests selection highlights both audience favorites and award-winning masterpieces. More titles to be announced,” stated Idfa.
The Best of Fest roster includes “The Truffle Hunters” by Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw, which premiered at Sundance and was part of Cannes and Telluride selections; Elizabeth Lo’s “Stray,” an award-winning film from Hot Docs and Tribeca portraying Turkish city life through the eyes...
- 9/29/2020
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
The Amsterdan event is planned as a hybrid physical-digital edition.
International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (Idfa) has unveiled the first titles selected for edition, which is set to go ahead as a mix of physical and virtual events from November 18-29.
The festival will screen 30 documentaries first selected for the Berlinale, Sundance and Cannes under the banner Best of Fests.
Scroll down for full list of titles
The titles include The Truffle Hunters by Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw, which debuted at Sundance before being being selected for both Cannes and Telluride (although neither took place); and Elizabeth Lo’s Stray,...
International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (Idfa) has unveiled the first titles selected for edition, which is set to go ahead as a mix of physical and virtual events from November 18-29.
The festival will screen 30 documentaries first selected for the Berlinale, Sundance and Cannes under the banner Best of Fests.
Scroll down for full list of titles
The titles include The Truffle Hunters by Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw, which debuted at Sundance before being being selected for both Cannes and Telluride (although neither took place); and Elizabeth Lo’s Stray,...
- 9/29/2020
- by Michael Rosser
- ScreenDaily
Following up on his series "Notes On Film", artist/filmmaker/theoretician Norbert Pfaffenbilcher proposes a tragicomedy starring one of Hollywood's most famous figures, Boris Karloff—and him only. The film is composed of shots from Karloff taken from his career in cinema and television—as ages, styles, and even genders, all blend into one narration.
The director himself describes it best:
"In this feature length experimental film the British actor Boris Karloff (1887 - 1969) embodies approximately 170 different characters. An acting career spanning 50 years (1919 - 1969) is compressed into one mind fucking movie. The protagonist experiences a schizophrenic horror trip in which he faces only versions of himself in different masks, at different ages, of different genders and races. Karloff started his career in the silent era and continued working constantly until his death, so one can witness the aesthetic and technical developments of the medium in one single film. All in all...
The director himself describes it best:
"In this feature length experimental film the British actor Boris Karloff (1887 - 1969) embodies approximately 170 different characters. An acting career spanning 50 years (1919 - 1969) is compressed into one mind fucking movie. The protagonist experiences a schizophrenic horror trip in which he faces only versions of himself in different masks, at different ages, of different genders and races. Karloff started his career in the silent era and continued working constantly until his death, so one can witness the aesthetic and technical developments of the medium in one single film. All in all...
- 8/21/2013
- by Marie-Pierre Duhamel
- MUBI
“The finacialization of the capitalist economy implies a growing abstraction of work from its useful function, and of language from its bodily dimension. Desire is diverted from physical contact and invested in the abstract field of simulated seduction, in the infinite space of the image.”
—Franco “Bifo” Berardi in The Uprising, On Poetry and Finance
For those who came of age in the nondescript 2000s, an era characterised by securitarian paranoia and lack of future prospects, Joe Swanberg’s Lol (2006) might as well read as their very own (purposeless) existential manifesto. A generational pamphlet that, in tune with its times, neither affirms nor negates, let alone criticizes, its predicament, but simply registers the vacuum within which it occurs. It is the Western vacuum of the 21st century whose first decade was marked by a tangible curb in the forward surge of pop cultural history. Cinema, but also music and literature,...
—Franco “Bifo” Berardi in The Uprising, On Poetry and Finance
For those who came of age in the nondescript 2000s, an era characterised by securitarian paranoia and lack of future prospects, Joe Swanberg’s Lol (2006) might as well read as their very own (purposeless) existential manifesto. A generational pamphlet that, in tune with its times, neither affirms nor negates, let alone criticizes, its predicament, but simply registers the vacuum within which it occurs. It is the Western vacuum of the 21st century whose first decade was marked by a tangible curb in the forward surge of pop cultural history. Cinema, but also music and literature,...
- 1/21/2013
- by Celluloid Liberation Front
- MUBI
Our Deaths, in memoriam was the project title of Lav Diaz' Kagadanan sa Banwaan Ning mga Engkanto (2007). For the Ferroni Brigade, it became the motto of Venice 2011—specters of dear lives gone seemed to roam the event, the Mostra internazionale d’arte cinematografica as well as the Esposizione internazionale d'arte, and beyond.
We always commemorate the murder of Nika Bohinc and Alexis Tioseco on September 1st 2009, quietly, invariably in Venice; it was here that we heard about the crime; now, whenever we go to the press room to check our e-mails, deep down something inside us is afraid of getting another message like that one; fittingly, one of the last films we saw this year was Diaz' latest, Siglo ng Pagluluwal (Century of Birthing, 2011), which ends with a dedication to them, and talks about the way our loved ones, just like cherished ideas, notions and visions are essentially eternal,...
We always commemorate the murder of Nika Bohinc and Alexis Tioseco on September 1st 2009, quietly, invariably in Venice; it was here that we heard about the crime; now, whenever we go to the press room to check our e-mails, deep down something inside us is afraid of getting another message like that one; fittingly, one of the last films we saw this year was Diaz' latest, Siglo ng Pagluluwal (Century of Birthing, 2011), which ends with a dedication to them, and talks about the way our loved ones, just like cherished ideas, notions and visions are essentially eternal,...
- 2/7/2012
- MUBI
Roughly assembled; order within tiers based chronologically on viewing date.
01:
Cut (Amir Naderi, Japan), Anna (Alberto Grifi, Massimo Sarchielli, Italy), Faust (Aleksandr Sokurov, Russia), Louyre - This Our Still Life (Andrew Kotting, UK), Century of Birthing (Lav Diaz, Philippines)
02:
Vieni, dolce morte (dell’ego) (Paolo Brunatto, Italy), A Dangerous Method (David Cronenberg, Canada), Whores’ Glory (Michael Glawogger, Austria), A Simple Life (Ann Hui, Hk), Il potere (Augusto Tretti, Italy), Himizu (Sono Sion, Japan), Conference (Norbert Pfaffenbichler, Austria), 4:44 Last Day on Earth (Abel Ferrara, USA), Die Herde des Herrn (Romuald Karmakar, Germany), Life without Principles (Johnnie To, Hk), Late and Deep (Devin Horan, USA), Iz Tokio (Aleksej German Jr., Russia)
03:
Il canto d’amore di Alfred Prufrock (Nico D’Alessandria, Italy), Carnage (Roman Polanski, France/Germany/Poland ), Black Mirror at the National Gallery (Mark Lewis, UK), Meteor (Chrisoph Giraret, Matthias Müller, Germany), Il villaggio di cartone (Ermanno Olmi,...
01:
Cut (Amir Naderi, Japan), Anna (Alberto Grifi, Massimo Sarchielli, Italy), Faust (Aleksandr Sokurov, Russia), Louyre - This Our Still Life (Andrew Kotting, UK), Century of Birthing (Lav Diaz, Philippines)
02:
Vieni, dolce morte (dell’ego) (Paolo Brunatto, Italy), A Dangerous Method (David Cronenberg, Canada), Whores’ Glory (Michael Glawogger, Austria), A Simple Life (Ann Hui, Hk), Il potere (Augusto Tretti, Italy), Himizu (Sono Sion, Japan), Conference (Norbert Pfaffenbichler, Austria), 4:44 Last Day on Earth (Abel Ferrara, USA), Die Herde des Herrn (Romuald Karmakar, Germany), Life without Principles (Johnnie To, Hk), Late and Deep (Devin Horan, USA), Iz Tokio (Aleksej German Jr., Russia)
03:
Il canto d’amore di Alfred Prufrock (Nico D’Alessandria, Italy), Carnage (Roman Polanski, France/Germany/Poland ), Black Mirror at the National Gallery (Mark Lewis, UK), Meteor (Chrisoph Giraret, Matthias Müller, Germany), Il villaggio di cartone (Ermanno Olmi,...
- 9/11/2011
- MUBI
In a slight but almost certainly self-explanatory change to previous festival index formats, clicking on the directors' names and film titles will take you to their respective pages, while clicking "Roundup" will take you to the coverage of the coverage. Names of our contributors (in this case, almost always Daniel Kasman) will take you to our original reviews.
The index will be updated, of course, as more roundups and reviews appear, for days and possibly even weeks after this year's Venice Film Festival wraps.
Competition
Tomas Alfredson's Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy. Roundup.
Andrea Arnold's Wuthering Heights. Roundup.
George Clooney's The Ides of March. Roundup.
Emauele Crialese's Terraferma. Roundup.
David Cronenberg's A Dangerous Method. Roundup. Daniel Kasman.
Abel Ferrara's 4:44 Last Day on Earth. Daniel Kasman.
Philippe Garrel's That Summer. Roundup. Daniel Kasman.
Ann Hui's A Simple Life. Roundup. Daniel Kasman.
Giorgos Lanthimos's Alps.
The index will be updated, of course, as more roundups and reviews appear, for days and possibly even weeks after this year's Venice Film Festival wraps.
Competition
Tomas Alfredson's Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy. Roundup.
Andrea Arnold's Wuthering Heights. Roundup.
George Clooney's The Ides of March. Roundup.
Emauele Crialese's Terraferma. Roundup.
David Cronenberg's A Dangerous Method. Roundup. Daniel Kasman.
Abel Ferrara's 4:44 Last Day on Earth. Daniel Kasman.
Philippe Garrel's That Summer. Roundup. Daniel Kasman.
Ann Hui's A Simple Life. Roundup. Daniel Kasman.
Giorgos Lanthimos's Alps.
- 9/10/2011
- MUBI
The most stunning discovery so far at Venice is not a new film at all but rather a film that feels completely new. Alberto Grifi and Massimo Sarchielli’s Anna (1972-1975), restored for the “Orizzonti 1960-1978” retrospective, is a startling documentary that takes upon itself to tell the story of a 16 year-old pregnant transient Roman but quickly, awkwardly and organically morphs into something else.
The film begins with the filmmakers trying to re-enact scenes of their initial contact with the eponymous girl, but soon we see the process of their direction, with shots beginning or ending with direction from Sarchielli as to what Anna should or or say in the scene. Sarchielli himself appears on screen as much as Anna because he volunteers to take the homeless girl into his house, where she can be cared for...and filmed.
This action is at the core of the film, because it...
The film begins with the filmmakers trying to re-enact scenes of their initial contact with the eponymous girl, but soon we see the process of their direction, with shots beginning or ending with direction from Sarchielli as to what Anna should or or say in the scene. Sarchielli himself appears on screen as much as Anna because he volunteers to take the homeless girl into his house, where she can be cared for...and filmed.
This action is at the core of the film, because it...
- 9/8/2011
- MUBI
The retrospective at this year's Venice film festival is dedicated to Italian experimental cinema of the 1960s and 70s.
Designed by Enrico Magrelli and his team (Domenico Monetti, Luca Pallanch) from a commission and idea of Mostra director Marco Muller, it has been conceived in full consistency with the Mostra's Orizzonti section, which is dedicated every year to showing short medium and feature length films showcasing new trends of world cinema. Research, experimentation, new languages, "non mainstream" and cross-discipline works are therefore represented both in the premieres of Orizzonti and in the Retrospective section. No doubt many will also make a connection with this year's presentation of an impressive restoration of Nick Ray's We Can’t Go Home Again.
The retrospective includes many films that were never (or seldom) shown outside of Italy, among which a great number of absolute discoveries, as well as the long-awaited true restoration of...
Designed by Enrico Magrelli and his team (Domenico Monetti, Luca Pallanch) from a commission and idea of Mostra director Marco Muller, it has been conceived in full consistency with the Mostra's Orizzonti section, which is dedicated every year to showing short medium and feature length films showcasing new trends of world cinema. Research, experimentation, new languages, "non mainstream" and cross-discipline works are therefore represented both in the premieres of Orizzonti and in the Retrospective section. No doubt many will also make a connection with this year's presentation of an impressive restoration of Nick Ray's We Can’t Go Home Again.
The retrospective includes many films that were never (or seldom) shown outside of Italy, among which a great number of absolute discoveries, as well as the long-awaited true restoration of...
- 8/29/2011
- MUBI
Dueling festival lineups! It seems that for every announcement for the Toronto International Film Festival lineup comes a competing (and often overlapping) one from Venice. Here we're collecting the finalized Venice lineups so far. (Above image: Philippe Garrel's A Burning Hot Summer.)
Competition
The Ides of March (George Clooney, USA) (opening night) 4:44 Last Day on Earth (Abel Ferrara, USA) Alps (Yorgos Lanthimos, Greece) A Burning Hot Summer (Philippe Garrel, France) Carnage (Roman Polanski, France/Germany/Spain/Poland) Chicken With Plums (Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud, France/Belgium/Germany) A Dangerous Method (David Cronenberg, Canada) Dark Horse (Todd Solondz, USA) The Exchange (Eran Kolirin, Israel/Germany) Faust (Alexander Sokurov, Russia) Himizu (Sion Sono, Japan) Killer Joe (William Friedkin, USA) Life without Principle (Johnnie To, Hk) Quando la notte (Cristina Comencini, Italy) Seediq Bale (Wei Desheng, Taiwan) Shame (Steve McQueen, UK) Terraferma (Emanuele Crialese, Italy) Texas Killing Fields (Ami Canaan Mann,...
Competition
The Ides of March (George Clooney, USA) (opening night) 4:44 Last Day on Earth (Abel Ferrara, USA) Alps (Yorgos Lanthimos, Greece) A Burning Hot Summer (Philippe Garrel, France) Carnage (Roman Polanski, France/Germany/Spain/Poland) Chicken With Plums (Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud, France/Belgium/Germany) A Dangerous Method (David Cronenberg, Canada) Dark Horse (Todd Solondz, USA) The Exchange (Eran Kolirin, Israel/Germany) Faust (Alexander Sokurov, Russia) Himizu (Sion Sono, Japan) Killer Joe (William Friedkin, USA) Life without Principle (Johnnie To, Hk) Quando la notte (Cristina Comencini, Italy) Seediq Bale (Wei Desheng, Taiwan) Shame (Steve McQueen, UK) Terraferma (Emanuele Crialese, Italy) Texas Killing Fields (Ami Canaan Mann,...
- 8/9/2011
- MUBI
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