Also in Tuesday morning’s round-up of news briefs, the New York Film Festival will debut a portion of a new Oliver Stone project. Paramount nabs Kevin Costner for Kenneth Branagh project. Jim Carrey is being courted for super-hero project. And Italian television warns of a “racy” Venice lineup. Dick Van Dyke to Receive 49th SAG Life Achievement Award The award is SAG-AFTRA’s highest honor given to an actor that exemplifies the “finest ideals of the acting profession.” Van Dyke will receive the honor at the 19th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards, taking place Sunday, January 27th. New York Film Festival to Feature Oliver Stone Debut & More The 50th NYFF will include a sneak preview of Oliver Stone’s The Untold History of the United States , produced as a 10-part mini-series for Showtime. The first three chapters will be presented by NYFF. Additionally, the event will present anniversary screenings of the classics Lawrence of Arabia , Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and The Princess Bride as part of its 2012 event taking place September 28 – October 14. Around the ‘net… Tony Scott’s Family Says He Did Not Have Brain Cancer Initial reports that Scott’s suicide may have stemmed from brain cancer apparently were incorrect. ABCNews.com initially reported the director suffered from inoperable brain cancer, but family members denied that he was suffering any severe medical issues, USA Today reports . Paramount Gets Kevin Costner for Jack Ryan and Without Remorse Pics The studio had been courting Costner for the Kenneth Branagh-directed Jack Ryan film with Chris Pine as well as the spinoff franchise Without Remorse , Deadline reports . Jim Carrey Being Courted for Kick-Ass 2 It is not clear he’ll accept, but Jim Carrey is being courted by Universal to “play a showy supporting role in Kick-Ass 2: Balls to the Wall , directed by Jeff Wadlow, Deadline reports . Berlusconi TV Channel Slams Venice for “Racy Lineup” A network owned by disgraced former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi said the Venice Film Festival needs an adults-only rating, though its spiel on the films may have been at least somewhat tongue-in-cheek. The festival includes potentially controversial new work from Terrence Malick, Paul Thomas Anderson, Harmony Korine, Brian DePalma and Marco Bellocchio. Venice takes place August 29 – September 8, The Guardian reports .
The 37th Toronto International Film Festival added more titles Tuesday, completing a lineup that includes 289 features of which 146 are world premieres from 72 countries. Among the titles revealed today are Cannes Palme d’Or winner Amour by Michael Haneke, Everyday by Michael Winterbottom, Like Someone in Love by Abbas Kiarostami and Me and You by Bernardo Bertolucci. The festival touted its huge list of directors and actors expected to attend the event, which takes place September 6 – 16. The festival revealed titles in its Masters and Discovery sections as well as events planned for its conversational “Mavericks series.” TIFF will also host its Docs Conference for a second year, expanding the event to two days and it will allow for public participation. The event will kick off with a keynote from HBO Documentary Films’ Sheila Nevins. Among this year’s directors expected to attend are: Rian Johnson, Noah Baumbach, Deepa Mehta, Derek Cianfrance, Sion Sono, Joss Whedon, Neil Jordan, Lu Chuan, Shola Lynch, Barry Levinson, Yvan Attal, Ben Affleck, Marina Zenovich, Costa-Gavras, Laurent Cantet, Sally Potter, Dustin Hoffman. Baltasar Kormákur, J.A. Bayona, Rob Zombie, Peaches and Paul Andrew Williams. Actors expected to attend include: Bruce Willis, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Jackie Chan, Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Bill Murray, Robert Redford, Riz Ahmed, Ryan Gosling, Robert De Niro, Stephen Dorff, Dennis Quaid, Jennifer Connelly, Billy Bob Thornton, Bradley Cooper, Penelope Cruz, Marion Cotillard, Colin Firth, Kate Hudson, Kiefer Sutherland, Gwyneth Paltrow and many more. “These Masters films represent cinema’s living legacy,” said Piers Handling, Director and CEO, TIFF. “We are proud to present new work from directors as renowned as Manoel de Oliveira, Michael Haneke, Bernardo Bertolucci and Abbas Kiarostami. All 14 filmmakers command the respect of audiences, critics and above all their filmmaking peers.” 2012 Toronto International Film Festival additions with descriptions provided by the event. Masters: Amour by Michael Haneke, Austria/France/Germany North American Premiere Screen legends Jean-Louis Trintignant and Emmanuelle Riva are ineffably moving as an elderly couple facing their own mortality in the Palme d’Or-winning new work by modern master Michael Haneke (The White Ribbon). Beyond the Hills (Dupa Dealuri) by Cristian Mungiu, Romania/France North American Premiere Palme d’Or winner Cristian Mungiu (4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days) returns with this magisterial drama about a young Romanian woman who sets out to retrieve her childhood friend from “captivity” in a remote Romanian monastery, and soon comes into violent conflict with the archaic strictures of this traditional community. Everyday by Michael Winterbottom, United Kingdom World Premiere Everyday tells the story of four children separated from their father, and a wife separated from her husband. The father, Ian (John Simm), is in prison. The mother, Karen, (Shirley Henderson) has to bring up a family of four children by herself. Filmed over a period of five years, Everyday uses the repetitions and rhythms of everyday life to explore how a family can survive a prolonged period apart. Gebo and the Shadow (Gebo et l’ombre) by Manoel de Oliveira, Portugal/France North American Premiere Cinematic legends Jeanne Moreau, Claudia Cardinale and Michael Lonsdale star in the new film from legendary Portuguese master Manoel de Oliveira. In Another Country (Da-Reun Na-ra-e-suh) by Hong Sang-soo, South Korea North American Premiere South Korean master Hong Sang-soo teams with French superstar Isabelle Huppert for this inventive and wonderfully witty three-part film, in which three different but strikingly similar women — all named Anne, and all played by Huppert — meet and interact with the same group of people in a seaside Korean town, with each encounter producing a set of intriguing new outcomes and new possibilities. Like Someone in Love by Abbas Kiarostami, Japan/France North American Premiere An old man and a young woman meet in Tokyo. She knows nothing about him; he thinks he knows her. He welcomes her into his home, she offers him her body. But the web that is woven between them in the space of 24 hours bears no relation to the circumstances of their encounter. Me and You by Bernardo Bertolucci, Italy North American Premiere In Italian master Bernardo Bertolucci’s first feature in 10 years, Lorenzo is a quirky 14-year-old loner who plans to fulfill his teenage dream of happiness by hiding out in his apartment building’s abandoned cellar. To escape his overwrought parents, Lorenzo will tell them that he is going away on a ski trip with school friends. For an entire week, he will finally be able to avoid all conflicts and pressures to be a “normal” teenager. But an unexpected visit from his worldly older half-sister Olivia changes everything. Their emotional time together will inspire Lorenzo to come to terms with the challenge of casting aside his disguise of troubled youth and prepare to soon be thrown into the chaotic game of adult life. Night Across the Street (La Noche de Enfrente) by Raúl Ruiz, France/Chile North American Premiere Three intersecting ages of a man who can see approach of death. Three rival souls. The final testament of Raúl Ruiz. Pieta by Kim Ki-duk, South Korea North American Premiere In the new film by controversial Korean auteur Kim Ki-duk, a brutal man employed by a loan shark is forced to reconsider his violent lifestyle when a mysterious woman appears claiming to be his long-lost mother. But, as his attachment to her grows, he begins to discover the gruesome and tragic secret that made her seek him out. Something in the Air (Après mai) by Olivier Assayas, France North American Premiere At the beginning of the seventies, Gilles, a high school student in Paris, is swept up in the political fever of the time. Yet his real dream is to paint and make films, something that his friends and even his girlfriend cannot understand. For them, politics is everything, the political struggle all-consuming. But Gilles gradually becomes more comfortable with his life choices, and learns to feel at ease in this new society. Student by Darezhan Omirbayev, Kazakhstan North American Premiere Master director Darezhan Omirbayev transposes Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment to modern-day Kazakhstan, in this tale of a university student who takes the ruthless social Darwinist principles of his post-communist, pirate-capitalist society to their murderously literal extreme. When Day Breaks by Goran Paskaljevic, Serbia/Croatia/France World Premiere Misha Brankov is a retired music professor. One morning he receives a letter requesting him to contact the Jewish Museum in Belgrade. At the museum, he learns that during some excavations on the sewers at the city’s Old Fairgrounds, an iron box was found, in this same place where during the Second World War an infamous concentration camp was set up for Serbian Jews and Gypsies. The contents of the box will change the Professor’s life. Maverick Series: In Conversation With… Jackie Chan Actor, director, writer, producer, comedian, stuntman, action choreographer and martial artist Jackie Chan continues to do it all. His tireless work in more than 100 films over four decades has made him a global icon. There may be no corner of this planet where his face — and fists — are unknown. In this exclusive Mavericks Conversation, Chan will discuss the full range of his career. In a Festival exclusive, he will also offer a sneak preview glimpse of his upcoming film, Chinese Zodiac. Moderated by Cameron Bailey. Sons of the Clouds: The Last Colony Produced by and starring Academy Award®-winning actor Javier Bardem, Álvaro Longoria’s documentary Sons of the Clouds: The Last Colony examines the current political turmoil in Northern Africa, and the role of the Western world’s realpolitik foreign policies. These policies have generated tremendous instabilities that have erupted into violence and chaos. The film focuses on Western Sahara, the last African colony according to the UN, and a region on the brink of war. The film follows Bardem’s personal journey through the path of world diplomacy and the devastating reality of an abandoned people. Following the North American premiere screening, Bardem joins Longoria onstage to discuss how he discovered this catastrophic human rights issue, and his determination to bring the cause of the Saharan refugees to the attention of the UN Assembly. The Pervert’s Guide to Ideology Depending on one’s view, the philosopher and academic superstar Slavoj Žižek is a genius, madman, contrarian, clown, sensationalist, radical leftist, scourge of liberals, or all the above. What he never fails to be is wildly entertaining and provocative. Director Sophie Fiennes reunites with the very funny provocateur Žižek for the sequel to their collaboration The Pervert’s Guide to Cinema. Žižek examines film clips, both famous and obscure, for their overt and hidden ideological implications, tracing their connections to current times, while Fiennes does a masterful job editing Žižek’s commentary into film scenes and placing him into clever recreations of famous film sets. Fiennes and Žižek (making his first visit to the Festival) will engage in an onstage discussion following this world premiere screening. West of Memphis From Academy Award-nominated director Amy Berg, in collaboration with first-time producers Damien Echols and Lorri Davis along with acclaimed Academy Award-winning filmmakers Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh, comes West of Memphis — a powerful examination of a catastrophic failure of justice in Arkansas. This infamous case of three teenagers — known as the West Memphis Three — who were imprisoned for a heinous crime despite overwhelming evidence of their innocence, has galvanized grassroots supporters and high-profile advocates such as Johnny Depp, Eddie Vedder, Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh and musician Natalie Maines. Told and made by those who lived it, Berg’s unprecedented access to the inner workings of the defence allows the film to show the investigation, research and appeals process in a way that has never been seen before. A pre-taped video introduction by Jackson precedes the screening, which is followed by a live discussion about the case and the movement it inspired with Berg, Echols, Davis, Maines and Depp. Moderated by Thom Powers. Discovery: 7 Boxes by Juan Carlos Maneglia, Tana Schémbori, Paraguay International Premiere It’s Friday night in Asunción and the temperature is 40ºC. Víctor, a 17-year-old wheelbarrow-boy, dreams of becoming famous and covets a cell phone in Mercado 4. He is offered the chance to deliver seven boxes with unknown contents in exchange for $100. This sounds like an easy job but it soon gets complicated. Something in the boxes is highly coveted. Víctor and his persecutors find themselves caught up in a crime they know nothing about. Starring Celso Franco, Lali González, Víctor Sosa and Nico García. Augustine by Alice Winocour, France International Premiere Paris, winter 1885. At the Pitié-Salpêtriere Hospital, Professor Charcot is studying a mysterious illness: hysteria. Augustine, 19 years old, becomes his favourite guinea pig and the star of his demonstrations of hypnosis. The object of his studies will soon become the object of his desire. Starring Soko, Vincent Lindon and Chiara Mastroianni. Blancanieves by Pablo Berger, Spain/France World Premiere Once upon a time, there was a little girl who never knew her mother. She learned the art of her father, a famous bullfighter, but was hated by her evil stepmother. One day she ran away with a troupe of dwarfs and became a legend. Set in southern Spain in the 1920s, Blancanieves is a tribute to silent film. Starring Maribel Verdú and Daniel Giménez Cacho. Boy Eating the Bird’s Food by Ektoras Lygizos, Greece North American Premiere A 22-year-old boy in Athens has no job, no money, no girlfriend and no food to eat. He has only a canary bird and a beautiful singing voice. When he finds himself without a home, he must seek shelter for his bird. Starring Yiannis Papadopoulos. The Brass Teapot by Ramaa Mosley, USA World Premiere John and Alice are in their 20s, married, very much in love, and broke. In high school, gorgeous Alice was voted “most likely to succeed” but now she’s just trying to make ends meet while her friends are enjoying the good life. Her husband John, loving but immature, just wants to get the bills paid. After they get into an accident and end up at a roadside antique shop, Alice is uncharacteristically drawn to shoplift a brass teapot. It isn’t long before they realize this is no ordinary teapot. Starring Juno Temple, Michael Angarano, Alexis Bledel, Alia Shawkat, Bobby Moynihan, Stephen Park, Billy Magnussen and Debra Monk. Burn It Up Djassa by Lonesome Solo, Ivory Coast/France World Premiere In the busy streets of Abidjan, Tony, an out-of-school youth, scrapes together a living by hawking cigarettes but he soon turns to violence. Shot in 11 days in Abidjan, Burn It Up Djassa breathes new life into Ivory Coast film. Starring Abdoul Karim Konaté, Adélaïde Ouattara, Mamadou Diomandé and Mohamed Bamba. Call Girl by Mikael Marcimain, Sweden/Ireland/Norway/Finland World Premiere Stockholm, late 1970s. Within a stone’s throw of government buildings and juvenile homes lies the seductive world of sex clubs, discotheques and private residences. Call Girl tells the story of how young Iris is recruited from the bottom of society into a ruthless world where power can get you anything. Starring Pernilla August, Sofia Karemyr, Simon J Berger, Sven Nordin, David Dencik, Ruth Vega Fernandez, Josefin Asplund, Magnus Krepper and Kristoffer Joner. Clip by Maja Milos, Serbia North American Premiere Jasna is a beautiful girl in her mid-teens, leading a crude life in postwar Serbia. With a terminally ill father and dispirited mother, she is disillusioned and angry with everyone and everything, including herself. Having a huge crush on a boy from school, she goes on a spree of sex, drugs and partying, constantly filming with her mobile phone. Still, in that very harsh environment – love and tenderness emerge. Starring Isidora Simijonovic, Vukašin Jasnic, Sanja Mikitišin, Jovo Makisc and Monja Savic. The Color of the Chameleon by Emil Christov, Bulgaria World Premiere This is a story without innocents. A maniacal informant creates his own phantom secret-police department. He recruits a group of intellectuals to spy on each other and uses his secret archive to wreak havoc on the government. Secret policing reveals its dark nature not only in its nauseating cruelties, but in its deviant pleasures. Starring Ruscen Vidinliev, Irena Milyankova, Rousy Chanev, Deyan Donkov, Svetlana Yancheva and Samuel Finzi. The Deflowering of Eva van End by Michiel ten Horn, The Netherlands World Premiere The Deflowering of Eva van End is a tragicomedy about the van End family who, after the arrival of an impossibly perfect German exchange student, can no longer imagine how they ever managed to live with their imperfect selves. Starring Vivian Dierickx, Abe Dijkman, Tomer Pawlicki, Jacqueline Blom, Ton Kas and Rafael Gareisen. Detroit Unleaded by Rola Nashef, USA World Premiere Caught between the cultures of contemporary Detroit and traditional Arab-America, Sami works behind the bulletproof glass of a 24-hour gas station with his cousin Mike. Inside this unique East-side neighborhood, the once university-bound Sami is forced to put his dreams aside and resign himself to a world composed of junk food, overpriced Tigers baseball memorabilia, and cheap, long-distance phone cards. And then the beautiful Naj walks in. Starring E.J. Assi, Nada Shouhayib, Mike Batayeh, Mary Assel, Akram El-Ahmar and Steven Soro. Eat Sleep Die by Gabriela Pichler, Sweden North American Premiere When the forceful young Muslim Swedish/Balkan factory worker Raša loses her job, she must navigate the unemployment system. With no high school diploma, no job – but her boots deeply stained with the mud of the small town she grew up in – Raša finds herself on a collision course with society and its contradictory values and expectations. First time amateur actors play all of the main characters in the film. Starring Nermina Lukac, Milan Dragišic, Peter Fält, Ružica Pichler and Jonathan Lampinen. Fill the Void by Rama Burshtein, Israel North American Premiere Fill the Void tells the story of an Orthodox Hassidic family from Tel Aviv. Eighteen-year-old Shira is the youngest daughter of the family. She is about to be married to a promising young man of the same age and background. It is a dream come true and Shira feels prepared and excited. When her 28-year-old sister, Esther, dies while giving birth to her first child, Shira’s promised match is postponed. When Shira’s mother finds out that Esther’s widower may leave the country with her only grandchild, she proposes a match between Shira and the widower. Shira will have to choose between her heart’s wish and her family duty. Starring: Hadas Yaron, Yiftach Klein, Irit Sheleg, Chaim Sharir, Razia Israely, Hila Feldman, Renana Raz, Yael Tal, Michael David Weigl and Ido Samuel. The Interval by Leonardo Di Costanzo, Italy North American Premiere A boy and a girl have been locked up in an enormous abandoned building in Naples. The boy has been forced by a Camorra gang to act as her jail-keeper. But as the hours go by, hostility gives way to a form of exchange and when the Camorra gang members make their appearance at sunset, the pair are different from what we were expecting. Starring: Francesca Riso, Alessio Gallo, Carmine Paternoster, Salvatore Ruocco, Antonio Buil, Jean Yves Morard Janeane from Des Moines by Grace Lee, USA World Premiere A conservative housewife wants to “take America back” in the 2012 election, but a tough economy causes some difficulties in her life, leading her to confront Republican contenders as they criss-cross her state during the Iowa Caucuses. But will anyone hear her story? Starring Jane Edith Wilson, Michael Oosterom, Mitt Romney, Michele Bachmann, Rick Santorum, Rick Perry and Newt Gingrich. La Sirga by William Vega, Colombia/France/Mexico North American Premiere Alice is helpless. War memories invade her mind like threatening thunder. Uprooted by the armed conflict, she tries to reshape her life in La Sirga, a decadent hostel on the shores of a great lake in the highlands of the Andes. There, on a swampy and murky beach, she will try to settle down until her fears and the threat of war resurface again. Starring Joghis Seudin Arias, David Fernando Guacas, Julio César Roble, Heraldo Romero and Floralba Achicanoy . The Land of Eb by Andrew Williamson, USA World Premiere The Land of Eb relates a compassionate portrait of the Marshallese diaspora in Kona, Hawaii from the point of view of a hard-working and loving family man. Jacob forgoes cancer treatment in order to provide for his family when he’s gone. An insightful and ultimately joyful reminder of the lasting effects of the nuclear age. Starring Jonithen Jackson, Rojel Jonithen, Jeff Nashion and Hilary Monson. Nights with Theodore by Sébastien Betbeder, France World Premiere A party in a Parisian flat. Theodore meets Anna. Later in the night, while walking through Paris, they decide to climb the fence of Buttes-Chaumont Park. There, they will share their first night and they will continue to come back until this strange attraction begins to separate them. In Nights with Theodore, fiction meets documentary to show the mysteries and fantasies of Buttes-Chaumont Park. Starring Pio Marmaï and Agathe Bonitzer. Mushrooming by Toomas Hussar, Estonia North American Premiere Politician Aadu and his wife set out to pick mushrooms on a day when he gets a call from a journalist confronting him with suspected corruption. By coincidence, the married couple find themselves in a car with a pompous rock idol named Zäk. After discovering the spot his wife chose to pick mushrooms is full of vacationers, Aadu decides to find a quieter place. The woods where he ultimately ends up however, are perhaps too deep and inhospitable. Finding a way out may not be easy. This black comedy, with touches of political satire, aims at the often unscrupulous behaviour of contemporary politicians and media stars on their way to power and popularity. Starring Raivo E. Tamm, Elina Reinold, Juhan Ulfsak, Üllar Saaremäe and Hendrik Toompere Jr. Our Little Differences by Sylvie Michel, Germany International Premiere The seemingly harmonious relationship between the prestigious Doctor, Sebastian and his Bulgarian cleaning lady, Jana, develops into a vicious power game, when her daughter Vera and Arthur, the doctor’s son, vanish without a trace. Starring Wolfram Koch, Bettina Stucky, Leonard Bruckmann, Silvia Petkova, Wilhelm Eilers, Cornelia Brunig, Katharina Kubel and Jacqueline Macaulay. Out in the Dark by Michael Mayer, Israel/USA North American Premiere Two young men—a Palestinian grad student and an Israeli lawyer—meet and fall in love amidst personal and political intrigue in this striking debut feature. As their relationship deepens, Nimer is confronted with the harsh realities of a Palestinian society that refuses to accept him for his sexual identity, and an Israeli society that rejects him for his nationality. Starring Nicholas Jacob and Michael Aloni. Satellite Boy by Catriona McKenzie, Australia World Premiere While trying to save his home from being bought up by developers, a young Aboriginal boy becomes lost in the Outback with his smart-mouthed friend, and must call on the wisdom and survival skills passed down to him by his grandfather (played by legendary Australian actor David Gulpilil) in order to lead them out of the wilderness. Starring David Gulpilil, Cameron Wallaby, Joseph Pedley, Rohanna Angus and Dean Daley-Jones. Wasteland by Rowan Athale, United Kingdom World Premiere Battered, bruised and under arrest, Harvey Denton sits in a police interview room facing interrogation. Clutching a stack of eyewitness statements, Detective Inspector West has no doubt as to Harvey’s part in a foiled robbery and his subsequent attempted murder of local businessman Steven Roper. Denying nothing, Harvey agrees to tell his version of events in full. As the story unfolds, we discover that a malevolent and unjust act perpetrated by Roper put Harvey in prison and now he has a score to settle. What unfolds is a tense and exhilarating heist of unexpected proportions. Starring: Luke Treadaway, Iwan Rheon, Matthew Lewis, Gerard Kearns, Timothy Spall, Vanessa Kirby and Neil Maskell. Canadian films previously announced in the Discovery programme include: Jason Buxton’s Blackbird, Igor Drljaca’s Krivina, Kate Melville’s Picture Day and Kazik Radwanski’s Tower. TIFF Kids: Nono, The Zigzag Kid by Vincent Bal, Belgium/The Netherlands World Premiere Nono wants to be like his father – the best police inspector of the world – but he gets into trouble all the time. Two days before his Bar Mitzvah, he’s sent away to his uncle Sjmoel, in order to keep to the straight and narrow. However, during the train ride Nono gets a last chance to prove himself. Along with master burglar Felix Glick – an old acquaintance of his father – he’s able to stop the train. He then enters a world of disguises, chases, French chansons, and of Zohara, a mysterious lady whose secrets will change Nono’s life forever. TIFF Docs: Monday, Sept 10 Keynote Conversation with Sheila Nevins 9:30 – 10:45 am Sheila Nevins, the President of HBO Documentary Films, speaks on the topic of “How Far Can Documentaries Go?” in a conversation moderated by film critic John Anderson. Nevins makes her first trip to the Festival with two films that she executive produced: Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God and First Comes Love. Making History: A Conversation with Ken Burns and Shola Lynch 11 am – 12:15 pm Acclaimed filmmakers Ken Burns (The Central Park Five) and Shola Lynch (Free Angela and All Political Prisoners) talk about directing historical documentaries in a conversation moderated by author and filmmaker Nelson George (Brooklyn Boheme). The Fruit Hunters sneak preview 1 pm – 2:15 pm Yung Chang (Up the Yangtzee; China Heavyweight) presents an exclusive sneak preview of selected scenes from his much-anticipated new film The Fruit Hunters, based on the best-selling book. World Premiere of Rafea: Solar Mama 2:30 pm – 4:30 pm Egyptian-American filmmakers Jehane Noujaim (Control Room) and Mona Eldaief present the world premiere of Rafea:Solar Mama, a documentary that follows an illiterate mother from Jordan to the Barefoot College in India that trains impoverished women in technology for solar energy. The film is part of the ambitious Why Poverty? series coming this fall. After the film, the directors will take part in a conversation with commissioning editors Nick Fraser (BBC’s Storyville) and Mette Meyer Hoffman (DVTR / Denmark). Tuesday, Sept 11 World Premiere of The Last White Knight 9:30 am – 11:30 am Filmmaker Paul Saltzman (Prom Night in Missisissippi) presents the world premiere of his latest work The Last White Knight. A former civil rights worker and 1960s activist, Saltzman returns to Mississippi to meet a man who once attacked him — Byron “Delay” De La Beckwith, the son of the man convicted of murdering Medgar Evers — in this affecting documentary about racism, the South (new and old) and the possibilities of reconciliation. Maximizing the Education Market 11:45 am – 12:45 pm Leading distributors who specialize in bringing documentaries to the educational market discuss how filmmakers can maximize opportunities in this area. Co-presented by DOC Toronto. New Trends in Documentary Broadcasting 1:15 – 2:15 pm Representatives from leading broadcast brands in North America discuss new initiatives for documentaries on their channels. Fight Like Soldiers, Die Like Children 2:30 – 4:30 pm Director Patrick Reed (Triage), producer Peter Raymont and the general-turned-author and advocate Romé
Tony Scott , the director who helped define high-octane ’80s action with his movies Top Gun (1986) and Beverly Hills Cop II (1987), has died of an apparent suicide at age 68. The Wrap reports that Scott jumped from a suspension bridge in Los Angeles yesterday afternoon, and the coroner’s office has confirmed that the British-born filmmaker’s body was retrieved from the LA harbor. A suicide note was discovered in Scott’s car, and The New York Daily News is reporting that a battle with inoperable brain cancer may have led to his suicide. Scott worked for years as a commercial filmmaker before making his feature debut with The Hunger (1983), a Mr. Skin Hall-of-Famer that features Susan Sarandon and Catherine Deneuve in one of the hottest lesbian scenes in SKINema history. That sort of Sapphic heat naturally caught Hollywood’s attention, and box-office supremacy soon followed with films like Days of Thunder (1990), The Last Boy Scout (1991), True Romance (1993), Crimson Tide (1995), and Man on Fire (2004). Scott’s last film was 2010’s Unstoppable , a runaway-train movie starring Denzel Washington and Rosario Dawson . He is survived by his wife and two sons. Give a one-handed salute to the work of Tony Scott with nudes from Susan Sarandon in The Hunger , Keira Knightley in Domino (2005) and more right here at MrSkin.com!
Tony Scott apparently had been diagnosed with inoperable brain cancer, preliminary reports have said. The Top Gun director died Sunday after jumping from a bridge in near Los Angeles. A source close to Scott, who also directed Days of Thunder and Crimson Tide told ABC News that the British-born filmmaker had the debilitating disease. Scott, 68, left several notes to loved ones in his car, according to the Associated Press. “I can confirm that Tony Scott has passed away. The family asks that their privacy is respected at this time,” Scott’s spokesman, Simon Halls, said in a statement, according to the AP. Scott’s body was found about 3pm Sunday. He had apparently jumped from the Vincent Thomas Bridge in the city’s harbor in San Pedro. Tony Scott was the younger brother of producer and director Ridley Scott. Their production company, Scott Free Productions produced CBS dramas NUMB3RS and The Good Wife . Prometheus was the latest to hail from their joint company. Fellow director Ron Howard tweeted Sunday: “No more Tony Scott movies. Tragic day.” Scott is survived by his wife Donna and their twin sons. [ Source: ABC News ]
Tony Scott apparently had been diagnosed with inoperable brain cancer, preliminary reports have said. The Top Gun director died Sunday after jumping from a bridge in near Los Angeles. A source close to Scott, who also directed Days of Thunder and Crimson Tide told ABC News that the British-born filmmaker had the debilitating disease. Scott, 68, left several notes to loved ones in his car, according to the Associated Press. “I can confirm that Tony Scott has passed away. The family asks that their privacy is respected at this time,” Scott’s spokesman, Simon Halls, said in a statement, according to the AP. Scott’s body was found about 3pm Sunday. He had apparently jumped from the Vincent Thomas Bridge in the city’s harbor in San Pedro. Tony Scott was the younger brother of producer and director Ridley Scott. Their production company, Scott Free Productions produced CBS dramas NUMB3RS and The Good Wife . Prometheus was the latest to hail from their joint company. Fellow director Ron Howard tweeted Sunday: “No more Tony Scott movies. Tragic day.” Scott is survived by his wife Donna and their twin sons. [ Source: ABC News ]
Real talk, y’all: The first domestic trailer for Juan Antonio Bayona’s disaster drama The Impossible made me a little misty-eyed. Get ready to get your hearts touched by Ewan McGregor and Naomi Watts as parents on vacay with their children who get separated by the devastating 2004 tsunami and attempt to find their way back to each other amid the destruction and chaos. Sniff. The first Spanish language teaser and posters caught our eye with their startlingly frightening imagery, but Summit’s trailer takes a different route with effective results, focusing more on the human drama and bonds at the center of the film. The Impossible marks director Bayona’s English-language debut after impressing with 2007’s The Orphanage . [Trailer debut in HD at Apple .] Based on the true story of one family’s survival of the 2004 tsunami, THE IMPOSSIBLE stars Naomi Watts and Ewan McGregor and is directed by J.A. Bayona (THE ORPHANAGE). Maria (Naomi Watts), Henry (Ewan McGregor) and their three sons begin their winter vacation in Thailand, looking forward to a few days in tropical paradise. But on the morning of December 26th, as the family relaxes around the pool after their Christmas festivities the night before, a terrifying roar rises up from the center of the earth. As Maria freezes in fear, a huge wall of black water races across the hotel grounds toward her. THE IMPOSSIBLE is the powerful and unforgettable account of a family caught, with tens of thousands of strangers, in the mayhem of one of the worst natural catastrophes of our time. But the true-life terror is tempered by the unexpected displays of compassion, courage and simple kindness that Maria and her family encounter during the darkest hours of their lives. Both epic and intimate, devastating and uplifting, The Impossible is a journey to the core of the human heart. The Impossible will be released December 21. Follow Jen Yamato on Twitter . Follow Movieline on Twitter .
Real talk, y’all: The first domestic trailer for Juan Antonio Bayona’s disaster drama The Impossible made me a little misty-eyed. Get ready to get your hearts touched by Ewan McGregor and Naomi Watts as parents on vacay with their children who get separated by the devastating 2004 tsunami and attempt to find their way back to each other amid the destruction and chaos. Sniff. The first Spanish language teaser and posters caught our eye with their startlingly frightening imagery, but Summit’s trailer takes a different route with effective results, focusing more on the human drama and bonds at the center of the film. The Impossible marks director Bayona’s English-language debut after impressing with 2007’s The Orphanage . [Trailer debut in HD at Apple .] Based on the true story of one family’s survival of the 2004 tsunami, THE IMPOSSIBLE stars Naomi Watts and Ewan McGregor and is directed by J.A. Bayona (THE ORPHANAGE). Maria (Naomi Watts), Henry (Ewan McGregor) and their three sons begin their winter vacation in Thailand, looking forward to a few days in tropical paradise. But on the morning of December 26th, as the family relaxes around the pool after their Christmas festivities the night before, a terrifying roar rises up from the center of the earth. As Maria freezes in fear, a huge wall of black water races across the hotel grounds toward her. THE IMPOSSIBLE is the powerful and unforgettable account of a family caught, with tens of thousands of strangers, in the mayhem of one of the worst natural catastrophes of our time. But the true-life terror is tempered by the unexpected displays of compassion, courage and simple kindness that Maria and her family encounter during the darkest hours of their lives. Both epic and intimate, devastating and uplifting, The Impossible is a journey to the core of the human heart. The Impossible will be released December 21. Follow Jen Yamato on Twitter . Follow Movieline on Twitter .
Long before Chick-fil-A fried their way into the center of a gay rights firestorm , Compliance director Craig Zobel was searching for the right setting to tell his chilling tale of order and obedience gone terribly wrong at a fast food joint. “In the back of my head, I probably could have told you that they were on the wrong side of history,” said Zobel, who rocked Sundance with the drama, based on incredible true events, in which a telephone prankster manipulates the manager of a fictional chicken restaurant into the increasingly dehumanizing treatment of one of her employees. “I just didn’t want to look at it.” The natural impulse to obey authority, and the all too-human imperative to ignore our own wrong behavior, pulsate through every (often) cringe-inducing moment of Compliance . Veteran actress Ann Dowd is tragically relatable as Sandra, the middle-aged “Chick-Wich” restaurant manager conned by a caller claiming to be a cop ( Pat Healy ) into detaining young cashier Becky (Dreama Walker) on suspicion of stealing from a customer; interrogation by proxy devolves into humiliation and worse as other reasonable-seeming employees and colleagues get involved. It’s an escalation of events you’d think most people would never fall prey to if it hadn’t happened in real life in over 70 reported incidents in 30 states. The subject matter touches such a raw nerve that Compliance ‘s Sundance screenings prompted walkouts and shouting matches in the audience ; as recently as this week the same thing happened in New York. Zobel talked with Movieline about the highs and lows of sparking controversy at Sundance, how the Stanford Prison Experiment and the work of psychologist Stanley Milgram led him to Compliance ‘s incredibly true inspiration, why Cops is a great resource for writing policeman dialogue, and how shades of Chick-fil-A unintentionally made its way into the most debated film of the year. You made quite a splash at Sundance; were you always expecting this kind of divisive reaction from audiences? I knew that the movie would be challenging to certain types of people, and after having made the movie I thought because of the subject matter and decisions that we made, we’d be leaving some people on the table that wouldn’t like it. So I wasn’t 100 percent surprised. But I made the movie not because I knew the answer to something, but to explore — this stuff is weird, it’s not black and white, and none of it really makes a whole lot of sense to me. So I made it as this question. It was intentional to have a dialogue, and the fact that it happened as fast and as big as it did was kind of amazing. I was on the bus going to another screening at Sundance and heard two people who had no idea who I was talking about it. It was pretty great. What did they say? They were talking about the real cases, but hearing people talking as you walked by – “ Compliance !” – was exciting. Isn’t it scary as a filmmaker to ride the bus at Sundance? I could see how it could be, yeah. [Laughs] Mostly it’s just scary because if you’re riding the bus you’re probably late getting somewhere. When you first heard about these real life fast food prank cases, had you been looking for this kind of crazy real life story for inspiration? I was really interested in the Stanford Prison Experiment, and because of that I started reading about Milgram’s obedience experiments, because at first I was thinking with the prison experiment, that’d be an amazing movie. Then I found out that people are making that movie, that’s happening. Fair enough. By then I was hooked, and it’s hard when you start reading about it; almost anything that’s newer points to real cases and real situations, like the Kitty Genovese case where a woman in the Bronx in the 1970s was attacked in the courtyard of her apartment building and screamed out for help — and it turns out that 24 people heard her and nobody did anything because they thought somebody else would. These kinds of cases just pop up. I heard about these prank phone call cases from that, and I was just reading them because I was fascinated, and I think what made me really consider this as a movie was that days after reading them my first instinct was “I wouldn’t be a guy who’d do that.” Of course — everyone thinks they’d be the one person who would say no, who would feel such a strong sense of right and wrong that they’d stand up to the voice of authority. Right! And of course if it happens 70 times over a 10 year period, and if you look at the Milgram experiments which basically say two-thirds of us would do these kinds of things, how honest am I being? That every time I’ve encountered something I’ve disagreed with in an authority figure I’ve stood up immediately and said what I’ve needed to say? Is it true that you’ve always done that? And people’s relationship with authority, I was like, wow, I don’t see movies like that very much. How close a connection do you feel there is between that sentiment and the ground you explored in Great World of Sound ? I guess in my mind the other film is about rationalizing doing something that deep down you know you shouldn’t be doing, because you need to for one reason or another. In the movies, bad guys are really bad — like, Darth Vader comes out and is just bad as shit. But in real life, nobody thinks they’re a bad guy. Everyone rationalizes that they’re not a bad person, right? But bad things happen, so that can’t totally make sense. In Compliance , you humanize every one of the characters — not just the victim. Watching the film, that eventually the perpetrators of these crimes would eventually pay for their complicity. And then I read about what really happened after the fact. The manager got a settlement out of it, too! It’s hard not to become invested one way or another. The most interesting way to tell the story in my opinion was to be objective about it, and I think that has something to do with the people who reject the film or have conflict with the film who wish that the film was incredibly subjective to Dreama’s point of view, which is a way to do it. But I think that way would have had to have painted everyone else as bad people. And although I think they did something that I definitely disagree with, it was wrong, I guess I have some empathy with the decision making they get into. You start thinking in one direction, and then to back up and say that you made a mistake — for Ann’s character to say she should get out of there — would be to admit that you had done something really dumb. Nobody wants to do that, you know? It was all these human things; I tried to look at all the characters as if you were an alien from outer space. “Why is that happening?” There was one particularly unsettling thing yelled out during the Sundance Q&A… The guy who said the thing about Dreama? I had some interaction with that guy, and — it’s weird, because I’m defending somebody who yelled at me — but I do think that he maybe just didn’t know what he was saying, or said something the wrong way. I think he was reacting to multiple things; the crowd, when the first one yelled “Rape’s not entertainment, this is the year of the woman at Sundance” people were standing up and saying to her, “Well, I want my grandchildren to see this movie!” And he was reacting to the hostility towards her in the room and trying to make her case for her in a weird way. I mean, I think the guy was an idiot and put his foot in his mouth. Do you know what he said after he said that? He said, “Well, your body sure is appealing.” What was going through your head in that moment? I was just worried that Dreama was going to cry. I was like, if I put my arm around you will you just crumple? I was just there. And then [cast member]Ashlie Atkinson grabs the mic and her response is perfect, because she’s smart and has thought about this stuff. And he says, “No, I’m a faggot, I’m not even…” and I’m like, please be quiet. You’re making me uncomfortable not because of what you’re saying, but now I feel weird about you! [Pause] I know how that reads, but I don’t think a lot of people are lasciviously looking at this movie. I think it’d be hard to. We tried as hard as we could to make those scenes not feel comfortable. That was sort of the point; I felt it was important to have nudity in the film and go to a certain degree so the gravity of how insane it was would be there, but it was not meant to paint a picture that was sexy at all. It was actively attempting not to do that. Do you feel like the controversy has been a benefit? The controversy has certainly helped in helping people know about the movie, and it’s helped kickstart discussions that have become really interesting. I’ve had more interesting discussions about gender politics than I’d even hoped people would go as far with. We’ve had super interesting conversations. So in the sense that it legitimized having questions about this movie, the controversy was great. Even if you totally reject the movie and felt like I did a bad job, it’s still interesting to talk about. Was it hard to find Dreama, to find the right actress for this? It was. It was good in that Dreama was as interested in the root story as I was — all the actors were, honestly. Nobody was doing this movie because it was a great paycheck, they were doing it because they were fascinated by the questions that it raised. It wasn’t a super long process; in some ways a lot of people would be uncomfortable with this type of movie. But immediately Dreama and I clicked and she seemed to be picking up what I was putting down. The press notes emphasize how uncomfortable you were directing her in her nude scenes. [Laughs] I was! There was a lot of showing her playback and asking, “Is this okay with you?” But it’s funny, the actual screen time of how much [nudity] you see in the thing is less than you think. I think because of the subject matter it feels like that when you watch the movie. It’s because you’re in that experience with her, her nakedness and vulnerability dominates your brain . Which is really interesting. I wouldn’t say that I knew that would read like that quite to the extent that it has. I just got back from Locarno from the international premiere, and the foreign sales company that is handling our movie is also handling a movie about children during the Holocaust. And I found it funny that they were talking to some distributor in Europe and the European distributor said to Memento, the sales company, “We saw your really heavy movie.” And they were like, “Oh, you mean the one about children in the Holocaust?” And they said, “No, the one about the fast food restaurant!” Heavier than the Holocaust — now there’s a tagline. [Laughs] I don’t think I ever saw that coming. You cast the terrific Pat Healy as your phone caller, and to prepare you had him watch episode of Cops ? I was trying to figure out how to write that cop dialogue, and you quickly start realizing that most of your understanding of cops has to do with TV shows. Law & Order , that kind of thing? Yeah, stuff like that where it’s like your whole understanding of cops is through this media interpretation of them. I was like, how does a cop talk? That’s why I started watching Cops . To Pat I was like, look — it’s all about being passive aggressive. Cops are incredibly passive aggressive! That’s why I sent him the series. You hear them being like, “Okay, ma’am.” The quiet authority. It’s like your entire relationship in any conversation is from a place where you’re a little better. But you wrote the dialogue not knowing what was actually said in these real life phone calls? There are some parts that I’ll just never understand. I didn’t write the scene that gets them to the full-on assault, because I didn’t know. What would they say? It’s also like, who cares? True — you don’t need to hear the exchange leading up to the big assault to believe it. Now, you made Compliance long before the recent Chick-fil-A controversy, but rather presciently set this story within a fast food chicken restaurant. What is it about the insidiousness of chicken? [Laugh] Fried chicken sandwiches! The timing is strangely perfect. It is amazing! It’s bizarre. I’m from Atlanta, where Chick-fil-A is headquartered. I really wanted it to be a regional chain — I didn’t want it to be like, McSwiggins! I hate that in movies. It’s so distracting. Even Fast Food Nation does it, where they’re like, “Mickeys!” I’m like, Mickeys, really? So I was like, what if it’s not a famous one — what if it’s more like one where if you went to your aunt’s house in another state you would be like, there’s some weird fast food restaurant here that I’ve seen three times that I’ve never heard of, you know? And I’m from Atlanta; what is a regional fast food chain that I know? We have two big chains — one is Waffle House which I guess is more of a diner, but we’re proud of it, and the other is Chick-fil-A. It should be a southern fried chicken sandwich place! Maybe you subconsciously tapped into something there. I wonder! It’s funny when you think about it. I knew that Chick-fil-A was super Christian, and was kind of ignoring that because it’s really good food! But it’s that same thing where in the back of my head, I probably could have told you that they were on the wrong side of history. [Laughs] I just didn’t want to look at it. Compliance is in limited release. Follow Jen Yamato on Twitter . Follow Movieline on Twitter .
Mark your calendars, movie nerds: November’s “An Academy Salute to Stanley Kubrick” event, hosted by Malcolm McDowell, will kick off a film retrospective accompanying LACMA’s exhibition dedicated to the films and work of Stanley Kubrick : “Kubrick’s films will be represented through a thoughtful selection of archival material, annotated scripts, photography, costumes, cameras and equipment, set models, original promotional materials, and props. The interdisciplinary exhibition draws attention to Kubrick’s fixation with historical research and his visionary adaptations of influences from the fine arts, design, and architecture, and enables visitors to experience the cinematic journey of one of the great artists of the twentieth century.” [ Deadline ]
This weekend Charisma Carpenter , Nan Yu and Amanda Ooms bring the feminine touch to the macho action flick The Expendables 2 , but for onscreen skin there’s only one game in town: the indie drama Compliance (2012), nude in limited release. Don’t Trust the B—- in Apartment 23 star Dreama Walker makes her nude debut as a fast-food employee forced to strip for her boss thanks to the manipulation of a pervy prank caller. The movie has been the source of some controversy, with multiple walkouts at festival screenings and and The Huffington Post dubbing it ” The most disturbing movie ever made. ” Sound like a fun night out at the movies? Read our review of Compliance after the jump!
