Kim Jong Un and Dennis Rodman bonded over basketball yesterday, with the former NBA star telling the North Korean dictator “you have a friend for life.” Seriously, this happened. Rodman, 51, who is filming a documentary with U.S. media company VICE, is in Pyongyang along with members of the famed Harlem Globetrotters. “The Worm” spent quality time with the reclusive North Korean leader – a big fan of his as a kid – dining on sushi and drinking with him at his palace. It’s still unclear what exactly will result from this “basketball diplomacy” mission in terms of media (or diplomacy), but whatever it is should be something. The unlikely encounter makes Rodman the most high-profile American to meet Kim Jong Un since the young North Korean leader took power in 2011. Yes. Dennis Rodman in North Korea . His trip also takes place against a backdrop of tension between Washington and Pyongyang, which conducted an underground nuclear test just two weeks ago. Kim, a diehard basketball fan, told the former Chicago Bulls star he hoped the visit would break the ice between the United States and North Korea. Kim laughed and slapped his hands on the table before him during the game as he sat nearly knee to knee with Rodman, who chatted with him in English. “They bonded during the game,” VICE’s Shane Smith said by phone from New York after speaking to the crew. “They were both enjoying the crazy shots.” “The Harlem Globetrotters were putting on quite a show.” Oh to be a fly on the wall during those conversations. No word if Dennis, who may or may not know South Korea is a different place , plans to tell Kim to hand over the keys to the nukes at the end of the trip.
The Sundance Film Festival closed out 2013 awarding Fruitvale and Blood Brother its top Dramatic and Documentary award winners respectively. Fruitvale had been the favored winner among insiders neck-n-neck with Ain’t Them Bodies Saints which captured a lot of attention at the fest. In a festival rarity, both Fruitvale and Blood Brother also took the prizes in the Audience categories as well. In other top winners, A River Changes Course took Sundance’s World Cinema Documentary prize, while South Korea’s Jisuel won the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize. Jill Soloway won the Director’s nod in the U.S. Dramatic category. The 2013 Sundance Film Festival Awards: The U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic: Fruitvale / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Ryan Coogler) — The true story of Oscar, a 22-year-old Bay Area resident who crosses paths with friends, enemies, family and strangers on the last day of 2008. Cast: Michael B. Jordan, Octavia Spencer, Melonie Diaz, Ahna O’Reilly, Kevin Durand, Chad Michael Murray. The U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Documentary: Blood Brother / U.S.A. (Director: Steve Hoover) — Rocky went to India as a disillusioned tourist. When he met a group of children with HIV, he decided to stay. He never could have imagined the obstacles he would face, or the love he would find. The World Cinema Grand Jury Prize: Documentary: A River Changes Course / Cambodia, U.S.A. (Director: Kalyanee Mam) — Three young Cambodians struggle to overcome the crushing effects of deforestation, overfishing, and overwhelming debt in this devastatingly beautiful story of a country reeling from the tragedies of war and rushing to keep pace with a rapidly expanding world. The World Cinema Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic: Jiseul / South Korea (Director and screenwriter: Muel O) — In 1948, as the Korean government ordered the Communists’ eviction to Jeju Island, the military invaded a calm and peaceful village. Townsfolk took sanctuary in a cave and debated moving to a higher mountain. Cast: Min-chul SUNG, Jung-won YANG, Young-soon OH, Soon-dong PARK, Suk-bum MOON, Kyung-sub JANG. The Directing Award: U.S. Documentary: Cutie and the Boxer / U.S.A. (Director: Zachary Heinzerling ) — This candid New York love story explores the chaotic 40-year marriage of famed boxing painter Ushio Shinohara and his wife, Noriko. Anxious to shed her role of assistant to her overbearing husband, Noriko seeks an identity of her own. The Directing Award: U.S. Dramatic: Afternoon Delight / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Jill Soloway ) — In this sexy, dark comedy, a lost L.A. housewife puts her idyllic life in jeopardy when she tries to rescue a stripper by taking her in as a live-in nanny. Cast: Kathryn Hahn, Juno Temple, Josh Radnor, Jane Lynch. The Directing Award: World Cinema Documentary: The Machine Which Makes Everything Disappear / Georgia, Germany (Director: Tinatin Gurchiani ) — A film director casting a 15-23-year-old protagonist visits villages and cities to meet people who answer her call. She follows those who prove to be interesting enough through various dramatic and funny situations The Directing Award: World Cinema Dramatic: Crystal Fairy / Chile (Director and screenwriter: Sebastián Silva ) — Jamie invites a stranger to join a road trip to Chile. The woman’s free and esoteric nature clashes with Jamie’s acidic, self-absorbed personality as they head into the desert for a Mescaline-fueled psychedelic trip. Cast: Michael Cera, Gaby Hoffmann, Juan Andrés Silva, José Miguel Silva, Agustín Silva. The Audience Award: U.S. Documentary: Blood Brother / U.S.A. (Director: Steve Hoover) — Rocky went to India as a disillusioned tourist. When he met a group of children with HIV, he decided to stay. He never could have imagined the obstacles he would face, or the love he would find. The Audience Award: U.S. Dramatic: Fruitvale / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Ryan Coogler) — The true story of Oscar, a 22-year-old Bay Area resident who crosses paths with friends, enemies, family and strangers on the last day of 2008. Cast: Michael B. Jordan, Octavia Spencer, Melonie Diaz, Ahna O’Reilly, Kevin Durand, Chad Michael Murray. The Audience Award: World Cinema Documentary: The Square (Al Midan) / Egypt, U.S.A. (Director: Jehane Noujaim) — What does it mean to risk your life for your ideals? How far will five revolutionaries go in defending their beliefs in the fight for their nation? The Audience Award: World Cinema Dramatic: Metro Manila / United Kingdom, Philippines (Director: Sean Ellis, Screenwriters: Sean Ellis, Frank E. Flowers) — Seeking a better life, Oscar and his family move from the poverty-stricken rice fields to the big city of Manila, where they fall victim to various inhabitants whose manipulative ways are a daily part of city survival. Cast: Jake Macapagal, John Arcilla, Althea Vega. The Audience Award: Best of NEXT : This is Martin Bonner / U.S.A.(Director and screenwriter: Chad Hartigan) — Martin Bonner has just moved to Reno for a new job in prison rehabilitation. Starting over at age 58, he struggles to adapt until an unlikely friendship with an ex-con blossoms, helping him confront the problems he left behind. Cast: Paul Eenhoorn, Richmond Arquette, Sam Buchanan, Robert Longstreet, Demetrius Grosse. The Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award: U.S. Dramatic: In a World… / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Lake Bell) — An underachieving vocal coach is motivated by her father, the king of movie-trailer voice-overs, to pursue her aspirations of becoming a voiceover star. Amidst pride, sexism and family dysfunction, she sets out to change the voice of a generation. Cast: Lake Bell, Demetri Martin, Rob Corddry, Michaela Watkins, Ken Marino, Fred Melamed. The Screenwriting Award: World Cinema Dramatic: Wajma (An Afghan Love Story) / Afghanistan (Director and screenwriter: Barmak Akram) — A young man in Kabul seduces a girl. When she tells him she’s pregnant, he questions having taken her virginity. Then her father arrives, and a timeless, archaic violence erupts – possibly leading to a crime, and even a sacrifice. Cast: Wajma Bahar, Mustafa Habibi, Haji Gul, Breshna Bahar. The Editing Award: U.S. Documentary: Gideon’s Army / U.S.A. (Director: Dawn Porter) — Gideon’s Army follows three young, committed Public Defenders who are dedicated to working for the people society would rather forget. Long hours, low pay and staggering caseloads are so common that even the most committed often give up. The Editing Award: World Cinema Documentary: The Summit / Ireland, United Kingdom (Director: Nick Ryan) — Twenty-four climbers converged at the last stop before summiting the most dangerous mountain on Earth. Forty-eight hours later, 11 had been killed or simply vanished. Had one, Ger McDonnell, stuck to the climbers’ code, he might still be alive. The Cinematography Award: U.S. Documentary: Dirty Wars / U.S.A. (Director: Richard Rowley) — Investigative journalist Jeremy Scahill chases down the truth behind America’s covert wars. The Cinematography Award: U.S. Dramatic: Bradford Young for Ain’t Them Bodies Saints and Mother of George: Ain’t Them Bodies Saints / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: David Lowery) — The tale of an outlaw who escapes from prison and sets out across the Texas hills to reunite with his wife and the daughter he has never met. Cast: Rooney Mara, Casey Affleck, Ben Foster, Nate Parker, Keith Carradine. Mother of George / U.S.A. (Director: Andrew Dosunmu, Screenwriter: Darci Picoult) — A story about a woman willing to do anything and risk everything for her marriage. Cast: Isaach De Bankolé, Danai Gurira, Tony Okungbowa, Yaya Alafia, Bukky Ajayi. The Cinematography Award: World Cinema Documentary: Who is Dayani Cristal? / United Kingdom (Director: Marc Silver) — An anonymous body in the Arizona desert sparks the beginning of a real-life human drama. The search for its identity leads us across a continent to seek out the people left behind and the meaning of a mysterious tattoo. The Cinematography Award: World Cinema Dramatic: Lasting / Poland, Spain (Director and screenwriter: Jacek Borcuch) — An emotional love story about two Polish students who fall in love with each other while working summer jobs in Spain. An unexpected nightmare interrupts their carefree time in the heavenly landscape and throws their lives into chaos. Cast: Jakub Gierszal, Magdalena Berus, Angela Molina. A U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award for Achievement: Inequality for All / U.S.A. (Director: Jacob Kornbluth) — In this timely and entertaining documentary, noted economic-policy expert Robert Reich distills the topic of widening income inequality, and addresses the question of what effects this increasing gap has on our economy and our democracy. A U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award for Achievement in Filmmaking to: American Promise / U.S.A. (Directors: Joe Brewster, Michèle Stephenson) — This intimate documentary follows the 12-year journey of two African-American families pursuing the promise of opportunity through the education of their sons. A U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Acting: Miles Teller and Shailene Woodley in The Spectacular Now / U.S.A. (Director: James Ponsoldt, Screenwriters: Scott Neustadter, Michael H. Weber) — Sutter is a high school senior who lives for the moment; Aimee is the introvert he attempts to “save.” As their relationship deepens, the lines between right and wrong, friendship and love, and “saving” and corrupting become inextricably blurred. Cast: Miles Teller, Shailene Woodley, Brie Larson, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Kyle Chandler. A U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Sound Design: Shane Carruth and Johnny Marshall for Upstream Color / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Shane Carruth) — A man and woman are drawn together, entangled in the life cycle of an ageless organism. Identity becomes an illusion as they struggle to assemble the loose fragments of wrecked lives. Cast: Amy Seimetz, Shane Carruth, Andrew Sensenig, Thiago Martins. A World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award: Circles / Serbia, Germany, France, Croatia, Slovenia (Director: Srdan Golubovic, Screenwriters: Srdjan Koljevic, Melina Pota Koljevic) — Five people are affected by a tragic heroic act. Twenty years later, all of them will confront the past through their own crises. Will they overcome guilt, frustration and their urge for revenge? Will they do the right thing, at all costs? Cast: Aleksandar Bercek, Leon Lucev, Nebojsa Glogovac, Hristina Popovic, Nikola Rakocevic, Vuk Kostic. A World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award for “Punk Spirit”: Pussy Riot – A Punk Prayer / Russian Federation, United Kingdom (Directors: Mike Lerner, Maxim Pozdorovkin) — Three young women face seven years in a Russian prison for a satirical performance in a Moscow cathedral. But who is really on trial: the three young artists or the society they live in? The Short Film Audience Award: Catnip: Egress to Oblivion? / U.S.A.(Director: Jason Willis) — Catnip is all the rage with today’s modern feline, but do we really understand it? This film frankly discusses the facts about this controversial substance.
Also in Thursday morning’s round-up of news briefs, Cloud Atlas is being criticized for using “Yellow Face” for white actors. New York salutes the late Andrew Sarris. And an Amy Winehouse play based on her life heads to the stage. Deal Closed for Tom Cruise-Attached Script Our Name is Adam In the pic, Cruise will play an astronaut who travels back in time and works with his younger self. Paramount Pictures acquired the T.S. Nowlin script with Skydance Productions on board as partner, Deadline reports . Al Pacino Making Bank in Broadway Pay Package for Glengarry Glen Rosss Pacino is receiving a minimum of $125K per week and is entitled to 5% of the profits for the 10-week run of David Mamet’s drama now in previews. Pacino plays washed-up huckster Shelley Levene in the play, Deadline reports . Cloud Atlas Slammed for non-Asian Actors and ‘Yellow Face’ Makeup The feature by Andy and Lana Wachowski and Tom Twyker is based on the 2005 David Mitchell novel, which weaves together six story-lines, connecting them through use of the same actors for multiple roles. In one storyline focused in the year 2144 in South Korea, multiple white male actors are given prosthetic makeup to appear Asian. The Media Action Network for Asian Americans blasted the move, THR reports . Film World Salutes Andrew Sarris Top figures in the New York film community feted film critic Andrew Sarris who died in June at 83. He is credited for championing “auteur” theory in America. The tribute took place Wednesday at the Walter Reade Theater at Lincoln Center, TOH reports . Amy Winehouse Theater Play to Open in Denmark A play based on the late singer’s life will feature music from her two studio albums, Frank and Back to Black . It will be based on material from interviews, speeches, concerts, newspapers, letters and songs. A Winehouse spokesperson said the family has nothing to do with the production, BBC reports .
You’ll hear much of the movie stars and familiar faces that pop up again and again in Tom Tykwer and Lana and Andy Wachowski ‘s sprawling, ambitious Cloud Atlas , from Tom Hanks to Halle Berry to frequent Wachowski Starship performer Hugo Weaving. But the beating heart of the film belongs to Korean actress Doona Bae, who makes her English language debut as the luminous Sonmi-451, a genetically-engineered “fabricant” whose fierce humanity and love for a freedom fighter ( Jim Sturgess ) will change the future. Like Sonmi-451, Bae’s world opened up with an unexpected offer from a stranger. A successful model and actress in her native South Korea, she starred in Park Chan-Wook’s Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance and Boon Jong-Ho’s The Host — two of the most popular Korean crossover hits of the last decade, although the humble Bae is still surprised to hear that American audiences may have seen her work. Courted for the role of Sonmi-451 by the Wachowskis themselves, Bae won the part, then took a crash course in English to film her scenes. Bae’s Sonmi-451 (her name a nod to Fahrenheit 451 courtesy of author David Mitchell) inhabits the futuristic world of Neo Seoul circa 2144, where she’s broken out of capitalist enslavement by Hae-Joo Chang (Sturgess), a rebellion operative. Although the actress, like her castmates, portrays multiple characters through the film’s nested plots (including a pre-Civil War Caucasian belle with freckles and a hoop skirt), Bae commands the screen in one of the most transfixing performances of the year every time the film alights back on her ethereal Sonmi. Movieline spoke with the eloquent, soft-spoken Bae in Los Angeles about her journey with Cloud Atlas and the childhood dream of traveling stateside that she couldn’t follow then, but is living now. How did you first meet the Wachowskis and hear about the vision they and Tom Tykwer had for Cloud Atlas ? They just called me! It was weird because I had no American agent at the time, and I didn’t even have a manager in Korea. I was in between managers, so it was hard to find me. [Laughs] But I got a call from my Korean friend, the film director Pil-Sung Yim [ Doomsday Book ], and he said, “Doona, some famous Hollywood filmmakers want to send you a script – do you want to read it?” I said, “Yes, of course!” I got the script and I found, “Oh my god – this is Lana and Andy Wachowski and Tom Tykwer, this must be amazing.” After you got the script, what happened next? I did some auditions and sent in a self-taped recording – my older brother recorded it, and I just read the Sonmi part at home. Which scenes did you record? The scenes with the Archivist in the interrogation room, and one with Chang after I see the slaughterhouse. Two scenes. Then we met each other in Chicago and had camera tests. Then I got the part. [Laughs] It was like a dream. I’m still dreaming. Were you already interested in doing English-language films or attempting to find Hollywood movies to cross over with before Cloud Atlas came along? Actually, no. I wasn’t looking for any parts – if so, I would have learned English earlier. I think if so, I would have prepared. But I thought it might not be possible. Here, science fiction and foreign film fans have seen your work – Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance and The Host in particular played well stateside – so it felt like it would make sense for you to make that move. Really? I haven’t thought about it. Actually, I wasn’t ready, I think – but I worked hard. I worked hard on the language. My favorite subject was English and I wanted to study English abroad when I was young, when I was a kid, but my mom said “No, it’s too dangerous to go abroad by yourself.” So I gave up. Now I’m learning English. I’ve been learning English in London for six months. Jim [Sturgess] says your English has improved quite impressively, and fast. Oh, thank you Jim! So sweet. Had the Wachowskis seen your film Air Doll ? Your character follows a slightly similar path to Sonmi’s. Yes! When I first met Lana and Andy on Skype, I was so curious about it. “How do you know me?” I asked. [Laughs] And Lana said, “We saw Air Doll and The Host and Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance .” “Oh, Air Doll !” I see. There is some connection between the two characters. Sonmi has such a big arc – she changes so much, from being naïve and childlike at the beginning of her story to becoming such a powerful and intelligent woman. That’s exactly what I think of her, actually. I like Sonmi because she has both purity and innocence and at the same time she’s got such a strength. When you were playing her, did you feel a moment in her journey when you felt like she changed the most on her way to becoming who she would be? Actually I don’t study the script – I didn’t analyze anything, I just emptied myself and felt Sonmi, let her into my heart. So when I first saw Yoona-939 die, it was a big shock. It was like I realized something at that time. Also when I met Chang and saw the slaughterhouse – it was gradual. There are so many actors in this cast, but beyond Jim who you spent most of your time with, who did you bond with the most ? Ben [Whishaw] . We became good friends. We actually had no scenes with each other but personally we had a good time – and actually, I was very lonely because I went to Berlin by myself, on my own. I was lonely and a little bit depressed and stressed, and Ben was so sweet. He cheered me up. I’ve got some good energy from him. You recently starred in As One , a film about a Korean table tennis team. Did you ever challenge Susan Sarandon to a match? Oh, not yet! She’s got a ping pong club in New York City, I want to go there! I trained for six months with my left hand, so I can play ping pong with both hands. I should challenge her. I can beat her! Read more on Cloud Atlas , which opens Friday . 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Also in Tuesday afternoon’s round-up of news briefs: Oscar-nominated filmmaker Frank Darabont will receive an upcoming festival tribute. South Korea’s Oscar entry Pietà heads to U.S. theaters. And a sci-fi thriller will also make its way to U.S. audiences. Marion Cotillard to Receive Tribute at 22nd Annual Gotham Awards The Best Actress winner will be honored at the IFP Gotham Independent Film Awards on November 26th in New York City. Cotillard stars in French director Jacques Audiard’s Rust and Bone alongside Matthias Schoenaerts, Bouli Lanners and Céline Sallette. The French actress joins previously announced Tributes Actor, Matt Damon; Director, David O. Russell and Philanthropist and Social Entrepreneur, Jeff Skoll. Ben Affleck Eyes Warner Bros’ Focus Glenn Ficarra and John Requa wrote and will direct the project. “The story centers on a veteran con man who gets involved with a newcomer to the grifter business. They become involved romantically but that becomes perilous in a business where they lie and cheat for a living. The complications of the encounter haunt them when they meet up again in the future,” Deadline reports . Austin Film Festival to Fete Frank Darabont The three-time Oscar-nominated filmmaker of The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile director will receive the festival’s “2012 Extraordinary Contribution to Filmmaking Award” October 20th. This year’s Conference at AFF includes over 80 panels, workshops and roundtable discussions led by more than 100 professionals in the television and film industries. The 19th Austin Film Festival takes place October 18 – 25. Doc NYC Returns for 3rd Year The opening night will feature Jared Leto presenting Artifact (dir. Bartholomew Cubbins) which follows his band Thirty Seconds to Mars as they battle a lawsuit against record label EMI. Also opening is Venus and Serena (dirs. Michelle Major and Maiken Baird), an intimate look at the lives of the tennis-conquering Williams sisters. The festival, taking place November 8 – 15, will feature 115 films and events. Expected guests include Rufus Wainwright, Pete Seeger, Andy Summers, Ice-T, Antony Hegarty, David Bromberg, Ken Burns, Alex Gibney, Rory Kennedy, Jonathan Demme, Barbara Kopple, Joe Berlinger, Radioman and more. For more details on the lineup, visit their website . South Korean Oscar Entry Pietà heads to U.S. Theaters Auteur Kim Ki-Duk’s ( 3-Iron ) latest was chosen by S. Korea as its entry for Best Foreign-Language Oscar consideration. Pietà tells the uncompromising story of a loan shark who is forced to reconsider his violent lifestyle after the arrival of a mysterious woman claiming to be his long-lost mother. Drafthouse Films picked up North American rights to the film and plans a limited theatrical and multi-platform VOD release for Pietà in 2013. Justin Dix’s Crawlspace Heads to U.S. Theaters The sci-fi thriller centers around a group of elite soldiers infiltrate Australia’s top secret military compound. They quickly discover all is not as it seems and the facility is a testing ground for something far more sinister. IFC Midnight, which picked up North American rights to the film, will take Crawlspace to ScreamFest on October 18th.
A record 71 countries, including first-time entrant Kenya, have submitted films for consideration in the Foreign Language Film category for the 85th Academy Awards®. Not joining the list this year is Iran which is boycotting this year’s Oscars because of fall out from the anti-Islam video Innocence of Muslims . Last year, Iranian director Asghar Farhadi won the Academy Award for Best Foreign-Language film for A Separation , a first for a filmmaker from that country. The list of contenders follows: The 85th Academy Awards nominations will be announced live on Thursday, January 10, 2013, at 5:30 a.m. PT in the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater. Academy Awards will be presented on Sunday, February 24, 2013, at The Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center, and televised live on the ABC network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 225 countries worldwide. The 2012 submissions are : Afghanistan, “The Patience Stone,” Atiq Rahimi, director Albania, “Pharmakon,” Joni Shanaj, director Algeria, “Zabana!” Said Ould Khelifa, director Argentina, “Clandestine Childhood,” Benjamín Ávila, director Armenia, “If Only Everyone,” Natalia Belyauskene, director Australia, “Lore,” Cate Shortland, director Austria, “Amour,” Michael Haneke, director Azerbaijan, “Buta,” Ilgar Najaf, director Bangladesh, “Pleasure Boy Komola,” Humayun Ahmed, director Belgium, “Our Children,” Joachim Lafosse, director Bosnia and Herzegovina, “Children of Sarajevo,” Aida Begic, director Brazil, “The Clown,” Selton Mello, director Bulgaria, “Sneakers,” Valeri Yordanov and Ivan Vladimirov, directors Cambodia, “Lost Loves,” Chhay Bora, director Canada, “War Witch,” Kim Nguyen, director Chile, “No,” Pablo Larraín, director China, “Caught in the Web,” Chen Kaige, director Colombia, “The Snitch Cartel,” Carlos Moreno, director Croatia, “Vegetarian Cannibal,” Branko Schmidt, director Czech Republic, “In the Shadow,” David Ondrícek, director Denmark, “A Royal Affair,” Nikolaj Arcel, director Dominican Republic, “Jaque Mate,” José María Cabral, director Estonia, “Mushrooming,” Toomas Hussar, director Finland, “Purge,” Antti J. Jokinen, director France, “The Intouchables,” Olivier Nakache and Eric Toledano, directors Georgia, “Keep Smiling,” Rusudan Chkonia, director Germany, “Barbara,” Christian Petzold, director Greece, “Unfair World,” Filippos Tsitos, director Greenland, “Inuk,” Mike Magidson, director Hong Kong, “Life without Principle,” Johnnie To, director Hungary, “Just the Wind,” Bence Fliegauf, director Iceland, “The Deep,” Baltasar Kormákur, director India, “Barfi!” Anurag Basu, director Indonesia, “The Dancer,” Ifa Isfansyah, director Israel, “Fill the Void,” Rama Burshtein, director Italy, “Caesar Must Die,” Paolo Taviani and Vittorio Taviani, directors Japan, “Our Homeland,” Yang Yonghi, director Kazakhstan, “Myn Bala: Warriors of the Steppe,” Akan Satayev, director Kenya, “Nairobi Half Life,” David ‘Tosh’ Gitonga, director Kyrgyzstan, “The Empty Home,” Nurbek Egen, director Latvia, “Gulf Stream under the Iceberg,” Yevgeny Pashkevich, director Lithuania, “Ramin,” Audrius Stonys, director Macedonia, “The Third Half,” Darko Mitrevski, director Malaysia, “Bunohan,” Dain Iskandar Said, director Mexico, “After Lucia,” Michel Franco, director Morocco, “Death for Sale,” Faouzi Bensaïdi, director Netherlands, “Kauwboy,” Boudewijn Koole, director Norway, “Kon-Tiki,” Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg, directors Palestine, “When I Saw You,” Annemarie Jacir, director Peru, “The Bad Intentions,” Rosario García-Montero, director Philippines, “Bwakaw,” Jun Robles Lana, director Poland, “80 Million,” Waldemar Krzystek, director Portugal, “Blood of My Blood,” João Canijo, director Romania, “Beyond the Hills,” Cristian Mungiu, director Russia, “White Tiger,” Karen Shakhnazarov, director Serbia, “When Day Breaks,” Goran Paskaljevic, director Singapore, “Already Famous,” Michelle Chong, director Slovak Republic, “Made in Ash,” Iveta Grófová, director Slovenia, “A Trip,” Nejc Gazvoda, director South Africa, “Little One,” Darrell James Roodt, director South Korea, “Pieta,” Kim Ki-duk, director Spain, “Blancanieves,” Pablo Berger, director Sweden, “The Hypnotist,” Lasse Hallström, director Switzerland, “Sister,” Ursula Meier, director Taiwan, “Touch of the Light,” Chang Jung-Chi, director Thailand, “Headshot,” Pen-ek Ratanaruang, director Turkey, “Where the Fire Burns,” Ismail Gunes, director Ukraine, “The Firecrosser,” Mykhailo Illienko, director Uruguay, “The Delay,” Rodrigo Plá, director Venezuela, “Rock, Paper, Scissors,” Hernán Jabes, director Vietnam, “The Scent of Burning Grass,” Nguyen Huu Muoi, director.
Another one bites the dust… Swiss Olympic Soccer Player Sent Home After Racist Tweets About South Koreans Less than one week after after a female Greek Olympian was dismissed from the games, Swiss Soccer Player Michel Morganella was sent packing for racial slurs he used in a tweet after a loss to the South Korean team. Translated from French, Morganella’s tweet said he wanted to beat up South Koreans, that they should “burn” and that they were a “bunch of mongoloids.” Last week, Greek triple jumper Voula Papachristou, a right-wing political supporter, was expelled by Greek athletic officials after she mocked African immigrants. Offensive remarks are in breach of the International Olympic Committee’s code of ethics. In Morganella’s case, he “discriminated against, insulted and violated the dignity” of the South Korean team, as well as the nation’s citizens, Swiss committee chief Gian Gilli said Monday in a statement at a news conference. Morganella later apologized through a statement released by Gilli: The 23-year-old player later released a contrite statement through Swiss Olympic. “I am sincerely sorry for the people of South Korea, for the players, but equally for the Swiss delegation and Swiss football in general. It’s clear that I’m accepting the consequences”. “After the disappointing result and the reaction from Korea that followed, I made a huge error,” Morganella added. Gilli said the player had been “provoked” by comments sent to his Twitter account after the match. Still, the Swiss team leader acknowledged that Morganella had to be sent home under the terms of the International Olympic Committee’s code of conduct, which requires athletes to show mutual respect. “In this case, we felt we have no alternative,” Gilli said. This jerk really has no excuse, especially since everyone already saw that Greek chick kick rocks last week. SMH. Ho Sit Down. Source Source2 WENN
Hollywood.TV is your source for celebrity gossip, news, and videos of your favorite stars! bit.ly – Click to Subscribe! Facebook.com – Become a Fan! Twitter.com – Follow Us! Korea is taking over Hollywood with the first annual Look East Korean Film Festival, a celebratory weekend honoring Korean film. During the festival, two of Korea’s finest actors, Lee Byung-hun and Ahn Sung-ki, were honored at the world famous Grauman’s Chinese Theatre. The duo of dashing actors got their hand and foot prints immortalized in cement, then took time to address the huge crowd on Hollywood Blvd! Later at the Look East opening ceremony, Lee Byung-hun was still beaming from the ceremony earlier in the day! We imagine it’s an experience the pair won’t soon forget! Congratulations to you both!! Hollywood.TV is the global leader in capturing celebrity breaking news as it happens. Launched in 2008, we capture all the latest news, exclusive celebrity interviews, star videos and hot celebrity gossip from around the world every minute of everyday. HTV is on the streets 24/7, at all the industry events and invited by the stars to cover their every move in Hollywood, New York and Miami. Hollywood.TV is currently the third most viewed reporter channel on www.youtube.com YouTube with almost 400 million views, and our footage is seen worldwide! Tune in daily for all the latest Hollywood news on www.hollywood.tv and http like us on Facebook!
Seoul, South Korea, set list heavy on new material, but Gaga’s biggest hits come out to play. By John Mitchell Lady Gaga arrives in Seoul on April 20 Photo: Getty Images Lady Gaga kicked off her hotly awaited Born This Way Ball at Seoul, South Korea’s Olympic Stadium on Friday (April 27) in front of 45,000 fans, and despite protests from Christian groups saying Mother Monster was “obscene” and could “taint” young people with her performance, the concert appears to have gone on without incident. Intrepid Twitter fans are already showing off pictures and video of the BTW Ball’s enormous Gothic castle backdrop and myriad costume changes, making it clear that Gaga has outdone even her own Monster Ball in terms of spectacle. While we wait for reviews to trickle in from halfway around the world, one thing is certain: No minors were corrupted at the show. Earlier this month, the Korea Media Rating Board decided to elevate the age rating for the concert from 12 to 18, prohibiting minors from seeing the concert. When the board notified Gaga’s tour promotion company and a sponsor of the change in age restrictions, it did not offer a reason why the show — which at the time was still in rehearsals and has not been reviewed publicly — was considered unsuitable for children under 18. The likely catalyst for the board’s decision came more into focus as the concert neared and protests from a group of conservative Christians calling itself the Alliance for Sound Culture in Sexuality ramped up. The group covered Seoul with posters accusing Gaga of “spreading unhealthy sexual culture” through “lewd lyrics and performances.” The superstar and her fans, however, were undeterred. Though she tweeted her hopes that the Korea Media Rating Board would reverse its decision (it didn’t), she continued on as planned. Many fans reportedly arrived at the show wearing versions of Gaga’s most well-known flamboyant costumes, and there have been no reports of disturbances at the concert. Before the show, Gaga tweeted , “I can you hear you Korea. I’m shaking.” Gaga’s performance was heavy on material from her Born this Way album, though her biggest hits, including “Bad Romance,” Poker Face” and “Just Dance,” were represented. Lady Gaga’s Born This Way Ball set list:
Katherine Heigl and Josh Kelley have welcomed a new baby. The couple, already parents to a three-year-old daughter, Naleigh, whom they adopted from South Korea, have welcomed a second child, who is also adopted ! “Yes they have adopted a baby,” Jill Fritzo, who represents the former Grey’s Anatomy actress, confirmed. “No further details [are available] at this time.” Katherine Heigl, whose sister Meg was adopted, says that adoption was always the plan for a family with her singer-songwriter husband, whom she wed in 2007 . “Josh and I started talking about it before we were even engaged,” the actress, 33, said back in January. “We have talked about having biological children as well, but we both decided to adopt first, and I’d like to adopt again.” And they have! Congratulations to the happy, growing family! [Photo: WENN.com]
