Nanni Moretti the genial filmmaker from Rome is a multitasking kind of individual. He’s directed (The Caiman), worked as screenwriter (Habemus Papam) and produced extensively—read some early interviews of him and you’ll find out that he’s hedged his bets this way from the beginning of his career in cinema. And last night, Moretti landed the best job of all. But how will he make use of ... more >
FESTIVALS | CANNES
Cannes leadership renewed through 2014
Board vote sealed the deal
Thierry Frémeaux (pictured) and Gilles Jacob, artistic director and festival president respectively, have had their contracts renewed through the end of 2014 following a vote by the Cannes Festival's board of trustees. This is great news for cinema people everywhere, of course, and the legions of established and upcoming filmmakers who have found motivation and encouragement under both men's ... more >
Cannes Festival theme: the backstory
A piece of the Cannes myth is revealed
I was looking for some music on iTunes when, by some coincidence, I ran into the “Carnival of the Animals” suite by French romantic composer Camille de Saint Saëns (what I initially coveted was some house music for my morning jog at the gymn--the internet can be random sometimes). The arrangement I found was by Barry Wordsworth and the London Symphonic Orchestra. The melodies had a ... more >
The Conquest
Sarkozy biopic fizzles quickly
The much-awaited biopic on French President Sarkozy, “La Conquête” or “the Conquest,” presented outside the competition, fizzled out on Wednesday. The audience expected an intelligent story with revelations and analysis of the French political class. What it got instead it was a made-for-TV wooden narrative with nothing new or original and actors who are exact copies of the actual people ... more >
Thierry Frémaux in his own words
Cannes Festival director lets us in on it
Screen Comment. Thank you for accepting to be interviewed for Screen Comment. I’d like you to talk to us about this 64th Cannes Film Festival, of course, but also about what cinema (and the Cannes Film Festival) mean to you. There is no career in the field more prestigious than yours. You are the General Delegate of the Festival and the Director of the Lumière Institute in Lyon. A few years ... more >
Once upon a time in Anatolia
Turkish film a serious contender for the Palm?
Spotlight on this year's Cannes Selection and who the Palme winner will be. What's playing out in the jurors' hotel suite as I type these words is anyone's guess. How Robert De Niro will steer his jury is hard to tell. When Tim Burton was at the helm last year, people guessing "Uncle Boonmee" by Apichatpong Weerasethakul wouldn't have been too far off. Burton responds to dream-like, ... more >
Tree of life
Making sense of the unmakingsensable
For the last twelve months the film world rallied behind one unifying cause: seeing Terrence Malick's “The Tree of life” into a major film festival. Last year's failure to complete the film in time was deemed a disappointment by many and its absence, first from Cannes and then from Venice, was difficult to swallow. And yet, even though I was myself disappointed, I couldn't help feeling a bit ... more >
