“The Gangster Squad” Hits the Streets of Los Angeles
Shooting begins on the crime drama starring Sean Penn, Josh Brolin, Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone
BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Principal photography began today on Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Village Roadshow Pictures’ “The Gangster Squad,” starring Oscar® nominees Josh Brolin (“Milk,” “True Grit”) and Ryan Gosling (“Half Nelson,” “Blue Valentine”), Emma Stone (“The Help”) and Academy Award® winner Sean Penn (“Milk,” “Mystic River”), under the direction of Ruben Fleischer (“Zombieland”).
Los Angeles, 1949. Ruthless, Brooklyn-born mob king Mickey Cohen (Sean Penn) runs the show in this town, reaping the ill-gotten gains from the drugs, the guns, the prostitutes and—if he has his way—every wire bet placed west of Chicago. And he does it all with the protection of not only his own paid goons, but also the police and the politicians who are under his control. It’s enough to intimidate even the bravest, street-hardened cop…except, perhaps, for the small, secret crew of LAPD outsiders led by Sgt. John O’Mara (Josh Brolin) and Jerry Wooters (Ryan Gosling), who come together to try to tear Cohen’s world apart.
Shooting entirely in and around Los Angeles, including in many of the actual locations featured in the story, “The Gangster Squad” is a colorful retelling of events surrounding the LAPD’s efforts to take back their nascent city from one of the most dangerous mafia bosses of all time. The screenplay is by Will Beall (TV’s “Castle”), based on Paul Lieberman’s series of articles entitled “Tales From the Gangster Squad.” The film is being produced by Dan Lin (“Sherlock Holmes”), Kevin McCormick (upcoming “The Lucky One”) and Michael Tadross (“Arthur”).
“The Gangster Squad” stars Penn as real-life mobster Mickey Cohen; Brolin and Gosling as the LAPD’s Sgt. John O’Mara and Jerry Wooters; and Stone as Grace Faraday, Cohen’s moll and the object of Wooters’ attention.
The movie also stars Robert Patrick (“Flags of Our Fathers”) as Officer Max Kennard, a deadly cop who patrols the Olvera Street beat; Michael Peña (“Battle Los Angeles”) as Kennard’s over-eager sidekick, Navidad Ramirez; Giovanni Ribisi (“Avatar”) as the force’s Conway Keeler, an electronics expert who takes as much pleasure in fixing his son’s bike as he does tinkering with experimental, military-grade equipment; and Anthony Mackie (“The Adjustment Bureau”) as Coleman Harris, a switchblade-wielding cop who proudly patrols one of the most crime-ridden areas of the city.
Joining Fleischer behind the scenes are the director’s regular collaborators, production designer Maher Ahmad and editor Alan Baumgarten (“30 Minutes or Less,” “Zombieland”), as well as Academy Award®-winning director of photography Dion Beebe (“Memoirs of a Geisha”) and Oscar®-nominated costume designer Mary Zophres (“True Grit”).
“The Gangster Squad” will be distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, and in select territories by Village Roadshow Pictures.
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Friday, September 9, 2011
Review: "Anger Management" Overdoes It (Happy B'day, Adam Sandler)
Anger Management (2003)
Running time: 106 minutes (1 hour, 46 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for crude sexual content and language
DIRECTOR: Peter Segal
WRITER: David Dorfman
PRODUCERS: Barry Bernardi and Jack Giarraputo
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Donald M. McAlpine (D.o.P.)
EDITOR: Jeff Gourson
COMEDY with elements of drama
Starring: Jack Nicholson, Adam Sandler, Marisa Tomei, Luis Guzman, John Turturro with Woody Harrelson, Lynne Thigpen, John C. Reilly, and Heather Graham
First of, let me say that Anger Management is extremely funny and all the characters are very well played, from the stars to the smaller roles. I’m still surprised that this movie was able to keep its hilarious energy so long. Actually, it doesn’t naturally run out of steam. All at once, the filmmakers decide to screw up the ending.
Dave Buznick (Adam Sandler) is a under appreciated, low level secretary who is wrongly sentenced to an anger management program, after a ridiculous incident on an airplane. He has the luck of one-eyed, one-legged dog, so he only gets into more trouble after he enters the program. His counselor, Dr. Buddy Rydell (Jack Nicholson), decides to move into Dave’s apartment so that he gave give his patient 24-hour intensive therapy. The problem is Rydell, in Dave’s eyes, is more crazy and angrier than he could ever be. However, he’s forced to live with Rydell’s unorthodox and bizarre behavior, causing Dave to slowly go insane, which is the very last thing he needs because another alleged outburst of extreme rage and the judge (Lynne Thigpen) would sentence Dave to a year in state prison.
Sandler and Nicholson make an excellent comedy team, and they have such amazing, yet surprising chemistry. Jack does what he does best; he’s the wicked, little devil and conniving imp at the seat of the controls – the conductor, the master manipulator, Rasputin.
Sandler tempers the sullen and explosive character traits that he gives most of his others characters to play Dave Buznick, who is a put upon guy simmering quietly beneath his clothes and ready to have one good explosion. He makes Dave very sympathetic. The audience can feel the stings of the wrongs done to Dave and can root for him to win. I know that I certainly wanted him to just really get angry and let his tormentors have it. This is an understated performance that’s just obvious enough to work. However, Sandler does experience the occasional lapse; he plays such a second banana to Nicholson’s antics that he falls into moments when he isn’t even acting. It’s like he’s just serving up volleys for Nicholson to jump on, and he’s just an emcee. Still, Sandler and Nicholson worked together like a veteran comedy team.
There’s not much to the story, and a plot is nonexistent. Really, the writing and directing only exist to serve as staging for the two main players to exercise their shtick. It’s much the same with the supporting cast, but they make the most of their onscreen time, especially Luiz Guzman and John Turturro. Sadly, Marisa Tomei is less than a cipher, and her talent is wasted; pretty much any actress of modest attractiveness could have played her part.
Now to the end – it’s mostly a New York Yankees, New York City, NYC folk heroes love fest, and it kills this movie. In fact, the resolution of the story and the ridiculous explanation for Dr. Rydell’s behavior almost kills the story and certainly retards Nicholson’s very entertaining character and performance. There are certainly several other endings that would have made perfect sense in the context of Rydell’s antics and Buznick’s predicament. Instead, the filmmakers tie everything up in a most awful and sappy finale that truly deserves to be called a “Hollywood Ending.” Worst of all is a cameo by Rudolph “Rudy” W. Giuliani, former mayor of NYC. He is someone I wish would have been in the Twin Towers the day they fell and not made it out alive.
Girl, did I say that? Anyway, Anger Management is still very funny, at least up to the end, and worth seeing.
6 of 10
B
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Thursday, September 8, 2011
Baz Luhrmann's "The Great Gatsby" Begins with Leonardo DiCaprio in Lead
“The Great Gatsby” Begins Production
Shooting underway on new adaptation starring Leonardo DiCaprio in the title role, under the direction of Baz Luhrmann
BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Principal photography began this week on Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Village Roadshow Pictures’ “The Great Gatsby,” the new big screen adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel from the uniquely imaginative mind of writer/producer/director Baz Luhrmann. The filmmaker will create his own distinctive visual interpretation of the classic story, bringing the period to life in a way that has never been seen before. Leonardo DiCaprio stars in the title role.
“The Great Gatsby” follows Fitzgerald-like, would-be writer Nick Carraway as he leaves the Midwest and comes to New York City in the spring of 1922, an era of loosening morals, glittering jazz and bootleg kings. Chasing his own American Dream, Nick lands next door to a mysterious, party-giving millionaire, Jay Gatsby, and across the bay from his cousin, Daisy, and her philandering, blue-blooded husband, Tom Buchanan. It is thus that Nick is drawn into the captivating world of the super rich, their illusions, loves and deceits. As Nick bears witness, within and without the world he inhabits, he pens a tale of impossible love, incorruptible dreams and high-octane tragedy, and holds a mirror to our own modern times and struggles.
Academy Award® nominee DiCaprio (“Blood Diamond,” “Aviator”) plays Jay Gatsby, with Tobey Maguire starring as Nick Carraway; Joel Edgerton and Oscar® nominee Carey Mulligan (“An Education”) as Tom and Daisy Buchanan; Isla Fisher and Jason Clarke as Myrtle and George Wilson; and newcomer Elizabeth Debicki as Jordan Baker. Indian film legend Amitabh Bachchan will play the role of Meyer Wolfsheim.
Oscar® nominee Luhrmann (“Moulin Rouge!”) directs the film in 3D from a screenplay co-written with frequent collaborator Craig Pearce, based on Fitzgerald’s book. Luhrmann produces, along with Catherine Martin, Catherine Knapman, Lucy Fisher and Academy Award® winner Douglas Wick (“Gladiator”). The executive producers are Barrie M. Osborne and Bruce Berman.
Two-time Academy Award®-winning production and costume designer Catherine Martin (“Moulin Rouge!”) also designs with the director. The editors are Jason Ballantine, Matt Villa and Jonathan Redmond, and the director of photography is Simon Duggan.
Luhrmann said, “Fitzgerald loved the movies and was a passionate believer in the power of cinema. “The Great Gatsby” has been adapted for the screen no less than four times. Fitzgerald’s story defies time and geography. The vision and the goal of our remarkable cast and creatives is to do justice to the deftness of Fitzgerald’s telling, and illuminate its big ideas and humanity. This is our challenge and our adventure.”
“The Great Gatsby” is being shot in Luhrmann’s native Australia. The filmmaker stated, “The opportunity to make the film in Australia with the Bazmark creative team is very important to us; the assistance from Screen Australia and the NSW Government has made that possible.”
The film will be distributed in 3D and 2D by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, and in select territories by Village Roadshow Pictures.
Shooting underway on new adaptation starring Leonardo DiCaprio in the title role, under the direction of Baz Luhrmann
BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Principal photography began this week on Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Village Roadshow Pictures’ “The Great Gatsby,” the new big screen adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel from the uniquely imaginative mind of writer/producer/director Baz Luhrmann. The filmmaker will create his own distinctive visual interpretation of the classic story, bringing the period to life in a way that has never been seen before. Leonardo DiCaprio stars in the title role.
“The Great Gatsby” follows Fitzgerald-like, would-be writer Nick Carraway as he leaves the Midwest and comes to New York City in the spring of 1922, an era of loosening morals, glittering jazz and bootleg kings. Chasing his own American Dream, Nick lands next door to a mysterious, party-giving millionaire, Jay Gatsby, and across the bay from his cousin, Daisy, and her philandering, blue-blooded husband, Tom Buchanan. It is thus that Nick is drawn into the captivating world of the super rich, their illusions, loves and deceits. As Nick bears witness, within and without the world he inhabits, he pens a tale of impossible love, incorruptible dreams and high-octane tragedy, and holds a mirror to our own modern times and struggles.
Academy Award® nominee DiCaprio (“Blood Diamond,” “Aviator”) plays Jay Gatsby, with Tobey Maguire starring as Nick Carraway; Joel Edgerton and Oscar® nominee Carey Mulligan (“An Education”) as Tom and Daisy Buchanan; Isla Fisher and Jason Clarke as Myrtle and George Wilson; and newcomer Elizabeth Debicki as Jordan Baker. Indian film legend Amitabh Bachchan will play the role of Meyer Wolfsheim.
Oscar® nominee Luhrmann (“Moulin Rouge!”) directs the film in 3D from a screenplay co-written with frequent collaborator Craig Pearce, based on Fitzgerald’s book. Luhrmann produces, along with Catherine Martin, Catherine Knapman, Lucy Fisher and Academy Award® winner Douglas Wick (“Gladiator”). The executive producers are Barrie M. Osborne and Bruce Berman.
Two-time Academy Award®-winning production and costume designer Catherine Martin (“Moulin Rouge!”) also designs with the director. The editors are Jason Ballantine, Matt Villa and Jonathan Redmond, and the director of photography is Simon Duggan.
Luhrmann said, “Fitzgerald loved the movies and was a passionate believer in the power of cinema. “The Great Gatsby” has been adapted for the screen no less than four times. Fitzgerald’s story defies time and geography. The vision and the goal of our remarkable cast and creatives is to do justice to the deftness of Fitzgerald’s telling, and illuminate its big ideas and humanity. This is our challenge and our adventure.”
“The Great Gatsby” is being shot in Luhrmann’s native Australia. The filmmaker stated, “The opportunity to make the film in Australia with the Bazmark creative team is very important to us; the assistance from Screen Australia and the NSW Government has made that possible.”
The film will be distributed in 3D and 2D by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, and in select territories by Village Roadshow Pictures.
Review: "Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country" Gets Better with Age (Happy B'day, Star Trek)
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991)
Running time: 109 minutes (1 hour, 49 minutes)
MPAA – PG
DIRECTOR: Nicholas Meyer
WRITERS: Nicholas Meyer and Denny Martin Flinn; from a story by Leonard Nimoy and Lawrence Konner and Mark Rosenthal (based upon the TV series “Star Trek” created by Gene Roddenberry)
PRODUCERS: Steven-Charles Jaffe and Ralph Winter
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Hiro Narita
EDITORS: Ronald Roose with William Hoy
Academy Award nominee
SCI-FI/ACTION/ADVENTURE/MYSTERY
Starring: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, James Doohan, Walter Koenig, Nichelle Nichols, George Takei, Kim Cattrall, Mark Lenard, Grace Lee Whitney, Brock Peters, Leon Russom, Kurtwood Smith, Christopher Plummer, Rosanna DeSoto, David Warner, Michael Dorn, Iman, and Christian Slater
The cast of the original “Star Trek” (1966-69) returned for its sixth and final feature film, Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (also known as TUC).
After the explosion of its moon, Praxis, the Klingon Homeworld has only a 50-year supply of oxygen left. The subsequent economic and environmental instabilities mean that the Klingons won’t be able to continue their long-running hostilities with the Federation, so they sue for peace. Starfleet, the diplomatic, exploration, military defense, and research arm of the Federation, sends the U.S.S. Enterprise to meet the Klingon ship Kronos One, which is carrying Klingon Chancellor Gorkon (David Warner) to Earth for negotiations. The Enterprise’s Capt. James T. Kirk (William Shatner) is not only upset about escorting a Klingon ship, but also about peace with them because it was a Klingon officer that murdered his son.
While en route to Earth, the Enterprise appears to fire on Kronos One, and assassins, apparently from the Enterprise, murder Gorkon. The Klingons arrest Kirk and Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy (DeForest Kelley) for the death of Gorkon and imprison them on the penal mining colony, Rura Penthe. Gorkon’s daughter, Azetbur (Rosanna DeSoto), becomes the new chancellor, and she vows to continue negotiations with the Federation.
Meanwhile, Captain Spock (Leonard Nimoy) assumes command of the Enterprise. Spock must discover how or if the Enterprise fired on Kronos One when the ship’s computer says it did, but no weapons were expended, and he must clear Capt. Kirk of Gorkon’s murder. With the aid of the U.S.S. Excelsior, commanded by former Enterprise crewman, Captain Hikaru Sulu (George Takei), Spock must also rescue Kirk and Dr. McCoy from their imprisonment. The heroic Enterprise crew is running out of time to discover the identities of the Gorkon’s assassins and of the traitors aboard the Enterprise before they strike again to stop peace negotiations between the Federation and Klingon Empire.
An allegory for the fall of communism in Eastern Europe (which had occurred around 1990, just before this film went into production), Star Trek VI is a poignant expression of the need to end cold wars, constant hostilities, and old grudges. It emphasizes letting go of yearnings to avenge personal and painful losses that come about because of war (the death of Kirk’s son).
The film also has a melancholy edge because the Enterprise is to be decommissioned after this adventure, and this is the last time the original crew would be together. The performances, all of which are good (especially Christopher Plummer as Klingon General Chang), portray the essence of something grand coming to an end. Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country is not the best Star Trek feature film, but its sense of purpose and determination, and the engaging mystery that hangs over the narrative make this a nice farewell.
7 of 10
B+
NOTES:
1992 Academy Awards: 2 nominations: “Best Effects, Sound Effects Editing” (George Watters II and F. Hudson Miller) and “Best Makeup” (Michael Mills, Ed French, and Richard Snell)
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Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Review: Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son
TRASH IN MY EYE No. 77 (of 2011) by Leroy Douresseaux
Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son (2011)
Running time: 107 minutes (1 hour, 47 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for some sexual humor and brief violence
DIRECTOR: John Whitesell
WRITERS: Matthew Fogel, Don Rhymer, and Matthew Fogel (based upon characters created by Darryl Quarles)
PRODUCERS: David T. Friendly and Michael Green
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Anthony B. Richmond
EDITOR: Priscilla Nedd-Friendly
COMPOSER: David Newman
COMEDY/CRIME
Starring: Martin Lawrence, Brandon T. Jackson, Jessica Lucas, Michelle Ang, Portia Doubleday, Emily Rios, Ana Ortiz, Henri Lubatti, Lorenzo Pisoni, Tony Curran, Marc John Jeffries, Brandon Gill, Ken Jeong, Max Casella, Sheri Shepherd, and Faizon Love
Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son is a 2011 crime comedy and the third film in the Big Momma’s House franchise. Martin Lawrence returns as the FBI agent who occasionally dons a fat suit to become the no-nonsense granny, Big Momma.
FBI Agent Malcolm Turner (Martin Lawrence) is a busy man. He is trying to get his stepson Trent Turner (Brandon T. Jackson) into Duke University, but Trent only wants to pursue his hip-hop dreams as the rapper, Prodi-G. Meanwhile, Malcolm is trying to get information on Russian gangster, Chirkoff (Tony Curran), so he is getting help from an informant, Anthony “Tony” Canetti (Max Casella), who has a hidden flash drive full of information on Chirkoff.
After Trent witnesses Chirkoff kill Canetti, Malcolm knows that he and his stepson have to go into hiding. Malcolm and Trent head for the place where Canetti apparently hid the flash drive, the Georgia Girls School for Arts. Malcolm disguises himself as his alter-ego, Hattie Mae Pierce AKA Big Momma, while Trent dons his own fat suit and becomes Charmaine Daisy Pierce, Big Momma’s great niece. Even in disguise, fitting in at the school is difficult. Trent/Charmaine falls for an insecure singer songwriter named Haley Robinson (Jessica Lucas). The school’s lovable, overweight janitor, Kurtis Kool (Faizon Love), is smitten with Big Momma, but, as Canetti’s friend, Kurtis may know something about the whereabouts of the flash drive.
Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son is a little better than Big Momma’s House 2 and funnier, but, of course, that’s not saying much, as the second film was stubbornly mediocre. It has some funny moments, but overall, this seems like just a second-rate kids’ comedy. For the most part, Lawrence and Jackson manage to create a credible father-son relationship between Malcolm and Trent. I bought their act as obstinate dad and disagreeable teenager; both actors manage to brew some screen chemistry in spite of the rotten script and poor character writing.
The best thing about this film is the always entertaining Faizon Love. He plays Kurtis Kool like a character that is free of a bad script and average directing and thus can make us laugh anyway. If the people involved in this franchise cannot do better than what they have done since the original film, they should let Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son be the last appearance of Big Momma.
4 of 10
C
Sunday, September 04, 2011
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"Naruto Shippuden: Bonds" to Debut at 2011 New York Comic Con
Only A Short Time Left To Enter The Special Contest To Attend The NARUTO SHIPPUDEN Movie Event In New York City
There’s only a short time until VIZ Media’s Heroes of Anime summer sweepstakes ends on September 15th, and fans are encouraged to enter for a chance to win passes to attend the exclusive U.S theatrical premiere of the latest NARUTO feature film – NARUTO SHIPPUDEN THE MOVIE: BONDS – set to take place in New York City in October during the 2011 New York Comic Con. Entry details and complete information are available at: www.viz.com/25years.
The Heroes of Anime contest, which also celebrates VIZ Media’s 25th Anniversary, will award one lucky Grand Prize winner with 2 passes to the premiere of NARUTO SHIPPUDEN THE MOVIE: BONDS as well as free airfare and hotel accommodations in New York City for themselves and a guest.
Runner-up Heroes of Anime prizes include an Apple iPad™, awarded to one lucky contestant, as well as several prize packages that will include fun tchotchkes and collectibles from a variety of top VIZ Media anime properties.
In NARUTO SHIPPUDEN THE MOVIE: BONDS, a group of mysterious flying ninja have arrived from overseas to launch a sudden attack against the Hidden Leaf Village, leaving behind a wake of destruction. The group is revealed to be the “Sky Ninja” from the Land of Sky, a nation thought to have been destroyed by the Hidden Leaf Village long ago. To save their village, Naruto and his friends set out to stop this new threat. During the course of the mission, Naruto crosses paths with Sasuke, his friend who has parted ways from the Leaf Village.
More information on NARUTO is available at http://www.naruto.com/.
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Souleymane Cissé to Be Honored at 7th Montreal Black Film Festival
Legendary Souleymane Cissé the first African filmmaker to win a prize at the Cannes Festival, to receive Honorary Award at the 7th Montreal International Black Film Festival
MONTREAL/CNW Telbec/ - The first African filmmaker to win a prize at the Cannes Festival, the legendary African cinema author Souleymane Cissé, will receive a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 7th edition of the Montreal International Black Film Festival on September 27, 2011. This honorary award recognizes his extraordinary contribution to the film industry, especially in the fields of independent filmmaking and African cinema. The MIBFF wants to honour him for his amazing efforts to break down barriers and help create a better understanding of the reality of Black people through his films. The famous writer Dany Laferrière will be presenting him with the award.
"It's impossible to express how honoured we are to pay tribute to a filmmaker who's touched the whole planet through his work and who is still an inspiration to future generations", said Fabienne Colas, president of the Festival. "We're doubly honoured that Dany Laferrière, winner of the 2009 Médicis Award, accepted to present this award to Souleymane Cissé."
According to him, "Souleymane Cissé is one of the most refined and sensitive person to bear witness to the realities of Africa. His universal mind is a beacon of light for us. And his discretion is all to his credit."
Souleymane Cissé's career is impressive, to say the least. His interest in cinema started when he was only seven. After completing high school in Dakar, he moved back to Mali in 1960, as the country was gaining independence. During a screening of a documentary film about Patrice Lumumba's arrest, he had an epiphany: he would make movies. He obtained a scholarship and went to Moscow, where he became a projectionist and then a filmmaker.
In 1970, Mali's Ministry of Information hired him as a cameraman. Two years later, he released Cinq jours d'une vie (Five Days in a Life), which won an award at the Carthage Film Festival. His first feature, Den Muso (The Girl), completed with the help of French funding, tells the story of a young mute girl who was raped, then rejected by her family. It was banned in Mali and Souleymane Cissé was arrested and jailed.
His films, Baara (Work) and Finyè (Wind), both received critical acclaim and won the Étalon de Yennenga Award at Fespaco. But the film that finally brought him into the public eye was Yeelen (Light). This film won the Jury Prize at the 1987 Cannes Festival and will be part of the cinema and audiovisual curriculum for the 2011-2013 French Baccalaureate. In 1995, he directed Waati (Time).
Souleymane Cissé has sat on many juries, including the Official Selection Jury at the 1983 Cannes Festival and the Cinéfondation Jury at the 2006 Cannes Festival.
His most recent film, Min Yè (Tell Me Who You Are), was part of the Official Selection of the 62nd Cannes Festival in 2009.
In 2011, he was on the jury of the Tribeca Film Festival, founded by Robert De Niro.
As a committed filmmaker, Souleymane Cissé is the president and co-founder of the UCECAO, the Union of West African Cinema and Audiovisual Designers and Entrepreneurs. He's also on the board of Martin Scorsese's World Cinema Foundation, dedicated to preserving and restoring classic films from around the world.
For his work, Souleymane Cissé was appointed Commandeur de l'Ordre National in Mali, Officier de l'Ordre in Burkina Faso and Commandeur des Arts et des Lettres in France.
According to Martin Scorsese, Souleymane Cissé is...
Souleymane Cissé was interviewed on April 2011 by Academy Award Winning-Director Martin Scorsese at Tribeca Talks Series. Scorsese first discovered Cissé's film Yeelen while flipping through the channels late one night, and he describes it as "one of the greatest cinematic experiences of my life." "I didn't realize such wonderful cinema was being made in Africa," said Scorsese. "Our culture is more enriched by seeing these films."
Filmography:
1975 Den Muso (The Girl)
1977 Baara (Work)
1981 Finyè (Wind)
1987 Yeelen (Light)
1995 Waati (Time)
2009 Min Yè… (Tell Me Who You Are)
Some Awards:
British Film Institute Fellowship in 2009
Jury Prize - Festival de Cannes (Yeelen)
Sutherland Trophy - British Film Institute Awards (Yeelen)
Distribution Help Award - Fribourg International Film Festival (Yeelen)
Tanit d'Or - Carthage Film Festival (Finyè)
Prix du Jury - Locarno International Film Festival (Baara)
Golden Montgolfiere - Nantes Three Continents Festival (Baara)
Grand Prize - Etalon de Yennenga - FESPACO (Finyè)
Grand Prize - Etalon de Yennenga - FESPACO (Baara)
Some Nominations:
Palmes d'Or - Festival de Cannes (Waati)
Palmes d'Or - Festival de Cannes (Yeelen)
Best Foreign Film - Independent Spirit Award (Yeelen)
About the Montreal International Black Film Festival - MIBFF
Presented by Global Montreal, the Montreal International Black Film Festival (MIBFF) was created in 2005 by the Fabienne Colas Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting Cinema, Art and Culture. The mission of the Montreal International Black Film Festival is to stimulate the development of the independent film industry and to encourage more films on the realities of Blacks from around the world. The Festival wants to promote a different kind of cinema, cinema that hails from here and from abroad and that does not necessarily have the opportunity to grace the big screen, groundbreaking cinema that moves us, that raises awareness and that takes us all by surprise. The MIBFF wants to deal with issues and present works that raise questions, that provoke, that make us smile, that leave us perplexed, that shock us... A fresh new look at black cinema from the four corners of the globe! www.montrealblackfilm.com .
The 7th MIBFF will take place from September 22 to October 2, 2011!
Get all the festival news on:
http://www.montrealblackfilm.com/
www.facebook.com/festivalfilmblack
www.twitter.com/filmblackmtl
MONTREAL/CNW Telbec/ - The first African filmmaker to win a prize at the Cannes Festival, the legendary African cinema author Souleymane Cissé, will receive a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 7th edition of the Montreal International Black Film Festival on September 27, 2011. This honorary award recognizes his extraordinary contribution to the film industry, especially in the fields of independent filmmaking and African cinema. The MIBFF wants to honour him for his amazing efforts to break down barriers and help create a better understanding of the reality of Black people through his films. The famous writer Dany Laferrière will be presenting him with the award.
"It's impossible to express how honoured we are to pay tribute to a filmmaker who's touched the whole planet through his work and who is still an inspiration to future generations", said Fabienne Colas, president of the Festival. "We're doubly honoured that Dany Laferrière, winner of the 2009 Médicis Award, accepted to present this award to Souleymane Cissé."
According to him, "Souleymane Cissé is one of the most refined and sensitive person to bear witness to the realities of Africa. His universal mind is a beacon of light for us. And his discretion is all to his credit."
Souleymane Cissé's career is impressive, to say the least. His interest in cinema started when he was only seven. After completing high school in Dakar, he moved back to Mali in 1960, as the country was gaining independence. During a screening of a documentary film about Patrice Lumumba's arrest, he had an epiphany: he would make movies. He obtained a scholarship and went to Moscow, where he became a projectionist and then a filmmaker.
In 1970, Mali's Ministry of Information hired him as a cameraman. Two years later, he released Cinq jours d'une vie (Five Days in a Life), which won an award at the Carthage Film Festival. His first feature, Den Muso (The Girl), completed with the help of French funding, tells the story of a young mute girl who was raped, then rejected by her family. It was banned in Mali and Souleymane Cissé was arrested and jailed.
His films, Baara (Work) and Finyè (Wind), both received critical acclaim and won the Étalon de Yennenga Award at Fespaco. But the film that finally brought him into the public eye was Yeelen (Light). This film won the Jury Prize at the 1987 Cannes Festival and will be part of the cinema and audiovisual curriculum for the 2011-2013 French Baccalaureate. In 1995, he directed Waati (Time).
Souleymane Cissé has sat on many juries, including the Official Selection Jury at the 1983 Cannes Festival and the Cinéfondation Jury at the 2006 Cannes Festival.
His most recent film, Min Yè (Tell Me Who You Are), was part of the Official Selection of the 62nd Cannes Festival in 2009.
In 2011, he was on the jury of the Tribeca Film Festival, founded by Robert De Niro.
As a committed filmmaker, Souleymane Cissé is the president and co-founder of the UCECAO, the Union of West African Cinema and Audiovisual Designers and Entrepreneurs. He's also on the board of Martin Scorsese's World Cinema Foundation, dedicated to preserving and restoring classic films from around the world.
For his work, Souleymane Cissé was appointed Commandeur de l'Ordre National in Mali, Officier de l'Ordre in Burkina Faso and Commandeur des Arts et des Lettres in France.
According to Martin Scorsese, Souleymane Cissé is...
Souleymane Cissé was interviewed on April 2011 by Academy Award Winning-Director Martin Scorsese at Tribeca Talks Series. Scorsese first discovered Cissé's film Yeelen while flipping through the channels late one night, and he describes it as "one of the greatest cinematic experiences of my life." "I didn't realize such wonderful cinema was being made in Africa," said Scorsese. "Our culture is more enriched by seeing these films."
Filmography:
1975 Den Muso (The Girl)
1977 Baara (Work)
1981 Finyè (Wind)
1987 Yeelen (Light)
1995 Waati (Time)
2009 Min Yè… (Tell Me Who You Are)
Some Awards:
British Film Institute Fellowship in 2009
Jury Prize - Festival de Cannes (Yeelen)
Sutherland Trophy - British Film Institute Awards (Yeelen)
Distribution Help Award - Fribourg International Film Festival (Yeelen)
Tanit d'Or - Carthage Film Festival (Finyè)
Prix du Jury - Locarno International Film Festival (Baara)
Golden Montgolfiere - Nantes Three Continents Festival (Baara)
Grand Prize - Etalon de Yennenga - FESPACO (Finyè)
Grand Prize - Etalon de Yennenga - FESPACO (Baara)
Some Nominations:
Palmes d'Or - Festival de Cannes (Waati)
Palmes d'Or - Festival de Cannes (Yeelen)
Best Foreign Film - Independent Spirit Award (Yeelen)
About the Montreal International Black Film Festival - MIBFF
Presented by Global Montreal, the Montreal International Black Film Festival (MIBFF) was created in 2005 by the Fabienne Colas Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting Cinema, Art and Culture. The mission of the Montreal International Black Film Festival is to stimulate the development of the independent film industry and to encourage more films on the realities of Blacks from around the world. The Festival wants to promote a different kind of cinema, cinema that hails from here and from abroad and that does not necessarily have the opportunity to grace the big screen, groundbreaking cinema that moves us, that raises awareness and that takes us all by surprise. The MIBFF wants to deal with issues and present works that raise questions, that provoke, that make us smile, that leave us perplexed, that shock us... A fresh new look at black cinema from the four corners of the globe! www.montrealblackfilm.com .
The 7th MIBFF will take place from September 22 to October 2, 2011!
Get all the festival news on:
http://www.montrealblackfilm.com/
www.facebook.com/festivalfilmblack
www.twitter.com/filmblackmtl
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