We're getting to know The Film Experience community. Today we're talking to Lucio in Argentina.
When did you start reading TFE?
LUCIO: I started reading in early 2004 after I began to get crazy about the Academy Awards, so I looked up for some sites in order to help me to predict them. I remember reading about the Shohreh vs. Renée battle here. I was glad when Renée finally won the Oscar but my relationship with the website became closer over the years.
Your three favorite actresses
LUCIO: Meryl Streep: She can do anything, no matter what. Kate Winslet: she is a great dramatic actress. Made me cry in The Reader, smile in Eternal Sunshine and think in Revolutionary Road; Nicole Kidman: The Hours… probably the Best Performance by an Actress in History. “Always the years between us, always the love…always the hours”. Brilliant!
How often do you go to the movies?
I try to watch every single nominated movie. So I think thirty or forty a year. The movies here in Argentina arrive with a little delay, but they get here in time for Oscar night.
Have you ever dated or broken up with someone because of the movies?
My partner and I met two years ago…and he didn’t know a thing about movies. Since he’s been with me, I think we've watched my complete wall of DVDs together and all the Oscar-nominated films each year and we watch the Oscars together. He has started to get a critical eye and now he and I can cry together with The Reader and I’m so happy about that. So now I have a movie fan boyfriend.
You've trained him well! Since you're such an Oscar nut, take one Oscar away from regift it.
Take away Jennifer Hudson's Supporting Actress Oscar and give it to Adriana Barraza for Babel.
Okay something less Oscary. Your first movie memory?
When I was probably 6 years old, my mother, my sister and I went to the cinema to watch Beethoven. I love dogs so the movie was great for me! We were in the front row and our necks suffered a lot that whole week.
In an effort to not fall behind on NYFF coverage, here's a double feature from Argentina (possible Oscar submission) and Iran (Oscar submission!) .
THE STUDENT Have you ever longed to learn every detail of the chaotic, multi-partied, backroom deal heavy politics of Argentina through the metaphorical microcosm of elections at a Buenos Aires university? If you answered "yes" than Santiago Mitre's The Student is the movie for you! If you answered "huh, what?" than I should quickly add that I'm not entirely sure that that's what The Student is on about. The movie's continual barrage of name-and acronym heavy information, both in dialogue and in dry omniscient narration, and its crowded character map of continually changing alliances and sudden betrayals suggests to me that politically aware Argentinians would understand and revel in its deeper implications more clearly than I possibly could.
As it is I was, like the titular character Roque (Esteban Lamothe), initially only fascinated by this vivid new world opening up all around me without ever quite understanding it. One terrific shot in the movie looks at the back of Roque's head, more specifically his ear, as he drinks up a ton of dizzying new knowledge, with more focus and determination than he ever uses while snorting up a line of coke or screwing his latest conquest. Unlike Roque however, who reveals hidden political aptitude that dwarfs but doesn't quite mask his obvious limitations, the lessons never stuck. Part of The Student's point is how quickly the various rugs will always be pulled out from under you in the dirty game of politics, but the ever shifting landscape eventually frustrates with its perpetual loop of climaxes that become anti-climactic, given that they merely reset the crowded board of players rather than ending the game. The Student's 124 running time becomes an endurance test, a Sisyphian lecture for a quiz that will never come. B- (C+?)
A SEPARATION Our next film, which is nearly the exact same length, achieves quite the opposite effect, growing more fascinating with each new scene and abundant detail. Asghar Farhadi's A Separation initially appears to be a well made but standard marital drama, as Naader (Peyman Moaadi) and Simin (Leila Hatami) spar in front of a judge over custody of their child Termeh (Sarina Farhadi). Simin wants to move to America where her daughter will have more opportunity (though the family seems well off in Iran) and Naader, almost too-willing to let his wife go, is unwilling to part with his daughter. His mind is elsewhere, perpetually worrying about his ailing father who has Alzheimers.
Naader has issues with Razieh (Sareh Bayat), his cleaning woman
The separation, though semi-amicable (no one is losing their temper), sets off a chain of unfortunate events. Through an economically conveyed but richly textured series of plot points, Naader has an altercation with the hired help (a poor couple, also with a troubled marriage) who are supposed to clean house and care for his father in Simin's absence. Soon everyone is in court again albeit for entirely different reasons. What starts as a well acted and sensitively filmed portrait of an unraveling family quickly expands into a vivid exciting portrait of families on precarious emotional ledges. In what can only be described as an embarrassment of riches, A Separation does all of this while also handily becoming the most exciting courtroom procedural movie in many a year. All the hard facts become soft and twistable when filtered through multiple emotional upheavals, religious beliefs, well meaning lies and day-to-day domestic issues.
Simin (Leila Hatami) and Naader (Peyman Moaadi)American audiences accustomed to casually and wrongly assuming a monolithic Middle East culture will find the movie eye-opening and instantly relatable; the tension between economic classes, as well as the secular and religious will feel all too familiar. Best of all, though, A Separation side-steps the easy and common cinematic path of demonizing or idealizing any of its warring characters. Every time you've come to a conclusion about a character or come close to hating or blaming them, writer/director Farhadi (of About Elly fame) opens a new door or window into their soul and circumstances. This prismatically sympathetic and insightful film is one of the best of the year. A
FWIW: Sony Pictures Classics will release A Separation in US theaters on the dread date of 12/30/11 making it technically eligible for every Oscar category.
Previously on NYFF Carnage raises its voice at Nathaniel but doesn't quite scream at him. Miss Bala wins the "must-see crown" from judge Michael. Tahrir drops Michael right down in the titular Square. A Dangerous Method excites Kurt... not in that way, perv! The Loneliest Planet brushes against Nathaniel's skin. Melancholia shows Michael the end of von Trier's world.
The 64th annual Cannes Film Festival wrapped up today with the jury awards.
Some awards announcements feel like deflations to robust film festivals but not this year. Major conversation pieces won big, extending the buzz if not adding much in the way of a surprise element that can sometimes send hype spinning in new directions.
First and foremost I, personally, must let out a whoop of joy at the news that Kirsten Dunst took Best Actress. I've long been a champion of her underappreciated gifts. She's one of those rare actresses who is just as skilled at both comedic and dramatic roles and her filmography will eventually have the last laugh over her many detractors. Her "comeback", artistically speaking, probably started with All Good Things this December. She won very complimentary reviews and a last minute Oscar campaign even though the film itself didn't get much attention. [The Film Experience Interview from Kirsten Dunst if you missed it.]
Gif via Rich at FourFour
Main Jury(Robert DeNiro was Jury President) This jury, the jury that gets all the attention, hands out the prizes for the films in the main competition roster. But Cannes has several sidebars as well. PALME D'OR The Tree of Life by Terrence Malick. GRAND PRIX (runner up) The Kid With The Bike by the Dardenne Brothers who seem to win something each and every year and Once Upon a Time in Anatolia by Nuri Bilge Ceylan
Camera D'Or (Jury President Bong Joon Ho, of Mother and The Host fame) GOLDEN CAMERA (Best First Feature) Las Acacias directed by Pablo Giorgelli [Argentina]
Un Certain Regard (Jury President Emir Kusturica of Underground and Black Cat White Cat fame) PRIZE OF UN CERTAIN REGARD (tie)Arirang by Kim Ki-Duk and Stopped on Track by Andreas Dresen
SPECIAL JURY PRIZE Elena by Andrey Zvyaginstev DIRECTING PRIZE Mohammad Rasoulof for Bé Omid é Didar
Critics Week (Jury President Chang-dong Lee of Poetry and Secret Sunshine fame) This jury concentrates on new directors (meaning first or second timers) FEATURE Take Shelter (which played at Sundance) starring Michael Shannon & Jessica Chastain. SPECIAL MENTION Snowtown (a controversial choice) CID/CCAS and the OFAJ Las Acacias (which also won the Camera D'Or)
The Skin I Live In wins a Cinematography Prize. Notice the poster on the wall is the one they've been using for the film's teaser poster
C.S.T VULCAN PRIZE (for an artist technician) went to cinematographer José Luis Alcaine for Pedro Almodóvar's The Skin I Live In (previous posts) SPECIAL DISTINCTION went to Sound Designer Paul Davies and Editor Joe Bini for Lynne Ramsay's We Need To Talk About Kevin
Cross-CountryCinefondation and Short Films(Jury President Michel Gondry) SHORT FILMS PALME D'OR Cross-Country by Maryna Vroda JURY PRIZE Swimsuit 46 by Wannes Destoop
CINEFONDATION 1ST PRIZE Der Brief (The Letter) by Dorotyea Droumeva 2ND PRIZE Drari by Kamal Lazraq 3RD PRIZE Fly By Night by Son Tae-gyum
In terms of the Oscar race, which rarely correlates with Cannes and doesn't need to, this still adds a helpful sheen of prestige to The Tree of Life, Melancholia and Take Shelter which will all see the US marketplace. Given the multiple prizes for the Argentinian debut film Las Acacias one also wonders if it will be Argentina's Oscar submission?
What do you make of all this? Did anything surprise you?
Jury Deliberations. Most festivals have separate jurors for each of the major sections. Cannes is the one people are most familiar with it being the festival of festivals. The competition slate is the main focus but they don't actually decide each of the awards you hear about. There are other juries gathered to decide things like the Camera D'Or (best first film) and the short film prizes. Nashville has five juries and they're also an AMPAS qualifying festival so if, for instance, a short film wins "best" in category here it becomes eligible for Oscar consideration. I was on the Narrative Competition jury this year. The running joke at the table became "this doesn't leave the table..." so...end of story!
Let it suffice to say that it's always usually enjoyable to discuss movies with other creative types and in this case it was extra enjoyable as my fellow jurors Dan Butler (previous discussed) and Joe Leydon (a Texas based film critic who also writes for Variety) were both fun passionate movie-loving guys.
After we decided our prizes, I scampered over to the Music Film jury when I saw them wrapping up to thank the gorgeous Kimberly Reed for her Prodigal Sons film the one I kept raving about to y'all a couple of years back. She told me about a new percolating project of hers but she's actually still trekking around the country with her breakthrough film years later. Oprah's interest in her story really made a huge impact -- Oprah really does control the world, doesn't she? -- but that kind of sustained interest couldn't have happened to a better documentary or to a more articulate champion for the transgendered community.
BEST OF THE 2011 NASHVILLE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
Read on to find out which films each jury loved as well as a few notes on the films.
We haven't mentioned the Berlinale at all in the heat of Oscar week. So let's do that, shall we? Better late than never. The festival closes tomorrow but the awards were handed out over the past two days.
"Nader and Simin: A Separation" GOLDEN BEAR
Asghar Fahradi, who got a lot of Oscar buzz a couple years back (though no nomination) for ABOUT ELLY, won this year's Golden Bear for Nader & Simin: A Separation (2011). The Hollywood Reporter explains the film like so.
Farhadi's drama traces the breakup of a Iranian family set against the political tensions in Tehran. While not overtly political, Nader and Simin is starkly critical of conditions in Iran, notably the country's huge class divide. It was widely tipped to win Berlin's top prize, not least because of the current upheaval in the Middle East.
Fahradi dedicated his prize to jailed filmmaker Jafar Panihi who was also supposed to be serving on this very jury. Isabella Rossellini's jury was one short as a result. Rather than replacing him they held a symbolic open seat for him. Some articles are already suggesting that Nader & Simin could be submitted for next year's Foreign Language Film Oscar. But given the open criticisms and the dedication to a jailed filmmaker I wouldn't place your bets just yet; it can be tough to read Oscar submission politics when filmmakers and governments clash.
Competition Jury Golden Bear: Jodaeiye Nader Az Simin (Nader and Simin, A Separation) by Asghar Farhadi Silver Bear The Jury Grand Prize: A Torinoi Lo (The Turin Horse) by Bela Tarr Silver Bear Best Director: Ulrich Kohler for Schlafkrankheit (Sleeping Sickness) Silver Bear Best Actress: the female ensemble in Nader & Simin Silver Bear Best Actor: the male ensemble in Nader & Simin Silver Bear Best Screenplay:The Forgiveness of Blood written by Joshua Marston and Andamion Murataj.
Isabella and her jury liked Nader & Simin so much they gave it ALL the acting prizes, too. This wasn't good news for Coriolanus, the Shakespearean adaptation from Ralph Fiennes that won Vanessa Redgrave in particular Oscar friendly reviews. Regarding the Screenplay prize: If Marston's name looks familiar think Maria Full of Grace. We were wondering when he was going to be back to the cinema.
Silver Bear Artistic Contribution: Wojciech Staron, Cinematography, and Barbara Enriquez, Production Design, for El Premio Alfred Bauer Prize: If Not Us Who (Wer Wenn Nicht Wir) by Andres Velel First Feature Award: On the Ice by Andrew Okpeaha MacLean Special Mention: The Guard by John Michael McDonagh Special Mention: Die Vaterlosen by Marie Kreutzer
Crystal Bear These prizes are for family films. Separate jury.
Best Kplus Feature Film: Keeper’n til Liverpool (The Liverpool Goalie) by Arild Andresen [Norway] Special Mention: Mabul by Guy Nattiv [Israel/Canada/Germany/France] Short Film: Lily by Kasimir Burgess [Australia] Special Mention: Minnie Loves Junior by Andy Mullins and Matthew Mullins [Australia] Best 14plus Feature Film: On the Ice by Andrew Okpeaha MacLean [U.S.] Special Mention: Apflickorna by Lisa Aschan [Sweden] Best 14plus Short Film: Manurewa by Sam Peacocke [New Zealand] Special Mention: Get Real! by Evert de Beijer [Netherlands]
Scandinavia is always winning prizes for family and kids films. It's a niche. Here's the trailer to the winning film. You can tell the "family friendly" categories aren't judged by US prudes. This won the Kplus award, and within seconds of the trailer starting there's jokes about people being well hung and there's shower nudity. Different worlds!
Audience Prizes Audience Award, Fiction Film: También la lluvia (Even The Rain) by Icíar Bollaín [Spain/France/Mexico] This was one of the finalists for BEST FOREIGN FILM but did not make it to the nomination shortlist. It's currently open in select US theaters. Second Place: Medianeras by Gustavo Taretto [Argentina/Germany/Spain] Third Place: Life in a Day by Kevin Macdonald [Great Britain] Audience Award, Documentary Film: In Heaven Underground - The Weissensee Jewish Cemetery (Im Himmel, Unter der Erde. Der Jüdische Friedhof Weißensee) by Britta Wauer Second Place: Mama Africa by Mika Kaurismäki Third Place: We Were Here by David Weissman (USA)
Teddy Awards Berlinale's Teddy Award, which is separate from the main fest and judged by LGBT film festival programmers, is one of the oldest annually bestowed Queer Cinema awards. It was first handed out in 1987 to Pedro Almodóvar's Law of Desire. What a kick off, eh? Perusing the list of past Teddy Award winners is actually a great way to catch up on LGBT films you may have missed. Gay cinema is increasingly not what it used to be. With assimilation into mainstream culture, queer cinema definitely lost its edge and brain-power if not its sex drive. These days we don't seem to get new Gregg Arakis, Gus Van Sants or Todd Haynes and their like but people whose names we never learn directing straight to DVD sex comedies. (sigh)
Last year's Teddy prizes were unusually Hollywood friendly with James Franco's first short film The Feast of Stephen [clip. NSFW] winning Best Short Film and Lisa Cholodenko's eventual Best Picture nomineeThe Kids Are All Right winning the top prize.
Jake Yuzna's "Open" (2010). Marie Losier's "Ballad of Genesis and Lady Jaye" (2011)
Jake Yuzma's far more experimental pansexual drama Open won the Jury Prize. I had the pleasure of attending the premiere here in NYC. Artist Genesis Breyer P-Orridge spoke to the audience afterwards. She and her late partner, Lady Jaye, who famously had repeated operations and plastic surgery procedures to look more and more like one another, were the inspiration for the fictional film. So I was surprised to hear that Berlin honored the very same topic again this year. Their Best Documentary prize went to The Ballad of Genesis and Lady Jaye by Marie Losier.
The Teddy, the main prize went to Argentina's Ausente, Marco Berger's follow up to Plan Bwhich did the festival circuit last year and is now available on DVD.
Ausente is about teenager who falls in love with his swimming teacher, finding all sorts of excuses to spend time with him.
The Teddys in full Best Feature Film: Ausente by Marco Berger Best Documentary: The Ballad of Genesis and Lady Jaye by Marie Losier Best Short Film: (two winners) Generations by Barbara Hammer and Gina Carducci and Maya Deren’s Sink by Barbara Hammer Jury Prize: Tomboy by Celine Sciamma Special Teddy Awards: HIV/AIDS activist Pieter-Dirk Uys from South Africa and New German Cinema director Werner Schroeter (RIP).
Here's the trailer to Ausente which means "absent"
Monday, April 15, 2013 at 7:00AM 
We're getting to know The Film Experience community. Today we're talking to Lucio in Argentina.
