AFI Fest: Jafar Panahi’s stark portrait of Iran in “No Bears”

by Eurocheese

Director/Writer Jafar Panahi is currently sitting in an Iranian prison cell. By way of introduction at the AFI Fest, currently taking place in Los Angeles, our audience was reminded of this. That's not all. We were also informed that he has told his wife that this prison stay has been his most difficult – a shocking statement considering his arrest in 2010 led to him to a hunger strike. This set the backdrop perfectly, as the film portrays Panahi’s take on the current state of affairs in his country. 

Within the first few minutes, the fourth wall is broken as we learn Panahi (playing himself) is using a stand-in director to film his new feature, presumably because he is not allowed to direct himself. Meanwhile, he is staying close to his cast and crew in a small town close to Iran's border for a few days...

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"World War III" and other new titles join the Oscar race

Bosnia, Iran, Nepal, Portugal, and Romania have announced their submissions to the 95th Oscars. Here's a little info about those choices... 

🇮🇷 WORLD WAR III (Houman Seyyedi)
IRAN  (3 nominations, 2 wins, and 2 additional finalists from 28 submissions)

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Venice at Home: Day 10 – The Artist Is (Not) Present

by Cláudio Alves

Well, it's time to say goodbye to the Venice at Home project. Maybe it'll return next year as other cinephiles flood the Lido and those of us who don't share in the FOMO.  There are three remaining directors in the official competition. First, Jafar Panahi, incarcerated since earlier this year but no less capable of dazzling cinephiles with his political, profoundly personal work. No Bears sounds like another triumph. Also vying for the honor is Susanna Nicchiarelli, whose Chiara completes an unofficial trilogy about historical women (Miss Marx and Nico, 1988 also screened at Venice). Finally, Roschdy Zem jumps behind the camera after having graced festival audiences with his acting in Other People's Children. For Les Miens he does triple duty as star, director, and screenwriter.

This miniseries was always intended to celebrate great artists, so it's fitting that the last three films are about them as we focus on an Iranian filmmaker (This is Not a Film), a German singer (Nico, 1988), and a French clown (Chocolat) of Afro-Cuban heritage… 

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Venice at Home: Day 9 – Best Actors of Festivals Past

by Cláudio Alves

Neither Vahid Jalilvand nor Andrew Dominik is a newbie when it comes to the Venice Film Festival. Though the Iranian director never before competed for the Golden Lion, his films have won many prizes at the Lido, screening within the festival's parallel sections. Maybe Beyond the Wall can repeat the feat and nab some trophy from Julianne Moore's jury. As for Andrew Dominik, his adaptation of Joyce Carol Oates' Blonde is already the topic of much controversy. Critics are divided regarding the movie's depiction of sexual exploitation – some see it as a ruthless dissection of celebrity culture, and others lament another voyeuristic desecration of Marilyn Monroe's personhood, intimacy, her legacy. 

For the Venice at Home program, let's remember two instances when these cineastes directed their leading men towards acting prizes. No Date, No Signature won Navis Mohammadzadeh the Venice Horizons Award in 2017. Ten years before that, Brad Pitt earned the Volpi Cup for The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford…

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Venice Diary #08 - "The Son", "Beyond the Wall", and "Dreamin' Wild"

by Elisa Giudici

Today on the menu in Venice, there is only one option: crying your heart out. You can choose which missing son and worried parent will tear your heart in pieces, though.

THE SON by Florian Zeller
Who is 'the son' of the title? That's debatable. There is the troubled teenager Nicholas (Zen McGrath) that Peter (Hugh Jackman) had with his ex-wife Kate (Laura Dern). Peter also has a newborn son he is raising with his new partner Beth (Vanessa Kirby). Maybe Peter himself is the titular character? He's learning some hard lessons in being a father while struggling with what it means to be the son of Anthony (Sir Anthony Hopkins). I would say the latter, considering how this movie works best as a reminder of Hugh Jackman’s considerable acting skill...

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