2010
filmswelike Acquires MACHETE MAIDENS UNLEASHED!
13/12/10 11:25 Filed in: Machete Maidens Unleashed!
A fast-moving, no-holds-barred exploration of the blood-drenched and action-packed world of Filipino genre filmmaking.
Karate-kickin’ midgets! Paper-mâché monsters! Busty babes with blades! Filipino genre films of the '70s and '80s had it all.
Boasting cheap labour, exotic scenery and non-existent health and safety regulations, the Philippines was a dreamland for exploitation filmmakers whose renegade productions were soon engulfing drive-in screens around the globe like a tidal schlock-wave!
At last, the all-too-often overlooked world of drive-in filler from Manila gets the Mark Hartley (NOT QUITE HOLLYWOOD) treatment in Machete Maidens Unleashed!. This is the ultimate insiders' account of a faraway backlot where stunt men came cheap, plot was obsolete and the make-up guy was packin’ heat!
Machete Maidens Unleashed! features interviews with cult movie icons Roger Corman, Joe Dante, John Landis, Sid Haig, Eddie Romero and a large assembly of cast, crew and critics, each with a jaw-dropping story to tell about filmmaking with no budget, no scruples, no boundaries and - more often than not - no clothes.
Strap yourselves in - and join us for a non-stop Filipino femme-fest, all the way from the jungles of the Pacific via the trash cans of the critics!
Opening March 2010 Across Canada.
Official Website
Boasting cheap labour, exotic scenery and non-existent health and safety regulations, the Philippines was a dreamland for exploitation filmmakers whose renegade productions were soon engulfing drive-in screens around the globe like a tidal schlock-wave!
At last, the all-too-often overlooked world of drive-in filler from Manila gets the Mark Hartley (NOT QUITE HOLLYWOOD) treatment in Machete Maidens Unleashed!. This is the ultimate insiders' account of a faraway backlot where stunt men came cheap, plot was obsolete and the make-up guy was packin’ heat!
Machete Maidens Unleashed! features interviews with cult movie icons Roger Corman, Joe Dante, John Landis, Sid Haig, Eddie Romero and a large assembly of cast, crew and critics, each with a jaw-dropping story to tell about filmmaking with no budget, no scruples, no boundaries and - more often than not - no clothes.
Strap yourselves in - and join us for a non-stop Filipino femme-fest, all the way from the jungles of the Pacific via the trash cans of the critics!
Opening March 2010 Across Canada.
Official Website
I WISH I KNEW - Press Release (Toronto)
09/11/10 11:47 Filed in: I Wish I Knew
A film by Jia Zhang-Ke
Opens in Toronto on Thursday, November 11, 2010 at TIFF Bell Lightbox
Critically acclaimed Chinese director Jia Zhang-Ke (24 City, Still Life, The World) turns to the history and people of Shanghai in his newest film I Wish I Knew, a poetic tribute to Shanghai that looks back at the city’s many pasts with both wistful nostalgia and tragic clarity.
Shanghai, a fast-changing metropolis, a port city where people come and go. Shanghai has hosted all kinds of people – revolutionaries, capitalists, politicians, soldiers, artists, and gangsters. Shanghai has also hosted revolutions, assassinations, love stories. After the Chinese Communists' victory in 1949, thousands of Shanghaiers left for Hong Kong and Taiwan. To leave meant being separated from home for thirty years; to stay meant suffering through the Cultural Revolution and China's other political disasters.
Like his last film, 2008's 24 City, Jia Zhang-Ke’s I Wish I Knew (Hai Shang Chuan Qi), which screened at 2010 Cannes in Un Certain Regard, and TIFF 2010, is a documentary/fiction hybrid about modern-day China. Where 24 City took a personal focus on the citizens of a Chinese town affected by the construction of a high-rise condominium, I Wish I Knew takes a broader view, examining the history of Shanghai as viewed from the present. Eighteen people from Shanghai, Taipei and Hong Kong recall their lives in Shanghai. Their personal experiences, like eighteen chapters of a novel, tell stories of Shanghai lives from the 1930s to 2010.
Jia Zhang-Ke said “I came to Shanghai with my movie camera and traced the footsteps of Shanghaiers who left this city for Taiwan and Hong Kong. Shanghai is closely tied to the lives of almost every important historic figure in the modern history of China. And events of national significance in the life of the city also destined Shanghaiers for lives of painful, life-long separation. When I sat face-to-face with characters in my film, and listened to them talk every so calmly about the hair raising events in their pasts, I suddenly realized what it was that I captured with my camera: a dream of freedom twinkling in their eyes. This moved me to tears”
Running time: 119 minutes
To download images, press notes and to a trailer http://www.filmswelike.com/films/iwish/
Media Contact: V Kelly & Associates, 416-466-9799, info@vkpr.ca
Opens in Toronto on Thursday, November 11, 2010 at TIFF Bell Lightbox
Shanghai, a fast-changing metropolis, a port city where people come and go. Shanghai has hosted all kinds of people – revolutionaries, capitalists, politicians, soldiers, artists, and gangsters. Shanghai has also hosted revolutions, assassinations, love stories. After the Chinese Communists' victory in 1949, thousands of Shanghaiers left for Hong Kong and Taiwan. To leave meant being separated from home for thirty years; to stay meant suffering through the Cultural Revolution and China's other political disasters.
Like his last film, 2008's 24 City, Jia Zhang-Ke’s I Wish I Knew (Hai Shang Chuan Qi), which screened at 2010 Cannes in Un Certain Regard, and TIFF 2010, is a documentary/fiction hybrid about modern-day China. Where 24 City took a personal focus on the citizens of a Chinese town affected by the construction of a high-rise condominium, I Wish I Knew takes a broader view, examining the history of Shanghai as viewed from the present. Eighteen people from Shanghai, Taipei and Hong Kong recall their lives in Shanghai. Their personal experiences, like eighteen chapters of a novel, tell stories of Shanghai lives from the 1930s to 2010.
Jia Zhang-Ke said “I came to Shanghai with my movie camera and traced the footsteps of Shanghaiers who left this city for Taiwan and Hong Kong. Shanghai is closely tied to the lives of almost every important historic figure in the modern history of China. And events of national significance in the life of the city also destined Shanghaiers for lives of painful, life-long separation. When I sat face-to-face with characters in my film, and listened to them talk every so calmly about the hair raising events in their pasts, I suddenly realized what it was that I captured with my camera: a dream of freedom twinkling in their eyes. This moved me to tears”
Running time: 119 minutes
To download images, press notes and to a trailer http://www.filmswelike.com/films/iwish/
Media Contact: V Kelly & Associates, 416-466-9799, info@vkpr.ca
filmswelike Acquires VOULEZ VOUS COUCHER AVEC GOD?
01/11/10 12:31 Filed in: Voulez Vous Coucher Avec God?
a film by Jack Christie, Michael Hirsh
1972 / 69 min/ New high-definition transfer from original 16mm elements
Canadian-made experimental flick featuring a groundbreaking potpourri of live action and animation, backed by a rollicking soundtrack of 1960s hits. As portrayed by Kupferberg, there’s no messing with this Yahweh who’d just as soon enjoy a blow job from an inflatable schmoo as mastermind a presidential election from the cozy confines of his bathtub in Hashish Seventh Heaven, where a cast of pipe-dreaming souls journeys to be reborn. All hell breaks loose when the angel of the Lord attempts to cover up his failure to avert the sacrifice of young Isaac by his father, Abraham.
Watch the trailer!
Screening at Anthology Film Archives Nov 14th!
filmswelike Acquires LENNONNYC, a film by Michael Epstein
27/10/10 11:18 Filed in: LennonNYC
LENNONNYC a film by Michael Epstein
As the world remembers John Lennon on what would have been his 70th birthday, and the 30th anniversary of his death, LENNONYC takes an intimate look at the time Lennon, Yoko Ono and their son, Sean, spent living in New York City during the 1970s. LENNONYC features never-before heard studio recordings from the Double Fantasy sessions, never-before-seen outtakes from Lennon in concert, and home movies that have only recently been transferred to video. Featuring exclusive interviews with Ono - who cooperated extensively with the production and offers an unprecedented level of access - and with artists who worked closely with Lennon during this period (including Elton John and photographer Bob Gruen), LENNONYC paints a revealing portrait of the legend’s momentous years in Manhattan, the final years of a remarkable life cut remarkably short.
Hot Docs Screenings
Wednesday, 11/3/10 6:30PM & 9:15PM
Purchase Tix!
LennonNYC is available for benefit screenings only.
Also available for television sales and will be coming to DVD in January 2011.
Hot Docs Screenings
Wednesday, 11/3/10 6:30PM & 9:15PM
Purchase Tix!
LennonNYC is available for benefit screenings only.
Also available for television sales and will be coming to DVD in January 2011.
filmswelike Acquires ATTENBERG, a film by Athina Rachel Tsangari
15/10/10 12:37 Filed in: Attenberg
ATTENBERG a film by Athina Rachel Tsangari
2010 / 95 min
Original language: Greek (with English Subtitles)
Marina, 23, is growing up with her architect father in a prototype factory town by the sea. Finding the human species strange and repellent, she keeps her distance. Instead she chooses to observe it through the songs of Suicide, the mammal documentaries of Sir David Attenborough, and the sexual- education lessons she receives from her only friend, Bella. A stranger comes to town and challenges her to a foosball duel, on her own table. Her father meanwhile ritualistically prepares for his exit from the 20th century, which he considers to be “overrated.” Caught between the two men and her collaborator, Bella, Marina investigates the wondrous mystery of the human fauna.
2010 / 95 min
Original language: Greek (with English Subtitles)
UNCLE BOONMEE Opens at TIFF Bell Lightbox on Thursday, September 23, 2010
13/09/10 15:41 Filed in: Uncle Boonmee
filmswelike presents
UNCLE BOONMEE WHO CAN RECALL HIS PAST LIVES
(Lung Boonmee Raluek Chat)
Cannes 2010 Palme d’Or Winner by Apichatpong Weerasethakul
Opens at TIFF Bell Lightbox on Thursday, September 23, 2010
After its North American premiere in the Masters program at TIFF 2010, acclaimed Thai filmmaker Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives opens at the TIFF Bell Lightbox on Thursday, September 23, 2010.
Thai director Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s magical-surrealist film tells the story of an old man suffering from kidney failure who prepares to die and encounters his dead wife, his missing son (who's been transformed into a laser-eyed monkey ghost) and a princess who has sex with a catfish. Inspired by a book by a Buddhist abbot recording accounts of people who remembered their past lives, the film was shot in Isan, in Thailand’s north-east where Weerasethakul spent his childhood.
Apichatpong Weerasethakul tells about the meeting that inspired the film; “A few years ago, when I was living in the north-east, I came across Uncle Boonmee. An abbot at a monastery near my house told me that there was an old man who had arrived at the temple to help out with the temple’s activities and to learn meditation. One day this man, Boonmee, came to an abbot and told him that while he was deep in meditation, he could see his past lives playing behind his closed eyes like a movie. He saw and felt himself to be a buffalo, a cow, even a body-less spirit that roamed around the north-eastern plains. The abbot was impressed but not surprised, because Boonmee was not the first person to tell him about such experiences.
From near and far, he had collected stories from villagers who shared their past lives with him. Later, he published a little book. On its cover one could read: A Man Who Can Recall His Past Lives.”
Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives is the final installment in Weerasethakul’s multi-platform art project called Primitive. Previous installments include a seven-part video installation and the two short films A Letter to Uncle Boonmee and Phantoms of Nabua.”
Working outside the
strict confines of the Thai studio system, Apichatpong Weerasethakul is an independent Thai film director, screenwriter, and film producer. He trained as an architect in Thailand before earning an MFA in filmmaking at the School of the Art Institute in Chicago. “I believe I was lucky to be in this place,” he told an interviwer. “I was encouraged to experiment with the idea that nothing was wrong. That’s the opposite from Thailand’s education system.” His feature films include Tropical Malady, which won a jury prize at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival, Blissfully Yours, which won the top prize in the Un Certain Regard program at the 2003 Cannes Film Festival, and Syndromes and a Century, which premiered at the 63rd Venice Film Festival and was the first Thai film to be entered in competition there.
Apichatpong Weerasethukal is the subject of a TIFF Mavericks session hosted by Dennis Lee on Saturday, September 18 @ 4pm at TIFF Bell LIghtbox where the film opens on Thursday, September 23, 2010. In the session, film critic Dennis Lim will interview Weerasethakul onstage and take the audience through his career, illustrated with film clips.
Running time: 114 minutes
High rez images, downloadable materials and press notes!
Media Contact
V Kelly + Associates
416-466-9799, info@vkpr.ca
UNCLE BOONMEE WHO CAN RECALL HIS PAST LIVES
(Lung Boonmee Raluek Chat)
Cannes 2010 Palme d’Or Winner by Apichatpong Weerasethakul
Opens at TIFF Bell Lightbox on Thursday, September 23, 2010
After its North American premiere in the Masters program at TIFF 2010, acclaimed Thai filmmaker Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives opens at the TIFF Bell Lightbox on Thursday, September 23, 2010.
Thai director Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s magical-surrealist film tells the story of an old man suffering from kidney failure who prepares to die and encounters his dead wife, his missing son (who's been transformed into a laser-eyed monkey ghost) and a princess who has sex with a catfish. Inspired by a book by a Buddhist abbot recording accounts of people who remembered their past lives, the film was shot in Isan, in Thailand’s north-east where Weerasethakul spent his childhood.
Apichatpong Weerasethakul tells about the meeting that inspired the film; “A few years ago, when I was living in the north-east, I came across Uncle Boonmee. An abbot at a monastery near my house told me that there was an old man who had arrived at the temple to help out with the temple’s activities and to learn meditation. One day this man, Boonmee, came to an abbot and told him that while he was deep in meditation, he could see his past lives playing behind his closed eyes like a movie. He saw and felt himself to be a buffalo, a cow, even a body-less spirit that roamed around the north-eastern plains. The abbot was impressed but not surprised, because Boonmee was not the first person to tell him about such experiences.
From near and far, he had collected stories from villagers who shared their past lives with him. Later, he published a little book. On its cover one could read: A Man Who Can Recall His Past Lives.”
Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives is the final installment in Weerasethakul’s multi-platform art project called Primitive. Previous installments include a seven-part video installation and the two short films A Letter to Uncle Boonmee and Phantoms of Nabua.”
Working outside the
Apichatpong Weerasethukal is the subject of a TIFF Mavericks session hosted by Dennis Lee on Saturday, September 18 @ 4pm at TIFF Bell LIghtbox where the film opens on Thursday, September 23, 2010. In the session, film critic Dennis Lim will interview Weerasethakul onstage and take the audience through his career, illustrated with film clips.
Running time: 114 minutes
High rez images, downloadable materials and press notes!
Media Contact
V Kelly + Associates
416-466-9799, info@vkpr.ca
CIFF Screening Times: UNCLE BOONMEE, WAKE OF THE FLOOD, THE LIGHT THIEF
filmswelike are pleased to announce times for 3 great films which will appear at the 2010 CALGARY INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL.
UNCLE BOONMEE WHO CAN RECALL HIS PAST LIVES by Apichatpong Weerasethakul
The surprise winner of the Palme d'Or at this year’s Cannes film festival, the latest masterpiece from Thai master Apichatpong Weerasethakul—whose previous feature Syndromes and a Century was voted TIFF Cinematheque's #1 film of the past decade—is also the final segment of his multi-platform film/installation project Primitive.
Calgary International Film Festival: Buy Tix Online!
Friday, Oct. 1, 07:15pm - Eau Claire Market - Cineplex Odeon - #1
THE LIGHT THIEF by Aktan Arym Kubat
A funny and touching portrait of small-town politics in a rapidly globalizing world that follows Svet-ake, an electrician in a small Kyrgyz village who has been stealing electricity to help the impoverished local residents. When Bekzat, a wealthy land developer and former villager arrives to buy up the land for a group of Chinese investors, Svet-ake shares with him his dream to populate the valley with modern windmills—but soon Svet-ake realizes that not everyone has the best interests of the village community at heart.
Calgary International Film Festival: Buy Tix Online!
Sunday, Oct. 3, 04:45pm - Eau Claire Market - Cineplex Odeon - #2
IN THE WAKE OF THE FLOOD by Ron Mann
Canadian documentary film icon Ron Mann (DREAM TOWER, GRASS, KNOW YOUR MUSHROOMS) uses his trademark mix of vérité style intercut with animation and archival film to follow literary superstar Margaret Atwood on her paradigm-shifting book tour for THE YEAR OF THE FLOOD. After decades as an author, Atwood decides to turn the sometimes stuffy and reverential tone of a book tour inside-out by creating a travelling theatrical spectacle in hopes that her literary prophesy of an environmentally compromised world doesn’t become a reality.
To help bring the words off the page, Atwood collaborated with Orville Stoeber to compose a new style of devotional music infused with elements of gospel, jazz, folk and the country ballad—songs which help further turn traditional readings literally on their ear. Mix the excitement of a book tour with the power of theatre and advocacy and you have a film that captures an “old dog” with new tricks.
Calgary International Film Festival: Buy Tix Online!
Thursday, Sep. 30, 07:15pm - Eau Claire Market - Cineplex Odeon - #1
UNCLE BOONMEE WHO CAN RECALL HIS PAST LIVES by Apichatpong Weerasethakul
Calgary International Film Festival: Buy Tix Online!
Friday, Oct. 1, 07:15pm - Eau Claire Market - Cineplex Odeon - #1
THE LIGHT THIEF by Aktan Arym Kubat
Calgary International Film Festival: Buy Tix Online!
Sunday, Oct. 3, 04:45pm - Eau Claire Market - Cineplex Odeon - #2
IN THE WAKE OF THE FLOOD by Ron Mann
To help bring the words off the page, Atwood collaborated with Orville Stoeber to compose a new style of devotional music infused with elements of gospel, jazz, folk and the country ballad—songs which help further turn traditional readings literally on their ear. Mix the excitement of a book tour with the power of theatre and advocacy and you have a film that captures an “old dog” with new tricks.
Calgary International Film Festival: Buy Tix Online!
Thursday, Sep. 30, 07:15pm - Eau Claire Market - Cineplex Odeon - #1
TIFF Screening Times: UNCLE BOONMEE, THE LIGHT THIEF, I WISH I KNEW
filmswelike are pleased to announce the schedule for 3 great films which will appear at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival.
UNCLE BOONMEE WHO CAN RECALL HIS PAST LIVES by Apichatpong Weerasethakul
The surprise winner of the Palme d'Or at this year’s Cannes film festival, the latest masterpiece from Thai master Apichatpong Weerasethakul—whose previous feature Syndromes and a Century was voted TIFF Cinematheque's #1 film of the past decade—is also the final segment of his multi-platform film/installation project Primitive.
Toronto International Film Festival (North American Premiere)
Sept 16th @ ISABEL BADER THEATRE - 10:30pm (1st Public Screening)
Sept 18th at AMC 5, 9:15am (2nd Public Screening)
THE LIGHT THIEF by Aktan Arym Kubat
A funny and touching portrait of small-town politics in a rapidly globalizing world that follows Svet-ake, an electrician in a small Kyrgyz village who has been stealing electricity to help the impoverished local residents. When Bekzat, a wealthy land developer and former villager arrives to buy up the land for a group of Chinese investors, Svet-ake shares with him his dream to populate the valley with modern windmills—but soon Svet-ake realizes that not everyone has the best interests of the village community at heart.
Toronto International Film Festival
Friday September 10 @ 6:00PM - AMC 4
Saturday September 11 @ 9:30AM - AM AMC 3
I WISH I KNEW by Jia Zhan-Ke
Commissioned to commemorate the 2010 World Expo, this documentary on Shanghai portrays a chapter of modern Chinese history through interviews and scenic views of a city in continuous evolution. I Wish I Knew is directed by one of the youngest masters of cinema, Jia Zhanke.
Toronto International Film Festival
Wednesday September 15 @ 9:45PM - SCOTIABANK THEATRE 4
Friday September 17 @ 5:00PM - JACKMAN HALL - AGO
UNCLE BOONMEE WHO CAN RECALL HIS PAST LIVES by Apichatpong Weerasethakul
Toronto International Film Festival (North American Premiere)Sept 16th @ ISABEL BADER THEATRE - 10:30pm (1st Public Screening)
Sept 18th at AMC 5, 9:15am (2nd Public Screening)
THE LIGHT THIEF by Aktan Arym Kubat
Toronto International Film FestivalFriday September 10 @ 6:00PM - AMC 4
Saturday September 11 @ 9:30AM - AM AMC 3
I WISH I KNEW by Jia Zhan-Ke
Toronto International Film FestivalWednesday September 15 @ 9:45PM - SCOTIABANK THEATRE 4
Friday September 17 @ 5:00PM - JACKMAN HALL - AGO
filmswelike Announces Line-Up of International Films to Open at Bell Lightbox
18/08/10 14:03 Filed in: Uncle Boonmee | Light Thief | Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radient Child | I Wish I Knew
Toronto, Monday, August 16, 2010
FilmsWeLike, the independent distribution company headed by filmmaker Ron Mann is pleased to announce that the 2010 Palme d’Or winner Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (Lung Boonmee Raluek Chat); I Wish I Knew (Hai Shang Chuan Qi) - the new film from master Chinese filmmaker Jia Zhang-Ke; The Light Thief (Svet-Aki) a delightful gem from Kyrgyzstan’s Aktan Arym Kubat and Tamra Davis’ Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child will open at the Bell Lightbox this fall.
Opening on Thursday, September 23 at the Bell Lightbox - Thai director Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s magical-surrealist film Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (Lung Boonmee Raluek Chat) - the story of an old man suffering from kidney failure who prepares to die and encounters his dead wife, his missing son (who's been transformed into a laser-eyed monkey ghost) and a princess who has sex with a catfish, took the Palme d’Or at the 63rd Cannes film Festival. Inspired by a book by a Buddhist abbot recording accounts of people who remembered their past lives, the film was shot in Isan, in Thailand’s north-east where Weerasethakul spent his childhood.
Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives is the final installment in a multi-platform art project called Primitive. Previous installments include a seven-part video installation and the two short films A Letter to Uncle Boonmee and Phantoms of Nabua.”
Working outside the strict confines of the Thai studio system, Apichatpong Weerasethakul is an independent Thai film director, screenwriter, and film producer. His feature films include Tropical Malady, which won a jury prize at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival, Blissfully Yours, which won the top prize in the Un Certain Regard program at the 2003 Cannes Film Festival, and Syndromes and a Century, which premiered at the 63rd Venice Film Festival and was the first Thai film to be entered in competition there.
Opening on Thursday, October 7 at the Bell Lightbox is Tamra Davis’ Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child. In his short career, Jean-Michel Basquiat was a phenomenon. He became notorious for his graffiti art under the moniker Samo in the late 1970s on the Lower East Side scene, sold his first painting to Deborah Harry for $200, and became best friends with Andy Warhol. Appreciated by both the art cognoscenti and the public, Basquiat was launched into international stardom. However, soon his cult status began to override the art that had made him famous in the first place.
Director Tamra Davis pays homage to her friend in this definitive documentary but also delves into Basquiat as an iconoclast. His dense, bebop-influenced neoexpressionist work emerged while minimalist, conceptual art was the fad; as a successful black artist, he was constantly confronted by racism and misconceptions. Much can be gleaned from insider interviews and archival footage, but it is Basquiat's own words and work that powerfully convey the mystique and allure of both the artist and the man.
Opening on Thursday, November 11 at the Bell Lightbox, critically acclaimed Chinese director Jia Zhan-Ke (24 City, Still Life) turns to the history and people of Shanghai in his newest film I Wish I Knew.
Like his last film, 2008's 24 City,, Jia Zhan-Ke’s I Wish I Knew (Hai Shang Chuan Qi), which screened at 2010 Cannes in Un Certain Regard, is a documentary/fiction hybrid about modern-day China. Where 24 City took a personal focus on the citizens of a Chinese town affected by the construction of a high-rise condominium, I Wish I Knew takes a broader view, examining the history of Shanghai as viewed from the present. Jia Zhan-Ke’. Eighteen people from Shanghai, Taipei and Hong Kong recell their lives in Shanghai. Their personal experiences, like eighteen chapters of a novel, tell stories of Shanghai lives from the 1930s to 2010. Jia Zhan-Ke said “I came to Shanghai with my movie camera and traced the footsteps of Shanghaiers who left this city for Taiwan and Hong Kong. Shanghai is closely tied to the lives of almost every important historic figure in the modern history of China. And events of national significance in the life of the city also destined Shanghaiers for lives of painful, life-long separation. When I sat face-to-face with characters in my film, and listened to them talk every so calmly about the hair raising events in their pasts, I suddenly realized what it was that I captured with my camera: a dream of freedome twinkling in their eyes.”
Opening Thursday, November 18 at the Bell Lightbox is Krygyz filmmaker Aktan Arym Kubat’s third feature, The Light Thief (Svet-ake). Completed before the April 2010 popular uprising against the deeply corrupt regime of Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev, the failures of post-Soviet Kyrgyz democratization come to roost in a remote village in Kubat’s tragi-comic fable. Unfolding in short vignettes The Light Thief is stylistically similar to his earlier works "The Adopted Son" and "The Chimp"
Played by the director, Svet-ake (the film's original title, which literally means "Mr. Light") is the electrician of a remote, impoverished village in the Kyrgyz mountains. The villagers turn to him for help with their constantly short-circuiting electricity (which he often steals for them from the town hall) and personal problems. For his part, the kind, spirited father of four daughters has two dreams: to have a son and to bring cheap, wind-powered energy to the valley.
Although not specified, the film is set in early 2005, during the Tulip Revolution that overthrew the government. There are no demonstrations in Svet-ake's little village, but the changing times are felt nonetheless.
Progress, good and bad, is personified by Bekzat (Askat Sulaimanov), a dubious young tycoon who has returned to his native village looking to buy land and go into business with even shadier Chinese investors. He promises to finance Svet-ake's surprisingly modern windmills if the latter works for him. Initially trusting of Bekzat, the electrician soon realizes that the changes he is bringing go hand in hand with the death of centuries-old traditions.
-30-
Apichatpong Weerasethakul, director of Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives is available in Toronto for interviews on September 16, 2010
Press kits and images for all 4 films are posted on the FilmsWeLike website:
http://www.filmswelike.com/films/uncleboonmee/
http://www.filmswelike.com/films/basquiat/
http://www.filmswelike.com/films/wish
http://www.filmswelike.com/lightthief
For further information on Uncle Boonmee, I Wish I Knew and The Light Thief please contact:
V Kelly & Associates
For further information on Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child please contact:
Gary Topp
FilmsWeLike, the independent distribution company headed by filmmaker Ron Mann is pleased to announce that the 2010 Palme d’Or winner Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (Lung Boonmee Raluek Chat); I Wish I Knew (Hai Shang Chuan Qi) - the new film from master Chinese filmmaker Jia Zhang-Ke; The Light Thief (Svet-Aki) a delightful gem from Kyrgyzstan’s Aktan Arym Kubat and Tamra Davis’ Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child will open at the Bell Lightbox this fall.
Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives is the final installment in a multi-platform art project called Primitive. Previous installments include a seven-part video installation and the two short films A Letter to Uncle Boonmee and Phantoms of Nabua.”
Working outside the strict confines of the Thai studio system, Apichatpong Weerasethakul is an independent Thai film director, screenwriter, and film producer. His feature films include Tropical Malady, which won a jury prize at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival, Blissfully Yours, which won the top prize in the Un Certain Regard program at the 2003 Cannes Film Festival, and Syndromes and a Century, which premiered at the 63rd Venice Film Festival and was the first Thai film to be entered in competition there.
Director Tamra Davis pays homage to her friend in this definitive documentary but also delves into Basquiat as an iconoclast. His dense, bebop-influenced neoexpressionist work emerged while minimalist, conceptual art was the fad; as a successful black artist, he was constantly confronted by racism and misconceptions. Much can be gleaned from insider interviews and archival footage, but it is Basquiat's own words and work that powerfully convey the mystique and allure of both the artist and the man.
Like his last film, 2008's 24 City,, Jia Zhan-Ke’s I Wish I Knew (Hai Shang Chuan Qi), which screened at 2010 Cannes in Un Certain Regard, is a documentary/fiction hybrid about modern-day China. Where 24 City took a personal focus on the citizens of a Chinese town affected by the construction of a high-rise condominium, I Wish I Knew takes a broader view, examining the history of Shanghai as viewed from the present. Jia Zhan-Ke’. Eighteen people from Shanghai, Taipei and Hong Kong recell their lives in Shanghai. Their personal experiences, like eighteen chapters of a novel, tell stories of Shanghai lives from the 1930s to 2010. Jia Zhan-Ke said “I came to Shanghai with my movie camera and traced the footsteps of Shanghaiers who left this city for Taiwan and Hong Kong. Shanghai is closely tied to the lives of almost every important historic figure in the modern history of China. And events of national significance in the life of the city also destined Shanghaiers for lives of painful, life-long separation. When I sat face-to-face with characters in my film, and listened to them talk every so calmly about the hair raising events in their pasts, I suddenly realized what it was that I captured with my camera: a dream of freedome twinkling in their eyes.”
Played by the director, Svet-ake (the film's original title, which literally means "Mr. Light") is the electrician of a remote, impoverished village in the Kyrgyz mountains. The villagers turn to him for help with their constantly short-circuiting electricity (which he often steals for them from the town hall) and personal problems. For his part, the kind, spirited father of four daughters has two dreams: to have a son and to bring cheap, wind-powered energy to the valley.
Although not specified, the film is set in early 2005, during the Tulip Revolution that overthrew the government. There are no demonstrations in Svet-ake's little village, but the changing times are felt nonetheless.
Progress, good and bad, is personified by Bekzat (Askat Sulaimanov), a dubious young tycoon who has returned to his native village looking to buy land and go into business with even shadier Chinese investors. He promises to finance Svet-ake's surprisingly modern windmills if the latter works for him. Initially trusting of Bekzat, the electrician soon realizes that the changes he is bringing go hand in hand with the death of centuries-old traditions.
-30-
Apichatpong Weerasethakul, director of Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives is available in Toronto for interviews on September 16, 2010
Press kits and images for all 4 films are posted on the FilmsWeLike website:
http://www.filmswelike.com/films/uncleboonmee/
http://www.filmswelike.com/films/basquiat/
http://www.filmswelike.com/films/wish
http://www.filmswelike.com/lightthief
For further information on Uncle Boonmee, I Wish I Knew and The Light Thief please contact:
V Kelly & Associates
For further information on Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child please contact:
Gary Topp
filmswelike scores with summer sleeper! 12th Week for Smash Comedy
03/08/10 17:04 Filed in: Mid-August Lunch
Mid-August Lunch
"Good food, feisty ladies and unlikely friendships," are a recipe for success with Toronto audiences as they sate themselves on the cinematic feast that is "Mid-August Lunch".
Now heading into its 12th week, the little film that could continues to satisfy the cravings of Toronto audiences at the Mt. Pleasant Theatre.
Peter Seroc, who owns and operates the historic independent theatre south of Eglington, said that word-of-mouth accounted for the films phenomenal success "Audiences love the film, and they tell their friends about it ".
"These days its unusual for a film to sit stay in a movie theatre longer then one week " quipped filmmaker and distributor Ron Mann of Films We LIke.
"You have to admire the Mt. Pleasant Theatre for taking an old school approach to exhibition. Nowadays films are released simultaneously on TV and don't give a film a chance to find its audience."
"At the outset we didn't think "Mid-August Lunch" would be playing in August - but here we are - and at this rate we'll be playing through
September".
For more information, please contact :
V Kelly & Associates / 416 466 9799 / info@vkpr.ca
Trailer, press kit, images are posted here.
"Good food, feisty ladies and unlikely friendships," are a recipe for success with Toronto audiences as they sate themselves on the cinematic feast that is "Mid-August Lunch".
Peter Seroc, who owns and operates the historic independent theatre south of Eglington, said that word-of-mouth accounted for the films phenomenal success "Audiences love the film, and they tell their friends about it ".
"These days its unusual for a film to sit stay in a movie theatre longer then one week " quipped filmmaker and distributor Ron Mann of Films We LIke.
"You have to admire the Mt. Pleasant Theatre for taking an old school approach to exhibition. Nowadays films are released simultaneously on TV and don't give a film a chance to find its audience."
"At the outset we didn't think "Mid-August Lunch" would be playing in August - but here we are - and at this rate we'll be playing through
September".
For more information, please contact :
V Kelly & Associates / 416 466 9799 / info@vkpr.ca
Trailer, press kit, images are posted here.
filmswelike Acquires JEAN-MICHEL BASQUIAT: THE RADIANT CHILD
23/06/10 16:07 Filed in: Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radient Child
JEAN-MICHEL BASQUIAT: THE RADIANT CHILD a film by Tamra Davis
In his short career, Jean-Michel Basquiat was a phenomenon. He became notorious for his graffiti art under the moniker Samo in the late 1970s on the Lower East Side scene, sold his first painting to Deborah Harry for $200, and became best friends with Andy Warhol. Appreciated by both the art cognoscenti and the public, Basquiat was launched into international stardom. However, soon his cult status began to override the art that had made him famous in the first place.
Director Tamra Davis pays homage to her friend in this definitive documentary but also delves into Basquiat as an iconoclast. His dense, bebop-influenced neoexpressionist work emerged while minimalist, conceptual art was the fad; as a successful black artist, he was constantly confronted by racism and misconceptions. Much can be gleaned from insider interviews and archival footage, but it is Basquiat's own words and work that powerfully convey the mystique and allure of both the artist and the man.
Featuring interviews with Julian Schnabel, Larry Gagosian, Bruno Bischofberger, Tony Shafrazi, Fab 5 Freddy, Jeffrey Deitch, Glenn O'Brien, Maripol, Kai Eric, Nicholas Taylor, Fred Hoffmann, Michael Holman, Diego Cortez, Annina Nosei, Suzanne Mallouk, Rene Ricard, among many others.
Mid-August Lunch (Pranzo di ferragosto) - Opens Toronto May 21
10/05/10 16:30 Filed in: Mid-August Lunch
Mid-August Lunch (Pranzo di ferragosto), a film by GIANNI DI GREGORIO
Opens in Toronto (The Royal) on Friday, May 21, 2010
Inspired by director and lead actor Gianni di Gregorio’s real life, Mid-August Lunch centers around Gianni, a middle-aged man and the only son of his widowed mother, with whom he lives in an old house in central Rome.
Living under the tyranny of this impoverished aristocrat, his life drags on between housework and going to the bar.
The day before the August bank holiday the condominium manager asks him to take his own mother into his home for the two days he has off. In exchange, he will knock some money off the condominium debts Gianni has run up over the years.
Gianni is forced to accept.
The manager treacherously turns up with two women - not knowing where to take his aunt, he brings her along too.
Gianni is overwhelmed and crushed by the clash between these three dominant characters, but heroically does his best to make them happy. At a certain point he feels faint and calls a friend of his who is a doctor. The doctor not only reassures Gianni, but foists his own elderly mother on him, since he is on shift at the hospital.
Gianni goes through 24 hours of hell.
But when at last it’s time to say goodbye, the women have other ideas…
About GIANNI DI GREGORIO
Gianni Di Gregorio was born in Rome in Trastevere, where he still lives and works.
He fell in love with cinema when he was still a child, spending his mornings at school and his afternoons in the local cinemas, sometimes watching up to three films a day.
After studying classics at high school he went to university to study literature, but before graduating dropped out to go to the Accademia di Arti Sceniche in Rome, run by Alessandro Fersen, where he took a diploma in directing and acting.
In 1986 he wrote the screenplay for the film Sembra morto ma è solo svenuto by Felice Farina, with Sergio Castellitto and Marina Confalone, which won the Premio FRIPRESCI at the Settimana della Critica, at the 1987 Venice Film Festival.
In the same year he wrote the story and screenplay for the film Carefree Giovanni by Marco Colli, with Sergio Castellitto, Eleonora Giorgi, Aldo Fabrizi, Franco Fabrizi and Luca De Filippo. Presented at the Quinzaine des Realizateurs at Cannes 87, it was awarded the Gran Prix du juri at the festival of Annecy.
He met Matteo Garrone after seeing his first film, Terra di Mezzo. He started working with him, as assistant director, in 2000 with Roman Summer, and continued with The Embalmer and First Love. In 2007, with Braucci, Chiti, Gaudioso, Saviano and Garrone, he co-wrote the screenplay for the film Gomorrah, directed by Matteo Garrone.
Italian w/English subtitles/ 75 mins
Opens in Toronto (The Royal) on Friday, May 21, 2010
Living under the tyranny of this impoverished aristocrat, his life drags on between housework and going to the bar.
The day before the August bank holiday the condominium manager asks him to take his own mother into his home for the two days he has off. In exchange, he will knock some money off the condominium debts Gianni has run up over the years.
Gianni is forced to accept.
The manager treacherously turns up with two women - not knowing where to take his aunt, he brings her along too.
Gianni is overwhelmed and crushed by the clash between these three dominant characters, but heroically does his best to make them happy. At a certain point he feels faint and calls a friend of his who is a doctor. The doctor not only reassures Gianni, but foists his own elderly mother on him, since he is on shift at the hospital.
Gianni goes through 24 hours of hell.
But when at last it’s time to say goodbye, the women have other ideas…
About GIANNI DI GREGORIO
He fell in love with cinema when he was still a child, spending his mornings at school and his afternoons in the local cinemas, sometimes watching up to three films a day.
After studying classics at high school he went to university to study literature, but before graduating dropped out to go to the Accademia di Arti Sceniche in Rome, run by Alessandro Fersen, where he took a diploma in directing and acting.
In 1986 he wrote the screenplay for the film Sembra morto ma è solo svenuto by Felice Farina, with Sergio Castellitto and Marina Confalone, which won the Premio FRIPRESCI at the Settimana della Critica, at the 1987 Venice Film Festival.
In the same year he wrote the story and screenplay for the film Carefree Giovanni by Marco Colli, with Sergio Castellitto, Eleonora Giorgi, Aldo Fabrizi, Franco Fabrizi and Luca De Filippo. Presented at the Quinzaine des Realizateurs at Cannes 87, it was awarded the Gran Prix du juri at the festival of Annecy.
He met Matteo Garrone after seeing his first film, Terra di Mezzo. He started working with him, as assistant director, in 2000 with Roman Summer, and continued with The Embalmer and First Love. In 2007, with Braucci, Chiti, Gaudioso, Saviano and Garrone, he co-wrote the screenplay for the film Gomorrah, directed by Matteo Garrone.
Italian w/English subtitles/ 75 mins
EXAMINED LIFE & JERICHOW: Now Available on DVD
22/03/10 11:53 Filed in: Examined Life | Jerichow
Order them online at dvdswelike.com!
EXAMINED LIFE a film by Astra Taylor
EXAMINED LIFE takes philosophy out of the darkened corners of academia and into the hustle and bustle of the everyday, a visual reminder that great ideas are born through profound engagement with the world around us. Featuring the “rock star” philosophers of our time, including Cornel West, Peter Singer, Slavoj Zizek, Judith Butler, Avital Ronell, Michael Hardt, Anthony Appiah and Martha Nussbaum.
Buy it now! ($22.99)
JERICHOW a film by Christian Petzold
Off the beaten path of life, three people stumble into a fateful encounter. Thomas, young and strong, as been dishonorably discharged from the army. Ali, an affable Turkish businessman, has seen some hard times, but now his primary concern is making sure the employees of his snack-bars don’t cheat on him. Laura, an attractive woman with a dark past, seems to find refuge in the shadows of her marriage to Ali.
Buy it now! ($22.99)
EXAMINED LIFE takes philosophy out of the darkened corners of academia and into the hustle and bustle of the everyday, a visual reminder that great ideas are born through profound engagement with the world around us. Featuring the “rock star” philosophers of our time, including Cornel West, Peter Singer, Slavoj Zizek, Judith Butler, Avital Ronell, Michael Hardt, Anthony Appiah and Martha Nussbaum.
Buy it now! ($22.99)
Off the beaten path of life, three people stumble into a fateful encounter. Thomas, young and strong, as been dishonorably discharged from the army. Ali, an affable Turkish businessman, has seen some hard times, but now his primary concern is making sure the employees of his snack-bars don’t cheat on him. Laura, an attractive woman with a dark past, seems to find refuge in the shadows of her marriage to Ali.
Buy it now! ($22.99)
TRUNK SHOW: One Week Only, The Royal - Toronto
11/03/10 11:04 Filed in: Trunk Show
Starting March 26 @ The Royal; WATCH THE TRAILER
A SONGBOOK SPANNING DECADES
NEIL YOUNG TRUNK SHOW, the second in Jonathan Demme’s planned film Neil Young
trilogy is an unconscious, raw, in-the-moment concert movie. The words Trunk Show conjure another time when people moved across the country, displaying unique and precious goods from old chunky leather-strapped luggage.
Taking his cue from this image, Young surrounds himself with his favorite instruments, played at whim on a stage-set filled with personal icons: a small-scale model of a guitar shop, a red phone and other items. “I always tell people,absolutely and sincerely, if you’re not a Neil Young fan, don’t waste your time,” Demme remarks.
“Second of all, if you don’t love electric guitar, don’t go." Trunk Showis subtitled “scenes from a concert”, specifically from a pair of shows Young performed at the 1927-built Tower Theatre in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania, as part of his intimate 2007 Chrome Dreams theater tour. He performed a full acoustic set, followed by a full electric one with bandmates Ben Keith, Rick Rosas, Ralph Molina, Anthony “Sweetpea” Crawford and wife Pegi Young.
He also had painter Eric Johnson creating on-the-spot works for each song. Demme says knew the set list, but says nothing was planned for the film. Shot on hand-held cameras (HDCam, HDV and Super-8mm), his team included director of photography Declan Quinn (Rachel Getting Married, Leaving Las Vegas) and camera operators he’s worked with before.
JONATHAN DEMME:
A prolific American film director, producer and screenwriter, his credits include:
Caged Heat (1974); Crazy Mama (1975); Melvin and Howard (1980)
Stop Making Sense (Talking Heads concert film, 1984)
The Perfect Kiss (New Order music video, 1985)
Swimming to Cambodia (1987); Haiti: Dreams of Democracy (1987)
The Silence of the Lambs (1991); Philadelphia (1993)
Storefront Hitchcock (1998); The Truth About Charlie (2002)
The Agronomist (2003); The Manchurian Candidate (2004)
Neil Young: Heart of Gold (2006); Rachel Getting Married (2008)
UPCOMING CANADIAN SCREENINGS:
Vancity, Vancouver: March 5 (preview), opens March 26 - April 1
The Royal, Toronto: Opens March 26
Cinematheque Winnipeg: March 26, 27, 28, 31, April 1, 2, 3, 7, 8
Princess Cinema, Waterloo: April 8-12
Broadway Theatre, Saskatoon: April 16-29
Mayfair, Ottawa: April 16, 17 & 18
Cinema du Parc, Montreal: May 13 (preview), opens May 21-27
Press and Publicity: Gary Topp
A SONGBOOK SPANNING DECADES
NEIL YOUNG TRUNK SHOW, the second in Jonathan Demme’s planned film Neil Young
trilogy is an unconscious, raw, in-the-moment concert movie. The words Trunk Show conjure another time when people moved across the country, displaying unique and precious goods from old chunky leather-strapped luggage.
Taking his cue from this image, Young surrounds himself with his favorite instruments, played at whim on a stage-set filled with personal icons: a small-scale model of a guitar shop, a red phone and other items. “I always tell people,absolutely and sincerely, if you’re not a Neil Young fan, don’t waste your time,” Demme remarks.
“Second of all, if you don’t love electric guitar, don’t go." Trunk Showis subtitled “scenes from a concert”, specifically from a pair of shows Young performed at the 1927-built Tower Theatre in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania, as part of his intimate 2007 Chrome Dreams theater tour. He performed a full acoustic set, followed by a full electric one with bandmates Ben Keith, Rick Rosas, Ralph Molina, Anthony “Sweetpea” Crawford and wife Pegi Young.
He also had painter Eric Johnson creating on-the-spot works for each song. Demme says knew the set list, but says nothing was planned for the film. Shot on hand-held cameras (HDCam, HDV and Super-8mm), his team included director of photography Declan Quinn (Rachel Getting Married, Leaving Las Vegas) and camera operators he’s worked with before.
JONATHAN DEMME:
Caged Heat (1974); Crazy Mama (1975); Melvin and Howard (1980)
Stop Making Sense (Talking Heads concert film, 1984)
The Perfect Kiss (New Order music video, 1985)
Swimming to Cambodia (1987); Haiti: Dreams of Democracy (1987)
The Silence of the Lambs (1991); Philadelphia (1993)
Storefront Hitchcock (1998); The Truth About Charlie (2002)
The Agronomist (2003); The Manchurian Candidate (2004)
Neil Young: Heart of Gold (2006); Rachel Getting Married (2008)
UPCOMING CANADIAN SCREENINGS:
Vancity, Vancouver: March 5 (preview), opens March 26 - April 1
The Royal, Toronto: Opens March 26
Cinematheque Winnipeg: March 26, 27, 28, 31, April 1, 2, 3, 7, 8
Princess Cinema, Waterloo: April 8-12
Broadway Theatre, Saskatoon: April 16-29
Mayfair, Ottawa: April 16, 17 & 18
Cinema du Parc, Montreal: May 13 (preview), opens May 21-27
Press and Publicity: Gary Topp
WHITE STRIPES: The Edge - Radio Spot
23/02/10 16:55
A TOWN CALLED PANIC selected for CESARS
25/01/10 12:56 Filed in: A Town Called Panic
BEST FOREIGN FILM CATAGORY
Avatar, d. James Cameron, USA
Gran Torino, d. Clint Eastwood, USA
J'ai tué ma mère [I Killed My Mother], d. Xavier Dolan, Canada
Milk, d. Gus Van Sant, USA
Panique au village [A Town Called Panic], d. Stéphane Aubier, Vincent Patar, Belgium/Luxembourg
Das weiße Band [The White Ribbon], d. Michael Haneke, Austria/Germany