2021 Rewind
As we reach the end of 2021 (and what a year it was!), we think back to all that has happened since last January. Even though cinemas closing this year came with its share of problems, at least we got through another year of the pandemic together. And to that, we say... good riddance!
Moreover, 2021 ended up being a very fruitful year for us at Films We Like. This month, we've decided to highlight our favourite releases that you may have missed. From a full docket of informative docs, breathtaking international films and arthouse stunners, we've got something for everybody.
NEW FILMS FROM OUR FAVE DIRECTORS
Jia Zhang-Ke - Swimming Out Till the Sea Turns Blue
Jia Zhang-Ke, the beloved director of festival classics like The World and Still Life, released SWIMMING OUT TILL THE SEA TURNS BLUE: a non-fiction film that takes place in a literary event for Chinese poets and writers in a village in China’s Shanxi Province.
Christian Petzold - Undine
UNDINE was Christian Petzold's recent foray into folklore: starring Paula Beer and Franz Rogowski (Transit), UNDINE reinterprets the myth of Undine, who must kill the man she loves who betrays her, and return to the water.
Roy Andersson - About Endlessness
Roy Andresson's newest feature, ABOUT ENDLESSNESS, presents "a kaleidoscope of human condition," fitting neatly in his roster of absurdist, wry feature films like A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence.
Kiyoshi Kurosawa - Wife of a Spy
Kiyoshi Kurosawa (Pulse, Tokyo Sonata) also returns with the beautifully rendered WWII historical romance, WIFE OF A SPY, which follows the story of a woman who begins to suspect her husband of being a spy.
THIS YEAR’S ACADEMY AWARD ENTRIES
Best International Feature Film (Russia) - Dear Comrades!
DEAR COMRADES! was a festival darling in 2020 and had made it into the Oscar's shortlist for Best International Feature Film at the 93rd Academy Awards. Andrei Konchalovsky writes a compelling, meticulous historical drama retelling the events of the 1962 Novocherkassk massacre during communist Soviet Union.
Best International Feature Film (Finland) - TOVE
Zaida Bergroth's TOVE was selected as Finland's entry to Best International Feature Film at the 93rd Academy Awards, lavishly recounting the story of the creator of the Moomins, Tove Jansson, who led a passionate life of love and loss.
Best International Feature Film (Hungary) - Preparations to be Together for an Unknown Period of Time
PREPARATIONS TO BE TOGETHER FOR AN UNKNOWN PERIOD OF TIME was selected as Hungary's entry to Best International Feature Film at the 93rd Academy Awards. A drama-mystery. successful neurosurgeon Vizy Marta leaves her life and career in America behind to follow the love of her life to Budapest, and who claims to have never met her before in his life.
Best International Feature Film (Japan) - Drive My Car
An aging, widowed actor seeks a chauffeur, who recommends a 23-year-old girl to him to drive his car in DRIVE MY CAR, Japan's entry to Best International Feature Film at this year's Academy Awards, and the triple award winner at Cannes 2021, including Best Screenplay. This three-hour Ryusuke Hamaguchi picture has been called “the movie of the year.”
NEW DOCS BY NEW DIRECTORS
JEREMY ELKIN - ALL THE STREETS ARE SILENT: THE CONVERGENCE OF HIP HOP AND SKATEBOARDING (1987-1997)
This summer marked the theatrical premiere of ALL THE STREETS ARE SILENT: THE CONVERGENCE OF HIP HOP AND SKATEBOARDING (1987-1997), Jeremy Elkin's promising debut documentary about downtown Manhattan pre-gentrification in the late 80's to the early 90's. This supercharged doc brings to life the magic of the time period and the convergence that created a style and visual language that had an enduring cultural effect.
MALIA SCHARF & MAX BASCH - KENNY SCHARF: WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE
KENNY SCHARF: WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE is an intimate documentary co-directed by Scharf's daughter, Malia Scharf, and her partner, Max Basch. As the daughter of the eponymous 1980s New York street artist, Malia had a uniquely inimitable perspective on her father’s prolific work. KENNY SCHARF is a celebration of the fun in art, the joy in creativity, and the "respect for all things garbage."
James Redford - Amy Tan: Unintended Memoir
James Redford finished his last film AMY TAN: UNINTENDED MEMOIR before his untimely death in 2020, and chronicles the life of American author Amy Tan, writer of The Joy Luck Club. The daughter of Chinese-American immigrants and survivor of a lifetime of familial trauma, Amy Tan turned to writing at a young age.
Rodrigo Reyes - 499
Rodrigo Reyes' 499 is an inventive, intelligent meditation on Mexico's current political and social climate, set 499 years after the Spanish Conquest of the Aztec Empire in 1519. A ghostly Conquistador roams the modern land, interacting with 21st century poverty, cartels, prisons and gangs; the aftermath of his actions.
Find out where to watch all of these titles and more in our #FWL2021Rewind Collection.
FWL’s #2021REWIND COLLECTION
About Films We Like
Founded by award-winning documentary filmmaker Ron Mann (Grass, Comic Book Confidential, Carmine Street Guitars) Films We Like is a boutique distributor of documentary, independent, and international films in Canada. Recent releases include Drive My Car, Fire Music: The Story of Free Jazz, and Wife of a Spy.