Jazz icon Nina Simone in spotlight at Sundance premiere

PARK CITY | The opening night of the Sundance Film Festival saw a moving documentary about jazz icon Nina Simone — whose director trumpeted her as a model for a new generation of civil rights activists.

“What Happened, Miss Simone?” was greeted with a standing ovation at a gala screening at the film festival, which runs through February 1 in the Utah ski resort of Park City.

Drawing on previously unreleased footage and recordings, the movie traces Simone’s life from her youth as a classically trained pianist to crossover blue/soul/jazz “I Love You Porgy” songstress and 1960s black power figurehead.

Including extensive interviews with her daughter and close friends, it then recounts her downward spiral and battles with domestic abuse and mental illness, leading eventually to her diagnosis with bipolar disorder.

“She struggled with demons, from inside and out,” said Oscar-nominated filmmaker Liz Garbus, a Sundance veteran whose previous movies include “The Farm: Angola, USA” (1998) and “Love, Marilyn” (2012).

“Her life was a reflection of the legacy of racism in America but also of the extraodinary power that a righteous voice can have against even the most wicked historical legacy.”

After separating from her husband and manager Simone moved to Liberia in the early 1970s, but running out of money headed north to Europe, first Switzerland and then France, struggling to get her career back on the rails.

Ironically it was a commercial — for Chanel No 5 perfume — which resurrected her fortunes, as its use of her song “My Baby Just Cares for Me” brought Simone renewed fame from the late 1980s.

‘MISSISSIPPI GODDAM’

But much of the movie centers on the early years, and in particular her transformation from jazz singer into civil rights firebrand — despite the efforts of her abusive husband, who wanted her to keep making the hits.

It is difficult to feel the power that a song like “Missippi Goddam” — her response to the bombing of a church in Birmingham, Alabama that killed four black children — had at the time, when it was banned from radio stations.

Speaking after Thursday night’s screening, the film’s director said Simone’s songs can still resonate for a new generation — specifically protestors following a recent spate of white-on-black killings in America.

“If we had voices like Nina Simone today, (they could express) the pain and the passion of the movement, that’s been building I think on the streets in the past six months.

In a later-life interview in the film, a disillusioned Simone laments that there was no civil rights movement, and therefore no place for her earlier songs.

“I think that’s one of the saddest moments for me in the film, because I think we can all see the place of these songs today,” said Garbus, urging new artists to “appropriate those songs to take them, and to continue them and to … let the music mean something again.”

The evening ended with a tribute from Grammy-winning and Oscar-nominated singer John Legend, who sang three Simone tunes including “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood.”

Simone ended up based in Paris after her late-career comeback, and continued to perform in the 1990s — her last album, “A Single Woman,” was released in 1993. She died in 2003, aged 70.

“What Happened, Miss Simone?” is due out soon, on streaming video service Netflix.

source: interaksyon.com

Turkey’s harrowing ‘Winter Sleep’ takes top prize at Cannes

Turkish film “Winter Sleep” examining the huge divide between rich and poor and the powerful and powerless in Turkey won the Palme d’Or award for best film for director Nuri Bilge Ceylan on Saturday at the 67th Cannes International Film Festival.

Ceylan’s three-hour-plus dark and atmospheric film was only the second Turkish movie to win the top award at the world’s most prestigious film festival, and the director noted that it came on the 100th anniversary year of Turkish cinema.

He dedicated the honor to “those who lost their lives during the last year”, adding that he was referring to the youth of his country and to unrest in Turkey.

“These young people actually taught us a lot of things. Some of them sacrificed their lives in a way for us,” Ceylan said later at a news conference.

“Le Meraviglie” (The Wonders) by Italian director Alice Rohrwacher took the second-place prize for a coming-of-age story set in the Tuscan countryside as a family tries to eke out a bohemian life making honey.

Twenty-five-year-old Canadian director Xavier Dolan’s film “Mommy” shared the third-place prize with octogenarian French director Jean-Luc Godard’s “Adieu au Langage” (Goodbye to Language) that uses 3D imagery to stunning effect.

An emotional Dolan said he thought the jury may have twinned him with Godard, an inventor of “New Wave” film, “because of our respective searches for freedom in cinema”.

American director Bennett Miller won the best director award for “Foxcatcher”, British actor Timothy Spall won best actor for Mike Leigh’s film “Mr Turner” and Julianne Moore was named best actress in David Cronenberg’s “Maps to the Stars”.

Spall, best known to cinema audiences as Peter Pettigrew in the “Harry Potter” films, said he felt proud to win the award.

“I’m like a bewildered 16-year-old girl, or boy,” he said. “I’m so astounded by this award, it’s amazing.”

“Leviathan” by Russia’s Andrei Zvyagintsev took the prize for best screenplay.

“It was an extremely diverse ensemble — films that were classical, films that were radical, films that were about the future of cinema,” jury member and Danish director Nicolas Winding Refn said after the awards were announced.

Hollywood Reporter critic Stuart Kemp told Reuters there were “no surprises with the awards going to predictable places”.

Critics had applauded “Winter Sleep” as one of the standout films in a festival that was somewhat short on fireworks, with the French newspaper Le Monde calling it “magnificent”.

Variety critic Justin Chang called it a “sprawling, character-rich portrait of a self-absorbed Anatolian hotelier and his uneasy relationships with those around him”.

The only other Turkish film to win the Palme was Yilmaz Guney and Serif Goren’s “The Way” (1982).

Jury head Jane Campion said she had been daunted by the running length of three hours and 16 minutes but said “it had such a beautiful rhythm … I could have stayed there a couple more hours”.

“The real gift of this film is how honest it is,” she said.

Campion, the only woman to have won the Palme d’Or, said it had not mattered to her or the jury whether a man or woman won.

“It never entered our discussions the gender of the filmmaker that won,” Campion said. “These films were on equal basis with each other. We didn’t go, ‘Oh my God, was this made by a woman or a man?’ We were moved and responded to the film.”

ALMOST CLAUSTROPHOBIC

Despite its setting in the vast Anatolian steppe, the film’s atmosphere is almost claustrophobic as it shows a rich man and former actor named Aydin (Haluk Bilginer) who uses his intellect and position to bully his tenants and beat his wife and sister into intellectual submission.

Ceylan was peppered with questions during the festival about a recent coalmine disaster in Turkey, and about unrest and whether his film was trying to explore these themes.

He said current events were important for him, but what his films really were about was human nature.

“I can find enough motivation only if I make movies about the human nature,” he said. “My motivation and starting point is to try to understand the dark side of my soul and that means human nature as well.”

British film critic Richard Mowe, who served on the Cannes Directors Jury, said the centenary of Turkish film might have been a consideration in the award to Ceylan, but he doubted that the Palme d’Or would boost its commercial potential.

“It’s a hard film to get into cinemas because you can’t even describe what it’s about in an easy way — it’s all very metaphysical and metaphorical,” Mowe said.

This year’s festival had its share of glitz and glamour, with Nicole Kidman playing Grace Kelly in “Grace of Monaco,” the widely panned film that opened the festival but was not in competition.

Those making a requisite turn down the red carpet flanked by tuxedo-wearing photographers included Sophia Loren, Sharon Stone, Aishwarya Rai, Uma Thurman and John Travolta, Eva Longoria, Naomi Watts and Jessica Chastain.

source: interaksyon.com

Fil-Aussie teen Brooke Chantelle lights up Cinemalaya horror thriller ‘Diplomat Hotel’

Like Anne Curtis and sister Jasmine Curtis-Smith, Brooke Chantelle was also born and raised in Australia. The daughter of a Filipino father and Australian mother, the 13-year-old whose face reminded us of retired actress Nanette Medved is one of the new faces to watch in this year’s Cinemalaya film festival.

Along with goth rocker Sarah Gaugler, Brooke will be introduced in Christopher Ad Castillo’s “The Diplomat Hotel” where she plays the daughter of Art Acuña’s character, one of the reporters who enters its haunted ruins.

Trained in dance particularly ballet, jazz and tap dancing since the age of 3, Brooke said her dance background was very helpful in her introduction to film.

“I am used to being on a stage more than being behind the camera. Like film, dance is also very expressive so I guess the transition wasn’t that hard,” Brooke told InterAksyon in a recent interview.

Direk Chris agreed and added, “When I was casting the role, I wanted to get someone new and fresh. Someone showed me this YouTube video of hip hop dancers and this one girl stood out for me. She had the look and charisma and she was very comfortable in her dance moves. And when you’re comfortable in your art form, acting is pretty much the same thing.”

Asked if she is aware about the real Diplomat Hotel’s haunted reputation, Brooke said she actually has not heard about the place prior to being cast in the film.

“I visited some family members in Baguio about seven years ago but had not known of The Diplomat Hotel. I have grown up with stories from my dad about some of the haunted places in the Philippines. When I first entered The Diplomat Hotel during our shoot, it did have a very eerie presence,” she recalled.

“Reading the script is scary. I can only imagine how it will be to watch it. There were definitely some strange things happening during our shoot. However, being a Christian I believed that God would protect me from any evil spirits there.”

Outside of the strange, eerie occurrences in the hotel, Brooke said she had a great time playing the character that is so close to her own personality.
“I could relate to the character as she is a schoolgirl like myself who also has a close bond with her father in the film,” she revealed.

Being in the company of what she considers “a great cast” also added to her wonderful experience with the film.

“I am very fortunate to have been able to learn from some of the best in the business with the cast of ‘The Diplomat Hotel’,” she enthused. “Art Acuna, Mon Confiado, Abe Pagtama, Sarah Gaugler, and of course Ms Gretchen Barretto were all very willing to share their experiences and passion for acting with me. It was surreal to watch them on set. Everyone was so supportive in helping me in my role.”

And then, there’s Direk Chris himself, who she said was very supportive from the word go.

“Direk Chris is amazing! From the very first time we spoke he made me feel comfortable about my role. I had confidence that he would do everything to bring out the best in the actors and in me. I admired him for the hours and hours he put into the film. He ensured that I felt welcome to the cast and created opportunities for me to meet many talented and wonderful people,” she said.

Brooke, who is currently back in Australia, hopes to return to the country in time for the Cinemalaya premiere of “The Diplomat Hotel” this month. She revealed that discussions for future projects have already begun. So, yes, we will be seeing more of Brooke Chantelle in the months to come.

“I am studying hard to improve my Tagalog. I will forever be grateful to Direk Chris for giving me this opportunity and believing in me. Ever since I was little and watching Filipino TV at home in Australia, I have dreamed of becoming an artist in the Philppines so I guess this project is a good first step for me.”

source: interaksyon.com

Maui Taylor’s Korean film to premiere in Seoul on Tuesday

Maui Taylor gets a chance to walk the red carpet in Seoul for the premiere of her Korean film “The Taste of Money” on Tuesday, May 15. The highly anticipated film by Korean director Im Sang-son will screen in competition at the Cannes Film Festival, which will begin the next day.
“The Taste of Money”, Im’s follow-up to the highly lauded 2010 Cannes entry “The Housemaid”, is Maui’s first taste of the international film scene. The petite actress was last seen in the 2008 film “Torotot”.
“It was the people of Viva Films who presented me to these Korean film producers,” she says. “They were looking for a Pinay actress to play the role of Eva, a nanny from Cebu.”
Maui plays the pivotal role of the Filipina housemaid whose sexual relations with the old patriarch of her employing family in Seoul puts everyone’s lives into a tailspin.
She landed the part after the producers saw her performance in the 2004 film “Huling Birhen sa Lupa”.
“Pinanood nila ‘yung movie, and they all agreed that I was the one. Wala nang auditions na nangyari. Kaya sobra akong natuwa,” she says. “It’s my first time to make a film this big, and kilala sa mga international film festivals ang director namin na si Im Sang-son.”
Maui started filming for “The Taste Of Money” in Seoul in November 2011 during winter.
“Grabe ang lamig sa Korea,” she recalls. “May swimming scene pa ako, at sobrang lamig ng tubig.”
Fortunately, some scenes were also shot in Cebu. The principal photography for the film lasted four months.
Maui witnessed how the Korean film industry is very strict with the hours of filming.
“We only shot for 10 hours a day, and no overtime. Sometimes we would only shoot like three or four scenes a day lang.
“Masyado silang mabusisi sa mga eksena. Kapag naisipan ng director namin na ibahin ang scene, lahat maiiba. Kaya inabot kami ng four months,” she says.
During those four months, Maui had opportunities to fly back home during breaks in her schedule.
“Pabalik-balik ako dito sa Pilipinas. May weeks kasi na hindi ako makukunan ng eksena. Kaya uuwi muna ako. I would only fly back to Seoul kapag ready na ang mga scenes ko na i-shoot,” she explains.
The entire experience thrilled Maui to no end: “Feeling ko Hollywood star ako. I was given a VIP treatment sa set.”
The 29-year-old actress had a well-appointed three-bedroom apartment all to herself. She had a living allowance on top of her talent fee, which financed her shopping sprees in the cosmopolitan city.
On set she had an English-speaking personal assistant, a necessity given the fact that most of the actors and the crew were not conversant in English. In fact, it was Maui who reached out by learning Korean.
“May dialect coach ako because in most of my scenes I had to speak Korean. Kaya I learned so many words and somehow nakakapag-communicate ako sa kanila on the set. Pero I still needed my P.A. to interpret some of the words spoken to me by my co-stars,” she shares.
Maui had a great time working with her Korean co-actors, especially the two senior stars of the film: Baek Yoon-sik (known as the “Al Pacino of Korea”) and Yoon Yeo-jeong (the lead actress in “The Housemaid”).
“Mababait sila. At first na-intimidate ako sa kanila kasi they are big stars in Korea. But once I got to know them, normal din pala sila. Mahiyain din pala sila,” she says.
She confesses she had a crush on Kim Kang-woo, reportedly the highest-paid actor in Korea: “Grabe, ang guwapo niya!”
Unfortunately for her, her love scenes were with the much older Baek Yoon-sik, not with Kim Kang-woo. She says: “Palabiro si Kim Kang-woo. Kaso he’s married na kaya hindi na ako puwedeng umeksena sa kanya!”
The project came as a breath of fresh air for Maui, who was coming off a bad breakup when “The Taste of Money” was offered to her.
“Tama lang na dumating ang trabahong ito para hindi ko maisip ang malungkot na lovelife ko,” says the actress, who remains loveless at the moment.
“Right now, I am just dating. Nothing serious yet,” she notes. “I just want to meet other people muna. Ayoko munang maging serious sa love.”
source: interaksyon.com

'Thelma' wins at Mexican film fest, to compete in Madrid

MANILA, Philippines – The Paul Soriano-helmed indie flick, “Thelma,” was among 10 films that bagged the Bronze Palm Award at the 2012 Mexico International Film Festival.
“Thelma” was part of the festival’s Feature Film Competition. The nine other winning films as listed on the festival’s official website are “Dia de Preto” by Marcial Renato, Marcos Felipe Delfino, and Daniel Mattos; “Guadalupe the Virgin” by Victoria Giordana; “Nijiiro Hotaru” by Kounosuke Uda; “Random 8” by Kathryn Millard; “Salsa Tel Aviv” by Jorje Weller; “Teenagers” by Paul Verhoeven; “The Custom Mary” by Matt Dunnerstick; “The Last Cry” by Reza Ghassemi; and “The Pact” by Matt Toronto.
Time Horizon Pictures that produced the movie wrote on its website that the film won “for demonstrating excellent and outstanding film-making.”
More, also from to the THP website, “Thelma” will be competing at the 2012 Madrid International Film Festival in June, where it scored Best Feature Film and Best Cinematography nominations. In August, it will be screened at the 3rd New York City International Film Festival.
Prior the MIFF win, “Thelma” clinched three awards at the 28th PMPC Star Awards for Movies held in March: Digital Movie Screen Writer of the Year (Froilan Medina and Paul Soriano), Digital Movie Director of the Year (Soriano), and Digital Movie of the Year.
The Maja Salvador-starrer based on the lives of Filipino runners had also been invited to various international film festivals since its release on September 2011, including the 22nd CineQuest Film Festival, the 36th Cleveland International Film Festival, and the 31st Hawaii International Film Festival.
source: mb.com.ph