Animation Time/deadCenter Comes to Life/Coming Attractions

Welcome to Thursday...

ANIMATION TIME

The Annecy International Animated Film Festival is off and running in France.  It opened on Monday and will run through the end of the week.  I note the world's largest Film Fest dedicated to animation because there are almost always some animated films, both shorts and features, that appear there and then make there way to Telluride for Labor Day.

Variety has had significant coverage of the fest so far and you can find a good deal of it here:

http://variety.com/t/annecy-film-festival/

Meanwhile, the fest's official website is here:

http://www.annecy.org/home


DEADCENTER COMES TO LIFE

Oklahoma's own film festival, deadCenter, comes to life today and continues its run through this weekend.  Both "A Trip to Italy" and "Frank" are screened today...which for my money might be the two most intriguing titles on the deadCenter slate this year.  Check the full schedule at the official website here:

http://www.deadcenterfilm.org/


COMING ATTRACTIONS

A couple of announcements that last few days that caught my eye about future projects.  Zhang Yimou, whose "Coming Home" is a film that I feel is in the conversation for screening at Telluride this year, has announced that he will be involved in a production that will focus on telling the story of the Great Wall of China.  That story was reported by The Hollywood Reporter:

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/zhang-yimou-reveals-details-legendarys-711050


Also getting my notice was this story from The Playlist about Ariel Vromen's next project.  Vromen directed the TFF #39 entry "The Iceman".  Here's that story from The Playlist:

http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/michael-bay-eyes-underwater-adventure-george-tillman-jr-takes-the-longest-ride-with-nicholas-sparks-more-20140318


More on Friday!

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Cannes Countdown Continues/Trailers; "Winter Sleep" and "Coming Home"/Playlist First Look at "The Search"

Welcome to Thursday...


COUNTDOWN TO CANNES CONTINUES

The 67th Cannes Film Festival is now less than a week away and the anticipation is building.  As I have for the past couple of years, I'll be following the critical reaction to the films that play which particular focus on the films in the Palme d'Or competition as well as the Un Certain Regard Program and the Director's Fortnight category from which most Cannes/Telluride crossover films emerge.

As we get closer I am continuing to link to the summaries of Palme competitors by Jake Howell and being featured in Movie City News.  Howell has added three more films since my last post: David Cronenberg's "Maps to the Stars", Nuri Bilge Ceylan's "Winter Sleep" and Naomi Kawase's "Still the Water".  Check the capsules at MCN here:

Cronenberg:

http://moviecitynews.com/2014/05/countdown-to-cannes-david-cronenberg/

Ceylan:

http://moviecitynews.com/2014/05/countdown-to-cannes-nuri-bilge-ceylan/

Kawase:

http://moviecitynews.com/2014/05/countdown-to-cannes-naomi-kawase/


TRAILERS; "WINTER SLEEP" AND "COMING HOME"

Photo via The Playlist

Foreign language trailers have emerged for two of the Cannes Palme competitors.  "Winter Sleep" and a second trailer for Zhang Yimou's "Coming Home".  You can  find the "Winter Sleep" trailer and story here from Thompson on Hollywood:

http://blogs.indiewire.com/thompsononhollywood/winter-sleep-trailer-nuri-bilge-ceylan


and the new trailer for "Coming Home" with a story from The Playlist here:

http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/watch-new-trailer-for-zhang-yimous-cannes-film-festival-drama-coming-home-starring-gong-li-20140506


PLAYLIST FIRST LOOK AT "THE SEARCH"

Photo via The Playlist

The Playlist also posted a series of first images from Michel Hazanavicius' Palme player "The Search".  Those images and that story are here:

http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/first-look-the-artist-director-michel-hazanavicius-cannes-contender-the-search-starring-berenice-bejo-20140418

More on Monday...

"Rudderless" Gets a Course Setting/"Palo Alto" Trailers/"Coming Home" to Cannes?

Welcome to Thursday...

"RUDDERLESS" GETS A COURSE SETTING

Regular readers here know that I have been tracking the development of the William H. Macy directed, Casey Twenter & Jeff Robison scripted "Rudderless" for almost four years.  For those that don't know, Telluride served as the catalyst for my communicating with and ultimately meeting Mr. Twenter.  In the last year the film went before the cameras as Macy's feature film directing debut and was subsequently the closing night film for the Sundance Film Festival.

Now, the latest development is that the Oklahoma based film has a distributor.  Word came yesterday that Paramount/Samuel Goldwyn Films have picked up "Rudderless" and plan a fall release.  The specific date has yet to be announced.

I have links to the story from Variety and Deadline.com here:

http://variety.com/2014/film/news/william-h-macys-rudderless-heading-for-paramount-1201150649/

http://m.deadline.com/2014/03/william-h-macys-sundance-helming-debut-rudderless-headed-for-paramount-samuel-goldwyn/

The film centers on a father grieving after the death of his son and the son's music that the father discovers and embraces.

Stay tuned for the announcement concerning a release date.


"PALO ALTO" TRAILERS

"Palo Alto's" original trailer

I will admit that I did not see Gia Coppola's "Palo Alto" at the festival last fall.  Further, it's not high on my "to see" list.  However, I will be forever grateful that the film exists and was on the T-ride 40th anniversary program as it afforded me the opportunity to meet and talk with Gia's grandfather Francis Ford Coppola.

News now that the film has a new theatrical trailer and a poster.

Here are links to posts/stories with the new trailer included:

Rope of Silicon:

http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/palo-alto-trailer-poster-emma-roberts-james-franco/

FirstShowing:

http://www.firstshowing.net/2014/gia-coppolas-palo-alto-with-emma-roberts-gets-a-theatrical-trailer/

SlashFilm:

http://www.slashfilm.com/palo-alto-movie-trailer/

"Palo Alto" lands on May 9.

"COMING HOME" TO CANNES?

Rumors continue to swirl around that Zhang Yimou's "Coming Home" is headed to the 67th Cannes Film Festival.  Those fires were stoke earlier this week from Awards Daily's Sasha Stone:

http://www.awardsdaily.com/blog/zhang-yimous-coming-home-latest-to-join-cannes-lineups-rumored-list/

Sasha's post also includes the foreign language trailer for the film as well as coverage of last week's Yimou/Ang Lee presentation at NYU.

More on Monday...have a great weekend.

Cannes Catches "Foxcatcher"/"Coming Home" Could Still Come Home/Galapagos Web View

Good Monday Everyone!


CANNES CATCHES FOXCATCHER

Steve Carell as John duPont in Bennett Miller's "Foxcatcher"

After several weeks of Cannes speculation (and three more to come until the April 17th official announcement) Guy Lodge of HitFix reports that Bennett Miller's "Foxcatcher" has been "independently verified" for a slot in one of the Cannes programs.  Lodge suggests a competition slot is likely for the based on true events film that was originally set for release last year but was subsequently pulled.

A Cannes premiere would add to the case for "Foxcatcher" becoming a Telluride programming choice. Miller's previous Telluride screening of his Oscar nominated "Capote" (with Best Actor win for the late Philip Seymour Hoffman) adds to the case as well.  Also indicating a possible Telluride play is the film's distributor Sony Pictures Classics.

Should it receive a favorable critical response and SPC set an appropriate release date, as is expected then the biggest hurdle to a Telluride play would likely be the "Toronto Ultimatum" from a couple of months ago that suggests that films are going to have to make a choice between Telluride and a prime spot at Toronto.  Miller's "Capote" and "Moneyball" both played Toronto.

The complete HitFix post is here:

http://www.hitfix.com/in-contention/channing-tatum-and-steve-carell-look-set-to-hit-the-cannes-red-carpet-with-foxcatcher

"COMING HOME" COULD STILL COME HOME (TO TELLURIDE)

Zhang Yimou in NYC this past weekend (via Variety)

I reported last week that Thompson on Hollywood had reported that Zhang Yimou's "Coming Home" (hotly anticipated as a Cannes selection) was going to screen this past weekend in NYC as a part of a dialogue with Yimou and Ang Lee.  As a result, I said, that screening could diminish the chances that the film became a choice for Telluride.

Happily, an alert MTFB reader commented that the said screening was not happening.  I published that comment but also thought I'd highlight it here as it certainly allows me to put the Yimou film right back into the thick of T-ride speculation...and happy am I that it is.  Secretly I am hoping to see/meet Gong Li on Colorado Ave. or in line at The Chuck!

Here's the text of Dan's comment:

Dan said...

There is no screening of the ZY film tonight at NYU, Its a Q@A with Ang lee and Yimou. Although I think it was screened for Ang lee.

Further, reports of the evening back up Dan's claims.  Here are links to a couple of stories reporting on the Lee/Yimou .

From Variety:

http://variety.com/2014/film/news/directors-zhang-yimou-ang-lee-talk-censorship-hollywood-partnerships-at-nyu-event-1201149619/

The New York Times:

http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/03/28/ang-lee-and-zhang-yimou-on-movies-and-the-china-market/

So, put "coming Home" back on the "Telluride possible" list and thanks to "Dan"!

GALAPAGOS WEB PRESENCE

"Galapagos" poster via IMDb

"The Galapagos Affair: Satan Came to Eden" didn't get a lot of buzz during last year's fest but people I ran into it had seen it during the fest were complimentary.  The film's distributor, Zeigeist Films, announced this week that a new website was going live in support of the film.  That website is here:

http://www.galapagosaffair.com/

The film officially opens in the U.S. this week.


More on Thursday!

Handicapping Cannes/Fox Searchlight is 20 and Grew Up in Telluride/"Coming Home" Teaser

Welcome to Monday...Spring Break is over and I have the cold to prove it!

HANDICAPPING CANNES

Neal Young of the Jigsaw Lounge has begun setting the line for the winner of this year's Palme d'Or for The Cannes Film Festival.  It's all academic at this point as we don't know which titles will be named to the competition list.  Cannes usually has somewhere between 20-24 films in the competition category and Young lists 25 with odds of less than 30 to 1.

On his list of 25 are these that I continue to point to as potential Telluride choices:

Olivier Assayas' "Clouds of Sils Maria" which Young has listed at 16:1 for the Palme.
The Dardennes Brothers "Two Days, One Night" at 25:1
Mike Leigh's "Mr. Turner" also at 25:1
Xavier Beauvois' "The Price of Glory" at 28:1

Two other films are mentioned that earn their way onto the Telluride watch list: John Boorman's "Queen and Country" which Young lists at 16:1 and "Christian Petzold's "Phoenix" at 20:1.

Other films that Young includes that are in the over 30:1 category and that have some Telluride potential are:

"Birdman", "The Search", "Everything Will Be Fine", "Far From the Madding Crowd", "While We're Young", "Coming Home" (see story below), "Foxcatcher", "The Face of an Angel" and "The Look of Silence".

Take a look at Young's complete betting line/list here:

http://www.jigsawlounge.co.uk/film/reviews/cannes2014bet/

FOX SEARCHLIGHT IS 20 AND GREW UP IN TELLURIDE

The folks at HitFix put together a look back at Fox Searchlight's 20 year history this week by naming what they consider the 20 best films that the Indie Studio has distributed.  It will come as no surprise to serious Telluride watchers that a number of those films played at Telluride over the years.  On the HitFix list that are Telluride alums:

#20 "The Descendants"
#17 "Juno"
#15 "Slumdog Millionarie"
#13 "Shame"
#5 "12 Years a Slave"
#1 "Black Swan"

I also semi-include Terrence Malick's "The Tree of Life" (at  #4 on the HitFix list) which didn't actually play Telluride but did screen there secretly as an attempt to get a distribution deal in 2011 which it did.

You can see their entire array of Fox Searchlight's "20 Best" here:

http://www.hitfix.com/in-contention/the-20-best-fox-searchlight-movies-of-the-past-20-years#oHa0Jr8dAKqHyDiT.99

"COMING HOME" TEASER
 
I have been relatively high on the notion that we could see Zhang Yimou's "Coming Home" at both Cannes and then Telluride this year.  I was, therefore, fairly excited to see posts this week about a teaser/trailer for the film including this link to it via Thompson on Hollywood:

http://www.indiewire.com/article/watch-moving-teaser-for-zhang-yimous-coming-home#.UyxZq2nOSnc.twitter


But the Thompson article throws some water on the Telluride notion when it reveals plans by Sony Pictures Classics (the SPC connection was actually another thing working in favor of a Telluride play) that they plan to do a preview screening of the film in New York on Mar. 27th.  Knowing Telluride's predilection for showing only films that have not played in the U.S. prior to their T-ride unveiling (though that's not a hard and fast rule) I would say that the preview definitely reduces the chance that we'll see "Coming Home" over Labor Day weekend.

 More on Thursday...