Awards Season has started, so has our screening of films that could get nominated for a trophy. Look for news, interviews and reviews here.
Author: Editor
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Copenhagen this Fall
This Nordic Capital is a great place to visit in the Fall. Copenhagen is an intimate city offering a great blend of charm and modernity.
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Lebanon’s Foreign Film Pick
Mira Shaib’s Arze has been chosen as Lebanon’s entry for the Academy Award for Best International Film. The story of a single mother keeping her family above water with a home pastry business. Ambition can be a bad counselor. After buying a scooter for business expansion, Arze finds herself on a quest through Beirut trying to recover the stolen minibike.
Screened at the 2024 Tribeca Film Festival, Arze delves into a dysfunctional world where tribalism rules. Mira tackles the subject with an underdone urgency.
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Halloween Watch
Do you need a few films to watch this Halloween? These are titles we recommend for night at home with popcorn.
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The 3-D Animation and Gaming Future
Winking Studio is taking gaming to the next level with new 3-D technology. The AI based ware comes as a user friendly creative tool for producing animated characters. Rita Liu gives all the details on how to use the innovative features for making the next on screen character.
Click below for the podcast interview.
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Time For The Fall Jacket Style
Adding an edgy touch to a Fall Wardrobe is easy just by wearing the right jacket.
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All Gussied Up
At the recent press events I attended, noticing the fashion tribe I wondered. Why do they wear everything but the frying pan? Many were gussied up wearing all the labels from their shelves popping in and out of offices and showrooms. I wondered if there had been a looting at a luxury department store. The pride of being kitsch while not understand the meaning of the word scares me.
Chanel’s quote is, “The last thing you put on, take off.” This has been lost on the Kill for TikTok crowd. When at one time anyone with an eye could see quality and style, in today’s social media driven world standing out as if you were the Oscar Mayer Weiner Mobile at a 4th of July Parade means everything.
It is sad to look dated after only two hours. A great style is eternal. Jackie O never wore a brand emblazoned on her chest. Before Covid, around 2018, many fashion houses redesigned logos to take advantage of the camera phone ratio in an attempt to attract younger buyers. Monogramed mania took over the fashion industry. Every piece had to display a name.
The world had been hit with a name brand sledgehammer. The influencers, TikTokers wear everything all at once. This embellishment veers to pathological bad taste. Imagine stuck in a room with a person who has a big Louis Vuitton bag, Chanel glasses, oversized Balenciaga sneakers and a shinning Gucci jacket. I needed a certified CPA degree to track all the names. How many of these items were fake? No clue!
The shift to subtle fashion has taken place, however I do not think it has made its way to the younger crowd. “Bling” is still a way of life, showing off for the camera. Thankfully, kitchen items do not have a YSL monogram on the side.
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Naturally Dazzling
It’s always a privilege to attend the Boucheron presentation in Paris during Couture Week. The luxury jewel brand’s media gathering in July served up dazzling beats of precious stone designs. In the Vendome head office, creative head Claire Choisne describe the pieces as influenced from her trip to Iceland. The island’s wondrous landscape shaped by water, ice, waves and volcanic terrain provided inspiration to the French native. Travel can be a story in different forms.
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The T-DAYS
Drink Champagne on days with a “T”. Today and Tomorrow.
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Reviving the Berlinale
The Berlinale is a few months away, however the press tour has already started. New head Tricia Tuttle held a meet and greet for local press discussing the plans for making the city’s biggest cinema event more relevant. The American born said “she wanted to bring back enthusiasm to the Berlinale.” Was this a polite snub to previous heads Carlo Chatrian and Dieter Kosslick? It has been no secret Berlin has lost its luster over the years with filmmakers and other professionals. Europe’s third biggest film festival fell far behind Cannes and Venice. The American gatherings, Sundance and SXSW aim for youth over politics.
Tricia has her hands full, the first female while being fourth head in six years. A newbie in a city with many cultural and structural differences. Former East, former West attitudes make a peculiar tasting soup when combined in a pot. Chatrian got pushed out by backroom forces. The former London Film Festival head took over after many disagreements over the direction of festival. Where does the Berlinale stand in the circuit? Commercial? Politics? Mainstream? European Arthouse? Tuttle wants to attract younger audiences with a new social media plan along with cheaper tickets for students. That plan looks good on paper; however, a film festival is about films. A Deadpool or Dune sequel would get the under 30 crowd attention, not typical Berlinale Palace fare.
Festivals are not just gatherings, but places to discuss cinema. The organisation’s press room is more a sterile inoculation clinic than a conversational space. The 300 or so titles running in the different sections are not fully curated forcing attendees to ask each other for recommendations. Sadly, as Potsdamer Platz no longer functions as a central point, chit chatting is difficult. One film unrolls in Friedrichshain, then seven km to Charlottenburg for another, shoes, patients and luck will be needed. Hopefully, the Berlinale will find a new physical center. And sadly, there are still no midnight screenings.
Good Luck Ms. Tuttle. Restoring a reputation is hard work.
Will we attend the 75th Berlinale February 3rd after the 2018 banning? We will apply and see.