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2023 at Tribeca

Tribeca

The 21st Tribeca Film Festival kicked off on June 7th. The New York City cinema gathering spools a mixture of indie and mainstream titles. What I like about this festival is the slick production values of entries or debut directors can have well-known performers.

I do not review Marvel films because Superhero works are review proof and I have nothing to add to the conversation. With that in mind, I was hesitant about viewing David Gelb’s STAN LEE is an extremely pleasant documentary on the visionary comic book creator of Spiderman, Hulk, Thor, Ironman, to name a few. Just to go to a local movie theater, certainly one of his creatures is playing on the big screen.

Putting the hero worshiping aside, the dark side of the film shows a man naive when it came to the business of intellectual property. Secondly, sharing creative credit with colleagues Jack Kirby and Steve Kirby placed a cloud on his some creations. What is the expression, “Success has many Fathers”. Lee’s other talent was his uncanny way of self branding to all the super human characters. Even up to his death in 2018 at 95, Stan made numerous cameos in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Shifting to a more series tone, RATHER, or the film on the life of journalist Dan Rather. To a generation, Rather was the epitome of journalism and news. From his stories covering Civil Rights, embedded in Vietnam, White House chief correspondent during the Nixon Years, 60 Minutes and the CBS evening news anchor, the Texas native had embraceable credentials becoming a voice of reference for two generations.

Tribeca Rather

Frank Marshall getting to the root of what makes a great journalist, shaped by many of 20th centuries biggest events. What resonates today is the level of past professional competence along with assurance missing in today’s 24-hour branded news cycle or YouTube commentators.

I have watched other films dealing with climate change and its affects on the impoverished. Utamar from Bolivia and Pepples from India told stories of environmental desperation. This year, BETWEEN THE RAINS from Kenya caught me off guard. I wasn’t looking for but thankfully found this documentary.

Tribeca Between the Rains

Directors Andrew H. Brown and Moses Thuranira document the life of a young sheep shepherd facing deadly conflicts in a world of either prey and predator. Kolei dreams of another life, but is trapped by one of encroaching violence because of a lasting drought. The striking landscape shot by Brown doesn’t disguise a sense of growing unease for the principal characters or the viewers.

Stay tuned for more coverage

Tribeca Film Festival runs until June 18th.

For interviews and news on entertainment check out Chat Cinema Podcast

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2023 at Tribeca

Tribeca

We are covering the Tribeca Film Festival. The New York film event is always a pleasure to cover.

Keep checking here for all news,reviews and interviews.

Tribeca Film Festival
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Shooting Stars 2023 at the Berlinale      

The 73rd Berlinale European Shooting Stars Awards were presented at a festive gala on 20th February, 2023. The evening awards recognizing new talent were moderated by journalist Nadine Kreutzer. During the weekend before the event, the ten Shooting Stars nominees participated in promotional interviews. Black and Paper talked to three of them.

Shooting Stars
Gizem Erdogan
Shooting Stars
Thorvaldur Kristjansson
Shooting Stars
Judith State

Judith State from Romania had classical ballet training and is now a professional actress, choreographer and dancer. She says, “I always see myself first and foremost as a dancer.” In 2016, State made her screen debut in Cristi Puiu’s Sieranevada. She considered her involvement in the film as a “beautiful accident”. After premiering in Cannes, she was also nominated for a Romanian Gopo Award for Best Supporting Actress. She adds, “Ever since that moment I have been involved and have been lucky to now combine my careers in dance and film.” 

State received a Gopo Award for Best Actress in Marius Olteanu’s 2018 debut film Monsters, and Cristi Puiu’s Manor House in 2020. Both films premiered at the Berlinale and Cristi Puiu also won the Encounters Award for Best Director. In 2020, State also starred in Daniel Sandu’s The Father Who Moves Mountains and Liviu Marghidan’s Refuge. The dance film Zenith, by Hungarian director Gyuri Kristoff, followed in 2021. In 2022 she played the lead role in Cristian Mungiu’s R.M.N., which premiered in Cannes. Otherwise, State doesn’t feel Romania appreciates home grown films despite international awards, adding “It is quite painful!” 

Gizem Erdogan’s Turkish parents moved to Sweden in the 1970s, where she was later born.  She studied at the Conservatory in Sweden then did a couple of years on stage. In 2014 she got the part in her debut feature film Dream On. For the film, Erdogan was nominated for Best Supporting Actress at the Guldbaggen Swedish Academy Awards. In 2020 the TV series Caliphate made her a national star. She has since won three Best Actress awards and says, “Caliphate was a breakthrough role for me.”    

“I am afraid of going back to the theatre,” Kristjansson

This is Erdogan’s first participation at the Berlinale. However, she confessed, “I had been dreaming about Shooting Stars since I went to drama school.” She also admitted that it is a busy schedule for the participants. Erdogan added, “I hope Shooting Stars will give me the opportunity to do international co-productions.” One such co-production is scheduled soon, but is something she can’t talk about at the moment.  

Thorvaldur Kristjansson started out in the theatre, admitting there were initially less opportunities in film. His first film role was Black’s Game in 2017, earning him a nomination for Best Actor at the Eddan Icelandic Film and TV Awards. In 2020 Kristjansson won Best Supporting Actor for The Minister, a TV Series. Roles followed in the locally popular films I Remember You and Life in a Fishbowl. He then provided voice-over for the 2021 animated short Yes-People, the film receiving an Oscar nomination. In his latest film, A Letter from Helga, he adapted the Lee Strasberg method acting style. The film topped the Icelandic box office in 2022.  

Last year Iceland had four films at the Berlinale but nothing this year. Kristjansson explains, “We are a growing industry but it’s such a small market, funded by the government.” However, he is happy they are now making independent productions, hence more variety. Currently based in Stockholm, Kristjansson is focusing on his film and TV work. He says, “I am afraid of going back to the theatre, to be honest. It is a muscle that you have to exercise.” However, with film, he adds, “You have to be in a perfect mode of focus. You need to go out and then go in (again).”  

Meanwhile, at the Berlinale, Finnish stage, TV, and film actor Alina Tomnikov won the European Shooting Stars Award for 2023. Her current film is the comedy drama The Worst Idea Ever. 

By Steven Yates     

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2023 Tribeca

Tribeca

We got cleared for the New York’s premier glamour event, Tribeca Festival. 109 films make their debut at the 22nd annual event with features ranging from independent works to Classic Hollywood narratives. Other categories include Documentary, International Narrative and Spotlight Narratives.

For the interviews, news and reviews check back here.

Tribeca 23
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A Genius Tortured

Sadly, I missed this gem of a documentary at the Berlinale. After speaking to the distributor, my interest got peaked with the intention of a follow up, but because of scheduling conflicts the film fell off the timetable. Happily, with LITTLE RICHARD: I AM EVERYTHING is receiving glowing reviews. The legendary performer in many ways invented musical showmanship style that was copied by Elvis and Pat Boone, then lead the way for Elton John, David Bowie and Madonna, but sadly as an African American singer in Jim Crow America, the Macon, Georgia born singer never got the credit he so deserved. All the interviews I watched with Richard, laughing, joking, the bitter twang came through. Passing away in 2020 at age 87, the world may finally catch up to a man who was way ahead of his time.

Lisa Cortes’s work arrived in cinemas this week.

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Personal Favs From The Berlinale

Berlinale

After the announcements of the main awards of this year’s Berlinale, other films also deserve recognition. In the Encounters section, The Klezmer Project was directed by Leandro Koch and Paloma Schachmann. Although it did not win (Here, by Bas Devos, took the prize), The duo’s work deserves stand-alone appraisal. Leandro, a frustrated Jewish wedding cameraman in Argentina meets and falls in love with a clarinetist. To spend time with her he contrives a documentary project commission for television. This project will take him across the remotest parts of Eastern Europe.

The Klezmer Project is original in that it adds a linear fictional narrative onto what is otherwise a documentary. It also manages to do this very seamlessly to provide double interest and entertainment. The quest to find the lost klezmer melodies that have been safeguarded by the Romani people both educates and fascinates. The film was recognized by winning the GWFF society Best First Feature Award. The prize of 50,000 € guarantees the safeguarding of Film and TV rights. A Special Mention from the GWFF was also given to The Bride, directed by Myriam U. Birara and in the Forum Competition section.

Berlinale
The Klezmer Project-From Encounters Section

Tótem, directed by Lila Aviles, played in the Competition section failed to win any of the main awards. However, this Spanish take on melodrama both charmed and delighted. A family celebrates the birthday of a young father, also a painter. Sadly, he is also facing his impending mortality. The child protagonist, played by newcomer Naíma Senties, could easily have won the Silver Bear for Best Leading Performance. The award went to another child protagonist Sofía Otero for 20,000 Species of Bees. Tótem, however, won the prize of the Ecumenical Jury. The well received work finished ahead of Golden Bear winner On the Adamant, awarded Special Mention at the festival.

One film in the Competition which surprisingly failed to win a prize was Limbo, directed by Ivan Sen. A detective called Travis Hurley arrives in a small Australian outback town. Staying at the Hotel Limbo, he has come to investigate a 20-year-old unsolved homicide of an Aboriginal woman. The only evidence he has is a number of tape recordings. Meanwhile, the victim’s family is reluctant to give much information, particularly to a white cop.

Berlinale
Limbo-From Competition Section

With patience, Travis will uncover some unpleasant truths, highlighting the injustice faced by Aboriginal Australians. Indigenous Australian film director Ivan Sen had previously won the Premiere First Movie Award at the Berlinale in 2002 for his first film Beneath Clouds. In Limbo he has created a hypnotic “desert noir” that makes excellent use of the landscapes. The choice of black and white further enhances the backdrop and static progress of narrative resolution.

A personal nod also goes to the following films: Blackberry, The Shadowless Tower (Main Competition); Boom! Boom! The World vs. Boris Becker, Kiss the Future (Berlinale Special – Out of Competition); Calls from Moscow, Notes from Eremocene, Cidade Rabat (Forum Section).

By Steve Yates

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Berlinale Winners Recapped

Berlinale

The 73rd Berlinale: A Look at the Main Prize Winners

The Berlin International Film Festival 2023 Award Ceremony took place on 25th February. Actress Kristen Stewart served as president of a seven-person international jury. The prize ceremony has often had some unusual choices for winners and this year was no exception. 

The Golden Bear for Best Film went to On the Adamant, directed by Nicolas Philibert. As always, it is the film‘s producers (here, Céline Loiseau, Gilles Sacuto and Miléna Poylo) who are credited for the prize. The documentary focuses on a day care center on the River Seine in Paris. During the course of the film we get to know the bond between the care workers and patients

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Berlinale
Sofía Otero
Berlinale
Nicolas Philibert

Christian Petzold has always been a popular director at the Berlinale. This year he won the Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize for Red Sky (Afire). Four young people are staying in a holiday home on the Baltic Coast. One of them is a writer, struggling to finish his latest book. Meanwhile there are warnings of a heat wave and potential forest fire nearby. Petzold is successful here in making character interactions become a study in existential psychology. Also notable is the building of tension in what is otherwise a slow-paced but compelling film. 

The Silver Bear Jury Prize was awarded to the Portuguese film Bad Living, directed by João Canijo. It concerns five women who have run an old hotel with ongoing conflicts. When a younger person arrives, old wounds are reopened.  

Philippe Garrel, the French director (and sometime actor), is popular at the Berlinale and beyond, with films also regularly featuring in competition at Cannes and Venice. This year The Plough won him the Silver Bear for Best Director. The film concerns a traveling family puppet theater. After the father and grandmother die, the remaining family struggles to keep the legacy alive. It deserved the award for depicting the passion and realities of a puppet theater in the modern age. 

Other main awards benefitted from the renowned Berlin accolades for fringe or special interest topics. Sofía Otero was awarded the Silver Bear for Best Leading Performance in 20,000 Species of Bees. Directed by Estibaliz Urresola Solaguren, a distraught child and her mother experience life changing experiences in a summer house. At just eight-years-old, Otero has made history as the youngest Berlinale winner.     

Thea Ehre won the Silver Bear for Best Supporting Performance in Till the End of the Night by Christoph Hochhäusler. In the crime thriller, Ehre plays a Trans character just out of prison on probation. Meanwhile, Angela Schanelec received the Silver Bear for Best Screenplay for Music, a perplexing film that will likely divide audiences. Concerning the Oedipus myth and containing little dialogue, its accolade therefore seems somewhat controversial.  

Finally, the Silver Bear for Outstanding Artistic Contribution was awarded to Hélène Louvart for her cinematography in Giacomo Abbruzzese’s Disco Boy. A film not without some flaws, the prize for original cinematography was nonetheless well deserved. 

By Steven Yates      

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Diversity in Potsdamer Platz

Bridgerton Cinematographer

The star studded 73rd Berlinale came back to life after Covid and hybrid physical events. My interaction with the to Potsdamers Platz fest was limited to invited events. Staying with the times, “Diversity” was front and enter at many professional get to togethers. Giving voice and opportunity to those who were normally excluded from the industry came front at center. Show business needs to do better. As a person of color who has been both in the business as well on the periphery in different rolls, I hope this topic develops into a tangible advancement for the benefit of entire field.

MasterCard Diversity Conference
Sony Camera and Hawks Lens
Sony Camera with Hawks Lens at the Anamorphic Club Cafe
Diversity in the film Industry
Actress Thelma Buabeng and
Director Sheri Hagen
Diversity in the film Industry
Cinematographinnen-Women Cinematographers
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Dictatorship Effects

Belarusian Independent Film Academy

The second segment of the chat with director Aliaksei Payuyan talks about the effects of oppression on society.

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The Oscar Race For Short Films in 2022

Short Films

Presenting varied International Short films that are Oscar eligible. The standard of these films are original and mostly excellent.

Starting with Tech to the Future by Sandro Monetti, not surprisingly, it is something otherworldly. The only non-fiction film here, the mood is like a news item straight out of Robocop. On-screen narrator Francis Hellyer proclaims that technology will lead us to a brighter future. His defiant sound bite: “Forget all the dystopian doom and gloom.” Subsequently, he visits various innovative tech industries. These range from a flying car development to AI digital replicas – a cloned Bruce Willis anyone?

Nakam from Ukraine is based on a true story in World War Two. It cultivates a good use of period setting, atmosphere and mise-en-scene. Ultimately it seems to question the circumstances and morality of killing, regardless of justified conviction.

The Bangladesh entry Moshari (a Mosquito net) hauntingly builds up suspense and tension well. This is achieved by allowing the psychology and paranoia its own freedom of projection. Most importantly, it pulls back from the border of implausibilities. These mature qualities serve the denouement well.

Meanwhile, The Silent Echo is a bitter-sweet snapshot of aspirations to escape remote life. A young Nepali singer travels by long-distance bus for a music talent contest. However, his performance does not get the response he hoped for. His dedicated efforts in vain, he travels back home, to the beginning again. Silent Echo won London’s Raindance Film Festival Shorts in 2021.

The Tommaso Acquarone-directed I miei occhi (My Eyes) concerns a woman caught up in traffic. Speaking on her mobile phone, she is already containing private tension. Soon, she offers a lift to a street performer she has seen before. The rest of the film promises greater suspense but ultimately reaches a juncture. Therefore, a good idea gets stuck in a dead end.

A wayward teenager in The Wake is frustrated by his live-wire father and passive mother. Accompanied by his deaf younger brother he seeks an outlet for his emotions. Breaking into houses and stealing token items he dubiously achieves this aim. However, an inexorable trajectory occurs after he finds a gun in a local house. The somewhat unexpected ending rounds off an original take on the suspense drama.

Finally, War of Colors is a heartfelt plea for sympathy for those born with the albino condition. A pretty, intelligent, and sensitive young woman finds discrimination even within her own race. Her brave and disheartening struggle for acceptance is both compelling and thought-provoking. Diandra Forrest excels as the central character in this another worthy Oscar short contender.

~ By Steven Yates entertainment contributor.