Fiftieth Anniversary SFIFF 2007

[Chris Knipp]

SAN FRANCISCO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2007

LINKS TO ALL CHRIS KNIPP REVIEWS OF SFIFF 2007 FILMS:

7 YEARS (JEAN-PASCAL HATTU)
12 LABORS, THE (RICARDO ELIAS)
AD LIB NIGHT (LEE YOON-KI)
amour-LEGENDE (MI-SEN WU)
AGUA (VERONICA CHEN)
ALONG THE RIDGE (KIM ROSSI STEWERT)
ARIA (TAKUSHI TSUBOKAWA)
BAMAKO (ABDERRAHMANE SISSAKO)
BORN AND BRED (PABLO TRAPERO)
CAYMAN, THE (NANNI MORETTI)
COLOSSAL YOUTH (PEDRO COSTA))
CONGORAMA (PHILIPPE FALARDEAU)
DANS PARIS/INSIDE PARIS (CHRISTOPHE HONORE)
DARATT (MAHAMAT-SALEH HAROUN)
FALLING (BARBARA ALBERT)
FLANDERS (BRUNO DUMONT)
GARDENS IN AUTUMN (OTAR IOSSELIONI)
GRANDHOTEL (DAVID ONDRICEK)
HANA (HIROKAZU KOREEDA)
HEAVEN'S DOORS (SWEL AND IMAD NOURY)
HOW IS YOUR FISH TODAY? (XIAOLU GUO, 2006)
ISLAND, THE (PAVEL LOUNGUINE)
LADY CHATTERLEY (PASCALE FERRAN)
LOVE FOR SALE: SUELY IN THE SKY (KARIM AINOUZ)
MURCH (EDIE AND DAVID ICHIOKA)
OLD GARDEN, THE (IM SANG-SOO)
OTAR IOSELIANI (JULIE BERTUCELLI)
PAPRIKA (SATOCHI KON)
PARTING SHOT (JEANNE WALTZ)
PRIVATE FEARS IN PUBLIC PLACES (ALAIN RENAIS)
RAGE (ZULI ALADAG)
ROCKET SCIENCE (JEFFREY BLITZ)
REPRISE (JOACHIM TRIER)
ROAD TO SAN DIEGO, THE (CARLOS SORIN)
ROME RATHER THAN YOU (TARIQ TEGUIA)
SILLY AGE, THE (PAVEL GIROUD)
SOUNDS OF SAND (MARION HANSEL)
SUGAR CURTAIN, THE (CAMILA GUZMAN URZUA)
THESE GIRLS (TAHANI RACHED)
TIMES AND WINDS (REHA ERDEM)
VANAJA (RAJNESH DOMALPALLI )
VIE EN ROSE,LA/LA MOME (OLIVIER DAHAN)
VIOLIN, THE (FRANCISCO VARGAS)
YACOUBIAN BUILDING, THE (MARWAN HAMED)


FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY

200 films from 54 countries.

This will be a blog of the festival, which runs from April 26 to May 10, and also can be a place for anyone at all to discuss the films or the festival and comment on my reviews in the Festival Coverage Thread.

The SFIFF films schedule is posted now, and there was a press breakfast in the St. Francis Hotel this morning with free food and a nice view and Graham Leggat et al. announced all the programs. I'm glad they are showing The Yacoubian Building, an interesting-sounding new Egyptian movie that I just missed in NY. The finale showing is the same one as the Rendez-Vous', the Edith Piaf biopic La Vie en Rose AKA La Mome. Other offerings I've already seen include Dumont's Flanders and Resnais' new one, Coeurs AKA Private Fears in Public Places. Honore's Dans Paris is also to be shown, Bamako, Gardens in Autumn, Paprika.

Lady Chatterley I have not seen and I am eager to because there has been a lot of buzz about it in Europe; it was well received at the Berlinale and has shown in France to excellent reviews, needless to say since it wont the C�sar for Best Film.

Opening Night and the midterm and final showings offer no comps and the prices are pretty outrageous for the opening, $85 minimum, so I guess I won't see the new Emanuele Crialese (of Respiro) offering, Golden Door AKA Nuovo Mondo. Leggatt called it "Nuevo Mundo," but that was okay: he got every other foreign word and name right and got applause for the way he could reel off two dozen local film artists' names at a time -- he is a sharp cookie, acing the credits aspect anyway, good also at hyping the films and the festival, and he gives every indication of being an excellent director. I don't know how well serious film buffs like the selections/presentations; this festival may excel as much or more for its events as for its actual films, though I plan only on seeing films. There are a couple of young guys responsible for some of the more edgy/ avant-garde / political / offbeat selections, and their enthusiasm is inspiring. (The Centerpiece is Tom De Cillo's Delirous starring Steve Buscemi with Michael Pott.)

The main venue the Kabuki has been taken over by Sundance and is being done over and will be nicer. It will still be the main venue though the remodeling isn't quite finished. I was told there will be very few press screenings and they will be at the downtown Embarcadero Cinemas, which means they're at least easier to get to on the BART train (it is the first San Francisco stop) , an improvement, but I'm disappointed there are going to be few of them, because that was one way I got to see a cross section of the offerings as I mentioned earlier and included Noticias Lejanas and Play as well as several other notable offerings. The system of comps is more of a hassle: you have to show up an hour before the showing, go to the press office, and request comps, and they see if there are any left.... This is another reason why I prefer press screenings. They aren't as lively, but they're easier. There will be more screeners of some sort, but you all know full well that's nothing like seeing a film in a nice auditorium. I'm sure glad I didn't have to watch Noticias Lejanas and Play on my home monitor or one of theirs.

[oscar jubis]

Sorry about the reduced press screening schedule.

Films playing at the SFIFF I've reviewed:
Colossal Youth
The Violin
Sounds of Sand
The Old Garden
The 12 Labors
Fish Dreams
Jindabyne

Films playing at the SFIFF I'd want to watch:
Brand Upon the Brain
Opera Jawa
Daratt
The Yacoubian Building
The Island
Born and Bred
Gardens in Autumn
Il Caimano
Lady Chatterley
Aria
Otar Iosseliani: The Whistling Blackbird

[Chris Knipp]

I'll look up what you said about Sounds of Sand. It's the sole press screening tomorrow. The stills of it are very striking.

That's easy--if those are all you want to see. I've seen Gardens in Autumn (NYFF 2006) I'll look up the others you mention, of course not Lady Chatterley or Il caimano or The Yacoubian Building, because I already want to see them.

Thanks.

They gave us a CD with over 600 stills on it. I haven't figures out how to use them yet though. And they aren't labeled, which seems like simply a big mistake to me....

[Chris Knipp]

Though already reviewed by Oscar in Miami, I decided to go to this one also because the stills intrigued me and it is one of the few press screenings, which are being greatly reduced due to a poor turnout. I'm waiting to get a link that will give me thumbnails for the reviews so they will come later.


SOUNDS OF SAND

[Johann]

So San Fran's been doing it for 50 years?
I didn't know that- looking forward to your posts


I find press screenings ideal.
They are better than the festival proper in some ways- they tend to have "serious" people at them, hence no yapping or talking during the films. One time it was just me and some other guy in the theatre! Kinda cool actually- it makes you feel like they're screening it just for you.


Now for the important question:

So what did they serve at breakfast?
Croissants? with real butter?

Sliced grapefruit?

Or was it burnt toast and cocoa puffs?

[Chris Knipp]

Breakfast was all that, I had some moist thick fruitcake stuff and croissants, all with real butter, and yes, grapefruit, other fruits, they did not stint on breakfast in any way shape or form, it was a tasty, generous spread, in a room on the 23rd floor of the Westin St. Francis that has views of the whole city and Telegraph Hill in the foreground, and there was a big crowd on hand for Graham Leggatt's displays of memory and has ability to hype convincingly the festival's comprehensive, amazing programs, awards, etc. The Fiftieth Anniversary? They're celebrating by doing what they always do: lots of local - related events, celebrations of Bay Area filmmakers and film celebs and technicians and the usual round of new films and some you've heard of already from other festivals.. See the program online for the awards to Lucas, Rosario Dawson and Sam Rockwell, Spike Lee, et al.

Why people don't show up for the press screenings I have no idea, that is a real shame. I love being able to see all the Rendez-Vous with the insider crowd at the press screenings, and the entire New York Film Festival last year had all the big directors on hand for Q&A's just for the press. That's just not the way it works out here.. So there will be very few press screenings and I will be seeing what I see mostly through showing up an hour ahead and requesting press comps at the Kabuki Theater. At the PFA it is a bit easier for me, since I live in the East Bay. But the complete program is at the Kabuki in SF.

[Chris Knipp]

Here's a list of the SFIFF movies I am tentatively interested in (in alphabetical order):

7 YEARS (French, prison love triangle)

12 LABORS, THE (Brazilian youth story)

AGUA (Argentina/France, about long distance swimmers)

ALONG THE RIDGE/ANCHE LIBERO VA BENE (Kim Rossi Stewart, Italian, about a boy and a dad)

amour-LEGENDE (Japanese, arty love story)

BROKEN ENGLISH (Zoe Cassavetes, with French star Melvil Poupaud)

CAYMAN, THE /IL CAIMANO (Nanni Moretti, Italian political satire on Berlusconi)

GHOST TRAIN (wild Japanese horror movie)

HANA (Kore-eda of Nobody Knows, about a samurai who turns peaceful)

HEAVENS DOORS (Morocco, about hoodlums and an American woman in Casablanca)

LADY CHATTERLEY (French D.H. Lawrence novel adaptation, just won Best Picture César)

LAST DAYS OF YASIR ARAFAT, THE (documentary, Australia/Palestine)

MURCH (documentary about Hollywood sound legend)

ORANGE REVOLUTION, THE (documentary about election scandal in Ukraine)

OTAR IOSSALIANI (France, documentary about elderly filmmaker from Russia originally)

RAGE (Turkish/German, political culture-clash thriller set in Germany)

SUGAR CURTAIN, THE (France/Cuba, doc. about Cuban revolution)

VANAJA (India, about teenage girl who wants to become a dancer)

YACOUBIAN BUILDING, THE (Egypt biggest budget film ever, from a bestseller)

[Chris Knipp]

BAMAKO(ABDERRAHMANE SISSAKO)

FALLING/FALLEN (BARBARA ALBERT)

FLANDERS/FLANDRES (BRUNO DUMONT)

GARDENS IN AUTUMN/JARDINS EN AUTONNE (OTAR IOSSALIANI)

PAPRIKA (SATOSHI KON)

PRIVATE FEARS IN PUBLIC PLACES/COEURS (ALAIN RESNAIS)

SOUNDS OF SAND/SI LE VENT ENLEVE LES SABLES (MARION HANSEL)

THESE GIRLS/EL BANATE DOL (TAHANI RACHED)

VIE EN ROSE, LA /LA MOME (OLIVIER DAHAN)

[oscar jubis]

Two films bound to disappoint, based on the available reviews and ratings, would be Ghost Train and Hana, both Japanese. In the case of Hana, no one claims it's a bad film but just about every available review indicates it's not at the high level of Kore-eda's previous films. We'll see. Perhaps your opinion will differ.

[Chris Knipp]

Perhaps my opinion won't differ. I'll take your info into consideration, and GHOST TRAIN looks like it may not make the cut. As I said these are only ones I'm tentatively interested in.

By the way I forgot to mention my intention of seeing the latest Carlos Sorin film. I have found his little portraints of Patagonia and environs quite unique and special. The new one is:

ROAD TO SAN DIEGO/EL CAMINO DE SAN DIEGO (CARLOS SORIN)

And among SFIFF films I've already seen I should have also given the 2006 NYFF item, THESE GIRLS/EL BANATE DOL (TAHANI RACHED), an interesting documentary about young women living on the street in Cairo (especially interesting to me, since once upon a time I lived in Cairo).

What about American films--anything good coming here? So far I don't know. You'd think that was the biggest category, but when you remove the revivals and co-credits the number dwindles; still, I should try to find something. There were some few US entries worth considering last year in the festival. For example Half Nelson and Factotum, Art School Confidential and Prairie Home Companion were shown, and also in English I liked the British-made Brothers of the Head. In fact, with my usual perversity, I would say the latter was my favorite of those. The others were all worth seeing, though. What in English is this year?

I plan to go to the press screening Wednesday, AFTER THIS OUR EXILE (PATRICK TAM) if only because there are so few press screenings to see this year at this festival.

[oscar jubis]

I enjoy Carlos Sorin's movies also. Shame that Bombon El Perro, which we've both seen, won't be coming out on dvd. At least not as of now. I think other members would enjoy it.
I missed These Girls at the MIFF.

[Chris Knipp]

Oscar, I meant to refer you to Michael Hawley's SFIFF wish list on The Evening Class but that seems to have gotten plowed under. Hawley's remarks make me think I ought to consider Colossal Youth�Im Sang-Soo's The Old Garden, Ghosts of Cit� Soleil�the Chadian Daratt, Opera Jawa, possibly Karim Ainuz's Love For Sale: Suely in the Sky, given that Manam Sata' was a unique effort. I'm uncertain about the Belgian Congorama, also mentioned by Hawley. This would leave me covering a lot of your wish list given above.

[oscar jubis]

Great. I'm looking forward to reading all of your reviews from the festival. Naturally, I'm particularly curious about your opinion of certain films.
Another film I missed at the MIFF is Ghosts of Cite Soleil. Variety's Todd McCarthy: "It's amazing this film even exists and that the director is alive". It has a US distributor though.
I thought to myself Daratt is one you'd like to watch, but perhaps not the musical Opera Jawa (by the same guy who directed the doc Serambi which I reviewed).
I like Im Sang-soo's films. I just purchased an import dvd of his A Young Lawyer's Wife which was not distributed in our country. I felt that the romantic story and the political aspects in The Old Garden weren't always integrated smoothly. It's still a good movie.
I enjoyed reading Michael Hawley's recollections of previous SFIFF screenings. He's right when he says that Colossal Youth was "the great audience divider at Cannes". I dealt with this issue in my review. Miami audiences are generally more polite, but there were walkouts here also, as well as people who were enthralled by the cumulative power of Costa's long takes, his idiosyncratic framing, the monologues, recitations and cryptic conversations, etc. I generally avoid reading much about a film before watching it, but there are times when one benefits greatly. I think the more you know about Colossal Youth going in, the more you appreciate it.

[Chris Knipp]

Thanks. I'll try to look up the films around the days of the screenings, and have the schedule spread out. I like Hong Sangsoo, so if Im is similar.....but I wasn't crazy about The President's Big Bang, it didn't win my heart or anything. I like good political documentaries. . If you warn against Opera Jawa then maybe I should pass on that. As you know I can be okay with " long takes, his idiosyncratic framing, the monologues, recitations and cryptic conversations," but it depends on whose and when.

I'm actually sorry people can't see Los Muertos on the big screen. I used to scoff at that distinction, now I sit up close in the theater a lot of the time. I did for Grindhouse.

There is another movie called Los Muertos that just came out or just got mentioned in the US press. I think. I can't find it on IMDb.

I also tend to pursue anything related to the Arab world due to my time spent in the Middle East and my study of Arabic--though Hansley says the SFIFF is strong on Latin American or Spanish language films, I think I would do well to leave them to you.

[oscar jubis]

Originally posted by Chris Knipp
I like Hong Sangsoo, so if Im is similar.....but I wasn't crazy about The President's Big Bang, it didn't win my heart or anything.
Actually Hong and Im are quite different. Hong's films are extremely nuanced and understated, deal mostly with relationships between young people who are usually artists or academics, use relatively long takes. You've seen A Tale of Cinema, one of several of his to screen at the NYFF. A favorite theme of Hong is past memories and events and the impossibility of undoing and returning to a past stage in our lives. Hong's Woman is the Future of Man, which was released last summer, just came out on dvd with an introduction by Marty Scorsese, who's a fan of Hong and South Korean cinema in general.
Im's films aim more towards the mainstream. Each of his films seems to adopt a different genre. What unites his last few films is their strong political background. The President's Last Bang is a satirical treatment of the assassination of the president in 1979. The Old Garden is basically a romance during the years of revolt against the dictatorship that followed that assassination. The Guangju Massacre is a major event in the film.

As you know I can be okay with " long takes, his idiosyncratic framing, the monologues, recitations and cryptic conversations," but it depends on whose and when.
Yes. I have no idea how you'd react to Pedro Costa's film. Read about it before you watch it. What some find slow and confusing, others regard as truthful, poetic and mysterious.

I'm actually sorry people can't see Los Muertos on the big screen. There is another movie called Los Muertos that just came out or just got mentioned in the US press. I think.
It's "our" Los Muertos that finally got released. I opened this thread to announce it: Los Muertos Gets Distribution in the USA

Hansley says the SFIFF is strong on Latin American or Spanish language films
Four from Brasil and three from Argentina is strong.
One from Mexico and none from Spain is weak.