Göteborg-based Cinenic Film, headed by Annika Hellström and Erika Malmgren, has a flawless track record in backing debut directors with global breakthrough potential.
Their roster takes in Ísold Uggadóttir (“And Breathe Normally”), Gorki Glaser-Müller (“Children of the Enemy”) and most recently Christoffer Sandler, whose fiction debut “So Damn Easy Going” opened the last Göteborg Film Festival and is now heading off to the Norwegian Film Festival in Haugesund (Aug. 20-26).
Cinenic will also be in Haugesund with its latest young filmmaking recruits, Angelika Abramovitch and Minka Jakerson and their respective feature debuts “The Braid” and “The Soft Skin,” to be pitched at the Nordic Co-production Market, part of Haugesund confab New Nordic Films (Aug. 23-26).
The Crimean-born Swede Abramovitch competed in Clermont Ferrand with her graduation film from Stockholm’s Academy of the Arts “Catcave Hysteria” and was picked for the Future Frames next generation showcase in Karlovy Vary in July.
Their roster takes in Ísold Uggadóttir (“And Breathe Normally”), Gorki Glaser-Müller (“Children of the Enemy”) and most recently Christoffer Sandler, whose fiction debut “So Damn Easy Going” opened the last Göteborg Film Festival and is now heading off to the Norwegian Film Festival in Haugesund (Aug. 20-26).
Cinenic will also be in Haugesund with its latest young filmmaking recruits, Angelika Abramovitch and Minka Jakerson and their respective feature debuts “The Braid” and “The Soft Skin,” to be pitched at the Nordic Co-production Market, part of Haugesund confab New Nordic Films (Aug. 23-26).
The Crimean-born Swede Abramovitch competed in Clermont Ferrand with her graduation film from Stockholm’s Academy of the Arts “Catcave Hysteria” and was picked for the Future Frames next generation showcase in Karlovy Vary in July.
- 8/12/2022
- by Annika Pham
- Variety Film + TV
It was a banner year for female filmmakers at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, as each of the four Grand Jury Prizes given to competition films — the festival’s highest honors, as voted on by individual juries — was directed or co-directed by a female filmmaker. But “Clemency” filmmaker Chinonye Chukwu broke down a new barrier: she’s the first black woman to win the the festival’s biggest prize, the Grand Jury Prize for her U.S. Dramatic entry. Chukwu both wrote and directed the death row drama, which stars Alfre Woodard as a prison warden struggling with the emotional demands of her job.
In IndieWire’s review, Eric Kohn wrote of the film, “Alfre Woodard embodies the extraordinary challenges of a woman tasked with sending men to their death, while bottling up her emotions so tight she looks as if she might blow. Writer-director Chinonye Chukwu’s second feature maintains the quiet,...
In IndieWire’s review, Eric Kohn wrote of the film, “Alfre Woodard embodies the extraordinary challenges of a woman tasked with sending men to their death, while bottling up her emotions so tight she looks as if she might blow. Writer-director Chinonye Chukwu’s second feature maintains the quiet,...
- 2/3/2019
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
Despite directing less than 40 percent of the feature films at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival, female filmmakers made off with all of the fest’s big awards. Now, in the wake of another dismal awards season that saw some of its best talents shut out from its biggest accolades, can Sundance 2019 offer similar hope?
This year, Sundance has no shortage of women behind the camera, but these directors are also veering from the tired trope of A Woman’s Movie. “There’s serious drama, and there’s comedies, and there’s big films and little films, and we also some really great discoveries in our international section,” said senior programmer Caroline Libresco. “I think there’s a beautiful outpouring of work by women, and we want to support that, and we feel really privileged to be able to create a platform where that work can be seen.”
At the 2018 edition of the festival,...
This year, Sundance has no shortage of women behind the camera, but these directors are also veering from the tired trope of A Woman’s Movie. “There’s serious drama, and there’s comedies, and there’s big films and little films, and we also some really great discoveries in our international section,” said senior programmer Caroline Libresco. “I think there’s a beautiful outpouring of work by women, and we want to support that, and we feel really privileged to be able to create a platform where that work can be seen.”
At the 2018 edition of the festival,...
- 1/23/2019
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
Paul Dano’s directorial debut “Wildlife,” which has had considerable festival play including Sundance, Cannes and Toronto is among the titles in the international competition at the 20th Mumbai film festival.
The festival runs Oct. 25 to Nov. 1, 2018. U.S. director, Darren Aronofsky (“Black Swan”) will give a masterclass.
Other international competition titles include deceased Chinese director Hu Bo’s “An Elephant Sitting Still” which won awards at Berlin and Hong Kong; “And Breathe Normally” which won Isold Uggadottir the directing award at Sundance; Tiago Melo’s “Azougue Nazare,” which won at Rotterdam; Gabrielle Brady’s “Island of the Hungry Ghosts,” which won prizes at Edinburgh and Tribeca; Dominic Sangma’s “Ma-Ama”; Phuttiphong Aroonpheng’s “Manta Ray” which won an award at Venice; Christina Coe’s “Nancy” which won the screenwriting prize at Sundance; Alireza Motamedi’s “Reza”; Etienne Kallos’ “The Harvesters”; Marcello Martinessi’s “The Heiresses,” which won awards at Berlin,...
The festival runs Oct. 25 to Nov. 1, 2018. U.S. director, Darren Aronofsky (“Black Swan”) will give a masterclass.
Other international competition titles include deceased Chinese director Hu Bo’s “An Elephant Sitting Still” which won awards at Berlin and Hong Kong; “And Breathe Normally” which won Isold Uggadottir the directing award at Sundance; Tiago Melo’s “Azougue Nazare,” which won at Rotterdam; Gabrielle Brady’s “Island of the Hungry Ghosts,” which won prizes at Edinburgh and Tribeca; Dominic Sangma’s “Ma-Ama”; Phuttiphong Aroonpheng’s “Manta Ray” which won an award at Venice; Christina Coe’s “Nancy” which won the screenwriting prize at Sundance; Alireza Motamedi’s “Reza”; Etienne Kallos’ “The Harvesters”; Marcello Martinessi’s “The Heiresses,” which won awards at Berlin,...
- 10/2/2018
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Paul Dano's Wildlife is among the titles in the lineup in the Mumbai Film Festival's international competition section, which honors films by debut directors.
Starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Carey Mulligan, Dano's critically acclaimed family drama bowed at Sundance and traveled to Cannes and Toronto.
The Mumbai festival's other competition titles vying for the Golden Gateway award include Adina Pintilie's Romanian drama Touch Me Not, which won the Golden Bear at Berlin; Sundance directing award winner And Breathe Normally, by Isold Uggadottir from Iceland; Sundance screenwriting award winner Nancy, by Christine Coe; and Thai cinematographer turned director ...
Starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Carey Mulligan, Dano's critically acclaimed family drama bowed at Sundance and traveled to Cannes and Toronto.
The Mumbai festival's other competition titles vying for the Golden Gateway award include Adina Pintilie's Romanian drama Touch Me Not, which won the Golden Bear at Berlin; Sundance directing award winner And Breathe Normally, by Isold Uggadottir from Iceland; Sundance screenwriting award winner Nancy, by Christine Coe; and Thai cinematographer turned director ...
- 10/2/2018
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Paul Dano's Wildlife is among the titles in the lineup in the Mumbai Film Festival's international competition section, which honors films by debut directors.
Starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Carey Mulligan, Dano's critically acclaimed family drama bowed at Sundance and traveled to Cannes and Toronto.
The Mumbai festival's other competition titles vying for the Golden Gateway award include Adina Pintilie's Romanian drama Touch Me Not, which won the Golden Bear at Berlin; Sundance directing award winner And Breathe Normally, by Isold Uggadottir from Iceland; Sundance screenwriting award winner Nancy, by Christine Coe; and Thai cinematographer turned director ...
Starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Carey Mulligan, Dano's critically acclaimed family drama bowed at Sundance and traveled to Cannes and Toronto.
The Mumbai festival's other competition titles vying for the Golden Gateway award include Adina Pintilie's Romanian drama Touch Me Not, which won the Golden Bear at Berlin; Sundance directing award winner And Breathe Normally, by Isold Uggadottir from Iceland; Sundance screenwriting award winner Nancy, by Christine Coe; and Thai cinematographer turned director ...
- 10/2/2018
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Sara Colangelo's Maggie Gyllenhaal-starrer The Kindergarten Teacher will serve as the opening-night film of this year's Hamptons International Film Festival, it was announced today. The movie, about an educator who uses questionable methods to cultivate the poetic talents of one of her students, also stars Parker Sevak, Rosa Salazar and Gael Garcia Bernal. Colangelo is an alum of Hiff's annual screenwriters lab.
This year's festival will also feature works from other screenwriters lab alums: Isold Uggadottir’s And Breathe Normally and Cathy Yan's Dead Pigs. Uggadottir participated in the 2015 lab, and her film — about the ...
This year's festival will also feature works from other screenwriters lab alums: Isold Uggadottir’s And Breathe Normally and Cathy Yan's Dead Pigs. Uggadottir participated in the 2015 lab, and her film — about the ...
- 8/16/2018
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Sara Colangelo's Maggie Gyllenhaal-starrer The Kindergarten Teacher will serve as the opening-night film of this year's Hamptons International Film Festival, it was announced today. The movie, about an educator who uses questionable methods to cultivate the poetic talents of one of her students, also stars Parker Sevak, Rosa Salazar and Gael Garcia Bernal. Colangelo is an alum of Hiff's annual screenwriters lab.
This year's festival will also feature works from other screenwriters lab alums: Isold Uggadottir’s And Breathe Normally and Cathy Yan's Dead Pigs. Uggadottir participated in the 2015 lab, and her film — about the ...
This year's festival will also feature works from other screenwriters lab alums: Isold Uggadottir’s And Breathe Normally and Cathy Yan's Dead Pigs. Uggadottir participated in the 2015 lab, and her film — about the ...
- 8/16/2018
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
by David González, Cineuropa.orgTolga Karaçelik’s film has won the World Cinema Dramatic Grand Jury Prize, while Talal Derki has triumphed again in the World Cinema Documentary Competition
Butterflies by Tolga Karaçelik
The Sundance Film Festival came to an end yesterday, after the list of films awarded by the jury (which included Ruben Östlund) was unveiled at a ceremony on Saturday evening. Curiously enough, the World Cinema competitions, which included a handful of European productions and co-productions, witnessed the triumph of two films hailing from the Middle East.
Turkish filmmaker Tolga Karaçelik’s Butterflies, the follow-up to his award-winning Ivy, received the Grand Jury Prize in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition. The film follows three siblings who do not know each other or anything about their late father, as they wait to bury his body in a rural Turkish village.
Furthermore, the World Cinema Dramatic Competition saw victory for European talent,...
Butterflies by Tolga Karaçelik
The Sundance Film Festival came to an end yesterday, after the list of films awarded by the jury (which included Ruben Östlund) was unveiled at a ceremony on Saturday evening. Curiously enough, the World Cinema competitions, which included a handful of European productions and co-productions, witnessed the triumph of two films hailing from the Middle East.
Turkish filmmaker Tolga Karaçelik’s Butterflies, the follow-up to his award-winning Ivy, received the Grand Jury Prize in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition. The film follows three siblings who do not know each other or anything about their late father, as they wait to bury his body in a rural Turkish village.
Furthermore, the World Cinema Dramatic Competition saw victory for European talent,...
- 2/5/2018
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
The 2018 Sundance Film Festival drew to a close this evening with the announcement of the annual fest’s award winners, care of a free-wheeling ceremony hosted by Jason Mantzoukas, who stars in Hannah Fidell’s Sundance comedy “The Long Dumb Road.”
The Grand Jury Prizes, considered Sundance’s biggest honor, went to Desiree Akhavan’s “The Miseducation of Cameron Post” (U.S. Dramatic), Derek Doneen’s “Kailash” (U.S. Documentary), Tolga Karaçelik’s “Butterflies” (World Cinema Dramatic), and Talal Derki’s “Of Fathers and Sons” (World Cinema Documentary).
Read More:The 2018 IndieWire Sundance Bible: Every Review, Interview, and News Item Posted During the Festival
Each year, the festival’s juries give out directing prizes in each of the four competition categories. This year, each directing prize went to a female filmmaker, including Sara Colangelo, Alexandria Bombach, Sandi Tan, and Isold Uggadottir. The festival’s dedicated screenwriting prize, the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award,...
The Grand Jury Prizes, considered Sundance’s biggest honor, went to Desiree Akhavan’s “The Miseducation of Cameron Post” (U.S. Dramatic), Derek Doneen’s “Kailash” (U.S. Documentary), Tolga Karaçelik’s “Butterflies” (World Cinema Dramatic), and Talal Derki’s “Of Fathers and Sons” (World Cinema Documentary).
Read More:The 2018 IndieWire Sundance Bible: Every Review, Interview, and News Item Posted During the Festival
Each year, the festival’s juries give out directing prizes in each of the four competition categories. This year, each directing prize went to a female filmmaker, including Sara Colangelo, Alexandria Bombach, Sandi Tan, and Isold Uggadottir. The festival’s dedicated screenwriting prize, the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award,...
- 1/28/2018
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
Sweden, Denmark, Iceland, Finland and Norway: Scandinavia has always made a good show of films in all festivals, but this is the first time in 17 years a Swedish film has been in Competition.
“The Square” is the first Swedish film in Competition in 17 years! Winner of the Palme D’or and the Vulcain Prize for an artist technician awarded by the C.S.T. Director Ruben Östlund attracted producers from Sweden, Germany, France and Denmark to tell this tale of the successful curator of a modern art museum who lives in the epicenter of the art community and takes his work very seriously. A few days before the opening of the prestigious exhibition The Square he is mugged, which he can neither shake off or let pass unnoticed. He embarks on a hunt for the perpetrator and ends up in situations that turn steadily more amusing, and make him question his own moral compass.
“The Square” is the first Swedish film in Competition in 17 years! Winner of the Palme D’or and the Vulcain Prize for an artist technician awarded by the C.S.T. Director Ruben Östlund attracted producers from Sweden, Germany, France and Denmark to tell this tale of the successful curator of a modern art museum who lives in the epicenter of the art community and takes his work very seriously. A few days before the opening of the prestigious exhibition The Square he is mugged, which he can neither shake off or let pass unnoticed. He embarks on a hunt for the perpetrator and ends up in situations that turn steadily more amusing, and make him question his own moral compass.
- 6/6/2017
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
Seven projects presented at Reykjavik-based film festival.
Seven forthcoming Icelandic film and TV projects were previewed at last week’s Stockfish Film Festival as short works-in-progress presentations.
They included feature debuts from two Columbia University film school graduates, Isold Uggadottir and Ása Helga Hjörleifsdóttir; the fiction feature debut of documentarian Ari Alexander Ergis Magnússon (produced by Oscar nominated Fridrik Thor Fridriksson); and the next film from Rams producer Grimar Jonsson.
The seven projects presented were:
And Breathe Normally
Dir Isold Uggadottir, prod Skuli Malmquest of Zik Zak Filmworks
Uggadottir makes her feature debut with this drama about “two very different women from different countries and continents – a border patrol officer at airport and a migrant.” Set in Iceland’s Reykjanes peninsula, the story follows the women whose lives intersect briefly while they are trapped in unforeseen circumstances. The film is now finalizing sound and colour grading. Uggadottir met with African migrants living at a facility in [link...
Seven forthcoming Icelandic film and TV projects were previewed at last week’s Stockfish Film Festival as short works-in-progress presentations.
They included feature debuts from two Columbia University film school graduates, Isold Uggadottir and Ása Helga Hjörleifsdóttir; the fiction feature debut of documentarian Ari Alexander Ergis Magnússon (produced by Oscar nominated Fridrik Thor Fridriksson); and the next film from Rams producer Grimar Jonsson.
The seven projects presented were:
And Breathe Normally
Dir Isold Uggadottir, prod Skuli Malmquest of Zik Zak Filmworks
Uggadottir makes her feature debut with this drama about “two very different women from different countries and continents – a border patrol officer at airport and a migrant.” Set in Iceland’s Reykjanes peninsula, the story follows the women whose lives intersect briefly while they are trapped in unforeseen circumstances. The film is now finalizing sound and colour grading. Uggadottir met with African migrants living at a facility in [link...
- 3/7/2017
- by wendy.mitchell@screendaily.com (Wendy Mitchell)
- ScreenDaily
Seven projects presented at Reykjavik-based film festival.
Seven forthcoming Icelandic film and TV projects were previewed at last week’s Stockfish Film Festival as short works-in-progress presentations.
They included feature debuts from two Columbia University film school graduates, Isold Uggadottir and Ása Helga Hjörleifsdóttir; the fiction feature debut of documentarian Ari Alexander Ergis Magnússon (produced by Oscar nominated Fridrik Thor Fridriksson); and the new film from Rams producer Grimar Jonsson.
The seven projects presented were:
And Breathe Normally
Dir Isold Uggadottir, prod Skuli Malmquest of Zik Zak Filmworks
Uggadottir makes her feature debut with this drama about “two very different women from different countries and continents – a border patrol officer at airport and a migrant.” Set in Iceland’s Reykjanes peninsula, the story follows the women whose lives intersect briefly while they are trapped in unforeseen circumstances. The film is now finalizing sound and colour grading. Uggadottir met with African migrants living at a facility in [link...
Seven forthcoming Icelandic film and TV projects were previewed at last week’s Stockfish Film Festival as short works-in-progress presentations.
They included feature debuts from two Columbia University film school graduates, Isold Uggadottir and Ása Helga Hjörleifsdóttir; the fiction feature debut of documentarian Ari Alexander Ergis Magnússon (produced by Oscar nominated Fridrik Thor Fridriksson); and the new film from Rams producer Grimar Jonsson.
The seven projects presented were:
And Breathe Normally
Dir Isold Uggadottir, prod Skuli Malmquest of Zik Zak Filmworks
Uggadottir makes her feature debut with this drama about “two very different women from different countries and continents – a border patrol officer at airport and a migrant.” Set in Iceland’s Reykjanes peninsula, the story follows the women whose lives intersect briefly while they are trapped in unforeseen circumstances. The film is now finalizing sound and colour grading. Uggadottir met with African migrants living at a facility in [link...
- 3/7/2017
- by wendy.mitchell@screendaily.com (Wendy Mitchell)
- ScreenDaily
Seven projects presented at Reykjavik-based film festival.
Seven forthcoming Icelandic film and TV projects were previewed at last week’s Stockfish Film Festival as short works-in-progress presentations.
They included feature debuts from two Columbia University film school graduates, Isold Uggadottir and Ása Helga Hjörleifsdóttir; the fiction feature debut of documentarian Ari Alexander Ergis Magnússon (produced by Oscar nominated Fridrik Thor Fridriksson); and the new film from Rams producer Grimar Jonsson.
The seven projects presented were:
And Breathe Normally
Dir Isold Uggadottir, prod Skuli Malmquest of Zik Zak Filmworks
Uggadottir makes her feature debut with this drama about “two very different women from different countries and continents – a border patrol officer at airport and a migrant.” Set in Iceland’s Reykjanes peninsula, the story follows the women whose lives intersect briefly while they are trapped in unforeseen circumstances. The film is now finalizing sound and colour grading. Uggadottir met with African migrants living at a facility in [link...
Seven forthcoming Icelandic film and TV projects were previewed at last week’s Stockfish Film Festival as short works-in-progress presentations.
They included feature debuts from two Columbia University film school graduates, Isold Uggadottir and Ása Helga Hjörleifsdóttir; the fiction feature debut of documentarian Ari Alexander Ergis Magnússon (produced by Oscar nominated Fridrik Thor Fridriksson); and the new film from Rams producer Grimar Jonsson.
The seven projects presented were:
And Breathe Normally
Dir Isold Uggadottir, prod Skuli Malmquest of Zik Zak Filmworks
Uggadottir makes her feature debut with this drama about “two very different women from different countries and continents – a border patrol officer at airport and a migrant.” Set in Iceland’s Reykjanes peninsula, the story follows the women whose lives intersect briefly while they are trapped in unforeseen circumstances. The film is now finalizing sound and colour grading. Uggadottir met with African migrants living at a facility in [link...
- 3/7/2017
- by wendy.mitchell@screendaily.com (Wendy Mitchell)
- ScreenDaily
VI Issue II
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The Invisible War written and directed by Kirby Dick
The Invisible War is a documentary about one of America’s most shameful and best kept secrets: the epidemic of rape within the U.S. military. The film paints a startling picture of the extent of the problem— the film claims that today a female soldier in combat zones is more likely to be raped by a fellow soldier than killed by enemy fire. The filmmakers’ state that the Department of Defense estimates there were 22,800 violent sex crimes in the military in 2011, that 20% of all active‐duty female soldiers are sexually assaulted and that female soldiers aged 18 to 21 account for more than half of the victims.
Focusing on the powerfully emotional stories of rape victims, The Invisible War suggests a systemic cover-up of military sex crimes by the military. The film chronicles women’s struggles to rebuild their lives and fight for justice within and outside the military and features interviews with high-ranking military officials and members of Congress that reveal the conditions that exist for rape in the military, its long history, and suggests what can be done to bring about much-needed change.
Oscar and Emmy nominated director Kirby Dick (Outrage, This Film Is Not Yet Rated), found the inspiration for The Invisible War from a 2007 Salon.com article about women serving in Iraq entitled “The Private War of Women Soldiers,” by Columbia University journalism professor Helen Benedict. When Dick and Emmy-nominated producing partner Amy Ziering (Outrage) read Benedict's piece, they were astounded by the prevalence of sexual assault in the military.
This film is beautifully made, shot, directed and produced. It is one of the strongest films of the year. It shows that rape and other sexually based harassment seems to be wide spread in our military and that the military is unwilling to adjust its culture to effect the necessary change to provide a safe work environment for all of its members. The filmmakers make excellent choices in terms of who they interview, whose stories they tell. This is a strong advocacy film that can make a difference and start pushing the civilians who control our military to demand to make the necessary changes to protect the men and women who serve from each other. Frankly, it has to have a zero tolerance for any kind of harassment. With the striking of “don’t ask, don’t tell” the armed services are on their way to addressing this. The film was short listed for the documentary feature Academy Award.
Credits:
Director/Writer: Kirby Dick
Producers: Amy Ziering, Tanner King Barklow
Cinematography: Thaddeus Wadleigh, Kirsten Johnson
Music Supervisor: Dondi Bastone, Gary Calamar/Go
Editor, Associate Producer: Doug Blush
Executive Producer for Itvs: Sally Jo Fifer Cinedigm and Docurama Films
Revolution Reykjavík a short film by Isold Uggadottir
Gudfinna, a successful 58-year old mid-level employee of the Icelandic bank Landsbankinn, finds herself a victim of the economic failure, not only losing her job, but her lifesavings as well. Proud and independent, she struggles to shield her dire circumstances from her family members and friends. But as tensions in Icelandic society grow, so does her inner turmoil. She finds that she cannot deal with her increasingly desperate financial concerns and her ideas of self-worth. Slowly, Gudfinna, much like the Icelandic economy, finds herself metamorphosed into the utterly helpless being she never could have foreseen becoming.
Revolution Reykjavík is one of the outstanding short films of the 2011/12 year. One of the few works to screen at both New Directors and Telluride and dozens of other festivals, it is evident that Isold Uggadottir, while not yet a known name as a director, is tremendously talented. Watching Gudfinna fall apart is deeply moving. Her inner struggles are evident by the nuanced direction of a subtle performance. The film is nicely shot, edited and at 19 minutes it becomes a metaphor for the 2008 Icelandic banking disaster that wiped out tens of thousands of Icelanders and three of the major banks. It caused thousands of people to lose their jobs and created a political crisis for the country. Few portfolio works try for nuanced and subtle performances but are in-your-face testosterone fueled action works. This film is a keeper.
Director/ Writer’s Bio:
Isold Uggadottir is an Icelandic writer/director. Her four short films have been invited to over 120 international film festivals, including Telluride, Sundance and New Directors/New Films hosted by Lincoln Center & MoMA. Two of her films (Clean and Committed) have been honored with Icelandic Academy Awards for Best Short Film in 2010 and 2011, while Revolution Reykjavík and Family Reunion received nominations in 2012 and 2006. Additionally, Isold has received multiple international awards, most recently in Spain and Greece.
Isold holds an Mfa in writing and directing from Columbia University in New York, where she was honored with the Adrienne Shelly Award for Best Female Director. Screen International named her “one of the rising stars of Icelandic film.”
Credits:
Written and Directed: Isold Uggadottir
Producers: Snorri Thórisson, Isold Uggadottir
Director of Photography: Óskar Thór Axelsson
Editor: Isold Uggadottir
Academy announces 11 short films shortlisted for the Short Film Nomination
Because of a voting tie the Academy short listed 11 dramatic/fiction short films instead of 10. Culled from 125 submitted films, it is perhaps the best group of films entered in the last 30 years. These films range from a thesis work from Columbia’s University’s graduate film program to When You Find Me, directed by Bryce Howard, filmmaker Ron Howard’s 31 year old daughter, to the Danish 61 year old director Anders Walther with short film Oscar winner (and nominee) producer Tivi Magnusson for 9 Meter.
Following screenings in Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco in December, Branch members will select three to five nominees from among the 11 semi-finalists. It will be challenging for the committees to find the five best in this really impressive group of films. It is an embarrassment of solid filmmaking from a global group of filmmakers. Please note: I have not seen two of the short listed films and I am relying on others for their synopses to be accurate.
Below is an alphabetical listing of the short listed films, the key filmmakers, the country of production and a link to a clip. Take a look and make up your own mind:
A Fábrica (The Factory), Aly Muritiba, director (Grafo Audiovisual)
“An inmate convinces his mother to take a risk smuggling a cell phone for him into the penitentiary.
Length: 15 min.
Language: Portuguese
Country: Brazil
“Asad,” Bryan Buckley, director, and Mino Jarjoura, producer (Hungry Man)
A Somali boy must choose either the life of a pirate or that of a fisherman
Length: 17 min.
Language: Somali with English subtitles.
Country: USA
“Buzkashi Boys,” Sam French, director, and Ariel Nasr, producer (Afghan Film Project)
Two young boys dream of a better life. One is without parents and the other the father wants him to follow into his blacksmithing.
Length: 30 min.
Language: Pashto
Country: Afghanistan, USA Production
“Curfew,” Shawn Christensen, director (Fuzzy Logic Pictures)
A suicidal New Yorker, Richie’s attempt to end his life is interrupted by a call from his estranged sister asking him to babysit his niece for the evening.
Length: 20 min
Language: English
Country: USA
“Death of a Shadow” (Dood van een Schaduw),” Tom Van Avermaet, director, and Ellen De Waele, producer(Serendipity Films)
This highly produced sci-fi fantasy work is about a dead Wwi soldier stuck in the limbo between life and death who has to collect shadows to regain a second chance at life.
Length: 20 min.
Language: German
Country: Belgium
“Henry,” Yan England, director (Yan England) Henry, a concert pianist, has his life thrown into turmoil the day the love of his life mysteriously disappears. (Confession, I have not seen this film.)
Length: 21 min.
Language: English
Country: Canadian
“Kiruna-Kigali,” Goran Kapetanovic, director (Hepp Film Ab)
This tour‐de‐force Swedish short begins in a mist of frost and snow. A woman is driving to the hospital in Kiruna, the northernmost city of Sweden. Under the scorching sunlight of Kigali, Rwanda,another woman is being carried to the hospital on a stretcher. The two single mothers‐to‐be are on the verge of giving birth to a baby are thousands of miles apart, but share the same fear of entering the unknown world of motherhood. I think this is the film to beat.
Length: 15 min.
Language: Swedish/ Kinyarwanda
Country: Swedish/Rwanda
“The Night Shift Belongs to the Stars,” Silvia Bizio and Paola Porrini Bisson, producers (Oh! Pen LLC)
The story of Matteo (Enrico Lo Verso), a passionate mountain climber, and Sonia (Nastassja Kinski), a married woman, also in love with mountain, as they set out to climb a peak on the Dolomites, in Trentino, Italy. (Confession, I have not seen this film.)
Length: 24 min.
Language: English
Country: USA
“9 meter,” Anders Walther, director, and Tivi Magnusson, producer (M & M Productions A/S)
A boy tries to set a new record in the long jump as his mother fights her illness. (Confession, I have not seen this film.)
Length: 18 min.
Language: Danish
Country: Danish
“Salar,” Nicholas Greene, director, and Julie Buck, producer (Nicholas Greene)
In an isolated Bolivian village, on the edge of the vast Uyuni salt flats, two lives collide. This powerful film is my favorite of the 11 short listed films.
Length: 18 min.
Language: English
Country: USA
“When you find me,” Ron Howard, executive producer, and Bryce Dallas Howard, director (Freestyle Production Company)
This Cannon sponsored film looks at the story of two sisters whose childhood bond is tested by a tragedy that they were too young to understand at the time.
Length: 29 min.
Language: English
Country: USA
Mitchell Block specializes in conceiving, producing, marketing & distributing independent features & consulting. He is an expert in placing both completed works into distribution & working with producers to make projects fundable. He conducts regular workshops in film producing in Los Angeles and most recently in Maine, Russia and in Myanmar (Burma).
"Poster Girl," produced by Block was nominated for a Documentary Academy Award and selected by the Ida as the "Best" Doc Short 2011. It was also nominated for two Emmy Awards and aired on HBO. He is an executive producer of the Emmy Award-winning PBS series "Carrier,” a 10-hour series that he conceived & co-created. Block is a graduate of Tisch School and Columbia University’s Graduate School of Business. He is a member of Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, the Television Academy, a founding member of BAFTA-la and has been teaching at USC School of Cinematic Arts since 1979. Currently Block teaches a required class in the USC Peter Stark Producing Program.
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©2012Mwb All Rights Reserved All Rights Reserved. All information and designs on the Sites are copyrighted material owned by Block. Reproduction, dissemination, or transmission of any part of the material here without the express written consent of the owner is strictly prohibited. All other product names and marks on Block Direct, whether trademarks, service marks, or other type, and whether registered or unregistered, is the property of Block.
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The Invisible War written and directed by Kirby Dick
The Invisible War is a documentary about one of America’s most shameful and best kept secrets: the epidemic of rape within the U.S. military. The film paints a startling picture of the extent of the problem— the film claims that today a female soldier in combat zones is more likely to be raped by a fellow soldier than killed by enemy fire. The filmmakers’ state that the Department of Defense estimates there were 22,800 violent sex crimes in the military in 2011, that 20% of all active‐duty female soldiers are sexually assaulted and that female soldiers aged 18 to 21 account for more than half of the victims.
Focusing on the powerfully emotional stories of rape victims, The Invisible War suggests a systemic cover-up of military sex crimes by the military. The film chronicles women’s struggles to rebuild their lives and fight for justice within and outside the military and features interviews with high-ranking military officials and members of Congress that reveal the conditions that exist for rape in the military, its long history, and suggests what can be done to bring about much-needed change.
Oscar and Emmy nominated director Kirby Dick (Outrage, This Film Is Not Yet Rated), found the inspiration for The Invisible War from a 2007 Salon.com article about women serving in Iraq entitled “The Private War of Women Soldiers,” by Columbia University journalism professor Helen Benedict. When Dick and Emmy-nominated producing partner Amy Ziering (Outrage) read Benedict's piece, they were astounded by the prevalence of sexual assault in the military.
This film is beautifully made, shot, directed and produced. It is one of the strongest films of the year. It shows that rape and other sexually based harassment seems to be wide spread in our military and that the military is unwilling to adjust its culture to effect the necessary change to provide a safe work environment for all of its members. The filmmakers make excellent choices in terms of who they interview, whose stories they tell. This is a strong advocacy film that can make a difference and start pushing the civilians who control our military to demand to make the necessary changes to protect the men and women who serve from each other. Frankly, it has to have a zero tolerance for any kind of harassment. With the striking of “don’t ask, don’t tell” the armed services are on their way to addressing this. The film was short listed for the documentary feature Academy Award.
Credits:
Director/Writer: Kirby Dick
Producers: Amy Ziering, Tanner King Barklow
Cinematography: Thaddeus Wadleigh, Kirsten Johnson
Music Supervisor: Dondi Bastone, Gary Calamar/Go
Editor, Associate Producer: Doug Blush
Executive Producer for Itvs: Sally Jo Fifer Cinedigm and Docurama Films
Revolution Reykjavík a short film by Isold Uggadottir
Gudfinna, a successful 58-year old mid-level employee of the Icelandic bank Landsbankinn, finds herself a victim of the economic failure, not only losing her job, but her lifesavings as well. Proud and independent, she struggles to shield her dire circumstances from her family members and friends. But as tensions in Icelandic society grow, so does her inner turmoil. She finds that she cannot deal with her increasingly desperate financial concerns and her ideas of self-worth. Slowly, Gudfinna, much like the Icelandic economy, finds herself metamorphosed into the utterly helpless being she never could have foreseen becoming.
Revolution Reykjavík is one of the outstanding short films of the 2011/12 year. One of the few works to screen at both New Directors and Telluride and dozens of other festivals, it is evident that Isold Uggadottir, while not yet a known name as a director, is tremendously talented. Watching Gudfinna fall apart is deeply moving. Her inner struggles are evident by the nuanced direction of a subtle performance. The film is nicely shot, edited and at 19 minutes it becomes a metaphor for the 2008 Icelandic banking disaster that wiped out tens of thousands of Icelanders and three of the major banks. It caused thousands of people to lose their jobs and created a political crisis for the country. Few portfolio works try for nuanced and subtle performances but are in-your-face testosterone fueled action works. This film is a keeper.
Director/ Writer’s Bio:
Isold Uggadottir is an Icelandic writer/director. Her four short films have been invited to over 120 international film festivals, including Telluride, Sundance and New Directors/New Films hosted by Lincoln Center & MoMA. Two of her films (Clean and Committed) have been honored with Icelandic Academy Awards for Best Short Film in 2010 and 2011, while Revolution Reykjavík and Family Reunion received nominations in 2012 and 2006. Additionally, Isold has received multiple international awards, most recently in Spain and Greece.
Isold holds an Mfa in writing and directing from Columbia University in New York, where she was honored with the Adrienne Shelly Award for Best Female Director. Screen International named her “one of the rising stars of Icelandic film.”
Credits:
Written and Directed: Isold Uggadottir
Producers: Snorri Thórisson, Isold Uggadottir
Director of Photography: Óskar Thór Axelsson
Editor: Isold Uggadottir
Academy announces 11 short films shortlisted for the Short Film Nomination
Because of a voting tie the Academy short listed 11 dramatic/fiction short films instead of 10. Culled from 125 submitted films, it is perhaps the best group of films entered in the last 30 years. These films range from a thesis work from Columbia’s University’s graduate film program to When You Find Me, directed by Bryce Howard, filmmaker Ron Howard’s 31 year old daughter, to the Danish 61 year old director Anders Walther with short film Oscar winner (and nominee) producer Tivi Magnusson for 9 Meter.
Following screenings in Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco in December, Branch members will select three to five nominees from among the 11 semi-finalists. It will be challenging for the committees to find the five best in this really impressive group of films. It is an embarrassment of solid filmmaking from a global group of filmmakers. Please note: I have not seen two of the short listed films and I am relying on others for their synopses to be accurate.
Below is an alphabetical listing of the short listed films, the key filmmakers, the country of production and a link to a clip. Take a look and make up your own mind:
A Fábrica (The Factory), Aly Muritiba, director (Grafo Audiovisual)
“An inmate convinces his mother to take a risk smuggling a cell phone for him into the penitentiary.
Length: 15 min.
Language: Portuguese
Country: Brazil
“Asad,” Bryan Buckley, director, and Mino Jarjoura, producer (Hungry Man)
A Somali boy must choose either the life of a pirate or that of a fisherman
Length: 17 min.
Language: Somali with English subtitles.
Country: USA
“Buzkashi Boys,” Sam French, director, and Ariel Nasr, producer (Afghan Film Project)
Two young boys dream of a better life. One is without parents and the other the father wants him to follow into his blacksmithing.
Length: 30 min.
Language: Pashto
Country: Afghanistan, USA Production
“Curfew,” Shawn Christensen, director (Fuzzy Logic Pictures)
A suicidal New Yorker, Richie’s attempt to end his life is interrupted by a call from his estranged sister asking him to babysit his niece for the evening.
Length: 20 min
Language: English
Country: USA
“Death of a Shadow” (Dood van een Schaduw),” Tom Van Avermaet, director, and Ellen De Waele, producer(Serendipity Films)
This highly produced sci-fi fantasy work is about a dead Wwi soldier stuck in the limbo between life and death who has to collect shadows to regain a second chance at life.
Length: 20 min.
Language: German
Country: Belgium
“Henry,” Yan England, director (Yan England) Henry, a concert pianist, has his life thrown into turmoil the day the love of his life mysteriously disappears. (Confession, I have not seen this film.)
Length: 21 min.
Language: English
Country: Canadian
“Kiruna-Kigali,” Goran Kapetanovic, director (Hepp Film Ab)
This tour‐de‐force Swedish short begins in a mist of frost and snow. A woman is driving to the hospital in Kiruna, the northernmost city of Sweden. Under the scorching sunlight of Kigali, Rwanda,another woman is being carried to the hospital on a stretcher. The two single mothers‐to‐be are on the verge of giving birth to a baby are thousands of miles apart, but share the same fear of entering the unknown world of motherhood. I think this is the film to beat.
Length: 15 min.
Language: Swedish/ Kinyarwanda
Country: Swedish/Rwanda
“The Night Shift Belongs to the Stars,” Silvia Bizio and Paola Porrini Bisson, producers (Oh! Pen LLC)
The story of Matteo (Enrico Lo Verso), a passionate mountain climber, and Sonia (Nastassja Kinski), a married woman, also in love with mountain, as they set out to climb a peak on the Dolomites, in Trentino, Italy. (Confession, I have not seen this film.)
Length: 24 min.
Language: English
Country: USA
“9 meter,” Anders Walther, director, and Tivi Magnusson, producer (M & M Productions A/S)
A boy tries to set a new record in the long jump as his mother fights her illness. (Confession, I have not seen this film.)
Length: 18 min.
Language: Danish
Country: Danish
“Salar,” Nicholas Greene, director, and Julie Buck, producer (Nicholas Greene)
In an isolated Bolivian village, on the edge of the vast Uyuni salt flats, two lives collide. This powerful film is my favorite of the 11 short listed films.
Length: 18 min.
Language: English
Country: USA
“When you find me,” Ron Howard, executive producer, and Bryce Dallas Howard, director (Freestyle Production Company)
This Cannon sponsored film looks at the story of two sisters whose childhood bond is tested by a tragedy that they were too young to understand at the time.
Length: 29 min.
Language: English
Country: USA
Mitchell Block specializes in conceiving, producing, marketing & distributing independent features & consulting. He is an expert in placing both completed works into distribution & working with producers to make projects fundable. He conducts regular workshops in film producing in Los Angeles and most recently in Maine, Russia and in Myanmar (Burma).
"Poster Girl," produced by Block was nominated for a Documentary Academy Award and selected by the Ida as the "Best" Doc Short 2011. It was also nominated for two Emmy Awards and aired on HBO. He is an executive producer of the Emmy Award-winning PBS series "Carrier,” a 10-hour series that he conceived & co-created. Block is a graduate of Tisch School and Columbia University’s Graduate School of Business. He is a member of Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, the Television Academy, a founding member of BAFTA-la and has been teaching at USC School of Cinematic Arts since 1979. Currently Block teaches a required class in the USC Peter Stark Producing Program.
_______________________________________________________
©2012Mwb All Rights Reserved All Rights Reserved. All information and designs on the Sites are copyrighted material owned by Block. Reproduction, dissemination, or transmission of any part of the material here without the express written consent of the owner is strictly prohibited. All other product names and marks on Block Direct, whether trademarks, service marks, or other type, and whether registered or unregistered, is the property of Block.
- 12/20/2012
- by Mitchell Block
- Sydney's Buzz
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