Female filmmakers dominate London fest competition lineup
Stone to head Zurich Film Festival jury
Works
by female directors dominate the lineup for the BFI London Film Festival’s official competition section, it was revealed Wednesday. Six of the 10 films set for the main competition of the festival’s upcoming 63rd edition are directed or co-directed by female filmmakers, including Alma Har’el’s Sundance title, “Honey Boy”, and Haifaa Al-Mansour’s Venice competitor, “The Perfect Candidate”.
The competition selection represents productions and co-productions from 16 countries. Titles from the Venice Film Festival also dominate, with four out of the 10 selected films having their world premieres in Venice.
Written by and co-starring Shia LaBeouf, and based on his own life, “Honey Boy” will receive its European premiere in London. The film world premiered at Sundance in January and will play in Toronto next month. “The Perfect Candidate”, from Saudi filmmaker Al-Mansour, will have its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival on Thursday, with its UK premiere coming in London.
World premieres featured in the competition lineup include Thomas Clay’s period drama “Fanny Lye Deliver’d”, starring Maxine Peake and Charles Dance, and Irish adoption drama “Rosie Plays Julie”, codirected by Christine Molloy and Joe Lawlor.
Rose Glass’ debut feature, horror film “Saint Maud”, will also receive its European premiere in London.
Isabel Sandoval will be the first transgender director to compete in London with her drama “Lingua Franca”, which receives its world premiere in Venice Days, the independent strand of the Venice Film Festival.
Other competition titles, all receiving UK premieres at the festival, include Jayro Bustamante’s “La Llorona”, also debuting in Venice Days; Oliver Hermanus’ “Moffie”, which debuts in Venice’s Horizons section; Alejandro Landes’ “Monos”, which premiered at Sundance; and Malgorzata Szumowska’s “The Other Lamb”, which will premiere in Toronto next month.
Ponder
Festival director Tricia Tuttle said the 10 films respresented “the best in global filmmaking,” with their makers inviting viewers “to probe and ponder, to be changed – either subconsciously or wildly and irrevocably – by their work.”
“These filmmakers each have unique and distinctive voices and their films by turns reveal truths about human existence; explore stories we haven’t seen before or examine familiar ones in new ways; address pressing social and political issues, and make audiences feel and think. It’s striking that so many of the filmmakers here are telling strongly political stories, but never dogmatically so,” said Tuttle.
The winner will be selected by an official jury and will once again be revealed at a public awards presentation and surprise screening, following the sellout success of this format introduced at the 2018 festival by Tuttle. This year will also see the winner presented with a commemorative 35mm print of their winning film for the first time, provided by festival sponsor CPC London.
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LOS ANGELES: Oliver Stone will serve as the jury president of the international competition at this year’s Zurich Film Festival, it was announced Thursday. The Oscar-winning filmmaker will also present his Showtime documentary series “The Putin Interviews” and the restored version of his 1991 film “The Doors” at the festival.
“Oliver Stone is an edgy Hollywood auteur who continues to create epoch-making masterpieces and manages to broach explosive issues with brilliance,” said festival co-directors Nadja Schildknecht and Karl Spoerri. “We are delighted that has accepted our invitation.”
The international competition jury also comprises Colombian filmmaker Ciro Guerra, Italian director Laura Bispuri, German actor Sebastian Koch, and Swiss producer Tiziana Soudani.
Double Oscar-winning documentary producer Simon Chinn (“Man On Wire”, “Searching for Sugar Man”) has been tapped to chair the festival’s documentary film competition. (RTRS)