‘Capernaum’ to open new Arab fest

Munich fest keeps its finger on pulse of zeitgeist

LOS ANGELES, June 23, (RTRS): Lebanese director-actor Nadine Labaki and her drama “Capernaum,” an award winner at Cannes, are set to kick off the first edition of the Festival Des Cinemas Arabes, an ambitious new event in Paris dedicated to Arab films.

“Capernaum,” about a 12-year-old boy who takes his parents to court “for giving me life” in the painful world of Beirut’s slums, won the Cannes Jury Prize last month. Labaki and her film, which will play out of competition, will inaugurate the 11-day Arab film festival June 28 in Paris’ Institute du Monde Arab (Institute of the Arab World).

The event will mark Labaki’s return to the Paris institute where in 1997 she won the best short prize, awarded by the institute’s Biennale of Arab Cinema, for her student movie “11 Rue Pasteur.” The biennale was scrapped in 2006.

Twelve years later, the Parisian cultural organization is putting Arab cinema back on display with the new film festival, which “opens a new cycle, full of promise,” former French culture minister Jack Lang said in a statement. More than 80 titles, including features, documentaries and shorts — all recent Arab productions, some of them international premieres — will unspool for Paris audiences. About 100 guests, comprising talents, producers, sales agents and journalists from the Arab world and Europe, have been invited. There will be industry panels and creative programs such as the New York-based Cinephilia Screenwriting Shorts Lab.

A special section of the fest will focus on shorts from Saudi Arabia, which recently lifted its religion-related ban on cinemas after 35 years.

A panel organized in collaboration with the Haifa Independent Film Festival will thrash out some of the difficulties Palestinian filmmakers and producers are forced to contend with and provide an overview of Palestinian cinema since 1948.

Narrative

European premieres in the fest’s narrative competition include Moroccan director Mohammed Achaour’s comedy “Lhajjates,” about four elderly Moroccan women who join forces to rebel against the suffering and injustice they are subjected to, and Emirati director Amer Salmeen Al Murry’s soccer comedy “Fan de Amoory.”

The new Arab cinema event in Paris, the city where Arab directors have historically found a crucial piece of their financing, follows the sudden cancellation earlier this year of the Dubai Film Festival, which had been the Arab film industry’s main market.

As part of its celebration of the best of independent moviemaking from around the world, including from the US, this year’s Munich Film Festival will include works highlighting some of today’s defining issues: the MeToo debate, racism, the increasingly troubling nature of social media and the impact of ever-growing surveillance.

The festival, which runs June 28 to July 7, opens with Joachim A. Lang’s “Mackie Messer — Brechts Dreigroschenfilm,” a fictional tale inspired by Bertolt Brecht’s 1928 play “The Threepenny Opera,” and Kurt Weill’s song “The Ballad of Mack the Knife,” in which the famed playwright seeks to adapt his work to film without blunting its political edge.

For festival director Diana Iljine,

introducing the actor and offering him a toast. Clooney shared some tender moments with his wife, Amal, who spoke about Clooney’s passion to help others. (AP)

the film is particularly timely:

MADRID:

Nobel laureate Mario Vargas Llosa is under observation at a Madrid hospital after sustaining light injuries in a fall at home.

The Spanish capital’s Hospital

British conductor Sir Rimon Rattle is applauded by members of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra (Berlin Philharmoniker) after conducting his last symphony concert as the orchestra’s chief

conductor in Berlin. (AFP)

“Just like the famous first words of ‘Mack the Knife’ — ‘And the shark, he has teeth’ — one might say: This film, it has teeth. At a pivotal moment in recent history, with populism on the rise and democracy endangered, we have to look back to the great thinkers who fought for an open-minded society with their art.”

While Munich no longer has a section devoted to US indies, focusing instead on what Iljine says are “the most compelling and important international independent productions of each season,” American cinema still plays a significant role.

“Looking at the US, this means that we — of course — reflect on political issues and Trump’s era. The growing gap between the rich and poor as well as everyday racism are a main topic of various documentaries and feature films,” Iljine says.

Among this year’s crop of US works is Jennifer Fox’s “The Tale,” which Iljine describes as “the most substantial contribution to the #MeToo debate.” The pic unspools in the CineMasters competition sidebar for major works by well-known international directors. Also competing in CineMasters is Jim Cummings’ critically acclaimed comedy-drama “Thunder Road.”

While a number of US titles, such as Debra Granik’s “Leave No Trace,” a social drama about a war veteran, are screening in the Spotlight section, most unspool in International Independents, including “American Animals,” a US crime drama directed by British helmer Bart Layton that Iljine calls “one of the best films of the rapidly emerging hybrid of documentary and fictional storytelling.”

Iljine adds: “Besides these big indie films we want to offer very precious discoveries like ‘My Name Is Myeisha,’ directed by Gus Krieger, which is one of the most striking films on everyday racism, and the lovely documentary ‘Black Wave,’ directed by Peter Azen, which is a portrait of the punk scene in Munich.”

Other International Independents titles include Desiree Akhavan’s “The Miseducation of Cameron Post,” based on Emily M. Danforth’s novel about a young teen sent to a conversion camp, and “The Rape of Recy Taylor,” Nancy Buirski’s doc about a black woman who was sexually assaulted in 1944 Alabama, and her refusal to remain silent about the crime.

The success and struggles of renowned performers are examined in documentary works screening in various sections, including “Robin Williams: Come Inside My Mind,” by Marina Zenovich; “Jane Fonda in Five Acts,” by Susan Lacy; Kevin Macdonald’s “Whitney”; and “Ryuichi Sakamoto: Coda,” by Stephen Nomura Schible.

The fest is also continuing its push to attract younger cinemagoers. “What we understand as a part of our mission is to educate, inspire and attract audiences for the cinema of the future — and we are constantly building up experience in the field,” Ijine says.

As part of a high-profile youth event, the festival is hosting the world premiere of Aron Lehmann’s romantic comedy “The Most Beautiful Girl in the World,” which was inspired by “Cyrano de Bergerac.” The fest has also established Film Nights Out, “an exciting party series for young people to get in touch with — and to see that can be much more than watching amazing films.”

On the industry side, Munich offers a variety of panel discussions, including the Filmmaker Live talks, which bring together industry reps, filmmakers and journalists to discuss wide-ranging topics. Also present will be leading companies, among them ARRI, Bavaria Film and Constantin Film.

Ruber Juan Bravo says it admitted the 82-year-old Peruvian writer early Thursday with a bruised left buttock and a slight head injury.

The hospital says in a statement

that Vargas Llosa was in severe pain from his bruised buttock, and doctors recommended that he remain in hospital for the time being.

It says the novelist underwent a series of tests. The statement provides no further details about his health. (AP)

LOS ANGELES:

Kino Lorber has acquired all US rights to Cameron Yates’ documentary feature, “Chef Flynn,” for theatrical release in November followed by VOD and home video release late next winter.

“Chef Flynn” had its world premiere at 2018 Sundance Film Festival and its international premiere at the 68th Berlin International Film Festival in February. It was also an official selection at SXSW this year.

The movie is directed by Cameron Yates, produced by Laura Coxson, executive produced by Philipp Engelhorn, and edited by Hannah Buck, with original music from Brooklyn-based electro-pop band Holy Ghost! (RTRS)