Monika’s Pensieve

{FILM SPOTTING}
The Warsaw Film Festival starts on Friday, so it’s high time I looked into what they’re showing and choose something - a task which is not as easy as it sounds (on top of which I’m feeling a little guilty right now - I should be correcting the documentation of my degree project rather than watching trailers, but to hell with it grrr…. I feel very deprived right now and I’m just going to go for the trailers ;-P The documentation can wait a little longer ;) ).

@Andreja - you won’t believe it, but they’re showing Petelinji zajtrk *grin*

Anyway, my huge dilemma will become apparent as you scroll down this post. I should be aiming for 10 films at max and there’s far more listed here :]
With my Bollywood and J-drama phases I’d normally be totally dieing to see all the Indian and Japanese films at the festival regardless of quality, but the choice is so difficult that I’ve ended up skipping all of them!!!
Below is what caught my eye, the order is random. Anyone reading this who is going to be in Warsaw during the festival (10th - 19th October) can treat this post as an invitation to come to see any of these films with me :)

Genova (UK, 2008)

Polish Distributor: Monolith Films (no release date yet)
Director: Michael Winterbottom
Cast: Colin Firth
Production House: Revolution Films, Moviola Film och Television AB
Plot: (imdb)

A man moves his two daughters to Italy after their mother dies in a car accident, in order to revitalize their lives. Genova changes all three of them as the youngest daughter starts to see the ghost of her mother, while the older one discovers her sexuality.

Video, reviews etc.
Couldn’t find a trailer anywhere, but there’s an interesting interview with Colin Firth from TIFF:

Also a curious review here.

Why it might be worth seeing
Colin Firth is usually quite enough for me to want to see something and I like him in restrained parts which is what this sounds like that. Also I kind of feel I need to get up to date with Michael Winterbottom - haven’t seen any of his films for ages…
The plot I’m not sure about, but the review sounds very encouraging.

Happy-Go-Lucky (UK, 2008)

Polish Distributor: Monolith Films (28th November 2008)
Director: Mike Leigh
Cast: Sally Hawkins
Production House: Ingenious Film Partners, Thin Man Films
Plot: (imdb)

A look at a few chapters in the life of Poppy, a cheery, colorful, North London schoolteacher whose optimism tends to exasperate those around her.

Trailer

Why it might be worth seeing
Firstly it’s Mike Leigh and secondly I’ve not seen a good British film in cockney for ages!

Before The Devil Knows You’re Dead (USA/UK, 2007)

Polish Distributor: Vision (28th November 2008)
Director: Sidney Lumet
Cast: Ethan Hawke, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Albert Finney, Marisa Tomei
Production House: Unity Productions
Plot: (imdb)

When two brothers organize the robbery of their parents’ jewelery store the job goes horribly wrong, triggering a series of events that sends them, their father and one brother’s wife hurtling towards a shattering climax.

Trailer

Why it might be worth seeing
For the acting :) Very strong cast.

Waltz with Bashir (Israel/Germany/France, 2008)

Polish Distributor: None
Director: Ari Folman
Cast: Ari Folman
Production House: Les Films D’Ici, Razor Film Produktion GmbH
Plot: (imdb)

One night at a bar, an old friend tells director Ari about a recurring nightmare in which he is chased by 26 vicious dogs. Every night, the same number of beasts. The two men conclude that there’s a connection to their Israeli Army mission in the first Lebanon War of the early eighties. Ari is surprised that he can’t remember a thing anymore about that period of his life. Intrigued by this riddle, he decides to meet and interview old friends and comrades around the world. He needs to discover the truth about that time and about himself. As Ari delves deeper and deeper into the mystery, his memory begins to creep up in surreal images.

Trailer

Why it might be worth seeing
It’s been much talked about at festivals and it’s quite an unusual idea - to make an animated documentary.

American Military Intelligence and You! (USA, 2006)

Polish Distributor: None
Director: Dale Kutzera
Cast: Patrick Muldoon, Elizabeth Ann Bennett
Plot: (imdb)

Major Nick Reed is an intrepid analyst for Army Intelligence. It’s his job to locate a secret enemy base whose fighters - the dreaded Ghost Squadron - attack our bombers. Complicating his efforts is a chance meeting with his former love, Lt. Monica Tasty, and her current beau, Major Mitch Dunning. Can Reed find the fighter base in time for the 4th Armoured to attack? Will the Nazi learn our next target and send the Ghost Squadron to attack our bombers? Why do some women fall for the bad boys, completely ignoring the good responsible men right in front of them? Learn the answers in ‘At War With Intelligence.’

Trailer

Why it might be worth seeing
I’ve been reading up quite a bit on American Intelligence recently, so this film seems very appropriate viewing to me right now ;)

The Day After Peace (UK, 2008)

Polish Distributor: None
Director: Jeremy Gilley
Production House: Passion Pictures
Plot: (wff)

A documentary charting the remarkable world journey taken by filmmaker Jeremy Gilley, to create a Day of Peace on September 21. He galvanizes the countries of the world to recognize this as an official day of ceasefire and non-violence. Jeremy’s true quest, though, is to use the day to save lives. Celebrity as well as corporate support from Coca-Cola enhances the momentum. Jeremy’s persistence is rewarded when UNICEF, the World Health Organization, and local affected communities decide to try and use the Day to carry out a mass vaccination against polio in one of the toughest conflict areas in the world, Afghanistan. Gilley asks Jude Law to accompany him to Afghanistan, to help persuade the government and insurgents to ratify Peace Day. The task seems impossible?

Trailer

Why it might be worth seeing
The main reason *I* want to see it is to have a look at what’s happening in Afghanistan. It’s a country I’ve become very interested in of late.

Full Battle Rattle (USA, 2008)

Polish Distributor: None
Director: Tony Gerber, Jesse Moss
Plot: (imdb)

A film about life inside the US Army’s Iraq simulation in California’s Mojave Desert.

Trailer

Why it might be worth seeing
Because it sounds totally bizarre and as evidenced on this blog it’s the sort of thing that I’ve lately been following.

Dar Fur - vojna za vodo (Slovenia, 2008)

Polish Distributor: None
Director: Tomo Kriznar, Maja Weiss
Plot: (wff)

Darfur - the western part of Sudan where an armed conflict has continued for years between the local black population and the Arabs living in northern Sudan. The documentary is about the mission of Tomo Križnar, a human rights activist and (former) Slovenian President Janez Drnovsek’s special emissary in Darfur. It is also the first film about Darfur which enables the rest of the world to have an insight into the mentality of the rebels in Darfur and the events that took place there from February to June 2006. It shows that the war in Darfur is above all a war for water. The richest springs of water are found in Djebel Mara, where the Furs live (Dar Fur means ?home of the Fur?). These people are the greatest victims of this war.

Trailer

Why it might be worth seeing
Dar Fur was a big thing in the media not long ago and yet if you asked me I wouldn’t really be able to tell you anything about it. I tried some FAQs about it on BBC, but bailed out even of those. So I kind of figured this is as good an opportunity as any to finally find out what it’s about.
Also the extra Slovenian angle on it is interesting *grin* According to this review it’s a lot about how Slovenia tried to get involved in the situation politically, but was told by the US that it’s too small a country to try to engage in big politics…

Kurap (The Philippines, 2008)

Polish Distributor: None
Director: Roni Bertubin
Plot: (wff)

Ambet is a small-time pickpocket lurking in the busy streets of Manila. Together with his gang of young criminals, he steals anything he can. Ambet?s only family is his sister Luchie. She is afflicted with glaucoma, a disease which causes slow blindness of the eye. Ambet?s illegal income is not enough to sustain the two of them let alone treat Luchie?s illness. Then Marlon enters the picture. He is a cunning cameraman always chasing for video material on petty street crimes, prostitution, and prohibited drugs. His hidden camera is constantly on the hunt for juicy stories which he is peddles to the television network. As Luchie?s eye condition aggravates, Ambet agrees to work for Marlon as an ?undercover agent?

Trailer

Why it might be worth seeing
Because it’s Filipino! Ever since watching my first Filipino film I’ve wanted to discover more and there’s not been much opportunity. Filipino cinema is one of the biggest film industries in the world and probably the biggest DV film industry in the world and all the (three ;-P) films I’ve seen have oozed it (in fact the trailer for this one “oozes it” too).
What I mean by that is that sometimes when you see films from small film industries they don’t look that much different than what you already know of cinema in other countries. Every big film industry, however, has a clear style of its own - a sort of language consisting of the type of shots they use, the type of editing they do etc. and usually the “film language” of big industries is quite complex (whilst smaller industries tend to have simpler “film languages”).
I like watching “foreign film languages” regardless, but Filipino cinema is particularly interesting with it’s DV aspect. Most of the biggest film industries of the world cling to 35mm even now when the benefits of doing so are disappearing. Filipino cinema not only does not, but rather than going into HD (which is what most medium and small film industries do), it seems to be sticking to DV (a very inferior, but also very cheap digital format) and using it very creatively.

Pärnography (Estonia, 2005)

Polish Distributor: None
Director: Hardi Volmer
Production House: Acuba Film, Hargla Company
Plot: (wff)

Priit Pärn is an animator of international renown, graphic artist, caricaturist and book illustrator whose works are utterly grotesque, absurd and funny. Additionally, they are critical of the society, piercing the deepest levels of human consciousness. A closer examination of Pärn and other Estonian animators reveals that Estonia was not sung or fought to freedom. It was liberated via animation!

Why it might be worth seeing
Ever since seeing Klass, I’ve become quite curious about Estonian cinema and about Estonia (though I was always somewhat curious about it actually). I don’t think I can squeeze in all the screenings to do with Estonia at this year’s WFF, but I rather fancy seeing this documentary :)

Secrecy (USA, 2008)

Polish Distributor: None
Director: Peter Galison, Rob Moss
Plot: (wff)

The circulation of secret information is growing, vastly outpacing the circulation of open information. The statistics are staggering. In a single recent year, the United States government classified about five times the number of pages added to the Library of Congress. Eight billion dollars a year - that?s the cost of keeping those secrets secret. Now, 70 years after a national information security system was created, a government secrecy crisis is looming. This stylistically elegant and provocative new film by Peter Galison and Robb Moss explores the hidden world of U.S. security policy. Combining animation, a mesmerizing score, and riveting interviews, the film takes us inside the inverted world of government secrecy as we share the experiences of lawyers, CIA analysts, and the ordinary people for whom secrecy becomes a matter of life and death.

Trailer

Why it might be worth seeing
The topic matter :] This is something I *reeaaaaally* want to know more about lol

Tirador (The Philippines, 2007)

Polish Distributor: None
Director: Brillante Mendoza
Cast: Nathan Lopez, Coco Martin
Production House: Centerstage Productions
Plot: (wff)

About a month after Holy Week, a national election will take place. What future does it hold for a motley group of ?tiradors? - local slang for petty thieves - whose daily survival depends on fast fingers and yearly atonement on divine grace? The tiradors all live in an old dilapidated tenement building in the slums of Quiapo, a busy business district of Manila where they ply their trade. The director: ?’Tirador’ is my perfect example of ?guerilla-type? independent filmmaking. It reinforces our faith in what we?ve always believed in these past years: Doing movies independently (from the dictates of money-oriented financiers) may be a sensible way of speaking out the truth without reservation and feeling either good or disturbed?.

Trailer

Why it might be worth seeing
Pretty much for the same reasons that I want to see the other Filipino film for, but there’s an extra one… Nathan Lopez, who played the main character (the little boy) in Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros is in it!! *grin*
That was the first Filipino film I ever saw and the one I most enjoyed. It was about a gay 12 year old boy who falls in love (it’s platonic love, no sex involved ;-P) with a policeman and it was a very sweet and enjoyable film. Also fascinating in terms of culture (in the Philippines homosexuality is very widely accepted and this seems to make it much easier for boys to accept their sexuality - many of them “come out” young). Nathan Lopez played the main character and was absolutely brilliant. He’s now clearly quite a bit older (I barely recognised him on the trailer!), it’ll be interesting to see how he’s developed :)

Donkey in Lahore (Australia, 2007)

Polish Distributor: None
Director: Faramarz K. Rahber
Plot: (wff)

The extraordinary story of an Australian puppeteer who travelled to a festival in Lahore, Pakistan, and fell in love with 17-year-old Amber, a Muslim girl. When he returned home, the young artist started studying Islam and eventually converted to the religion. Aamir, as he was called from then on, wanted to marry the girl he loved at all costs. Two years later, Aamir finally saved enough money to travel back to Pakistan and ask for her hand in marriage. The director followed Aamir’s journey for five years as he negotiated cultural differences and tricky social situations. He portrayed the unusual story and sensitive soul of the young man as he battled the Australian immigration system and the stern disapproval of the girl?s parents

Why it might be worth seeing
The Variety review is very positive, so it sounds like a good film (I’m particularly interested in it being shot over a period of 5 years!). A good film which could educate me a bit on Muslim subject matter seems like an interesting way to spend some time *grin*

Be Like Others (Canada/Iran/UK/USA, 2008)

Polish Distributor: None
Director: Tanaz Eshaghian
Plot: (wff)

In Iran homosexuality is punishable by death, but sex-change operations are legal according to Islamic law. Every day dozens of young men come to the Teheran medical office of Dr. Bahram Mir-Jalali, the country?s most prominent sex-change surgeon. The doctor performs more sex-change operations in a year than the entire country of France does in ten years. Tanaz Eshaghian has crafted an intimate yet alarming exploration of the grip of Iranian theocracy. The film is a provocative testament to the lengths some people will go to in conforming to the rules of their faith. The Iranian president has notoriously proclaimed that there are no homosexuals in Iran. He?s right. Now we know why.

Why it might be worth seeing
The subject matter is interesting, but also check out this review. It sounds like a well made film too…

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Schedule is no longer that tentative as I’ve got tickets :) Happy-Go-Lucky was all sold out, as was Waltz with Bashir. This doesn’t mean my schedule is going to be shorter though as I may be accompanying friends to films I didn’t list above ;-P

10.X (Friday)
13:30 Full Battle Rattle
16:00 Choke
18:30 Kurap
21:00 Waltz with Bashir

11.X (Saturday)
16:00 Be Like Others
21:00 Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead

13.X (Monday)
11:00 Donkey in Lahore

14.X (Tuesday)
21:00 Donkey in Lahore <= I haven't got tickets for this

16.X (Thursday)
13:30 American Intelligence And You!
21:00 Dar Fur - War for Water

17.X (Friday)
13:30 Secrecy
16:00 Tirador
18:30 The Day After Peace
21:00 Genova

18.X (Saturday)
13:30 Parnography 1
18:30 Happy-Go-Lucky