Saturday, June 25, 2016

LA FILM FESTIVAL 2016 DEALS WITH THE DIVERSITY DECK (AWARDS)

By Jose Alberto Hermosillo,
“Opening Night” premiere, Photo by Jose A Hermosillo, Copyrights, 2016

2016 will be considered the “Year of the Diversity” at the LA Film Festival, despite the considerable reduction in the number of foreign films selected.
“Dreamstates” Photo by Jose A Hermosillo, Copyrights, 2016

All the different communities were well represented: African-American, Indian-American, Mexican-American, Asian-American, Middle Eastern, Latino, Jewish, people with disabilities, millennials, immigrants, and the LGBT community, too.

Women Filmmakers. Photo by Jose A Hermosillo, Copyrights, 2016

This year, 40 percent of the films selected by the LA Film Festival were directed by women.

“Lights Out” premiere, Photo by Jose A Hermosillo, Copyrights, 2016

LA Film Festival took good care of its filmmakers, sponsors, programmers, and the members of Film Independent. The prestigious festival still needs to work on its relationship with the press to generate more noise, reviews, and exposure for the films and the filmmakers, simply to tell the world that something is happening in LA.

“Girl Flu” cast, Photo by Jose A Hermosillo, Copyrights, 2016

All the films were well-deserved award winners, and they still need to hit theaters and digital distribution as soon as possible. They are very important and need to reach a wider audience.

“London Town” Photo by Jose A Hermosillo, Copyrights, 2016

AND THE WINNERS ARE:

“Heis (chronicles)” Photo by Jose A Hermosillo, Copyrights, 2016

The World Fiction Award went to Anaïs Volpé for HEIS (cronicles), France.

“Lupe Under the Sun” cast, Photo by Jose A Hermosillo, Copyrights, 2016

Special Mention: Lupe Under the Sun, directed by Rodrigo Reyes, Mexico-US.

 The US Fiction went to Remy Auberjonois for Blood Stripe.

The Documentary Award went to Jonah Markowitz and Tracy Wares for Political Animals.

The LA Muse Award was given to Heidi Saman for Namour.

The Nightfall Award went to Jackson Stewart for Beyond the Gates.

AUDIENCE AWARDS: 

The Audience Award for Fiction Feature Film went to GREEN / is / GOLD, directed by Ryon Baxter.

Political Animals, directed by Jonah Markowitz and Tracy Wares, won the Audience Award for Documentary Feature Film.

The Award for Short Fiction went to The Beast (Zvjerka), directed by Daina Oniunas Pusic.

The Award for Short Documentary went to The Gatekeeper, directed by Yung Chang.

The Audience Award for Short Film went to Into Darkness, directed by Rachida El Garani.

The Audience Award for Web Series went to Instababy, directed by Rosie Haber.




Related Articles:   

“KICKS” A BUNCH OF KIDS OF COLOR ROAMING IN SUBURBIA

15 Must-See French Films at COLCOA 2016

LA FILM FESTIVAL 2016 DEALS WITH THE DIVERSITY DECK (AWARDS) 

25 Great Foreign Films that Did Not Get Distribution in the US

The World’s Best Female Lead Singer Movies

Ixcanul Pursuits Guatemala’s First Oscar® Nomination

10 The Best Latino Performances of 2016 And Their Absence From The Nominations



  Copyright © Festival in LA, 2016


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Friday, June 24, 2016

Septembers of Shiraz: The Struggle of a Jewish Family During The Persian Revolution

By José Alberto Hermosillo
Septembers of Shiraz review www.festivalinLA.com

“Septembers of Shiraz” is a captivating and thought-provoking call for freedom.

In 1977, the song “Staying Alive” was played as background music at a gathering of a wealthy, secular Jewish/Iranian family in Tehran when the Iranian religious revolution overthrew the regime of the Shah of Iran.

Septembers of Shiraz poster

The Amin family celebrates their son’s farewell as he prepares to study abroad in Massachusetts.

Salma Hayek in Septembers of Shiraz review www.festivalinLA.com

During that time, the prosecution of industrious, affluent, and educated families was a daily occurrence. The State believed that people had the potential to overthrow the government.

Septembers of Shiraz review www.festivalinLA.com
 
The Academy Award-winning actor Adrien Brody is terrific as Issac Amin. His character’s arc starts as a businessman and father figure, and he becomes a prisoner and a victim of torture. 
 
His suffering makes him value life more than any material possessions. Soon after, he negotiates his freedom and his family’s safety.
 

Oscar nominee Salma Hayek-Pinault portrays Farnez, a dedicated wife and an Iranian Jewish woman with both opinions and a voice. In Iran, being a woman with those skills is considered defiant in light of the revolution. She embodies the ideal housewife and loving mother. Additionally, she writes for local magazines about lifestyles in foreign lands. Under the new fundamentalist government, her articles are deemed indecent and subversive political propaganda.

Salma Hayek in Septembers of Shiraz. Review www.festivalinLA.com
 
“Septembers of Shiraz” is Salma Hayek’s best performance since “Frida.”  

 Oscar-nominee Iranian actress Shohreh Aghdashloo (“House of Sand and Fog”) is terrific. She plays Habibeh, who helps Farnez with housework and personal moral issues. Her son Morteza (Navid Navid) becomes the “Judas” of the story, and he betrays everyone, including his mother and the revolution.
 
The film was adapted to the screen by Yale graduate Hanna Weg. It is based on the best-selling novel by Iranian-born, New York-based writer Dalia Sofer.

Australian director Wayne Blair (“The Sapphires”) keeps the actors’ performances understated in “Septembers of Shiraz” to contrast with the dominant images of torture and repression.

Salma Hayek in “Septembers of Shiraz.

Mark Isham’s music is subtle and enhances the actors’ emotions from the outset. With just a few musical notes, the dramatic momentum carries through the entire story.

 

The film accurately reconstructs the 1970s in Iran and showcases exceptional production values. Septembers of Shiraz was filmed in Bulgaria, where a skilled team produced remarkable work.

 

In 2012, Hollywood took on the Iranian conflict through CIA agent Tony Mendez (Ben Affleck), who helped rescue U.S. diplomats from Tehran in “Argo.” This Oscar® winner stirred controversy over the portrayal of nationalities and backgrounds.

 

It is nearly impossible to have a cast entirely from the region in international productions. Regardless of their backgrounds, all the actors are genuine and honor the real individuals they portray.

 

“Septembers of Shiraz” feels authentic. Though it may be visually predictable, it portrays a family’s struggle as they provide jobs and a brighter future in Iran before the revolution.

 

During the revolution, many were persecuted and killed; the film reveals that people from different classes struggled to coexist. They betrayed their own, reminding us that the world is rife with ingratitude.

 

The fundamentalists in Iran refer to each other as “brothers,” even as they torture and kill one another.

“Septembers of Shiraz” is dedicated to all the families who have endured persecution. It is remarkable, and it is essential viewing that restores human dignity.


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Thursday, June 23, 2016

Hunt for the Wilderpeople: Is the Funniest Manhunt Movie Ever

By Jose Alberto Hermosillo

“Hunt for the Wilderpeople” is the funniest manhunt movie ever! A wild adventure. 

Taika Waititi (“Eagle vs. Shark,” “Boy,” “What We Do in the Shadows”), New Zealand
From the accomplished director Taika Waititi (“What We Do in the Shadows,” “Boy,” “Eagle vs. Shark,” and the upcoming Marvel Superhero adventure: “Thor: Ragnarok”) comes this incredible adventure, “Hunt for the Wilderpeople.”


This New Zealand smack hit opens with a beautiful landscape that looks like it's out of one of the “The Hobbit” movies, where our adventure begins.

 Classified by the authorities as a menace to society, Ricky (Julian Dennison) is sent to a foster home on a farm. 

The film vividly shows, in a flashback, his criminal record: cursing, graffiti, and spitting, among other felonies, done in his elementary school and on the streets. 

The vehement social worker takes those offenses seriously. She becomes an obsessive vigilante of the kid from beginning to end.


Ricky gets a new chance to live on a very modest farm with Aunt Bella (Rima Te Wiata) and the crabby Uncle Hec, played by Sam Neill. They don’t have any children or modern devices to entertain this young punk who likes hip-hop.


In a marvelously welcoming scene, they receive Ricky with open arms, a birthday cake, and a precious gift, a dog he names Tupac.

When he gets used to the new lifestyle, something freaks him out, propelling his escape into the wild. 


After a few days alone, Uncle Hec joins him. As they share the road, the adventure turns amusing, and the manhunt goes viral because the odd couple becomes the famous outlaw and the most wanted on the Internet.


“Hunting for the Wilderpeople” has some underlying questions hard to see in a Hollywood movie: What is an ethnic child doing with an older white male alone in the woods? Who are wilder, the runaways or the hunters? Who always pushes Ricky aside: the people or the system?

Ricky is wonderfully played by a very young and talented Julian Dennison (“Chronesthesia,” “Paper Planes,” and “Shopping”). He is hilarious; his confidence and charisma go beyond expectations. Ricky’s self-esteem never goes down because Ricky is a warrior and never gives up.
Julian Dennison, photo by Jose A Hermosillo, Copyright Festival in LA 2016

Contemplating the breathtaking landscape, Uncle Hec tells his little companion: “This place is “majestical,” the kid corrects him: “Majestic” is the right word.”


In every chapter, the film has an incredible new adventure, with clever references to “Rambo,” “The Terminator,” and “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy. Also, the car chase is as spectacular as any in Australia’s “Mad Max” movies.

“Hunt for the Wilderpeople” remarkably shows children in everyday situations becoming extraordinary, as in the 2004 British film “Millions” by the Oscar-winning director Danny Boyle (“Slumdog Millionaire,” “Trainspotting”) or “Whale Rider,” 2004. Also, it has similar humor to the 2013 Eugenio Derbez Mexican hit “Instructions Not Included.”

“Hunt for the Wilderpeople” rightly dwells on universal values of acceptance, tolerance, diversity, respect, and, above all, love one another.


Copyright © Festival in LA, 2016

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