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” in LA Film Festival, regardless of the considerable reduction of foreign films selected.
"Dreamstates" Photo by Jose A Hermosillo, Copyrights, 2016

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

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

This year, 40 percent of the films selected by 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, their programmers, and the members of Film Independent. The prestigious festival still needs to work on its relationship with the press in order to make more noise, reviews, and exposure of 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 those films still need to hit the movie theaters and digital distribution as soon as possible, those films are a 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 U.S. Fiction Award 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.

The Audience Award for Documentary Feature Film was given to Political Animals, directed by Jonah Markowitz and Tracy Wares.

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:   

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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 US Theaters

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 gripping and provocative cry for freedom.

In 1977, the song “Staying Alive” is heard as background 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, who will study abroad in Massachusetts.

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

At that time, the prosecution of hard-working, wealthy, and educated families was an everyday norm. The State considered that people could overthrow the government.

Septembers of Shiraz review www.festivalinLA.com
 
The Academy-winning 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 plays the devoted wife, Farnez, an Iranian Jewish woman with an opinion and a voice. As a woman in Iran, those skills are against the revolution. She is the ideal housewife and loving mother. She also writes for local magazines about lifestyles in foreign places. According to the new fundamentalist government, her pieces become 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, and she plays Habibeh, who helps Farnez with house labor 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.
 
Based on the best-seller novel by Iranian-born, N.Y. -based writer Dalia Sofer, the film was adapted to the screen by a Yale graduate Hanna Weg.

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

Salma Hayek in “Septembers of Shiraz.

The music by Mark Isham is discreet and capable of accentuating the actors’ emotions from the beginning. With only a few musical tones, the dramatic momentum continues throughout the story.

The film reconstructed the 1970’s period in Iran to precision. The production value of this film is exceptional. “Septembers of Shiraz” was shot in Bulgaria. Knowing their craft very well, they came out with a remarkable production.

In 2012, Hollywood tackled the Iranian conflict for CIA agent Tony Mendez (Ben Affleck), who helped rescue US diplomats from Tehran in “Argo.” The best picture Oscar® winner created controversy regarding the nationalities and the background.  

Having all talent from the exact origin is almost impossible in international production. Regardless of the nationalities, all the actors are genuine and respectful to the real people they portray.

 “Septembers of Shiraz” has the feeling of authenticity. It may be visually predictable, but it illustrates this family struggle who helped many by giving them jobs and a brighter future in Iran before the revolution.

In the revolution, many were prosecuted and killed; in the film, we learned that people from different classes don’t mesh well. They betrayed their people; we must remember that the world has plenty of ingratitude. 

The fundamentalists in Iran call themselves “brothers,” even though they torture and kill each other.

“Septembers of Shiraz” is dedicated to all the families who have endured prosecution. Remarkable! An 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 smatching hit opens with a beautiful landscape that looks out of one of “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 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 an ethnic child is doing with an older white male alone in the woods? Who are wilder, the runaways or the hunters? Who always pushes Ricky to the side, 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, a spectacular car chase is comparable to any of 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 as in the 2013 Eugenio Derbez Mexican hit “Instructions Not Included.”

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


Copyright © Festival in LA, 2016

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