SCANDINAVIAN FILM FESTIVAL LA 2023

By José Alberto Hermosillo

The Scandinavian Film Festival Los Angeles 2023 is back for in-person screenings on the weekends of Jan 14-15 & 21-22, 2023, at the Writers Guild of America Theater, 135 W. Doheny Drive, Beverly Hills, California, 90211. Tickets are for sale at the box office. 

The extraordinary selection of Nordic films includes Oscar entries from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, and Sweden in the Best International Feature Film category for the 95th Academy Awards.

For more information and a full calendar, visit Scandinavian Film Festival L.A. 2023

Set in Iran, “Holy Spider” chronicles the journey of a religious serial killer named “Spider Killer,” who murdered 16 prostitutes in Iran between 2000-2001, and the brave female Iranian journalist who discovered the truth. The Diminish production directed by Ali Abbasi (“Border”) is an international success.

Norway’s participation in WWII is exhibited in “War Sailor,” where two best friends joined the armed forces to bring supplies to G.B. and get cough in the middle. At the war’s end, the government did not treat the veterans with honor, respect, monetary retribution, or financial aid.  

The celebrated film “Cairo Conspiracy,” also known as “Boy From Heaven,” Made in Egypt, produced by Sweden, France, and Finland, and directed by Tarik Saleh, talks about Adam, a young son of a fisherman with a scholarship to go to study Muslim in Cairo when a classmate takes him for a night out in the city. The film won best screenplay at Cannes 2022. 

A Finnish coming-of-age film directed by Alli Haapasalo. The Audience Award winner in the International competition at Sundance 2022 talks about three best friends getting along during the darkness of the winter in Finland, trying to make sense of their lives and loves under those weather conditions. 

The Icelandic Oscar entry “Beautiful Beings” narrates the story of Addi, a boy raised by a clairvoyant mother who decides to adopt a bullied misfit into his gang of outsiders. The boys explore aggression and violence but also learn about loyalty and love. As the group’s behavior escalates towards life-threatening situations, Addi begins to experience a series of dreamlike visions. Can his newfound intuition guide him and his friends back to a safer path, or will they dive irrevocably into further violence?

“The Wait” presents a love triangle between a pastor, his wife, and his friend on a remote Finnish island. The film is adapted from Juhani Aho’s novel The Pastor’s Wife. The music is composed by Esa-Pekka Salonen, the former Los Angeles Philharmonic music director.

 

CLOSING NIGHT FILM

 

“Everybody Hates Johan,” a Norwegian comedy about an adventurous and free-spirited middle-aged man named Johan Grande whose passion for horses and explosives represents a threat to his community. His quest for love will continue until the end.

 

For more information and a full calendar, visit:  

Scandinavian Film Festival L.A. 2023 

 

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The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse: Poetry in Animation

By José Alberto Hermosillo  

“The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse” is an animated short film about love, friendship, and kindness. This thought-provoking adaptation is truly a masterpiece. Evocative, environmental, poetic, and artistic animation creates the feeling of watching a watercolor painting or a Rembrandt.

“The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse,” produced by J.J. Adams and Woody Harrelson, is directed by Peter Baynton and Charlie Mackesy, adapted from Charlie Mackesy’s bestseller by Jon Croker and Charlie Mackesy himself. 

Behind the calm sound of the characters’ voices are the talents of Jude Coward Nicoll, who plays The Boy, and Tom Hollander (“The White Lotus”), as The Mole. Idris Elba is the quiet Fox, and The Horse is played by veteran actor Gabriel Byrne (“Spider,” “End of Days,” “Stigmata”). The Boy encounters The Mole in the middle of a beautiful, frosty landscape, and being lost is unsuitable for either. 

TMoleole, hungry and blind, confused a big tree with a cake. The two new friends approached the tree, climbed the branches, and looked for an unknown river that would guide the Boy back to his home. 

At that particular place and time, Moleole asks the Boy, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” The Boy firmly answers, “Kind.” Even though the Boy is already kind, he does not want to change when he grows up because he wants to continue treating everyone with kindness and respect.

Contemplating the horizon—searching for that river—the Mole-inspired expressions say, “So much beauty we need to look after.” “Yes, so much,” replies the Boy. In that moment, we felt that there was a friend who would always be there to help. 

The heartfelt story teaches us to strengthen our inner resilience with the support of our diverse, close friends through philosophy and poetry. Many existential questions emerge, such as tMole'se’s “Can you believe in me more than I do?” which concludes with “Life is difficult, but you are loved.” At one point, Fox admits that he is quiet because he has nothing interesting to say.

The Horse’s experience and confidence ensure that others continue the journey safely. Just like in the “Wizard of Oz,” they must find out if there is a home for the Boy at the river’s end. All four characters support each other and share the same mantra, “asking for help isn’t giving up,” said the Horse, “It’s refusing to give up.” “Tears fall for a reason; they are your strength, not your weakness.”

 

“When things are out of control, you must focus on what you love right under your nose,” says tMoleole. That is why we are here, to love and be loved.

This original British BBC/Apple TV Plus production has been nominated for Best Animated Short Film at the 95th Academy Awards. “The Boy, The Mole, The Fox, and The Horse” is among the top contenders for the Oscar, joining other notable animated short winners like “Dear Basketball,” “Mr. Hublot,” “The Danish Poet,” and “Peter & the Wolf.”

 

Watching this short artistic piece brings up questions, such as how cold it must be for a boy to be outside without a jacket. What will the friends eat, and how will they protect themselves from environmental dangers and predators?

 

“The Boy, The Mole, The Fox, and The Horse” is a charming, innocent, and beautiful animated film that teaches kids important lessons on becoming better humans. 

The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse — Official Trailer | Apple TV+

The 15 Shortlisted Animation Shorts are:

Black Slide
The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse
The Debutante
The Flying Sailor
The Garbage Man
Ice Merchants
It’s Nice Here
More than I Want to Remember
My Year of Dicks
New Moon
An Ostrich Told Me the World Is Fake, and I Think I Believe It
Passenger
Save Ralph
Sierra
Steakhouse

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Last Film Show: Northern Indian Food & Marsala Films in a Children's Adventure

By José Alberto Hermosillo

“Last Film Show” is an unforgettable children’s adventure. It brilliantly combines Northern Indian food and classical Marsala cinema. This memorable adventure displays India’s untamed spirit to its fullest.

The award-winning Indian drama about aging and coming of age is seen through the eyes of a wondrous kid whose fascination with cinema extends beyond the walls of school and his family’s well-being. Samay is portrayed by newcomer Bhavin Rabari wonderfully and naturally believably.

Bhavin Rabari is Samay in “Last Film Show.” Photo: José Alberto Hermosillo, CAA (Creative Artists Agency), Century City, Los Angeles, CA. www.FestivalinLA ©2022

The film is set in the mid-1980s and unfolds organically and spontaneously, following a young cinema lover who skips school and sneaks into the local movie theater. He finds a way to get into the projectionist’s heart through his stomach with the delicious school meals his mother makes daily.

Bribing the projectionist with Marsala food is not the only trouble the kid gets into; Samay’s adventures inside the movie theater include stealing the film reels from the post office to build a projector and show those fantastic films to other kids without electricity. 

Short of understanding the transition from film to digital projection, the kid witnesses it and sees how the projectionist loses his job to a computer-literate geek who can manage the entire movie theater with a laptop. 

Behind the camera is the artistry of renowned Indian director/writer/producer Pan Nalin (“Samsara,” “Angry Indian Goddess”). According to him, his film opens the viewer’s mind to the cultural complexity of other parts of the world.

Director Pan Nalin & actor Bhavin Rabari “Last Film Show.” Photo: José Alberto Hermosillo, CAA (Creative Artists Agency), Century City, Los Angeles, CA. www.FestivalinLA ©2022

Set in Northern India, near the border with Afghanistan, the movie emphasizes marginalized communities outside urban areas, child labor, survival, an unjust social structure, and economic conditions. For instance, people need to learn English to get equal opportunities in education and employment. Paradoxically, the ones who master English leave their communities as soon as possible.

The film contains well-selected clips from classic Indian cinema. Some Bollywood movies have become classics, while others are action-packed thrillers that entertain the masses. People in those movies do not look natural, says the director. In his film, he intends to be as realistic as possible by exposing people as they are and how they interact in their communities.

Regarding the question I asked in the Q&A about the combination of food and movies, Mr. Nalin answers cleverly, “The way to people’s hearts is through their stomachs.” He remembers his childhood by saying that his mother was a great cook. Additionally, Marsala films love food and movies because these elements draw people back to their roots in delicious, authentic food made with local, vegan products.

Inspired by the CinemaScope of the 1950s and 60s, talented cinematographer Swapnil S. Sonawane (“Newton” and “Dhappa”) captures perfect lighting to enhance the colors, giving the film a dazzling look. 

The filmmakers sought picturesque locations and used a vibrant color palette, multichromatic sets, lavish costumes, and shiny jewelry. Everything had to be filmed on camera, not in post-production, to reflect the country’s authenticity.

Director Pan Nalin centered his film on the life of a person he knew from the region. The more complicated part was to bring the producers to start production. If a studio does not back you, he recommends organizing a team to raise the money to produce the movie with other close friends, doctors, or family members who may pitch in to complete an acceptable production. “If you’re scared, you’re dead,” he said. Because it is hard to make an independent film in India or anywhere, he was lucky to have investors from France and the United States to complete the movie.

Casting the kid was challenging. While looking for a professional child actor, the famous Indian casting director Dilip Shankar (Ang Lee’s “The Life of Pi” and Wes Anderson’s “The Darjeeling Limited”) went to the Gujarati community. He found a confident kid named Bhavin Rabari, the son of a bus driver. The kid’s family belongs to a tribe outside the “caste system” of other communities. The people there feel proud of their roots, where they came from, and of the opportunities they have to accomplish their dreams. For Bhavin Rabari, the first movie he had ever seen in a cinema theater was his movie.

Producer Dheer Momaya, Child actor Bhavin Rabari, director Pan Nalin, “Last Film Show.” Photo: José Alberto Hermosillo, CAA (Creative Artists Agency), Century City, Los Angeles, CA. FestivalinLA ©2022

“Last Film Show” is spoken in Gujarati with some English dialogue. The movie has been selected as India’s entry for Best International Feature Film at the 95th Academy Awards. It has been shortlisted - beating the Netflix mega-production “RRR,” also the front-runner to win Best Original Song with “Naatu Naatu.”

The director is surprised that his film is receiving widespread international recognition, and he is happy to have his movie seen by a broader audience on streaming platforms. Still, he recommends the theatrical experience because that is how he fell in love with the film. 

This crowd-pleasing Indian/French co-production premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York, where it won the audience award. Since then, “Last Film Show” has become an international hit.

LAST FILM SHOW (Chhello Show) Official Trailer

“Last Film Show” Indian Child Actor Talks About His Experience Making the Film

Producer Dheer Momaya, Child actor Bhavin Rabari, director Pan Nalin, “Last Film Show,” and film critic José Alberto Hermosillo, CAA (Creative Artists Agency), Century City, Los Angeles, CA. FestivalinLA ©2022

Child actor Bhavin Rabari is Samay in “Last Film Show” and film critic José A. Hermosillo, CAA (Creative Artists Agency), Century City, Los Angeles, CA. FestivalinLA ©2022

Naatu Naatu Oscar-winning composer M.M. Keeravani & director S.S. Rajamouli Q&A @ CAA, Los Angeles

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