Festival Honors Iranian Filmmaker Majid Majidi
Iranian filmmaker Majid Majidi was born in 1959 to a middle-class family in Tehran, where he grew up. At fourteen, he started acting in amateur theater troupes, and eventually enrolled at the Institute of Dramatic Art. Developing an interest in cinema after the Islamic Revolution in 1978, he appeared in various films, most notably Mohsen Makhmalbaf’s Boycott (1985).
His first feature, Baduk, which he wrote as well as directed in 1992, was presented during the Directors’ Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival and won several awards in Iran. Since then, he has written and directed several films that have received worldwide attention, notably Children of Heaven (1997), which won Best Picture at the Montréal World Film Festival and was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the 1999 Academy Awards—the only Iranian film to date to get the nod from Oscar.
Majidi was honored with a tribute at this year’s Starz Denver Film Festival. His classic Children of Heaven was screened, as well as his new film The Song of Sparrows.
In this podcast episode, Majidi talks about his films and the state of Iranian filmmaking with noted film critic Robert Denerstein and Festival Artistic Director Brit Withey.
For more information, click here.
Posted on November 19, 2008 // 1 Comment »
Panel: Women + Film: Africa in Transition
Three festival documentaries focusing on Africa were the focus of this year’s Women + Film panel: Gini Reticker’s Pray the Devil Back to Hell, Lisa Merton and Alan Dater’s Taking Root: The Vision of Wangari Maathai, and Sarah Friedland’s Thing with No Name.
The third annual Women + Film panel, “Africa in Transition,” featured Lisa Merton and Sarah Friedland, as well as Esy Casey, director of photography and producer of Thing with No Name; and Abby Disney, president and co-founder of the Daphne Foundation.
This panel was moderated by Lesley Dahlkemper, president of Schoolhouse Communications, and featured opening remarks by Denver Film Society’s Arpie Chucovich and Barbara Bridges
“Women + Film: Africa in Transition” was sponsored by Barbara Bridges/Wildblue Entertainment and PayReel.
Posted on November 18, 2008 // No Comments »
Daniel Junge on Making of They Killed Sister Dorothy
They Killed Sister Dorothy chronicles the legal proceedings that followed the execution-style murder of Sister Dorothy Stang. At seventy-three, the Catholic nun and activist had lived in Brazil for thirty years, collaborating with the government to establish sustainable development in a remote corner of the Amazon. But along the way, she had made enemies among the ranchers who stood to benefit from the exploitation of the rainforest and its natural resources. In 2005, she was shot six times at point-blank range. Two men were arrested for the killing, but it quickly became clear that her death was part of a much greater conspiracy.
This documentary was directed by Denver-based filmmaker Daniel Junge. In this podcast episode, noted film critic Robert Denerstein speaks with both Junge and David Stang, the younger brother of Dorothy Stang. The trio discuss the horrific details of this crime and the film that captures what transpired in the following years.
For more information, click here.
Watch the Trailer:
Posted on November 17, 2008 // No Comments »
Cinematographer Wally Pfister Honored with Tribute
In 2005 and 2006, Wally Pfister, ASC, earned consecutive Academy Award nominations for his cinematographic work on Batman Begins and The Prestige. The Dark Knight, released to much fanfare earlier this year, marked Pfister’s fifth collaboration with director Christopher Nolan; together, they made innovative use of the IMAX format to heighten the moviegoing experience. As a result, the latest installation in the Batman franchise has become the second-highest grossing motion picture in history, following only in the wake of Titanic.
Pfister has two films screening at the 31st Starz Denver Film Festival, Laurel Canyon and Insomnia, and will be presented with this year’s Cinematographer Tribute. In this podcast episode, Pfister and film critic Robert Denerstein take a few minutes to talk about the art of cinematography and his wide volume of impressive work.
For more information about Pfister’s tribute, click here.
Watch the Insomnia Trailer:
Posted on November 16, 2008 // No Comments »
Cartoonist Bill Plympton Returns with Idiots and Angels
Variety calls the cartoon noir Idiots and Angels “Bill Plympton’s best animated feature to date.” When we first meet the main character—a violent, oversexed misanthrope with no name—in his sleazy corner of a penciled-in world, he appears doomed. But Plympton (Hair High, SDFF 24; I Married a Strange Person, SDFF 21) propels this alcoholic loser toward metamorphosis on a grand scale.
Plympton is known for his unique, hand drawn style of cartoons. In this podcast episode, he sits down with film critic Robert Denerstein and discusses his style and the work and dedication it takes to create a hand drawn full-length feature like Idiots and Angels.
For more information, click here.
Watch the Trailer:
Posted on November 15, 2008 // No Comments »
Big Night to Feature Danny Boyle’s Slumdog Millionaire
With Slumdog Millionaire, director Danny Boyle (Shallow Grave, Trainspotting, 28 Days Later) has hereby carved himself a niche as the Dickens of modern-day cinema—with the help of his codirector on the Indian set, Loveleen Tandan, as well as screenwriter Simon Beaufoy (The Full Monty) and his winsome crosscultural adaptation of Vikas Swarup’s novel Q&A. Through the prism of a single romance, Slumdog Millionaire captures the extremes of Indian society, from the tragedies in its teeming streets to the shadowed quiet of the TV studio and the thinly veiled class condescension of Prem Kumar (Bollywood standout Anil Kapoor), the subcontinent’s answer to Regis Philbin.
In this podcast episode, film critic Robert Denerstein and Boyle talk about the making of the film that will be featured at the 2008 Starz Denver Film Festival’s Big Night. For more information, click here.
Watch the Trailer:
Posted on November 14, 2008 // 1 Comment »
Rian Johnson Opens Festival with The Brothers Bloom
In his sophmore feature outing, writer-director Rian Johnson (Brick) deploys a dynamic cast—including Rachel Weisz, Adrien Brody, and Mark Ruffalo—in a rollicking, round-the-world road movie about a pair of dedicated con men who think they’re taking an innocent New Jersey heiress for a long ride.
Johnson’s new film, The Brothers Bloom, opens the 31st Starz Denver Film Festival tonight at 7:30 PM at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House.
In this podcast episode, Johnson and film critic Robert Denerstein discuss the making of The Brothers Bloom and Johnson’s ascent as a filmmaker.
Watch the trailer:
Posted on November 13, 2008 // No Comments »
First Look Student Film Festival Added to 2008 Lineup
In 2006, the Denver Post called the First Look Student Film Festival “arguably the best niche festival in Denver” for its efforts to introduce Rocky Mountain audiences to the great filmmakers of the future by showcasing their early works. Now in its eighth year, the 2008 First Look Festival will take place concurrently with the Starz Denver Film Festival at the Starz FilmCenter.
In this podcast episode, noted film critic Robert Denerstein sits down with First Look Festival founders Josh Weinberg and Wade Gardner. Josh and Wade, who started the festival when they were in film school, give us a sneak preview of some of this year’s films.
View the entire 2008 First Look Student Film Festival lineup.
Posted on November 6, 2008 // 1 Comment »
More Behind the Scenes Info with Brit and Britta
As if the possibility of watching over 200 films in 11 days was not exciting (and overwhelming) enough, the 2008 Starz Denver Film Festival brings you more than just great film. During the course of the festival, the Starz FilmCenter will also host a number of panel discussions, tributes, and special events.
In part two of this podcast interview, film critic Robert Denerstein chats it up with Festival Director Britta Erickson and Festival Artistic Director Brit Withey, who fill us in on the festival extras that are in store for attendees.
Posted on November 3, 2008 // No Comments »
Get the Popcorn! 2008 Festival Programming Preview
Earlier this week the schedule for the 2008 Starz Denver Film Festival was announced. Once again, the Denver community will have the opportunity to view the year’s best independent films, documentaries, and a few movies starring the best and brightest that Hollywood has to offer.
And who’s behind all of this? With a lot of help from the Denver Film Society staff, Festival Director Britta Erickson and Festival Artistic Director Brit Withey are charged with filling the 11 day schedule with over 200 films.
In part one of this podcast interview with noted film critic Robert Denerstein, Brit and Britta preview the highlights from the upcoming festival.
View the entire 2008 Starz Denver Film Festival Schedule.
Posted on October 31, 2008 // No Comments »
