European production-distribution giant Studiocanal is teaming with Spain’s Mr. Fields and Friends and Bambú, both led by producer Ramón Campos, on dramatic comedy “Rondallas,” written-directed by Daniel Sánchez Arévalo.
Sánchez Arévalo, one of Spain’s foremost crossover filmmakers, is coming back with “Rondallas” to a movie project oriented to classic cinema theater exhibition and distribution, after creating and directing a feature film and a TV series for Netflix.
Studiocanal will handle worldwide sales on “Rondallas,” scheduled to roll from March in Galicia, Northern Spain, with a still undisclosed cast.
“Rondallas” is produced by Campos, creator and executive producer of flagship Spanish TV dramas such as “Gran Hotel,” “Velvet,” “Cable Girls” and “Fariña,” all set up at his Madrid-based Bambú, one of the most game-changing of TV production companies in Spain, and partially owned by Studiocanal.
With dedicated film production house Mr Fields and Friends, Campos has produced titles such...
Sánchez Arévalo, one of Spain’s foremost crossover filmmakers, is coming back with “Rondallas” to a movie project oriented to classic cinema theater exhibition and distribution, after creating and directing a feature film and a TV series for Netflix.
Studiocanal will handle worldwide sales on “Rondallas,” scheduled to roll from March in Galicia, Northern Spain, with a still undisclosed cast.
“Rondallas” is produced by Campos, creator and executive producer of flagship Spanish TV dramas such as “Gran Hotel,” “Velvet,” “Cable Girls” and “Fariña,” all set up at his Madrid-based Bambú, one of the most game-changing of TV production companies in Spain, and partially owned by Studiocanal.
With dedicated film production house Mr Fields and Friends, Campos has produced titles such...
- 9/26/2023
- by Emiliano De Pablos
- Variety Film + TV
This article is presented by:
The indoors time we’ve all had of late has helped develop a deeper appreciation for tabletop gaming, collectible card games, role-playing games and, that perrennial favorite, Legos. With the holidays upon us, we have partnered with eBay to bring you these incredible gift ideas that will delight everyone on your list…or you can just buy these products for yourself, we won’t tell!
Pokémon: Sword & Shield: Evolving Skies Booster Box
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The indoors time we’ve all had of late has helped develop a deeper appreciation for tabletop gaming, collectible card games, role-playing games and, that perrennial favorite, Legos. With the holidays upon us, we have partnered with eBay to bring you these incredible gift ideas that will delight everyone on your list…or you can just buy these products for yourself, we won’t tell!
Pokémon: Sword & Shield: Evolving Skies Booster Box
The latest expansion in the Pokémon Trading Card Game is Sword & Shield: Evolving Skies, bringing players an exciting assortment of Dragon-type Pokémon as well as Eevee’s evolutions to utilize in their gaming sessions.
Buy the Pokémon: Sword & Shield: Evolving Skies Booster Box
Pokémon Celebrations: 25th Anniversary Elite Trainer Box
It’s been 25 years since the Pokémon Trading Card game debuted, and this Elite Trainer Box showcases some of the coolest, most desired...
- 11/29/2021
- by Chris Cummins
- Den of Geek
On Feid’s recent single “Fumeteo,” the Colombian singer demonstrated his knack for polished, radio-ready reggaeton — the track was succinct, percussive, and easily chantable.
Feid draws from this well again on “El Padrino,” a cut from his new album Inter Shibuya – La Mafia. This one is more leisurely, opening with more than 50 seconds of Feid singing accompanied only by plaintive acoustic guitar. His voice is very closely mic’d, so the sound of each gulp of oxygen surges through the track — “Teníamo’ ganas de vernos, un afán de conocernos,” sharp...
Feid draws from this well again on “El Padrino,” a cut from his new album Inter Shibuya – La Mafia. This one is more leisurely, opening with more than 50 seconds of Feid singing accompanied only by plaintive acoustic guitar. His voice is very closely mic’d, so the sound of each gulp of oxygen surges through the track — “Teníamo’ ganas de vernos, un afán de conocernos,” sharp...
- 8/30/2021
- by Elias Leight
- Rollingstone.com
The 2020 Latin Grammy Award nominations were unveiled on September 29 and it is a good day for J Balvin, Bad Bunny and Ozuna. This trio of talent lead the roster with 13, nine and eight bids respectively. All three contend for Record of the Year while J Balvin and Bad Bunny are nominated for Album of the Year for their collaborative project “Oasis” as well as their individual albums, “Colores” and “Yhlqmdlg.” Other artists who scored big this year were Anuel AA, Josh Gudwin and Colin Leonard, with seven bids apiece. See the full list of Latin Grammy nominations below.
Voters in the Latin Recording Academy had to consider a whopping 18,000 entries across 53 categories. The eligibility window ran from June 1, 2019 to May 31, 2020. “Over the last year, we continued engaging in discussions with our members to improve the awards process and actively encouraged diverse Latin music creators to join and participate,” said Gabriel Abaroa Jr.
Voters in the Latin Recording Academy had to consider a whopping 18,000 entries across 53 categories. The eligibility window ran from June 1, 2019 to May 31, 2020. “Over the last year, we continued engaging in discussions with our members to improve the awards process and actively encouraged diverse Latin music creators to join and participate,” said Gabriel Abaroa Jr.
- 9/29/2020
- by Kevin Jacobsen
- Gold Derby
The Latin Recording Academy has announced the nominees for the 21st Annual Latin Grammy Awards. J Balvin leads this year’s nominations with 13, followed by Bad Bunny with nine nominations and Ozuna with eight; Anuel AA, Josh Gudwin and Colin Leonard each received seven nominations.
The 2020 nominations for Album of the Year include Bad Bunny’s Yhlqmdlg, Camilo’s Por Primera Vez, Kany García’s Mesa Para Dos, J Balvin’s Colores, J Balvin & Bad Bunny’s Oasis, Jesse & Joy’s Aire (Versión Día), Natalia Lafourcade’s Un Canto Por México,...
The 2020 nominations for Album of the Year include Bad Bunny’s Yhlqmdlg, Camilo’s Por Primera Vez, Kany García’s Mesa Para Dos, J Balvin’s Colores, J Balvin & Bad Bunny’s Oasis, Jesse & Joy’s Aire (Versión Día), Natalia Lafourcade’s Un Canto Por México,...
- 9/29/2020
- by Claire Shaffer
- Rollingstone.com
Does your weekend playlist need a little more seasoning? Rolling Stone Latin selects some of the best new music releases from Latin America, Spain and Portugal. Keep track of the latest in Latin via our playlist on Spotify.
Rafa Pabön, “Sin Aire”
Puerto Rican rapper Rafa Pabön pulls no punches in his cutting new protest track, “Sin Aire,” or “Without Air.” The freestyle was written in memory of Black men slain by police, including George Floyd and Eric Garner, whose parting words “I can’t breathe” now carry a chilling resonance across the world.
Rafa Pabön, “Sin Aire”
Puerto Rican rapper Rafa Pabön pulls no punches in his cutting new protest track, “Sin Aire,” or “Without Air.” The freestyle was written in memory of Black men slain by police, including George Floyd and Eric Garner, whose parting words “I can’t breathe” now carry a chilling resonance across the world.
- 6/11/2020
- by Suzy Exposito
- Rollingstone.com
J Balvin has released three collaborative performance videos with Vevo, with songs taken from his latest album Colores. He kicked off his mini-series of performances last week with “Amarillo.”
In his latest clips, the Latin music star performs inside of a tarp-covered set. His outfits and the color of the set change depending on which song he’s performing: “Azul,” “Negro” and “Rojo.” J Balvin is the latest artist to participate in Vevo’s live performance series, following Khalid, Future, Karol G, Miley Cyrus, Chika and more.
Colores, released earlier this month,...
In his latest clips, the Latin music star performs inside of a tarp-covered set. His outfits and the color of the set change depending on which song he’s performing: “Azul,” “Negro” and “Rojo.” J Balvin is the latest artist to participate in Vevo’s live performance series, following Khalid, Future, Karol G, Miley Cyrus, Chika and more.
Colores, released earlier this month,...
- 4/3/2020
- by Claire Shaffer
- Rollingstone.com
It’s safe to say that J Balvin leads one charmed life. The Medellín-born artist entered 2020 as a second-time Grammy nominee for 2019’s Oasis, his joint album with Puerto Rican comrade Bad Bunny. At the year’s onset, Balvin’s reggaeton-house single featuring the Black Eyed Peas, “Ritmo (Bad Boys for Life),” had topped several charts across the globe, from the U.S. to Romania. Then at this year’s Super Bowl Halftime Show, where Jennifer Lopez and Shakira proudly flaunted their Latinidad before millions of American viewers, Balvin was...
- 3/27/2020
- by Suzy Exposito
- Rollingstone.com
Madrid — Netflix announced Thursday in Madrid seven new Spanish Originals: Two series, three features, one documentary and an unscripted title.
The titles confirm a rapid ramp-up in production volume for Netflix in Spain, whose output to date takes in two of the U.S. giant’s standout breakouts in international, not only in Spain but overseas “La Casa de Papel” (Money Heist), “High Seas” and “Elite.”
Netflix’s Spanish production output, which boasts the first Netflix European Production hub soundstage complex at Madrid’s Tres Cantosis already one of the most voluminous in the world with 32 current or upcoming productions, according to a September 2019 report by Ampere Analysis. Only the U.K., Japan, Cnada, Mexico and Brazil bettered that figure.
Among the novelties:
* A currently-untitled show, the first series created by renown Spanish film director Daniel Sanchez Arévalo,, described as “an exciting story of friendship and perseverance” in a netflix statement after the presentation.
The titles confirm a rapid ramp-up in production volume for Netflix in Spain, whose output to date takes in two of the U.S. giant’s standout breakouts in international, not only in Spain but overseas “La Casa de Papel” (Money Heist), “High Seas” and “Elite.”
Netflix’s Spanish production output, which boasts the first Netflix European Production hub soundstage complex at Madrid’s Tres Cantosis already one of the most voluminous in the world with 32 current or upcoming productions, according to a September 2019 report by Ampere Analysis. Only the U.K., Japan, Cnada, Mexico and Brazil bettered that figure.
Among the novelties:
* A currently-untitled show, the first series created by renown Spanish film director Daniel Sanchez Arévalo,, described as “an exciting story of friendship and perseverance” in a netflix statement after the presentation.
- 1/30/2020
- by John Hopewell and Jamie Lang
- Variety Film + TV
Santiago De Compostela, Spain — DirecTV has nabbed Latin American pay TV rights to Mediaset España’s hit Spanish primetime drama “El Accidente,” sold by Stockholm-based house Eccho Rights.
The Spanish adaptation of Ay Yapim’s Turkish TV series “The End,” “El Accidente” was executive produced for Mediapro-Globomedia by Good Mood’s Daniel Ecija.
The series tells the story of a woman investigating her husband’s double life after a terrible accident sheds light on his secrets and lies. It stars some of Spain’s most highly-regarded acting talent, including Inma Cuesta (“The Bride”), Quim Gutiérrez (“Dark Blue Almost Black”) and Berta Vázquez (“Locked Up”).
At&T-owned DirecTV, with more than eight million subscribers, will launch “El Accidente” across Latin America later this year, via its OnDirecTV channel.
The deal confirms DirecTV’s stronger than ever interest on Spanish TV fiction. Last year, the paybox took another Mediaset España’s TV primetime success,...
The Spanish adaptation of Ay Yapim’s Turkish TV series “The End,” “El Accidente” was executive produced for Mediapro-Globomedia by Good Mood’s Daniel Ecija.
The series tells the story of a woman investigating her husband’s double life after a terrible accident sheds light on his secrets and lies. It stars some of Spain’s most highly-regarded acting talent, including Inma Cuesta (“The Bride”), Quim Gutiérrez (“Dark Blue Almost Black”) and Berta Vázquez (“Locked Up”).
At&T-owned DirecTV, with more than eight million subscribers, will launch “El Accidente” across Latin America later this year, via its OnDirecTV channel.
The deal confirms DirecTV’s stronger than ever interest on Spanish TV fiction. Last year, the paybox took another Mediaset España’s TV primetime success,...
- 6/19/2018
- by Emiliano De Pablos
- Variety Film + TV
Can't put your phone or tablet down for even a second? Always plugged in somewhere sharing your life with the world in 140 characters or less? Then we have some good news for you! You can now use that time wisely by tweeting and winning a copy of Sleep Tight on Blu-ray!
Winning is easy! Just follow us and send a tweet to @DreadCentral with the hashtag #IWantToSleepTight, and if you're chosen, you'll be notified via Dm! It's simple and scary easy! Good luck!
From the Press Release
None of the residents of a sleek apartment building would ever suspect that the quiet man who opens the door for them every day has a deep, dark and deadly secret. And now the secret's out as Sleep Tight, featuring "one of the most charismatic villains in the recent cinema" (Fotogramas), comes to high-definition Blu-ray and DVD from Dark Sky Films on January...
Winning is easy! Just follow us and send a tweet to @DreadCentral with the hashtag #IWantToSleepTight, and if you're chosen, you'll be notified via Dm! It's simple and scary easy! Good luck!
From the Press Release
None of the residents of a sleek apartment building would ever suspect that the quiet man who opens the door for them every day has a deep, dark and deadly secret. And now the secret's out as Sleep Tight, featuring "one of the most charismatic villains in the recent cinema" (Fotogramas), comes to high-definition Blu-ray and DVD from Dark Sky Films on January...
- 1/7/2013
- by Uncle Creepy
- DreadCentral.com
While I personally haven’t watched the film, I hear that Sleep Tight is an effective and creepy little film. Don’t believe me, read Michael’s review. I can’t wait to check this out finally and thanks to the wonderful fiends at Dark Sky Films, we won’t have to wait much longer.
From the Press Release
None of the residents of a sleek apartment building would ever suspect that the quiet man who opens the door for them every day has a deep, dark and deadly secret. And now the secret’s out as Sleep Tight, featuring “one of the most charismatic villains in the recent cinema” (Fotogramas), comes to high-definition Blu-ray and DVD from Dark Sky Films on January 8, 2013, with SRPs of $29.98 and $24.98, respectively.
Written by Alberto Marini (Films to Keep You Awake), Sleep Tight is the latest film from the director of the Calista Flockhart...
From the Press Release
None of the residents of a sleek apartment building would ever suspect that the quiet man who opens the door for them every day has a deep, dark and deadly secret. And now the secret’s out as Sleep Tight, featuring “one of the most charismatic villains in the recent cinema” (Fotogramas), comes to high-definition Blu-ray and DVD from Dark Sky Films on January 8, 2013, with SRPs of $29.98 and $24.98, respectively.
Written by Alberto Marini (Films to Keep You Awake), Sleep Tight is the latest film from the director of the Calista Flockhart...
- 12/14/2012
- by Andy Triefenbach
- Destroy the Brain
The latest fright flick from Jaume Balaguero, Sleep Tight, is on its way to DVD and Blu-ray, and as always you can count on us for the skinny on what to expect when it gets here. Read on for the latest.
From the Press Release
None of the residents of a sleek apartment building would ever suspect that the quiet man who opens the door for them every day has a deep, dark and deadly secret. And now the secret's out as Sleep Tight, featuring "one of the most charismatic villains in the recent cinema" (Fotogramas), comes to high-definition Blu-ray and DVD from Dark Sky Films on January 8, 2013.
Written by Alberto Marini (Films to Keep You Awake), Sleep Tight is the latest film from the director of the Calista Flockhart horror movie Fragile and the modern thriller classics [Rec] and [Rec] 2.
Toiling silently among the residents of an everyday Barcelona apartment building,...
From the Press Release
None of the residents of a sleek apartment building would ever suspect that the quiet man who opens the door for them every day has a deep, dark and deadly secret. And now the secret's out as Sleep Tight, featuring "one of the most charismatic villains in the recent cinema" (Fotogramas), comes to high-definition Blu-ray and DVD from Dark Sky Films on January 8, 2013.
Written by Alberto Marini (Films to Keep You Awake), Sleep Tight is the latest film from the director of the Calista Flockhart horror movie Fragile and the modern thriller classics [Rec] and [Rec] 2.
Toiling silently among the residents of an everyday Barcelona apartment building,...
- 12/14/2012
- by Uncle Creepy
- DreadCentral.com
After acquiring the film back in May, Dark Sky Films is set to release Jaume Balagueró’s Sleep Tight on Blu-ray and DVD in January. Continue for release details and cover art:
New York, NY (December 12, 2012) – The residents of a sleek apartment building would never suspect that the quiet man who opens the door for them every day has a dark and deadly secret. And now the secret’s out as Sleep Tight, featuring “one of the most charismatic villains in the recent cinema” (Fotogramas), comes to high-definition Blu-ray and DVD from Dark Sky Films and Mpi Media Group on January 8, 2013, with SRPs of $29.98 and $24.98, respectively.
Written by Alberto Marini (Films to Keep You Awake: To Let), Sleep Tight is the latest film from Jaume Balagueró, director of the Calista Flockhart thriller Fragile and the modern shock classics [Rec] and [Rec]².
Toiling silently among the residents of an everyday Barcelona apartment building,...
New York, NY (December 12, 2012) – The residents of a sleek apartment building would never suspect that the quiet man who opens the door for them every day has a dark and deadly secret. And now the secret’s out as Sleep Tight, featuring “one of the most charismatic villains in the recent cinema” (Fotogramas), comes to high-definition Blu-ray and DVD from Dark Sky Films and Mpi Media Group on January 8, 2013, with SRPs of $29.98 and $24.98, respectively.
Written by Alberto Marini (Films to Keep You Awake: To Let), Sleep Tight is the latest film from Jaume Balagueró, director of the Calista Flockhart thriller Fragile and the modern shock classics [Rec] and [Rec]².
Toiling silently among the residents of an everyday Barcelona apartment building,...
- 12/12/2012
- by Jonathan James
- DailyDead
Acclaimed short film director Daniel Sánchez Arévalo's third feature film is currently in post production. After DarkBlueAlmostBlack and last year's Gordos, Arévalo commented that this will be his most personal project to date and it will mark a clear departure from his previous works since it will be his first full comedy and will be including a lot of his personal experiences. “Primos” is based on a previous short film shot by the director and will count once again with Quim Gutiérrez and Raúl Arévalo in the cast, both of whom had important roles in Sánchez Arévalo´s previous works. Antonio de la Torre toplines the tale about three cousins who travel to the village where they spent summer vacations as kids.
- 7/16/2010
- IONCINEMA.com
A Work In Progress: Halls and the lobby of Loews remained bare and quiet until Monday when the final day approaches and buyers began congregating in final deals. Surprisingly to all multiple sales had already been made by day 2 and sales for some, if not all were better than expected even if prices were lower. At the Thursday evening European Film Promotion reception, where all friends in the biz meet with welcoming smiles, Marcus Hu of Strand said he was already packing up to go as he had made his purchases..they were already screening Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday before AFM began he said. One sales agent remarked that Toronto was the zero level and AFM looked like level 1 had been reached. One sales agent said only theatrical films were selling. Jonathan Wolf says AFM has are 10% fewer sellers (369 vs. 412 in 2008) but 4% more buyers with 13 new buyers from South Korea,...
- 11/7/2009
- by Sydney@SydneysBuzz.com (Sydney)
- Sydney's Buzz
- Spain: Local Film Scene The month of April brings us one of the more important events for Spanish cinema. From the 17th to the 25th, the best in local cinema will be presented at the Málaga Film Festival. Although being quite a young competition (this is just the fest's 5th edition), the Málaga Festival has positioned itself as a great platform for burgeoning new filmmakers. La Vergüenza (Shyness) from David Planell and produced by Avalon, is the Festival's opening film. Planell’s debut in the full-length feature that comes with high expectations – some of the experts have already compared him to Daniel Sánchez Arévalo and his movie Azuloscurocasinegro (Darkbluealmostblack). In La Vergüenza, Pepe (Alberto San Juan) and Lucía (Natalia Mateo) explore the complexities of being a couple. One year after adopting their son Manu, both are exhausted and want to give the kid back. Nevertheless, they soon realize the
- 4/15/2009
- IONCINEMA.com
The European Film Promotion (EFP) and the San Sebastian International Film Festival (September 18-27) launched a new promotion initiative entitled "European Distributors: Up Next".
Ten independent distributors from Central and Eastern Europe attending the festival discussed the possibilities of theatrical distribution on a European level. Since the majority of European producers do not cross national borders, the meetings in San Sebastian were aimed to create possible platform and networking opportunities to improve the circulation of European productions.
• From Slovenia, Natasa Bucar, project manager of the cultural center Cankarjev Dom, a public institution that organizes many events promoting film, including the Ljubljana International Film Festival has been in art film distribution for the last 15 years. They distribute five to six titles every year to fill the gap in theatrical distribution of European high-profile films in Slovenia. Priority is given to established and not always well-known European and other international filmmakers. Their last distributed titles were Neil Jordan’s ‘Breakfast on Pluto’, Tony Gatlif’s ‘Transylvania’, Bent Hamer’s ‘Factotum’, Dagur Kari’s ‘Dark Horse’, Corneliu Porumboiu’s ‘12:08 East of Bucharest’, Roy Andersson’s ‘You, the Living’, Pascale Ferran’s ‘Lady Chatterley’, Marjane Satrapi’s ‘Persepolis’ and Shane Meadows’ ‘This Is England’.
Besides Cankarjev Dom, there are only four arthouse cinemas in Slovenia. They need more along with arthouse cinema networks to enable better film promotion. In Slovenia, like everywhere in Europe, the number of cinema viewers has fallen drastically. Audiences focus on fewer films, the top 20 films take up to almost 50% of the market in Slovenia.
• From Hungary, Rita Linda Potyondi of Cirko Film - Másképp Foundation, the only Hungarian distributor to operate as a non-profit-foundation, they also own one theater in Budapest. Working on a showstring budget, they are guided by personal tastes and focus on international and particularly European ‘difficult’ auteur films with targeted or limited audiences, especially those that explore themes related to discriminated groups: homosexuals, handicapped people, ethnic or religious minorities and victims of family abuse. Their last releases include films by Robert Guédiguian, Bruno Dumont, Fernando Leon de Aranoa, Baltasar Kormakur, Alain Corneau, Bruno Podalydès, Bertrand Bonello, Claire Denis, Ferzan Ozpetek, Catalin Mitulescu and Oskar Roehler. A recent surprise success was Anders Thomas Jensen’s ‘Adam's Apples’ which became a sort of cult film. They also did well with Palme d’Or-winner ‘4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days’, and ‘Persepolis’, Susanne Bier’s ‘After the Wedding, ‘Red Road’, ‘My Brother Is An Only Child’, ‘A Soap’, ‘Our Daily Bread’. Upcoming are the Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne's ‘Lorna’s Silence’, Gustave de Kervern and Benoit Belepine’s ‘Louise Michel’, Nic Balthazar’s ‘Ben X’, Simon Staho’s ‘Heaven’s Heart’, Ole Christian Madsen’s ‘Kira’s Reason’, Josef Fares’ ‘Leo’, Anders Thomas Jensen’s ‘The Green Butchers’ and ‘Flickering Lights’, and Ole Bornedal’s ‘Just Another Love Story’.
• Czech distributor Artcam’s Managing Director Premysl Martinek knows he is fighting an uphill battle. In 2007 combined total admissions for Artcam's films were under 50,000 — 0.4 percent of the national total. By comparison, leading distributor Falcon drew more than 4,000,000 viewers with its films, nearly a third of the market. However Martinek is convinced there is room in the market for small distributors and is interested in the shared challenges, from the opportunities offered by digital distribution and video-on-demand to how to negotiate with producers on minimum guarantees. The main problem is cultivating an audience. “It's very different from in Holland or Germany, where there are audiences for arthouse films,” he says.
Most of Artcam's target market is in Prague, home to roughly 1,000,000 people where European film is largely restricted to a handful of single-screen theatres, while the city's 14 multiplexes focus primarily on Hollywood imports and successful local films.
Artcam has distributed some of the most widely heralded European films of recent years, including Ole Madsen's drama ‘Prague’, ‘Persepolis’ and ‘The Diving Bell and the Butterfly’. The international success of such films has attracted the attention of larger distributors who are now crowding the arena. This year in Cannes when they tried to acquire ‘Waltz with Bashir’, there was greater competition. Martinek says arthouse is an important part of any film culture, and lack of access to European films is hurting Czech cinema because if they lack exposure to the cinema of other countries, from new ways of narration, they cannot develop their own cinema. The Czech Ministry of Education has introduced media studies to secondary school curricula to show young people that film is “not just fun and popcorn. It's also art.”
• Polish distribution company Gutek’s Jakub Duszyński, artistic director and head of programming (along with Roman Gutek) at the Muranow movie theater also programs for the different festivals held at the theatre and for Poland’s largest film event, the Era New Horizons Film Festival in Wroclaw. A lawyer by training and a fan of Asian genre films, Duszynski has also set up a distribution company (Blink) specializing in this type of film.
Gutek Film has always been a launching pad for auteur films and has released films by Lars Von Trier, Pedro Almodóvar, Jim Jarmush and Wong Kar-Wai. Every year, they distribute two or three films not aimed solely at auteur film enthusiasts, but also at multiplex audiences. Among such titles are Tom Tykwer’s ‘Perfume: The Story of a Murderer’ and ‘Control’. Coming up are Polish features including Jerzy Skolimowski’s ‘Four Nights With Anna’, Piotr Lazarkiewicz’s ‘0_1_0’ and Katarzyna Adamik’s ‘Boisko bezdomnych’. They distribute almost exclusively European films. The box office is certainly dominated by US films, but by only a few titles which often have, interestingly, something European about them, for example they may be inspired by European literature.
• Slovakia’s Michal Drobny is marketing manager for Slovak distributor Continental Film. Slovakia sees 2,500,000 to 3,000,000 admissions in a year. A successful film for Continental is 10,000 to 15,000 admissions, as compared to one of the Harry Potter films which will have 200,000 admissions.
Continental releases 30 to 40 films a year and, thanks largely to its partnership with Warner Bros, enjoys a market share of 20%–30%. Continental also serve as Slovak distribution partners for Hollywood Classic Entertainment, which often buys rights to European and arthouse titles for several Eastern European territories at once. Continental acquires other titles through direct negotiation with the producers, usually from the Czech Republic. Drobny seldom attends festivals other than Berlin. This year is his first visit to San Sebastian.
Margins are tight for Continental, which is the second or third largest distributor in Slovakia. Continental is also a 30% shareholder in Slovak multiplex chain Cinemax, which owns nine cinemas countrywide. Continental also operated Bratislava's only arthouse cinema until it was turned into a congress hall.
Continental counts on public money for a small portion of its operating budget. The Slovak Ministry of Culture gives support up to a maximum of SKK 160,000 (€5,500) for the distribution of European films which covers the cost of two or three prints. Continental also receives funding through the MEDIA automatic support scheme, typically receiving 40 to 60 cents per admission for European films.
Drobny says this public support is welcome but it's seldom enough to make a real difference to distributors. “A print for a US title costs $300 [€210]. For a European title, the cost is $1,000–1500 [€700–1,000] for the print, plus I still need to pay for the all the marketing materials and the cost of subtitles,” he says. “We can't be surprised that American films are everywhere.”
Not surprisingly few European films secure distribution in Slovakia. Cinemax promotes European and arthouse film through its Artmax program and screens independent films once a week, sometimes for free. Current titles in the selection include ‘Good Bye, Lenin!’, ‘The Secret Life of Words’, ‘The Science of Sleep’, ‘Volver’ and ‘Angel’. In cooperation with the Embassy of Spain, Continental and Cinemax are creating a Spanish Days celebration of Spanish cinema at Cinemax locations in November.
Drobny has hopes that digital cinema will help small distributors, but believes it will be five to ten years before the major studios settle on a common format. Even then, the costs of converting screens will be challenging for the private sector. “To install one 2K digital system costs SKK 3m–4m [€100,000–132,000] and we have 37 screens, so it's a lot of money,” he says. “We'd like to invest but it will take a long time to see a return on that investment.”
• From Romania, Transilvania Film, founded by Tudor Giurgiu and currently run by Stefan Bradea is one of the successful pioneers of arthouse film distribution in Romania. At first they distributed mainly British, German and Scandinavian features but gradually turned to quality Romanian films, genre pictures, even some mainstream American movies. Their eclectic selection is targeted to the highly educated public, basically university graduates under 35. Their latest premiere was ‘Non pensarci’ by Gianni Zanasi, an Italian comedy. Coming up are Gus Van Sant’s ‘Paranoid Park’ and a few Romanian films: Horatiu Malaele’s ‘Silent Wedding’, Adrian Sitaru’s ‘Hooked’ and Anca Damian’s debut, ‘Crossing Dates’. Their most profitable film was Tudor Giurgiu’s ‘Love Sick’ with 20,800 admissions and a box office gross of over €50,000. Other successful features were Neil Burger’s ‘The Illusionist’, with 11,500 admissions, and ‘Paris Je T’Aime’, with 9,715 admissions.
Film distribution business in Romania is rather unstable. There are eight active distributors bringing 150-160 features every year to 40-50 screens around the country. The number of distributors is growing and it is becoming a overserved field.
The Romanian mainstream public has little interest in European arthouse film and there are very few available screens, no arthouse cinemas and a poor DVD and TV arthouse market. And there is competition among distributors.
• Stefan Kitanov is the founder of the most important annual film event in Bulgaria, the Sofia International Film Festival. In 2001 he founded ART FEST Ltd., the company behind Sofia IFF. The same company is one of the key European film distributors in Bulgaria. ART FEST Ltd. has three components: production, distribution and exhibition.
Most recent releases include Fatih Akin’s ‘The Edge of Heaven’, ‘The Palermo Shooting ‘by Wim Wenders and ‘Delta’ by Kornel Mundruczo. The most successful releases were Francois Ozon’s ‘Swimming Pool’ and ‘Crossing the Bridge’ by Fatih Akin with 8,000 to 10,000 admissions.
Such a distribution business is not profitable. Festival audiences like European films but the general audience likes Hollywood films. Festival audiences don’t go to regular cinemas. The general audience goes to regular cinemas, therefore European films don’t go regularly to mainstream cinemas. There need to be events around the distribution of European films so that they be seen, such as a traveling package going to different towns, whether it is with 35mm or video screenings. There are less than 30 towns in Bulgaria with cinemas.
• From Estonia, Katrin Rajaare of Tallinnfilm, a state-owned company that used to produce the majority of Estonian films during the Soviet era has stopped production and sold its studio and now focuses on restoration of its archives. In 2004, Tallinnfilm began operating as an arthouse cinema and a year later started a distribution operation to ensure continuous programming for the cinema. Tallinnfilm acquires the rights to 12-16 films a year, mostly European films, with some titles from Asia and the US. As a state-owned company, Tallinnfilm buys mostly Estonian theatrical rights only. It is the second largest distribution company in Estonia, with a market share of 2.6%. In the Baltic countries, all rights are acquired for smaller films and shared with Lithuania’s Skalvija and Latvia’s Kino Riga. Their biggest hit in 2007 was ‘La Vie en Rose’ with 9,606 paid admissions. This film was number 43 in the 2007 national box office chart. Only US and Estonian films were at the top of the chart. Recent acquisitions include ‘Happy-Go-Lucky’ and ‘Vicky Christina Barcelona’ to be released around Christmas and the beginning of 2009.
There is a small, steady market for arthouse titles in the capital city of Tallinn, but the recent opening of a five-screen miniplex in the second city, Tartu (96,000 inhabitants), has brought hope from the outskirts as well. There are very few towns where you can screen European films, although the cinemas have received public support for technical equipment and should screen arthouse titles, but the reality is that you can’t force cinemas to screen certain films that won’t bring in audiences.
• From Lithuania Skalvija, an exhibitor since 1962 under the name of Planeta became the only arthouse in Lithuania in 1992. It has only one screen and 88 seats and is subsidized by the Vilnius Municipality. Located in the city center; it promotes quality cinema and pays special attention to young audiences and education. Its market share as an exhibitor is 1.11%. Two major multiplex theatres share 70 % of the entire Lithuanian exhibition market. Greta Akcijonaite heads its recent arthouse film distribution activity. Over the last two years they have released 10 films theatrically, and another 5 have been acquired for Lithuania and/or all the Baltic States. As a very small and specialized distributor, Skalvija has a market share of 0.64%. Most recent releases were the Danish film ‘Adam's Apples’, with almost 8,000 admissions and the Spanish film ‘Dark Blue Almost Black’ with over 6000 admissions. Recent acquisitions include Sam Garbarski’s ‘Irina Palm’ (Belgium/UK), Kornel Mundruczo’s ‘Delta’ (Hungary), the Palme d’Or winner ‘The Class’ (France) by Laurent Cantet, Thomas Clay’s ‘Soy Cowboy’ (Thailand/UK), Ruben Östlund’s’ Involuntary’ (Sweden), and Ilmar Raag’s ‘The Class’ (Estonia).
The market share of the European films released theatrically was 25% in 2007 although the share of admissions to European films was only 11%. There is definitely a lack of venues for screening European and quality films.
• Latvia’s Oskars Killo heads Acme Film Sia the leading independent film distributor in Latvia, established in 2004 and owned by Acme, a Lithuanian based company. The rights for Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia are bought by the mother company in Lithuania. In 2007, Acme Film had 62 theatrical releases and a 25% market share. In 2008, the number of films released will be the same, but the revenue is expected to be higher. In 2008, Acme Film has had such European successes as French films ‘99 Francs’ and ‘Asterix at the Olympic Games’, and Spain’s ‘The Orphanage’. The last European hit was ‘2 Days in Paris’, released on one print on July 4, 2008 and still in release with 12,500 admissions thus far. ‘Cash’ was released on one print on August 1 and has 8,500 admissions so far. The results for ‘2 Days in Paris’ and ‘Cash’ are comparable to recent US releases in Latvia such as ‘The X-Files 2’, and ‘Disaster Movie’. Recent European acquisitions include ‘Happy-Go-Lucky’, ‘Paris’, ‘JCVD’, ‘The Duchess’, ‘Vicky Christina Barcelona’, ‘Vinyan’, ‘Ne te retourne pas’ among others.
In 2007, European films had a 18.3% market share, US films a 66% market share, the rest of the world 10.1% and national films a 5.5% market share.
Ten independent distributors from Central and Eastern Europe attending the festival discussed the possibilities of theatrical distribution on a European level. Since the majority of European producers do not cross national borders, the meetings in San Sebastian were aimed to create possible platform and networking opportunities to improve the circulation of European productions.
• From Slovenia, Natasa Bucar, project manager of the cultural center Cankarjev Dom, a public institution that organizes many events promoting film, including the Ljubljana International Film Festival has been in art film distribution for the last 15 years. They distribute five to six titles every year to fill the gap in theatrical distribution of European high-profile films in Slovenia. Priority is given to established and not always well-known European and other international filmmakers. Their last distributed titles were Neil Jordan’s ‘Breakfast on Pluto’, Tony Gatlif’s ‘Transylvania’, Bent Hamer’s ‘Factotum’, Dagur Kari’s ‘Dark Horse’, Corneliu Porumboiu’s ‘12:08 East of Bucharest’, Roy Andersson’s ‘You, the Living’, Pascale Ferran’s ‘Lady Chatterley’, Marjane Satrapi’s ‘Persepolis’ and Shane Meadows’ ‘This Is England’.
Besides Cankarjev Dom, there are only four arthouse cinemas in Slovenia. They need more along with arthouse cinema networks to enable better film promotion. In Slovenia, like everywhere in Europe, the number of cinema viewers has fallen drastically. Audiences focus on fewer films, the top 20 films take up to almost 50% of the market in Slovenia.
• From Hungary, Rita Linda Potyondi of Cirko Film - Másképp Foundation, the only Hungarian distributor to operate as a non-profit-foundation, they also own one theater in Budapest. Working on a showstring budget, they are guided by personal tastes and focus on international and particularly European ‘difficult’ auteur films with targeted or limited audiences, especially those that explore themes related to discriminated groups: homosexuals, handicapped people, ethnic or religious minorities and victims of family abuse. Their last releases include films by Robert Guédiguian, Bruno Dumont, Fernando Leon de Aranoa, Baltasar Kormakur, Alain Corneau, Bruno Podalydès, Bertrand Bonello, Claire Denis, Ferzan Ozpetek, Catalin Mitulescu and Oskar Roehler. A recent surprise success was Anders Thomas Jensen’s ‘Adam's Apples’ which became a sort of cult film. They also did well with Palme d’Or-winner ‘4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days’, and ‘Persepolis’, Susanne Bier’s ‘After the Wedding, ‘Red Road’, ‘My Brother Is An Only Child’, ‘A Soap’, ‘Our Daily Bread’. Upcoming are the Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne's ‘Lorna’s Silence’, Gustave de Kervern and Benoit Belepine’s ‘Louise Michel’, Nic Balthazar’s ‘Ben X’, Simon Staho’s ‘Heaven’s Heart’, Ole Christian Madsen’s ‘Kira’s Reason’, Josef Fares’ ‘Leo’, Anders Thomas Jensen’s ‘The Green Butchers’ and ‘Flickering Lights’, and Ole Bornedal’s ‘Just Another Love Story’.
• Czech distributor Artcam’s Managing Director Premysl Martinek knows he is fighting an uphill battle. In 2007 combined total admissions for Artcam's films were under 50,000 — 0.4 percent of the national total. By comparison, leading distributor Falcon drew more than 4,000,000 viewers with its films, nearly a third of the market. However Martinek is convinced there is room in the market for small distributors and is interested in the shared challenges, from the opportunities offered by digital distribution and video-on-demand to how to negotiate with producers on minimum guarantees. The main problem is cultivating an audience. “It's very different from in Holland or Germany, where there are audiences for arthouse films,” he says.
Most of Artcam's target market is in Prague, home to roughly 1,000,000 people where European film is largely restricted to a handful of single-screen theatres, while the city's 14 multiplexes focus primarily on Hollywood imports and successful local films.
Artcam has distributed some of the most widely heralded European films of recent years, including Ole Madsen's drama ‘Prague’, ‘Persepolis’ and ‘The Diving Bell and the Butterfly’. The international success of such films has attracted the attention of larger distributors who are now crowding the arena. This year in Cannes when they tried to acquire ‘Waltz with Bashir’, there was greater competition. Martinek says arthouse is an important part of any film culture, and lack of access to European films is hurting Czech cinema because if they lack exposure to the cinema of other countries, from new ways of narration, they cannot develop their own cinema. The Czech Ministry of Education has introduced media studies to secondary school curricula to show young people that film is “not just fun and popcorn. It's also art.”
• Polish distribution company Gutek’s Jakub Duszyński, artistic director and head of programming (along with Roman Gutek) at the Muranow movie theater also programs for the different festivals held at the theatre and for Poland’s largest film event, the Era New Horizons Film Festival in Wroclaw. A lawyer by training and a fan of Asian genre films, Duszynski has also set up a distribution company (Blink) specializing in this type of film.
Gutek Film has always been a launching pad for auteur films and has released films by Lars Von Trier, Pedro Almodóvar, Jim Jarmush and Wong Kar-Wai. Every year, they distribute two or three films not aimed solely at auteur film enthusiasts, but also at multiplex audiences. Among such titles are Tom Tykwer’s ‘Perfume: The Story of a Murderer’ and ‘Control’. Coming up are Polish features including Jerzy Skolimowski’s ‘Four Nights With Anna’, Piotr Lazarkiewicz’s ‘0_1_0’ and Katarzyna Adamik’s ‘Boisko bezdomnych’. They distribute almost exclusively European films. The box office is certainly dominated by US films, but by only a few titles which often have, interestingly, something European about them, for example they may be inspired by European literature.
• Slovakia’s Michal Drobny is marketing manager for Slovak distributor Continental Film. Slovakia sees 2,500,000 to 3,000,000 admissions in a year. A successful film for Continental is 10,000 to 15,000 admissions, as compared to one of the Harry Potter films which will have 200,000 admissions.
Continental releases 30 to 40 films a year and, thanks largely to its partnership with Warner Bros, enjoys a market share of 20%–30%. Continental also serve as Slovak distribution partners for Hollywood Classic Entertainment, which often buys rights to European and arthouse titles for several Eastern European territories at once. Continental acquires other titles through direct negotiation with the producers, usually from the Czech Republic. Drobny seldom attends festivals other than Berlin. This year is his first visit to San Sebastian.
Margins are tight for Continental, which is the second or third largest distributor in Slovakia. Continental is also a 30% shareholder in Slovak multiplex chain Cinemax, which owns nine cinemas countrywide. Continental also operated Bratislava's only arthouse cinema until it was turned into a congress hall.
Continental counts on public money for a small portion of its operating budget. The Slovak Ministry of Culture gives support up to a maximum of SKK 160,000 (€5,500) for the distribution of European films which covers the cost of two or three prints. Continental also receives funding through the MEDIA automatic support scheme, typically receiving 40 to 60 cents per admission for European films.
Drobny says this public support is welcome but it's seldom enough to make a real difference to distributors. “A print for a US title costs $300 [€210]. For a European title, the cost is $1,000–1500 [€700–1,000] for the print, plus I still need to pay for the all the marketing materials and the cost of subtitles,” he says. “We can't be surprised that American films are everywhere.”
Not surprisingly few European films secure distribution in Slovakia. Cinemax promotes European and arthouse film through its Artmax program and screens independent films once a week, sometimes for free. Current titles in the selection include ‘Good Bye, Lenin!’, ‘The Secret Life of Words’, ‘The Science of Sleep’, ‘Volver’ and ‘Angel’. In cooperation with the Embassy of Spain, Continental and Cinemax are creating a Spanish Days celebration of Spanish cinema at Cinemax locations in November.
Drobny has hopes that digital cinema will help small distributors, but believes it will be five to ten years before the major studios settle on a common format. Even then, the costs of converting screens will be challenging for the private sector. “To install one 2K digital system costs SKK 3m–4m [€100,000–132,000] and we have 37 screens, so it's a lot of money,” he says. “We'd like to invest but it will take a long time to see a return on that investment.”
• From Romania, Transilvania Film, founded by Tudor Giurgiu and currently run by Stefan Bradea is one of the successful pioneers of arthouse film distribution in Romania. At first they distributed mainly British, German and Scandinavian features but gradually turned to quality Romanian films, genre pictures, even some mainstream American movies. Their eclectic selection is targeted to the highly educated public, basically university graduates under 35. Their latest premiere was ‘Non pensarci’ by Gianni Zanasi, an Italian comedy. Coming up are Gus Van Sant’s ‘Paranoid Park’ and a few Romanian films: Horatiu Malaele’s ‘Silent Wedding’, Adrian Sitaru’s ‘Hooked’ and Anca Damian’s debut, ‘Crossing Dates’. Their most profitable film was Tudor Giurgiu’s ‘Love Sick’ with 20,800 admissions and a box office gross of over €50,000. Other successful features were Neil Burger’s ‘The Illusionist’, with 11,500 admissions, and ‘Paris Je T’Aime’, with 9,715 admissions.
Film distribution business in Romania is rather unstable. There are eight active distributors bringing 150-160 features every year to 40-50 screens around the country. The number of distributors is growing and it is becoming a overserved field.
The Romanian mainstream public has little interest in European arthouse film and there are very few available screens, no arthouse cinemas and a poor DVD and TV arthouse market. And there is competition among distributors.
• Stefan Kitanov is the founder of the most important annual film event in Bulgaria, the Sofia International Film Festival. In 2001 he founded ART FEST Ltd., the company behind Sofia IFF. The same company is one of the key European film distributors in Bulgaria. ART FEST Ltd. has three components: production, distribution and exhibition.
Most recent releases include Fatih Akin’s ‘The Edge of Heaven’, ‘The Palermo Shooting ‘by Wim Wenders and ‘Delta’ by Kornel Mundruczo. The most successful releases were Francois Ozon’s ‘Swimming Pool’ and ‘Crossing the Bridge’ by Fatih Akin with 8,000 to 10,000 admissions.
Such a distribution business is not profitable. Festival audiences like European films but the general audience likes Hollywood films. Festival audiences don’t go to regular cinemas. The general audience goes to regular cinemas, therefore European films don’t go regularly to mainstream cinemas. There need to be events around the distribution of European films so that they be seen, such as a traveling package going to different towns, whether it is with 35mm or video screenings. There are less than 30 towns in Bulgaria with cinemas.
• From Estonia, Katrin Rajaare of Tallinnfilm, a state-owned company that used to produce the majority of Estonian films during the Soviet era has stopped production and sold its studio and now focuses on restoration of its archives. In 2004, Tallinnfilm began operating as an arthouse cinema and a year later started a distribution operation to ensure continuous programming for the cinema. Tallinnfilm acquires the rights to 12-16 films a year, mostly European films, with some titles from Asia and the US. As a state-owned company, Tallinnfilm buys mostly Estonian theatrical rights only. It is the second largest distribution company in Estonia, with a market share of 2.6%. In the Baltic countries, all rights are acquired for smaller films and shared with Lithuania’s Skalvija and Latvia’s Kino Riga. Their biggest hit in 2007 was ‘La Vie en Rose’ with 9,606 paid admissions. This film was number 43 in the 2007 national box office chart. Only US and Estonian films were at the top of the chart. Recent acquisitions include ‘Happy-Go-Lucky’ and ‘Vicky Christina Barcelona’ to be released around Christmas and the beginning of 2009.
There is a small, steady market for arthouse titles in the capital city of Tallinn, but the recent opening of a five-screen miniplex in the second city, Tartu (96,000 inhabitants), has brought hope from the outskirts as well. There are very few towns where you can screen European films, although the cinemas have received public support for technical equipment and should screen arthouse titles, but the reality is that you can’t force cinemas to screen certain films that won’t bring in audiences.
• From Lithuania Skalvija, an exhibitor since 1962 under the name of Planeta became the only arthouse in Lithuania in 1992. It has only one screen and 88 seats and is subsidized by the Vilnius Municipality. Located in the city center; it promotes quality cinema and pays special attention to young audiences and education. Its market share as an exhibitor is 1.11%. Two major multiplex theatres share 70 % of the entire Lithuanian exhibition market. Greta Akcijonaite heads its recent arthouse film distribution activity. Over the last two years they have released 10 films theatrically, and another 5 have been acquired for Lithuania and/or all the Baltic States. As a very small and specialized distributor, Skalvija has a market share of 0.64%. Most recent releases were the Danish film ‘Adam's Apples’, with almost 8,000 admissions and the Spanish film ‘Dark Blue Almost Black’ with over 6000 admissions. Recent acquisitions include Sam Garbarski’s ‘Irina Palm’ (Belgium/UK), Kornel Mundruczo’s ‘Delta’ (Hungary), the Palme d’Or winner ‘The Class’ (France) by Laurent Cantet, Thomas Clay’s ‘Soy Cowboy’ (Thailand/UK), Ruben Östlund’s’ Involuntary’ (Sweden), and Ilmar Raag’s ‘The Class’ (Estonia).
The market share of the European films released theatrically was 25% in 2007 although the share of admissions to European films was only 11%. There is definitely a lack of venues for screening European and quality films.
• Latvia’s Oskars Killo heads Acme Film Sia the leading independent film distributor in Latvia, established in 2004 and owned by Acme, a Lithuanian based company. The rights for Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia are bought by the mother company in Lithuania. In 2007, Acme Film had 62 theatrical releases and a 25% market share. In 2008, the number of films released will be the same, but the revenue is expected to be higher. In 2008, Acme Film has had such European successes as French films ‘99 Francs’ and ‘Asterix at the Olympic Games’, and Spain’s ‘The Orphanage’. The last European hit was ‘2 Days in Paris’, released on one print on July 4, 2008 and still in release with 12,500 admissions thus far. ‘Cash’ was released on one print on August 1 and has 8,500 admissions so far. The results for ‘2 Days in Paris’ and ‘Cash’ are comparable to recent US releases in Latvia such as ‘The X-Files 2’, and ‘Disaster Movie’. Recent European acquisitions include ‘Happy-Go-Lucky’, ‘Paris’, ‘JCVD’, ‘The Duchess’, ‘Vicky Christina Barcelona’, ‘Vinyan’, ‘Ne te retourne pas’ among others.
In 2007, European films had a 18.3% market share, US films a 66% market share, the rest of the world 10.1% and national films a 5.5% market share.
- 10/11/2008
- Sydney's Buzz
Strand Releasing
Much like its title, Daniel Sanchez Arevalo's Spanish feature DarkBlueAlmostBlack (referring to the color of a business suit) is too ungainly and awkward for its own good.
Overstuffed with incidents and subplots, this ambitious drama about the conflict between personal ambitions and family responsibilities has its affecting moments but ultimately is unconvincing.
The central character, Jorge (Quim Gutierrez), has more than a few issues with which to contend. He has to abandon his business studies and work part time as a janitor when he is forced to care for his father (Hector Colome) who has suffered a debilitating stroke. He still cares for his ex-girlfriend (Eva Pallares), though he increasingly feels that she has risen to a higher station in life. His sterile, imprisoned brother (Antonio de la Torre) asks him to impregnate a female fellow prisoner (Marta Etura) with whom he has become close, resulting in inevitable romantic complications. And his sexually confused best friend Israel (Raul Arevalo) has just discovered that this father is a client of a male prostitute.
While these floridly melodramatic plot developments might have provided fertile fuel for the giddy excesses of a Pedro Almodovar film, this director's more restrained stylistic approach merely makes them feel contrived and artificial. While the actors mainly are effective and there are moments that resonate with emotional truthfulness, the sheer piling on is wearisome, and the unsatisfying climax is particularly frustrating.
Much like its title, Daniel Sanchez Arevalo's Spanish feature DarkBlueAlmostBlack (referring to the color of a business suit) is too ungainly and awkward for its own good.
Overstuffed with incidents and subplots, this ambitious drama about the conflict between personal ambitions and family responsibilities has its affecting moments but ultimately is unconvincing.
The central character, Jorge (Quim Gutierrez), has more than a few issues with which to contend. He has to abandon his business studies and work part time as a janitor when he is forced to care for his father (Hector Colome) who has suffered a debilitating stroke. He still cares for his ex-girlfriend (Eva Pallares), though he increasingly feels that she has risen to a higher station in life. His sterile, imprisoned brother (Antonio de la Torre) asks him to impregnate a female fellow prisoner (Marta Etura) with whom he has become close, resulting in inevitable romantic complications. And his sexually confused best friend Israel (Raul Arevalo) has just discovered that this father is a client of a male prostitute.
While these floridly melodramatic plot developments might have provided fertile fuel for the giddy excesses of a Pedro Almodovar film, this director's more restrained stylistic approach merely makes them feel contrived and artificial. While the actors mainly are effective and there are moments that resonate with emotional truthfulness, the sheer piling on is wearisome, and the unsatisfying climax is particularly frustrating.
- 11/19/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
- Knowing very little about the film except that it was a Toronto film fest pick last year, Daniel Sanchez-Arevalo's award-winning title DarkBlueAlmostBlack will see distribution via Strand Releasing later in 07’. Spain’s distrib house Sogepaq pacted the deal.The gay-themed film goes as such: Living according to others’ expectations – be they society’s or those of family and friends – can be suffocating. Daniel Sánchez Arévalo’s tender debut, DarkBlueAlmostBlack, examines the feeling of entrapment that arises when needs and desires are subjugated to family obligations. It is also an astute exploration of generational politics in Spain, where the young are generally expected to carry on traditions and values. Jorge (Quim Gutiérrez) is forced to put his career plans on hold when his father, Andrés (Héctor Colomé), suffers an incapacitating stroke and is unable to take care of himself. The debut feature has collected a fair amount of silverware – including 3 Goya awards.
- 3/7/2007
- IONCINEMA.com
Pedro Almodovar's Volver and Agustin Diaz Yanes' Alatriste are the leading contenders for Spain's Goya Awards, taking 14 and 15 nominations respectively. The two movies will go head-to-head at the end of January in the Best Film and Best Director categories. Guillermo Del Toro's Pan's Labyrinth - which picked up 13 nominations - and Manuel Huerga's Salvador - with 11 nominations - are also up for Best Film and Best Director. Volver and Pan's Labyrinth - Spain and Mexico's respective entries for next year's foreign-language Oscar - are both up for Best Script, alongside Daniel Sanchez Arvalo for Darkbluealmostblack and Jorge Sanchez Cabezudo for The Night Of The Sunflowers. Penelope Cruz is nominated for Best Actress (Volver) alongside Maribel Verdu (Pan's Labyrinth), Marta Etura (Darkbluealmostblack) and Silvia Abascal (La Dama Boba). American-born actor Viggo Mortensen and German Daniel Bruhl are named in the Best Actor category for Alatriste and Salvador respectively, alongside Sergi Lopez (Pan's Labyrinth) and Juan Diego (Leave Me).
- 12/21/2006
- WENN
- Volver dominated the noms for Spain's Goya Awards taking in 14 nominations, but it is Alatriste the Viggo Mortensen starrer that picked up an impressive 15 noms. The Goyas will be presented the last weekend of January. Here are the noms: Major Category 2007 Goya Nominations Film"Volver," Pedro Almodovar"Alatriste," Agustin Diaz-Yanes"Salvador," Manuel Huerga"Pan's Labyrinth," Guillermo del ToroDIRECTORAgustin Diaz-Yanes, "Alatriste"Guillermo del Toro, "Pan's Labyrinth"Manuel Huerga, "Salvador"Pedro Almodovar, "Volver"ACTORDaniel Bruehl, "Salvador"Juan Diego, "Vete de mi"Sergi Lopez, "Pan's Labyrinth", "Alatriste"ACTRESSMaribel Verdu, "Pan's Labyrinth"Marta Etura, "Darkbluealmostblack"Penelope Cruz, "Volver"Silvia Abascal, "The Silly Lady"New DIRECTORCarlos Iglesias, "Crossing Borders"Daniel Sanchez Arevalo, "Darkbluealmostblack"Javier Rebollo, "What I Know About Lola"Jorge Sanchez Cabezudo, "The Night of the Sunflowers"Original SCREENPLAYDaniel Sanchez Arevalo, "Darkbluealmostblack"Guillermo del Toro, "Pan's Labyrinth"Jorge Sanchez Cabezudo, "The Night of the Sunflowers"Pedro Almodovar, "Volver"Adapted SCREENPLAYAgustin Diaz-Yanes, "Alatriste"Antonio Banderas,
- 12/18/2006
- IONCINEMA.com
MADRID -- Agustin Diaz Yanes' historical adventure Alatriste and Pedro Almodovar's Volver are leading the pack for Spain's top film prize, the Goya awards, with 15 and 14 nominations respectively, organizers announced Monday.
The two films will go head-to-head in the best film and director categories along with Guillermo Del Toro's fantasy tale Pan's Labyrinth, which earned 13 nominations, and Manuel Huerga's Salvador. The homage to Catalan anarchist Salvador Puig Antich earned 11 noms.
Volver, Spain's entry for the foreign-language Oscar, and Pan's Labyrinth, Mexico's offering, are considered serious contenders for the Oscar short list.
Almodovar and Del Toro also will compete for best original script, along with Daniel Sanchez Arvalo for DarkBlueAlmostBlack and Jorge Sanchez Cabezudo for The Night of the Sunflowers.
Antonio Banderas received a nomination for his adapted screenplay of Summer Rain and will compete with The Education of Fairies writer-director Jose Luis Cuerda, Salvador writer Lluis Arcarazo and Alatriste's Diaz Yanes.
Penelope Cruz, who reaped accolades in Cannes for her performance in Volver, will compete against Pan's Maribel Verdu, DarkBlueAlmostBlack's Marta Etura and La Dama Boba's Silvia Abascal for the best actress nod.
The two films will go head-to-head in the best film and director categories along with Guillermo Del Toro's fantasy tale Pan's Labyrinth, which earned 13 nominations, and Manuel Huerga's Salvador. The homage to Catalan anarchist Salvador Puig Antich earned 11 noms.
Volver, Spain's entry for the foreign-language Oscar, and Pan's Labyrinth, Mexico's offering, are considered serious contenders for the Oscar short list.
Almodovar and Del Toro also will compete for best original script, along with Daniel Sanchez Arvalo for DarkBlueAlmostBlack and Jorge Sanchez Cabezudo for The Night of the Sunflowers.
Antonio Banderas received a nomination for his adapted screenplay of Summer Rain and will compete with The Education of Fairies writer-director Jose Luis Cuerda, Salvador writer Lluis Arcarazo and Alatriste's Diaz Yanes.
Penelope Cruz, who reaped accolades in Cannes for her performance in Volver, will compete against Pan's Maribel Verdu, DarkBlueAlmostBlack's Marta Etura and La Dama Boba's Silvia Abascal for the best actress nod.
- 12/18/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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