Over the weekend, the festival announced it has added eleven new titles to its international sections, as well as the full line up of films showing in its Latin Première and Environment sections. I’ll be scrubbing through the list for titles to highlight in individual posts, but in the meantime, check out the full list of films selected below.
The 2013 Festival do Rio, the Rio Film Festival, gets underway this Thursday, September 26 with the Gala opening screening of the Franco-Brazilian co-production, Thierry Ragobert’s Amazonia 3D pic.
Festival do Rio will screen over than 350 films from more than 60 countries, screened in over 30 locations across the city.
Festival added films are:
Sacro GRA, by Gianfranco Rosi: The winner of 2013 Venice Film Festival, the film is the first documentary in the history of the Venice festival to receive the Golden Lion. Aboard a mini-van, the Italian director Gianfranco Rosi (El Sicario, Room 164 ) sets out in search of stories and characters that live on the fringe along the road ring around the city of Rome. Post awards, Venice Jury president Bernardo Bertolucci said that “the entire jury felt the poetic force of this film,” which he called “pure and Franciscan” in the way it approaches its characters.
Behind the Candelabra, by Steven Soderbergh: With Michael Douglas, Matt Damons, Dan Aykroyd, Scott Bakula, Rob Lowe. According to Soderbergh, this will be the last film of his career. Screened in the competition section of Cannes Film Festival, the feature is based on Scott Thorson’s autobiography and tells the story of the last ten years in the life of flamboyant pianist and entertainer Liberace and the secret affair he had with the younger Thorson. The film won eight awards at the Creative Arts Emmys, presented earlier this week.
Moebius, by Kim Ki-duk.
Film maker, provocateur, Kim Ki-duk (Pieta and Empty House) returns with a troubled family chronicle, a mix of psychological thriller, grotesque comedy and a perverse ode to sado masochism. Presented at Venice and Toronto 2013.
Clear History, by Greg Mottola
With Larry David, Bill Hader, Philip Baker Hall, Jon Hamm, Kate Hudson and Michael Keaton.
Larry David plays a former marketer for an electric car company who quits his job over a dispute with his boss (Jon Hamm) only to watch the company grow extraordinarily rich shortly afterwards. As well as starring, Larry David, author of the series Seinfeld and Curb Your Enthusiam devised the story which was entirely improvised during shooting. From the director of Superbad and television’sNewsroom.
U Ri Sunhi (Our Sunhi) by Hong Sangsoo
Winner of the director prize at Locarno Festival 2013. From the director of Hahaha, The French Visitor and Nobody’s Daughter Haewon, which also has place in the Festival.
Metallica: Through the Never, by Nimród Antal.
In this post-apocalyptic concert film, director of action films Nimród Antal (Predators) recounts the saga of Dane, a roadie of a band that is sent to hell. Toronto Film Festival 2013.
Gerontophilia, by Bruce LaBruce
The irreverent Bruce LaBruce (LA Zombie) is back! But here LaBruce curbs his traditional themes of sexual taboo into a film more palatable to a mainstream audience while still leaving his indelible mark in a film best described as a ‘gay’ Harold and Maude story. Selected for Venice and Toronto 2013.
Abus de Faiblesse (Abuse f Weakness), by Catherine Breillat
With Isabelle Huppert, Kool Sheen.
Based on her book of the same title, Catherine Breillat makes her most personal film yet with alargely autobiographical account of her stroke, which left her partially paralyzed, and how a notorious con man she had lined up for her first post-hospital film project swindled her out of thousands of dollars. Screened Toronto 2013.
Salinger, by Shane Salerno
With Philip Seymour Hoffman, Edward Norton, John Cusack, Martin Sheen
Nine years in the making, Salerno’s documentary on the life and work of the enigmatic and reclusive writer, J. D. Salinger, author of classics The Catcher in the Rye, a book that served to influence to a whole new generation of readers. The film has testimonials from literary giants such as Gore Vidal and Tom Wolfe, and diverse fans of the author including Edward Norton and Danny DeVito. The film screened at Toronto and powerhouse US producer Weinstein Co. has just announced it will develop a feature film with Salerno based on his lauded documentary.
Backwater, (Tomogui) by Shinji Aoyama
Screened at the Locarno Film Festival in August, “Tomogui (Backwater)” won the best director prize from the Swiss critics’ federation and best film honors from the Junior Jury. Aoyama’s wrought small town saga earned the description from the Hollywood Reporter ‘a gumbo of rough sex, forbidden passion and murderously dysfunctional family relationships. Cannes Jury Prize winner with Eureka (2000), Aoyama is considered one of cinema’s influential auteurs..
Finding Vivian Maier, by John Maloof, Charlie Siskel
Following clues spread all over the US, the documentary uncovers the mysteries behind the
life and work of Vivian Maier, today hailed as one of the greatest 20th Century photographers. The film follows the filmmakers as they unearth Vivian’s story, combing through thousands of negatives and a mountain of other material (including hundreds of hours of Super 8 film footage and audio recordings) left behind in Maier’s storage lockers. The story that emerges of offers a portrait of the undiscovered artist that is at times bewildering and troubling. Screened Toronto 2013.
Films of Latin Première Latina and Environment:
Latin Première
– Il Futuro, by Alicia Scherson (Chile)
– Halley, by Sebastian Hofmann (Mexico)
– La Pa, by Santiago Loza (Argentina)
– De Martes a Martes, by Gustavo Fernández Triviño (Argentina)
– Workers, by José Luis Valle (Mexico)
– La Piscina, by Carlos Machado Quintela (Cuba)
– Carne de Perro, by Fernando Guzzoni (Chile)
– Las Lágrimas, by Pablo Delgado Sánchez (Mexico)
– Mercedes Sosa, la Voz de Latinoamérica, by Rodrigo H. Vila (Argentina)
– La Eterna Noche de las Doce Lunas, by Priscila Padilla (Colombia)
– El Loro y el Cisne, by Alejo Moguillansky (Argentina)
– Heli, by Amat Escalante (Mexico)
– Los Dueños, by Agustín Toscano, Ezequiel Radusky (Argentina)
– Los Quiero a Todos, by Luciano Quilici (Argentina)
– Las Búsquedas, by José Luis Valle (Mexico)
– Algunas chicas, by Santiago Palavecino (Argentina)
– Paraiso, by Mariana Chenillo (Mexico)
– Crónica del Fin del Mundo, by Mauricio Cuervo (Colombia)
– 7 Cajas, by Juan Carlos Maneglia, Tana Schembori (Paraguay)
– El Alcalde, by Emiliano Altuna, Carlos F. Rossini, Diego Osorno (Mexico)
– La Vida Después, by David Pablos (Mexico)
Environment Section
– Blackfish, by Gabriela Cowperthwaite (United States)
– A Place at the Table, by Kristi Jacobson, Lori Silverbush (United States)
– The Human Scale, by Andreas M. Dalsgaard (Denmark)
– Fall and Winter, by Matt Anderson (United States)
– The Last Ocean, by Peter Young (New Zealand)
– Climate Refugees, by Michael P. Nash (United States)
– The Carbon Rush, by Amy Miller (Canada)
– Good Garbage, by Ada Ushpiz, Shosh Shlam (Israel)
– Die Akte Aluminium, by Bert Ehgartner (Germany)
– Plastic Oceans, de Craig Leeson, Jo Ruxton (UK)
Festival do Rio will screen over than 350 films from more than 60 countries, screened in over 30 locations across the city. The Festival will also play host to workshops, lectures and seminars in the parallel Rio Market and other activities.
The complete list of the films and other sections and festival highlights are available at: www.festivaldorio.com.br
