As Clif mentioned in a previous email, we are working on a big project
right now, and our wee bit of creative energies are focused on that.
Therefore, we will defer to your superior judgment. And, of course, come
to the film. Thanks, Joel!
Laurie
On 02/24/2016 04:31 PM, Joel Johnson wrote:
This is my follow-up from a couple of weeks ago when I first sent out information about the 10 Foreign-language Oscar submissions that have US distribution. I had indicated that I was leaning toward the Guatemalan submission “IXCANUL” and the Romanian submission “AFERIM!” as they both had good reviews, had been included in many high-profile film festivals, and had won awards. Only Alice has responded with alternative candidates. With one exception, no one else has either concurred with any of the suggested films or made any other suggestions. Shannon and Sam suggested that having some type of event or special guest in association with our film screening would help maximize our success as we do not have a significant “captive” audience that we */know/* will come out to watch any of the films we are currently considering. It would be helpful to know what would be break-even point for attendance to know what our target should be for success with a one-time screening. I have, however, done some research (see attachment) on faculty at Colby whose interests coincide to some degree with “IXCANUL” (Prof. Ben W. Fellaw) and “AFERIM!” (Asst. Prof. Arnout H.C. van der Meer and Associate Prof. Maple J. Razsa). I have not contacted any of these individuals. I am curious as to whether anyone on our team knows these people personally and has any indication of their receptivity to helping us. It would appear Maple may already be favorably inclined toward film and the Maine Film Center. If they were favorably disposed toward participating in a post-film discussion that could be helpful not only in making the film experience better for our typical filmgoer, but for broadening our appeal to the Colby community.
Do you have any other suggestions or particular concerns about either my suggestions or the ones put forth by Alice?
Do you have any information about the individuals I have identified or any others to consider?
I don’t want to muddy the water at all, but two of the Foreign-language film nominees (the acknowledged favorite “SON OF SAUL” and “EMBRACE OF THE SERPENT”) are already booked for Railroad Square Cinema. The Jordanian entry “THEEB” already screened here as part of MIFF. There is no indication yet that the French entry set in Turkey “MUSTANG” http://cohenmedia.net/films/mustang or the Danish entry “A WAR” http://www.magpictures.com/awar/ will be coming. That certainly could change and would very likely change if one of them pulls an upset and wins the Oscar. Both “MUSTANG” and “A WAR” are currently in release and fairly likely to be out on DVD or streaming in two or three months or so (“MUSTANG” DVDs and Blu-Rays can pre-ordered from Amazon for release on 5/10/16). Ken may know now or will very soon whether he wants to try to book either of them. Do you want to pursue either of those in place of the other films suggested?
I look forward to your feedback. Hopefully, we can make a decision on the films quite soon and be able to start promoting them with our audiences.
Joel
*From:*cinemaexp-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:cinemaexp-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] *On Behalf Of *Alice Johnson
*Sent:* Friday, February 12, 2016 11:53 AM
*To:* cinemaexp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
*Subject:* [cinemaexp] Re: Contact Information for Associate Professor John Turner/Candidates for Spring Screenings
I looked at all the Trailers…..
IRAQI ODYSSEY (Switzerland) Typecast Releasing 11/27/15
THE CLUB (Chile) Music Box Films 2/5/16 (Limited)
VIVA (Ireland) Magnolia Pictures 4/29/16
Alice
*From:*cinemaexp-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:cinemaexp-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> [mailto:cinemaexp-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] *On Behalf Of *Joel Johnson
*Sent:* Thursday, February 11, 2016 9:00 PM
*To:* cinemaexp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:cinemaexp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
*Subject:* [cinemaexp] Contact Information for Associate Professor John Turner/Candidates for Spring Screenings
Shannon:
Could you give me the e-mail address for Professor Turner? Thanks!
Everyone:
We had some discussion of possible spring screenings—most recently in e-mails under the heading of “Opening weekend and beyond; dates for spring evenings.” We had learned from Shannon that the schedule was very busy for March, but that April and May were more open. In response, I had suggested that we could have a one-night screening of a film during the second week of April (Tuesday, April 12th; Wednesday, April 13th; or Thursday, April 14th) and have another one-night screening the first week of May (Tuesday, May 3rd; Wednesday, May 4th; or Thursday, May 5th). Hopefully, these dates are still available. We were hoping to broaden the exposure of foreign-language films and needed to know which of the submitted films would be nominated. The nominees are EMBRACE OF THE SERPENT (Colombia); MUSTANG (France); SON OF SAUL (Hungary); THEEB (Jordan); and A WAR (Denmark). In past years, all of the nominees have eventually been shown by Railroad Square. So currently I am assuming that none of the nominees are available. You may be aware that SON OF SAUL (considered the favorite to win the Oscar) has a trailer running now. I have once again sent out the listing of the submissions. This is informational. There are only 10 of the submissions (other than the nominees) that have US distribution and are not now or soon-to-be available on DVD and/or streaming. I think there are some quite interesting films on this list. The Internet Movie Database ( http://www.imdb.com/ ) may be a helpful resource to get additional information about these films, but I have included links to distributor’s webpages for each film which usually has a trailer or directly to a subtitled trailer. There are a number of interesting storylines. Which films seem particularly attractive to you? We have a true crime story; a film that looks like a different perspective on the SPOTLIGHT story of the transgressions of those with religious vocations; drag performers in Havana; a coming-of-age story for a young indigenous woman in Central America; two films with estranged brothers; a look at the history of persecution of gypsies, etc. We can certainly go in a number of different directions, but I am partial to IXCANUL and AFERIM! IXCANUL has received some very favorable reviews and has shown at several high-profile film festivals. AFERIM! has likewise received good reviews and portrays an interesting piece of history. I guess I’m a bit of a sucker for history and ethnography.
http://awardswatch.com/news/official-submissions-list-for-2016-foreign-language-film-oscar-updating/
FILM US DISTRIBUTOR US RELEASE DATE
THE CLAN (Argentina) Twentieth Century Fox 3/18/16 (Limited)
The true story of the Puccio Clan, a family who kidnapped and killed people in the 80s.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gnQab2Qq14 Trailer with English subtitles
THE CLUB (Chile) Music Box Films 2/5/16 (Limited)
http://www.musicboxfilms.com/the-club-movies-127.php
A crisis counselor is sent by the Catholic Church to a small Chilean beach town where disgraced priests and nuns, suspected of crimes ranging from child abuse to baby-snatching from unwed mothers, live secluded, after an incident occurs.
IXCANUL (Guatemala) Kino Lorber N/A
http://www.kinolorber.com/film.php?id=2266
Maria, a 17 year old Mayan (Kaqchikel) woman, lives on the slopes of an active volcano in Guatemala. An arranged marriage awaits her, but her suitor must first spend months working in the city. It is a world Maria knows nothing of, but is forced to encounter when problems arise.
RAMS (Iceland) Cohen Media Group 2/3/16 (Limited)
http://cohenmedia.net/films/rams
In a secluded valley in Iceland, Gummi and Kiddi live side by side, tending to their sheep. Their ancestral sheep-stock is considered one of the country's best and the two brothers are repeatedly awarded for their prized rams who carry an ancient lineage. Although they share the land and a way of life, Gummi and Kiddi have not spoken to each other in four decades. When a lethal disease suddenly infects Kiddi's sheep, the entire valley comes under threat. The authorities decide to cull all the animals in the area to contain the outbreak. This is a near death sentence for the farmers, whose sheep are their main source of income, and many abandon their land. But Gummi and Kiddi don't give up so easily - and each brother tries to stave off the disaster in his own fashion: Kiddi by using his rifle and Gummi by using his wits. As the authorities close in the brothers will need to come together to save the special breed passed down for generations, and themselves, from extinction.
VIVA (Ireland) Magnolia Pictures 4/29/16
http://www.magpictures.com/profile.aspx?id=eba486dd-ffa7-4648-992e-de07ff66d8e0
When everything is for sale, what's the value of love? Jesus does make up for a troupe of drag performers in Havana, but dreams of being a performer. When he finally gets his chance to be on stage, a stranger emerges from the crowd and punches him in the face. The stranger is his father Angel, a former boxer, who has been absent from his life for 15 years. As father and son clash over their opposing expectations of each other, Viva becomes a love story as the men struggle to understand one another and become a family again.
600 MILES (Mexico) Pantelion N/A
http://www.pantelionfilms.com/ ;(Currently not especially helpful)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBDMqB5VlTo Trailer with English subtitles
Arnulfo Rubio smuggles weapons for a deadly Mexican cartel. ATF agent Hank Harris (Tim Roth) attempts to apprehend him, but gets kidnapped by Rubio, instead. Rubio takes him to his bosses, but during the 600-miles-long drive, they slowly befriend.
ARABIAN NIGHTS: VOLUME 2, THE DESOLATE ONE (Portugal) Kino Lorber 12/4/15
http://www.kinolorber.com/film.php?id=2215
This is part 2 of a trilogy. It is not based on the Arabian Nights stories, but does borrow from their format. Check out the website for the synopsis.
AFERIM! (Romania) Big World Pictures 1/22/16
http://bigworldpictures.org/films/aferim/index.html
Set in early 19th century Wallachia, when a local policeman, Costandin, is hired by Iordache, a boyar (local noble), to find Carfin, a Gypsy slave who had run away from the boyar's estate after having an affair with his wife, Sultana. Costandin sets out to find the fugitive, beginning a journey full of adventures. Gypsy slavery lasted from the 14th century up until the middle of the 19th century, a situation which is very little known and almost nonexistent in the public debate today, although its impact continues to influence Romania's social life.
IRAQI ODYSSEY (Switzerland) Typecast Releasing 11/27/15
https://typecastfilms.com/3563/iraqi-odyssey/
Documentary tracing the emigrations of his family over more than half a century, this riveting 3D documentary epic from acclaimed expatriate Iraqi filmmaker Samir pays moving homage to the frustrated democratic dreams of a people successively plagued by the horrors of dictatorship, war, and foreign occupation. NOTE: 163 minutes
BROTHERS: THE FINAL CONFESSION Intellect Pictures N/A
http://www.intellectpictures.com/Brothers_The_Final_Confession
The film is a psychological drama developing on the highlands of the Carpathian Mountains. Two helpless old men, brothers, desperately keep competing with each other in order to prolong their lives. Even though their bodies are decaying and both are sick the one still wants to outlive the other ... But one day a woman enters their remote dwelling...
Joel
