“The White Ribbon” scored the coveted Palme d’Or, the festival’s top honor.  Jury president Isabelle Huppert presented Michael Haneke with the prize at the closing-night ceremony held in the Palais des Festivals.

It’s the first time a jury president has presented the award since Clint Eastwood gave the award to Quentin Tarantino for "Pulp Fiction."

Grabbing the Grand Prix award was Jacques Audiard’s "A Prophet," after being announced by Willem Dafoe. Austrian actor Christoph Waltz, who played "the Jew Hunter" in Quentin Tarantino’s "Inglourious Basterds," took home the best actor prize.

For a full list of 2009 Cannes winners, click here.

Image: INF; Source: Hollywood Reporter

Post from: Film Gecko

Being a holiday week, most movies opened on Wednesday, Dec. 31. But there really weren’t a lot of new movies this week, and the two that opened were in limited release. At any rate, there’s the rundown:

Good (limited, Dec. 31, 2008). Viggo Mortensen plays John Halder, a German literature professor in the 1930s whose book about compassionate euthanasia is unexpectedly enlisted by powerful political figures in support of government propaganda. Viggo has certainly picked some interesting roles since his "Lord of the Rings" days. Also stars Jodie Whittaker (pictured, with Mortensen). [Trailer] [Official Site]

Defiance (limited, Dec. 31, 2008). Daniel Craig stars in this WWII movie about three brothers who take refuge in a dense woods to avoid the same fate as other Jews in Eastern Europe. [Trailer] [Official Site]

Image: Good, ThinkFilm, 2008

Post from: Film Gecko

“Australia” is a sweeping epic of a movie involving romance, adventure, drama and war. It begins with English aristocrat Lady Sarah Ashley (Nicole Kidman) journeying from London to Australia’s rugged Northern Territory to convince her husband to sell their unprofitable cattle farm known as Faraway Downs.

But when she gets there, she’s immediately a fish out of water among the uncivilized town filled with brawling bar thugs. One of those thugs is Drover (Hugh Jackman), a grizzled, raucous guy who takes her to the ranch to meet up with her husband. But when they get there, things are not at all as they should be, and the cultured Lady Ashley must decide what to do.

More after the jump…

Her choice: Drive the cattle across the wild landscape to a ship docked in the harbor of Darwin, where she’ll sell them AND the ranch, and head back to England.

Well, you can guess that nothing goes according to plan. Not only is she up against the natural elements, but she’s also battling a villainous cattle baron named King Carney (Bryan Brown) and his chief thug, Fletcher (David Wenham).

She also finds herself a mother of sorts to little Nullah (Brandon Walters), a half-aboriginal boy who, like her, is a fish out of water, because half-breeds are considered only good enough to be servants to white people. Thus, the authorities are hunting Nullah down to strip him of his culture and train him to be a servant. The boy also narrates the story, which I found enchanting and wonderful.

I loved everything about this movie except the length. At 165 minutes, it’s long, long, long, and most of the audience was squirming during the last third of the movie, which almost seemed like an add-on. Really, it probably would have made a nice sequel.

“Australia” is one of those sweeping epic movies that’s reminiscent of old Hollywood – a plucky heroine, a dashing hero, a determined child, a few villains, some horses, and lots of beautiful scenery. Throw in the fact that Darwin is the target of a Japanese invasion complete with war bombs and a city on fire, and well, it’s all very romantic and engaging.

Note to Parents: The two main characters have lots of sexual chemistry, which leads to several passionate kisses and a love-making scene with a woman’s bare shoulders and legs, and a man’s bare chest. Violence includes characters being speared, shot, burned, drowned and beaten. Children are also put in peril. Language includes “Crikey,” “damn,” “bloody,” “bastard,” and one “f-ing.” Several characters use insulting terms towards the aboriginal and half-aboriginal people, including “creamy.”

Images: Australia, 20th Century-Fox Film Corp., 2008

Post from: Film Gecko

Post from: Film Gecko

Post from: Film Gecko

More after the jump, including a trailer…

“The Duchess” Trailer:

Post from: Film Gecko

I’ve been a big fan of Captain Abu Raed ever since I first watched the film and talked with director Amin Matalqa. It’s the touching story of an airport janitor who’s mistaken for an airline pilot by a group of kids living in his neighborhood. As he begins to weave fantastic stories for the kids, something bigger and more powerful begins to happen in all of their lives.

Now the film — the first to come out of Jordan — has been selected to represent the country at the 81st Annual Academy Awards, scheduled for Feb. 22, 2009 in Hollywood.

More after the jump…

“These are exciting times,” notes H.E. Mr. Munir Nassar, Chairman of the Oscar Submission Committee for Jordan. “The mere fact that a Jordanian film will be submitted for the first time is an indication that the film industry in Jordan has matured.”

Excellent news. Truly, if you have an opportunity to see this film, you must see it. I’m rooting for you, Amin!

Image: Captain Abu Raed, David Pritchard Productions, 2007

Post from: Film Gecko

Rolling off a warm reception at the Venice Film Festival, Paris-based distributor Celluloid Dreams has sold several territories on Marco Bechis‘ Birdwatchers.

An eco-drama romance, “Birdwatchers” is set in the Brazilian jungle, and tells of a rebellion by natives against wealthy landowners. The film has also sold to the U.K. (Artificial Eye), Germany (Pandora), Benelux (Cinemien), Austria (Filmladen) and Switzerland (Trigon). Come on, people! We need this film in the U.S.!

More after the jump, including a trailer…

Celluloid Dreams has also picked up Yu Lik-Wai’s Plastic City, the first Brazilian/Chinese/Japanese co-production. Also set in Brazil, this time in San Paulo, “Plastic” involves gangsters in a futuristic multi-ethnic neighborhood with the world’s largest Japanese immigrant community.

I’m excited for both of these films and hope they find distribution in the U.S. soon. I’m not finding a subtitled trailer, but check this one out and see how beautiful it is. 

Image: Birdwatchers, Classic, 2008; Source: Hollywood Reporter 

Post from: Film Gecko

Marcos Oliveira, head of 20th Century Fox in Australia, told the Sydney Morning Herald that he believes the upcoming Australia, starring Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman and directed by Baz Luhrmann will become “the biggest [film] of all time” in that country.

That’s saying a lot, since Titanic came out of that studio, as well.

Further fueling my interest in this film is Jackman’s comment at the Australian International Movie Convention. He called his part in the film “the role of a lifetime.”

Sounds like “Gone With the Wind” territory, and I’m really looking forward to this film.

Image: Australia, 20th Century-Fox Film Corp., 2008

Post from: Film Gecko

Steven Spielberg

Now we get word that the government-owned Abu Dhabi Media will spend more than $1 billion making feature films over the next five years. That’s fantastic news!

I recently talked with Amin Maltaqa, director of Captain Abu Raed, the first independent film to come out of Jordan. Things are moving along in that corner of the world, because Maltaqa talked about how the Royal Film Commission was started to encourage projects from local filmmakers. I love hearing these global film stories.

More after the jump…

The Abu Dhabi deal adds to their growing global portfolio, which includes a film and video deal with Warner Bros., as well as plans for theme park and movie theater projects. ADM’s first film under its Warner deal — the Robert Rodriguez-helmed Shorts — recently went into post-production.

Edward Borgerding, CEO of Abu Dhabi Media and one-time Disney executive, has stressed that the enterprise aims to link not just with Hollywood, but also entertainment companies working in Bollywood, the U.K., and the Middle East. Excellent.

Image: Robert Rodriguez, Shorts, Lin Pictures, 2009

Post from: Film Gecko