Category: Foreign Films

films about, directed, written and in English subtitles.

A List of Films and Trailers for the Best of PAFF Retrospective Series Virtual Festival Feb. 15-28 Black History Month

41st and Central
500 Years Later Photo: PAFF
Agent of Change
Ancestral Voices- Esoteric African Knowledge
Bigman Wahala
Caged Birds
Coming-from-Insanity
Congo White King Red Rubber Black Death
Firestarter-The-Story-of-Bangarra
Love Jacked
Maya Angelou- And Still I Rise
Nassers Republic- The Making of Modern Egypt
October 1
Of Good Report
Rattlesnake
The Case of the Three Sided Dream
The Forgotten Kingdom
The Milkmaid
Viva -Riva

Pan African Film and Arts Festival Announces Kickoff of Yearlong 30th Celebration With Black History Month Retrospective Series

PAFF 30th Logo

Virtual retrospective series to celebrate 30 years of PAFF Feb. 15-28 with ‘Best of PAFF’ Hybrid in-person and virtual festival still set for April in Los Angeles

Jimmy Jean-Louis in Rattlesnakes, which was shown at the 2019 Pan African Film Festival, is among the films to be screened during PAFF's Black History Month Retrospective Series
Jimmy Jean-Louis in Rattlesnakes, which was shown at the 2019 Pan African Film Festival, is among the films to be screened during PAFF's Black History Month Retrospective Series

LOS ANGELES — The Pan African Film & Arts Festival (PAFF), one of the largest Black History Month events in America and the largest Black film festival, will kick off its yearlong 30th celebration in February with the first of several specially curated blocks of the festival’s most fascinating, complex and most liked films over the past three decades. Throughout the festival’s 30-year history, PAFF has celebrated Black filmmakers and actors whose work has pushed the envelope in cinema in the US and abroad in Africa and other parts of the world. The Best of PAFF Retrospective Series kicks off with a Black History Month exhibition featuring nearly two dozen cinematic groundbreaking foreign and domestic films. The inaugural Best of PAFF Retrospective Series will take place virtually Feb. 15-28, 2022. Film listings, tickets, and passes are available at paff.org.

To celebrate PAFF’s 30-year milestone, the festival will continue its retrospective series in March highlighting Black female filmmakers and their films.

In addition, the 30th annual Pan African Film and Arts Festival is slated to place April 19-May 1 after being postponed due to the rise of COVID cases in Los Angeles County. The hybrid festival of in-person and virtual screenings will take place in Los Angeles at its flagship venues the Directors Guild of America, Cinemark Baldwin Hills, and XD and Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza.

The Best of PAFF Retrospective Series is sponsored in part by the City of Los Angeles, the Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, the Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture, Los Angeles County Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell, Los Angeles City Councilmember Marqueece Harris-Dawson (8th District), Los Angeles City Councilmember Curren Price (9th District); the 10th Los Angeles City Council District; the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, LA Arts COVID-19 Relief Fund with the California Community Foundation, and the LA County COVID-19 Arts Relief Fund administered by the LA County Department of Arts and Culture.

About the Pan African Film Festival

Established in 1992 by Hollywood veterans Danny Glover (The Color Purple, Lethal Weapon), the late Ja’Net DuBois (“Good Times”), and Ayuko Babu (Executive Director), the Pan African Film Festival is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that has remained dedicated to the promotion of Black stories and images through the exhibition of film, visual art, and other creative expression.

PAFF is the largest and most prestigious Black film festival in the U.S. and attracts local, national, and international audiences. It is also one of America’s largest Black History Month events.

Find the Pan African Film Festival on:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/paffnow
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/paffnow
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paffnow
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/ThePanAfricanFilmFestival
The PAFF is generously supported by the City of Los Angeles, the Department of Cultural Affairs, Los Angeles County Arts and Culture, Los Angeles County Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell, Los Angeles Councilmember Marqueece Harris-Dawson and Los Angeles Council District 10.

For more information, please contact press@paff.org.

Hollywood Award Shows, Film Festivals and Events Cancelled and Postponed Due to the Increased Omicron Variant-COVID-19 Infections

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A Christmas Carol at L.A.’s Ahmanson Theatre: Canceled|

AFI Awards: Postponed, future date TBD

BAFTA Tea Party: Canceled

Christmas Spectacular Starring the Radio City Rockettes: Canceled

Critics Choice Awards: Postponed, future date TBD

Dune Home Entertainment Release Party in L.A.: Canceled

Fox’s New Year’s Eve Toast & Roast 2022": Canceled

Governors Awards Ceremony: Postponed, future date TBD

HCA Film Awards Ceremony: Postponed until February 28th

Hulu’s How I Met Your Father L.A. Premiere: Canceled

Jagged Little Pill: Closed permanently

Is There Still Sex in the City?: Canceled

National Board of Review Gala in New York City: Postponed, future date TBD

New York Film Critics Circle Awards Ceremony: Postponed, future date TBD

Palm Springs International Film Festival and Awards Gala: Canceled

Pan Afrcan Film and Arts Festival: February 8-21, 2022

Rotterdam Film Festival: Online only
Status: Shifting from in-person to online

Slamdance Film Festival: Online only January 27th - February 6th

The Book of Boba Fett Special Screening at L.A.’s El Capitan Theatre: Canceled

 

LABYRINTH OF CINEMA an End of Year and Best of 2021 Consideration

Cresendo House Logo
Labyrinth of Cinema Poster

Director: Nobuhiko Obayashi (House)
Writers: Nobuhiko Obayashi, Tadashi Naito, Kazuya Konaka
Cast: Takuro Atsuki, Takahito Hosoyamada, Yoshihiko Hosoda, Rei Yoshida, Riko Narumi, Hirona Yamazaki, Takako Tokiwa
Genre: Fantasy, Drama, War
Country: Japanese
Language: Japanese with English subtitles
Runtime: 2 hours 59 minutes

Maverick filmmaker Nobuhiko Obayashi's LABYRINTH OF CINEMA continues to expand regionally in the US:

Full list of regional dates: https://crescendo.house/pages/ labyrinth-of-cinema including:
San Francisco- November 4
Seattle- November 5
Dallas- November 7
Portland- November 7
New Orleans- November 19
Cleveland- December 12
Houston- December 31

Labyrinth of Cinema Still

The final film by Nobuhiko Obayashi finds the late director returning to the subject of Japan’s history of warfare following the completion of his “War Trilogy,” which ended with Hanagatami. On the last night of its existence, a small movie theater in Onomichi—the seaside town of Obayashi’s youth where he shot nearly a dozen films—screens an all-night marathon of Japanese war films. When lightning strikes the theater, three young men are transported into the world onscreen where they experience the violent battles of several wars leading up to the bombing of Hiroshima. A breathless cinematic journey through Japan’s past, Labyrinth of Cinema finds Obayashi using every trick in his book to create an awe-inspiring, visually resplendent anti-war epic that urges us to consider cinema as a means to change history. The culmination of an exceptional 60-year career worth celebrating.

Born in Hiroshima in 1938, Nobuhiko Obayashi was a director, screenwriter and editor of films and television advertisements. He began his filmmaking career as a pioneer of Japanese experimental films before transitioning to directing more mainstream media, and his resulting filmography as a director spanned almost 60 years.

He was notable for his distinct surreal filmmaking style, as well as the anti-war themes commonly embedded in his films. He died on 10 April 2020 at the age of 82, from lung cancer in Tokyo.

Filmmaker Nobuhiko Obayashi
Filmmaker Nobuhiko Obayashi

“Forget a swan song: Nobuhiko Obayashi’s final film is a shriek, a tirade, a lecture and a rollicking action-adventure stuffed into a three-hour pop-art package.”

—The New York Times

ABOUT CRESCENDO HOUSE

Crescendo House is a new boutique distribution company that aims to reinvigorate the American film landscape with a new model for distribution. Our goal is to expand the mainstream visibility of international or otherwise underrepresented films in order to provide viewers with an array of choices that more accurately reflects the diverse world we inhabit.

For more information: https://crescendo.house/

VIEW TRAILER BELOW!

Filmmaker Nobuhiko Obayashi’s LABYRINTH OF CINEMA Opens October 20th in New York and October 29th in Los Angeles

Cresendo House Logo

LABYRINTH OF CINEMA will be released at The Metrograph in New York on October 20 and in Los Angeles at The Lumiere Cinema on October 29 (co-presented by Acropolis Cinema) with a nationwide theatrical release to follow.

The final film by Nobuhiko Obayashi finds the late director returning to the subject of Japan’s history of warfare following the completion of his “War Trilogy,” which ended with Hanagatami. On the last night of its existence, a small movie theater in Onomichi—the seaside town of Obayashi’s youth where he shot nearly a dozen films—screens an all-night marathon of Japanese war films. When lightning strikes the theater, three young men are transported into the world onscreen where they experience the violent battles of several wars leading up to the bombing of Hiroshima. A breathless cinematic journey through Japan’s past, Labyrinth of Cinema finds Obayashi using every trick in his book to create an awe-inspiring, visually resplendent anti-war epic that urges us to consider cinema as a means to change history. The culmination of an exceptional 60-year career worth celebrating.

Labyrinth of Cinema Still
Labyrinth of Cinema Poster

He was notable for his distinct surreal filmmaking style, as well as the anti-war themes commonly embedded in his films. He died on 10 April 2020 at the age of 82, from lung cancer in Tokyo.

“Forget a swan song: Nobuhiko Obayashi’s final film is a shriek, a tirade, a lecture and a rollicking action-adventure stuffed into a three-hour pop-art package.”

—The New York Times

Nobuhiko Obayashi
Nobuhiko Obayashi

ABOUT CRESCENDO HOUSE

Crescendo House is a new boutique distribution company that aims to reinvigorate the American film landscape with a new model for distribution. Our goal is to expand the mainstream visibility of international or otherwise underrepresented films in order to provide viewers with an array of choices that more accurately reflects the diverse world we inhabit.

For more information: https://crescendo.house/

Gravitas Ventures has acquired North America digital rights to filmmaker Panayioti Yannitsos’ Florian’s Knights

Florians Knights Poster

Gravitas Ventures, a Red Arrow Studios company, has acquired North America digital rights to filmmaker Panayioti Yannitsos (“Freedom Besieged”) powerful feature documentary “Florian’s Knights.” Crowbar Pictures, Inc has released the film in theaters across North America on beginning on September 10th,, 2021 timed to the 20th anniversary of 9/11. Markets to be included in the theatrical rollout –New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Detroit, Chicago, Denver, Phoenix, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Regina, and Saskatoon. Gravitas Ventures will release across all TVOD/Digital platforms & Blu-Ray/DVD throughout the North American continent beginning on November 23rd, 2021. A Canadian production, Yannitsos’ new documentary chronicles firefighters in both the US and Canada who form a controversial motorcycle club to cope with the crippling effects of PTSD. As the Florian’s Knights full patch motorcycle club, the freedom felt on two wheels inspires North American firefighters to speak truth against the stigma of first responder mental health and outlaw biker culture. From the impact of 9/11, to the front lines of the opioid crisis in Vancouver and Toronto, and across the bridge to the arson epidemic in Detroit, Florian’s Knights travel to the darkest pits of the human experience. The real traumas of firefighting are exposed in ways never-before-seen. Private screener links are available upon request for review, what to watch in theatres and what's streaming columns (timed to our upcoming November TVOD) and interview consideration!

In April of 2018, director Panayioti Yannitsos met with Crowbar Pictures founder Shawn Galvao to discuss the Florian’s Knights; a new firefighter motorcycle club making waves across North America. Driving home from that meeting, Pan found himself bumper-to-bumper with retired Vancouver Battalion Chief Rod MacDonald, who was riding his motorcycle, a Florian’s Knights patch on his back. Staring at the patch for several minutes in traffic, the serendipitous event convinced Yannitsos to sign on to direct the film. Over the course of three years, Yannitsos and a core team of only four fellow filmmakers slept in fire halls across North America, often in 24-hour shifts, responding to emergencies in real time.

“Florian’s Knights” follows the lives of a number of first responders and experts. All of the following documentary subjects will be available for press interviews – Firefighter Matthew Sabini (New York Fire Department / Florian’s Knights MC), Retired Captain Erik Bjarnason (North Vancouver Fire Dept / Florian's Knights MC), Retired Battalion Chief Rod MacDonald (Vancouver Fire Dept / Florian’s Knights MC), Acting Captain Bill Shokar (New Westminster Fire Department / Florian’s Knights MC), Captain Jack Cooper (Toronto Fire Service / Florian’s Knights MC), Battalion Chief Michael V. Nevin (Detroit Fire Department), Senior Lieutenant Darnell McLaurin (Detroit Fire Department / Axemen MC), and Dr. Don Vaughn, PHD (Neuroscientist, UCLA).

Dr. Don Vaughn, Michael Maggiora, and their team measured the brain activity, heart rate, and hormone levels of over 50 experienced motorcycle riders in “Project Free.” The study was peer reviewed and accepted by Brain Research. The study concluded that riding a motorcycle can decrease hormonal biomarkers of stress. The work was funded by a grant from Harley-Davidson.

“For over a century, firefighters in North America have grappled with the harsh reality of post-traumatic stress. In pursuit of making this movie, we were faced with a code of silence engrained in fire departments for generations. I knew that this moratorium on mental health was costing men and women their lives, whether through substance abuse, depression, or suicide and I felt a responsibility to shine a light on this very human struggle and bring it to audiences.” – filmmaker Panayioti Yannitsos.

“Florian’s Knights” is directed, edited & produced by Panayioti Yannitsos, executive produced by Shawn Galvao, with cinematography by Jon Thomas (“The Angel Tree”) & Blake Davey (“Someone Like Me,” “Rupture”), and sound design by Jamie Spittal (“Freedom Besieged”).

Where to follow the film and its journey:
Website: www.floriansknightsmovie.com
Facebook: @FloriansKnightsMovie
Instagram: @FloriansKnightsMovi
Twitter: @FloriansKnights

LABYRINTH OF CINEMA New York Theatrical Release October 20th

Labyrinth of Cinema Poster

Director: Nobuhiko Obayashi (House)
Cast: Takuro Atsuki, Takahito Hosoyamada, Yoshihiko Hosoda, Rei Yoshida, Riko Narumi, Hirona Yamazaki, Takako Tokiwa
Genre: Feature
Language: Japanese with English subtitles
Country: Japanese
Runtime: 2 hours 59 minutes

Labyrinth Of Cinema Photo Credit:: Crescendo House
Labyrinth Of Cinema Photo Credit:: Crescendo House

LABYRINTH OF CINEMA will be released at The Metrograph in New York on October 20 with a Los Angeles and nationwide theatrical release to follow.

The final film by Nobuhiko Obayashi finds the late director returning to the subject of Japan’s history of warfare following the completion of his “War Trilogy,” which ended with Hanagatami. On the last night of its existence, a small movie theater in Onomichi—the seaside town of Obayashi’s youth where he shot nearly a dozen films—screens an all-night marathon of Japanese war films. When lightning strikes the theater, three young men are transported into the world onscreen where they experience the violent battles of several wars leading up to the bombing of Hiroshima. A breathless cinematic journey through Japan’s past, Labyrinth of Cinema finds Obayashi using every trick in his book to create an awe-inspiring, visually resplendent anti-war epic that urges us to consider cinema as a means to change history. The culmination of an exceptional 60-year career worth celebrating.

Born in Hiroshima in 1938, Nobuhiko Obayashi was a director, screenwriter and editor of films and television advertisements. He began his filmmaking career as a pioneer of Japanese experimental films before transitioning to directing more mainstream media, and his resulting filmography as a director spanned almost 60 years.

He was notable for his distinct surreal filmmaking style, as well as the anti-war themes commonly embedded in his films. He died on 10 April 2020 at the age of 82, from lung cancer in Tokyo.

“Forget a swan song: Nobuhiko Obayashi’s final film is a shriek, a tirade, a lecture and a rollicking action-adventure stuffed into a three-hour pop-art package.”

—The New York Times

ABOUT CRESCENDO HOUSE

Crescendo House is a new boutique distribution company that aims to reinvigorate the American film landscape with a new model for distribution. Our goal is to expand the mainstream visibility of international or otherwise underrepresented films in order to provide viewers with an array of choices that more accurately reflects the diverse world we inhabit.

For more information: https://crescendo.house/

View Trailer Below!

WARNER BROS. PICTURES‘ SPACE JAM: A NEW LEGACY PRESENTS…THE PAN AFRICAN FILM FESTIVAL TRIBUTE AWARD HONORS

PressReleaseAwardTributeHonors2.22

The Pan African Film Festival (PAFF) announced today it will broadcast its 29th annual Tribute Award Honors Show virtually throughout the world through its partnership with Facebook streaming Live exclusively on the PAFF Facebook page Thu., July 22 7:00 PM-9:00 PM PT. Watch the livestream on PAFF's Facebook page here. The PAFF Awards Show is presented by Warner Bros. Pictures’ Space Jam: A New Legacy available in theaters JULY 16th and on HBO Max.

For nearly 30 years, PAFF has showcased films from all parts of the world, representing such countries as Angola, Nigeria, Jamaica, New Zealand, Rwanda, Canada, Mozambique, Egypt, the Dominican Republic, Ethiopia, Brazil, Kenya, Fiji, Mexico, the U.K., South Africa, England, Japan, France and of course, the United States. With the pulse on the international film market, PAFF has opened the minds of its audiences, and transported them to far-away places and back home again.

“Over the years, filmmakers the world over have become more sophisticated in telling their stories,” says Asantewa Olatunji, the director of programming for PAFF. “In our ever-shrinking world, it is so important to understand the experiences and points of views of diverse peoples and cultures.”

This year's awards show will feature the following honors and talent:

JURY AWARDS

Shola Adewusi
Shola Adewusi

BEST SHORT NARRATIVE
presented by Shola Adewusi
(BOB ♥ ABISHOLA, WB TV & CBS)

Vernee Watson
Vernee Watson

BEST DOCUMENTARY
presented by Vernee Watson
(BOB ♥ ABISHOLA, WB TV & CBS)

Tory Kittles
Tory Kittles

BEST 1ST FEATURE
presented by Tory Kittles
(The Equalizer, NBCUniversal & CBS)

Thomas Q. Jones

BEST 1ST DOCUMENTARY
presented by Thomas Q. Jones
(Johnson, Bounce TV)

FOLAKE OLOWOFOYEKU
FOLAKE OLOWOFOYEKU

BEST NARRATIVE FEATURE
presented by Folake Olowofoyeku
(BOB ♥ ABISHOLA, WB TV & CBS)

YOUTH VISIONARY AWARD

Awarded to young filmmakers and content creators whose work shows a promising young start from their storytelling to their content creating styles.
YOUTH VISIONARY AWARD is a new award this year.

BEAH RICHARDS AWARD

Awarded to up-and-coming female actors whose body of work thus far exemplifies a positive and uplifting Black image and experience. Past winners of the BEAH RICHARDS AWARD include Tessa Thompson and Regina King.

CANADA LEE AWARD

Awarded to up-and-coming male actors whose body of work thus far exemplifies a positive and uplifting Black image and experience. Past winners of the CANADA LEE AWARD include Idris Elba, David Oyelowo and Nate Parker.

DJELI AWARD

Awarded to writers, directors, producers, actors, musicians, and promoters. In Pan African cultures, a DJELI is a storyteller, a historian, one who carries the culture and maintains the history. DJELI is a new award.

JA’NET DUBOIS LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

Awarded to actors whose body of work and achievements exemplify Black excellence. Past winners of the JA’NET DUBOIS LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD include Alfre Woodard, Forest Whitaker, and Phylicia Rashad.

This year, PAFF competitions included over 65 World premiere titles and over 29 US premieres.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 29th Pan African Film Festival Tribute Award Honors Show will be held virtually on-line and on-demand exclusively via Facebook Live. The virtual component allows PAFF to reach a global audience. More information can be found at www.paff.org.

The 30th PAFF will take place February 8-21, 2022.

ABOUT THE PAN AFRICAN FILM FESTIVAL

Looking forward to its 30th Anniversary, the Pan African Film Festival (PAFF), is America’s largest and most prestigious Black film festival. Each year, it screens more than 200 films made by and/or about people of African descent from the United States, Africa, the Caribbean, South America, the South Pacific, Latin America, Europe and Canada and increasingly Asia. In conjunction with its simultaneous Art Showcase, PAFF holds the distinction of being the largest Black History Month event in the US.

PAFF was founded in 1992 by award-winning actor Danny Glover (“The Color Purple,” “Lethal Weapon”), the beloved Emmy Award-winning actress Ja’net DuBois (best known for her role as Willona in the TV series “Good Times”) and executive director, Ayuko Babu, an international legal, cultural and political consultant who specializes in African Affairs. PAFF is a non-profit corporation dedicated to the promotion of ethnic and racial respect and tolerance through the exhibit of films, art, and other creative expressions.

The goal of PAFF is to present and showcase the broad range of Black creative works, particularly those that reinforce positive and images, help to destroy negative stereotypes, and depict an expanded, realistic vision of the Black experience. PAFF believes film and art can lead to better understandings and foster communications between people of diverse cultures, races, and lifestyles, while at the same time, serves as a vehicle to initiate dialogue on the important issues of our time.

For more information, please visit www.paff.org or email info@paff.org.

OTT.X ANNOUNCES SECOND ANNUAL IMPACT AWARDS

Streaming Video Industry trade association OTT.X seeks nominations for original online programming that inspires positive action and promotes acceptance and equality.

 

OTT.X logo

OTT.X, the industry trade association supporting the OTT streaming ecosystem, has opened submissions for the second annual OTT.X Impact Awards. The OTT.X Impact Awards is a program created by and for the over-the-top streaming industry to recognize creators, producers, platforms and channels who are using the power of streaming video to make a positive impact. Submissions are being accepted from June 23 through September 30, 2021 for audio visual works that premiere and are distributed through OTT channels and platforms. Nominations will be announced on November 9 and winners will be announced at the Impact Awards Ceremony to be held on December 9, 2021.

“Our industry has the attention of millions of people globally,” said Mark Fisher, OTT.X President and CEO. “The stories we tell, messages we send and truths we reveal have the power to change the world. Using this power to promote understanding, acceptance, equality and to inspire positive action is a responsibility that OTT.X and our membership are committed to.” Paul Colichman, CEO of Here Media and OTT.X Impact Awards Steering Committee Chair commented, “As streaming transforms the entertainment landscape it also democratizes video content distribution. This allows for more programs that focus on social justice, equality, kindness and compassion.”

The inaugural OTT.X Impact Awards was held virtually on December 10, 2020 and recognized three winners including Here Media’s “Girls Voices Now - ‘Not Quite Here, Not Quite There’” for Impactful Short Title, Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment’s “Going From Broke’ for Impactful Series, and Passion River’s “Intelligent Lives” for Impactful Full-Length Feature.

What: Second annual OTT.X Impact Awards – Recognizing content and innovation in the OTT streaming industry that inspires positive action and promotes acceptance of and equality for all people.

How to Apply: Visit https://www.entmerch.org/impact-awards/

Key Dates:

Submissions open – June 23
Submissions close – September 30
Nominations announced – November 9
Awards Ceremony / Winners Announced – December 9
Qualifications: Content must premiere on an OTT channel or platform, maintain exclusive availability via OTT distribution and be available in the US for at least 3 weeks. Qualifying period is the twelve-months ending September 30, 2021.

For more information as well as content submissions visit the OTT.X Impact Awards site; https://ottximpactawards.org/

About OTT.X

OTT.X is the not-for-profit international trade association dedicated to advancing the interests of the multi-billion home entertainment industry. OTT.X-member companies operate business that engage in or support the commercial OTT distribution of audiovisual entertainment. Membership comprises the full spectrum of the ecosystem, including digital retailers, MVPDs, AVOD and SVOD networks and channels, platforms, companies creating and/or distributing content for these channels of distribution, and companies providing services or technology for the use of others in this community. OTT.X (formerly EMA) was established in April 2006 through the merger of the Video Software Dealers Association (VSDA) and the Interactive Entertainment Merchants Association (IEMA).

To learn more, go to www.ottx.org.

MEDIA CONTACT

MILLENNIAL PR
Mitch Swan
323.378.6687
mitch@millennialpublicrelations.com

ENFANT TERRIBLE, The Life of Filmmaker Rainer Werner Fassbinder: Review

ENFANT TERRIBLE pic 3
enfant terrible

Noun: a person whose unconventional or controversial behavior or ideas shock, embarrass, or annoy others.

Director:Oskar Roehler
Writers: Klaus Richter, Oskar Roehler
Starring Oliver Masucci, Hary Prinz, Katja Riemann, and Felix Hellmann
Runtime: 2 hours 14 minutes
Genre: Documentary Feature
Country: Germany
Language: German

When a Man's Creative Genius and Demons Collide

Director Oskar Roehler's gripping film ENFANT TERRIBLE tells the story of a truly talented and gifted filmmaker,
Rainer Werner Fassbinder, played by Oliver Masucci.

A prolific writer, as shown by Fassbinder's 33 screen plays under his belt, having written 14 plays and made 44 films, all
before the age of forty-years. He also starred in many of his own film.

For all of his artistic gifts, he had just as many mean and sadistic ways, which where all on display in his screen plays and
his preferred form of acting. His insistance on the actors to not just act as in pain but to actually experience the pain of the characters.

He appears to have a constant need or uncontrollable urge to demean people, to make them feel small and meaningless in his personal and professional life, which becomes blurred as he comingles his personal and professional relationships and his friends and family becomes actors and actors becoming family.

Cinematographer, Carl-Friedrich Koschnick captures the nitty gritty world that Fassbinder that lives in with all of the darkness and shadows of the scenes.

 

helping tell Fassbinder's story are Hary Prinz as Kurt Raab, Katja Riemann as Gudrun Jochen Schropp as Armin Meier, Erdal Yıldız as El Hedi ben Salem, Markus Hering as Peer Raben Frida-Lovisa Hamann as Martha, André Hennicke as Volker Spengler, Christian Berkel as Interviewer
Eva Mattes as Brigitte Mira, Alexander Scheer as Andy Warhol, Désirée Nick as Barbara Valentin
Götz Otto as Jack Palance, Detlef Bothe as Wally Brockmeyer, Sunnyi Melles as Rosel Zech
Michael Klammer as Günther Kaufmann, Anton Rattinger as Britta, Lucas Gregorowicz as Ulli Lommel
Felix Hellmann as Harry Baer, Simon Böer as Michael Ballhaus

ENFANT TERRIBLE, a filmmmaker who's two worlds are in constant conflict, which has you on edge waiting for the crash. Provides a look into the life
of a deeply damaged man.

 DARK STAR PICTURES

Is a new-age North American distribution company, focused on bringing unique and targeted content to audiences across the country. We are committed to releasing auteur-driven, original cinema in the theatrical, digital and home video space. Our goal is to create original marketing campaigns directly catered to audiences who will embrace our brand of thought-provoking cinema. Dark Star also services distribution companies and producers in the theatrical, digital, and festival space.

Distributor: Dark Star Pictures
Production Co: ARTE, Bavaria Filmproduktion, Bayerischer Rundfunk (BR), Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR)
Run time: 2 hours 14 minutes
Starring: Oliver Masucci, Hary Prinz, Katja Riemann, Jochen Schropp, Erdal Yıldız, Markus Hering, Frida-Lovisa Hamann,
André Hennicke, Christian Berkel, Eva Mattes, Alexander Scheer,
Director:Oskar Roehler
Writers: Klaus Richter, Oskar Roehler
Producer: Markus Zimmer
Cinematography: Carl-Friedrich Koschnick
Editor: Hansjörg Weißbrich
Music: Martin Todsharow