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Cannes 2023 :: Killers of the Flower Moon :: Martin Scorsese’s Bitterest Crime Epic Martin Scorsese triumphs yet again. A story about greed, corruption, and the mottled soul of a country that was born from the belief that it belonged to anyone callous enough to take it.. |
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Berlinale 2023 :: Full Winners List This year’s jury, headed by Kristen Stewart, gave
the Golden Bear award to the French documentary “On the Adamant..” The Silver Bear for
Best Lead Performance notably went to child star Sofia Otero for “20,000 Species of Bees.”
Philippe Garrel's “The Plough” was.. |
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BAFTA 2023 :: ‘All Quiet on the Western Front’
Dominates BAFTA Awards With Seven Wins “All Quiet on the Western Front” dominated the BAFTA Awards in London on
Sunday night with a record-breaking seven wins for a film not in the English languag,
including for Best Director.. |
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Berlinale 2023 :: Golshifteh Farahani :: Talks Role Of
Art In Iran “In A Dictatorship Like
Iran, Art Is Essential, It’s Like Oxygen.” Iranian actress Golshifteh Farahani, who is at the
Berlin Film Festival as a member of Kristen Stewart’s jury, has talked passionately about the
importance of art.. |
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SIFF 2023 :: Shirin Ebadi :: Until We Are Free
This is the amazing, at times harrowing,
simply astonishing story of a woman who would never give up, no matter the risks. The first
Muslim woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize, Shirin Ebadi has inspired millions around
the globe.. |
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IFFR 2023 Awards :: 'Le spectre de Boko Haram' and
'Endless Borders' are the victors Cyrielle Raingou’s documentary took home the Tiger Award, whilst Abbas
Amini’s feature won the VPRO Big Screen Award, as the Dutch gathering celebrated its in-
person comeback.. |
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Winners of the 2022 ‘Sepanta Awards’ :: 15th Annual
Iranian Film Festival This year, the
festival presented 50 films from Iran, USA, Italy, France, Luxembourg, Greece, UK, Canada,
Australia, and Denmark…, ranging from fiction, documentary, short, animation…. to the
music video.. |
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Opinion :: Will Venice Protests Help or Hurt filmmakers
in Iran? As the Venice Film Festival
celebrates Iranian cinema — with four Iranian films screening at the 79th Biennale — back
home in Tehran, Iranian filmmakers and artists are facing the harshest crackdown in
decades.. |
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Biennale Cinema 2022 :: Awards Ceremony
Official Awards of the 79th Venice Film Festival.
Announced by the five international Juries, chaired by Julianne Moore, during the Awards
Ceremony that was held on Saturday 10th September at 7:00 pm..
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Coming: 15th Annual Iranian Film Festival! : San
Francisco: Sep. 17-18 This year, the
festival presents 50 films from Iran, USA, Italy, France, Luxembourg, Greece, UK, Canada,
Australia, and Denmark…, ranging from fiction, documentary, short, animation…. to the
music video. We are happy and proud to.. |
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Welcome to Online Film Home! |
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‘Dancing on the Edge of a Volcano’ :: Review A Fascinating Real-Life Account of a Film Shoot Fraught With Setbacks
By Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter July 4, 2023 8:00am
Cyril Aris' documentary chronicles the travails of a production company trying to make a movie in Lebanon, beset by obstacles in the wake of the devastating 2020 Port of Beirut explosion.
Leave it to a film production company to make the best of a bad situation. At least cinematically, that is. In 2020, the Beirut-based Abbout Productions was in pre-production on a film called Costa Brava, Lebanon when the city was rocked by a devastating explosion at the Port of Beirut that decimated much of the area. Cyril Aris’ documentary, world-premiering at Karlovy Vary, chronicles the production team’s determined efforts to go ahead with the film despite a plethora of obstacles. Not only did they have to deal with catastrophic damage to homes and offices, but also the pandemic, fuel shortages and a currency in free fall. Dancing on the Edge of a Volcano compellingly tells the story of filmmaking by fire.
Dancing on the Edge of a Volcano 'Dancing on the Edge of a Volcano' Film Servis Festival Karlovy Vary
Beirut, of course, is a place that has seen more than its share of travails, as the opening footage of the city in ruins in 1980 during the Lebanese Civil War illustrates. It was rocked again by the 2020 catastrophe, the result of 2,700 tons of ammonium nitrate being recklessly stored in a warehouse. Dancing on the Edge of a Volcano The Bottom Line Filmmaking by fire. Venue: Karlovy Vary International Film Festival Director-screenwriter: Cyril Aris 1 hour 27 minutes
“This is the soundtrack of the last two weeks,” says cinematographer Joe Saade, referring to the sound of broken glass on his balcony as he attempts to water his plants. “On the bright side, I have a breeze!” he jokes. On the darker side, he lost the sight in one eye, which he admits is ironic for a director of cinematography.
The company’s offices were severely damaged but fortunately were spared any looting. “Thank god no one cares about film,” someone dryly points out about the undisturbed cans of film on the premises.
The company members’ despair emerges during a production meeting when one woman exclaims, “Why the hell are we still in this country? I can’t take it!” At another point, one of the child actresses cast in the film tenderly comforts a crying staffer whose friend was killed in the explosion.
Costa Brava, Lebanon, directed by Mounia Akl, is about a family who leaves Beirut and takes refuge in a makeshift home in the mountains, only to learn shortly after that the government plans to build a garbage landfall right next door. The film’s themes of government corruption and despoilment were made all the more resonant by the disastrous explosion that threatened to prevent its making.
Despite the tremendous obstacles involved, the filmmakers didn’t lose their sense of humor. “I feel like I’m in Lost in La Mancha,” one of them jokes, referring to the documentary about Terry Gilliam’s laborious efforts to make his film adaptation of Don Quixote. “But my husband says I’m in Apocalypse Now.”
The film’s lead actor, Saleh Bakri, had to take a circuitous route from his native Palestine to Lebanon because of Covid restrictions. He films himself at various stages of his journey, berating the “Zionists” for their repressive dictates. When he finally arrives in Beirut, production is delayed once again because the twin child actresses playing his daughter have tested positive. Then, a torrential rainstorm floods the set.
Even the film’s post-production was hampered by a series of significant problems, including a fuel shortage that resulted in the government shutting off power during long stretches of each day.
“Beirut’s appeal lies in its chaos,” one of the people working on the film comments. “It’s famous for it.”
Fortunately, Dancing on the Edge of a Volcano (the title stems from a phrase originally used to describe Weimar-era Germany) has a happy ending. We see footage of the cast and crew celebrating the premiere of Costa Brava, Lebanon at the Venice Film Festival, where it received critical acclaim. It seems inevitable that both films will have a future life as a double feature at repertory theaters.
Full credits
Venue: Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (Crystal Globe Competition) Production companies: Reynard Films, Abbout Productions Director-screenwriter: Cyril Aris Producers: Myriam Sassine, Katharina Weser Director of photography: Joe Saade Editors: Nada Ren Rachid, Cyril Aris Music: Anthony Sahyoun 1 hour 27 minutes
Karlovy Vary International Film Festival
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