Nick Vivarelli of the Variety reported that the ambitious Nigerian filmmaker Jeta Amata is already working on a new international film after making “Black Gold”.
The director who is also well known for his daring film “The Amazing Grace” is going to focus on the corrupt practices of pharmaceutical multinationals in Africa in his new film "Journeys of One," with Donald Ranvaud of "The Constant Gardner" fame as an executive producer.
Amata’s “Black Gold” had a market premiere at the 64th Cannes Film Festival. The film on the Niger Delta crisis featured top Hollywood actors like Tom Sizemore, William George "Billy" Zane, and Hakeem Kae-Kazim.
"Journeys of One" will be a way to provide a more genuine take on the Big Pharma in Africa theme tackled by Hollywood in Fernando Meirelles' "The Constant Gardner". We like Hollywood coming to tell our story; but they miss some of the essence of the African point of view," Amata said.
Variety reported that Amata, producer Soledad Grognett and Ranvaud are looking for a name African-American actor for one of the key roles in "Journeys" and likely to also feature an Indian star.
"The idea is to make it Hollywood, Nollywood -- as the Nigerian film industry is know -- and Bollywood; the three biggest markets in the world," said Amata. "If you go to the remote villages where they don't have proper means of communication, you find people just dying unnecessarily," he added. "And though they don't realize it, the real thing that killed them was some drug that they weren't meant to take." "The environment in Nigeria makes it a haven for these people (the pharmaceutical companies) to run whatever tests they want and treat people like rats and guinea pigs," Grognett added.
Jury President Robert de Niro (L) shakes hands with producer Bill Pohlad (R) who receives the Palme d'Or award for the film ''The Tree of Life'', by director Terrence Malick, as they pose with Camera d'Or award winner director Pablo Giorgelli (2nd L) during the closing ceremony of the 64th Cannes Film Festival, May 22, 2011. Credit: Reuters/Eric Gaillard.
Provocative Danish director Lars Von Trier who was banned from the Cannes for his controversial comments that portrayed him as an apologist of Adolf Hitler’s Nazi proved that he could not be ignored as his apocalyptic film "Melancholia" got the Best Actress award for American actress Kirsten Dunst.
CANNES, FRANCE – MAY 22: Actress Kirsten Dunst accepts her award for Best Actress at the Closing Ceremony at the Palais des Festivals during the 64th Cannes Film Festival on May 22, 2011 in Cannes, France. (Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)
"What a week! My thanks to the Jury, this is a real honour. I'm grateful to the Festival for keeping the film in Competition. And I'm grateful to Lars Von Trier for letting me play the role with such freedom.," said the excited Kirsten Dunst who is famous for her romantic role ofMary Jane Watson the girlfriend and later wife of Peter Parker, thealter egoofSpider-Man in theSpider-Mantrilogy.
This is Malick’s fifth feature, starring Brad Pitt, Sean Penn and Jessica Chastain. The film story centers around a family with three boys in the 1950s. The eldest son witnesses the loss of innocence.
SYNOPSIS The Tree of Life is the impressionistic story of a Midwestern family in the 1950's. The film follows the life journey of the eldest son, Jack, through the innocence of childhood to his disillusioned adult years as he tries to reconcile a complicated relationship with his father. Jack finds himself a lost soul in the modern world, seeking answers to the origins and meaning of life while questioning the existence of faith.
• Prize of Un Certain Regard Ex-aequo ARIRANG directed by KIM Ki-Duk
• HALT AUF FREIER STRECKE (STOPPED ON TRACK) directed by Andreas DRESEN
• Un Certain Regard Special Jury Prize ELENA directed by Andrey ZVYAGINTSEV
• Directing Prize of Un Certain Regard BÉ OMID É DIDAR directed by Mohammad RASOULOF
CINEFONDATION :
• 1st Prize Cinéfondation DER BRIEF (THE LETTER) directed by Doroteya DROUMEVA
• 2nd Prize - Cinéfondation DRARI directed by Kamal LAZRAQ
• 3rd Prize Cinéfondation YA-GAN-BI-HANG (FLY BY NIGHT) directed by SON Tae-gyum
The Jury Robert De Niro President of the Jury • Olivier ASSAYAS Director • Martina GUSMAN • Mahamat-Saleh HAROUN Director • Jude LAW • Nansun SHI • Uma THURMAN Actress • Johnnie TO Director • Linn ULLMANN
Cannes festival reacts to Danish director's strange remarks about Nazis by declaring him 'persona non grata.'
Copyright (c) CBC 2011
Lars von Trier
Cannes, please revoke the ban on Lars von Trier
The controversial Danish film director and screenwriter Lars von Trier is well known for his provocative art films such as the horrifying Gothic and pornographic Antichrist that also shocked audiences at the 62nd Cannes Film Festival in 2009. Therefore, when it was reported that he has rattled the organizers of the festival at the Wednesday press parley before the premiere of his apocalyptic science fiction film Melancholia at the 64th Cannes Film Festival, I was not surprised, because it is his signature for grabbing headlines. The organizers should have ignored his “I’M A NAZI” joke and claiming to understand Adolf Hitler. He has done it again and got the whole paparazzi going gaga over his unsavoury act. And then apologized after getting the attention for his his new film. Lars von Trier's shocking allusion to Adolf Hitler is another deliberate kind of deus ex machina and it has attracted the attention of the global village.
"I am not anti-Semitic or racially prejudiced in any way, nor am I a Nazi," Lars von Trier said. "I really wanted to be a Jew, and then I found out that I was really a Nazi, because, you know, my family was German," von Trier said. "Which also gave me some pleasure."
"What can I say? I understand Hitler, but I think he did some wrong things, yes, absolutely. But I can see him sitting in his bunker in the end," von Trier said. "He's not what you would call a good guy, but I understand much about him, and I sympathize with him a little bit. But come on, I'm not for the Second World War, and I'm not against Jews."
Declaring him "persona non grata" and banning him from future Cannes is UNFAIR and HYPOCRITICAL!
Hello Festival de Cannes! What happened to Freedom of Expression or Free Speech which is clearly defined and stated in Articles 18 and 19 of the United Nations' Universal Declaration of Human Rights Charter
Article 18. Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.
Article 19. Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.
Please, the Cannes Film Festival should revoke the ban on this extraordinary radical Danish filmmaker and screenwriter, because it is reactionary and retrogressive in the further development of film-making as an art and a democratic vehicle for intellectual freedom.
Chivas Regal and FilmAid International Launch Global Brand Partnership in Cannes
FilmAid Founder Caroline Baron, FilmAid President Iliane Ogilvie Thompson and Long-time FilmAid Supporter Robert De Niro Celebrate Launch
CANNES, France, May 16 /PRNewswire/ — Chivas Regal, the world's original luxury Scotch whisky and Official Partner of the Festival de Cannes, has announced a new global brand partnership with the charity FilmAid International.
Caroline Baron, Robert DeNiro and James Slack
The official launch celebration of the partnership took place in Chivas House, on the Croisette in Cannes, on Friday 13th May and was attended by FilmAid Founder Caroline Baron, FilmAid President Iliane Ogilvie Thompson and long-time supporter of FilmAid and President of the Jury of this year's Festival de Cannes, Robert De Niro.
The partnership will see Chivas Regal and FilmAid working together to help, educate and inspire communities in need through the power of film. An initial donation of US$100,000 was made by Chivas Regal to support FilmAid projects across the world.
FilmAid International is a humanitarian organisation that harnesses the power of film to educate and bring hope to refugees and other communities in need around the globe. Founded in 1999 during the Balkan crisis, FilmAid works in partnership with the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and other global aid organisations to bring film and video programs that inform inspire and empower to more than 1 million people.
Chivas Regal has a history of supporting cinema, having played a starring role at many of the world's most celebrated events. Now in its third year as the Official Partner of the Festival de Cannes, Chivas Regal continues to strengthen its position in, and commitment to, cinema.
To mark the launch, Chivas Regal commissioned Magnum Photos to create an exhibition showcasing the work of FilmAid, a selection of which is on display in Chivas House.
James Slack, Brand Director of Chivas Regal, says, "The work of FilmAid is truly inspirational and we are delighted to support the amazing work they do around the world.
"The partnership aligns well with values that Chivas Regal is passionate about: brotherhood, generosity, integrity and a social awareness for the world in which we live. The partnership with FilmAid provides our customers with a tangible proof-point of these values while reinforcing our commitment to film and cinema, whether it be here in Cannes or among some of the most needy communities in the world."
Liz Manne, Executive Director of FilmAid, says, "We at FilmAid International are delighted by our new partnership with Chivas Regal. Their dedication to cinema makes them the perfect partner for FilmAid, which brings cinema to those most in need of the inspiration and education that film can provide. We look forward to developing this partnership with Chivas in the future."
For free editorial content from the FilmAid partnership launch, visit the Chivas FTP site:
* Click on the following link ftp.chivasincannes.com * To view this FTP site in Windows Explorer, click Page, and the click Open FTP Site in Windows Explorer. * Username: Chivas * Password: FilmAid2011
Notes to Editors
* Chivas Regal is now in its third year as official supplier of the Festival de Cannes – the most exclusive and celebrated international film festival. * Chivas Regal's global brand partnership with FilmAid will see Chivas Regal provide financial support to FilmAid projects across the world. * Chivas Regal commissioned Magnum Photos photographer, Dominic Nahr, to shoot on location at a FilmAid project in Kenya. A selection of images was showcased at the launch event in Cannes.
About Chivas Regal
* Chivas Regal is a truly international premium Scotch whisky brand, sold in more than 150 countries, selling over 4.2 million nine-litre cases annually. * Chivas Regal is regarded as a global luxury icon, much like the celebrated Festival de Cannes. * In addition to Cannes, which in 2011 runs from the 11th to the 22nd May, Chivas Regal has historically played a starring role at many other prestigious cinema occasions, such as the BAFTA Nominees Party, The Academy Awards, Césars in France and more recently the Asian Film Awards, of which Chivas Regal 25 is the red carpet sponsor.
About FilmAid International
* FilmAid International is a non-profit organization that harnesses the power of film to reach refugees and other communities in need with messages that inspire, address critical shared needs and effect social change. * Working in refugee camps, urban slums, disaster zones and other communities in need, FilmAid's screenings provide a vital channel for conveying knowledge, empowerment and hope. * FilmAid operates two on-going programmes in Kenya: the Kakuma Refugee Camp (85,000 people) on the border of Southern Sudan and the Dadaab Refugee Camp on the border of Somalia (337,000 people). These programmes serve refugees from Sudan, Somalia, Uganda, Rwanda, Congo, Burundi and Ethiopia. FilmAid also works with challenged communities within Kenya, including the Mathare and Kibera Slums. In late 2009, FilmAid started working with Burmese refugees in Thailand, and in 2010 began work with Internally Displaced Persons in Haiti, following the devastating earthquake.
For more information, please contact: Astrid Froment International Marketing Manager – Chivas Regal Tel: +44 (0)20 8250 1658 I / Mobile: +44 (0)7810 630 737 astrid.froment@pernod-ricard.com
As Hollywood and Bollywood stars shine at the premiere of the sexual drama "Sleeping Beauty" the toast of the Cannes Film Festival, nothing to show from Nollywood the so called second largest movie industry in the world.
The celebrated movie stars from Hollywood, Bollywood and other notable film industries from other countries are participating and competing for the coveted prizes and other attractions of the film festival. Nigeria has a pavilion at the festival, but no Nollywood movie is in competition or even out of competition.
Nollywood stars are simply unknown here. Just appearing on the CNN or being mentioned on the Oprah Winfrey Show will make Nigerians go gaga, but what really counts is breaking the ice and making heads turn at the Cannes or Oscars and not at the Silverbird Galleria in Lagos city, Nigeria. Our Nollywood stars need to aim at shattering the highest glass ceiling as South African stars have done for decades by winning Oscars. Cinematographer Ted Moore (1914–1987) was the first South African to win an Oscar in 1967, when he also won the BAFTA for Robert Bolt’s magnificent film, A Man for All Seasons. He was from Benoni, the same town as actress Charlize Theron the first South African actor to win an Oscar in 2004 for Monster and her gripping role of serial killer Aileen Wuornos was described as "one of the greatest performances in the history of the cinema" by the highly esteemed American film critic and screenwriter Roger Ebert, the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism. The other Oscar winning South Africans are Ronald Harwood who won an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay for the multiple award winning The Pianist in 2003 and his other screenplay The Diving Bell and the Butterfly had four Oscar nominations in 2007, and Gavin Hood who got the Oscar for the Best Foreign Language Film with Tsotsi in 2005.
In fact no Nigerian TV knows what is going at the Cannes, except few of the notable Nigerian journalists/film critics like Shaibu Husseini of The Guardian, Victor Akande of The Nation and Steve Ayorinde. The others are the veteran Nigerian filmmaker and scholar Afolabi Adesanya, who is the MD/CE of the Nigerian Film Corporation (NFC) with his delegation at the Nigerian pavilion where some of the Nigerian movie makers Like Faruk Lasaki, Kunle Afolayan, Madu Chikwendu, Fidelis Duker and others can meet and receive visitors. Today, the European media partner of Eko International Film Festival (EKOIFF), Mr. Bruno Chatelin was at the pavilion to receive an important message from Mr. Hope Obioma Opara, the President of EKOIFF. The other Nigerians here are not different from the tourists. The only Nigerian online news media reporting the Cannes Film Festival since 2005 is International Digital Post Network (IDPN) Limited publishers of 24/7 Nigeria and other niche websites. See it all only on www.247nigeria.com and get the juicy news of the red carpet in audio, video and photos.
Bollywood actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan arrives on the red carpet for the screening of the film "Sleeping Beauty", in competition at the 64th Cannes Film Festival, May 12, 2011. Twenty films are competing in the May 11 to 22 cinema showcase, with a roll call including major screen stars, revered "auteur" directors and relative newcomers. REUTERS/Vincent Kessler (FRANCE - Tags: ENTERTAINMENT)
Jury member Uma Thurman poses during a photocall at the 64th Cannes Film Festival in Cannes on Wednesday, May 11.
~ By Ekenyerengozi Michael Chima, the Founder/Festival Director of Eko International Film Festival and Publisher/CEO of International Digital Post Network (IDPN) Limited,
