TIFF 2018 Review: THE DIVE (Israel 2018) ***

September 18, 2018 festreviews 2018 movies, movie, Movie Review, TIFF 2018 Movie Reviews, Uncategorized Claudia Dulitchi, film reviews, gilbert seah, Miki Marmur, Shmuel Edelman, tiff 2018, Yona Rozenkier

Movie Reviews of films that will be playing at TIFF (Toronto International Film Festival) in 2018. Go to TIFF 2018 Movie Reviews and read reviews of films showing at the festival.

When a family patriarch dies, three brothers must put aside their differences to carry out their father’s last wishes, in Yona Rozenkier’s tender yet analytical debut examining what it means to be human.

When a family patriarch dies, prodigal son Yoav (Yoel Rozenkier) returns to the sparsely populated kibbutz where he was raised. He is greeted by his mother, his elder brother Itai (Yona Rozenkier), and his younger brother Avishai (Micha Rozenkier), who is about to ship off to perform his military service in Lebanon. Yoav is an ex-officer traumatized by his experiences, while Itai remains a serviceman and believes fiercely in a man’s patriotic duty. Their conflicting perspectives generate a deep rift in Avi.

The title THE DIVE refers to the act that the three brothers must perform – to deposit their father’s remains in an underwater cave, an excuse for the film to exhibit some superb underwater cinematography.

Rozenkier (his first feature) successfully captures the male chauvinist world of the three bothers and how their lives are adversely affected

The film is ultimately about something much more profound: what it means to be human, made more believable as the story is autobiographical.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysRi5yC2MRI

TIFF 2018 Review: THE OTHER STORY (Israel 2018) ****

September 18, 2018 festreviews 2018 movies, movie, Movie Review, TIFF 2018 Movie Reviews, Uncategorized Avi Nesher, film reviews, gilbert seah, Maayan Bloom, Maya Dagan, Sasson Gabai, THE OTHER STORY, tiff 2018

Movie Reviews of films that will be playing at TIFF (Toronto International Film Festival) in 2018. Go to TIFF 2018 Movie Reviews and read reviews of films showing at the festival.

Strong female protagonists have been the mainstay of many Avi Nesher films. In ‘The Other Story’, two rebellious young women – one fleeing the chaos of secular hedonism for the disciplined …See full summary »

Director:

Avi Nesher

Writers:

Avi Nesher (co-writer), Noam Shpancer (co-writer)

Stars:

Maayan Bloom, Maya Dagan, Sasson Gabai

THE OTHER STORY is one of the BEST Jewish films I have seen, succeeding for the fact that it has quite a good story, and one related to Jewish mores. The film follows two rebellious young women, one fleeing the chaos of secular hedonism for the disciplined comforts of faith, the other desperate to transcend her oppressive religious upbringing for sexual and spiritual freedom, cross paths unexpectedly in Jerusalem — with startling consequences — in this empowering drama from Avi Nesher (PAST LIFE).

The film begins with Yonathan returning from the U.S. to Jerusalem, called by his ex-wife to do whatever crooked means possible to prevent their daughter Anati from marrying by defaming the groom. Meanwhile, Yonatan’s dad gets him involved in another couple’s dispute over custardy of their child. It is fucked up people doing fucked up things to un-fuck up their lives – a sort of dysfunctional family with a thriller element thrown in for good measure.

THE OTHER STORY is totally unpredictable, hilarious while remaining smart and believable. The best surprise in this crown-pleaser is the happy ending that had the audience applauding at the end credits.

Trailer: https://vimeo.com/283720820

TIFF 2018 Review: JEREMIAH TERMINATOR LEROY (USA/UK/Canada 2018) **

September 18, 2018 festreviews 2018 movies, movie, Movie Review, TIFF 2018 Movie Reviews, Uncategorized Diane Kruger, film reviews, gilbert seah, JEREMIAH TERMINATOR LEROY, Justin Kelly Writers:, Kristen Stewart, Laura Dern, tiff 2018

Movie Reviews of films that will be playing at TIFF (Toronto International Film Festival) in 2018. Go to TIFF 2018 Movie Reviews and read reviews of films showing at the festival.

A young woman named Savannah Knoop spends six years pretending to be the celebrated author JT LeRoy, the made-up literary persona of her sister-in-law.

Director:

Justin Kelly

Writers:

Justin Kelly, Savannah Knoop (memoir) | 1 more credit »

Stars:

Kristen Stewart, Diane Kruger, Laura Dern

Laura Albert (Laura Dern) writes tough, insightful fiction under a pseudonym, JT LeRoy. Her JT is not just a pen name but a whole persona, a teenage boy from West Virginia living a dangerous life as a truck stop sex worker. Laura was born in Brooklyn a generation earlier, and grew up in New York’s punk scene. Writing books such as The Heart is Deceitful Above All Things as JT gives her complete freedom to explore the darker regions of human experience. Readers and the media love it so much that they begin to demand JT in person.

As journalists press for interviews with JT, turmoil mounts with Laura’s husband Geoffrey (Jim Sturgess) and sister-in-law Savannah (Kristen Stewart). Partly from desperation, partly for kicks, they conspire to have Savannah don a wig and sunglasses, adjust her voice, and become the teenage boy author. Despite everything being based on a true story, Kelly’s film is extremely dull. He makes no attempt to make the events authentic or to make Savannah believable as JT. Whenever she appears as JT, she mumbles all along and the media and everyone takes it in from Cannes to Paris to the U.S.

Worst of all is the pretentious bit at the film’s end where Laura preaches to the audience that everyone has to be the person he or she is.

AUGUST 2018 EUROPEAN Films & Screenplays

September 17, 2018 festreviews Uncategorized

EUROPEAN Short Film and Screenplay Festival

Submit via FilmFreeway:

PERSONA, 2min., UK, Animation/Experimental

WHAT IF, 16min., Germany, Sci-Fi/Romance

FIREFLIES, 3min., UK, Drama

AUGENBLICKE – A BLINK OF AN EYE, 4min., Animation/Drama

RIGHT TO BE FORGOTTEN, 6min., Portugal, Drama

AXioMA, 15min., Italy, Drama

EAT JEREMY, 10min, UK, Comedy

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JULY 2018 EUROPEAN Films & Screenplays

September 17, 2018 festreviews Uncategorized

EUROPEAN Short Film and Screenplay Festival

Submit via FilmFreeway:

DOWN TIME, 15min., France, Drama

JUST SAYING, 14min., UK, Drama/Dark Comedy

THE CLIMB, 9min., UK, Drama

SISTER IN ARMS, 9min., UK, Crime/Drama

SNUG AS A BUG, 11min., UK, Comedy

HIGH CALORIE, 17min., Turkey, Family/Drama

THE LAST GIRL, 13min., Denmark, LGBT/Romance

WHO I AM, 17min, UK, LGBT/Drama

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JUNE 2018 EUROPEAN Films & Screenplays

September 17, 2018 festreviews Uncategorized

EUROPEAN Short Film and Screenplay Festival

Submit via FilmFreeway:

01, 7min., Germany, Experimental/Animation

TWICE UPON A TIME, 14min., Serbia, Animation/Fantasy

LAND OF MINE, 4min., Germany, Experimental

WHERE AM I ? COLACOASTER, 3min., Italy/Austria, Music Video

SUNFLOWER SUTRA, 4min., Netherlands, Music Video

TROUBLE, 3min., Austria, Music Video

SUPPLE HEARTS, 5min., UK, Experimental

HAUL, 5min., Czech Republic, Music Video

BURIED, 14min., UK, Thriller/War

AINHOA, 19min, Spain, Drama/Thriller

STREAM OF DOUBTS, 11min., France, Drama/Fantasy

MEASURE, 2min, UK, Horror/Drama

LIFE ON MARS, 16min., Spain, Drama

VINDICTE, 26min., Germany, Drama/Family

THE LETTERS, 18min., UK, Thriller/Drama

STALKER, 7min., Czech. Republic, Horror/Thriller

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May 2018 EUROPEAN Films & Screenplays

September 17, 2018 festreviews Uncategorized

EUROPEAN Short Film and Screenplay Festival

PREY, 13min., UK, Thriller/Horror

CHERI, 6min., France, Thriller/Suspense

AFTER LOVE, 6min., Hungary, Experimental/Romance

HANDS, 6min., UK, Experimental/Dance

TRUMPETS IN THE SKY, 12min., Belguim, Sci-Fi

THE SUPER RECOGNISER, 11min., UK, Sci-Fi

SOLUK (BREATH), 5min., Turkey, Sci-Fi

AFTER WE HAVE LEFT OUR HOMES, 8min., UK, Sci-Fi

****

Producer/Director: Matthew Toffolo http://www.matthewtoffolo.com

Festival Moderators: Kierston Drier, Shepsut Wilson
Casting Director: Sean Ballantyne
Editor: Kimberly Villarruel

Festival Directors: Mary Cox, Rachel Elder, Natasha Levy

Camera Operators: John Johnson, Isabal Cupryn, Aser Santos Jr., Zack Arch

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HIGHLIGHTS – AUGUST 2018 DOCUMENTARY Short Film Festival

September 17, 2018 festreviews Uncategorized

Documentary Film Festival. Los Angeles & Toronto

AUDIENCE AWARD WINNERS:

BEST FILM: ISIS WAS HERE

BEST CHARACTERS: BEYOND THE WALL

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY: HAART KENYA

BEST MUSIC: WATER

Watch the Audience FEEDBACK Videos:

SAN GUERRERO, 4min., Argentina, Documentary

WATER, 4min, USA, Documentary

WEEKEND WARRIOR, 6min., USA, Documentary

ISIS WAS HERE, 25min, Iraq, Documentary

HAART KENYA, 13min., Kenya, Documentary

HEARING FILMS, 8min., Canada, Documentary

BEYOND THE WALL, 26min., USA, Documentary

LISTEN to our Daily Podcast via iTunes, or go to www.wildsoundpodcast.com

There is an episode about this festival in our archives as we talk about the audience and all the great films we showcased at this event.

The theme of the August 2018 DOCUMENTARY FEEDBACK Film Festival in Toronto was “Pursuit of Freedom”. Every character on all of these presented films were either looking for freedom – either attempting to remove themselves from a hostile environment, or simply attempting to be free within themself.

This was an important…

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HIGHLIGHTS – MAY 2018 DOCUMENTARY Short Film Festival

September 17, 2018 festreviews Uncategorized

Documentary Film Festival. Los Angeles & Toronto

AUDIENCE AWARD WINNERS:

BEST FILM: REMAND

BEST SUBJECT MATTERS: WILDLAND

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY: REMAND

BEST MUSIC: PROJECT 1948

Watch the Audience FEEDBACK Videos:

PROJECT 1948, 13min., Bosnia, Documentary

REMAND, 40min., Uganda, Documentary

THE UNDERGROUND ARTIST, USA, 3min., Documentary

MOTHERS & METHADONE, 11min, Canada, Documentary

WILDLAND, 25min., USA, Documentary

The theme of the May 2018 DOCUMENTARY FEEDBACK Film Festival was “Repairing”. Every single film was about a world or characters needing to fix or repair the situations that they are currently in.

Documentary shorts festivals are easily the hardest to program for many reasons. The main two are because there are so many well made doc shorts that are over 20 minutes in length. And many of those said films have deep and emotionally hard to watch subjects. So you don’t want to overwelm the audience with so many different and important subjects in just one sitting.

So you have to…

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