Telluride Film festival live - George Gittoes and the miscreants....

George Gittoes is Australian, he is a filmmaker, photographer, painter, adventurer and has just finished The Miscreants ot Taliwood, a “docu-fiction-mentary” about the film industry in Pakistan. His film talks about the raid and destruction of popular films made locally : the Talibans have annihilated this popular genre to replace it with snuff movies showing executions and torture… George Gittoes doesn’t hesitate to throw himself into the action no matter how risky and dangerous. He is more than an insider, he obviously cares deeply about his subject and the people who help him translate his vision of a world gone mad. Unlike observers he doesn’t hesitate and involves himself deeply in the subject he is tackling, sometimes risking his life and saving some. The Miscreants will be presented at the Amsterdam film festival in November and should then have a European life in terms of distribution. George Gittoes’ next documentary will take him to Afghanistan unless he goes to Somalia and Ethiopia on the footsteps of Rimbaud and some lost poetry… He actually owns a unique portrait of Rimbaud at age 16 (see photo) taken by Carjat, the photographer whose poetry Rimbaud declared “rubbish”…. But it’s another story and the reason why the portrait is slashed!
Works and excerpts of George Gittoes' works are on gittoes-dalton-films.com

Pour la version française voir http://sotinel.blog.lemonde.fr/2009/09/

Telluride film festival live - the beat my heart skipped

The beat my heart almost skipped or whatever it is but it is confirmed, Jacques Audiard and His Prophet will be at the festival. It is day 1 at Telluride and everything is going to start tonight with the beautiful Anouk Aimee and Lola by Jacques Demy. According to the little blue sticker on my press pass (the kind used at garage sales) I am allowed to take photos so if technology is with me, you'll have some photos tomorrow… No high tech here in Telluride and it's better that way. The look is definitely an outdoor one and you would be and feel ridiculous in your high heels (look who is talking!) and black leather urban style. The festival promises to be rich with The Road and the magnetic/magical presence of Viggo Mortensen, Margharete Von Trotta, Michael Haneke, Alexander Payne, Werner Herzog the divine/the one (easy to spot my preferences…). And tonight, the screening of Coco before Chanel and NOT Chanel before Coco as I keep repeating and since I cannot blame it on the jetlag, I will blame the altitude! The internet connections are rather rare in the Gold Rush country but as soon as I find a connection that is not in a corner on a tent by the ski-lift, I will resume and post and gossip and tell-it all!

Pour la version française voir http://sotinel.blog.lemonde.fr/2009/09/

Telluride Film Festival -2

The 36th Telluride Film Festival is about to open in Colorado and we still don't know much about the program. This festival loves to wrap itself in secrecy for several reasons : 1- no medals, prizes, awards , bear or palms of any kind, 2- it is pretty hard to get there and once there one must deal with altitude 3- it recruits its troops among film lovers and not among agents/paparazzi/journalists and can very well do without them indeed. You can follow the festival on http://telluridefilmfestival.org/ but there is nothing like experiencing it. We already know that there will be a tribute to the director Alexander Payne (Mr. Schmidt, Sideways) who has been in the news lately thanks to the popular new series on HBO, Hung (alias “Bien monté”) that he has directed at least for the pilot. Hung is a solid and powerful series which promises to be long and joyful!
A part from Alexander Payne, there are lots of rumors but nothing has been confirmed yet. It is more than probable that many films presented at the Cannes Film Festival last May will be presented but we don't know which ones. I can tell you for sure that Lars Van Trier will most certainly not be there to present Antichrist... knowing his phobia for air travel. Unless he is teleported, I can't see him reaching the summit. That said, there are always surprises in Telluride so you never know. It is one of the rare places on earth (if you don't include the tabloids) where you can see movie stars strolling on Main street wearing sneakers and holding a coffee in their hands.

Pour la version française voir http://sotinel.blog.lemonde.fr/2009/09/

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