The News Review:
- Sundance Film Festival: Triumph of the sundance kids
- Parkes pair graced for Elvis festival
- British comic’s effort is festival’s big buy
- China eyes French comic book festival as springboard to Europe
- Fajr Intl. Theater Festival picks first-rate jury
- Trabzon to host Tabrizi culture festival
- Sundance Film Festival
Sundance Film Festival: Triumph of the sundance kids
Telegraph.co.uk – Jan 26, 2008
In hotels and condominiums from which hang icicles eight feet long the buyers and sellers of 125 films from around the world will stow away their BlackBerries and their thermal underwear after 10 hard days of hustling. Somewhere out on Main Street Robert Redford patron of this world-famous celebration of independent filmmaking will be glimpsed for a final time. There are those who say that the festival has “lost its soul” that it has been sullied by Hollywood and all its attendant vanities and hollowness. But there is a reason that Hollywood is now such a tangible presence at Sundance a reason why the major studios are so keen to snap up the best of the independent talent on offer.
Parkes pair graced for Elvis festival
The Age – Jan 26, 2008
But her husband Bob isn’t jealous —he shares her passion for the king of rock’n'roll and today theSteels have been awarded medals of the rder of Australia for theirrole in establishing the Parkes Elvis Festival. Since 1993 the festival has been held in Parkes on the secondweekend of January. Self-confessed Elvis fanatics Bob 66 andAnne 64 dreamt up the festival during a quiet month at theirElvis-themed restaurant Graceland. “It’s very hot in Parkes in January so everyone who can leavetown does” Mrs Steel said.
British comic’s effort is festival’s big buy
San Francisco Chronicle – Jan 26, 2008
tmpl –>(01-26) 04:00 PST Park City Utah –Steve Coogan is the toast of Sundance. The British actor stars in the biggest acquisition of the film festival “Hamlet 2″ a bawdy comedy directed by Andrew Fleming that takes politically incorrect jabs at inspirational teacher flicks like “Mr. tmpl –> Images… 5 million to verture Films. “We think we managed to find a little gem” verture CE Chris McGurk said Wednesday. Before the festival filmmakers and sellers had hoped the halt in production due to the writers strike would put pressure on buyers. It turned out that distributors were actually more reticent than usual. “There did seem to be more caution this year I guess as opposed to prior years” McGurk said. Among documentaries HB Documentary Films purchased “Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired” for U.
China eyes French comic book festival as springboard to Europe
Channel News Asia – Jan 26, 2008
With their own national pavilion set up in city hall a large Chinese delegation boasted of 11 million euros (US$16 million) worth of deals in the fields of comics and animated cartoons. Friday was officially China Day at the Angouleme festival with the country’s vice culture minister Meng Xiaosi talking up the “universal” character of comics. Less known as highly-successful Japanese manga comics Chinese comics – known as “manhua” in Mandarin – so far have only a marginal following in the French and larger European market. While manga traces its roots back to old artistic traditions Chinese comics have – until recently – been propaganda vehicles for the communist regime in Beijing.
Fajr Intl. Theater Festival picks first-rate jury
Tehran Times – Jan 26, 2008
Theater Festival picks first-rate jury Tehran Times Art Desk TEHRAN — Five Iranian and foreign jury members will judge productions in the international competition section of the 26th Fajr International Theater Festival. Iranian Saeid Keshen-Fallah and Farhad Nazerzadeh Kermani Kuwaiti Nadir Al-qana British Aleksandar Dundjerovic and U. Vilsoni Hereniko comprise this year?s jury. Aleksandar Dundjerovic is a senior lecturer in theater at the University of Manchester.
Trabzon to host Tabrizi culture festival
Tehran Times – Jan 26, 2008
?Various exhibitions and art programs will be organized to introduce the profound culture of Tabriz and the people of Iranian Azarbaijan during the event which will take place from February 5 to 11? Tabriz Mayor Alireza Novin told the Persian service of IRNA on Thursday. rganized by the Tabriz Municipality the project will also further acquaint the Turkish people in Trabzon with the Islamic Revolution Novin added. ——Canada trip inspires author to highlight Iranian theater historyTEHRAN — Iranian author and translator Shirin Bozorgmehr plans to write a book in English on the history of modern Iranian theater. ?I learned during my brief sojourn in Canada some time ago that the West is not familiar with the activities of modern theater in Iranian.
Sundance Film Festival
Hollywood Reporter – Jan 26, 2008
By James GreenbergJan 26 2008. Sundance Film FestivalPARK CITY — An anti-terrorism tale from the perspective of a young British mother "Incendiary" taps the bewilderment and anger of our contemporary age. Based on a novel by Chris Cleave and written and directed by Sharon Maguire it begs for saner heads to prevail in our crazy times. It's a powerful and important message that the film unfortunately fails to deliver in a compelling way. Still Michelle William's riveting performance as the young mother makes it imminently watchable. But given the indifference to terrorism-themed fare in the last year it's hard to imagine "Incendiary" igniting at the boxoffice.