Tag: festivals

  • Toronto and Venice Release Lineups: ‘Maestro’, ‘Priscilla’, ‘The Killer’, ‘Poor Things’ Will Debut

    Toronto and Venice Release Lineups: ‘Maestro’, ‘Priscilla’, ‘The Killer’, ‘Poor Things’ Will Debut

    2023 is poised to be a strange year for film festivals. With the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes showing no signs of stopping, many of these films’ stars will be absent at the festivals. Both festivals will run as planned even without many of their films’ A-list talent showing up. Actors campaigning for their films has always had a large impact on their film’s Oscar chances and more significantly on their chances at acting awards. It will be interesting to see how that changes this year.

     

    ‘Maestro’ (Netflix)

    VENICE

    The lineup for this year’s Venice Film Festival was just announced. This is the first major festival lineup announcement of the Oscar season and it gives us our first introductory look at this year’s possible contenders. In six of the past seven years, a top two Picture contender has played at Venice and this trend shows no signs of stopping.

    In my predictions from this month, I have two of the films that have shown up in the Venice lineup in the top 10: Bradley Cooper’s Maestro and Yorgos Lanthimos’ Poor Things. However, Sofia Coppola’s Priscilla, Ava DuVernay’s Origin, Michael Mann’s Ferrari, Ryusuke Hamguchi’s Evil Does Not Exist, David Fincher’s The Killer, Michel Franco’s Memory, Pablo Larrain’s El Conde, and Matteo Garrone’s Io Capitano should also be watched. If any one of these ten films leave Venice highly-acclaimed and/or win one of their top prizes, their chances of being a Best Picture contender expand greatly. While I’m not confident that any of these films will become a top 2 Best Picture contender this season, I’m essentially guaranteeing that one of them will end up being a top 5 contender.

    Anyways, here is the Venice slate:

    Competition

    Comandante, dir: Edoardo de Angelis (opening night film)

    Adagio, dir: Stefano Sollima
    La Bête, dir: Bertrand Bonello
    DogMan, dir: Luc Besson
    El Conde, dir: Pablo Larrain
    Enea, dir: Pietro Castellitto
    Evil Does Not Exist, Ryusuke Hamaguchi
    Ferrari, dir: Michael Mann
    Finalmente L’Alba, dir: Saverio Costanzo
    The Green Border, dir: Agnieszka Holland
    Holly, dir: Fien Troch
    Hors-Saison, dir: Stéphane Brizé
    Io Capitano, dir: Matteo Garrone
    The Killer, dir: David Fincher
    Lubo, dir: Giorgio Diritti
    Maestro, dir: Bradley Cooper
    Memory, dir: Michel Franco
    Origin, dir: Ava DuVernay
    Poor Things, dir: Yorgos Lanthimos
    Priscilla, dir: Sofia Coppola
    The Promised Land, dir: Nikolaj Arcel
    Die Theorie Von Allem, dir: Timm Kroger
    Woman Of, dirs: Malgorzata Szumowska, Michal Englert

    Out of Competition

    Fiction

    Aggro Dr1ft, dir: Harmony Korine
    The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial, dir: William Friedkin
    Coup de Chance, dir: Woody Allen
    Daaaaaal!, dir: Quentin Dupieux
    Hit Man, dir: Richard Linklater
    L’Ordine del Tempo, dir: Liliana Cavani
    The Palace, dir: Roman Polanski
    The Penitent, dir: Luca Barbareschi
    Snow Leopard, dir: Pema Tseden
    Vivants, dir: Alix Delaporte
    The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar, dir: Wes Anderson (short)

    Here are the Best Picture nominees that went to Venice from the past 7 years:

    2022 – In Competition: Tar (Best Actress winner), The Banshees of Inisherin (Best Actor and Best Screenplay winner)

    2021 – In Competition: The Power of the Dog (Silver Lion winner); Out of Competition: Dune

    2020 – In Competition: Nomadland (Golden Lion winner)

    2019 – In Competition: Joker (Golden Lion winner), Marriage Story

    2018 – In Competition: The Favourite (Grand Jury Prize and Best Actress winner), Roma (Golden Lion winner); Out of Competition: A Star is Born

    2017 – In Competition: The Shape of Water (Golden Lion winner), Three Billboard Outside Ebbing, Missouri (Best Screenplay winner)

    2016 – In Competition: Arrival, La La Land (Best Actress winner); Out of Competition: Hacksaw Ridge

    Based on this, it would be reasonable to suspect that at least two fiction films from this year’s in competition and out of competition slates will make it in Best Picture. I don’t really see anything from the out of competition slate becoming a Picture contender but in terms of likelihood, the films from the competition slate that I think have a best chance of receiving a Picture nomination are, Maestro, Poor Things, Origin, Priscilla, Ferrari, The Killer, and Evil Doesn’t Exist. If DuVernay’s Origin is highly-acclaimed, I can see that film being a possible Picture winner. The film tackles historical systemic racism in the United States and could very well be the kind of accessible socially-conscious cinematic lightning rod the Academy would want to support if it ends up being very good. If the film is near the quality and raw strength of previous Duvernay projects When They See Us and 13th, I think we might have our Best Picture winner.

    Here is the rest of the Venice slate:

    Short (Out of Competition)

    Welcome to Paradise, dir: Leonardo Di Costanzo

    Non-Fiction (Out of Competition)

    Amor, dir: Virginia Eleuteri Serpieri
    Enzo Jannacci Vengo Anch’io, dir: Giorgio Verdelli
    Frente a Guernica (Version Integrale), dirs: Yervant Gianikian, Angela Ricci Lucchi
    Hollywoodgate, dir: Ibrahim Nash’at
    Menus Plaisirs – Les Troisgros, dir: Frederick Wiseman
    Ryuichi Sakamoto Opus, dir: Neo Sora

    Series (Out of Competition)

    D’Argent et de Sang (episodes 1-12), dirs: Xavier Giannoli, Frederic Planchon
    I Know Your Soul (episodes 1-2), dirs: Alen Drljevic, Nermin Hamzagic

    Special Screening

    La Parte del Leone: Una Storia della Mostra, dirs: Baptiste Etchegary, Guiseppe Bucchi

    Horizons

    En Attendant la Nuit, dir: Céline Rouzet
    Behind the Mountains, dir: Mohamed Ben Attia
    A Cielo Abierto, dirs: Mariana Arriaga, Santiago Arriaga
    City of Wind, dir: Lkhagvadulam Purev-Ochir
    Dormitory, dir: Nehir Tuna
    El Paraiso, dir: Enrico Maria Artale
    Explanation for Everything, dir: Gabor Reisz
    The Featherweight, dir: Robert Kolodny
    Gasoline Rainbow, dirs: Bill Ross, Turner Ross
    Heartless, dirs: Nara Normande, Tiao
    Hesitation Wound, dir: Selman Nacar
    Housekeeping for Beginners, dir: Goran Stolevski
    Invelle, dir: Simone Massi
    Paradise Is Burning, dir: Mika Gustafson The Red Suitcase, dir: Fidel Devkota Shadow of Fire, dir: Shinya Tsukamoto
    Una Sterminata Domenica, dir: Alain Perroni
    Tatami, dirs: Guy Nattiv, Zar Amir Ebrahimi

    Horizons Extra

    Bota Jone, dir: Luana Bajrami
    Day of the Fight, dir: Jack Huston
    Felicita, dir: Micaela Ramazzotti
    Forever Forever, dir: Anna Buryachkova
    L’Homme d’Argile, dir: Anais Tellenne
    In the Land of Saints and Sinners, dir: Robert Lorenz
    Pet Shop Boys, dir: Olmo Schnabel
    Stolen, dir: Karan Tejpal
    The Rescue, dir: Daniela Goggi

    Venice Classics

    Non-Fiction

    Un Altra Italia Era Possibile, Il Cinema Di Guiseppe De Santis, dir: Stefano Della Casa
    Bill Douglas My Best Friend, dir: Jack Archer
    Dario Argento Panico, dir: Simone Scafidi
    Frank Capra: Mr America, dir: Matthew Wells
    Ken Jacobs From Orchard Street to the Museum of Modern Art, dir: Fred Riedel
    Le Film Pro-Nazi d’Hitchcock, dir: Daphne Baiwir
    Landrian, dir: Ernesto Daranas Serrano
    Michel Gondry Do It Yourself, dir: François Nemeta
    Thank You Very Much, dir: Alex Braverman

     

    ‘The Zone of Interest’ (A24)

    TORONTO

    In the last ten years, the eventual Best Picture winner has played at TIFF seven times. As a result, it has garnered a reputation as the most important festival in the Oscar race. Additionally, in the last 10 years, excluding the COVID year 2020, at least three films that screened at TIFF were nominated for Best Picture later that season. This year, Jonathan Glazer’s The Zone of Interest, Justine Triet’s Anatomy of a Fall, George C. Wolfe’s Rustin, Taika Waititi’s Next Goal Wins, Ellen Kuras’ Lee, Alexander Payne’s The Holdovers, Ladj Ly’s Les Indesirables, Alice Rohrwacher’s La Chimera, Hirokazu Koreeda’s Monster, Craig Gillespie’s Dumb Money, Christos Nikou’s Fingernails, Michel Franco’s Memory, Kristin Scott Thomas’ North Star, James Hawes’ One Life, Michael Winterbottom’s Shoshanna, Ethan Hawke’s Wildcat, and Atom Egoyan’s Seven Veils are some of the most high-profile films being shown.

    Anyway, here is the Toronto slate:

    Gala Presentations 

    Concrete Utopia, directed by Um Tae-Hwa

    Dumb Money, directed by Craig Gillespie

    Fair Play, directed by Chloe Domont

    Flora and Son, directed by John Carney

    Hate to Love: Nickelback, directed by Leigh Brooks

    Lee, directed by Ellen Kuras

    Next Goal Wins, directed by Taika Waititi

    NYAD, directed by Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin

    Punjab ’95, directed by Honey Trehan

    Solo, directed by Sophie Dupuis

    The End We Start From, directed by Mahalia Belo

    The Movie Emperor, directed by Ning Hao

    The New Boy, directed by Warwick Thornton

    The Royal Hotel, directed by Kitty Green

    Special Presentations

    A Difficult Year, directed by Éric Toledano and Olivier Nakache

    A Normal Family, directed by Hur Jin-ho

    American Fiction, directed by Cord Jefferson

    Anatomy of a Fall, directed by Justine Triet

    Close to You, directed by Dominic Savage

    Days of Happiness, directed by Chloé Robichaud

    El Rapto, directed by Daniela Goggi

    Ezra, directed by Tony Goldwyn

    Fingernails, directed by Christos Nikou

    Four Daughters, directed by Kaouther Ben Hania

    His Three Daughters, directed by Azazel Jacobs

    Hitman, directed by Richard Linklater

    In Restless Dreams: The Music of Paul Simon, directed by Alex Gibney

    Kidnapped, directed by Marco Bellocchio

    Knox Goes Away, directed by Michael Keaton

    La Chimera, directed by Alice Rohrwacher

    Last Summer, directed by Catherine Breillat

    Les Indésirables, directed by Ladj Ly

    Memory, directed by Michel Franco

    Monster, directed by Kore-eda Hirokazu

    Mother Couch, directed by Niclas Larsson

    North Star, directed by Kristin Scott Thomas

    One Life, directed by James Hawes

    Pain Hustlers, directed by David Yates

    Poolman, directed by Chris Pine

    Reptile, directed by Grant Singer

    Rustin, directed by George C. Wolfe

    Seven Veils, directed by Atom Egoyan

    Shoshana, directed by Michael Winterbottom

    Sing Sing, directed by Greg Kwedar

    Smugglers, directed by Ryoo Seung-wan

    Swan Song, directed by Chelsea McMullan

    The Beast, directed by Bertrand Bonello

    The Burial, directed by Maggie Betts

    The Convert, directed by Lee Tamahori

    The Critic, directed by Anand Tucker

    The Dead Don’t Hurt, directed by Viggo Mortensen

    The Holdovers, directed by Alexander Payne

    The Peasants, directed by DK Welchman and Hugh Welchman

    The Zone of Interest, directed by Jonathan Glazer

    Together 99, directed by Lukas Moodysson

    Unicorns, directed by Sally El Hosaini and James Krishna Floyd

    Uproar, directed by Paul Middleditch and Hamish Bennett

    Wicked Little Letters, directed by Thea Sharrock

    Wildcat, directed by Ethan Hawke

    Woman of the Hour, directed by Anna Kendrick

    Here are the Best Picture nominees that went to Toronto from the past 10 years:

    2022 – Special Presentations: All Quiet on the Western Front, The Banshees of Inisherin, The Fabelmans, Triangle of Sadness, Women Talking

    2021 – Gala Presentations: Belfast (People’s Choice Award 1st place); Special Presentations: Drive My Car, The Power of the Dog (People’s Choice Award 3rd place); Special Events: Dune

    2020 – Gala Presentations: Nomadland (People’s Choice Award 1st place); Special Presentations: The Father

    2019 – Gala Presentations: Ford v Ferrari, Joker; Special Presentations: Jojo Rabbit (People’s Choice award 1st place), Marriage Story (People’s Choice Award 2nd place), Parasite (People’s Choice Award 3rd place)

    2018 – Gala Presentations: Green Book (People’s Choice Award 1st place), A Star is Born; Special Presentations: Roma (People’s Choice Award 3rd place)

    2017 – Gala Presentations: Darkest Hour; Special Presentations: Call Me By Your Name (People’s Choice Award 3rd place), Lady Bird, The Shape of Water, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (People’s Choice Award 1st place)

    2016 – Gala Presentations: Arrival; Special Presentations: La La Land (People’s Choice Award 1st place), Lion (People’s Choice Award 2nd place), Manchester by the Sea; Platform: Moonlight

    2015 – Gala Presentations: The Martian; Special Presentations: Brooklyn, Room (People’s Choice Award winner), Spotlight (People’s Choice Award 3rd place)

    2014 – Special Presentations: The Imitation Game (People’s Choice Award 1st place), The Theory of Everything, Whiplash

    2013 – Special Presentations: 12 Years a Slave (People’s Choice Award 1st place), Dallas Buyers Club, Gravity, Philomena (People’s Choice Award 2nd place)

    Based on this, I think it’s reasonable to expect that four to five of the films playing at TIFF will end up as Best Picture nominees. I’m not confident on whether this year’s Best Picture winner will play at TIFF, but history says that at least two of this year’s top five contenders will play at Toronto. In terms of likelihood, the films from the competition slate that I think have a best chance of receiving a Picture nomination are, The Zone of Interest, Anatomy of a Fall, Rustin, Lee, Next Goal Wins, Les Indesirables, and The Holdovers.

     

  • Venice and TIFF Recap: “Nomadland” Wins People’s Choice Award

    Venice and TIFF Recap: “Nomadland” Wins People’s Choice Award

    Chloe Zhao’s Nomadland was named the winner of the Grolsch’s People Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival. Regina King’s One Night in Miami and Tracey Deer’s Beans came in second and third place respectively.

    As I’ve shown in previous posts, the TIFF People’s Choice Award is one of the most important precursors of Best Picture at this stage in the race. In the last 5 years, 11 of the 15 chosen films for the People’s Choice Award went on to be nominated for Best Picture and 3 of those films ended up winning Best Picture. In the last 10 years, 6 Best Picture winners have been selected in one of the three places of the People’s Choice Award.

    Based on these statistics, two of the three winners will likely be nominated for Best Picture. My bets are on Nomadland and One Night in Miami as they are directed by known filmmakers (Chloe Zhao and Regina King), distributed by powerful studios (Searchlight and Amazon), and feature known names in front of the camera. However, if Beans gets picked up by a major distributor, the film’s Oscar chances will significantly rise.

    Also, it is important to mention that this year’s festival had a much smaller slate than it usually does and that might affect many of the trends seen with the winners of this award.

    In other TIFF news, Florian Zeller’s The Father starring Anthony Hopkins and Olivia Colman continues to get great reviews and while I expected it to get some recognition by the TIFF audience, I still think that it is the race. The trailer looked especially amazing and I am excited for the film to come out.

    Ammonite, however, does not seem to be getting as great reviews and while Kate Winslet likely still will be nominated for Best Actress, the film seems to be barely a Top 15 Best Picture contender at this point.

    In Venice news, Nomadland also won the Venice Golden Lion, which is the op prize at that film festival. While historically, the award ha snot been very predictive of Oscar success, the last 3 winners (The Shape of Water, Roma, and Joker) have been nominated for Best Picture. While Golden Lion winners have been runner-ups for the TIFF People’s Choice Award (Monsoon Wedding, Brokeback Mountain), this is the first time that the winner of the Golden Lion has also won the TIFF People’s Choice Award. While this is likely due to the slimmed slate at these festivals, it is a fact that solidifies Nomadland’s place as a top 5 Best Picture contender.