Releasing tomorrow, January 1, 2021, on digital platforms is Thomas Balmès’s Sing Me a Song, which finds the French documentarian returning to the town of Laya in Bhutan, the scene of his excellent 2014 documentary Happiness, to learn how one of its subjects, an eight-year-old monk named Peyangki who’s now a teenager, is dealing with the late arrival to his monastery of the internet and social media. Needless to say, the combination of adolescence and technology has created profound changes in Peyangki’s life — changes that provide insight into the ways in which these forms of communication have changed all […]
The post Clip Premiere: Thomas Balmès Sing Me a Song first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post Clip Premiere: Thomas Balmès Sing Me a Song first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 12/31/2020
- by Scott Macaulay
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Releasing tomorrow, January 1, 2021, on digital platforms is Thomas Balmès’s Sing Me a Song, which finds the French documentarian returning to the town of Laya in Bhutan, the scene of his excellent 2014 documentary Happiness, to learn how one of its subjects, an eight-year-old monk named Peyangki who’s now a teenager, is dealing with the late arrival to his monastery of the internet and social media. Needless to say, the combination of adolescence and technology has created profound changes in Peyangki’s life — changes that provide insight into the ways in which these forms of communication have changed all […]
The post Clip Premiere: Thomas Balmès Sing Me a Song first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post Clip Premiere: Thomas Balmès Sing Me a Song first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 12/31/2020
- by Scott Macaulay
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
"Have the Monks stopped meditating? They all seem to be tweeting." Werner Herzog made this potent (and pithy) observation in his 2016 documentary on the origins and effects of the internet, Lo And Behold. A few years later, French director (and cinematographer) Thomas Balmès takes this hypothesis an intimate leap forward with Sing Me A Song. The film is a non-fiction portrait of a long-distance relationship between a Buddhist Monk in the Bhutanese mountains and a lounge singer (and single mother) in the capital city of Thimphu, some 80 kilometres away. This is not Balmès first trip to Bhutan, nor to the remote mountainous region of Laya, as nearly a decade ago, he made a film called Happiness, about an eight year old monk, Peyangki, who...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
- 12/31/2020
- Screen Anarchy
The specialty box office and streaming space is ringing in 2021 with a peppering of new titles starting with Shadow in the Cloud starring Chloë Grace Moretz, which opens in select theaters and drops on VOD and digital starting January 1, 2021.
Directed by Roseanne Liang who co-wrote the script with Max Landis, Shadow in the Cloud is part war pic, part horror and part women empowerment. Set in World War II, the film follows Captain Maude Garrett (Moretz) who joins an all-male crew of a B-17 bomber with a top-secret package. Caught off guard by the presence of a woman on a military flight, the crew tests Maude’s every move. Just as her quick wit is winning them over, strange happenings and holes in her backstory incite paranoia surrounding her true mission. On top of all of this, there’s something lurking in the shadows — something sinister is tearing at the heart of the plane.
Directed by Roseanne Liang who co-wrote the script with Max Landis, Shadow in the Cloud is part war pic, part horror and part women empowerment. Set in World War II, the film follows Captain Maude Garrett (Moretz) who joins an all-male crew of a B-17 bomber with a top-secret package. Caught off guard by the presence of a woman on a military flight, the crew tests Maude’s every move. Just as her quick wit is winning them over, strange happenings and holes in her backstory incite paranoia surrounding her true mission. On top of all of this, there’s something lurking in the shadows — something sinister is tearing at the heart of the plane.
- 12/31/2020
- by Dino-Ray Ramos
- Deadline Film + TV
There’s not a lot in the way of new releases for movie lovers this week, although that might be for the best, given the state of the coronavirus outbreak. The good news: Those films that are bowing in theaters over the New Year’s weekend will filter down to streaming outlets one week later — plus, most of the end-of-year blockbusters that audience might have been obliged to pay full price to see on the big screen can already be accessed at home (like would-be blockbusters like “Wonder Woman 1984” and “Soul”).
Still, take a moment to scope out what’s being launched, since there are some real treasures among them worth catching up with when you can. “The Iron Lady” director Phyllida Lloyd delivers one of the year’s best films with “Herself,” about an Irish woman who fights back against a sexist system in order to escape her...
Still, take a moment to scope out what’s being launched, since there are some real treasures among them worth catching up with when you can. “The Iron Lady” director Phyllida Lloyd delivers one of the year’s best films with “Herself,” about an Irish woman who fights back against a sexist system in order to escape her...
- 12/30/2020
- by Peter Debruge
- Variety Film + TV
French documentarian Thomas Balmès checks in with the Himalayan monk he filmed back in 2013 to find him addicted to online romance
In 2013, French documentary-maker Thomas Balmès made a film called Happiness, about an eight-year-old monk called Peyangki in the remote Himalayan village of Laya in Bhutan – and how this boy was responding to the astounding novelties of TV and the internet. Now seven years later, Balmès has returned to Laya and to Peyangki, who has grown to young adulthood in this brave new digital world.
What Balmès has chanced upon now are not simply more instances of how the web has opened or closed that innocent mind: he gives us a sad and sombre love story from the globalised 21st century. Basically, Peyangki is now regularly neglecting his religious studies and is addicted to his smartphone and to the web, though arguably no more so than any other young person in the developed world.
In 2013, French documentary-maker Thomas Balmès made a film called Happiness, about an eight-year-old monk called Peyangki in the remote Himalayan village of Laya in Bhutan – and how this boy was responding to the astounding novelties of TV and the internet. Now seven years later, Balmès has returned to Laya and to Peyangki, who has grown to young adulthood in this brave new digital world.
What Balmès has chanced upon now are not simply more instances of how the web has opened or closed that innocent mind: he gives us a sad and sombre love story from the globalised 21st century. Basically, Peyangki is now regularly neglecting his religious studies and is addicted to his smartphone and to the web, though arguably no more so than any other young person in the developed world.
- 12/29/2020
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
‘Sing Me A Song’ Trailer: Thomas Balmès Returns With A Doc About A Monk Finding Love On Social Media
When you think of monks living their lives in the mountains in Asia, you don’t necessarily imagine them on social media and staring at smartphones. But in “Sing Me A Song,” not only do we meet the monks of the rural monastery in Bhutan, but we also see how one teen Buddhist monk, Peyangki, is not only using social media but also finding love.
Read More: ‘Pretend It’s A City’ Trailer: Martin Scorsese Directs A Second Doc About Humorist Fran Lebowitz
As seen in the trailer for “Sing Me A Song,” we are reintroduced to Peyangki, a subject of a previous documentary “Happiness” from filmmaker Thomas Balmès, a teen monk that has found love on WeChat.
Continue reading ‘Sing Me A Song’ Trailer: Thomas Balmès Returns With A Doc About A Monk Finding Love On Social Media at The Playlist.
Read More: ‘Pretend It’s A City’ Trailer: Martin Scorsese Directs A Second Doc About Humorist Fran Lebowitz
As seen in the trailer for “Sing Me A Song,” we are reintroduced to Peyangki, a subject of a previous documentary “Happiness” from filmmaker Thomas Balmès, a teen monk that has found love on WeChat.
Continue reading ‘Sing Me A Song’ Trailer: Thomas Balmès Returns With A Doc About A Monk Finding Love On Social Media at The Playlist.
- 12/28/2020
- by Charles Barfield
- The Playlist
"As long as it's a love song." Gravitas has unveiled an official trailer for an indie documentary titled Sing Me a Song, made by acclaimed French doc filmmaker Thomas Balmès. This originally premiered at the Toronto Film Festival last year, and arrives on VOD in the US in early January. When the internet finally arrives in tiny Bhutan, documentarian Thomas Balmès is there to witness its transformative impact on a young Buddhist monk whose initial trepidation gives way to profound engagement with the technology. A nuanced portrait of a young man’s introduction to the world, Balmès offers us an eye-opening snapshot of the effects of technology, and challenges us to reassess our perceptions of self-worth and beliefs in an age of unparalleled connectivity. It's rather amusing to think that these humble Bhutan Buddhist monks also fall for pretty women in dating apps just as easily as anyone else. Here's...
- 11/22/2020
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Cinemas are looking to bounce back from a week of bad news.
France, opening Wednesday September 23
UFO Distribution and Potemkine Films joined forces this week for a rare general release of a medium-length film to launch Gaspar Noé’s 51-minute work Lux Æterna on 47 prints. Co-starring Beatrice Dalle and Charlotte Gainsbourg as a director and actress locked in a hellish shoot, the work debuted Out of Competition in Cannes in 2019.
Noé’s cult status at home ensured plenty of press and according to France’s Cbo Box Office the picture came in fifth out of 15 new releases on its first day in cinemas,...
France, opening Wednesday September 23
UFO Distribution and Potemkine Films joined forces this week for a rare general release of a medium-length film to launch Gaspar Noé’s 51-minute work Lux Æterna on 47 prints. Co-starring Beatrice Dalle and Charlotte Gainsbourg as a director and actress locked in a hellish shoot, the work debuted Out of Competition in Cannes in 2019.
Noé’s cult status at home ensured plenty of press and according to France’s Cbo Box Office the picture came in fifth out of 15 new releases on its first day in cinemas,...
- 9/25/2020
- by Ben Dalton¬Martin Blaney¬Melanie Goodfellow¬Gabriele Niola
- ScreenDaily
The American Film Institute has revealed its full slate of films being presented online for the AFI Docs 2020 Film Festival, which will take place digitally this year. The lineup features 59 films from 11 countries and 12 virtual world premieres, with 61 percent of the films directed by women, 25 percent by Poc directors, and 14 percent by LGBTQ directors. The festival runs June 17–21, with films available to view on Docs.AFI.com. See the full lineup below.
“Now more than ever, it is important to expand our perspectives and listen to voices that may differ from our own, and this year’s festival includes a diverse range of insights and experiences for audiences to share in,” said Michael Lumpkin, AFI Festivals director. “These films explore political and social issues in the U.S. and across the globe, introducing us to the next generation of leaders and shedding new light on figures of the past.”
The...
“Now more than ever, it is important to expand our perspectives and listen to voices that may differ from our own, and this year’s festival includes a diverse range of insights and experiences for audiences to share in,” said Michael Lumpkin, AFI Festivals director. “These films explore political and social issues in the U.S. and across the globe, introducing us to the next generation of leaders and shedding new light on figures of the past.”
The...
- 6/8/2020
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
The festival, held in the French Alps, will have a timely ecological angle for the first time.
The Les Arcs Film Festival has unveiled the line-up for its 11th edition, which will unfold in the French Alps Dec 14-21, with a timely ecological angle for the first time.
Artistic director Frédéric Boyer has selected 120 films, which will play across six sections, including the Competition, Playtime, Hauteur and Avant-Premieres sidebars. Some 22,000 public and professional attendees are expected to attend in line with 2018.
Dutch actor-turned-director Halina Reijn’s psychological thriller Instinct, Fyzal Boulifa’s UK tragic female friendship tale Lynn + Lucy and...
The Les Arcs Film Festival has unveiled the line-up for its 11th edition, which will unfold in the French Alps Dec 14-21, with a timely ecological angle for the first time.
Artistic director Frédéric Boyer has selected 120 films, which will play across six sections, including the Competition, Playtime, Hauteur and Avant-Premieres sidebars. Some 22,000 public and professional attendees are expected to attend in line with 2018.
Dutch actor-turned-director Halina Reijn’s psychological thriller Instinct, Fyzal Boulifa’s UK tragic female friendship tale Lynn + Lucy and...
- 11/5/2019
- by 1100380¦Melanie Goodfellow¦0¦
- ScreenDaily
25 non-fiction works and 10 genre-focused titles will feature in the Toronto International Film Festival’s sidebars. The 44th Toronto International Film Festival (5-15 September) has presented the line-ups for its documentary strand Tiff Docs and its Midnight Madness section. In the Tiff Docs selection, 25 non-fiction works — 18 of them having their World Premieres at the festival — will be showcased, exploring various themes from stories of key leading figures, sports, global politics, environmentalism, and racism. Thom Powers, serving his 14th year as Tiff Docs programmer, underlined: “This year’s programme captures characters you’ll never forget: lovers, fighters, dancers, athletes, despots, rebels, hustlers, and heroes.” The section will open with the world premiere of Feras Fayyad’s The Cave, about an underground hospital led by a female doctor in war-torn Syria. Highlights include world premieres of Thomas Balmès’ Sing Me A Song and Hind Meddeb’s Paris Stalingrad; Patricio Guzmán’s The Cordillera.
The Toronto Film Festival has revealed this year’s lineups for its documentary, Midnight Madness, Discovery and retro Cinematheque sections, adding movies from Alex Gibney, Barbara Kopple, Bryce Dallas Howard, Richard Stanley and Ali LeRoi to the 2019 fest that kicks off next month.
Tiff Docs’ 25 pics kicks off with the world premiere of Feras Fayyad’s The Cave, about an underground hospital led by a female doctor in war-torn Syria. Also in the mix is Kopple’s Desert One, chronicling a perilous mission to rescue hostages in Iran, and Gibney’s Citizen K, profiling the Russian oligarch Mikhail Khodorkovsky.
Meanwhile, the genre lineup of Midnight Madness includes Richard Stanley’s H.P. Lovecraft adaptation Color Out of Space, which stars Nicolas Cage and brings the director back to the section after 29 years, and Takashi Miike’s Japanese action-comedy First Love.
The Discovery section will open with Chiara Malta’s Simple Women,...
Tiff Docs’ 25 pics kicks off with the world premiere of Feras Fayyad’s The Cave, about an underground hospital led by a female doctor in war-torn Syria. Also in the mix is Kopple’s Desert One, chronicling a perilous mission to rescue hostages in Iran, and Gibney’s Citizen K, profiling the Russian oligarch Mikhail Khodorkovsky.
Meanwhile, the genre lineup of Midnight Madness includes Richard Stanley’s H.P. Lovecraft adaptation Color Out of Space, which stars Nicolas Cage and brings the director back to the section after 29 years, and Takashi Miike’s Japanese action-comedy First Love.
The Discovery section will open with Chiara Malta’s Simple Women,...
- 8/8/2019
- by Patrick Hipes
- Deadline Film + TV
The Toronto International Film Festival has unveiled its documentary, discovery, and midnight programs.
The lineup of 25 nonfiction works in the documentary category cover an array of topics and subjects — ranging from immigration to corruption in politics to Truman Capote’s rarefied social circle. The announcement comes as documentaries have become one of the most reliable sources of box office revenues for indie studios. Films such as “Free Solo” and “Rbg” were among the biggest arthouse hits of 2018 and there’s a lot of interest among buyers in the films in this section. Thom Powers, Tiff Docs programmer, attributes the rising commercial prospects of these films to the ubiquity of non-fiction works on Netflix and other streaming services.
“People have developed a real appetite for documentary films similar to the way they once developed an appetite for serial television,” says Powers. “Once they started sampling, they just wanted more. With Netflix...
The lineup of 25 nonfiction works in the documentary category cover an array of topics and subjects — ranging from immigration to corruption in politics to Truman Capote’s rarefied social circle. The announcement comes as documentaries have become one of the most reliable sources of box office revenues for indie studios. Films such as “Free Solo” and “Rbg” were among the biggest arthouse hits of 2018 and there’s a lot of interest among buyers in the films in this section. Thom Powers, Tiff Docs programmer, attributes the rising commercial prospects of these films to the ubiquity of non-fiction works on Netflix and other streaming services.
“People have developed a real appetite for documentary films similar to the way they once developed an appetite for serial television,” says Powers. “Once they started sampling, they just wanted more. With Netflix...
- 8/8/2019
- by Brent Lang
- Variety Film + TV
Two of the Toronto International Film Festival’s signature programs have today unveiled their full slates, including both the genre-bending Midnight Madness program and the wide-ranging Tiff Docs section. Both slates will feature a number of highly anticipated premieres, with the lauded documentary section playing home to films like Feras Fayyad’s “The Cave” (which will open Tiff Docs), Mark Cousins’ 14-hour “Women Make Film,” Bryce Dallas Howard making her feature directorial debut with the documentary “Dads,” along with new films from Barbara Kopple, Alex Gibney, and Lauren Greenfield.
The Tiff Docs lineup includes 25 non-fiction works, including 18 world premieres with representation from 18 countries. The films cover many high-profile figures, both famous and infamous — including Truman Capote, Merce Cunningham, Ron Howard, Bikram Choudhury, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, and Imelda Marcos — and a broad range of themes, including artistic achievement, the power of journalism, immigration, global politics, and resistance against corrupt leaders.
“This year...
The Tiff Docs lineup includes 25 non-fiction works, including 18 world premieres with representation from 18 countries. The films cover many high-profile figures, both famous and infamous — including Truman Capote, Merce Cunningham, Ron Howard, Bikram Choudhury, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, and Imelda Marcos — and a broad range of themes, including artistic achievement, the power of journalism, immigration, global politics, and resistance against corrupt leaders.
“This year...
- 8/8/2019
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
Canadian zombie film Blood Quantum, Ugandan gonzo action film Crazy World bookend Midnight Madness.
Toronto International Film Festival (Tiff) brass on Thursday (8) unveiled selections in the Midnight Madness, Discovery, Tiff Docs, and Cinematheque programmes set to screen next month.
The 10-strong Midnight Madness programme includes world premieres of Rose Glass’s psychological thriller Saint Maud, Joko Anwar’s Indonesian superhero adaptation Gundala, and Richard Stanley’s H.P. Lovecraft adaptation Color Out Of Space starring Nicolas Cage. Jeff Barnaby’s previously announced zombie outbreak thriller Blood Quantum from Canada and Isaac Nabwana’s Ugandan gonzo action film Crazy World bookend the section.
Toronto International Film Festival (Tiff) brass on Thursday (8) unveiled selections in the Midnight Madness, Discovery, Tiff Docs, and Cinematheque programmes set to screen next month.
The 10-strong Midnight Madness programme includes world premieres of Rose Glass’s psychological thriller Saint Maud, Joko Anwar’s Indonesian superhero adaptation Gundala, and Richard Stanley’s H.P. Lovecraft adaptation Color Out Of Space starring Nicolas Cage. Jeff Barnaby’s previously announced zombie outbreak thriller Blood Quantum from Canada and Isaac Nabwana’s Ugandan gonzo action film Crazy World bookend the section.
- 8/8/2019
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Special jury award went to Attacking the Devil [pictured], while Lifetime Achievement was presented to Roger Graef.
Sheffield Doc/Fest has unveiled the winners of this year’s awards.
The Inspiration Award was presented to Laura Poitras, while Roger Graef received the Lifetime Achievement award. Accepting the award, Graef paid tribute to “those souls who have been brave enough to let us capture them”.
Judged by Mark Cousins, Eugene Hernandez, Kate Kinninmont, Karolina Lidin and Dawn Porter, the Special Jury prize went to Jacqui Morris & David Morris’ Attacking the Devil: Harold Evans and the Last Nazi War Crime.
Porter commented: “We unanimously found this film to be an elegant examination of complex themes. We appreciated his film on all levels - it is a work approached with relevance and rigor, a historical film that feels contemporary and engaging, blossoms like a novel, and is surprising when least expected, epic in its scope, traversing decades...
Sheffield Doc/Fest has unveiled the winners of this year’s awards.
The Inspiration Award was presented to Laura Poitras, while Roger Graef received the Lifetime Achievement award. Accepting the award, Graef paid tribute to “those souls who have been brave enough to let us capture them”.
Judged by Mark Cousins, Eugene Hernandez, Kate Kinninmont, Karolina Lidin and Dawn Porter, the Special Jury prize went to Jacqui Morris & David Morris’ Attacking the Devil: Harold Evans and the Last Nazi War Crime.
Porter commented: “We unanimously found this film to be an elegant examination of complex themes. We appreciated his film on all levels - it is a work approached with relevance and rigor, a historical film that feels contemporary and engaging, blossoms like a novel, and is surprising when least expected, epic in its scope, traversing decades...
- 6/12/2014
- by ian.sandwell@screendaily.com (Ian Sandwell)
- ScreenDaily
Earlier this year, Av Festival in Newcastle was the destination of many durational documentary enthusiasts (admittedly a niche market): a meaty Wang Bing retrospective was screened over several days. For all who are unfamiliar with the Chinese documentarian’s work, he has a tight catalogue of epic films such as West of the Tracks and Crude Oil that are in excess of ten hours apiece, which seek to tell objective stories of diminishing local labour or of nomadic existence in the great wilds of China and Mongolia. More palatable docs, while containing a similar gaze, have been delivered to us in recent years by Ron Fricke (namely Baraka and Samsara).
Director Thomas Balmès’ interest in cross-cultural filmmaking has allowed him to scaffold a bridge between these two styles of documentary: employing a lingering, dewy-eyed camera to portray stunning landscapes and untouched panoramas while telegraphing easy-to-watch glimpses of silent societies.
Director Thomas Balmès’ interest in cross-cultural filmmaking has allowed him to scaffold a bridge between these two styles of documentary: employing a lingering, dewy-eyed camera to portray stunning landscapes and untouched panoramas while telegraphing easy-to-watch glimpses of silent societies.
- 6/10/2014
- by Andrew Latimer
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Earning some prestigious honors at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival, Damien Chazelle’s "Whiplash" brought home the Grand Jury and Audience Prizes, kicking off the show on opening night (January 16).
After accepting the Grand Jury prize, Chazelle joked, "It was impossible to finance because no one wants to make a movie about a jazz drummer, which is a total shock to me."
The director then continued, saying, "Without people seeing (the short) here at Sundance, we wouldn’t be here today."
See the complete winners list below!
U. S. Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic
"Whiplash"
U. S. Grand Jury Prize: Documentary
"Rich Hill"
World Cinema Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic
"To Kill a Man"
World Cinema Grand Jury Prize: Documentary
"Return to Homs"
Audience Award: U. S. Dramatic presented by Acura
"Whiplash"
Audience Award: U.S. Documentary presented by Acura
"Alive Inside: A Story of Music & Memory"
Audience Award: World Cinema Dramatic
"Difret...
After accepting the Grand Jury prize, Chazelle joked, "It was impossible to finance because no one wants to make a movie about a jazz drummer, which is a total shock to me."
The director then continued, saying, "Without people seeing (the short) here at Sundance, we wouldn’t be here today."
See the complete winners list below!
U. S. Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic
"Whiplash"
U. S. Grand Jury Prize: Documentary
"Rich Hill"
World Cinema Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic
"To Kill a Man"
World Cinema Grand Jury Prize: Documentary
"Return to Homs"
Audience Award: U. S. Dramatic presented by Acura
"Whiplash"
Audience Award: U.S. Documentary presented by Acura
"Alive Inside: A Story of Music & Memory"
Audience Award: World Cinema Dramatic
"Difret...
- 1/26/2014
- GossipCenter
Photo by Dvrosa
It was another great year at the Sundance Film Festival! There were so many fantastic movies shown, and I still have a couple more to go. I'm really happy to say that Miles Teller and J.K. Simmon's film Whiplash took home the top two prizes, winning the Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award. This was my number one favorite film from the festival, and it seems like everyone else at the festival loved it too, so it doesn't surprise me that it won.
Here's the full list of winners:
Sundance Institute this evening announced the Jury, Audience and other special awards of the 2014 Sundance Film Festival at the feature film Awards Ceremony, hosted by Nick Offerman and Megan Mullally, in Park City, Utah. Video of the ceremony in its entirety is available at www.sundance.org/live.
The U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Documentary was...
It was another great year at the Sundance Film Festival! There were so many fantastic movies shown, and I still have a couple more to go. I'm really happy to say that Miles Teller and J.K. Simmon's film Whiplash took home the top two prizes, winning the Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award. This was my number one favorite film from the festival, and it seems like everyone else at the festival loved it too, so it doesn't surprise me that it won.
Here's the full list of winners:
Sundance Institute this evening announced the Jury, Audience and other special awards of the 2014 Sundance Film Festival at the feature film Awards Ceremony, hosted by Nick Offerman and Megan Mullally, in Park City, Utah. Video of the ceremony in its entirety is available at www.sundance.org/live.
The U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Documentary was...
- 1/26/2014
- by Joey Paur
- GeekTyrant
Damien Chazelle’s Whiplash was Day 1 feel good buzz title of the fest that ultimately served as a measuring stick for the other competing 15 titles in the section and as predicted below had a good chance at doing what last year’s Fruitvale did: when both major awards of its category. Now that I’ve completed a 15 hour nap, I can watch the ceremony below – and you can spoil the suspense by simply going over the other award winners in the multiple categories below. Next week we’ll be publishing our interviews with several of the filmmakers mentioned below. Congrats to the winners and non-winners.
Park City, Ut — Sundance Institute this evening announced the Jury, Audience and other special awards of the 2014 Sundance Film Festival at the feature film Awards Ceremony, hosted by Nick Offerman and Megan Mullally, in Park City, Utah. Video of the ceremony in its entirety is available at www.
Park City, Ut — Sundance Institute this evening announced the Jury, Audience and other special awards of the 2014 Sundance Film Festival at the feature film Awards Ceremony, hosted by Nick Offerman and Megan Mullally, in Park City, Utah. Video of the ceremony in its entirety is available at www.
- 1/26/2014
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
The 2014 Sundance Film Festival is coming to a close today, no doubt over far too soon for the festivalgoers out in Park City. With the festival on the cusp of completion, the Sundance Institute has announced this year’s various awards winners, and it comes as no surprise that Damien Chazelle’s Whiplash has won big in the awards.
Recently acquired by Sony Pictures Worldwide for international distribution, the Miles Teller-led drama has earned very promising buzz amongst early viewers, and as a further sign of what we’ve all got to look forward to later this year, it has won both the U.S. Grand Jury Prize in the Dramatic category and the Audience Award in the U.S. Dramatic category. Clearly, it’s impressed critics and the wider festivalgoers alike, which certainly bodes well.
Alejandro Fernández Almendras’s drama, To Kill a Man, won the Jury’s...
Recently acquired by Sony Pictures Worldwide for international distribution, the Miles Teller-led drama has earned very promising buzz amongst early viewers, and as a further sign of what we’ve all got to look forward to later this year, it has won both the U.S. Grand Jury Prize in the Dramatic category and the Audience Award in the U.S. Dramatic category. Clearly, it’s impressed critics and the wider festivalgoers alike, which certainly bodes well.
Alejandro Fernández Almendras’s drama, To Kill a Man, won the Jury’s...
- 1/26/2014
- by Kenji Lloyd
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
The Sundance Film Festival 2014 came to a close with the announcement of the jury, audience and other special awards winners.Scroll down for full list of winners
Damien Chazelle’s Whiplash won the U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic and Audience Award: U.S. Dramatic prizes, while Andrew Droz Palermo and Tracy Droz Tragos’ Rich Hill won the U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Documentary.
The World Cinema Grand Jury Prize: Documentary went to Return To Homs (Syria-Germany) by Talal Derki and the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic was presented to To Kill A Man (Chile-France) by Alejandro Fernández Almendras.
The Audience Award: U.S. Documentary went to Michael Rossato-Bennett’s Alive Inside: A Story Of Music & Memory (Us).
The Audience Award: World Cinema Documentary went to The Green Prince (Germany-Israel-uk) by Nadav Schirman and the Audience Award: World Cinema Dramatic was presented to Zeresenay Berhane Mehari’s Difret (Ethiopia).
The Audience Award: Best Of Next...
Damien Chazelle’s Whiplash won the U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic and Audience Award: U.S. Dramatic prizes, while Andrew Droz Palermo and Tracy Droz Tragos’ Rich Hill won the U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Documentary.
The World Cinema Grand Jury Prize: Documentary went to Return To Homs (Syria-Germany) by Talal Derki and the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic was presented to To Kill A Man (Chile-France) by Alejandro Fernández Almendras.
The Audience Award: U.S. Documentary went to Michael Rossato-Bennett’s Alive Inside: A Story Of Music & Memory (Us).
The Audience Award: World Cinema Documentary went to The Green Prince (Germany-Israel-uk) by Nadav Schirman and the Audience Award: World Cinema Dramatic was presented to Zeresenay Berhane Mehari’s Difret (Ethiopia).
The Audience Award: Best Of Next...
- 1/26/2014
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
U.S. Dramatic Competition
Grand Jury Prize – Whiplash, directed by Damien Chazelle
Directing Award – Cutter Hodierne, Fishing Without Nets
Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award – Craig Johnson & Mark Heyman, The Skeleton Twins
Excellence in Cinematography Award – Christopher Blauvelt, Low Down
Special Jury Prize for Breakthrough Talent – Justin Simien, writer-director of Dear White People
Special Jury Award for Musical Score – Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter
Audience Award – Whiplash, directed by Damien Chazelle
U.S. Documentary Competition
Grand Jury Prize – Rich Hill, directed by Andrew Droz Palermo & Tracy Droz Tragos
Directing Award – Ben Cotner & Ryan White, The Case Against 8
Editing Award – Jenny Golden & Karen Sim, Watchers in the Sky
Excellence in Cinematography Award – Rachel Beth Anderson & Ross Kauffman, E-Team
Special Jury Prize – The Overnighters, directed by Jesse Moss
Special Jury Award for Animation – Watchers in the Sky
Audience Award – Alive Inside, directed by Michael Rossato-Bennett
World Cinema Dramatic Competition
Grand Jury Prize – To Kill a Man,...
Grand Jury Prize – Whiplash, directed by Damien Chazelle
Directing Award – Cutter Hodierne, Fishing Without Nets
Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award – Craig Johnson & Mark Heyman, The Skeleton Twins
Excellence in Cinematography Award – Christopher Blauvelt, Low Down
Special Jury Prize for Breakthrough Talent – Justin Simien, writer-director of Dear White People
Special Jury Award for Musical Score – Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter
Audience Award – Whiplash, directed by Damien Chazelle
U.S. Documentary Competition
Grand Jury Prize – Rich Hill, directed by Andrew Droz Palermo & Tracy Droz Tragos
Directing Award – Ben Cotner & Ryan White, The Case Against 8
Editing Award – Jenny Golden & Karen Sim, Watchers in the Sky
Excellence in Cinematography Award – Rachel Beth Anderson & Ross Kauffman, E-Team
Special Jury Prize – The Overnighters, directed by Jesse Moss
Special Jury Award for Animation – Watchers in the Sky
Audience Award – Alive Inside, directed by Michael Rossato-Bennett
World Cinema Dramatic Competition
Grand Jury Prize – To Kill a Man,...
- 1/26/2014
- by Notebook
- MUBI
Whiplash, director Damien Chazelle’s story of a young jazz drummer, took home both the U.S. Grand Jury and Audience Dramatic awards at the Sundance Film Festival awards Saturday night. The film grew out of a short from Chazelle that won the Short Film Jury Award at Sundance in 2013.
Rich Hill, a story about a community in rural Missouri, won the U.S. Documentary Grand Jury award and Alive Inside: A Story of Music & Memory, about how music can help dementia patients, won the U.S. Audience Documentary award. Co-screenwriters Craig Johnson and Mark Heyman were honored with the...
Rich Hill, a story about a community in rural Missouri, won the U.S. Documentary Grand Jury award and Alive Inside: A Story of Music & Memory, about how music can help dementia patients, won the U.S. Audience Documentary award. Co-screenwriters Craig Johnson and Mark Heyman were honored with the...
- 1/26/2014
- by Laura Hertzfeld
- EW - Inside Movies
The Sundance Film Festival has unveiled its 2014 Competition lineup, made up of several categories. The 30th edition of the event will take place between January 16th-26th in the new year.
U.S. Dramatic Competition
Camp X-Ray (Peter Sattler)
Cold in July (Jim Mickle)
Dear White People (Justin Simien)
Fishing Without Nets (Cutter Hodierne)
John's Pocket (John Slattery)
Happy Christmas (Joe Swanberg)
Hellion (Kat Candler)
Infinitely Polar Bear (Maya Forbes)
Jamie Marks is Dead (Carter Smith)
Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter (David Zellner)
Life After Beth (Jeff Baena)
Low Down (Joe Preiss)
The Skeleton Twins (Craig Johnson)
The Sleepwalker (Mona Fastvold)
Song One (Kate Barker-Froyland)
Whiplash (Damien Chazelle)
U.S. Documentary Competition
Alive Inside: A Story of Music & Memory (Michael Rossato-Bennett)
All the Beautiful Things (John Harkrider)
Captivated: The Trials of Pamela Smart (Jeremiah Zagar)
The Case Against 8 (Ben Cotner, Ryan White)
Cesar's Last Fast (Richard Ray Perez, Lorena Parlee...
U.S. Dramatic Competition
Camp X-Ray (Peter Sattler)
Cold in July (Jim Mickle)
Dear White People (Justin Simien)
Fishing Without Nets (Cutter Hodierne)
John's Pocket (John Slattery)
Happy Christmas (Joe Swanberg)
Hellion (Kat Candler)
Infinitely Polar Bear (Maya Forbes)
Jamie Marks is Dead (Carter Smith)
Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter (David Zellner)
Life After Beth (Jeff Baena)
Low Down (Joe Preiss)
The Skeleton Twins (Craig Johnson)
The Sleepwalker (Mona Fastvold)
Song One (Kate Barker-Froyland)
Whiplash (Damien Chazelle)
U.S. Documentary Competition
Alive Inside: A Story of Music & Memory (Michael Rossato-Bennett)
All the Beautiful Things (John Harkrider)
Captivated: The Trials of Pamela Smart (Jeremiah Zagar)
The Case Against 8 (Ben Cotner, Ryan White)
Cesar's Last Fast (Richard Ray Perez, Lorena Parlee...
- 12/6/2013
- by Notebook
- MUBI
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
Though probably not the most pertinent subject in need of documentation, the depiction of infants during their first moments on Earth in Babies makes this a refreshingly simplistic piece that’s got no issues to push nor any political statement to make. It won’t make a dent in the box office and it can hardly be considered essential viewing, but it’s serene, unpretentious, and boasts more than enough cute moments to justify its existence. Parents, I imagine, will love it.
All-too potent it is that one of the very first shots in Babies is of a crowded Tokyo road crossing; these adults represent most of us as we are now, and of course, we were all babies once. Director Thomas Balmès aims to transport us back to that time by following four babies from birth to the age of one year, two from rural...
Though probably not the most pertinent subject in need of documentation, the depiction of infants during their first moments on Earth in Babies makes this a refreshingly simplistic piece that’s got no issues to push nor any political statement to make. It won’t make a dent in the box office and it can hardly be considered essential viewing, but it’s serene, unpretentious, and boasts more than enough cute moments to justify its existence. Parents, I imagine, will love it.
All-too potent it is that one of the very first shots in Babies is of a crowded Tokyo road crossing; these adults represent most of us as we are now, and of course, we were all babies once. Director Thomas Balmès aims to transport us back to that time by following four babies from birth to the age of one year, two from rural...
- 3/7/2011
- by Shaun Munro
- Obsessed with Film
Archipelago (15)
(Joanna Hogg, 2010, UK) Kate Fahy, Tom Hiddleston, Lydia Leonard. 115 mins
With her debut, Unrelated, Hogg proved herself to be just about the only film-maker out there seeking to depict Britain's middle classes in a way they wouldn't necessarily enjoy. This brave follow-up is even more uncomfortable and less narrative-driven, as a well-to-do family's get-together in the Scilly Isles turns into a slow, sparse drip of resentments, silences, joyless activities and blithe snobbery. It's uncomfortable in a good way.
Rango (PG)
(Gore Verbinski, 2011, Us) Johnny Depp, Isla Fisher, Ned Beatty. 107 mins
Fine visuals and surreal comedy help this hallucinogenic animated spaghetti western stand out – far out. Depp's identity-crisis chameleon is the stranger in a town that's already strange.
The Adjustment Bureau (12A)
(George Nolfi, 2011, Us) Matt Damon, Emily Blunt, Terence Stamp. 106 mins
Ambitious, Inception-style conspiracy thriller, with Damon and Blunt lovers on the run from literal agents of fate when they deviate from The Plan.
(Joanna Hogg, 2010, UK) Kate Fahy, Tom Hiddleston, Lydia Leonard. 115 mins
With her debut, Unrelated, Hogg proved herself to be just about the only film-maker out there seeking to depict Britain's middle classes in a way they wouldn't necessarily enjoy. This brave follow-up is even more uncomfortable and less narrative-driven, as a well-to-do family's get-together in the Scilly Isles turns into a slow, sparse drip of resentments, silences, joyless activities and blithe snobbery. It's uncomfortable in a good way.
Rango (PG)
(Gore Verbinski, 2011, Us) Johnny Depp, Isla Fisher, Ned Beatty. 107 mins
Fine visuals and surreal comedy help this hallucinogenic animated spaghetti western stand out – far out. Depp's identity-crisis chameleon is the stranger in a town that's already strange.
The Adjustment Bureau (12A)
(George Nolfi, 2011, Us) Matt Damon, Emily Blunt, Terence Stamp. 106 mins
Ambitious, Inception-style conspiracy thriller, with Damon and Blunt lovers on the run from literal agents of fate when they deviate from The Plan.
- 3/5/2011
- by Steve Rose
- The Guardian - Film News
Four babies in four countries are the focus of this sweet, insightful French documentary about the first months of life
A simple idea, but very nicely done by French documentarian Thomas Balmès. Four newborn children, in four vastly different geographical and social environments, are followed from birth to their first birthday. Two of them are from the urban first-worlds of San Francisco and Tokyo; one grows up among nomadic Mongolian herders, and another in a Namibian hut. Presumably the idea is to highlight both the similarities and differences between each culture, with a definite undercurrent of lament for the non-natural ways of western practices. There are no searing revelations to be found here, but the kids are fantasically cute.
Rating: 3/5
DocumentaryWorld cinemaAndrew Pulver
guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds...
A simple idea, but very nicely done by French documentarian Thomas Balmès. Four newborn children, in four vastly different geographical and social environments, are followed from birth to their first birthday. Two of them are from the urban first-worlds of San Francisco and Tokyo; one grows up among nomadic Mongolian herders, and another in a Namibian hut. Presumably the idea is to highlight both the similarities and differences between each culture, with a definite undercurrent of lament for the non-natural ways of western practices. There are no searing revelations to be found here, but the kids are fantasically cute.
Rating: 3/5
DocumentaryWorld cinemaAndrew Pulver
guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds...
- 3/4/2011
- by Andrew Pulver
- The Guardian - Film News
Chicago – Couples making plans to start a family may get a kick out of “Babies,” the lyrical new documentary from French filmmaker Thomas Balmès. Everyone else may find themselves bored stiff. The film is an intriguing experiment with varying degrees of success. It’s as tedious as it is compelling and as annoying as it is insightful.
Universal marketed the picture as the next “March of the Penguins,” with the key exception that it features humans. The film also doesn’t include narration by Morgan Freeman, which may be a plus, considering how hackneyed it would be to hear The Actor Frequently Known as God pontificating on the profundity of infant behavior. In fact, “Babies” contains no narration whatsoever. It simply observes four babies in different parts of the world during their first year of life. Balmès and his team of collaborators have constructed a portrait that plays like cinematic poetry at best,...
Universal marketed the picture as the next “March of the Penguins,” with the key exception that it features humans. The film also doesn’t include narration by Morgan Freeman, which may be a plus, considering how hackneyed it would be to hear The Actor Frequently Known as God pontificating on the profundity of infant behavior. In fact, “Babies” contains no narration whatsoever. It simply observes four babies in different parts of the world during their first year of life. Balmès and his team of collaborators have constructed a portrait that plays like cinematic poetry at best,...
- 10/5/2010
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Hey everyone! Hope last week went good for everyone. This is a new week and with a new week comes some great movies and shows to watch! Here's the lineup for this week.
Iron Man 2
Wealthy inventor Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) -- aka Iron Man -- resists calls by the American government to hand over his technology. Meanwhile, Ivan Vanko (Mickey Rourke) has constructed his own miniaturized arc reactor, causing all kinds of problems for our superhero. Sam Rockwell, Gwyneth Paltrow, Scarlett Johansson, Don Cheadle and Samuel L. Jackson co-star in director Jon Favreau's sequel based on Marvel comic book characters.
Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Don Cheadle
Director: Jon Favreau
Loved it! I think it was just as good as the first movie and Don Cheadle is one of my favorite actors so needless to say I loved that he was in this!
Get Him to the Greek...
Iron Man 2
Wealthy inventor Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) -- aka Iron Man -- resists calls by the American government to hand over his technology. Meanwhile, Ivan Vanko (Mickey Rourke) has constructed his own miniaturized arc reactor, causing all kinds of problems for our superhero. Sam Rockwell, Gwyneth Paltrow, Scarlett Johansson, Don Cheadle and Samuel L. Jackson co-star in director Jon Favreau's sequel based on Marvel comic book characters.
Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Don Cheadle
Director: Jon Favreau
Loved it! I think it was just as good as the first movie and Don Cheadle is one of my favorite actors so needless to say I loved that he was in this!
Get Him to the Greek...
- 9/28/2010
- by Mars
- GeekTyrant
On this day in movie world, those of us that only like to see movies in our living rooms will finally get to see "Babies," Winterbottom's controversial "The Killer Inside Me," "Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky," Sundance genre standout "Frozen," "War Don Don" on HBO, and "The Thin Red Line" in a Criterion Collection package. Thomas Balmès's "Babies" (criticWIRE rating: B-), a huge documentary hit for Focus Features, gets a DVD ...
- 9/28/2010
- Indiewire
This film played briefly in Raleigh at the Rialto Theater last spring. It drops tomorrow, Tuesday September 28th, on Blu ray and DVD. "Babies" (Dir. Thomas Balmes, 2010) How can I write a review of this movie without sounding like a hater? I guess it's not possible because the bottom line is I'm just not into babies. In fact not long ago my wife and I told a doctor that we are 100% certain that we are never going to have kids - that's all I'm going to say about that situation here. So the idea of a documentary made up completely of shots of babies really didn't...
- 9/27/2010
- by Daniel Johnson, Raleigh Indie Movie Examiner
- Examiner Movies Channel
A look at what's new on DVD today:
"The Thin Red Line" (1998)
Directed by Terrence Malick
Released by Criterion Collection
No, you won't be getting the hours of deleted Adrien Brody or George Clooney footage from Malick's World War II epic, but this Criterion version is most certainly an upgrade from the previous bare-bones DVD edition with 14 minutes of outtakes, new interviews with Sean Penn and composer Hans Zimmer, among others from the cast and crew, an audio commentary with cinematographer John Toll, production designer Jack Fisk and producer Grant Hill and more.
"7 Days" (2010)
Directed by Daniel Grou
Released by Mpi Home Video
French Canadian horror author Patrick Senécal adapts his own novel to celluloid about a doctor (Claude Legault) who intercepts the man (Remy Girard) who raped and murdered his young daughter and turns the tables on him in a cabin in the woods. With a résumé including TV series like "Vampire High,...
"The Thin Red Line" (1998)
Directed by Terrence Malick
Released by Criterion Collection
No, you won't be getting the hours of deleted Adrien Brody or George Clooney footage from Malick's World War II epic, but this Criterion version is most certainly an upgrade from the previous bare-bones DVD edition with 14 minutes of outtakes, new interviews with Sean Penn and composer Hans Zimmer, among others from the cast and crew, an audio commentary with cinematographer John Toll, production designer Jack Fisk and producer Grant Hill and more.
"7 Days" (2010)
Directed by Daniel Grou
Released by Mpi Home Video
French Canadian horror author Patrick Senécal adapts his own novel to celluloid about a doctor (Claude Legault) who intercepts the man (Remy Girard) who raped and murdered his young daughter and turns the tables on him in a cabin in the woods. With a résumé including TV series like "Vampire High,...
- 9/23/2010
- by Stephen Saito
- ifc.com
Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work continues its impressive summer run at the box office, showing a gross cume of $2,000,548 since its June 11 debut. The Ricki Stern/Annie Sunberg helmer is the fourth doc to cross the $1 million mark this year, following Jacques Perrin and Jacques Cluzaud's Oceans, Thomas Balmes' Babies and Bansky's Exit through the Gift Shop, according to BoxOfficeMojo.com.
Here's a roundup of the top ten grossing docs at the box office for 2010:
1) Oceans $19,406,406
2) Babies ...
Here's a roundup of the top ten grossing docs at the box office for 2010:
1) Oceans $19,406,406
2) Babies ...
- 7/13/2010
- by twhite
- International Documentary Association
Pixar/Disney's "Toy Story 3," the weekend's front-ranked domestic film, also opened No. 1 on the foreign theatrical circuit, grossing $44.8 million from 4,787 screens in 25 territories -- only a quarter of the total overseas marketplace.
Monster debuts in China and Latin America helped the film register "the biggest consolidated debut for a Pixar title from this bucket of release markets, almost doubling the (comparable) high set by 'Up,' " said Disney. That 2009 title drew total foreign boxoffice of $438 million (versus $293 million domestic).
Top market for the Pixar animation threequel was Mexico, where "Toy Story 3" generated $14.3 million, which Disney described as the biggest market opening ever for an animation title.
In China, "Toy Story 3" grossed $9.5 million on the weekend, also a record market debut for an animation film. Brazil came up with 3.3 million, best market opening to date for a Pixar title, while Argentina tallied $2.3 million, another record market opening.
As...
Monster debuts in China and Latin America helped the film register "the biggest consolidated debut for a Pixar title from this bucket of release markets, almost doubling the (comparable) high set by 'Up,' " said Disney. That 2009 title drew total foreign boxoffice of $438 million (versus $293 million domestic).
Top market for the Pixar animation threequel was Mexico, where "Toy Story 3" generated $14.3 million, which Disney described as the biggest market opening ever for an animation title.
In China, "Toy Story 3" grossed $9.5 million on the weekend, also a record market debut for an animation film. Brazil came up with 3.3 million, best market opening to date for a Pixar title, while Argentina tallied $2.3 million, another record market opening.
As...
- 6/20/2010
- by By Frank Segers
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Bébé(s) (Babies the Movie - alternate title) is an interesting experiment, if nothing else. Director Thomas Balmes compiles 79 minutes of film of one year in the life of four babies. But part of that idea, conceived by producer Alain Chabat, is that the babies are growing up in four very different parts of the world. Ponijao lives near Opuwo, Namibia. Bayarjargal resides in Mongolia, near Bayanchandmani. Mari’s footage comes from Tokyo, Japan. And stateside, we’ve got Hattie, whose family dwells in San Francisco. What separates Babies from any other childhood documentary, in addition to its concept, is that there is essentially no narrative other than the children growing up. The parents of the children are sometimes present to interact with the children, but they are never interviewed. The footage is edited to cut between scenes of the various children, but in no cohesive storytelling method, and with no narration.
- 5/24/2010
- by Bill Jones
- BuzzFocus.com
Yes, we're excited to see "Iron Man 2," "Inception" and God help us, "Predators." But what we're really looking forward to spending a few hours in the company of an undertaking Bill Murray ("Get Low"), an Italian-speaking Tilda Swinton ("I Am Love") and a toga-wearing Rachel Weisz ("Agora") in the comfort of air-conditioned theater over the next three months. (Either that or we'll be enjoying them from the comfort of home online, on demand or on DVD.)
There are no less than 114 independently produced movies arriving in theaters this summer to compete with the big studio blockbusters and we've compiled this helpful guide that covers all of them. Yet realizing that the latest arthouse and foreign fare is subject to changing dates, particularly if you don't live in Los Angeles or New York, we've also included links to follow the films on Twitter, Facebook and release schedules where available, so...
There are no less than 114 independently produced movies arriving in theaters this summer to compete with the big studio blockbusters and we've compiled this helpful guide that covers all of them. Yet realizing that the latest arthouse and foreign fare is subject to changing dates, particularly if you don't live in Los Angeles or New York, we've also included links to follow the films on Twitter, Facebook and release schedules where available, so...
- 5/11/2010
- by Stephen Saito
- ifc.com
Mother’s Day may have been great for moms but it was not very kind to Iron Man 2. The PG-13 rated sequel actually fell more than 30 percent from Saturday, putting its three-day gross at $128 million. It still holds onto the title of fifth-highest grossing debut of all time, but it’s not nearly as close to Pirates of the Caribbean 3′s number of $135 million as originally predicted. Mother’s Day was good for one movie: Babies. The documentary from filmmaker Thomas Balmes grossed $1 million on the celebratory day, 50 percent of its entire 3-day $2 million gross. Seems those moms just...
- 5/11/2010
- by Nicole Sperling
- EW - Inside Movies
Freddy Krueger’s blood fingers in A Nightmare on Elm Street 2010 (top); Mongolian child in Thomas Balmes‘ Babies Iron Man 2 Weekend Estimates Off by $5.5M: Box Office A Nightmare on Elm Street, starring Jackie Earle Haley as creepy Freddy Krueger, collected $9.119m at no. 2 this weekend at the Us/Canada box office, according to actuals released by Box Office Mojo. How to Train Your Dragon, featuring the voices of Jay Baruchel, America Ferrera, and Gerard Butler, was no. 3 with $6.68m. Steve Carell and Tina Fey’s comedy Date Night landed at no. 4 with $5.448m, followed by Alex O’Loughlin and Jennifer Lopez’s romantic comedy The Back-up Plan, with $5.03m (about 10% more than yesterday’s estimates). At no. 6, [...]...
- 5/10/2010
- by Michelle Hutton
- Alt Film Guide
While "Iron Man 2" dominated the overall box office, kicking off the summer to the tune of $128.1 million, a few specialty films attempted to provide a worthy "Iron" alternative, particularly for those out there taking their mothers to the movies. Focus Features' went semi-wide with their release of Thomas Balmes' documentary "Babies," which follows four babies from four different continents during the first year of their lives. Obviously trying to ...
- 5/10/2010
- Indiewire
The new documentary titled Babies shows the early lives of four babies living in different parts of the globe. They are Ponijao from Namibia, Mari from Tokyo, Hannah from San Francisco and Bayar from Mongolia. The filmmaker shows us their lives from birth until they are able to stand erect and walk. Because of the subject matter, the film has a high level oooh factor and the cuteness of the babies is overpowering. The problem is that once you get past the cuteness of the babies and the adorableness of their actions there isn't anything else to see. There is no narrator to weave a story out of events involving these four infants nor is there any discernible dialogue to help you know them or their parents. This is just a visual vacation in Babyland. The ability of filmmaker Thomas Balmes to...
- 5/10/2010
- by Jackie K. Cooper
- Huffington Post
Focus Features' "Babies" (a.k.a. "Bébé(s)") documentary ended up grossing $2.2 million over the weekend as opposed to the estimated Sunday figures of $1.6 million. On Mother's day the Thomas Balmes film made a solid $1.1 million. The film comes from an original idea by Alain Chabat and simultaneously follows four babies around the world - from birth to first steps. The children are, respectively, in order of on-screen introduction: Ponijao, who lives with her family near Opuwo, Namibia; Bayarjargal, who resides with his family in Mongolia, near Bayanchandmani; Mari, who lives with her family in Tokyo, Japan; and Hattie, who resides with her family in the United States, in San Francisco.
- 5/10/2010
- Upcoming-Movies.com
Babies
Directed by Thomas Balmes
Rated PG
There are plenty of movies this time of year that seem to go light on the plot, but here’s a film that has no story whatsoever. Babies is a 80-minute documentary with no real narrative structure at all, other than laying out the first year in the lives of four newborns.
There’s no narrator, no conflict to speak of, nobody addresses the camera at any point, and there’s not much revealed about the months leading up to the first steps, unless you count how similar babies are wherever you go in the world.
We first meet Ponijao, who from a western perspective would seem to have the roughest life. He’s born in a village in Namibia, and the only creature comfort is a knife, probably used for a hundred purposes, but here, as a tool to shave the little guy’s head.
Directed by Thomas Balmes
Rated PG
There are plenty of movies this time of year that seem to go light on the plot, but here’s a film that has no story whatsoever. Babies is a 80-minute documentary with no real narrative structure at all, other than laying out the first year in the lives of four newborns.
There’s no narrator, no conflict to speak of, nobody addresses the camera at any point, and there’s not much revealed about the months leading up to the first steps, unless you count how similar babies are wherever you go in the world.
We first meet Ponijao, who from a western perspective would seem to have the roughest life. He’s born in a village in Namibia, and the only creature comfort is a knife, probably used for a hundred purposes, but here, as a tool to shave the little guy’s head.
- 5/10/2010
- by Colin Boyd
- GetTheBigPicture.net
Babies, which documents the first year in the life of four babies around the world, pulled in an impressive $2,161,460 at the box office over Mother's Day weekend. As previously reported, Focus Features, which is distributing the Thomas Balmès film, spearheaded a hefty marketing campaign involving ten partners on board to get the word out
Of course, success breeds jealousy, and the California State Labor Commission is investigating whether inclusion of one of the babies, Hattie, a San Franciscan, may have violated child labor laws; for more, check this report on Moviefone.com.
Babies ...
Of course, success breeds jealousy, and the California State Labor Commission is investigating whether inclusion of one of the babies, Hattie, a San Franciscan, may have violated child labor laws; for more, check this report on Moviefone.com.
Babies ...
- 5/10/2010
- by twhite
- International Documentary Association
The summer movie season is officially here with the first blockbuster opening. Paramount and Marvel Studio’s Iron Man 2 rocketed to the top with an estimated $133.6 million weekend, crushing all who dared to oppose it.
After setting a record for the widest opening release (4,380 theaters), the sequel fell short of breaking any new ground behind recent juggernauts like The Dark Knight and The Twilight Saga: New Moon. Some analysts had predicted it to topple Batman’s record, but those ranks remain intact as IM2 took the fifth largest opening weekend in history.
The weekend debut was well above the original Iron Man’s comparatively tepid $98.6 million start and its $52.3 million opening day on Friday was the 7th-biggest; good enough to beat the Star Wars prequels and March’s 3D monster Alice in Wonderland.
IM2 opened overseas last weekend in some markets, but added another $57.2 million to an estimated worldwide gross of $327.6 million.
After setting a record for the widest opening release (4,380 theaters), the sequel fell short of breaking any new ground behind recent juggernauts like The Dark Knight and The Twilight Saga: New Moon. Some analysts had predicted it to topple Batman’s record, but those ranks remain intact as IM2 took the fifth largest opening weekend in history.
The weekend debut was well above the original Iron Man’s comparatively tepid $98.6 million start and its $52.3 million opening day on Friday was the 7th-biggest; good enough to beat the Star Wars prequels and March’s 3D monster Alice in Wonderland.
IM2 opened overseas last weekend in some markets, but added another $57.2 million to an estimated worldwide gross of $327.6 million.
- 5/10/2010
- by Jeff Leins
- newsinfilm.com
What film debuting today is like the BBC's Planet Earth but with oodles more cuteness? One hint: It's not Iron Man 2. The awwwwww-inducing film would be Babies, a new documentary from Focus Features that follows four children around the world from their births to their first steps. For 18 months a team of French filmmakers headed by director Thomas Balmès traveled between the four little costars: Ponijao, who lives with eight siblings in a village in Namibia; Mari, an only child in cosmopolitan Tokyo; Bayar, who lives on a farm in nomadic Mongolia; and Hattie, the daughter of Bay Area parents Susie Wise and Frazer Bradshaw. Hattie, who is now 4, also had the most unique filming experience as she was mostly shot by her father, who also served as the film's cinematographer.
[youtube VVYszQrKo9g]
Wise and Bradshaw never dreamed the film would get such widespread distribution--the film opens across the country today--but...
[youtube VVYszQrKo9g]
Wise and Bradshaw never dreamed the film would get such widespread distribution--the film opens across the country today--but...
- 5/9/2010
- by Alissa Walker
- Fast Company
Seen on: April 27, 2010
The players: Director: Thomas Balmes, Cast: Bayar, Hattie, Mari, Ponijao
Facts of interest: "Babies" is actually a French production.
The plot: The movie follows four babies from around the world as they spend their first year among the living.
Our thoughts: Thomas Balmes’ “Babies” doesn’t really qualify as a real documentary, but more like a cinematic experiment focusing on one year in the life of four babies from different parts of the world. Watching newborns do their thing for 79 minutes may not exactly sound like a compelling viewing experience, but much to my surprise, the film kept me engaged from start to finish.
The players: Director: Thomas Balmes, Cast: Bayar, Hattie, Mari, Ponijao
Facts of interest: "Babies" is actually a French production.
The plot: The movie follows four babies from around the world as they spend their first year among the living.
Our thoughts: Thomas Balmes’ “Babies” doesn’t really qualify as a real documentary, but more like a cinematic experiment focusing on one year in the life of four babies from different parts of the world. Watching newborns do their thing for 79 minutes may not exactly sound like a compelling viewing experience, but much to my surprise, the film kept me engaged from start to finish.
- 5/8/2010
- by Franck Tabouring
- screeninglog.com
I love "Babies!" Why? Check out my review and my picture as a baby below. Have Fun And Have A Great Mother's Day Weekend Everyone!
Here's more on info on "Babies" from Yahoo:
Everybody loves... Babies. This visually stunning new movie simultaneously follows four babies around the world - from first breath to first steps. From Mongolia to Namibia to San Francisco to Tokyo, Babies joyfully captures on film the earliest stages of the journey of humanity that are at once unique and universal to us all.
Genres:Art/Foreign, Documentary and Kids/Family
Running Time:1 hr. 19 min.
Release Date:May 7th, 2010 (limited)
MPAA Rating:pg for cultural and maternal nudity throughout.
Distributors: Focus Features
Cast and Credits
Directed by: Thomas Balmès
Produced by: Alain Chabat, Amandine Billot, Christine Rouxel
And Here's My Baby Picture! :happy...
Here's more on info on "Babies" from Yahoo:
Everybody loves... Babies. This visually stunning new movie simultaneously follows four babies around the world - from first breath to first steps. From Mongolia to Namibia to San Francisco to Tokyo, Babies joyfully captures on film the earliest stages of the journey of humanity that are at once unique and universal to us all.
Genres:Art/Foreign, Documentary and Kids/Family
Running Time:1 hr. 19 min.
Release Date:May 7th, 2010 (limited)
MPAA Rating:pg for cultural and maternal nudity throughout.
Distributors: Focus Features
Cast and Credits
Directed by: Thomas Balmès
Produced by: Alain Chabat, Amandine Billot, Christine Rouxel
And Here's My Baby Picture! :happy...
- 5/8/2010
- by Manny
- Manny the Movie Guy
By now, most of us have seen the trailer for the new documentary feature film "Babies", directed by Thomas Balmes.
Re-defining the nonfiction art form, Babies joyfully captures on film the earliest stages of the journey of humanity that are at once unique and universal to us all. The film simultaneously follows four babies around the world -- from birth to first steps. The children are, in order of on-screen introduction: Ponijao, who lives with her family near Opuwo, Namibia; Bayarjargal, who resides with his family in Mongolia, near Bayanchandmani; Mari, who lives with her family in Tokyo, Japan; and Hattie, who resides with her in San Francisco, Calif.
AMC had a chance to chat with Balmes to discuss his new film. You can watch that interview below:
"Babies" opens May 7th (today!). Get Your Tickets And Show Time Information Here!
Re-defining the nonfiction art form, Babies joyfully captures on film the earliest stages of the journey of humanity that are at once unique and universal to us all. The film simultaneously follows four babies around the world -- from birth to first steps. The children are, in order of on-screen introduction: Ponijao, who lives with her family near Opuwo, Namibia; Bayarjargal, who resides with his family in Mongolia, near Bayanchandmani; Mari, who lives with her family in Tokyo, Japan; and Hattie, who resides with her in San Francisco, Calif.
AMC had a chance to chat with Balmes to discuss his new film. You can watch that interview below:
"Babies" opens May 7th (today!). Get Your Tickets And Show Time Information Here!
- 5/7/2010
- by amcsts@gmail.com
- AMC - Script to Screen
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