Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent MK2 Films has scored key territory deals on Japanese director Koji Fukada’s “Love Life,” which makes its world premiere in competition at the Venice Film Festival. Set in contemporary Japan, “Love Life” is a character-driven film revolving around Taeko and her husband, Jiro, who are living a peaceful existence with her young son, Keita. When a tragic accident brings the boy’s long-lost father, Park, back into her life, Taeko throws herself into helping this deaf and homeless man to cope with the pain and guilt. Popular Japanese actress Fumino Kimura (“The Fable: The Killer Who Doesn’t Kill”) headlines the film. MK2 Films has now sold the movie to Teodora (Italy), Imagine (Benelux), Leopardo (Portugal), Demiurg (Ex Yugoslavia), New Cinema (Israel), Swallow Wings (Taiwan), Edko (Hong Kong), Impact Films (India) and Encore Inflight (Airlines).
‘Safe Place’ Review: One Brother Fights For the Other’s Life in a Shattering Croatian Debut
19.08.2022 - 10:13 / variety.com
Guy Lodge Film CriticAbout halfway through “Safe Place,” a film already not given to taking it easy on viewers’ emotions, the meek, honest delivery of a single word — “Sorry” — shatters the heart irreparably into a million small shards. It comes from Damir (Goran Marković), a quiet, bearish but child-eyed man who has just attempted to take his own life.
His stunned, protective brother Bruno (Juraj Lerotić) won’t hear of any such apologies, but still that plaintive “sorry” hangs between them, perhaps standing in for several unexplained factors from the past, perhaps covering further devastations to come. Every small word and gesture counts for a lot in Croatian multihyphenate Lerotić’s sparse, still, tender-as-a-bruise debut feature: Any bigger ones might throw a severely delicate situation off-balance.
Ordinarily, one would advise a first-time writer-director not to further burden themselves with a leading onscreen role in their freshman effort, least of all if they’re not a seasoned actor themselves. But the rules for Lerotić — graduating to features 12 years after his short “Then I See Tanja” racked up some festival miles — are perhaps a little different.
With “Safe Place” drawing directly on his own pained family history, and the director effectively playing himself in this autobiographical work, it’s easy to see why one might find a certain security in taking as hands-on an approach as possible to such fragile material. Either way, the gamble has paid off: Fresh from winning three awards at Locarno, including the best first feature prize, the film now appears in the main competition at Sarajevo, with a long trail of further festival bookings surely ahead.
Fukada Koji Talks Venice Competition Film ‘Love Life,’ Loneliness and Bitter Little Ironies
Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief The titles of Fukada Koji’s films almost drip with bitter irony. “Sayonara” seemed to be a farewell to human actors. Instead of being harmonious, Cannes Un Certain Regard jury prize-winner “Harmonium” was pitch black and steeped in quiet violence. Fukada’s latest, Venice Film Festival competition title carries the moniker “Love Life.” But its subject matter is loneliness. The story starts out on familiar lines, involving a married couple where suddenly the ex-husband of the wife appears, potentially setting up the melodrama of a triangular relationship. But in Fukada’s hands things are colder and more painful. The newcomer is burdensome, deaf and homeless. His arrival triggers, not love, but fragmentation, individualism and loneliness.
Locarno, Sarajevo Prize Winner ‘Safe Place’ Picked Up for Sales by Dubai’s Cercamon (EXCLUSIVE)
Christopher Vourlias Dubai-based sales agent Cercamon has acquired world sales rights for Juraj Lerotić’s “Safe Place,” which won three awards after its world premiere at the Locarno Film Festival and was named best film at Sarajevo. The Croatian director’s feature debut is the emotional story of a family reeling in the wake of a suicide attempt that centers on a man’s struggle to save his younger brother, creating a rift in the family’s everyday life. “Safe Place” plays on Lerotić’s own pained family history, with the Croatian multihyphenate taking on the lead role in his deeply personal story – a performance that also earned him the award for best actor in Sarajevo. “The film is reduced to the most acute, to a short time span and a clear situation that can be put in a nutshell: save the loved one,” the filmmaker said in a statement.
Companion album to David Bowie ‘Moonage Daydream’ documentary film announced
David Bowie documentary film Moonage Daydream has been announced.‘Moonage Daydream’ will feature songs spanning the late musician’s career and included previously unheard material, unique mixes created for the film, and dialogue from Bowie.The digital edition is released by ISO Records/Parlophone Records on September 16 and is previewed by a new mix of ‘Modern Love’, the third single from Bowie’s 15th album, ‘Let’s Dance’ (1983). You can listen to it below.Highlights of the companion release include a previously unreleased live medley of ‘The Jean Genie’ / ‘Love Me Do’ / ‘The Jean Genie’ recorded live at the final Ziggy Stardust concert at Hammersmith Odeon in 1973, featuring Jeff Beck on guitar.Other rarities include an early version of the ‘Hunky Dory’ track ‘Quicksand’ and a previously unreleased live version of ‘Rock ’n’ Roll With Me’ from Bowie’s 1974 ’Soul Tour’.A 2CD format of ‘Moonage Daydream’ follows on November 18, with plans to release a 3LP edition next year. Pre-orders and pre-saves for both digital and physical are open here.‘Moonage Daydream’ (digital release) tracklist:01. “Time… one of the most complex expressions…” (dialogue)02. ‘Ian Fish, U.K. Heir’ (Moonage Daydream Mix 1)03. ‘Hallo Spaceboy’ (Remix Moonage Daydream Edit)04. Medley: ‘Wild Eyed Boy From Freecloud’ / ‘All The Young Dudes’ / ‘Oh! You Pretty Things’ (Live)05. ‘Life On Mars?’ (2016 Mix Moonage Daydream Edit)06. ‘Moonage Daydream’ (Live)07. ‘The Jean Genie’ / ‘Love Me Do’ / ‘The Jean Genie’ (Live) (featuring Jeff Beck)08. ‘The Light’ (Excerpt)*09. ‘Warszawa’ (Live Moonage Daydream Edit)10. ‘Quicksand’ (Early Version 2021 Mix)11. Medley: ‘Future Legend’ / ‘Diamonds Dogs’ intro / ‘Cracked Actor’12. ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll With Me’ (Live in Buffalo
Sofia Vergara Dishes on 'Modern Family' Reunion at Sarah Hyland's 'Amazing' Wedding (Exclusive)
Sofia Vergara is gushing over Sarah Hyland and Wells Adams' «amazing» wedding. After a lengthy pandemic-related postponement, the couple finally made it down the aisle and exchanged vows in front of friends and family, including Hyland's co-stars, over the weekend. Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Ariel Winter, Nolan Gould, Julie Bowen, Vergara and more were all in attendance to watch the couple tie the knot.«We had a great time,» Vergara tells ET's Denny Directo in an interview at the Tuesday night taping of. «It was kind of like a reunion because we haven't seen each other since the pandemic started and we finished the last episode of.
ITV Content Boss Kevin Lygo: ‘Big Brother’ Reboot Driven By “Extraordinary Success” Of ‘Love Island’ – Edinburgh TV Festival
Love Island’s “extraordinary success” drove ITV to commission its Big Brother reboot, according to content boss Kevin Lygo, who said duty of care is being considered for the upcoming reality show but “I don’t think we should stop allowing the public on TV.”
Sofia Vergara on Sarah Hyland's 'Amazing' Wedding, Reuniting With 'Modern Family' Stars on the Dance Floor
Sofia Vergara is gushing over Sarah Hyland and Wells Adams' «amazing» wedding. After a lengthy pandemic-related postponement, the couple finally made it down the aisle and exchanged vows in front of friends and family, including Hyland's co-stars, over the weekend. Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Ariel Winter, Nolan Gould, Julie Bowen, Vergara and more were all in attendance to watch the couple tie the knot.«We had a great time,» Vergara tells ET's Denny Directo in an interview at the Tuesday night taping of. «It was kind of like a reunion because we haven't seen each other since the pandemic started and we finished the last episode of.
Croatian Director Juraj Lerotic’s Debut ‘Safe Place’ Wins at Resurgent Sarajevo Film Festival
Christopher Vourlias Croatian writer-director Juraj Lerotić’s “Safe Place,” an emotional story of a family reeling in the wake of a suicide attempt, took the top prize at the Sarajevo Film Festival, which wrapped a record-setting 2022 edition in the Bosnian capital on Friday night.The Heart of Sarajevo Award for best feature film was given by a jury headed by Austrian filmmaker Sebastian Meise (“The Great Freedom”), which included French filmmaker Lucile Hadžihalilović (“Earwig”), Croatian writer-director Antoneta Alamat Kusijanović (“Murina”), Serbian actor Milan Marić (“Dovlatov”) and Israeli producer and consultant Katriel Schory.“Safe Place” plays on Lerotić’s own pained family history, with the Croatian multihyphenate taking on the lead role in his deeply personal story — a performance that also earned him the award for best actor in Sarajevo. Fresh off a triumphant world premiere in Locarno, where the film won three awards including best first feature, “Safe Place” was described by Variety’s Guy Lodge as a “supremely poised and moving first feature” and a “shattering” debut, “with a long trail of further festival bookings surely ahead.”Ukrainian director Maryina Er Gorbach was named best director for “Klondike,” which portrays the brutal realities of the war unfolding in Ukraine’s Donbass region through the lens of a pregnant farmstead owner whose life and home fall apart.
Croatia’s ‘Safe Place’ Take Top Honors at the 28th Sarajevo Film Festival
Eight films battled it out in competition at the 28th Sarajevo Film Festival, but Austrian director Sebastian Meise’s jury—including French director Lucile Hadžihalilović , Croatian director Antoneta Alamat Kusijanović, Serbian actor Milan Marić and Israeli producer Katriel Schory—spread the love quite widely.
‘Borat’ Breakout Maria Bakalova Joins Sofia Coppola-Produced ‘Fairyland’ And Jerry Seinfeld’s Pop-Tart Pic ‘Unfrosted’ For Netflix
EXCLUSIVE: Maria Bakalova (Bodies Bodies Bodies) has joined the casts of Andrew Durham’s feature directorial debut Fairyland for American Zoetrope, and Jerry Seinfeld’s first film Unfrosted: The Pop-Tart Story for Netflix. Details as to the roles she’ll be playing in the features have not been disclosed, though we hear she’ll only be making a cameo in the latter.
Timothée Chalamet Is a Cannibal in Love in First ‘Bones and All’ Trailer
Michaela Zee editorTimothée Chalamet’s cannibal love story “Bones and All” has released its first teaser trailer, courtesy of the Oscar nominee’s Twitter page. The film marks the actor’s reunion with director Luca Guadagnino, whose 2017 film “Call Me by Your Name” earned Chalamet his first Oscar nomination.