News

Released for a two week autumn window stateside via the Film Movement folks, winner of three awards, including Best Film at the Amanda Awards (Norwegian Oscars), Erik Poppe’s English language directorial debut 1,000 Times Goodnight, was a noticeable item due the internationally renowned cast that’s headlined by a masterful performance from Juliette Binoche.

Basically a family melodrama hedged by topical issues, Poppe’s own experiences as a war photographer serve as the semi-autobiographical impetus for the film, which is perhaps why it’s presented with such nuance. Bolstering the importance of such a hazardous occupation, the film’s tense juxtaposition lies in how one reconciles working in such dangerous conditions while trying to raise a family. Obviously changing his own perspective to that of a mother ups the dramatic potential, and is met with a terrifically inspired performance from Binoche. A photojournalist that specializes in conflict zones, Rebecca (Binoche...

Recently, ABC released the new,official synopsis/spoilers for their upcoming "Nashville" episode 10 of season 3. The episode is entitled, "First To Have A Second Chance," and it turns out that we'll see Rayna having a major issue about leaving her kids to go out on tour. Luke tries to keep a close eye on Layla, and more. In the new, 10th episode press release: "When Luke finally returns home after wrapping up his Moon or Shine Tour just days before he and Rayna tie the knot, Rayna will start to feel conflicted about leaving their kids to go out on the road again, especially after she discovers that Luke has been making parenting decisions without her. In the meantime, Will is going to invite Layla on tour in an effort to keep her close but when he sees her flirting with his boss at a party, he will begin to...

Backstage's partnership with Indiegogo has helped raise over $1,082,000 for indie film, theater, and dance productions and web series. Will your project be next? Projects currently included on Backstage's Indiegogo Partner Showcase page include: "Foolhardy": a short film about a 25-year-old recovering addict and drug dealer, Chester, who is desperate to mend his relationship with his wife, while their six-year-old son is caught in the middle of their turmoil.  "A Second Chance with Ted Williams": a new TV series from Ted "Golden Voice" Williams, the once homeless man that was discovered on the streets, bringing his amazing vocal abilities to more than 50 million YouTube viewers.  "No Easy Days": a TV series being film across the U.S., U.K., and Canada, in which the President and his team dispatch Navy Seal Commandos to rescue the President's kidnapped daughter.  "Reynard Take Hollywood": Young South African actor Reynard "Choppie...

Bollywood star Priyanka Chopra is set to join Shah Rukh Khan as co-host of Got Talent World Stage Live, an extension of Simon Cowell’s Got Talent franchise. The show, to be shot in Mumbai, will feature performances by local and international artists and be broadcast on Colors TV. Chopra has starred in some of the biggest Bollywood hits of all time including Krrish 3, Don 2 and Ra.One. The latter two also starred Srk. According to Bollywood Hungama, the pair might perform together during the Mumbai show on December 6.

Scandinavian genre films remain high on international distributors’ lists as evidenced by activity at the just-wrapped Afm. After selling its Department Q trilogy of thrillers to Sundance Selects in North America, TrustNordisk says it also has closed a number of deals on upcoming fantasy adventure film The Shamer’s Daughter. Currently in post, the film is based on the book by Lene Kaaberbol,...

With this Sundance Selects acquisition, North American moviegoers are poised to fully discover a series of films that has been thrilling audiences in Denmark over the past year. The distributor has picked up rights to hot Danish titles The Keeper Of Lost Causes and The Absent One, as well as the forthcoming A Conspiracy Of Faith. The films are all adaptations of the bestselling Department Q series of novels written by Jussi Adler-Olsen. The first two, directed by Mikkel Norgaard, have both been huge hits at the Danish box office. The Keeper Of Lost Causes sold more tickets than any other movie in the market in 2013 with 725K admissions and about $11M in receipts. Last month, The Absent One was released in local cinemas and shot to the top of the year’s chart with over $10M off 700K admissions. A Conspiracy Of Faith, which is currently in pre-production, is...

Ruben Ostlund’s Force Majeure to screen atop 3,200m high Aiguille Rouge Mountain at Alpine festival.

Susanne Bier’s A Second Chance, Lenny Abrahamson’s Frank and Gerard Johnson’s Hyena are among the titles set to compete at the sixth edition of Les Arcs European Film Festival (Dec 13-20) in the heart of the French Alps.

Festival co-founders Pierre Emmanuel Fleurantin and Guillaume Calop said the event’s focus on Europe was more relevant than ever as its citizens posed questions about the future of the region amid the ongoing economic crisis.

“We continue to believe in a united Europe where together we can safeguard our cultures and ways of life without renouncing progress,” they said in a joint statement. “Across the new line-up, each country shows off the best of its cinema.”

The titles in the competition, selected by artistic director Frédéric Boyer, will compete for the festival’s top prize, the Crystal...

Other double winners include Theeb, Sivas and In Her Place.

Andrey Zvyagintsev’s Leviathan followed up its recent victory at the London Film Festival by winning the Black Pearl Award at the 8th Abu Dhabi Film Festival.

As well as claiming the festival’s top prize, actor Alexey Serebryakov won the best actor prize in the narrative competition.

The Russian film, which explores one man’s fight against corruption, debuted at Cannes where it won Best Screenplay.

This year’s Narrative Features jury was led by Mumbai-based actor Irrfan Khan (The Lunchbox, Life of Pi)

The winner of the Black Pearl in the New Horizons category was Alice Rohrwacher’s The Wonders. The director had been due to attend Adff but had to cancel. Her sister, actress Alba Rohrwacher who plays the matriarch in The Wonders, was in attendance to accept the award.

The winner of the Black Pearl in the Documentary strand was Orlando Von Einsiedel’s [link...

Other double winners include Theeb and Sivas.

Andrey Zvyagintsev’s Leviathan followed up its recent victory at the London Film Festival by winning the Black Pearl Award at the 8th Abu Dhabi Film Festival.

As well as claiming the festival’s top prize, actor Alexey Serebryakov won the best actor prize in the narrative competition.

The ceremony at Abu Dhabi’s Emirates Palace, where the festival has been based for the past nine days, was followed by the 3D premiere of Disney animation Big Hero 6, which received its world premiere (in 2D) at the recent Tokyo International Film Festival.

Narrative Competition Winners 2014

Black Pearl Award

Leviathan

directed by Andrey Zvyagintsev

Special Jury Awards

Test

directed by Alexander Kott

Best Actor

Alexey Serebryakov

from the film Leviathan directed by Andrey Zvyagintsev

Best Actress

Maria Bonnevie

from the film A Second Chance directed by Susanne Bier

Best Film from the Arab World

Memories On Stone

directed by [link...

Exclusive: Indie Sales handles rights to Moomins On The Riviera; UK release planned for May 2015.

Vertigo has acquired UK rights to Moomins On The Riviera from Paris-based sales company Indie Sales.

The hand-drawn 2D animation feature, directed by Xavier Picard, recently played at the BFI London Film Festival and is already a huge box-office hit in its local Finland.

The film is adapted from Tove Jansson’s original comic strips, and tells the story of the Moomin clan on a journey to the glamorous Riviera where they meet a world of new people including would-be artists, film stars and playboys.

The creative team behind the movie includes Sophia Jansson, Tove’s niece, along with Finnish producer Hanna Hemila (Le Havre).

The voice cast for the English-language version of the film includes Russell Tovey as Moomin and Nathaniel Parker as Moominpappa.

Vertigo’s Rupert Preston and Nicolas Eschbach of Indie Sales negotiated the deal.

Eschbach said, “Moomins...

Words and Pictures: Binoche Dominates Poppe’s Familial Drama

Norwegian director Erik Poppe makes his English language directorial debut with 1,000 Times Goodnight, featuring an internationally renowned cast that’s headlined by a masterful performance from Juliette Binoche. Basically a family melodrama hedged by topical issues, Poppe’s own experiences as a war photographer serve as the semi-autobiographical impetus for the film, which is perhaps why it’s presented with such nuance. Bolstering the importance of such a hazardous occupation, the film’s tense juxtaposition lies in how one reconciles working in such dangerous conditions while trying to raise a family. Obviously changing his own perspective to that of a mother ups the dramatic potential, and is met with a terrifically inspired performance from Binoche.

A photojournalist that specializes in conflict zones, Rebecca (Binoche) has been following a group of female militants in Kabul. We watch her take photos as...

Scott Heppell/AP

They say you should never go back, and it seems that the mantra hangs high in Alan Pardew’s Newcastle office. Very rare are the moments when the manager admits fallibility, or sufficiently accepts blame, and even rarer are the times he changes his mind on any of the decisions he has made as manager.

Tactically as well as personally, he is a stubborn manager, and while commitment and fortitude can be applauded in successful managers, when things are going bad, there are inevitable calls for the former West Ham boss to change his approach. To his credit, he has already given one written-off player a second chance this season, and fans will inevitably hope he does again.

As Pardew consciously ignores calls to give both Hatem Ben Arfa and Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa a second chance at the club and not let them join their loan clubs permanently,...

A weekly feature in which we spotlight shining stars

The Performer | Grant Gustin

The Show | The Flash

The Episode | “Pilot“

The Airdate | October 7, 2014

The Performance | He may not have leapt a tall building in a single bound, but Gustin’s performance in the pilot episode of The CW’s The Flash was pretty darn close to super-powered.

Despite having the hefty weight of a DC Comics legacy on his back, Gustin made it look effortless as his geeky crime-scene investigator Barry Allen transformed into the fastest man alive after a snafu involving a lightning bolt (generated by S.T.A.

When you sit down to watch a Susanne Bier film, you know you’re in for a rough ride. The director’s latest, A Second Chance, is no different. Featuring another compelling moral dilemma for audiences to sift through, the flick premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival last month and was met with a warm reception and much praise for both its director and leading man.

Starring Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, A Second Chance tells the story of Andreas, a man faced with an impossible choice that throws his life into turmoil as he starts to blur the lines between what’s right and wrong. To say anymore would be spoiling what is truly an engaging film, but rest assured, Bier grips you right from the beginning with this one and doesn’t let go until the end credits roll.

Last month during the Toronto International Film Festival, I was fortunate...

The sequel to last year’s highest grossing local film has just set new records at the Danish box office. And that’s welcome news in an uncharacteristically soft year for homegrown titles thus far. The Absent One, the second installment in director Mikkel Norgaard’s adaptations of Jussi Adler-Olsen’s Department Q series of novels, scored the best opening week ever for a local title (including previews) with 194,545 admissions after releasing October 2. Excluding previews, The Absent One (see trailer below) sold 131,480K tickets at the weekend, giving it the 3rd best opening frame ever for a Danish film. The biggest local movie at this point is comedy Klassefesten 2 – Begravelsen with about $9M in box office, but it is one of only two Danish movies in the Top 10. Last year, local pics sold 4M tickets with five sharing the Top 10 with Hollywood by the end. So far this year, Danish...

Reuniting “Silver Linings Playbook” leads Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence, Danish filmmaker Susanne Bier’s “Serena” seems to be a world away from that dramatic romantic comedy. You may have heard that the release of “Serena” has been delayed for the past two years, with Bier having completed two films in the interim ("Love Is All You Need," and "A Second Chance"). So what happened to "Serena"? It sounds like a mix of Bier being busy and trying to find the movie in the editing room. Once a project for Darren Aronofsky and Angelina Jolie back in the day (imagine that now?), “Serena” is about newlyweds running a timber business in 1930s North Carolina who run into problems when she can’t bear children. Here’s the official synopsis: North Carolina mountains at the end of the 1920s – George and Serena Pemberton, love-struck newly-weds, begin to build a timber empire.

Screen International has teamed with BFI London Film Festival and British Council to present the UK Stars of Tomorrow – one of several industry events unveiled today.

The first Screen International UK Stars of Tomorrow at Lff dinner is to be held on Oct 14 during the BFI London Film Festival (Oct 8-19).

The event will bring together a selection of this year’s Stars of Tomorrow, including Aimee Ffion-Edwards and Phoebe Walller-Bridge, with casting directors, packaging agents, festival programmers, producers and financiers.

It will be preceded by a masterclass led by Us casting agent Deborah Aquila, whose credits include The Shawshank Redemption and TV series Dexter and The Shield.

The event is supported by British Council and Casting Society of America (Csa), and will be held in association with We Are UK Film.

The dinner is by invitation only and is not an open event.

Lff industry events

The 58th edition of the festival has restructured its industry...

Screen International has teamed with BFI London Film Festival and British Council to present the UK Stars of Tomorrow – one of several industry events unveiled today.

The first Screen International UK Stars of Tomorrow at Lff dinner is to be held on Oct 14 during the BFI London Film Festival (Oct 8-19).

The event will bring together a selection of this year’s Stars of Tomorrow, including Aimee Ffion-Edwards and Phoebe Walller-Bridge, with casting directors, packaging agents, festival programmers, producers and financiers.

It will be preceded by a masterclass led by Us casting agent Deborah Aquila, whose credits include The Shawshank Redemption and TV series Dexter and The Shield.

The event is supported by British Council and Casting Society of America (Csa), and will be held in association with We Are UK Film.

The dinner is by invitation only and is not an open event.

Lff industry events

The 58th edition of the festival has restructured its industry...

Adff to present 197 films from 61 countries.

The 2014 Abu Dhabi Film Festival (Adff), backed by twofour54, will present nine feature world premieres, eight of them from the Arab world. The short film sections will host 48 world premieres.

The festival will open with Ali Mostafa’s From A to B [pictured], and festival director Ali Al-Jabri said: “It is the first time in the festival’s history that we opening with an Emirati film and we ares very proud about this landmark event.”

The festival runs October 23 to November 1 and presents 197 films from 61 countries.

For the second year, the festival host the Child Protection Award organised with the Child Protection Centre of the Ministry of Interior, to spotlight films that raise awareness about abused or neglected children. Films competing for that prize include Zerensenay Mehari’s Difret, Albert Shin’s In Her Place, and Cyprien Vial’s Young Tiger.

The Showcase section includes films such as ‘71, A Pigeon Sat on...

Carlos Vermut’s Spanish drama wins best film and best director; Dennis Lehane wins best screenplay for The Drop.Scroll down for other awards

Spanish drama Magical Girl has won the Golden Shell for best film at the 62nd San Sebastian Film Festival (Sept 19-27).

Carlos Vermut also won the Silver Shell for best director for the film, produced by Madrid-based Aquí y Allí Films and is sold by Films Distribution.

Jury chairman Fernando Bovaira described Vermut as “a disturbing, delicate and unique voice”.

The film, which debuted at Toronto and is currently screening at Zurich before going on to Busan, centres on the wish of an ill child who wants the dress in Japanese series Magical Girl Yukiko. Her father sets out to obtain it but enters a world of blackmail and tragedy.

It marks Vermut’s second film after Diamond Flash.

The Special Jury Prize went to Wild Life (Vie Sauvage), the new film by...

Susanne Bier’s drama debuted at Toronto and stars Game of Thrones’ Nikolaj Coster Waldau.

France (Kmbo) and the UK (Vertigo) have picked up Oscar-winning director Susanne Bier’s A Second Chance from TrustNordisk.

The Zentropa-produced feature, which world premiered in Special Presentations at the Toronto International Film Festival a couple of weeks ago, celebrated its European premiere in Official Selection at the San Sebastian Film Festival earlier this week.

The film has now been sold to almost every territory in the world. Rikke Ennis, CEO at TrustNordisk, said negotiations are “ongoing” in the Us and that it was close to selling out on the film.

Game Of Thrones star Nikolaj Coster-Waldau plays a police officer and new father who makes a dubious moral decision when he sees a child endangered by his junkie parents.

TrustNordisk handles international sales.

Susanne Bier’s Danish drama A Second Chance is heading to Britain and France. French distributor Kmbo and Britain's Vertigo have picked up the latest from the Oscar-winning director from sales outfit TrustNordisk. A Second Chance stars Game of Thrones actor Nikolaj Coster Waldau as a Danish cop who decides to kidnap a child from two junkie parents. Ulrich Thomsen, Nikolaj Lie Kaas and Maria Bonnevie also star. Bier co-wrote the screenplay to A Second Chance with her long-time collaborator Anders Thomas Jensen, the screenwriter on Bier's Oscar winner In a Better World. Read more Zurich Film Festival:

read more...

“ ‘Serena’ was a fluke, really,” Bradley Cooper said in an interview last month. “Jennifer [Lawrence] was attached to it when we were doing ‘Silver Linings.’ And then I looked at it, and I knew Susanne [Bier], and it was, 'Why don’t we just do this together?' " Well, that fluke has turned into quite the controversial, long-delayed film, one that some have called a mess that “makes no sense,” while others have stood by it (including Magnolia, the film’s distributor). But there’s no denying the fact that “Serena” was completed almost two years ago and director Susanne Bier has shot and finished two entire film since (“Love Is All You Need” and “A Second Chance”). “Serena” is a Depression-era drama about newlyweds running a timber business in North Carolina, which is complicated when the wife cannot bear children. Cooper plays the husband, Lawrence the wife. “[Doing a period film] was part of my fascination,...

Every year at the Toronto Film Festival, the festival's director Cameron Bailey draws up a list of 16 films that change the way people look at the world. This year India for the first time features in the list.

Shonali Bose's Margarita, With A Straw has made it into Bailey's wish list of cinematic experiences that "transform the way people see the world through film."

Calling the film "a gorgeous coming of age story" Cameron has placed it at no.7 in his list of life-changing experiences.

Connecting excitedly from Toronto director Shonali Bose says, "We got standing ovations for our screenings and there is a huge buzz about our film. To top it all, we are on Cameron Bailey's prestigious 'mission list' of films that change the way you look at the world. There are only 16 films in that list."

Shonali further informs that many representatives from various countries...

Starring Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Rhys Ifans, and Toby Jones, watch the first trailer for director Susanne Bier’s Serena.

Based on the novel by Ron Rash, the period film follows newlyweds George Pemberton and his new bride, Serena, as they maintain a close watch over a burgeoning logging empire in Depression-era North Carolina, ruthlessly ruling the woodlands while fighting off the efforts of environmental activists to turn their land into a national park.

Bier’s latest film, A Second Chance, had its world premiere Tuesday night at the Toronto International Film Festival. Bier won the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar for In A Better World (2010) and was also nominated for After The Wedding (2006).

Serena is scheduled for a UK release on October 24. Count on a U.S. release date to be announced soon so it doesn’t miss a bid for awards consideration at year’s end.

The post...

What else can you really say about Susanne Bier's "Serena?" We're still waiting. "Silver Linings Playbook" and "American Hustle" have come and gone (the latter having begun and ended production with "Serena" wrapped) and still the Depression Era drama has yet to come out and play. The cards will be on the table next month, though, as the film premieres at the London Film Festival ahead of an Oct. 24 UK bow. Will it be worth the wait? With the film still lacking a Us release date, you can only imagine something is up. Maybe there has been a big push in the editing to get it to a certain place. Or maybe it just doesn't work. I can't imagine it's outright incompetent. Bier is an Oscar-winning filmmaker, and a good one. Her latest, "A Second Chance," played the Toronto Film Festival this week. We finally get a good look...

You likely know the narrative of “Serena” already— a project so hot Angelina Jolie and Darren Aronofsky were once attached to it. The final iteration came together with a talented creative core: Danish filmmaker Susanne Bier (“What We Lost In The Fire,” “After The Wedding”), and A-listers Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper. But filming finished in the summer of 2012, and the movie was mired in post-production for 18 months. Bier has since released "Love Is All You Need" (2012) and shot, finished and debuted "A Second Chance," starring “Game Of Thrones” star Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (it already screened in at the Toronto International Film Festival this past week, read our review here). But in all that time, “Serena” has failed to see the light of day. But that’s set to change soon. The movie will debut at the London Film Festival next month and will open in UK theaters October 24. “Serena” is...

Oscar-winning director Susanne Bier (In a Better World) will head up the international jury for the 10th Zurich International Film Festival. Bier, whose latest, A Second Chance, just had its world premiere in Toronto, will oversee the five person jury that selects the winner's of Zurich's main feature film honors. Actor Val Kilmer, Green Lantern producer Donald De Line, French actress and producer Marie Masmonteil and Bosnian director Jasmila Zbanic complete the international jury. Oscar-nominated director/producer Steve James (Hoop Dreams) will be president of Zurich documentary film jury, together with British director Nick Broomfield (Kurt & Courtney), Indian

read more...

The second season of MTV’s Faking It promises to be even juicier than the first — that is, if the Hestor High gang can avoid being crushed to death under the weight of their collective guilt.

Related Fall TV Spectacular: Exclusive Scoop and Photos on 42 Returning Favorites

Yes, the g-word appears to be haunting all of our favorites in the official trailer for the comedy’s upcoming sophomore season — premiering Tuesday, Sept. 23, at 10:30/9:30c — following Amy and Liam’s oh-so-hot (but oh-so-wrong) hookup in the Season 1 finale.

“You’re only as sick as your secrets,” Liam proclaims, while...

Susanne Bier to head international competition jury at Zurich Film Festival, which also includes Us actor Val Kilmer, Bosnian director Jasmila Žbanic and more.Scroll down for full jury line-ups

Oscar-winning director Susanne Bier is to preside over the international feature film jury at the 10th Zurich Film Festival (Sept 25 - Oct 5).

The Danish filmmaker, who won her Best Foreign-Language Film Oscar for In A Better World in 2011, is currently on the festival circuit with A Second Chance and Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper drama Serena.

She will oversee a jury that includes Us actor Val Kilmer, best known for roles in Heat, Batman Forever and Top Gun, and Bosnian director Jasmila Žbanić, who won the Berlin Golden Bear in 2006 with Grbavica.

Also on the jury is Marie Masmonteil, the French producer of Party Girl, which picked up prizes at Cannes in May, and Jerusalem Film Festival winner Gett: The Trial of Viviane Amsalem, currently playing...

Others to take part in on-stage discussions include Susanne Bier, Frederick Wiseman Michael Ballhaus and Ulrich Seidl. Also, Nightcrawler will receive its European premiere at Zurich.

Movie music maestro Hans Zimmer is to take part in the Zff Masters series at the 10th Zurich Film Festival (Sept 25 – Oct 5).

The composer of scores for films including Rain Man, The Lion King, Gladiator and Inception will offer insight into his creative process in the chaired discussion that will include a public Q&A at the Filmpodium.

Others signed up for the Zff Masters include documentary filmmaker Frederick Wiseman and Danish screenwriter and director Susanne Bier, who won the Oscar for Best Foreign-Language Film in 2010 with In A Better World and is currently touring festivals with A Second Chance and Serena.

Zurich audiences will also be invited to attend masterclasses with veteran cinematographer Michael Ballhaus (The Departed, Goodfellas) and Ulrich Seidl, the Austrian filmmaker behind the recent Paradise trilogy and documentary...

Don’t you wish U.S was as generous in supporting its filmmakers as just one country of the entire European Union? The Toronto International Film Festival ­ (Tiff), remains the flagship festival of European Film Promotion's (Efp) Film Sales Support (Fss) scheme which is backed by the Media Program (2007 - 2013) of the European Union since 2004.

28 associated sales companies from eight European countries receive financial backing to market their films in Toronto, most important launch pad for North American releases and thriving international sales platform. The amount of a little more than €150,000 in total is being reserved by Efp for Europe's attending sales companies.

Toronto annually screens more than 300 films in early September; those European films, eligible for Fss support, have to run in the festival and need to be available for Canada. Of the 39 supported films, 27 are having their world premiere in Toronto.

Amongst them are François Ozon’s, "The New Girlfriend", Bent Hamer’s, "1001 Grams" and Susanne Bier’s, "A Second Chance," starring Ulrich Thomsen and two of Efp’s former European Shooting Stars, Maria Bonnevie and Nikolaj Lie Kaas.

Michael Winterbottom’ s psycho-thriller on the Amanda Knox case, "The Face Of An Angel" sees German actor and former European Shooting Star, Daniel Brühl in a lead role. This UK production premieres at Tiff as well as the French film, "Far From Men" by David Oelhoffen – starring Viggo Mortensen – based on a short story by Albert Camus and "Miss Julie," a European coproduction between Norway, the UK, Ireland and France, directed by Liv Ullmann. "Foreign Body" by Krzysztof Zanussi, a co-production between Poland, Italy and Russia with onetime European Shooting Star Agata Buzek , in a main role also celebrates its premiere at the festival.

The whirlwind of festival scheduling can, at times, align the most unexpectedly parallel screenings back-to-back. This is what happened today, when we saw one Danish female filmmaker’s new film and followed it with another Danish female filmmaker’s new film. Lone Schrefig dug into dark British tradition with “The Riot Club," a rather flat and forgettable film (read our review here.) Susanne Bier’s “A Second Chance” keeps her film firmly fastened to contemporary Denmark, and while it’s not as apparently flaccid as her countrywoman’s movie, it’s not exactly riveting either, even with its tantalizingly promising premise. This story about ordinary people placed in extraordinary circumstances keeps its focus on detective Andreas (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) all the way through. At home, he spends time soothing his overwrought wife Anne (Maria Bonnevie), who is feeling the pangs of motherhood with their young baby boy Alexander. At work, his...

Richard Linklater’s 12-year project beats Ida, The Grand Budapest Hotel and Winter Sleep.

Richard Linklater’s Boyhood has been named the best film of the past year by the members of the International Federation of Film Critics, Fipresci.

The poll for the Fipresci Grand Prix 2014 - Best Film of the Year gathered votes from 553 members throughout the world.

In the first phase, participants nominated feature-length films that received their world premiere no earlier than July 1, 2013. This led to a final round between the four finalists: Boyhood by Richard Linklater, Ida by Pawel Pawlikowski, The Grand Budapest Hotel by Wes Anderson, and Winter Sleep by Nuri Bilge Ceylan.

This is the first Linklater has won the prize, which has previously gone to Michael Haneke, Paul Thomas Anderson, Jafar Panahi, Pedro Almodóvar, Jean-Luc Godard and Nuri Bilge Ceylan, among others, since its establishment in 1999.

Boyhood will have a special screening at the San Sebastián Film Festival on Sept...

The Imitation Game

Autumn has always been my favorite time of year, and for the past few years, the pleasure of the arrival of crisp air and turning leaves has been increased, because it means that London Film Festival time has come around again. Though the public festival runs for 12 days — this year it’s October 8th though 19th — for the press it runs for a full month. (Press screenings will start on September 22nd.) It is a veritable orgy of cinema, and I love it. It’s exhausting, but I love it.

Yesterday morning the full program for the 58th BFI London Film Festival was announced. I already knew that two of my most anticipated films of the fall were on the slate: The Imitation Game, Headhunters director Morten Tyldum’s film about Alan Turing and the WWII Enigma codebreaking project, starring Benedict Cumberbatch as the mathematician; and Fury,...

Nearly 30 sales companies receive financial backing to market their films in Toronto.

A total of 28 sales companies from eight European countries are to receive financial backing from to market their films at the Toronto International Film Festival (Sept 4-14) from European Film Promotion’s Film Sales Support scheme.

More than €150,000 ($200,000) in total is being reserved by Efp for Europe’s attending sales companies.

European films eligible for Fss support have to run in the festival and need to be available for Canada. Of the 39 supported films, 27 are receiving their world premiere in Toronto.

Amongst them are François Ozon’s The New Girlfriend, Bent Hamer’s 1001 Grams and Susanne Bier’s A Second Chance.

Michael Winterbottom The Face Of An Angel sees German actor and former European Shooting Star Daniel Brühl in a lead role.

Foreign Body by Krzysztof Zanussi, a co-production between Poland, Italy and Russia with one-time European Shooting Star Agata Buzek in a main role...

Out of nowhere we have a new picture of Jennifer Lawrence in Susanne Bier's Serena along with news the film, in which Lawrence shares the screen with her Silver Linings Playbook co-star Bradley Cooper, will be hitting UK theaters October 24. Stylist has the news and the picture of Lawrence in the adaptation of Ron Rash's novel, which follows newlyweds George (Cooper) and Serena Pemberton (Lawrence) who travel from Boston to the mountains of North Carolina where they begin to build a timber empire in 1929. At this point it's hard to look forward to the new film considering Bier has already released Love Is All You Need and has A Second Chance playing the Toronto Film Festival, both films were shot after Serena completed principal photography. When a film is shelved this long only to suddenly find a release date and is still without a U.S. distributor it's never really a good sign.

Exclusive: In a bid to drive acquisitions, Toronto top brass are understood to be collaborating with select sales agents to allow festival staff and volunteers to attend four early-stage private buyers screenings.

Screendaily has learned the move is being orchestrated to replicate the buoyant atmosphere of public screenings in an effort to stir up sales.

The timing of the move is dictated by a growing recognition that most decision-makers at distribution companies will have left town by the time these films officially premiere in the second week, despite Toronto’s efforts to spread its riches across the duration of the festival.

That strategy was informed in part by the festival’s new and well documented policy of holding back until the second week premieres of anticipated films that will receive their actual world premiere in Telluride.

Two cases in point are North American premieres of The Weinstein Company’s Benedict Cumberbatch starrer The Imitation Game and Fox...

It seems as if the 2014 Toronto Film Festival lineup is more or less set. I'm not expecting any major additions after today's announcement and have taken another look at my current list of most likely films I'll be screening while in town, though this is largely based on title and director alone as I have yet to really dig into the titles unfamiliar to me so it's possible a few may find their way into the mix once all is said and done. That said, if you think there are some I'm missing please let me know... don't want to overlook anything. Note, I will be in Toronto from September 3-10 and expect I'll see about 18 movies maximum while I'm there. Right now the full list below is 48 movies not including the four I've already seen (but have yet to review) and the one I don't think I'll even have a chance to see.

Toronto top brass have unveiled details of the Asia Film Summit, Moguls panel and Doc Conference.

Asia Film Summit

The third annual Asia Film Summit is set for September 9 at the Shangri-La Hotel and features Legendary East CEO Peter Loehr, The Raid franchise director Gareth Evans, directors Andrew Lau and Wang Xiaoshuai, UniJapan’s Kenta Fudesaka and senior vp of Cj Entertainment Kini Kim.

The programme includes a headline conversation between Loehr and Toronto International Film Festival (Tiff) artistic director Cameron Bailey and a conversation on Asian art-house and vanguard cinema with Xiaoshuai, Evans, Xyz Films partner Nate Bolotin and Chinese Shadows’ Isabelle Glachant.

This year’s Case Study will profile Revenge Of The Green Dragons, the Tiff world premiere screening directed by Lau, who will be joined on stage by co-director and writer Andrew Loo and one of the film’s stars, Justin Chon.

A panel on global storytelling will feature Canadian director Richie Mehta, Well...

Toronto top brass have unveiled details of the Asia Film Summit, Moguls panel and Doc Conference.

Asia Film Summit

The third annual Asia Film Summit is set for September 9 at the Shangri-La Hotel and features Legendary East CEO Peter Loehr, The Raid franchise director Gareth Evans, directors Andrew Lau and Wang Xiaoshuai, UniJapan’s Kenta Fudesaka and senior vp of Cj Entertainment Kini Kim.

The programme includes a headline conversation between Loehr and Toronto International Film Festival (Tiff) artistic director Cameron Bailey and a conversation on Asian art-house and vanguard cinema with Xiaoshuai, Evans, Xyz Films partner Nate Bolotin and Chinese Shadows’ Isabelle Glachant.

This year’s Case Study will profile Revenge Of The Green Dragons, the Tiff world premiere screening directed by Lau, who will be joined on stage by co-director and writer Andrew Loo and one of the film’s stars, Justin Chon.

A panel on global storytelling will feature Canadian director Richie Mehta, Well...

Susanne Bier’s A Second Chance [pictured] and Gabe Ibáñez’s Automata, produced by and starring Antonio Banderas, among films added to 2014 edition.

San Sebastian has almost completed its official selection for this year’s festival.

Today [Aug 13], the festival added new films from Susanne Bier, Anahí Berneri, Maxime Giroux and Cédric Kahn, as well as Gabe Ibáñez’s Automata, a $50m Spanish film produced by and starring Antonio Banderas.

Bier’s A Second Chance was written by Anders Thomas Jensen, with whom Bier won the Oscar for In a Better World. Festival director José Luis Rebordinos has praised it as “a very strong and powerful story that will shock audiences”.

Automata is an ambitious sci-fi thriller about a future in which artificial intelligence has taken over humans. A co-production with Bulgaria, it also stars Brigitte Hjort Sorensen, Melanie Griffith and Dylan McDermott.

South America will again have an important role in the festival. Argentinian Berneri...

Oscar-winning director Susanne Bier's latest drama, A Second Chance, will compete at the 62nd San Sebastian International Film Festival, along with five other titles that organizers added to the competition lineup, known as the "Official Section," on Wednesday. The added films star Antonio Banderas and a Game of Thrones actor, among others. Bier will vie for the Golden Shell against Anahi Berneri's Aire Libre, Maxime Giroux's Felix and Meira, Cristian Jimenez's La Voz en Off, Cedric Kahn's Wild Life and Gabe Ibanez's Automata. Bier reteamed with Anders Thomas Jensen (In a Better World) to write A Second Chance, which

read more...

I've come to embrace the idea that a life well lived is filled with its fair share of second chances and new beginnings. For Ted Shen's A Second Chance audiences were introduced to Dan and Jenna, both are living in crisis. A Second Chance opened to mixed reviews at the Public Theater, and now Ghostlight Records has released the schmaltzy jazz musical's original cast recording, which is worth listening to.

The announcements have begun rolling in for this year's Toronto International Film Festival. Watch this page for updates.

Galas

Black and White (Mike Binder, USA)

The Equalizer (Antoine Fuqua, USA)

Foxcatcher (Bennett Miller, USA)

Haemoo (Shim Sung-bo, South Korea)

The Judge (David Dobkin, USA)

Maps to the Stars (David Cronenberg, Canada/Germany)

The New Girlfriend (François Ozon, France)

Pawn Sacrifice (Ed Zwick, USA)

The Riot Club (Lone Sherfig, UK)

Samba (Olivier Nakache & Eric Toledano, France)

This is Where I Leave You (Shawn Levy, USA)

Wild (Jean-Marc Vallée, USA)

Closing Night Film

A Little Chaos (Alan Rickman, UK)

Masters

1001 Grams (Bent Hamer, Norway/Germany/France)

A Pigeon Sat on a Bench Reflecting on Existence (Roy Andersson, Sweden/Norway/France/Germany)

The Face of an Angel (Michael Winterbottom, UK)

The Golden Era (Ann Hui, China/Hong Kong)

Goodbye to Language 3D (Jean-Luc Godard, France)

Hill of Freedom (Hong Sang-soo, South Korea)

Leviathan (Andrey Zvyagintsev,...

With the announcement of initial selections for the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival this morning, there is plenty of parsing that can be done vis a vis what's going to Telluride and what's going to Venice. But seeing as the latter will have its own announcement on Thursday and the former brings with it a guessing game that can go on for another couple weeks, let's just focus on the Canadian fest's offerings, shall we? As usual, a number of trailers were dropping for films in play when the Tiff announcement was imminent. We've already seen those for films like "The Imitation Game," "The Good Lie," "The Equalizer" and "The Drop," among others. But let's spotlight a few more, which have hit the web thanks to Tiff's handy YouTube account. First up, "My Old Lady" from director Israel Horovitz, with Maggie Smith and Kevin Kline. It's the story of a down-and-out...

A new film from Susanne Bier is always something to look forward to, but it's a little surprising the film chosen to have its world premiere at the Toronto Film Festival is A Second Chance (En chance til) and not Serena as this is now Bier's second film to be released since Serena (which stars Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper) completed filming. Starring Nikolaj Coster-Waldau ("Game of Thrones") and Ulrich Thomsen, Second Chance asks How far are decent human beings willing to go, when tragedy blurs the line between just and unjustc Written by Bier's frequent screenwriting collaborator, Anders Thomas Jensen (In a Better World), this drama is about how easily we lose our grasp on justice when confronted with the unthinkable, and life as we know it hangs by a thread. Maria Bonnevie, Nikolaj Lie Kaas and Lykke May Andersen co-star. Check out the trailer below. sb id="963485" height...

Much like back to school sales in mid July, in our books, Tiff’s first announcement wave reminds us that the end of summer is upon us (we heart fall film festival bliss) and it also gets our team of journalists heading to Tiff in Charlie Foxtrot pickle of a situation as the Docs, Midnight Madness, Vanguard & Wavelengths get revealed in the weeks to come making for scheduling overload. Of star-struck, tickets sale friendly list of showy red carpet items mentioned today, we find our usual set of Oscar bait items (how odd that Quebecois helmers Jean-Marc Vallee and Philippe Falardeau both present tear-jerker items with Reese Witherspoon), acquisitions titles, and more importantly, our first look at items that are pretty much guaranteed a showing at this year’s Telluride and Venice Film Festivals. On tap, we have Mia Hansen-Løve’s Eden, Christian Petzold’s Phoenix, Noah Baumbach’s While...

The Toronto International Film Festival (Tiff) has fired its awards season opening salvo, announcing a slew of world premieres for the September edition, which will close with Alan Rickman’s A Little Chaos.Scroll down for full list

Not to be outdone by the New York Film Festival, which has staked a claim to the world premieres of Gone Girl and Inherent Vice, and Venice, which will open with Birdman, artistic director Cameron Bailey and his team announced on Tuesday (22) close to 50 galas and special presentations.

Two factors are certain to ratchet up the sense of anticipation heading into September. Most of these titles are without Us distribution and that said, it remains to be seen which films will qualify for a coveted first-weekend slot.

Tiff top brass made it clear earlier this year that any title that sneaks into Telluride will be forced to screen after the first four days of the festival. Tiff runs from...

So, the question was whether or not the Toronto International Film Festival's new rules about premieres—telling distributors that any movie playing the festival in the first four days couldn't screen anywhere else (sorry Telluride)—would hurt their ability to curate an attractive lineup. Well, put those fears aside as the fest has unveiled a pretty solid first wave of titles. So what's coming? Where do we start? Right at the top of the list of awards contender "The Imitation Game" starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Noah Baumbach's anticipated "While We're Young," "Nightcrawler" with Jake Gyllenhaal, Jason Reitman's "Men, Women & Children," the Tom Hardy starrer "The Drop," a Reese Witherspoon double bill with "Wild" and "The Good Lie," Susanne Bier's "A Second Chance" and many more. Anyway, check out the full list of titles below. Tiff runs from September 4th to 14th. Toronto — Piers Handling, CEO and...

This morning the first wave of the 2014 Toronto Film Festival lineup was announced and so far it's an impressive list of films including films from Noah Baumbach, Mike Leigh, David Gordon Green, Jason Reitman, Bennett Miller, David Cronenberg, Antoine Fuqua, Edward Zwick, Mikael Roskam, David Dobkin and many others. One surprising detail is there was no announcement of an opening film so along with everything below there is still at least one biggie on the way, and while they say it has nothing to do with their "premiere" mandate, I wouldn't be surprised if it might be Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's Birdman and they're waiting to see if it will be the North American premiere. Then again, could Birdman open both Toronto and Venicec But what else could it bec Maybe David Ayer's Furyc No chance for Christopher Nolan's Interstellar... or is therec Probably the films announced so far...