May is an exceptionally good month on Rialto Channel as we celebrate the Cannes Film Festival by screening an eclectic collection of award winning and critically acclaimed feature films that have screened in competition at Cannes recently. The Festival du Cannes is the most prestigious and glamorous of the European Film Festivals, and is as dedicated to screening work from established auteurs as it is showcasing new talent
Coming up throughout May, you’ll be able to catch Oscar nominated films such as The Great Beauty and Omar, Abdellatif Kechiche’s three-hour French lesbian love story, Blue is the Warmest Colour as well as the winner of the Cannes Film Festival Jury Prize Like Father, Like Son. Each Monday I’ll be giving you a rundown of the top five must see films of the week.
However, before we launch into May, don’t miss the Oscar award winning documentary 20 Feet From Stardom screening this Thursday, it’s my first pick of the week.
May is an exceptionally good month on Rialto Channel as we celebrate the Cannes Film Festival by screening an eclectic collection of award winning and critically acclaimed feature films that have screened in competition at Cannes recently. The Festival du Cannes is the most prestigious and glamorous of the European Film Festivals, and is as dedicated to screening work from established auteurs as it is showcasing new talent
Coming up throughout May, you’ll be able to catch Oscar nominated films such as The Great Beauty and Omar, Abdellatif Kechiche’s three-hour French lesbian love story, Blue is the Warmest Colour as well as the winner of the Cannes Film Festival Jury Prize Like Father, Like Son. Each Monday I’ll be giving you a rundown of the top five must see films of the week.
However, before we launch into May, don’t miss the Oscar award winning documentary 20 Feet From Stardom screening this Thursday, it’s my first pick of the week.
20 Feet From Stardom
Starring: Darlene Love, Merry Clayton, Lisa Fischer, Bruce Springsteen, Sting & Mick Jagger
Directed by: Morgan Neville
Screening: Rialto Documentary, Thursday 30th April, 8.30pm
This documentary tells the story of the unsung heroes behind some of the greatest music of our time – the backup singers. Director Morgan Neville takes us on a journey through music history as a collection of backup singers reveal stories about life behind the scenes, and share with us their own stories of conflict, sacrifice and joy. What makes this film so appealing is that it’s a story that’s never been told before. Morgan Neville has been making music documentaries for almost 2 decades, and when his producer, the late Gil Friesen, (who used to be President of A&M Records) suggested the idea, Neville jumped at it. However, he soon discovered he couldn’t research the project because there was nothing to research – no material existed whatsoever except photographs of musicians such as Mick Jagger with the glimpse of an unnamed backup singer in the background. After interviewing 50 singers, Neville knew he had his film, but the hard part was still to come. As Neville told Collider, “Hands down, the hardest thing about making the film was editing because I fell in love with so many singers and songs, and only so much would fit.” What does fit is pretty fantastic, and it’s easy to see why this film won the 2014 Oscar for best documentary.
Age of Uprising: The Legend of Michael Kohlhaas
Starring: Mads Mikkelsen & Denis Lavant
Directed by: Arnaud Des Pallieres
Screening: Friday 1st May, 8.30pm
The Age of Uprising: The Legend of Michael Kohlhaas had its world premiere in competition at the 2013 Festival du Cannes. It’s a medieval western based on the 1811 novella by Heinrich von Kleist and is based on a true story. It took two and a half years for French filmmaker Arnaud des Pallières and his co-screenwriter Christelle Berthevas to adapt the work transport it from Germany to France along the way. A story about fairness and honour, Mikkelsen plays a horse trader, Michael Kohlhaas, who is unjustly treated by a Baron in the local courts after a dispute over two horses. When his wife is tragically killed, Kohlhaas is outraged by the way his family has been treated and begins a rebellion. Part Game of Thrones, Robin Hood and Braveheart, Age of Uprising is filled with moody landscapes, an impressive cast and a strong moral compass.
As I Lay Dying
Starring: James Franco, Tim Blake Nelson & Jim Parrack
Directed by: James Franco
Screening: Rialto Selection, Saturday 2nd May, 8.30pm
When not making crass comedies with Seth Rogen (although this pastime might be on hold after the whole The Interview affair), James Franco likes to adapt the work of revered American writer William Faulkner. This is the first time anyone has tackled Faulkner’s As I Lay Dying (1930), the tale of the Bundren family and their journey across Mississippi to bury their matriarch in her hometown. And there is a reason for that – it’s tricky. In the novel each chapter is told from a different character’s perspective. Franco avoids this technique, instead using a split screen to show the same scene from a variety of perspectives – it’s an example of just one of the risks Franco takes. At times As I Lay Dying is startling and beautiful, at others it’s muted and confusing; but you’ve got to give this prolific actor, writer and director credit for refusing to be pigeonholed by Hollywood.