Kleber Mendonça Filho Named to This Year’s Cannes Film Festival Jury

Posted on June 26, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Kleber Mendonça Filho is on the jury…

Organizers for the 74th Cannes Film Festival have unveiled the nine-person jury group, which includes 52-year-old Brazilian film director, screenwriter, producer and critic.

In addition to Filho, the jury includes president Spike Lee, French-Senegalese actor-director Mati Diop; Oscar nominated actress Maggie Gyllenhaal, French actress Mélanie Laurent, Austrian filmmaker Jessica Hausner and French singer Mylène Farmer.

Rounding out the jury are French actor Tahar Rahim and South Korean actor Song Kang-Ho.

Filho’s first movie, Neighboring Sounds, made its world premiere at the Rotterdam International Film Festival in 2012 and was Brazil’s entry in the race for the Oscars. His second feature film, Aquarius, starring Sonia Braga, played in competition at the 69th Cannes in 2016 before being nominated for a César and an Independent Spirit Awards. In 2019, Bacurau, which Filho co-directed with Juliano Dornelles, screened in competition in Cannes was awarded the Jury Prize.

All together, the jury will watch 24 films in competition during the delayed film festival from July 6-17. The jury will announce its winners on the last day of the festival.

Ramirez to Star Opposite Matthew McConaughey in the Mining Drama “Gold”

Posted on March 19, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

Edgar Ramirez is ready to mine his own business…

The 37-year-old Venezuelan actor, who starred in Zero Dark Thirty, will star opposite Matthew McConaughey in Black Bear Pictures’ upcoming mining drama Gold.

In the Stephen Gaghan-helmed project, Ramirez will portray geologist Michael Acosta opposite the Oscar winner’s role of prospector Walsh.

Written by Patrick Massett and John Zinman and based on the true story about the 1993 Bre-X Mineral Corporation mining scandal, the film revolves around the unlikely pair traveling to the Indonesian jungle in search of the highly valued soft metal of the title.

Production begins in June with filming in New York, New Mexico and Thailand.

Best known for playing 1970s terrorist Ilich Ramírez Sánchez in the 2010 miniseries Carlos, a role that earned him the César Award for Most Promising Actor, Ramirez’s more recent credits include David O. Russell’s Joy opposite Jennifer Lawrence and the Alcon reboot of Point Break, both of which are set for Christmas Day releases this year. Additionally, the actor stars as boxer Roberto Duran in the biopic Hands of Stone opposite Robert DeNiro. Hands of Stone is scheduled to hit the big screen in October.

Martinez Signs with Paradigm Talent Agency

Posted on January 15, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

Olivier Martinez has new representation…

The 49-year-old half-Spanish actor has signed on as a client with Paradigm Talent Agency.

Martinez, who has a César Award under his belt for 1993’s Un, deux, trois, soleil, most recently appeared last season on ABC’s Revenge as French billionaire media mogul Pascal LeMarchal.

He’ll next appear in History Channel’s upcoming miniseries Texas Rising playing Antonio López de Santa Anna, the 19th century Mexican general known as the Napoleon of the West, in a cast that includes Bill Paxton, Ray Liotta, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Brendan Fraser and Chad Michael Murray.

Martinez rose to acclaim in the United States after starring in Unfaithful with Diane Lane and Richard Gere. His other credits include Before Night Falls opposite Javier Bardem, S.W.A.T. with Samuel L. Jackson, D.J. Caruso’s Taking Lives, and Dark Tide with wife Halle Berry.

Bejo Earns César Award for Her Performance in Asghar Farhadi’s “The Past”

Posted on February 2, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

It’s a blast from the past for Bérénice Bejo…

The 37-year-old Argentine actress has earned a César Award nomination for Best Actress for her critically acclaimed performance in Asghar Farhadi’s The Past.

The film’s twisting plot involves secrets, lies, deceit, divorce, affairs, comas, pregnancy and other traumatic situations.

“This is a film that is so far removed from my life, from my everyday,” says Bejo. “But at the same time, it’s really interesting to play someone who is your total opposite.”

It’s Bejo’s second Best Actress nomination for the César Award, France’s equivalent to the Oscars. She previously won the prize in 2011 for her star-making performance in The Artist, a role that also earned her an Academy Award nomination.

Even though Bejo failed to earn an Oscar nomination this time around for her performance in the French-language drama The Past, she did win the Best Actress prize at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival.

Meanwhile, Pablo Berger‘s Blancanieves and Alfonso Cuarón’s Gravity are both nominated in the Best Foreign Film category.

The César Awards ceremony will take place on February 28 in Paris.

Here’s a look at this year’s Latino nominees:

BEST ACTRESS
Fanny Ardant, Les Beaux Jours
Bérénice Bejo, The Past
Catherine Deneuve, Elle S’En Va
Sara Forestier, Suzanne
Sandrine Kiberlain, 9 Mois Ferme
Emmanuelle Seigner, Venus In Fur
Léa Seydoux, Blue Is The Warmest Color

BEST FOREIGN FILM
The Broken Circle Breakdown
Blancanieves
Blue Jasmine
Dead Man Talking
Django Unchained
The Great Beauty
Gravity

Almodóvar to Receive Lifetime Achievement Award at the European Film Awards

Posted on September 16, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

Pedro Almodóvar is being honored for his film achievements…

The European Film Academy will honor the 63-year-old Spanish Oscar-winning filmmaker with its lifetime achievement award, the European Achievement in World Cinema prize, at the European Film Awards in Berlin this December.

Almodóvar has been among the most acclaimed, and successful, European directors since his 1988 melodrama Woman on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown won the best young film honor at the inaugural European Film Awards and went on to arthouse success worldwide.

He has won five more European Film honors, as well as five BAFTAs, four French Cesar awards and two Oscars.

Almodóvar’s Oscar wins came in the best foreign language film category for All About My Mother (1999) and in the best screenplay category for Talk to Her (2002).

“I am very thankful for this award. From its creation, the European Film Academy has been very generous with me and my closest collaborators,” Almodóvar said in a statement. “I share with them the joy of this award.”

Almodóvar will be honored at the 26th European Film Awards in Berlin on December 7.

Bejo Named Best Actress at the Cesar Awards

Posted on February 25, 2012 by Tom Castaneda

Bérénice Bejo has one more coveted award in her trophy collection…

The 35-year-old Argentine actress—who received an Oscar nomination for best supporting actress—picked up the best actress award at the 37th annual Cesar Awards on Friday night in Paris for her breakout role in award-winning film The Artist.

To claim the award, Bejo beat out Declaration of War’s Valerie Donzelli, Poliss stars Karin Viard and Marina Fois, Leila Bekhti for The Source, Marie Gillain for Toutes nos envies and Ariane Ascaride for her role in The Snows of Kilimanjaro.

It’s the latest award for Bejo, who steals the show in the silent, black-and-white film. The Artist star picked up a Lumiere Award at France’s version of the Golden Globes earlier this year for her role as Peppy Miller, among other awards.

In all, France’s Academy of Technical Arts and Sciences lavished six awards including French film of the year on The Artist at the awards show.

Bejo now heads to Los Angeles, where The Artist will vie for 10 Academy Awards at Sunday’s Academy Awards ceremony.

Bejo: Best Actress at France’s Version of the Golden Globes

Posted on January 15, 2012 by Tom Castaneda

Bérénice Bejo’s awards mantle continues to fill up this awards season…

The 35-year-old Argentine actress, nominated for a Best Supporting Actress at this year’s Golden Globes being held Sunday, picked up a Lumiere Award at France’s version of the Golden Globes this weekend for her performance in The Artist.

Bejo was named best actress for her role in the black and white silent film, which won best film of the year.

The Artist has been picking up steam en route to this year’s Oscars. It’s claimed several best picture awards throughout awards season, including the Critics Choice award for Best Picture on Thursday night in Hollywood.

The Lumiere Awards—France’s equivalent to the Golden Globes—are voted upon by foreign press correspondents in the territory. The Lumiere Awards kick off the prize season in Gaul and are usually a sign of what is to be expected at next month’s prestigious Cesar Awards ceremony.

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