The movie adaptation of “We Need to Talk About Kevin,” the 2003 novel of American author Lionel Shriver is the winner of the best film at the 55th BFI London Film Festival Wednesday. The novel won the Orange Prize for fiction in 2005.

The film described as an unflinching portrayal of a mother’s troubled relationship with her son featured Oscar winner Tilda Swinton, starring as Eva, Kevin’s mother

Kevin (Ezra Miller), 15, commits a massacre at his high school and goes to jail. Stunned, his mother, Eve (Tilda Swinton) can only react to tragedy when it begins to correspond with her husband, Franklin (John C. Reilly), who lives far and recalls the boy’s troubled past.

“We Need to Talk about Kevin” premiered at the last Cannes Film Festival was directed by Scottish film maker Lynne Ramsay. It beat eight other films, including Russian Alexander Sokurov’s Faust that won the Golden Lion at the 68th Venice International Film Festival.

“In the end, we were simply bowled over by one film, a sublime, uncompromising tale of the torment that can stand in the place of love,” said John Madden, chair of the judging panel.
“‘We Need to Talk About Kevin’ is made with the kind of singular vision that links great directors across all the traditions of cinema.”

The festival closes Thursday evening with a gala screening of “The Deep Blue Sea,” Terence Davies’ adaptation of Terence Rattigan’s play starring Rachel Weisz.

~ By Ekenyerengozi Michael Chima with contributions from Mike Collett-White.

Del-York International Spearheads “Bem-Vindo A Nollywood’’ Film Festival
In São Paulo, Brazil

LAGOS, NIGERIA, 25 October 2011 – Del-York International is teaming up with Kinopedia Ltd and the Departamento de Expansão Cultural da Secretaria de Cultura, Prefeitura de São Paulo to host the first Nollywood film festival in South America from 18th–27th November 2011.

This milestone will be held at the Cine Olido in São Paulo, Brazil,, which will host a roundtable discussion featuring some of Nollywood’s most respected practitioners as well as showcase a retrospective of nine films by the award-winning director Tunde Kelani.

Since the Festival marks the beginning of a multi-year cultural exchange with the government of Brazil, The film festival aims at promoting Del-York’s mission to inaugurate a sustainable relationship between the Nigerian film industry “Nollywood” and the Brazilian people, by celebrating the Yoruba heritage and traditions shared by both nations. especially those that trace their origin to the Yoruba tribe in Nigeria and Africa at large,which is commendably portrayed in Tunde Kelani’s films.

Tunde Kelani, a celebrated advocate of Yoruba culture, has long been considered to be one of Nigeria’s most accomplished filmmakers. His four-decade-long career started in the early 1970s as a television cameraman. When the devaluation of the Naira decreased filmmakers’ purchasing power, Kelani ceased his work as a cinematographer to direct and produce his own films on video format with the establishment of Mainframe Television and Movie Productions in 1992 – producing such beloved classics as “Saworoide” (1999) and “Thunderbolt: Magun” (2001).

In Kelani’s words: “The list of nine films selected for the Ffilm festival are important, because the films are valuable not only to the Yorubas in the homeland, but especially to Yorubas in the Diaspora, who despite 200 years to 300 years of slave-trade and how they got to that side of the world, they have remained true and close to the culture.”

According to the 2011 World Bank report, “The Untold Story of Growth & Employment Potential in Nigeria’s Entertainment Industry,” Nollywood has already demonstrated significant impact on poverty alleviation through the creation of jobs especially for the youth. However, one challenge to its continued growth is that the industry lacks a branding strategy to compete with other well-established industries on a global scale. As such, the “Bem-vindo a Nollywood” Film Festival will formally introduce Nigerian films to Brazilian audiences and contribute to establishing the industry on the international stage, thus growing Nollywood’s export potential and multiplying its ability to create employment.

Russian Alexander Sokurov’s “Faust” a free cinematic interpretation of the Faust legend from the adaptations by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and Thomas Mann won the Golden Lion at the 68th Venice International Film Festival.
The film cost €8 million.

Aleksandr Sokurov with the Golden Lion

Official Result of the Winners of the 68th Venice Film Festival

Hanna Schygulla in “Faust”

Golden Lion for Best Film
Faust by Aleksander Sokurov (Russia)

Silver Lion for Best Director
Shangjun CAI for the film Ren Shan Ren Hai (People Mountain People Sea) (China – Hong Kong)

Special Jury Prize
Terraferma by Emanuele Crialese (Italy)

Coppa Volpi for Best Actor
Michael Fassbender in the film Shame by Steve McQueen (United Kingdom)

Coppa Volpi for Best Actress
Deanie Yip in the film Tao jie (A Simple Life) by Ann Hui (China – Hong Kong)

Marcello Mastroianni Award for Best New Young Actor or Actress
Shôta Sometani and Fumi Nikaidô in the film Himizu by Sion Sono (Japan)

Osella for the Best Cinematography
Robbie Ryan for the film Wuthering Heights by Andrea Arnold (United Kingdom)

Osella for Best Screenplay
Yorgos Lanthimos and Efthimis Filippou for the film Alpis (Alps) by Yorgos Lanthimos (Grecia)

Lion of the Future – “Luigi De Laurentiis”Venice Award for a Debut Film
Là-bas by Guido Lombardi (Italy) – International Critics’ Week
and a prize of 100,000 USD, donated by Filmauro di Aurelio e Luigi De Laurentiis, to be divided equally between the director and the producer

ORIZZONTI
Orizzonti Award (full-length films):
Kotoko by Shinya Tsukamoto (Japan)

Special Orizzonti Jury Prize (full-length films):
Whores’ Glory di Michael Glawogger (Austria, Germania)

Orizzonti Award:
Accidentes Gloriosos (medium-length films) by Mauro Andrizzi and Marcus Lindeen (Sweden, Denmark, Germany)

Orizzonti Award (short films):
In attesa dell’avvento by Felice D’Agostino and Arturo Lavorato (Italia)

Special Mentions:
O Le Tulafale (The Orator) by Tusi Tamasese (New Zealand, Samoa)
All The Lines Flow Out by Charles LIM Yi Yong (Singapore)

CONTROCAMPO ITALIANO
Controcampo Award (for narrative feature-length films)
Scialla! by Francesco Bruni

Controcampo Award (for short films)
A Chjàna by Jonas Carpignano

Controcampo Doc Award (for documentaries)
Pugni chiusi by Fiorella Infascelli

Special Mentions:
to the documentary Black Block by Carlo Augusto Bachschmidt
to Francesco Di Giacomo for the cinematography of Pugni chiusi

Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement
Marco Bellocchio

Jaeger-LeCoultre Glory to the Filmmaker Award 2011
Al Pacino

Persol 3D Award for the Most Creative Stereoscopic Film of the Year
Zapruder Filmmakers Group (David Zamagni, Nadia Ranocchi, and Monaldo Moretti)

L’Oréal Paris Award for Cinema
Nicole Grimaudo

Countries of the filmmakers whose films were screened at the 68th Venice International Film Festival

‘Sinking Sands’ opens in Nigerian Cinemas from October 14

Leila Djansi’s award-winning film about domestic violence, ‘Sinking Sands,’ will finally get its Nigerian showing in cinemas across Nigeria, in Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt from October 14.

The movie starring Jimmy Jean-Louis, Yemi Blaq, Akosua Agyepong, Doris Sakitey, introducing Ama K. Abebrese is a psycho-drama that tells the story of a couple, Jimah and Pabi in a loving marriage which turns into one of violence and abuse when Jimah becomes disfigured in a domestic accident.

Nigerian actor , Yemi Blaq who just finished shooting ‘When Love Dies’ with Earnest Obi is yet to see his portrayal of Dr Zach in ‘Sinking Sands’ but says he expects it to be nothing short of the great reviews that it has been receiving from critics all over the world.

“ I had no doubt the movie was going to be a success, the script had me wowed, the directing ability of Leila Djansi is nothing to suck your teeth at and the professionalism of the crew in Ghana was exceptional. All these ingredients are nothing if not the recipe for success,” comments Yemi.

He also added that his schedule at the moment is quite tight but he would make sure that he creates space to attend one of the screenings in Nigeria.

Writer/director/producer of ‘Sinking Sands’, Leila Djansi expects a successful showing in Nigeria. She comments: “I love Nigerians, because I’ve come to know they are a people who are very supportive of anything good so I am confident ‘Sinking Sands’ will find a home in Nigeria and help the cause of saying NO to violence against women.”

‘Sinking Sands’ will show in the following cinemas from October 14:

Lagos – Silverbird Cinemas

Lagos – Genesis Deluxe Cinemas

Abuja – Silverbird Cinemas

Abuja – Silverbird Cinemas Ceddi Plaza

Port Harcourt – Silverbird Showtime Cinemas

Port Harcourt- I-Cinema

Yaba: Ozone Cinema