Innovation is the buzz at Venice film festival
Source: Agencies |
September 1, 2010, Wednesday
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Print Edition
IN film, recession may be the mother of innovation.
The Venice Film Festival opens today with its share of big-screen bound blockbuster potential, from Darren Aronfsky's "Black Swan," to Sofia Coppola's highly anticipated "Somewhere" and Ben Affleck's sophomore directorial effort, "The Town."
But director Marco Mueller says that the economic downturn has forced even big name directors to come up with cheaper means of production, giving rise to innovation and an "in-between" budget category - bridging low-budget under a million dollars and mid-range of around 6 million-7 million euros (US$7.5 million to US$9 million).
"In between there was very little. And now several people rush to occupy that special space," he said. "Because it's also the space where with some local, regional subsidy, some private money, and maybe with a few interested distributors, you can get your film off the ground."
Oscar-winning Italian director Giuseppe Tornatore, limited after last year's big-budget "Baaria," turned to documentary making this year with a portrait of Italian cinematographer Goffredo Lombardo still in progress, to be shown out of competition.
Vincent Gallo will be at the Lido both as an actor, playing a terror suspect plotting his escape in Jerzy Skolimowski's "Essential Killing," and as the director of two films.
"Both films are entirely self-produced. He started with a short film, then he actually realized that using the same mode of production he could dare to look forward to a feature," Mueller said. The result is "Promises Written in the Water," which will compete for the Golden Lion.
The film tells a story about a man - a professional assassin - and a woman confronting terminal illness. It was shot without preparation or a traditional script.
And American director Monte Helmann, whose influence has been greater than his popular acclaim, will be showing his movie "Road to Nowhere" in competition. The film is described as a romantic thriller about a filmmaker who becomes involved in a criminal conspiracy.
"Monte made the film he has wanted to make for several years on a shoestring budget with an incredible cast using quite a few important names and all of a sudden we have a film with special effects. Without being a travelogue it does move to a number of countries and it cost less than US$2 million," Mueller said.
The Venice festival opens with a triple-header: Golden Lion-winner Aronofsky's "Black Swan" and Hong Kong director Andrew Lau's "The Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen," starring Donnie Yen, followed by a special midnight screening of Robert Rodriguez's "Machete."
The Venice Film Festival opens today with its share of big-screen bound blockbuster potential, from Darren Aronfsky's "Black Swan," to Sofia Coppola's highly anticipated "Somewhere" and Ben Affleck's sophomore directorial effort, "The Town."
But director Marco Mueller says that the economic downturn has forced even big name directors to come up with cheaper means of production, giving rise to innovation and an "in-between" budget category - bridging low-budget under a million dollars and mid-range of around 6 million-7 million euros (US$7.5 million to US$9 million).
"In between there was very little. And now several people rush to occupy that special space," he said. "Because it's also the space where with some local, regional subsidy, some private money, and maybe with a few interested distributors, you can get your film off the ground."
Oscar-winning Italian director Giuseppe Tornatore, limited after last year's big-budget "Baaria," turned to documentary making this year with a portrait of Italian cinematographer Goffredo Lombardo still in progress, to be shown out of competition.
Vincent Gallo will be at the Lido both as an actor, playing a terror suspect plotting his escape in Jerzy Skolimowski's "Essential Killing," and as the director of two films.
"Both films are entirely self-produced. He started with a short film, then he actually realized that using the same mode of production he could dare to look forward to a feature," Mueller said. The result is "Promises Written in the Water," which will compete for the Golden Lion.
The film tells a story about a man - a professional assassin - and a woman confronting terminal illness. It was shot without preparation or a traditional script.
And American director Monte Helmann, whose influence has been greater than his popular acclaim, will be showing his movie "Road to Nowhere" in competition. The film is described as a romantic thriller about a filmmaker who becomes involved in a criminal conspiracy.
"Monte made the film he has wanted to make for several years on a shoestring budget with an incredible cast using quite a few important names and all of a sudden we have a film with special effects. Without being a travelogue it does move to a number of countries and it cost less than US$2 million," Mueller said.
The Venice festival opens with a triple-header: Golden Lion-winner Aronofsky's "Black Swan" and Hong Kong director Andrew Lau's "The Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen," starring Donnie Yen, followed by a special midnight screening of Robert Rodriguez's "Machete."
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