2009 The Year In Movies: 6-Around The World

CHAN-WOOK PARK-Thirst

With Cannes announcing its line up in April, interest for film makers around the globe is booming while media tries to figure up the ones that may be selected for a slot in its competititve Official Section. Many of the most renowned world authors got their batteries recharged and new project to launch. Particularly promising, once more and after years of international overexposure are Oriental filmographies with a number of high profile project with crossover potential.

The most exciting of them all is Chan-Wook Park tackling Vampire territory in “Thirst”. The Korean master’s overstylized and violent cinematography reached its peak during his acclaimed Vengeance trilogy and looks set to give a needed overhaul to the traditional horror subgenre. Fellow Korean Bo Joon-Ho returns with “Mother” to his usual violent crime stories of past films like “Memories Of Murder”.

From Japan, the acclaimed young director of such philosophical works as “Afterlife”, Hirokazu Kore-Eda, got his last two movies waiting for Western distribution. The first of them “Still Waiting” went to win a myriad of awards in Asia and Latin America; the latest one “Air Doll” is probably being launched shortly in the festival circuit.

Other recent favourite among Asia’s new authors, Thai Apitchapong Weerasethakul is currently filming “Primitive”, the follow-up to “Syndromes and a century”.

JULIE DELPY-The Countess

Back in European grounds, Julie Delpy; after hopping from acting to singing and screenplay writing finally debuts behind the camera with “The Countess”, telling the story of the 17th century Hungarian countess who sacrificed the lives of virgins with the belief that their blood will keep her youthful. A multicultural cast that include William Hurt, Daniel Brühl and Anamaria Marinca help the French actress on her first directing steps.

French film production has been rather weak during the last years, but got some heavyweights in schedule, including a new project by France’s most successful and imaginative director, Jean-Pierre Jeunet (Amelie). In “Micmacs A Tire-Larigot” he will join the pacifist battle of a group of friends who mastermind an original plan to destroy two weapons manufacturers. Jacques Audiard is also back after taking his time to follow-up the success of “The Beat My heart Skipped” with “Un Prophete”, the tale of a young Arab boy’s rise to crime in the ranks of the Corsican Mafia. Festival regular Bruno Dumond will offer another slice of existentialist cinema with “Hadewitjh” and the Larrieu Brothers will present their vision of the end of the world in “This is the End” with Sergi Lopez, Catherine Font and Mathieu Amalric.

FRANCOIS OZON-Ricky

More of the French contingent, François Ozon, the director who used to follow Almodovar’s early steps, keeps on genre hopping with “Ricky”, a tale of a new born baby with extraordinary powers. Patrice Chereau will work with Charlotte Gainsbourg in “Persecution” and Rachid Bouchareb, the acclaimed director of “Days Of Glory” has just entered the Berlin film festival with “London River”, scooping the gong for his actor, Sotigi Kouyaté, who next to Brenda Blethyn lead the cast of this story of strangers meeting in London when they travel to check if their relatives are fine after the terrorist attacks.

Greater in Ambition is Jaco Van Dormael’s “Mr Nobody”, the Belgium director counts with an International cast led by Jared Leto, Diane Kruger and Sarah Polley for this sci-fi drama about the last mortal man in a future where mankind has achieved immortality and his vital and philosophical questions.

ARMANDO IANUCCI-In The Loop

In the UK, local talent and independent producers have also some interesting projects in the horizon. To the already mentioned in other sections (Loach, Meadows, Winterbottom) we can add the debut of TV screenwriter and comedian Armando Ianucci, who will adapt his successful brand of political satire, tried and tested in BBC series “The Thick Of It”, into a full feature film “In the Loop”. Ianucci describes it as the anti-West wing for the lack of glamorising politics on its hand-held camera, faux documentary style. Steve Coogan and James Gandolfini feature on its cast.

Andrea Arnold is following up her Cannes awarded, disturbing CCTV drama “Red Road” with “Fish Tank”. It will carry on growing both director and main star Michael Fassbender’s indie credentials.

And From Australia, Scott Hicks will give Clive Owen a likely chance to get an Oscar nomination with his adaptation of Simon Carr’s novel about a single father who has to look about his two growing kids “The Boys Are back In Town”. Hicks, who hasn’t had a big hit since “Shine” earned Geoffrey Rush an Oscar, could make a surprising come back to the victorious aura of the Academy.

NIELS ARDON OPLEV-The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

Already released in Sweden, Niels Ardon Oplev adaptation of the first in Stieg Larsson’s final book trilogy “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”, currently flying off the book shelves all over the world. On the strength of the best-seller the movie is likely to find distributors everywhere.

And based on memories of a foregone era, this time a collection of the myths and urban legends during Communist days in Romania, Cristian Mungiu is about to release “Tales from The Golden Age”, the follow-up to the Rober winner “4 months, 3 weeks and 2 days”, conceived as a collection of episodes, directed by him and four of his colleagues.

LUKAS MOODYSSON-Mammoth

Also from Sweden, Lukas Moodysson, one of our favourite European directors strikes again, aided by international stars (Gael Garcia Bernal, Michelle Williams) with “Mammoth”, failing to impress at the latest Berlin festival.

German based, Turkish original, Fatih Akin is giving the finishing touches to “Soul Kitchen”, his third feature film after his acclaimed “The Edge Of heaven”, who earned him an European Film award for its screenplay. And from Eastern Europe, Danis Tanovic’s “Triage” is likely to raise the director’s profile, after a couple of not so lucky works, following the Bosnian’s former winner of the Oscar for best foreign film “No Man’s Land”. Colin Farrell, Christopher Lee and the Spanish actress Paz Vega have been signed to star.