Check out the trailers for two of the big winners at SIFF. SIFF audiences have been known to be sophisticated and worldly (hence an activist documentary winning), but also love a good crowd-pleaser (as evidenced by the popularity of Black Dynamite as well as previous knee-slapping farces that have won the top prize). so... enjoy! These films will most definitely make it to a theater near you (and if not, catch them on DVD when the time comes)!
The Cove
SIFF 2009 Golden Space Needle - Best Documentary Opening in theaters July 31st
In the 1960's, Richard O'Barry was the world’s leading authority on dolphin training, working on the set of the popular television program Flipper. Day in and day out, O'Barry kept the dolphins working and television audiences smiling. But one day, that all came to a tragic end. THE COVE, directed by Louie Psihoyos, tells the amazing true story of how Psihoyos, O'Barry and an elite team of activists, filmmakers and freedivers embarked on a covert mission to penetrate a hidden cove in Japan , shining light on a dark and deadly secret. The mysteries they uncovered were only the tip of the iceberg.
Who's the cat that won't cop out when there's danger all about? No, not him, I'm talkin' about Black Dynamite. When “The Man” murders his brother, pumps heroin into local orphanages, and floods the ghetto with a secret weapon disguised as Anaconda malt liquor, Black Dynamite is the only hero willing to fight all the way from the blood-soaked city streets to the hallowed halls of the Honky House. He's a master of kung fu, has a lot of guns, and beds the most beautiful women in the hood. In short, Black Dynamite is every hero you wish you could be.
The Golden Space Needle Award winners were announced at a ceremony on Sunday. More than 60,000 ballots were cast by SIFF audiences to determine the winner in six categories: Best Film, Best Documentary, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Short Film. So, without further ado...
SIFF 2009 Golden Space Needle Audience Awards
Best Film Golden Space Needle Award
Black Dynamite, directed by Scott Sanders (USA, 2009)
First runner up: The Necessities of Life, directed by Benoît Pilon (Canada, 2008)
Second runner up: (500) Days of Summer, directed by Marc Webb (USA, 2009)
Third runners up (tie): ZMD: Zombies of Mass Destruction, directed Kevin Hamedani (USA, 2009) and Morris: A Life With Bells On, directed by Lucy Akhurst (United Kingdom, 2008)
Fourth runner up: North Face, directed by Philipp Stolzl (Austria, 2008)
Best Documentary Golden Space Needle Award
The Cove, directed by Louie Psihoyos (USA, 2009)
First runner up: Sweet Crude, directed by Sandy Cioffi (USA, 2008)
Second runner up: William Kunstler: Disturbing the Universe, directed by Sarah Kunstler and Emily Kunstler (USA, 2009)
Third runner up: Every Little Step, directed by James D. Stern and Adam Del Deo (USA, 2008)
Fourth runners up (tie): Food, Inc., directed by Robert Kenner (USA, 2008) and Facing Ali, directed by Pete McCormack (Canada, 2009)
Best Director Golden Space Needle Award
Kathryn Bigelow, for The Hurt Locker (USA, 2008)
First runner up: Lynn Shelton, for Humpday (USA, 2009)
Second runner up: Kari Skogland for Fifty Dead Men Walking (UK/Canada, 2008)
Third runner up: Spike Lee for Passing Strange (USA, 2009)
Fourth runner up: Marc Webb for (500) Days of Summer (USA, 2009)
Best Actor Golden Space Needle Award
Sam Rockwell for Moon (United Kingdom, 2009)
First runner up: Jim Sturgess for Fifty Dead Men Walking (United Kingdom, 2008)
Second runner up: Natar Ungalaaq for The Necessities of Life (Canada, 2008)
Third runner up: Mark Duplass for Humpday (USA, 2009)
Fourth runner up: Toni Servillo for Il Divo (Italy, 2008)
Best Actress Golden Space Needle Award
Yolande Moreau for Séraphine (France/Belgium, 2008)
First runner up: Catalina Saavedra for The Maid (Chile, 2008)
Second runner up: Trine Dyrholm, for Little Soldier (Denmark, 2009)
Third runner up: Nathalie Press for Fifty Dead Men Walking (UK/Canada, 2008)
Fourth runner up: Iben Hjejle for The Escape (Denmark, 2009)
Best Short Film Golden Space Needle Award
Wallace and Gromit: A Matter of Loaf and Death, directed by Nick Park, (UK)
First runner up: Treevenge, directed by Jason Eisener (Canada)
Second runner up: Full Employment, directed by Thomas Oberlies and Matthias Vogel (Germany)
Third runner up: French Roast, directed by Fabrice O. Joubert (France)
Fourth runner up: Make My Day, directed by Pelle Møller (Denmark)
Lena Sharpe Award for Persistence of Vision, Presented by Women in Film/Seattle
Sweet Crude, directed by Sandy Cioffi (USA, 2008)
2009 Fool Serious Awards
The always-fun second-opinion Fool Serious Awards are voted on by a dedicated group of full passholders, who see a LOT of movies, therefore have a LOT of opinions on said movies. Here's what they thought...
Most Liked
Departures
North Face
Tears of April
Séraphine
Necessities of Life
The Hurt Locker
That Evening Sun
Troubled Water
Moon
Kabei - Our Mother
Top Archival
Sunset Boulevard
Once Upon a Time in the West
The Third Man
Dodsworth
Top Documentaries
Burma VJ - Reporting from a Closed Country
Every Little Step
The Beaches of Agnès
Sweet Crude
The Special Category Award Winners
Best Director - Kathryn Bigelow for The Hurt Locker Best Script - a tie between Lynn Shelton for Humpday and Kundo Koyama for Departures Best Cinematographer - Kolja Brandt for North Face Best Music - Tetro (by Osvaldo Golijov) Best Actor - Natar Ungalaaq for Necessities of Life Best Actress - Yolande Moreau for Séraphine Best Guilty Pleasure - a tie between ZMD: Zombies of Mass Destruction and Black Dynamite
One of the centerpieces of the festival was the Evening with Francis Ford Coppola, which I hemmed and hawed about, then finally bought a ticket a day or two before the event. Depending on how chatty the subject is, and more importantly, if the subject has anything interesting to say (no matter how famous or established they are), these kind of events can truly be hit or miss. So I admit that I was delightfully surprised at what a cool guy Mr. Coppola was, and how truly positive and inspiring he was.
The Egyptian was packed for the evening, and I even saw local celeb—Mr. Eyepatch himself—glass artist Dale Chihuly hobble into the theater with an impressive self-important entourage. Coppola and his wife were homey enough to be sitting right there in the audience for the screening of his latest independently-funded film Tetro (4/8), which comes across as a deeply personal work for Coppola.
Shot in gorgeous HD digital black-and-white, the story is of two brothers: young Bennie (newcomer Alden Ehrenreich) shows up in Buenos Aires on leave from his cruise ship. He's excited to see his estranged older beloved brother (Vincent Gallo) who left the family years and years ago, who promised to come back for Bennie (he never did). His brother now calls himself "Tetro", abandoning his former life as the stifled son of a very famous conductor (Klaus Maria Brandauer). When family tragedy struck, Tetro fled to start his own life, and now that Bennie has found him, he's not particularly happy. Tetro's woman Miranda (Maribel Verdú) tries to get the two to become close, but there is so much baggage with their family, that unspoken secrets fill the room, along with broken dreams (Tetro is a failed writer), that it seems almost impossible for the two to move on.
The film builds (slowly I might add, at over two hours long) to a big revelation about that family that is right out of a Greek tragedy, but by then it was already too late for me. A big part of my problem is that I'm not impressed with Vincent Gallo as an actor. His charisma is null, and his boofy hair is distracting. Spanish actress Maribel Verdú acts circles around him, and brings true heart into the story. The rest of the film, despite looking great, grew tedious and rambling, and I had the shocking revelation figured out long before the big scene (punctuated with a crescendo of dramatic music).
But the audience gave the film wild applause, and even wilder for Coppola as he took the stage (along with Ehrenreich) for a Q&A. Moderator Carl Spence luckily reigned in the questions, warning the audience to stick to Tetro-related questions (otherwise we could have easily been there all night). Coppola was warm and friendly and super-chatty... and most importantly, I could hear everything that he was saying from way up in the balcony (sound at some of these Q&A's can be super-crappy). What I loved about Coppola was that he is from the school of positive thinking, and inspired everyone to pursue their dreams, regardless of the chances of big success. It is hard to put into words what he conveyed, but I think everyone in the theater left with a smile and a spring in their step, ready to tackle the highest mountain, cook up a delicious meal for their friends, or create a masterpiece painting.... just to do it.
Check out the trailers for two of the big winners at SIFF. SIFF audiences have been known to be sophisticated and worldly (hence an activist documentary winning), but also love a good crowd-pleaser (as evidenced by the popularity of Black Dynamite as well as previous knee-slapping farces that have won the top prize). so... enjoy! These films will most definitely make it to a theater near you (and if not, catch them on DVD when the time comes)!
Black Dynamite, directed by Scott Sanders (USA, 2009)
Yolande Moreau for Séraphine (France/Belgium, 2008)
