Right Al Pacino
accepts a career
achievement award
at the Chicago
international Film
Festival.
!picture
sows
Below: John Turtuiro
stars in The Truce, a
film adaptation of
Primo Levi's
autobiographical
The Reawakening.
Showing at the San
Francisco Jewish
Film Festival.
A roundup of the best upcomingfilm
festivals in the United States and Canada.
LYNNE KONSTANTIN STAFF WRITER
Right:Gany
Marshall,
Jennifer Beals
and Jon Tenney
at Chicago's
premiere of their
film, The
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
Twilight of the
Golds.
78
Above: Director
Werner Herzog
takes aim at a fan at
the Telluride Film
Festival.
Right:Carroll Baker
is featured guest at
the Breckenridge
Film Festival.
I
he Ice Storm. The Sweet focus on the independent film. The
Hereafter. Unagi. Sun- brainchild of Robert Redford, Sun-
day. She's So Lovely. Ponette. dance is held in January in Park City,
Never heard of them? Not Utah. New, young filmmakers come,
surprising.
hoping to win the fairy tale, like Ed-
But you will. Just give it ward Burns did with
The Brothers Mc-
fill year's end, and the name Mullen two years ago.
Atom Egoyan will flow as smoothly off
This year, Rod Steiger, upon intro-
your tongue as does the name of Acad- ducing
a clip from Breaking the Waves,
emy Award-winning director Antho- said, 'They're called
independent films
ny Minghella — whom, a year ago, you because of their financing, but they're
probably thought was a form of food independent because of their spirit."
as poisoning.
For most of us, though, festivals de-
The above films are all new — ei-
ther "art house," independent or for- termine what movies we are going to
hear about during the coming year. If
eign. And presently, they are making you're lucky enough to attend, film
fes-
the film festival circuit.
tivals can also be about an unforget-
Film is one of the youngest arts table vacation
of hobnobbing with
there is, and film festivals are a rela-
tively new phenomenon. One of the movie stars — and seeing movies,
movies, movies, before most people get
oldest, the Cannes Film Festival, held the
chance.
in the south of France, just celebrat-
By the way: The Ice Storm? The
ed its 50th anniversary in May. newest release by
Sense and Sensi-
Cannes, Venice, Berlin, Sundance — bility
director Ang Lee won Best
these are among the most prestigious
festivals in the world. And what hap- Screenplay at Cannes and will open
the New York Film Festival. The
pens there often determines the fate Sweet
Hereafter? Canadian director
of a film.
Atom
Egoyan's
film adaptation of the
Mainly, film festivals are an outlet
for films to receive valuable exposure, book by Russell Banks, won the Grand
Prix at Cannes and will open Toron-
for filmmakers to shop for a distribu- to.
Unagi is the Japanese film that
tor and for distributors to bid on films.
won
Palme D'Or, the most presti-
And though many have become out- gious the
of prizes at Cannes.
won
rageously commercial and money-dri- Sundance's Grand Jury Sunday
Prize. She's
ven, festivals are still a place for film So Lovely,
directed by Nick Cassavetes
lovers to indulge their fantasy and
watch movies till their eyes droop to (John's son), picked up a Best Actor
Award for Sean Penn at Cannes. And
their toes.
Ponette's 4-year-old star won a Best
Some festivals, such as Sundance,
Actress Award at Venice last August.
What it is: 17TH ANNUAL SAN
FRANCISCO JEWISH FILM FES-
TIVAL
When it is:July 17-Aug. 4, 1997, at four
Bay Area locations: San Francisco's Cas-
tro Theatre, Berkeley's UC Theatre,
Palo Alto's Spangenberg Theatre, and,
Aug. 2-4, at Larkspur, Marin County's
Lark Theatre.
Festivals past: Premieres have in-
cludedA Tickle in the Heart andAn Oc-
cupation Set in Stone.
Festival future: This year's festival
opened with Blacks and Jews. It spot-
lights the works of Michael Verhoeven
The Nasty Girl, White Rose, My Moth-
er's Courage), all of which deal with Ger-
man responsibility, resistance and
Jewish survival.
Premieres and attendees include
John Thrturro in Francesco Rosi's The
Truce; Marcia Jamel's The Return of
Sarah's Daughters; Zalisa Rabin's Nick
and Rachel (see JN Entertainment cov-
er); and Gus Van Sant's documentary,
Allen Ginsbeig's Ballad of the Skeletons.
Tickets: Ranges from Festival Pass,
$110, to general admission tickets for
$7.50.
Box office: 346 Ninth St., San Fran-
cisco, CA 94103
Contact: (415) 621-0556
Web site: http://www.sQff.org
What it is: MONTREAL WORLD
FILM FESTIVAL
When it is: Aug. 22-Sept. 2, 1997
Festivals past: Ranking in prestige
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