CONTEMPORARY WORLD CINEMA AT CAMERIMAGE 2017

Monday November 6th, 2017

We announce the Contemporary World Cinema section of the 25^th anniversary edition of the International Film Festival of the Art of Cinematography CAMERIMAGE.

14 July

On 12 September 1980, the Turkish state staged a fascist military coup to oppress the Kurds’ struggle for basic human rights and freedom in the face of the denial and prohibition of their existence, identity, language, and culture. Tens of thousands of Kurds and revolutionaries in Turkey were sent to jail. In Diyarbakir, the biggest city in Kurdistan, the state sought to bury the Kurds’ dreams and longings inside Diyarbakir Prison No. 5 with the use of vicious torture – as vicious as that in Auschwitz. Against this oppression, a group of Kurdistan freedom fighters started an unprecedented resistance movement for the basic human rights and freedom that every person in the world should possess. As an important part of this resistance, they went on indefinite hunger strike on 14 July 1982…

Original title: 14 Tirmeh
Director: Hasim Aydemir
Cinematographer: Touraj Aslani

Produced by: Yapım 13

Turkey, 2017

Atomic Blonde

Berlin, 1989, mere months before the fall of the Berlin Wall and the reshuffle of the global superpowers. For a spy, ‘normal life’ means dealing with people who are not to be trusted, and in the coldest of the Cold War cities, life couldn’t be further from ‘normal’. Lorraine Broughton, a top-tier British MI6 agent, as hard as steel and as seductive as a snake, is sent to Germany on a mission to eliminate an undercover network of spies. Following a hidden agenda, these spies were involved in the death of one of the Allied operatives.

Director: David Leitch
Cinematographer: Jonathan Sela

Produced by: 87Eleven
Polish distributor: Monolith Films Sp. z o. o.

USA, 2017

Battle of the Sexes

The latest motion picture by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, the minds behind the Oscar winning Little Miss Sunshine. The legendary 1973 tennis match between world female no. 1 Billie Jean King and the audacious, purse-proud former male champion Bobby Riggs (a contest also known as ‘Battle of the Sexes’) became the most watched sports event in the history of television broadcasting. While the media painted King and Riggs as unforgiving rivals, each of them faced their own baggage of life’s challenges beyond the tennis court. King had a loving husband who also encouraged her to fight for gender equality, though at the same time she struggled with the truth of her own sexuality. Riggs risked everything and went out on a limb with his entire reputation to show the world that he could make a glorious comeback. They both made a marvellous display that resonated far beyond the sporting world, and the consequences of their battle can still be felt to this day.

Polish title: Wojna płci

Directors: Jonathan Dayton, Valerie Faris
Cinematographer: Linus Sandgren

Produced by: Fox Searchlight Pictures, Cloud Eight Films, Decibel Films

Polish distributor: Imperial CinePix Sp. z o. o.

UK, USA, 2017

Cocaine Godmother

Cocaine Godmother explores the complicated life of Griselda Blanco, who at just 17 made her way to the US with a fake passport and her first husband Carlos. Living in Queens with her three sons, Griselda was enticed by the money the drug world offered, and quickly became embroiled with local drug runners. She masterminded the use of beautiful women, the elderly, and children as drug mules, and created false-bottom suitcases for smuggling cocaine from Colombia. With money rolling in, her sons abandoned school and entered the family business instead. A move to Miami would further expand Griselda’s empire and lead to the death of her second husband Alberto, giving the rise to her nickname: The Black Widow. Her willingness to use violence against her Miami competitors led her rivals to make repeated unsuccessful attempts to kill her. In order to protect her youngest son and third husband Dario, Griselda moved to California, where she was later arrested by the DEA and sentenced to a decade in jail. The case against her collapsed and, upon her release, she was deported to Colombia, where she was ultimately gunned down in 2012. In her lifetime, Griselda’s drug distribution network spanned the entire United States and she was suspected of ordering over 200 murders.

Polish title: Kokainowa matka chrzestna

Director: Guillermo Navarro
Cinematographer: Guillermo Navarro

Produced by: Lifetime, Asylum Entertainment, Lighthouse Pictures, The Laboratory Productions

USA, 2017

Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool

Based on Peter Turner’s memoir, the film follows the playful but passionate relationship between Turner and the eccentric Academy Award-winning actress Gloria Grahame in 1978 Liverpool. What starts as a vibrant affair between a legendary femme fatale and her young lover quickly grows into a deeper relationship, with Turner being the person Gloria turns to for comfort. Their passion and lust for life is tested to the limits by events beyond their control.

Director: Paul McGuigan
Cinematographer: Urszula Pontikos

Produced by: Eon Productions
Polish distributor: United International Pictures Sp. z o. o. (UIP Polska)

UK, 2017

Hounds of Love

Perth, 1987. The city is completely unaware that women are disappearing at the hands of sadistic serial killer couple John and Evelyn White. On a hot summer night the couple cruise the streets looking for another victim, when they come upon Vicki Maloney, an intelligent but fragile teenager. After an innocent lapse in judgment, Vicki soon finds herself in chains and forced into a dark world of violence and domination. With her murder imminent, Vicki realises she must find a way to drive a wedge between Evelyn and John if she’s to survive the ordeal. Inspired by real-life crimes, Hounds of Love is a confronting thriller that examines themes of breaking free from psychological control and domestic violence.

Director: Ben Young
Cinematographer: Michael Mcdermott

Produced by: Factor 30 Films

Australia, 2016

I, Tonya

In 1994, the figure-skating world was rocked by a brutal attack on the US medal hopeful Nancy Kerrigan. The more shocking news was that the attack was allegedly conceived and executed by those close to – and perhaps including – rival figure skater Tonya Harding. The audience might be expecting to see a film about Kerrigan, her triumphant recovery, and her silver medal at the Lillehammer Olympics, but that’s not the story. This is Tonya’s story.

Director: Craig Gillespie
Cinematographer: Nicolas Karakatsanis

Produced by: Clubhouse Pictures, LuckyChap Entertainment

Polish distributor: Monolith Films Sp. z o. o.

USA, 2017

Kalushi: The Story of Solomon Mahlangu

Kalushi: The Story of Solomon Mahlangu is based on the true story of a 19-year-old hawker from the Mamelodi township who sells vegetables to help support his family, avoids the rioting at school, and surfs with his friends – and who somehow becomes a political icon. Through this film we see him transform from an average hawker into a human rights legend.

Director: Mandla Dube
Cinematographer: Tommy Maddox-Upshaw

Produced by: Montage Online, Pambili Media, Flash Films, Capacity Relations

Republic of South Africa, 2017

Killing of a Sacred Deer, The

The latest movie from one of the most original, controversial, and talented contemporary film directors, Yorgos Lanthimos, the creator of Dogtooth (Academy Award nominee for Best Foreign Language Film) and The Lobster (Academy Award nominee for Best Original Screenplay). Colin Farrell, Nicole Kidman, and Alicia Silverstone star in this gripping tale about a man who faces an unimaginably hard choice. No matter what he chooses, he will cause a tragedy in his family. All because of a teenage boy he treated like his own son. A dark thriller brimming with tension that balances on the brink of madness with a sense of claustrophobic danger and a dash of devilish humour.

Polish title: Zabicie świętego jelenia

Director: Yorgos Lanthimos
Cinematographer: Thimios Bakatakis

Produced by: Element Pictures, Film4, A24 Films

Polish distributor: Monolith Films Sp. z o. o.

Ireland, USA, UK, 2017

Lady Bird

In Lady Bird, Greta Gerwig reveals herself to be a bold new cinematic voice with her directorial debut, excavating both the humour and pathos in the turbulent bond between a mother and her teenage daughter. Christine ‘Lady Bird’ McPherson fights against but is exactly like her wildly loving, deeply opinionated, and strong-willed mother, a nurse working tirelessly to keep her family afloat after Lady Bird’s father (Tracy Letts) loses his job. Set in Sacramento, California in 2002 amidst a rapidly shifting American economic landscape, Lady Bird is an affecting look at the relationships that shape us, the beliefs that define us, and the unmatched beauty of a place called home.

Director: Greta Gerwig
Cinematographer: Sam Levy

Produced by: Scott Rudin Productions, Entertainment 360, IAC Films
Polish distributor: United International Pictures Sp. z o. o. (UIP Polska)

USA, 2017

Menashe

Performed entirely in Yiddish, a language not used in cinema for many decades, Menashe follows a kind, hapless grocery store clerk as he struggles to make ends meet and responsibly parent his young son, Rieven. In the wake of his wife’s death, tradition prohibits Menashe from raising his son alone, so Rieven’s strict uncle adopts him, leaving Menashe heartbroken. Meanwhile, though Menashe seems to bungle every challenge in his path, his rabbi grants him one special week with Rieven before his wife’s memorial and a chance to prove himself a suitable man of faith and fatherhood.

Director: Joshua Z. Weinstein
Cinematographers: Yoni Brook, Joshua Z. Weinstein

Produced by: Shtick Film LLC

USA, 2016

Molly's Game

Young, beautiful, and vastly talented, she loved the risk and didn’t shy from playing for the highest stakes. A world-class alpine skier who made her fortune not from sports, but from cards. For 10 years, Molly Bloom ran America’s most exclusive illegal poker club. Her guests included Hollywood stars, world-class business tycoons, and heads of the Russian mob. Millions were won and fortunes were lost under her roof. She was privy to the secrets of the world’s most powerful players. And just when she thought she had it all, the FBI came knocking on her door. Faced with a long prison sentence and the loss of her life’s work, she decided to fight once again. This time the only ally she had turned out to be her attorney – the first person who would eventually learn the true face of Molly Bloom.

Polish title: Gra o wszystko
Director: Aaron Sorkin
Cinematographer: Charlotte Bruus Christensen

Produced by: The Mark Gordon Company, Entertainment One, Pascal Pictures

Polish distributor: Monolith Films Sp. z o. o.

USA, 2017

Mountain Between Us, The

A pair of complete strangers who happen to survive a plane crash find themselves stranded high up in impassable, icebound mountains. After they realise that the help they hoped for won’t be coming, they are forced to make a perilous trek across the wilderness. On their way towards salvation, they will face unimaginable adversities as well as unexpected passion.

Polish title: Pomiędzy nami góry

Director: Hany Abu-Assad
Cinematographer: Mandy Walker

Produced by: Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, Chernin Entertainment
Polish distributor: Imperial CinePix Sp. z o. o.

USA, 2017

Mudbound

Set in the post-WWII Deep South, Mudbound is an epic story of two families pitted against a barbaric social hierarchy and an unrelenting landscape as they simultaneously fight the battle at home and abroad. The film is about friendship, unacknowledged heritage, and the unending struggle for and against the land. Newly transplanted from the quiet civility of Memphis, the McAllan family is underprepared for and overly hopeful about Henry’s grandiose farming dreams. Laura struggles to keep faith in her husband’s losing venture, while for Hap and Florence Jackson, whose families have worked the land for generations, every day is a losing venture as they struggle bravely to build some small dream of their own. The war upends both families’ plans as their returning loved ones, Jamie and Ronsel, forge a fast, uneasy friendship that challenges them all.

Director: Dee Rees
Cinematographer: Rachel Morrison

Produced by: Black Bear Pictures, MMC Joule Films, Zeal Media
Joule Films, Armory Films, Elevated Films, Macro

USA, 2017

Only Living Boy in New York, The

Thomas Webb, the son of a publisher and his artistic wife, has just graduated from college and is trying to find his place in the world. Moving from his parents’ Upper West Side apartment to the Lower East Side, he befriends his neighbour W. F., a shambling alcoholic writer who dispenses worldly wisdom alongside healthy shots of whiskey. Thomas’ world begins to shift when he discovers that his long-married father is having an affair with a seductive younger woman. Determined to break up the relationship, Thomas ends up sleeping with his father’s mistress, launching a chain of events that will change everything he thinks he knows about himself and his family.

Director: Marc Webb
Cinematographer: Stuart Dryburgh

Produced by: Amazon Studios

USA, 2017

Sort of Family, A

A Sort of Family tells the story of a woman working as a doctor in Buenos Aires. She and her husband desperately want to start a family, but they can’t have children of their own. Eventually, they resort to adopting a child from a rural area in the north of the country. The heroine goes to see the woman who wishes to give her baby up for adoption, but the situation quickly gets out of hand. It turns out that the supposed adoption is in fact a sale. The woman wants the couple to buy her child and pretend that the baby is their own. On their way home, they are stopped by a police patrol, and the child is taken away due to their strange behaviour. The baby is not, however, returned to its mother, but placed in an orphanage. From then on, events take an even more unexpected turn, and the heroine’s life is changed forever.

Original title: Una Especie de Familia

Polish title: Rodzina na sprzedaż

Director: Diego Lerman
Cinematographer: Wojciech Staroń

Produced by: CAMPO CINE SRLelcampocine.com.ar, Staron-Film
Polish distributor: Staron-Film

Argentina, Poland, 2017

Soul on a String

In the Tibetan jungle, Tabei, a cruel local hunter who has taken countless lives, kills a deer and finds a sacred dzi bead in the deer’s body. All of a sudden, Tabei is hit by lightning and dies. The living buddha Zhatuo brings Tabei back to life and tells him that the bead is considered the most holy thing in Tibet. The man who finds the sacred bead should escort it to the land of Padmasambhava and seek forgiveness for his sins.

Director: Yang Zhang
Cinematographer: Daming Guo

Produced by: Le Vision Pictures, Lantern Film Ltd., Helichenguang International Culture Media (Beijing) Co., Ltd., Yunnan Shang Li Culture Communication Cp., Ltd., Tibet Xinhe Culture & Media Co., Ltd, MaiSong F

China, 2017

Tulip Fever

Amsterdam, 1637. Young Sophia is married to a wealthy merchant. Though she does not reciprocate her husband’s feelings, she is willing to fulfil the man’s dreams and bear his children. The proud merchant, Cornelius, commissions a portrait from a renowned painter, hoping to immortalise himself and his wife on canvas. What he does not see is the feeling that develops between Sophia and the young artist. Their love casts a shadow of suspicion on the pair, and keeping their affair secret bears an ever-increasing risk. The young lovers devise a deceptive plan that will help them start a new life. Their desires will ultimately bring about a thrilling and unexpected conclusion to the story.

Polish title: Tulipanowa gorączka

Director: Justin Chadwick
Cinematographer: Eigil Bryld

Produced by: Ruby Films

Polish distributor: Forum Film Poland

UK, USA, 2017