Name Nadine Labaki Born Beirut, 1974
Background Labaki studied audio-visual media at Beirut's Saint-Joseph University. where her graduation short film 71 Rue Pasteur won the top prize at both the Beirut Film Festival and the Biennale of Arab Cinema in Paris. Having directed music videos and adverts. she attended the prestigious Cannes Festival Residence programme in 2004. where she wrote the screenplay for her debut feature Caramel. in which she also stars.
What’s she up to now? Caramel is the story of a group of five women from different backgrounds working in a Lebanese beauty salon and was selected to play in Directors' Fortnight in the Cannes Festival last May. It has now been sold to over 40 territories. Based in Beirut. Labaki is currently developing ideas for a second feature.
What she says about working with non- professionals ‘Apart from Abdel Karam. who plays the policeman Youssef. all the cast are non-professionals. They weren't all sure that they could do the film, but they were all passionate about their lives and their experiences and what they wanted to say. It wasn't easy. yet during the shoot there were magical moments where you forgot all the problems.’
What she says about her filming style ‘I wanted the spectator to feel that they are spying on other peoples‘ lives. and that’s why there are so many shots from doorways or through windows and blinds. l wanted to give the audience the feeling that they weren't watching a piece of fiction with familiar actors. but that they were seeing real lives.‘ Interesting tact Labaki is married to the composer Khaled Mouzanar. who also scored Caramel. (Tom Dawson)
I Caramel is on selected release from Fri 16 May. See review, page 53.
60 THE LIST 8-22 May 2008
May‘68
www.list.co.uk/film
‘Ftun Comrade the old world is behind you.’ So read one of the many classic pieces of graffiti across mainland Europe in 1968 (check out http://tinyurl.com/6e66lr for other great revolutionary
graffiti). This fascinating season proves that the spirit of revolution was not only alive on France and Germany’s city streets in 1968 but was also in the cinemas. Highlights include a very rare screening of Helke Sander’s 1967 documentary short Break the Power of the Manipulators!, which reflects on a planned act of anarchism against a right wing publishing house. Also there’s Uwe Bradner’s anarcho-manhunt drama I Love You, [Kill You (pictured) plus Werner Herzog’s evergreen 1970 satirical allegory Even Dwarfs Started Small. The season ends with Alexander Kluge’s vicious parable on the disease of free market economies, Yesterday’s Girl. Ticket deals are available for this excellent season. www.filmhousecinema.com lFi/mhouse. Edinburgh from Thu 8 May. GFI’. Glasgow from Sat 70 May.
I Love You, I Kill You ( l5) (l'we Brandner. West (iermany. 1970) Rolf Becker. Ilattttes I’ttchs. Helmut Brasch. 95min. Brattdncr tells the bleak tale of a small village popttlated by doped workers forced to rtttt a shootittg reserve for the rich. Tired of the control. a citi/en breaks free and starts lttutting illegally. only to fittd tltat lte has qttickly becottte the game. Part of May '68. Film/muse. lav/irtlitu‘glt.
In Bruges ( 18).... (Martin McDonagh. l'K/Belgiunt. 2008) Ralph I‘iettnes. (’olin I’arrell. Brendan (ileeson. I07min. 'l‘wo gobby Dublin critttittals hide their tittte in Brttges. awating instruction frotn their cryptic attd rctnote gangster boss Harry. Irish playwright .\lcl)onagh. it) his feature debut. wltich wrestles sortie affecting moments from demonstrative characters. nicely teases ottt the parallels between the trio attd Beckett's \‘ladimir. listragon attd
(it (hit. (ielteral release. *lron Man (12A).... (Jot)
l-‘avreau. LS. 2008) Robert I)ownc_v Jr.
(iwyneth Paltrow. Jeff Bridges. 125mm. See review. page 50. (ieneral release.
Joy Division ( 15) O... ((irant (ice. l'K/l'S. 2007) 99min. Beautifully ctit and imaginatively constructed documentary explaining the swift rise and abrupt cessation ofJoy Division (and troubled singer Ian (‘ttrtis ) throttgh rare footage. TV appearances. bootleg recordings. personal photographs and recollections. The filtn rttbbishes the ludicrous rock'n'roll myth of ‘live fast. die young' to tell the story with humour. warmth and often-painful clarity. Glasgow Film Theatre. (i/asgmt‘: ('amea. Edinburgh.
Kuruvi(12A)([)harani. Ittdia. 2008) Joseph Vijay. 'I'risha Krishnan. ISOmin. A son declares revenge on the diamond thief
Check out the
on paqeti
w ho caused the mysterious disappearance of his father. Before he can ltave vengeance. however. lte tttttst take on the whole of the mining tttafia in the ('hennai area of India. Summer blockbuster. 'I‘amil-stylc. ('I’newnr/t/ Relilrett' .S'lreel. (ilasgmv.
La Scala Opera: Maria Stuarda (P(i) (Pier Luigi PiI/i. Italy. 2008) Mariella l)evia. Atttta ('aterina. l()5ntin. l)onizetti's tragic opera based on the lives of Mary Queen of Scots and her cousin Queen lili/abeth I is projected frottt La Scala stage to the cinema screen. Film/muse. lz‘rlt'rtlmrelt. Lakshmi and Me ( l5) (.\'ishta Jain. India. 2007) ()(llltlli. Mtitttbai-based filmmaker Jain turns her camera on her maid Lakshmi for this delicate exploration of the cultural attitttdes which govern their awkward relationship. Part of Bird's Iiye View Film Festival. (ilasgmr I'iIm Theatre.
(il .vgrm‘. *The Last Mistress ( IS) 0000 ((‘atheritte Breillat. France/Italy. 2007) Asia Argento. I’tt'ad Ait Aattott. Roxane Mesquida. l l-hnitt. See review. page 54. Film/muse. lz'tlt'Itlmi‘glt. Le Soulevement de la ieunesse—Mai 68 ( 15) (Maurice Lemaitre. I‘rance. I969) 28min. As a key member of the artistic and literary movement Lettristn. Lemaitre sets his documentary footage of the May ()8 student riots to the voices of (ietteral de (iaulle. (ieorges Pompidott and the rhythmic chants of the Lettrist poets. Part of Diversions: A Festival of lixperimental Film and Video. Film/muse. lirllnlmrglt. Lilya 4-Evert l8) 0... (Lukas Moodysson. Sweden/I)cnmark. 2003) ()ksana Akinshina. Artiom Bogucharskij. thtbov Agapova. [09min Living on a dilapidated hottsittg estate iii an unspecified city of the former Soviet l'nion. 15-year-old Lilya (Akinshina) is first abandoned by her mother. then moved by her aunt frottt her comparatively cosy flat to a filthy hole and finally forced to tttrtt to prostitution. Hope is given by Lilya's burgeoning friendship with another rejected child. btit this is all too short-lived as Moody'sson digs deeper into the abyss. revealing his true purpose: a
graphic expose of littropean sex trafficking.
With Moodysson's unflinching direction attd Akinshina‘s remarkable performance it) the leading role. it packs a punch that leaves you reeling. A( '15. Iidt'nburglt.
Made of Honour ( 12A) .0 (Paul Wetland. l'S/l'K. 2008) Michelle Monaghan. Patrick Dempsey. Kevin McKidd. l0lmin. 'l'ont (Dempsey) is a wealthy New York (‘ity playboy who only realises his best friend llannab (Monaghan) is the love of his life when she plans to tttarry dashing stranger ('olin (McKidd). Predictable ‘menage a trois' rotn-com. which relocates to Scotland for sotne cultural stereotyping. (ieiteral release.
A Man For All Seasons (PG) 0000 (Fred '/.innemantt. ['K. Nob) Pattl Scotield. Wendy Ililler. Robert Shaw. Orson Welles. l20min. Perfect film of Robert Bolt's play about 'l'hotnas More‘s conflict with Hettry VIII. The King. requiring a divorce. asks for More's support itt breaking with Rotnc attd forming the (‘httrch of Iingland. Superb performances attd vivid atmosphere make this a worthy ()scar-winner for Zittttetttann. Bolt attd Scofield. though Shaw’s Henry and Welles’ (‘ardinal Wolsey are equally mentorable. A Pattl Scofield commemorative screening. film/muse. Edinburgh.
The Manchurian Candidate ( 15) 0.... (Johtt I‘rankenheimcr. L'S. 1962) Frank Sinatra. Laurence Harvey. Angela Lansbury. Janet Leigh. l26min. In his tnost convincing screen role. Harvey plays a Korean war hero who is brainwashed by (‘ommunists arid becomes a pawn in the sinister mission planned for his
homecoming. Brilliant political satire-
cum-thriller. with the cast in great forttt attd a staggeringly inventive plot clearly and grippingly unravelled. It damn well works and surprises iii a way that so few films do arty tnore. Part of I’rank Sinatra season. Searsman .S'ereening Roam. Edinburgh.
Manufactured Landscapes (t') 0... (Jennifer Baichwal. Canada. 2000) 86min. See review. page 53. ('amea.
lz'rllnlmrglt.