And don’t be surprised to find Jafar Panahi’s latest among the films, as that is the official entry to the International Feature Film Oscar race for France. Vive la France, I say!
Read MoreMargaret Qualley and Ethan Hawke in Blue Moon by Richard Linklater © Sabrina Lantos / Sony Pictures Classics
Berlinale announces main line up which includes Linklater, Franco, Hong Sang-soo titles & German premiere of Timothée Chalamet star vehicle
“Cinema helps us connect and understand each other,” says new Artistic Director Tricia Tuttle during the press conference announcing all the Competition and Perspectives titles, plus the few remaining films in their Special Gala program.
Read MorePHOTO BY NEILSON BARNARD/GETTY IMAGES FOR DIFF
The Dubai Film Festival Diaries: Rob Reiner’s ‘Shock & Awe’, Claes Bang, Q’orianka Kilcher and Working Through the Madness
When the whole Hollywood sexual predator news broke back in October, I received a message from a colleague I’m connected with on Facebook. He pointed to the fact that as a woman, in light of the recent revelations, I would now find it much “impossible” to get one-on-ones with male stars and directors. The statement hit me and I felt an immediate pang of anxiety. I mean, my job as a woman, a blogger, someone who holds on to her personal opinions and is proud of going against the current if need be is already pretty difficult as it is. To add to that burden — because lets face it, even when diversity and/or equality are celebrated and demanded in the arts, it never really manages to trickle down to the media side of things — would only make my work impossible.
But DIFF has proven my colleague wrong, of course. I’ve never had more access, and more professional intimacy than what I’ve experienced here so far. I mean, the kind of face to face talks that mean so much to a writer, because in the end, you know they will help the pieces write themselves. The kind of great human connections that we all strive to create, across cultures, with different personalities and among our fellow humans.
What’s that saying DIFF? “Film Will Find You”? Yes, it always does, and helps me to discover the way back.
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