sneersnipe film review

The Winners of the VPRO Tiger Awards at the Rotterdam International Film Festival 2006 were Walking on the Wild Side (Lia xiao zi) by Han Jie (China/France), The Dog Pound (La Perrera) Manuel Nieto Zas (Uruguay/Argentina/Canada/Spain) and Old Joy by Kelly Reichardt (United States).

Themes that percolated around these films and others in competition were those of disenfranchised teenagers and/or young adults notably in Walking on the Wild Side and The Dog Pound which won awards but also in Glue, Early in the Morning, A Summer Day, Ode to Joy, The Legend of Time, Northern Lights, Madeinusa and Taking Father Home. No surprises perhaps as the VPRO Tiger Awards competition is for first or second time filmmakers: younger filmmakers could be expected to use themes relevant to their experiences and generation. Compared to the previous year though this was definitely a stronger focus on teenagers and young adults.

Elsewhere the British contingent was reassuringly strong with two films in competition no less, Song of Songs and Land of the Blind, and with bold features like The Great Ecstasy of Robert Carmichael and The Living and the Dead screening elsewhere on the programme. Although Land of the Blind was one of those features that almost seems British by default (American director, English cast and crew) it was certainly worthy of being in competition and provided relief from the mass of teen obsessed dramas with a cynically abstract view of totalitarianism and revolution. With Ralph Fiennes and Donald Sutherland it was casting money well spent although Tom Hollander dazzles with an outrageous performance as a dictator.

Given some distance from the mother country, Song of Songs and The Great Ecstasy of Robert Carmichael, which both premiered at the Edinburgh Film Festival in the summer, combined with The Living and the Dead (World Premiere) all emerged as a great big two-fingered salute to any current rumours of the greatly protracted demise of the British Film Industry. There might be no money for indigenous productions, while US financed ventures use UK talent and studios but siphon the profit back overseas, but here were three contemporary British films from relatively young filmmakers that provide great hope for the future and respite from the works of the current batch of elder statesmen of British cinema (Mike Leigh, Ken Loach et al). Throw in London based Stephen Dwoskin as one of the festival’s Filmmakers in Focus and one almost might be optimistic.

Meanwhile and possibly returning to reality, the film everybody was talking about was the International Premiere of Lunacy, the first Jan Svankmajer film in five years. A noted Czech puppeteer and animator who has ventured in live action films, Svankmajer personally introduces his latest film at the beginning bemoaning modern film before unleashing lunatics and cavorting steaks. Yes you read that correctly, meat steaks.

Lastly the festival opening film Heart, Beating in the Dark (New Version) actually lived up to the hype of being in pole position. Director Nagazaki Shunichi was one of the festival’s Filmmakers in Focus via a retrospective of his work. Although the opening night was a strictly guest list and festival-sponsors only affair, curiously here was a film that challenged the entire concept of a remake head-on. Nagazaki Shunichi’s remake of his Super-8 original from 1982 may not be a great film but it is possibly the best remake one could ever hope to see comprising of part self-reflective remake, part sequel, part retelling, part something else entirely.

Selected Awards from the Rotterdam International Film Festival 2006

VPRO Tiger Awards
WALKING ON THE WILD SIDE (LAI XIAO ZI) by Han Jie (China, 2006)
THE DOG POUND (LA PERRERA) by Manuel Nieto Zas (Uruguay/Argentina/Canada/Spain, 2006)
OLD JOY by Kelly Reichardt (USA, 2005)

NETPAC Award
THE LOST HUM (HANAUTA-DOROBOU) by Hirosue Hiromasa (Japan, 2006)
THE BLOSSOMING OF MAXIMO OLIVEROS (ANG PAGDADALAGA NI MAXIMO OLIVEROS) van Auraeus Solito (Philippines, 2005) .

FIPRESCI Award
MADEINUSA by Claudia Llosa (Peru/Spain, 2005)

KNF Award
LOOK BOTH WAYS van Sarah Watt (Australia, 2005).

Tiger Awards Competition for short film
BEGINNINGS by Roy Villevoye (The Netherlands, 2006)
RABBIT by Run Wrake (United Kingdom, 2005)
WHO I AM AND WHAT I WANT by David Shrigley & Chris Shepherd (United Kingdom, 2005).