Partially virtual jury at the Stockholm Film Festival

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http://www.euronews.com/2013/11/08/europe-s-film-festival-season-opens-in-controversial-style
Partially virtual jury at the Stockholm Film Festival

Dissident artist Ai Weiwei has sent a defiant message to the Chinese authorities at the ==Stockholm Film Festival==.

Despite not being allowed to leave China, the 56-year-old avant-garde artist and activist is on the festival jury.

He is represented by an empty chair made by him and shipped from Beijing. The chair has one quirky addition: a curved bar preventing anyone from sitting on it.

In his video message Ai said film was a powerful way to communicate and expose corruption, and defiantly showed his middle finger to the camera.

The theme of this year’s festival is ‘freedom’, and despite Ai’s absence, festival director Git Scheynius hopes the artist will be able to see most of the films he is due to judge:

“He (Ai) will be able to see most of the films,” said Scheynius. “There are still four to five films going through the negotiation process. But the distributors and film company owners understand the situation when there is a member of the jury who cannot participate. I hope we will be able to resolve this.”

Chairman of the jury, Kristian Petri, explained how the jury planned to work together:

“Communication will be arranged via Skype. We will arrange regular meetings with Ai, so he will be an adequate member of the jury. There will be discussions about all the films.”

The Stockholm Film Festival runs until November 17 and features more than 180 films.

Dutch director presides over London Russian Film Festival

The seventh ==London Russian Film Festival== l kicked off in the capital on November 7 with the premiere of its opening film ‘Bite The Dust.’

Directed by Taisia Igumentseva, the film brings together an artistic universe of fantasy, Russian still life and an exploration of humanity’s apocalyptic obsessions.

‘Bite the Dust’ was nominated for the 2013 Kinotavr Prize, in Russia’s main annual film festival.

Before the screening, Igumentseva, and lead actor, Sergei Abroskin, were joined at a press conference by this year’s jury members.

Heading up the jury at the London Russian Film Festival is Dutch director Jos Stelling, who spoke of his affinity for both Russian cinema and Russian people in general.

“I love Russians very much for all kinds of reasons, (but) especially as (a member of the) public,” he said. “I have some experience there – I was working with Russian actors. I think it’s a closed country. It’s the biggest country in the world, but still it’s closed and they are looking inside. For me it’s very interesting to see Russian films in London, for instance. It’s amazing. It’s a big chance.”

The 2013 London Russian Film Festival runs through to November 17, when the winner of the London Lion Award will be announced.

High expectations for ‘The Hunger Games: Catching Fire’ in Rome

Italian comedy, ‘L’ultima ruota del carro’ (‘The Fifth Wheel’), by director Giovanni Veronesi, will open this year’s ==Rome Film Festival==.

The film stars Elio Germano in the main role, along with Alessandra Mastronardi and Ricky Memphis.

A heavy dose of American and Italian films will dominate the eighth edition of the Rome Film Festival. Eighteen films are competing, of which 12 are world premieres.

American film director and screenwriter James Gray is president of this year’s festival jury.

Artistic director, Marco Muller, believes the festival provides something for everyone:

“Hopefully we can provide the different groups of viewers from Rome, from Italy, from Europe, with a very contradictory programme,” he said. “In the sense that the philosophy of a metropolitan event, a festival-festa, has to be a philosophy in movement. So, we brought together opposite elements: industry and culture; entertainment; and the quest for new forms.”

There is a lot of excitement in Rome about the presentation of ‘The Hunger Games: Catching Fire,’ due to show on November 14. Actress Jennifer Lawrence will be in Rome to promote the film.

Scarlett Johansson, Joaquin Phoenix and Rooney Mara will also be walking down the red carpet, to present director Spike Jonze’s “Her.” The film tells the story of a writer who, through loneliness, develops a relationship with his new operating system, which is designed to attend to his every need.

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