Jasmila Zbanic’s Grbavica, a film that deals with the aftermath of the mass rape of Muslim women during the Bosnian genocide, has won the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival. The movie’s website has stills and other information.
American speed skater Joey Cheek has donated his Olympics gold medal award ($25,000) to Darfur refugees.
Reuters reports that Israel and some U.S. Jewish groups have lobbied organizers of the Academy Awards to change the name of the nominating country for Hany Abu-Asad’s Paradise Now. They want it to change from ‘Palestine’ to ‘Palestinian Authority.’
Many Israelis were irked when the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, in publishing the nomination, said “Paradise Now” came from “Palestine.”
While the tag remains on the academy’s Web site, an Israeli diplomat said he expected the film to be described as coming from the “Palestinian Authority” during the awards ceremony.
What the hell?
Over at the L.A. Times, Kenneth Turan looks at this year’s Oscar nominees, and is thrilled to find so many independent features, like Brokeback Mountain, Good Night and Good Luck, Crash, and Capote. In addition, notes Turan, the Academy seemed to embrace rather than shun controversy, picking Steven Spielberg’s Munich for one of the Best Picture slots. And, he adds:
As to the commentators who hyperventilated over “Munich,” they are likely to have full-blown coronary attacks once they get a look at “Paradise Now,” the exceptional Palestinian film that is one of five nominees for best foreign-language film.
Though the category is a real tossup (all five Oscar nominees are strong enough to have U.S. distribution deals already in place), this powerful and provocative drama about the nightmare of terrorism is as involving and relevant a film as the year has produced.
Seriously, go see Paradise Now.
Reader David S. sends word that Danae Elon’s Another Road Home will be screened tonight at 6 pm at Symphony Space in New York.
Symphony Space
2537 Broadway at 95th Street
212-864-5400
Reserve tickets here.
The screening will be followed by a panel discussion led by Adam Shatz with Elias Khoury, Dahna Abourahme, Bashir Abu-Manneh, Danae Elon, Stuart Klawans, David Ofek, Richard Pena, Ella Shohat and Debra Zimmerman. Signed copies of Khoury’s Gate of the Sun will also be available.
I finally watched the Golden Globes yesterday. (I usually tape award shows and then fast forward through all the boring stuff, all the better to savor idiotic moments–like when Dennis Quaid said that “Brokeback Mountain” was the kind of movie that rhymed with “chick flick,” or when Harrison Ford handed his vodka to Virginia Madsen, as if she were his cocktail waitress.)
There were few surprises, of course, except for this: The Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film went to Hany Abu-Assad for Paradise Now. I’ve written about this great film before, and if you haven’t seen it yet, look for it on DVD starting March 21st.
Those of you in L.A. may be interested in a panel discussion with the director that will take place tonight at the University of Judaism on Mulholland Drive, in Bel-Air. Details here.