Valladolid 2007

FIPRESCI Prize: "The Flight of the Red Balloon"

The 52nd edition of the "Valladolid International Film Festival" presented an interesting competition (Eran Kolirin, Wong Kar-wei, Yoji Yamada, Ermanno Olmi, Claude Berri, Naomi Kawase, among others), a selection of international documentaries and an overview on Spanish cinema of 2006 and 2007. The Italian producer Alberto Grimaldi was honored with a retrospective (12 films selected by himself).

52 Semana Internacional de Cine de Valladolid / Valladolid International Film Festival, October 26 — November 3, 2007, www.seminci.com
The FIPRESCI Prize went to The Flight of the Red Balloon (Le voyage du ballon rouge) by Taiwanese filmmaker Hsiao-hsien Hou. Details

Reports

Fantastic voyage. Of all the Asian films at the festival, Flight of the Red Balloon by the Taiwanese master Hou Hsiao-hsien most impressed Joel Poblete, especially by the way the director retained his personality while making a film on commission and in a country far from his own culture.
Point and Counterpoint. Andrzej Werner admires Eran Kolirin's The Band's Visit, not only for its human qualities but for its metaphorical aspect, revealing the real world of co-existence between Arabs and Jews behind the image created by politicians and the media.
Reel Lives. Out of an interesting program of documentaries, Furio Fossati highlights American Psyche by Paul van den Boom, which attempts to weigh up American public opinion after September 11.
Homage to a Great Producer. Oscar Peyrou welcomes a wide ranging retrospective of the films of the 82-year-old Italian producer Alberto Grimaldi, who was present in Valladolid to receive the festival's homage.

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