news – archive – index

2008

Alexander Troshin. The Russian critic died in April 2008. Naum Kleiman remembers him.
Cannes. In the framework of the Critics' Week, FIPRESCI presents its "Revelation of the Year": Mexican Fernando Eimbcke's Lake Tahoe, preceded by Andrea Hydake's short film The Runt.
Romanian Films Today. Ronald Bergan reports on a panel in Bucharest, in March, 2008.
Critics' Awards 2007. The Best Films of 2006, as seen by film critics in a variety of countries.

2007

Prix FIPRESCI 2007. The "European Film Award of the Critics 2007" has been presented to Alain Resnais and his film Coeurs — Private Fears in Public Places, at the ceremony of the European Film Awards on 1st of December, 2007, in Berlin. Review
All European Film Awards 2007
Angela Baldassarre, the Toronto-based critic, founding member of the Toronto Film Critics Association, passed away in November, after a long illness. Norman Wilner remembers her
European Film Awards — Discovery. As part of the European Film Awards, the category "European Discovery" is presented to a young and upcoming director for a first full-length feature film. The nominations were determined by a committee comprised of FIPRESCI members and EFA Board members. The selection 2007
Fernanda Montenegro, the Brazilan actress, received FIPRESCI's Lifetime Achievement Award 2007 at the occasion of the Rio de Janeiro International Film Festival.
Grand Prix 2007. 248 members of FIPRESCI, worldwide, voted for the Best Film of the Year and selected, with a clear preference, Cristian Mungiu, the Romanian filmmaker's 4 Month, 3 Weeks and 2 Days as winner of the Grand Prix. Details / Review
Revelation of the Year (2006/7). In the framework of the Cannes "International Critics' Week", FIPRESCI presented a first or second film awarded during the previous year, in the belief that it deserves another chance. This year's winner is "yo - me", the first feature film by Spanish director Rafa Cortés.
Critics' Awards 2006. The Best Films of 2006, as seen by film critics in a variety of countries.

2006

European Film Awards 2006. All awards
Nelson Pereira dos Santos, the Brazilian filmmaker, received FIPRESCI's Lifetime Achievement Award at the Rio de Janeiro Film Festival. José Carlos Avellar on Nelson
Pedro Almodóvar won a poll among all members or FIPRESCI as Best Film of the Year, for Volver. Violeta Kovacsics on Volver
Sven Nykvist, the Swedish cinematographer, died in September, aged 83. He helped bring about the birth of a number of masterpieces, most of them with Ingmar Bergman, his most intimate collaborator. Ronald Bergan honors him.
Portugal. Two film festival directors died within a few weeks: Mário Ventura (FesTroia), and José Vieira Marques (Figueira da Foz). Joao Antunes remembers them.
György Illés, cinematographer; born November 2, 1914; died June 12, 2006. Ronald Bergan honors the influential Hungarian director of photography. More
Fabián Bielinsky. Argentinean filmmaker Fabián Bielinsky died in June, from a heart attack. He was 47 years old. He leaves only two films, Nine Queens and El auro. Diego Lerer's obituary
Critics' Awards 2005. The Best Films of 2005, as seen by film critics in a variety of countries. Read more

2005

Deadline: December 2005. The Moscow Film Museum has to leave its home, by the end of the year. Andrei Plakhov sums up the chronicle of a scandal. More
Michael Haneke was honored, at the European Film Awards Ceremony, as best European Director of 2005, his film Hidden was chosen Best Film. All Prizes / Hidden was also chosen, by FIPRESCI, as best film of 2005, and was awarded the Prix FIPRESCI. Read more
Fernando Solanas, the Argentinean filmmaker, receives FIPRESCI's Lifetime Achievement Award 2005 at the occasion of the Rio de Janeiro International Film Festival.
3-Iron (Bin-jip) by Korean filmmaker Kim Ki-duk has been voted, by the members of FIPRESCI, Best Film of 2004/2005 and won our Grand Prix. Details / Pamela Biénzobas reviews the film
German Film Critics protest against the way they are treated by the American company UIP, at the occasion of the release of Steven Spielbergs War of the Worlds.
Thessaloniki. Michel Demopoulos has been removed from his post of artistic director, Theo Angelopoulos has been dismissed as president of the Thessaloniki International Film Festival.
Béla Tarr, the Hungarian filmmaker, faced problems to shoot and finish his new film The Man From London. His German colleague Fred Kelemen initiated a "Declaration of Solidarity".
Moscow Film Museum. A Note of protestation against the planned eviction of the Museum from its home, the Kino Center in Moscow, a controvery between Nikita Mikhalkov and Kaus Eder / Erika and Ulrich Gregor, and a lot of documents.
Humbert Balsan. Ronald Bergan on the French producer, chairman of the European Film Academy, who died on February 10, 2005.
Critics' Awards 2004. The Best Films of 2004, as seen by film critics in a variety of countries.
The Buenos Aires Incident. Eduardo Antin (Quintin) was fired as director of the International Festival of Independent Cinema.

2004

European Film Awards, presented on December 11, 2004, in Barcelona, all awards / The European Film Academy Critics Award 2004 — Prix FIPRESCI went to Trilogy: The Weeping Meadow by Greek direktor Theo Angelopoulos. Michel Ciment on the film and its director
S.O.S. Berlin Babylon. The traditional arthouse cinema (in former Eat Berlin) is endangered, an essential part of Berlin's film culture is threatened to disappear.
"Trans-Europa Express — The Changing Face of European Cinema". At a conference in the Hungarian city of Szolnok, critics discussed the recent challenges of cinema in particular in Middle and Eastern European countries.
"Notre musique" by Jean-Luc Godard was voted, by the members of FIPRESCI, Best Film of the Year and won our Grand Prix 2004. Details Ronald Bergan reviews the film
Mohsen Makhmalbaf has been stopped by Iranian authorities from making his latest film.
Cannes 2004. In the framework of the Critics Week, FIPRESCI presented as "Revelation of the Year 2003" the Russian film "Kokzebel". Derek Malcolm introduces the film
Britain's Film Heritage is under imminent threat of irreparable devastation from ill-considered reconception and re-structuring. See details and add your name in protest against the planned abuses.
Critics Awards 2003. The National Society of Film Critics (USA) awarded "American Splendor" best film of the year 2003. The Toronto Critics selected "Lost in Translation", while for the Uruguayan critics "Mystic River" is best of last year. The critics of Rio de Janeiro decided as well for "Mystic River", together with the doc "Bowling for Columbine". More awards and details
Obituaries:
Sandor Köröspataki / Maria Racheva / Angel Fernández-Santos (English) / (Spanish) / Lino Micciché / Karel Kachyna / Jean Rouch / Ingrid Thulin

2003

Grand Prix 2003. Created by the Donostia-San Sebastian Film Festival and FIPRESCI in 1999, the Grand Prix for Best Film of the Year has been awarded to Uzak by Nuri Bilge Ceylan. Christoffer Boe received for Reconstruction the Grand Prix for Best New Director of the Year.
Critics Awards. Critics in a variety of countries award the best films of the previous year. (January 2003)
Daniel Toscan du Plantier, 1941-2003. By Ronald Bergan. (February 2003)
San Francisco. The San Francisco Film Society announced that FIPRESCI president Michel Ciment has been appointed Guest Programmer of the San Francisco International Film Festival for the year 2003. (March 2003)
Valentina Kolodyazhnaya, who lectured foreign film history at VGIK, the Russian Film School, passed away. Filmmakers like Andrei Tarkovski and Vassili Shukshin and critics like Andrei Plakhov were her students. Julia Khomiakova on the death of her teacher. (March 2003)
Iranian Film Journalists have been arrested, because, as the police stated, "of having a collection of foreign novies". The series of arrests started in February, but continues obviously. Only recently, Sina Motallebi, film critic, editor of a web magazine (www.rooznegar.com, the site appears actually as empty) has been arrested. Subject of the charges against him: the contents of his website, interviews with foreign press and his writings in general.(April 2003)
Wang Bing, the Chinese filmmaker, was not allowed to attend the Los Angeles Film Festival, earlier this June. FIPRESCI members Robert Koehler and Bérénice Reynaud inform about the incident.
Janine Bazin, producer and wife of the late André Bazin, died aged 80. Read Ronald Bergan's obituary, published by kind permission of The Guardian.
Serge Silberman. The French producer died at the age of 86 in Paris. Ronald Bergan on Serge Silberman
Alexander Walker. He was the most widely known and respected British film critic. His books on Vivien Leigh, Audrey Hepburn, Stanley Kubrick are masterpieces of writing on cinema. At the age of 73, Alexander Walker died in London. Derek Malcolm on his colleague
Elem Klimov. The Russian director of Come and See has died aged 70. Ronald Bergan on Klimov.
US: Ban of Screeners. Allegedly to dam up piracy, the Motion Pictures Association of America (headed by Mr. Jack Valenti) has prohibited socalled "screeners" (dvds or videos) to be sent to members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (the Oscar voters) and to the members of critics' organizations. In reality, this is a heavy attack on independent films. Henry Sheehan tells and comments the incident and explains why the Los Angeles film critics cancel this year's voting on awards.

2002

Rio de Janeiro. A jury of international and national critics awarded the documentary Ônibus 174 (Bus 174) by José Padilha as best Brazilian film of the Rio Film Festival. (October 2002)
Moscow. The renown Moscow Film Museum has been endangered by another attack from the company Kinozentr which tries to claim the space for its own commercial purposes. (December 2002)

top