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Stars: Lior Ashkenazi, Rotem Keinan, Tzahi Grad, Doval’e Glickman, Menashe Noy, Dvir Benedek, Nati Kluger, Ami Weinberg, Guy Adler | Written and Directed by Aharon Keshales, Navot Papushado

Aharon Keshales and Navot Papushado made quite a splash at FrightFest a few years back with Rabies, the first Isreali horror film which made a little bit of history by being so popular that a third screening was arranged for it. I was in the audience for the film myself that year but on a day where I was possibly the most drunk I have ever been in my life, I unfortunately did myself a disservice and can’t recall all that much about it. Having some karma to re-balance, I took to Big Bad Wolves in the most positive frame of mind I could, buoyed by the fact that Quentin Tarantino had praised it as the best film of 2013 and that...

This emotional knockout from Israel isn’t nominated for Best Foreign-Language Film at the 2018 Oscars – another strike to add to the tally of Academy fuck-ups. From first shot to last, Foxtrot takes a piece out of you. Director Samuel Maoz (Lebanon) begins with a devastating moment of grief: Soldiers arrive at the home of a middle-aged couple to tell Dafna (Sarah Adler) and Michael Feldman (Lior Ashkenazi) that their son has been killed in the line of duty. As his mother is tranquilized, his father is told about funeral arrangements.

Director/screenwriter Samuel Maoz on Foxtrot: "The hero is creating his own punishment. And fights against anyone who tries to save him." Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze

Foxtrot, Silver Lion winner at the Venice Film Festival and Israel's shortlisted Oscar submission, begins with every parent's worst nightmare happening to the Feldmann family. We see a mother fainting because she knows that the Israeli military officers who have come to her home are here to inform them that their son Jonathan (Yonaton Shiray) had fallen in service.

The mother, Dafna (Sarah Adler) is given morphine to make her sleep, as we get to follow the father Michael's (Lior Ashkenazi) response to the devastating news. He descends into a private and national hell with fine subtleties of suffering and broad kicks of sadism. It is a marvelous, wickedly truthful performance because it balances so many emotions.

Michael Feldmann (Lior Ashkenazi) with his wife...

Foxtrot star Lior Ashkenazi with his director Samuel Maoz and Anne-Katrin Titze at Sony Pictures Classics Photo: Gary Springer

Foxtrot, Israel's Oscar submission, directed by Samuel Maoz, stars Lior Ashkenazi (terrific in Joseph Cedar's Norman: The Moderate Rise And Tragic Fall Of A New York Fixer opposite Richard Gere), Sarah Adler (Sofia Coppola's Marie Antoinette) and Yonaton Shiray (Natalie Portman's A Tale Of Love And Darkness).

Maoz, whose last film Lebanon won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival, teams up again with cinematographer Giora Bejach to produce an emotionally charged drama of man-made destiny. It begins with every parent's worst nightmare. Lior told me earlier that in Israel audiences knew from the first second what kind of news the military officers were bearing to the Feldmann family.

Michael Feldmann (Lior Ashkenazi) with his wife Dafna (Sarah Adler)

It might take international audiences a moment longer...

Chicago – One of the finest places in the world to witness its best cinema is the Chicago International Film Festival, which is now hitting its golden year of 50. This year’s festival boasts a lineup of top tier entries from world renowned filmmakers, packaged in the distinct Chicago flavor that keeps the city on a level all its own.

The festivities begin on Thursday, October 9 with a presentation of Liv Ullman’s “Miss Julie,” an adaptation of the August Strindberg play starring Colin Farrell and Jessica Chastain. With the film playing at Chicago’s Harris Theater, Ullman and Farrell are scheduled to walk the red carpet, along with “The Fugitive” director Andrew Davis and Academy Award-nominated actress Kathleen Turner.

A delicious lineup of films from around the world, adored at previous festivals and now ready for Chicago audiences, begin their presentation the next day (Friday October 10) with all festival screenings...

Everyone knows that the best fairy tales are the really dark ones you never heard as a child. What’s better: Cinderella’s ugly stepsisters pouting in the background, or getting their eyes pecked out by vengeful doves? The Evil Queen in Snow White falling off a cliff, or dancing in red-hot iron shoes until she drops dead? I’ll consider that point proven.

Big Bad Wolves, an Israeli film from writer-directors Navot Papushado and Aharon Kashales, wants to be a modern fairy tale for adults, one which bets on being as twisted and disturbing as possible. Though Quentin Tarantino (probably knowingly) damned Big Bad Wolves by naming it the best film of 2013, which it certainly is not (despite it playing almost like a feature-length version of the torture scene from Tarantino’s own Reservoir Dogs), there’s still an undeniable fascination to be found in watching a tale of...

Stars: Lior Ashkenazi, Rotem Keinan, Tzahi Grad, Doval’e Glickman, Menashe Noy, Dvir Benedek, Nati Kluger, Ami Weinberg, Guy Adler | Written and Directed by Aharon Keshales, Navot Papushado

Aharon Keshales and Navot Papushado made quite a splash at FrightFest a few years back with Rabies, the first Isreali horror film which made a little bit of history by being so popular that a third screening was arranged for it. I was in the audience for the film myself that year but on a day where I was possibly the most drunk I have ever been in my life, I unfortunately did myself a disservice and can’t recall all that much about it. Having some karma to re-balance, I took to Big Bad Wolves in the most positive frame of mind I could, buoyed by the fact that Quentin Tarantino had praised it as the best film of 2013 and that...

Gidi (Tzahi Grad), an Israeli man sitting in a rocking chair, rolling a cigarette, hears a rustling in the trees just off his deck. He looks and an Arab villager on horseback comes trotting from behind the trees at a leisurely pace and asks if Gidi would mind rolling him a cigarette as well. The man is a stranger to Gidi, but he insists he take his, lights it for him and two puffs later the villager hands it back. "That's allc" Gidi asks. "Just one drag, my wife doesn't let me," he says before going on his way. Meanwhile, in the basement beneath Gidi's otherwise secluded cabin in the woods sits Dror (Rotem Keinan), a religious studies teacher who finds himself gagged and bound to a chair. His hand is broken and his toenails have been ripped off by the kindly gentleman who just shared his cigarette. Gidi believes...

Ana Arabia, La Dune also honoured in Haifa.

Yuval Adler’s Bethlehem, fresh from its international tour through Venice, Telluride and Toronto, landed back home for a triumphal opening reception at the Haifa Film Festival, grabbing both the Best Israeli Film Award and a Best Actor award for Tsahi Halevy, who plays an Israeli security officer at odds with his bosses and in trouble with the young Palestinian he is trying to turn into his own agent. The film is also now confirmed as the Israeli submission for the Oscar race for best foreign-language film.

Amos Gitai’s one-shot feature, Ana Arabia, predictably collected a Best Cinematography award for Giora Bejach and Nir Bar’s 82-minute tour-de-force. A second prize went to the film’s script authored by Gitai with his regular partner, Marie-Josee Sanselme. Hila Vidor, who plays a sexually repressed, inhibited young married wife in Funeral at Noon by Adam Sanderson, was selected...

We certainly don't get a whole lot of horror films from Israel, so when one called Rabies (aka Kalevet) hit the festival circuit a few years ago I made sure to give it a bit of a spotlight. Fortunately for all involved the debut film from Aharon Keshales and Navot Papushado was a dark and novel little treat, one that had no problem combing its own tone and attitude with some obvious inspirations from American horror films of the 1980s. Now the duo has returned with another devious delicacy. It's called Big Bad Wolves, and it's mainly about three men: a suspected killer of children, a detective on very thin ice, and a father who recently buried his young daughter without her head.

If Rabies was riffing on the "body count" movies we know and love, then Big Bad Wolves is an homage to everything from film noir and suspense...

It's that time of the year when there will be one film awards ceremony and/or critical poll after another, and we've got the results of three to kick off this week. The European Film Awards took place in Estonia over the weekend, and Roman Polanski's The Ghost Writer scored six awards, including Best Film, Best Director and Best Actor, the latter for Ewan McGregor. Meanwhile, at the British Independent Film Awards, The King's Speech took best picture, while Monsters director Gareth Edwards scored Best Director.  And the Washington, DC Area Film Critics Association honored The Social Network, Inception and The Fighter. All the lists are after the break. We'll kick off with the DC critics, because it's the shortest list. It's also a very safe list, with very little consideration for films outside the expected list of studio and studio-indie awards choices. (Also nominated: 127 Hours, Black Swan, True Grit...

The 23rd European Film Awards Photo credit: Efa/René Velli

Roman Polanski’s The Ghost Writer triumphed at this year’s European Film Academy’s 23rd European Film Awards. The film, which I have reviewed here, took the best screenwriter, composer, director and the overall film award, at a ceremony on Saturday (04/12/2010) in snowy Tallinn, Estonia – European Capital of Culture 2011. The best animated feature film award went to Sylvain Chomet’s Illusionist – watch this space for a review in the next few days.

Around 1,400 guests were welcomed by German comedy star Anke Engelke and Estonian actor Märt Avandi who were the show’s hosts and over 2,300 members of the European Film Academy are said to have voted at the awards. The individual awards were presented by a line-up of European actors and actresses, among them Efa Ambassador Maria de Medeiros (Portugal), Jean-Marc Barr (France), Hannelore Elsner (Germany), Nikolaj Lie Kaas...

The 2010 European Film Award winners were announced this weekend, and the results are quite surprising. Roman Polanski’s Ghost Writer swept the awards winning six in total, including best film, director, actor (Ewan McGregor), screenwriter (Polanski and Robert Harris), production designer (Albrecht Konrad), and composer (Alexandre Desplat).

Hit the jump for the full list.

European Film 2010

The Ghost Writer, France/Germany/UK

directed by Roman Polanski

written by Robert Harris & Roman Polanski

produced by Robert Benmussa, Alain Sarde & Roman Polanski

European Director 2010

Roman Polanski for The Ghost Writer

European Actress 2010

Sylvie Testud in Lourdes

European Actor 2010

Ewan McGregor in The Ghost Writer

European Screenwriter 2010

Robert Harris & Roman Polanski for The Ghost Writer

Carlo Di Palma European Cinematographer Award 2010

Giora Bejach for Lebanon

European Editor 2010

Luc Barnier & Marion Monnier for Carlos

European Production Designer 2010

Albrecht Konrad for The Ghost Writer

European Composer 2010

Alexandre Desplat for The Ghost Writer

European Discovery 2010- Prix Fipresci

Lebanon,...

Roman Polanski's "The Ghost Writer" dominated the 23rd European Film Awards winning six trophies including best film, best director for Polanski, best actor for Ewan McGregor, best screenwriter for Polanski and Robert Harris, best production designer for Albrecht Konrad, and best composer for Alexandre Desplat. ("The Ghost Writer" movie review)

Polanski accepted his awards live via Skype from his home in Paris since he can't travel outside France, Switzerland, or Poland because there's still a U.S. warrant out for his arrest on sex charges from the 1970s. ("The Ghost Writer" interviews with Pierce Brosnan and Olivia Williams)

Winners of the 23rd European Film Awards:

European Film

The Ghost Writer

European Director

Roman Polanski, TheGhostWriter

European Actress

Sylvie Testud, Lourdes

European Actor

Ewan McGregor, The Ghost Writer

European Screenwriter

Roman Polanski, Robert Harris, The Ghost Writer

People's Choice Award

Mr. Nobody

Carlo Di Palma European Cinematographer Award

Giora Bejach,...

Ghost Writer cleans up!!!! European Film 2010 The Ghost Writer, France/Germany/UK directed by Roman Polanski written by Robert Harris & Roman Polanski produced by Robert Benmussa, Alain Sarde & Roman Polanski European Director 2010 Roman Polanski for The Ghost Writer European Actress 2010 Sylvie Testud in Lourdes European Actor 2010 Ewan McGregor in The Ghost Writer European Screenwriter 2010 Robert Harris & Roman Polanski for The Ghost Writer Carlo Di Palma European Cinematographer Award 2010 Giora Bejach for Lebanon European Editor 2010 Luc Barnier & Marion Monnier for Carlos European Production Designer 2010 Albrecht Konrad for The Ghost Writer European Composer 2010 Alexandre Desplat for The Ghost Writer European Discovery 2010- Prix Fipresci Lebanon, Israel/Germany/France written & directed by Samuel Maoz ...

The European Film Awards were presented this evening in Tallinn, Estonia, and it's turned out to be a good night for Roman Polanski and The Ghost Writer. The loot: European Film (in this case, meaning "best"), Director, Screenwriter (Polanski and Robert Harris), Actor (Ewan McGregor), Composer (Alexandre Desplat) and Production Design (Albrecht Konrad).

European Actress: Sylvie Testud (for her performance in Jessica Hausner's Lourdes). The European Discovery Prix Fipresci, presented to a director for his or her first feature, goes to Samuel Maoz for Lebanon. Maoz noted that he was pleasantly surprised to be discovered as he nears the age of 50. The film also picked up the Carlo Di Palma European Cinematographer Award for Giora Bejach.

The Documentary Prix Arte goes to Patricio Guzmán's Nostalgia for the Light; Jaco van Dormael's Mr Nobody has won the People's Choice Award. Animated Feature: Sylvain Chomet's The Illusionist. Editing:...

The European Film Awards were held yesterday in Estonia's capital Tallin (next year the ceremony will be in Malta). Roman Polanski and Ewan McGregor both appeared via the wonders of the internet (you may have heard Polanski doesn't travel much) to accept for The Ghost Writer. The mystery thriller about a politician under fire and the two sorry writers who attempt to ghost his memoirs is filled with twists. It opened way back in March 2010 but it's apparently not done surprising us. Against the odds, it's been resurfacing in the awards conversation... and not just here. It took home a record-breaking 6 prizes, only losing "people's choice".

The previous Efa record holders, according to Screen Daily, were Spain's Talk to Her (2002) and Germany's Goodbye Lenin (2003) both of which, we foreign film Oscar obsessed must note, notoriously missed out on Oscar's Foreign Film category in their years (albeit for different reasons).

The...

Ewan McGregor in Roman Polanski's The Ghost Writer The European Film Academy announced the 2010 European Film Award winners at a ceremony held this evening in Tallinn, Estonia. Not too surprisingly, The Ghost Writer was chosen as the Best European Film of 2010. The mystery drama starring Ewan McGregor, Pierce Brosnan, and Kim Cattrall, also earned European Film Awards for director Roman Polanski, actor McGregor, composer Alexandre Desplat, production designer Albrecht Konrad, and Polanski and Robert Harris for the film's screenplay. Other winners included Best Actress Sylvie Testud for Lourdes, cinematographer Giora Bejach for the Israeli war drama Lebanon, Luc Barnier and Marion Monnier for the political drama Carlos, and Patricio Guzmán's political meditation Nostalgia for the Light as Best European Documentary. Lebanon also won the European Discovery Fipresci Prize. The Best Animated Feature was Sylvain Chomet's The Illusionist. Jaco Van Dormael's Mr. Nobody received the People's Choice Award.

The Ghost Writer, directed by Roman Polanski, won six awards at the 2010 European Film Awards, held tonight in Tallinn, Estonia.

The film won awards for best film, best director, best screenplay, best actor, best production design, and best composer. I really enjoyed the film. Pierce Brosnan and Ewan McGregor were great in this film. I was surprised to find out that all of the shots that took place in the house were actually filmed on a sound stage.

See below for a complete listing of this year's winners.

European Film 2010

The Ghost Writer, France/Germany/Uk

Directed By Roman Polanski

Written By Robert Harris & Roman Polanski

Produced By Robert Benmussa, Alain Sarde & Roman Polanski

European Director 2010

Roman Polanski For The Ghost Writer

European Actress 2010

Sylvie Testud In Lourdes

European Actor 2010

Ewan McGregor In The Ghost Writer

European Screenwriter 2010

Robert Harris & Roman Polanski For The Ghost Writer

Carlo Di Palma...

Tallinn - Roman Polanski was honoured as best director at the European Film Awards held in the capital of the Baltic state of Estonia on Saturday. Polanski was singled out for his political thriller, The Ghostwriter, which also picked up awards for best film music, best script and best settings. The award for best camera went to Giora Bejach for his work in the film Lebanon. The Ghostwriter, based on the best-selling novel by Richard Harris, is about a former British premier being investigated for war crimes and torture of terrorist suspects. The French-Polish director was unable to come to Tallinn to pick up his award personally, but thanked the jurors and his team in a...

Award season is among us on both sides of the Atlantic. Today the European Film Academy handed out their annual awards in Tallinn, Estonia and the big winner of the evening was Roman Polanski's Ghost Writer, claiming six awards, including Best Picture. Lebanon Israeli's Golden Lion winner of 2009, collected a pair: the award for European discovery, handed out to first time directors ("it's an honor being discovered when you're close to 50", said 48 year old director Samuel Maoz upon receiving the award), and the award for Best Cinematography, handed to Giora Bejach, for his extraordinary work, shooting an (almost) entire film from the Pov of a tank. Lebanon has an enormous artistic appeal, as it demonstrates the claustrophobic feeling leading audiences to believe the film was shot within the confines a tank, when in reality, Maoz didn't have a tank at his disposal. Israeli audiences didn't seem to connect to the film,...

The Ghost Writer has won 6 European Film Academy awards, the European equivalent of the Oscars, this evening in Tallinn, Estonia. Polanski’s thriller won Best European Film, while Polanski picked up Best Director and shared the screenwriting award with co-author Robert Harris. Ewan McGregor won Best Actor, while production design and music were also honored. In an interview this weekend, Harris said the Swiss authorities were so understanding about Polanski’s need to finish editing The Ghost Writer, they moved editing equipment into the prison where he was being held while facing deportation back to the U.S last year. More than 2,300 academy members voted. European Film 2010 The Ghost Writer, France/Germany/UK directed by Roman Polanski written by Robert Harris & Roman Polanski produced by Robert Benmussa, Alain Sarde & Roman Polanski European Director 2010 Roman Polanski for The Ghost Writer European Actress 2010 Sylvie Testud in Lourdes European Actor 2010 Ewan McGregor...

The European Film Awards are not predictive of Oscars. But six wins for The Ghost Writer moves the film to the top of the screener pile. Maybe some folks will watch it now. One of my favorite films of last year, it shares with Shutter Island and The Town a formal elegance and control. These films are well-made across the board. But they are also genre films, accessible and fun--as opposed to high art. That is the question. This is no The Pianist. Summit is pushing the movie for awards consideration. The full list of winners is below. The Winners European Co-production Award - Prix Eurimages Zeynep Özbatur Atakan European Composer Alexandre Desplat for The Ghost Writer Carlo Di Palma European Cinematographer Award Giora Bejach ...

The European Film Academy today gave 6 awards to Roman Polanski’s The Ghost Writer. (thanks Marshall) European Film The Ghost Writer directed by Roman Polanski written by Robert Harris & Roman Polanski...

At 6:15 Am on June 6th 1982, on the first day of the Lebanon War, Tel-Aviv born director Samuel Maoz killed a man for the first time in his life. By the end of that day he had killed many more. He was twenty years old. Twenty-five years later he wrote the script for the film Lebanon – his cinematic confession. In the intervening years he quieted the memories of that day behind denial and outbursts of violent anger. It was the only way he felt he could survive. Trained as a gunner for The Armored Corps of the Israel Defence Forces he had only practiced kill shots on barrels of gasoline. When he returned from the war his Mother embraced him, weeping with gratitude that he had been returned to her safe and sound:

“In fact, I did not come home at all. She had no idea that her son had...

The former Israeli tank gunner turned award-winning director talks about his controversial film, Lebanon, and why he's still in the line of fire

Samuel Maoz was 20 years old when he killed a man for the first time. It was 1982 and Israel had recently begun fighting a war against the Plo and Syria in Lebanon, a campaign which, although supposed to last for just three weeks, would continue, in various guises, for 18 bloody and horrifying years. Maoz, an Israeli soldier by dint of the fact that he was still doing his national service when the war began, was a member of the tank corps. Specifically, he was a gunner. At 6.15am on 6 June, in the stony hills of southern Lebanon, he looked down the sight of the gun of his rackety, ageing tank. In the crosshairs was a small truck. It was speeding down a dirt track towards him, its middle-aged...