Ukrainian, Iranian Docs, Kenyan Sci-Fi Set for Venice Days Lineup
The diverse program ranges from the section's opening night film, the autobiographical drama Memory Ukrainian artist and filmmaker Vladlena Sandu, a survivor of the war in Chechnya, who studies her traumatic memories in order to transcend and transform them via the art of cinema; to Spanish director Gabriel Azorín's Last Night I Conquered the City of Thebes about two young men returning from the front who spend a day of confession and revelation in an ancient Roman thermal bath; to Memory of Princess Mumbi, from Kenyan filmmaker Damien Hauser that combines elements of sci-fi, mockumentary and animation to tell a dystopian fable set in an imaginary Africa in the year 2093 after an A.I.-precipitated disaster.
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The 10-film competition lineup put together by Venice Days artistic director Gaia Furrer includes 2 Iranian films about exile. The documentary Past Future Continuous from Firouzeh Khosrovani and Morteza Ahmadvand, which follows an Iranian woman who fled following the Islamic Revolution and now can only observe her parents via the security cameras installed in their home in Tehran, and Inside Amir, from director Amir Azizi, which explores his own fears and doubts when considering emigration.
Venice Days' out-of-competition special events lineup includes several documentaries, including Who Is Still Alive, from Swiss filmmaker Nicolas Wadimoff, recounting the experiences of nine Palestinian refugees from Gaza; and With Writing Life, from French documentarian Claire Simon, which uses the words of Nobel Prize-winning novelist Annie Ernaux, through readings of her books by French high school students, to form a portrait of the younger generation. The sidebar also includes the 9-film out-of-competition section Venetian Nights, which highlights titles from major Italian producers.
Italian director Gianni Di Gregorio, whose sleeper hit Mid-August Lunch won Venice Critics' Week's Lion of the Future prize in 2008, returns to the Lido with the comedy Damned If You Do, Damned If You Don't, in which he also stars as a retired professors whose placid and monotonous existence is shaken up by the arrival of his daughter and his rowdy grandchildren. The film will close Venice Days, running out of competition.
The president of this year's Venice Days jury is Norwegian writer and director Dag Johan Haugerud, whose queer love story Dreams, the final film in his Sex, Love, Dreams trilogy, won the Golden Bear for best film at the Berlinale in February. Haugerud's breakout film, Barn premiered at Venice Days in 2019. Joining him on the jury are Italian producer Francesca Andreoli (Vermiglio), Franco-Palestinian filmmaker Lina Soualem (Bye Bye Tiberias), Tunisian cinematographer Sofian El Fani (Timbuktu), and New York's MoMA film curator Josh Siegel.
Check out the full Venice Days lineup below.
OFFICIAL COMPETITION
Memory, dir. Vladlena Sandu (France, Netherlands) (Opening film)Gioia, dir. Nicolangelo Gelormini (Italy)Bearcave, dir. Stergios Dinopoulos, Krysianna Papadakis (Greece, UK)Short Summer, dir. Nastia Korkia (Germany, France, Serbia)A Sad and Beautiful World, dir. Cyril Aris (Lebanon, USA, Germany, Saudi Arabia, Qatar)Past Future Continuous, dir. Firouzeh Khosrovani, Morteza Ahmadvand (Iran, Norway, Italy)Memory of Princess Mumbi, dir. Damien Hauser (Kenya, Saudi Arabia, Switzerland)Vainilla, dir. Mayra Hermosillo (Mexico)Last Night I Conquered the City of Thebes, dir. Gabriel Azorín (Spain, Portugal)Inside Amir, dir. Amir Azizi (Iran) Damned If You Do, Damned If You Don't, dir. Gianni Di Gregorio (Italy, France) (Closing film, out of competition)
SPECIAL EVENTS
Laguna, dir. Sharunas Bartas (Lithuania, France)Writing Life – Annie Ernaux Through the Eyes of High School Students, dir. Claire Simon (France)I Want Her Dead, dir. Gianluca Matarrese (Italy)Who Is Still Alive, dir. Nicolas Wadimoff (Switzerland, France)Do You Love Me, dir. Lana Daher (France)
NOTTI VENEZIANE (Venetian Nights)
6:06, dir. Tekla Taidelli (Italy)Amata, dir. Elisa Amoruso (Italy)Confession – How I found out I wouldn't make the revolution, dir. Bonifacio Angius (Italy, Poland)A near thing, dir. Loris Nese (Italy)Dom, dir. Massimiliano Battistella (Italy, Bosnia-Herzegovina)A State Film, dir. Roland Sejko (Italy)Full speed backward!, dir. Antonio Morabito (Italy)Life Beyond the Pine Curtain – America the Invisible, dir. Giovanni Troilo (Italy)Toni, my father, dir. Anna Negri (Italy)
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The Gilded Age Boss Breaks Down Oscar's Tragic Outburst — Does Agnes Know the Truth About John Adams?
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Yahoo
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Appreciation: Tex-Mex titan Flaco Jiménez knew how to best beat la migra: humor
The accordionist commands the stage, his eyes staring off as if in a trance, his fingers trilling out the opening notes of a tune. It's a long, sinuous riff, one so intoxicating that the audience in front of him can't help but to two-step across the crowded dance floor. He and his singing partner unfurl a sad story that seemingly clashes with the rhythms that back it. An undocumented immigrant has arrived in San Antonio from Laredo to marry his girlfriend, Chencha. But the lights on his car aren't working and he has no driver's license, so the cops throw him in jail. Upon being released, the song's protagonist finds a fate worse than deportation: His beloved is now dating the white guy who issues driver's licenses. 'Those gabachos are abusive,' the singer-accordionist sighs in Spanish in his closing line. 'I lost my car, and they took away my Chencha.' The above scene is from 'Chulas Fronteras,' a 1976 documentary about life on the United States-Mexico border and the accordion-driven conjuntos that served as the soundtrack to the region. The song is "Un Mojado Sin Licencia" — "A Wetback Without a License." The musician is Tex-Mex legend Flaco Jiménez, who died last week at 86. Read more: Tejano music legend Flaco Jiménez dies at 86 Born in San Antonio, the son and grandson of accordionists became famous as the face of Tex-Mex music and as a favorite session player whenever rock and country gods needed some borderlands flair. He appeared alongside everyone from the Rolling Stones to Bob Dylan, Buck Owens and Dwight Yoakam on 'The Streets of Bakersfield' to Willie Nelson for a rousing version of 'Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain.' With Doug Sahm, Augie Meyers and fellow Tejano chingón Freddy Fender, Jiménez formed the Texas Tornadoes, whose oeuvre blasts at every third-rate barbecue joint from the Texas Hill Country to Southern California. Jiménez was a titan of American music, something his obits understood. One important thing they missed, however, was his politics. He unleashed his Hohner accordion not just at concerts but for benefits ranging from student scholarships to the successful campaign of L.A. County Superior Court Judge David B. Finkel to Lawyers' Committee, a nonprofit formed during the civil rights era to combat structural racism in the American legal system. Jiménez and the Texas Tornadoes performed at Bill Clinton's 1992 inauguration ball; 'Chulas Fronteras,' captured Jiménez as the headliner at a fundraiser for John Treviño Jr., who would go on to become Austin's first Mexican American council member. It's a testament to Jiménez's heart and humor that the song he performed for it was 'Un Mojado Sin Licencia,' which remains one of my favorite film concert appearances, an ideal all Latino musicians should aspire to during this long deportation summer. The title is impolite but reflected the times: Some undocumented immigrants in the 1970s wore mojado not as a slur but a badge of honor (to this day, that's what my dad proudly calls himself even though he became a U.S. citizen decades ago). Jiménez's mastery of the squeezebox, his fingers speeding up and down the rows of button notes for each solo like a reporter on deadline, is as complex and gripping as any Clapton or Prince guitar showcase. What was most thrilling about Jiménez's performance, however, was how he refused to lose himself to the pathos of illegal immigration, something too many people understandably do. 'Un Mojado Sin Licencia,' which Jiménez originally recorded in 1964, is no dirge but rather a rollicking revolt against American xenophobia. The cameraman captures his gold teeth gleaming as Jiménez grins throughout his thrilling three minutes. He's happy because he has to be: the American government can rob Mexicans of a better life, "Un Mojado Sin Licencia" implicitly argues, but it's truly over when they take away our joy. Read more: Pepe Aguilar drops new song for immigrant rights: 'I'm not making a cent off this song' 'Un Mojado Sin Licencia' is in the same jaunty vein as other Mexican classics about illegal immigration such as Vicente Fernández's 'Los Mandados,' 'El Corrido de Los Mojados' by Los Alegres de Terán and 'El Muro' by rock en español dinosaurs El Tri. There is no pity for undocumented immigrants in any of those tracks, only pride at their resilience and glee in how la migra can never truly defeat them. 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Thankfully, that's not the thinking among pro-immigrant activists these days, who have incorporated music and dancing into their strategy as much as lawsuits and neighborhood patrols. The sidewalks outside the Metropolitan Detention Center in downtown L.A., where hundreds of immigrants are detained in conditions better suited for a decrepit dog pound, have transformed into a makeshift concert hall that has hosted classical Arabic musicians and Los Jornaleros del Norte, the house band of the National Day Laborer Organizing Network. Down the 5 Freeway, the OC Rapid Response Network holds regular fundraisers in bars around downtown Santa Ana featuring everything from rockabilly quartets to female DJs spinning cumbias. While some music festivals have been canceled or postponed for fear of migra raids, others have gone on as planned lest ICE win. Musicians like Pepe Aguilar, who dropped a treacly cover of Calibre 50's 'Corrido de Juanito' a few weeks ago, are rushing to meet the moment with benefit concerts and pledges to support nonprofits. That's great, but I urge them to keep 'Un Mojado Sin Licencia' on a loop as they're jotting down lyrics or laying down beats. There's enough sadness in the fight against la migra. Be like Flaco: Make us laugh. Make us dance. Keep us from slipping into the abyss. Give us hope. Get notified when the biggest stories in Hollywood, culture and entertainment go live. Sign up for L.A. Times entertainment alerts. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Solve the daily Crossword
Los Angeles Times
2 hours ago
- Los Angeles Times
At KCON, fans from around the world dance with their favorite K-pop idols — and each other
On Friday, the Los Angeles Convention Center was a sea of green. The convention center was home to L.A.'s 12th annual KCON, a Korean music festival that ran from Friday to Sunday. While the three-day convention began in 2012 as a celebration of K-pop, its programming has expanded to feature panels with K-drama actors, skincare booths and Webtoons, or Korean digital comics. Each day of the convention culminates in a concert at the Arena. On Friday, the concert closed with an act by K-pop boy group NCT 127, whose signature color is lime green (or, to get specific, 'Pearl Neo Champagne'). At both the convention and the show, fans of the group showed their support by sporting green clothing, accessories, bags and banners. For many, KCON offers a unique opportunity for fans to get up close with their favorite idols. One of the event's marquee performances is the Dream Stage, where a few lucky winners were selected to dance onstage with a K-pop group during the mainstage show. 24-year-old Jaelyn Jones flew to L.A. from Virginia to audition for Friday's Dream Stage. Arriving in a lime green T-shirt and matching bandana, she's one of dozens of applicants vying to perform NCT 127's 'Fact Check' on the KCON stage. 'I'm so proud of everybody here,' Jones says. 'Everybody worked so hard, so I'm really excited for the day.' After receiving the email that she had passed the online round of auditions, Jones put her all into perfecting the dance. A member of the dance crews District Soul and Konnect DMV, she studied videos of NCT 127, learning their style but also adding her own flair to the choreography. 'I'll work a full 9 to 6 or something, and I'll still come home and just keep practicing,' Jones says. 'I was very dedicated to this.' The success of KCON, which has attracted 2.1 million in-person concertgoers over its 12 years of operation, signifies a growing international audience for Korean pop culture. Since its beginning, the festival has expanded to 10 countries including Japan, Saudi Arabia and Germany, as interest in Korean culture has spread globally in what has become known as the hallyu wave. Park Chan Uk, the head of live entertainment business at KCON organizer CJ ENM, points to the popularity of K-pop groups like BTS, Blackpink and Stray Kids as contributing to Korean culture's international appeal. But Park also cites the global reach of Korean movies and TV shows such as 'Squid Game' and 'KPop Demon Hunters,' as well as Korean beauty products. Indeed, KCON's primary sponsor this year is the Korean cosmetics chain Olive Young. Park says that all these different avenues, from music to skincare, have turned the overseas perception of Korean culture into 'a very promising lifestyle that appeals to the global audience.' K-pop's international reach was evident in this year's KCON lineup, which included Full Circle Boys, an American boy group that takes influence from K-pop. The group was created by choreographer Keone Madrid, who is behind several of K-pop's most famous dances, including Jungkook of BTS's 'Standing Next to You.' 'There are all these amazing groups in Korea,' Madrid says about what inspired him to form the group. 'Why isn't there a group at home for us to work with that will lean into dance as much as these Korean groups do, but also put that American spin on it?' Aidan Talingting from San Diego, Calif., decided to come to KCON because several of his favorite groups were performing. But for him and many others, going to the convention had a second purpose: to meet and spend time with other K-pop fans. Talingting traveled to KCON with friends Anitza Cerna and Dahrla Silva, both of whom hail from Tijuana, Mexico. 'We got to meet a lot of new people,' Talingting says. 'It's been a great experience making friends and seeing your favorite artists. I really love it because it brings everyone together like a family.' Talingting and Silva, who attended the same high school, met Cerna at a concert in 2023. She approached the two after overhearing them talk about K-pop. For many fans, their shared love of Korean music provides an avenue for forming lasting friendships. One such friendship was evident at KCON's X Stage, where rookie boy group Newbeat performed to a cheering audience. In the middle of the crowd was a group of a dozen or so enthusiastic fans, many of whom were wearing personalized Newbeat jerseys. Though a large number of fans may have interacted with each other online, KCON was their first time seeing each other in person. One fan, who goes by Ash online, first saw the group at last year's KCON and was instantly a fan. Benji, who is based in Boston, became a fan when her K-pop dance crew collaborated with the group. Many of them have supported Newbeat since — or even before — their official debut in March. 'We're here to wholeheartedly support Newbeat, literally from beginning of the day to end of the day,' says a fan named Olive. While Newbeat is a lesser-known act, performing only at the convention and as an opening act for Sunday's main concert, the fans' enthusiasm is anything but small. They waved signs with the members' names and pass out homemade pamphlets about Newbeat to convention-goers. They gushed about the group's multiple performances on the convention floor, which included the premiere of their new song 'Cappuccino' and a cover of Katseye's 'Gnarly.' When asked what made them decide to come to KCON together, they all say in unison: 'Group chat!' The fans, who met on X, are an example of how K-pop and its fandom — particularly overseas fans who can't travel to see their idols live — leans heavily on the internet. They cast online votes for Newbeat on music shows, attend video fan calls and communicate with the members using Plus Chat, an app that lets fans and idols message each other. But they also made a group chat to discuss the possibility of seeing Newbeat — and each other — in person at KCON. Several traveled across the country to make their plans a reality, sometimes taking multiple flights. 'As they say, the plans made it out of the group chat,' Olive says. In the few days since meeting in person for the first time, the group has quickly bonded, sharing inside jokes and talking over each other like longtime best friends. 'It's literally been nonstop talking, laughing — it certainly feels like we've known each other for months,' Olive says. 'We get along very well because we're so passionate about the same thing and supporting Newbeat,' Benji adds. 'We can relate to each other, so I think that's how we became very close.' For some attendees, their aspirations at KCON go beyond meeting other fans and seeing their favorite artists. The convention included an open audition for Season 4 of 'Produce 101 Japan,' a competition reality TV franchise that aims to create a Japanese idol group. Male applicants were invited to try out for the program with a one-minute song, rap or dance. 19-year-old Chris Zamora from Torrance, Calif., decided to audition after staff at the convention's 'Produce 101' booth encouraged him to do so. 'I thought going into it would be very nerve-racking, but they were really welcoming,' Zamora says. 'They asked a lot of questions, and they obviously care about everyone who enters the audition.' Outside the Dream Stage tryout room, Jaelyn Jones waits with bated breath. A KCON staff member announces the numbers of the dancers who passed the final audition — and sure enough, Jones' number is called. 'It just feels very surreal. I feel like I'm not here,' Jones says. At the mainstage concert that night, the Dream Stage winners rush onto the stage to dance to the chorus of 'Fact Check' with NCT 127. The arena lights up in green as K-pop fans — male and female, young and old, from around the globe — perform the high-energy song alongside the group that recorded it. In the audience are Jones' friends from home, cheering her on. 'I think it's gonna become a ritual or traditional type of thing with my friends [where] we come here every year,' she says.
