Cannes 2022 ‘Triangle of Sadness’ Directed by Ruben Östlund

 

‘Triangle of Sadness’ Directed by Ruben Östlund;Ruben Östlund, Cannes Competition, Palme d’Or Winner

What a production! I have not seen ‘Triangle of Sadness’ yet. I want to, though it was not on the top of my list during Cannes this year. Looking at the credits, I am wondering what it took to get this produced.

IMDb synopsis of this film: A cruise for the super-rich sinks thus leaving survivors, including a fashion model celebrity couple, trapped on an island.

I could ask a few of my friends about their involvement in its production, e.g., Jim Stark, Micah Green, Philippe Bober, Lizzie Francke, Mike Goodridge…I wonder what they would tell me. Or I could guess…which is what I am doing here as a subject of this blog.

Philippe Bober: Coproduction Office is the international sales agent for the film. But the company is also, as the name suggests, a coproducer and Philippe usually takes a strong part in the development of the project as well as representing it for licensing to territories. In this case (I have to repeat that have not seen the film, but based upon what I have only heard said), I would guess that he did not do much with the development because when he does, the project is in no way formulaic; I have heard this film has traces of Ostland’s previous film, The Square, which then makes it more prosaic. Bober’s hand in film always makes the film unique.

And Philippe usually works with younger budding talent or else hardcore art house filmmakers. However, as international sales agent, perhaps some presales by him to territories helped finance the film. I am unsure that was necessary because the director Ruben Ostlund is so well known and accoladed already that I would think the money might come from other more well established sources. You can see the companies involved and get an idea of funding.

That’s where I would guess Micah Greene would enter the picture. At 30WESThe is not only producing and is best friends with the US distributor, Neon, one of the top U.S. films distributors today, but he comes from the most prestigious CAA where he was in charge of international financing for their films. He was and is still on top and deserves every good thing that comes his way. A mensch. Lizzie Francke is a true producer, has done horror and comes from the roots of arthouse films from U.K. She is now Editor-at-Large at the BFI Film Fund now. There certainly is a need for such a UK partner. Is there a need for more? Mike Goodridge, founder of the brand new production company Good Chaos, is also there. Aside from producing, Mike has worn many hats, beginning as a journalist and heading up the L.A. office at Screen International, heading up Protagonist a top U.K. international sales agency as well as a production company, heading up Beijing (?) Film Festival, all around professional and all around good guy.

Olivier Père, former head along with (now Tribeca’s Frederic Boyer) looks like he is involved in every current production these days… Check out his credits in IMDb:

La grande magie (co-producer) (post-production)

2022Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman (producer)

2022Pacifiction (co-producer)

2022More Than Ever (co-producer)

2022Triangle of Sadness (co-producer)

2022Brother and Sister (co-producer)

2022Corsage (co-producer)

2022One Fine Morning (co-producer)

2022Les Harkis (co-producer)

And last but not least, Jim Stark, another with an eye, like Philippe Bober, for cutting edge talent and stories, has made 17 films as exec producer, producer, associate producer or co-producer just since 2018. That is almost four films a year! For those who might remember, he also discovered and produced for Jim Jarmusch on his first five films starting with Down by Law in 1986, done just after we all witnessed ourselves transported by Stranger Than Paradise at the New York Film Festival, the year Jim and I met and I began buying his films for Lorimar and Republic.

The Owner (executive producer) (filming)

Inside (executive producer) (post-production)

2022Triangle of Sadness (executive producer)

2021El camino de Sol (associate producer)

2021The Middle Man (executive producer)

2021/IVAlma (co-producer)

2021Prayers for the Stolen (producer)

2020Treasure City (producer)

2020The 11th Green (executive producer)

2019Not Not Jazz (Documentary) (producer)

2019Echo (co-producer)

2019The Whistlers (associate producer)

2019One Taxi Ride (Documentary) (executive producer)

2019The Operative (associate producer)

2018Our Time (associate producer)

2018Birds of Passage (co-producer)

2018/IIAdam (producer)

___

Five is not a bad number of women represented on a list of 31 producers, coproducers, associate produces, executive producers and line producers…that’s almost 20 %. But the list still sounds to me like an old boys’ list and I wonder if they all got back a good share of the budget. We all know movies never make money, but the above and below the line members do. What was the budget? Was this everyone’s reward for all the times they do not get paid because they are making art built into the budget?

Or am I just being cynical? Hollywood stunts don’t surprise me but what does surprise me is that it also won the top prize in Cannes. These producers are all-round good guys who are also good business men, and networking is crucial to this business. It’s nice to see them all together; this roster is very impressive.

Writing for young talent, I would say: This is a list of acquaintances you should aspire to have, study their credits, speak to them about their projects when you meet them. But, also remember to network yourself within your own circle. This list is of people who have all known each other many years, wearing many different coats and hats. So will you if you heed these words: Network and know who you are meeting and why you are meeting them as you go through your festival circuit(s) with your dreams of making the films that will change the world, then when you reach their age, you will also be poised to profit from all your work.

‘Triangle of Sadness’ produced by:

Brina Elizabeta Blaz…executive producer

Philippe Bober…producer

Julio Chavezmontes…co-producer

Alessandro Del Vigna…executive producer

Lizzie Francke…executive producer

Dan Friedkin…executive producer

Ryan Friedkin…executive producer

Rose Garnett…executive producer

Mike Goodridge…co-producer

Micah Green…executive producer

Faruk Guven…co-producer

Per Damgaard Hansen…co-producer

Erik Hemmendorff…producer

Giorgos Karnavas…co-producer

Konstantinos Kontovrakis…co-producer

Clemens Köstlin…co-producer

Jovan Marjanovic…associate producer

Mouns Overgaard…pre-production: line producer

Marina Perales Marhuenda…co-producer

Mirsad Purivatra…associate producer

Olivier Père…co-producer

Andreas Roald…executive producer

James Benjamin Shannon…executive producer

Danae Spathara…line producer: Greece

Jim Stark…executive producer

Daniel Steinman…executive producer

Bradley Thomas…executive producer

Zahra Waldeck…line producer: Sweden

Pierre Wallon…line producer: Greece

Dan Wechsler…executive producer

Jamal Zeinal Zade…executive producer

And, just for the record, if you look at the IMDb list of production companies (rather than people) involved, you will see this is a giant of a coproduction involving private and public companies, TV stations and international film funds:

Production Companies

• Imperative Entertainment (presents)
• Film i Väst (in association with)
• BBC Films (in association with)
• 30WEST (in association with)
• Plattform Produktion (production)
• Essential Filmproduktion GmbH (co-production)
• Coproduction Office (co-production)
• Sveriges Television (SVT) (co-production)
• ZDF/Arte (co-production)
• Arte France Cinéma (co-production)
• TRT (co-production)
• Svenska Filminstitutet (SFI) (support)
• Eurimages (support)
• Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg (support)
• Det Danske Filminstitut (support)
• MOIN — Film Fund Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein (support)
• British Film Institute (BFI) (support)
• Nordisk Film (participation)
• Arte France (participation)
• Canal+ (participation)
• Ciné+ (participation)
• Heretic (in association with)
• Bord Cadre Films (in association with)
• Sovereign Films (II) (in association with)
• Piano (in association)

And finally, since the return on the investment, theoretically, comes from the final sources of revenues, the consumer, it is worth knowing what streamers receive, that that information is the hardest to get. Second to that is the monies paid to the ISA (international sales agents) though sales to distributors. Here are the distributors as listed in IMDb and Cinando, two sources of such information which do not always list the same information:

Distributors as listed on IMDb:

• SF Studios (2022) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Vertigo Média Kft. (2022) (Hungary) (theatrical)
• Bac Films (2022) (France) (theatrical)
• Avalon (2022) (Spain) (all media)
• Elastica (2022) (Spain) (all media)
• Front Row Filmed Entertainment (2022) (United Arab Emirates) (all media) (Middle East, North Africa and Iran)
• Neon (USA) (all media)
• Vertigo Média Kft. (2022) (Hungary) (all media)

Distributors as listed on Cinando and not on IMDb:

Benelux, Surinam, Dutch Antilles — SEPTEMBER FILM DISTRIBUTION BELGIUM, Theatrical, TV, DVD-video, VOD, Airline

Baltics — FILMSTOP OU, Theatrical, TV, VOD

Italy — TEODORA FILM, Theatrical, TV, DVD-video, VOD, Airline

South Korea — GREEN NARAE MEDIA CO., LTD., Theatrical, TV, DVD-video, VOD

Lithuania — A-ONE FILMS BALTIC, Theatrical, TV, DVD-video, VOD, Airline

Poland — GUTEK FILM LTD, Theatrical, TV, DVD-video, VOD

Romania — INDEPENDENTA FILM, Theatrical, TV, DVD-video, VOD

Serbia — FIVE STARS FILM DISTRIBUTION

Singapore — ANTICIPATE PICTURES, Theatrical, TV, DVD-video, VOD

Slovenia, territories of former Yugoslavia — DEMIURG — CVETKA FLAKUS, S.P., Theatrical, TV, DVD-video, VOD

Switzerland — XENIX FILMDISTRIBUTION GMBH, Theatrical, TV, DVD-video, VOD, Airline

Turkey — FILMARTI FILM, Theatrical, TV, DVD-video, VOD

British Women Weigh In

Women in Film and Television (WFTV) presented the 'Is It a Young Girl's Game?' event at BAFTA last month, which left many in the audience feeling frustrated that their experiences of ageism and gender inequality in the industry were not being understood or taken seriously enough. So how do you make your voice heard? Join WFTV for an open discussion entitled 'Enough of the Games' on 21 April at The Simpson Room. To RSVP please email stating your name, job title and company (where applicable).

International Women's Film Festival 12 Year in Seoul April 18

The International Women's Film Festival in Seoul kicks off its 12th edition April 8 with German drama The Day Will Come, directed by Susanne Schneider. Running for eight days at the Artreon Theater in Sinchon, west-central Seoul, the fest will screen 102 films from 27 countries under the banner “See the World Through Women’s Eyes.”


Main section New Currents presents 26 features representing the latest trends in women’s films. Included are three by Korean female directors, KWON Woo-jung’s documentary Earth’s Women, PARK Chan-ok’s award-winning second feature Paju, and KIM Jeong’s experimental drama Viewfinder.

Special highlight sections include Post-‘98 Indonesian Women’s Cinema, the newly-added Polemics section which this year focuses on ‘Maternity in Question’, a competitive Asian Short Film and Video section, and 13 new films in its annual Queer Rainbow section.

The festival will close April 15 with a screening of the winning short film. All films will be subtitled in English unless otherwise noted. The festival's website can be found at: http://www.wffis.or.kr/

Women in Film Korea, an association of female film professionals named Paju director PARK Chan-ok their choice for Female Cineaste of the Year. PARK’s sophomore feature drew wide critical acclaim when it premiered at the Pusan International Film Festival this October, winning the NETPAC prize.


Paju went on to be selected as the opening film of the upcoming International Film Festival Rotterdam, taking place Jan 27, 2010. PARK’s second feature was a labor of love that came seven years after her highly praised debut, Jealousy is My Middle Name (2002).

The award ceremony took place Dec 15 in conjunction with the two-day 2009 Women in Film Korea festival, which highlights Korean films in which women listed in the closing credits had a strong creative presence. The event was held at the Cine Cube specialty multiplex in central Seoul.

Women and the New Disney - from Cinematical Blog

Straight  from the Cinematical blog, too good to ignore in my quest for parity.  Even Disney and Warner Bros. are taking [a small] part in the conversation.  Where do women belong?  Girls on Film: Supergirl Battles the Princesses by Monika Bartyzel Mar 22nd 2010.  Thank you Monika!

After being the die-hard backbone to Disney's media wealth, the Princesses are getting thrown into Baby's dance-free corner. Sure, the Mouse House is a company centered around the little guy with the big ears, but Mickey's media presence doesn't come close to that of the princesses, with their towers, flowing locks, and plentiful product lines. Nevertheless, as we learned earlier this month, Disney is turning their back on the whimsical girls and their wild tresses. They have decided that Rapunzel isn't a boy-friendly title, and have changed it to Tangled to help lure the boys in. The reasoning? The Princess and the Frog only made a paltry $160 million over their production budget because the word "princess" turned the boys away from all that squicky girl stuff.


Head of Disney Animation Studios Ed Catmull said: "We did not want to be put in a box. Some people might assume it's a fairy tale for girls when it's not. We make movies to be appreciated and loved by everybody." You can put lipstick on a... you get the hint. Tangled, Rapunzel, whatever it's titled, the boys will see the royal dude, his love, and all those lovey dovey eyes. A change in title won't magically mask that. (And that's ignoring the enforcement of girl-centric media as not boy-friendly, or the fact that tangled hair isn't typically a boy attention-getter anyway.)

On the heels of this rather ridiculous news, what could another studio do to compete? By grabbing the super-strength of Supergirl, that's what.

Variety reports that Warner Bros. is going use Supergirl as a commercial alternative to Disney's popular princess line. The studio is teaming with JCPenney to start a brand of clothing that "prominently features the S-shield" on "T-shirts, dresses, dancewear, and other apparel." Olympic medalist Nastia Liukin will be the face of the brand, while also pushing "a message of empowerment." To top that off, she's also got a pretty sweet side-deal: the studio has just launched a "Nastia Liukin Supergirl Cup" which will honor rising gymnast stars.

Surprisingly, this news isn't being matched with any cinematic announcements. Warner Bros. is starting with the marketing, rather than the movie, even if rumors were swirling regarding a reboot with Taylor Swift back in December. I, however, don't think this means that we won't get one. Rather, the studio will probably get the girl-power vibe in full swing and create a loyal fandom for a future movie. I've no doubt that if the line takes off and tykes sport the big S, Supergirl will fly to the big screen in no time, the sisterly companion to Spider-Man's youthful reboot, the family fare alternative to flicks like Iron Man.

For adults, it's a bit of a bummer. If there's one superhero who could use a little darker, adult reimagining, it's the oft-sidelined Supergirl. Created in 1959, she's always flown around the outskirts of comic fandom, even getting killed in the '80s so that Supes could be the sole survivor of Krypton. Supergirl doesn't have much more than a shitty movie and a recent porn-star look that dares to dress her in a belt for a skirt and a white cut-off tee (though she has received a bit more love on Smallville.) I can't help but wish that Christopher Nolan would give her, Wonder Woman, and the rest of the super ladies more worthy backstory and depth -- something to wipe the abysmal Catwoman stigma off for good -- and finally allow Supergirl to become Superwoman ... but I digress.

I think this is a pretty brilliant move for Warner Bros. -- to embrace the young girl who wants more than towers and steeds, to put out a message that if the main source of kids' fare won't champion girl power, they'll step up to the plate instead. As Disney starts to alienate its bread and butter, dividing boys and girls and shrouding the pull of the princesses, we've got a strong girl to fill the void. Why have princesses when you can have a super girl? It challenges the Mouse House whilst also tapping into the increasing fan voice of young women. Don't like the fact that Twilight is resulting in a Twi-hard infestation at Comic Cons? How about a horde of Supergirl followers instead? It's a great way to bridge girl and boy comic fandoms, to teach youngin's that heroes aren't only boys, and possibly create a future moviegoing public that won't be so boy/girl secular.

At the same time, I realize that this is a very, very small step. This isn't even a widespread marketing scheme; it's solely focused on one department store. The line has to do well and expand before this will mean anything more to the young, female moviegoing public. Unless, of course, this is just step one in a plan to slowly work towards Supergirl on the screen, which seems to be the case. I've heard rumors from WB headquarters that Supergirl is going to make her mark on a DTV release later this year, and some of her Justice League episodes might end up on the DVD as well.

I find myself hoping that this is the spur that kicks Disney's ass into the new millennium. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out why Disney isn't as successful as Pixar when it comes to children's stories. One is addicted to an antiquated habit of storytelling while the other strives for reality in its fantasy. Instead of blaming the boys and alienating girls, it's time the Mouse House took responsibility for their fairy tale romance obsession and strove for new storylines and, more importantly, storytelling. Create some new superheroes, and girls and boys who don't live in fairy tales. We could always use more kids like Carl and Ellie.

And even if Disney keeps those fairy tale blinders on, let's hope Warner Bros. ignites a new horde of superheroines and alternatives for the younger crowd. Maybe the notion that girls aren't so different than boys will finally make an impact, as well as the idea that girls want more than just princesses... That you can have a girl on-screen who doesn't need a prince to rescue her from a tower. That a girl is not doomed if she happens to have split ends. That she can fight without it all coming down to a boy or prince. Supergirl can allow for new themes to enter the playing field, and it's high time she kicks Hollywood into girl-gear.

Guadalajara Film Festival (aka FICG) Celebrates 25 Years

This year's Guadalajara Film Festival (FICG - Festival International de Cine Guadalajara) has so many events, sections and sidebars that one barely knows where to begin. Established in 1986 it now has an attendence of about 66,000 with industry attendence at about 3,000 all of whom are interested in interacting with one another and with filmmakers in an extremely friendly upbeat environment.  Its festival has a competition for Mexican and Iberoamerican fiction, docs and shorts, French  features with a focus on Agnes Varda, animation, alternative, childrens, and of course gala sections.  It has a film market, numerous panels and has incorporated several key international initiatives.

About my ever active Women Directors' Tally:  Of 160 new features at the festival, 27 are by women, equalling 16%.   Those women are the ones who are currently playing the most important festivals: Paz Fabrega, Natalia Smirnoff, Florence Jaugey, Maria Novaro, Renate Costa, Urszula Antoniak, Elizabeth Chi Vasarhelyi, the ones not yet listed in IMDb: Luciana Burlamaqui nor is her film On the Edge of Light and Shadow a doc about two now ex con rappers over 7 years in Carandiru, the worst prison in Brazilnow closed down, Rosana Matecki and Story of a Day, Regina Alvarez, Ana Rosa, Ina Gomez Concheiro; new comers: Pettina Perut, Maya Da-Rin, Adriana Camacho Torres, Andrea Borbolla, Viviana Garcia Besne, Daniela Ludlow, Lilian Liberman, Julia Solomonoff, Elisabet Cabeza, Ana Perez y Marta Arribas, Diana Fabianova, and veterans: Jessica Hausner, Claire Denis, Barbara Kopple, Isabel Coixet.
 
1. Guadalajara's 8th Film Market (with the requisite film library) hosts the European Film Promotion umbrella representing all participating European films as well as EFP's huge membership of 30 European institutions. A catalogue of recent European films screening in Guadalajara, is online on EFP's website. Representatives from each international sales company are all here personally.

One of the 11 films supported by EFP is Autlook's documentary EPISODE III - ENJOY POVERTY by director Renzo Martens from The Netherlands and Belgium, an investigation of the emotional and economic value of Africa's most lucrative export: filmed poverty. Deep in the interiors of the Congo, Dutch artist Renzo Martens single-handedly undertakes an epic journey and launches an emancipatory program that helps the poor become aware of what is their primary capital resource: Poverty.  Autlook deserves first place here for its slate of political documentaries, including Gonzalo Arijon's doc which so impressed me in its premier at Mar Del Plata, Eyes Wide Open, a view of Latin America's democracies today.  I invite the reader to my December blog on the subject of Latin America. 

Others include:
Charivari Films (France)
77 Doronship by Pablo Aguero, France, Argentina 2009

Coach14 (France)
Police, Adjective (Politist, Adjectiv) by Corneliu Porumboiu, Romania 2009

Films Boutique (Germany)
She, A Chinese by Xiaolu Guo, UK, China 2009

Jinga Pictures (UK)
Only When I Dance by Beadie Finzi, UK, France, The Netherlands

m-appeal (Germany)
Lost Times (Utolsó Idök) by Àron Mátyássy, Hungary 2009
New York Memories by Rosa von Praunheim, Germany 2010

Media Luna (Germany)
Dirty Mind by Pieter van Hees, Belgium 2009

Oberon Cinematografica (Spain)
Masks (Màscares) by Elisabeth Cabeza & Esteve Riambau, Spain 2009

UMedia (France)
Cuchillo de Palo (108) by Renate Costa, Spain 2010

Wide Management (France)
Two In The Wave (Les deux de la Vague) by Emmanuel Laurent , France 2010

3. Talent Campus from the Berlinale.  The second edition of the Talent Campus Guadalajara for up-and-coming filmmakers and professionals from Central America and the Caribbean is hotsting a brand new hands-on training programme for film critics, the Talent Press.  The Goethe Institut is also a backer.

4. Iberoamerican Co-Production Market.  In an effort to contribute to the development of the Mexican and Ibero-American film industry producers of 25 projects in development are set up in one-on-one meetings with potential co-producers, buyers and international sales agents and  international financing funds including the Fonds Sud, the French fund devoted to support the production of films from developing countries.,

5. Producers Network from Cannes.  For the fourth year, Cannes and Guadaljara have cooperated in creating thematic roundtables to discuss issues relevant to the seasoned producers invited to attend.

6. Iberoamercan Crossing Borders.  To encourage films to circulate beyond their own countries, producers pitch and show their films to the industry professionals who will either represent the films internationally, distribute them in their territories or plan for future projects from the producers, directors or other talents.

7. Honoring France and an homage to Agnes Varda

8. Honoring Mexican actress Maria Rojo and actor Joaquin Pardave

9. Honoring Matt Dillon who is giving a masters class

10. Latinofusión Distribution Award to the Best Iberoamerican Fiction Feature Film and the Best Mexican Fiction Feature Film grants US$20,000 each as an advance for the international representation rights to the films. This award is in addition to the Latinofusión Award granted to the producers of the winning film in Guadalajara Construye which add up to a total of US$60,000.

11. Cinema en Construya (works in progress) for films, which once filmed find difficulties during their post-production stage and later on—while trying to guarantee theatrical release— is made of a maximum of 6 productions from Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean region (including Colombia).  Accredited professionals —producers, distributors, sales agents, service companies, funds and festivals— watch them with an eye toward supporting the completion of projects and their subsequent exhibition.  Documnentaries are included.

Where do we begin?