Opus Dei Controversy + Michelle Pfeiffer: Spanish Academy Awards

Camino with Carmen Elias: Controversial Opus Dei drama.

Goya Award winners

Written and directed by Javier Fesser, the controversial drama Camino – described by Screen Daily‘s Lee Marshall as a “kind of three-way collision between The Magdalene Sisters, Amelie and The Song of Bernadette” – was the big winner at the 2009 Goya Awards, bagging a total of six trophies: best film, director, original screenplay, actress (Carme Elias, holding the “Jesus Loves You” poster), supporting actor (Jordi Dauder), and female newcomer (Nerea Camacho, lying in bed). Inspired by a true story, Camino revolves around an ardently Catholic 13-year-old cancer patient named Camino (Camacho), whose family belongs to the Opus Dei sect. Two international stars were also honored by the Spanish Academy: Puerto Rican Benicio Del Toro was voted best actor for his Che Guevara in Steven Soderbergh’s Che, while Madrid-native Penélope Cruz took home her third Goya for her supporting performance as Javier Bardem’s fiery ex in Woody Allen’s Vicky Cristina Barcelona. (Cruz’s previous Goyas were as best actress for Volver at the 2007 ceremony and La Niña de tus ojos in 1999.)

Los Girasoles ciegos / The Blind Sunflowers, Spain’s entry for the 2009 best foreign-language film Academy Award, had the most nominations for the Spanish Academy’s 2009 Goya Awards: a total of 15 nods, including best film, director (José Luis Cuerda), actor (Raúl Arévalo), actress (Maribel Verdú) and adapted screenplay (the late Rafael Azcona and José Luis Cuerda). Based on a novel by Alberto Mendez, The Blind Sunflowers is set in 1940 Spain, shortly after the end of the civil war, as a priest (Arévalo) pursues a woman (Verdú) he believes to be a widow, though her left-wing husband (Javier Cámara) is actually in hiding. Ultimately, The Blind Sunflowers turned out to be the Goyas’ biggest loser: Cuerda’s drama won only one award, for best adapted screenplay.

Photos: © Spanish Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

Best Film / Mejor Película
* Camino, directed by Javier Fesser
Los Crímenes de Oxford, directed by Alex de la Iglesia
Los Girasoles Ciegos, directed by José Luis Cuerda
Sólo Quiero Caminar, directed by Agustín Díaz Yanes

Best Spanish Language Foreign Film / Mejor Película Hispanoamericana
Acné (Uruguay), directed by Federico Veiro
* La Buena Vida (Chile), directed by Andrés Wood
Lake Tahoe (Mexico), directed by Fernando Eimbcke
Perro Come Perro (Colombia), directed by Carlos Moreno

Best European Film / Mejor Película Europea
* 4 Months 3 Weeks and 2 Days (Romania), directed by Christian Mungiu
The Dark Knight (US/UK), directed by Christopher Nolan
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas (United Kingdom), directed by Mark Herman
Auf der anderen Seite / The Edge of Heaven (Germany), directed by Fatih Akin

Best Documentary / Mejor Documental
* Bucarest, la Memoria Perdida, directed by Albert Solé
Old Man Bebo, directed by Carlos Carcas
El Pollo, el Pez y el Cangrejo Real, directed by José Luis López-Linares
El Último Truco. Emilio Ruiz del Río, directed by Sigfrid Monleón

Best Animated Film / Mejor Película de Animación
Donkey Xote, directed by Jose Pozo
Espíritu del Bosque, directed by David Rubin
* El Lince Perdido, directed by
RH+. El Vampiro de Sevilla, directed by Antonio Zurera

Best Director / Mejor Dirección
José Luis Cuerda, Los Girasoles Ciegos
Agustín Díaz Yanes, Sólo Quiero Caminar
* Javier Fesser, Camino
Alex de la Iglesia, Los Crímenes de Oxford

Best New Director / Mejor Dirección Novel
Irene Cardona, Un Novio Para Yasmina
Belén Macías, El Patio de mi Cárcel
Nacho Vigalondo, Los Cronocrímenes
* Santiago Zannou, El Truco del Manco

Best Actor / Mejor Actor
Raúl Arévalo, Los Girasoles Ciegos
Javier Cámara, Fuera de Carta
Diego Luna, Sólo Quiero Caminar
* Benicio Del Toro, Che

Best Actress / Mejor Actriz
Verónica Echegui, El Patio de mi Cárcel
* Carme Elías, Camino
Ariadna Gil, Sólo Quiero Caminar
Maribel Verdú, Los Girasoles Ciegos

Best Supporting Actor / Mejor Actor de Reparto
* Jordi Dauder, Camino
José Ángel Egido, Los Girasoles Ciegos
Fernando Tejero, Fuera de Carta
José María Yazpik, Sólo Quiero Caminar

Best Supporting Actress / Mejor Actriz de Reparto
* Penélope Cruz, Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Elvira Mínguez, Cobardes
Rosana Pastor, La Conjura de El Escorial
Tina Sáinz, Sangre de Mayo

Best New Actor / Mejor Actor Revelación
Luis Bermejo, Una Palabra Tuya
Álvaro Cervantes, El Juego del Ahorcado
* Juan Manuel Montilla “Langui,” El Truco del Manco
Martín Rivas, Los Girasoles Ciegos

Best New Actress / Mejor Actriz Revelación
* Nerea Camacho, Camino
Farah Hamed, Retorno a Hansala
Esperanza Pedreño, Una Palabra Tuya
Ana Wagener, El Patio de mi Cárcel

Best Original Screenplay / Mejor Guión Original
Agustín Díaz Yanes, Sólo Quiero Caminar
* Javier Fesser, Camino
Chus Gutiérrez and Juan Carlos Rubio, Retorno a Hansala
Dionisio Pérez, José Antonio Quirós and Ignacio del Moral, Cenizas del Cielo

Best Adapted Screenplay / Mejor Guión Adaptado
* Rafael Azcona and José Luis Cuerda, Los Girasoles Ciegos
Peter Buchman, Che
Ángeles González-Sinde, Una Palabra Tuya
Jorge Guerricaechevarría, Los Crímenes de Oxford

Best Cinematography / Mejor Dirección de Fotografía
Hans Burmann, Los Girasoles Ciegos
* Paco Femenia, Sólo Quiero Caminar
Félix Monti, Sangre de Mayo
Carlos Suárez, La Conjura de El Escorial

Best Editing / Mejor Montaje
Iván Aledo, Mortadelo y Filemón Misión Salvar la Tierra
* Alejandro Lázaro, Los Crímenes de Oxford
Nacho Ruiz Capillas, Los Girasoles Ciegos
José Salcedo, Sólo Quiero Caminar

Besto Original Score / Mejor Música Original
* Roque Baños, Los Crímenes de Oxford
Lucio Godoy, Los Girasoles Ciegos
Alberto Iglesias, Che
Bingen Mendizábal, El Juego del Ahorcado

Best Original Song / Mejor Canción Original
“Entre tu Balcón y mi Ventana,” Una Palabra Tuya
“Manousal,” Retorno a Hansala
“Podemos Volar Juntos,” El Patio de mi Cárcel
* “A Tientas,” El Truco del Manco

Best Art Direction / Mejor Dirección Artística
Balter Gallart, Los Girasoles Ciegos
* Antxón Gómez, Che
Gil Parrondo, Sangre de Mayo
Luis Valles “Koldo”, La Conjura de El Escorial

Best Costume Design / Mejor Diseño de Vestuario
Javier Artiñano, La Conjura de El Escorial
Sonia Grande, Los Girasoles Ciegos
* Lala Huete, El Greco
Lourdes de Orduña, Sangre de Mayo

Best Executive/Line Producer / Mejor Dirección de Producción
R. Cuervo and M. Pedraza, Sólo Quiero Caminar
Emiliano Otegui, Los Girasoles Ciegos
* Rosa Romero, Los Crímenes de Oxford
C. Zumárraga, Che

Best Make Up and Hair / Mejor Maquillaje y/o Peluquería
Romana González, Alicia López and Josefa Morales, Sangre de Mayo
* José Quetglas and N. Sánchez, La Conjura de El Escorial
P. Quetglas, B. Sánchez and M. Paradela, Mortadelo y Filemón Misión Salvar la Tierra
Silvie Imbert and F. Galán, Los Girasoles Ciegos

Best Special Effectos / Mejores Efectos Especiales
J.R. Molina and A. Nombela, Sangre de Mayo
Raúl Romanillos, A. Balseiro and Ferrán Piquer, Camino
* Raúl Romanillos, Pau Costa, P. Quetglas, Eduardo Díaz, A. Grau and Íñigo Remacha, Mortadelo y Filemón Misión Salvar la Tierra
A. Vázquez, Reyes Abades and Rafael Solorzano, Sólo Quiero Caminar

Best Sound / Mejor Sonido
Pierre Gamet, Christophe Vingtrinier and Patrice Grisolet, Sólo Quiero Caminar
Miguel Rejas and José Antonio Bermúdez, Sangre de Mayo
Ricardo Steinberg and Alfonso Raposo, Los Girasoles Ciegos
* Daniel de Zayas, Jorge Marín and Maite Rivera, 3 Días / Before the Fall

Best Live Action Short / Mejor Cortometraje de Ficción
El Encargado, directed by Sergio Barrejón
Final, directed by Hugo Martín Cuervo
Machu-Picchu, directed by Hatem Khraiche Ruiz-Zorrilla
* Miente, directed by Isabel de Ocampo
Porque hay Cosas que Nunca se Olvidan, directed by Lucas Figueroa

Best Documentary Short / Mejor Cortometraje Documental
La Clase, directed by Beatriz Martínez Sanchís
Harraga, directed by Eva Patricia Fernández and Mario de la Torre
* Héroes. No Hacen Falta Alas Para Volar, directed by Ángel Loza
Soy Meera Malik, directed by Marcos Borregón

Best Animated Short / Mejor Cortometraje de Animación
El Ataque de los Kriters Asesinos, directed by Samuel Orti “Sam”
Espagueti Western, directed by Sami Natsheh
* La Increíble Historia del Hombre sin Sombra, directed by José Esteban Alenda
Malacara y el Misterio del Bastón de Roble, directed by Luis Tinoco
Rascal’s Street, directed by Marcos Valin, María Monescillo and David Priego

Honorary Goya / Goya de Honor: Jesús Franco

Alt Film Guide thanks Francisco Bellón of Cineando for the list of nominees.

Derek Elley reviews Stephen Frears’ Chéri in Variety:

“Like a passable bottle of champagne, Cheri fizzes and slides down quite easily but lacks real body and doesn’t really hit the spot. Driven along by Alexandre Desplat’s busy score, scrumptious duds by Consolata Boyle, pastel-tinged widescreen lensing by Darius Khondji and, most of all, by Kathy Bates’ [right] scene-stealing turn, this Stephen Frears-Christopher Hampton adaptation of Colette’s famous Belle Epoque tale of romance between an experienced older courtesan and a spoiled youth [Rupert Friend, as the “Cheri” of the title] is, like Michelle Pfeiffer’s lead perf, short on real passion and emotion.”

***

Here’s a rather different take on Chéri by The [London] Times’ Stephen Dalton:

“Frears handles this slow shift from romantic frolic [between the middle-aged courtesan and the 19-year-old youth] to mournful elegy with a pleasingly light touch. Hampton’s crisp screenplay keeps it lively with a steady flow of dry quips and acerbic one-liners. Pfeiffer’s performance is magnetic and subtle, her worldly nonchalance a mask for vulnerability and heartache.

“Unfortunately, the character of Chéri feels bland and colourless. A willowy, floppy-fringed Orlando Bloom-a-like, Friend is no match for Pfeiffer and unconvincing as an object of romantic, lustful obsession. A seasoned femme fatale such as Léa would eat him for petit déjeuner and be bored to tears by cocktail time.”

***

At the Berlinale press conference: Michelle Pfeiffer on turning 50 last April (via Reuters):

“If you think hitting 40 is liberating, wait until you hit 50. I was surprised how liberating it was. The anticipation is always much worse than reality. There is the anticipating of turning over that big number, then you turn 50 and go ‘okay’. If anything, it makes you more grateful for what you’ve got.”

***

Also at the conference: Michelle Pfeiffer on older women – such as herself in Chéri and Kate Winslet in The Reader – being sexually and/or romantically involved on-screen with much younger men (via The Local):

“I think it’s a positive step in the right direction.”

***

A blog post by Spiegel Online‘s Wolfgang Höbel has created a Berlinale press-office furor (via Scott Roxborough in The Hollywood Reporter):

“’The hardest, meanest, most unhelpful press department in the world … with maximum unfriendliness and Prussian administrative crabbiness,’ Höbel wrote before comparing employees at the press office with the single mother Katie, played by Alexandra Lamy in François Ozon’s Ricky.

“‘(Katie) is as bitchy, frustrated and overwhelmed as the ladies in the Berlinale press office but at least she appears to enjoy sex,’ he wrote.”

[One press office employee responded: “I think Mr. Höbel’s issue are with his parents, not with us.”]

Kate Winslet on her The Reader character (via Agence France Presse):

“I had to make her a human being. I had to make her a woman who was capable of great love and affection and warmth as well as the vulnerability and the shame that she feels. And she also had to be a woman who had at least some level of courage, certainly when she starts serving her prison sentence.”

…

“Quite a lot has been made of the love scenes and made of David [Kross]’s age and he’s 18, he’s a young man, he’s extremely professional and he’s absolutely brilliant in the film. For me, it was all about making sure David understood exactly what was going to be happening whilst we were shooting those scenes because I’ve been in the position that I think Daniel was in — really not knowing what it was going to be like, how many people would be in the room.

“But the truth is, at the end of the day, it is part of this job and it’s a very, very important part of this love story so we just got on with it really, and dare I say it, we actually kind of had a laugh.”

***

The International at the Berlinale 2009 (via Reuters):

“The International, starring Clive Owen and Naomi Watts, was contrived years before the banking crisis hit, but German director Tom Tykwer said that what has happened on the markets did not come as a complete surprise.

“‘Back then many people said, is it actually feasible that a private bank is the villain in a movie?’ he told Reuters.

“‘But we instinctively … said this is a reality we have to formulate because this represents a system that is about to torpedo itself,’ said the maker of the critically acclaimed Run Lola Run. “And the fact this is actually happening now is a grotesque coincidence.'”

Étoiles d’Or winners

In Laurent Cantet’s Palme d’Or winner The Class, teacher-author François Bégaudeau (who also wrote the book on which the film is based) stars as a teacher coping with students in a tough Parisian suburb mostly inhabited by African and Arab immigrants. Chosen as the best French film of the year by the French film critics, The Class has also won a Spirit Award for best foreign-language film and is up for an Academy Award in that same category.

2009 French Film Critics’ Étoiles d’Or winners: Feb. 9 ’09.

Best Film / Etoile d’Or du Film français 2008
* Entre les murs / The Class by Laurent Cantet
Le premier jour du reste de ta vie by Remi Bezançon
A Christmas Tale by Arnaud Desplechin

Best Director / Etoile d’Or du Réalisateur français 
Jean-François Richet for Mesrine
* Arnaud Desplechin for A Christmas Tale
Laurent Cantet for The Class

Best First Film / Etoile d’Or du Premier Film français (tie)
* Versailles by Pierre Schoeller 
Il y a longtemps que je t’aime / I’ve Loved You So Long by Philippe Claudel
* L’apprenti by Samuel Collardey

Best Documentary / Etoile d’Or du Documentaire français 
* Les plages d’Agnès by Agnès Varda
La vie moderne by Raymond Depardon
Elle s’appelle sabine by Sandrine Bonnaire

Best Actress / Etoile d’Or du Premier Rôle Féminin
français 
Kristin Scott Thomas for I’ve Loved You So Long by Philippe Claudel
Felicité Wouassi for Aide-toi le ciel t’aidera by François Dupeyron
* Yolande Moreau for Séraphine by Martin Provost

Best Actor / Etoile d’Or du Premier Rôle Masculin français 
* Vincent Cassel for Mesrine by Jean François Richet
Guillaume Depardieu for Versailles by Pierre Schoeller
Mathieu Amalric for A Christmas Tale by Arnaud Desplechin

Best Female Newcomer / Etoile d’Or de la Révélation Féminine française 
Louise Bourgoin for La fille de Monaco by Anne Fontaine
* Nora Arnezeder for Faubourg 36 by Christophe Barratier
Léa Seydoux for La Belle Personne by Christophe Honoré

Best Male Newcomer / Etoile d’Or de la Révélation Masculine française 
* Tomer Sisley for Largo Winch by Jérome Salle 
Nicolas Giraud for Comme une étoile dans la nuit by René Féret
Pio Marmaï for Le premier jour du reste de ta vie by Remi Bezançon

Best Screenplay / Etoile d’Or du Scénario français 
* Le premier jour du reste de ta vie by Remi Bezançon
The Class by Laurent Cantet
A Christmas Tale by Arnaud Desplechin

Best Original Score / Etoile d’Or du Compositeur de Musique Originale de film français 
Sinclair for Le premier jour du reste de ta vie by Remi Bezançon
Alex Beaupain for La Belle Personne by Christophe Honoré
* Reinhardt Wagner for Faubourg 36 by Christophe Barratier

Best Producer / Etoile d’Or du Producteur de films français 
Thomas Langmann for la société La petite reine
* Carole Scotta and Caroline Benjo for la société Haut et court
Mathieu Kassovitz for MNP entreprises

Best Distributor / Etoile d’Or du Distributeur de films français 
Carole Scotta and Caroline Benjo for Haut et court
Michel Saint-Jean for Diaphana 
* François Ivernel for Pathé Distribution

2009 German Film Critics Association Awards

2009 German Film Critics Association Award winners: Berlin on Feb. 10, 2009

Best Film: 
Jerichow
by Christian Petzold

Best First Film: 
Nacht vor Augen 
by Brigitte Bertele

Best Documentary: 
Holunderblüte
by Volker Koepp

Best Actor: 
Elmar Wepper 
Kirschblüten – Hanami / Cherry Blossoms (Direction: Doris Dörrie)

Best Actress: 
Karoline Herfurth
Im Winter ein Jahr (Direction: Caroline Link)

Best Screenplay: 
Philipp Stölzl, Christoph Silber, Rupert Henning, Johannes Naber 
Nordwand (Direction: Philipp Stölzl)

Best Cinematography:
Kolja Brandt 
Nordwand (Direction: Philipp Stölzl)

Best Editing: 
Andreas Wodraschke
Dr. Alemán (Direction: Tom Schreiber)

Best Score: 
Niki Reiser 
Im Winter ein Jahr (Direction: Caroline Link)

Best Experimental Film: 
Falsche Freunde
by Sylvia Schedelbauer

Best Short:
Das heimliche Geräusch
by Michael Watzke

Special Prize
Klaas Akkermann

Berlin Film Festival 2009: Golden Bear Line-Up

Alle Anderen Germany
by Maren Ade (The Forest for the Trees)
with Birgit Minichmayr, Lars Eidinger, Hans-Jochen Wagner, Nicole Marischka
World premiere

Cheri UK/Germany/France
By Stephen Frears (The Queen, Dangerous Liaisons)
With Michelle Pfeiffer, Kathy Bates, Rupert Friend, Felicity Jones
World premiere

Darbareye Elly (About Elly) Iran
By Asghar Farhadi (Fireworks Wednesday)
With Golshifteh Farahani, Taraneh Alidousti, Mani Haghighi
World premiere

Gigante Uruguay/Germany/Argentina
By Adrián Biniez (Total Disponibilidad)
With Horacio Camandulle, Leonor Svarcas
World premiere

Happy Tears USA
By Mitchell Lichtenstein (Teeth)
With Demi Moore, Parker Posey, Rip Torn, Ellen Barkin
World premiere

In the Electric Mist France/USA
By Bertrand Tavernier (Laissez-Passer, La Guerre Sans Nom)
With Tommy Lee Jones, John Goodman, Peter Sarsgaard
World premiere

Katalin Varga Romania/UK/Hungary – debut film
By Peter Strickland
With Hilda Péter, Norbert Tankó, Tibor Pálfy, Sebastian Marina
World premiere

Lille Soldat (Little Soldier) Denmark
By Annette K. Olesen (Minor Mishaps)
With Trine Dyrholm, Finn Nielsen, Lorna Brown
International premiere

London River Algeria / France / Great Britain
by Rachid Bouchareb (Little Senegal, Days of Glory)
with Brenda Blethyn, Sotigui Kouyate
World premiere

Mammoth (top photo) Sweden / Germany / Denmark
by Lukas Moodysson (Show me Love, Lilja 4-ever)
with Gael Garcia Bernal, Michelle Williams, Sophie Nyweide, Tom McCarthy
International premiere

Mei Lanfang (Forever Enthralled) People’s Republic of China
by Chen Kaige (Farewell My Concubine, The Promise)
with Leon Lai, Zhang Ziyi, Sun Honglei, Chen Hong
International premiere

The Messenger USA
by Oren Moverman – directorial debut
with Ben Foster, Woody Harrelson, Samantha Morton
International premiere

My One And Only USA
By Richard Loncraine
With Renée Zellweger, Kevin Bacon, Logan Lerman, Mark Rendall

Rage Great Britain / USA
by Sally Potter (The Tango Lesson, Orlando)
with Judi Dench, Jude Law, Dianne Wiest, Steve Buscemi, Simon Abkarian
World premiere

Ricky France/Italy
By François Ozon (8 Femmes, Swimming Pool)
With Alexandra Lamy, Sergi Lopez, Mélusine Mayance, Arthur Peyret
World premiere

Storm (Sturm) Germany/Denmark/The Netherlands
By Hans-Christian Schmid (Requiem, Distant Lights)
With Kerry Fox, Anamaria Marinca, Stephen Dillane, Rolf Lassgård
World premiere

Tatarak (Sweet Rush) Poland
By Andrzej Wajda (Popiól i diament, Katyn)
With Krystyna Janda, Pawel Szajda, Jan Englert
World premiere

La Teta Asustada (The Milk of Sorrow) Spain/Peru
By Claudia Llosa (Madeinusa)
With Magaly Solier, Susi Sánchez, Efraín Solis
World premiere

Out of Competition Line-Up

The Dust of Time Greece / Germany / Italy / Russia
by Theo Angelopoulos (Eternity and a Day, The Weeping Meadow)
with Irène Jacob, Michel Piccoli, Willem Dafoe, Bruno Ganz
International premiere

Eden à l’ouest (Eden is West) France/Greece/Italy
By Costa-Gavras (Missing, Amen)
With Riccardo Scamarcio, Juliane Köhler, Ulrich Tukur
International premiere

The International USA / Germany / UK
by Tom Tykwer (Run, Lola, Run, Perfume)
with Clive Owen, Naomi Watts, Armin Mueller-Stahl, Ulrich Thomsen
World premiere

Deutschland ‘09 – 13 kurze Filme zur Lage der Nation Germany
Compilation film by Fatih Akin, Tom Tykwer, Wolfgang Becker, Sylke Enders, Dominik Graf, Romuald Karmakar, Nicolette Krebitz, Isabelle Stever, Hans Steinbichler, Hans Weingartner, Christoph Hochhäusler, Dani Levy and Angela Schanelec
World premiere

Notorious USA
By George Tillman Jr. (Men of Honor)
With Angela Bassett, Jamal Woolard, Derek Luke, Anthony Mackie
International premiere

Pink Panther II USA
by Harald Zwart (One Night at McCool’s)
with Steve Martin, Jean Reno, Emily Mortimer, Andy Garcia
International premiere

The Private Lives of Pippa Lee USA
by Rebecca Miller (The Ballad of Jack and Rose)
with Robin Wright Penn, Alan Arkin, Keanu Reeves, Maria Bello, Julianne Moore, Winona Ryder
World premiere

The Reader USA / Germany
by Stephen Daldry (The Hours, Billy Elliot)
with Kate Winslet, Ralph Fiennes, David Kross, Alexandra Maria Lara

Berlin Film Festival 2009: After Winter Comes Spring – Films Presaging the Fall of the Wall