Monday, 23 April 2001

BERMUDA FILM FESTIVAL

4:19 p.m. Sunday - I’m sitting on the dock behind my hotel, looking over the bay.  The only problem with the view is that the sun is so bright that I can barely see my computer screen in the glare.  The Fourth Annual Bermuda International Film Festival started Friday night with USA Films’ One Night At McCool’s.  Many of the locals were disappointed that Michael Douglas, who cameos in and co-produced the film didn’t show up to kick things off -- after all, he and his wife, Catherine Zeta-Jones, recently bought a new house on "the island" (as everyone here calls Bermuda) and he was seen arriving at the airport a few days ago.  But, alas, no.  He was also seen leaving the island less than 48 hours later. 

In any case, for those of you who remember last year’s coverage of the festival, this was a far cry from the sparsely attended early afternoon screening that kicked off BIFF 2000.  Like the entire festival, this evening showed the confidence that this festival can be a real event.  As the years go by and Bermuda opens with bigger and bigger film, this will be a year that is remembered for the kick-off that Michael Douglas’ on-screen toupee brought to bear.

Having already seen One Night At McCool’s before Sundance, I went off to see another film that was screening in the aptly named Little Theater.  It was Kirsten Sheridan’s look at obsessive love, Disco Pigs.    The film tells the story of Pig and Runt, a boy and a girl who were born in the same day, in the same hospital and whose parents lived next door to one another ...the very definition of fate.  Yet, this duo is faced with the greatest challenge a lifelong bond can face - sexual awareness.  At the late age of 17, this duo, who has handled the sexual urges of others in their direction with a sense of comic indifference, suddenly face their own urges.  She finds that she is enjoying being attractive to boys.  And he can’t stand the idea of anyone being with her other than him.   The dichotomy proves to be dangerously explosive to everyone involved.

The film is quite reminiscent of Peter Jackson’s breakout film, Heavenly Creatures, except that here it is a boy and a girl and the fantasy life is real.  Maybe it’s Heavenly Creatures by way of Quentin Tarantino ... though Tarantino has never been this sympathetic to any of his female characters under 45.  Regardless, it is a strong debut by Ms. Sheridan.  If the name sounds familiar, it may be because she is, in fact, Jim Sheridan’s daughter.  But with this start, it seems likely that she will soon stand on her own in print, and someday, Jim Sheridan may be described as "Kirsten Sheridan’s father."

The BIFF opening night party evolved into a private pizza party, up in the hills where one of the festival organizers, Suzanne Nottman and her husband David live.  The house is almost 300 years old.  The pizza was fresher.  But the impromptu post-game show was typical of the tone set here at the festival.  Like the many boats that float around us, this is a festival of bobbing and riding the tides as they ebb and flow.  The film programming improves year to year, but it is this island of chaotic calm that makes the experience more and more magical.

On Saturday, I caught Jagmohan’s Sand Storm.  The filmmaker, who commutes between Los Angeles and Bombay, is an Indian film rarity.  It’s not a Bollywood musical or a religious epic, but rather a social drama, based on real events of the last decade.  The storm of the title is raised amongst people who still live in and around the sand, still engaged by the caste system and male social domination.  Our heroine, Sanwari, played by Nandita Das, is a typical lower caste wife, with the variation that her husband loves and respects her in a way that most of the men in her village would see as beyond the pale.  She does all of her traditional duties and respects her place in her society.  But she is not afraid to stand up against injustice. 

Then, the future enters Sanwari’s life.  And she can never return.   She is approached by a big city political activist about being an advocate for women, as part of a government sponsored program.   But don’t think this is like someone from Ohio being pushed by someone from New York.  The kinds of reforms they are trying to make are the abolishment of child marriages.   But in the process of carrying out these duties, Sanwari is gang raped while her husband is beaten.  She decides to report the rape and her fight to simply obtain justice is the core of this powerful film. 

Ironically, it is the most powerful images in the film that the Indian censorship board want removed, including much of the rape scene that drives the entire story.  This is an important film for the world to see, exposing cultural ugliness that is still going on in India.  But it seems even more important that the film be seen in India, where the bonds of caste-ism and sexism are only beginning to become undone.

After Sand Storm, it was time for the John Madden Tribute.  I had been asked by the festival to host the chat with Madden, director of such hits as Shakespeare in Love and Mrs. Brown.  But to my delight, a little research into Madden’s life made it quite clear that this was a man of more talents than I had realized.  This guy has had big successes in the theater, on radio, on TV and now, in film.  This is a  guy who was teaching at Yale at 27 years of age.  He directed his first feature film, Ethan Frome, at 36.  A little more than a decade later, he was at the Oscars.  And then, there is the greatest surprise of all… he’s a hell of a nice guy.   He just couldn’t be sweeter or more open about stuff.  So, it became a very easy task for me to play This Is Your Life.  He told all the good stories. 

Unfortunately, complications between international and domestic distribution of his next film, Captain Correlli’s Mandolin, prevented us from getting the film or even, as it worked out, proper clips to show during the tribute.   But Madden offered up glowing praise of Penelope Cruz, assuring that this role will be, finally, the one that breaks her as a major movie star.  And of Nicolas Cage, Madden offered that Cage took a pay cut to do the film and that he had been nothing but open and generous and happy in the making of the film ... even if it took longer than expected.

Post-game for this evening took me and a dozen others to dinner at one of the few late night restaurants on the island, Rosie’s Cantina.  Soon we would all realize that documentarians Roko Belic - here on the jury - and Amir Bar-Lev - here with his exceptional documentary, Fighter - were on a mission to win title as Mr. BIFF Charisma 2001.   I’m getting too old to keep up with these kids!  (Good thing I still talk faster than anyone else on this island.)

Tomorrow, a great documentary about a woman rising above her supposed station in Brazil.  And a powerful, hard-hitting drama from The Netherlands. 

Until then ...

READER OF THE DAY:  Sans San writes:  "The news that Fox Searchlight aquired Waking Life for distribution actually sent seismic waves of joy down my spine. This company is becoming the most interesting and daring of all the indie divisions. After all the bragging Mr. Weinstein made about being a prominent figure in Sundance, this distributor was the biggest buyer and got hold of some of the very best titles of the festival.  I think this would make quite an interesting story."

And the negative Rabbi writes:  "I'm writing about Crocodile Dundee in LA.  Can you tell me how in the hell this movie was greenlit?  I don't know one person who has any interest in this movie at all. Not one.  In fact several people I know smell conspiracy. After 12 or more years of relative quiet from the Big Shrimp Slinger, all of a sudden, we're bombarded by this tragic attempt at entertainment?  Who owes Paul Hogan a favor, and why is the moviegoing public forced to endure the consequences?  Some of my friends on the inside have speculated that perhaps in a moment of relative sobriety, Paul Hogan actually READ his contract, dated 1985, and realized that they promised him 2 sequels to the original, not one.  Although I find this hard to believe, stranger things have happened. 

My prediction- this movie will go nowhere, despite the brilliant ad campaign, showing ol' Mick Dundee stabbing electronic snakes at Disneyland, jumping onto ragtops, and generally being a pain in the ass.  And don't even get me started on his blatant use of Blacks and Latinos as LA's criminals.  He did the same in NY in the original, and it was just as offensive. Crocodile Dundee in LA?  Australian for SUCKS!"

E ME:  And the answer is ... an estimated $8 million.  So So.  How was the rest of everyone’s movie weekend?