Pakistanis angry over detentions in Times Sq. case Monday, May 24, 2010
ISLAMABAD – Relatives of three men detained by Pakistan for alleged links to the suspect in the attempted Times Square bombing say the men are innocent.
They
AFP - Thursday, August 6TAIPEI (AFP) - - Taiwan's Beijing-friendly government on Wednesday denied boycotting an Australian film festival amid a row over the e
BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel suffered a double blow on Thursday as a senior party ally in east German
Minister seeks closure of anti-Berlusconi websites Wednesday, December 16, 2009
ROME (AFP) - – The Italian government moved Tuesday to close down Internet sites encouraging further violence against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who
By ELAINE KURTENBACH,AP Business Writer AP - Wednesday, March 18SHANGHAI - Asia's stock market rally seemed to be running out of steam Wednesday, despite an
My Profile
Top News
Reuters top ten news stories delivered to your inbox each day.
Subscribe
You are here:
Home
>
News
>
Entertainment
>
Article
Home
Business & Finance
News
U.S.
Politics
International
Technology
Entertainment
Film
Music
People
Television
Arts
Industry
Sports
Lifestyle
Oddly Enough
Health
Science
Special Coverage
Video
Pictures
Your View
The Great Debate
Blogs
Weather
Reader Feedback
Do More With Reuters
RSS
Widgets
Mobile
Podcasts
Newsletters
Your View
Make Reuters My Homepage
Partner Services
CareerBuilder
Affiliate Network
Professional Products
Support (Customer Zone)
Reuters Media
Financial Products
About Thomson Reuters
Realist film tradition still thrives at Cannes
Tue May 19, 2009 9:41am EDT
Email | Print |
Share
| Reprints | Single Page
[-]
Text
[+]
By James Mackenzie
CANNES, France (Reuters) - A young man teaches music to a group of Iranian children, an Aboriginal boy in central Australia sniffs glue, a bored group of soldiers hang about smoking until a busload of prisoners arrives to be shot.
Alongside the glamour of the red carpet and avant garde experimentation, social realist cinema has had a special place at the Cannes film festival ever since Roberto Rossellini's neo-realist classic "Rome Open City" was shown in 1946.
Several pictures this year maintain the tradition and take an unsparing look at the contemporary world.
"No one Knows about Persian Cats" by Iranian director Bahman Ghobadi, is one of the more talked-about entries in the "Un Certain Regard" section.
Described as "documentary-fiction," the film looks at the underground music scene to illustrate some of the wider restrictions in contemporary Iranian society.
"The music movement is a huge thing and at the same time, music is forbidden in Iran; particularly women singing," Ghobadi told Reuters.
"I like music, and I like underground music. That's why I did it. I wanted to give a picture of what is happening in music," he said.
Ghobadi could risk imprisonment by presenting the film but he brushed aside any concerns about how the authorities at home might react.
"I've got to the stage where I am not worried about anything. Nothing actually matters to me apart from what I'm doing so nothing stops me from getting on with my career."
WITNESSED
Even where imprisonment is not a danger, treating sensitive social issues imposes a special responsibility on a filmmaker, believes Australian director Warwick Thornton, who is showing "Samson and Delilah" at Cannes.
"When I wrote the script, I didn't put anything in that I had not seen in my own life, either witnessed or having been done to me," he said.
The film highlights the desperate state of many Aboriginal communities, where glue-sniffing, alcohol abuse and violence are common, although it ends on a more hopeful note.
"To write from that place, no one can argue with me because I have personally seen it," Thornton said. "You have to be that strong when you're working with your own community."
Among the other films treating social issues, "The Petition," which deals with local government abuse in China, shows later in the week. Continued...
View article on single page
Share:
Del.icio.us
Digg
Mixx
Yahoo!
Facebook
LinkedIn
Next Article:
Cynthia Nixon engaged to girlfriend
also on reuters
Full Coverage: Reuters Global Technology Summit
In recession, pampered pets still find luxury online
Blog: Obama-Netanyahu meeting - what the public saw
More Entertainment News
Lambert and Allen to sing for "American Idol" crown
Farrah Fawcett cried, joked about her documentary
"Law & Order" to return for 20th season
Almodovar directs Cruz again in homage to cinema
Cynthia Nixon engaged to girlfriend
More Entertainment News...
Editor's Choice
Slideshow
A selection of our best photos from the past 24 hours. Slideshow
Most Popular on Reuters
Articles
Video
U.S. health officials troubled by new flu pattern
FEATURE-Blue collar U.S. males lose more ground
Lars von Trier film "Antichrist" shocks Cannes
Man tried to hire prostitute for his son, 14
Blue collar males lose more ground
GM bankruptcy seen as all but inevitable
Sri Lanka confirms Tamil Tiger leader is dead | Video
Obama says he wants progress with Iran by year's end
U.S. to propose most aggressive auto fuel standards
Lambert and Allen to sing for "American Idol" crown
Most Popular Articles RSS Feed
Video
Obama calls for two state solution
Sri Lanka claims war victory
Gun conventioneers wary of DC
Obama urges fair debate on abortion
Geithner: Economy has stabilized
NYC Mayor addresses swine flu death
Global Tamil protests over defeat
China bridge collapse
Talk of the Town
Thousands protest for Suu Kyi
Most Popular Videos RSS Feed
We want to hear from you
Join the Reuters Consumer Insight Panel and help us get to know you better
Please take a moment to complete our survey
Reuters.com:
Help and Contact Us |
Advertise With Us |
Mobile |
Newsletters |
RSS |
Interactive TV |
Labs |
Archive |
Site Index |
Video Index
Thomson Reuters Corporate:
Copyright |
Disclaimer |
Privacy |
Professional Products |
Professional Products Support |
About Thomson Reuters |
Careers
International Editions:
Africa |
Arabic |
Argentina |
Brazil |
Canada |
China |
France |
Germany |
India |
Italy |
Japan |
Latin America |
Mexico |
Russia |
Spain |
United Kingdom |
United States
Thomson Reuters is the world's largest international multimedia news agency, providing investing news, world news, business news, technology news, headline news, small business news, news alerts, personal finance, stock market, and mutual funds information available on Reuters.com, video, mobile, and interactive television platforms. Thomson Reuters journalists are subject to an Editorial Handbook which requires fair presentation and disclosure of relevant interests.
NYSE and AMEX quotes delayed by at least 20 minutes. Nasdaq delayed by at least 15 minutes. For a complete list of exchanges and delays, please click here.