Samuel L. Jackson Puteri Gunung Ledang Beautiful Boxer

The 2005 edition of the Palm Springs International Film Festival has a fascinating line-up of nearly 200 films for all tastes, starting with Thomas Carter’s Coach Carter (Opening Night, January 6, with the film’s star Samuel L. Jackson (right) set to receive this year’s “Career Achievement Award for Acting” at the January 8 Awards Gala) and bringing the final curtain down on January 16 with the hugely popular Ladies in Lavender (starring veterans Judi Dench and Maggie Smith as two sisters whose lives are forever changed when a stranger unexpectedly rolls up on their Cornish beach). 

In the “International Galas” section, dating dilemmas come to the fore with John L’Ecuyer’s Prom Queen where Aaron Ashmore portrays Marc Hall, a small-town gay teen who upsets the Catholic school board by inviting his boyfriend to the biggest social event of his life.  Based on incidents that took place in Canada in 2002, the film also features the irrepressible Scott Thompson (Kids in the Hall – still in syndication) and Fiona Reid (My Big Fat Greek Wedding).   In Laurent Tirard’s The Story of My Life (France),dating problems surface when an autobiography ghostwriter Raphael (Edouard Baer)discovers that his college sweetheart Claire (Alice Taglioni) is dating his current subject:  soccer superstar Kevin (Clovis Cornillac) – everyone’s trying to score.

U.S./Canada’s co-production, The Last Mogul:  Life and Times of Lew Wasserman, “a sympathetic portrait of a king-maker in a bygone age,” according to director Barry Avrich is included in the “Special Presentations,” as is Marco Kreuzpaintner’s Summer Storm (Germany), where a coming of age story is set against the backdrop of a rowing competition and features Robert Stadlober in the lead role.

The “Foreign Language Oscar® Submissions” category is a cornucopia of styles, scripts and stars.  Calorie counters won’t want to miss Morgan Spurlock’s Super Size Me – the fat food, er fast food exposé that sent McDonald’s into carb denial.   History buffs can look forward to Oliver Hirschbiegel’s Downfall (Germany), where Bruno Ganz portrays Hitler during his last fortnight on the planet.   Another side of this story is the subject matter of Christian Bauer’s The Ritchie Boys (Germany/Canada), which chronicles the training in Camp Ritchie, Maryland and European deployment of German-Jewish refugees who came to the U.S. to escape Nazism only to assist in its downfall.

Those with a musical bent can choose from Christophe Barratier’s The Chorus (France) and witness post-WW II delinquents turn their lives around through four-part harmony or savour a completely different type of sound in Itthisoontorn Vichailak’s The Overture (Thailand) in which renowned musician Luang Praditphairoh’s artistry with traditional Thai music is celebrated.

Romantics need look no further than Saw Teong Hin’s epic rendering of the love between 15th Century mythological figures Princess Gusti Dumillah (above) and warrior Hang Tuah.  Puteri Gunung Ledang (Princess of Mount Ledang) (Malaysia, a.k.a. A Legendary Love) will have its North American première.

Walter Salles’ hit Motorcycle Diaries (USA/Argentina, Chile, Peru) anchors the “Cine Latino” section.  Other entrées include Sergio Cabrera’s adaptation of Santiago Gamboa's novel The Art of Losing (Columbia/Spain) and Lúcia Murat’s award winning (Best Latin Movie at the Rio International Film Festival, 2004) Almost Brothers (Brazil), which examines all manner of issues from race relations to freedom fighters to the CIA’s role in the 1960s politics of Brazil.

Those who feel that others control their lives should take in Anders Rønnow Klarlund’s Strings (Denmark/Sweden; UK; Norway); marionettes are the actors in this philosophical study from the “World Cinema Now” offerings as is My Stepbrother Frankenstein (Russia):  Valery Todorovsky’s fascinating look at a one-eyed war veteran’s adjustment to his family once the peace arrives.  A transsexual kick boxer (the true story of Parinya Charoenphol, known as Nong Thoom - left) is the material for Ekachai Uekrongtham’s first feature, Beautiful Boxer (Thailand), where the ring is filled with athleticism, moral courage and lip gloss.

“Non-Fiction Features” take an in-depth look at both George Bushes thanks to William Karel’s The World According to Bush (France/Belgium, Switzerland), seniors on stage (hello there Palms Springs Follies) via Lilo Mangelsdorff’s Ladies and Gentlemen Over 65 (Germany), and Tibetan life through François Prévost and Hugo Latulippe’s Canada/Tibet National Film Board production, What Remains of Us.

Problems with a prostitute light the storyline for Daniel Roby’s U.S. première of White Skin (Canada), but those pale in comparison with horror-master Takashi Shimizu’s Marebito (Japan – a remake of The Grudge), featuring a robotic monster that prowls beneath the streets of Tokyo – both films from the aptly named “Super-Charged Cinema” category.

With this much depth and variety, 2005 promises to be an exceptional year for Sonny Bono’s ambitious brainchild.

Reviews

Title		Director/Country
Summer Storm		Marco Kreuzpaintner
Ladies in Lavender		Charles Dance
Beautiful Boxer		Ekacahi Uekrongtham
Saint Ralph		Michael McGowan
The Chorus (Les Choristes)		Christophe Barratier
Prom Queen: The Marc Hall Story		John L'Écuyer
Walk on Water		Eytan Fox
The Ritchie Boys		Christian Bauer
Puteri Gunung Ledang - A Legendary Love		Saw Teong Hin
Downfall		Oliver Hirschbiegel
Coach Carter		Thomas Carter

Feature interviews

Christian Bauer

Saw Teong Hin & Tiara Jacquelina

L-R:  Nancy Bresolin - Deputy Consul General, Canadian Consulate, Los Angeles    Melissa Isom, Business Development Manager, Délégation du Québec, Los Angeles (click to enlarge)

L-R:  Darryl Macdonald, PS Film Festival Executive Director Janice Lyle, Palm Springs Museum Executive Director Daniel Roby, Canadian Film Director (photos:  SJ Wegg - click to enlarge)

Canadian Features:

Foreign Language Academy Award Submissions

Far Side of the Moon, Robert Lepage, Canada
The Ritchie Boys, Christian Bauer, Germany/Canada    

World Cinemas Now

Saint Ralph, Michael McGowan, Canada
Wilby Wonderful, Daniel MacIvor, Canada   

Non-Fiction Features

What Remains With Us, François Prévost, Hugo Latulippe, Canada/Tibet
Ocean Odyssey, Paul Gilman, U.S./Canada, Kingdom of Tonga
   
Super-Charged Cinema

White Skin, Daniel Roby, Canada

Special Presentation

The Last Mogul, Barry Avrich, U.S./Canada
   
International Gala

Prom Queen, John L'Écuyer, Canada