What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 30th September 2021.

The 69th edition of the San Sebastian International Film Festival was held from the 17th through until 25th September. This category A film festival, as determined by FIAPF (International Federation of Film Producers Associations), is held in the Spanish city of Donostia-San Sebastian in September each year, in the Basque Country. Since its creation in 1953 it has established itself as one of the fourteen 'A' category competitive festivals of which it has one of the lowest budgets. Although it was originally intended to honour Spanish language films, films of other languages became eligible for consideration in 1955, and has been acknowledged by the FIAPF as an A category festival since 1957. This years Opening Night film was 'One Second' from China, Directed by Zhang Yimou, and the Closing Night film was 'Las Leyes de la Frontera' from Spain and Directed by Daniel Monzon.

In the Official Selection, the main competition of SSIFF, the Official Jury must grant the following awards : Golden Shell for Best Film (for the Producer), Silver Shell for Best Director, Silver Shell for Best Leading Performance, Silver Shell for Best Supporting Performance, Jury Prize for Best Cinematography and the Jury Prize for Best Screenplay.  

Those films competing for the Official Selection awards this year, together with those winners, are as given below :-

* 'Arthur Rambo' from France and Co-Written and Directed by Laurent Cantet.

* 'Benediction' from the UK and Written and Directed by Terence Davies. The Jury Prize for Best Screenplay was awarded to Terence Davies.

* 'BlueMoon' from Romania and Written and Directed by Alina Grogore. Winner of the Golden Shell for Best Film.

* 'Camila Comes Out Tonight' from Argentina and Co-Written and Directed by Ines Barrionuevo.

* 'Fever Dream' from Peru, USA, Chile and Spain and Co-Written and Directed by Claudia Liosa.

* 'One Second' from China and Directed by Zhang Yomou.

* 'As In Heaven' from Denmark and Written and Directed by Tea Lindeberg. Winner of the Silver Shell for Best Director. The Silver Shell for Best Leading Performance was equally awarded to Flora Ofelia Hofmann Lindahl also for her starring role in this film.

* 'Earwig' from the UK, France and Belgium and Co-Written and Directed by Lucile Hadzihalilovic. Winner of the Special Jury Prize.

* 'The Good Boss' from Spain and Written and Directed by Fernando Leon de Aranoa.

* 'Undercover' from France and Co-Written and Directed by Thierry de Peretti. The Jury Prize for Best Cinematography was awarded to Claire Mathon.

* 'The Grandmother' from Spain and France and Directed by Paco Plaza.

* 'Maixabel' from Spain and Co-Written and Directed by Iciar Bollain.

* 'Fire on the Plain' from China and Directed by Zhang Ji.

* 'Who's Stopping Us' from Spain and Written, Directed and photographed by Jonas Trueba. The Silver Shell for Best Supporting Performance was presented to this films cast ensemble.

* 'The Eyes of Tammy Faye' from the USA and Directed by Michael Showalter. The Silver Shell for Best Leading Performance was equally awarded to Jessica Chastain for her starring role in this film. 

* 'I Want to Talk About Duras' from France and Written and Directed by Claire Simon. 

For the details of the other awards presented at SSIFF - the New Directors Award, the Horizontes Award, the Audience Award and the others, together with the news, views and reviews from this years 69th festival, you can go to the official website at : https://www.sansebastianfestival.com

With Greater Sydney, where I live, still in COVID lockdown for another couple of weeks ending, all being well come mid-October, this means all of our cinema's are closed until this date, which further means that the release of the movies as given below, slated for release this week, will be delayed somewhat across certain parts of Australia at least. That said, these movies will either have been released or are set for an imminent release somewhere in the world, and as Odeon Online has an international audience, I thought it best to carry on regardless. 

This week then there are four new films to tempt you out to your local Odeon, hailing from Australia, Germany, France and Ireland, kicking off with an Australian feature about the events leading up to the April 1996 Port Arthur massacre in Tasmania in an attempt to understand why and how the atrocity occurred. Next up is a German Swiss Sci-Fi set in the distant future, where a female astronaut, shipwrecked on the long-decimated Earth, must decide the fate of the wasteland's remaining population. This is followed by a French drama that sees a young woman leaving her Swiss homeland for Lebanon in the 1950's, where the best years of her life are overshadowed by a pending war. And closing out the week is a doco from Ireland on how a young black boy from working class 1950's Dublin, became Ireland's Greatest Rock Star and as the front man of Thin Lizzy, he was a songwriter, a poet, a dreamer, and a wildman.

Whatever your taste in big screen film entertainment is this week - be it any of the four latest release new movies as Previewed below, or those doing the rounds currently on general release or as Reviewed and Previewed in previous Blog Posts here at Odeon Online, you are most welcome to share your movie going thoughts, opinions and observations by leaving your relevant, succinct and appropriate views in the Comments section below this or any other Post. We'd love to hear from you, and in the meantime, enjoy your big screen Odeon outing during the week ahead.

'NITRAM' (Rated MA15+) - is an Australian psychological drama film Directed and Justin Kurzel, whose previous feature film outings take in his acclaimed debut with 'Snowtown' in 2011, 'Macbeth' in 2015 with Michael Fassbender, 'Assassin's Creed' in 2016 with Michael Fassbender again, and the 'True History of the Kelly Gang' in 2019 with George MacKay. This film had its World Premier screening at the Cannes Film Festival in mid-July this year where lead Actor Caleb Landry Jones took out the Best Actor Award for his performance. It was subsequently screened at the Melbourne International Film Festival in mid-August and at CinefestOZ in Western Australia in late August where it took out the Film Prize of AU$100K - the richest film prize in Australia. 'Nitram' has garnered generally favourable Critical Reviews. 

Nitram (spelled backwards of the real life figure's name Martin Bryant as played here by Caleb Landry Jones) lives with his mother (Judy Davis) and father (Anthony LaPaglia) in suburban Australia in the mid-1990's. He lives a life of isolation and frustration at never being able to fit in. That is until he unexpectedly finds a close friend in a reclusive heiress, Helen (Essie Davis). However, when that relationship meets a tragic end, and Nitram's loneliness and anger grows, he begins a slow descent that culminates in the Port Arthur massacre in Tasmania on 28th and 29th April 1996 in which Bryant shot and killed 35 people and wounded another 23. This is the story of the events leading up to that fateful day. 

'THE COLONY' (aka 'TIDES' Rated MA15+) - is an English language German Swiss Co-Produced Sci-Fi thriller Directed and Co-Written by Tim Fehlbaum in only his third feature film offering following 'Not My Wedding' in 2004 and 'Apocalypse' in 2011. The film saw its World Premier screening at this years Berlin International Film Festival in March, has so far picked up four award wins and another eight nominations from around the awards and festivals circuit, and has generated mixed or average Reviews. In the not too-distant future and following a global catastrophe that has wiped out almost all human life on Earth, Blake (Nora Arnezeder), an elite astronaut from Space Colony Kepler must make a decision that will seal the fate of the people on both planets. Also starring Iain Glen, Sarah-Sofie Boussnina, Joel Basman and Sabastian Roche. 

'SKIES OF LEBANON' (Rated PG) - this French drama film is Directed and Co-Written by Chloe Mazlo in her feature film making debut following ten years of making six short films. Chosen to be selected for the International Critics Week at the Cannes Film Festival in 2020, the film was released in France at the end of June this year, and now gets a limited showing in Australia. Set in the 1950's and combining live action and animation, Alice (Alba Rohrwacher) a young woman decides to leave her native and tranquil Swiss mountain home for the sunny and buzzing shores of Beirut, where she meets and falls in love with with an astrophysicist Joseph (Wajdi Mouawad) intent on sending then first Lebanese national into space. As Alice builds a new life, fits in well with her new family and friends and starts a family, conflicts in the region begin to turn her previously blissful existence upside down. Ultimately, the couple are faced with a crucial question, should they stay in the country they love or leave? 

'PHIL LYNOTT : SONGS FOR WHILE I'M AWAY' (Rated M) - is an Irish documentary film Directed by Emer Reynolds following her three other documentary films 'Three Men Go to War' in 2012, 'Here Was Cuba' in 2013 and 'The Farthest' in 2017. This film centres on the life and music of Phil Lynott, telling the story of how a young black boy from working class 1950's Dublin became Ireland’s Greatest Rock Star. As lead singer of Thin Lizzy, Phil Lynott was a songwriter, a dreamer, a wild man. Told extensively through the words of Phil himself and focusing on some of his iconic songs, the film gets to the heart of Philip, the father, the husband, the friend, the son, the rock icon, the bard, the dreamer. Featuring interviews with the likes of Adam Clayton, Huey Lewis, Midge Ure and Suzi Quatro, plus Thin Lizzy's former band members. The film has garnered critical acclaim. 

With four new release films this week to tempt you out to your local Odeon, remember to share your movie going thoughts with your other like minded cinephile friends afterwards here at Odeon Online. In the meantime, I'll see you sometime somewhere in the coming week, at your local Odeon, or perhaps not!

-Steve, at Odeon Online-