What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 21st December 2023.

The 36th European Film Awards, presented by the European Film Academy to recognise achievements in European filmmaking, were held in Berlin on Saturday 9th December at the Arena Berlin - this being the twenty-second time that the awards ceremony have taken place in Germany. 

The European Film Awards, presented jointly by the European Film Academy and European Film Academy Productions, honour the greatest achievements in European cinema. The awards are presented across 24 categories, with the main ones being detailed as below :-

Best Film - awarded to 'Anatomy of a Fall' from France and Directed by Justine Triet, beating out 'Fallen Leaves', 'Green Border', 'Me Captain' and 'The Zone of Interest'.

Best European Director - awarded to Justine Triet for 'Anatomy of a Fall'.

Best European Screenwriter - awarded to Arthur Harari and Justine Triet for 'Anatomy of a Fall'.

Best European Actor - awarded to Mads Mikkelsen for 'The Promised Land', beating out Thomas Schubert for 'Afire', Jussi Vatanen for 'Fallen Leaves', Josh O'Connor for 'La chimera' and Christian Friedel for 'The Zone of Interest'.

Best European Actress - awarded to Sandra Huller for 'Anatomy of a Fall', beating out Eka Chavleishvili for 'Blackbird Blackbird Blackberry', Alma Poysti for 'Fallen Leaves', Mia McKenna-Bruce for 'How to Have Sex', Leonie Benesch for 'The Teachers' Lounge' and Sandra Huller for 'The Zone of Interest'. 

European Cinematography - awarded to Rasmus Videbaek for 'The Promised Land'.

European Editing - awarded to Laurent Senechal for 'Anatomy of a Fall'.

European Production Design - awarded to Emita Frigato for 'La chimera'.

European Costume Design - awarded to Kicki Ilander for 'The Promised Land'.

European Original Score - awarded to Markus Binder for 'Club Zero'.

European Sound - awarded to Johnnie Burn and Tarn Willers for 'The Zone of Interest'.

European Visual Effects - awarded to Felix Berges and Laura Pedro for 'Society of the Snow'.

Best Make-up & Hair - awarded to Ana Lopez-Puigcerver, Belen Lopez-Puigcerver, David Marti and Montse Ribe for 'Society of the Snow'.

European Animated Feature Film - awarded to 'Robot Dreams' Directed by Pablo Berger, beating out 'The Amazing Maurice', 'Chicken for Linda!', 'A Greyhound of a Girl' and 'White Plastic Sky'.

European Documentary - awarded to 'Smoke Sauna Sisterhood' Directed by Anna Hints, beating out 'Apolonia, Apolonia', 'Four Daughters', 'Motherland' and 'On the Adamant'.

The Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Vanessa Redgrave, and the European Achievement in World Cinema Award was presented to Isabel Coixet.

For the full synopsis of the aforementioned films, plus those others in contention and a whole lot more, you can go to the official website at : https://europeanfilmawards.eu/

Whatever your taste in big screen film entertainment is this week - be it either of the two latest release new films 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.

This week there are just two new movies coming to your local big screen Odeon, kicking off with a Spanish film based on the true story of how in 1972 the flight of a rugby team crashes on a glacier in the Andes, and for the few passengers who survive the crash find themselves in one of the world's toughest environments to survive. Closing out the week we have a Chinese offering also based on real life events that sees a group of disgraced former cops become vigilante crime fighters in the long hunt for the brutal killer who eluded them years before.

'SOCIETY OF THE SNOW' (Rated M) - is a Spanish survival thriller film Co-Written for the screen and Directed by J.A. Bayona whose previous feature film making credits are 'The Orphanage' in 2007, 'The Impossible' in 2012, 'A Monster Calls' in 2016 and 'Jurassic World : Fallen Kingdom' in 2018. This film is an adaptation of Pablo Vierci's 2009 book of the same name. The film closed the Venice International Film Festival in early September this year in an Out of Competition slot. It is scheduled for release in various territories before streaming on Netflix from 4th January 2024. It was selected as the Spanish entry for the Best International Feature Film at next years Academy Awards.

In 1972, the Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571, chartered to fly a rugby team to Chile, catastrophically crashes on a glacier in the heart of the Andes. Only 29 of the 45 passengers survived the crash and finding themselves in one of the world's toughest environments, they are forced to resort to extreme measures to stay alive. The cast is composed of Uruguayan and Argentine Actors, most of whom are newcomers, and the film cost somewhere in the region of US$70M to produce.

'ENDLESS JOURNEY' (Rated M) - this Chinese crime drama film is Directed by Dai Mo whose prior credits take in 'Fireflies in the Sun' and the online series 'Detective Chinatown'. The story follows a group of former Police Officers on their years long pursuit of a murder suspect. Initially investigating a horrifying rape and murder case, they were imprisoned after a failed interrogation resulted in a suspect's death. Emerging as underdogs post-sentence, they, undeterred, reunite as vigilantes under the team leader's inspiration, Cheng Bing (Zhang Yi). Their dedication and perseverance over a time frame spanning twelve years, unfolds in the film as they uncover the truth. 

With just two new release movie offerings 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 at your local Odeon in the coming week.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-