Reacties

Gezien op Leids IFF. Ook op DVD op het Britse label Newwavefilms. ★★★★★

A terrific film…as the stunning closing time-lapse image reminds us, a picture of solitude, of life as it is really lived at the end of the world.”

Jonathan Romney THE INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY

FILM OF THE WEEK

Cast adrift to live life on the edge…An award-winning tale of two meteorologists isolated on a remote Arctic island is a tense allegory of modern Russia”

Philip French THE OBSERVER

★★★★

“Winner of the Berlin film festival Silver Bear, beautifully shot…superbly acted two-man drama…a gripping, involving and wonderfully acted piece of work”

Peter Bradshaw THE GUARDIAN

★★★★

A masterpiece of slow-building tension.

Jenny McCartney THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

★★★★

“Slow-burning, visually stunning…Superbly acted and photographed, this is pure cinema”

Wendy Ide THE TIMES

★★★★

A Tarkovskian parable about nuclear horror which also functions as a sustained, nail-biting psychological thriller…about trust, fraying communications, wilderness survival tactics.

Deceit and paranoia escalate…a hungry polar bear and contaminated trout up the stakes…a surrogate father-son relationship that’s just gone haywire”

Tim Robey THE DAILY TELEGRAPH

★★★★

“Part psychological thriller, part a paean to the beauty and remoteness of its setting…shot by cinematographer Pavel Kostamarov with rare and atmospheric skill…The director is an exceptional filmmaker”

Derek Malcolm THE EVENING STANDARD

★★★★

This terrific film...

Antonia Quirke THE FINANCIAL TIMES

★★★★

“Remarkable drama...Memorable”

‘Rich in resonance, the story can be read partly as a brutal coming-of-age story, with the two men as a surrogate father-son duo; as a quasi-religious ordeal in which Danilov must go through earthly hell to redeem himself...but the film also works as a nail-biting yarn, a tale of extraordinary endurance.’

Jonathan Romney, SCREEN INTERNATIONAL

‘... a terrific exploration of human fragility....Popogrebsky is shaping up into one of Russia's most talented, distinctive and potentially exportable directors’

Leslie Felperin, VARIETY

“An extraordinary evocation … inside the Arctic Circle…the cinematography is striking”

“A gripping psychological drama.”

Derek Malcolm, THE EVENING STANDARD

“Part vice-like psycho-thriller, part action-adventure, part gorgeous-looking art film”

Sheila Johnston,THE TELEGRAPH

‘An elemental cat-and-mouse psychodrama set in the frozen north, by one of Russia’s brightest new talents’
Ian Christie, SIGHT & SOUND

‘A gripping narrative’

‘The only film at this year’s Berlin Film Festival that came anywhere near mattering as an adventure in cinema and in the concrete world.’

‘A magnificent adventure in outward-bound filmmaking in the Flaherty/Herzog tradition of Actualy Going There.’

SIGHT & SOUND

“A taut psychological drama set against a striking polar landscape”.

‘ Subtle, compelling performances…striking cinematography and well-chosen music. ‘

‘Highly original, and with a unique atmosphere and sense of place, this is a memorable and deeply affecting work.’

‘A taut psychological drama made all the more gripping by the isolation and desolation of its setting.

Sandra Hebron, LFF2010

“Beautifully shot on an isolated Russian arctic island”

Carmen Gray, DAZED & CONFUSED

Read Interview with Alexei Popogrebsky in DAZED AND CONFUSED

“An excellent work…hypnotic…magic”
Howard Feinstein, FILMMAKER MAGAZINE

Gezien op DVD op het NLse label Contactfilm (CF1409).

Winnaar Zilveren Beer IFF Berlijn. Gezien op DVD op het NLse label A-film (DS93253).

Aka ‘The attached balloon’. Film over de absurditeit van de gedachte alleen al om met een grote ballon te kunnen ontsnappen aan het Stalinistische regime naar een nieuw land. Gezien op IFFR.

Tweede speelfilm van dit regisseur-duo. Zelfde actrice als in ‘The Lesson’. De titel van de film is de naam van het Russische horlogemerk Slava (glorie). ★★★★

'Kristina Grozeva and Petar Valchanov's astutely human drama may well be the best new film in cinemas this week...a witty, beautifully acted fable.'

Guy Lodge, The Standard

'This mordant satire feels as if it could be an update of a Tolstoy story.'

Steve Rose, Guardian Guide, 5 Best Films

★★★★

'Compelling drama'

Leslie Felperin The Guardian

★★★★

'Gripping political drama.'

Allan Hunter, The Express

'Sharply executed, superbly performed'

Jordan Mintzner, Hollywood Reporter

'Kristina Grozeva and Petar Valchanov’s witty and ingeniously crafted follow-up to The Lesson (2014) is a snapshot of a contemporary Bulgaria plagued by injustice and corruption.'

Yonca Talu, Film Comment

'A hard-edged PR woman happy to hide government corruption indifferently destroys an honest worker’s dignity in this worthy follow-up to the directors’ award-winning 'The Lesson.'
Jay Weissberg, Variety

'Another stiletto-sharp report on the state of modern Bulgaria from the directors of the equally tense and insightful The Lesson.'

Allan Hunter, Screen International

'This incisive, funny cinematic parable, shot and edited in a disarming, documentarylike style.'

Glenn Kenny, The New York Times

★★★★

‘It feels incongruous to claim that Glory is a funny, what with its focus on institutional corruption and the constant threat of violence in a society unaccustomed to the competitiveness of a market economy, but it is, with Tzanko's predicament approached with an unlikely sense of humour.’

Patrick Gamble, Cinevue

'Frank Capra meets the Dardenne Brothers. Absorbing. Stirring. Like Tilda Swinton’s fierce lawyer in MICHAEL CLAYTON, Julia’s a complex figure trapped by immoral responsibilities, and [Margita] Gosheva’s performance brilliantly conveys that divided state.' Eric Kohn, Indiwire

'The film's rough-hewn naturalism belies an exquisite sense of pace and sneaky breed of gallows humor.'

Blunt and methodical, and much like the work of the auteurs of the Romanian New Wave, it generates its suspense from the inevitability of an outcome that simultaneously jostles corrupt but powerful institutions and makes unwitting monsters of those who try to combat it.'
Christopher Gray, Slant magazine

Gezien tijdens Leids IFF. Debuutfilm met filmprijs Beste Film IFF Warschau, Beste Actrice IFF Angers, Best New Director IFF San Sebastian. DVD op het NLse label (CF1406). ★★★★ 'Writer/directors Kristina Grozeva and Petar Valchanov’s taut and at times unbearably painful tale of financial crisis in modern-day Bulgaria blends the humanist social-realism of the Dardenne brothers with a streak of borderline absurdist gallows humour – the jet black comedy of desperation…Excellently capturing the tension between the controlling order of Nade’s personality and the spiralling chaos of her personal life, Gosheva dominates the screen, her expressive face leading us through a minefield of conflicting emotions toward battle-hardened resolve.'

Mark Kermode, The Observer

★★★★ 'This powerful drama concerns a schoolteacher trying to instil morality into her pupils while wrestling with other transgressions... Valchanov and Grozneva turn this situation into a tragi-comic and even tragi-farcical ordeal that plays out like a slo-mo car crash'

Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian

★★★★ ‘This gripping Bulgarian drama that's up there with the Dardennes and Loach.’

Trevor Johnston, Time Out

★★★★ 'Brilliant Bulgarian drama...it's the complexity of the central character Nadezhda (Margita Gosheva, superb) that makes the film so gripping...Like 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days, The Lesson is both harrowing and weirdly uplifting.'

Charlotte O'Sullivan, The Evening Standard

★★★★★ 'Co-writers and directors Kristina Grozeva and Petar Valchanov were inspired by a real life news story to create this extremely pleasing austerity thriller. The results are as exciting as anything yielded up by this year’s blockbuster crop.'

Tara Brady, The Irish Times

★★★★ 'The Lesson has the potency of a Dardenne brothers movie. It's a war movie of the everyday; wry, harsh, insightful.'

Nigel Andrews, The Financial Times

★★★★ ‘Stirring stuff, with a magnetic turn from Margita Gosheva (a Bulgarian Cate Blanchett)'

Kevin Maher, The Times

★★★★
‘A tight, bleak, suspenseful drama driven by a commanding, unforgiving performance from actress Margit Gosheva.’
Tom Birchenough, The Arts Desk

★★★★ ‘Modern Classic’ Very impressive drama and can’t wait to see what the writer/directors do next.’

Gareth Cremona, Comicbuzz

'This stark, stealthy and dispassionately shot social-realist drams traps views in what turns out to be a precisely paced, nightmarish thriller...a tough, gripping watch.'

Aaron Hillis, Village Voice

'The film ultimately understands poverty as a profound and often irreversible desolation of terra firma.'

Slant Magazine

'...commanding central performance from Margita Gosheva who makes Nadezdha both a formidable force of nature but someone who proves to be all too human as well.'
Allan Hunter, Screen International
'A definite must see film. Margita Gosheva’s performance is outstanding.'

Toronto Film Scene

'Aided by Gosheva's convincing performance, Grozeva and Valchanov succeed in creating a captivating glimpse into the life of an average person forced to undergo extraordinary experiences.'

–Stefan Dobroiu, Cineuropa

'Loosely based on a real-life incident employed effectively by the filmmakers as a last-act plot twist, Kristina Grozeva and Petar Valchanov’s “The Lesson” is a spare, stripped-to- essentials drama about economic stress and mounting desperation that should resonate with a wide range of international audiences. The naturalistic style of the storytelling is stealthily enthralling, as is the lead performance by Margita Gosheva as a provincial

Bulgarian schoolteacher who is slowly, inexorably driven to the edge by crushing debt.'

–Joe Leydon, Variety

'As gripping a thriller and as squirm-inducing as a horror film... The real achievement of the movie, an especially impressive one coming from filmmakers of relatively little experience, is that as a viewer you may flinch, quail and end up practically hiding behind your hands, but those visceral reactions are in response to the emotional and psychological damage being inflicted onscreen.'
Jessica Kiang, The Playlist / Indiewire

FIPRESCI prijs IFF Cannes 2016.

DVD op het Nlse label De Filmcollectie (DFC059). Filmprijs op IFF Cannes 2004.

Gezien op IFFR. Winnaar Silver Leopard IFF Locarno.

Filmprijs Venetie.

Gezien op DVD op het label Homescreen (6205).

Aka: If the seed doesn’t die: met deze film overtrof de regisseur zijn eerste film ‘Every day God kisses us on the mouth’ uit 2002, waarmee hij een Tiger Award won. Gezien op DVD op het label Tiger Releases 10 to watch (IPM046).

Drama over een dorp dat wordt gedwongen de verkrachting van vrouwen tijdens de oorlog in Kosovo in 1998-1999 onder ogen te zien. EasternNeighboursFilmFestival 2015.

Gezien op het IFFR 2007. De film kwam enigzins chaotisch over.

Oedipous-achtige film over man die de ware identiteit van de jonge vrouw, die hij seksueel benadert, ontdekt. Bedolven onder filmprijzen, waaronder die voor de beste actrice op het IFF Locarno voor Jasna Djuricic. Zij speelt de rol van de moeder en is thans bekend van Quo vadis, Aida? De dochter wordt gespeeld door Hana Selimovic. Gezien op DVD op het Servische label MCF (168NU). Engelse ondertiteling.

Filmdebuut van topactrice Mirjana Karanovic. Zij speelt in deze film de dramatische rol van een echtgenote, die het duistere oorlogsverleden van haar man ontdekt. De film won de Gouden Arena op het IFF Pula 2016.

Tragi-komische film met topacteur Lazar Ristovski in de rol van een treinmachinist die met zijn leven in het reine probeert te komen. Gezien op LIFF 2016.

Film over een destructieve liefdesrelatie tussen 2 jongeren, beheerst door digitale porno-communicatie.

DVD op het Servische label Tuck (273) met Engelse ondertiteling.

DVD op het Servische label Tuck (274) met Engelse ondertitels. Filmprijzen voor beste film en beste regisseur op het IFF Montreal 2008.

Debuutfilm over opstandige jongeren met een vlucht in seks en drugs. Winnaar Hivos Tiger Award IFFR 2012. Gezien op DVD op het label Tiger Releases; 10 to watch (IPM056).

DVD op het Servische label Intermedianetwork. Meer dan een half miljoen bezoekers in de Servische bioscopen.

Debuutfilm over extremisme en de verwoestende gevolgen daarvan voor de familieverhoudingen in de Balkan. Gezien op DVD op het label Tiger Releases (TRD044).

DVD op het label Tiger Releases (IPM001). Film gemaakt door 2 zussen en 1 broer: zus Labina produceerde de film en speelt de rol van Afrodita; zus Teona regiseerde de film en broer Vuk tekende voor de art direction en het sfeervolle setontwerp. De naar Tito vernoemde industriestad met haar sterk vervuilende staalfabriek, die door een fabricagefout de looddeeltjes direct de huizen inblaast, heet tegenwoordig alleen Veles.

DVD op het Britse label NewWaveFilms. ★★★★

"Unexpectedly affecting...it is finally very moving"

Peter Bradshaw The Guardian

"Danis Tanovic's heart-rending drama re-creates the plight of an impoverished Roma family"

Geoffrey Macnab The Independent

★★★★★

"This is not just social realism writ large - it's a political parable about a society destroyed where the people pay the price of capitalist 'freedom' "

Jeff Sawtell The Morning Star

★★★★

‘The title of this docudrama… laced with bitter irony: that understated ‘episode’ describes a real-life national scandal’

‘A compelling and compassionate affair. (It also makes you terribly grateful for the NHS.)’

Ali Catterall, TOTAL FILM

★★★★

”Tanovic at his best: sheer, concentrated film-making”

Tom Birchenough, The Arts Desk

★★★★

‘Scorches the conscience’ ★★★★

David Parkinson, EMPIRE (online)

"A raw and stirring piece of social realism that challenges dramatic conventions"

Christo Hall, LITRO

“The latest drama from award-winning Bosnian director Danis Tanović’s …exposing the institutional discrimination faced by Bosnia-Herzegovina's Roma minority…a harrowing personal ordeal that became a national scandal.”

HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH FESTIVAL

'Awarded the Grand Jury Prize at Berlin, An Episode in the Life of an Iron Picker is a story of courage in the face of hardship and injustice.'

“Tanović fashions an unflinching exposé of the institutional discrimination faced by Bosnia- Herzegovina's Roma minority…his non-professional performers, meanwhile, lend the project a compelling authenticity…the knowledge that they are reliving their own nightmarish memories only bolsters the emotional potency of Tanović's pointed social critique.”

Dimitri Eipides, TIFF 2013

"Drawing from real life events, Tanović docudrama gains its power from the emotionally stirring scenario and all-round naturalistic performances
“An unashamedly angry picture, yet one that also celebrates the solidarity and courage of a oppressed minority in the face adversity”

Owen Van Spall, EYE FOR FILM

‘This astonishing and disturbing feature-length film, with it implacable dramatic arc, (…) is reminiscent of the best moments of neorealism, without the pathos’.
Marc Semo, Libération

'Winner of two major prizes at this year’s Berlinale, this is no less powerful than Tanović’s acclaimed (if very different) No Man’s Land.' A shocking, admirably unsentimental indictment of how the poor – and, specifically, the Roma – are treated in today’s Europe...shot in a raw, documentary style.'

Geoff Andrew, London Film Festival 2013 Programme

‘Breathtaking like a thriller, heartbraking without any pathos... his film is a jewel’.

Marie-Elisabeth Rouchy, Le Nouvel Observateur

‘A true story filmed like a fit of anger by the Bosnian director Danis Tanovic. An Episode in the Life of an Iron Picker is an act of citizenship and the work of a filmmaker’.

Eric Libiot, L’Express
“The fifth feature from Academy Award-winning director Danis Tanović. A darkly naturalistic piece of social realism.”

Patrick Gamble, CINE-VUE

'Bosnian Oscar-winner Danis Tanović adapts a notorious news story into a starkly compelling docu-drama... a universal human story at heart with a coldly furious edge of political protest.'

Stephen Dalton, THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

'A cry for help from the Bosnian lower class...steadily illustrates a negligent health care system to engrossing ends...an exposé clothed as story.'
Eric Kohn, Indiewire

'Rejecting any temptation to over-dramatize...Tanovic paints a desolate but sadly authentic portrait of stagnant poverty that doesn't even consider the option of rising up in protest.'

Dan Fainaru, Screen

‘An affecting tale’
Geoff Andrew, Sight and Sound