SAOIRSE RONAN IN “LADY BIRD”

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UNITED INTERNATIONAL PICTURES

 SAOIRSE RONAN, FUNNY AND HEARTBREAKING IN “LADY BIRD” 

She earned Academy Award nominations for her exceptional performances in Atonement and Brooklyn.  Now, Saoirse Ronan is up for another Best Actress Oscar for Universal Pictures' Lady Bird which will be shown exclusively at Ayala Malls Cinemas (Trinoma, Greenebelt 1) starting February 28.

Photo credit: UIP

Directed by Greta Gerwig (herself nominated for Best Director and Best Original Screenplay), Lady Bird also stars Laurie Metcalf (Best Supporting Actress nominee), Tracy Letts, Lucas Hedges and Timothée Chalamet.

In Lady Bird, Gerwig reveals herself to be a bold new cinematic voice with her directorial debut, excavating both the humor and pathos in the turbulent bond between a mother and her teenage daughter.  Christine “Lady Bird” McPherson (Ronan) fights against but is exactly like her wildly loving, deeply opinionated and strong-willed mom (Metcalf), a nurse working tirelessly to keep her family afloat after LadyBird's father (Letts) loses his job.

Set in Sacramento, California in 2002, amidst a rapidly shifting American economic landscape, Lady Bird is an affecting look at the relationships that shape us, the beliefs that define us, and the unmatched beauty of a place called home.

Asked how did she come to cast Ronan and what made her so perfect for the role of Lady Bird, Gerwig shares, “I met with Saoirse at the Toronto Film Festival in 2015 when she was there for Brooklyn. I sat in her hotel room and read the entire script out loud with her. As soon as I heard her say the words, I knew beyond a doubt that she was Lady Bird. It was so different and so much better than I had imagined. She was willful and funny and heartbreaking, both universal and specific. She was going into rehearsals for The Crucible on Broadway, so it meant pushing the film for six months, but there was no other person who could have done it, it was hers two minutes into the read.

Gerwig went on to further develop the character with Ronan.  “The process of creating a character is a collage art,” notes the writer-director. “Saoirse was acting on Broadway, and I would feed her little pieces bit by bit. I would give her a novel or a poem or a song or a photograph. As we cast more people, I would gather them for mini-rehearsals. I wanted the actors to start creating a magical bubble of make believe with each other.

“As we got deeper into rehearsal before filming, Saoirse and I spent hours talking together and hanging out so that by the time we were shooting, she would be the person I’d ask about what Lady Bird would wear in a particular scene or how she would walk or sit,” Gerwig concludes.  “Saoirse developed an entire physicality around the character that informed the way I wanted to photograph her, the rhythm of the shooting and the emotion.

Lady Bird is distributed in the Philippines by United International Pictures through Columbia Pictures.  Follow us on Facebook athttps://www.facebook.com/uipmoviesph/

Press release

UNITED INTERNATIONAL PICTURES

JAMIE DORNAN LIBERATES CHRISTIAN GREY IN “FIFTY SHADES FREED”

BAFTA-nominated Irish actor Jamie Dornan portrays the tormented billionaire Christian Grey in Universal Pictures' explosive erotic thriller Fifty Shades Freed.

Photo credit: UIP

The climactic chapter based on the worldwide bestselling Fifty Shades phenomenon, Freed brings to a shocking conclusion events set in motion in 2015 and 2017’s blockbuster films that grossed almost $950 million globally.

In Fifty Shades Freed, believing they have left behind shadowy figures from their past, newlyweds Christian (Dornan) and Anastasia (Dakota Johnson) fully embrace an inextricable connection and shared life of luxury. But just as she steps into her role as Mrs. Grey and he relaxes into an unfamiliar stability, new threats could jeopardize their happy ending before it even begins.

It was crucial for author E L James to start Freed where Christian and Ana have to face up to the realities of what it is like to be married and how, when you marry someone so quickly, things don’t always go according to plan. “I knew the only thing I could do was to have Ana pregnant and to see Christian’s reaction, which is not great,” E L James says. “I knew that’s where I wanted the story to go. That’s why I started writing the third book—to see him absolutely terrified, furious, when she announces that she’s pregnant. He goes completely ballistic, because he’s a scared child himself.”

Dornan was fascinated by the swirl of personal challenges and dark intrigue facing the couple in Fifty Shades Freed. He says: “Christian’s reaction to Ana being pregnant is not positive. It’s the exact way that you don’t want your partner to respond when you say you’re pregnant. He feels like he is in no position to be a father. Where they are in their life and the kind of relationship he wants to have with her, a baby’s just the last thing that he wants—it would not fit into his structure. Emotionally he feels that having had such an awful early childhood, why—when his birth parents were so awful—why would he be any better? That terrifies him.”

Terrifying on another level is the threat Christian begins to perceive behind the series of unfortunate events that have begun to take place. Dornan explains: “Once he realizes that both the helicopter and the computer server were sabotaged, he knows that Jack Hyde was involved. He knows him to be a man who will stop at nothing to get what he wants. In that way, he is very similar to Christian.”

When it came to working with Johnson and Dornan, director James Foley takes a moment to reflect on the work they have put into the series. “At this point, they are referencing something that they know; they’re not making believe. Somehow, Dakota plugged into the psychology and the emotion of Ana, and Jamie relaxes even further into the role; in Freed, you see him find Christian Grey in himself.”

Producer Michael De Luca agrees with his director: “What Jamie and Dakota have been required to do in this series is to accompany this rarified space few performers ever encounter. Not only were they charged with bringing to life two of the most beloved characters of the past century, they had to discover the nuances of Christian and Ana under the relentless eye of the public. They’ve handled themselves with grace, charm, compassion and levity—all while plumbing the depths of their characters. I speak for everyone involved in the production when I say that no two actors could have done it better.”

Fifty Shades Freed is distributed by United International Pictures through Columbia Pictures.

Cine Lokal Highlights Pride and Love in ‘4 Days’

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Will you stay inside a relationship that keeps you from being proud?

Cine Lokal continues its offering on all kinds of love with the 4 Days, an LGBT romantic drama directed by award-winning film director Adolf Alix Jr. and featuring Mikoy Morales and Sebastian Castro.

4 Days tells the story of two college friends who slowly realize they mean more to each other than either had initially realized. The film joins Derek and Mark in the days leading up to Valentine’s Day over the course of a few years- charting the blossoming of a friendship in to something much more enduring as time goes on - and challenging both to question who they thought they were and who they truly want to me. Painting a moving picture of how an abiding friendship can sometimes lead to love - and how we sometimes have to wrestle with our own demons to find their true self, 4 Days is achingly romantic and delicate.

FDCP names A-Listers and Camera Obscura Awardees for Film Ambassadors' Night

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As part of the Film Ambassadors' Night of the Film Development Council of the Philippines to be held on February 9, 2018, the agency will recognize filmmakers who won in A-list international film festivals, as well as award the Camera Obscura Artistic Excellence Award to three (3) recipients. 

FDCP’s A-Listers are winners from top international and globally-recognized film festivals. In 2017, Allen Dizon and Angellie Sanoy won Best Actor and Best Actress for “ Bomba” at the 33^rd Warsaw International Film Festival 2017, Poland, Bianca Balbuena was awarded Producer of the Year Award by the Asia Pacific Screen Awards International Federation of Film Producers Association (FIAPF) at the 11th Asia Pacific Screen Awards in Australia, “Pailalim” received the Fedora Award at the 65^th San Sebastian International Film Festival in Spain, and “Pauwi Na” received the Golden Goblet Award at the 20^th Shanghai International Film Festival in China.

On the other hand, the Camera Obscura Artistic Excellence Award is the highest award given by FDCP to exceptional members of the film community. Previous recipients of the award include Directors Brillante Mendoza and Lav Diaz, as well as Jaclyn Jose, Allen Dizon and Teri Malvar for their outstanding achievements.

This year, the Camera Obscura Artistic Excellence Award goes to the following:

Saving Sally 

For its international recognition as a original full length Filipino animation film 

Kita Kita

For setting a new box office record as the highest grossing, independently-produced film in the Philippines

Producer Ferdinand Lapuz

For reintroducing Philippine cinema to the global scene, paving the way for numerous films to be recognized in various prestigious international film festivals

Over eighty filmmakers and films which won in international film festivals in various categories will be recognized during the Film Ambassadors’ Night at Sampaguita Gardens in Quezon City. The event will be hosted by Monster Radio RX 93.1 DJ and film enthusiast, Chico Garcia.

Dakota Johnson in 50 Shades Freed

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UNITED INTERNATIONAL PICTURES

“FIFTY SHADES FREED” - DAKOTA JOHNSON WILL SEE YOU NOW

She has become one of Hollywood’s fastest-rising stars, playing the coveted role of Anastasia Steele in the feature adaptations of E L James’ novels and worldwide phenomenon Fifty Shades of Grey and Fifty Shades Darker. Now, Dakota Johnson reprises her role as Ana in Universal Pictures' explosive romantic thriller Fifty Shades Freed (in Philippine cinemas February 7).

In the film, believing they have left behind shadowy figures from their past, newlyweds Christian (Jamie Dornan) and Ana fully embrace an inextricable connection and shared life of luxury. But just as she steps into her role as Mrs. Grey and he relaxes into an unfamiliar stability, new threats could jeopardize their happy ending before it even begins.

For her third time as Anastasia Steele, Johnson dove headfirst into Ana’s challenging world and emboldened sense of self. She updates us with where the characters are: “In Freed, there’s more suspense, more of a thriller aspect, with additional characters and more action—all of that is intertwined with the love story. A love story that has evolved and deepened. Anastasia and Christian are married, and Anastasia has received a promotion, raising the intensity of both her private and professional life.”

She agrees with E L James and screenwriter Niall Leonard, though, when she states: “This is an epic love story but we do our best to keep it grounded and relatable. It’s one of those inexplicable connections between two people that is completely undeniable. Throughout these stories, you find the protagonists faced with situations that require one or both of them to bend their wills and adapt to their version of love.”

When it came to working with Johnson and Dornan, director James Foley takes a moment to reflect on the work they have put into the series. “Jamie and Dakota have the kind of instinctual connection to their characters that actors who are really good in their parts find. At this point, they are referencing something that they know; they’re not making believe. Somehow, Dakota plugged into the psychology and the emotion of Ana, and Jamie relaxes even further into the role; in Freed, you see him find Christian Grey in himself.”

Fifty Shades Freed is distributed by United International Pictures through Columbia Pictures.

TIMOTHEE CHALAMET IN “CALL ME BY YOUR NAME”

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C O L U M B I A  P I C T U R E S

TIMOTHEE CHALAMET, IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE IN “CALL ME BY YOUR NAME”

At 22, Timothée Chalamet becomes the youngest Oscar Best Actor nominee in 74 years, and he gets this distinction for his performance in Sony Pictures Classic's heartwrenching love story, Call Me By Your Name.

Photo credit: Columbia Pictures

Directed by Luca Guadagnino, the film is the heady awakening of a 17-year old young man’s first passion. When Elio (Chalamet) falls for Oliver (Armie Hammer), the charismatic 24 year-old graduate student staying at his parents’ villa in northern Italy, it sets in motion an experience that will linger with both of them forever.

A large percentage of the story focuses on the myriad steps forward and backward between Elio and Oliver before their relationship finally becomes physical. Stressing anticipation through an unhurried buildup is common in Guadagnino’s films. Says Chalamet: “It’s the universally relatable game of cat and mouse and push and pull that occurs between people that are attracted to one another but have suspicions and insecurities about whether the other holds the same level of attraction. They also have trepidations because they aren’t in a time period or a location that is accepting or encouraging of them having an intimate relationship.”

While his films are praised for their eroticism, Guadagnino doesn’t depict sexuality gratuitously. Says Chalamet: “When you first see Elio and Oliver kiss, and the first time they really make love, the shots play out for awhile. You see the awkwardness and the physical tension in a way where, if there were a million cuts, would be lost.”

Rated R-16 With No Cuts by the MTRCB, Call Me By Your Name, is a sensual and transcendent tale of first love, based on the acclaimed novel by André Aciman.

It’s the summer of 1983 in the north of Italy, and Elio Perlman (Timothee Chalamet), a precocious 17- year-old young man, spends his days in his family’s 17th century villa transcribing and playing classical music, reading, and flirting with his friend Marzia (Esther Garrel).

Elio enjoys a close relationship with his father (Michael Stuhlbarg), an eminent professor specializing in Greco-Roman culture, and his mother Annella (Amira Casar), a translator, who favor him with the fruits of high culture in a setting that overflows with natural delights. While Elio’s sophistication and intellectual gifts suggest he is already a fully-fledged adult, there is much that yet remains innocent and unformed about him, particularly about matters of the heart.

One day, Oliver (Armie Hammer), a 24 year-old American college graduate student working on his doctorate, arrives as the annual summer intern tasked with helping Elio’s father. Amid the sun-drenched splendor of the setting, Elio and Oliver discover the heady beauty of awakening desire over the course of a summer that will alter their lives forever.

Now showing exclusively at Ayala Malls Cinemas, Call Me By Your Name is distributed by Columbia Pictures, local office of Sony Pictures Releasing International.