Fests and events, 8/1.

The 60th edition of the Locarno International Film Festival opens today with the world premiere of Fumihiko Sori's animated feature Vexille, followed by an homage to Ingmar Bergman and a screening of Saraband. Interestingly, both films will be digitally projected (Saraband was shot on digital video, after all).

The current edition of the Swiss monthly du is entitled "Locarno zum Beispiel. Das Kino und sein Ort" ("Locarno, for example: Cinema and its Place"). A few texts are available online (and in German).

You'll have heard by now that the lineup for the 64th Venice International Film Festival has been announced. Parsings: Boyd van Hoeij at european-films.net, Eugene Hernandez at indieWIRE and Gabriele Barcaro at Cineuropa. August 29 through September 8.

The Toronto International Film Festival (September 6 through 15) has been issuing one press release after another in the past several days, tantalizing those planning to attend with lineups for its various series:

• At the new Twitch, Todd Brown's got notes and links for the first round of titles in the Midnight Madness program.

• At indieWIRE, Brian Brooks runs down the documentaries and points to International Documentary Programmer Thom Powers's just-revived Doc Blog.

• Keep an eye on 1st Thursday for more news and commentary.

• And you have until August 17 to enter Jaman's Toronto contest: hotel, airfare, a handful of TIFF tickets and more.

Mike Everleth has the lineup for this weekend's Twin Cities Underground Film Festival.

"The David Cronenberg thriller Eastern Promises will open the 51st annual London film festival," reports the Guardian. October 17 through November 1.

The Tokyo International Film Festival has announced several titles slated for "Special Screenings" and two more commemorating the 20th anniversary of Production IG. October 20 through 28.

"If noir is the great urban style of the movies — and it is — then New York City is surely the noirest place on earth," writes Terrence Rafferty in the New York Times. "As proof Film Forum has put together a series (starting Friday) it calls NYC Noir, which features a whopping 47 movies through Sept 6; they collectively portray this city as dangerous, corrupt, frazzling, beautiful and dangerously sexy, and who could argue? It would be as pointless as arguing with JJ Hunsecker, the gossip columnist played by Burt Lancaster in Sweet Smell of Success (1957), when after a late supper at '21' he emerges onto a still-bustling West 52nd Street and whispers - to no one in particular, as if in prayer - 'I love this dirty town.'"

Also for the NYT, Michael Cieply reports on how the just-wrapped Comic-Con International has become "a kind of particle accelerator for popular culture." Manohla Dargis had a blast: "This is where you let your freak flag fly without getting beaten up by the playground bullies." Cinematical and Variety's Anne Thompson nabbed the highlights.

New Crowned Hope arrives in New York on Friday and runs through August 29. For the Voice, Ed Halter talks with Peter Sellars.

David Bordwell speaks at a "Summer camp for cinephiles" in Belgium.

For the Los Angeles Times, Susan King previews the 7th Festival of Fantasy, Horror & Science-Fiction, running Thursday through August 26.

Michael Guillén listens in as John Waters expounds on nearly everything, Marc Huetis and Eddie Muller introduce a screening of Mildred Pierce and Muller interviews Ann Blyth. Michael's also all over the Fabulous Fashion in Film Festival, also previewed by Dennis Harvey at SF360.

"One might justifiably wonder, why all these self-referential layers?" Abbas Kiarostami: Image Maker raises questions for Maria Kommodore in the San Francisco Bay Guardian. Through August 30.

For Stop Smiling, Michael Joshua Rowin considers Norman Mailer. He recently saw the novelist speak "of his short but fascinating filmmaking career in an introspective manner befitting a man mellowed with age, but unregretful of his vigorous past."

At the WSWS, Richard Phillips reviews a few Australian films that screened at the Sydney Film Festival and talks with filmmaker Kriv Stenders.

Posted by dwhudson at August 1, 2007 5:05 AM