Berenice Bejo: The Franco-Argentine Actress star of “The Artist”

by Lauren Pringle, contributing blogger

Berenice Bejo is a hidden argentine jewel who stars as the supporting actress in the Academy Award winning “The Artist”. Her life story is as facinating as her talent.

Born in Argentina, Bejo is the daughter of the Argentine film maker Miguel Bejo. The family moved to France when she was three to avoid the military dictatorship. Growing up in France, Bejo made her American film debut in “A Knights Tale” with Heath Ledger. Having had a successful career in French film, her performance in “The Artist” has given her critical acclaim. The Artist actress is married to Artist director Michel Hazanavicius, with whom she has two children.

In the Artist, Bejo plays Peppy Miller an actress in the 1920’s.Stepping back to another generation, this black and white silent movie has boosted Bejo into the limelight. Delicate and beautiful, Bejo executes the role with elegance and class. In an interview with www.backstage.comshe explains about the pressure felt when working with her husband.

Her break out role in a Knight's tale.

“She was stressed at the start of filming. She knew how much work her husband had put into the script, how much time he’d spent raising the money for it, and how important the film was to him. It was difficult for her to loosen up and focus on her role in the first week. “I just wanted to please him so much,” she says. She also worried that the crew and the rest of the cast would think of her as just the director’s wife and not as a serious actor, even though she had been successful in France for years before she even met her husband. When it was time to shoot her first big scene, Bejo says, it felt like an audition: “I wanted to show everybody that I’m an actress and I’m here for a good reason.” She says Hazanavicius said to her: “Relax. You’re good. Don’t worry. Just focus on your work.” Knowing she had his support, she let the pressure go, and, thankfully, she says, everything went well from then on.”

It seems like all the hard work has paid off. Bejo’s performance has seen gain several award nominations: the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role, the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture award, and the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.

Gaucho Western “Aballay” to be Argentina’s nomination for Oscar

by Amy Ramirez, contributting blogger

The gaucho-centered western Aballay, El Hombre sin Miedo (The Man without Fear), directed by Fernando Spiner was recently announced as Argentina’s selection for the Oscar nomination in the best foreign-language film category.  We must ask, will empanada-westerns be the new spaghetti western?

The movie is a deeply reflective yet gritty tale about a young man who wants to avenge his father’s death at the hands of an aging gaucho that turns away from evil-doing and seeks to amend his criminal past (for a more thorough review of the film on Filming in Argentina click here).

Viggo Mortensen to Debut his First Argentine Film (by the producers of “The Secret in Their Eyes”, no less!)

Argentina Films producer Haddock and Calculus Spanish Films, the same as the Oscar-winning “The secret of their eyes” and “The Widows of Thursday, ” began pre-production on “Everyone has a plan” (Todos Tenemos un Plan) a film written and directed by Ana Piterbarg, which marks the film debut of Viggo Mortensen Argentina.

Mortensen will star in the history of Augustine and Pedro, twin brothers who reunite after ten years of not seeing each other. Peter is sick and asks his brother to help him die. At first, Augustine refuses to help him but when he sees the suffering of his brother, he changes his mind and kills him. The next day, Augustine dresses in the clothes of Pedro and try to start a new life.

Variety Magazine and Director James Ivory Praise Argentina as Film Location

Six time Oscar Winner, Director James Ivory

by Rob Sykes, contributing blogger

What have the United Kingdom, France, Morocco, Prague and Buenos Aires got in common?

Well, according to a recent survey in Variety magazine, they are the top five destinations to shoot cutting edge cinema on the entire planet! The result of conversations with a variety of top US producers, the survey saw the city of ‘Good Air’ gain a more than favourable mention. Unsuprisingly, given its great mix of architectural styles and cosmopolitan vibe, Buenos Aires sits comfortably towards the very top of what is a very exclusive list.

The rest of Argentina hasn’t escaped the attentions of famous filmakers. Six time Oscar winner James Ivory, who completed the filming of The City of Your Final Destination, in Argentina, poured praise on the country:

Film Still from "The City of Your Final Destination"

“Argentina has a long history of filmmaking, wonderful technicians who are very experienced and hardworking, great locations and even though it doesn’t offer tax breaks, relatively inexpensive,” Ivory was quoted as saying in Haciendo Cine Magazine.

This of course is a man who knows his stuff, having been involved in some 30 odd productions over almost 50 years since his directoral debut with 1963s The Householder.

So with the great and good praising Argentina for its cinematic potential, home-grown pictures continuing to flourish and events such as the recent Ventana Sur industry expo exploring all sorts of possibilities, now is a popular time to be making cinema in Argentina!

At San Telmo Productions we’re proud to show filmmakers from around the world the great film destination that is Argentina.

Argentina´s Oscar candidate – Carancho – High Hopes for Another Win

by Amelia Batho, contributing blogger

Carancho, directed by Pablo Tapero, has been chosen to represent Argentina in the 2011 Oscars for ‘Best film in a foreign language’.

It was chosen by a panel from the Academy of Arts and Cinematic science of Argentina, from a selection of five Argentine films. The other unsuccessful choices were,  El Hombre del Lado, Dos Hermanos, Tres Deseos y Sin Retorno (check out some of their reviews in our blog!). Receiving 31% of the votes, Carancho will be the national entry for the competitive category -’Best film in a foreign language’.
Expectation are high as it follows in the very famous footsteps of ‘El secreto de los ojos’, which won the category earlier this year. This is also great news for one of the films protagonists, Ricardo Darin, who has been apart of two other Oscar nominated films in recent years including “El secreto’.

Argentina has won the Oscar for best foreign language flim twice, the first time being for The Official Story in 1985. It seems like films that reflect Argentina’s corrupt political system are most likely to win or get nominated! Let’s see if in the future the Academy will also begin to award the comedies and adventure films from the region.

You can read our review and watch the trailer here.

Hollywood to Remake Argentina’s Oscar Winner “El Secreto de Sus Ojos”

One of the highest grossing Argentine films of all times and 2010′s Oscar Winner for best foreign language film will be remade by Hollywood.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, Billy Ray will write and direct a new version of the Argentinian thriller “The Secret in Their Eyes” for Warner Bros., which is in negotiations to acquire the rights. Director and writer Juan Jose Campanella’s adapted the movie from the novel by Eduardo Sacheri.

“The Secret in Their Eyes”

The original film has grossed $6.3 million dollars in the US since its April release and more than $24 million dollars worldwide, and sold more than 2.4 million tickets in Argentina.  The movie had a budget of $8 million dollars.

Mark Johnson (“Donnie Brasco”) is producing the new version, which Ray will re-set in the United States in present day.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, Warner Bros. rarely adapts foreign language films for U.S. audiences, but its version of the Hong Kong thriller “Infernal Affairs” became Martin Scorsese’s “The Departed,” which won the Best Picture Oscar in 2006.

Ray recently co-wrote the 2009 thriller “State of Play” and “Source Code,” which Summit is producing for a 2011 release. He has also written and directed “Shattered Glass” and co-written and directed “Breach.”

Ray is also penning a feature adaptation of the Fox TV series “24″ and a script about the 2009 Somali pirate incident for producer Michael De Luca at Columbia.

John Ufland brought the project to Mark Johnson and Ray and will be the executive producer.

This crime thriller will join a long list of Argentine films remade by Hollywood. Most recently, the romantic comedy “Un Novio por mi Mujer” (A Boyfriend for my Wife) was slated to become a vehicle for Steve Carrell.

Kathryn Bigelow’s Triple Frontier Movie might star Tom Hanks, or Johny Depp

Oscar winner Kathryn Bigelow’s next movie is set to take place in the Triple Frontier region between Argentina, Paraguay and Brazil has been the source of local controversy as both Argentina and Paraguay have refused to cooperate, fearing the movie could derail tourism to the area, which is home to the Iguazu Falls.  However, the movie, now called “Sleeping Dogs” is on schedule to start shooting in February 2011 and Hollywood is awash in rumors about who will be the leading man.

Right now, Tom Hanks and Johny Depp are considering the lead role.

Sleeping Dogs is penned by The Hurt Locker scribe Mark Boal, the film is set within an organized crime district between Paraguay, Argentina, and Brazil while focusing on the lives of five men who work in said area.  The film is set to begin production early next year and, while an offer is yet to be extended Hanks’ way, Heat Vision reports that the two-time Oscar winner is currently in talks with Bigelow to play one of the five principal leads.

The report also mentions Leonardo DiCaprio and Jeremy Renner as names mentioned alongside the project at one point or another.

Juan José Campanella is part of the Academy of Motion Pictures

Oscar winning director Juan Jose Campanella

by Tracey Chandler, contributing blogger

Juan José Campanella, the Argentine director that won an Oscar this year for Best Foreign Film with “El Secreto de sus Ojos” (The Secret of their Eyes) is now part of the Academy of Motion Pictures and can now therefore vote for other films that he believes to be worthy of an Oscar.

This is a huge step forward for the credibility and artistic integrity of cinema in Argentina and something that has filled the Argentine director with a great deal of pride.

In addition to Campanella, U2´s Bono was also invited by the Academy of Motion Pictures´ board and the right to vote will be celebrated officially by the Academy in September with a gala to be held in Beverly Hill. It promises to be a very glamorous and glorious event to say the least.

Argentina Outraged over Oscar Winner Kathryn Bigelow’s New Movie

Oscar Award winning Director Katherine Bigelow

Argentina and Paraguay are refusing to cooperate in the production of Oscar-winning director Kathryn Bigelow’s latest project, a film focusing on a border region of Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay thought to be the home of drug trafficking and organized crime that allegedly finances terrorist organizations globally.

Bigelow, whose movie “The Hurt Locker” won multiple Oscars in 2010, including best picture, wants to examine the area where Argentina, Paraguay and Brazil meet in a film tentatively titled “Triple Frontier.” (The area is called Triple Frontera in Spanish)

But the focus on the region has angered the tourism ministers of Argentina and Paraguay, who fear the movie could damage their countries’ reputation with foreign visitors.

“We discussed this subject with Paraguay’s tourism minister and the governor of Misiones (an Argentine border state),” said Argentine Tourism Minister Enrique Meyer.

“We all agreed that we were deeply indignant when we discovered that this project seeks to negatively portray this region shared by three South American countries,” Meyer told AFP.

Many people I’ve talked with have said that while it is no secret that the region is home to smuggling, they are afraid that this is part of a larger campaign to cause fear that the region is home to terrorist cells, because it also home to one of the largest supplies of fresh water in the world. In fact, it is a popular tourist destination due to the huge Iguazu Falls and the ability to get cheap, smuggled electronics. In other words, for people who live in Argentina, the region seems as violent as Tijuana.

OSCAR Winning Producer of “Secret of their Eyes” Reveals Secrets of Argentina Movie Production

Oscar Winning Producer Vanessa Ragone

We all love a little glamour (and let’s face it, often filmmaking is anything but glamorous) and the talk offered by Vanessa Ragone, had a bit of glamour when she unveiled the Oscar she won for producing “El Secreto de Sus Ojos” (The Secret of Their Eyes). For a moment, all of us gathered yesterday in the Ministry of Economy felt like we were on the red carpet and whipped out our cell phones for a quick photo-op.

Vanessa pointed out a lot of differences between producing in Argentina and in Hollywood.

1) In Argentina, the director, not the producer or production company, has the right to final cut.

2) No completion bonds are available in Argentina (this is insurance that guarantees that the film will be completed no matter what or the insurance company will pay investors, in the case of the star dropping dead half way though the shoot, for example. Also, if the director does not meet the schedule, the insurance company can replace him or her and become the owner of the film). In Spanish this is called “seguro de buen fin”.

3) Ironically, it is much easier to sell Argentine films to the US and Europe than other Latin American Countries.

4) Banks won’t make loans to movies in Argentina–not one Bank wanted to participate in “The Secret of their Eyes”, even with a director, Campanella, who normally has huge box office success in Argentina and renowned actors like Franchella and Darin. Most of the financing comes from the INCAA (Argentine Film Board which is a government entity funded by tax on movie tickets), pre-sales to foreign distributors and co-productions.

Vanessa then outlined what made the Secret of their Eyes one of the biggest commercial successes in Argentina in 2009 (more than one million people saw the movie).

1) Campanella himself picked the date–the long weekend after the winter school vacation, when parents would be tired of watching children’s movies.

2) A partnership with TELEFE, one of the largest television stations, which gave them free television spots.

3) Releasing on 90 screens during the first week, unheard of for an Argentine movie.

4) A strong anti-pirated dvd campaign, involving police raids.

5) Releasing the dvd in all points of sale at the same time, and for the low price of 30 pesos (normally dvds cost 70 pesos, which is very high for the public).

Overall, the talk made me feel very hopeful about the future of Argentine cinema and happy to meet a woman who rose from a poor country family to become one of the most successful movie producers in the country. In addition, government officials that were present mentioned new economic initiatives aimed at the audiovisual industry: low interest loans and a special film studio to be built outside of the city. This industry contributes over 3% of the GDP and is growing fast.