DIARY
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Edited by Sarah Cooper
sarah.cooper@
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Crime and punishment
BY JEREMY KAY Andrew Dominik and Brad Pitt wanted to work together again after The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford. The opportunity arose when the New Zealander settled down in front of the TV one night to watch 1973 crime drama The Friends Of Eddie Coyle starring Robert Mitchum. “It was based on a book by George Higgins,” says Dominik. “I ordered all his books and Cogan’s Trade was the third to arrive.” He updated the 1974 novel to refl ect the events of the 2008 fi nancial crisis and the result is Killing Them Softly, which screens in Competition today.
Andrew Dominik Dominik approached Pitt to pro-
duce through his Plan B and the lat- ter also took the role of Cogan. Inferno came on to handle interna- tional pre-sales and Megan Ellison is fi nancing the project. The story is straightforward.
“Three dumb guys rob a [mob] card game and this causes all the
games to shut down, so there’s a crisis in the economy. Brad is the man who’s called in to find out what happened.” The action takes place in New
Orleans but could be anywhere. “I have always thought that crime fi lms are about capitalism. You see US movies and they’re all about families, and you arrive [in the US] and you see that all people give a shit about is making a buck, so crime fi lms are so honest.” Cannes will be a delicious nov-
elty. “I don’t know what to expect; I’ve never been. I just hope the movie goes down well because it comes out in September [through The Weinstein Company] and that’s a long time to sit around if you’ve got a smelly fi lm.”
Kanye in Cannes: the sequel
BY WENDY MITCHELL “Reunited and it feels so gooooood”… Kanye West is back in Cannes. I like to think it’s because of my gushing last year about his amazing performance at the Red Granite party (and his hugs and kisses for Team Screen that I have used as my best name-drop story for the past 12 months). He’s here again this year to
Feeling Positif
BY SARAH COOPER French magazine Positif was born 60 years ago this May, in Lyon, and one of its leading writers, illustrious French fi lm critic Michel Ciment, is also on Screen’s jury in Cannes. Viewed with Cahiers Du Cinéma
as the most respected film maga- zines in France, Positif is known for having a wider scope, focusing not just on auteurs but on all the talent involved in fi lm-making. “But we are also known for championing directors early on in their careers,” says Ciment, who has been contrib- uting to its pages since 1963. “We have had a wonderful relationship with directors like Clint Eastwood, Martin Scorsese, because we sup- ported them from the beginning.” Now, thanks to a publishing deal
with the Institut Lumiere and Actes Sud, the magazine is in colour for the first time and is enjoying a record readership of around 40,000. Of course, Cannes has a central
place in the magazine. “Every July issue, we review about 75 films from Cannes,” says Ciment. “We are always looking for new talent at the same time as following great masters like Resnais.”
present his debut short ‘art film’ Cruel Summer. He will unveil the short fi lm/art installation ‘7 screen experience’ at Palm Beach on Wednesday. After the world pre- miere, the installation will be open to the public for two further days, and free tickets are available at
www.cruelsummerfi
lm.com. Details are scant, but the project
is inspired by his album of the same name for G.O.O.D. Music. We also know the Doha Film Insti-
Keating bows to Goddess
BY WENDY MITCHELL Former Boyzone member Ronan Keating makes his acting debut in Goddess, the Australia-set musical being sold by Ealing Metro. “Acting is something I’ve
always wanted to do,” says the singer, who is best known to fi lm lovers with his ‘When You Say Nothing At All’ from Notting Hill. Goddess presented “a beautiful
story” but also “a great crossover with music. The music allows me to be me.” He only sings one song, though, as his co-star Laura Michelle Kelly, who plays his wife
■ 8 Screen International at Cannes May 22, 2012 Ronan Keating
in the movie, has most of the tunes as a woman who becomes an unexpected internet singing sen- sation. Keating says: “I don’t want everything to be relying on my voice. I hope people say, ‘Oh, wow, he can act.’” Keating has already lined up
another acting gig in Australia and one in England. “I’m excited, I’m loving it,” he says.
Trashed Kanye West
Meet the debutants CANDIDA BRADY, TRASHED
spending time with my grandparents who made the most out of everything they had, and a father who’ s a card-carrying environmentalist. I’ve ridden the same bike since I was a teenager, I’ve always shopped in charity shops and I’m addicted to eBay.
Candida Brady
UK journalist turned film-maker Candida Brady’s first feature documentary follows Jeremy Irons on a world tour as he discovers issues surrounding waste. It is screening out of competition today in Cannes.
Was it a surprise to be selected for Cannes? I’m still recovering from the shock. I’m very honoured.
Any films you’d like to see here? Do I have to choose? If you twisted my arm After The Battle and of course [Ken Loach’s] The Angels’ Share are on my list; Kes is one of my all-time favourite films.
tute is involved and he shot part of it in the Middle East. I’ll be there, lurking around for
another Kanye hug, even if it means having to shove Kim Kardashian out of the way.
How did the film come about? Many issues prompted me into making this film — generally I became more and more concerned about all the stuff we were throwing away after five minutes and wondering what was happening to it all.
Where did your interest in rubbish come from? It’s not so much an interest in rubbish as more of a concern about waste and it came from
How did you make the transition from journalism to film-making? I had an idea, sold my flat and spent the money making a TV pilot... as you do.
What did Jeremy Irons bring to the project? His own passion for the subject of waste, his integrity and tremendous courage and a genuine concern for the many problems faced by humanity.
Do you think it’s still tough to be a woman film-maker, or do you think too much is made of the gender divide? I think it’s tough being a film-maker regardless of sex. I found it much harder being a female journalist. When I started I was always being asked to make the tea.
Why do you think docs are so big at the box office these days? Perhaps because they are giving us access to much-needed information, which in turn can empower us and help us to take action. A documentary is still a film — it’s just about real people and real stories.
What are you working on next? We have a ballet film about Anna Pavlova and Dame Ninette de Valois and I am also working on a new idea for a documentary feature and a fictional idea. Sarah Cooper
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