We ve Got Hollywood Covered
Why ‘Beginning’ Director Filmed Sexual Assault Scene Quietly, From a Distance
TheWrap magazine: “Everyone can feel the terror of this moment, and I thought as a director I don’t need to emphasize anything,” says director Dea Kulumbegashvili By Steve Pond | January 22, 2021 @ 1:56 PM
A version of this story about “Beginning” first appeared in the International Film Issue of TheWrap’s awards magazine.
First-time director Dea Kulumbegashvili began her film career making short films at the New School and Columbia University in New York City, but for her first feature, she returned to the small town in Georgia (the country, not the state) where she grew up. The film, “Beginning,” is set in a rural community at the feet of the Caucasus Mountains, and follows a former actress who gave up her career to be with her Jehovah’s Witness husband.
We ve Got Hollywood Covered
How India Whipped Up the Year’s Wildest, Craziest Oscar Entry With ‘Jallikattu’
TheWrap magazine: “I wanted you to compare the film to what the world actually is,” says director Lijo Jose Pellisserry of his film that descends in rampaging chaos By Steve Pond | January 21, 2021 @ 12:30 PM Last Updated: January 22, 2021 @ 11:57 AM
A version of this story about “Jallikattu” first appeared in the International Film Issue of TheWrap’s awards magazine.
In a field of Best International Feature Film submissions that includes a handful of horror movies, some excruciatingly drawn-out art films and at least one severed hand bobbing in a cooking pot, India probably has the wildest, craziest film of all in Lijo Jose Pellissery’s “Jallikattu.”
“Now my guide was not the dialogue, my guide was the character-driven emotions,” the director said.
As a veteran documentary filmmaker, Duval also said he brought a lot of documentary techniques to shooting a fictional story.
Duval said he felt a deep personal connection to the film’s script, written by Marie Vien, the adoptive mother of two girls, one from China and one from Vietnam. In fact, he was hooked after reading a one-page description of the story.
“I would say I am first a father, of two young boys, and also my sister adopted a little boy from China 15 years ago,” Duval said. “I was very engaged in that story, and I was very touched by this quest of Isabelle. There were a lot of levels and layers in that story.”