Latest news with #Máttáráhká
Yahoo
30-01-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Julie Delpy Has Göteborg Crowd in Stitches as She Accepts Honorary Dragon Award Despite Claims She ‘Lives Like a Monk'
Julie Delpy had a Göteborg crowd in stitches on Wednesday as she accepted theHonorary Dragon Award. 'I am filming it so that my son believes me,' she told the audience which welcomed her with a standing ovation. More from Variety Screaming Fox Productions, Nordisk Film Sweden Ally With Tekele Productions on Suvi West's 'Máttáráhká': 'An Intersectional Version' of 'Barbie' (EXCLUSIVE) LevelK Boards Göteborg Couch Surfing Drama 'Live a Little' From 'Force Majeure' Producer Marie Kjellson: 'It's About Setting Boundaries' (EXCLUSIVE) 'The Girl With the Needle' Stars Trine Dyrholm and Vic Carmen Sonne Ready for Oscar Campaign in the Trump Era, Talk Abortion Rights: 'Every Woman Should Be Able to Choose' As an actor, Delpy collaborated with the likes of Linklater, Kieślowski, Volker Schlöndorff and Agnieszka Holland. Her very first film, 'Detective,' was directed by Jean-Luc Godard. 'It was really exciting to work with them. What's happening?! I thought they were all going to come out now,' she said, startled by a technical glitch. 'I also did a few bad films, but nobody has ever prepared THAT list. Everyone has forgotten about them, because that's what happens to bad films. Which is good.' Eager to pursue directing from an early age, she quickly ran into a wall. 'I was born into a feminist family and raised with this idea that I'm 100% equal. I was like, 'What's happening?' There were a few pioneers, but I was pretty and an actress. For me, becoming a director was like climbing a mountain.' Not all her illustrious collaborators were encouraging, she admitted. 'Volker was married to Margarethe von Trotta, Kieślowski was friends with Agnieszka Holland. They knew female directors and they were supportive. Bertrand Tavernier told me I was never going to work again as an actress if I become a director, because I won't be 'desirable' to filmmakers. Which was such a vile thing to say. There is this cult of Pygmalion in France,' she said. But she 'refused to feed toxic system.' 'It hurt my career, for sure. There was Harvey Weinstein, who was a predator, but there was also a lot of manipulation [from older directors]. They would send poetic love letters, but I never fell for that. Me and my mom were like: 'Look at this. He's trying to get in your pants.'' 'When I was young and going to school by myself, my mum would say: 'If a man opens his coat and shows you his pee-pee, go for the balls. Pull them all the way to the floor. I exuded that energy and men never showed me their, you know. It was good advice.' Delpy has directed multiple films, from 'Looking for Jimmy' to 'Lolo' and 'Two Days in Paris,' where she cast her own parents. 'My father, my mother, my cat. His name was Jean-Luc. I love comedy. I've done dramas as well, but it wasn't the same. It's not always rewarding and you don't always go to festivals. There's this idea that comedies are a lesser genre. But it's a happy feeling, to make them.' In her latest film 'Meet the Barbarians,' presented at the fest, a small French town is preparing to welcome Ukrainian refugees. But they are in for a surprise. 'My starting point was being outraged by the lack of empathy of certain people, closing borders or seeing others drown in the Mediterranean Sea and not being moved by it. Then I started to think: 'How can I make a film that's not teaching lessons or making big statements, but addressing it all in a light, funny way?' There's been beautiful films made about refugees. I thought it would be good to have another take,' she noted. 'Most of the film is based on real meetings we had [with refugees] and stories we were told. It's not a fantasy. Right now, France has really slid to the right and the right doesn't necessarily like refugees. People have this idea they're taking their jobs and taking over everything. It's not true. They're struggling. It's a myth that's been fed to us so that others can get rich while you are busy being angry.' Now, Delpy wants to finish eight screenplays, 10 short stories and she's working on an album: 'I just have to take singing lessons, because I lost my voice, and lose 10 kilos, but I probably won't.' But she still doesn't see herself as a role model. 'People think we hang out by the beach and drink martinis. I work all the time. I wake up at 4am, I start writing, do business calls and my taxes, because it takes me a whole year to figure out how to do it. I am like a monk. I have no fun,' she joked. But the award came 'at the right time,' she confessed. 'When you are in the middle of the eye of the storm of making movies and financing, it's so hard. You forget your achievements.' She wished for more films to come: 'If fate and film financing allows me.' 'It's getting more difficult to live in this world and we all have to fight barbarism, barbarism that's trying to destroy our society and our planet in the name of profit and power. We have to use all the tools we have to fight back. Films are one of them. I just wish for this little dragon to come to life, fly around the earth and neutralize everyone that puts power and money before human life.' Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week What's Coming to Netflix in February 2025 What's Coming to Disney+ in February 2025
Yahoo
30-01-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Screaming Fox Productions, Nordisk Film Sweden Ally With Tekele Productions on ‘Máttáráhká' by Sámi director Suvi West: ‘Intersectional Version of ‘Barbie' (EXCLUSIVE)
Sara Beate Eira (Screaming Fox Productions) and Eva Åkergren (Nordisk Film Sweden) have boarded Finnish project 'Máttáráhká,' aka 'When Johan Johanaš Disappeared to the Mountains.' Directed by Suvi West, and Anssi Kömi, it's produced by Julia Elomäki for Tekele Productions. Cinematographer Kerttu Hakkarainen, behind 'Heartbeast' and 'Natatorium,' will lens the film. More from Variety LevelK Boards Göteborg Couch Surfing Drama 'Live a Little' From 'Force Majeure' Producer Marie Kjellson: 'It's About Setting Boundaries' (EXCLUSIVE) 'The Girl With the Needle' Stars Trine Dyrholm and Vic Carmen Sonne Ready for Oscar Campaign in the Trump Era, Talk Abortion Rights: 'Every Woman Should Be Able to Choose' Thomas Vinterberg, Goteborg's Artistic Director Pia Lundberg Address Controversial Remarks of Swedish Minister of Culture: 'Fight Back' In 'Máttáráhká' – presented at Goteborg's Nordic Film Market's Discovery Co-production Platform – Máret, who's a filmmaker, lives in a beautiful place where predators are always present. Disillusioned by her culture's chauvinism and indifference, her life changes thanks to a passionate relationship with Johan Johanaš, allowing her to confront sexual traumas and find her own path. 'For me, it's actually a comedy. But maybe it's just my dark and surrealistic mind. It's definitely an empowering project. I call it an intersectional version of 'Barbie,'' Suvi West told Variety. 'It's dark and grotesque, but there's also magical realism. There is threat of sexual violence, but I wouldn't call it a violent film. It's not attached to realism in that sense.' Instead of setting her story in a specific period, the Sámi director and screenwriter wanted to make it 'timeless.' 'There are elements from the 16th century to modern days and it's not the kind of place that actually exists. In Sámi way of thinking, time is not linear. It's a circle and everything is connected. Which means I carry my future and my past with me all the time.' In 'Máttáráhká,' women are told they have a certain role in society. 'You take care of everybody and everything. It looks like a matriarchal system, but not when it comes to the ownership of your own body. Máret struggles with these values, she's also being blamed for men's actions. She wants to leave.' Luckily, she has someone special to look up to: Julia Roberts in 'Pretty Woman.' 'She wants to be her; she wants to go to Europe and become a TV star. She's trying to get away from her traditional society, even though her mission there isn't complete. When she meets this man, her spiritual powers grow. When she finally goes to Europe, she finds out that the woman's position is not better there either. She needs to come back and fix her society with her powers: one of them is the power of storytelling.' West has become known for her politically charged documentaries, 'Eatnameamet – Our Silent Struggle' and 'Homecoming.' But telling a fictional story doesn't feel like a detour – quite the opposite. 'It feels like going back to my roots. I started out exploring humorous stories about sexuality and womanhood. Then I moved away from Sápmi land and felt I needed to do my part. As a filmmaker, I've joined the battle of decolonization. I wanted to help my society and now, I can take a break. I've moved back home and I remembered who I was when I was 16 years old. I needed to confront that 'old me' again.' West is also working on a novel, out in May. 'It also depicts a surrealistic world. Of course, a film about women's empowerment is also political. But this time, I'm not doing it for the world. I'm doing it for myself.' 'Suvi is a visionary filmmaker. As I read the first draft of the script a few years back, I was overwhelmed. It was such an exceptional reading experience,' said producer Julia Elomäki. 'How could anyone write about finding your own path, love, sexuality, traumas and taboos so eloquently in the form of a feature film script? I am so happy to work together with Eva Åkergren and Sara Beate Eira, and make this a co-production between Sweden, Norway and Sápmi. I feel that now, in times like these, our surrealistic story filled with dark comedy is a perfect hideaway.' Elomäki and Marja Pihlaja have now become owners of Helsinki-based Tekele Productions, a change Elomäki described as 'meaningful both professionally and personally.' The founder, producer Miia Haavisto, continues as a partner and CEO of the company. 'Máttáráhká' will be Tekele Productions' sixth feature, following the likes of 'Eden,' 'Bad Women' and 'Butterflies,' with 'Summer is Crazy' by Ulla Heikkilä currently in post-production. Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week What's Coming to Netflix in February 2025 What's Coming to Disney+ in February 2025
