News

It was all the way back in 2014 that we first shared a trailer for Sidney Lexi Plaut's Dark Samurai, a gorgeously hynoptic imagining of the life of legendary samurai Miyamoto Musashi. Coming from Denmark of all places, the film stars David Sakurai - familiar to some now from Fantastic Fest hit Liza The Fox Fairy - and after some festival success, including a selection to the prestigious Camerimage, it seemed to drop out of sight. Dark Samurai is inspired by the life of the famous Japanese ronin and warrior philosopher, Miyamoto Musashi. This visually abstract interpretation of the Japanese “Romeo & Juliet” takes place in a timeless world of the Yakuza underworld and a hypnotic Samurai after-life. Flowing seamlessly through life, death, rebirth and...

[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...

A number of emerging Danish filmmakers are embracing a new Diy attitude, as evidenced by some exciting debuts at Copenhagen’s Cph Pix festival this week. It might not be an identifiable new wave, but it marks a new ethos.

One leading example of this Diy spirit is Thomas Daneskov’s feature debut The Elite (Eliten), produced by Lina Flint. Daneskov is just 26 years old, Flint 27.

Daneskov cut his teeth on music videos and the well-travelled, award-winning short film Puff, Puff, Pass. After being rejected, twice, from the National Film School of Denmark, he decided to just make a feature outside ‘the system’ (without applying for public funding from the Danish Film Institute).

“We just wanted to get it done, we wanted that total creative freedom,” he says. “It’s a story about youth and we wanted to do it while we are still young. It could have taken years to get ‘big money’ to do it.”

Flint...

We have been keeping a close eye on the development of Sidney Lexi Plaut's Dark Samurai for some time now, drawn in by the gorgeous imagery and the presence of Valhalla Rising producer Lene Borglum on the production team of this hypnotic re-imagining of legendary samurai Miyamoto Musashi with David Sakurai playing the iconic warrior. And with the premiere just around the corner at Camerimage we're proud to offer up the first teaser for the film.Dark Samurai is inspired by the legend of Miyamoto Musashi, who was one of the most famous Japanese ronin and warrior philosophers. This alternate and very visual interpretation of the fate Musashi is brought into a mixture of a contemporary Yakuza underworld and a hypnotic Samurai after-life. We flow seamlessly...

[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...

Debut competition titles at cinematography festival unveiled.

Camerimage, the International Film Festival of the Art of Cinematography (Nov 15-22), has revealed the line-up of films screening in three of the festival’s competition sections including Cinematographers’ Debut, Directors’ Debut and Student Etudes.

The entries are:

Cinematographers’ Debut Competition

Duane Hopkins’ Bypass;

UK, 2014; Cinematographer: David Procter

Sidney Lexy Plaut’s Dark Samurai;

Denmark, 2014; Cinematographer: Sidney Lexy Plaut

Zeresenay Berhane Mehari’s Difret;

Ethiopia, USA, 2014; Cinematographer: Monika Lenczewska

Krzysztof Skonieczny’s Hardkor Disko;

Poland, 2014; Cinematographer: Kacper Fertacz

Arild Østin Ommundsen’s It’s Only Make Believe;

Norway, 2013; Cinematographer: Arild Østin Ommundsen

Michael Cody and Amiel Courtin-Wilson’s Ruin;

Australia, 2013; Cinematographer: Ari Wegner

Ester Martin Bergsmark’s Something Must Break;

Sweden, 2014; Cinematographers: Lisabi Fridell and Minka Jakerson

David Pablos’ The Life After;

Mexico, 2013; Cinematographer: José De- La-Torre

Saar Klein’s Things People Do;

USA, 2014; Cinematographer: Matthias Koenigswieser

Jonas Alexander Arnby’s When Animals Dream;

Denmark, 2013; Cinematographer: [link=nm...

It's been a long road for Sidney Lexy Plaut and his debut feature Dark Samurai. A hypnotic, experimental piece of work revolving around the folklore surrounding legendary samurai Miyamoto Musashi produced with the help of Valhalla Rising producer Lene Borglum and David Sakurai in the lead role, the picture has been winding its way through post for a little while now but there is good news for those who have been waiting with word that it will soon premiere at the Camerimage festival in Poland. Worth waiting for? Take a look at the gorgeous imagery in the gallery below and see for yourself.Dark Samurai is inspired by the legend of Miyamoto Musashi, who was one of the most famous Japanese ronin and warrior philosophers. This...

[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...