indiewire

‘Maleficent: Mistress of Evil’: Joachim Rønning Gets Timely With Michelle Pfeiffer’s Divisive Queen Ingrith

Rønning found a comfort zone with Disney's "Maleficent" sequel by overcoming the politics of hate with inclusion.

Bill Desowitz

After helming the underwhelming “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales,” Scandinavian director Joachim Rønning returned to Disney to navigate “Maleficent: Mistress of Evil.” His creative interest was piqued by the maternal war between Michelle Pfeiffer’s divisive Queen Ingrith and Angelina Jolie’s conflicted Maleficent, along with with the introduction of the oppressed dark fae (led by Chiwetel Ejiofor).
At Disney’s D23, Jolie said that the much-hyped sequel to the 2014 hit is about families “being pulled apart by their differences” and fighting “for the belief that what makes you different, makes you stronger.” Rønning echoed the political relevance with his own assessment of Queen Ingrith as a Trump-like ruler. “I do think that it was so interesting to see Michelle Pfeiffer as Queen Ingrith dictating the narrative of the story and how it resembles a little bit today’s society,” he said in a recent interview with IndieWire.
Trump’s fanatical preoccupation with Twitter also found its allegorical way into Linda Woolverton’s timely script. “Whoever controls the narrative, kind of controls the world, especially now with social media,” continued Rønning. “And with the push of a button with your finger, you can send your whole narrative and control the story, control the conflict. And she’s really using that to divide humans and fae and humans against nature and creating fear and chaos. It absolutely reflects today.”
While the director was often preoccupied with the requisite spectacle of VFX-intensive battles and CG creatures (courtesy of MPC), Rønning pointed to a confrontational early dinner scene in the royal dining hall as a delight to craft. The Queen deliberately provokes Maleficent with racist remarks and the declaration that Princess Aurora (Elle Fanning) will “finally get the love of a real mother.”
“It is one of my favorite scenes because it’s all in camera,” Rønning said. “When you make this movie, it’s a lot of blue and green screens, big sets, and hundreds of extras. It gets very intense. But here we had a week to shoot this whole scene around a dinner table. And suddenly you can really have fun with the characters, and there’s room for drama. And you have these amazing actors playing off each other, and I was able to shoot with many, many cameras. It’s very tricky to do a seven-person [dialogue-driven] dinner scene.”

The other reason Rønning took the assignment, not surprisingly, was because of the chance to explore the ethnographic world of the dark fae, who have been driven underground. Whether directing “Kon-Tiki,” “Marco Polo,” or “Pirates,” Rønning finds himself drawn to unique locales that can’t help but influence his storytelling. “I need that combination of unique backdrops and interesting characters to trigger me,” he said. “It’s world creating. You sit there with a production designer [Patrick Tatopoulos] and everything is possible a year before shooting, talking about what this could be, finding some sort of a system, high up in the mists of the sky.”

The inspiration for the dark fae were bird nests, and they researched how various species build their nests with branches, twigs, and saliva to create the whiteness. “And, of course, the dark fae are very much representing nature in this film with different volumes,” said Rønning. “You have the tundra forest, the jungle, the desert, and all of that is in the nest.”
Yet, for Rønning, it’s ultimately a story about unification as a hopeful message for our divisive times. “At the end of the day, if there’s one word that I want this movie to be about, it’s kindness,” he said.


Boston Herald

From Norway to Mighty ‘Maleficent’

By Stephen Schaefer

Joachim Rønning’s 2017 ‘Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales’ might have been the fifth (and presumably final) entry in the blockbuster franchise but it was enough to land the Norwegian filmmaker the director’s seat on Disney’s mightily expensive and ambitious ‘Maleficent’ sequel, opening this week globally.  The first ‘Maleficent’ was five long years ago.  On ‘Pirates’ Ronning collaborated as co-director with fellow Norwegian and childhood friend Espen Sandberg. The duo’s remake of the true-life sea adventure ‘Kon Tiki’ won them Oscar and Golden Globe nominations as Best Foreign Language Film.  Rønning, 47, was interviewed at the Montage Hotel in Beverly Hills as he spoke about a hands-on Angelina Jolie, a years in the making big screen battle and what’s with those iconic Maleficent horns.
Q:  What was your ambition for this sequel?
Joachim Rønning:  For me, you can have all the spectacle in the world – and we have the resources for that, Disney being Disney – but at the end of the day it’s all about the characters and the emotional core of the story.  In the first film I think what surprised audiences all over the world is that they were moved by it. That was a story I wanted to continue telling.  But then of course you have to then take it to the next level. I was interested in some sort of origin story for Maleficent and discovering she’s not the only one, making the universe bigger.
Q: Angelina Jolie is such a powerful screen presence, what made you think Michelle Pfeiffer could go toe to toe with her?
JR:  Michelle Pfeiffer is one of the few who can go up against Maleficent — and Angelina Jolie for that matter.  I felt so lucky to have her there every day on set. Those days were the best days.  You really feel so privileged. I’m sitting there, hundreds of people around you, and not only are they playing iconic characters, they’re iconic actors.  Some of the world’s best actors and also most famous. There were moments I felt sitting there I was in a movie theater.  Angelina Jolie comes in, puts on the horns. Michelle comes in in that beautiful dress and pearls.  Elle [Fanning] in the middle of all that. It’s very, very privileged situation as a film director.
Q: Was casting Michelle opposite Angie kind of a black versus white thing because one is a blonde and the other is definitely not?  And we think of black as evil and blonde as good and that’s flipped.
JR:  It didn’t dictate why Michelle Pfeiffer came onboard. That was a process where we didn’t know what she should look like.  She had red hair for a while and then we went, ‘Let’s go blonde.’ I’m happy with that, I think it looks good, a good contrast between them.
Q:  What about these three little pixies who fly around and are played by a trio of famous British actresses – Lesley Manville, Imelda Staunton and Juno Temple?  Were they ever there with the other actors or simply digitally pasted into the movie we see?
JR:  Yeah, everything is shot outside of London in Pinewood Studios.  Again, you have these amazing actresses who are playing the pixies.  They were shooting on a separate stage. I was shooting on the main stages.  Basically, this is very technical, but they were shot by a dozen cameras. They are not really allowed to move or do anything. So they can’t really act. They can only mimic and speak. Then we put them in the movie on their CG bodies.  It’s really a complex way of making movies. So Elle talking to the pixies, there’s only puppeteers with rubber ducks.
Q: The battle scene has so many storylines and characters and settings, how did you map that out?
JR: I’m not saying this to sell myself here but I believe I’m the only one who has that [whole battle sequence] in my head. So there’s the best crew in the world, a thousand people there, and they’re trying to help you.  Because in order to map it out you plan for a year.  You have models. You have miniatures.  You have 3D models in the computer. You sit with the screenwriters to be as structured as you can. And then you come and just throw it out the window.  [Laughs] You discover it again. Then you start putting it together again. It’s probably the most difficult thing to edit. That was nine months with two editors — to keep the essence and keep a clear storyline.
Q: The film’s message of tolerance and acceptance, can we apply that to the world we’re living in?
JR: I think very much so!  My little dream here is to have a message of kindness, you know?  Our villain in the shape of Queen Ingrith is very much controlling the narrative, using that as part of her power and dividing people.  Yes, there’s definitely some parallels to today in society. What I love is at the end of the day you have your family, you come together, you show an openness.  You come to an acceptance of others and show kindness. And that is the message of the movie.

Q:  How did you work with the screenwriters? [Linda Wolverton has sole credit for the original and a team shares credit for the sequel.]
JR:  Angelina Jolie is very hands on, when we work on the script. I sat with her (pauses) a lot, working on the script.  Together with the different screenwriters coming in and out. The producers are involved.  Disney, they are involved.  But it revolves around Angie and me getting it. That never stops. The script-writing process.  That’s what I’m doing on my lunchtime when we break for lunch on any set.  I continue working on the script, running it by her. Our days started in her makeup trailer, where she sits here for a couple of hours getting her horns and cheekbones done. I’m there with her, that’s where we work.

Q: At the end of the first ‘Maleficent’ she changes from a villain.  Where did you want Maleficent to go here?
JR: What I relate to — although this is a fantastical universe, what I was interested in discovering was a more mature Maleficent. Because her little girl is not a little girl anymore.  Aurora is becoming a woman.  Any parents fear when that day comes and you’re not the most important person in that person’s life anymore. I was interested in seeing how Maleficent can go to that level. Also as a parent you sacrifice yourself, you try to change as a person in order to make your child happy. Or do the best for your child. In this movie I was interested in how far Maleficent would change for Aurora.  And she really tries.  She goes to meet the parents [of Aurora’s future husband Prince Phillip, the King and Queen Ingrith].  The in-laws!  And then that backfires.  But that journey was very interesting for me to explore.

Q: What is the deal with the horns if you haven’t seen the first movie?  Were they cut off at one point? Did they grow back? What do they represent?
JR:  Her wings were cut off in the first film but they came back. They are kind of mythical creatures, with wings, and also the horns are of course from the original design of the [1959] Disney animated movie [‘Sleeping Beauty’]. Of course, we’re taking it to the next level but the horns are very much a part of the Maleficent iconic look.  The red lipstick – which we spent hours and hours talking about: The shade of red.  Nothing is left to chance here. It’s all about planning, planning, planning.
Q: What’s next?
JR:  Sleeping for the next couple of weeks.  No, I love working in America and I love making movies but we’ll see.  I feel very lucky to be able to do what I do.

Q:  So it’s not back to Norway for a Norwegian language film shot in two weeks?
JR:  No, I don’t think so. Not right away. I’m not going to say it’s not going to happen because I’ve had amazing experiences making movies in Scandinavia.  One day!

It's movie-making magic! Learn how Director Joachim Rønning brought #Maleficent: Mistress of Evil to life, in theaters Friday: https://t.co/r6p6llyiCM pic.twitter.com/YxmVD5bqDh

— Disney (@Disney) October 13, 2019

By Zach Johnson

It’s not unusual to hear Joachim Rønning ask, “What’s next?”

After continuing the adventures of Jack Sparrow in Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures’ 2017 film Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, Rønning was approached to direct Maleficent’s next chapter. The Disney villain’s origin story had cast a spell on audiences in 2014, when Angelina Jolie played her in the live-action film, and Rønning jumped at the chance to explore the character’s past, present, and future. “This is my second sequel,” Rønning recently confirmed to D23. “I really love working with Disney!”
Feeling inspired, Rønning began by assembling an accomplished creative team to help bring his vision to life. Key players included director of photography Henry Braham; production designer Patrick Tatopoulos; costume designer Ellen Mirojnick; composer Geoff Zanelli; film editors Laura Jennings and Craig Wood; visual effects supervisor Gary Brozenich; makeup designer Paul Gooch; special makeup effects designer David White; and stunt coordinators Simon Crane and Jo McLaren; among others. Jolie had already signed on to star in and produce the film with Duncan Henderson and Joe Roth, and actors Elle Fanning and Sam Riley signed on to reprise their roles as Aurora and Diaval, respectively. Executive producer Linda Woolverton also returned as a co-screenwriter; together, with co‐screenwriters Noah Harpster and Micah Fitzerman‐Blue, they crafted a screenplay that picks up several years after the events of the first movie.

“I was interested in some sort of an origin story for Maleficent discovering she’s not the only one—the only Dark Fey,” Rønning said. “And all of that made the universe bigger.” It helped that Jolie “is very hands on when we work on the scripts,” he added. In fact, he admitted the scriptwriting process “never stopped” on set. “That’s what I’m doing when we break for lunch on set; I continue working on the script and running it by her. Our days started in the makeup trailer, where she’d sit for a couple hours getting her horns and her cheekbones and all that done. And I was there with her; it’s where we worked.”

Rønning wanted to “take it to the next level,” which is why he turned to Michelle Pfeiffer, who was cast to play Prince Philip’s mother, the cunning Queen Ingrith. Early on, the Queen of Ulstead devises an evil plan to divide humans and fairies forever. Pfeiffer was “at the very top of my [casting] list,” Rønning said, as she’s “one of the few who can go up against Maleficent… or Angelina, for that matter!” To his delight, Pfeiffer delivered—and then some! “I just felt so lucky to have her there every day on set,” he said. “Those days are the best days, you know? When you have Michelle Pfeiffer, Angelina Jolie, and Elle Fanning battling it out in front of your camera, you really do feel so privileged.”

Principal photography took place at the iconic Pinewood Studios outside London in the summer of 2018. Most sets were built practically on six soundstages and on the studio’s backlot, which were enhanced with visual effects in post-production. A week was also spent filming on locations in and around the U.K., including Syon House Lake, Burnham Beeches, and Windsor Great Park. “There are always going to be a lot of effects shots…. but we always prefer shooting elements and set pieces,” Rønning explained. “Things that are huge parts of the story, we wanted that on camera as much as possible.”

The Dark Fey nest where Maleficent connects with her clan—led by Conall (Chiwetel Ejiofor) and Borra (Ed Skrein)—is the perfect example of a practical set supplemented by visual effects. “The Dark Fey nest is so vast and so big; there is no way you can build that,” Rønning said. “You build elements, then you put the characters in there—it’s like a little igloo—and the rest is on the computer. The process took a year to plan. We stood on set with the actors, and we’d already built it on the computer, so they could look at the monitor and look around, and then they could ‘see’ what they’re looking at.”

Rønning also estimated he spent about nine months working with two editors on the climactic 20-minute battle scene at Queen Ingrith’s castle. “In order to map it out, you plan for a year. You draw it, you have models, you have miniatures, you have 3-D models in the computer. You sit with the screenwriters to be as structured as you can… and then you begin editing and just throw it all out the window!” Rønning said with a laugh. “Then you discover it again, and you start putting it together again. It’s probably the most difficult thing you can edit—and probably what we spent the most time editing.”

With a production as big as this, no detail is too big or too small—down to the vibrant hue of Maleficent’s lipstick. “We spent hours and hours talking about the shade of red,” Rønning said. “Nothing is left to chance here. It’s all about planning, planning, planning.”  
Maleficent: Mistress of Evil opens in theaters October 18, 2019.

Berlinale Reports 2

 

 

Berlin fest goes gaga for Angie

By Stephen Schaefer
Sunday, February 12, 2012 - Updated 2 hours ago

BERLIN — There’s star power — and then there’s Angelina Jolie.
As a sizeable crowd camped out at the VIP side entrance at the Hyatt Hotel here, security was suddenly tight inside the press area.
Enter Jolie, flanked by eight Serbian and Croatian actors from her writing and directing debut feature, “In the Land of Blood and Honey.”
It was standing room only at this press conference at the 62nd Berlin Film Festival, but when Jolie saw me, she smiled and waved. Ya gotta love her!
Some questions, from reporters on both sides of the Serbian-Croatian war, were tinged with hostility, one referring to “Blood and Honey” as having “a black-and-white view of hatred towards Muslims.”
Jolie responded, “You have a right to review it as you see the film. Clearly that is not the way it was intended — and I know most people don’t see it that way.”
When asked about making movies that aren’t as tough or serious, Jolie replied, “You know, you find different ways to make things matter. Certain fun action movies are still empowering for my daughters. It will be hard. I haven’t worked for two years and the next thing looks like a Disney movie.”
What is happening with her playing Cleopatra? I asked.
“We don’t know yet,” she said as she was rushed out. “It’s (still being) written.”

-— cinesteve@hotmail.com

All that glitters... Angelina Jolie's a golden girl at the premiere of directorial debut In The Land Of Blood And Honey

By Daily Mail Reporter

Last updated at 11:03 PM on 11th February 2012

It's unusual to see Angelina Jolie out of her standard all-black attire at public events.
But the actress shed her usual dark shades for an altogether brighter outlook at the German premiere of her directorial debut In The Land Of Blood And Honey this evening.
Angelina, 36, went for a glittering gold dress during day three of the 62nd Berlin International Film Festival at the Haus der Berliner Festspiele in Berlin.

On sparkling form: Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt at the premiere of her directorial debut In The Land Of Blood And Honey at the 62nd Berlin International Film Festival

Proud moment: The actress looked great at the event which was held as part of the 62nd Berlin International Film Festival

She was accompanied by her proud partner Brad Pitt, 48, who cut quite a dash as per usual in his black and white ensemble - wearing a waist-length jacket that perfectly complimented his longer locks.
Also at the premiere were the film's stars Alma Terzic and Goran Kostic, along with other cast members.
They happily posed up for pictures before making their way into the theatre.

Star couple: Angelina with her film star partner Brad Pitt

Come this way darling... The actress leads her other half back for more photos

Yesterday Angelina kept herself occupied discussing various global issues with Germany's Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle.
And the day before that she was at Berlin's Legoland store with her children.
But earlier today it was back to the office for Angelina Jolie when she attended a photocall for her new movie, an event which preceded tonight's premiere.

Three's allowed: Angelina with cast members Zana Marjanovic and Goran Kostic

Though the actress later went for a sparkling wardrobe choice, at the photocall she was dressed in her standard colour of choice - black. 
Angelina, who appeared as ultra-slim as ever, combined the loose-fitting black number with a pair of beige Louboutin heels.
She happily singed autographs and posed for pictures with fans as she made her way into the photocall, which was followed by a press conference.

Group hug! The cast of In The Land Of Blood And Honey get ready to pose for a photo

Of course, more than comfortable with appearing in front of a gaggle of photographers she patiently let the snappers do their work before heading on to the press conference.

At the conference, Angelina admitted she's nervous and excited about the upcoming premiere in Sarajevo of her Bosnian war movie. The film is set to make its full debut in the Bosnian capital on February 14.
Jolie's directorial debut is a drama about a Serbian soldier who finds his ex-lover, a Muslim Bosnian woman, among sex slaves in a camp.

Back to black: Angelina Jolie poses during the photo call of the film In the Land of Blood and Honey at the 62nd edition of the Berlinale, International Film Festival in Berlin

Sign here please, madam: Angelina dishes out autographs as she makes her way into the event

She said: 'I'm nervous and I'm excited. I'll probably cry through the entire thing.
'I'll be very, very moved because, of course, a lot of the people coming are the victims of war so it's going to be heavy.'

Jolie revealed that "it didn't take much for me to be driven" while she was directing the film, noting that some of her cast lived through the 1992-95 war in Bosnia.

Over here, Angelina! Fans scramble for the actress' attention at the photocall for her new film 

She told the story of actress Vanesa Glodjo who, she said, crossed Sarajevo's "Sniper Alley" every day in order to get to her theatre school.
Jolie said: 'Art meant that much to her that she risked her life every day.
'The privilege you feel to have the opportunity to work with such a dedicated and such an extraordinary human being made it all ... just wonderful.'

Angelina Jolie assures that she she did not intended to offend with her film

(AFP)

BELGRADE - The Hollywood star Angelina Jolie has assured that she did not want to offend with her film "In the Land of Blood and Honey", commonly perceived as "anti-Serb" by the Serbian public, in an interview published Sunday by the Belgrade daily Politika.

Her film, which was presented at the Berlinale this year, is a story about violence against women during the conflict in Bosnia.

"I really never wanted to hurt anyone or be malicious towards anyone," said the actress in this interview.

"The Serbs may find (the film) as they see fit, but I hope they go see it with an open mind and they will understand it as something that was not done against them," she added.

Angelina Jolie, in her first film as a director, will present, along with Brad Pitt, her feature film in Sarajevo, on February 14, in a room that can accommodate up to 20,000 people, said its distributor Blitz film.

Three days later, Jolie will present the film in a cinema in Zagreb, along with key players, all from the former Yugoslavia. The film will then be released in theaters in both countries.

The film had already been released in December in a cinema in Sarajevo for a week. It was welcomed by associations of Muslim victims of the inter-communal war in Bosnia (1992-95), but at the same time denounced as "anti-Serb" by Serbian associations.

It tells the love relationship between a young Muslim woman (Zana Marjanovic) and a Serbian (Goran Kostic) who find themselves in opposing camps after the conflict began.

According to local associations, approximately 20,000 women (50,000 according to the actress citing various international organizations like the UN), most of them Muslim, were sexually abused during the Bosnian war. Some 100,000 people have been killed.

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt are one of the most prominent couples of the American art. They raise all six children, three adopted.

Copyright © 2012 AFP. All rights reserved.

Angelina Jolie assure n'avoir voulu offenser personne par son film

(AFP) – Il y a 2 heures 

BELGRADE — La vedette d'Hollywood Angelina Jolie a assuré n'avoir voulu offenser personne par son film "In the Land of Blood and Honey", généralement perçu comme "anti-serbe" par l'opinion publique serbe, dans une interview publiée dimanche par le quotidien de Belgrade Politika.
Son film, qui a été présenté à la Berlinale cette année, est une histoire sur les violences faites aux femmes pendant le conflit bosnie.
"Je n'ai vraiment voulu blesser personne ou être malveillante envers quiconque", a déclaré l'actrice américaine dans cette interview.
"Les Serbes peuvent juger (le film) comme ils l'entendent, mais j'espère qu'ils iront le voir avec l'esprit ouvert et qu'ils ne le comprendront pas comme quelque chose qui a été fait contre eux", a-t-elle ajouté.
Angelina Jolie, dont c'est le premier film en tant que réalisatrice, doit présenter, en compagnie de Brad Pitt, son long métrage à Sarajevo, le 14 février, dans une salle pouvant accueillir jusqu'à 20.000 personnes, a indiqué son distributeur Blitz Film.
Trois jours plus tard, Angelina Jolie présentera le film dans une salle de cinéma à Zagreb, en compagnie des principaux acteurs, tous issus de l'ex-Yougoslavie. Le film sera ensuite en salle dans les deux pays.
Le film avait déjà été diffusé en décembre dans un cinéma à Sarajevo, pendant une semaine. Il a été salué par des associations de victimes musulmanes de la guerre inter-communautaire de Bosnie (1992-95), mais dénoncé en même temps comme "anti-serbe" par des associations serbes.
Il raconte la relation amoureuse d'une jeune femme musulmane (Zana Marjanovic) et d'un Serbe (Goran Kostic) qui se retrouvent dans des camps opposés après l'éclatement du conflit.
Selon des associations locales, environ 20.000 femmes (50.000 selon l'actrice citant diverses organisations internationales comme l'ONU), en majorité des musulmanes, ont été victimes d'abus sexuels lors du conflit bosnien. Quelque 100.000 personnes y ont été tuées.
Angelina Jolie et Brad Pitt forment l'un des couples les plus en vue du 7e art américain. Ils élèvent ensemble six enfants, dont trois adoptés.
Copyright © 2012 AFP. Tous droits réservés.

Angelina Jolie: "Krieg hat verschiedene Gesichter"

Von Matthias Greuling, Berlin

Angelina Jolie stellte bei der Berlinale ihr Regiedebüt "In the Land of Blood and Honey" vor. APAweb / Reuters / Fabrizio Bensch

Angelina Jolie ist jetzt nicht mehr nur Filmstar, sondern sogar schon Polit-Gast. Am Freitag traf Jolie in Berlin, wo sie heute ihr Regiedebüt "In the Land of Blood and Honey" vorstellt, auf Deutschlands Außenminister Guido Westerwelle, der mit Jolie über ihr Engagement für das UN-Flüchtlingshilfswerk UNHCR, aber auch über ihr Regiedebüt sprach. Seit vielen Jahren reist Jolie in Krisengebiete und Flüchtlingscamps, was ihr während der Berlinale von der "Cinema for Peace"-Stiftung einen Ehrenpreis für ihren Einsatz gegen Krieg und Völkermord einbringen wird.

Ihr Regiedebüt handelt vom Bürgerkrieg in Bosnien-Herzegowina. Jolie erzählt die Geschichte eines serbischen Offiziers und einer bosnischen Muslimin, die sich ineinander verlieben. Die Neo-Regisseurin zeigt in drastischen Bildern aber auch Massenvergewaltigungen, Exekutionen und Kindsmord

Premiere in Sarajewo am 14. Februar
"Ich wollte eigentlich nie Regie führen", so Jolie bei der überfüllten Pressekonferenz im Hotel Hyatt, "doch mir war diese Geschichte so wichtig, dass ich sie nicht aus der Hand geben wollte." Triebkraft für das Projekt waren Jolies Reisen: "Ich besuche seit zehn Jahren Konfliktregionen", sagt sie. "Das hat mich frustriert, vor allem wenn es um Gewalt gegen Frauen oder um tatenloses Zuschauen bei Kriegsverbrechen ging".  Dass ihr Film gerade um den Bosnien-Konflikt angesiedelt ist, hat mit Jolies Wunsch nach Aufklärung zu tun: "Ich war schon oft in dieser Region, konnte den Krieg aber niemals wirklich verstehen. Ich finde, die Menschen haben darüber viel zu wenig gesprochen".

Am 14. Februar wird Jolie den Film in Sarajewo zeigen. "Ich bin schon sehr nervös wegen dieser Premiere", sagt Jolie. "Ich werde wahrscheinlich dort sitzen und den ganzen Film lang durchheulen. Viele der Gäste sind ehemalige Kriegsopfer, das wird also eine sehr harte Filmpremiere für mich". In Serbien hat man unterdessen versucht, den Film verbieten zu lassen, weil er angeblich antiserbische Töne enthält. Doch Jolie verwehrt sich dagegen: "Das ist kein Dokumentarfilm, sondern eine künstlerische Interpretation der Ereignisse. Ich habe versucht, möglichst viele Aspekte und Sichtweisen zu integrieren, aber Krieg hat nun einmal verschiedene Gesichter. Besonders dieser".

Neue Standbeine für "Brangelina"
Die Presse reagierte auf "In the Land of Blood and Honey" eher verhalten. Der Film hat etliche dramaturgische Schwächen, über die man seines ehrenwerten Inhalts wegen vermutlich hinwegsieht. Jolies Zweitkarriere als Regisseurin korreliert im Übrigen mit einer neuen Beschäftigung ihres Lebensgefährten Brad Pitt: Der hat nicht nur einen Cameo-Auftritt im Film als sterbender Soldat, sondern schoss auch die Set-Fotos bei den Dreharbeiten. Hollywood berühmtestes Paar scheint sich also ganz langsam aus dem Scheinwerferlicht vor der Kamera zurück zu ziehen und neue Standbeine zu suchen.

Jolie Defends Her War Drama

Jonathan Romney

Berlin 

The Hollywood diva Angelina Jolie celebrated her turn to directing at the Berlin Film Festival yesterday, defending her debut feature In the Land of Blood and Honey. The war drama, shot in Bosnia and Hungary, is set during the Yugoslav conflict of the 1990s, and draws attention to the rapes of Bosnian Muslim women by Serb militia.

The story focuses on the relationship between a Muslim painter, Ajla (Zana Marjanovic), and a Bosnian Serb officer, Danijel (Goran Kostic), who becomes her jailer and lover.
At the very least, In the Land of Blood and Honey is serious minded, solidly directed and altogether un-Hollywoodian. The film, scripted by Jolie, was shown in Germany in its Bosnian-language version (an English version was also shot), and elicited some boos at its press show – although, since its US release in December, it has received its share of cautious critical approval, and a Golden Globe nomination for best foreign-language film.
The film has also been accused of exploiting the plight of Bosnian women and attacked as anti-Serb. The Croatian-born author James Braddock also sued Jolie and her producers, claiming she took the story from his book The Soul Shattering.
At her Berlin press conference, Jolie denied that she was painting a black-and-white picture of the conflict. "I didn't want to point fingers – maybe at the international community, but other than that, not at anyone else."
Jolie, known for her activity as a UNHCR goodwill ambassador, said she was motivated by a desire to stay informed about the world. "I've done the best I could to educate myself on different conflicts and post-conflict situations, and there are certain conflicts that have broken my heart, and certain issues I've been compelled to speak about because they mattered so much to me. I wanted to tell this story because I was 17 when the war started. I felt a human responsibility to educate myself about a war that happened in my generation."
She also defended the violence in the film, including a scene in which Serbian soldiers throw a baby to its death. "Everybody who lived through this war knows that what you see on film is a small piece of how horrible it actually was. But it should be hard to watch; if I see a war film that's too easy to watch I don't feel comfortable."
After directing this film, Jolie admitted, it will be harder to go back to regular Hollywood fare, although she's prepared to give herself a break with something lighter. "I haven't acted for two years. The next thing I'm looking at is a Disney movie."
For the ticket-buying public, the hottest buzz at the festival has been for this weekend's premiere of Iron Sky, a Finnish-made sci-fi comedy about a Nazi colony based on the Moon, which launches an attack on New York. The $10m film, Finland's most expensive production ever, was partly funded with $1m donated by fans online. Its director, Timo Vuorensola – whose other career is as a heavy metal singer – made his name with an online spoof, Star Wreck, that was downloaded four million times. Due for UK release in April, Iron Sky has been the Berlinale's surprise hot ticket, outsold only by Don: The King Is Back, the latest vehicle for Bollywood megastar Shah Rukh Khan, a long-time favourite with Berlin crowds.

Exklusiv-Interview: Angelina Jolie führt jetzt auch selbst Regie!

Eine Liebe, die vom Krieg auf die Probe gestellt wird, von einer Zeit des entfesselten Hasses: Um das alles geht es in 'In The Land Of Blood And Honey', einem Film, bei dem Angelina Jolie selbst Regie führte. Erzählt wird die Geschichte von Ajla, einer jungen Muslima und Danijel, dem Sohn eines serbischen Generals.

Der Krieg in Bosnien-Herzegowina trennt die beiden Liebenden und vereint sie zynischerweise in einer Kaserne. Danijel ist mittlerweile Folterknecht geworden, Ajla wird als Gefangene dorthin verschleppt, um gefoltert zu werden.

Was verändert Menschen? Was bringt Menschen dazu, die sich einst geliebt haben, zu Feinden zu werden? Diese Fragen haben Angelina Jolie bewegt. Und zwar schon zu dem Zeitpunkt, als sie das Drehbuch schrieb und von Regie noch gar keine Rede war.

Frau Jolie, ich habe gehört, dass die Schauspieler, als sie die Drehbücher bekamen, noch gar nicht wussten, dass Sie die Regisseurin sein werden. Warum nicht?

Angelina Jolie: Ich wollte nicht, dass die Schauspieler denken, es würde um einen Hollywood-Streifen gehen. Ich wollte, dass sie ganz offen und ehrlich ihre Meinung sagen. Sie sollten von der Geschichte überzeugt sein und sich nicht davon verführen lassen, in einer amerikanischen Produktion mitspielen zu können.

Woran konnten Sie dann erkennen, wer wirklich Interesse an dem Stoff und dem Film hatte?

Angelina Jolie: Wenn jemand Interesse signalisierte, haben wir erst miteinander telefoniert und uns dann getroffen. Für mich war es sehr wichtig, dass wir direkt miteinander in Verbindung getreten sind. Wichtig war auch, dass ich mit denen sprechen konnte, die diese Ereignisse selbst miterlebt haben.


Ihr Film wird jetzt auch in Europa in die Kinos kommen. Was sind Ihre Erwartungen?

Angelina Jolie: Ich würde mich freuen, wenn die Menschen durch den Film mehr miteinander sprechen würden - nicht nur in dem Gebiet, um das es geht, sondern überall auf der Welt. Einige Zuschauer haben mir gesagt, dass sie sich, nachdem sie meinen Film gesehen haben, schuldig fühlten, sich schämten. Mir ging es genauso, als ich mich mit dem Krieg als Botschafterin der UNO auseinandersetzte.

Haben Sie sich deshalb dazu entschlossen, diesen Film zu machen?

Angelina Jolie: Ja, genau. Ich habe mich sehr mit dem Thema beschäftigt, habe mit Leuten vom Militär und vielen anderen gesprochen. Klar, ich selbst habe nie in einem Kriegsgebiet gelebt. Aber ich habe versucht, meine persönlichen Erfahrungen als Frau in den Film einzubringen. Ich habe viel über meine Familie nachgedacht, über meine Beziehungen und Freundschaften. Was hätte ich gemacht, wenn ich mich in einer Situation wie Ajla befunden hätte?

In Ihrem Film geht es auch um ein sehr dunkles Kapitel des Krieges: Muslimische Frauen, die als Sklaven gehalten wurden ...

Angelina Jolie: Ja, das sind Geschichten, die mir von Zeuginnen erzählt wurden: Frauen, die gezwungen wurden, für serbische Soldaten zu tanzen und sich für sie komplett auszuziehen. Ich glaube, dass mein Film uns Frauen dazu zwingt, uns auf eine sehr emotionale Reise einzulassen, die uns im Innersten berührt. Es geht um
Gewalt und um unsere schlimmsten Ängste. Das war für mich als Regisseurin nicht einfach in manchen Szenen.

Die Schauspieler haben mir als Regisseurin und als Frau vertraut. Sie haben darauf vertraut, dass ich mit Themen wie Gewalt, Nacktheit und Vergewaltigungen sensibel umgehe. Wir Frauen haben gemeinsam entschieden, wie weit wir gehen und was wir zeigen wollen.

Sie sprechen in Ihrem Film vornehmlich über die Rolle der Frau in diesem Krieg. Warum?

Angelina Jolie: Der Krieg im ehemaligen Jugoslawien war besonders für die Frauen fürchterlich. Sie wurden aufgrund ihrer ethnischen Zugehörigkeiten vergewaltigt, vor allem Mütter, Ehefrauen, Freundinnen, Schwestern und die Töchter der Feinde mussten unendlich viel Gewalt über sich ergehen lassen. Deswegen beschäftigt sich mein Film mit dem Schicksal dieser Frauen und erzählt den Krieg aus der weiblichen Perspektive.

> Angelina Jolies Film 'In The Land Of Blood And Honey' kommt bei uns am 23. Februar 2012 in die Kinos.

Stephen Schaefer's 10 Best

Ten Best Movies, 2011

In no particular order, these are winnowed from a memorable field, the 2011 moviegoing year.  While no one movie dominated the landscapes many fine films demonstrated the artful possibilities in telling stories that matter in surprising ways, often with performances that are unforgettable.

Angelina Jolie’s In the Land of Blood and Honey – Jolie the writer serves Jolie the director very well with a clear, fast-paced screenplay that chronicles an unimaginable war, one that gave birth to the term ‘ethnic cleansing, populated with real people not political talking points.  Rightly horrific, stunningly played, beautiful in its gravity and reach. Subtitled in English.

Jason Reitman’s Young Adult – Teamed again with screenwriter Diablo Cody Reitman masterfully introduces a deluded 37 year old anti-heroine played with malicious grace by Charlize Theron whose booze-soaked realization that her life can be turned around by reuniting with her high school sweetheart is both hilariously appalling and pathetically sad.

Michel Hazanavicius’ The Artist – A valentine to silent cinema which celebrates with wit, with style, with insight, the wonder of making audiences laugh and cry. In Jean Dujardin as the silent era clown destroyed by the talkies, Artist soars, enchants. And let us not forget his faithful four footed companion and only friend, played with equal grace and wit by Uggie the Jack Russell terrier. Intertitles as befits a silent film!

Steven Spielberg’s War Horse – Epic in ambition, scope, size and moral grandeur, this sprawling WW1 melodrama about the wartime cruelties that befall an English teenager and his horse is sentimental, contrived and devastating. Classic Hollywood filmmaking that lingers.

David Cronenberg’s A Dangerous Method – Was it the clear sunny sky set against the pristine Swiss mental hospital setting that entranced me from the start?  Was it Keira Knightley’s brave, bravura performance as a ‘mad’ woman redeemed by the dawn of psychoanalysis?  Or the complex interplay that Carl Jung (Michael Fassbender) develops with his patient as he breaks away from his mentor Sigmund Freud (Viggo Mortensen)?  Whatever the reason, Christopher Hampton’s brilliantly adapted screenplay and Cronenberg’s steady helming made this exhilarating and engrossing from start to finish.

Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris – Ah Mr. Allen, how wise, witty and sweet this Paris is.  And magical.  And hilarious.

Asghar Farhadi’s A Separation – This Iranian divorce drama makes for the year’s the most shocking surprise.  Simply extraordinary, unexpectedly moving and always compelling in its look at a trial between two couples that pivots on the truth as decreed in a courtroom.  I predict this will be the first Iranian film, after winning every possible award, to win the Academy Award as Best Foreign Language Film. Subtitles in English.

Pedro Almodovar’s The Skin I Live In – Almodovar’s masterful Hitchcockian study of a sociopath is, as usual, a complex confection that is alternately - or simultaneously - blackly comic, tense, sorrowful and sexy. Subtitled in English.

Simon Curtis’ My Week with Marilyn– The legend of Marilyn Monroe is not so much revised as compactly summarized in a behind the scenes comedy about not just the making of a movie but ambition, dreams, fear and need.  MM epitomized the Irving Berlin song she sang in one of her Fox musicals, “After You Get What You Want You Don’t Want It,” and the next line of the lyric is, “You’re like a baby, you want what you want when you want it,” and that is very much what’s applicable here.  Call this Week a comedy of melancholic proportions, romantic yet realistic.

Ralph Fiennes’ Coriolanus - Wonderfully effective transposing of Shakespeare to the Balkan wars that makes for a formidable directing debut for Fiennes, not to mention hossanas for his casting of Vanessa Redgrave as the general’s steely, scary mother and his own performance as the arrogant, doomed general Coriolanus.

 Film critic and entertainment reporter Stephen Schaefer writes regularly for The Boston Herald with interviews, features, reviews and "Hollywood & Mine," and to Variety, Hollywood's trade paper, where he contributes to a weekly column "Scene & Heard." Schaefer also hosts the half-hour weekly WEB interview show "Beyond the Subtitles" on AIR (Art International Radio, www.artonair.org) where guests range from independent and foreign language filmmakers, documentarians, actors and critics from around the world. He often covers film festivals in Berlin,Venice, New York and Toronto.