Deauville American Film Festival was established in 1975, and of course for many years it has been the only festival in Europe celebrating American cinema (not blockbuster hits). In the last years that festival has gathered lots of American film stars (George Clooney, Sharon Stone, Gregory Peck, Robert De Niro, Clint Eastwood, Brad Pitt, Francis Ford Coppola), also because, let's face it, it's France, and it's the coast. Our Polish festival in Wroclaw has not yet gathered so much attention, also because it's just the third year of its existence, but notable personalities have however arrived.
The Independent Spirit Award went to Jerry Schatzberg, a director and photographer, known for "Panic in the Needle Park" or "Scarecrow." This year, I've seen 17 movies at the festival within 3,5 days, including two older pictures by Wes Anderson, whose retrospective could also be seen.
Below is my subjective Top 5 of the features as well as Top 3 greatest documentaries I saw. It should be however noted, that I have not seen the winners neither of the feature ("Safety Not Guaranteed") nor documentary ("How to Survive the Plague") competition. Perhaps I will some other time.
TOP 5 AMERICAN FILM FESTIVAL MOVIES
5. Arcadia
Why should you see it:
- For John Hawkes, called recently "Sundance-regular," for his notable appearances in "Winter's Bone," "Martha Marcy May Marlene," "My and You and Everyone We Know," "The Sessions," "The Perfect Storm" and Ryan Simpkins, his teenage rebellious daughter Greta.
- Because it was awarded Crystal Bear for Best Feature Film in the Berlin Film Festival section Generation.
- A good review of the film can be read in Hollywood Reporter.
