The Global Film Village

ROY E. DISNEY, KEY FIGURE IN REVITALIZING THE WALT DISNEY COMPANY AND DISNEY’S ANIMATION LEGACY, DIES AT AGE 79

// December 16th, 2009 // Comments Off // People

Hollywood and the world mourns the loss of Roy E. Disney who during his time with the Company that his uncle and father founded has always strived to keep the legacy alive and build for the future.The following is the Disney company release.

(c) Walt Disney Co.

MULTI-FACETED FORMER DISNEY VICE CHAIRMAN WAS A LEADING BUSINESSMAN, PHILANTHROPIST, FILMMAKER AND SAILOR

Roy Edward Disney, son of Disney Studios co-founder Roy O. Disney, and nephew of Walt Disney, passed away today (12/16/09) at Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian in Newport Beach, California, following a year-long battle with stomach cancer. He was 79 years old. Disney was a successful businessman, philanthropist, filmmaker, and award-winning sailor, who played a key role in the revitalization of The Walt Disney Company and Disney’s animation legacy. He was associated with the Company over a 56-year period, and from 1984 – 2003, served as vice chairman of the Company’s board of directors, and chairman of the Studio’s Animation Department. In recent years, he held the title of director emeritus and consultant for the Company.

As head of Disney Animation, Disney helped to guide the Studio to a new golden age of animation with an unprecedented string of artistic and box office successes that included “The Little Mermaid,” “Beauty and the Beast,” “Aladdin,” and “The Lion King.” He personally executive produced “Fantasia/2000,” a sequel to the 1940 Disney classic, and served in a similar capacity on a number of recent animated shorts, including the 2004 Oscar®-nominated “Destino,” based on storyboards and original art by the iconic artist Salvador Dali. In the area of live-action films, Disney and his wife, Leslie DeMeuse Disney, most recently executive produced the 2008 feature documentary, “Morning Light,” which followed a group of young sailors as they competed in the grueling Transpac race from Los Angeles to Honolulu. (more…)

Francis Ford Coppola on the Future of Cinema

// November 28th, 2009 // Comments Off // People

by Marla Lewin

Francis Ford Coppola at Torino 2009 Press Conference photo by Marc Halperin

Another in our series on the Future of Cinema.

We were attending the Torino Film Lab and I had the opportunity to interview Francis Ford Coppola. I mentioned we are working on a series about the Future of Cinema, and Francis said he has his own theory, but it would take some time to explain and would use up all of our time. He doesn’t think 3D will be the answer that the studios believe it is.

He is in Torino showing his latest film Tetro, which he shot in Argentina, at the Torino Film Festival and last night it was sold out.  He told us he liked living in Argentina, which like the rest of South America has a great literary tradition of poetry and novels. He also likes listening to its music, seeing its color, romance, its life. (more…)

Canadian born and one of the world’s great actors, Christopher Plummer

// November 5th, 2009 // Comments Off // People

by Marla Lewin

Christopher Plummer as Doctor Parnassus Photo taken by Liam Daniel, Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics

Christopher Plummer not only stars as a mystic who sells his soul to the devil in Terry GIlliam’s Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus, but he plays Leo Tolstoy in the Last Station by Michael Hoffman.  He has also just finished his memoirs called “In Spite of Himself”.

Scott Foundas from the LA weekly, had just read the book, and was prepared to question the actor for the tribute. Plummer quiped the book was longer than Tolstoy’s War and Peace. The first question was what else could he have been, other than an actor?  Plummer replied, “A classical or jazz pianist. But to be successful in those professions. He decided one would have to like to work very hard, and that is a very lonely life, traveling all the time. He had a cousin who did that and it turned out to be a very lonely experience.” (more…)

A Halloween Interview with Joe Dante just before his premiere of THE HOLE at AFI Film Festival

// October 31st, 2009 // Comments Off // People

by Marla Lewin

It’s Halloween, and our treat is speaking with Joe Dante, who will be walking the red carpet in a few hours for the US premiere of his new film, The Hole at the AFI film festival.  Some of the stars of the movie, will be there as well including several actors he has worked with many times before.  I asked Marc Halperin to help me with the interview, as he distributed Joes’ film The Howling while at Embassy Pictures in the glory days of 80′s Horror films.

MARLA:  So how was it winning the best 3D film award at the Venice Film Festival?

JOE:  Quite a surprise!  We were up against the Pixar film.

MARC:  How did you like working in 3D.  Is this the first time you’ve made a film in 3D?

JOE:  Years ago I did a 3D film for Busch Gardens called The Haunted Lighthouse.  I have loved 3D since I was a kid.   (more…)

Interview with AFI Film Artistic Director Festival Programmer Robert Koehler

// October 28th, 2009 // Comments Off // People

by Marla Lewin

I spent almost an hour with Robert Koelher who has gone from a top movie critic for Variety, to Artistic Director, Programmer of the AFI Film Festival and he gave me a look inside how he approached putting together this years festival and where it is going.

Marla: Congratulations,  Robert, this is your second year programming the festival, How different is it from being a critic? How is it going?

Robert: I was at the Los Angeles Times, and started in 94 writing for Variety, working for special sections, the Variety sections,and special themes they still do in weekly editions and on their website.  In 1999, some folks left the review team, they needed  someone out of LA to join, and I had wanted to review, so it worked out well.  Going to festivals, here and abroad, the first few years to Cannes with Variety.

(more…)