His Master’s Voice | Morgan Freeman
Catherine Deneuve (born Catherine Fabienne Dorléac) – 1943-present
French actress, singer, model and film producer
She gained recognition for her portrayal of aloof, mysterious beauties for various directors, including Luis Buñuel and Roman Polanski. In 1985, she was chosen as the official face of Marianne, France’s national symbol of liberty. A 14-time César Award nominee, she won for her performances in François Truffaut‘s The Last Metro (1980) and Régis Wargnier‘s Indochine (1992). She is also noted for her support for a variety of liberal causes.
Films of note: The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964), Repulsion (1965), Belle de Jour (1967), The April Fools (1969), Tristana (1970), Hustle (1975), The Hunger (1983), Scene of the Crime (1986), My Favourite Season (1993), Place Vendôme (1998), Dancer in the Dark (2000), Potiche(2010), The Brand New Testament (2015), Standing Tall (2015)
His Master’s Voice | Paolo Sorrentino
Paolo Sorrentino (1970 – present)
Italian film director and screenwriter
Sorrentino is considered among the most audacious contemporary filmmakers today. His work has been critically acclaimed across international film festivals and the global film community. The themes he depicts in his cinema have led him to be compared to Frederico Fellini, Ettore Scola and Michaelangelo Antonioni.
His film The Great Beauty scored a hat-trick, when in 2014 it won the Academy Award for the Best Foreign Language Film, BAFTA award for Best Film Not in the English Language, and the Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film, after being nominated for the Palme d’Or at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival.
Films of Note: One Man Up (2001), The Consequences of Love (2004), The Family Friend (2006), Il Divo (2008), This Must be the Place (2011/English), The Great Beauty (2013), Youth (2015/English)
His Master’s Voice | Park Chan-wook
Park Chan-wook (1963 – present)
South Korean film director, screenwriter, producer, and former film critic
One of the most acclaimed and popular filmmakers in his native country, Chan-wook’s films are noted for their immaculate framing, black humour and often brutal subject matter. Park said his films are about the utter futility of vengeance and how it wreaks havoc on the lives of everyone involved. His films have a massive audience worldwide, having done spectacular business and won close to 25 awards across several international film festivals. Hollywood filmmaker Quentin Tarantino considers Chan-wook’s films to be one of his biggest sources of inspiration.
Films of Note: Joint Security Area (2000), Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (2002), Oldboy (2003), Lady Vengeance (2005), I’m a Cyborg, But That’s OK (2007), Thirst (2009), Night Fishing (2011), Stoker (2013)
His Master’s Voice | Ingmar Bergman
Ernst Ingmar Bergman (1918 – 2007)
Swedish director, writer and producer who worked in film, television, and theatre.
Recognised as one of the most accomplished and influential auteurs of all time, having directed over sixty films and documentaries for cinematic release and for television, most of which he also wrote. He also directed over 170 plays. His work often dealt with death, illness, faith, betrayal, bleakness and insanity.
From 1953 he forged a powerful creative partnership with his full-time cinematographer Sven Nykvist. Among his company of actors were Harriet and Bibi Andersson, Liv Ullmann, Gunnar Björnstrand, Erland Josephson, Ingrid Thulin and Max von Sydow. Most of his films were set in Sweden, and numerous films from Through a Glass Darkly (1961) onward were filmed on the island of Fårö.
Films of Note: Smiles of a Summer Night (1953), Wild Strawberries (1957), The Seventh Seal (1957) The Magician (1958), Brink of Life (1958), The Virgin Spring (1960), Through a Glass Darkly (1961), The Silence (1963), Shame (1968), Cries and Whispers (1972), Scenes from a Marriage (1973), The Magic Flute (1975), Face to Face (1976), Autumn Sonata (1978) Fanny and Alexander (1982), The Best Intentions (1992), Saraband (2003)
His Master’s Voice | Michael Haneke
Michael Haneke (1942 – present)
Austrian film director and screenwriter
His work often examines social issues, and depicts the feelings of estrangement experienced by individuals in modern society.
Has worked in television‚theatre and cinema. Besides working as a filmmaker, Haneke also teaches film direction at the Film Academy Vienna.
His films have been appreciated worldwide and awarded the Palme d’Or at Cannes Film Festival, Golden Globe and Academy Award, among others. He is the only Austrian director and the seventh in the world to have received the Palme d’Or twice. In 2013 Haneke won the Prince of Asturias Award for the arts.
Films of Note: The Seventh Continent (1989), Benny’s Video (1992), Code Unknown (2000), The Piano Teacher (2001), Cache (2005), Funny Games (2007), The White Ribbon (2009), Amour (2012)
His Master’s Voice: Wong Kar-wai
Wong Kar-wai (1958 – present)
Hong Kong Second Wave filmmaker
First Chinese director to win the Best Director Award at Cannes Film Festival (for Happy Together in 1997). Wong was the President of the Jury at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival, which makes him the only Chinese person to preside over the jury at the Cannes Film Festival.
Listed at number three on the British Film Institute‘s Sight & Sound Top Ten Directors list of modern times.
Films of note: Days of Being Wild (1990), Ashes of Time (1994), Chungking Express (1994), Fallen Angels (1995), Happy Together (1997), In the Mood for Love (2000), 2046 (2004), The Grandmaster (2013)
His Master’s Voice | Bernardo Bertolucci
Bernardo Bertolucci (1940 – present)
Italian film director and screenwriter
Presented with the inaugural Honorary Palme d’Or Award at the Cannes Film Festival in 2011
Films of note: The Conformist (1970), Last Tango in Paris (1972), 1900 (1976), The Last Emperor (1987), The Sheltering Sky (1990), The Dreamers (2003)
A Shot of Short: ‘Printed Rainbow’ | Gitanjali Rao
Gitanjali Rao, India’s leading contemporary animator, won the Kodak Short Film Award, Small Golden Rail and the Young Critics Award for Printed Rainbow at Cannes in 2006. The film employs multiple sketching and painting techniques to tell the story of a lonely old lady and her cat, switching between the drab, routine and claustrophobic city life, and the joyous, colourful and free spaces of her imagination, which are prompted by her matchbox collection.
The film in its mere 15 minutes touches a deep chord of emotion. The power and depth of Gitanjali Rao’s observation, perception and sensitivity is inspiring and thought-provoking. This is definitely an artist to follow.