EDINBURGH INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
MEET FRODO ( AND SOME OF YOUR OTHER MOVIE HEROES )
The EIFF has faced some whispered accusations of obscurity in the past, producing programmes which, regardless of their high quality, fell short on recognisable names that i lmgoers could get excited about. It’s an issue that’s squarely addressed at this year’s festival, with some of Hollywood’s i nest turning up on screen and in the l esh.
Our cover star Elijah Wood is the main attraction of the Empire Hero Hangouts strand, a series of 90-minute interviews in the grand Royal Lyceum Theatre. Also lined up is Miami Vice star and Robert Rodriguez favourite Don Johnson (in town supporting Cold in July -– see interview, page 12, and review, page 57); Kidulthood creator Noel Clarke (here in support of The Anomaly) and The Big Bang Theory’s Simon Helberg (appearing alongside his We’ll Never Have Paris co-director Jocelyn Towne). In addition to the Hero Hangouts, other
guests include Parks & Recreation’s Aubrey Plaza (Life After Beth); Ugly Betty’s America Ferrera (X/Y); British comedian Kevin Eldon (who co-stars with Elijah Wood in Set Fire to the Stars); and Scottish i lm and stage star David Hayman (Castles in the Sky). There’ll also be plenty of behind-the-camera talent in attendance, including Stake Land’s Jim Mickle (Cold in July) and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind’s Michel Gondry (Is the Man who is Tall Happy? – see interview, right), with many more still to be announced. (Niki Boyle) ■ Hero Hangouts, Royal Lyceum Theatre, Fri 20–Sun 29 Jun. See edi lmfest.org.uk for further guest announcements.
LEARN ABOUT LEMURS ( WITH SOME HELP FROM MORGAN FREEMAN )
It’s a cute, furry, animals-acting-like- humans narrative that could have been lifted straight from a Disney storyboard: a group of primates, fearing extinction on the mainland, board a naturally made raft and set sail for distant shores. ‘It’s the sort
of thing that feels like it’s made up,’
admits Drew Fellman, writer and producer of Island of Lemurs: Madagascar. Not that he wishes to cast doubt on the likelihood of the story: ‘That’s the leading theory of how they got there, and it’s the only theory out there that explains it.’ Madagascar, which sits about 230 miles off the east coast of Africa (one heck of a trip by raft), is the world’s only natural lemur habitat – over 100 species reside there, from the diminutive mouse lemur to its famously photogenic ring-tailed cousin. Island of Lemurs recounts the primates’ initial voyage before dedicating a series of chapters to a selection of the main lemur species. Narrated by Morgan Freeman, it keeps everything
family-friendly and easily digestible while dazzling audiences with spectacular, large-scale nature photography. It also zips by in around 40 minutes, meaning even your twitchiest of kiddiwinks should be enthralled for the course.
‘It’s one of the few animals that has such an amazing origin story,’ says Fellman. ‘There was something that was so cinematic about that to me.’ After spending some time with such lovable and – as one scene demonstrates – dancel oor-friendly creatures, your little monkeys are bound to be inspired too. (Niki Boyle) ■ Island of Lemurs: Madagascar is screening at Cineworld IMAX, Sun 22 Jun, as part of Edinburgh International Film Festival.
FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENED WHEN MICHEL GONDRY MET NOAM CHOMSKY Eddie Harrison speaks to the distinctive French fi lmmaker about his new documentary, an animated conversation with one of the world’s most famous philosophers
A rguably the best thing to have come from Versailles since the peace treaty, writer and director Michel Gondry returns to the fray with two new feature i lms. The idiosyncratic auteur behind Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind let his own high standards slip with generic comic book movie The Green Hornet, sending him back to France to get in touch with his cinematic mojo.
Coming to cinemas in August is Mood Indigo, a bittersweet romance starring Audrey Tatou and Romain Duris. It’s a love story with a tragic twist, and takes Gondry’s cinema to arguably its darkest place yet. But before that, Edinburgh i lm fans get a chance to see another Gondry accomplishment, a documentary screening as part of EIFF that features an improbable collaboration with political theorist Noam Chomsky. Using Gondry’s own hand-drawn animation, Is The Man Who Is Tall Happy? consists of an extensive interview with Chomsky, covering everything from linguistic theory to the academic’s own family and personal life.
‘Sure, I was nervous about making a i lm with Chomsky. Who wouldn’t be? He’s probably the smartest guy on the planet. So making conversation was a little intimidating, even though I’d met him six or seven times before,’ says Gondry. ‘I’ve always had a strong interest in science, but this is a man whose knowledge of all aspects of political and social theory is very deep. We spoke for about three hours, and then I’d go back to my apartment and create drawings to illustrate what he said.’
Meanwhile in Paris, a revitalised Gondry is already preparing the look of his next feature. ‘That’s what I’m doing today. I’m painting things created by the characters, two French teenagers who go on a long road trip together.’
Mood Indigo is on general release from Fri 1 Aug. Is the Man Who is Tall Happy? is screening at Filmhouse, Edinburgh, Fri 20 Jun & Odeon Lothian Road, Fri 27 Jun, as part of Edinburgh International Film Festival.
FOR MORE SUGGESTIONS OF WHAT TO WATCH, SEE EIFF LISTINGS PAGE 62 & 63. 20 THE LIST 12 Jun–10 Jul 2014