Newsmakers

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Newsmakers
Directed by Anders Banke
Produced by Sam Klebanov
Aleksandr Lungin
Peter Hiltunen
Anna Katchko
Thomas Eskilsson
Magnus Paulsson
Written by Sam Klebanov
Aleksandr Lungin
Tin-Shing Yip(original screenplay)
Hing-Ka Chan(original screenplay)
Starring Andrey Merzlikin
Evgeniy Tsyganov
Mariya Mashkova
Sergey Garmash
Music by Anthony Lledo
Cinematography Chris Maris
Editing by Fredrik Morheden
Studio Tandem Pictures
Illusion Film & Television
Kino Bez Granits
Solid Entertainment
Film i Väst
Distributed by Kino Bez Granits
Release dates Russia:
7 May 2009
Running time 102 minutes
Country Russia
Sweden
Language Russian
English
Swedish
Budget About 4,000,000 dollars

Newsmakers (original title: Goryachie novosti) is a 2009 Russian/Swedish action film directed by Swedish director Anders Banke. It's a remake of the Hong Kong film Breaking News by Johnnie To.

Plot

Moscow police officer Smirnov sets out to capture the violent gangleader Herman after a failed robbery. Meanwhile Smirnov superiors are trying to find a way to better the reputation of the Moscow police. The young eager pr-girl Katya suggests that they should turn the capture of Herman into a reality show, showing off the police as action heroes. The situation gets complicated when Herman and his gang tries the same tactic. The situation soon escalates into a fullblown war, both in media and on the streets.[1]

Cast

  • Andrey Merzlikin - Smirnov
  • Evgeniy Tsyganov - Herman
  • Mariya Mashkova - Katya
  • Sergey Garmash - Killer
  • Maksim Konovalov - Kley
  • Aleksey Frandetti - Orda
  • Pavel Klimov - Kon
  • Sergei Vesnin - Valery
  • Artyom Semakin - Hamlet
  • Yuri Shlykov - General Boldyrev
  • Loa Falkman - Tillström
  • Aleksandr Raschupkin - Vovchik
  • Sonya Hilkevich - Sonya[2]

Production

Anders Banke's horror/black comedy film Frostbite about a gang of teen vampires spreading fear in an arctic town in the far north of Sweden became the highest grossing independent film in Russia 2006, received very positive reviews and reached cult status. The Russian distributors of Frostbite where moving into producing their own films and asked Banke if he wanted to helm a Russian language remake of Jonnie To's film Breaking News and he agrees. Anders Banke who had learned Russian when he got a chance to study film on VGIK had no problem directing the Russian cast.[3] Fittingly, Banke's frequent collaborator Chris Maris had also studied at VGIK. The film was shot in Trollhättan in Sweden and in Moscow. The film was shot on 35 mm like Frostbite as Anders Banke dislikes filming digitally.[4]

Music

The score was composed by Anthony Lledo and performed by the Danish National Chamber Orchestra. Leaders of Men by Joy Division is featured prominently in the film.

Response and boxoffice

Despite an aggressive promotional campaign—producer Klebanov and the film’s cast personally presented the film in nearly 20 Russian cities—the film enjoyed scant popularity among Russian audiences and film critics. The producers attributed film’s lack of commercial success to its May release, suggesting that May’s warm temperatures discourage people from going to the movies. Russians’ current lack of interest in national cinema, the alleged absence of a star system in Russia, and—somewhat ironically—the film’s insufficient promotion in the Russian media were also cited as culprits in the film’s unfavorable commercial and critical reception.[5]

Splash Magazine included the film on its Top Ten list from Tribeca Film Festival 2009 citing it as a must see.[6]

Tiny Beam of Light also provided a positive review of the film[7] praising the score and the entertainment value.

References

  1. ↑ "Newsmakers film". Bio.nu. Retrieved 2012-09-02. 
  2. ↑ Goryachie novosti (2009) - Full cast and crew
  3. ↑ "Exclusive interview; Anders Banke, director of Frostbite - Feature Article". Eat My Brains!. 2006-12-15. Retrieved 2012-09-02. 
  4. ↑ Goryachie novosti (2009)
  5. ↑ "KinoKultura". KinoKultura. 2009-05-16. Retrieved 2012-09-02. 
  6. ↑ "The Eighth Annual Tribeca Film Festival: It's A Wrap | Splash Magazines | Los Angeles". Lasplash.com. Retrieved 2012-09-02. 
  7. ↑ "Newsmakers (2009) dir: Anders Banke « vWv124's Tiny Beam of Light". Tinybeamoflight.com. 2009-05-22. Retrieved 2012-09-02. 

External links

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