Direct Action (film)
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 Festival release poster | |
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| Cinematography | Ben Russell |
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| Distributed by | Shellac |
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Running time | 216 minutes |
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Direct Action is a 2024 French–German documentary film directed by Guillaume Cailleau and Ben Russell. Taking its title from the tactical protest strategy of the same name, the film is a modern portrait of one of the most important militant activist communities in France.[1][2]
It was selected in the Encounters at the 74th Berlin International Film Festival, where it had its world premiere on 21 February 2024,[3] and won Encounters Golden Bear Plaque for Best Film.[4] The film was also nominated for the Berlinale Documentary Film Award, and got a Special Mention from jury.[5][6]
Contents
[edit]Direct action is a tactical strategy of protest that seeks to achieve an end directly and by the most effective means.
The documentary film is a result of long-term immersive work, in the line of Jean Rouch as well as Chantal Akerman. It is a contemporary portrait of one of the most notorious and militant activist groups in France: a rural community of 150 people who fought off an international airport project in 2018, established a self-governing zone from 2012 to 2018, endured several brutal attempts of eviction by the French authorities and gave rise to a new environmental movement in 2021. The film uses a cooperative and immersive method to capture the daily lives of a varied network of activists, squatters, anarchists, farmers and those branded by the government as “eco-terrorists”. Does the success of such a radical protest movement provide a way to deal with the climate crisis?
Production
[edit]The film is produced by CASKFILMS and Volte Film and distributed by Shellac.[7] The film is made in collaboration with Jeonju International Film Festival (Jeonju Cinema Project), funded by Centre national du cinéma et de l'image animée, Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg, Region Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, and National Centre for Visual Arts.[8]
Release
[edit]Direct Action had its world premiere on 21 February 2024, as part of the 74th Berlin International Film Festival, in Encounters.[9][10]
The film competed in the 46th Cinéma du Réel Festival competition that took place from 22 to March 31 2024 in Paris.[11] It was first screened on 24 March 2024 in the festival.[12] The film was also screened in 'Horizons' at the 58th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival on 28 June 2024.[13][14] It will also be presented in 'Strands: Experimenta' section of the 2024 BFI London Film Festival on 19 October 2024.[15] It also made it to Currents section of 2024 New York Film Festival and was screened at the Lincoln Center in October 2024.[16][17]On 1 November 2024, the film will be showcased at the 37th Tokyo International Film Festival in 'World Focus' section.[18]
It will be released in French theaters on 20 November 2024 by Shellac films.[19]
Reception
[edit]Fabien Lemercier reviewing the film at Berlinale for Cineuropa wrote, "Ben Russell and Guillaume Cailleau immerse themselves in the Zadist movement based in Notre-Dame-des-Landes for a hypnotic documentary featuring radical artist parties." Commenting on the length of the film Lemercier wrote, "Overall, the film does require a little patience," but then praising the cinematographer he stated, "it proves to be a magnetic cinematographic approach depicting the diversity and firmly entrenched identity of a group of activists living (and acting) in accordance with their beliefs." Concluding Lemercier wrote, "it’s first and foremost an original artistic gesture which is perfectly in keeping with its subject-matter, like a lookout creating their own space-time."[20]
Accolades
[edit]In August 2024, the film was selected for nomination to 37th European Film Awards to be held at Kultur- und Kongresszentrum Luzern in Lucerne on 7 December 2024.[21][22]
| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Berlin International Film Festival | 25 February 2024 | Encounters Golden Bear Plaque for Best Film | Guillaume Cailleau and Ben Russell | Won | [23][4] |
| Berlinale Documentary Film Award: Special Mention | Won | [5][6] | |||
| Cinéma du Réel | 2 April 2024 | Cinéma du réel Grand Prix | Direct Action | Won | [24] |
References
[edit]- ^ "Direct Action". Cask Films. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
- ^ Cailleau, Guillaume (22 January 2024). "Direct Action (film)". Cineuropa. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
- ^ Abbatescianni, Davide (22 January 2024). "The Berlinale unveils its Competition and Encounters titles". Cineuropa. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
- ^ a b Scott Roxborough (24 February 2024). "Mati Diop Doc 'Dahomey' Wins Berlin Golden Bear". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 24 February 2024.
- ^ a b "Berlinale Documentary Award and Jury". Berlinale. 24 February 2024. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
- ^ a b Abbatescianni, Davide (24 February 2024). "Mati Diop's Dahomey bags the Berlinale Golden Bear". Cineuropa. Retrieved 24 February 2024.
- ^ "Direct Action (film)". Unifrance. 18 December 2023. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
- ^ "Direct Action: Deutschland Frankreich 2020-2024 Dokumentarfilm" [Direct Action: Germany France 2020-2024 Documentary]. filmportal.de (in German). Retrieved 15 February 2024.
- ^ Ntim, Zac (22 January 2024). "Berlin Reveals 2024 Competition Lineup: Rooney Mara, Mati Diop, Isabelle Huppert, Abderrahmane Sissako Movies Among Selection". Deadline. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
- ^ "Direct Action". Berlinale. 6 February 2024. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
- ^ Nicolas Bardot (6 February 2024). "La compétition du Festival Cinéma du Réel 2024" [The 2024 Cinéma du Réel Festival competition]. Polyester (in French). WordPress. Retrieved 24 February 2024.
- ^ "Direct Action (film)". Cinéma du Réel. 24 March 2024. Retrieved 16 May 2024.
- ^ "Catalogue of Films – Horizons". The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. 28 June 2024. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
- ^ Kudlac, Martin (14 June 2024). "Karlovy Vary unveils the full line-up for its 58th edition". Cineuropa. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
- ^ Ntim, Zac (4 September 2024). "BFI London Film Festival Lineup: Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi & Jimmy Chin To Debut 'Endurance', Baker, Heller, Berger & Abbasi's Trump Movie Among Headline Galas — Full List". Deadline. Retrieved 7 September 2024.
- ^ "62nd New York Film Festival Currents Announced". Film at Lincoln Center. 15 August 2024. Retrieved 12 October 2024.
- ^ Goldsmith, Jill (15 August 2024). "New York Film Festival Sets Lineup For Currents Strand Led By Jem Cohen's 'Little, Big, And Far'". Deadline. Retrieved 12 October 2024.
- ^ "TIFF: Full lineup". Tokyo International Film Festival. 25 September 2024. Retrieved 26 September 2024.
- ^ "Direct Action (film):20 20 novembre 2024 en salle – Documentaire" [Direct Action (film): November 20, 2024 in theaters]. AlloCiné (in French). 2 April 2024. Retrieved 16 May 2024.
- ^ Lemercier, Fabien (22 February 2024). "Review: Direct Action". Cineuropa. Retrieved 22 February 2024.
- ^ "European Film Awards 2024: The European Film Academy announces this year's Documentary Film Selection". European Film Academy. Retrieved 24 August 2024.
- ^ Roxborough, Scott (21 August 2024). "European Film Awards Pick 2024 Documentary Films Shortlist". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 24 August 2024.
- ^ Rosser, Michael (22 January 2024). "Berlin film festival reveals 2024 competition line-up". ScreenDaily. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
- ^ Lemercier, Fabien (2 April 2024). "Cinéma du réel crowns Direct Action as its champion". Cineuropa. Retrieved 16 May 2024.
External links
[edit]- Official website
- Direct Action at IMDb
- Direct Action at AlloCiné (in French)
- Direct Action at Berlinale