War Story | |
---|---|
Directed by | Mark Jackson |
Written by | Mark Jackson Kristin Gore |
Produced by | Catherine Keener Kristin Gore Matt Ratner Shona Tuckman |
Starring | Catherine Keener Ben Kingsley Hafsia Herzi |
Cinematography | Reed Morano |
Edited by | Kate Abernathy |
Music by | Amy Lee Dave Eggar Chuck Palmer |
Production companies | Caney Fork Films Kreate Films Sicily Movie Tilted Windmill Productions |
Release date |
|
Running time | 90 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
War Story is a 2014 American drama film directed by Mark Jackson from a screenplay by Jackson and Kristin Gore. It stars Catherine Keener, Hafsia Herzi and Ben Kingsley. The film had its world premiere at 2014 Sundance Film Festival on January 19, 2014, [1] and later screened at 2014 International Film Festival Rotterdam. [2] Its music was composed by Amy Lee, Dave Eggar, and Chuck Palmer.
A war photographer, Lee goes to Sicily instead of going back home to New York City, to forget about being taken hostage in Libya. In Sicily, she crosses paths with her former lover and mentor Albert and tries to help Hafsia, a young Tunisian migrant, escape to France.
Music for the film was composed by Amy Lee of rock band Evanescence, and Dave Eggar. The soundtrack album was released on August 25, 2014.
War Story received a mixed to negative response from critics, with a 47% rating on rotten tomatoes. Todd McCarthy in his review for The Hollywood Reporter praised the film, calling it "A compelling, beautifully filmed character study of a war zone photographer in personal turmoil." [3] Mark Adams of Screen International praised the film by saying that it is "A dense and taut drama, a study on post-traumatic stress disorder that at its best is strikingly tense and heavy with sadness." [4] Chris Michael in his review for The Guardian , gave the film three out of five stars and said that "Catherine Keener exudes dark anxiety in Mark Jackson's tale of the European immigrant experience." [5] Metacritic , which uses a weighted average , assigned the film a score of 50 out of 100, based on 13 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews. [6]
Year | Award | Category | Recipient | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
2014 | International Film Festival Rotterdam | Tiger Award | Mark Jackson | Nominated [2] |
Heights is a 2005 American drama film directed by Chris Terrio and written by Amy Fox, based on her 2001 stage play of the same name. It follows a pivotal twenty-four hours in the interconnected lives of five New Yorkers. It stars Elizabeth Banks, James Marsden, Glenn Close, Jesse Bradford, and John Light. Numerous prominent actors such as Eric Bogosian, George Segal, and Isabella Rossellini appear in supporting roles.
Dedication is a 2007 American comedy-drama film directed by Justin Theroux, written by David Bromberg, and stars Billy Crudup and Mandy Moore. The film premiered at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival. It was produced by Plum Pictures.
Hamlet 2 is a 2008 American comedy film directed by Andrew Fleming, written by Fleming and Pam Brady, and starring Steve Coogan, Catherine Keener, Amy Poehler, and David Arquette. It was produced by Eric Eisner, Leonid Rozhetskin, and Aaron Ryder. Hamlet 2 was filmed primarily at a New Mexico high school from September to October 2007. The film premiered at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival and was distributed by Focus Features.
The Secret of the Grain, titled Couscous in the UK, is a 2007 Franco-Tunisian drama film directed by Abdellatif Kechiche. The film stars Habib Boufares as an aging immigrant from the Maghreb whose ambition to establish a successful restaurant as an inheritance for his large and disparate family meets sceptical opposition from the French bureaucracy.
Lovesong is a 2016 American drama film directed by So Yong Kim, who co-wrote the film with Bradley Rust Gray. It stars Jena Malone, Riley Keough, Brooklyn Decker, Amy Seimetz, Marshall Chapman, Ryan Eggold, and Rosanna Arquette.
Mother and Child is a 2009 drama film directed and written by Rodrigo García. It premiered on September 14, 2009, at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival and at the Sundance Film Festival on January 23, 2010, and was the closing night selection in the 2010 Maryland Film Festival. It had a limited release in the United States beginning May 7, 2010.
Hafsia Herzi is a French actress, screenwriter, and director. She is best known for her debut role in the award-winning Franco-Tunisian feature The Secret of the Grain for which she won the award for most promising actress at the César Awards 2008, and the Marcello Mastroianni award, for best emerging actor/actress at the 64th Venice International Film Festival.
House of Tolerance is a 2011 French drama film written and directed by Bertrand Bonello, starring Hafsia Herzi, Céline Sallette, Jasmine Trinca, Adèle Haenel, Alice Barnole, Iliana Zabeth and Noémie Lvovsky. The film had its world premiere in the Competition section of the Cannes Film Festival on 16 May 2011.
Return is a 2011 independent film about an American reservist, wife and mother returning home from her tour of duty in the Middle East. The film was written and directed by Liza Johnson, and stars Linda Cardellini, Michael Shannon and John Slattery. It is Johnson's first feature-length film, and received good reviews at its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival Directors' Fortnight. Linda Cardellini was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead for her performance in the film.
Lilting is a 2014 British romantic drama film written and directed by Cambodian-born British director Hong Khaou and produced by Dominic Buchanan.
On My Way is a 2013 French comedy-drama film directed by Emmanuelle Bercot. The film premiered in competition at the 63rd Berlin International Film Festival.
Love Is Strange is a 2014 American romantic drama film directed by Ira Sachs. The film had its premiere in the non-Competition programme of the 2014 Sundance Film Festival. The film was also screened in the Panorama section of the 64th Berlin International Film Festival.
Hits is a 2014 American comedy-drama written and directed by David Cross. The film is the directorial debut of Cross. The film had its world premiere at 2014 Sundance Film Festival on January 21, 2014. The film later screened at 2014 Sundance London Film Festival on April 26, 2014. On February 13, 2015, Hits became the first feature-length film to be released on BitTorrent with a pay-what-you-want model. The Recording Academy's Chapter President Tammy Susan Hurt contributed music to the film via Georgia Music Partners.
Prophet's Prey is a 2015 American documentary directed and written by Amy J. Berg. The film follows Warren Jeffs, the president of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, who is now running the religion from the confines of the Texas state prison, serving out a life sentence, for the rape of young girls. The film is an adaptation of the 2011 book of the same name by Sam Brower, who also serves as a producer on the film. Ron Howard serves as an executive producer under his Imagine Entertainment banner.
The Last Word is a 2017 American comedy-drama film directed by Mark Pellington, from a screenplay by Stuart Ross Fink. It stars Amanda Seyfried and Shirley MacLaine.
Burden is a 2018 American drama film, inspired by true events. The film was produced by Robbie Brenner and Bill Kenwright, and was written and directed by Andrew Heckler. The film stars Garrett Hedlund, Forest Whitaker, Andrea Riseborough, Tom Wilkinson, Tess Harper, and Usher. The film premiered at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival and won the U.S. Dramatic Audience Award.
Mektoub, My Love: Canto Uno is a 2017 French romantic drama film directed by Abdellatif Kechiche. The film is an adaptation of François Bégaudeau's novel La Blessure, la vraie. It was screened in the main competition section of the 74th Venice International Film Festival. A sequel, entitled Intermezzo, was released in 2019.
Mektoub, My Love: Intermezzo is a 2019 French erotic drama film produced, co-written, and directed by Abdellatif Kechiche. The film is a sequel to Kechiche's 2017 film Mektoub, My Love: Canto Uno, and like its predecessor, is based on the novel La Blessure, la vraie written by François Bégaudeau. It stars Shaïn Boumedine, Ophélie Bau, Salim Kechiouche, Alexia Chardard, Lou Luttiau, and Hafsia Herzi
Sex Doll is a 2016 drama thriller film, directed by Sylvie Verheyde, and produced by Bruno Berthemy, Bertrand Faivre, and Soledad Gatti-Pascual. The film stars Hafsia Herzi, Ash Stymest, and Karole Rocher in the lead roles.
This Teacher is a 2018 film directed by Mark Jackson and distributed by Breaking Glass Pictures.