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Oscar-winning director Bernardo Bertolucci dies at 77

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ROME — Italian film-maker Bernardo Bertolucci, who won Oscars with “The Last Emperor” and whose erotic drama “Last Tango in Paris” enthralled and shocked the world, died Monday. He was 77.

Bertolucci’s press office, Punto e Virgola, confirmed the death in an email to The Associated Press. Italy’s state-run RAI said Bertolucci died at his home in Rome, surrounded by family.

“He will be remembered among the greatest in Italian and world film,” the Venice Film Festival, which awarded Bertolucci a lifetime achievement award in 2007, said in a statement.

Bertolucci’s movies often explored the sexual relations among characters stuck in a psychological crisis, as in “Last Tango.” The self-professed Marxist also did not shy away from politics and ideology, as in “The Conformist,” which some critics consider Bertolucci’s masterpiece.

Despite working with A-list American and international stars, Bertolucci always defended his own film-making style against what he said was the pressure of the U.S. film industry. He maintained critical success for most of his career, weathering the controversies that his sexually provocative work would stir and some commercial flops.

“When it comes to commercial cinema, I have the strange pleasure of feeling that I’m from another tribe, an infiltrator,” he told Italian daily Corriere della Sera in 1990.

He was honoured for lifetime achievement at the Cannes film festival in 2011.

Bertolucci’s movies also bore the imprint of the director’s own experiences in psychoanalysis. He always said that making films was his way of communicating with the audience. It was his personal language.

“Maybe I’m an idealist, but I still think of the movie theatre as a cathedral where we all go together to dream the dream together,” he said upon receiving an award from the Director’s Guild of America for his 1987 film “The Last Emperor.”

That movie handed Bertolucci his greatest success. In 1988 it won all the nine Academy Awards that it had been nominated for — including best movie and best director.

The movie — the first Western feature film to win permission to shoot in Beijing’s Forbidden City — follows the life of China’s last emperor, from child-king at the end of the Qing Dynasty to war criminal and finally to an ordinary citizen in the People’s Republic.

It was filmed in the lush and vivid style that was one of Bertolucci’s trademarks. It featured grandiose scenes and intimate moments, and a flashback structure that is typical of biopics.

Cinematographer Vittorio Storaro, who often worked with Bertolucci and won one of his three Oscars with “Last Emperor,” compared the director to William Faulkner.

“His style is not unlike that of Faulkner who’ll go on for 30 pages without a period. Bernardo doesn’t just use the camera to convey just one sentence. Everything flows into everything else,” said Storaro.

Bertolucci was born in the northern city of Parma on March 16, 1941, the son of poet Attilio Bertolucci and his wife Ninetta. The family moved to Rome when Bertolucci was 13.

He had originally wanted to be a poet like his father, but later turned to movies.

He began his career while still a student at the University of Rome as an assistant director on Pier Paolo Pasolini’s film “Accattone.” A year later, in 1962, he made his first film “The Grim Reaper,” about the murder of a prostitute.

Soon he established himself as one of the brightest young stars of international cinema. By his early 30s, he had already directed highly acclaimed movies: “Before the Revolution” in 1964, a reflection on politics and the middle-class set in the director’s hometown; “The Spider’s Strategem” in 1970, the story of a man who returns to the scene of the killing of his father, an anti-Fascist hero, to discover a web of lies; and “The Conformist,” which is based on an Alberto Moravia novel and depicts the struggle of a man, Jean-Louis Trintignant, to conform to society and expectations in Fascist Italy.

But it was with “Last Tango” that Bertolucci shot to stardom, and notoriety.

The film, starring Marlon Brando and Maria Schneider as a middle-aged man and younger woman who engage in a brutal sexual relationship in a bare Paris apartment, shocked the world and incurred censorship in his native country.

But its raw and improvisational style also earned Brando and Bertolucci Oscar nominations and was likened by New Yorker film critic Pauline Kael to Stravinsky’s “The Rite of Spring” as a revolutionary work of art.

The movie was banned in Italy just after its release in 1972, and was not released again until 1987. The case went back and forth in the courts until the high criminal court banned the film in 1976 and ordered all copies confiscated and destroyed. Bertolucci, Brando and Schneider, as well as the producer Alberto Grimaldi, were sentenced to two months in jail and a fine of $40 each — although the jail terms were suspended.

Schneider herself would say she was traumatized by the movie. The actress, who died in 2011, was just 19 during filming and told the Daily Mail in 2007 that a rape scene involving a stick of butter was included without warning.

“I should have called my agent or had my lawyer come to the set because you can’t force someone to do something that isn’t in the script, but at the time, I didn’t know that,” she said.

“Marlon said to me: ‘Maria, don’t worry, it’s just a movie,’ but during the scene, even though what Marlon was doing wasn’t real, I was crying real tears. I felt humiliated and to be honest, I felt a little raped, both by Marlon and by Bertolucci. After the scene, Marlon didn’t console me or apologize. Thankfully, there was just one take,” she said.

Bertolucci then embarked on his most ambitious project, a four-hour epic tale on the lives of two boys — Gerard Depardieu and Robert De Niro — through the political upheavals of the past century in Italy. The movie — “1900” — won some critical praise, but ended up a spectacular commercial flop.

Bertolucci’s later movies included “The Sheltering Sky,” featuring Debra Winger and John Malkovich as an American couple trying to inject new life into their relationship during a trip to Africa. The 1990 work won Bertolucci a nomination at the Golden Globes.

He also directed “Little Buddha” in 1993 with Keanu Reeves as Siddharta; “Stealing Beauty” in 1996 starring Liv Tyler as a teenager discovering sex during a trip to Italy; “The Dreamers,” again an erotic drama set against a political backdrop — in this case the 1968 student riots in Paris — starring Eva Green and Louis Garrel as cinema-loving siblings who strike up a friendship with visiting American student Michael Pitt. The film featured full-frontal male nudity but was released uncut in the United States.

Bertolucci was married to the English writer and director Clare Peploe. They had no children. Peploe is the sister of Mark Peploe, a screenwriter and close friend of Bertolucci’s who worked with the director on a number of projects.

Punto e Virgola, the press office, said details of funeral plans are not yet finalized but that it expects a ceremony in the next few days.

___

Former AP writer Alessandra Rizzo contributed biographical material to this report.

Nicole Winfield, The Associated Press

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Alberta

Province adds $335 million over three years to attract more investment from Hollywood

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Action! for Alberta’s film and television industry

Alberta’s screen-based sector has momentum, and Alberta’s government is helping to make the province a magnet for the job-creating film and television industry.

In 2020, Alberta’s government launched the Film and Television Tax Credit, causing the province’s film and television industry to grow in size and reputation. Since then, Alberta has attracted 129 productions with a total production value of $1.7 billion. This growth has resulted in approximately 9,000 direct and indirect jobs for Albertans.

To keep this momentum going, Alberta’s government continues to make changes to the program and increase investment in it. One year after the tax credit was launched, the cap was raised, resulting in a doubling of the province’s film and television sector. Now, Alberta’s government is increasing its investment to a total of $335 million over three years to continue attracting the attention and investment dollars of Hollywood.

“Alberta is experiencing exponential growth in our film and television sector, and we are well on our way to becoming a top Canadian jurisdiction for producers from around the world. Since the introduction of the Film and Television Tax Credit, the film and television sector in Alberta has doubled. Productions reach every part of Alberta – big cities, small towns and rural locations – and use local resources, businesses, accommodations and contractors, supporting thousands of jobs.”

Brian Jean, Minister of Jobs, Economy and Northern Development

As the province’s film and television industry grows, so does the quality and number of Alberta-made productions. To help grow and promote local talent and productions, Alberta’s government is also doubling the funding to the Alberta Made Screen Industries Program. This funding will support local producers and attract productions from around the world to set up shop in Alberta.

“Alberta-made film and television productions showcase Alberta’s unique culture, breathtaking landscapes and stories to audiences across the globe. We are increasing our support to smaller productions because they provide a unique Alberta-made training ground for emerging talent and create local, highly skilled workers in the sector.”

Jason Luan, Minister of Culture

The Film and Television Tax Credit and Alberta Made Screen Industries Program work together to showcase the beauty and diversity of Alberta, create jobs, diversify the economy and support hospitality, service and tourism in the province. These targeted incentives to the film and television industries are helping to ensure Alberta remains the economic engine of Canada for years to come and the next film and television hub.

“The tax credit is central to the success of the industry. This is a competitive industry globally, and here in Alberta we’re fortunate we had the cap removed. Now we can see productions with budgets from $100,000 to well over $100 million. Now that we have a robust production environment, there are more opportunities for people to have well-paying creative jobs.”

Damian Petti, president, I.A.T.S.E. Local 212 Calgary

“The Alberta government has provided supports for the film and television industry that provide certainty. It gives us more flexibility in how we’re moving forward in our film and television work and the way that we’re running our businesses.”

Janet Morhart, COO/co-executive producer, Prairie Dog Film and Television

“Seeing the increase to the Alberta Made Production Grant in the last budget has been fantastic. It will help grow the local industry, which means so much to local performers because that’s where they build their resumés. It allows them to be a working performer, and not take side jobs or a day job somewhere else, and really focus on their craft.”

Tina Alford, branch representative, Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Arts (ACTRA) Alberta

Quick facts

  • According to Statistics Canada data:
    • Every $1 million of production activity in the screen-based production sector creates about 13 Alberta jobs.
    • Every $1 million of government investment under the Film and Television Tax Credit program is expected to support about 85 Alberta jobs.
  • The film and television industry is experiencing significant growth nationally and globally.
  • Every year, Alberta graduates more than 3,000 creative industry professionals from its post-secondary institutions.
  • The production workforce has grown 71 per cent from 2017, or by about 4,000 workers across all positions.
  • Alberta’s Film and Television Tax Credit supports medium- and large-scale productions with costs over $499,999 through a refundable tax credit on eligible Alberta production and labour costs to corporations that produce films, television series and other eligible screen-based productions.
  • The Alberta Made Production Grant supports productions with a budget of up to $499,999.
  • The Alberta Made Screen Industries Program, through the Alberta Made Production Grant, supports smaller productions that do not qualify for the tax credit, covering 25 per cent of eligible Alberta production costs to a maximum of $125,000.
  • Every $1 investment in the Alberta Made Production Grant program generates an additional $4 in economic return.

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Alberta

Edmonton to host “Road to the JUNOS Concert Series” leading up to Juno Awards week

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From Explore Edmonton 

Road to The JUNOS Concert Series Builds Excitement to JUNO Week.

Access and Diversity Key for Fans and Artists.

The JUNOS 2023 Host Committee is excited to announce an Edmonton-based concert series, titled Road to The JUNOS, as a lead-up to The 52nd Annual JUNO Awards Broadcast and JUNO Week from March 9-13.

The concert series will be set in small, intimate venues around Edmonton and feature local and regional artists who one day may end up on the JUNOS stage. Road to The JUNOS is a collaboration between the JUNOS 2023 Edmonton Host Committee, CBC Music and Explore Edmonton. It aims to provide excitement and create momentum leading into Canada’s biggest celebration of music.

The 10-show concert series will run from Monday, February 6 through Tuesday, February 28 at local venues in Edmonton. Of note, the artists playing these events come from a wide variety of backgrounds and genres and offer an opportunity to see some of Canada’s newest and most exciting talent. Fans can be a part of an intimate JUNOS concert with an affordable advance ticket price of only $10.

Road to The JUNOS is possible thanks in part to federal funding through PrairiesCan’s Tourism Relief Fund. This Fund is positioning Canada as a destination of choice for domestic and international travel. PrairiesCan administers the Fund in Alberta.

“Edmonton is a vibrant and dynamic cultural hub and our government’s support for Road to The JUNOS will bring that experience to visitors from across Canada and around the globe. Through the Tourism Relief Fund and our partnership with organizations such as Explore Edmonton, communities across Canada will capitalize on the jobs and economic activity generated through Edmonton’s growing tourism industry.”

– The Honourable Dan Vandal, Minister for PrairiesCan

“Road to The JUNOS is an important step in positioning Edmonton as an all-season destination and celebrating our community’s business and arts districts. I’m proud to see our government supporting Edmonton to build on its leadership in arts and culture while strengthening local tourism activity that benefits businesses in our city.”

– The Honourable Randy Boissonnault, Minister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance

“Road to The JUNOS is an exciting opportunity to grow Alberta’s music industry, showcasing local talent to visitors from all parts of Canada. The Alberta government is proud to support this series of concerts that features Alberta’s talent on stage as well as the venues, promoters and other music professionals.”

– The Honourable Jason Luan, Alberta Minister of Culture

“Canada has a long history of producing exceptionally talented musicians. The Road to The JUNOS concert series hopes to help give a platform to some of our up-and-coming artists and audiences a chance to say ‘we saw them when’.”

– Aimée Hill, co-chair, 2023 Host Committee

“Explore Edmonton is proud to support The JUNO Awards in March and we are delighted to be a part of this grassroots concert series. Promoting our local music venues, supporting talented Canadian musicians, and giving Edmontonians quality music experiences at an affordable price is such an important piece to the whole JUNOS experience. And we get to show off a little for the rest of Canada!”

– Traci Bednard, CEO of Explore Edmonton

The JUNOS Experience starts here. For more information and to buy tickets, visit: https://edmonton.junoawards.ca/

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