Attenberg

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Attenberg
Film poster
Directed byAthina Rachel Tsangari
Written byAthina Rachel Tsangari
Produced byMaria Hatzakou
Yorgos Lanthimos
Iraklis Mavroidis
Athina Rachel Tsangari
Angelos Venetis
StarringAriane Labed
Vangelis Mourikis
Evangelia Randou
Yorgos Lanthimos
CinematographyThimios Bakatakis
Edited byMatt Johnson
Sandrine Cheyrol
Release dates
  • 8 September 2010 (2010-09-08) (Venice)
  • 9 December 2010 (2010-12-09) (Greece)
Running time
93 minutes
CountryGreece
LanguageGreek

Attenberg is a 2010 Greek drama film, written and directed by Athina Rachel Tsangari.[1] The film was nominated for the Golden Lion at the 67th Venice International Film Festival[2] and Ariane Labed won the Coppa Volpi for the Best Actress.[3][4] It was filmed in the town of Aspra Spitia, in the Greek region of Boeotia.[5] The film was selected as the Greek entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 84th Academy Awards,[6][7] but it did not make the final shortlist.[8]

Plot[edit]

A sexually inexperienced 23-year-old woman named Marina lives with her terminally ill architect father Spyros in an industrial Greek town by the sea, where she works at the local steel mill. Unable to relate to the people she meets, she lives her life through the wildlife documentaries of British broadcaster David Attenborough, the music of American band Suicide, and the sex education lessons given to her by her friend Bella.

Despite her sexual inexperience, Marina's relationships with her father and Bella show warmth and thought. Spyros, contemplative as he approaches death, shares with her how he believes that "man has designed ruins with mathematical accuracy", referring to the destiny of most architecture. But then cynically, he reflects that "We (Greece) went from sheep to bulldozers".

When a stranger comes to town, an engineer who begins a work course at the steel mill, Marina has her first sexual relationship with him. She is secretive but shares her experience first with Spyros, and later with Bella. As Spyros comes closer to death, Marina asks Bella to sleep with her father as a favor for the dying man, who has not been with a woman for a long time.

After Spyros eventually meets his demise, Bella and Marina scatter his ashes over the sea.

Cast[edit]

Reception[edit]

Quentin Tarantino, who was head of the Jury for the 67th Venice International Film Festival, said that the film "grew on us the most, and showed another Greece".[3][4] Journalist Shane Danielsen called the film "an intellectually rigorous, quietly wrenching Greek drama".[9] Peter Bradshaw characterised the film as "an angular, complex, absorbing and obscurely troubling movie".[10]

Promotion[edit]

A promotional picture for the film, where the tongues of two women meet, was censored on Facebook,[11] but Facebook now hosts a profile for the film in which the picture is allowed.[12]

Awards[edit]

Event Category Nominee Result
Venice Film Festival[2][13][14] Coppa Volpi for Best Actress Ariane Labed Won
Golden Lion Athina Rachel Tsangari Nominated
Lina Mangiacapre Award Athina Rachel Tsangari Won
Whistler Film Festival[15] New Voices Award for Best International Feature Athina Rachel Tsangari Won
Thessaloniki International Film Festival[16] Special Jury Award - Silver Alexander Athina Rachel Tsangari Won
Angers European First Film Festival [17] "Mademoiselle Ladubay" Best Actress Prize Ariane Labed Won
Mexico National University International Film Festival (FICUNAM) [18][19] Silver Puma for Best Director Athina Rachel Tsangari Won
Audience Choice Award Athina Rachel Tsangari Won
Buenos Aires International Festival of Independent Cinema[20] Best Director Athina Rachel Tsangari Won
International Women's Film Festival [21] Best Feature Award Athina Rachel Tsangari Won
Hellenic Film Academy Awards[22] Best Actress Ariane Labed Won
New Horizons Film Festival[23] Grand Jury Prize Athina Rachel Tsangari Won
Romanian International Film Festival [24] Best Film Award Athina Rachel Tsangari Won
European Parliament Film Prize [25] LUX Prize Athina Rachel Tsangari Runner-up
AFI FEST[26] Special Jury Prize Athina Rachel Tsangari Won

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Rose, Steve (27 August 2011). "Attenberg, Dogtooth and the weird wave of Greek cinema". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 26 December 2021. Retrieved 18 December 2012.
  2. ^ a b "Venezia 67". labiennale.org. 29 July 2010. Archived from the original on 1 August 2010. Retrieved 29 July 2010.
  3. ^ a b Clarke, Cath (18 August 2011). "First sight: Ariane Labed". guardian.co.uk. Archived from the original on 19 February 2014. Retrieved 29 August 2011.
  4. ^ a b Jennings, Sheri (11 September 2010). "Tarantino talks about Venice 2010 competitors; explains awards rule change". screendaily.com. Archived from the original on 19 October 2011. Retrieved 29 August 2011.
  5. ^ "Attenberg". athensnews.gr. 5 February 2011. Archived from the original on 6 March 2012. Retrieved 5 February 2011.
  6. ^ "Oscar 2012: Attenberg Is Greece's Best Foreign Language Film Submission". altfg.com. Archived from the original on 18 August 2011. Retrieved 22 August 2011.
  7. ^ "63 Countries Vie for 2011 Foreign Language Film Oscar". oscars.org. Archived from the original on 18 May 2012. Retrieved 14 October 2011.
  8. ^ "9 Foreign Language Films Vie for Oscar". Archived from the original on 18 May 2012. Retrieved 19 January 2012.
  9. ^ Danielsen, Shane (10 September 2010). "Venice '10 | Miike, Affleck, Gallo, & More Make Venice a Fest that Ended Too Soon". indieWire. Archived from the original on 23 October 2011. Retrieved 4 September 2011.
  10. ^ Bradshaw, Peter (1 September 2011). "Attenberg – review". guardian.co.uk. Archived from the original on 3 March 2014. Retrieved 4 September 2011.
  11. ^ "Kyssande tjejer tas bort från Facebook Archived 11 January 2020 at the Wayback Machine", Dagens Nyheter, 6 May 2011. Retrieved 26 May 2011.
  12. ^ Picture on Facebook, from images on the Facebook profile for Attenberg.
  13. ^ Knegt, Peter (11 September 2010). "Coppola's "Somewhere" Surprises As Venice's Big Winner (Updated)". indieWire. Archived from the original on 14 September 2010. Retrieved 4 September 2011.
  14. ^ "Collateral Awards". labiennale.org. 11 September 2010. Archived from the original on 5 April 2011. Retrieved 4 September 2011.
  15. ^ "Whistler Film Festival - New Voices Award for Best International Feature". Archived from the original on 5 January 2013. Retrieved 30 December 2011.
  16. ^ "51st TIFF: The awards (12/11/2010)". tiff.filmfestival.gr. 12 November 2010. Archived from the original on 26 March 2012. Retrieved 4 September 2011.
  17. ^ "2011 Palmares" (PDF). premiersplans.org. Archived (PDF) from the original on 16 May 2011. Retrieved 4 September 2011.
  18. ^ "Silver Puma for Best Director". Archived from the original on 30 April 2012. Retrieved 30 December 2011.
  19. ^ "Audience Choice Award". Archived from the original on 30 April 2012. Retrieved 30 December 2011.
  20. ^ "BAFICI 2011 Best Director Award". Archived from the original on 6 January 2012. Retrieved 30 December 2011.
  21. ^ Silverstein, Melissa (17 April 2011). "The Jury Awards - International Women's Film Festival 2011". indieWire. Archived from the original on 17 September 2011. Retrieved 4 September 2011.
  22. ^ "HFA 2011 Best Actress Award". Archived from the original on 4 January 2014.
  23. ^ "New Horizons IFF to 'Attenberg'". 30 April 2011. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 30 December 2011.
  24. ^ "RO-IFF Best Feature Prize to 'Attenberg'". Archived from the original on 19 December 2011. Retrieved 30 December 2011.
  25. ^ "The European Parliament Film Prize: three films to compete for the LUX Prize". luxprize.eu. Archived from the original on 24 August 2011. Retrieved 4 September 2011.
  26. ^ "AFI FEST Special Jury Prize to 'Attenberg'". Archived from the original on 4 January 2012. Retrieved 30 December 2011.

External links[edit]