by the El Reportero’s news service
The German film No System is Safe is premiering today on the third day of the first European Film Festival in Cuba.
The 106-minute film, directed by Bahan Bo Odar, tells the story of shy Benjamin. His life changes when he meets Max, with whom he shares a love for hacking.
Winner in the Bavarian Film Awards Prize 2015 for Best Director, the film will be screened at La Rampa theater movie in Havana the main venue of the event.
Ana Guallarte, cultural and cooperation attache of the European Union embassy in Havana, stressed the interest of the members of the regional bloc in making this event an reality.
The Festival, which was held from June 11 to 18, proposes to Cuban film goers about 20 films from Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Slovakia, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, Hungary, Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Portugal and Romania.
The usual German Film Week will take place here in late June. It is co-sponsored by the German embassy in Havana and the Cuban Film Library.
Leonardo DiCaprio as Persian poet Rumi in new film
An Oscar-winning screenwriter has agreed to work on a biopic about the 13th-century Persian poet and philosopher Jalaluddin al-Rumi who could have Leonardo DiCarpio as lead actor.
David Franzoni, who wrote the script for the 2000 blockbuster Gladiator, and Stephen Joel Brown, a producer on the Rumi film, said they wanted to challenge the stereotypical portrayal of Muslim characters in western cinema by charting the life of the great Sufi scholar.
Producers hope to begin shooting the film next year.
Rumi’s spiritual and mystical epics, the Masnavi and the Divan, are widely considered among the best poetry ever written and have been translated into numerous languages.
Franzoni and Brown said they would like Leonardo DiCaprio to play Rumi, and Robert Downey Jr to star as Shams of Tabriz, though they said it was too early to begin casting.
With things like this one, Hollywood once again goes in to the custom of using caucasian actors to represent people from other ethnic origins.
Eric Clapton struggling to play guitar because of nerve system damage
Eric Clapton, one of the most iconic guitarists of the rock era, is struggling to play the instrument on which he made his name.
Nerve damage and age are robbing Eric Clapton’s ability to play the guitar. For years Clapton,also known as Slowhand, whose career encompassed playing with John Mayall, Cream and the first “super group” Blind Faith, lived a life of rock and roll excess.
The 71-year-old revealed his condition in an interview with Classic Guitar magazine, saying that he’s “been in a lot of pain the last year.”
“It started with lower back pain and turned into what they call peripheral neuropathy, which is where you feel like you have electric shocks going down your leg. And I’ve had to figure out how to deal with some other things from getting old.”
Despite these setbacks, the rocker remains prolific, recently releasing I Still Do, his 23rd solo album that he support with performances in Tokyo. He even expressed surprise at his own longevity.
He is considered one of the best guitar players in the world. He was born in March 30 of 1945 and stated his music career in the seventies.
