GOLDEN GLOBE FORGEIGN-LANGUAGE NOMINEES SYMPOSIUM

Photograph by Jared Cowan

On January 6th, our historic Egyptian Theatre hosted the Golden Globe Foreign-Language Symposium, which welcomed the 5 nominated directors and droves of ardent film aficionados. The symposium crowned a week-long screening series of all the films. Audiences near and far were able to enjoy the panel discussion both inside the auditorium and at home through an exclusive live stream.

"Diane is dynamite," comments Fatih Akin, director of Golden Globe-winning IN THE FADE. Diane Kruger has been widely lauded for her performance in this year's winning thriller.  Photograph by Jared Cowan. 

Director Ruben Ostlund poses in front of his film's poster. THE SQUARE is a sharp satire of good intentions and the contemporary art world. It won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival. Photograph by Jared Cowan.

LOVELESS, helmed by Andrey Zvyagintsev, is a riveting domestic drama which, according to the director, is meant to hold up a mirror to human nature. Photograph by Jared Cowan

Actress Daniela Vega and director Sebastian Lelio come together before their film's poster. A FANTASTIC WOMAN follows the story of a trans woman who comes under fire after the sudden death of her lover. Photograph by Jared Cowan. 

After a private reception a Liaison, pictured above, the filmmakers made their way into the Egyptian's Rigler Theatre. The panel was made up of the 5 Golden Globe-nominated directors: Fatih Akin (IN THE FADE- Winner of Best Foreign-Language Film Golden Globe), Sebastian Lelio (A FANTASTIC WOMAN), Angelina Jolie (FIRST THEY KILLED MY FATHER), Ruben Ostlund (THE SQUARE) and Andrey Zvyaginstev (LOVELESS), who engaged with moderator Mike Goodridge on everything from favorite scenes to gender, politics, and truth in film. Below are some clips taken from the symposium live stream:

Director Fatih Akin (IN THE FADE (AUS DEM NITCHTS, Germany/France) talks about directing actors and the dynamite star of IN THE FADE, Diane Kruger. IN THE FADE won the Golden Globe for best Foreign Language Film.

Director Sebastian Lelio (A FANTASTIC WOMAN (UNA MUJER FANTASTICA), Chile) discusses why he made a film about a transgender woman, saying that in some respects he was trying to get rid of his own ignorance and educate himself by making this film. A FANTASTIC WOMAN was nominated for a Best Foreign-Language Film Golden Globe.

Director Ruben Östlund (THE SQUARE, Sweden) discusses his belief that moving images are the strongest expression when it comes to changing human behavior. THE SQUARE is nominated for a Best Foreign-Language Film Golden Globe.

Director Angelina Jolie (FIRST THEY KILLED MY FATHER, Cambodia), talks about how growing up there was this concept that. “if we knew the truth we would do something to end it,” meaning trouble in the world, such as Vietnam, Cambodia or WWII. “Now we know and we still aren’t doing enough,” she contends. FIRST THEY KILLED MY FATHER is nominated for a Best Foreign-Language Film Golden Globe.

Director Andrey Zvyagintsev (LOVELESS, Russia) a previous Golden Globe winner for LEVIATHAN, speaks about how he views film as a reflection of himself and society. It expresses human nature as through a mirror. LOVELESS is nominated for a Best Foreign-Language Film Golden Globe.

The symposium was live streamed both on Youtube and Facebook live in order to accommodate interest from audiences all over the world. Photographs by Jared Cowan

Moderator Mike Goodridge and the 5 Golden Globe-nominated directors (plus one lucky translator!) take center stage at the Egyptian. Photograph by Jared Cowan

Serge Rakhlin (charmain of the Forieign Film Committee, HFPA), Fatih Akin, Sebastian Lelio, Angelina Jolie, Ruben Ostlund, Andrey Zvyaginstev, Meher Tatna (President, HFPA) and Mike Goodridge (moderator). Photograph by Jared Cowan. 

If you missed the symposium, you can access the live stream archive both on Facebook and on Youtube. Looking for more information on this recurrent series? Access it here.