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I am Heath Ledger: The Retrospective
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June 14-18
Formula Kino Horizon 
 It was through a combination of talent, fierce rock’n’roll drive and early death that Heath Ledger became a legend, a tragic idol of the 21st century, the James Dean of the new times. I am Heath Ledger, a new documentary that opens the retrospective of the actor’s work, is a unique collection of Ledger’s personal archival footage and intimate reminiscences of those close to the actor, from friends and relatives to colleagues like Naomi Watts and Ang Lee, who directed Ledger as the lovesick cowboy in the Oscar-winning The Brokeback Mountain. Four remaining films of the retrospective are all prime examples of Ledger’s extraordinary acting work. Three are the masterpieces of the new golden era of Hollywood. Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight is a sinister reimagining of a Batman story with one the most celebrated of Ledger’s performances as the Joker. A Knight’s Tale is a sly and mischievous post-modern deconstruction of medieval knight tales, and Four Feathers is a mighty historic epic of Old World honor and valor. And Candy is an edgy Australian independent drama that chronicles the struggles of a poet with a crippling heroin addiction. All films are examples of truly unforgettable cinema.
Heathcliff Andrew "Heath" Ledger was born in the year 1979, which is ironically the same year the Iranian hostage crisis began, but chances are the two events were unrelated. Ledger died on January 22nd, 2008, which is ironically the same day that co-star in the Dark Knight, Christian Bale was arrested on 2 counts of 3rd degree murder, but chances are the two events were unrelated. During the time between the two dates, Ledger managed to accomplish more in the name of Australia, then Australia did throughout the whole 19th century. This isn't saying much since Australia has not accomplished anything. Ever. Ledger was considered one of the greatest pill-addicts that the continent of Australia has ever seen, and was forever immortalized for it (spiritually, it is a bit late to physically immortalize him what with the dying and all. It kind of defeats the purpose of being immortal.) He is also noted as the best portrayal of a gay cowboy that the world has ever seen, bringing much loathing to them from the former holders of that title, the United Kingdom. Ledger's life has been separated into 3 sections, according to many media outlets. There was the "No one cares about you" time period, which included the time between when he was born to roughly when he turned 24, when Brokeback Mountain was released, which then leads to the "International Gay Cowboy" time period, which lasted for 2 and a half years, until July 2008, when the The Dark Knight was released, which has been referred to as the "Settling down" time period, which should last until genetic cloning is mastered.
For his portrayal of Ennis Del Mar in Brokeback Mountain, Ledger won the New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor and Best International Actor from the Australian Film Institute, and was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role and for the Academy Award for Best Actor. Posthumously he shared the 2007 Independent Spirit Robert Altman Award with the rest of the ensemble cast, the director, and the casting director for the film I'm Not There, which was inspired by the life and songs of American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan. In the film, Ledger portrayed a fictional actor named Robbie Clark, one of six characters embodying aspects of Dylan's life and persona.
Ledger died on 22 January 2008 from an accidental intoxication from prescription drugs. A few months before his death, Ledger had finished filming his performance as the Joker in The Dark Knight. His death occurred during editing of The Dark Knight and in the midst of filming his last role as Tony in The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus. His untimely death cast a shadow over the subsequent promotion of the $185 million Batman production. Ledger received numerous posthumous accolades for his critically acclaimed performance in the film, including the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, a Best Actor International Award at the 2008 Australian Film Institute Awards (for which he became the first actor to win an award posthumously), the 2008 Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor, the 2009 Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture, and the 2009 BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actor.
Heath Ledger: Forever Young. A mini-retrospective of the big actor:
I am Heath Ledger. Documentary. Canada 2017, 94 min. Directed by Adrian Buitenhuis, Derik Murray. In English with Russian subtitles. I Am Heath Ledger is a feature length documentary celebrating the life of Heath Ledger: actor, artist and icon. The documentary provides an intimate look at Heath Ledger through the lens of his own camera as he films and often performs in his own personal journey. Awards: TriBeCa Film Festival - International Premiere. Tickets
The Dark Knight. Action/Drama/Crime. USA, UK 2008, 152 min. Directed by Christopher Nolan. Starring: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart, Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman. In English with Russian subtitles. Set within a year after the events of Batman Begins, Batman, Lieutenant James Gordon, and new district attorney Harvey Dent successfully begin to round up the criminals that plague Gotham City until a mysterious and sadistic criminal mastermind known only as the Joker appears in Gotham, creating a new wave of chaos. Batman's struggle against the Joker becomes deeply personal, forcing him to "confront everything he believes" and improve his technology to stop him. Awards: Academy Award - Best Supporting Actor, Best Sound Editing; Golden Globe Award - Best Supporting Actor; BAFTA Award - Best Supporting Actor; Empire Award - Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor; Grammy Award - Best Score; People's Choice Award - Best Film, Best Action Film, Best Ensemble, Best Match-up, Best Superhero; Actors Guild Award - Best Supporting Actor, Best Ensemble; Women Film Critics Alliance Award - Best Supporting Actor; Australian Film Institute Award - Best Supporting Actor; Japanese Academy Award - Best Foreign-Language Film; etc. Tickets
The Four Feathers. Drama/History/War. USA, UK 2002, 132 min. Directed by Shekhar Kapur. Starring: Heath Ledger, Wes Bentley, Kate Hudson. In English with Russain subtitles. Set in 1884 Sudan, this fifth film to be adapted from the A.E.W. Mason novel follows a British officer who resigns his post right before his regiment ships out to battle the rebels. Perceiving his resignation as cowardice, his friends and fiancée give him four white feathers, the symbol of cowardice, but little do they know he's actually going undercover and plans to redeem his honor. Tickets
A Knight's Tale. Adventure/History/Romance. USA 2001, 132 min. Directed by Brian Helgeland. Starring: Heath Ledger, Mark Addy, Rufus Sewell, Paul Bettany. In English with Russian subtitles. Inspired by "The Canterbury Tales," as well as the story of Ulrich von Lichtenstein, this is the story of William, a young squire with a gift for jousting. After his master dies suddenly, the squire hits the road with his cohorts Roland and Wat. On the journey, they stumble across an unknown writer, Chaucer. William, lacking a proper pedigree, convinces Chaucer to forge genealogy documents that will pass him off as a knight. With his newly-minted history in hand, the young man sets out to prove himself a worthy knight at the country's jousting competition, and finds romance along the way. Awards: London Critics Film Circle Award - Best English Supporting Actor; World Stunt Award - Best Work with an Animal, Hardest Hit; Teen Choice Award Nomination - Best Film, Best Actor, Breaktrrough Performance, Best Chemistry; MTV Movie Award Nomination - Best Kiss, Breaktrhough Female Performance, Best Musical Sequence. Tickets
Candy. Drama/Romance. Australia 2006, 116 min. Directed by Neil Armfield. Starring: Heath Ledger, Abbie Cornish, Geoffrey Rush. In English with Russain subtitles. This story is a narration from an Australian man who falls in love with two kinds of Candy: a woman of the same name and heroin. The narrator changes from a smart-aleck to someone trying to find a vein to inject, while Candy changes from an actress, call girl, streetwalker, and then a madwoman. Starting in Sydney, the two eventually end up in Melbourne to go clean, but they fail. This leads them to turn to finding money and heroin, while other posessions and attachments become unimportant. Awards: Berlin Film Festival - participation; Australian Film Institute - Best Adapted Screenplay; Film Critics Circle of Australia Awards - Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor; Valenciennes International Festival of Action and Adventure Films - Best Actor. Tickets
Schedule at Formula Kino Horizont:
14 June, Wednesday. 20:00, I am Heath Ledger
15 June, Thursday. 19:30, The Dark Knight
16 June, Friday. 19:30, The Four Feathers
17 June, Saturday. 15:30, A Knight's Tale
18 June, Sunday. 15:30, Candy
More info
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