Both Shira Haas and Helen Mirren to Play Golda Meir

By Abe Friedtanzer

There are now officially two projects in development about former Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir. The first, announced a month ago, is a TV series produced by Barbra Streisand called Lioness starring Shira Haas. The second, reported earlier today, is a film from Israeli director Guy Nattiv that will feature Helen Mirren. Golda Meir has been performed for cameras and on stage several times and the role is often an awards magnet. Both Ingrid Bergman and Judy Davis (A Woman Called Golda, 1982) were Emmy nominated playing her, and Tovah Feldshuh received a Tony nomination (Golda's Balcony, 2003). For the new projects let’s consider these two very different casting choices and the famous woman they’ll portray…

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Review: The Oscar Nominated Live-Action Shorts

by Eric Blume

It’s my fourth year covering the nominees for the Live Action Short Oscar, and this group of nominees is far and away the most grim, depressing, and unrelenting batch yet.  Four out of five of these films are about horrible things happening to young boys. You’d think the nominating committee would have cleaved to some other topics. After a while, provided you view them back-to-back, the horror of it all becomes nearly comical.  If you have a boy child under twelve years of age, you will definitely want to skip this category this year to avoid going to a very dark place. But all five directors are talented artists who know how to build suspense and tell a story with fluidity and grace. Ready? 

Madre (Mother)
This short won the Goya (Spanish Oscar) last year and the director and actress have since reteamed for a feature version, currently in post-production. Director Rodrigo Sorogoyen swings swiftly from an everyday conversation between a woman named Marta (Marta Nieto) and her mother to an urgent phone call from Marta’s son...

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