Wes Anderson’s highly anticipated The Grand Budapest Hotel screened at the Berlin Film Festival, and the reviews are excellent.
Anderson was joined on the red carpet by most members of his ridiculously awesome cast. When asked at a press conference earlier in the day, Bill Murray let slip how Anderson manages to pull off such incredible ensemble pieces without spending an African nation’s GDP.
“We are promised very long hours and low wages, and stale bread. It’s this crazy thing where you’re asked to work very long hours. You lose money on the deal. You end up spending more money on tips than you earn. And we are allowed to let Wes live this wonderful, magical life he has where his dreamscape comes true.”
Critics overall praised the film, with a few even suggesting that it is the first real contender for the 2015 Oscars. Even though they jumped the gun a little bit there, the optimism is reassuring.
Last week, AkademieZubrowka was launched, a website that gives an exclusive look into the fictional city of Zubrowka where the film is set. This week they followed up with the launch of the Zubrowka Film Commission, a fake film commission that offers incentives to anyone who wants to go and make a film in Zubrowka. According to the website, “74% of Zubrowkan citizens proudly serve in the film industry” and “2 out of 3 films shot in Zubrowka go on to garner worldwide acclaim.”
Just to reiterate, Zubrowka doesn’t actually exist, as much as we’d all love to travel there. So don’t go planning your holidays/independent films just yet.
Via Variety
