NEWS FLASH: Channing Tatum's 'Battle in Seattle' Premieres in Europe at Dublin International Film Festival
For all of CTU's Irish readers, I want to let you know that Channing Tatum's upcoming drama 'Battle in Seattle' will be showing at the Jameson Dublin International Film Festival (JDIFF) this week.
JDIFF will take place from February 15 - 24, 2008 and 'Battle in Seattle' will be shown at 11:00 AM Saturday, February 16, 2008 at the Savoy on 17 Upper O'Connell Street Dublin 1.
You can call (081) 877-6776 for additional information on the theater. You can also purchase tickets for the film on the festival's website.
Festival Director, Grainne Humpreys, recently shared his opinion of the film and had the following remarks:
“It is an incredibly powerful film with a truly important subject at its centre, and at its end – I was both angered by the story and moved to tears by the storytelling. I would hope that the festival would provide the perfect launch for the film in Europe and we are delighted that Stuart and Charlize will attend the screening and to participate in the post screening discussion.”
The film festival's website also has the following glowing review of the movie from its world premiere last year at the Toronto International Film Festival:"The riots that confronted the World Trade Organization’s 1999 meeting in Seattle forced politically minded citizens into some tough intellectual deliberation. First there were the horrible images of smashed windows and police brutality on the news. Questions sprang up: When does a protest stop being peaceful? And what constitutes the appropriate application of law and order in such a situation? At the same time, the politics of globalisation came under the microscope. Increasingly unfettered multinational business seems to be increasing wealth in developing nations – but at what cost to the social fabric? All of these issues and more lie at the heart of Irish actor Stuart Townsend’s provocative and heartfelt debut as a director.'Battle in Seattle' is currently set to have its theatrical release in the US in May 2008. You can CLICK HERE for even information about the upcoming film festival.
The film follows multiple fictional storylines about people affected by the crisis, crossing the spectrum of debate and confrontation to examine what was going on inside and outside the Seattle convention space. The film grounds the sometimes heady politics of civil liberties and global economics by focusing on people’s individual experiences of the event. While its political sympathies clearly tip toward the protestors, Battle in Seattle maintains a certain open-endedness that allows for reasoned continuing debate.
Terrific performances from a wonderful ensemble cast help the director immeasurably. Townsend’s real-life partner, Charlize Theron, is heartbreaking as Ella, the wife of a police officer, who is forced to contend with unexpected violence, finding herself on the wrong side of authority. Ray Liotta as Seattle mayor Jim Tobin and Woody Harrelson as Ella’s husband, Dale, one of the city’s SWAT-like policemen, are key figures; we watch as their ordered view of the world slowly unravels. Michelle Rodriguez, Martin Henderson and André Benjamin play the most prominent protestors, their often naive enthusiasm dulled by mass arrests and mood swings as media reports blame them for the destruction and violence. The wonderful Rade Sherbedzija provides an alternative – even ironic – perspective as Dr. Maric, who is fighting for lives in the developing world. Inside the convention centre, he defends his cause to uncaring bankers and trade representatives. His pleas become even less relevant to the room after the well-meaning protests outside become incandescent."
Noah Cowan, Toronto International Film Festival
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