Dust (2001 film)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dust
Dust2.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed byMilcho Manchevski
Written byMilcho Manchevski
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyBarry Ackroyd
Edited byNicolas Gaster
Music byKiril Džajkovski
Production
companies
  • The Film Consortium
  • Fandango
  • Shadow Films
  • South Fork Pictures
Distributed by
Release dates
  • 13 April 2001 (2001-04-13) (Macedonia)
  • 29 August 2001 (2001-08-29) (Venice)
  • 3 May 2002 (2002-05-03) (United Kingdom)
Running time
127 minutes
Countries
  • Macedonia
  • United Kingdom
  • Italy
  • Germany
Languages
  • English
  • Macedonian

Dust is a 2001 Western film in which centuries and continents intertwine in an intricate tapestry. The UK-Italian-German-Spanish-Macedonian co-production, written and directed by Milcho Manchevski, stars Joseph Fiennes, David Wenham, Adrian Lester, Rosemary Murphy, Nikolna Kujaca, Anne Brochet, and Vera Farmiga. It was the opening-night film of the 2001 Venice Film Festival and was later released in a number of countries, including the United States.

Plot[]

Where Does Your Voice Go When You’re No More?

A New York thief (Edge), a tough-as-nails hundred-year-old woman (Angela), two brothers from the Wild West (Luke and Elijah), a revolutionary hell-bent on liberating Macedonia from the Ottoman Empire (The Teacher), and a beautiful pregnant woman (Neda), all cross paths in a tale that spans two continents and three centuries. Its fractured narrative resembles a Cubist painting.

Cast[]

Production[]

The film was written and directed by Milcho Manchevski. The music for the film was composed by Kiril Džajkovski. Principal photography took place in a number of countries and locations, including Cologne, New York City, Mariovo and Bitola.[1]

The initial idea of film originated in August 1995, when Milcho Manchevski announced that Dust will be released in 2000 by United Artists.

The development was started in Spring 1996, they worked hard on creating concept art and paintings for the film. When Pre-production lasted from Summer 1996 to November 1999, the film was delayed to a May 2002 release in the UK as Lionsgate owns US rights and Pathé owns international rights of this film and later released on August 22, 2003.

Filming lasted around December 16, 1999-February 8, 2000.

Moving Picture Company provided visual effects and animation.

Release[]

Dust opened at the Venice Film Festival on 29 August 2001 and was later released in Italy on 5 April 2002.[2] Pathé distributed the film in the United Kingdom on 3 May 2002. In Spain, the film was released on 12 July 2002 by Alta Classics. It was given a limited release in the United States on 22 August 2003, where it was distributed by Lionsgate.

Reception[]

Critical response[]

The film caused controversy when it premiered as the opening film of the 2001 Venice Film Festival. A number of critics accused Manchevski of having a political agenda and using the film to express it. The Evening Standard critic Alexander Walker claimed the film was portraying the Turkish army in a bad light and even called it racist. Several other critics saw the film as taking sides in the current armed conflict in Macedonia, in spite of the fact that the film was filmed before the hostilities began. Charges were nevertheless leveled that Manchevski's film was anti-Moslem, anti-Albanian and anti-Turkish. He did not respond to the accusations in Venice, presumably hoping the film would speak for itself. He, however, did respond later, explaining that the film is even-handed in its portrayal of brutal killers – it does not spare the Macedonians, Albanians, Turks, Greeks – or the Americans, for that matter. Even though the reviews (and even some of the original reviewers) were much more favorable and nuanced once the film moved from Venice to the regular theaters, the damage was done, and Dust never achieved the wide distribution expected from the follow-up to the phenomenally successful Before the Rain.[3][4]

Later, however, the film was reassessed in a number of essays focusing on its complex fractured narrative.

Accolades[]

Year Award Category Recipient(s) Result
2004 Golden Reel Award Best Sound Editing in a Foreign Feature Film Peter Baldock, Jack Whittaker, Philip Alton, Tim Hands, Daniel Laurie, Richard Todman Nominated

References[]

  1. ^ Holley, David (June 6, 2001). "Film Explores a Timeless 'Dust' Swirling in the Balkans". Los Angeles Times.
  2. ^ Gibbons, Fiachra (April 13, 2001). "Guardian Features: 'Come on. It'll be fun'". The Guardian.
  3. ^ Kronauer, Iris (2015). Wiping Dust in Venice (PDF) (Manchevski Monograph ed.). Skopje: Ars Lamia. pp. 274ff. ISBN 978-608-247-084-9. Retrieved October 6, 2016.
  4. ^ "Dust Film Review" (PDF). Manchevski.com. Retrieved December 30, 2016.

External links[]

Retrieved from ""