mustang is a 2015 internationally co-produced drama film directed by turkish-french film director deniz gamze ergüven .

the film is set in a remote turkish village and depicts the lives of five young orphaned sisters and challenges they face growing up as girls in a conservative society .

the event that triggers the family backlash against the five sisters at the beginning of the film is based on ergüven 's personal life .

it was screened in the directors ' fortnight section at the 2015 cannes film festival where it won the europa cinemas label award .

mustang is the first feature film directed by deniz gamze ergüven .

she explains her motivation to make the film was to uncover the women issue in turkey .

the film won the 2015 lux prize .

it was selected to be screened in the special presentations section of the 2015 toronto international film festival .

the film won polish filmmakers ' association award for best feature movie at the 33rd ale kino ! festival .

the film was nominated for the best foreign language film at the 88th academy awards .

it was also nominated for a golden globe award for best foreign language film .

it received nine nominations at the 41st césar awards , and won four , for best first feature film , best original screenplay , best editing and best original music .

mustang has received widespread critical praise .

mustang ( film )

mustang ( film ) <EOT> mustang is a superb , thought provoking film and one i really hope that you will watch .

ergüven studied at a film school in paris , where she met mustang’s co - writer , alice winocour .

turkish - french film director deniz gamze ergüven thanks parliament for awarding her the 2015 lux prize for her film mustang . © eu 2015 - european parliament

in 2015 , mustang received an oscar nomination for best foreign film . it lost out to son of saul .

we ' ve recently been at the edinburgh international film festival and the cannes film festival .

high - profile crowd gathers to celebrate u . k . film at the toronto film festival

ilyada akdoğan , centre , as sonay in mustang . photograph : allstar / canal +

arnaud desplechin’s “my golden years , ” xavier giannoli’s “marguerite” and deniz gamze ergüven’s foreign - language oscar nominee “mustang” were the frontrunners for the best film nod .

ci : you wrote mustang with a french co - author . how did the writing process work ?

ci : how do you explain mustang’s success ? it could have just been a “confidential” independent turkish film . why do you think it resonates among so many people ?

foreign film oscar contender " mustang " is a turkish - language film from a turkish - born director that was filmed in turkey and tells a distinctly turkish story with turkish actresses . but it was not turkey that submitted the film for consideration for the academy awards  it was france .

mustang is now on dvd , blu - ray , and hd digital to rent and own . order your copy !

as a new yorker raised in turkey , i dig deep into the issues raised by “mustang” with the filmmaker below .

can ım istanbul : hi deniz ! we’re very happy to talk with you today . first let’s talk about mustang’s life in the past few months . the film was well received in cannes , then 450 . 000 people saw it in france , currently mustang is being shown at film festivals around the world and now it is perhaps on the road to the oscars… i guess you weren’t expecting all of this when you made the film . how does it feel ?

but the story in " mustang " represents a truth about the country and the situation for girls there that she needed to tell .

" mustang " also recently won best picture at the lumiere awards , france & apos ; s equivalent of the golden globe awards .

but i also thought your film was very universal about all women ( not just turkish ) , perhaps thanks to the film’s fairytale - like nature .

ci : so now you started the path to the oscars , as france’s official movie for best foreign language film . would you have preferred mustang to represent turkey instead of france ? or do you not care ?

from left , tugba sunguroglu , doga zeynep doguslu , elit iscan , ilayda akdogan and günes sensoy , who play sisters in “mustang . ”

she studied literature and african studies at university , after which she enrolled at film school in paris , one of only two women in her class ( the other was mustang ’s co - writer , alice winocour ) .

the florida film critics circle ( ffcc ) is an organization of 25 film critics and writers from florida - based print and online publications . founded in 1996 , the ffcc strives to recognize outstanding work in film , further the cause of good movies , and maintain the highest level of professionalism among film critics in florida .

announcing season 2 of ' cohen film classics ' on kcet and link tv .

asghar farhadi ' s the salesman wins the oscar® for best foreign language film .

the premise of “mustang” may sound familiar—and visually , director and co - writer deniz gamze ergüven does seem to have borrowed a few cues from sofia coppola ’s stirring 1999 debut , “ the virgin suicides , ” in making her own feature film debut . but “mustang” grabs you with its own sense of haunting melancholy , as well as an increasing feeling of urgency and outrage .

best foreign language film “son of saul” “mustang” “the fencer” “brand new testament” “the club” immediate reaction : “son of saul , ” from hungary , france’s “mustang” and the chilean film “the club” have been getting plenty of buzz . the big surprises here are “the brand new testament” ( belgium ) , a comedy about god — who lives in brussels , apparently — and “the fencer” ( finland ) , which follows an estonian fencer who gets mixed up with russian secret police .

the association voted son of saul as the best foreign language film of the year . runners - up included the assassin ( 2 ) , the second mother ( 3 ) , mustang ( 4 ) and goodnight mommy ( 5 ) .

we ' re bringing you all the latest from the karlovy vary international film festival .

for now , ergüven is continuing work on a film about the l . a . riots that she & apos ; s been toying with since before " mustang , " and enjoying the final stretch of the experience of this little , personal film with a big global impact , regardless of whose name is called on sunday .

title mustang year 2016 distributor ( s ) artificial eye film co . ltd classified date ( s ) 09 / 02 / 2016 main language turkish submitted run time 97m 5s approved footage 8737 + 8 bbfc reference aff335920 registration number cfj38677 remarks subtitled

russell smith award ( named for the late dallas morning news film critic . the honor is given annually to the best low - budget or cutting - edge independent film . )

it’s also cleaning up during awards season . the day before i get 37 - year - old director deniz gamze ergüven on the phone , it’s announced that mustang has received a pack - leading nine nominations for the césar awards ( french film’s highest honor ) , and that’s not to mention its golden globe nod or its oscar nomination in the hotly competitive best foreign film category . mustang is one of only two female - directed films nominated for an oscar this year ( the other is liz garbus’s documentary what happened , miss simone ? ) , and , true to the spirit of her film , ergüven had plenty to say about the state of women in the film industry . we also talked about the movie’s controversial reception in turkey , the oscars’ diversity problem , and , of course , that time the mustang sisters met george clooney .

semaj : but the situation is even a little different in “mustang , ” because there are five of them , and they’re all so good , so specific .

ifestival award : tisure by adrian geyer voted for by the 2015 stockholm film festival audience .

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james : i think this is my favorite film this year . at least so far .

james : as they should . it’s a beautiful film — beautiful acting and beautiful directing .

president martin schulz announced that mustang had won the 2015 european parliament lux prize for cinema at a ceremony in the chamber in strasbourg at noon on tuesday . mustang tells the story of five sisters who have been promised to husbands through forced marriages but who , determined to live their own lives , break the yoke of tradition .

on being awarded the prize , the winning director , deniz gamze ergüven said : " in its way , mustang promotes the ideals of the european union . [ . . . ] thank you for the impact this film has through the lux prize . "

beautifully shot and performed , the oscar - nominated mustang is both a rousing tale of spirited youth and a powerful , moving and timely work of engaging social cinema .

for " mustang " director deniz gamze ergüven , it makes sense . she was born in turkey , but raised mainly in france . france was also where she was educated in cinema , and the country has supported the film  her first  from the start , choosing it as an official directors & apos ; fortnight selection at the cannes film festival .

‘it took us nine months to cast’ : güneş şensoy , doğa doğuşlu , tuğba sun guroğlu , elit işcan and ilayda akdoğan in mustang . photograph : allstar / canal +

also recently acquired for u . s . distribution — this time by cohen media group — turkish - french helmer deniz gamze ergüven’s mustang nabbed the label europa cinemas prize . mustang will now receive the support of the europa cinemas network , with additional promotion and incentives for exhibitors to extend the film’s run on screen . sold internationally by kinology , it’s a drama about sexual repression that sees five orphaned sisters held captive in their grandmother’s home .

we had the chance to talk with deniz gamze ergüven , mustang ’s director . as you probably understood last week , we loved this film ( it’s coming out tomorrow – if you missed our review , it’s here ) so we were thrilled to spend some time with deniz .

dge : i’m slightly afraid that the film will go unnoticed . i would like for turkey to embrace it fully . the discussion around “is this a turkish film or not ? ” went too far and shocked me . in cannes , there was a turkish producer who was writing a blog about the festival . here we have a film in turkish , with turkish actors , shot in turkey… and she didn’t even mention it . when we started talking about the film in turkey , we had to explain to people that it’s a turkish film but they would reply “no , it’s a french film” .

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the dallas - fort worth film critics association voted the newsroom drama spotlight as the best film of 2015 , according to the results of its 22nd annual critics’ poll released today . this year’s awards are presented in memory of philip wuntch , the longtime dallas morning news film critic who passed away in october .

leads 2015 florida film critics circle ( f . f . c . c . ) awards nominations .

in this tuesday , feb . 9 , 2016 photo , cast members tugba sunguroglu , from top left clockwise , director deniz gamze erguven , elit iscan , doga zeynep doguslu , gunes sensoy and ilayda akdogan from the film , " mustang , " pose for a portrait in west hollywood , calif . the 88th academy awards best foreign language film nominee " mustang " is a unique case , being a turkish language and made film submitted for consideration by france , and also for being the only narrative feature nominated from a female director , erguven . the oscars will be presented on sunday , feb . 28 , in los angeles . ( photo by rich fury / invision / ap )

best script : deniz gamze ergüven and alice winocour , mustang the writers of this film depict a serious topic with both humour and warmth . it is a touching story of sisterhood , an empowering film that challenges patriarchal oppression with its stale views on female sexuality . conservative values are placed in opposition to modern society , the life within each of us – and every person’s right to their own bodies .

the austin film critics association ( afca ) announced its 2015 awards today , with george miller’s “mad max : fury road” winning best film and best director and leading the group’s top ten list . “room” received three awards , the most for a single film . “ex machina” and “inside out” also won multiple awards this year .

“kumiko , the treasure hunter , ” directed by david zellner , received the austin film award . this award is given to a film made by a director whose primary residence was austin during the time of filming .

the louis delluc prize kicks off the french awards season , which culminates with the cesar awards in february . the louis delluc jury is presided by former cannes film festival president gilles jacob and comprised of film critics .

however , ergüven’s film is not , for the most part , a tough watch . ( its most upsetting moments take place off camera . ) instead , mustang has a lightness of touch . it is funny ( i laughed much more than i thought i would ) and there are many uplifting scenes .

the association voted tangerine as the winner of the russell smith award , named for the late dallas morning news film critic . the honor is given annually to the best low - budget or cutting - edge independent film .

you can film a point of view with desire by focusing on a specific parcel of skin . i remember a film of jean - claude brisseau [ “secret things” ] . during the first shot , i was so disturbed by the look he had on his [ female ] actors . some people—and it shocks me each time— say , “i see something erotic in a mustang . ” but again , it’s their look .

in this interview , she talks about mustang ’s incredible journey ( from indie first - movie to the cannes film festival… to the oscars ) , how living between france and turkey gives her perspective on women’s condition here , the difficulty of talking about sex in turkey , female characters in cinema and much more .

some have likened the film to the virgin suicides . ergüven thinks it’s more like escape from alcatraz – with frocks

reviewed at cannes film festival ( directors’ fortnight ) , may 13 , 2015 . running time : 97 min .

mustang is a subtitled turkish language drama about five young sisters who are imprisoned in their house by their grandmother as punishment for their perceived flirtatious behaviour , and to keep them unsullied for their future husbands .

mustang , by deniz gamze ergüven , won the europa cinemas award , which aims to enhance the promotion , circulation and box - office runs of european award - winning films on the screens of a cinema network stretching across europe . in the film , five turkish adolescent sisters have their basic freedoms unjustly stripped from them .

when asked about their oscar prospects , the “mustang” girls lit up and crossed their fingers in unison . “we’re so proud that france has trusted us , given this responsibility to us , ” said iscan . “it’s great for the women of turkey , because this film is making their voice heard all around the world . ”

ci : i heard in one of your first interviews that you were a bit worried about the film coming out in turkey . is it still the case ? with the film’s success , are you feeling more relaxed or stronger ?

the washington , d . c . area film critics association comprises 52 dc - va - md - based film critics from television , radio , print and the internet . voting was conducted from december 5 - 7 , 2017 .

summary mustang is a subtitled turkish language drama about five young sisters who are imprisoned in their house by their grandmother as punishment for their perceived flirtatious behaviour , and to keep them unsullied for their future husbands .

that this is happening in today’s supposedly enlightened world , is outrageous and almost beyond belief . and yet mustang does not incite a sense of rage . instead it provokes a more thoughtful ( albeit insistent ) response .

mustang ’s international success has brought with it some extraordinary experiences for its young stars . ergüven wasn’t able , in spite of her best efforts , to bag them tickets for the oscars ( they had to stay back at the hotel ) . but at least they managed to get themselves photographed with george clooney at the toronto film festival .

best film : louder than bombs by joachim trier the prize for best film goes to an aesthetic masterpiece , a film that innovatively uses all cinematic components to move freely between present , past , dream and imagination . with this tightly woven family drama , the director gradually patches together our broken inner places and makes us visible to ourselves – and to each other .

the florida film critics circle is an organization of 30 writers from florida - based print and online publications . founded in 1996 , the ffcc strives to recognize outstanding work in film , further the cause of good movies , and maintain the highest level of professionalism among film critics in florida . bill gibron of urltoken and urltoken has served as chairman since march 2013 .

“mustang” won four nods including first film , original screenplay , music and editing . “my golden years” won best director . both “my golden years” and “margerite” were nominated for 11 nods each . after winning best actor at cannes , vincent lindon won the best cesar nod for his performance in stephane brize’s social drama “the measure of a man . ”

“mustang” director deniz gamze erguven and cast members ( ilayda akdogan , gunes sensoy , doga zeynep doguslu , elit iscan and tugba sunguroglu ) sat down with variety‘s deputy awards editor jenelle riley to discuss the film’s real - life roots , the casting process and how the story deals with the end of childhood as part of the variety screening series .

the film’s reception speaks to a cultural divide that the director has been navigating for years . “mustang” was a box - office success in france , selling more than 500 , 000 tickets . released in turkey in october , it met mixed reviews . one critic called it “disturbingly orientalist , ” and others said it was tailored to western tastes .

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the turkish reception to the film ranged in extremes . there was love , but then you saw the flip side too .

nicolas pariser’s “the great game , ” meanwhile , won for the louis delluc prize for best directorial debut . “the great game” won over deniz gamze erguven’s “mustang” which is the french candidate in the foreign - language oscar race . clement cogitore’s “the wakhan front , ” thomas salvador’s “vincent” and cyprien vial’s “young tiger” also competed for the first film award .

“mustang” director deniz gamze erguven and cast members ( ilayda akdogan , gunes sensoy , doga zeynep doguslu , elit iscan and tugba sunguroglu ) sat down with variety ‘s deputy awards editor jenelle riley to discuss the film’s real - life roots , the casting process and how the story deals with the end of childhood as part of the variety screening series .

mustang is a movie starring günes sensoy , doga zeynep doguslu , and tugba sunguroglu . when five orphan girls are seen innocently playing with boys on a beach , their scandalized conservative guardians confine them while forced marriages are arranged .

at the cannes film festival ' s atelier for beginner film makers where they were the only two women attending the program . ergüven was there to work on a film entitled " kings " about the la riots . after she failed to attract producers and financiers winocour suggested ergüven should do a smaller scale movie to prove that she was capable of directing . together they started working on

director lászló nemes’ “son of saul” won best foreign - language film and director joshua oppenheimer’s “the look of silence” won best documentary .

also competing for nine cesar kudos is “mustang , ” a coming of age tale centering around five sisters struggling to break free from their conservative upbringing in northern turkey . produced by charles gillibert’s cg cinema , the movie has been on a winning path since opening at directors’ fortnight . pic is nominated for best film , directorial debut , director and original screenplay .

xavier giannoli’s “marguerite” and arnaud desplechin’s “my golden years” are leading the nominations at this year’s cesar awards , along with “mustang , ” deniz gamze ergüven’s oscar - nominated feature debut , and jacques audiard’s palme - d’or winning “dheepan . ”

have you been following the # oscarssowhite controversy ? what’s your take on that ? i have . before mustang , i wrote a script that took place in south central los angeles , with mostly african - american characters . i remember , when i spoke with producers , people very candidly said that a film with african - americans is an urban film , and that’s a more restricted audience . it went way further than just the frontiers of the u . s . ! i remember a producer telling me , “i can’t sell a film with african - americans to japan or german television . ” i remember exactly those sentences .

for a long time , it seemed like mustang was a film that would never be made . set in a lush turkish village on the black sea , the five youthful , wild sisters at its heart have as much of a hold on the local boys as the lisbon girls do in the virgin suicides . and , though it is no fault of their own , their allure becomes the sisters’ downfall in their conservative muslim society . the controversial story and its message of freedom made it even harder for first - time filmmaker deniz gamze ergüven , a woman director working in turkey , to pull off . partly raised in paris , ergüven learned today that mustang was nominated for a best foreign language film oscar , as france’s entry .

in february , ms . ergüven and her husband welcomed a son . at cannes , in may , she was breast - feeding between meetings at which distributors from around the world vied to pick up “mustang . ” “he’s the co - director , ” ms . ergüven said of her son . “i was as much pregnant with the film as with the baby . ”

the short film illy award went to rate me ! by fyzal boulifa with a special mention for the exquisit corpus by peter tscherkassky .

the oscar - nominated french - turkish film is a tender , funny , and painful portrait of five sisters fighting for their freedom .

ergüven is certainly doing that . mustang , nominated for best foreign language film at the 2015 oscars and the winner of four césar awards in france , has opened countless new doors for its director and , as a result , her appetite for work is more voracious than ever . even so , she finds it hard to imagine working in turkey again . her second feature , which she is shortly to start shooting , is an english - language picture set in los angeles at the time of the 1992 riots . “i detested the response [ to mustang ] in turkey , and so i withdrew from it . ”

after triumphing at the césars just two days ago , deniz gamze ergüven ' s mustang has been named audience favourite at the 2016 glasgow film festival . i just eat lou mcloughlan ' s documentary 16 years till summer , whose festival screenings may sadly have been its last in scotland after it was attacked by the brother of its subject , who called it a work of fiction .

on wearing chanel throughout the mustang press tour : " that has been a bit my shield during this experience . and in places where we were the most attacked , i felt like wearing chanel at 8 o ' clock in the morning . "

the french academy controversially selected the french - financed award - winner to contend for the oscar over a strong roster of festival hits including jacques audiard’s palme d’or - winning “dheepan” and xavier giannoli’s “marguerite . ” yet , an assured female point of view is always a welcome addition to the oscar race . “mustang” is playing well for academy members and is considered a best foreign film frontrunner .

in this tuesday , feb . 9 , 2016 photo , director deniz gamze erguven poses for a portrait in west hollywood , calif . the oscar best foreign language film nominee " mustang " is a unique case , being a turkish language and made film submitted for consideration by france , and also for being the only narrative feature nominated from a female director , erguven . the 88th annual academy awards will be presented on sunday , feb . 28 , in los angeles . ( photo by rich fury / invision / ap )

this photo provided by courtesy of cohen media group shows , tugba sunguroglu , from left , as selma , doga zeynep doguslu as nur , elit iscan , as ece , ilayda akdogan as sonay , and gunes sensoy as lale in the film , " mustang , " directed by deniz gamze erguven , in turkey . the movie is nominated for best foreign language film at the 88th annual academy awards . the oscars will be presented on feb . 28 , 2016 , in los angeles . ( cohen media group via ap )

sorrentino won best film two years ago with the great beauty at the efas , along with the directing prize and best actor for toni servillo . that movie went on to the best foreign language film oscar but youth is not eligible in the upcoming race as it’s predominantly in english . he said tonight that youth is “a small film about the perception of freedom , a theme more timely than ever in europe . ”

“beasts of no nation , ” netflix’s first move into original feature film making , also picked up a second nod for fukunaga for cinematography .

mustang ' s sisters are full of life and are wonderfully at ease with one another . indeed , they are often seen as a single entity - a tumbling tangle of happy limbs . it is easy to forget that we are watching actresses here .

the film comes close to being a beautiful but ultimately tragic bit of cinema , until mustang ’s exhilarating final act rescues it from ending on a wholly grim note . some might see the conclusion as the product of wish - fulfillment . but ergüven isn’t peddling blind optimism so much as a realism animated by the belief that freedom—far from being inevitable—must be fought for . that it will be fought for .

the dallas - fort worth film critics association consists of 31 broadcast , print and online journalists from throughout north texas . for more information , visit

best animated film honorees include “anomolisa , ” “the good dinosaur , ” “inside out , ” “the peanuts movie” and “shaun the sheep movie . ”

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i realised just how invested i was in her story when , towards the end of the film , i had to remind myself to breathe .

in its final act , mustang becomes extremely tense . gone are the scenes of youthful rebellion - when escape was a game to play . lale’s situation is grave , her life at stake . she must use all of her strength and resourcefulness to break away .

the foreign language category includes two films on the academy’s short list . the biggest studio in contention for the foreign language trophy is sony pictures classics with the first person perspective holocaust film son of saul . the other ffcc nominee to share a spot on oscar’s short list is turkey’s mustang . the category was rounded out by hou hsiao - hsien’s intimate martial arts masterpiece the assassin , canada’s mommy and germany’s phoenix .

how have the girls dealt with the success of the film ? it’s like a dream . we’ve been together a lot accompanying this film around , and they’re even more like a litter of kittens . they really became like sisters — and they take it as a responsibility as well . i feel responsible towards france right now , and they feel responsible , mostly , towards the girls who live lives close to the ones pictured in the film .

in september , france selected “mustang” as its official oscar submission . it was a surprising and political choice , given france’s historically turbulent relationship to its muslim immigrant population . despite french crew members and a distinctively western sensibility , the film is deeply turkish : it was shot in turkey , in the turkish language , with turkish actors and crew . but ergüven said this decision isn’t entirely unprecedented . she points out that france has a tradition of supporting foreign directors , and that the cannes film festival , supported by the french government , is the epicenter of world cinema .

“dheepan , ” meanwhile , is nominated for nine awards , including best film , director and original screenplay for noe debré , thomas bidegain and audiard .

alejandro gonzalez inarritu’s “birdman” won best foreign - language film , beating laszlo nemes’ “son of saul , ” one of the foreign - language oscar contenders .

they might have a better idea if they knew what you went through to get the film made . yeah , honestly it was quite a fight .

the academy in 2006 changed its rules to allow for countries to submit films that aren & apos ; t in their native language , as long as the film played theatrically in the country . but it also reflects something bigger about the inherent complexities in tethering a foreign film to a particular country .

telia film award : mediterranea by jonas carpignano with a warm , humanistic touch jonas carpignano has written and directed a film with acute relevance and unexpected humour . populated by brilliantly crafted and depicted characters with complexity , throughout the story , with an outstanding koudous seihon in the male lead . a beautiful film that humanizes what it is to live in the world today and offers a unique glimpse into experiences shared by many of the people fleeing across the mediterranean sea .

james : yeah , that movie was awesome . but “mustang” is different because there is no mediating group of characters looking at the sisters here . the narrator is lale , the youngest of the sisters . we see almost all of the action through lale’s eyes , and because of that the sisters are more present to us . we are situated in a much closer relationship to them than in “the virgin suicides . ” there , the sisters are meant to be mysterious , and removed . semaj : and “mustang” is in some ways more active , less bleak . “the virgin suicides” gets much of its power from the pall of inevitable tragedy that is cast over the sisters . even the title tells us that things are not going to end well , as opposed to the “mustang” title , which i read as a characterization of the youngest daughter , lale , because she is like a little feral horse , bucking against her situation . james : yes , the sisters in “mustang” are less resigned to their fate . they all actively push back against their imprisonment , and the patriarchal mores forced upon them .

" the ballad of narayama " is a japanese film of great beauty and elegant artifice , telling a story of startling cruelty . what a space it opens…

getting intimate with the cast of the year ' s most powerful ( not to mention portentous ) film about what happens when we hold young women back .

named for the wild - horse - like power of the sisters , “mustang” opens on the girls swimming in the ocean in their school uniforms and riding on the shoulders of boys , causing a scandal . the scene was taken from an incident involving ms . ergüven’s relatives . as soon as she recounted the story to her friend alice winocour , a screenwriter and director who co - wrote the film , they knew they had a movie .

she and ms . winocour wrote “mustang” quickly over the summer of 2012 . “we were making fun and having jokes all the time , ” said ms . winocour , who met ms . ergüven when both had scripts chosen for the cannes’ cinéfoundation , which helps young filmmakers secure financing .

girls , both the song and the french - turkish film mustang declare , want to have fun . they want to go to dance all night , wear cute clothes , swim , go to soccer games , hook up with boys , and , generally speaking , not have fussy adults always telling them what they can and can’t do . but the five sisters at the heart of mustang also want to choose who they marry ( or if they marry at all ) . they want to drive , have their own money , go to school , and see the world that lies beyond their remote , oppressive seaside town . they want their lives to be their own , even if it means taking drastic measures to make them so .

philippe faucon ’s “ fatima , ” a tender portrait of a devoted moroccan single mother living in france , won the louis delluc prize for best french film .

on an especially gray february afternoon in new york city , the five young stars of mustang are gathered with their director around small , warmly lit tables at cafe gitane . just weeks ahead of this sunday’s oscars , they’re taking a break from promoting their best foreign language film–nominated movie , which follows five young orphaned sisters in rural turkey as they become literally and figuratively imprisoned by an increasingly conservative society . “the film is written in a fairy - tale way , ” explains director deniz gamze ergüven . “but it’s very much a reflection on the question of freedom in turkey today and the place of women . ”

best short film : a few seconds by nora el hourch in a very unique and bold way of storytelling the director manage to show how much humanity in the characters in such a short time . there are so many layers of emotions in this film . we are excited to discover this new talent in her future work .

paris — for a film about death , “mustang” is incredibly alive . it tells the story of five orphaned sisters in rural turkey whose boundless lust for life runs up against the confines of a conservative muslim society , leading some to suicide . a first feature by deniz gamze ergüven — directed , written by and starring young women — it was a hit when it played the directors’ fortnight for independent films at cannes and is france’s foreign - language oscar submission .

. there are a few categories where the film i really think deserves the award was not even nominated , plus a few i don’t have a real opinion on .

though the “mustang” actresses — elit iscan ( 21 ) , ilayda akdogan ( 17 ) , güneş şensoy ( 14 ) , doga zeynep doguslu ( 15 ) and tugba sunguroglu ( 16 ) — have experienced a liberal youth compared to the characters they portray , they too feel restricted by turkish gender norms .

mustang has been well received around the world . however , the reception in turkey has been deeply troubling . both ergüven and the five central actors have been threatened , leading the director to question ( in a fascinating interview with the guardian ) if she would return to her home country to work again .

natalie portman’s “a tale of love and darkness , ” based on amos oz’s bestselling novel , will receive its north american premiere following its debut at the cannes film festival .

so there was no way in the world that exists today that turkey could’ve claimed this film as their own ? no , it didn’t happen that way . the feeling there has been uneasy to this point : it’s like , “okay , we’re not going to do anything against the film , but we’re not fine with it , either . ”

founded in 2005 by cole dabney and bobby mccurdy , the austin film critics association is a group dedicated to supporting the best in film , whether at the international , national , or local level . the afca has seen its numbers grow to more than 30 members with a diverse roster of professional film critics who regularly review movies for national television stations , daily newspapers , weekly alternatives , local radio , monthly magazines , and websites with international prominence . each december , afca members vote on the year’s best in film , celebrating excellence on both sides of the camera . the outlets afca members represent include ain’t it cool news , the austin american - statesman , the austin chronicle , birth . movies . death . , cinapse , dvdactive , fandango , film school rejects , firstshowing . net , gotchamovies . com , hill country news , horror’s not dead , koop 91 . 7 fm radio , movies . com , one of us , screencrush , slackerwood , smells like screen spirit , twitch , we live film and ynn austin .

after getting a master’s degree in african history in johannesburg , she entered la fémis in paris , france’s premier film school , where the french director olivier assayas led the jury that chose her for its selective directing program . “deniz really stood out , ” mr . assayas said . he said her years of trying to get a bigger project off the ground didn’t weigh down “mustang . ” “it doesn’t feel like someone making her first feature , ” he said . “it’s very confident .

i imagined you already had a speech prepared from when mustang was nominated at the globes . are you basically going to just use that one since you didn’t get to deliver it ? no . from where we stand in the world , the oscars is the one and only universal tribute . along with cannes .

“mustang” ( deniz gamze erguven , france ) . set in a remote turkish village , erguven’s debut ( co - written with alice winocour ) tells of a 13 - year - old girl who tries to break free with her sisters from the rigid destiny imposed on them by their family . ( sales : kinology )

while watching deniz gamze ergüven ' s mustang , which became france ' s official 2016 oscar entry for best foreign language film after it took home the europa cinemas prize at the cannes film festival , one gets the unsettling sense of being swallowed . the film follows a group of orphaned sisters living in turkey , whose budding sensuality is viewed as a threat to their marriageability . and as it progresses , the cinematography grows purposefully murkier―the light nearly siphoned from the frame―as does the livewire spark that makes the group of girls so irresistible . it ' s as if we can actually see their inner flames being violently snuffed . and as the sisters find themselves figuratively ( and literally ) imprisoned by their caretakers in a fortress - like house , we find out that the key to breaking wild horses is simple : you have to break up the pack .

the florida film critics circle has announced its nominees for the best films and cinematic performances of 2015 , and it looks to be a strong race between major studios indie subsidiaries .

" turkish people look very closely into how you represent the country and i guess they wanted to have more of a film that looked like a postcard , " said ergüven .

david gordon green’s “ our brand is crisis , ” starring sandra bullock and billy bob thornton ; james vanderbilt’s cbs scandal film “ truth , ” starring cate blanchett and robert redford ; and “twilight” director catherine hardwicke’s “miss you already , ” starring drew barrymore and toni collette , will world premiere at the 2015 toronto international film festival , it was announced tuesday .

philippe faucon’s “fatima , ” a tender portrait of a devoted moroccan single mother living in france , won the louis delluc prize for best french film . the film , which world premiered at cannes’ directors fortnight , raises contemporary issues , such as the economic and social situation of immigrants living in france through the tale of a middle - age woman [ … ]

semaj : oh , well it is and it isn’t . yes , it is about five sisters who get locked in their house ostensibly for their own protection , but the way their stories play out , and the way that the characters are accessed in “mustang” is completely different than what happens in “the virgin suicides . ”

though set in turkey , shot in turkish , and telling a turkish story about the demonization of female sexuality , deniz gamze erguven ’s beautifully mounted debut , “ mustang , ” has an unmistakable west european sensibility . whether that’s a good thing or not depends on audience perspective , but while many turks will find the final salvation distinctly inorganic , few can argue with the director’s talent or that of her exceptionally fine , largely unknown cast of young women . set in a remote black sea village where five sisters are forced to suppress their burgeoning sensuality , “ mustang ” will gallop through fruitful festival fields , finding fertile pastures on euro arthouse screens .

previous , 11 am pt : the european film awards are being handed out tonight in berlin and we’re updating the winners below as they’re announced . leading nominations for the 28th ceremony is paolo sorrentino’s bittersweet relfection on life , youth . sorrentino took the top prize from the european film academy for the greaty beauty two years ago , and went on to win the best foreign language film oscar . the efas regularly align with the u . s . academy’s eventual outcome , but two of tonight’s major nominees , youth and yorgos lanthimos’ the lobster , are in english which means they are not in contention for that race whose shortlist will be unveiled next week . of the other movies in the top efa category , three are their countries’ reps : sweden’s a pigeon sat on a branch reflecting on existence , france’s mustang ; and iceland’s rams . check out the winners below :

by showing us the joyous , unrestrained nature of the five sisters , we feel the dangerous claustrophobia of their confinement . as the film progresses , so the situation becomes increasingly desperate .

the girls in " mustang " are essentially put under house arrest by their conservative uncle after they cause a minor scandal by playfully frolicking in the sea with a group of boys , and sitting on their necks in a game of chicken . the adults in their world see the act as disgusting and worthy of drastic punishment .

david gordon green’s “our brand is crisis , ” starring sandra bullock and billy bob thornton ; james vanderbilt’s cbs scandal film “truth , ” starring cate blanchett and robert redford ; and “twilight” director catherine hardwicke’s “miss you already , ” starring drew barrymore and toni collette , will world premiere at the 2015 toronto international film festival , it was announced tuesday . natalie [ … ]

received a nod for best director , and the film is also in contention for best picture . it’s other nominations include best score , best art direction / production design and best cinematography .

indies dominated the best documentary and foreign language film categories . the most recognizable distributor is a24 with the tragic story of singer - songwriter amy winehouse via amy . another musician , however , took to directing a film essay on death and national surveillance with the moving heart of a dog . other documentaries nominated include best of enemies , cartel land and the look of silence .

1 km film - scholarship : i turn to you by victor lindgren two siblings are forced to experience the implosion of their parents’ relationship . the director poses an inconvenient question to us in the audience , can a child’s will to survive overcome the self - destructive desires of the parent . the film seamlessly connects refined form with emotional impact and the director shows great courage and promise .

inside out was named the best animated film of 2015 , with anomalisa as runner - up . tom mccarthy and josh singer shared the best screenplay award for spotlight over emma donoghue for room .

zhao is one of three female filmmakers represented in the program : the others are turkey’s deniz gamze erguven , making her debut with “mustang , ” a drama about rigidity and intolerance in a remote turkish village ; and chile’s marcia tambutti , presenting “allende , mi abuelo allende , ” a documentary portrait of her grandfather salvador allende . another film from south america , bolstering the region’s limited presence in cannes this year , is “embrace of the serpent , ” an amazon - set drama from the colombian director ciro guerra ( “the wind journeys” ) .

there’s such striking intimacy between the actresses that sometimes it’s hard to believe “mustang” isn’t a home movie . “there was this scene where we were playing in our rooms , and i felt like there was no camera there , that’s how comfortable we were with each other , ” said iscan . “the camera became like our sixth sister , ” added akdogan .

it was the norwegian director joachim trier who received the bronze horse at the award ceremony on friday evening . below are all the winners who were awarded at the stockholm international film festival award ceremony .

zita hanrot won best female newcomer for her perf in “fatima” while the film’s protagonist , soria zeroua , had scored a nomination but lost to catherine frot for her role in xavier giannoli’s “margerite . ”

sometimes they also redo scenes from the film . when we were in new york , they were in a car with the top open , and of course they had to redo the bus scene .

though set in turkey , shot in turkish , and telling a turkish story about the demonization of female sexuality , deniz gamze erguven’s beautifully mounted debut , “mustang , ” has an unmistakable west european sensibility . whether that’s a good thing or not depends on audience perspective , but while many turks will find the final salvation distinctly inorganic , few can [ … ]

production : ( france - turkey - germany ) an ad vitam release ( in france ) of a cg cinema , vistamar filmproduktion , uhland film , bam film , kinology production , with the participation of canal plus , cine plus , zdf / arte . ( international sales : kinology , paris . ) produced by charles gillibert . co - producers , frank henschke , anja uhland , mine vargi .

alicia vikander received best supporting actress for “ex machina , ” which was tied for # 6 on the afca top ten list . directed by alex garland , “ex machina” also was named best first film .

rounding out the program are “peace to us in our dreams , ” the eighth feature from lithuanian director sharunas bartas , and “the here after , ” a first film by swedish helmer magnus von horn .

are the ones predicted to win by our readers ( we’ll have a full rundown of the predictions at noon , after the contest ends ) . if i am predicting a different film , those are in

she dumped it because she thought a pregnant woman shouldn’t be out of the house ? yeah . she sent a letter to everyone on the film saying that i was pregnant . and she’s a woman !

while ergüven must be commended for her light touch with some of the more tragic sequences , she and co - writer alice winocour have a few opportunities for a snip . some of the voiceover narration has a tendency to describe exactly what it is we’re seeing , and while some of the third act’s action ( ish ) scenes are thrilling , there are one or two contrivances that don’t quite feel realistic . nevertheless , mustang is a gripping film , and one that ought to stir up a bit of controversy in turkey . it’s worth noting that this is a french production .

what’s beautiful for me is that this is prolonging the life of the film’s family . we’re always together , living this adventure all together . that’s a big luxury and it makes us all stronger over time .

not just as a woman filming in turkey , but a pregnant woman . yes ! the producer dumped the film three weeks before shooting . i had found out i was pregnant just one week before that .


hollywood pinafore , or the lad who loved a salary is a musical comedy in two acts by george s. kaufman , with music by arthur sullivan , based on gilbert and sullivan 's h.m.s. pinafore .

it opened on broadway at the alvin theatre on may 31 , 1945 , and closed on july 14 , 1945 after 52 performances .

it was directed by kaufman himself and starred shirley booth , victor moore , george rasely , and william gaxton .

the adaptation transplants the maritime satire of the original pinafore to a satire of the glamorous world of 1940s hollywood film making , but sullivan 's score is retained with minor adaptations .

according to howard teichmann 's 1972 biography george s. kaufman : an intimate portrait , kaufman had the inspiration for hollywood pinafore during a poker game with his friend charles lederer .

while lederer was arranging his cards , he idly sang a few bars of " when i was a lad " from pinafore while ad-libbing a new lyric : " oh , he nodded his head / and he never said ' no ' / and now he 's the head of the studio . "

kaufman insisted on paying lederer a token fee for the idea of transplanting pinafore 's setting to a hollywood studio .

although kaufman 's lyrics are witty , the book is static for a musical .

however , it has been revived a number of times in recent years , including a 1998 " lost musicals " staged concert production at the barbican centre in london .

hollywood pinafore

hollywood pinafore <EOT> hollywood pinafore by arthur sullivan and george s . kaufman ( 1998 , paperback )

hollywood pinafore by arthur sullivan and george s . kaufman ( 1998 , paperback ) | ebay

hollywood pinafore opened on may 31 , 1945 at the alvin theater . it ran 52 performances .

the musicals in mufti series will present hollywood pinafore , happy hunting , silk stockings , and more during the winter 2013 season .

our second mufti of the season . check out hollywood pinafore , music by sir arthur sullivan and lyrics by george s . kaufman . performances march 1 - 3

source : excerpted from baseline . baselinestudiosystems — a hollywood media corp . company .

sullivan - he is an englishman - h . m . s . pinafore / / puccini e la sua lucca

the york theatre company continues the winter 2013 musicals in mufti series with hollywood pinafore , with book & lyrics by george s . kaufman and music by sir arthur sullivan . ( more . . . )

originally presented on broadway in the spring of 1945 , and directed by george s . kaufman himself , hollywood pinafore has never before been published in its entirety—until now . with loving respect for what makes gilbert and sullivan ' s h . m . s . pinafore a masterpiece , kaufman ' s dazzling lyric writing transplants the maritime world of the original pinafore to the californian milieu he knows best : the glamorous world of hollywood film making . and all the while , he ' s kept sir arthur sullivan ' s charming score intact , complete with all the favorites you remember from the gilbert and sullivan operetta .

the york theatre company continues the winter 2013 musicals in mufti series with hollywood pinafore , with book & lyrics by george s . kaufman and music by sir arthur sullivan . hollywood pinafore was originally produced in 1945 . directed by mark kaufmann and with music direction by beth falcone , the cast features susan blommaert , claybourne elder , jennifer evans , sara jean ford , tom galantich , julie kotarides , dennis parlato , andrew ragone , kilty reidy , danny rutigliano and mary stout . ( more . . . )

the york theatre company continues the winter 2013 musicals in mufti series with hollywood pinafore , with book & lyrics by george s . kaufman and music by sir arthur sullivan . hollywood pinafore was originally produced in 1945 . directed by mark kaufmann and with music direction by beth falcone , the cast will feature susan blommaert , claybourne elder , jennifer evans , sara jean ford , tom galantich , julie kotarides , dennis parlato , andrew ragone , kilty reidy , danny rutigliano and mary stout . ( more . . . )

synopsis : a hollywood starlet is in love with a struggling writer but promised in marriage by her director father to the head of the studio , in george s . kaufman ' s update of gilbert and sullivan ' s h . m . s . pinafore .

the york theatre company continues the winter 2013 musicals in mufti series with hollywood pinafore , with book & lyrics by george s . kaufman and music by sir arthur sullivan . hollywood pinafore was originally produced in 1945 . directed by mark kaufmann and with music direction by beth falcone , the cast features susan blommaert , claybourne elder , jennifer evans , sara jean ford , tom galantich , julie kotarides , dennis parlato , andrew ragone , kilty reidy , danny rutigliano and mary stout . broadwayworld has a first look at the cast in action onstage below ! ( more . . . )

the york theatre company ( james morgan , producing artistic director ; andrew levine , executive producer ) continues the winter 2013 musicals in mufti series with hollywood pinafore , with book & lyrics by george s . kaufman and music by sir arthur sullivan . hollywood pinafore was originally produced in 1945 . directed by mark kaufmann and with music direction by beth falcone , the cast will feature susan blommaert , claybourne elder , jennifer evans , sara jean ford , tom galantich , julie kotarides , dennis parlato , andrew ragone , kilty reidy , danny rutigliano and mary stout . ( more . . . )

" never mind the why and wherefore ( the myob song ) " ( " never mind the why and wherefore " - h . m . s . pinafore " )

hollywood pinafore is george s . kaufman ' s 1945 transplant of gilbert & sullivan ' s " h . m . s . pinafore " from the world of british maritime to a hollywood movie studio . arthur sullivan ' s sparkling score is wed with kaufman ' s canny , hilarious lyrics , making for a merry trip through the glamour and absurdity of hollywood . kaufman translates the original story of a naval captain ' s daughter , in love with a lowly sailor while promised to " the ruler of the queen ' s na - vee " , to that of a director ' s self - involved movie star daughter , in love with a lowly writer , while promised to theclueless studio head . the action plays amidst a swirl of hollywood types , including a daffy gossip columnist , a bundleofsunshine publicist , and a devious , sharp - as - a - tack agent - - who is , naturally , the villain of the piece . kaufman ' s wit is on full display in this delightful satire , complete with a surprising hollywood ending .

kaufman had always been a gilbert and sullivan fan and when a fellow card - player once murmured a bit of doggerel to a bit of hms pinafore — " he nodded his head and never said no , / and now he ' s the head of the studio " —kaufman was inspired . he used the tunes of sir arthur sullivan and , for the first time in his career , wrote the lyrics as well as the libretto to a new musical . although kaufman got some heat from the press for returning the scene of previous hollywood satires , pinafore remains fresh and imaginative . a great companion piece to the operettas of g & s , pinafore works brilliantly for those who know the original pieces and just as well for audiences encountering the songs for the first time .

this is an australia / new zealand release . the same publisher also offers a four - video package that includes cox and box , trial by jury , the sorcerer , and h . m . s . pinafore .

joseph porter heads pinafore pictures amid a swirl of recognisable hollywood types : louhedda hopsons , a gossip columnist a veritable chain gang of imprisoned screen writers and dumb blondes looking to become famous ; a devious agent , and brenda blossom , a love - struck starlet pining for a lowly writer , yet promised in marriage to the studio head by her father ( a director looking to advance his own career ) .

a musical comedy in 2 acts . based on w . s . gilbert and arthur sullivan ' s h . m . s . pinafore . book and lyrics revised by george s . kaufman , with deepest apologies to william s . gilbert . music by arthur sullivan

is the pianist , narrator and producer of hollywood revisited . he has appeared on numerous television programs including amc ' s hollywood fashion machine , a & e ' s the incurable collector , entertainment tonight , hard copy and the montel williams show . all have featured various movie costumes from his vast personal collection . some of these costumes are on display at the new hollywood history museum in hollywood , california . mr . schreiner serves on the piano faculty at cerritos college , has several recordings in release and was composer / performer for the educational television series masters of the silent screen . greg also is an active participant in the music community of southern california as the accompanist for the mansfield chamber singers of beverly hills . he is also the president of marilyn remembered , a club devoted to preserving the memory of marilyn monroe . greg schreiner is truly a renaissance man !

is the pianist , narrator and producer of hollywood revisited . he has appeared on numerous television programs including amc ' s hollywood fashion machine , a & e ' s the incurable collector , entertainment tonight , hard copy and the montel williams show . all have featured various movie costumes from his vast personal collection . some of these costumes are on display at the new hollywood museum in hollywood , california . mr . schreiner serves on the piano faculty at cerritos college and santa monica college , has several recordings in release and was composer / performer for the educational television series masters of the silent screen . greg also is an active participant in the music community of southern california as the accompanist for the mansfield chamber singers of beverly hills . he is also the president of marilyn remembered , a club devoted to preserving the memory of marilyn monroe . greg schreiner is truly a renaissance man !

i ' ve got a little list ( i ' ve got a little list - the mikado ) andy extracts his revenge against liberals , professors , wikipedia , and hollywood - types by creating lists of all their attributes .

in hollywood , teenagers are expected to go on murderous killing sprees . it is a rite of passage . and adults , well , we all know adults are capable of just about anything . but evil children push the envelope .

york theatre company ( james morgan , producing artistic director ; andrew levine , executive director ) has announced principal casting for the remaining three musicals in its winter 2013 musicals in mufti series : hollywood pinafore ( march 1 - 3 , 2013 ) , happy hunting ( march 15 - 17 , 2013 ) , and silk stockings ( march 22 - 24 , 2013 ) at york theatre company at its home in saint peter ' s ( entrance on east 54th street , just east of lexington avenue ) . ( more . . . )

the story : joseph porter heads pinafore pictures amid a swirl of recognizable hollywood types : louhedda hopsons , a gossip columnist ; a veritable chain gang of imprisoned screen writers and " dumb blondes " looking to become famous ; a devious agent ; and brenda blossom , a love - struck starlet pining for a lowly writer , yet promised in marriage to the studio head by her father ( a director looking to advance his own career ) . what ' s brenda to do ? if she marries the poor , starving screen writer , ralph , she ' ll be tossed out of hollywood and forced to make a living on ( gasp ! ) the stage . it ' s too much to be endured . fortunately , everything turns out for the best for everyone when it is discovered that a mix - up in louhedda ' s column was responsible for ralph ' s fall from grace . in reality , it was ralph who was meant to head the studio instead of porter . upon this classic turnaround , happiness befalls each of the characters in turn—just what you ' d expect from a hollywood picture .

the story : joseph porter heads pinafore pictures amid a swirl of recognizable hollywood types : louhedda hopsons , a gossip columnist ; a veritable chain gang of imprisoned screen writers and dumb blondes looking to become famous ; a devious agent ; and brenda blossom , a love - struck starlet pining for a lowly writer , yet promised in marriage to the studio head by her father ( a director looking to advance his own career ) . what ' s brenda to do ? if she marries the poor , starving screen writer , ralph , she ' ll be tossed out of hollywood and forced to make a living on ( gasp ! ) the stage . it ' s too much to be endured . fortunately , everything turns out for the best for everyone when it is discovered that a mix - up in louhedda ' s column was responsible for ralph ' s fall from grace . in reality , it was ralph who was meant to head the studio instead of porter . upon this classic turnaround , happiness befalls each of the characters in turn - just what you ' d expect from a hollywood picture .

from the silent movie era and the glamour of 1920s hollywood , this classic show tells the heart - wrenching love story of two of its greatest legends ; director mack sennett “the king of comedy” and creator of the keystone kops , and his star mabel normand .

since its premiere in 1878 , gilbert and sullivan’s wildly popular operetta h . m . s . pinafore has delighted audiences with a nautically - tinged story of star - crossed lovers . the gentlemanly captain corcoran of the good ship pinafore has a daughter , josephine , who is in love with a lowly but gallant sailor named ralph rackstraw . the captain forbids the marriage , wanting to match josephine instead with the well - bred sir joseph , first lord of the admiralty . in the meantime , the captain finds himself in nearly the same position as his daughter : his former nanny , little buttercup , falls in love with him , but he hesitates to reciprocate due to his higher social rank . the whole situation is turned on its head when little buttercup reveals a game - changing secret she has kept for decades . a rollicking farce with endearing characters , memorable tunes , and a hilariously happy ending , h . ms pinafore is a classic , time - tested delight not to be missed .

while recent features have fizzled , brooks continued to delight audiences with his riotous appearances on tv as a talk show guest , such as his memorable turn on one of the last installments of the johnny carson tonight show in 1992 . while promoting life stinks , he appeared on three consecutive nights of later , the late - night talk show hosted by bob costas , where he rattled off many hilarious show biz anecdotes . in a more serious vein , as a guest on the revealing cable documentary series , naked hollywood , brooks spoke candidly about the machinations necessary to remain a player in contemporary hollywood .

americans will recognize peter marshall as emcee of television ' s hollywood squares , but he has a broadway background , and perhaps others will share my surprise that he is actually a strong singer and a capable dancer . unfortunately , he turns the captain into a pantomime caricature , with mugging and overacting that simply don ' t belong in this opera .

the york theatre company ( james morgan , producing artistic director ) has announced the four - show line - up for its winter 2013 musicals in mufti series featuring the music works of legendary broadway writers richard rodgers , cole porter , howard lindsay & russel crouse and two by george s . kaufman . the roster of broadway musicals include two by two ( february 15 - 17 , 2013 ) , hollywood pinafore ( march 1 - 3 , 2013 ) , happy hunting ( march 15 - 17 , 2013 ) , and silk stockings ( march 22 - 24 , 2013 ) at the york theatre company at its home in saint peter ' s ( entrance on east 54th street , just east of lexington avenue ) . casting will be announced at a later date . ( more . . . )

accepts students of all ages and levels . joshua heads up the musical theater emphasis at california lutheran university in thousand oaks and has created the intensive musical theater training program , the anmt performers ' workshop in north hollywood . joshua has his mfa in classical theater from the university of delaware . among his many roles , he starred on broadway and in london as " molina " in

the american century theater ( tact ) will welcome helen hayes award - winner brian childers back to the stage for an evening with danny kaye . this production , to be performed as part of the robert m . mcelwaine reflections series , pays tribute to one of broadway and hollywood ' s greatest showmen - danny kaye . stephen nachamie directs and jeff biering is the musical director . ( more . . . )

theatrical dance champions cate caplin is a thirty - four times regional and international champion in theatre arts adagio and has appeared on television , in commercials , in feature films and in a variety of prestigious venues across the county and worldwide including the white house , the kennedy center , the metropolitan opera house , ford ' s theatre , the hollywood bowl , the paris opera house , rockefeller center , the palace of fine arts , the orpheum theatre , the ritz carlton , caesar ' s palace , the hollywood palladium , the los angeles theatre center , house of blues , shanghai china ' s sports arena , tokyo ' s hakuhinkan theatre and the broadway stage . she is also a theatre director and choreographer and recently wrote and directed her first feature film , " mating dance " produced by cineville / kestone , scheduled for release later this fall .

in kaufman ' s hysterical reimagining of the world of gilbert and sullivan on a hollywood studio lot , this musical captures the broad personalities , the social satire , the plot contrivances and unforgettable music from the d ' oyly carte days . joseph porter is the bumbling head of pinafore pictures wants to be married to screen idol brenda blossom , who ' d far prefer to marry the poor but well - meaning script writer ralph rackstraw . faced with the terrible prospect of being poor and having to earn her living acting on a stage— " and should you give a bad performance upon the stage , the critics will actually say so in print , " warns her agent , dick live - eye—brenda is in despair . but , at the final curtain , all is saved when movie columnist louhedda hopsons reveals that through a mix - up in her column , it is rackstraw who should be studio chief , while porter is demoted to being a lowly screenwriter . fade - out , the end .

as it happens , we need to talk about kevin , which stars tilda swinton and john c . reilly , is not a great film . but the fact that top - tier hollywood keeps coming back to this theme , year after year , is testament to the power of the creepy kid genre , and what it has to say about our anxieties regarding the nature - versus - nurture argument , where evil comes from , and what to do when evil appears to emerge from nowhere .

by now an established figure , he also directed most of the subsequent productions on which he worked . in the ’30s and ’40s these included “of thee i sing , ” for which he won a pulitzer , “face the music” ( director only ) , “let ‘em eat cake , ” “i’d rather be right , ” “sing out the news , ” “seven lively arts , ” “hollywood pinafore , ” and “park avenue” ( 1946 ) . in 1950 kaufman earned a tony award for his direction of the superb “guys and dolls , ” and , five years later , collaborated with his second wife , the actress leueen macgrath , on the book for the cole porter musical “silk stockings . ” his work in the musical theater was just a part of his wider output . he is credited with 45 plays written in conjunction with some 16 known collaborators who included edna furber , ring lardner , and his principal later collaborator moss hart . with hart he wrote some of the american theater’s most enduring comedies — “once in a lifetime , ” “you can’t take it with you” ( for which he won his second pulitzer prize ) , and “the man who came to dinner . ”

is not only a lead performer but is also the director and choreographer of hollywood revisited . he has directed everything from cabaret to industrial film and has been fortunate enough to perform and direct all over the world . selected directing credits include love ' s faire game ( feature film ) , the l . a . premiere of the musical the spitfire grill which received a best musical nomination from the ovation awards as well as the l . a . times ' critic ' s pick of the week , violet ( scenie award best musical and best direction and la premiere ) , songs for a new world ( bay area premiere , the rrazz room - san francisco ) , together at last ( 54 below nyc ) , the wedding night ( pick of the hollywood fringe ) , a ring in brooklyn ( scenie award , best choreography , noho arts center , world premiere ) , the journey of love ( guildford , england ) , passion by stephen sondheim ( the chromolume theater , los angeles ) . in addition , mr . finkel coaches acting and public speaking privately in los angeles - - his

patty mccormack ( in one of the creepiest of creepy kid performances of all time ) is a sweet - faced little blonde , with pigtails and a pinafore , roller - skating and skipping through the house . she knows the upstairs neighbor , an elderly lady who is quite taken with the child . rhoda is always polite when grownups are around , but can be vicious and ruthless to those she perceives as foes . she has exquisite manners . when she wants to get her way , she cuddles up to her mother in an adorable and yet pitiful way . it works like a charm . and yet her mother can ' t quite shed the feeling that something is a bit " off " with her daughter .

hollywood loves scary children . of all of the frightening images in stanley kubrick ' s the shining , the most haunting is the grady twins , those two dead - eyed girls in identical blue dresses standing at the end of the hallway . the twins call out in unison to the boy on his bicycle , " hello danny . come and play with us . come and play with us , danny . forever . . . and ever . . . and ever . " jack nicholson galumphing around with an axe is pretty scary , but he ' s got nothing on those creepy twins .

creepy kids strike fear into our hearts , and make us shiver . a preternaturally mature and cunning child messes with our assumptions about the world in which we live and how it operates . this is true in real life as well , which is why hollywood loves to toss out a creepy kid once a season , because it reflects something accurate . when kids do horrible things , the entire culture jumpstarts into jittering overdrive , wondering why . is it marilyn manson ? too many video games ? were the parents neglectful ? or were the kids given too much ? there is never just one answer , and that is the scariest thing about it , because it can ' t be predicted or prevented .

there was no george white “scandals” in 1927 , but there was a show about the “scandals” entitled “manhattan mary , ” which ran for a decent 264 performances . white produced it and also co - wrote the book with billy k . wells . it too had songs by desylva , brown , and henderson , which included “the five - step” and “it won’t be long now , ” and starred white himself and the highly popular zany comedian ed wynn . the “scandals” proper resumed in 1928 , and there were further editions in 1929 and 1931 . in the latter show , the future movie star , alice faye , appeared in the chorus , and this time the songs were by lew brown and ray henderson ( desylva had gone to work in hollywood ) . ethel merman introduced the lovely “life is just a bowl of cherries” and “ladies and gentlemen , that’s love , ” as well as duetting with rudy vallee on “my song . ” vallee also sang “the thrill is gone” ( with everett marshall ) and “this is the missus” ( with peggy moseley ) . george white’s “music hall varieties” replaced the “scandals” in 1932 , and in the cast was another hollywood star of the future , tap - dancer supreme eleanor powell , and the likeable song - and - dance man ( among other things ) harry richman , who introduced herman hupfield’s delightful ballad , “let’s put out the lights and go to sleep . ”

accepts students of all ages and levels . joshua heads up the musical theater emphasis at california lutheran university in thousand oaks , and has created the intensive musical theater training program for adults and teens : the nmi actor masterclasses in north hollywood . joshua has his mfa in classical theater from the professional theatre training program located at the university of wisconsin - milwaukee / university of delaware . among his many roles , he starred on broadway and in london as " molina " in kiss of the spider woman opposite chita rivera and vanessa williams , which he then took to india twice . joshua performed the role " thenardier " in les miserables in la and on tour and opposite hugh jackman as valjean . among joshua ' s film roles , his favorite was creating the physical life for prince eric in disney ' s the little mermaid .

in the ’60s and early ’70s he worked on productions such as “wildcat , ” “subways are for sleeping , ” “here’s love , ” “ben franklin in paris , ” “skyscraper , ” “breakfast at tiffany’s” ( which closed during previews ) , “the rothschilds” ( 1970 ) , “cyrano , ” and a revival of “good news” ( 1974 ) . kidd also filled the big screen with his brilliant and exuberant dance sequences in classic hollywood musicals such as the band wagon , seven brides for seven brothers , it’s always fair weather , and hello , dolly ! he co - starred with gene kelly and dan dailey in it’s always fair weather , and appeared in several other films , including movie movie , an affectionate parody of a typical ’30s double feature that went largely unappreciated in 1979 . however , recognition of his immense contribution to the screen musical came in 1997 when he received a special honorary academy award .

is one of the singer / models in hollywood revisited . a native of los angeles , tod starred in the west coast premiere of the revue bed , boys & beyond and the critically - acclaimed two - man production of stephen sondheim ' s marry me a little . tod created the role of bris boy in the long - running hit musical revue naked boys singing ! for which he won the 1998 l . a . weekly award for best new musical ensemble . he can also be heard on that show ' s original cast recording which received a 1998 glama award . tod studied theatre at ucla where he starred as jesus in godspell and adil in the u . s . premiere of tewfik al - hakim ' s political drama fate of a cockroach . tod is also part of the vocal quartet four level interchange . tod will soon be seen as thomas in the television movie detective starring bruce boxleitner , tom berenger and annabeth gish .

he brought his own brand of “infectious , eye - popping pizzazz” to a string of hit shows : “a day in hollywood , a night in the ukraine” ( 1980 ) , “nine” ( 1982 ) , “my one and only” ( 1983 , in which he also co - starred with twiggy ) , “grand hotel” ( 1989 ) , and “the will rogers follies” ( 1991 ) . they gained him a total of nine tony awards , and induction into new york’s theater hall of fame in 1991 . in the following year , tune took time out from appearing in a lucrative u . s . tour of “bye bye birdie” to stage the london production of “grand hotel , ” which was greeted with apathy by the critics and public alike . in december 1992 he presented his own “tommy tune tonight ! ” on broadway for a limited period , prior to a 20 - week 1993 national tour . also in 1993 , he directed the takarazuka theater company in japan , and two years later , his new production of “grease” opened on broadway . during the remainder of the ’90s , he toured with “tommy tune and the rhythm kings : everything old is new again , ” but withdrew from the musicals “busker alley” and “the royal family” while they were still on the road . he also experienced problems with the broadway - bound stage version of the highly successful movie easter parade , in which he was set to play the fred astaire role . however , things looked up in january 1999 , when tune took over from david cassidy as the star of the special - effects musical spectacular “efx” in las vegas .

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since 1989 lost musicals™ has been giving contemporary audiences , in london and new york , a unique chance to see neglected or forgotten works by the finest librettists , lyricists and composers of the early twentieth century musicals . over the last seventeen years , their estates have allowed us to organise reconstructions of over 60 different such works .

lost musicals™ is always faithful in presenting the writers work and their shows as they first appeared , but recreated in concert form to be performed in london and new york . these first division theatre writers and composers have included cole porter , richard rodgers , george s . kaufman , oscar hammerstein ii , moss hart , george gershwin , ira gershwin , e . y . harburg , kurt weill , irving berlin , stephen sondheim , jerome kern , herbert fields , dorothy fields , s . j . perelman , ogden nash , burton lane and alan jay lerner .

as a theatre director , i direct and oversee the casting of my shows . the primary homes for our work , lost musicals™ , have included london ' s barbican centre , the royal opera house covent garden and currently sadler ' s wells .

we present fund - raising shows in new york to benefit our government sanctioned charity , the lost musicals charitable trust , a theatre education based charity . many of our performances have been broadcast by the bbc and the work of lost musicals™ has greatly influenced many similar series to spring up .

the true stars of this work are the writers themselves . their work , through the authenticity of lost musicals™ can again be recognised and celebrated by the new generations of audiences .

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secretaries , guard , actors , actresses , assistant directors , cameramen , technicians , etc . singers and dancers

i am the monarch of the joint - joseph w . porter , miss liebe , ensemble

i am the monarch of the joint ( reprise ) - joseph w . porter , miss liebe , ensemble

he is a movie man - joseph w . porter , dick live - eye , ensemble

the merry maiden and the jerk - dick live - eye , joseph w . porter

pretty daughter of mine - mike corcoran , ralph rackstraw , miss liebe , joseph w . porter , dick live - eye , ensemble

farewell , my own - ralph rackstraw , brenda blossom , miss liebe , joseph w . porter , louhedda hobson , bob beckett , ensemble

love quirks , a unique new musical by seth bisen - hersh and mark childers about four young adults exploring various types of relationships in nyc , will be playing a limited three week run midtown at theatre 54 ( 244 w 54th street , 12 floor ) with previews beginning on thursday , september 11 , 2014 at 8pm . the show will have its official opening on friday , september 19 , 2014 at 8pm and will run through sunday , september 28 , 2014 at 3pm . ( more . . . )

love quirks , a unique new musical by seth bisen - hersh and mark childers about four young adults exploring various types of relationships in nyc , will be playing a limited three week run midtown at theatre 54 ( 244 w 54th street , 12 floor ) with previews beginning tonight , september 11 , 2014 at 8pm . the show will have its official opening on friday , september 19 , 2014 at 8pm and will run through sunday , september 28 , 2014 at 3pm . ( more . . . )

broadwayworld has just learned that beginning tomorrow , november 1 , danny rutigliano will assume the role of ' danny ' in holiday inn on broadway , replacing lee wilkof . ( more . . . )

59e59 theaters ( elysabeth kleinhans , artistic director ; peter tear , executive producer ) welcomes the return of fascinating aida to brits off broadway with the us premiere of fascinating aida - absolutely miraculous ! , written by dillie keane and adele anderson and directed by frank thompson . ( more . . . )

here are the broadway , off - broadway and west end shows which opened on may 31 along with all of the upcoming show openings , closings and special events ! ( more . . . )

the muny announced today the complete cast for its production of irving berlin ' s holiday inn . based on the 1942 film , irving berlin ' s holiday inn features music and lyrics by irving berlin with a book by gordon greenberg and chad hodge . greenberg will direct the muny production with choreography by denis jones . musical direction is by james moore , vocal and dance arrangements are by sam davis with additional arrangements by bruce pomahac , and orchestrations by larry blank . the muny ' s production of irving berlin ' s holiday inn is its second production worldwide . ( more . . . )

danny and sylvia the danny kaye musical opens at st . luke ' s theater 5 / 13

hy juter and edmund gaynes will present ' danny and sylvia : the danny kaye musical ' at the st . luke ' s theatre , 308 west 46th street , beginning saturday , may 2nd at 2 pm with the official opening on wednesday , may 13 at 8 pm ( more . . . )

bristol riverside theatre ends its mainstage season triumphantly with the farcical period - piece musical triumph of love , based on the play by marivaux , with book by james magruder , music by jeffrey stock , and lyrics by susan birkenhead on may 1 - 20 . directed by keith baker , music directed by douglass lutz , and choreographed by stephen casey , the ensemble cast features jake delaney , joy franz , adam hoyak , alex keiper , rebecca robbins , danny rutigliano , and carl wallnau . ( more . . . )

bristol riverside theatre opens the hit rock musical jesus christ superstar starting march 21 and running through april 16 . ( more . . . )

cabaret and concert star andrea marcovicci brings her own captivating high style to the role of the magnificent and mercurial fashion doyenne , gabrielle ( coco ) chanel in 42nd street moon ' s upcoming production of coco . alan j . lerner and andre previn ' s musical memory play - unseen anywhere since the early 1970s - - will preview april 24 and 25 , open on april 26 , and run through may 11 . ( more . . . )

the york theatre company presents the new york premiere of the new musical unexpected joy , with book and lyrics by bill russell ( side show ) and music by janet hood ( elegies for angels , punks , and raging queens ) . ( more . . . )

the muny presents irving berlin ' s holiday inn , beginning tonight , july 6 , and running through july 12 , 2015 . ( more . . . )

bristol riverside theatre presents the ever - popular musical the producers with book by mel brooks and thomas meehan and music and lyrics by mel brooks on march 6 - april 1 . the multiple tony - award winning musical is directed by keith baker , music directed by douglass lutz , with choreography by stephen casey and starring danny rutigliano and michael doherty and featuring nicole benoit , fred inkley , morgan w . reynolds , jo twiss , and danny vaccaro . the ensemble features luke bradt , kathryn brunner , nicole calabrese , zachary j . chiero , john d . diferdinando , becca goebel , louis jannuzzi iii , lauren krigel , patrick ludt , niklaus patrick miller , james e . ofalt , dominick sannelli , erika wasko , and keith watford . ( more . . . )

the york theatre company ( james morgan , producing artistic director ) has announced that broadway veterans jason alexander ( " seinfeld , " jerome robbins ' broadway ) and tovah feldshuh ( golda ' s balcony , irena ' s vow ) will star in the season opener of the winter 2013 musicals in mufti series : two by two , with book by peter stone , lyrics by martin charnin and music by the legendary richard rodgers . additional casting will be announced shortly . ( more . . . )

the york theatre company has announced complete casting for the season opener of the winter 2013 musicals in mufti series : two by two , with book by peter stone , lyrics by martin charnin and music by the legendary richard rodgers , starring broadway veterans jason alexander and tovah feldshuh . ( more . . . )

the york theatre company , as part of its winter 2013 musicals in mufti series , presents a conversation with anne kaufman , a one - night only special event on monday , march 4 at 7 : 00 p . m . at the york theatre company at saint peter ' s ( entrance on east 54th street , just east of lexington avenue ) . ( more . . . )

bristol riverside theatre continues its 30th anniversary season with the hit rock musical jesus christ superstar , running march 21 - april 16 . with music by andrew lloyd webber and lyrics by tim rice , jesus christ superstar is directed by keith baker , music directed by douglass lutz , with choreography by stephen casey and features julian alvarez , derrick cobey , patrick h . dunn , robert farruggia , adam kemmerer , ciji prosser , darren ritchie , danny rutigliano , and steve steiner . the ensemble features jason taylor armstrong , daniel bontempo , elena camp , john diferdinando , maggie griffin - smith , megan helen jones , lauren krigel , caitlin ort , william pazdziora , miriam grace payne , christopher j . perugini , dominick sannelli , keith l . watford , and timothy walton . ( more . . . )

american century theater audiences are getting a special gift this holiday season : an american century christmas , a new musical revue full of old classics , christmas chestnuts , memories , laughs , tears and christmas spirit , opening wednesday , december 10 and running through january 4 at theater ii , gunston arts center , 2700 s . lang street in arlington , virginia . ( more . . . )

' cops ' a police drama , begins at gunston art center jan . 4

cops , the intense 1976 police drama , begins a month - long run at theater two in arlington ' s gunston art center on january 4 ( more . . . )

bristol riverside theatre concludes its 2015 - 2016 season daring audiences to " dream the impossible dream " with the ever - popular musical man of la mancha running may 10 - june 5 . with music by mitch leigh , lyrics by joe darion , and book by dale wasserman , the production is directed by keith baker and features the triumphant return of gypsy star robert newman , joined by sharon alexander , julian brightman , lauren cupples , robert farruggia , tamra hayden , christopher roche , danny rutigliano , dwayne alistair thomas , and danny vaccaro . the cast is supplemented by the ensemble of rajeer alford , daniel bontempo , elena camp , will connell , stephan dagrosa , john diferdinando , adam hoyak , kevin murray , and victor rodriguez . ( more . . . )

st . louis : backstage bite : deluca celebrates the muny ' s 100th season w / ooey gooey st . louie bars

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additional casting for the musicals in mufti production also includes jennifer evans , julie kotarides , and kilty reidy .

fee : quoted upon application . instrumentation : piano / vocal . for orchestration , contact the play service .

the 2018 combined auditions equity : monday , august 20 , 10 : 00am - 6 : 00pm non - equity : tuesday , augu . . . read more

auditions for bat boy will be held july 16 & 17 , 2018 from 6 : 30 - 9 : 00pm . preregistration is stro . . . read more

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lawrence harbison : my latest ' on the aisle with larry ' column , containing my thoughts on mean girls , harry potter and the cursed child , carousel , three tall women , travesties , saint joan , mlima ' s tale and a brief history of women is now posted on my blog at urltoken and will be up shortly on urltoken . congrats to playfixer client jennifer o ' grady , whose charlottes letters has won the henley rose playwrights award !

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. . . foote fans and scholars will find much resonance in a poignant and haunting drama about the sadness , depression and regret that come with growing older . . . like most of foote ' s later plays , this is a multi - layered work with such rich characters that they co bill corbett ' s satirical comedy the big slam . . . is swift , smart , and ultimately irresistible . - - the washington post . a non - stop roller coaster of rapier wit and sexual energy . . . corbett . . . serves up a hilarious two act tour de force . . . - - the washington review . a

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we need to talk about kevin , which opens nationwide on friday , features another creepy kid who does horrible things , and his evil seems to emerge from a clear blue sky . how did this happen ? was he born this way ?

in the bad seed ( 1956 ) , christine penmark ( played by nancy kelly ) makes the following statement about rhoda ( patty mccormack ) , her 9 - year - old daughter : " there ' s a maturity about her that my husband and i find disturbing . "

there is a lot of literature out there about " bad " children , mini - psychopaths , and even more so now with the recent breakthroughs in genetic mapping and mri - work on brain functionality . the new consensus , which is an idea as old as time itself , is that psychopaths are often not made , but born . it has been a common belief for about two centuries that a child ' s environment is the key factor in developing its character , although psychiatrists and neuroscientists are now arguing that this is often not the case . while coming from a good home impacts a child ' s chances of living an upstanding life , there have always been horrifying crimes committed by children of " good " families , which throw the whole belief system into chaos . the columbine killers are the most notorious example , but the list is a long one .

the human race has been coming up with explanations for evil since the dawn of time . the devil fell from heaven , took up residence on earth , and has been making mischief ever since . man has the capability for evil because eve ate the apple . cain slew abel . that sin reminds us what we all are capable of .

john steinbeck ' s east of eden is a biblical parable of the cain and abel story . there are the " bad " brothers ( whose names start with c ) , and the good brothers ( whose names start with a ) , and their fates seem to be sealed from birth . cal , from the third generation , ( played by james dean in the movie of the same name ) is the first one who tries to be " good , " at least as good as his brother aron . cal was born of the union between a saintly man named adam and a devilish woman named cathy . after the birth of cal , cathy promptly abandoned the family and set up a bordello in a nearby town . when steinbeck introduces us to cathy as a small child , it is , along with dostoevsky ' s raskolnikov in crime and punishment , the most insightful portrait of a psychopath ever put on paper . steinbeck doesn ' t mince words , and it is worth it to quote extensively :

i believe there are monsters born in the world to human parents . some you can see , misshapen and horrible , with huge heads or tiny bodies ; some are born with no arms , no legs , some with three arms , some with tails or mouths in odd places . they are accidents and no one’s fault , as used to be thought . once they were considered the visible punishment for concealed sins . and just as there are physical monsters , can there not be mental or psychic monsters born ? the face and body may be perfect , but if a twisted gene or a malformed egg can produce physical monsters , may not the same process produce a malformed soul ?

monsters are variations from the accepted normal to a greater or a less degree . as a child may be born without an arm , so one may be born without kindness or the potential of conscience . a man who loses his arms in an accident has a great struggle to adjust himself to the lack , but one born without arms suffers only from people who find him strange . having never had arms , he cannot miss them . sometimes when we are little we imagine how it would be to have wings , but there is no reason to suppose it is the same feeling birds have . no , to a monster the norm must seem monstrous , since everyone is normal to himself . to the inner monster it must be even more obscure , since he has no visible thing to compare with others . to a man born without conscience , a soul - stricken man must seem ridiculous . to a criminal , honesty is foolish . you must not forget that a monster is only a variation , and that to a monster the norm is monstrous .

it is my belief that cathy ames was born with the tendencies , or lack of them , which drove and forced her all of her life . some balance wheel was misweighed , some gear out of ratio . she was not like other people , never was from birth . and just as a cripple may learn to utilize his lack so that he becomes more effective in a limited field than the uncrippled , so did cathy , using her difference , make a painful and bewildering stir in her world .

there was a time when a girl like cathy would have been called possessed by the devil . she would have been exorcised to cast out the evil spirit , and if after many trials that did not work , she would have been burned as a witch for the good of the community . . .

even as a child she had some quality that made people look at her , then look away , then look back at her , troubled at something foreign . something looked out of her eyes , and was never there when one looked again . she moved quietly and talked little , but she could enter no room without causing everyone to turn toward her . . .

since cathy was an only child her mother had no close contrast in the family . she thought all children were like her own . and since all parents are worriers she was convinced that all her friends had the same problems .