Leisure Lifestyle: May 2017

Monday, May 29, 2017

Cannes Film Festival 70 Years & Counting

: The Jury and the 2017 winners Image Credit : Alberto Pizzoli : AFP

Cannes Film Festival 2017 ends with just as much grandeur as the last 70 years. The thousands of films, masterclasses, and fashion on the red carpet represents the best in film and arts.

The juries enjoyed film after film. The jury members include:

: Ruben Östlund, Palme d'or - The Square Image Credit : Loic Venance : AFP

Feature Films Jury

Pedro ALM OD ÓVAR – President
(Director, Screenwriter, Producer – Spain)
Maren ADE (Director, Screenwriter, Producer - Germany)
Jessica CHASTAIN (Actress, Producer - United States)
FAN Bingbing (Actress, Producer - China)
Agnès JAOUI (Actress, Screenwriter, Director, Singer – France)
PARK Chan-wook (Director, Screenwriter, Producer - South Korea)
Will SMITH (Actor, Producer, Musician – United States
Paolo SORRENTINO (Director, Screenwriter - Italy)
Gabriel YARED (Composer – France)

: The Jury and the winners of Un Certain Regard 2017© Christophe Bouillon - FDC Cannes Film Festival

Un Certain Regard

Uma Thurman
Mohamed Diab
Reda Kateb
Joachim Lafosse
Karel Och

: The winners of the 2017 Cinéfondation © Mathilde Petit - FDC Cannes Film Festival

Cinéfondation

Cristian Mungiu
Clotilde Hesme
Athina Rachel Tsangari
Barry Jenkins
Eric Khoo

The closing ceremonies ended the festival with honoring the top films with a presentation. Nicole Kidman in regards to her honor, states (video from Nashville Tennessee) "I feel blessed to be able to work in this profession. The 70th celebration was incredible; it was the celebration of cinema and stories." This season Cannes Film Festival continued draw positive attention to the top world class film festival. Looking forward to 70 more years at Cannes.

See the photos from Cannes Film Festival here.

Feature Films

PALME D'OR
THE SQUARE by Ruben ÖSTLUND

70th Anniversary Award
Nicole KIDMAN

GRAND PRIX
120 BATTEMENTS PAR MINUTE (BPM – Beats Per Minute)
by Robin CAMPILLO

BEST DIRECTOR
Sofia COPPOLA for THE BEGUILED

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR
Joaquin PHOENIX in YOU WERE NEVER REALLY HERE by Lynne RAMSAY

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS
Diane KRUGER in AUS DEM NICHTS (In The Fade) by Fatih AKIN

JURY PRIZE
NELYUBOV (Loveless) by Andrey ZVYAGINTSEV

BEST SCREENPLAY EX-ÆQUO
Yorgos LANTHIMOS and Efthimis FILIPPOU
for THE KILLING OF A SACRED DEER
Lynne RAMSAY
for YOU WERE NEVER REALLY HERE

SHORT FILMS

PALME D'OR
XIAO CHENG ER YUE (A Gentle Night) by QIU Yang

MENTION DISTINCTION BY THE JURY
KATTO (The Ceiling) by Teppo AIRAKSINEN
CAMÉRA D'OR

“UN CERTAIN REGARD” PRIZE
LERD (UN HOMME INTÈGRE – A MAN OF INTEGRITY)
by Mohammad Rasoulof

PRIZE FOR BEST ACTRESS
JASMINE TRINCA for FORTUNATA by Sergio Castellitto

PRIZE FOR THE BEST POETIC NARRATIVE
BARBARA de Mathieu Amalric

PRIZE FOR BEST DIRECTION
Taylor Sheridan for WIND RIVER

JURY PRIZE
LAS HIJAS DE ABRIL (APRIL’S DAUGHTER) by Michel Franco

JEUNE FEMME (Montparnasse Bienvenüe) by Léonor SERRAILLE
presented at UN CERTAIN REGARD
The CST Jury awarded the VULCAIN PRIZE FOR ARTIST-TECHNICIAN to: Josefin ASBERG

The Cinéfondation and Short Films

First Prize
PAUL EST LÀ (Paul Is Here )
directed by Valentina MAUREL
INSAS, Belgium

Second Prize
HEYVAN (AniMal )
directed by Bahram & Bahman ARK
Iranian National School of Cinema, Iran

Third Prize
DEUX ÉGARÉS SONT MORTS (Two Youths Died)
directed by Tommaso USBERTI
La Fémis, France

Awards
€15,000 grant for the First Prize, €11,250 for the Second and €7,500 for the Third.
The winner of the First Prize is also guaranteed the presentation of his/her first feature film at the Festival de Cannes.

Rerun in Paris
The awarded films will be screen at Cinéma du Panthéon on May 30th at 7 p.m.
All the films of the Cinéfondation selection will screen at the Cinémathèque Française on May 31st & June 1st.

@4ChionLifestyle

Connect With us here for your best lifestyle:

Cannes Film Festival connections here:

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/festivaldecannes/

Twitter https://twitter.com/Festival_Cannes

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/festivaldecannes/

Tumblr http://festivaldecannesofficiel.tumblr.com/

DailyMotion https://www.dailymotion.com/CannesFestTV

Sponsors

Mastercard https://twitter.com/Mastercard

Groupe Renault https://twitter.com/Groupe_Renault

L’ Oréal Paris https://twitter.com/lorealparisfr

Chopard Official https://twitter.com/Chopard

Kering https://twitter.com/KeringGroup

Saturday, May 27, 2017

Summer Time is Here ~ Happy Memorial Day

Memorial Day is the first celebration of the summer holiday. Many spend their time at the poolside, beach, or picnicking. Food, family, and fun are key to this holiday.

This holiday is celebrated to honor those who have served and lost their lives protecting America. This holiday started shortly after the Civil War. We deeply appreciate the sacrifice by many and their families. This traditionally was known as decoration day. As a child I remember going to Almo, Idaho (a small town near the City of Rocks & Burly Idaho) to clean up the family cemetery and decorating the graves for Memorial Day.

Enjoying family traditions and recipes during Memorial Day weekend creates a connection to ourselves and those who went on before us. We all have those tried and true recipes that come with no recipe card. It is fun to create your own traditions and recipes for the holidays.

This Memorial Day our menu will include Ciabatta and Cherry Almond Bundt Cake. It is one last time before the summer heat to get a few great bakes created. Ciabatta is a great, simple bread to start learning to create your own loaves of bread. The bread was created by Arnaldo Cavallari, a miller, in Verona, Veneto, Italy in 1982 as a response to the popular french baguettes. This is a perfect bread for transportation.

Ciabatta

3 3/4 cups of White whole wheat flour

2 1/4 Tsp. Dry Active Yeast (1 package)

2 1/4 Tsp. Salt

1 1/2 cups cold water

1/2 cups cold water

Olive oil for pans and raising bowl

Bosch Mixer (I used the hand mixer) with dough hook(s)

Place flour, yeast (on the right side of the flour), and salt (on left side of flour) 1 1/2 cup water in mixer bowl. Begin mixing on low. When the dough begins to form drizzle remaining 1/2 cup into bowl and raise mixer to the next level up. Mix the dough for 5-8 minutes. You will know it is ready when it is stretchy and smooth.

Place dough in a square plastic container (enough room for bread to rise) with side oiled with olive oil. The square container assists with keeping the bread the proper shape for baking. Place lid on top. The lid keeps the dry skin from forming while bread rises. Raise dough until double in size about 1 1/2 - 1 3/4 hours at room temperature.

Dust a work space well with flour (the dough will be sticky). Allow for it to naturally fall out of the container onto floured surface. Coat the top of the dough with more flour. Handle the dough very carefully, don't pat back down. You want to keep as much air as possible in the dough. Cut the dough lengthways into 4 equal sized loaves. Slightly stretch each piece lengthways and place on oiled baking trays. Let rest 30-45 min on baking sheet.

Pre-heat oven 425 degrees. Baked bread 25 min. until golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped. Cool completely on wire racks.

Cherry Almond Bundt Cake

3/4 cup quartered Natural Bordeaux Maraschino Cherries

Cherry Almond Bundt Cake3/4 cup quartered Natural Bordeaux Maraschino Cherries

rinse cherries
dry well with paper towels
toss with 2 tablespoons flour
set aside

You can make you own maraschino cherries (make two days in advance)

1 pint of sour cherries
1 cup maraschino liqueur (possible substitutes are Amaretto, Grand Marnier, or contact your local store for assistance)
Bring liqueur to a simmer. Turn off the heat, and add the cherries, stir, let cool, and pour into jars. Refrigerate. Make these a day or two before using. Cherries last for months.

1 Cup all purpose white flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 cup unsalted soften butter (do not microwave)

3/4 white sugar (pulse slightly in food processor before measuring)

Zest of 1 lemon

1/8 cup plus 2 tsp. finely ground almonds

3 large eggs

Pre-heat oven 350 degrees. Fluff flour and baking powder until well mixed in a bowl. Add all ingredients except the cherries to mixer bowl, mix on medium speed for 2 minutes. Lightly fold cherries in to batter. Place in a well butter bundt pan. Bake 25-45 min. When cooled and cake starts to pull from sides of pan remove from pan to cooling rack. Finish with Ganache and toasted almonds (place sliced almonds in a warmed pan and toss lightly until golden brown) on top.

Ganache

1 1/2 cups of heavy cream

1 lb. semi-chocolate or bittersweet chocolate chopped (we recommend 61% cacao)

In a heavy saucepan, bring heavy cream to boil. Turn off the heat. Add chopped chocolate pieces and let it rest until melted (this is key). Use a rubber spatula to stir the mixture until all the pieces are melted. Pour it into a room-temperature bowl, cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate ganache until it is firm.

The weekend meal included trout almondine, roasted garlic green beans, ciabatta bread, and cherry almond cake. A nice pinot noir is served with the meal.

May your holiday be filled with great memories and remember your lifestyle is worth the best.

@4ChionLifestyle

Connect With us here for your best lifestyle:

Shopping List

1 lb. Land O' Lakes butter

Natural Bordeaux Maraschino Cherries

1 lb. natural almonds

1/2 lb. sliced almonds

All purpose white flour

1 quart Heavy Cream

1 lb. 61% cacao semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate

1 dozen eggs

: C&H Sugar

C&H White Sugar

1 small can Baking Powder

5 lbs. White whole wheat flour

Dry Active Yeast

Silicone Kitchen Set

Bundt Pan

Bosch Mixer

Thursday, May 25, 2017

A Woman's World The Beguiled ~ Cannes

The Beguiled Red Carpet Cannes Film Festival

The Beguiled is one of the most anticipated film at Cannes Film Festival. Director, Sofia Coppola, brings the woman's point of view and how it was for these women during this time period. The original film was from the man's point of view. This point of view brings a new dynamic to the melodramatic remake.

Film synopsis At a girls' school in Virginia during the Civil War, where the young women are sheltered from the outside world, a wounded Union soldier is taken in. Soon, the house is taken over with sexual tension, rivalries, and an unexpected turn of events.

: The Beguiled Courtesy of Cannes Film Festival

This film is a remake from (The Beguiled (1971). Both films are based on the novel The Beguiled by Thomas Cullinan. The first film brings the male perspective of a wounded union soldier. Coppola brings the story back with the perspective of the women in the boarding school.

: The Beguiled Movie

The revisiting of this film creates its own dynamics. Coppola says, "I never tried to remake the film, go back and tell my story. I wanted to forget that and to imagine how I would make this film." She brings the women's stories and perspective to the forefront.

: The Beguiled Courtesy of Cannes Film Festival

Coppola discusses the film being a feminist film, she states, "It is up to the audience to determine how they want to take it. I put my thoughts into film and you can determine how it affects you. I was making the film from the female point of view. The core of the story is the power struggle between the male and female." The story brings this struggle to the center of the film.

Living in a boarding school atmosphere where they are all women who are functioning well, until the new dynamic, Farrell enters the school. Kidman states about Farrell's character, "I think he comes in an ruins everything. We were fine. We only could not procreate. Good riddance to him." The dynamic changes for each person in the film.

: The Beguiled Courtesy of Cannes Film Festival

Kirsten Dunst, plays Edwina Dabney in the film, says "all these people pent up together no matter male, female, or a mixture. There will always be something that comes out it is a survivalist technique. Colin just happens to be what all our aggression, energy, and emotions corseted up, lets say. They get unleashed because this new dynamic comes in." This does bring a change for the girls attending the boarding school.

: The Beguiled Nicole Kidman

Nicole Kidman recalls Martha Farnsworth, her character in the film, "is very maternal. Kidman states, "She is there to protect these girls in a very treacherous difficult time. Her motivation is to protect them, to guide them, to bring them, so when the war ends they are capable." Farrell's character makes it difficult for the continued protection.

Colin Farrell, John McBurney character in the film, states "It has been a journey man to get here. Many miles of roads and many corsets. It was an amazing experience shooting this film. Coppola sets a particular mood, one that is of comfort, of ease, trust, and an environment that allows you as an actor to explore and play. It was my favorite experience and shoot. Sophia is a creative beast of an engine with tenderness, elegance, and a gentility." Looking forward to this film? It will be in theaters June 20, 2017.

: The Beguiled Courtesy of Cannes Film Festival

Just a few fun notes from the press conference Kidman and Coppola often swiped their hair from the left side of their faces at the same time. Kidman discusses about working through mistakes, "I try to focus on the positive. Sometimes you fail and sometimes you succeed. That is the journey. You just get back up. . . You fall over you brush off your knees and get back up. It is a really really hard thing to do. You cry and you feel. It is not saying don't feel, but experience it navigate and get move through it. . . I'll learn from everything."

This 70th year will continue to evolve film worldwide. Stay tune here for coverage of events from fashion, red carpet, actresses/actors, and films.

@4ChionLifestyle

Connect With us here for your best lifestyle:

Cast and Crew

Colin FARRELL - McBurney

Nicole KIDMAN - Miss Martha

Kirsten DUNST - Edwina