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• Nicostratos takes off ! The film of Oliver Horlait, adapted from the novel by Eric Boisset, with Emir Kusturica in the role of a Greek Orthodox priest, will start in April. Indeed, last week, eight white pelicans from the Bird Park of Villars-les-Dombes (France) were transferred to Greece for the film.
• We learnt a little more on the next film of Emir Kusutirca : Cool Water. It will be a tragi-comedy where two Palestinian brothers who smuggle the dead body of their father from Jerusalem to Ramallah as they are pursued by Israeli police, Russian mobsters and a terrorist gang. The film will be co-produced by Johnny Depp. Shooting this summer.
• Already almost 500 fans of kustu.com on facebook, thank you ! A community is taking shape.
• The No Smoking Orchestra announces new concerts dates :
  • 05/03 : Yerevan, Armenia
  • 09/03 : St. Petersburg, Russia
  • 07/05 : Coimbra (Student Festival), Portugal
  • 08/05 : Carcassone (Festival Chapiteuf), France
  • 04/06 : Maubeuge (Les Folies de Maubeuge), France
  • 05/06 : Pontoise (Furia Sound Festival), France
  • 09/06 : Lisbonne (Coliseum), Portugal
  • 11/06 : Sébazac (Skabazac), France

• The third Küstendorf Film and Music Festival closed yesterday with the victory of franco-israelian film “Lost Paradise”, a love story by Mihal Brezis and Oded Binnun. The golden egg was given to them by Marjane Satrapi, president of the jury, as well as an invitation to stay one month in Küstendorf in order to write peacefully a new script. The second prize, granted by the silver egg, went to the czech film “Baba”, directed by Zuzana Kirchnerova-Špidlova. And finally, the bronze egg went to lithuanian film “Lernavan”, directed by Armenian director Marat Sargsyan. To view all the events of the festival, including the opening ceremony with the statue of Johnny Depp, the master classes, the images and the videos : kustendorf-filmfestival.org/2010
• New : on facebook, a page allows to subscribe to the news of the site kustu.com. It is also a place of exchanges and sharing on Emir Kusturica, open to everyone.
• During the various press conferences that Emir Kusturica and Johnny Depp held during the festival, we learnt more about the future projects :
  • Emir Kusturica has signed to play the role of a Greek orthodox priest (one can already imagine it) in the film “Pelican” by Olivier Horlait, based on the French novel "Nicostratos", by Eric Boisset. The shooting will take place in Greece in April-May. As a photographer, we notice the presence of Michel Amathieu, old friend of Emir Kusturica (Black Cat, White Cat and Life is a miracle). The novel is about a boy who secretly adopts a pelican, hiding from a father who cannot bear the death of his wife.
  • Then, Emir Kusturica has confirmed his intention to direct “Cool Water”, the story of a German strip-teaser who goes to Palestine for the burial of his father and the wedding of his brother.
  • Finally, it will be the shooting of Pancho Villa, now called “Wild Roses, Tender Roses”, with Johnny Depp and Salma Hayek, starting on 15 February 2011. It was precised that the film would be entirely in Spanish language, and that the No Smoking Orchestra would write the musique. ”It will be my biggest film. I will do it with no compromise”, said Emir.