CINEMA: Films about love, distance and euthanasia winning the 27th Sundance Film Festival

"Like Crazy", the story of a mad love to the test of distance, and "How to die in Oregon", a plea for euthanasia, are among the main winners of the 27th Sundance Film Festival, which awards was unveiled Saturday night in Park City, Utah (west).

The Grand Prix of American fiction, the most prestigious of the evening went to "Like Crazy" Drake Doremus, the story of a passionate love between an American and a British woman, roughly tested by distance .

The director and other dedicated his award to his parents, "for believing in love and taught me that love was important for me to make this film one day (...) This film is about love, a love that never dies and stays with you throughout your life. "

The documentary "How to die in Oregon" Peter Richardson, poignant plea for modesty and euthanasia, following the footsteps of several terminally ill patients who decided to end their days in the State of Oregon (west U.S.), where the law allows.

The director has paid tribute to "extraordinary individuals who let me into their lives and tell for the past four years.This award is for you and I owe you, "he said.

In the category of fiction film abroad, the Grand Jury Prize was awarded to the Norwegian film "Happy, Happy, signed Sewitsky Anne, who says the revival of a sexual housewife in the arms of her neighbor.

The Grand Jury Prize Documentary abroad went to 'Hell and back again "(Go back to hell), the photojournalist Danfung Dennis, who recounts the difficult return home from a Marine of 25 years, Nathan Harris, seriously injured in combat in Afghanistan.

This award is "for those returning.It's something we always have in mind, we must never forget, "said the director, who also won the award for best direction of photography.

The Latin American cinema, whose three films participating in the competition, took home the award for best photography for foreign fiction, given to the Colombian film "Todos Tus Muertos" (All your dead).

"Position Among the Stars", Dutch Leonard Retel Helmrich, a wonderful documentary about daily life in an Indonesian family in a slum in Jakarta, leaves with a Special Jury Prize, like the British film "Tyrannosaur" by Paddy Considine, the American documentary "Being Elmo, a puppeteer's journey" Constance Marks and U.S. film "Another Earth" by Mike Cahill.

The Audience Award went to the British documentary "Senna" Asif Kapadia, film US-Rwandan "Kinyarwanda" of Alrick Brown, the American documentary "Buck" Cindy Meehl "and the American film" Circumstance "by Maryam Keshavarz.

The American Erica Dunton and his film "To.get.her "Next come away with the prize, awarded to a very small budget film.

Nearly 120 films were submitted this year for the 27th edition of the Sundance Film Festival, including 58 in competition.

The festival, founded by actor Robert Redford as a counterweight to Hollywood studios by providing a showcase for independent production, has become over the years biggest film festival and market in the United States.

Last year's "Winter's Bone" by Debra Granik, who won the Grand Jury Prize for American fiction. After a successful career in theaters, the film garnered four nominations for the upcoming Academy Awards, February 27, including Best Film.

IRELAND: The government's bluff after the resignation of the Greens

AFP - The Irish government was Sunday at the foot of the wall to immediately call a general election, after the departure of its coalition partner, the Greens.

The Green Party said on Sunday his withdrawal from the coalition government in Ireland, after a week of crisis, which saw six ministers quit in quick succession, then the announcement by Prime Minister Brian Cowen that he would not the leadership of Fianna Fail (center).

The old wolf of Irish politics and hoped to defuse the crisis and remain at his post of prime minister until the date he had set himself for election March 11.

But the pressure is rising throughout the weekend and the start of the Greens now makes inevitable the convening of elections, Fianna Fail no longer have a parliamentary majority.

"Our patience is exhausted," he said on Sunday the leader of the Green Party, citing "lack of communication and the collapse of confidence." John Gormley said it was "absolutely necessary elections. "We decided that we could not stay longer in government," saidGormley.

He however said his party would act "responsibly" and "support the vote of the finance law since the opposition benches."

The Prime Minister has once said he "accepted the decision of the Greens", adding that he would remain at his post until the vote of the Finance Act. He said it was "impossible" to pass the law by Friday, as demanded by opposition parties.

The Finance Act, which completes the Irish budget the highest in the country's history, was published only on Friday and should be examined from next week in parliament. However, it must be dissolved three weeks before the election.What makes an unlikely date for elections by mid February.
A meeting with opposition leaders to be held Monday "to discuss the passage of the act realistically," said Brian Cowen.

Finance Minister Brian Lenihan has recalled the "vital importance" of the text, especially to "establish the confidence of the international community."He felt that some parts of the text could be referred to a subsequent law, adding "of course, mean that the timetable for elections will also be accelerated."

The two main opposition parties, Labour (left) and Fine Gael (center) are committed to accelerating the passage of the law in parliament in exchange for the announcement of a new date for elections.

The number two James Reilly of Fine Gael said that his party would "expedite" the law and file a motion of no confidence if it was not passed by Friday.The Labour party has already filed a motion of no confidence.

Prime Minister Brian Cowen breaks records of unpopularity for his handling of the financial crisis in Ireland, which imposed heavy sacrifices on the population, and have developed a bailout of 85 billion euros with the EU European and International Monetary Fund (IMF), seen as an abandonment of sovereignty in Ireland.

Brian Cowen leaves a poor state party: Fianna Fail is credited with more than 14% of the vote.

The party will choose its new leader Wednesday to 1400 GMT. Four candidates have already declared.Former Foreign Minister Michael Martin, head of the rebellion that precipitated the resignation of Brian Cowen, is favored.

The outgoing head of state Anibal Cavaco Silva seeks re-election in the first round

AFP - The Conservative Anibal Cavaco Silva could be re-elected, according to the polls in the first round Sunday in Portugal's presidency after a campaign moody, suspenseful or private issue despite the economic crisis, due to limited powers of the Head of State.

Concerned about rising unemployment and poverty, submitted since early January their third austerity plan in one year, the Portuguese have little interest marked a ballot which, according to political analysts, the only unknown is abstention which could reach a record level.

Given Mr.Cavaco Silva, an economist with 71 years covered by all of the right and credited 57 to 60% of votes, his main rival, the poet Manuel Alegre, supported by the Socialist Party and the Left Bloc (far left) collected between 20 and 27% of the vote, followed by four other minor candidates.

Already nominated in 2006, Alegre, 74, was then a surprise - and lasting enmities had attracted - by beating, with 20.7% of votes, the official candidate of the Socialist Party, former President Mario Soares (14.3%). Mr.Cavaco Silva, who was Prime Minister ten years (1985-1995), had won the first round with 50.5% of the vote.

"At the final result, there is no uncertainty," said João Marcelino, director of the daily Diario de Noticias, recalling that "in Portugal, past presidents have all been re-elected in the first round."

"The recandidature + + is a kind of walk," he said.

"All that nobody cares," says Carlos, a young 38 year old restaurateur, owner of a "tasca" canteen on the hills of Lisbon.

"People have other concerns, and then, frankly, it is clear that the president is useless," added his wife Catarina, which distributes to customers the latest listings for local residents seeking employment.

In Lisbon, the campaign has remained invisible, no posters or leaflets, the major parties are now back in a very personalized election because of the role of the essentially moral head of state, even if it has the right to dissolve the parliament.

In the interior, the six candidates have stepped up "contacts with people," the markets or at dinner banquet-style supporters.

Dedicating the absence of any substantive discussion, Mr.Cavaco Silva has consistently refused to respond to attacks from his rivals, wrapping himself in his status as head of state who, in his view, the "impossible to meddle in partisan political struggles" or "comment on the statements of political actors. "

Even the "business" of the bank BPN, bound to lucrative financial investments made by Mr Cavaco Silva in the early 2000s, fell like a blow against the silence of the outraged president candidate, having monopolized the media for several days.

And rumors of an imminent international assistance to address the fiscal crisis have, according to commentators, further strengthened the demobilization of voters while Mr.Cavaco Silva has stepped up its criticism of the socialist government, accused of having acted "too late" about the slippage in public finances.

"People know that this is not the president who governs," says political scientist Marina Costa Lobo. This is an important character but he is not the rule that the economic problems. And when they see the Prime Minister to go Brussels announce austerity measures, they understand that the government itself decides little ... and the president even less! ".