The international film community suffers two losses this week. Italian "Master of Modernity" filmmaker Michelangelo Antonioni, 94, and Swedish filmmaker icon Ingmar Bergman, 89, both died in their own homes respectively.

Ingmar Bergman left in the early hours of yesterday morning. Within a few hours, Michelangelo Antonioni had followed him through the exit door. It remains to be seen whether this signals the onset of some art-house apocalypse - some Biblical purge of revered European auteurs - but the omens are hardly encouraging. How are Godard, Resnais and Rohmer bearing up? Can we urge them to stay indoors, wrap up warm, and maybe put on some old DVDs. Anything to keep them out of circulation until the curse has run its course.
~taken from Guardian Unlimited

Arthouse apocolypse indeed. These are names engraved in any filmmaking student's history books. Directors who have changed cinema in their own ways. The European filmmakers have an astute eye and a natural style of storytelling that captures the human condition, in a way I've always loved. It's as though they know how to capture a part of life into film. Contrary to Hollywood's formulaic cinema.

It feels surreal to have lived in an era and lose milestone makers of the industry. And both of them almost side by side, no less. Almost feels like 1997's Princess Diana-Mother Teresa double whammy.

Other news clippings...
Obituary: Michelangelo Antonioni, filmmaker
Filmmaking icon Bergman dies