Disappointment hung in the air a few days into the 2024 Cannes Film Festival when no main competition films had universally wowed industry and press. But you have to know where to look, which often means going outside the official selection and into sidebars like Un Certain Regard and Directors’ Fortnight in search of gems.
By the end of the festival, though, more than a few stunners had emerged. The competition’s final days brought a series of potentially historic and beloved-on-the-ground Palme contenders: Mohammad Rasolouf’s searing Iranian drama “The Seed of the Sacred Fig,” Payal Kapadia’s day-in-the-life Mumbai portrait “All We Imagine as Light,” and Sean Baker’s wild and crazy sex worker odyssey “Anora.”
Elsewhere, movies like Matthew Rankin’s Abbas Kiarostami homage “Universal Language” and Mahdi Fleifel’s “To a Land Unknown,” the only Palestinian movie to play Cannes this year, impressed in Directors’ Fortnight, the...
By the end of the festival, though, more than a few stunners had emerged. The competition’s final days brought a series of potentially historic and beloved-on-the-ground Palme contenders: Mohammad Rasolouf’s searing Iranian drama “The Seed of the Sacred Fig,” Payal Kapadia’s day-in-the-life Mumbai portrait “All We Imagine as Light,” and Sean Baker’s wild and crazy sex worker odyssey “Anora.”
Elsewhere, movies like Matthew Rankin’s Abbas Kiarostami homage “Universal Language” and Mahdi Fleifel’s “To a Land Unknown,” the only Palestinian movie to play Cannes this year, impressed in Directors’ Fortnight, the...
- 5/27/2024
- by Ryan Lattanzio and David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
Kodak, which had a momentous 2023 with more than 60 movies shot on film has gotten off to a promising start in 2024 with Luca Guadignino’s “Challengers” and Jane Shoenbrun’s “I Saw the TV Glow, which A24 released wide May 17. Upcoming releases include Jeff Nichols’ “The Bikeriders” and Robert Eggers’ “Nosferatu.”
Meanwhile, Kodak premiered 33 movies shot on film at Cannes. These included nine winners, including Sean Baker’s “Anora,” which earned the Palme d’Or prize, Matthew Rankin’s “Universal Language”, which took the first Directors’ Fortnight Audience Award, and “Grand Tour,” which grabbed Best Director for Miguel Gomes. In addition, Yorgos Lanthimos’ “Kinds of Kindness” earned Jesse Plemons Best Performance by an Actor, and “Armand” won the Caméra d’or Prize for director Halfdan Ullmann Tondel.
Also, 16mm film continues to prove its popularity and relevance, with 26 of the on-film titles at the festival choosing it as their capture medium.
Meanwhile, Kodak premiered 33 movies shot on film at Cannes. These included nine winners, including Sean Baker’s “Anora,” which earned the Palme d’Or prize, Matthew Rankin’s “Universal Language”, which took the first Directors’ Fortnight Audience Award, and “Grand Tour,” which grabbed Best Director for Miguel Gomes. In addition, Yorgos Lanthimos’ “Kinds of Kindness” earned Jesse Plemons Best Performance by an Actor, and “Armand” won the Caméra d’or Prize for director Halfdan Ullmann Tondel.
Also, 16mm film continues to prove its popularity and relevance, with 26 of the on-film titles at the festival choosing it as their capture medium.
- 5/27/2024
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
By the time we meet them, Chatila and Reda already are down in the lower depths. Cousins from Palestine, they have spent much of their lives living as refugees on the run. Having made it as far as Athens, a kind of holding zone for people from the Middle East trying to slip into Europe, they are trying to scrape together money to get to Germany.
Ferrety Chatila (Mahmood Bakri) is masterminding the cousins’ next fundraising operation in one of Athens’s pleasantly proletarian parks, directing his sweet-faced cousin Reda (Aram Sabbah) to fall over on his skateboard in front of a middle-aged woman who almost certainly will help him. Chatila’s job is to snatch her handbag and run. It’s mean, it’s shabby, and it’s miserably cheap. Their mark’s purse contains 5 euros, the price of a couple of coffees. They won’t be able to...
Ferrety Chatila (Mahmood Bakri) is masterminding the cousins’ next fundraising operation in one of Athens’s pleasantly proletarian parks, directing his sweet-faced cousin Reda (Aram Sabbah) to fall over on his skateboard in front of a middle-aged woman who almost certainly will help him. Chatila’s job is to snatch her handbag and run. It’s mean, it’s shabby, and it’s miserably cheap. Their mark’s purse contains 5 euros, the price of a couple of coffees. They won’t be able to...
- 5/24/2024
- by Stephanie Bunbury
- Deadline Film + TV
The story behind the making of Palestinian-Danish director Mahdi Fleifel’s second feature, To a Land Unknown, is probably as intriguing as the film itself. Shot on the fly in Greece, with production beginning exactly a month after the Hamas attacks of October 7th, the movie was somehow completed in time to premiere at Cannes just over six months later.
That may be something of a record in terms of delivering a feature, but it also speaks to the precarious and volatile situation the film is depicting: that of Palestinian refugees stuck in Athens en route to someplace else, caught in a purgatory between a home they can’t return to and a new one they don’t know.
For best friends Chatila (Mahmood Bakri) and Reda (Aram Sabbah), the heroes of Fleifel’s melancholic, shaggy-dog street movie, that purgatory has been going on for some time. When we first see the two 20somethings,...
That may be something of a record in terms of delivering a feature, but it also speaks to the precarious and volatile situation the film is depicting: that of Palestinian refugees stuck in Athens en route to someplace else, caught in a purgatory between a home they can’t return to and a new one they don’t know.
For best friends Chatila (Mahmood Bakri) and Reda (Aram Sabbah), the heroes of Fleifel’s melancholic, shaggy-dog street movie, that purgatory has been going on for some time. When we first see the two 20somethings,...
- 5/23/2024
- by Jordan Mintzer
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The brilliant Palestinian-Danish documentarian Mahdi Fleifel (“A World Not Ours”) leaps successfully into fiction with a feature debut that borrows a narrative container from “Midnight Cowboy” and a tormented soul that is all Palestinian.
The film opens with a quote from the celebrated Palestinian scholar, Edward Said: “In a way, it’s a sort of fate of Palestinians not to end up where they started, but somewhere unexpected and far away.” These words have been cutting since the moment they were first spoken years ago, but released into the world now during the horrific genocide in Gaza, they have an extra, desperate bite, as another generation is forced to seek displacement as the only alternative to violent death. Premiering at Cannes in this climate, Fleifel’s portrait of two individual characters asks questions that cannot be confined to the screen. Where do you belong after you have been driven from your homeland?...
The film opens with a quote from the celebrated Palestinian scholar, Edward Said: “In a way, it’s a sort of fate of Palestinians not to end up where they started, but somewhere unexpected and far away.” These words have been cutting since the moment they were first spoken years ago, but released into the world now during the horrific genocide in Gaza, they have an extra, desperate bite, as another generation is forced to seek displacement as the only alternative to violent death. Premiering at Cannes in this climate, Fleifel’s portrait of two individual characters asks questions that cannot be confined to the screen. Where do you belong after you have been driven from your homeland?...
- 5/22/2024
- by Sophie Monks Kaufman
- Indiewire
Danish-Palestinian director Mahdi Fleifel’s assured fiction debut opens in a typical town square in contemporary Athens. The square is leafy and shaded, with plentiful orange trees, but it’s not prettified or bourgeois. The people hanging out there are a mixture of tourists, locals and those of indeterminate status, including Chatila (Mahmood Bakri) and Reda (Aram Sabbah), a couple of young men seemingly watching the world go by on a nice day in the city. They observe a small boy jumping to snatch an orange from a tree, before setting their sights on an older woman relaxing on a bench. Chatila confirms her as their target and the pair set in motion a modest and well-rehearsed bag-snatching scam.
It’s the first of many attempts the pair will make to raise money. Chatila and Reda are Palestinians, stuck in Athens, hoping to reach Germany. The duo are cousins, and...
It’s the first of many attempts the pair will make to raise money. Chatila and Reda are Palestinians, stuck in Athens, hoping to reach Germany. The duo are cousins, and...
- 5/22/2024
- by Catherine Bray
- Variety Film + TV
The tragic predicament of the Palestinians and what they’re now being subjected to begs to be analyzed and dissected, with various areas of dubious historical consensus put to new scrutiny; in Mahdi Fleifel’s fiction debut To a Land Unknown, we’re solely in a disorienting present tense, where there’s seldom time to think and reflect, only to agitate for survival.
The director himself was raised in a Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon, a background echoed in the film’s key characters, before he settled in Denmark and studied in the UK; thus, he’s never lived under direct contact with the Israeli occupation. Acclaimed docs followed, most notably I Signed the Petition, a 10-minute short that went semi-viral, concerning the calls to boycott Radiohead’s 2017 concert in Tel Aviv. Evidenced by To a Land Unknown, his move to fiction is quite seamless, if always abetted by the...
The director himself was raised in a Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon, a background echoed in the film’s key characters, before he settled in Denmark and studied in the UK; thus, he’s never lived under direct contact with the Israeli occupation. Acclaimed docs followed, most notably I Signed the Petition, a 10-minute short that went semi-viral, concerning the calls to boycott Radiohead’s 2017 concert in Tel Aviv. Evidenced by To a Land Unknown, his move to fiction is quite seamless, if always abetted by the...
- 5/22/2024
- by David Katz
- The Film Stage
Danish-Spanish co-production “Only On Earth,” by award-winning Danish filmmaker Robin Petré, has picked up the top Iefta Docs-in-Progress Award at Cannes Docs, the Cannes Film Market sidebar dedicated to documentary film.
The film forms part of the Five Nordics Showcase, one of eight showcases presenting a total of 34 docs-in-progress this year. The others include Chile, Scotland, Palestine Circle Women Accelerator, Docs By The Sea, the East Doc Platform, and newcomer Switzerland.
“Only On Earth” is described as a journey deep into southern Galicia in Spain, one of Europe’s most vulnerable wildfire zones, during the hottest summer ever measured, where humans and animals alike struggle to cope as inextinguishable fires draw closer.
Composed of Pov senior producer Opal H. Bennet, head of documentary at Ims in Copenhagen, Rasmus Steen, and Ridm artistic co-director Ana Alice de Morais, handing out the award the jury stated:
“The project stood out with its exceptional combination of craft,...
The film forms part of the Five Nordics Showcase, one of eight showcases presenting a total of 34 docs-in-progress this year. The others include Chile, Scotland, Palestine Circle Women Accelerator, Docs By The Sea, the East Doc Platform, and newcomer Switzerland.
“Only On Earth” is described as a journey deep into southern Galicia in Spain, one of Europe’s most vulnerable wildfire zones, during the hottest summer ever measured, where humans and animals alike struggle to cope as inextinguishable fires draw closer.
Composed of Pov senior producer Opal H. Bennet, head of documentary at Ims in Copenhagen, Rasmus Steen, and Ridm artistic co-director Ana Alice de Morais, handing out the award the jury stated:
“The project stood out with its exceptional combination of craft,...
- 5/22/2024
- by Lise Pedersen
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Dubai-based management and production company 75East has signed Palestinian director Mahdi Fleifel, whose narrative feature debut To A Land Unknown is playing in Directors’ Fortnight this year.
75East, was launched last December by former Mister Smith sales executive Antone Saliba under the banner Untamed Talent with a focus on the Swana region (South West Asia and North Africa), and has recently rebranded.
The only Palestinian feature in Cannes this year, To A Land Unknown tells the story of the desperate attempts of two Palestinian cousins stranded in Athens to find a way to reach Germany.
Chatila and Reda are saving to pay for fake passports to get out of Athens. When Reda loses their hard-earned cash to his drug addiction, Chatila hatches an extreme plan, which involves them posing as smugglers and taking hostages in an effort to get him and his best friend out of their hopeless environment before it is too late.
75East, was launched last December by former Mister Smith sales executive Antone Saliba under the banner Untamed Talent with a focus on the Swana region (South West Asia and North Africa), and has recently rebranded.
The only Palestinian feature in Cannes this year, To A Land Unknown tells the story of the desperate attempts of two Palestinian cousins stranded in Athens to find a way to reach Germany.
Chatila and Reda are saving to pay for fake passports to get out of Athens. When Reda loses their hard-earned cash to his drug addiction, Chatila hatches an extreme plan, which involves them posing as smugglers and taking hostages in an effort to get him and his best friend out of their hopeless environment before it is too late.
- 5/21/2024
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Directors’ Fortnight is always a chance to catch films at the Cannes Film Festival off the main drag of the Croisette, out of the main competition, and with an eye toward boundary-breaking works. Mahdi Fleifel’s Directors’ Fortnight world premiere “To a Land Unknown” is the only Palestinian feature to screen at the festival, and IndieWire shares the exclusive trailer below.
The film follows Chatila (Mahmood Bakri) and Reda (Aram Sabbah), cousins and refugees stranded in Athens and trying to reach Germany. To escape Greece, they hatch a plan to pose as smugglers taking hostages, with dire consequences for their friendship. “It’s especially moving to me, in these incredible times, to present a Palestinian film at Cannes. As Palestinians, we challenge media stereotypes, but more importantly, we defy invisibility, a struggle we’ve faced since the beginning. Our stories are needed now more than ever,” Fleifel, born in Dubai...
The film follows Chatila (Mahmood Bakri) and Reda (Aram Sabbah), cousins and refugees stranded in Athens and trying to reach Germany. To escape Greece, they hatch a plan to pose as smugglers taking hostages, with dire consequences for their friendship. “It’s especially moving to me, in these incredible times, to present a Palestinian film at Cannes. As Palestinians, we challenge media stereotypes, but more importantly, we defy invisibility, a struggle we’ve faced since the beginning. Our stories are needed now more than ever,” Fleifel, born in Dubai...
- 5/18/2024
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
The Doha Film Institute (Dfi) has selected 44 projects for its 2024 spring grants cycle, including Mahdi Fleifel’s To A Land Unknown, which has its world premiere in Directors’ Fortnight in Cannes next Wednesday, May 22.
Fleifel’s fiction feature debut is a crime thriller about a Palestinian refugee living on the fringes of Athens society, who seeks revenge on the smuggler who ripped him off.
Scroll down for the full list of grants
Palestinian-Danish filmmaker Fleifel studied at the UK’s National Film and Television School, and previously made 2012 feature-length documentary A World Not Ours, which played at the Berlinale and Cph:dox.
Fleifel’s fiction feature debut is a crime thriller about a Palestinian refugee living on the fringes of Athens society, who seeks revenge on the smuggler who ripped him off.
Scroll down for the full list of grants
Palestinian-Danish filmmaker Fleifel studied at the UK’s National Film and Television School, and previously made 2012 feature-length documentary A World Not Ours, which played at the Berlinale and Cph:dox.
- 5/17/2024
- ScreenDaily
A delegation of Palestinian filmmakers is in Cannes, seeking both international support for projects and the opportunity to alter the discourse on how Palestinians are perceived internationally.
“A lot of the time, in western media, Palestinians are just a bunch of angry Arabs,” suggested Palestine-Denmark filmmaker Mahdi Fleifel, whose debut To A Land Unknown is playing in Directors’ Fortnight. He hopes his film “can contribute a level of humanity to the discourse” on Palestinians.
“People don’t see us as people with dreams, and hopes and fears. I hope that’s what will resonate with audiences.”
To A Land Unknown...
“A lot of the time, in western media, Palestinians are just a bunch of angry Arabs,” suggested Palestine-Denmark filmmaker Mahdi Fleifel, whose debut To A Land Unknown is playing in Directors’ Fortnight. He hopes his film “can contribute a level of humanity to the discourse” on Palestinians.
“People don’t see us as people with dreams, and hopes and fears. I hope that’s what will resonate with audiences.”
To A Land Unknown...
- 5/17/2024
- ScreenDaily
Paris- and Berlin-based sales house Salaud Morisset has picked up international sales duties on Palestinian-Danish director Mahdi Fleifel’s “To a Land Unknown,” which is set to world premiere next month in Directors’ Fortnight at Cannes. The exclusive first-look image was released Tuesday.
Eurozoom just signed on to release the film in French theaters.
“To a Land Unknown” tells the story of the desperate attempts of two Palestinian cousins stranded in Athens to find a way to reach Germany. Chatila and Reda are saving to pay for fake passports to get out of Athens. When Reda loses their hard-earned cash to his drug addiction, Chatila hatches an extreme plan, which involves them posing as smugglers and taking hostages in an effort to get him and his best friend out of their hopeless environment before it is too late.
Fleifel said, “It’s especially moving to me, in these incredible times,...
Eurozoom just signed on to release the film in French theaters.
“To a Land Unknown” tells the story of the desperate attempts of two Palestinian cousins stranded in Athens to find a way to reach Germany. Chatila and Reda are saving to pay for fake passports to get out of Athens. When Reda loses their hard-earned cash to his drug addiction, Chatila hatches an extreme plan, which involves them posing as smugglers and taking hostages in an effort to get him and his best friend out of their hopeless environment before it is too late.
Fleifel said, “It’s especially moving to me, in these incredible times,...
- 4/23/2024
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
Following the main lineups for the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, a handful of sidebar slates have been unveiled, featuring Directors Fortnight, Critics Week, and Acid. Notable highlights include the Sundance favorite Good One (read our review here), Tyler Taormina’s Christmas Eve in Miller’s Point starring Michael Cera, the first film in over a decade from James White director Josh Mond, the Christopher Abbott-led It Doesn’t Matter, Eat the Night from Jessica Forever duo Caroline Poggi & Jonathan Vinel, Carson Lund’s Eephus, Patricia Mazuy’s Visting Hours, The Hyperboreans, a new film from The Wolf House directors Cristobal Leo & Joaquin Cocina, Matthew Rankin’s The Twentieth Century follow-up Universal Language, and more.
Check out the lineups below.
Cannes Directors Fortnight
Feature films:
“Ma Vie Ma Gueule,” Sophie Fillieres (France) – opening film
“A Son Image,” Thierry de Peretti (France)
“Christmas Eve in Miller’s Point,” Tyler Taormina (USA)
“Desert of Namibia,...
Check out the lineups below.
Cannes Directors Fortnight
Feature films:
“Ma Vie Ma Gueule,” Sophie Fillieres (France) – opening film
“A Son Image,” Thierry de Peretti (France)
“Christmas Eve in Miller’s Point,” Tyler Taormina (USA)
“Desert of Namibia,...
- 4/16/2024
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
The Cannes Directors’ Fortnight section has unveiled its lineup for the 2024 festival, which will open with This Life of Mine, the final feature from the late French director Sophie Fillières. The drama features Agnès Jaoui as a woman whose identity starts to unravel when she turns 55. Fillières died shortly after wrapping principal photography on the film and her children finished post-production.
There are four U.S. titles in the feature section of the non-competitive sidebar: Tyler Taormina’s Christmas Eve In Miller’s Point, Carson Lund’s Eephus, India Donaldson’s Good One and Gazer from Ryan J. Sloan.
Christmas Eve in Miller’s Point, starring Michael Cera, Elsie Fisher, Francesca Scorsese. Ben Shenkman, Gregg Turkington, Sawyer Spielberg, Maria Dizzia and newcomer Matilda Fleming, follows four generations as they gather for what might be their last Christmas in the family home. Lund, who lensed Christmas Eve, makes his feature debut with Eephus,...
There are four U.S. titles in the feature section of the non-competitive sidebar: Tyler Taormina’s Christmas Eve In Miller’s Point, Carson Lund’s Eephus, India Donaldson’s Good One and Gazer from Ryan J. Sloan.
Christmas Eve in Miller’s Point, starring Michael Cera, Elsie Fisher, Francesca Scorsese. Ben Shenkman, Gregg Turkington, Sawyer Spielberg, Maria Dizzia and newcomer Matilda Fleming, follows four generations as they gather for what might be their last Christmas in the family home. Lund, who lensed Christmas Eve, makes his feature debut with Eephus,...
- 4/16/2024
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The 77th edition of Cannes’ Directors’ Fortnight will kick off with “This Life of Mine,” a dramedy directed by Sophie Fillières, a renowned French filmmaker who died last year. Presented posthumously, the film is headlined by French stars including Agnès Jaoui, Philippe Katerine and Valérie Donzelli. The independent selection, which has recently gone through a rebranding and is now spearheaded by artistic director Julien Rejl, will close with another French film, Jean-Christophe Meurisse’s “Plastic Guns,” an offbeat crime comedy headlined by popular actor Jonathan Cohen.
The lineup includes as many as four U.S. features, three of which are feature debuts, including India Donaldson’s coming-of-age film”Good One” which premiered at Sundance and garnered solid reviews. Set in upstate New York, “Good One” follows 17-year-old Sam as she joins her father and his oldest friend, Matt, on their annual backpacking trip in the Catskill Mountains. “Good One” has...
The lineup includes as many as four U.S. features, three of which are feature debuts, including India Donaldson’s coming-of-age film”Good One” which premiered at Sundance and garnered solid reviews. Set in upstate New York, “Good One” follows 17-year-old Sam as she joins her father and his oldest friend, Matt, on their annual backpacking trip in the Catskill Mountains. “Good One” has...
- 4/16/2024
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Directors’ Fortnight has unveiled the selection for its 56th edition heavy on films from first-time US filmmakers, South American titles, and talent including Isabelle Huppert, Michael Cera and Agnès Jaoui.
Artistic director Julien Rejl revealed the line-up at a press conference in Paris on Tuesday (April 16) for the Cannes parallel section run by French directors guild the Srf.
Scroll down for the full selection
After undergoing a complete rebranding for last year’s edition complete with new artistic director Rejl and a new more inclusive female-forward name in French to La Quinzaine des Cinéastes, this year’s selection includes eight...
Artistic director Julien Rejl revealed the line-up at a press conference in Paris on Tuesday (April 16) for the Cannes parallel section run by French directors guild the Srf.
Scroll down for the full selection
After undergoing a complete rebranding for last year’s edition complete with new artistic director Rejl and a new more inclusive female-forward name in French to La Quinzaine des Cinéastes, this year’s selection includes eight...
- 4/16/2024
- ScreenDaily
Qatar’s Doha Film Institute (Dfi) kicks off the 10th edition of its Qumra project and talent incubator event meeting this Friday.
Running from March 1 to 6 in downtown Doha and the lofty surroundings of the city’s I. M. Pei-designed Museum of Islamic Art, the event will welcome the filmmakers and producers of 40 projects across all formats for six days of masterclasses, workshops and one-on-one mentoring sessions.
Participants include UK director Ana Naomi de Sousa with Naseem, Fight With Grace about boxing star Naseem Hamed; Moroccan filmmaker Alaa Eddine Aljem with Eldorado, The Taste of the South, his second feature after Cannes Critics’ Week title The Unknown Saint; Tunisian director Mehdi Barsaoui with Aïcha, which follows 2019 drama A Son for which Sami Bouajila won Best Actor in the Venice’s Horizons sidebar, and Palestinian director Saleh Saadi with TV series Dyouf, about a young man who returns to his...
Running from March 1 to 6 in downtown Doha and the lofty surroundings of the city’s I. M. Pei-designed Museum of Islamic Art, the event will welcome the filmmakers and producers of 40 projects across all formats for six days of masterclasses, workshops and one-on-one mentoring sessions.
Participants include UK director Ana Naomi de Sousa with Naseem, Fight With Grace about boxing star Naseem Hamed; Moroccan filmmaker Alaa Eddine Aljem with Eldorado, The Taste of the South, his second feature after Cannes Critics’ Week title The Unknown Saint; Tunisian director Mehdi Barsaoui with Aïcha, which follows 2019 drama A Son for which Sami Bouajila won Best Actor in the Venice’s Horizons sidebar, and Palestinian director Saleh Saadi with TV series Dyouf, about a young man who returns to his...
- 2/28/2024
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
The Red Sea International Film Festival (Red Sea Iff) is delighted to announce the winners of the Red Sea Souk Awards – vital funding and in-kind grants to develop and boost new talent from Saudi, Arab and African directors. Three juries deliberated to finally select nine winning feature ideas and two TV series, whose creative visions will now benefit from generous prizes awarded by the Red Sea Fund and its award partners.
A total of 24 new film projects screened as part of the Red Sea Souk, with 12 titles by filmmakers of African and Arab origin, alongside 12 Red Sea Lodge projects by Saudi, Arab and African directors which have been developed over the last year through intensive workshops and in partnership with the Torino Film Lab. The Red Sea Souk Project Market jury awards are supported by the Red Sea Fund, and in the selection were five Saudi projects, eight African projects...
A total of 24 new film projects screened as part of the Red Sea Souk, with 12 titles by filmmakers of African and Arab origin, alongside 12 Red Sea Lodge projects by Saudi, Arab and African directors which have been developed over the last year through intensive workshops and in partnership with the Torino Film Lab. The Red Sea Souk Project Market jury awards are supported by the Red Sea Fund, and in the selection were five Saudi projects, eight African projects...
- 12/7/2023
- by Rouven Linnarz
- AsianMoviePulse
For the producers of an international co-production about Palestinian refugees in Athens the Hamas attack on Israel Oct. 7 and subsequent bombardment and invasion of Gaza by Israeli forces looked as if it might derail the project.
But although the conflict that has claimed the lives of more than 1,200 Israelis and over 15,500 Palestinian has impacted the shooting of the Palestine/U.K./Greece and European co-production “Men in the Sun” the project — which is due to close financing at the Red Sea Film Festival this week — is on course to finish post-production in London by May next year in time for a premiere at what producer Geoff Arbourne will only say will be “a major international film festival.”
“There was consternation when the conflict started, but in the end production, which started five weeks ago, was only delayed by a day,” U.K.-based Arbourne of Inside Out Films, told Variety at the festival.
But although the conflict that has claimed the lives of more than 1,200 Israelis and over 15,500 Palestinian has impacted the shooting of the Palestine/U.K./Greece and European co-production “Men in the Sun” the project — which is due to close financing at the Red Sea Film Festival this week — is on course to finish post-production in London by May next year in time for a premiere at what producer Geoff Arbourne will only say will be “a major international film festival.”
“There was consternation when the conflict started, but in the end production, which started five weeks ago, was only delayed by a day,” U.K.-based Arbourne of Inside Out Films, told Variety at the festival.
- 12/5/2023
- by Nick Holdsworth
- Variety Film + TV
Industry speakers at festival include ‘Quo Vadis, Aida?’ director Jasmila Zbanic, former Marvel exec Karim Zreik.
Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea International Film Festival (Rsiff) has selected 26 feature film projects for its Red Sea Souk Project Market; plus a Work-in-Progress showcase, and speakers for its 360° industry events programme.
The 26 Souk projects hail from Africa and the Arab region. Titles include Djeliya, Memory Of Manding, a documentary from Burkinabe filmmaker Boubacar Sangare, whose third film A Golden Life played at the Berlinale earlier this year.
Scroll down for the full list of projects
Also included is Scandar Copti’s animated documentary A Childhood,...
Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea International Film Festival (Rsiff) has selected 26 feature film projects for its Red Sea Souk Project Market; plus a Work-in-Progress showcase, and speakers for its 360° industry events programme.
The 26 Souk projects hail from Africa and the Arab region. Titles include Djeliya, Memory Of Manding, a documentary from Burkinabe filmmaker Boubacar Sangare, whose third film A Golden Life played at the Berlinale earlier this year.
Scroll down for the full list of projects
Also included is Scandar Copti’s animated documentary A Childhood,...
- 11/7/2023
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea Film Festival has revealed details of the Red Sea Souk, the fest’s industry market that will offer meeting and networking opportunities revolving around new Arab and African product.
The Souk will take place Dec. 2-5 alongside the Nov. 30-Dec. 9 fest in Jeddah, on the Red Sea’s eastern shore. The fest’s industry side will also comprise the Red Sea Talent Days on Dec. 6-7, which will give regional talents and young filmmakers a chance to connect with industry experts.
The Red Sea Souk Project Market will showcase 26 feature-length projects from across the Arab and African region. Of these, 12 are Red Sea Lodge projects that were developed in-house during the year through workshops and labs in partnership with Italy’s Torino Film Lab.
Four of these projects will be awarded the annual Red Sea Lodge production prizes of $50,000 each.
All 26 selected projects in the...
The Souk will take place Dec. 2-5 alongside the Nov. 30-Dec. 9 fest in Jeddah, on the Red Sea’s eastern shore. The fest’s industry side will also comprise the Red Sea Talent Days on Dec. 6-7, which will give regional talents and young filmmakers a chance to connect with industry experts.
The Red Sea Souk Project Market will showcase 26 feature-length projects from across the Arab and African region. Of these, 12 are Red Sea Lodge projects that were developed in-house during the year through workshops and labs in partnership with Italy’s Torino Film Lab.
Four of these projects will be awarded the annual Red Sea Lodge production prizes of $50,000 each.
All 26 selected projects in the...
- 11/7/2023
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
The Red Sea International Film Festival (Rsiff) in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia has revealed the 26 projects selected as part of this year’s Red Sea Souk Market, which will run Dec. 2-5.
“The Red Sea Souk Project Market will present 26 feature-length projects from across the Arab and African region, offering a first opportunity for the industry audience to connect and build future opportunities with these projects,” organizers said on Tuesday.
Part of the selection are 12 “Red Sea Lodge” projects which were developed during the year through workshops and in partnership with the Torino Film Lab. Four of them will be awarded the annual Red Sea Lodge production prizes of $50,000 each.
All 26 projects in the market will compete for cash prizes offered by the Red Sea Fund, to be awarded by an international jury of producers. They are worth $35,000 for development, $25,000 for the jury special mention award and $100,000 for production.
Meanwhile, the...
“The Red Sea Souk Project Market will present 26 feature-length projects from across the Arab and African region, offering a first opportunity for the industry audience to connect and build future opportunities with these projects,” organizers said on Tuesday.
Part of the selection are 12 “Red Sea Lodge” projects which were developed during the year through workshops and in partnership with the Torino Film Lab. Four of them will be awarded the annual Red Sea Lodge production prizes of $50,000 each.
All 26 projects in the market will compete for cash prizes offered by the Red Sea Fund, to be awarded by an international jury of producers. They are worth $35,000 for development, $25,000 for the jury special mention award and $100,000 for production.
Meanwhile, the...
- 11/7/2023
- by Georg Szalai
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The Red Sea International Film Festival, has unveiled the 26 projects selected as part of its industry-focused Red Sea Souk Market, running from December 2 to 5.
Projects in development include Palestinian director Scandar Copti’s A Childhood, Lebanese-French filmmaker Danielle Arbid’s Love Conquers All and Madness And Honey Days by Iraq’s Ahmed Yassin Al-Daradji.
Within the Market selection are twelve Red Sea Lodge projects which were developed during the year through intensive workshops and in partnership with the Torino Film Lab. Four of these projects will be awarded the annual Red Sea Lodge production prizes of $50,000 each.
All 26 selected projects will compete for cash prizes offered by the Red Sea Fund, to be awarded by an international jury of producers: $35,000 for development, $25,000 for the Jury Special Mention Award and $100,000 for production
Another six projects will be showcased in Works-In-Progress section including Men In The Sun by Palestinian director Mahdi Fleifel,...
Projects in development include Palestinian director Scandar Copti’s A Childhood, Lebanese-French filmmaker Danielle Arbid’s Love Conquers All and Madness And Honey Days by Iraq’s Ahmed Yassin Al-Daradji.
Within the Market selection are twelve Red Sea Lodge projects which were developed during the year through intensive workshops and in partnership with the Torino Film Lab. Four of these projects will be awarded the annual Red Sea Lodge production prizes of $50,000 each.
All 26 selected projects will compete for cash prizes offered by the Red Sea Fund, to be awarded by an international jury of producers: $35,000 for development, $25,000 for the Jury Special Mention Award and $100,000 for production
Another six projects will be showcased in Works-In-Progress section including Men In The Sun by Palestinian director Mahdi Fleifel,...
- 11/7/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
The excellent selection available at this year’s Glasgow Shorts Film Festival, running in-person between the 22-26 March, is everything you would want from a short film festival, and then some. Spanning the personal, political, purely abstract, absurd and metafictional, this year offers a variety of open-hearted expressions, probing both the inner workings of the human experience and how it relates to the wider world.
While the larger selection is far more comprehensive than the small slice of films I had the chance to watch, both the Scottish Shorts and the International Films reflect a strong desire from the Glasgow Shorts programming committee to champion work that challenges, confounds and contradicts commonly-held notions while also never losing sight of highlighting strange and unique cinematic visions. Sifting through nearly 50 films, we have picked ten particularly strong shorts that we believe are definitely worth putting on your radar.
// Scottish Shorts // Outlets – Duncan Cowles...
While the larger selection is far more comprehensive than the small slice of films I had the chance to watch, both the Scottish Shorts and the International Films reflect a strong desire from the Glasgow Shorts programming committee to champion work that challenges, confounds and contradicts commonly-held notions while also never losing sight of highlighting strange and unique cinematic visions. Sifting through nearly 50 films, we have picked ten particularly strong shorts that we believe are definitely worth putting on your radar.
// Scottish Shorts // Outlets – Duncan Cowles...
- 3/21/2023
- by Redmond Bacon
- Directors Notes
Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea Film Fund has unveiled its latest round of feature film grantees from the Arab world and Africa.
The announcement comes just days after the fund revealed it had boarded French director Maïwenn’s upcoming costume drama Jeanne du Barry starring Johnny Depp, in its first European investment as executive producer.
In its latest funding round for Arab and African filmmakers, it is getting behind 36 productions by Saudi, Arab and African filmmakers, 25 in or on the verge of production, 11 in post-production.
The 25 production grant winners include upcoming films by established directors such as Abderrahmane Sissako’s The Perfumed Hill, Haifaa Al-Mansour’s Miss Camel, Annemarie Jacir, Kaouther Ben Hania’s Mime, Cherien Dabis, and Karim Moussaoui’s The Vanishing.
The fund has also gotten behind buzzy, emerging talents such as Saudi Arabian filmmaker Sara Mesfer, who is gearing up for her first solo feature Habibi And I In Eden.
The announcement comes just days after the fund revealed it had boarded French director Maïwenn’s upcoming costume drama Jeanne du Barry starring Johnny Depp, in its first European investment as executive producer.
In its latest funding round for Arab and African filmmakers, it is getting behind 36 productions by Saudi, Arab and African filmmakers, 25 in or on the verge of production, 11 in post-production.
The 25 production grant winners include upcoming films by established directors such as Abderrahmane Sissako’s The Perfumed Hill, Haifaa Al-Mansour’s Miss Camel, Annemarie Jacir, Kaouther Ben Hania’s Mime, Cherien Dabis, and Karim Moussaoui’s The Vanishing.
The fund has also gotten behind buzzy, emerging talents such as Saudi Arabian filmmaker Sara Mesfer, who is gearing up for her first solo feature Habibi And I In Eden.
- 1/18/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Further projects come from Mehdi M. Barsaoui, Ameer Fakher Eldin, Haifaa Al-Mansour and Annemarie Jacir.
The Red Sea Film Festival Foundation has unveiled the 36 recipients of the Red Sea Fund’s 2022 production and post-production funding cycles.
All titles are from Arab and African filmmakers, who will receive grants to help them complete films that shine a light on narratives and new talents emerging from the region.
Two films selected have previously received support at the development stage by the Red Sea Fund. Captain Mbaye from Rwandan filmmaker Joel Karekezi follows a Un observer sent to Rwanda as genocide breaks out.
The Red Sea Film Festival Foundation has unveiled the 36 recipients of the Red Sea Fund’s 2022 production and post-production funding cycles.
All titles are from Arab and African filmmakers, who will receive grants to help them complete films that shine a light on narratives and new talents emerging from the region.
Two films selected have previously received support at the development stage by the Red Sea Fund. Captain Mbaye from Rwandan filmmaker Joel Karekezi follows a Un observer sent to Rwanda as genocide breaks out.
- 1/18/2023
- by Mona Tabbara
- ScreenDaily
A total of 830,000 in cash prizes and 126,000 in-kind prizes were awarded to Saudi, Arab and African projects in the development and work-in-progress stages, during the award ceremony of the second edition of the Red Sea Souk, held during the Red Sea Film Festival.
Top winners included the Saudi comedy drama “Scapegoat,” in development, directed by Feras Almusharrie, produced by Razan Alsoghayer and written by Taqwa Ali, which won the 100,000 Red Sea Souk Production Award for a Saudi Lodge Project and also the Cinewaves Films award in the form of a 50,000 minimum guarantee for acquisition of Arab World distribution rights.
Egyptian drama “Aisha Can’t Fly Away Anymore,” in development, the debut feature by Orad Mostafa and produced by Sawsan Yusuf, won the 100,000 Red Sea Souk Production Award for an Arab Lodge Project.
Ghanaian-French coming-of-age drama “Vagabonds,” in rough-cut, by Ghanaian-American writer/director Amartei Armar and produced by Sébastien Hussenot and Yemoh Ike,...
Top winners included the Saudi comedy drama “Scapegoat,” in development, directed by Feras Almusharrie, produced by Razan Alsoghayer and written by Taqwa Ali, which won the 100,000 Red Sea Souk Production Award for a Saudi Lodge Project and also the Cinewaves Films award in the form of a 50,000 minimum guarantee for acquisition of Arab World distribution rights.
Egyptian drama “Aisha Can’t Fly Away Anymore,” in development, the debut feature by Orad Mostafa and produced by Sawsan Yusuf, won the 100,000 Red Sea Souk Production Award for an Arab Lodge Project.
Ghanaian-French coming-of-age drama “Vagabonds,” in rough-cut, by Ghanaian-American writer/director Amartei Armar and produced by Sébastien Hussenot and Yemoh Ike,...
- 12/6/2022
- by Martin Dale
- Variety Film + TV
Prizes for ‘A Trip To Jerusalem’, ‘Aisha Can’t Fly Away Any More’.
Saudi dark comedy Scapegoat won two prizes including the Lodge 100,000 Saudi project award, at the Red Sea Souk prize ceremony this evening (December 6) at Red Sea International Film Festival.
Currently in development, the Saudi-Netherlands co-production is written by Bahraini filmmaker Taqwa Ali. Razan Alsoghayer produces for her Fusfus Productions, and the film will be directed by Feras Almusharrie, both from Saudi Arabia.
Scroll down for the full list of Souk winners
It follows a woman who returns to her superstitious village 15 years after being expelled as a child for supposedly being cursed.
Saudi dark comedy Scapegoat won two prizes including the Lodge 100,000 Saudi project award, at the Red Sea Souk prize ceremony this evening (December 6) at Red Sea International Film Festival.
Currently in development, the Saudi-Netherlands co-production is written by Bahraini filmmaker Taqwa Ali. Razan Alsoghayer produces for her Fusfus Productions, and the film will be directed by Feras Almusharrie, both from Saudi Arabia.
Scroll down for the full list of Souk winners
It follows a woman who returns to her superstitious village 15 years after being expelled as a child for supposedly being cursed.
- 12/6/2022
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
The second edition of the industry platform also includes a Work-In-Progress showcase.
Projects from US filmmaker Lotfy Nathan and Italian-Iraqi director Haider Rashid are among the 23 titles selected for the project market of the Red Sea Souk, the industry platform of the Red Sea International Film Festival.
The project market is split into two sections: 12 projects in the market alone, with a further 11 market projects that have been developed in the Red Sea Lodge throughout the year, in workshops in partnership with the TorinoFilmLab.
Scroll down for the full list of projects
All market projects will compete for three cash prizes,...
Projects from US filmmaker Lotfy Nathan and Italian-Iraqi director Haider Rashid are among the 23 titles selected for the project market of the Red Sea Souk, the industry platform of the Red Sea International Film Festival.
The project market is split into two sections: 12 projects in the market alone, with a further 11 market projects that have been developed in the Red Sea Lodge throughout the year, in workshops in partnership with the TorinoFilmLab.
Scroll down for the full list of projects
All market projects will compete for three cash prizes,...
- 10/27/2022
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
The second edition of the industry platform also includes a Work-In-Progress showcase.
Projects from US filmmaker Lofty Nathan and Italian-Iraqi director Haider Rashid are among the 23 titles selected for the project market of the Red Sea Souk, the industry platform of the Red Sea International Film Festival.
The project market is split into two sections: 12 projects in the market alone, with a further 11 market projects that have been developed in the Red Sea Lodge throughout the year, in workshops in partnership with the TorinoFilmLab.
Scroll down for the full list of projects
All market projects will compete for three cash prizes,...
Projects from US filmmaker Lofty Nathan and Italian-Iraqi director Haider Rashid are among the 23 titles selected for the project market of the Red Sea Souk, the industry platform of the Red Sea International Film Festival.
The project market is split into two sections: 12 projects in the market alone, with a further 11 market projects that have been developed in the Red Sea Lodge throughout the year, in workshops in partnership with the TorinoFilmLab.
Scroll down for the full list of projects
All market projects will compete for three cash prizes,...
- 10/27/2022
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
Greece’s Homemade Films has boarded Mahdi Fleifel’s upcoming feature “Men in the Sun,” currently in the final stages of development. The story, set in Athens, will deal with masculinity, exile and loss, showing young refugees in their 20s hustling to survive in the urban pressure cooker.
The company is also ready to start shooting Sofia Exarchou’s “Animal,” co-producing with Nabis Filmgroup, Ars Ltd., Digital Cube and Felony Productions.
Furthermore, its founder Maria Drandaki recently presented new projects at Venice Gap-Financing Market. “Arcadia,” directed by Yorgos Zois, will see Homemade Films joining forces with Foss Production and Red Carpet. “Titanic Ocean” by Konstantina Kotzamani will be shot in Japan and Singapore in 2023.
“I’m very excited to be working with this group of directors on a variety of different genres that span from drama to fantasy and mystery,” says Drandaki. She added that she is very interested in...
The company is also ready to start shooting Sofia Exarchou’s “Animal,” co-producing with Nabis Filmgroup, Ars Ltd., Digital Cube and Felony Productions.
Furthermore, its founder Maria Drandaki recently presented new projects at Venice Gap-Financing Market. “Arcadia,” directed by Yorgos Zois, will see Homemade Films joining forces with Foss Production and Red Carpet. “Titanic Ocean” by Konstantina Kotzamani will be shot in Japan and Singapore in 2023.
“I’m very excited to be working with this group of directors on a variety of different genres that span from drama to fantasy and mystery,” says Drandaki. She added that she is very interested in...
- 9/10/2022
- by Marta Balaga
- Variety Film + TV
10 projects will receive €10,000 Hbf Script and Project Development support.
International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) development resource the Hubert Bals Fund has chosen 10 projects for its autumn selection – the final one under the stewardship of outgoing IFFR Pro head Marit van den Elshout.
The projects, selected from 520 submissions, will each receive a €10,000 grant to be spent on project development.
Scroll down for the selected titles
Titles include Blackbird Blackbird Blackberry from Georgian filmmaker Elene Naveriani, based on a novel by Georgian author and feminist activist Tamta Melashili. The film tells the story of a single woman in her late 40s who...
International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) development resource the Hubert Bals Fund has chosen 10 projects for its autumn selection – the final one under the stewardship of outgoing IFFR Pro head Marit van den Elshout.
The projects, selected from 520 submissions, will each receive a €10,000 grant to be spent on project development.
Scroll down for the selected titles
Titles include Blackbird Blackbird Blackberry from Georgian filmmaker Elene Naveriani, based on a novel by Georgian author and feminist activist Tamta Melashili. The film tells the story of a single woman in her late 40s who...
- 11/17/2021
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
Next month’s lineup at The Criterion Channel has been unveiled, featuring no shortage of excellent offerings. Leading the pack is a massive, 20-film retrospective dedicated to John Huston, featuring a mix of greatest and lesser-appreciated works, including Fat City, The Dead, Wise Blood, The Man Who Would Be King, and Key Largo. (The Treasure of the Sierra Madre will join the series on October 1.)
Also in the lineup is series on the works of Budd Boetticher (specifically his Randolph Scott-starring Ranown westerns), Ephraim Asili, Josephine Baker, Nikos Papatakis, Jean Harlow, Lee Isaac Chung (pre-Minari), Mani Kaul, and Michelle Parkerson.
The sparkling new restoration of La Piscine will also debut, along with Amores perros, Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s To the Ends of the Earth, Cate Shortland’s Lore, both Oxhide films, Moonstruck, and much more.
See the full list of August titles below and more on The Criterion Channel.
Abigail Harm,...
Also in the lineup is series on the works of Budd Boetticher (specifically his Randolph Scott-starring Ranown westerns), Ephraim Asili, Josephine Baker, Nikos Papatakis, Jean Harlow, Lee Isaac Chung (pre-Minari), Mani Kaul, and Michelle Parkerson.
The sparkling new restoration of La Piscine will also debut, along with Amores perros, Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s To the Ends of the Earth, Cate Shortland’s Lore, both Oxhide films, Moonstruck, and much more.
See the full list of August titles below and more on The Criterion Channel.
Abigail Harm,...
- 7/26/2021
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
3 Logical Exits is not a difficult film but what it does is difficult. Simply constructed in the way that hand-cut dovetail joints are simple, Mahdi Fleifel's film brings together difficult circumstances under tension and from them produces something both neat and strong.
Less grainy than fuzzy, this is the Palestinian diaspora in Lebanon, beyond dust and smoke and digital artifacts the patina of politics. The titular avenues are geographic in the way that borders and nationalities and salients are geographic, human constructions. Fleifel has, I do not know if it is right to say muse for documentarians, but in Reda Al-Saleh (A Man Returned) a subject whose story, stories, are told.
Winning the Bill Douglas award for International Film at the 2020 Glasgow Short Film Festival, Fleifel talked about the good, transformative good, that the prize money would achieve. This is not in and of itself a happy ending but the.
Less grainy than fuzzy, this is the Palestinian diaspora in Lebanon, beyond dust and smoke and digital artifacts the patina of politics. The titular avenues are geographic in the way that borders and nationalities and salients are geographic, human constructions. Fleifel has, I do not know if it is right to say muse for documentarians, but in Reda Al-Saleh (A Man Returned) a subject whose story, stories, are told.
Winning the Bill Douglas award for International Film at the 2020 Glasgow Short Film Festival, Fleifel talked about the good, transformative good, that the prize money would achieve. This is not in and of itself a happy ending but the.
- 3/18/2021
- by Andrew Robertson
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Qatari institution continues support for filmmakers in the Arab world.
Palestinian director Annemarie Jacir’s upcoming TV drama Mornings In Jenin is among 39 projects to have secured Doha Film Institute (Dfi) funding as part of its autumn 2020 grants round.
The drama, which is in development, marks Jacir’s first foray into TV drama after numerous shorts and three features, Wajib, When I Saw You and Salt Of The Sea.
Based on the eponymous, best-selling novel by Palestinian-American writer and journalist Susan Abulhawa, it is an intergenerational tale, spanning five countries and the intertwining lives of three siblings.
In keeping with the Dfi’s mission,...
Palestinian director Annemarie Jacir’s upcoming TV drama Mornings In Jenin is among 39 projects to have secured Doha Film Institute (Dfi) funding as part of its autumn 2020 grants round.
The drama, which is in development, marks Jacir’s first foray into TV drama after numerous shorts and three features, Wajib, When I Saw You and Salt Of The Sea.
Based on the eponymous, best-selling novel by Palestinian-American writer and journalist Susan Abulhawa, it is an intergenerational tale, spanning five countries and the intertwining lives of three siblings.
In keeping with the Dfi’s mission,...
- 12/21/2020
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- ScreenDaily
Qatari institution continues support for filmmakers in the Arab world.
Palestinian director Annemarie Jacir’s upcoming TV drama Mornings In Jenin is among 39 projects to have secured Doha Film Institute (Dfi) funding as part of its autumn 2020 grants round.
The drama, which is in development, marks Jacir’s first foray into TV drama after numerous shorts and three features, Wajib, When I Saw You and Salt Of The Sea.
Based on the eponymous, best-selling novel by Palestinian-American writer and journalist Susan Abulhawa, it is an intergenerational tale, spanning five countries and the intertwining lives of three siblings.
In keeping with the Dfi’s mission,...
Palestinian director Annemarie Jacir’s upcoming TV drama Mornings In Jenin is among 39 projects to have secured Doha Film Institute (Dfi) funding as part of its autumn 2020 grants round.
The drama, which is in development, marks Jacir’s first foray into TV drama after numerous shorts and three features, Wajib, When I Saw You and Salt Of The Sea.
Based on the eponymous, best-selling novel by Palestinian-American writer and journalist Susan Abulhawa, it is an intergenerational tale, spanning five countries and the intertwining lives of three siblings.
In keeping with the Dfi’s mission,...
- 12/21/2020
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- ScreenDaily
The British Independent Film Awards work tirelessly to champion the very best in British film. This year we’re proud to work with them again to look closer at the films that make up the 2020 BIFA Best Short Film Award longlist. Along with details of the films we have included trailers, weblinks and glowing comments from BIFA voters.
The BIFA Best British Short Film Award is proud to be supported by BFI Network, who exist to discover, support, develop and champion new filmmakers.
There will be a virtual event on the 25th of November for the longlisted filmmakers featuring clips, interviews and a Q&a. HeyUGuys will be part of that event, but check out the BIFA website for more information.
It’s always a pleasure to present this list. Each year we find the British film industry in rude health, with more voices and visions being brought to the fore.
The BIFA Best British Short Film Award is proud to be supported by BFI Network, who exist to discover, support, develop and champion new filmmakers.
There will be a virtual event on the 25th of November for the longlisted filmmakers featuring clips, interviews and a Q&a. HeyUGuys will be part of that event, but check out the BIFA website for more information.
It’s always a pleasure to present this list. Each year we find the British film industry in rude health, with more voices and visions being brought to the fore.
- 11/16/2020
- by Jon Lyus
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
UK festival also announces best feature and emerging filmmaker winners.
Chilean director Gabriela Pena has scooped £10,000 in development funding for upcoming feature Here, The Silence Is Heard at the UK’s Open City Documentary Festival.
It marks the second time the grant has been awarded through the festival’s Assembly documentary development lab and was one of six projects that took part in the programme, which ran online from September 3-8.
The autobiographical documentary follows Pena’s return to her family home in Chile, which her parents had to abandon during the Pinochet dictatorship. Helping her grandparents write their memoirs...
Chilean director Gabriela Pena has scooped £10,000 in development funding for upcoming feature Here, The Silence Is Heard at the UK’s Open City Documentary Festival.
It marks the second time the grant has been awarded through the festival’s Assembly documentary development lab and was one of six projects that took part in the programme, which ran online from September 3-8.
The autobiographical documentary follows Pena’s return to her family home in Chile, which her parents had to abandon during the Pinochet dictatorship. Helping her grandparents write their memoirs...
- 9/15/2020
- by Michael Rosser
- ScreenDaily
Field Trip by Dane Malthe Kalbakk Elgaard has won Best Nordic Film at the festival for filmmakers aged between 15 and 26. The Nordic Youth Film Festival (Nuff – 21-30 June) is split into two parts. The weeklong first part sees young filmmakers between the ages of 15 and 26 converge for seven days at the Tvibit festival centre, Tromsø. There they connect with likeminded young filmmakers, and get split into groups that will devise, film and edit a four-minute short film together, guided by mentors. This year, the mentors were Norwegian director Tvibit, cinematographer-director Egil Håskjold Larsen, producer Racha H Larsen, Greenlandic director Inuk Jørgensen and Danish filmmaker Mahdi Fleifel. There was also a group focusing on new media development (Vr/Ar), which made an interactive entertainment film under the auspices of Garage Stories founder Marta Ordeig. They created an interactive short film, and for budding musicians, one group was...
The Museum of Modern Art has unveiled the full festival lineup for the 18th edition of Doc Fortnight, an annual showcase of the best in nonfiction film. The movies cover a range of topics, touching on everything from the cinematic legacy of Wyatt Earp to a deep look at Ferguson, Missouri, the Midwestern city that exploded into national consciousness when Michael Brown was shot by a police officer.
This year’s festival, which runs from Feb. 21 to 28 and boasts more than 17 documentary features, the bulk of which were directed by female filmmakers. That choice is an important one, because it comes at a time when attention is being focused on the film industry for failing to provide more directing opportunities to women.
The series opens with the premiere of “Serendipity,” a new offering from Prune Nourry that explores the artist’s use of various forms of media, including photography, film,...
This year’s festival, which runs from Feb. 21 to 28 and boasts more than 17 documentary features, the bulk of which were directed by female filmmakers. That choice is an important one, because it comes at a time when attention is being focused on the film industry for failing to provide more directing opportunities to women.
The series opens with the premiere of “Serendipity,” a new offering from Prune Nourry that explores the artist’s use of various forms of media, including photography, film,...
- 1/9/2019
- by Variety Staff
- Variety Film + TV
Amsterdam — Delivering on new artistic director Orwa Nyrabia’s commitment to giving space to documentaries from the global south, this year’s Idfa festival handed its main prize to Anand Patwardhan’s “Reason”, described by the festival as “a broad-ranging examination of Indian society, in which secular rationalists are hunted down as they attempt to stem the rising tide of religious and nationalist fundamentalism.”
At a ceremony held at the International Theater Amsterdam, jury members Daniela Elstner, Jean-Michel Frodon, Tala Hadid, Mahamat-Saleh Haroun, and Alina Marazzi voted “unanimously” for Patwardhan’s 261-minute film, praising its “epic storytelling of the rise of the far right in one of the most populated countries of this planet … in a way that acknowledges the complexity of the situation but puts it in a very understandable shape.”
In second place, the Special Jury Award went to the crowd-pleasing dogs-in-a-skatepark doc “Los Reyes” by Bettina Perut and Iván Osnivikoff.
At a ceremony held at the International Theater Amsterdam, jury members Daniela Elstner, Jean-Michel Frodon, Tala Hadid, Mahamat-Saleh Haroun, and Alina Marazzi voted “unanimously” for Patwardhan’s 261-minute film, praising its “epic storytelling of the rise of the far right in one of the most populated countries of this planet … in a way that acknowledges the complexity of the situation but puts it in a very understandable shape.”
In second place, the Special Jury Award went to the crowd-pleasing dogs-in-a-skatepark doc “Los Reyes” by Bettina Perut and Iván Osnivikoff.
- 11/21/2018
- by Damon Wise
- Variety Film + TV
Industry strand crowns co-pro market, work-in-progress winners.
CineLink, the industry side of the Sarajevo Film Festival, has crowned its winners for the 2018 edition.
In the co-production market, the Eurimages Coproduction Development Award of €20,000 went to Juraj Lerotić’s Safe Place. The Croatia-Slovenia drama from Propeler Film and Staragara takes place in 24 hours and focuses on a family trying to save one of its members from themselves.
The Film Centre Montenegro Cinelink Award of €10,000 went to Gentian Koçi’s A Cup Of Coffee And New Shoes On, which is from Albania-Greece and focuses on two identical twins in their 40s who discover that,...
CineLink, the industry side of the Sarajevo Film Festival, has crowned its winners for the 2018 edition.
In the co-production market, the Eurimages Coproduction Development Award of €20,000 went to Juraj Lerotić’s Safe Place. The Croatia-Slovenia drama from Propeler Film and Staragara takes place in 24 hours and focuses on a family trying to save one of its members from themselves.
The Film Centre Montenegro Cinelink Award of €10,000 went to Gentian Koçi’s A Cup Of Coffee And New Shoes On, which is from Albania-Greece and focuses on two identical twins in their 40s who discover that,...
- 8/17/2018
- by Tom Grater
- ScreenDaily
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri won five awards, including best picture.
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri was the big winner at the 2018 Baftas, taking home five awards including best film.
The ceremony took place on Feb 18 at the Royal Albert Hall and was hosted by Joanna Lumley.
The full list of winners
Best Film
Call Me By Your Name Emilie Georges, Luca Guadagnino, Marco Morabito, Peter Spears Darkest Hour Tim Bevan, Lisa Bruce, Eric Fellner, Anthony McCarten, Douglas Urbanski Dunkirk Christopher Nolan, Emma Thomas The Shape Of Water Guillermo del Toro, J. Miles Dale Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri Graham Broadbent, Pete Czernin, Martin McDonagh
Director
Blade Runner 2049 Denis Villeneuve Call Me By Your Name Luca Guadagnino Dunkirk Christopher Nolan The Shape Of Water Guillermo del Toro Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri Martin McDonagh
Leading Actress
Annette Bening Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool Frances McDormand Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri Margot Robbie...
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri was the big winner at the 2018 Baftas, taking home five awards including best film.
The ceremony took place on Feb 18 at the Royal Albert Hall and was hosted by Joanna Lumley.
The full list of winners
Best Film
Call Me By Your Name Emilie Georges, Luca Guadagnino, Marco Morabito, Peter Spears Darkest Hour Tim Bevan, Lisa Bruce, Eric Fellner, Anthony McCarten, Douglas Urbanski Dunkirk Christopher Nolan, Emma Thomas The Shape Of Water Guillermo del Toro, J. Miles Dale Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri Graham Broadbent, Pete Czernin, Martin McDonagh
Director
Blade Runner 2049 Denis Villeneuve Call Me By Your Name Luca Guadagnino Dunkirk Christopher Nolan The Shape Of Water Guillermo del Toro Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri Martin McDonagh
Leading Actress
Annette Bening Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool Frances McDormand Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri Margot Robbie...
- 2/18/2018
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
Guillermo del Toro’s fantasy romance The Shape Of Water leads the way with 12 nominations.
The 2018 Bafta Awards are taking place tonight at the Royal Albert Hall in London.
Screen International will be posting all the winners live on this page and on Twitter as they are announced.
The ceremony starts at 18:45 UK time and finishes at approximately 21:30, with Joanna Lumley hosting following the departure of 12-time presenter Stephen Fry.
Guillermo del Toro’s fantasy romance The Shape Of Water leads the way with 12 nominations, followed by Winston Churchill biopic Darkest Hour and Martin McDonagh’s Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (both 9).
The full list of winners
Winners as they happen in bold.
Leading Actor
Daniel Day-Lewis Phantom Thread Daniel Kaluuya Get Out Gary Oldman Darkest Hour Jamie Bell Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool TIMOTHÉE Chalamet Call Me by Your Name
Cinematography
Blade Runner 2049 Roger Deakins Darkest Hour Bruno Delbonnel Dunkirk Hoyte van Hoytema...
The 2018 Bafta Awards are taking place tonight at the Royal Albert Hall in London.
Screen International will be posting all the winners live on this page and on Twitter as they are announced.
The ceremony starts at 18:45 UK time and finishes at approximately 21:30, with Joanna Lumley hosting following the departure of 12-time presenter Stephen Fry.
Guillermo del Toro’s fantasy romance The Shape Of Water leads the way with 12 nominations, followed by Winston Churchill biopic Darkest Hour and Martin McDonagh’s Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (both 9).
The full list of winners
Winners as they happen in bold.
Leading Actor
Daniel Day-Lewis Phantom Thread Daniel Kaluuya Get Out Gary Oldman Darkest Hour Jamie Bell Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool TIMOTHÉE Chalamet Call Me by Your Name
Cinematography
Blade Runner 2049 Roger Deakins Darkest Hour Bruno Delbonnel Dunkirk Hoyte van Hoytema...
- 2/18/2018
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
Author: Zehra Phelan
For the second year running, BAFTA has teamed up with Curzon in order to screen the 2018 Ee BAFTA Short Film nominees at Curzon cinemas and online.
The eight nominated films, which were chosen by a BAFTA jury of leading industry figures, represent the best of British short filmmaking and showcase innovative and exciting British talent. The winners, as voted for by the wider BAFTA membership, will be announced at the Ee British Academy Film Awards on 18 February at the Royal Albert Hall in London.
Previous BAFTA shorts nominees and winners have gone on to receive wider industry recognition for feature-length projects and they include some names you should all be familiar with. They include Paddy Considine (Tyrannosaur), Martin McDonagh (In Bruges, Seven Psychopaths), Chris Morris (Four Lions), Sam Taylor-Johnson (Nowhere Boy), Joe Wright (Atonement, Pride & Prejudice), David Yates (Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows: Part 2) and...
For the second year running, BAFTA has teamed up with Curzon in order to screen the 2018 Ee BAFTA Short Film nominees at Curzon cinemas and online.
The eight nominated films, which were chosen by a BAFTA jury of leading industry figures, represent the best of British short filmmaking and showcase innovative and exciting British talent. The winners, as voted for by the wider BAFTA membership, will be announced at the Ee British Academy Film Awards on 18 February at the Royal Albert Hall in London.
Previous BAFTA shorts nominees and winners have gone on to receive wider industry recognition for feature-length projects and they include some names you should all be familiar with. They include Paddy Considine (Tyrannosaur), Martin McDonagh (In Bruges, Seven Psychopaths), Chris Morris (Four Lions), Sam Taylor-Johnson (Nowhere Boy), Joe Wright (Atonement, Pride & Prejudice), David Yates (Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows: Part 2) and...
- 2/13/2018
- by Zehra Phelan
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Screen speaks to up-and-coming producers from Serbia, Greece, Georgia, Turkey and Bulgaria.
Sarajevo Film Festival’s CineLink industry programme is in full flow. Below, Screen highlights five emerging producers from the region who are making waves.
Nataša Damnjanović (Serbia)
Serbian producer Nataša Damnjanović (pictured, top) started out as an editor, and since she founded the production company Dart Film together with Vladimir Vidić in 2006, she is still doing the editing on most of their films as well.
Damnjanović trained at Sarajevo and Berlinale Talents, Torino FilmLab and Eave, and first produced Nikola Ljuca’s short Sergeant in 2010 (which competed at Tampere), as well three shorts by Dane Komljen - A Surplus of Wind (2014), Our Body (2015), and All Still Orbit (2016), which screened at Locarno, Rotterdam, and Sarajevo.
Ljuca’s first feature Humidity world-premiered in Berlinale’s Forum in 2016 and won four national Serbian awards, including best film and best director. The same year, Komljen’s debut...
Sarajevo Film Festival’s CineLink industry programme is in full flow. Below, Screen highlights five emerging producers from the region who are making waves.
Nataša Damnjanović (Serbia)
Serbian producer Nataša Damnjanović (pictured, top) started out as an editor, and since she founded the production company Dart Film together with Vladimir Vidić in 2006, she is still doing the editing on most of their films as well.
Damnjanović trained at Sarajevo and Berlinale Talents, Torino FilmLab and Eave, and first produced Nikola Ljuca’s short Sergeant in 2010 (which competed at Tampere), as well three shorts by Dane Komljen - A Surplus of Wind (2014), Our Body (2015), and All Still Orbit (2016), which screened at Locarno, Rotterdam, and Sarajevo.
Ljuca’s first feature Humidity world-premiered in Berlinale’s Forum in 2016 and won four national Serbian awards, including best film and best director. The same year, Komljen’s debut...
- 8/17/2017
- by vladan.petkovic@gmail.com (Vladan Petkovic)
- ScreenDaily
Screen speaks to up-and-coming producers from Serbia, Greece, Georgia, Turkey and Bulgaria.
Sarajevo Film Festival’s CineLink industry programme is in full flow. Below, Screen highlights five emerging producers from the region who are making waves.
Nataša Damnjanović (Serbia)
Serbian producer Nataša Damnjanović (pictured, top) started out as an editor, and since she founded the production company Dart Film together with Vladimir Vidić in 2006, she is still doing the editing on most of their films as well.
Damnjanović trained at Sarajevo and Berlinale Talents, Torino FilmLab and Eave, and first produced Nikola Ljuca’s short Sergeant in 2010 (which competed at Tampere), as well three shorts by Dane Komljen - A Surplus of Wind (2014), Our Body (2015), and All Still Orbit (2016), which screened at Locarno, Rotterdam, and Sarajevo.
Ljuca’s first feature Humidity world-premiered in Berlinale’s Forum in 2016 and won four national Serbian awards, including best film and best director. The same year, Komljen’s debut...
Sarajevo Film Festival’s CineLink industry programme is in full flow. Below, Screen highlights five emerging producers from the region who are making waves.
Nataša Damnjanović (Serbia)
Serbian producer Nataša Damnjanović (pictured, top) started out as an editor, and since she founded the production company Dart Film together with Vladimir Vidić in 2006, she is still doing the editing on most of their films as well.
Damnjanović trained at Sarajevo and Berlinale Talents, Torino FilmLab and Eave, and first produced Nikola Ljuca’s short Sergeant in 2010 (which competed at Tampere), as well three shorts by Dane Komljen - A Surplus of Wind (2014), Our Body (2015), and All Still Orbit (2016), which screened at Locarno, Rotterdam, and Sarajevo.
Ljuca’s first feature Humidity world-premiered in Berlinale’s Forum in 2016 and won four national Serbian awards, including best film and best director. The same year, Komljen’s debut...
- 8/17/2017
- by vladan.petkovic@gmail.com (Vladan Petkovic)
- ScreenDaily
ThelmaA selection of films from the 2017 edition of the Toronto International Film Festival has been unveiled, with new films by Sebastián Lelio, Deniz Gamze Ergüven, Darren Aronofsky, Greta Gerwig, Guillermo Del Toro, Joachim Trier, Wim Wenders, and many more.Special PRESENTATIONSOpening Night: Ladybird (Greta Gerwig)Closing Night: Sheikh Jackson (Amr Salama)Battle of the Sexes (Valerie Faris & Jonathan Dayton)Bpm (Beats Per Minute) (Robin Campillo)The Brawler (Anurag Kashyap)The Breadwinner (Nora Twomey)Call Me By Your Name (Luca Guadagnino)Catch the Wind (Gaël Morel)The Children Act (Richard Eyre)The Current War (Alfonso Gomez-Rejon)Disobedience (Sebastián Lelio)Downsizing (Alexander Payne)A Fantastic Woman (Sebastián Lelio)First They Killed My Father (Angelina Jolie)The Guardians (Xavier Beauvois)Hostiles (Scott Cooper)The Hungry (Bornila Chatterjee)I, Tonya (Craig Gillespie)Mother! (Darren Aronofsky)Novitiate (Maggie Betts)Omerta (Hansal Mehta)Plonger (Mélanie Laurent)The Price of Success (Teddy Lussi-Modeste)Professor Marston & the Wonder Women...
- 8/3/2017
- MUBI
Morgan Spurlock re-engages with the food industry, James Franco digs into the ‘worst film ever made’.
Top brass at the Toronto International Film Festival (Tiff) unveiled on Tuesday selections in the Tiff Docs, Midnight Madness, and Short Cuts programmes.
The Canadian titles that are part of this year’s programme will be announced on August 9. The 42nd Toronto International Film Festival is scheduled to run from September 7-17 and will open with Borg/McEnroe.
Tiff Docs
The world premiere of Morgan Spurlock’s Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken! joins a marquee Tiff Docs roster from renowned filmmakers that opens with Sophie Fiennes’ Grace Jones: Bloodlight And Bami.
Selections include Brett Morgen’s profile of primatologist Jane Goodall in Jane; the story of three Hasidic Jews who attempt to join the secular world in One Of Us by Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady; Violeta Ayala’s Bolivian drug trade film Cocaine Prison; and Emmanuel Gras’ closing film Makala...
Top brass at the Toronto International Film Festival (Tiff) unveiled on Tuesday selections in the Tiff Docs, Midnight Madness, and Short Cuts programmes.
The Canadian titles that are part of this year’s programme will be announced on August 9. The 42nd Toronto International Film Festival is scheduled to run from September 7-17 and will open with Borg/McEnroe.
Tiff Docs
The world premiere of Morgan Spurlock’s Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken! joins a marquee Tiff Docs roster from renowned filmmakers that opens with Sophie Fiennes’ Grace Jones: Bloodlight And Bami.
Selections include Brett Morgen’s profile of primatologist Jane Goodall in Jane; the story of three Hasidic Jews who attempt to join the secular world in One Of Us by Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady; Violeta Ayala’s Bolivian drug trade film Cocaine Prison; and Emmanuel Gras’ closing film Makala...
- 8/1/2017
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
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