Sci-fi blockbuster Dune: Part Two opens in 721 venues this weekend, carrying the hopes of many UK-Ireland cinemas after a slow start to 2024.
Denis Villeneuve’s sequel is Warner Bros’ fourth-widest opening of all time in the territory, after last year’s Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom (749) and Barbie (724), and 2022’s Elvis (746).
It is opening on 62 sites more than Dune, which started in 659 venues in October 2021. That film began with a £4.8m weekend at a £7,210 average, dethroning James Bond title No Time To Die. It went on to a £22.1m total – a decent result in a market still feeling the effects of the pandemic.
Denis Villeneuve’s sequel is Warner Bros’ fourth-widest opening of all time in the territory, after last year’s Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom (749) and Barbie (724), and 2022’s Elvis (746).
It is opening on 62 sites more than Dune, which started in 659 venues in October 2021. That film began with a £4.8m weekend at a £7,210 average, dethroning James Bond title No Time To Die. It went on to a £22.1m total – a decent result in a market still feeling the effects of the pandemic.
- 3/1/2024
- ScreenDaily
It’s been an eventful 2023 for international TV and film. As the strikes shut down Hollywood and streamers retrenched from the mega-spends of the Covid era, shows and movies from far and wide remained in demand like never before, as viewers continued to look to new countries for inspiration. Call it the Squid Game effect, or whatever you want, but neither subtitles nor geographical boundaries are an impediment to content getting seen any more. Here, we run down each Deadline International journalist’s top pick from the year, for the most part avoiding spoilers. You’ll find big-ticket U.S. fare, Japanese anime, restaurant TV dramas and Australian newsroom stories among our eclectic selections.
And for more on the top new non-u.S. titles for the year, be sure to check out our fortnightly Global Breakouts strand, featuring shows from Turkey,...
And for more on the top new non-u.S. titles for the year, be sure to check out our fortnightly Global Breakouts strand, featuring shows from Turkey,...
- 12/23/2023
- by Jesse Whittock, Melanie Goodfellow, Andreas Wiseman, Baz Bamigboye, Max Goldbart, Liz Shackleton, Stewart Clarke, Nancy Tartaglione, Diana Lodderhose, Jake Kanter and Caroline Frost
- Deadline Film + TV
Four Daughters (Les Filles d'Olfa) director Kaouther Ben Hania on Olfa Hamrouni, Eya Chikhaoui, Tayssir Chikhaoui, Ichrak Matar, Nour Karoui, and Hind Sabri: “I already have a rich gallery of female characters. So to simplify and have the focus on the female characters, I thought that the men can be played by one actor (Majd Mastoura) and I wanted to experiment with this idea.”
In the second instalment with Kaouther Ben Hania on Tunisia’s now Best International Feature Film and Documentary Oscar shortlisted Four Daughters (Les Filles d'Olfa) we discussed her three natural-born storytellers (Olfa Hamrouni and her daughters Eya Chikhaoui and Tayssir Chikhaoui), experimenting with one actor (Majd Mastoura) portraying multiple male characters, loving clichés, and colours. Ben Hania’s The Man Who Sold His Skin had received a Best International Film Oscar nomination in 2021 and her intense and unwavering Beauty And The Dogs (Aala Kaf Ifrit...
In the second instalment with Kaouther Ben Hania on Tunisia’s now Best International Feature Film and Documentary Oscar shortlisted Four Daughters (Les Filles d'Olfa) we discussed her three natural-born storytellers (Olfa Hamrouni and her daughters Eya Chikhaoui and Tayssir Chikhaoui), experimenting with one actor (Majd Mastoura) portraying multiple male characters, loving clichés, and colours. Ben Hania’s The Man Who Sold His Skin had received a Best International Film Oscar nomination in 2021 and her intense and unwavering Beauty And The Dogs (Aala Kaf Ifrit...
- 12/22/2023
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
As the voting window for the Oscar shortlists approaches, Academy members are considering Kaouther Ben Hania’s film Four Daughters in not one, but two categories: Best Documentary Film and Best International Feature.
In August, Tunisia selected Ben Hania’s documentary as its official entry for International Film, the third time the director has been chosen for that honor, following 2017’s Beauty and the Dogs and 2020’s The Man Who Sold His Skin, which went on to earn an Oscar nomination. Both of those earlier films were narrative dramas, and there are dramatic elements in Four Daughters: Ben Hania enlisted three actresses to participate in her documentary.
Olfa Hamrouni, protagonist of ‘Four Daughters,’ at the Cannes Film Festival.
Four Daughters tells the story of Olfa, a working-class Tunisian woman who raised four girls: Ghofrane, Rahma, Eya, and Tayssir. After the Arab Spring led to the ouster of Tunisia’s...
In August, Tunisia selected Ben Hania’s documentary as its official entry for International Film, the third time the director has been chosen for that honor, following 2017’s Beauty and the Dogs and 2020’s The Man Who Sold His Skin, which went on to earn an Oscar nomination. Both of those earlier films were narrative dramas, and there are dramatic elements in Four Daughters: Ben Hania enlisted three actresses to participate in her documentary.
Olfa Hamrouni, protagonist of ‘Four Daughters,’ at the Cannes Film Festival.
Four Daughters tells the story of Olfa, a working-class Tunisian woman who raised four girls: Ghofrane, Rahma, Eya, and Tayssir. After the Arab Spring led to the ouster of Tunisia’s...
- 11/27/2023
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
Kaouther Ben Hania on Tunisia’s Oscar submission Four Daughters (Les Filles d'Olfa): “It’s a movie about real people but it’s also a reality that doesn’t exist outside this movie.”
Kaouther Ben Hania in Four Daughters tells the story of Olfa Hamrouni and her four daughters. Eya Chikhaoui and Tayssir Chikhaoui, the two youngest, are with their mother, while the two oldest Ghofrane Chikaoui and Rahma Chikhaoui are imprisoned in Libya for terrorism charges. In the film they are portrayed by actors Ichrak Matar and Nour Karoui respectively, and the mother finds herself doubled as well, by actress Hind Sabri, for scenes that, as the director explains in the hybrid documentary, might be too upsetting for Olfa to relive. Ben Hania’s The Man Who Sold His Skin had received a Best International Film Oscar nomination in 2021 and her intense and unwavering Beauty And The Dogs.
Kaouther Ben Hania in Four Daughters tells the story of Olfa Hamrouni and her four daughters. Eya Chikhaoui and Tayssir Chikhaoui, the two youngest, are with their mother, while the two oldest Ghofrane Chikaoui and Rahma Chikhaoui are imprisoned in Libya for terrorism charges. In the film they are portrayed by actors Ichrak Matar and Nour Karoui respectively, and the mother finds herself doubled as well, by actress Hind Sabri, for scenes that, as the director explains in the hybrid documentary, might be too upsetting for Olfa to relive. Ben Hania’s The Man Who Sold His Skin had received a Best International Film Oscar nomination in 2021 and her intense and unwavering Beauty And The Dogs.
- 10/22/2023
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Further international deals announced by The Party Film Sales.
Kino Lorber has acquired US rights to Kaouther Ben Hania’s Four Daughters which won the L’Oeil d’Or Award for best documentary in Cannes last month.
‘Four Daughters’: Cannes Review
The film distributor plans an ongoing international festival circuit run prior to a theatrical release in autumn, followed by a digital and home video release.
The sole Arab film in Competition on the Croisette, Four Daughters explores rebellion, memory, and reconstructs the story of Tunisia’s Olfa Hamrouni and her daughters as it unpacks a complex family history...
Kino Lorber has acquired US rights to Kaouther Ben Hania’s Four Daughters which won the L’Oeil d’Or Award for best documentary in Cannes last month.
‘Four Daughters’: Cannes Review
The film distributor plans an ongoing international festival circuit run prior to a theatrical release in autumn, followed by a digital and home video release.
The sole Arab film in Competition on the Croisette, Four Daughters explores rebellion, memory, and reconstructs the story of Tunisia’s Olfa Hamrouni and her daughters as it unpacks a complex family history...
- 6/22/2023
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Oscar-nominated Tunisian filmmaker Kaouther Ben Hania’s powerful drama “Four Daughters” which mixes documentary and fiction to tell the story of a Tunisian mother whose two elder daughters joined Isis is scoring a slew of sales following its well-received Cannes competition premiere.
French company The Party Films Sales has sealed deals on “Four Daughters” for: Benelux (Cineart); Spain (Caramel Films); Italy (I Wonder); Switzerland (Trigon); Sweden (Triart); Denmark (Camera Film); Norway (Arthaus); Finland (Cinemanse); Poland (New Horizons); Greece (Ama Films); former Yougoslavia (Discovery) and Turkey (Bir Film).
Rights to the film for multiple other territories are under negotiations, the company said.
Ben Hania – whose previous works comprise “Beauty and the Dogs” and “The Man Who Sold His Skin” – in “Four Daughters” delves into the story of Tunisia’s Olfa Hamrouni who rose to international prominence in April 2016 when she publicized the radicalization of her two teenage daughters who had left Tunisia to fight with Isis.
French company The Party Films Sales has sealed deals on “Four Daughters” for: Benelux (Cineart); Spain (Caramel Films); Italy (I Wonder); Switzerland (Trigon); Sweden (Triart); Denmark (Camera Film); Norway (Arthaus); Finland (Cinemanse); Poland (New Horizons); Greece (Ama Films); former Yougoslavia (Discovery) and Turkey (Bir Film).
Rights to the film for multiple other territories are under negotiations, the company said.
Ben Hania – whose previous works comprise “Beauty and the Dogs” and “The Man Who Sold His Skin” – in “Four Daughters” delves into the story of Tunisia’s Olfa Hamrouni who rose to international prominence in April 2016 when she publicized the radicalization of her two teenage daughters who had left Tunisia to fight with Isis.
- 5/24/2023
- by Nick Vivarelli and Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
It’s easy to get trapped in circuitous arguments surrounding documentary ethics at the best of times, but Kaouther Ben Hania’s metafictional “Four Daughters” — involving young children, abuse, trauma and re-enactments — appears to chart these knotty waters as a barefaced challenge. This Tunisian entry into Cannes’ Official Competition is a bold behemoth of an undertaking, which is veiled, unveiled and then re-veiled with endless angles and perspectives; it’s a veritable snakepit of uneasy decisions that grips you with its novel approach to so-called truth-telling before lapsing into something a little more conventional. Far from a gamble made in the service of naturalism, this heightened and strange piece of fiction re-enactment exposes itself for critique in a way that you almost have to respect. For its sins, it seems to —just about— succeed.
“Four Daughters” orbits the trauma of a Tunisian woman named Olfa and her youngest daughters, Tayssir and Eya.
“Four Daughters” orbits the trauma of a Tunisian woman named Olfa and her youngest daughters, Tayssir and Eya.
- 5/21/2023
- by Steph Green
- Indiewire
Another first-timer in the comp, Tunisian filmmaker Kaouther Ben Hania came to Cannes in 2017 for the Un Certain Regard section selected Beauty and the Dogs. She was last showcased in Venice with The Man Who Sold His Skin (2020 – Orizzonti section). Four Daughters (aka Les filles d’Olfa) proposes a hybrid look that might remind some what Kitty Green achieved in the recent past.
Between light and darkness stands Olfa, a Tunisian woman and the mother of four daughters. One day, her two older daughters disappear. To fill in their absence, the filmmaker Kaouther Ben Hania invites professional actresses and invents a unique cinema experience that will lift the veil on Olfa and her daughters’ life stories.…...
Between light and darkness stands Olfa, a Tunisian woman and the mother of four daughters. One day, her two older daughters disappear. To fill in their absence, the filmmaker Kaouther Ben Hania invites professional actresses and invents a unique cinema experience that will lift the veil on Olfa and her daughters’ life stories.…...
- 5/20/2023
- by Eric Lavallée
- IONCINEMA.com
Kaouther Ben Hania’s heartbreaking Four Daughters (Les filles d’Olfa) pulls you in with a question: Who is Olfa Hamrouni?
She rose to international fame in 2016 when she criticized the Tunisian government for not preventing her daughters from joining the Islamic State in Libya. In interviews from those years, Hamrouni is a bereaved mother. Her voice aches with pain as she recounts the loss of her two eldest daughters, and it shakes with anger when she speaks of the government’s listless response.
The Olfa of Ben Hania’s docu-fiction strikes a more relaxed pose. She has traded her pink hijabs for a black scarf, tightly woven around her head. She’s freer with her laughs and more pointed with her asides. Grief still undergirds her anecdotes, but so does a palpable willingness to share. She eagerly explains how she believes a movie about her life will help spread an...
She rose to international fame in 2016 when she criticized the Tunisian government for not preventing her daughters from joining the Islamic State in Libya. In interviews from those years, Hamrouni is a bereaved mother. Her voice aches with pain as she recounts the loss of her two eldest daughters, and it shakes with anger when she speaks of the government’s listless response.
The Olfa of Ben Hania’s docu-fiction strikes a more relaxed pose. She has traded her pink hijabs for a black scarf, tightly woven around her head. She’s freer with her laughs and more pointed with her asides. Grief still undergirds her anecdotes, but so does a palpable willingness to share. She eagerly explains how she believes a movie about her life will help spread an...
- 5/19/2023
- by Lovia Gyarkye
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Oscar-nominated Tunisian filmmaker Kaouther Ben Hania is back in Cannes with “Four Daughters” a powerful drama that mixes documentary and fiction to delve into the story of Tunisia’s Olfa Hamrouni who rose to international prominence in April 2016 when she publicized the radicalization of her two teenage daughters who had left Tunisia to fight with Isis.
The film, which is the only Arab entry in competition, stars Egyptian-Tunisian star Hend Sabri in the lead role of an actor who must play Hamrouni and gets coaching from the real Olfa on how to prepare for the role. Ben Hania spoke to Variety about the bold choice she made.
What drew you to want to dig deep into Olfa’s story?
So it was in 2016, and there was media interest around this story and a lot of similar stories. And I heard the mother giving an interview on the radio. The way she was talking,...
The film, which is the only Arab entry in competition, stars Egyptian-Tunisian star Hend Sabri in the lead role of an actor who must play Hamrouni and gets coaching from the real Olfa on how to prepare for the role. Ben Hania spoke to Variety about the bold choice she made.
What drew you to want to dig deep into Olfa’s story?
So it was in 2016, and there was media interest around this story and a lot of similar stories. And I heard the mother giving an interview on the radio. The way she was talking,...
- 5/19/2023
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
The injustices of Jordanian’s patriarchal power system are laid bare through this story of a widow, Nawal (Mouna Hawa), and her young daughter Nora (Seleena Rababah). Although this is the first film from Jordan to feature in Cannes, it is the latest of many films from the region - including the likes of The Perfect Candidate, The Salesman and Beauty And The Dogs - to highlight gender inequalities through social drama.
Nawal and her husband Ahmad (Mohammad Al Jizawi) are trying for a second child when disaster strikes and one morning he simply doesn’t wake up. Although everyone initially seems to be sympathetic, it’s not long before cracks begin to show in the concerned facade of Ahmad’s brother Rifqi (Haitham Omari), as he starts to badger Nawal for instalments he was owed by Ahmad for his pickup truck.
This is the thin end of the wedge of Nawal’s problems,...
Nawal and her husband Ahmad (Mohammad Al Jizawi) are trying for a second child when disaster strikes and one morning he simply doesn’t wake up. Although everyone initially seems to be sympathetic, it’s not long before cracks begin to show in the concerned facade of Ahmad’s brother Rifqi (Haitham Omari), as he starts to badger Nawal for instalments he was owed by Ahmad for his pickup truck.
This is the thin end of the wedge of Nawal’s problems,...
- 5/18/2023
- by Amber Wilkinson
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Cannes Docs, the Marché du Film sidebar dedicated to documentary film, has unveiled the line-up of its Doc Day, which unspools on May 23, as the final event in at Cannes Docs.
Veteran U.S. cinematographer and documentary filmmaker Kirsten Johnson, president of Cannes Festival’s Œil d’or Jury which hands out an award to the best doc in Cannes’ Official Selection, will open the morning session in a conversation with writer, director and producer Guetty Felin.
Entitled “Cinema and the Pleasures of the Impossible,” it will explore the many ways filmmaking creates possibilities to search for the invisible, to bring life to the dead and to time travel in their lives.
“It’s an exciting and side-stepping angle compared to usual industry talks,” explains the head of Cannes Docs Pierre-Alexis Chevit, “which we really like at Cannes Docs, because that is what we’re trying to do: Offer talks...
Veteran U.S. cinematographer and documentary filmmaker Kirsten Johnson, president of Cannes Festival’s Œil d’or Jury which hands out an award to the best doc in Cannes’ Official Selection, will open the morning session in a conversation with writer, director and producer Guetty Felin.
Entitled “Cinema and the Pleasures of the Impossible,” it will explore the many ways filmmaking creates possibilities to search for the invisible, to bring life to the dead and to time travel in their lives.
“It’s an exciting and side-stepping angle compared to usual industry talks,” explains the head of Cannes Docs Pierre-Alexis Chevit, “which we really like at Cannes Docs, because that is what we’re trying to do: Offer talks...
- 5/12/2023
- by Lise Pedersen
- Variety Film + TV
The lineup for the 76th installment of the Cannes Film Festival has finally been announced. Nineteen films will be competing to take home the prestigious Palme d’Or, including a record six films helmed by women. The festival will be taking place in the French Riviera from May 16 to May 27. This year’s jury will be headed by Ruben Östlund, who won his second Palme d’Or last year for “Triangle of Sadness.”
Knowing a filmmaker’s previous track record at Cannes can sometimes help give an idea as to who might be in the best position to claim the Palme. For instance, five of this year’s entries come from directors who have previously won the Palme. Another five are from auteurs who have had previous films win a prize in the main competition other than the Palme. Another five are from directors having their first film screen in the main competition.
Knowing a filmmaker’s previous track record at Cannes can sometimes help give an idea as to who might be in the best position to claim the Palme. For instance, five of this year’s entries come from directors who have previously won the Palme. Another five are from auteurs who have had previous films win a prize in the main competition other than the Palme. Another five are from directors having their first film screen in the main competition.
- 4/17/2023
- by Charles Bright
- Gold Derby
Selection to be announced on Wednesday morning.
Tunisian director Kaouther Ben Hania has been named president of 2022 Critics’ Week, the Cannes parallel section for films by first and second-time films.
Ben Hania will be supported by a jury comprising French-Greek actress and director Ariane Labed, Icelandic director Benedikt Erlingsson, Belgian cinematographer Benoît Debie, and South Korean journalist, film programmer and director of Busan International Film Festival Huh Moonyung.
Ben Hania’s four features include her debut The Blade Of Tunis, 2017 Cannes Un Certain Regard entry Beauty And The Dogs, and 2020 Venice Orizzonti selection The Man Who Sold His Skin, the...
Tunisian director Kaouther Ben Hania has been named president of 2022 Critics’ Week, the Cannes parallel section for films by first and second-time films.
Ben Hania will be supported by a jury comprising French-Greek actress and director Ariane Labed, Icelandic director Benedikt Erlingsson, Belgian cinematographer Benoît Debie, and South Korean journalist, film programmer and director of Busan International Film Festival Huh Moonyung.
Ben Hania’s four features include her debut The Blade Of Tunis, 2017 Cannes Un Certain Regard entry Beauty And The Dogs, and 2020 Venice Orizzonti selection The Man Who Sold His Skin, the...
- 4/18/2022
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Critics Week (or La Semaine de la Critique), the selection dedicated to first and second films running alongside the Cannes Film Festival, will boast a jury presided over by Tunisian director Kaouther Ben Hania (“The Man who Sold his Skin”).
Ben Hania has directed four features, including “Beauty and the Dogs” which competed in Un Certain Regard in 2017, and “The Man who Sold his Skin” which played at Venice in 2020 and was the first Tunisian film nominated for the Oscars’ international feature film race.
The jury of the 61st edition will be completed by French-Greek actress and director Ariane Labed, Icelandic director Benedikt Erlingsson (“Woman at War”), Belgian cinematographer Benoît Debie, and South Korean journalist and Busan Festival’s topper Huh Moon yung.
Four prizes will be handed out by Ben Hania’s jury, the La Semaine de la Critique Grand Prize, the French Touch Prize of the Jury, the...
Ben Hania has directed four features, including “Beauty and the Dogs” which competed in Un Certain Regard in 2017, and “The Man who Sold his Skin” which played at Venice in 2020 and was the first Tunisian film nominated for the Oscars’ international feature film race.
The jury of the 61st edition will be completed by French-Greek actress and director Ariane Labed, Icelandic director Benedikt Erlingsson (“Woman at War”), Belgian cinematographer Benoît Debie, and South Korean journalist and Busan Festival’s topper Huh Moon yung.
Four prizes will be handed out by Ben Hania’s jury, the La Semaine de la Critique Grand Prize, the French Touch Prize of the Jury, the...
- 4/18/2022
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
The Tunisian drama debuted at Venice and is nominated for best international feature.
Studio Soho Distribution has acquired UK and Ireland rights to Tunisian director Kaouther Ben Hania’s drama The Man Who Sold His Skin, which is up for the best international feature at the Oscars this weekend.
The drama, sold by Paris-based Bac Films, premiered in Venice’s Horizons strand last September, where it won Yahya Mahayni best actor and the film the Edipo Re Award. Studio Soho is planning to release the feature theatrically in August.
Inspired by true events, it follows a young Syrian refugee in...
Studio Soho Distribution has acquired UK and Ireland rights to Tunisian director Kaouther Ben Hania’s drama The Man Who Sold His Skin, which is up for the best international feature at the Oscars this weekend.
The drama, sold by Paris-based Bac Films, premiered in Venice’s Horizons strand last September, where it won Yahya Mahayni best actor and the film the Edipo Re Award. Studio Soho is planning to release the feature theatrically in August.
Inspired by true events, it follows a young Syrian refugee in...
- 4/23/2021
- by Michael Rosser
- ScreenDaily
Kaouther Ben Hania on the dress Najla (Lina Elleuch) brings to the club for Mariam (Mariam Al Ferjani): “Since for Beauty And The Dogs I knew from the beginning that it will be shot by night, this blue has something about the night.”
In Kaouther Ben Hania’s intense and unwavering Beauty And The Dogs, we go on an odyssey with Mariam (Mariam Al Ferjani), a Tunisian university student, who encounters during one seemingly endless night, the violence towards women embedded in the structures that govern her home country. The more desperate she becomes, the more the system closes in on her. The more she is in the right, the greater the danger she presents to them.
Sam (Yahya Mahayni) in Kaouther Ben Hania’s Oscar-nominated The Man Who Sold His Skin
The connections to her gripping Oscar-nominated Best International Feature The Man Who Sold His Skin, starring Yahya Mahayni,...
In Kaouther Ben Hania’s intense and unwavering Beauty And The Dogs, we go on an odyssey with Mariam (Mariam Al Ferjani), a Tunisian university student, who encounters during one seemingly endless night, the violence towards women embedded in the structures that govern her home country. The more desperate she becomes, the more the system closes in on her. The more she is in the right, the greater the danger she presents to them.
Sam (Yahya Mahayni) in Kaouther Ben Hania’s Oscar-nominated The Man Who Sold His Skin
The connections to her gripping Oscar-nominated Best International Feature The Man Who Sold His Skin, starring Yahya Mahayni,...
- 4/17/2021
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
“The Man Who Sold His Skin” represents a small handful of long-overdue firsts — it’s the first Tunisian film nominated for Best International Feature at the Oscars, thereby making director Kaouther Ben Hania the first Muslim woman who’s ever been invited to compete in this category — but for all of the project’s barrier-breaking success there’s also something naggingly familiar about the choice to honor it alongside heavyweights such as “Another Round” and “Collective.”
It’s not every year that voters are confronted with a glossy romantic melodrama that leverages the Syrian refugee crisis into the smirking kind of art world satire that Ruben Östlund made with “The Square,” and yet Ben Hania’s genre-defying film would seem even more unprecedented if not for the context provided by a smattering of recent Oscar winners and also-rans: “The Lives of Others,” Denis Vileneuve’s “Incendies,” and before that, cultural phenomena like “Life Is Beautiful.
It’s not every year that voters are confronted with a glossy romantic melodrama that leverages the Syrian refugee crisis into the smirking kind of art world satire that Ruben Östlund made with “The Square,” and yet Ben Hania’s genre-defying film would seem even more unprecedented if not for the context provided by a smattering of recent Oscar winners and also-rans: “The Lives of Others,” Denis Vileneuve’s “Incendies,” and before that, cultural phenomena like “Life Is Beautiful.
- 4/8/2021
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
The doings of the international art world often seem arcane and over the top, but never moreso than as depicted in The Man Who Sold His Skin. This is a madly dramatic and engrossing melodrama about a political refugee whose unique predicament bundles with it issues pertaining to personal and political identity, the Middle East quagmire, romantic rejection and the outer limits of art world presumption and extravagance. Tunisia’s shortlisted submission in the International Feature Oscar race is a very tasty couscous of fine ingredients and flat-out entertaining enough to warrant significant international exposure.
Tunisian director-screenwriter Kaouther Ben Hania’s follow-up to her 2017 Cannes Un Certain Regard selection Beauty And The Dogs is notable for its gutsy narrative moves, rich visuals and sheer drive, which marks her, along with her notably resourceful and elegant Lebanese cinematographer Christopher Aoun, as talents who should emerge even more decisively before long.
The...
Tunisian director-screenwriter Kaouther Ben Hania’s follow-up to her 2017 Cannes Un Certain Regard selection Beauty And The Dogs is notable for its gutsy narrative moves, rich visuals and sheer drive, which marks her, along with her notably resourceful and elegant Lebanese cinematographer Christopher Aoun, as talents who should emerge even more decisively before long.
The...
- 3/8/2021
- by Todd McCarthy
- Deadline Film + TV
Samuel Goldwyn Films has acquired the U.S. distribution rights for Kaouther Ben Hania’s The Man Who Sold His Skin, Tunisia’s short-listed entry for Best International Film for the 93rd Academy Awards.
Written and directed by Hania, the film stars Yahya Mahyni, Dea Liane, Koen De Bouw and Monica Bellucci. The Man Who Sold His Skin tells the story of Sam Ali, a young sensitive and impulsive Syrian, who left his country for Lebanon to escape the war. To be able to travel to Europe and live with the love of his life, he accepts to have his back tattooed by one of by the World’s most sulfurous contemporary artist. Turning his own body into a prestigious piece of art, Sam will however come to realize that his decision might actually mean anything but freedom.
“The Man Who Sold His Skin is a powerful film that draws...
Written and directed by Hania, the film stars Yahya Mahyni, Dea Liane, Koen De Bouw and Monica Bellucci. The Man Who Sold His Skin tells the story of Sam Ali, a young sensitive and impulsive Syrian, who left his country for Lebanon to escape the war. To be able to travel to Europe and live with the love of his life, he accepts to have his back tattooed by one of by the World’s most sulfurous contemporary artist. Turning his own body into a prestigious piece of art, Sam will however come to realize that his decision might actually mean anything but freedom.
“The Man Who Sold His Skin is a powerful film that draws...
- 2/18/2021
- by Dino-Ray Ramos
- Deadline Film + TV
Samuel Goldwyn Films has picked up the U.S. rights for “The Man Who Sold His Skin,” Tunisia’s short-listed entry for the international feature film Oscar. The film is represented in international markets by Paris-based Bac Films.
“The Man Who Sold His Skin” stars Yahya Mahayni as Sam, a Syrian man who decides to have a large Schengen visa, the document he desperately needs to enter Europe, tattooed on his back by a famous artist, thus becoming a human artwork to be exhibited in a Brussels museum. Turning his own body into a prestigious piece of art, Sam will come to realize that his decision might actually mean anything but freedom.
The film world premiered at Venice, where it won the best actor award for Mahayni, and went on to have its Middle East premiere at Egypt’s El Gouna Film Festival, where it scooped the best Arab film award.
“The Man Who Sold His Skin” stars Yahya Mahayni as Sam, a Syrian man who decides to have a large Schengen visa, the document he desperately needs to enter Europe, tattooed on his back by a famous artist, thus becoming a human artwork to be exhibited in a Brussels museum. Turning his own body into a prestigious piece of art, Sam will come to realize that his decision might actually mean anything but freedom.
The film world premiered at Venice, where it won the best actor award for Mahayni, and went on to have its Middle East premiere at Egypt’s El Gouna Film Festival, where it scooped the best Arab film award.
- 2/17/2021
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Now shortlisted in the international feature category, Tunisia’s ambitious entry “The Man Who Sold His Skin” from female writer-director Kaouther Ben Hania (“Beauty and the Dogs”) offers a provocative contemporary take on a Faustian bargain. An audacious but not always palatable mix of drama, tragedy, romance, satire and dark humor, the plot centers on Sam (newcomer Yahya Mahayni), a displaced Syrian with a chip on his shoulder who allows a cryptic art-world guru to use his back as a canvas. Paradoxically, it becomes easier for him to travel to Europe as an artwork than as a refugee. But what he thought of as freedom turns out to be anything but.
Lest anyone think the central idea is farfetched, helmer Ben Hania was inspired by the Belgian artist Wim Delvoye (seen here in a cameo role), who tattooed and signed the back of a man called Tim. The piece was...
Lest anyone think the central idea is farfetched, helmer Ben Hania was inspired by the Belgian artist Wim Delvoye (seen here in a cameo role), who tattooed and signed the back of a man called Tim. The piece was...
- 2/11/2021
- by Alissa Simon
- Variety Film + TV
Kaouther Ben Hania’s “The Man Who Sold His Skin” has been sold by Paris-based Bac Films International to further territories. The movie will represent Tunisia in the Oscar race for best international feature film.
“The Man Who Sold His Skin” world premiered at Venice, where it won the best actor award for Yahya Mahayni. The movie went on to have its Middle East premiere at Egypt’s El Gouna Film Festival, where it scooped the best Arab film nod.
Bac Films just sold the pic to Japan (The Klockworx) and Italy (Wanted Cinema). Previous sales were inked for Switzerland (Trigon Film), Portugal (Paris Audiovisuals), Denmark and Norway (Another World Entertainment), Taiwan (Creative Century), Brazil (Providence Filmes), Benelux (Cinéart), Turkey (Bir Films) and Russia (Ten Letters). Marine Goulois, who heads international sales at Bac Films, said the company was in discussions to close the U.S. and has submitted the film for the Golden Globes.
“The Man Who Sold His Skin” world premiered at Venice, where it won the best actor award for Yahya Mahayni. The movie went on to have its Middle East premiere at Egypt’s El Gouna Film Festival, where it scooped the best Arab film nod.
Bac Films just sold the pic to Japan (The Klockworx) and Italy (Wanted Cinema). Previous sales were inked for Switzerland (Trigon Film), Portugal (Paris Audiovisuals), Denmark and Norway (Another World Entertainment), Taiwan (Creative Century), Brazil (Providence Filmes), Benelux (Cinéart), Turkey (Bir Films) and Russia (Ten Letters). Marine Goulois, who heads international sales at Bac Films, said the company was in discussions to close the U.S. and has submitted the film for the Golden Globes.
- 12/18/2020
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Kaouther Ben Hania’s “The Man Who Sold His Skin” will represent Tunisia in the Oscar race for best international feature film.
The movie world premiered at Venice where it won the best actor award for Yahya Mahayni. The film went on to have its Middle East premiere at Egypt’s El Gouna Film Festival, where it scooped the best Arab film nod.
Represented in international markets by Paris-based Bac Films International, the film stars Mahayni as a Syrian man who accepts to have a large Schengen visa, the document he desperately needs to enter Europe, tattooed on his back by a famous artist, thus becoming a human artwork to be exhibited in a Brussels museum.
“The Man Who Sold His Skin,” which shot in English, Arabic and French, also stars Monica Bellucci. The film is Ben Hania’s follow up to “Beauty and the Dogs,” a drama about the...
The movie world premiered at Venice where it won the best actor award for Yahya Mahayni. The film went on to have its Middle East premiere at Egypt’s El Gouna Film Festival, where it scooped the best Arab film nod.
Represented in international markets by Paris-based Bac Films International, the film stars Mahayni as a Syrian man who accepts to have a large Schengen visa, the document he desperately needs to enter Europe, tattooed on his back by a famous artist, thus becoming a human artwork to be exhibited in a Brussels museum.
“The Man Who Sold His Skin,” which shot in English, Arabic and French, also stars Monica Bellucci. The film is Ben Hania’s follow up to “Beauty and the Dogs,” a drama about the...
- 11/20/2020
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Paris-based Bac Films International has scored a fresh round of sales on Tunisian director Kaouther Ben Hania’s “The Man Who Sold His Skin,” which this week had its Middle East premiere at Egypt’s El Gouna Film Festival after world premiering at Venice in September.
The pic, combining art world satire with the plight of refugees, is about a Syrian who accepts to have a large Schengen visa, the document he desperately needs to enter Europe, tattooed on his back by a famous artist, thus becoming a human artwork to be exhibited in a Brussels museum.
“The Man Who Sold His Skin” has now sold to Switzerland (Trigon Film), Portugal (Paris Audiovisuals), Denmark and Norway (Another World Entertainment), Taiwan (Creative Century) and Brazil (Providence Filmes).
Prior to Venice, Bac had presold the pic – which stars Syrian actor Yahya Mahayni as the protagonist and a platinum blonde Monica Bellucci as...
The pic, combining art world satire with the plight of refugees, is about a Syrian who accepts to have a large Schengen visa, the document he desperately needs to enter Europe, tattooed on his back by a famous artist, thus becoming a human artwork to be exhibited in a Brussels museum.
“The Man Who Sold His Skin” has now sold to Switzerland (Trigon Film), Portugal (Paris Audiovisuals), Denmark and Norway (Another World Entertainment), Taiwan (Creative Century) and Brazil (Providence Filmes).
Prior to Venice, Bac had presold the pic – which stars Syrian actor Yahya Mahayni as the protagonist and a platinum blonde Monica Bellucci as...
- 10/30/2020
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Tunisian director Kaouther Ben Hania’s “The Man Who Sold His Skin,” which recently launched from Venice, combines the absurdity of the contemporary art world, where a man’s skin can truly become a canvas, and the plight of refugees. It’s the tale of a Syrian who accepts to have a large Schengen visa, the document he desperately needs to enter Europe, tattooed on his back by a famous artist, thus becoming a human artwork to be exhibited in a Brussels museum.
The film, which packs a political punch and is also entertaining, is having its Arabic premiere at Egypt’s El Gouna fest. It follows from Ben Hania’s “Beauty and the Dogs,” the drama about the rape of a young Tunisian woman by policemen that made a splash at Cannes in 2017, and put her on the global radar. The director spoke to Variety from El Gouna about casting a relative newcomer,...
The film, which packs a political punch and is also entertaining, is having its Arabic premiere at Egypt’s El Gouna fest. It follows from Ben Hania’s “Beauty and the Dogs,” the drama about the rape of a young Tunisian woman by policemen that made a splash at Cannes in 2017, and put her on the global radar. The director spoke to Variety from El Gouna about casting a relative newcomer,...
- 10/28/2020
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
The Venice Film Festival wraps today after putting on a show against the odds. Despite lacking in studio fare, there was no shortage of well-received movies. Was there a Sundance-style bounce, with critics giddy just to be on the Lido after months of lockdown? Perhaps. But this was also a solid roster of independent movies. While there was no Joker juggernaut, there was at least one Roma rave. We’ve done a wide sweep of the English-language reviews and here’s our run-down of the best-received world premieres.
Standing out in the pack for its touted Academy Awards potential was Chloe Zhao’s anticipated drama Nomadland, starring Frances McDormand as a woman who embarks on a journey through the American West. The Searchlight Pictures movie, which debuted last night, was expected to be impress given its simultaneous berths in Venice and Toronto, and it didn’t disappoint. It’s just...
Standing out in the pack for its touted Academy Awards potential was Chloe Zhao’s anticipated drama Nomadland, starring Frances McDormand as a woman who embarks on a journey through the American West. The Searchlight Pictures movie, which debuted last night, was expected to be impress given its simultaneous berths in Venice and Toronto, and it didn’t disappoint. It’s just...
- 9/12/2020
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Drama about refugee who becomes a human work of art premieres in Venice’s Horizons section.
The recent exploits of the Banksy-funded refugee rescue boat the Louise Michel in the Mediterranean helped put the global refugee crisis back on the news agenda in recent days.
The world of contemporary art and refugees also come together in Tunisian director Kaouther Ben Hania’s The Man Who Sold His Skin, which premiered in the Venice Film Festival’s Horizons section this weekend.
Syrian actor Yahya Mahayni stars as a young Syrian man living in exile in Beirut. His life changes forever when...
The recent exploits of the Banksy-funded refugee rescue boat the Louise Michel in the Mediterranean helped put the global refugee crisis back on the news agenda in recent days.
The world of contemporary art and refugees also come together in Tunisian director Kaouther Ben Hania’s The Man Who Sold His Skin, which premiered in the Venice Film Festival’s Horizons section this weekend.
Syrian actor Yahya Mahayni stars as a young Syrian man living in exile in Beirut. His life changes forever when...
- 9/6/2020
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- ScreenDaily
A Syrian man desirous to get to Europe accepts to become a canvas for a controversial contemporary artist in The Man Who Sold His Skin (L’homme qui a vendu sa peau). This is the second fiction feature from Tunisian female director Kaouther Ben Hania after Cannes 2017 Un Certain Regard title Beauty and the Dogs, and as in that smaller-scale but similarly ambitious project, she combines a sociopolitical hot potato — in this case the refugee crisis and underlying human rights issues — with a certain formalist verve. Though the final product isn’t quite a home run, it is nonetheless a very ...
A Syrian man desirous to get to Europe accepts to become a canvas for a controversial contemporary artist in The Man Who Sold His Skin (L’homme qui a vendu sa peau). This is the second fiction feature from Tunisian female director Kaouther Ben Hania after Cannes 2017 Un Certain Regard title Beauty and the Dogs, and as in that smaller-scale but similarly ambitious project, she combines a sociopolitical hot potato — in this case the refugee crisis and underlying human rights issues — with a certain formalist verve. Though the final product isn’t quite a home run, it is nonetheless a very ...
Kaouther Ben Hania’s drama premieres in Horizons on September 5.
Paris-based Bac Films International has revealed early sales on Tunisian director Kaouther Ben Hania’s drama The Man Who Sold His Skin ahead of its world premiere in Venice’s Horizons section this week.
The feature has pre-sold to the Netherlands and Belgium (Cinéart), Turkey (Bir Films), Taiwan (Creative Century) and Russia (Ten Letters). Bac Films will distribute the English, Arabic and French-language film in France.
Syrian actor Yahya Mahayni stars as a young man who flees his native Syria for Beirut after being hounded by the police. In a...
Paris-based Bac Films International has revealed early sales on Tunisian director Kaouther Ben Hania’s drama The Man Who Sold His Skin ahead of its world premiere in Venice’s Horizons section this week.
The feature has pre-sold to the Netherlands and Belgium (Cinéart), Turkey (Bir Films), Taiwan (Creative Century) and Russia (Ten Letters). Bac Films will distribute the English, Arabic and French-language film in France.
Syrian actor Yahya Mahayni stars as a young man who flees his native Syria for Beirut after being hounded by the police. In a...
- 8/31/2020
- by 1100388¦Melanie Goodfellow¦69¦
- ScreenDaily
2019 Foreign Language Film Oscar Submissions Algeria – Until The End Of Time – Yasmine Chouikh Argentina– The Angel (El Angel) – Luis Ortega Austria – The Waldheim Waltz – Ruth Beckermann Belarus – Crystal Swan – Darya Zhuk Belgium – Girl – Lukas Dhont Bolivia – Muralla – Rodrigo Patiño Bosnia – Never Leave Me – Aida Begic Brazil – The Great Mystical Circus – Carlos Diegues Bulgaria – Omnipresent – Ilian Djevelekov Cambodia – Graves Without A Name – Rithy Pan Canada – Watch Dog – Sophie Dupuis Chile – And Suddenly The Dawn – Silvio Caiozzi Colombia– Birds of Passage, Cristina Gallego & Ciro Guerra Croatia – The Eighth Commissioner – Ivan Salaj Czech Republic – Winter Flies – Olmo Omerzu Denmark – The Guilty – Gustav Möller Dominican Republic – Cocote – Nelson Carlo de los Santos Ecuador – A Son Of Man – Jamaicanoproblem and Pablo Agüero Egypt – Yomeddine – Abu Bakr Shawky Estonia – Take It Or Leave It – Liina Trishkina-Vanhatalo Finland – Euthanizer – Teemu Nikin France – Memoir Of War – Emmanuel Finkiel Georgia – Namme – Zaza Khalvashi Germany – Never Look Away – Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck...
- 8/21/2020
- by Nancy Tartaglione
- Deadline Film + TV
Parent company Jour2Fête will retain existing name for French distribution activities.
Paris-based film company Jour2Fête is rebranding the merged sales operations of its recent acquisition Doc & Film International and in-house sales team under the banner of The Party Film Sales.
Jour2Fête’s French theatrical distribution business will continue to operate under its existing name.
Sarah Chazelle and Etienne Ollagnier’s Jour2Fête acquired Paris-based Doc & Film International last October, following the departure of its long-time CEO Daniela Elstner for French cinema agency Unifrance to take up the role of managing director.
Under the deal, the aim was to merge the existing staff,...
Paris-based film company Jour2Fête is rebranding the merged sales operations of its recent acquisition Doc & Film International and in-house sales team under the banner of The Party Film Sales.
Jour2Fête’s French theatrical distribution business will continue to operate under its existing name.
Sarah Chazelle and Etienne Ollagnier’s Jour2Fête acquired Paris-based Doc & Film International last October, following the departure of its long-time CEO Daniela Elstner for French cinema agency Unifrance to take up the role of managing director.
Under the deal, the aim was to merge the existing staff,...
- 2/5/2020
- by 1100388¦Melanie Goodfellow¦0¦
- ScreenDaily
The Tunisian helmer’s new drama will star Yahya Mahayni, Monica Bellucci, Koen de Bouw, Dea Liane and Wim Delvoye in the lead roles. Kaouther Ben Hania’s new project is now in post-production, as confirmed by Nadim Cheikhrouha, producer at Tanit Films. The Tunisian director is best known for her previous features Challat of Tunis (2013), selected as the opening movie of the 2014 programme of screenings organised by the Acid (Association for Independent Film Distribution) in Cannes, and Beauty and the Dogs, chosen for the Un Certain Regard section of the 2017 Cannes Film Festival. The latter was also the Tunisian entry for the Academy Award for Best Foreign-language Film. The story of this new film, penned in its entirety by the director herself, tells of the vicissitudes of Sam Ali, a Syrian refugee. In order to be able to travel to Europe and...
The 5050×2020 gender equality charter was launched at the Cannes Film Festival in 2018.
The Cairo International Film Festival (Ciff) has become the first Arab film festival, and second African festival, to sign the 5050×2020 gender equality charter, launched at the Cannes Film Festival in 2018.
The signing of the pledge will take place during a gala screening of fantasy drama Scales, the debut feature of Saudi Arabian filmmaker Shahad Ameen which world premiered to acclaim in Venice Critic’s Week in September.
Produced by Imagenation Abu Dhabi and sold internationally by Agc International, the film will also participate in Ciff’s Horizons of...
The Cairo International Film Festival (Ciff) has become the first Arab film festival, and second African festival, to sign the 5050×2020 gender equality charter, launched at the Cannes Film Festival in 2018.
The signing of the pledge will take place during a gala screening of fantasy drama Scales, the debut feature of Saudi Arabian filmmaker Shahad Ameen which world premiered to acclaim in Venice Critic’s Week in September.
Produced by Imagenation Abu Dhabi and sold internationally by Agc International, the film will also participate in Ciff’s Horizons of...
- 10/4/2019
- by 1100380¦Melanie Goodfellow¦0¦
- ScreenDaily
“Papicha,” the Algerian film in Un Certain Regard at Cannes this year, has received finance from two Hong Kong companies that have used modern financial techniques to “tokenize” their direct investment in the film’s equity.
Directed by Mounia Meddour, the female emancipation story about a woman daring to put on a fashion show in the post-revolutionary era has been selected to represent Algeria for the Best International Feature Film at the Oscars. It is set for a commercial release in France on Oct. 9 on approximately 150 prints.
“Papicha” was produced by Xavier Gens and Gregoire Gensollen from Paris-based The Ink Connection, and Patrick Andre from High Sea Productions. It is distributed in France and internationally by Jour2Fete.
Hong Kong-based Lumiere and FinFabrik have teamed up to apply their business and technical know-how to tokenize a co-investment into “Papicha.” The value of their investment was not disclosed.
“By having their equity participation digitalized,...
Directed by Mounia Meddour, the female emancipation story about a woman daring to put on a fashion show in the post-revolutionary era has been selected to represent Algeria for the Best International Feature Film at the Oscars. It is set for a commercial release in France on Oct. 9 on approximately 150 prints.
“Papicha” was produced by Xavier Gens and Gregoire Gensollen from Paris-based The Ink Connection, and Patrick Andre from High Sea Productions. It is distributed in France and internationally by Jour2Fete.
Hong Kong-based Lumiere and FinFabrik have teamed up to apply their business and technical know-how to tokenize a co-investment into “Papicha.” The value of their investment was not disclosed.
“By having their equity participation digitalized,...
- 9/10/2019
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
New UK Film Distributor Lightbulb Sets Early Slate With UK Pics, Cannes Drama & Medieval Action Film
Exclusive: Fledgling UK distribution label Lightbulb Film Distribution has set its early slate with two UK features, a well-received Cannes Un Certain Regard title and medieval action film The Pagan King.
First to be released on March 1 will be Jeremy Wooding’s (Blood Moon) UK drama Burning Men, in which musicians Ray (Ed Hayter) and Don (Aki Omoshaybi) are evicted from their South London squat and embark on a road trip across the UK to sell their prized vinyls. When they steal a rare Black Metal record and meet hitchhiker Susie (Elinor Crawley), the record seems to unleash dark forces. Lightbulb will give the film a limited theatrical run next month in collaboration with marketing and distribution agency Munro Films. Wooding directed the first series of hit UK comedy series Peep Show.
“We’re thrilled to be working on this project – and with director Jeremy Wooding. As avid fans of...
First to be released on March 1 will be Jeremy Wooding’s (Blood Moon) UK drama Burning Men, in which musicians Ray (Ed Hayter) and Don (Aki Omoshaybi) are evicted from their South London squat and embark on a road trip across the UK to sell their prized vinyls. When they steal a rare Black Metal record and meet hitchhiker Susie (Elinor Crawley), the record seems to unleash dark forces. Lightbulb will give the film a limited theatrical run next month in collaboration with marketing and distribution agency Munro Films. Wooding directed the first series of hit UK comedy series Peep Show.
“We’re thrilled to be working on this project – and with director Jeremy Wooding. As avid fans of...
- 1/14/2019
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Among the Middle East’s 10 submissions, three of which are helmed by women, are several titles that are likely to be competitive in the foreign-language category. These include the Cannes jury prize-winner “Capernaum,” from Lebanon’s helmer-actress Nadine Labaki, and “The Cakemaker” from Israel’s Ofir Raul Grazier. While the lineup includes some films that premiered at major festivals such as Berlin, Venice and Cannes, nearly all of the regional entries, with the exception of the Yemeni title “10 Days Before the Wedding,” have screened in multiple smaller festivals and nabbed several awards.
Labaki’s third feature, “Capernaum,” is the story of an impoverished Beirut boy who launches a lawsuit against his parents for bringing him into the world. It has a lot going for it: It’s a heart-tugging social-issues drama with adorable non-pro child actors, and it plays like, er, a “Slumdog Beirut.” Moreover, the film, due out Stateside in December,...
Labaki’s third feature, “Capernaum,” is the story of an impoverished Beirut boy who launches a lawsuit against his parents for bringing him into the world. It has a lot going for it: It’s a heart-tugging social-issues drama with adorable non-pro child actors, and it plays like, er, a “Slumdog Beirut.” Moreover, the film, due out Stateside in December,...
- 11/8/2018
- by Alissa Simon
- Variety Film + TV
The Middle East premiere of U.S. director Peter Farrelly’s “Green Book” will open the revamped Cairo Film Festival, where Alfonso Cuaron’s “Roma” is also set to launch in the region and Ralph Fiennes will be feted with a career award.
Cairo’s upcoming 40th edition, which will run Nov. 20-29, bears the stamp of a big push by its new president, Egyptian producer Mohammed Hefzy, to give the oldest film fest in the region new luster following a period of decline partly due to the country’s post-revolution turbulence.
Hefzy and artistic director Youssef Cheriff Rizkallah have unveiled a large lineup mixing recent standout titles plucked from the international circuit with a rich assortment of fresh Arabic fare.
Kazakh writer-director Sergey Dvortsevoy and actress Samal Yeslyamova will be coming to Cairo for a gala screening of drama “Ayka,” which competed in Cannes; Argentine director will be making...
Cairo’s upcoming 40th edition, which will run Nov. 20-29, bears the stamp of a big push by its new president, Egyptian producer Mohammed Hefzy, to give the oldest film fest in the region new luster following a period of decline partly due to the country’s post-revolution turbulence.
Hefzy and artistic director Youssef Cheriff Rizkallah have unveiled a large lineup mixing recent standout titles plucked from the international circuit with a rich assortment of fresh Arabic fare.
Kazakh writer-director Sergey Dvortsevoy and actress Samal Yeslyamova will be coming to Cairo for a gala screening of drama “Ayka,” which competed in Cannes; Argentine director will be making...
- 10/30/2018
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Amid the Arab world’s volatile festival landscape, Egypt’s ambitious El Gouna Film Festival, heading into its second edition, is aiming to raise its profile a few notches. The fest has secured the cream of this year’s global cinematic crop and more than doubled the cash prizes for Arabic projects at its co-production market.
Following the unexpected shuttering last December of the Dubai fest and market after 14 editions, El Gouna is certainly better positioned to play a prominent role as an Arab film industry driver and bridgehead into the Middle East for quality international films.
“The only selection criteria we have is that all films should be fresh Middle East premieres,” says Intishal Al Timimi, artistic director of the Sept. 20-28 event held in the El Gouna Red Sea resort and backed by Egyptian telecom billionaire Naguib Sawiris.
While world premieres are understandably scarce, this year El Gouna...
Following the unexpected shuttering last December of the Dubai fest and market after 14 editions, El Gouna is certainly better positioned to play a prominent role as an Arab film industry driver and bridgehead into the Middle East for quality international films.
“The only selection criteria we have is that all films should be fresh Middle East premieres,” says Intishal Al Timimi, artistic director of the Sept. 20-28 event held in the El Gouna Red Sea resort and backed by Egyptian telecom billionaire Naguib Sawiris.
While world premieres are understandably scarce, this year El Gouna...
- 9/28/2018
- by Malina Saval
- Variety Film + TV
Argentina has selected Luis Ortega’s well-received Cannes Film Festival crime drama The Angel (El Angel) as its contender for the Foreign Language Oscar. The film, produced by Pedro Almodóvar, broke box office records in its home country; The Orchard acquired U.S. rights after its Un Certain Regard bow and has set a November 9 theatrical release in New York and Los Angeles for the film before rolling it out nationally.
The pic from Ortega, who directed and co-wrote with Sergio Olguin and Rodolfo Palacios, is a portrait based on Argentina’s real-life serial killer dubbed “The Angel of Death.” The pic picks up the story when Carlitos (Lorenzo Ferro), a 17-year-old with movie star swagger, blond curls and a baby face in 1970s Buenos Aires, meets Ramon (Chino Darín) who embark on a journey of discovery, love and murder. When he is finally caught, the press dubs Carlitos “The...
The pic from Ortega, who directed and co-wrote with Sergio Olguin and Rodolfo Palacios, is a portrait based on Argentina’s real-life serial killer dubbed “The Angel of Death.” The pic picks up the story when Carlitos (Lorenzo Ferro), a 17-year-old with movie star swagger, blond curls and a baby face in 1970s Buenos Aires, meets Ramon (Chino Darín) who embark on a journey of discovery, love and murder. When he is finally caught, the press dubs Carlitos “The...
- 9/26/2018
- by Patrick Hipes
- Deadline Film + TV
Italy has chosen Matteo Garrone’s well-received Cannes drama Dogman as its Foreign Language Oscar hopeful.
Marcello Fonte stars as Marcello, a gentle dog groomer who finds himself involved in a dangerous relationship with Simone (Edoardo Pesce), a former violent boxer who terrorizes the entire neighbourhood. In an effort to reaffirm his dignity, Marcello must submit to an unexpected act of vengeance. Fonte won the Best Actor prize at Cannes.
Garrone’s Archimede produced alongside Rai Cinema’s Paolo Del Brocco, Le Pacte’s Jean Labadie, and Recorded Picture Company’s Jeremy Thomas. Magnolia has U.S. rights. Garrone’s previous credits include Gomorrah, Reality and Tale Of Tales, all of which played at Cannes.
Italy has been the most successful country in the Academy’s Foreign Language category, scoring 14 wins and 31 nominations. The country’s last nomination and win in the category came in 2013 with Paolo Sorrentino’s The Great Beauty.
Marcello Fonte stars as Marcello, a gentle dog groomer who finds himself involved in a dangerous relationship with Simone (Edoardo Pesce), a former violent boxer who terrorizes the entire neighbourhood. In an effort to reaffirm his dignity, Marcello must submit to an unexpected act of vengeance. Fonte won the Best Actor prize at Cannes.
Garrone’s Archimede produced alongside Rai Cinema’s Paolo Del Brocco, Le Pacte’s Jean Labadie, and Recorded Picture Company’s Jeremy Thomas. Magnolia has U.S. rights. Garrone’s previous credits include Gomorrah, Reality and Tale Of Tales, all of which played at Cannes.
Italy has been the most successful country in the Academy’s Foreign Language category, scoring 14 wins and 31 nominations. The country’s last nomination and win in the category came in 2013 with Paolo Sorrentino’s The Great Beauty.
- 9/25/2018
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Poland has chosen Pawel Pawlikowski’s Cannes-winning black and white drama Cold War as its Oscar submission for Best Foreign Language Film.
The well-reviewed story of a fated Polish love affair set across Europe during the late 1950s and early 1960s, is among the favorites for the prize. It is Pawlikowski’s first film since 2014 pic Ida, which won the Foreign Language Oscar. Amazon will release stateside on Dec. 21.
“Cold War — artistically fulfilled, universal story of impossible love, inscribed in the turbulent history of 20th century Poland,” the Polish Oscar Committee stated in a press release. “Pawel Pawlikowski’s film captivates with its performance, excellent acting and unique use of Polish folk music motifs. The previous successes of the film on the international arena will certainly help in further promotional activities.”
Also entering the fray this week are Dante Lam’s blockbuster Operation Red Sea for Hong Kong, Rima Das’s Village Rockstars for India,...
The well-reviewed story of a fated Polish love affair set across Europe during the late 1950s and early 1960s, is among the favorites for the prize. It is Pawlikowski’s first film since 2014 pic Ida, which won the Foreign Language Oscar. Amazon will release stateside on Dec. 21.
“Cold War — artistically fulfilled, universal story of impossible love, inscribed in the turbulent history of 20th century Poland,” the Polish Oscar Committee stated in a press release. “Pawel Pawlikowski’s film captivates with its performance, excellent acting and unique use of Polish folk music motifs. The previous successes of the film on the international arena will certainly help in further promotional activities.”
Also entering the fray this week are Dante Lam’s blockbuster Operation Red Sea for Hong Kong, Rima Das’s Village Rockstars for India,...
- 9/24/2018
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
France has selected Emmanuel Finkiel’s Memoir of War as its official selection for the Oscars’ Foreign Language film race. The pic, which Finkiel adapted from Marguerite Duras’ semi-autobiographical 1944 novel set in Nazi-occupied Paris, stars Mélanie Thierry in a story of love, loss, and perseverance against the backdrop of war.
Music Box Films holds U.S. rights to Memoir of War and released it in theaters last month.
The film came out on top on a shortlist that included Gaspar Noé’s Cannes buzz title Climax, the late Claude Lanzmann’s Les Quatre Sœurs, Mademoiselle De Joncquières by Emmanuel Mouret, and Xavier Legrand’s Jusqu’à La Garde. The choice was finalized today by France’s National Film Center (Cnc), which said the film, known in France as La Douleur (The Pain), has seen 350,00 submissions in French theaters.
The plot centers on Duras (Thierry) who is is an active...
Music Box Films holds U.S. rights to Memoir of War and released it in theaters last month.
The film came out on top on a shortlist that included Gaspar Noé’s Cannes buzz title Climax, the late Claude Lanzmann’s Les Quatre Sœurs, Mademoiselle De Joncquières by Emmanuel Mouret, and Xavier Legrand’s Jusqu’à La Garde. The choice was finalized today by France’s National Film Center (Cnc), which said the film, known in France as La Douleur (The Pain), has seen 350,00 submissions in French theaters.
The plot centers on Duras (Thierry) who is is an active...
- 9/21/2018
- by Patrick Hipes
- Deadline Film + TV
Gustav Möller’s thriller “The Guilty” which won Sundance’s Audience Award in World Cinema, has been selected as Denmark’s official Oscar entry for best foreign language film.
Möller’s feature debut, “The Guilty” takes place over the course of a single night and centers on police officer Asger Holm (Jakob Cedergren) who has just been demoted to desk work and answers a panicked phone call from a kidnapped woman. The film follows Asger’s race against time to save the woman with the phone as his only tool.
On top of Sundance, “The Guilty” played at New Directors/New Films, as well as Seattle where it won Best Director and the Audience Award, and Rotterdam where it won the Audience Award. Magnolia Pictures will release the film on Oct.19 in 25 markets, including New York and Los Angeles, with a national rollout to follow.
Represented in international markets by TrustNordisk,...
Möller’s feature debut, “The Guilty” takes place over the course of a single night and centers on police officer Asger Holm (Jakob Cedergren) who has just been demoted to desk work and answers a panicked phone call from a kidnapped woman. The film follows Asger’s race against time to save the woman with the phone as his only tool.
On top of Sundance, “The Guilty” played at New Directors/New Films, as well as Seattle where it won Best Director and the Audience Award, and Rotterdam where it won the Audience Award. Magnolia Pictures will release the film on Oct.19 in 25 markets, including New York and Los Angeles, with a national rollout to follow.
Represented in international markets by TrustNordisk,...
- 9/20/2018
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Updated with additional release date info: Gustav Möller’s The Guilty, which won this year’s Sundance Film Festival World Cinema Audience Award, has been selected by Denmark as the country’s official entry into the Oscar Foreign Language Film race.
The thriller, Möller’s directorial debut, was acquired by Magnolia Pictures in Park City and is hitting U.S. theaters October 19 in 25 markets. It next screens at Fantastic Fest which launches today.
The film centers on a police officer (Jakob Cedergren), who, when demoted to desk work, expects a sleepy beat as an emergency dispatcher. That changes when he answers a panicked phone call from a kidnapped woman who then disconnects abruptly. Confined to the police station, he is forced to use others as his eyes and ears as the severity of the crime slowly becomes more clear, with all the action set in his single location.
Denmark has...
The thriller, Möller’s directorial debut, was acquired by Magnolia Pictures in Park City and is hitting U.S. theaters October 19 in 25 markets. It next screens at Fantastic Fest which launches today.
The film centers on a police officer (Jakob Cedergren), who, when demoted to desk work, expects a sleepy beat as an emergency dispatcher. That changes when he answers a panicked phone call from a kidnapped woman who then disconnects abruptly. Confined to the police station, he is forced to use others as his eyes and ears as the severity of the crime slowly becomes more clear, with all the action set in his single location.
Denmark has...
- 9/20/2018
- by Patrick Hipes
- Deadline Film + TV
Tunisia has submitted Beauty and the Dogs (Aala Kaf Ifrit), written and directed by Kaouther Ben Hania, for the best foreign-language film Oscar.
The film chronicles one night in the life of Mariam, a young Tunisian woman, who meets a stranger at a student party and leaves with him without knowing that the night will soon turn into a nightmare.
"For her jump from documentary to fiction, Tunisian distaff director Kaouther Ben Hania has chosen both a controversial true story — a woman who was raped by several local policemen has to decide whether to stay silent or report the ...
The film chronicles one night in the life of Mariam, a young Tunisian woman, who meets a stranger at a student party and leaves with him without knowing that the night will soon turn into a nightmare.
"For her jump from documentary to fiction, Tunisian distaff director Kaouther Ben Hania has chosen both a controversial true story — a woman who was raped by several local policemen has to decide whether to stay silent or report the ...
- 9/19/2018
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Tunisia has submitted Beauty and the Dogs (Aala Kaf Ifrit), written and directed by Kaouther Ben Hania, for the best foreign-language film Oscar.
The film chronicles one night in the life of Mariam, a young Tunisian woman, who meets a stranger at a student party and leaves with him without knowing that the night will soon turn into a nightmare.
"For her jump from documentary to fiction, Tunisian distaff director Kaouther Ben Hania has chosen both a controversial true story — a woman who was raped by several local policemen has to decide whether to stay silent or report the ...
The film chronicles one night in the life of Mariam, a young Tunisian woman, who meets a stranger at a student party and leaves with him without knowing that the night will soon turn into a nightmare.
"For her jump from documentary to fiction, Tunisian distaff director Kaouther Ben Hania has chosen both a controversial true story — a woman who was raped by several local policemen has to decide whether to stay silent or report the ...
- 9/19/2018
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Nadine Labaki’s critical hit Capernaum, which was snapped up by Sony Classics in May, has been selected as Lebanon’s Foreign Language Oscar submission.
The Cannes Jury Prize winner, directed by Nadine Labaki, focuses on a 12-year-old boy in a fictitious Middle Eastern village who sues his parents for bringing him into a world of such suffering. The film features mostly non-professional actors. This year, The Insult by Ziad Doueiri won Lebanon’s first ever Academy Award nomination.
Also entering the Foreign Language race this week have been Brazil, Slovenia, Bulgaria, Pakistan, Thailand and Indonesia. Below is the full list of submissions to date.
2019 Foreign Language Film Oscar Submissions Algeria – Until The End Of Time – Yasmine Chouikh Austria – The Waldheim Waltz – Ruth Beckermann Belarus – Crystal Swan – Darya Zhuk Belgium – Girl – Lukas Dhont Bolivia – Muralla – Rodrigo Patiño Bosnia – Never Leave Me – Aida Begic Brazil – The Great Mystical Circus – Carlos Diegues...
The Cannes Jury Prize winner, directed by Nadine Labaki, focuses on a 12-year-old boy in a fictitious Middle Eastern village who sues his parents for bringing him into a world of such suffering. The film features mostly non-professional actors. This year, The Insult by Ziad Doueiri won Lebanon’s first ever Academy Award nomination.
Also entering the Foreign Language race this week have been Brazil, Slovenia, Bulgaria, Pakistan, Thailand and Indonesia. Below is the full list of submissions to date.
2019 Foreign Language Film Oscar Submissions Algeria – Until The End Of Time – Yasmine Chouikh Austria – The Waldheim Waltz – Ruth Beckermann Belarus – Crystal Swan – Darya Zhuk Belgium – Girl – Lukas Dhont Bolivia – Muralla – Rodrigo Patiño Bosnia – Never Leave Me – Aida Begic Brazil – The Great Mystical Circus – Carlos Diegues...
- 9/19/2018
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
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