Good afternoon Insiders, Max Goldbart here in a week that has had a distinctly ‘back to school’ feel to it. We’ve certainly been busy. Read on for the biggest stories of the week and sign up here.
Has #MeToo Finally Arrived in France?
Watershed: The past week has felt like a watershed moment for the #MeToo movement in France. The country’s film industry has been at the forefront of efforts to foster gender parity thanks to pioneering activist group Le Collectif 50/50 and initiatives such as the festival charter, along with extra state funding for movies hiring women for key crew positions. However, a culture of silence around allegations of sexual abuse by big figures such as Roman Polanski and Gérard Depardieu has long been a source of debate and consternation in and outside of the country. There are signs that a major shift is underway following a bombshell...
Has #MeToo Finally Arrived in France?
Watershed: The past week has felt like a watershed moment for the #MeToo movement in France. The country’s film industry has been at the forefront of efforts to foster gender parity thanks to pioneering activist group Le Collectif 50/50 and initiatives such as the festival charter, along with extra state funding for movies hiring women for key crew positions. However, a culture of silence around allegations of sexual abuse by big figures such as Roman Polanski and Gérard Depardieu has long been a source of debate and consternation in and outside of the country. There are signs that a major shift is underway following a bombshell...
- 1/12/2024
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: On October 9, 2023, two days after the massacre in the south of Israel which has led to an ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas-led Palestinian militant groups, Oscar-nominated Jewish writer-director Joseph Cedar called his Palestinian friend, fellow writer-director Tawfik Abu Wael. The two had co-created and co-directed the television series Our Boys for HBO (along with Hagai Levi). That series recreated the events surrounding the murder of Palestinian teenager Mohammed Abu Khedeir in 2014, which ultimately led to an outbreak of war in Gaza that year.
Just four years after the friends worked on this critically acclaimed series together, the October 7 massacre occurred, echoing striking similarities of the real-life events depicted in the 2019 miniseries but with the roles reversed.
Here, Deadline can reveal to you an exclusive conversation between these two Tel Aviv-based industry friends who discuss at length the polarization of their ethnicity in Israel and how they are battling...
Just four years after the friends worked on this critically acclaimed series together, the October 7 massacre occurred, echoing striking similarities of the real-life events depicted in the 2019 miniseries but with the roles reversed.
Here, Deadline can reveal to you an exclusive conversation between these two Tel Aviv-based industry friends who discuss at length the polarization of their ethnicity in Israel and how they are battling...
- 1/9/2024
- by Diana Lodderhose
- Deadline Film + TV
The 16 writers will participate in pre-writing workshops to shape drama series
French screenwriter Thomas Bidegain, who co-wrote Rust And Bone and The Cowboys is one of the 16 writers taking part in a series of workshops hosted by The Creatives, the Fremantle-backed alliance of 10 international production companies.
The Creative Connection will aim to strengthen drama series writing in Europe and is co-funded by The Creatives and the European Commission.
The writers, who span 14 countries, will participate in three five-day workshops across Europe and collaborate with the 10 producers that form The Creatives, including the Netherlands’ Lemming Film, UK’s Good Chaos,...
French screenwriter Thomas Bidegain, who co-wrote Rust And Bone and The Cowboys is one of the 16 writers taking part in a series of workshops hosted by The Creatives, the Fremantle-backed alliance of 10 international production companies.
The Creative Connection will aim to strengthen drama series writing in Europe and is co-funded by The Creatives and the European Commission.
The writers, who span 14 countries, will participate in three five-day workshops across Europe and collaborate with the 10 producers that form The Creatives, including the Netherlands’ Lemming Film, UK’s Good Chaos,...
- 1/16/2023
- by Ellie Calnan
- ScreenDaily
The Creatives, an alliance of independent production companies from across Europe and beyond, has picked 16 screenwriters to participate in a session of brainstorming workshops aimed at developing ideas and pitches for new films and high-end drama TV series.
The group, announced Monday, includes veteran writers Thomas Bidegain, co-writer of The Bélier Family, the 2014 French feature adapted into English as 2021 Best Picture Oscar winner Coda, as well as several collaborations with French director Jacques Audiard, including A Prophet (2009), Rust and Bone (2012) and The Sisters Brothers (2018); Israeli writer Sigal Avin, creator of Apple TV+ Losing Alice; and Denmark’s Julie Budtz Sørensen, a writer on Netflix series The Rain and Chosen.
The 16 writers, joined by 10 producers from The Creatives, will take part in three, five-day workshops across Europe this year. The first will kick off in France’s Île-de-France region this week. The concept of the workshops will see the writers and...
The group, announced Monday, includes veteran writers Thomas Bidegain, co-writer of The Bélier Family, the 2014 French feature adapted into English as 2021 Best Picture Oscar winner Coda, as well as several collaborations with French director Jacques Audiard, including A Prophet (2009), Rust and Bone (2012) and The Sisters Brothers (2018); Israeli writer Sigal Avin, creator of Apple TV+ Losing Alice; and Denmark’s Julie Budtz Sørensen, a writer on Netflix series The Rain and Chosen.
The 16 writers, joined by 10 producers from The Creatives, will take part in three, five-day workshops across Europe this year. The first will kick off in France’s Île-de-France region this week. The concept of the workshops will see the writers and...
- 1/16/2023
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Exclusive: Verve has made several key promotions this week across the motion picture and television literary teams with Partners Felicia Prinz and Chris Noriega being upped to Co-Heads overseeing the Television Literary Team, Parker Davis and Liz Parker will assume the Co-Head mantle of the Motion Picture Literary Team, and Tyler Reynolds has been promoted to head the Television Director Team. Reynolds will report to Prinz and Noriega. In these newly created positions, Prinz, Noriega, Davis, Parker, and Reynolds will be responsible for the day-to-day management of their respective teams while working alongside the Partnership to streamline decision making, communication and to provide strategic support.
“As Verve continues to scale, we realize that empowering our valuable colleagues is the best way to maintain our unique work culture while providing the best creative representation in the business,” said the Partnership. “Felicia, Chris, Parker, Liz, and Tyler are highly respected by their colleagues,...
“As Verve continues to scale, we realize that empowering our valuable colleagues is the best way to maintain our unique work culture while providing the best creative representation in the business,” said the Partnership. “Felicia, Chris, Parker, Liz, and Tyler are highly respected by their colleagues,...
- 9/22/2022
- by Justin Kroll
- Deadline Film + TV
Festival reveals 13 features set to receive their world premieres.
Jerusalem Film Festival (Jff) has revealed its line-up of Israeli films for its 39th edition, which includes world premieres for anticipated features by Michal Vinik and Yona Rozenkier.
A total of eight features have been selected for the Haggiag Competition for Israeli features while seven titles make up the Diamond Competition for Israeli documentaries.
Scroll down for full list of titles
The Haggiag Competition includes the world premiere of Valeria Gets Married by Israeli filmmaker Vinik, who previously made waves internationally with her 2015 drama Blush about a relationship between two Israeli schoolgirls.
Jerusalem Film Festival (Jff) has revealed its line-up of Israeli films for its 39th edition, which includes world premieres for anticipated features by Michal Vinik and Yona Rozenkier.
A total of eight features have been selected for the Haggiag Competition for Israeli features while seven titles make up the Diamond Competition for Israeli documentaries.
Scroll down for full list of titles
The Haggiag Competition includes the world premiere of Valeria Gets Married by Israeli filmmaker Vinik, who previously made waves internationally with her 2015 drama Blush about a relationship between two Israeli schoolgirls.
- 6/30/2022
- by Michael Rosser
- ScreenDaily
Jerusalem Film Festival Unveils Israeli Competition As It Gears Up For First Full Edition Since 2019
The Jerusalem Film Festival has unveiled the line-up for its Israeli feature film competition as well as all the other local productions selected to screen in its 39th edition, running 21-31.
The event returns to its traditional July dates for the first time since 2019 this year, after the Covid-19 pandemic forced it online in 2020 and pushed it into August and prevented it from inviting international guests in 2021.
This edition is being piloted by Jerusalem Cinematheque manager Roni Mahadav-Levin and artistic director Elad Samorzik, following the departure earlier this year of longtime cinematheque and festival director Noa Regev to head up the Israel Film Fund. Her replacement will be decided after this year’s edition.
World premieres in the Israeli competition include Michal Vinik’s drama Valeria Is Getting Married about two Ukrainian sisters who travel to Israel for marriage. It is Vinik’s first solo feature since 2015 festival breakout Blush.
The event returns to its traditional July dates for the first time since 2019 this year, after the Covid-19 pandemic forced it online in 2020 and pushed it into August and prevented it from inviting international guests in 2021.
This edition is being piloted by Jerusalem Cinematheque manager Roni Mahadav-Levin and artistic director Elad Samorzik, following the departure earlier this year of longtime cinematheque and festival director Noa Regev to head up the Israel Film Fund. Her replacement will be decided after this year’s edition.
World premieres in the Israeli competition include Michal Vinik’s drama Valeria Is Getting Married about two Ukrainian sisters who travel to Israel for marriage. It is Vinik’s first solo feature since 2015 festival breakout Blush.
- 6/30/2022
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Coming off the success of HBO’s “Our Boys,” Tawfik Abu-Wael returns to the small screen with the new mini-series “Unknowns,” a nine episode thriller which is an observational portrait of a group of boys living in the margins of Israeli society. Already in a fragile balance, dangling on the edge of violent cycles and in a world that presents very few opportunities to break them, their lives are thrown into upheaval when a girl is raped in a nearby forest and they become the main suspects.
Commissioned by Israeli public broadcaster Kan and produced by Rabel Films, the series dives into the thriller genre, playing with its tropes while being more interested in exploring the emotional consequences of a crime. The result is a menagerie of deep and complex characters emotionally tangled in a whodunit thriller which unavoidably taps into the social and political ambience that transversally affects the...
Commissioned by Israeli public broadcaster Kan and produced by Rabel Films, the series dives into the thriller genre, playing with its tropes while being more interested in exploring the emotional consequences of a crime. The result is a menagerie of deep and complex characters emotionally tangled in a whodunit thriller which unavoidably taps into the social and political ambience that transversally affects the...
- 10/10/2021
- by Emiliano Granada
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Verve has acquired veteran TV lit agent Paul Alan Smith’s New Deal Mfg. Co., a boutique lit agency representing a bevy of television and film directors.
New Deal’s founding partner Smith and agent Tyler Reynolds will join Verve where they will continue to represent their clients, some of whom have been with Smith for decades. New Deal’s other founding partner, Lee Rosenbaum, who has served as chief operating officer and general counsel to the firm, will continue as an adviser to the agency.
New Deal’s clients joining Verve include Niels Arden Oplev, Allen Coulter, Tawfik Abu Wael (Our Boys), Oded Ruskin, Adam Arkin (Rebel), Milena Govich (FBI), Elodie Keene (Glee), Leslie Libman (The Manson Murders), Daniel Syrkin (Tehran), Sheelin Choksey (Stargirl), Charles Burnett (To Sleep With Anger...
New Deal’s founding partner Smith and agent Tyler Reynolds will join Verve where they will continue to represent their clients, some of whom have been with Smith for decades. New Deal’s other founding partner, Lee Rosenbaum, who has served as chief operating officer and general counsel to the firm, will continue as an adviser to the agency.
New Deal’s clients joining Verve include Niels Arden Oplev, Allen Coulter, Tawfik Abu Wael (Our Boys), Oded Ruskin, Adam Arkin (Rebel), Milena Govich (FBI), Elodie Keene (Glee), Leslie Libman (The Manson Murders), Daniel Syrkin (Tehran), Sheelin Choksey (Stargirl), Charles Burnett (To Sleep With Anger...
- 3/15/2021
- by Nellie Andreeva
- Deadline Film + TV
Competition titles include UK’s Trying, Norway’s Atlantic Crossing and Israel’s Losing Alice.
Disney’s Star Wars-spin-off The Mandalorian will open the third edition of Canneseries, running March 27 to April 1 alongside the Miptv content market, as the event unveiled its full line-up today (February 26).
The series’ big-screen splash in Cannes’s Palais des Festivals will coincide with the launch of the new Disney+ streaming service in the UK, Ireland, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Austria and Switzerland on March 24.
One of the most high-profile original series commissioned for the new platform, The Mandalorian is expected to be a...
Disney’s Star Wars-spin-off The Mandalorian will open the third edition of Canneseries, running March 27 to April 1 alongside the Miptv content market, as the event unveiled its full line-up today (February 26).
The series’ big-screen splash in Cannes’s Palais des Festivals will coincide with the launch of the new Disney+ streaming service in the UK, Ireland, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Austria and Switzerland on March 24.
One of the most high-profile original series commissioned for the new platform, The Mandalorian is expected to be a...
- 2/26/2020
- by 1100388¦Melanie Goodfellow¦0¦
- ScreenDaily
Paris — AMC’s “The Walking Dead: World Beyond,” Amazon Prime’s “Upload,” and Apple TV’s “Trying” will make their international premieres at the 3rd edition of Canneseries, which will run from March 27 to April 1.
The Riviera-set fest will host tributes to David Hasselhoff (“Baywatch”), “Sharp Object” and “Euphoria” breakout Sydney Sweeney, and “Transparent” star Judith Light, before closing with the world premiere of “The Bureau,” Season 5.
Producer Gale Anne Hurd will lead this year’s jury alongside actors Ncuti Gatwa (“Sex Education”), Camille Cottin (“Call My Agent”) and Katja Herbers (“Westworld”), director Tawfik Abu Wael (“Our Boys”) and rocker Steward Copeland.
Pay-tv service Canal Plus will bring two high-profile French language offerings, launching the final season premiere of their spy thriller “The Bureau” and the series premiere of their hip-hop drama “Validé,” which was co-created by popular local star Franck Gastambide.
Of then ten series in the festival’s highly selective competition,...
The Riviera-set fest will host tributes to David Hasselhoff (“Baywatch”), “Sharp Object” and “Euphoria” breakout Sydney Sweeney, and “Transparent” star Judith Light, before closing with the world premiere of “The Bureau,” Season 5.
Producer Gale Anne Hurd will lead this year’s jury alongside actors Ncuti Gatwa (“Sex Education”), Camille Cottin (“Call My Agent”) and Katja Herbers (“Westworld”), director Tawfik Abu Wael (“Our Boys”) and rocker Steward Copeland.
Pay-tv service Canal Plus will bring two high-profile French language offerings, launching the final season premiere of their spy thriller “The Bureau” and the series premiere of their hip-hop drama “Validé,” which was co-created by popular local star Franck Gastambide.
Of then ten series in the festival’s highly selective competition,...
- 2/26/2020
- by Ben Croll
- Variety Film + TV
Canneseries Lineup Includes Apple’s First UK Scripted Original ‘Trying’; Gale Anne Hurd To Head Jury
Canneseries has revealed its competition lineup and jury as it enters its third year of premiering international drama alongside the Mip TV market on the French Riviera.
Among 10 television series (see below) in competition at the event, which takes place from March 27 to April 1, is Apple’s first British scripted project Trying. The BBC Studios comedy stars Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom’s Rafe Spall and Cuckoo actress Esther Smith as a couple having problems conceiving, while Imelda Staunton also features.
Out of competition series being screened include Greg Daniels’ half-hour sci-fi romantic satire Upload, which has been picked up for series by Amazon, and Disney+ show The Mandalorian. The Canneseries short-form competition will be announced on Thursday.
The Walking Dead executive producer Gale Anne Hurd will preside over the Canneseries jury. She will be joined by Sex Education star Ncuti Gatwa, writer and director Tawfik Abu Wael, former Police drummer Stewart Copeland,...
Among 10 television series (see below) in competition at the event, which takes place from March 27 to April 1, is Apple’s first British scripted project Trying. The BBC Studios comedy stars Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom’s Rafe Spall and Cuckoo actress Esther Smith as a couple having problems conceiving, while Imelda Staunton also features.
Out of competition series being screened include Greg Daniels’ half-hour sci-fi romantic satire Upload, which has been picked up for series by Amazon, and Disney+ show The Mandalorian. The Canneseries short-form competition will be announced on Thursday.
The Walking Dead executive producer Gale Anne Hurd will preside over the Canneseries jury. She will be joined by Sex Education star Ncuti Gatwa, writer and director Tawfik Abu Wael, former Police drummer Stewart Copeland,...
- 2/26/2020
- by Jake Kanter
- Deadline Film + TV
This week’s impeachment hearings — in which countless witnesses reaffirmed how Donald Trump had withheld aid to Ukraine until the country agreed to investigate the son of political rival Joe Biden (something even Trump has more or less admitted to) — was nonetheless a reminder how even the truth won’t prevent competing narratives in the media. For storytellers looking to accurately document real-life events for TV or film, that makes telling the definitive story even more challenging.
And yet, true-life stories have come to dominate TV, particularly in the limited series category. While remakes and reboots of old intellectual property is hot in the regular series realm, programmers are leaning into ripped-from-the-headlines tales to captivate audiences in 6, 8 or 10-hour segments. Among some of the current contenders in various longform awards races include Emmy winners like “Chernobyl,” “When They See Us,” “Fosse/Verdon” and “The Act,” while “The Loudest Voice” and...
And yet, true-life stories have come to dominate TV, particularly in the limited series category. While remakes and reboots of old intellectual property is hot in the regular series realm, programmers are leaning into ripped-from-the-headlines tales to captivate audiences in 6, 8 or 10-hour segments. Among some of the current contenders in various longform awards races include Emmy winners like “Chernobyl,” “When They See Us,” “Fosse/Verdon” and “The Act,” while “The Loudest Voice” and...
- 11/23/2019
- by Michael Schneider
- Variety Film + TV
In this week’s International TV Newswire: Frédérique Bredin announces she won’t run for another term at France’s National Cinema Center (Cnc); Mexican broadcaster Televisa’s profits plummet; HBO pre-buys Keshet’s “Our Boys” for Latin America and Europe; Patrick Vien changes roles at A+E; new Greek government re-aligns public broadcasters; and VODs are still under the upcoming 30% European series quota.
Frédérique Bredin Exits Cnc as France Fears for Cultural Exception
Over 1992-93, France fought Hollywood. for its powerful French cinema quotas and subsidies – part of its so-called cultural exception – to be excluded from the Gatt round of trade talks, liberalizing commerce. France won. Now France’s movie industry fears that its once sacrosanct public-sector support for cinema will be dismantled by the French government itself. Though first and foremost a cinema concern, the threat could have important concerns for France’s TV industry as well.
On Wednesday,...
Frédérique Bredin Exits Cnc as France Fears for Cultural Exception
Over 1992-93, France fought Hollywood. for its powerful French cinema quotas and subsidies – part of its so-called cultural exception – to be excluded from the Gatt round of trade talks, liberalizing commerce. France won. Now France’s movie industry fears that its once sacrosanct public-sector support for cinema will be dismantled by the French government itself. Though first and foremost a cinema concern, the threat could have important concerns for France’s TV industry as well.
On Wednesday,...
- 7/12/2019
- by John Hopewell, Jamie Lang and Anna Marie de la Fuente
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Autism drama The A Word is set for a U.S. remake with Keshet Studios, the La-based division of the Israeli media firm, and Universal Television planning to take it out in the forthcoming network development season.
The series is based on Keren Margalit’s Israeli drama Yellow Peppers, which launched in 2010, and was remade in the UK for the BBC by Peter Bowker with Christopher Eccleston, airing on SundanceTV in the U.S. The UK show is in production for season three.
The news emerged as part of a wide-ranging interview with Keshet Media Group CEO Avi Nir as he prepares to pick up the Visionary Award at the La-based Israel Film Festival, which takes place today, Thursday June 13 at the Beverly Hilton. Nir discusses how the company has grown since first scoring Homeland at Showtime, a remake of its thriller Prisoners of War and revealed that Keshet...
The series is based on Keren Margalit’s Israeli drama Yellow Peppers, which launched in 2010, and was remade in the UK for the BBC by Peter Bowker with Christopher Eccleston, airing on SundanceTV in the U.S. The UK show is in production for season three.
The news emerged as part of a wide-ranging interview with Keshet Media Group CEO Avi Nir as he prepares to pick up the Visionary Award at the La-based Israel Film Festival, which takes place today, Thursday June 13 at the Beverly Hilton. Nir discusses how the company has grown since first scoring Homeland at Showtime, a remake of its thriller Prisoners of War and revealed that Keshet...
- 6/13/2019
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
Avishai Sivan’s Lot’s Wife scoops top award.
Avishai Sivan’s film project Lot’s Wife has clinched the new $23,200 Goralska Award prize at the 13th edition of Jerusalem Film Festival’s (Jff) Pitch Point event, which is aimed at connecting Israeli filmmakers with international partners.
Described by the director as a cross-genre horror, fantasy, freak-show work, the picture revolves around a Hasidic couple’s two-headed baby. Going by the names of Noah and Lot, the two heads have opposite good and evil natures. When the virtuous Noah dies and his head is detached, Lot tries to mend his ways.
Avishai Sivan’s film project Lot’s Wife has clinched the new $23,200 Goralska Award prize at the 13th edition of Jerusalem Film Festival’s (Jff) Pitch Point event, which is aimed at connecting Israeli filmmakers with international partners.
Described by the director as a cross-genre horror, fantasy, freak-show work, the picture revolves around a Hasidic couple’s two-headed baby. Going by the names of Noah and Lot, the two heads have opposite good and evil natures. When the virtuous Noah dies and his head is detached, Lot tries to mend his ways.
- 7/29/2018
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- ScreenDaily
Jerusalem Film Festival’s industry sidebar, Pitch Point, has unveiled its selection of projects, including new works from Avishai Sivan, Shira Geffen (“Jellyfish”), Keren Yedaya (“My Treasure”), and Tawfik Abu Wael (“Atash”).
Among the 10 projects selected for Pitch Point is “Lot’s Wife,” Sivan’s follow-up to “Tikkun,” which won the top prize at the Jerusalem fest in 2015. Set up at Ronen Ben Tal at Plan b Productions, “Lot’s Wife” centers on a religious couple who, after 10 years of childlessness, has a child born with two heads, named Noah and Lot. Lot is wicked, Noah good-hearted. After Noah dies and his head is detached, Lot sets on a challenge to overcome his nature.
Geffen will present “A Responsible Adult,” which is being produced by Elad Gavish at Marker Films.The project follows Maya, a 13-year-old girl who goes on a school trip and whose father joins the group as...
Among the 10 projects selected for Pitch Point is “Lot’s Wife,” Sivan’s follow-up to “Tikkun,” which won the top prize at the Jerusalem fest in 2015. Set up at Ronen Ben Tal at Plan b Productions, “Lot’s Wife” centers on a religious couple who, after 10 years of childlessness, has a child born with two heads, named Noah and Lot. Lot is wicked, Noah good-hearted. After Noah dies and his head is detached, Lot sets on a challenge to overcome his nature.
Geffen will present “A Responsible Adult,” which is being produced by Elad Gavish at Marker Films.The project follows Maya, a 13-year-old girl who goes on a school trip and whose father joins the group as...
- 7/2/2018
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Tikkun director among Israeli filmmakers presenting at 13th edition of showcase.
Ahead of the 2018 Jerusalem Film Festival (July 26 – Aug 5), the projects for the annual Pitch Point competition have been unveiled.
Held on July 27 and 28, the initiative, now in its 13th year, is an opportunity for Israeli filmmakers to showcase in-progress projects to attending international film industry, with a view to forging co-production ties.
The 2018 showcase includes new works from Avishai Sivan, Shira Geffen, Keren Yedaya, That Lovely Girl), and Tawfik Abu Wael (Cannes 2004 Fipresci prize winner Atash).
The Pitch Point jury this year is comprised of Kirsten Niehuus (Medienboard Berlin...
Ahead of the 2018 Jerusalem Film Festival (July 26 – Aug 5), the projects for the annual Pitch Point competition have been unveiled.
Held on July 27 and 28, the initiative, now in its 13th year, is an opportunity for Israeli filmmakers to showcase in-progress projects to attending international film industry, with a view to forging co-production ties.
The 2018 showcase includes new works from Avishai Sivan, Shira Geffen, Keren Yedaya, That Lovely Girl), and Tawfik Abu Wael (Cannes 2004 Fipresci prize winner Atash).
The Pitch Point jury this year is comprised of Kirsten Niehuus (Medienboard Berlin...
- 6/29/2018
- by Tom Grater
- ScreenDaily
Wise Hassan is a thriller by Palestinian filmmaker Tawfik Abu Wael, whose other works were in 2004 and Last Days in Jerusalem in 2011. Given its name, it should come as no surprise to learn that the movie is centered around a man named Hassan. However, chances are high that most people would not be able to guess even the general outlines of its content. Hassan is a Palestinian man who wants to study mathematics overseas but lacks the means to do so. Since he has no real options, he is convinced to kill a man named Lulu who has
Why You Should Watch the Film “Wise Hassan”...
Why You Should Watch the Film “Wise Hassan”...
- 8/8/2017
- by Nat Berman
- TVovermind.com
Wise Hassan, Asia take top prizes.
The winners from the 12th edition of Jerusalem Pitch Point have been unveiled at the Jerusalem Film Festival.
The initiative’s top prize, dubbed the Van Leer Award and worth $5,500 (20,000 Nis), went to Palestinian filmmaker Tawfik Abu Wael’s Wise Hassan.
A Tel Aviv-set thriller, the film marks the director’s third feature after Thirst (Atash), which premiered in Cannes Critics’ Week in 2004, and Last Days In Jerusalem.
It is being produced by Baher Agbariya at Haifa-based Majdal Films, who presented the project alongside Abu Wael at the Jerusalem Pitch Point event on Sunday (July 16).
The Db & Opus Award, which comes with post-production services in the value of $15,000 (55,000 Nis), was presented to Ruthy Pribar’s Asia.
The project was presented by Yoav Roeh and Aurit Zamir of Tel-Aviv based Gum Films. It is currently completing financing ahead of production. The story will follow a 35-year-old mother who must face the death...
The winners from the 12th edition of Jerusalem Pitch Point have been unveiled at the Jerusalem Film Festival.
The initiative’s top prize, dubbed the Van Leer Award and worth $5,500 (20,000 Nis), went to Palestinian filmmaker Tawfik Abu Wael’s Wise Hassan.
A Tel Aviv-set thriller, the film marks the director’s third feature after Thirst (Atash), which premiered in Cannes Critics’ Week in 2004, and Last Days In Jerusalem.
It is being produced by Baher Agbariya at Haifa-based Majdal Films, who presented the project alongside Abu Wael at the Jerusalem Pitch Point event on Sunday (July 16).
The Db & Opus Award, which comes with post-production services in the value of $15,000 (55,000 Nis), was presented to Ruthy Pribar’s Asia.
The project was presented by Yoav Roeh and Aurit Zamir of Tel-Aviv based Gum Films. It is currently completing financing ahead of production. The story will follow a 35-year-old mother who must face the death...
- 7/17/2017
- by tom.grater@screendaily.com (Tom Grater)
- ScreenDaily
Thirst and Last Days In Jerusalem director plots next project.
Palestinian filmmaker Tawfik Abu Wael is developing a Tel Aviv-set thriller spinning off the love story between a young man from the Arab town of Umm al-Fahm and a transgender prostitute he is sent to kill for collaborating with the Israeli secret services.
It will be Abu Wael’s third feature after Thirst (Atash), which premiered in Cannes Critics’ Week in 2004, and Last Days In Jerusalem [pictured], which debuted in competition at the Locarno Film Festival in 2011.
Abu Wael and his long-time producer Baher Agbariya at Haifa-based Majdal Films presented the project at the Jerusalem Pitch Point event on Sunday aimed at connecting Israeli-funded productions with international partners.
“After two hardcore arthouse films, I’m trying to make a thriller,” he told the participants, who included top industry figures such as Protagonist Pictures CEO Michael Goodridge and Tanja Meissner, sales chief at Paris-based Memento Films International (Mfi).
The...
Palestinian filmmaker Tawfik Abu Wael is developing a Tel Aviv-set thriller spinning off the love story between a young man from the Arab town of Umm al-Fahm and a transgender prostitute he is sent to kill for collaborating with the Israeli secret services.
It will be Abu Wael’s third feature after Thirst (Atash), which premiered in Cannes Critics’ Week in 2004, and Last Days In Jerusalem [pictured], which debuted in competition at the Locarno Film Festival in 2011.
Abu Wael and his long-time producer Baher Agbariya at Haifa-based Majdal Films presented the project at the Jerusalem Pitch Point event on Sunday aimed at connecting Israeli-funded productions with international partners.
“After two hardcore arthouse films, I’m trying to make a thriller,” he told the participants, who included top industry figures such as Protagonist Pictures CEO Michael Goodridge and Tanja Meissner, sales chief at Paris-based Memento Films International (Mfi).
The...
- 7/17/2017
- ScreenDaily
Thirst and Last Days In Jerusalem director plots next project.
Palestinian filmmaker Tawfik Abu Wael is developing a Tel Aviv-set thriller spinning off the love story between a young man from the Arab town of Umm al-Fahm and a transgender prostitute he is sent to kill for collaborating with the Israeli secret services.
It will be Abu Wael’s third feature after Thirst (Atash), which premiered in Cannes Critics’ Week in 2004, and Last Days In Jerusalem [pictured], which debuted in competition at the Locarno Film Festival in 2011.
Abu Wael and his long-time producer Baher Agbariya at Haifa-based Majdal Films presented the project at the Jerusalem Pitch Point event on Sunday aimed at connecting Israeli-funded productions with international partners.
“After two hardcore arthouse films, I’m trying to make a thriller,” he told the participants, who included top industry figures such as Protagonist Pictures CEO Michael Goodridge and Tanja Meissner, sales chief at Paris-based Memento Films International (Mfi).
The...
Palestinian filmmaker Tawfik Abu Wael is developing a Tel Aviv-set thriller spinning off the love story between a young man from the Arab town of Umm al-Fahm and a transgender prostitute he is sent to kill for collaborating with the Israeli secret services.
It will be Abu Wael’s third feature after Thirst (Atash), which premiered in Cannes Critics’ Week in 2004, and Last Days In Jerusalem [pictured], which debuted in competition at the Locarno Film Festival in 2011.
Abu Wael and his long-time producer Baher Agbariya at Haifa-based Majdal Films presented the project at the Jerusalem Pitch Point event on Sunday aimed at connecting Israeli-funded productions with international partners.
“After two hardcore arthouse films, I’m trying to make a thriller,” he told the participants, who included top industry figures such as Protagonist Pictures CEO Michael Goodridge and Tanja Meissner, sales chief at Paris-based Memento Films International (Mfi).
The...
- 7/17/2017
- ScreenDaily
Each month will focus on a different theme, genre or region.
The BFI Southbank is launching a year-long monthly programme dedicated to Arab cinema from the region and its diaspora.
Discover Arab Cinema kicks off in November and will show contemporary and classic Arab films, including shorts and features.
Each month’s programme will be organised by a different theme, genre or region, with the first three months (November 2013 – January 2014) dedicated to Egyptian cinema, the Family in Middle Eastern societies and Algerian cinema.
Mona Deeley programmes in association with the Zenith Foundation.
Films to be shown include Tawfik Abu Wael’s Thirst; Yahia Al Abdallah’s The Last Friday; Mohamad Lakhdar Hamina’s Chronicle of the Years of Fire; Mohamed Hamidi’s Homeland; Ibrahim El Batout’s Eye of the Sun; and Ahmad Abdallah’s Microphone.
The BFI Southbank is launching a year-long monthly programme dedicated to Arab cinema from the region and its diaspora.
Discover Arab Cinema kicks off in November and will show contemporary and classic Arab films, including shorts and features.
Each month’s programme will be organised by a different theme, genre or region, with the first three months (November 2013 – January 2014) dedicated to Egyptian cinema, the Family in Middle Eastern societies and Algerian cinema.
Mona Deeley programmes in association with the Zenith Foundation.
Films to be shown include Tawfik Abu Wael’s Thirst; Yahia Al Abdallah’s The Last Friday; Mohamad Lakhdar Hamina’s Chronicle of the Years of Fire; Mohamed Hamidi’s Homeland; Ibrahim El Batout’s Eye of the Sun; and Ahmad Abdallah’s Microphone.
- 10/4/2013
- by wendy.mitchell@screendaily.com (Wendy Mitchell)
- ScreenDaily
Tawfik Abu Wael's drama Last Days in Jerusalem picked up for international sales by Wide Management Last Days of Jerusalem tells of an upper-class Palestinian couple who live in East Jerusalem and premiered in competition at the Locarno fest. Variety reports that the film, which is currently playing in Contemporary World Cinema at the Toronto International Film Festival, is produced by Lama Films and Sophie Dulac Productions. Abu Wael's success carries on after Thirst took home the Fipresci prize at the Cannes Film Festival back in 2004. Wide also picked up Goodbye helmed by Iranian filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof. Additionally, their documentary...
- 9/12/2011
- Upcoming-Movies.com
Tawfik Abu Wael's drama Last Days in Jerusalem picked up for international sales by Wide Management Last Days of Jerusalem tells of an upper-class Palestinian couple who live in East Jerusalem and premiered in competition at the Locarno fest. Variety reports that the film, which is currently playing in Contemporary World Cinema at the Toronto International Film Festival, is produced by Lama Films and Sophie Dulac Productions. Abu Wael's success carries on after Thirst took home the Fipresci prize at the Cannes Film Festival back in 2004. Wide also picked up Goodbye helmed by Iranian filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof. Additionally, their documentary...
- 9/12/2011
- Upcoming-Movies.com
By Sean O’Connell
Hollywoodnews.com: Brad Pitt, Keira Knightley, George Clooney, Carey Mulligan, Rachel Weisz, Gerard Butler and Ryan Gosling are heading to Toronto for the 36tht international film festival, which kicks off on Thursday, Sept. 8.
The fest today confirmed the hundreds of celebrities that will be attending the can’t-miss event, promoting films and making the rounds as the annual awards season starts to take shape.
Davis Guggenheim, Francis Ford Coppola, Alexander Payne, Luc Besson, Oren Moverman, Malgoska Szumowska, Bennett Miller, Sarah Polley, Jessica Yu, Michael Winterbottom and Werner Herzog are just a few of the filmmakers who have confirmed their attendance.
Celebrities making the trek include Catherine Deneuve, Charlotte Rampling, Clive Owen, Jon Hamm, Shahid Kapoor, Michael Fassbender, Michelle Yeoh, Freida Pinto, Glenn Close, Matthew Goode, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Salma Hayek, Viggo Mortensen and Woody Harrelson. Musicians U2, Pearl Jam and Neil Young also are expected to...
Hollywoodnews.com: Brad Pitt, Keira Knightley, George Clooney, Carey Mulligan, Rachel Weisz, Gerard Butler and Ryan Gosling are heading to Toronto for the 36tht international film festival, which kicks off on Thursday, Sept. 8.
The fest today confirmed the hundreds of celebrities that will be attending the can’t-miss event, promoting films and making the rounds as the annual awards season starts to take shape.
Davis Guggenheim, Francis Ford Coppola, Alexander Payne, Luc Besson, Oren Moverman, Malgoska Szumowska, Bennett Miller, Sarah Polley, Jessica Yu, Michael Winterbottom and Werner Herzog are just a few of the filmmakers who have confirmed their attendance.
Celebrities making the trek include Catherine Deneuve, Charlotte Rampling, Clive Owen, Jon Hamm, Shahid Kapoor, Michael Fassbender, Michelle Yeoh, Freida Pinto, Glenn Close, Matthew Goode, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Salma Hayek, Viggo Mortensen and Woody Harrelson. Musicians U2, Pearl Jam and Neil Young also are expected to...
- 8/23/2011
- by Sean O'Connell
- Hollywoodnews.com
Toronto - The 36th Toronto International Film Festival® welcomes hundreds of guests this year. Filmmakers expected to present their world premieres in Toronto include: Davis Guggenheim, Francis Ford Coppola, Alexander Payne, Agnieszka Holland, Guy Maddin, Luc Besson, Bill Duke, Oren Moverman, Malgoska Szumowska, Bennett Miller, Darrell Roodt, Sarah Polley, Jessica Yu, Michael Winterbottom and Werner Herzog.
Actors expected to attend include Catherine Deneuve, Charlotte Rampling, George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Clive Owen, Gerard Butler, Jeon Do-Yeon, Jon Hamm, Shahid Kapoor, Michael Fassbender, Michelle Yeoh, Freida Pinto, Glenn Close, Matthew Goode, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Rachel Weisz, Ryan Gosling, Salma Hayek, Viggo Mortensen and Woody Harrelson. Musicians include: U2, Pearl Jam and Neil Young.
The Festival also welcomes thousands of producers and other industry professionals bringing films to us.
The following filmmakers are expected to attend the Toronto International Film Festival:
Adam Shaheen, Adam Wingard, Adolfo Borinaga Alix Jr., Agnieszka Holland, Akin Omotoso,...
Actors expected to attend include Catherine Deneuve, Charlotte Rampling, George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Clive Owen, Gerard Butler, Jeon Do-Yeon, Jon Hamm, Shahid Kapoor, Michael Fassbender, Michelle Yeoh, Freida Pinto, Glenn Close, Matthew Goode, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Rachel Weisz, Ryan Gosling, Salma Hayek, Viggo Mortensen and Woody Harrelson. Musicians include: U2, Pearl Jam and Neil Young.
The Festival also welcomes thousands of producers and other industry professionals bringing films to us.
The following filmmakers are expected to attend the Toronto International Film Festival:
Adam Shaheen, Adam Wingard, Adolfo Borinaga Alix Jr., Agnieszka Holland, Akin Omotoso,...
- 8/23/2011
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
As noted in previous lineup announcement entries, (Visions, Wavelengths, Future Projections, Galas and Special Presentations), the Toronto International Film Festival (September 9 through 18) has released some of its most anticipated lineups today. We're taking them one at a time, first posting them program by program with descriptions provided by the festival — and then returning over the coming hours and days to add links and further notes. Here's the lineup for the Contemporary World Cinema program.
Karim Aïnouz's The Silver Cliff. A phone message from her husband propels Violeta into the streets of Rio until sunrise. Telling their teenage son that a last minute trip has come up, she sets out to find her husband. Rio at night is her sole companion as she struggles to face his abrupt and sudden change of heart, but the beach also provides renewal, unexpected meetings and a window to a whole other world.
Ozcan Alper's Future Lasts Forever.
Karim Aïnouz's The Silver Cliff. A phone message from her husband propels Violeta into the streets of Rio until sunrise. Telling their teenage son that a last minute trip has come up, she sets out to find her husband. Rio at night is her sole companion as she struggles to face his abrupt and sudden change of heart, but the beach also provides renewal, unexpected meetings and a window to a whole other world.
Ozcan Alper's Future Lasts Forever.
- 8/16/2011
- MUBI
Tiff has just announced the final batch of films slated to hit the fest in September. The number of additions is overwhelming. We just posted the complete line-up for the Gala and Special Presentation programs. Now comes the massive wave of movies in the Contemporary World Cinema program. Here is the press release.
Toronto – The Contemporary World Cinema programme delivers 51 cinematic gems from around the globe at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival®. Offering a variety of filmmakers’ voices and perspectives from around the world, the lineup draws from Brazil, China, South Africa, France, Iran, Morocco, the Netherlands, Israel, Portugal, Russia, Canada and more. This snapshot of global trends in cinema also features the North American premieres of new films by directors such as Andrey Zvyagintsev, Gerardo Naranjo, Sion Sono, Asghar Farhadi, Karim Ainouz, Ole Christian Madsen and Cristián Jiménez
Always Brando Ridha Béhi, Tunisia
World Premiere
After meeting Anis Raache,...
Toronto – The Contemporary World Cinema programme delivers 51 cinematic gems from around the globe at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival®. Offering a variety of filmmakers’ voices and perspectives from around the world, the lineup draws from Brazil, China, South Africa, France, Iran, Morocco, the Netherlands, Israel, Portugal, Russia, Canada and more. This snapshot of global trends in cinema also features the North American premieres of new films by directors such as Andrey Zvyagintsev, Gerardo Naranjo, Sion Sono, Asghar Farhadi, Karim Ainouz, Ole Christian Madsen and Cristián Jiménez
Always Brando Ridha Béhi, Tunisia
World Premiere
After meeting Anis Raache,...
- 8/16/2011
- by Kyle Reese
- SoundOnSight
After three separate announcements (here, here and here), the Toronto International Film Festival has announced the final line-up for their Galas and Special Presentations, as well as a few other categories. Most notable is Andrea Arnold‘s Fish Tank follow-up Wuthering Heights, the next film from Timecrimes director Nacho Vigalondo, as well as Dogtooth director Yorgos Lanthimos’ Alps.
We also get Whit Stillman‘s Damsels in Distress starring Greta Gerwig and Geoffrey Fletcher’s Violet & Daisy starring Saoirse Ronan and James Gandolfini. In what should be a little fun we have Gary McKendry‘s Killer Elite starring Robert De Niro, Clive Owen and Jason Statham. We also get Owen’s horror flick Intruders and Joel Schumacher‘s Trespass starring Nicole Kidman and Nicolas Cage. Check out the full line-ups below.
Galas
Closing Night Film
Page Eight David Hare, United Kingdom
International Premiere
Johnny Worricker (Bill Nighy) is a long-serving M15 officer.
We also get Whit Stillman‘s Damsels in Distress starring Greta Gerwig and Geoffrey Fletcher’s Violet & Daisy starring Saoirse Ronan and James Gandolfini. In what should be a little fun we have Gary McKendry‘s Killer Elite starring Robert De Niro, Clive Owen and Jason Statham. We also get Owen’s horror flick Intruders and Joel Schumacher‘s Trespass starring Nicole Kidman and Nicolas Cage. Check out the full line-ups below.
Galas
Closing Night Film
Page Eight David Hare, United Kingdom
International Premiere
Johnny Worricker (Bill Nighy) is a long-serving M15 officer.
- 8/16/2011
- by jpraup@gmail.com (thefilmstage.com)
- The Film Stage
Mia Hansen-Løve's third semi-autobiographical film features an ill-fated teen affair – but can it win the Golden Leopard?
Of all film festivals, Locarno's is the most magical. You can't forget starlit nights spent amid an 8,000-strong crowd in front of a huge screen in the historic Piazza Grande. Nor the casual encounters with stars, directors and fellow-fans that often accompany a stroll between screenings across the campus-like Spaziocinema. Still, often magic is not enough, and in recent years a trip to the Swiss lakeside town has been seen as a jolly for self-satisfied Euro cineastes. Now, however, things are changing.
Director Olivier Père is out to streamline and beef up the £8.2m event by rediscovering its knack for blending new, forgotten or esoteric work with mainstream populist fare. This year, that means a cutting-edge international competition with 14 world premieres, including those of Nicolas Klotz's Low Life, about an Afghan...
Of all film festivals, Locarno's is the most magical. You can't forget starlit nights spent amid an 8,000-strong crowd in front of a huge screen in the historic Piazza Grande. Nor the casual encounters with stars, directors and fellow-fans that often accompany a stroll between screenings across the campus-like Spaziocinema. Still, often magic is not enough, and in recent years a trip to the Swiss lakeside town has been seen as a jolly for self-satisfied Euro cineastes. Now, however, things are changing.
Director Olivier Père is out to streamline and beef up the £8.2m event by rediscovering its knack for blending new, forgotten or esoteric work with mainstream populist fare. This year, that means a cutting-edge international competition with 14 world premieres, including those of Nicolas Klotz's Low Life, about an Afghan...
- 8/5/2011
- by David Cox
- The Guardian - Film News
A still from Aag
India has much to look forward to, at the 64th edition of the Locarno International Film Festival that begins on Wednesday, July 3, 2011. The festival has lined up quite an eclectic and exciting mix of Indian films; from the masters Satyajit Ray and Ritwik Ghatak to the contemporary Umesh Kulkarni and Vikramaditya Motwane.
Locarno Open Doors, an initiative that focuses on a region where independent cinema is in developmental stage every year has its eyes set firmly on India in the 2012 edition.
A still from Udaan
Open Doors screening will present thirteen “Indian classics” which include Raj Kapoor’s Aag, Jahnu Barua’s Halodhia Choraye Baodhan Khai (The Yellow Birds), Girish Kasaravalli’s Kanasembo Kudureyaneri (Riding the Stallion of a Dream), Shyam Benegal’s Manthan, Ritwik Ghatak’s Meghe Dhaka Tara, Aparna Sen’s Mr. and Mrs. Iyer, Chetan Anand’s Neecha Nagar, Adoor Gopalakrishnan’s Nizalkkuthu...
India has much to look forward to, at the 64th edition of the Locarno International Film Festival that begins on Wednesday, July 3, 2011. The festival has lined up quite an eclectic and exciting mix of Indian films; from the masters Satyajit Ray and Ritwik Ghatak to the contemporary Umesh Kulkarni and Vikramaditya Motwane.
Locarno Open Doors, an initiative that focuses on a region where independent cinema is in developmental stage every year has its eyes set firmly on India in the 2012 edition.
A still from Udaan
Open Doors screening will present thirteen “Indian classics” which include Raj Kapoor’s Aag, Jahnu Barua’s Halodhia Choraye Baodhan Khai (The Yellow Birds), Girish Kasaravalli’s Kanasembo Kudureyaneri (Riding the Stallion of a Dream), Shyam Benegal’s Manthan, Ritwik Ghatak’s Meghe Dhaka Tara, Aparna Sen’s Mr. and Mrs. Iyer, Chetan Anand’s Neecha Nagar, Adoor Gopalakrishnan’s Nizalkkuthu...
- 8/2/2011
- by Nandita Dutta
- DearCinema.com
Today co-directors Cameron Bailey and Piers Handling of the Toronto International Film Festival announce the first batch of titles that are the make-up of the 36th edition. Today's the pair will read off mostly Gala screening mentions (our Blake Williams will be Live tweeting), which in turn give us a strong indication as to what will be shown in Venice and what Telluride, Nyff and BFI London Film Festivals might salvage/lasso as their own. We expect no mention in dossiers such as Clint Eastwood's J. Edgar, Lasse Hallström's Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, Alexander Payne's The Descendants and Kenneth Lonergan's Margaret, but we're expecting the fest heads to stake their claim on select World Premiere titles and several North America premieres of Cannes items and if the Best Picture Oscar doesn't go to Tree of Life, then it'll certainly be mentioned among them. Before we...
- 7/26/2011
- IONCINEMA.com
TEL AVIV, Israel -- Two coming-of-age tales by first-time directors shared the major prize, the Wolgin Award for Best Israeli Feature Film, worth $35,000 Saturday, at the 21st Jerusalem Film Festival Awards Ceremony. Karen Yedaya's Or (Light) follows 16-year-old Or as, despite herself, she follows her mother into prostitution. Israeli-Arab director Tawfik Abu Wael's Atash (Thirst) follows a conflicted Palestinian family detached from its roots. Anat Zuria's Sentenced to Marriage describes the difficulties for women of obtaining a religious divorce and took the $8,000 award for best Israeli documentary. Danny Rosenberg's The Red Toy, about a Palestinian child's lost plaything, picked up $4,000 for Best Israeli Short.
- 7/20/2004
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
PARIS -- The Festival de Cannes on Tuesday chose six young filmmakers to attend an 18-week residence in Paris developing a film project. Those selected by a jury headed by French writer-director Marion Vernoux include Palestinian documentary filmmaker Tawfik Abu Wael, whose film Atash (Thirst) was part of the Critics' Week lineup at Cannes this year; Spain's Celia Galan Julve, whose animated short Historia del Desierto (Desert Story) was part of the Sundance Festival lineup in 2002; and Peruvian filmmaker Josue Mendez, whose Dias de Santiago unspooled in competition at this year's Rotterdam Film Festival. Ireland's Brendan Grant, Lebanon's Nadine Labaki and Russia's Slava Ross round out the chosen six.
- 7/14/2004
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
PARIS -- French-language filmmaking will be in the forefront at the International Critics Week sidebar of the Festival de Cannes this year, with Gallic productions snapping up four out of seven places In Competition, part of an overall lineup that includes no American entries. The festival's oldest sidebar, which features only first and second directorial ventures, will present "a balance between pure trash full of horror and fun and realistic films mirroring very different societies," Critics Week artistic director Claire Clouzot said in an interview Wednesday. "We had a rough time competing with the official selection and Directors' Fortnight, but we've finally come up with the right equilibrium." Two of the "realistic" films featured in the Competition section deal with the political crisis in the Middle East: Atash (Thirst), by Tawfik Abu Wael -- a Palestinian documentary filmmaker living in Jaffa, Israel -- is about a father and a son coping with troubled times, while Or, a French production by Israeli filmmaker Keren Yedaya, is a tale of a mother and daughter's survival in a society that offers few choices to women.
- 4/22/2004
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
PARIS -- French-language filmmaking will be in the forefront at the International Critics Week sidebar of the Festival de Cannes this year, with Gallic productions snapping up four out of seven places In Competition, part of an overall lineup that includes no American entries. The festival's oldest sidebar, which features only first and second directorial ventures, will present "a balance between pure trash full of horror and fun and realistic films mirroring very different societies," Critics Week artistic director Claire Clouzot said in an interview Wednesday. "We had a rough time competing with the official selection and Directors' Fortnight, but we've finally come up with the right equilibrium." Two of the "realistic" films featured in the Competition section deal with the political crisis in the Middle East: Atash (Thirst), by Tawfik Abu Wael -- a Palestinian documentary filmmaker living in Jaffa, Israel -- is about a father and a son coping with troubled times, while Or, a French production by Israeli filmmaker Keren Yedaya, is a tale of a mother and daughter's survival in a society that offers few choices to women.
- 4/22/2004
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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