Third edition of talent showcase to be unveiled at the start of the San Sebastian Film Festival on September 22.
The 2023 line-up of Spain Stars of Tomorrow, part of Screen International’s prestigious talent-spotting series, will be unveiled at the San Sebastian Film Festival on September 22.
A launch event will take place during the festival on September 26 to introduce the 10 rising actors and filmmakers with the potential for breakout international careers to the industry.
The third edition of Spain Stars welcomes the Spain Film Commission as headline partner, and the San Sebastian Film Festival as supporting partner.
A dedicated Spain Stars...
The 2023 line-up of Spain Stars of Tomorrow, part of Screen International’s prestigious talent-spotting series, will be unveiled at the San Sebastian Film Festival on September 22.
A launch event will take place during the festival on September 26 to introduce the 10 rising actors and filmmakers with the potential for breakout international careers to the industry.
The third edition of Spain Stars welcomes the Spain Film Commission as headline partner, and the San Sebastian Film Festival as supporting partner.
A dedicated Spain Stars...
- 9/14/2023
- by Elisabet Cabeza
- ScreenDaily
Spring release planned on British-Palestinian filmmaker Basil Khalil’s culture-clash comedy-drama.
Cohen Media Group has acquired US rights to British-Palestinian filmmaker Basil Khalil’s TIFF Discovery premiere A Gaza Weekend.
‘A Gaza Weekend’: Toronto Review
Khalil’s made his feature directorial debut on the culture-clash comedy-drama about a couple stranded amid a deadly virus outbreak which has sealed off Israel and turned the Gaza Strip into the safest place in the region.
A British journalist and his Israeli girlfriend who want to flee Israel must place their faith in two Palestinian street merchants who promise a way out in exchange for cash.
Cohen Media Group has acquired US rights to British-Palestinian filmmaker Basil Khalil’s TIFF Discovery premiere A Gaza Weekend.
‘A Gaza Weekend’: Toronto Review
Khalil’s made his feature directorial debut on the culture-clash comedy-drama about a couple stranded amid a deadly virus outbreak which has sealed off Israel and turned the Gaza Strip into the safest place in the region.
A British journalist and his Israeli girlfriend who want to flee Israel must place their faith in two Palestinian street merchants who promise a way out in exchange for cash.
- 3/23/2023
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Fipresci Jury Award-winning “A Gaza Weekend” made a splash at Toronto International Film Festival last week. Public and press alike flocked towards theaters for this film’s premiere weekend; each screening was packed. The film’s release could not have been more timely. Written during the swine flu and released after the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic, British-Palestinian Basil Khalil pokes fun at plague paranoia in his narrative feature debut. In this punchy family-friendly comedy of the Gaza Strip, any and all traditional power hierarchies are out the window for the sake of survival.
A Gaza Weekend is screening at Red Sea International Film Festival
Like many films about Palestine, “A Gaza Weekend” follows the trajectory of a refugee couple – though this time, they’re from Israel. Englishman Michael (Stephen Mangan) and his Israeli partner Keren (Mouna Hawa) are desperate to leave the country after the outbreak...
A Gaza Weekend is screening at Red Sea International Film Festival
Like many films about Palestine, “A Gaza Weekend” follows the trajectory of a refugee couple – though this time, they’re from Israel. Englishman Michael (Stephen Mangan) and his Israeli partner Keren (Mouna Hawa) are desperate to leave the country after the outbreak...
- 12/3/2022
- by Grace Han
- AsianMoviePulse
Mena-based distributor and producer Front Row Filmed Entertainment has acquired Mena rights for British-Palestinian filmmaker Basil Khalil’s feature debut A Gaza Weekend, ahead of its regional premiere at the Red International Film Festival this December.
The acquisition marks the third collaboration between Khalil and Front Row, as the company previously distributed his 2015 Academy Award and Palme d’Or-nominated short Ave Maria, which debuted in Cannes in 2015 and has also recently boarded Nour Shams, a short film by Saudi filmmaker Faiza Ambah and produced by Khalil.
International sales on the film, which world premiered in Toronto in September, are handled by London-based sales and production company Protagonist Pictures. The feature is produced by U.K.-Emirati producer Amina Dasmal and executive produced by Robin C. Fox.
The comedy-drama is set in a world where Israel is sealed off after a deadly virus outbreak and Gaza has become the safest place in the region.
The acquisition marks the third collaboration between Khalil and Front Row, as the company previously distributed his 2015 Academy Award and Palme d’Or-nominated short Ave Maria, which debuted in Cannes in 2015 and has also recently boarded Nour Shams, a short film by Saudi filmmaker Faiza Ambah and produced by Khalil.
International sales on the film, which world premiered in Toronto in September, are handled by London-based sales and production company Protagonist Pictures. The feature is produced by U.K.-Emirati producer Amina Dasmal and executive produced by Robin C. Fox.
The comedy-drama is set in a world where Israel is sealed off after a deadly virus outbreak and Gaza has become the safest place in the region.
- 11/29/2022
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Dubai-based distributor and producer Front Row Filmed Entertainment has acquired Middle East and North Africa (Mena) rights to British-Palestinian filmmaker Basil Khalil’s action-packed drama “A Gaza Weekend” ahead of its regional premiere at Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea Film Festival.
Front Row, which is a prominent distributor of indie films in Mena region, picked up “Gaza Weekend” from London-based sales and production outfit Protagonist Pictures after it premiered positively at the Toronto International Film Festival in September.
Made by British-Emirati producer Amina Dasmal and Robin C. Fox, who executive produced, “Gaza Weekend” is set in a world where Israel is sealed off after a deadly virus outbreak and Gaza has become the safest spot in the region. British journalist (Stephen Mangan) and his Israeli girlfriend (Mouna Hawa) find themselves stuck on the wrong side of the border, needing the help of two Palestinian street merchants who promise them a...
Front Row, which is a prominent distributor of indie films in Mena region, picked up “Gaza Weekend” from London-based sales and production outfit Protagonist Pictures after it premiered positively at the Toronto International Film Festival in September.
Made by British-Emirati producer Amina Dasmal and Robin C. Fox, who executive produced, “Gaza Weekend” is set in a world where Israel is sealed off after a deadly virus outbreak and Gaza has become the safest spot in the region. British journalist (Stephen Mangan) and his Israeli girlfriend (Mouna Hawa) find themselves stuck on the wrong side of the border, needing the help of two Palestinian street merchants who promise them a...
- 11/29/2022
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
The 2022 line-up of Spain Stars of Tomorrow are being presented on Wednesday November 16 at a special launch event in Madrid.
Screen International today unveils the second edition of Spain Stars of Tomorrow, part of Screen’s long-running talent-spotting series.
The list of 10 rising actors and filmmakers are making a name for themselves in the vibrant Spanish film and TV landscape, all with the potential to break out and pursue international careers.
Scroll down for the full list
The 2022 line-up of Spain Stars of Tomorrow are being presented today (November 16) at a special launch event at the Leclab club in Madrid,...
Screen International today unveils the second edition of Spain Stars of Tomorrow, part of Screen’s long-running talent-spotting series.
The list of 10 rising actors and filmmakers are making a name for themselves in the vibrant Spanish film and TV landscape, all with the potential to break out and pursue international careers.
Scroll down for the full list
The 2022 line-up of Spain Stars of Tomorrow are being presented today (November 16) at a special launch event at the Leclab club in Madrid,...
- 11/16/2022
- by Elisabet Cabeza
- ScreenDaily
List will feature ten rising actors and filmmakers from Spain with the potential for breakout international careers.
The 2022 line-up of Spain Stars of Tomorrow, part of Screen International’s long-running talent-spotting series, will be unveiled in Madrid on November 16 at a special launch event.
The launch party in Madrid will reveal the ten rising actors and filmmakers from Spain who have been selected for the second edition of Screen’s Spain Stars of Tomorrow, all with the potential for breakout international careers. The list of talents will again be curated by Screen’s Spain correspondent Elisabet Cabeza.
HBO Max Spain...
The 2022 line-up of Spain Stars of Tomorrow, part of Screen International’s long-running talent-spotting series, will be unveiled in Madrid on November 16 at a special launch event.
The launch party in Madrid will reveal the ten rising actors and filmmakers from Spain who have been selected for the second edition of Screen’s Spain Stars of Tomorrow, all with the potential for breakout international careers. The list of talents will again be curated by Screen’s Spain correspondent Elisabet Cabeza.
HBO Max Spain...
- 9/22/2022
- by Screen staff
- ScreenDaily
Fipresci Jury Award-winning “A Gaza Weekend” made a splash at Toronto International Film Festival last week. Public and press alike flocked towards theaters for this film’s premiere weekend; each screening was packed. The film’s release could not have been more timely. Written during the swine flu and released after the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic, British-Palestinian Basil Khalil pokes fun at plague paranoia in his narrative feature debut. In this punchy family-friendly comedy of the Gaza Strip, any and all traditional power hierarchies are out the window for the sake of survival.
A Gaza Weekend is screening at Toronto International Film Festival
Like many films about Palestine, “A Gaza Weekend” follows the trajectory of a refugee couple – though this time, they’re from Israel. Englishman Michael (Stephen Mangan) and his Israeli partner Keren (Mouna Hawa) are desperate to leave the country after the outbreak of a new deadly Ars virus.
A Gaza Weekend is screening at Toronto International Film Festival
Like many films about Palestine, “A Gaza Weekend” follows the trajectory of a refugee couple – though this time, they’re from Israel. Englishman Michael (Stephen Mangan) and his Israeli partner Keren (Mouna Hawa) are desperate to leave the country after the outbreak of a new deadly Ars virus.
- 9/20/2022
- by Grace Han
- AsianMoviePulse
Director Basil Khalil and co-writer Daniel Ka-Chun Chan waste no time setting the tone for their Middle Eastern comedy A Gaza Weekend. Conceived over a decade ago, its purpose is to satirize the very real conflict between Palestinians and Israelis to its most absurd extremes while also finding the common ground of humanity hiding beneath—much like Khalil’s enjoyable, Oscar-nominated short Ave Maria. As such, watching a scientist carelessly mill about an Israeli infectious disease center is less about her obvious lack of protocol and more about the color of her skin. Why? Because it means the country, despite being ground zero for a deadly disease, can absolve itself by blaming an Arab.
And what’s the point of making Israel the epicenter for a cataclysmic pandemic if you don’t also render Gaza the safest place on Earth? The reason: Israel has blocked the area off with walls...
And what’s the point of making Israel the epicenter for a cataclysmic pandemic if you don’t also render Gaza the safest place on Earth? The reason: Israel has blocked the area off with walls...
- 9/10/2022
- by Jared Mobarak
- The Film Stage
In the run-up to Cannes, the British Film Institute and the British Council held the Great8 showcase, which presented eight U.K. films from emerging filmmakers. Here are the films selected:
“Aftersun” (drama)
Director/writer: Charlotte Wells
Cast: Paul Mescal, Frankie Corio, Celia Rowlson-Hall
Sales: Charades
Sophie reflects on the shared joy and private melancholy of a holiday she took with her father 20 years earlier. Memories real and imagined fill the gaps between miniDV footage as she tries to reconcile the father she knew with the man she didn’t.
“Birchanger Green” (sci-fi)
Director/writer: Moin Hussain
Cast: Faraz Ayub, Natalie Gavin, Claire Rushbrook, Simon Nagra
Sales: Bankside Films
Adam lives a solitary life. Upon hearing that his estranged father has died, he finds himself in search of answers. Piecing together a complicated image of a man he never knew, Adam starts to become convinced he is descended from an alien race.
“Aftersun” (drama)
Director/writer: Charlotte Wells
Cast: Paul Mescal, Frankie Corio, Celia Rowlson-Hall
Sales: Charades
Sophie reflects on the shared joy and private melancholy of a holiday she took with her father 20 years earlier. Memories real and imagined fill the gaps between miniDV footage as she tries to reconcile the father she knew with the man she didn’t.
“Birchanger Green” (sci-fi)
Director/writer: Moin Hussain
Cast: Faraz Ayub, Natalie Gavin, Claire Rushbrook, Simon Nagra
Sales: Bankside Films
Adam lives a solitary life. Upon hearing that his estranged father has died, he finds himself in search of answers. Piecing together a complicated image of a man he never knew, Adam starts to become convinced he is descended from an alien race.
- 5/21/2022
- by K.J. Yossman
- Variety Film + TV
Titles include ’Aftersun’, ’Enys Men’, ‘Birchanger Green’ and ‘A Gaza Weekend’.
Cannes premieres Aftersun, sold by Charades, and Enys Men, sold by Protagonist Pictures, are among the titles selected for year’s Great 8, the annual Cannes buyers’ showcase of UK films from emerging directors.
The other six titles are all in post-production.
Now in its fifth edition, the 2022 Great 8 showcase is funded and run by the BFI and the British Council, in partnership with BBC Film and Film4.
Unseen footage from all of the titles will be introduced by their filmmakers and screened on May 12 exclusively to buyers and festival programmers during the online-only showcase,...
Cannes premieres Aftersun, sold by Charades, and Enys Men, sold by Protagonist Pictures, are among the titles selected for year’s Great 8, the annual Cannes buyers’ showcase of UK films from emerging directors.
The other six titles are all in post-production.
Now in its fifth edition, the 2022 Great 8 showcase is funded and run by the BFI and the British Council, in partnership with BBC Film and Film4.
Unseen footage from all of the titles will be introduced by their filmmakers and screened on May 12 exclusively to buyers and festival programmers during the online-only showcase,...
- 5/5/2022
- by Mona Tabbara
- ScreenDaily
The BFI and British Council have revealed the line-up for this year’s Great8 showcase, which allows international distributors and festival programmers to get an early look at eight releases from emerging U.K. filmmakers in the run-up to Cannes Marché.
Now in its fifth year, the showcase on May 12 will allow filmmakers to screen unseen footage from the films, which will be available to buy during the market, which runs from May 17-28.
Of the eight films selected for the showcase, one has also been selected for the official Directors’ Fortnight and another for the Critics’ Week line-up. The remaining six films are in post-production.
The Great8 showcase is funded and organized by the BFI and the British Council, in partnership with BBC Film and Film4. It has previously presented films including “I Am Not A Witch” and “Calm with Horses.”
Neil Peplow, the BFI’s Director of Industry and International Affairs,...
Now in its fifth year, the showcase on May 12 will allow filmmakers to screen unseen footage from the films, which will be available to buy during the market, which runs from May 17-28.
Of the eight films selected for the showcase, one has also been selected for the official Directors’ Fortnight and another for the Critics’ Week line-up. The remaining six films are in post-production.
The Great8 showcase is funded and organized by the BFI and the British Council, in partnership with BBC Film and Film4. It has previously presented films including “I Am Not A Witch” and “Calm with Horses.”
Neil Peplow, the BFI’s Director of Industry and International Affairs,...
- 5/4/2022
- by K.J. Yossman
- Variety Film + TV
As the director herself has stated, Palaistinian producers-filmmakers tend to shoot movies about the Occupation without realizing it. In “Villa Touma”, however, Suha Arraf tries to stray away from the usual approach to the subject, by focusing on a story that is almost Shakesperean, still managing, though, to talk about the Occupation.
“Villa Touma” screened at Vesoul International Film Festival of Asian Cinema
The film begins in 2000, when Badia ages out of the Christian orphanage where she grew up, and is essentially forced upon her aunts, three sisters who have lost their lands and social status following the Six Day War with Israel in 1967, but continue to live as if nothing has changed, essentially in seclusion from the outside world, with the exception of the high class gatherings in thelocal Christian church. Juliette, the eldest one and “boss” of the family, greets Badia in coldness, immediately communicating that the only...
“Villa Touma” screened at Vesoul International Film Festival of Asian Cinema
The film begins in 2000, when Badia ages out of the Christian orphanage where she grew up, and is essentially forced upon her aunts, three sisters who have lost their lands and social status following the Six Day War with Israel in 1967, but continue to live as if nothing has changed, essentially in seclusion from the outside world, with the exception of the high class gatherings in thelocal Christian church. Juliette, the eldest one and “boss” of the family, greets Badia in coldness, immediately communicating that the only...
- 2/17/2022
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Screen International’s inaugural Spain Stars of Tomorrow were presented at the opening night ceremony of the Atlantida Mallorca Film Fest.
The actors, actresses and writer-directors selected for the first edition of Screen International’s Spain Stars of Tomorrow were presented to the international industry on the island of Mallorca this week at the opening night ceremony of the Atlantida Mallorca Film Fest (Amff) which runs from July 26-August 1.
Read profiles of the Spain Stars of Tomorrow here
Writer-directors Alvaro Gago, Elena Lopez Riera and Jiajie Yu Yan and actors Berta Castane, Dariam Coco, Guillermo Lasheras, Jone Laspiur, Alex Monner,...
The actors, actresses and writer-directors selected for the first edition of Screen International’s Spain Stars of Tomorrow were presented to the international industry on the island of Mallorca this week at the opening night ceremony of the Atlantida Mallorca Film Fest (Amff) which runs from July 26-August 1.
Read profiles of the Spain Stars of Tomorrow here
Writer-directors Alvaro Gago, Elena Lopez Riera and Jiajie Yu Yan and actors Berta Castane, Dariam Coco, Guillermo Lasheras, Jone Laspiur, Alex Monner,...
- 7/30/2021
- by Elisabet Cabeza
- ScreenDaily
The latest in Screen’s talent-spotting showcases is sponsored by the Atlantida Mallorca Film Fest.
Spain Stars of Tomorrow, the newest edition of Screen International’s long-running talent-spotting series, has revealed the list of 10 rising actors and filmmakers from Spain, all with the potential for breakout international careers.
Scroll down for the full list
The list of rising talents was unveiled at the opening of the Atlantida Mallorca Film Fest (Amff), which is the headline sponsor for Spain Stars of Tomorrow. The initiative is also supported by the Spain Film Institute (Icaa).
“For over a decade, the Amff has focused...
Spain Stars of Tomorrow, the newest edition of Screen International’s long-running talent-spotting series, has revealed the list of 10 rising actors and filmmakers from Spain, all with the potential for breakout international careers.
Scroll down for the full list
The list of rising talents was unveiled at the opening of the Atlantida Mallorca Film Fest (Amff), which is the headline sponsor for Spain Stars of Tomorrow. The initiative is also supported by the Spain Film Institute (Icaa).
“For over a decade, the Amff has focused...
- 7/27/2021
- by Elisabet Cabeza
- ScreenDaily
Spain Stars of Tomorrow will launch at this summer’s Atlantida Mallorca Film Fest.
Spanish actor Antonio de la Torre will be the mentor for the first Spain Stars of Tomorrow, the newest edition of Screen International’s long-running talent spotting series which will launch at this summer’s Atlantida Mallorca Film Fest.
De la Torre holds the record for the most actor nominations (14) at the Spanish Film Academy awards, the Goyas, since his breakthrough in Daniel Sánchez Arevalo’s Dark Blue Almost Black in 2006 which won him the best supporting actor award. His second win, for best actor, came...
Spanish actor Antonio de la Torre will be the mentor for the first Spain Stars of Tomorrow, the newest edition of Screen International’s long-running talent spotting series which will launch at this summer’s Atlantida Mallorca Film Fest.
De la Torre holds the record for the most actor nominations (14) at the Spanish Film Academy awards, the Goyas, since his breakthrough in Daniel Sánchez Arevalo’s Dark Blue Almost Black in 2006 which won him the best supporting actor award. His second win, for best actor, came...
- 7/12/2021
- by Elisabet Cabeza
- ScreenDaily
Screen is teaming with Filmin and the Atlantida Mallorca Film Fest to spotlight emerging talent in Spain.
Spain Stars of Tomorrow, the newest edition of Screen International’s long-running talentspotting series, is to launch at this summer’s Atlantida Mallorca Film Fest (Amff), which is running from July 26 to August 1.
Ten rising actors and filmmakers from Spain, all with the potential for breakout international careers, will be presented during the festival. The inaugural list of Spain Stars of Tomorrow is being curated by Screen’s Spain correspondent Elisabet Cabeza, who will attend Amff to introduce the rising talents.
“For over a decade,...
Spain Stars of Tomorrow, the newest edition of Screen International’s long-running talentspotting series, is to launch at this summer’s Atlantida Mallorca Film Fest (Amff), which is running from July 26 to August 1.
Ten rising actors and filmmakers from Spain, all with the potential for breakout international careers, will be presented during the festival. The inaugural list of Spain Stars of Tomorrow is being curated by Screen’s Spain correspondent Elisabet Cabeza, who will attend Amff to introduce the rising talents.
“For over a decade,...
- 6/18/2021
- by Screen staff
- ScreenDaily
Arab Stars of Tomorrow spotlights six talents from the Middle East and North Africa who are making their mark on the global stage.
In our fourth edition of Arab Stars of Tomorrow, Screen International celebrates six of the most exciting talents to emerge this year from the Middle East and North Africa. Egyptian director Sameh Alaa, Palestinian-Jordanian actress Tara Abboud, Saudi director Hana Al Omair, Lebanese actress Stephanie Atala, Moroccan actor Brice Bexter El Glaoui and Algerian actor Mehdi Ramdani are the breakout names of 2020.
Click on the links below to read the profiles of this year’s stars, and...
In our fourth edition of Arab Stars of Tomorrow, Screen International celebrates six of the most exciting talents to emerge this year from the Middle East and North Africa. Egyptian director Sameh Alaa, Palestinian-Jordanian actress Tara Abboud, Saudi director Hana Al Omair, Lebanese actress Stephanie Atala, Moroccan actor Brice Bexter El Glaoui and Algerian actor Mehdi Ramdani are the breakout names of 2020.
Click on the links below to read the profiles of this year’s stars, and...
- 12/8/2020
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- ScreenDaily
The whole of Amos Gitai’s “Laila in Haifa” is set in and just outside Fattoush, a bar in Israel that has been touted as “the best place to party in Haifa.” Maybe it is. One of the few venues in town where Israelis and Palestinians can socialize together, Fattoush boasts a knowledgeable barman, a small stage for musicians and drag queens, an adjoining art gallery, and plenty of such shabby-chic staples as bare brick walls, vintage posters and hanging plants.
If nothing else, the film may be useful to design historians as a record of what hipster-ish cafés and restaurants looked like in the early 21st century. It’s also a venue with no shortage of resonant thematic possibilities: trains trundle right past the beer garden, and beyond that a mountainous cruise ship is docked in Haifa’s harbor. But, as much as Fattoush has to recommend it, there...
If nothing else, the film may be useful to design historians as a record of what hipster-ish cafés and restaurants looked like in the early 21st century. It’s also a venue with no shortage of resonant thematic possibilities: trains trundle right past the beer garden, and beyond that a mountainous cruise ship is docked in Haifa’s harbor. But, as much as Fattoush has to recommend it, there...
- 9/12/2020
- by Nicholas Barber
- Indiewire
Club Fattoush is a real-life bar and arts space in the Israeli port city of Haifa: a kind of bohemian, liberal-minded gathering point for a broad array of residents, be they Israeli or Palestinian, Jewish or Arabic, gay or straight, and so on. Veteran Haifa-born filmmaker Amos Gitai is sufficiently enamored of the venue to have made a feature-length fictional celebration of its diversity and cultural import. Enter “Laila in Haifa,” a spaghetti pile of connected and disconnected narrative strands, revolving around a series of Fattoush employees and patrons over a single evening of business. It’s enough to convince you to drop into the place should you ever find yourself in town: It’d almost certainly offer a better time than “Laila in Haifa,” which, for all its good intentions and social interests, is among Gitai’s most listless films, not even propped up by his usual formal rigor.
- 9/8/2020
- by Guy Lodge
- Variety Film + TV
Screen has announced the five filmmakers and actors selected for the third edition at the Cairo International Film Festival.
Screen International has announced the five filmmakers and actors selected for the third edition of its initiative Arab Stars of Tomorrow at the 41st edition of the Cairo International Film Festival (Ciff).
This year’s edition is in partnership with Ciff as well as leading Middle East distribution company Front Row and its partner Kuwait National Cinema Company (Kncc), a major exhibition force in the Gulf.
The initiative, first launched in 2016, aims to support five emerging cinema talents from the Middle East and North Africa,...
Screen International has announced the five filmmakers and actors selected for the third edition of its initiative Arab Stars of Tomorrow at the 41st edition of the Cairo International Film Festival (Ciff).
This year’s edition is in partnership with Ciff as well as leading Middle East distribution company Front Row and its partner Kuwait National Cinema Company (Kncc), a major exhibition force in the Gulf.
The initiative, first launched in 2016, aims to support five emerging cinema talents from the Middle East and North Africa,...
- 11/24/2019
- by 1100380¦Melanie Goodfellow¦0¦
- ScreenDaily
Annemarie Jacir’s comedy-drama interleaves simmering tension in the Israeli town with moments of terrific humour as a father and son deliver wedding invitations
This sprightly, accessible comedy-drama by established Palestinian writer-director Annemarie Jacir unfolds over the course of a winter’s day in Nazareth as a father Abu and his son Shadi (played by real-life father and son Mohammad and Saleh Bakri) hand deliver wedding invitations for the forthcoming nuptials of Abu’s daughter Amal (Maria Zreik). Driving around town in a battered old Volvo between visits to relatives and old family friends, Abu and Shadi bicker and reminisce, manipulate and needle each other, gradually revealing the many layers of their relationship.
Although now retired, Abu was a schoolteacher who had to find common ground in order to keep his job and get along with his Jewish Israeli employers. As a teenager, Shadi rejected this “complicit” attitude and embraced more radical politics.
This sprightly, accessible comedy-drama by established Palestinian writer-director Annemarie Jacir unfolds over the course of a winter’s day in Nazareth as a father Abu and his son Shadi (played by real-life father and son Mohammad and Saleh Bakri) hand deliver wedding invitations for the forthcoming nuptials of Abu’s daughter Amal (Maria Zreik). Driving around town in a battered old Volvo between visits to relatives and old family friends, Abu and Shadi bicker and reminisce, manipulate and needle each other, gradually revealing the many layers of their relationship.
Although now retired, Abu was a schoolteacher who had to find common ground in order to keep his job and get along with his Jewish Israeli employers. As a teenager, Shadi rejected this “complicit” attitude and embraced more radical politics.
- 9/13/2018
- by Leslie Felperin
- The Guardian - Film News
Annemarie Jacir’s third film, Wajib, a wry comedy set in the run up to Christmas in Nazareth, premiered in competition at the Locarno Film Festival before heading to, this week Tiff. The film pairs legendary Arabic actors Mohammed and Saleh Bakri together in a movie for the first time. Naturally, the father and son play father and son. Saleh, who has appeared in all three films directed by Jacir, plays Rome-based Shadi, who is returning to Nazareth after a period away for the wedding of his sister Amal (Maria Zreik). In keeping with Palestinian tradition, Shadi, alongside his divorced father, […]...
- 9/13/2017
- by Kaleem Aftab
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Ahead of the Academy Awards, we’re reviewing each short category. See the Live Action section below and the other shorts sections here.
Ave Maria – Palestine/France/Germany – 15 minutes
Director Basil Khalil and co-writer Daniel Yáñez have come up with a cutely comic conceit for their short film Ave Maria. It’s the West Bank—miles from civilization—and a car carrying a Jewish man, his wife, and his mother crashes into a Catholic church run by five Arab nuns who have taken a vow of silence. If everyone follows the rites of their religion, the women able to help the family mustn’t talk and the family, who realize that it’s now the Shabbat, can’t operate any machinery necessary to move along. It’s quite the conundrum for the devout and a perfect recipe for discovering a common ground as human beings with enough laughs to keep us entertained for the duration.
Ave Maria – Palestine/France/Germany – 15 minutes
Director Basil Khalil and co-writer Daniel Yáñez have come up with a cutely comic conceit for their short film Ave Maria. It’s the West Bank—miles from civilization—and a car carrying a Jewish man, his wife, and his mother crashes into a Catholic church run by five Arab nuns who have taken a vow of silence. If everyone follows the rites of their religion, the women able to help the family mustn’t talk and the family, who realize that it’s now the Shabbat, can’t operate any machinery necessary to move along. It’s quite the conundrum for the devout and a perfect recipe for discovering a common ground as human beings with enough laughs to keep us entertained for the duration.
- 1/28/2016
- by Jared Mobarak
- The Film Stage
Neil Armfield.s Holding the Man, Simon Stone.s The Daughter, Jeremy Sims. Last Cab to Darwin and Jen Peedom.s feature doc Sherpa will have their world premieres at the Sydney Film Festival.
The festival program unveiled today includes 33 world premieres (including 22 shorts) and 135 Australian premieres (with 18 shorts) among 251 titles from 68 countries.
Among the other premieres will be Daina Reid.s The Secret River, Ruby Entertainment's. ABC-tv miniseries starring Oliver Jackson Cohen and Sarah Snook, and three Oz docs, Marc Eberle.s The Cambodian Space Project — Not Easy Rock .n. Roll, Steve Thomas. Freedom Stories and Lisa Nicol.s Wide Open Sky.
Festival director Nashen Moodley boasted. this year.s event will be far larger than 2014's when 183 films from 47 countries were screened, including 15 world premieres. The expansion is possible in part due to the addition of two new screening venues in Newtown and Liverpool.
As previously announced, Brendan Cowell...
The festival program unveiled today includes 33 world premieres (including 22 shorts) and 135 Australian premieres (with 18 shorts) among 251 titles from 68 countries.
Among the other premieres will be Daina Reid.s The Secret River, Ruby Entertainment's. ABC-tv miniseries starring Oliver Jackson Cohen and Sarah Snook, and three Oz docs, Marc Eberle.s The Cambodian Space Project — Not Easy Rock .n. Roll, Steve Thomas. Freedom Stories and Lisa Nicol.s Wide Open Sky.
Festival director Nashen Moodley boasted. this year.s event will be far larger than 2014's when 183 films from 47 countries were screened, including 15 world premieres. The expansion is possible in part due to the addition of two new screening venues in Newtown and Liverpool.
As previously announced, Brendan Cowell...
- 5/6/2015
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
The Santa Barbara International Film Festival has unveiled its 2015 line-up which includes films representing 54 countries, 23 world premieres and 53 U.S. premieres. The U.S. premiere of Niki Caro’s McFarland USA will close out the 30th fest. Based on the 1987 true story and starring Kevin Costner and Maria Bello, the film follows novice runners from McFarland, an economically challenged town in California’s farm-rich Central Valley, as they give their all to build a cross-country team under the direction of Coach Jim White (Costner), a newcomer to their predominantly Latino high school. The unlikely band of runners overcomes the odds to forge not only a championship cross-country team but an enduring legacy as well.
The festival runs from January 27-February 7.
Below is the list of World and U.S. Premiere films followed by the list of titles by sidebar categories.
World Premieres
A Better You, USA
Directed by Matt Walsh
Cast: Brian Huskey,...
The festival runs from January 27-February 7.
Below is the list of World and U.S. Premiere films followed by the list of titles by sidebar categories.
World Premieres
A Better You, USA
Directed by Matt Walsh
Cast: Brian Huskey,...
- 1/8/2015
- by The Deadline Team
- Deadline
A self-acknowledged "showcase for Academy Award frontrunners," the Santa Barbara International Film Festival is often overlooked for the actual films that earn it festival status. An amalgamation of international discoveries and ’merica’s circuit highlights, the Sbiff curates a week of best-of-the-best to pair with their star-praising. The 2015 edition offers another expansive selection, bookended by two films that aren’t on any radars just yet. Sbiff will open with "Desert Dancer," producer Richard Raymond’s directorial debut. Starring Reece Ritchie and Frieda Pinto, the drama follows a group of friends who wave off the harsh political climate of Iran’s 2009 presidential election in favor of forming a dance team, picking up moves from Michael Jackson, Gene Kelly and Rudolf Nureyev thanks to the magic of YouTube. The festival will close with "McFarland, USA," starring Kevin Costner and Maria Bello. Telling the 1987 true story of a Latino high school’s underdog cross-country team,...
- 1/8/2015
- by Matt Patches
- Hitfix
The lineups for the Mavericks, Discovery, and Tiff Kids parts of the Toronto Film Festival were announced, wrapping up a series of lineup announcements for the Toronto International Film Festival.
With the added films, the festival’s entire slate is now a whopping 393 movies. Two hundred eighty-five of those movies are feature films, of which 143 are world premieres.
The Mavericks portion of the festival includes onstage discussions following the screening of each film. Do I Sound Gay? will be followed by a talk between director David Thorpe and sex-advice guru Dan Savage. Also premiering in that space is The 50 Year Argument,...
With the added films, the festival’s entire slate is now a whopping 393 movies. Two hundred eighty-five of those movies are feature films, of which 143 are world premieres.
The Mavericks portion of the festival includes onstage discussions following the screening of each film. Do I Sound Gay? will be followed by a talk between director David Thorpe and sex-advice guru Dan Savage. Also premiering in that space is The 50 Year Argument,...
- 8/19/2014
- by Jacob Shamsian
- EW - Inside Movies
Bill Murray is coming to Toronto folks. Actually, the film he stars in (Theodore Melfi’s St. Vincent) is having its official World Premiere launch at the jaw-dropping 285 feature film 2014 Tiff line-up. In the final batch of items we finally get the confirmation that 2014′s Palme d’Or Winner Winter Sleep (which gets added along with a trio of others to the Masters Programme) will show, and Tomm Moore’s highly anticipated Song of the Sea (among the four item line-up for Tiff Kids) also lands. Worth mentioning are the sprinkling of add-ons to the various other sections (Marjane Satrapi’s Sundance preemed The Voices, Matt Shakman’s Cut Bank and the world preem of Danis Tanovic’s Tigers) with a Studio Ghibli docu item being fitted into the Tiff Docs, but it is the Discovery Programme that finally takes shape.
The “up-and-comers” include Berlin Film Fest (and future Nyff...
The “up-and-comers” include Berlin Film Fest (and future Nyff...
- 8/19/2014
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.