Other winners included ’Hounds’, ’The Mother Of All Lies’, ’Goodbye Julia’ and ’The Buriti Flower’.
Molly Manning Walker’s debut feature How To Have Sex has won the top prize in the Un Certain Regard section of this year’s Cannes Film Festival (May 16-27).
The film follows a group of teenage girls on a rite-of-passage clubbing holiday, and was shot in Greece with a cast including Mia McKenna-Bruce, Lara Peake and Samuel Bottomley. It is produced by Wild Swim Films and co-producer Heretic, with backing by Film4, BFI and mk2 Films, with Mubi releasing in the UK, North America and other key territories.
Molly Manning Walker’s debut feature How To Have Sex has won the top prize in the Un Certain Regard section of this year’s Cannes Film Festival (May 16-27).
The film follows a group of teenage girls on a rite-of-passage clubbing holiday, and was shot in Greece with a cast including Mia McKenna-Bruce, Lara Peake and Samuel Bottomley. It is produced by Wild Swim Films and co-producer Heretic, with backing by Film4, BFI and mk2 Films, with Mubi releasing in the UK, North America and other key territories.
- 5/26/2023
- by Orlando Parfitt
- ScreenDaily
Molly Manning Walker’s “How to Have Sex” was named the best film Friday of the Un Certain Regard competition at the Cannes Film Festival.
The UK director’s first film tells the story of three girls vacationing in Greece. The girl who is still a virgin expects to have slept with a boy by the time their trip is over, as do her two friends. She ends up losing her virginity to a guy on the beach, but she checks out during the process. The boy then makes unwanted advances on her while she is asleep. She wakes up to him ready to have sex with her, and resigns once more.
Mia McKenna-Bruce stars.
Also Read:
Cannes 2023: See the Star-Studded Red Carpet Arrivals (Photos)
This year’s Un Certain Regard competition included 20 feature films, eight of which are also competing for the Camera d’or. The jury, chaired by actor John C. Reilly,...
The UK director’s first film tells the story of three girls vacationing in Greece. The girl who is still a virgin expects to have slept with a boy by the time their trip is over, as do her two friends. She ends up losing her virginity to a guy on the beach, but she checks out during the process. The boy then makes unwanted advances on her while she is asleep. She wakes up to him ready to have sex with her, and resigns once more.
Mia McKenna-Bruce stars.
Also Read:
Cannes 2023: See the Star-Studded Red Carpet Arrivals (Photos)
This year’s Un Certain Regard competition included 20 feature films, eight of which are also competing for the Camera d’or. The jury, chaired by actor John C. Reilly,...
- 5/26/2023
- by Dessi Gomez
- The Wrap
What’s in a name?
For the Congolese Belgian rapper-turned-filmmaker Baloji, whose directorial debut, “Omen,” bows in the Cannes Film Festival’s Un Certain Regard section on May 22, it’s a question that poses itself whenever flustered immigration officials inspect his passport at the airport in Congo. “Always the same question, every time,” Baloji tells Variety. “Do you know what it means?”
In the pre-colonial era, baloji meant “man of science” in Swahili, but the word became corrupted by Christian evangelists during the years of Belgian colonial rule. Today it is more akin to a man of occult sciences and sorcery. “Some people of faith do not dare to say my name in public for fear of invoking evil spirits and the suspicions that may accompany it,” the director says. “In such an animistic culture it is equivalent to being called devil or demon in the West.”
He admits it...
For the Congolese Belgian rapper-turned-filmmaker Baloji, whose directorial debut, “Omen,” bows in the Cannes Film Festival’s Un Certain Regard section on May 22, it’s a question that poses itself whenever flustered immigration officials inspect his passport at the airport in Congo. “Always the same question, every time,” Baloji tells Variety. “Do you know what it means?”
In the pre-colonial era, baloji meant “man of science” in Swahili, but the word became corrupted by Christian evangelists during the years of Belgian colonial rule. Today it is more akin to a man of occult sciences and sorcery. “Some people of faith do not dare to say my name in public for fear of invoking evil spirits and the suspicions that may accompany it,” the director says. “In such an animistic culture it is equivalent to being called devil or demon in the West.”
He admits it...
- 5/26/2023
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
UK director Molly Manning Walker’s first film How To Have Sex won the top prize in Cannes Un Certain Regard on Friday evening.
The tale of a group of teenagers on a rite of passage clubbing holiday was described by Deadline reviewer Damon Wise as “a visceral and sensory experience” and an “exceptional debut”. Read the review here and a Deadline interview with the director here.
The Jury Prize went to Moroccan filmmaker Kamal Lazraq’s Hounds about a father and son who find themselves caught up in a kidnapping plot that goes wrong.
Best Director went to Moroccan director Asmae El Moudir’s documentary The Mother Of All Lies about the bread riots that shook a working-class Casablanca neighborhood in 1981.
She follows in the footsteps of Alain Guiraudie, Kiyoshi Kurosawa and Sergei Loznitsa who also won the prize early in their careers.
In other awards, the Ensemble Prize...
The tale of a group of teenagers on a rite of passage clubbing holiday was described by Deadline reviewer Damon Wise as “a visceral and sensory experience” and an “exceptional debut”. Read the review here and a Deadline interview with the director here.
The Jury Prize went to Moroccan filmmaker Kamal Lazraq’s Hounds about a father and son who find themselves caught up in a kidnapping plot that goes wrong.
Best Director went to Moroccan director Asmae El Moudir’s documentary The Mother Of All Lies about the bread riots that shook a working-class Casablanca neighborhood in 1981.
She follows in the footsteps of Alain Guiraudie, Kiyoshi Kurosawa and Sergei Loznitsa who also won the prize early in their careers.
In other awards, the Ensemble Prize...
- 5/26/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
It was an evening of surprises, song and spontaneous vamping at this year’s Un Certain Regard awards ceremony, with jury president John C. Reilly putting on quite a show for the assembled audience in addition to handing out six awards to films in the festival’s second-most prestigious competition.
But the real winner of the night was British freshman director Molly Manning Walker, who not only took the section’s top award for her buzzy, fluorescent debut feature “How to Have Sex,” but managed to accept in person against the odds. Not present at the ceremony when the announcement was made, owing to a flight delay, Manning Walker scrambled to the stage five minutes later — dressed, not unlike one of the principals in her youth-centered film, in a neon-green T-shirt and Adidas shorts — directly from her airport taxi. Reilly obligingly filled the time by singing two Great American Songbook standards for a delighted crowd.
But the real winner of the night was British freshman director Molly Manning Walker, who not only took the section’s top award for her buzzy, fluorescent debut feature “How to Have Sex,” but managed to accept in person against the odds. Not present at the ceremony when the announcement was made, owing to a flight delay, Manning Walker scrambled to the stage five minutes later — dressed, not unlike one of the principals in her youth-centered film, in a neon-green T-shirt and Adidas shorts — directly from her airport taxi. Reilly obligingly filled the time by singing two Great American Songbook standards for a delighted crowd.
- 5/26/2023
- by Guy Lodge
- Variety Film + TV
“One buyer said they received 138 scripts at the market,” said Orange Studio’s Charlotte Boucon.
France’s sales companies arrived in Cannes with busy slates, rich with festival titles and market packages. Nearly two weeks on and Screen finds out how business has been for them.
When it comes to French films, buyers in general seem to be both more restrained about rushing to scoop up titles and pay big money up front, yet at the same time are looking for more audacious titles with unique subjects to woo younger audiences.
“We’re seeing the adrenaline again that’s been...
France’s sales companies arrived in Cannes with busy slates, rich with festival titles and market packages. Nearly two weeks on and Screen finds out how business has been for them.
When it comes to French films, buyers in general seem to be both more restrained about rushing to scoop up titles and pay big money up front, yet at the same time are looking for more audacious titles with unique subjects to woo younger audiences.
“We’re seeing the adrenaline again that’s been...
- 5/26/2023
- by Rebecca Leffler
- ScreenDaily
Baloji, the Belgian-Congolese rapper, explores a familiar set of themes with an artful and impressionistic touch in his directorial debut Omen (Augure).
Premiering in the Un Certain Regard section of the Cannes Film Festival, the magical-realist drama tackles displacement and belonging through four characters who’ve been ostracized by their communities. The musician pulls from his personal experiences and uses a visual language honed in his short films, like 2018’s Zombies, to craft a beguiling tale.
The journey begins with Koffi (Marc Zinga), a young Congolese man living in Europe with his white fiancée Alice (Lucie Debay). We see him preparing for an upcoming trip to Democratic Republic of Congo, where he hopes to amend his relationship with his family. Koffi’s birthmark — a large Rorschach-esque blot — frightened his mother, Mujila (a sharp Yves-Marina Gnahoua), when he came out of the womb. She labeled him a sorcerer and sent him to Europe.
Premiering in the Un Certain Regard section of the Cannes Film Festival, the magical-realist drama tackles displacement and belonging through four characters who’ve been ostracized by their communities. The musician pulls from his personal experiences and uses a visual language honed in his short films, like 2018’s Zombies, to craft a beguiling tale.
The journey begins with Koffi (Marc Zinga), a young Congolese man living in Europe with his white fiancée Alice (Lucie Debay). We see him preparing for an upcoming trip to Democratic Republic of Congo, where he hopes to amend his relationship with his family. Koffi’s birthmark — a large Rorschach-esque blot — frightened his mother, Mujila (a sharp Yves-Marina Gnahoua), when he came out of the womb. She labeled him a sorcerer and sent him to Europe.
- 5/24/2023
- by Lovia Gyarkye
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Saudi, Arab and African talent supported in 2023’s first cycle of funding.
The Red Sea Film Festival Foundation has unveiled the recipients of its first post-production grants of 2023.
Eight films by Saudi, Arab and African filmmakers will receive grants to help complete films that spotlight narratives and new talents emerging from the region.
They include Omen, the feature debut of Belgian-Congolese artist-turned filmmaker Baloji, which is set to premiere in Un Certain Regard at Cannes on Monday (May 22). Memento International handles sales on the film, in which a young Congolese man travels from Belgium to his birthplace of Kinshasa to...
The Red Sea Film Festival Foundation has unveiled the recipients of its first post-production grants of 2023.
Eight films by Saudi, Arab and African filmmakers will receive grants to help complete films that spotlight narratives and new talents emerging from the region.
They include Omen, the feature debut of Belgian-Congolese artist-turned filmmaker Baloji, which is set to premiere in Un Certain Regard at Cannes on Monday (May 22). Memento International handles sales on the film, in which a young Congolese man travels from Belgium to his birthplace of Kinshasa to...
- 5/18/2023
- by Michael Rosser
- ScreenDaily
This could be the year African cinema conquers Cannes. The 76th festival has more Africa-set features in the official selection than ever, including two in competition — Four Daughters from Tunisian director Kaouther Ben Hania (The Man Who Sold His Skin) and Banel & Adama, the debut feature from Senegalese-French filmmaker Ramata-Toulaye Sy. Then there’s Omar la Fraise, an Algeria-set Midnight Screening entry from Elias Belkeddar, starring Reda Kateb and Benoît Magimel, and four Un Certain Regard titles: Moroccan films Les Meutes from Kamal Lazraq and the documentary The Mother of All Lies from Asmae El Moudir; Omen, the feature debut of Belgian-Congolese hip-hop artist Baloji; and Mohamed Kordofani’s Goodbye Julia, the first Sudanese film to screen on the Croisette.
The selection ranges across genres and cinematic styles. Omar la Fraise is a crime comedy that draws inspiration from the films of Sergio Leone and Takeshi Kitano in its story...
The selection ranges across genres and cinematic styles. Omar la Fraise is a crime comedy that draws inspiration from the films of Sergio Leone and Takeshi Kitano in its story...
- 5/17/2023
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Memento International has closed major deals on Martin Provost’s “Bonnard, Pierre And Marthe” ahead of the film’s world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival.
Slated for Cannes Premiere, the period film revolves around the colorful relationship and epic love between renowned French painters Pierre and Marthe Bonnard who are played by Vincent Macaigne (“Irma Vep”) and Cecile de France (“Lost Illusions”).
The film has been pre-sold by Memento International to key distributors in Italy (I Wonder), Canada (Sphère Films), Latin America (California Filmes), South Korea (Aud), Taiwan (Flash Forward), Airlines (Skeye), Poland (Hagi), Hungary (Vertigo), Portugal (Nos Lusomundo), Czech Republic (Cinemart), Bulgaria (Beta Film), Ex-Yugoslavia (Demiurg).
“Bonnard, Pierre And Marthe” was previously acquired for Germany (Prokino), Australia (Palace), Switzerland (Frenetic), Austria (Panda) and Denmark (Filmbazar). Memento Distribution and Imagine will release the film in France and Benelux, respectively.
The lushly lensed film charts the enduring bond and...
Slated for Cannes Premiere, the period film revolves around the colorful relationship and epic love between renowned French painters Pierre and Marthe Bonnard who are played by Vincent Macaigne (“Irma Vep”) and Cecile de France (“Lost Illusions”).
The film has been pre-sold by Memento International to key distributors in Italy (I Wonder), Canada (Sphère Films), Latin America (California Filmes), South Korea (Aud), Taiwan (Flash Forward), Airlines (Skeye), Poland (Hagi), Hungary (Vertigo), Portugal (Nos Lusomundo), Czech Republic (Cinemart), Bulgaria (Beta Film), Ex-Yugoslavia (Demiurg).
“Bonnard, Pierre And Marthe” was previously acquired for Germany (Prokino), Australia (Palace), Switzerland (Frenetic), Austria (Panda) and Denmark (Filmbazar). Memento Distribution and Imagine will release the film in France and Benelux, respectively.
The lushly lensed film charts the enduring bond and...
- 5/8/2023
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
From Jeffrey Dahmer’s history of murder to the tragic death of Ronald DeFeo Jr., The Exorcist horror franchise has been addressed several times in practically all of these crime stories. According to some, The Exorcist responds erratically in their brains, especially those who infamously grew up to be murderers and serial killers, suggesting that the film served as inspiration for their crimes. The third episode of Amityville: An Origin Story also discusses these cursed movie franchises, like The Exorcist. Previously, issues about the veracity of George and Kathy Lutz’s story had been raised, but in this episode, we got a wide overview of both of these possibilities, whether it may all be a fraud or whether the Lutzes were indeed victims of such horrible occurrences. Let’s see what we can conclude at the end of the episode.
Spoilers Ahead
Who Was William Weber?
Carol opens episode 3 by...
Spoilers Ahead
Who Was William Weber?
Carol opens episode 3 by...
- 5/7/2023
- by Poulami Nanda
- Film Fugitives
In his latest interview, Kevin sits down to talk with actress Amber Doig-Thorne about Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey the new viral sensation from Jagged Edge Productions; and you can also check out the Kickstarter for Ambers’s next project, The Baby in the Basket, right here.
The Baby in the Basket is a gothic horror feature inspired by 1960s horror movies, film noir and some of the classics across the ages! In short, it’s Rosemary’s Baby meets The Omen meets The Shining. The film stars Amber Doig-Thorne, alongside Michaela Longden, Elle O’Hara, and Alexandra Fay Sadeghian.
The Baby in the Basket is a gothic horror feature inspired by 1960s horror movies, film noir and some of the classics across the ages! In short, it’s Rosemary’s Baby meets The Omen meets The Shining. The film stars Amber Doig-Thorne, alongside Michaela Longden, Elle O’Hara, and Alexandra Fay Sadeghian.
- 5/5/2023
- by Kevin Haldon
- Nerdly
Memento International is set to represent global rights to “Omen,” the feature debut of Belgian-Congolese artist-turned filmmaker Baloji which is slated to world premiere at Cannes’ Un Certain Regard.
Baloji previously directed several short films including “Zombies” which played at the BFI London film festival. Blurring the lines between reality and the realm of dreams, “Omen” follows Kofi, who return to his birthplace after being ostracized by his family. The movie explores the weight of beliefs on one’s destiny through four characters accused of being witches and sorcerers, all of them intertwined and guiding each other into the phantasmagoria of Africa.
The film stars Marc Zinga Lucie Debay (“Our Men”) and Eliane Umuhire (“Birds Are Singing in Kigali”).
“I like to describe ‘Omen’ as a chimerical film, an ode to the imaginary and the visceral, evoking the spirits of the departed as much as the boundless energy of childhood,...
Baloji previously directed several short films including “Zombies” which played at the BFI London film festival. Blurring the lines between reality and the realm of dreams, “Omen” follows Kofi, who return to his birthplace after being ostracized by his family. The movie explores the weight of beliefs on one’s destiny through four characters accused of being witches and sorcerers, all of them intertwined and guiding each other into the phantasmagoria of Africa.
The film stars Marc Zinga Lucie Debay (“Our Men”) and Eliane Umuhire (“Birds Are Singing in Kigali”).
“I like to describe ‘Omen’ as a chimerical film, an ode to the imaginary and the visceral, evoking the spirits of the departed as much as the boundless energy of childhood,...
- 4/21/2023
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
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