Ani-May is finally here and we’re kicking the party off with exclusives, a new clothing collab, and more. But first… What is Ani-May? It’s a month-long celebration for fans of everything that makes anime great. You can look forward to new releases from Kaiju No. 8 , Solo Leveling , Jujutsu Kaisen and plenty more. What about Chainsaw Man ? Refresh Your Wardrobe I’m glad you asked. Indulge yourself this magical season with premium threads from the Dim Mak x Chainsaw Man Collab . Find your perfect fit with T-shirts, hoodies, caps and more that feature art and logos from the series. Knowing Denji’s day gig, all clothing is machine-washable and made from 100% cotton. Hunting devils leaves little time for dry cleaning. The Devil You Know Great news for you Kitsune-lovers. That’s right! Our very own Crunchyroll-Hime is taking part in the Ani-May party with her own pin...
- 4/29/2024
- by The Crunchyroll Store
- Crunchyroll
Paris-based sales company Alpha Violet has come on board as representative of “Mongrel,” the debut feature of Taiwan-based Singaporean filmmaker Chiang Wei Liang. The film will have its world premiere next month at Cannes in the Directors Fortnight section.
Set in the mountains of Taiwan, “Mongrel” stars Thai actor Wanlop Rungkumjad as Oom, an undocumented migrant and on-demand caregiver for rural families, who struggles to preserve his humanity as he cares for the elderly and disabled.
Rungkumjad is joined by newcomer Kuo Shu-wei, who plays Hui, a patient with whom Oom develops a bond. On hearing of the film’s Cannes selection, Kuo said, “I never thought this film would have the opportunity to be seen by so many people. As I live with athetoid cerebral palsy, we worked hard to achieve this. Hui is a character whose abilities are weaker than mine, so I thought of the friends I...
Set in the mountains of Taiwan, “Mongrel” stars Thai actor Wanlop Rungkumjad as Oom, an undocumented migrant and on-demand caregiver for rural families, who struggles to preserve his humanity as he cares for the elderly and disabled.
Rungkumjad is joined by newcomer Kuo Shu-wei, who plays Hui, a patient with whom Oom develops a bond. On hearing of the film’s Cannes selection, Kuo said, “I never thought this film would have the opportunity to be seen by so many people. As I live with athetoid cerebral palsy, we worked hard to achieve this. Hui is a character whose abilities are weaker than mine, so I thought of the friends I...
- 4/16/2024
- by Patrick Frater and Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Shirley is a biographical movie about the life of Shirley Chisholm movie written and directed by John Ridley starring Regina King.
A schoolteacher, elected to Congress. It was the early 70s, and Shirley Chisholm was also the first African American woman to run for the Presidency of the United States. A woman who ran without any backing, representing the members of the working class, the minorities.
A movie filled with hope, faith, and feminism.
Indeed, more than a racial candidacy, Shirley Chisholm based her campaign on gender politics and minorities, paving the way for a hopeful future.
A film about faith, but above all about clear-cut American politics.
About the movie
Faith, hope, and a lot of political film of good ideas, faith, hope, and political consciousness. A movie with its good ideas well defined (we don’t deny them at any moment) and does everything possible to assert its thesis.
A schoolteacher, elected to Congress. It was the early 70s, and Shirley Chisholm was also the first African American woman to run for the Presidency of the United States. A woman who ran without any backing, representing the members of the working class, the minorities.
A movie filled with hope, faith, and feminism.
Indeed, more than a racial candidacy, Shirley Chisholm based her campaign on gender politics and minorities, paving the way for a hopeful future.
A film about faith, but above all about clear-cut American politics.
About the movie
Faith, hope, and a lot of political film of good ideas, faith, hope, and political consciousness. A movie with its good ideas well defined (we don’t deny them at any moment) and does everything possible to assert its thesis.
- 3/22/2024
- by Martin Cid
- Martin Cid Magazine - Movies
As we experience the ongoing rise of the cities around us, a rise defined by such aspects like gentrification and real-estate deals, we also witness the creation of a new hierarchy within our society. The process is one which sometimes escapes the eye since it has been subtle and accepted in the perception of many, but considering our lives have become so fast these days, perhaps this should not come as a surprise. Director Tsai Ming-liang, among few filmmakers in the world, has apparently decided to take the time necessary to observe this process in all of its consequences, creating a kind of cinema often referred to as “slow cinema”. His eleventh feature “Stray Dogs” is another example of his approach to filmmaking which observes the aforementioned process and also its repercussions for the people living in the city.
on Amazon by clicking on the image below...
on Amazon by clicking on the image below...
- 2/15/2024
- by Rouven Linnarz
- AsianMoviePulse
Kadokawa unveiled its titles which generated the most income based on sales in its third-quarter (October – December 2023) financial results on Feb 8, 2024. Topping the video sales category was the anime series Oshi no Ko, followed by My Happy Marriage, The Eminence in Shadow, Overlord, and others.
On the other hand, Mushoku Tensei took the top spot in the publishing category.
Checkout the top 10 titles in video and publishing category below:
Top 10 In Video Category:
(This includes all works from the year they started airing to the most recent new series.)
RankTitle (Series)Initial Broadcast Year1Oshi no Ko20232My Happy Marriage20233The Eminence In Shadow20224Overlord20155Bungo Stray Dogs20166KonoSuba: God’s Blessing on This Wonderful World!20167Re:Zero − Starting Life in Another World20168The Rising of the Shield Hero20199Gamera 196510Spy Classroom2023 Top 10 In Publishing Category:
(This includes all series from the first year of publication to the most recent new volume.
On the other hand, Mushoku Tensei took the top spot in the publishing category.
Checkout the top 10 titles in video and publishing category below:
Top 10 In Video Category:
(This includes all works from the year they started airing to the most recent new series.)
RankTitle (Series)Initial Broadcast Year1Oshi no Ko20232My Happy Marriage20233The Eminence In Shadow20224Overlord20155Bungo Stray Dogs20166KonoSuba: God’s Blessing on This Wonderful World!20167Re:Zero − Starting Life in Another World20168The Rising of the Shield Hero20199Gamera 196510Spy Classroom2023 Top 10 In Publishing Category:
(This includes all series from the first year of publication to the most recent new volume.
- 2/10/2024
- by Ami Nazru
- AnimeHunch
Yen Press, the American manga, graphic novel and light novel publisher, disclosed their best selling titles for the year 2023 on Jan 16, 2024. It was revealed in a video posted on their official Twitter account, which highlighted the feats of the publisher in the previous year.
The video revealed that Yen Press had published a total of 618 books, with the top genres being fantasy, science-fiction, action-adventure, romance and horror.
The complete list of Yen Press’ best selling manga, novels, as well as their top debut manga/manhwa and novels, can be read below:
Best Selling Manga/Manhwa Of 2023: Toilet-Bound Hanako-Kun Solo Leveling Oshi No Ko Bungo Stray Dogs Sasaki And Miyano Best Selling Novels Of 2023: Overlord Solo Leveling That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime Bungo Stray Dogs So I’m a Spider, So What? Best Selling Debut Manga/Manhwa Of 2023: Oshi no Ko The Summer Hikaru...
The video revealed that Yen Press had published a total of 618 books, with the top genres being fantasy, science-fiction, action-adventure, romance and horror.
The complete list of Yen Press’ best selling manga, novels, as well as their top debut manga/manhwa and novels, can be read below:
Best Selling Manga/Manhwa Of 2023: Toilet-Bound Hanako-Kun Solo Leveling Oshi No Ko Bungo Stray Dogs Sasaki And Miyano Best Selling Novels Of 2023: Overlord Solo Leveling That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime Bungo Stray Dogs So I’m a Spider, So What? Best Selling Debut Manga/Manhwa Of 2023: Oshi no Ko The Summer Hikaru...
- 1/19/2024
- by Ami Nazru
- AnimeHunch
“Mongrel,” a Taiwan-set drama film that has done the round of project markets, will appear at the International Film Festival Rotterdam as a work in progress.
In addition to the screening of 15 minutes of footage, Taiwan-based Singaporean director Chiang Wei Liang has confirmed the film’s cast as being headed by Thai actor Wanlop Rungkumjad alongside Taiwanese female actor Lu Yi-ching and rapper Hong Yu-hong from Taiwanese hip-hop group Nine One One. Other key cast include Atchara Suwan (“By the Time It Gets Dark”), and Guo Shu-wei in his debut role.
Set in the mountains of Taiwan, the film follows Rungkumjad’s character Oom, an undocumented migrant and on-demand caregiver for rural families, who struggles to preserve his humanity as he cares for the elderly and disabled.
The project, which represents Chiang’s debut feature film, was previously developed at TorinoFilmLab ScriptLab, Talents Tokyo and the Cannes Residence, where it received the Cnc Development Award.
In addition to the screening of 15 minutes of footage, Taiwan-based Singaporean director Chiang Wei Liang has confirmed the film’s cast as being headed by Thai actor Wanlop Rungkumjad alongside Taiwanese female actor Lu Yi-ching and rapper Hong Yu-hong from Taiwanese hip-hop group Nine One One. Other key cast include Atchara Suwan (“By the Time It Gets Dark”), and Guo Shu-wei in his debut role.
Set in the mountains of Taiwan, the film follows Rungkumjad’s character Oom, an undocumented migrant and on-demand caregiver for rural families, who struggles to preserve his humanity as he cares for the elderly and disabled.
The project, which represents Chiang’s debut feature film, was previously developed at TorinoFilmLab ScriptLab, Talents Tokyo and the Cannes Residence, where it received the Cnc Development Award.
- 1/18/2024
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
New films featuring Carey Mulligan, Adam Sandler, Amanda Seyfried, Jesse Eisenberg and Riley Keough are among 2024 Berlinale Specials lineup, the out-of-competition gala presentations at next year’s Berlin International Film Festival.
Spaceman, a Netflix sci-fi drama from Chernobyl director Johan Renck, starring Sandler, Mulligan, Kunal Nayyar, Isabella Rossellini and Paul Dano, will have its world premiere in the Berlinale Special gala sidebar. Sasquatch Sunset, an adventure comedy from the Zellner brothers which stars Keough, Eisenberg, Nathan Zellner, and Christophe Zajac-Denek, will screen in Berlin after its Sundance debut. Atom Egoyan’s Seven Veils, which had its world premiere in Toronto, and stars Seyfried alongside Rebecca Liddiard, Douglas Smith, Ambur Braid, and Michael Kupfer-Radecky, will also have its international premiere in the Berlinale Specials gala section.
Treasure (aka Iron Box), the 90-set English-language feature from German director Julia von Heinz (And Tomorrow The Entire World), which stars Lena Dunham and Stephen Fry...
Spaceman, a Netflix sci-fi drama from Chernobyl director Johan Renck, starring Sandler, Mulligan, Kunal Nayyar, Isabella Rossellini and Paul Dano, will have its world premiere in the Berlinale Special gala sidebar. Sasquatch Sunset, an adventure comedy from the Zellner brothers which stars Keough, Eisenberg, Nathan Zellner, and Christophe Zajac-Denek, will screen in Berlin after its Sundance debut. Atom Egoyan’s Seven Veils, which had its world premiere in Toronto, and stars Seyfried alongside Rebecca Liddiard, Douglas Smith, Ambur Braid, and Michael Kupfer-Radecky, will also have its international premiere in the Berlinale Specials gala section.
Treasure (aka Iron Box), the 90-set English-language feature from German director Julia von Heinz (And Tomorrow The Entire World), which stars Lena Dunham and Stephen Fry...
- 12/20/2023
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The many lives of cats will be put to the test in Feral, a new horror comic book from Tony Fleecs and Trish Forstner.
The duo are the creators of the Stray Dogs, a surprise hit that took a cute and cuddly approach to subvert the serial killer genre, like a Lady and the Tramp meets Silence of the Lambs. That mini-series, released in 2021, has sold nearly one million copies across all formats, according to Image Comics, the publisher behind the titles, and Paramount picked up the movie rights for an animated adaptation to be produced by It screenwriter Gary Dauberman.
Feral also takes the cute and cuddly approach to flip a genre, in this case the zombie outbreak trope. Think The Aristocats meet The Walking Dead.
“We didn’t want to repeat ourselves with this follow up book so it really was, at first, thinking about: Ok, Stray Dogs...
The duo are the creators of the Stray Dogs, a surprise hit that took a cute and cuddly approach to subvert the serial killer genre, like a Lady and the Tramp meets Silence of the Lambs. That mini-series, released in 2021, has sold nearly one million copies across all formats, according to Image Comics, the publisher behind the titles, and Paramount picked up the movie rights for an animated adaptation to be produced by It screenwriter Gary Dauberman.
Feral also takes the cute and cuddly approach to flip a genre, in this case the zombie outbreak trope. Think The Aristocats meet The Walking Dead.
“We didn’t want to repeat ourselves with this follow up book so it really was, at first, thinking about: Ok, Stray Dogs...
- 12/8/2023
- by Borys Kit
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
This November, Skybound will take readers back to the "Scariest Place on Earth" with the release of Dark Ride #9, which will kick off the unsettling third story arc of Joshua Williamson and Andrei Bressan's horror-infused amusement park comic book series, and ahead of the new issue's anticipated debut, we have an exclusive look at preview pages featuring the latest fractured familial ties in Devil Land.
Below, you can check out our exclusive preview pages and cover art for Dark Ride #9, and we also have the official press release with additional details!
Press Release: Los Angeles 10/12/2023 — Skybound today revealed a first look at Dark Ride #9, the thrilling beginning to the amusement park horror series’ third story arc. From the iconic Birthright team of writer Joshua Williamson, artist Andrei Bressan (DC’s Justice League Incarnate), colorist Adriano Lucas (DC’s Nightwing), and letterer Pat Brosseau (Creepshow), the next issue of this...
Below, you can check out our exclusive preview pages and cover art for Dark Ride #9, and we also have the official press release with additional details!
Press Release: Los Angeles 10/12/2023 — Skybound today revealed a first look at Dark Ride #9, the thrilling beginning to the amusement park horror series’ third story arc. From the iconic Birthright team of writer Joshua Williamson, artist Andrei Bressan (DC’s Justice League Incarnate), colorist Adriano Lucas (DC’s Nightwing), and letterer Pat Brosseau (Creepshow), the next issue of this...
- 10/12/2023
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
Celebrated Malaysian-Taiwanese director Tsai Ming-liang sat down with Variety on the eve of receiving the Locarno Film Festival Career Award. The award is only the latest in a series of prizes from major European festivals the art-house maverick has received – from the 1994 Golden Lion from Venice for “Vive L’Amour” to the Silver Bear that “The River” won in Berlin in 1997.
So how does he feel to have received this latest sign of esteem from the film community?
“This is very special for me,” Tsai says. “I’m very happy, especially for my films which are not easy to see. Coming here and receiving a reward is a very big encouragement for me. Especially these festivals. They saw that I had embarked on a different way of creation. So here they gave me a space to show my short films.”
Since the 2010s, this “different way of creation” has seen Tsai...
So how does he feel to have received this latest sign of esteem from the film community?
“This is very special for me,” Tsai says. “I’m very happy, especially for my films which are not easy to see. Coming here and receiving a reward is a very big encouragement for me. Especially these festivals. They saw that I had embarked on a different way of creation. So here they gave me a space to show my short films.”
Since the 2010s, this “different way of creation” has seen Tsai...
- 8/7/2023
- by John Bleasdale
- Variety Film + TV
Dynamite Entertainment has released a ton of Army of Darkness comic books over the years, but with the upcoming series Army of Darkess: Forever they’re going back to the source: this comic book is a direct sequel to director Sam Raimi’s 1993 film (watch it Here)! And this sequel comes with a bonus in that it continues on from both endings of the film.
While the theatrical cut of Army of Darkness found our time traveling hero Ash back in his own time, working at S-Mart (and fighting a Deadite in the aisles), the director’s cut of the film ends with Ash being dropped into a post-apocalyptic future.
Here’s the information on Army of Darkness: Forever #1: The story picks up immediately after the events of the beloved film, jumping between three fun timelines. The Techno Army of Darkness of 2093, the S-Mart aisles of 1993, and the middle ages chaos of Castle Kandar,...
While the theatrical cut of Army of Darkness found our time traveling hero Ash back in his own time, working at S-Mart (and fighting a Deadite in the aisles), the director’s cut of the film ends with Ash being dropped into a post-apocalyptic future.
Here’s the information on Army of Darkness: Forever #1: The story picks up immediately after the events of the beloved film, jumping between three fun timelines. The Techno Army of Darkness of 2093, the S-Mart aisles of 1993, and the middle ages chaos of Castle Kandar,...
- 7/19/2023
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
Finally giving us a payoff to both the original ending of Army of Darkness and the series finale of “Ash vs. Evil Dead,” Ash is headed into the future in Army of Darkness: Forever.
Announced by Aipt Comics this afternoon, Army of Darkness: Forever is an upcoming comic series from Dynamite Entertainment, and it takes place across three timelines.
“Dynamite is proud to present a new series from Tony Fleecs (Stray Dogs) and Justin Greenwood (Stumptown) that is a direct sequel to how many fans believe the film should’ve ended. This October, Army of Darkness Forever #1 begins to explore what could’ve been.”
Dynamite previews via an official press release today, “The story picks up immediately after the events of the beloved film, jumping between three fun timelines. The Techno Army of Darkness of 2093, the S-Mart aisles of 1993, and the middle ages chaos of Castle Kandar, all three get the spotlight in this series.
Announced by Aipt Comics this afternoon, Army of Darkness: Forever is an upcoming comic series from Dynamite Entertainment, and it takes place across three timelines.
“Dynamite is proud to present a new series from Tony Fleecs (Stray Dogs) and Justin Greenwood (Stumptown) that is a direct sequel to how many fans believe the film should’ve ended. This October, Army of Darkness Forever #1 begins to explore what could’ve been.”
Dynamite previews via an official press release today, “The story picks up immediately after the events of the beloved film, jumping between three fun timelines. The Techno Army of Darkness of 2093, the S-Mart aisles of 1993, and the middle ages chaos of Castle Kandar, all three get the spotlight in this series.
- 7/18/2023
- by John Squires
- bloody-disgusting.com
Arun Karthick’s second feature explores the life of a Muslim salesman in Tamil Nadu.
Paris-based sales company Stray Dogs has picked up international rights to Arun Karthick’s Nasir, which will receive its world premiere in the Tiger Competition of the upcoming International Film Festival Rotterdam (Iffr).
The Tamil-language drama revolves around the struggles of a Muslim salesman and aspiring poet, living in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, who faces an increasingly toxic society as Hindu nationalism starts to take hold.
Produced by Mathivanan Rajendran’s Chennai-based Stray Factory, the film is co-produced by Reinier Selen and Ibo...
Paris-based sales company Stray Dogs has picked up international rights to Arun Karthick’s Nasir, which will receive its world premiere in the Tiger Competition of the upcoming International Film Festival Rotterdam (Iffr).
The Tamil-language drama revolves around the struggles of a Muslim salesman and aspiring poet, living in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, who faces an increasingly toxic society as Hindu nationalism starts to take hold.
Produced by Mathivanan Rajendran’s Chennai-based Stray Factory, the film is co-produced by Reinier Selen and Ibo...
- 1/9/2020
- by 89¦Liz Shackleton¦0¦
- ScreenDaily
10 Great ‘Small’ Movies You Might Have Missed in the 2010s, From ‘Manakamana’ to ‘The Fits’ (Photos)
The films on this admittedly non-comprehensive list were not distributed by major studios, but by smaller specialty companies. They played for a couple of weeks (or less) in big cities, maybe even just one night in a museum. They weren’t on the multiplex radar at all. But to adventurous film audiences, they were a vital part of any discussion about cinema. They told complex stories ignored by major studios. The dug deeper into abstraction or discomfort. And they pushed at the edges of filmmaking practice in ways that will influence the mainstream in the future.
“Cemetery of Splendor” (2015)
A makeshift hospital on an ancient royal burial ground houses soldiers overcome with a mysterious sleeping sickness. Then they begin psychically communicating with the women who work there. Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s oblique, delicate story of historical memory and collective awakening that plays out like a dream.
“Did You Wonder Who Fired The Gun?...
“Cemetery of Splendor” (2015)
A makeshift hospital on an ancient royal burial ground houses soldiers overcome with a mysterious sleeping sickness. Then they begin psychically communicating with the women who work there. Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s oblique, delicate story of historical memory and collective awakening that plays out like a dream.
“Did You Wonder Who Fired The Gun?...
- 12/11/2019
- by Dave White
- The Wrap
Entertaining Power, a film sales agent from Hong Kong, is launching “Spiders and “I’m Living It” at the Asian Film Market, part of the Busan International Film Festival.
“Spiders” is a topical and contemporary action adventure which follows a group of sailors, who come to believe that they are being stalked by a mutant creature from the depths of the ocean. Directed by Joe Chien, the now in-production picture stars Sunny Wang (“Pigeon Tango”), Rexen Cheng (“The Tag Along”), Lee Kang Sheng (“Stray Dogs”), Winona Yeung (“We Are Legends”), Lu Kung Wei (“Café Waiting Love”) and Lee Lee Zen (“The Mad King of Taipei Town”).
Chien has credits that include: “The House That Never Dies II,” “Zombie Fight Club,” “Zombie 108,” and “The Apostles”. “Spiders” is a co-production between Truffle Creative and Cultural and Entertaining Power Production (Hk).
“I’m Living It” which plays later this month in the Tokyo International Film Festival,...
“Spiders” is a topical and contemporary action adventure which follows a group of sailors, who come to believe that they are being stalked by a mutant creature from the depths of the ocean. Directed by Joe Chien, the now in-production picture stars Sunny Wang (“Pigeon Tango”), Rexen Cheng (“The Tag Along”), Lee Kang Sheng (“Stray Dogs”), Winona Yeung (“We Are Legends”), Lu Kung Wei (“Café Waiting Love”) and Lee Lee Zen (“The Mad King of Taipei Town”).
Chien has credits that include: “The House That Never Dies II,” “Zombie Fight Club,” “Zombie 108,” and “The Apostles”. “Spiders” is a co-production between Truffle Creative and Cultural and Entertaining Power Production (Hk).
“I’m Living It” which plays later this month in the Tokyo International Film Festival,...
- 10/6/2019
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Taiwan-Hong Kong co-production is directed by Joe Chien and stars Sunny Wang and Lee Kang Sheng.
Hong Kong-based Entertaining Power is launching sales in the Asian Film Market on Taiwan-Hong Kong co-production Spiders, directed by Joe Chien.
Currently in production, the action adventure has a strong ensemble cast of Taiwanese and Hong Kong actors, including Sunny Wang (Gatao), Rexen Cheng (Devil Fish: The Tag Along Sequel), Lee Kang Sheng (Stray Dogs) and Wiyona Yeung (We Are Legends).
The story revolves around a group of sailors on a perilous mission who start to suspect they’re being stalked by a sea monster.
Hong Kong-based Entertaining Power is launching sales in the Asian Film Market on Taiwan-Hong Kong co-production Spiders, directed by Joe Chien.
Currently in production, the action adventure has a strong ensemble cast of Taiwanese and Hong Kong actors, including Sunny Wang (Gatao), Rexen Cheng (Devil Fish: The Tag Along Sequel), Lee Kang Sheng (Stray Dogs) and Wiyona Yeung (We Are Legends).
The story revolves around a group of sailors on a perilous mission who start to suspect they’re being stalked by a sea monster.
- 10/6/2019
- by 89¦Liz Shackleton¦0¦
- ScreenDaily
By Nicholas Poly
‘My films have been labeled “slow, boring, queer, colorless, anticlimactic, opaque…” Is it praise? Slander? What can I say?’– Excerpt from Tsai Ming-liang’s interview on Slant Magazine in 2015.
To be honest, I’ve witnessed the very same labels ‘tagged’ on works of art that refuse to be adjusted in any kind of artistic norms. Moreover, works of art which prefer to step out of this, somehow, enforced ‘political’ correctness by being skillfully evasive. Such bodies of work impose their own evolution of life-force by moving away from certain chronological timeframes and geographical zones, visual palettes, moods and environments, production or technical values.
Therefore, all I can say is that once you enter Tsai Ming-liang’s universe, this life-force is channeled through a vision of originally innovative, as much as essentially nostalgic, cinematic expression. One of these rare occasions where an artist is bound...
‘My films have been labeled “slow, boring, queer, colorless, anticlimactic, opaque…” Is it praise? Slander? What can I say?’– Excerpt from Tsai Ming-liang’s interview on Slant Magazine in 2015.
To be honest, I’ve witnessed the very same labels ‘tagged’ on works of art that refuse to be adjusted in any kind of artistic norms. Moreover, works of art which prefer to step out of this, somehow, enforced ‘political’ correctness by being skillfully evasive. Such bodies of work impose their own evolution of life-force by moving away from certain chronological timeframes and geographical zones, visual palettes, moods and environments, production or technical values.
Therefore, all I can say is that once you enter Tsai Ming-liang’s universe, this life-force is channeled through a vision of originally innovative, as much as essentially nostalgic, cinematic expression. One of these rare occasions where an artist is bound...
- 8/27/2019
- by Rhythm Zaveri
- AsianMoviePulse
Santiago, Chile – In the run-up to the upcoming 76th Venice Int’l Film Festival, Paris-based Stray Dogs has closed international sales rights on Chilean drama “Blanco en Blanco,” which holds its world premiere in the festival’s Horizons sidebar.
Filmed last year in the frigid tundra of Chile’s Tierra de Fuego and Spain’s tropical Canary Islands, the anticipated second feature by helmer-scribe Theo Court (“Ocaso”) features Chile’s Alfredo Castro, who starred in 72nd Venice Golden Lion winner “Desde Alla” (“From Afar”) by Lorenzo Vigas. Castro leads an international cast that includes Germany’s Lars Rudolph and Spanish thesp, Lola Rubio.
Set in the early 20th century, the drama centers on a photographer, played by Castro, who heads to Tierra de Fuego where he has been commissioned by a wealthy landowner to cover his wedding.
The photographer discovers that the bride is a mere child and begins to obsessively photograph her in secret.
Filmed last year in the frigid tundra of Chile’s Tierra de Fuego and Spain’s tropical Canary Islands, the anticipated second feature by helmer-scribe Theo Court (“Ocaso”) features Chile’s Alfredo Castro, who starred in 72nd Venice Golden Lion winner “Desde Alla” (“From Afar”) by Lorenzo Vigas. Castro leads an international cast that includes Germany’s Lars Rudolph and Spanish thesp, Lola Rubio.
Set in the early 20th century, the drama centers on a photographer, played by Castro, who heads to Tierra de Fuego where he has been commissioned by a wealthy landowner to cover his wedding.
The photographer discovers that the bride is a mere child and begins to obsessively photograph her in secret.
- 8/21/2019
- by Anna Marie de la Fuente
- Variety Film + TV
Six Asian filmmakers will be assigned $145,000 (RMB1m) to make a high-quality film.
The Hong Kong International Film Festival Society (Hkiffs) is joining forces with China’s Heaven Pictures on a slate of six low-budget films from prominent Asian directors.
The initiative, entitled ‘B2B A Love Supreme’, with B2B standing for “Back to Basics”, will challenge each filmmaker to make a high-quality film with the relatively low budget of $145,000 (RMB1m).
The participating filmmakers include Taiwan’s Tsai Ming-liang (Stray Dogs), Japan’s Yuya Ishii (The Great Passage), Korean-Chinese veteran Zhang Lu (Fukuoka), Chinese indie filmmaker Yang Jin...
The Hong Kong International Film Festival Society (Hkiffs) is joining forces with China’s Heaven Pictures on a slate of six low-budget films from prominent Asian directors.
The initiative, entitled ‘B2B A Love Supreme’, with B2B standing for “Back to Basics”, will challenge each filmmaker to make a high-quality film with the relatively low budget of $145,000 (RMB1m).
The participating filmmakers include Taiwan’s Tsai Ming-liang (Stray Dogs), Japan’s Yuya Ishii (The Great Passage), Korean-Chinese veteran Zhang Lu (Fukuoka), Chinese indie filmmaker Yang Jin...
- 6/20/2019
- by Liz Shackleton
- ScreenDaily
The Hong Kong International Film Festival Society (Hkiffs) and China’s Heaven Pictures announced that they will award six Asian filmmakers RMB1 million in a joint project to demonstrate how high-quality films can still be made inexpensively.
The six films that emerge from the new initiative, titled “Back to Basics (B2B): A Love Supreme,” will be co-produced by the two entities and released over the next three years. Hkiffs will handle international sales and festival strategies, while Heaven Pictures will handle mainland distribution.
Participating directors include Taiwanese auteur Tsai Ming-Liang, Japan’s Ishii Yuya, Korean-Chinese director Zhang Lu, Chinese independent filmmaker Yang Jin, Malaysian New Wave director Tan Chui Mui, and Hong Kong director Philip Yung, whose “Port of Call” won seven Hong Kong Film Awards in 2015.
“We aim to strip away the artifice of much contemporary movie-making, returning cinema to something raw and exciting,” said Jacob Wong,...
The six films that emerge from the new initiative, titled “Back to Basics (B2B): A Love Supreme,” will be co-produced by the two entities and released over the next three years. Hkiffs will handle international sales and festival strategies, while Heaven Pictures will handle mainland distribution.
Participating directors include Taiwanese auteur Tsai Ming-Liang, Japan’s Ishii Yuya, Korean-Chinese director Zhang Lu, Chinese independent filmmaker Yang Jin, Malaysian New Wave director Tan Chui Mui, and Hong Kong director Philip Yung, whose “Port of Call” won seven Hong Kong Film Awards in 2015.
“We aim to strip away the artifice of much contemporary movie-making, returning cinema to something raw and exciting,” said Jacob Wong,...
- 6/20/2019
- by Rebecca Davis
- Variety Film + TV
Singaporean filmmaker Anthony Chen, who won Cannes’ Camera d’Or with his feature debut “Ilo Ilo” in 2013, and was chosen by Variety as one of its 10 Directors to Watch in the same year, is putting the finishing touches to his sophomore feature, “Wet Season,” which he is looking to premiere at an A-list festival. In the intervening six years, he has also been hard at work producing other filmmakers’ work.
Chen describes “Wet Season” as the story of a 40-year-old woman “who is having a bit of crisis in life and is on a journey to rediscover herself, redefine herself and restart [her life].” The woman’s friendship with a young man “helps her reaffirm her identity as a woman,” according to Memento Films Intl., which is handling international sales.
After directing several award-winning shorts, including “Grandma,” which won a special mention at Cannes in 2007, Chen was thrust into the global spotlight...
Chen describes “Wet Season” as the story of a 40-year-old woman “who is having a bit of crisis in life and is on a journey to rediscover herself, redefine herself and restart [her life].” The woman’s friendship with a young man “helps her reaffirm her identity as a woman,” according to Memento Films Intl., which is handling international sales.
After directing several award-winning shorts, including “Grandma,” which won a special mention at Cannes in 2007, Chen was thrust into the global spotlight...
- 5/16/2019
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Tenerife, Spain – Santiago Caicedo’s debut “Virus Tropical” took best feature prize at Quirino Awards in a ceremony held at Tenerife’s auditorium on Saturday April 6.
Best TV series award went to Juliano Enrico’s “Jorel’s Brother – Be Broccoli!” and best short kudo to Nara Normande’s “Guaxuma.” Two out of three main prizes went to Brazil’s productions.
Based on the graphic novel of Colombia-Ecuador’s Power Paola, “Virus Tropical” is produced by Colombia’s Timbo Studio and France’s Ikki Films. Sold to Amazon by Paris’ Stray Dogs, it’s a black and white coming-of-age story beginning the very night Paola is conceived. This will set the tone for a family drama with a strong element of sexuality exploring its main character, a woman born to a priest and a psychic, who will battle for independence and to find her place in the world.
The Quirino Award...
Best TV series award went to Juliano Enrico’s “Jorel’s Brother – Be Broccoli!” and best short kudo to Nara Normande’s “Guaxuma.” Two out of three main prizes went to Brazil’s productions.
Based on the graphic novel of Colombia-Ecuador’s Power Paola, “Virus Tropical” is produced by Colombia’s Timbo Studio and France’s Ikki Films. Sold to Amazon by Paris’ Stray Dogs, it’s a black and white coming-of-age story beginning the very night Paola is conceived. This will set the tone for a family drama with a strong element of sexuality exploring its main character, a woman born to a priest and a psychic, who will battle for independence and to find her place in the world.
The Quirino Award...
- 4/7/2019
- by Emilio Mayorga
- Variety Film + TV
This ‘slow cinema’ legend has now abandoned all dialogue. As the UK Taiwan film festival kicks off, he talks about his latest work – about a man with neck pain who owns a fish
‘In my childhood, cinema was like going into a temple. Now, it’s more like going into a shopping mall,” says Tsai Ming-liang. Over the course of his nearly 30-year career, the Taiwanese film-maker’s work has moved further and further towards the “temple” end of the spectrum. Often bracketed under the “slow cinema” movement, he is a master of the very long take. His last feature, 2013’s Stray Dogs, included a shot of two people staring at a mural in an abandoned building that lasted over 14 minutes. But despite his shaven head, Tsai is no monk. In the past, his films have featured choreographed musical sequences, surreal comedy, and plenty of sex – gay, straight, solo, even watermelon-incorporating,...
‘In my childhood, cinema was like going into a temple. Now, it’s more like going into a shopping mall,” says Tsai Ming-liang. Over the course of his nearly 30-year career, the Taiwanese film-maker’s work has moved further and further towards the “temple” end of the spectrum. Often bracketed under the “slow cinema” movement, he is a master of the very long take. His last feature, 2013’s Stray Dogs, included a shot of two people staring at a mural in an abandoned building that lasted over 14 minutes. But despite his shaven head, Tsai is no monk. In the past, his films have featured choreographed musical sequences, surreal comedy, and plenty of sex – gay, straight, solo, even watermelon-incorporating,...
- 4/4/2019
- by Steve Rose
- The Guardian - Film News
This was my very first time seeing a film by Tsai Ming-liang. Since I know that I have missed out on this iconic Malaysian born filmmaker, I took the opportunity to watch his debut feature “Rebels of the Neon God” at the occasion of the 69th Berlinale International Film Festival.
Basically “Rebels of the Neon God” is about a boy dropping out of school and how he deals with it. Keeping it secret from his parents, Hsiao Kang (Lee Kang-sheng) quits the tutorial school for college, takes the refund and dives into the night. Another plotline follows two thieves, Ah Tze (Chen Chao-jung) and Ah Ping (Jen Chang-bin), who get together with a girl named Ah Kuei. The boys steal cash from telephone booths and spend their time in arcade halls, bars, and on their scooter saddles. In the course of the film, the two plotlines interfere several times, first by accident,...
Basically “Rebels of the Neon God” is about a boy dropping out of school and how he deals with it. Keeping it secret from his parents, Hsiao Kang (Lee Kang-sheng) quits the tutorial school for college, takes the refund and dives into the night. Another plotline follows two thieves, Ah Tze (Chen Chao-jung) and Ah Ping (Jen Chang-bin), who get together with a girl named Ah Kuei. The boys steal cash from telephone booths and spend their time in arcade halls, bars, and on their scooter saddles. In the course of the film, the two plotlines interfere several times, first by accident,...
- 2/19/2019
- by Alexander Knoth
- AsianMoviePulse
Santiago De Chile — “Too Late to Die Young” (“Tarde Para Morir Joven”), Dominga Sotomayor’s coming-of-age drama, has been picked up by Santiago-based producer-distributor StoryBoard Media, which aims to release the drama in Chile by May next year.
Likened by some to “Call Me Your Name” for its evocative tale, “Too Late to Die Young” snagged Sotomayor a Best Director Leopard at Switzerland’s Locarno Film Festival, the first female director to receive this coveted prize. Paris-based Stray Dogs secured world sales rights to “Too Late to Die Young” in the run-up to Locarno.
The film had its Chilean premiere at the 14th Santiago Intl. Film Festival, where it played to sold-out screenings.
StoryBoard plans to release “Too Late…” in up to 35 commercial and indie screens across Chile, said StoryBoard Media producer and Sanfic industry director, Gabriela Sandoval.
Well aware that Chilean auds rarely turn up for local auteur films,...
Likened by some to “Call Me Your Name” for its evocative tale, “Too Late to Die Young” snagged Sotomayor a Best Director Leopard at Switzerland’s Locarno Film Festival, the first female director to receive this coveted prize. Paris-based Stray Dogs secured world sales rights to “Too Late to Die Young” in the run-up to Locarno.
The film had its Chilean premiere at the 14th Santiago Intl. Film Festival, where it played to sold-out screenings.
StoryBoard plans to release “Too Late…” in up to 35 commercial and indie screens across Chile, said StoryBoard Media producer and Sanfic industry director, Gabriela Sandoval.
Well aware that Chilean auds rarely turn up for local auteur films,...
- 8/25/2018
- by Anna Marie de la Fuente
- Variety Film + TV
Locarno, Switzerland — Brit Richard Billingham’s “Ray & Liz,” “A Family Tour,” from Chinese exile Ying Liang, Chilean Dominga Sotomayor’s “Too Late to Die Young” made some of the very early running in main competition at the 71st Locarno Festival, which saw a slew of negotiations kick off, and some deals go down, at its packed Industry Days which wrapped Monday.
The films world premiered at Europe’s biggest mid-summer film meet as Meg Ryan, Antoine Fuqua, Ethan Hawke and France’s Bruno Dumont rolled into town. Ryan talked of her new career as a director, producer, announcing a new project, half-hour comedy “The Obsolescents”: Fuqua, at Locarno for “The Equaliser 2,” talked intelligently about how to empower black filmmakers in Hollywood; Hawke, here to present “Blaze,” will receive the 2018 Excellence Award; Dumont, world premiering feature/series “Coincoin and the Extra Humans,” maybe the best received of Piazza Grande offerings to date,...
The films world premiered at Europe’s biggest mid-summer film meet as Meg Ryan, Antoine Fuqua, Ethan Hawke and France’s Bruno Dumont rolled into town. Ryan talked of her new career as a director, producer, announcing a new project, half-hour comedy “The Obsolescents”: Fuqua, at Locarno for “The Equaliser 2,” talked intelligently about how to empower black filmmakers in Hollywood; Hawke, here to present “Blaze,” will receive the 2018 Excellence Award; Dumont, world premiering feature/series “Coincoin and the Extra Humans,” maybe the best received of Piazza Grande offerings to date,...
- 8/8/2018
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
Yona Rozenkier’s “The Dive” and Tsivia Barkai-Yacov’s “Red Cow” have scooped The Haggiag Award for Best Israeli Feature Film and the Anat Pirchi Award for Best Debut Film at the 35th edition of the Jerusalem Film Festival.
“The Dive” and “Red Cow” shared the award Thursday for best debut film. Produced by Efrat Cohen and Koby Mizrahi ,”The Dive” follows three brothers who reunite for one weekend to bury their father in their native kibbutz on the border with Lebanon before going to war. The movie, which also played at Locarno, is being sold by Stray Dogs.
“Red Cow” is set in an Israeli settlement in East Jerusalem and follows the sexual awakening of a teenage girl living with her widowed father, who is an Orthodox Jew. The movie world premiered at Berlin in the Generation section.
The Israeli competition jury, which comprised Romanian director Calin Peter Netzer,...
“The Dive” and “Red Cow” shared the award Thursday for best debut film. Produced by Efrat Cohen and Koby Mizrahi ,”The Dive” follows three brothers who reunite for one weekend to bury their father in their native kibbutz on the border with Lebanon before going to war. The movie, which also played at Locarno, is being sold by Stray Dogs.
“Red Cow” is set in an Israeli settlement in East Jerusalem and follows the sexual awakening of a teenage girl living with her widowed father, who is an Orthodox Jew. The movie world premiered at Berlin in the Generation section.
The Israeli competition jury, which comprised Romanian director Calin Peter Netzer,...
- 8/3/2018
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Director, writer and actor Yona Rozenkier’s semi-autobiographical debut feature “The Dive” is playing this week in the Filmmakers of the Present section at the Locarno Festival and world premiering in the Best Israeli Feature competition at the Jerusalem Film Festival. The film’s sales agent, Paris-based Stray Dogs, has given Variety exclusive access to a new trailer and the poster for the family drama.
The film was well-received following it’s Jerusalem world premiere if first reactions are anything to go on.
The film plays with notions of masculinity in a society that is defined by conflict. In it, three brothers – Yoav, Itai and Avi – have come together in their dying-if-not-dead hometown to bury their father, who has requested that his remains be placed in an underwater cave.
The youngest of the three, Avi, is nearing the end of his compulsory military training and understandably anxious about heading to war.
The film was well-received following it’s Jerusalem world premiere if first reactions are anything to go on.
The film plays with notions of masculinity in a society that is defined by conflict. In it, three brothers – Yoav, Itai and Avi – have come together in their dying-if-not-dead hometown to bury their father, who has requested that his remains be placed in an underwater cave.
The youngest of the three, Avi, is nearing the end of his compulsory military training and understandably anxious about heading to war.
- 8/2/2018
- by Jamie Lang
- Variety Film + TV
Locarno — The 71st Locarno Festival kicks off today, Wednesday Aug. 1, its Industry Days on Aug. 3. It commands the biggest industry attendance of any mid-summer film event in Europe. Following are ten industry takes on this edition.
1.Locarno: The Paradox
Locarno frames an industry paradox. ”Sales agents never retire. They just print up new business cards.” Or so the saying goes.
A lot may now also be changing their job descriptions. For the 2018 Locarno Festival frames a paradox: 87% of first-run titles playing the Piazza Grande, a venue for crowd-pleasers, have sales agents. That may be par for the course. But as many as 73% of the far more auteurist, sometimes out-there competition, also have agents on board coming into Locarno, which “could be something of a record,” said Nadia Dresti, Locarno artistic director and head of Locarno Pro, its industry division.
Yet, in many territories in the world, theatrical arthouse audiences are...
1.Locarno: The Paradox
Locarno frames an industry paradox. ”Sales agents never retire. They just print up new business cards.” Or so the saying goes.
A lot may now also be changing their job descriptions. For the 2018 Locarno Festival frames a paradox: 87% of first-run titles playing the Piazza Grande, a venue for crowd-pleasers, have sales agents. That may be par for the course. But as many as 73% of the far more auteurist, sometimes out-there competition, also have agents on board coming into Locarno, which “could be something of a record,” said Nadia Dresti, Locarno artistic director and head of Locarno Pro, its industry division.
Yet, in many territories in the world, theatrical arthouse audiences are...
- 8/1/2018
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
In one of the key deals in the run-up to next week’s Locarno Festival, Paris-based Stray Dogs has closed international sales rights on “Tarde para morir joven” (Too Late to Die Young), the anticipated second feature from Chile’s double Rotterdam winner Dominga Sotomayor.
Reprising some of the issues of her debut, “Thursday Till Sunday,” but on a far larger and novel canvas, “Too Late” is produced by Sotomayor’s Chile-based Cinestación and Rodrigo Teixeira’s Rt Features in Sao Paulo, whose current slate features films by Robert Eggers, James Gray and Olivier Assayas and a joint production alliance for emerging filmmakers with Martin Scorsese.
Backed by Rotterdam’s Hubert Bals Fund and the Doha Film Institute, “Too Late” is co-produced by Argentina’s Ruda Cine and the Netherlands’ Circe Films.
Holding world sales rights outside Chile, Brazil, Argentina, and Benelux, Stray Dogs Nathan Fischer will introduce “Too Late...
Reprising some of the issues of her debut, “Thursday Till Sunday,” but on a far larger and novel canvas, “Too Late” is produced by Sotomayor’s Chile-based Cinestación and Rodrigo Teixeira’s Rt Features in Sao Paulo, whose current slate features films by Robert Eggers, James Gray and Olivier Assayas and a joint production alliance for emerging filmmakers with Martin Scorsese.
Backed by Rotterdam’s Hubert Bals Fund and the Doha Film Institute, “Too Late” is co-produced by Argentina’s Ruda Cine and the Netherlands’ Circe Films.
Holding world sales rights outside Chile, Brazil, Argentina, and Benelux, Stray Dogs Nathan Fischer will introduce “Too Late...
- 7/25/2018
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
A small town in the Luxembourg countryside hides some heinous secrets in Govinda Van Maele’s mystery thriller, Gutland. Though his striking feature debut can be a bit slow-moving, it fascinatingly blurs the line between fantasy and reality, from the eerie intro all the way through to a surprise finale that raises goosebumps. After its Toronto bow, the Stray Dogs release should find open doors at genre venues willing to give an offbeat, beautifully shot thriller a try.
The story of a stranger barging into a closed society and threatening the group’s identity is hardly a new one, though arguably the...
The story of a stranger barging into a closed society and threatening the group’s identity is hardly a new one, though arguably the...
- 9/18/2017
- by Deborah Young
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Writer-director-producer Anurag Kashyap is back at the top of his game in The Brawler (Mukkabaaz), an unconventional boxing film and love story that offers a barbed critique of India’s much-abused caste system, religious intolerance and the political corruption that permeates society. A hybrid genre of his own devising combines Bollywood mainstream action and pacing (and length: the film lasts a full two and a half hours) with art house themes and engrossing characters. Packed with energy, humor, melodrama and fun, the Stray Dogs release has a wider appeal than just sports buffs. It should please Kashyap’s international fan base, even if...
- 9/15/2017
- by Deborah Young
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Boasting beautiful landscapes, brightly lit interiors and bubbly characters, Chinese director Pengfei has delivered a second feature markedly different from his first. Set in a southwestern Chinese village, Taste of Rice Flower offers luminous, pastoral drama in stark contrast to the inner-city despair running through his dark and claustrophobic 2015 debut, Underground Fragrance.
While more straightforward and less visually idiosyncratic than Underground Fragrance — a film co-produced by Tsai Ming-liang, with whom Pengfei shared writing credits on Stray Dogs — Taste of Rice Flower remains equally vivid in depicting the struggle for people stuck on the margins of a...
While more straightforward and less visually idiosyncratic than Underground Fragrance — a film co-produced by Tsai Ming-liang, with whom Pengfei shared writing credits on Stray Dogs — Taste of Rice Flower remains equally vivid in depicting the struggle for people stuck on the margins of a...
- 9/6/2017
- by Clarence Tsui
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
SydneysBuzz New Report: 2017 Toronto By Numbers: Women, Lgbtq, African American, Mena, Asian, African Diaspora and More
Want to get a head start on your competition? The Toronto By Numbers Report gives you an easy organizing tool of all Tiff films, sortable by international sales agents, U.S., Canada and other territorial distributors and by categories such as language, country, female directors, Lgbtq, African and its diaspora, Asia and diaspora, Mena, Jewish, Latino, Indigenous. And all titles are linked to the Toronto online catalog which includes screening times.
After Tiff is over, look for the Rights Roundup which reports on sales made, again showing not only titles and sales agents, but distributors alson with contact information on all of the 252 feature films, a smaller line-up compared to last year but still vaunting some impressive figures, 147 of world premieres, 19 international and 72 North American premieres.
For $99.99 you can download into your own database...
Want to get a head start on your competition? The Toronto By Numbers Report gives you an easy organizing tool of all Tiff films, sortable by international sales agents, U.S., Canada and other territorial distributors and by categories such as language, country, female directors, Lgbtq, African and its diaspora, Asia and diaspora, Mena, Jewish, Latino, Indigenous. And all titles are linked to the Toronto online catalog which includes screening times.
After Tiff is over, look for the Rights Roundup which reports on sales made, again showing not only titles and sales agents, but distributors alson with contact information on all of the 252 feature films, a smaller line-up compared to last year but still vaunting some impressive figures, 147 of world premieres, 19 international and 72 North American premieres.
For $99.99 you can download into your own database...
- 8/28/2017
- by Carlos Aguilar
- Sydney's Buzz
On Body And Soul, Félicité among UK acquisitions.
Streaming service Mubi has picked up a quartet of Berlin and Cannes titles for exclusive theatrical and VOD release in the UK.
From Films Boutique, the company picked up Berlin Golden Bear winner On Body And Soul by Ildikó Enyedi.
The Hungarian drama, which also won the Fipresci prize, chart the story of two introverted people, both workers in a meat-processing plant, who find out by chance that they share the same dream every night.
They are puzzled, incredulous and frightened. As they begin to accept this strange coincidence, they try to recreate in broad daylight what happens in their shared dreams.
From Jour2Fete, the company has acquired Alain Gomis’ Berlin Silver Bear grand jury prize-winner Félicité.
The movie charts the story of a free-willed woman working as a singer in a bar in Kinshasa whose life is thrown into turmoil when her 14-year-old son falls victim to an accident...
Streaming service Mubi has picked up a quartet of Berlin and Cannes titles for exclusive theatrical and VOD release in the UK.
From Films Boutique, the company picked up Berlin Golden Bear winner On Body And Soul by Ildikó Enyedi.
The Hungarian drama, which also won the Fipresci prize, chart the story of two introverted people, both workers in a meat-processing plant, who find out by chance that they share the same dream every night.
They are puzzled, incredulous and frightened. As they begin to accept this strange coincidence, they try to recreate in broad daylight what happens in their shared dreams.
From Jour2Fete, the company has acquired Alain Gomis’ Berlin Silver Bear grand jury prize-winner Félicité.
The movie charts the story of a free-willed woman working as a singer in a bar in Kinshasa whose life is thrown into turmoil when her 14-year-old son falls victim to an accident...
- 4/10/2017
- by andreas.wiseman@screendaily.com (Andreas Wiseman)
- ScreenDaily
Roskam’s third feature The Racer And The Jailbird starring Matthias Schoenaerts will be among the line-up.
Flanders Image – a division of the Flanders Audiovisual Fund — is hosting the first NeXT event from Oct 9-12 in Ghent, Belgium.
The event will include a showcase of new films and pitches of future projects, alongside works in progress presentations from both established names and new talents of Belgian cinema made in Flanders. There will also be a day of talks, workshops and panel discussions that bring together local filmmakers and international experts.
Among the high profile Flemish films to be discussed will be Michael R Roskam’s third feature The Racer And The Jailbird, described as a dark romantic drama and starring his Bullhead star Matthias Schoenaerts alongside Adèle Exarchopoulos; and Loft director Erik Van Looy’s new thriller The Prime Minister, which is being sold by The Works. Those are both part of short works in progress presentations...
Flanders Image – a division of the Flanders Audiovisual Fund — is hosting the first NeXT event from Oct 9-12 in Ghent, Belgium.
The event will include a showcase of new films and pitches of future projects, alongside works in progress presentations from both established names and new talents of Belgian cinema made in Flanders. There will also be a day of talks, workshops and panel discussions that bring together local filmmakers and international experts.
Among the high profile Flemish films to be discussed will be Michael R Roskam’s third feature The Racer And The Jailbird, described as a dark romantic drama and starring his Bullhead star Matthias Schoenaerts alongside Adèle Exarchopoulos; and Loft director Erik Van Looy’s new thriller The Prime Minister, which is being sold by The Works. Those are both part of short works in progress presentations...
- 9/30/2016
- by wendy.mitchell@screendaily.com (Wendy Mitchell)
- ScreenDaily
An Australian school awarded a Year Six student with a humanitarian award after the boy learned sign language to communicate with a deaf classmate, according to Australia's ABC. Ross Kelly said it was hard to communicate with Isam Gurung when Gurung transferred from a school for special needs students to Amaroo Primary School in Canberra a year ago, ABC reported. "He came and he was very, very shy. He didn't want to come to class the first few days," Ross told ABC. "We started out writing notes to each other and I decided this wasn't very efficient because there was always a delay.
- 9/3/2016
- by Char Adams, @CiCiAdams_
- PEOPLE.com
With a new album and beautiful family of four, "Life Can't Get Much Better" for Joel Madden. As a matter of fact, the pop-punk veteran and his twin brother Benji, both 37, sing about just that on Youth Authority, their band Good Charlotte's first album in nearly six years. "We're inspired by our own lives," Madden tells People. Indeed, the LP covers the gamut of the life changes they've experienced since taking a hiatus after promoting their 2010 record Cardiology, from relationships highs and lows to familial bliss. Since then, Joel has gotten married (he and Nicole Richie said "I do...
- 7/13/2016
- by Jeff Nelson, @nelson_jeff
- PEOPLE.com
Exclusive: Projects involving Damian Jones and Versailles breakout star George Blagden also pitched at Edinburgh’s first works in progress event.
The Edinburgh International Film Festival (June 15-26) hosted its first works in progress event on Sunday, presenting seven British features still in production.
Films were looking for a combination of sales company representation, festival interest and final finance.
Between pitches were meetings and networking with industry representatives from Protagonist, Metrodome, Carnaby, Stray Dogs, Film4, Studiocanal, Lionsgate, Soda and Creative England.
Festival representatives attended from Tallinn Black Nights and International Film Festival Rotterdam.
Holly Daniel, Edinburgh’s head of industry and talent development, told Screen: “It’s something we’ve wanted to do for a while now. There’s a gap across the UK for films looking for the final piece of the puzzle…Given all our work with emerging talent already, that put us in a good position to provide that platform.”
“We are very...
The Edinburgh International Film Festival (June 15-26) hosted its first works in progress event on Sunday, presenting seven British features still in production.
Films were looking for a combination of sales company representation, festival interest and final finance.
Between pitches were meetings and networking with industry representatives from Protagonist, Metrodome, Carnaby, Stray Dogs, Film4, Studiocanal, Lionsgate, Soda and Creative England.
Festival representatives attended from Tallinn Black Nights and International Film Festival Rotterdam.
Holly Daniel, Edinburgh’s head of industry and talent development, told Screen: “It’s something we’ve wanted to do for a while now. There’s a gap across the UK for films looking for the final piece of the puzzle…Given all our work with emerging talent already, that put us in a good position to provide that platform.”
“We are very...
- 6/20/2016
- by wendy.mitchell@screendaily.com (Wendy Mitchell)
- ScreenDaily
Ten Asian films will be screen during the Istanbul Film Festival here is more information about them.
The 35th Istanbul Film Festival (Iksv) will take place from April 7th to the 17th in Istanbul (Turkey). Sadly this year there will be no Asian movie present at the International Competition. Two Asian movies will be screen at the “Human Rights in Cinema” section, one in the “From the World of Festivals” section, one in the “Young Masters” section, five in the “Mined Zone” section and one in the “Hidden Gems” section.
Human Rights in Cinema
This section is dedicated to raises public consciousness and sensitivity to human rights related issues.
Behemoth (Bei xi mo shou) by Zhao Liang – China | 2015 – 90 mim
In the Old Testament, the mountains are the domain of a monster named Behemoth; in modern times the vast mining industry has taken the monster’s place. With a violent roar,...
The 35th Istanbul Film Festival (Iksv) will take place from April 7th to the 17th in Istanbul (Turkey). Sadly this year there will be no Asian movie present at the International Competition. Two Asian movies will be screen at the “Human Rights in Cinema” section, one in the “From the World of Festivals” section, one in the “Young Masters” section, five in the “Mined Zone” section and one in the “Hidden Gems” section.
Human Rights in Cinema
This section is dedicated to raises public consciousness and sensitivity to human rights related issues.
Behemoth (Bei xi mo shou) by Zhao Liang – China | 2015 – 90 mim
In the Old Testament, the mountains are the domain of a monster named Behemoth; in modern times the vast mining industry has taken the monster’s place. With a violent roar,...
- 3/30/2016
- by Sebastian Nadilo
- AsianMoviePulse
The Doha Film Institute has announced the recipients of the Fall 2015 session of its grants program following the Dubai International Film Festival, where 15 of the Institute’s previous grantees, 4 of which are world premieres, were showcased. Thirty projects from 19 countries – comprising 16 feature-length narrative films, 10 feature documentaries and 4 short films – will receive funding for development, production or post-production.
The Fall session marks the 11th session of the grants program, which is dedicated to supporting new cinematic talent, with a focus on first- and second-time filmmakers.
Twenty-four of the projects are from the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region, while 6 are from the rest of the world. For the first time, filmmakers from Chile, Peru and Spain will receive funding from the program.
Stories of displacement, physical or spiritual journeys, tales of family life, the power of nature and the importance of protecting the environment are highlighted in the selections this Fall.
Four projects from Qatar-based filmmakers were awarded grants – Hafiz Ali Abdullah’s "The Search for the Star Pearl," about a young pearl diver from Doha who discovers a map to the most valuable gem on Earth, and sets sail with three teenage friends in search of it; Hamida Al Kawari’s "To the Ends of the Earth" – the first Qatari feature documentary to receive a grant from the Institute – which follows a Qatari woman on an environmental expedition to Antarctica in search of hope; A.J. Al Thani’s "Kashta," a family drama about a father who takes his sons out into the desert to teach them about hunting and survival; and Hend Fakhroo’s "The Waiting Room," about an Arab and a Western family who find themselves sharing a hospital room.
Among the 30 projects selected for funding, 5 are from Morocco – Fyzal Boulifa’s "Pagan Magic," the story of a poor youngster working as a maid for a middle-class family; second-time grantee Uda Benyamina’s "Bastard," about a 15-year-old girl who lives with her mother in a rough Parisian suburb; Yakout Elhababi’s "Behind the Doors," which looks at family life and childhood set high in the Rif mountains of Morocco; Hind Bensari’s "Weight Throwers," a documentary look at the struggles of two young athletes as they train for the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro; and "Behind The Wall," by Karima Zoubir, a short film set in a Casablanca slum.
Also featuring strongly are three animation projects – established filmmaker Haifaa Al Mansour’s "Miss Camel," the story of a teenage Saudi camel who challenges the deep-rooted restrictions of her culture by travelling across the kingdom to compete in the Miss Camel beauty pageant in Doha; Mortada Gzar’s "Language," about a blind man on the streets of Baghdad who wakes up as a giant and reads the devastation of the city by touch; and Hafiz Ali Abdullah’s "The Search for the Star Pearl."
As in several previous sessions of the grants program, powerful projects from Argentina have also secured funding. Milagros Mumenthaler’s Swiss/Argentinian film "The Idea of a Lake" is about a photographer who undergoes a personal exploration of her past and the absence of her father while creating a book of her work, while Maximiliano Schonfeld’s "The Black Frost" is a drama set on a plantation where a pernicious black frost threatens to devastate the countryside until a mysterious woman arrives.
Continuing the environmental theme, Heidi Brandenburg and Mathew Orzel’s "When Two Worlds Collide" is the story of an indigenous Peruvian man and his people, and of the fate of one of our planet’s most valuable natural resources – the Amazon rainforest. The film, which has its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in January, is the first-ever Peruvian recipient of a grant from the Institute.
Fatma Al Remaihi, CEO of the Doha Film Institute, said: “Our Fall grantees cover a broad range of subjects and represent some powerful new voices in cinema, especially from Qatar and North Africa with several projects supported from Morocco and Algeria.”
“Animated films are very popular in our region so it is very encouraging to see an acclaimed filmmaker like Haifaa Al Mansour turn her skills to this important genre; we support two other animated projects in this grants cycle as well.”
“Our grantees represent the core of the Doha Film Institute’s mandate to support emerging filmmakers and contribute to the development of the regional film industry. We have supported more than 255 films since the inception of the grants program and we continue to seek out projects with a strong directorial vision that are challenging, creative and thought-provoking. Our new round of grantees is no exception and I am delighted to welcome this outstanding crop of projects to our growing community of grantee alumni.”
Submissions for the next funding round open January 6 and close January 19, 2016. Funding is available to projects by filmmakers from around the world, with an emphasis on support for filmmakers from the Mena region. Certain categories of funding reserved for Mena and Qatari filmmakers.
The fund is primarily for first and second-time filmmakers. Post-production funding is available to established filmmakers from the Mena region.
For more information about eligibility and submissions, please visit
http://www.dohafilminstitute.com/financing/grants/guidelines
A full directory of past grant recipients is available to view at
http://www.dohafilminstitute.com/financing/projects/grants
The Doha Film Institute Grants Program funding recipients for the Fall 2015 session are:
Feature Narrative / Development
"Death Street" by Mohanad Hayal (Iraq)
Tariq, the sniper of Haifa Street in Baghdad, kills Ahmed on his wedding day. While Tariq prevents anyone from approaching the corpse in the street, an intimate and telling drama unfolds.
"Miss Camel" by Haifaa Al Mansour (Saudia Arabia)
A teenage Saudi camel challenges the deep-rooted restrictions of her culture by traveling across the kingdom to compete in the Miss Camel beauty pageant in Doha.
"Pagan Magic" by Fyzal Boulifa (Morocco, France)
A young, poor and uneducated girl works as a maid for a middle-class family in contemporary Morocco. Her use of pagan rites to confront her entrapment and make sense of her world ultimately corrupt her.
"The Search for the Star Pearl" by Hafiz Ali Abdullah (Qatar)
Ali, a 17-year-old pearl diver from Doha, discovers a map to the Star Pearl of Abu Derya, the most valuable gem on Earth, and sets sail with three teenaged friends in search of the pearl. Along the way, they face mythological beasts that challenge their skills and friendship.
Feature Narrative / Production
"Cactus Flower" by Hala Elkoussy (Egypt)
A flood leaves three Cairenes homeless. As they journey across the city in search of shelter, they depend upon one another to survive and keep their dreams alive.
"Poisonous Roses" by Fawzi Saleh (Egypt)
The world has left nothing to Taheya apart from her brother Saqr. When he disappears, Taheya pursues him in desperation.
"The Return" by Meyar Al-Roumi (Syria, France)
A love story blossoms between Taysir and Lina, exiles from Syria, while they drive across their homeland to bury Taysir’s brother, a victim of the armed conflict.
"Till the Swallows Return" by Karim Moussaoui (Algeria, France)
This is the story of three characters who are a product of the conflicted Algeria of the 2000s. Their ideals shattered and their moral strength drained, each now faces a difficult life choice.
Feature Narrative / Post-production
"Bastard" by Uda Benyamina (Morocco, France)
Fifteen-year-old Dounia lives with her mother in a rough Parisian suburb, where she has been saddled with the nickname “bastard”.
"The Black Frost" by Maximiliano Schonfeld (Argentina)
Soon after a mysterious woman arrives on a plantation, a pernicious black frost ceases to devastate the countryside. Hope emerges. Might she might be a saviour?
"Blue Bicycle" by Ümit Köreken (Turkey)
Young Ali saves up all the money he can working at a tyre repair shop to buy a coveted blue bicycle. Meanwhile, at school, his love for his schoolmate Elif leads him to defend her dismissal as school president. A story of childish love, dreams and resistance.
"The Dark Wind" by Hussein Hassan (Iraq)
Radical Islamists attack a village in Iraq where two young Yazidis are preparing for their marriage. At that moment, their lives become a nightmare.
"The Idea of a Lake" (note: previously titled Air Pocket) by Milagros Mumenthaler (Switzerland, Argentina)
Inés, a photographer, is creating a book of her work. Gradually, the process becomes a personal exploration of her past and the absence of her father, who was disappeared during the military dictatorship in Argentina.
"The Mimosas" by Oliver Laxe (Spain, Morocco, France)
In the Atlas Mountains in the past, a caravan searches for the path to take a Sufi master home to die. Among the party is Ahmed, a rascal who eventually becomes inspired to lead the caravan to its destination. Along the way, he is assisted by Shakib, a man sent from contemporary Morocco to guide Ahmed on his journey.
"Rey" (King) by Niles Atallah (Chile)
In 1860, a French lawyer dreamed of becoming the King of Patagonia – and he did just that. Or so it seemed.
"Suspension" by Ala Eddine Slim (Tunisia)
N is a candidate for an illegal crossing of the Mediterranean from Tunisia. A supernatural voyage, during which N will confront Nature and himself, begins.
Feature Documentary / Development
"Agnus Dei" by Karim Sayad (Algeria, Switzerland)
In Algeria, Ali and his sheep, bought for slaughter on Eid Al-Adha, are getting ready for the fight. Once the bets are in, the referee invites the owners into the ring…
"Behind the Doors" by Yakout Elhababi (Morocco)
High in the Rif mountains of Morocco, the people survive by growing kif. Beneath the shadow of the ambiguous legality of the crop, ‘Behind the Doors’ tells the story of a family through its children and their mirroring games.
"The Great Family" by Eliane Raheb (Lebanon)
In 1976, at the age of four, Marlene was put up for adoption in Lebanon and raised in France. In delving into her past, she discovers she is a survivor of the massacre at the Tal Al-Zaatar Palestinian refugee camp, and a family of survivors grows around her.
Feature Documentary / Production
"The Colonel’s Stray Dogs" by Khalid Shamis (Libya, South Africa)
While director Khalid Shamis watched television in his suburban London home, his father was plotting the overthrow of Muammar Gadaffi in his study. When the regime fell, Shamis sought answers about Libya under Gadaffi and his father’s role in its failed liberation.
"Ibrahim" by Lina Alabed (Jordan)
‘Ibrahim’ uncovers the long journey of the director’s father as a young man, when he was a secret member of Abu Nidal, a militant Palestinian revolutionary organisation.
"Searching for Janitou" by Mohamed El Amine hattou (Algeria)
A journey to unravel love in past and contemporary Algeria by exploring the unique phenomenon of a Bollywood film that swept the country in the 1980s.
"To the Ends of the Earth" by Hamida Al Kawari ( Qatar)
A Qatari woman travels on an environmental expedition to Antarctica in search of hope, before returning to the Gulf and finding unity and inspiration for positive change.
"Weight Throwers" by Hind Bensari (Morocco)
‘Weight Thowers’ follows the struggles of Azzedine and Youssef, disabled members of Morocco’s unemployed and disillusioned young generation, as they struggle to train for the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
Feature Documentary / Post-production
"Tadmor" by Lokman Slim, Monika Borgmann (Lebanon)
A group of Lebanese men re-enact the ordeals they experienced as detainees in Syria’s notorious Tadmor prison. An ode to the human will to survive.
"When Two Worlds Collide" by Heidi Brandenburg, Mathew Orzel (Peru)
A story of a man and a people, and of the fate of one of our planet’s most valuable natural resources – the Amazon rainforest.
Short Narrative / Production
"Behind the Wall" by Karima Zoubir (Morocco)
Nadia, a little girl, lives in a Casablanca slum that is surrounded by a wall. One day, the municipality begins to paint the wall – but why this sudden interest?
"Kashta" by A.J. Al Thani (Qatar)
A father takes his two sons out to the desert to learn about hunting and survival, but the results are not quite what he was expecting.
"Language" by Mortada Gzar (Iraq)
An old blind man walks throught the streets of Baghdad, then falls asleep while reading a book in Braille. When he wakes up, he finds he has become a giant and reads the devastation of the city by touch.
"The Waiting Room" by Hind Fakhroo (Qatar)
An Arab family and a Western family find themselves sharing a hospital room; the only thing that separates them is a curtain.
The Fall session marks the 11th session of the grants program, which is dedicated to supporting new cinematic talent, with a focus on first- and second-time filmmakers.
Twenty-four of the projects are from the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region, while 6 are from the rest of the world. For the first time, filmmakers from Chile, Peru and Spain will receive funding from the program.
Stories of displacement, physical or spiritual journeys, tales of family life, the power of nature and the importance of protecting the environment are highlighted in the selections this Fall.
Four projects from Qatar-based filmmakers were awarded grants – Hafiz Ali Abdullah’s "The Search for the Star Pearl," about a young pearl diver from Doha who discovers a map to the most valuable gem on Earth, and sets sail with three teenage friends in search of it; Hamida Al Kawari’s "To the Ends of the Earth" – the first Qatari feature documentary to receive a grant from the Institute – which follows a Qatari woman on an environmental expedition to Antarctica in search of hope; A.J. Al Thani’s "Kashta," a family drama about a father who takes his sons out into the desert to teach them about hunting and survival; and Hend Fakhroo’s "The Waiting Room," about an Arab and a Western family who find themselves sharing a hospital room.
Among the 30 projects selected for funding, 5 are from Morocco – Fyzal Boulifa’s "Pagan Magic," the story of a poor youngster working as a maid for a middle-class family; second-time grantee Uda Benyamina’s "Bastard," about a 15-year-old girl who lives with her mother in a rough Parisian suburb; Yakout Elhababi’s "Behind the Doors," which looks at family life and childhood set high in the Rif mountains of Morocco; Hind Bensari’s "Weight Throwers," a documentary look at the struggles of two young athletes as they train for the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro; and "Behind The Wall," by Karima Zoubir, a short film set in a Casablanca slum.
Also featuring strongly are three animation projects – established filmmaker Haifaa Al Mansour’s "Miss Camel," the story of a teenage Saudi camel who challenges the deep-rooted restrictions of her culture by travelling across the kingdom to compete in the Miss Camel beauty pageant in Doha; Mortada Gzar’s "Language," about a blind man on the streets of Baghdad who wakes up as a giant and reads the devastation of the city by touch; and Hafiz Ali Abdullah’s "The Search for the Star Pearl."
As in several previous sessions of the grants program, powerful projects from Argentina have also secured funding. Milagros Mumenthaler’s Swiss/Argentinian film "The Idea of a Lake" is about a photographer who undergoes a personal exploration of her past and the absence of her father while creating a book of her work, while Maximiliano Schonfeld’s "The Black Frost" is a drama set on a plantation where a pernicious black frost threatens to devastate the countryside until a mysterious woman arrives.
Continuing the environmental theme, Heidi Brandenburg and Mathew Orzel’s "When Two Worlds Collide" is the story of an indigenous Peruvian man and his people, and of the fate of one of our planet’s most valuable natural resources – the Amazon rainforest. The film, which has its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in January, is the first-ever Peruvian recipient of a grant from the Institute.
Fatma Al Remaihi, CEO of the Doha Film Institute, said: “Our Fall grantees cover a broad range of subjects and represent some powerful new voices in cinema, especially from Qatar and North Africa with several projects supported from Morocco and Algeria.”
“Animated films are very popular in our region so it is very encouraging to see an acclaimed filmmaker like Haifaa Al Mansour turn her skills to this important genre; we support two other animated projects in this grants cycle as well.”
“Our grantees represent the core of the Doha Film Institute’s mandate to support emerging filmmakers and contribute to the development of the regional film industry. We have supported more than 255 films since the inception of the grants program and we continue to seek out projects with a strong directorial vision that are challenging, creative and thought-provoking. Our new round of grantees is no exception and I am delighted to welcome this outstanding crop of projects to our growing community of grantee alumni.”
Submissions for the next funding round open January 6 and close January 19, 2016. Funding is available to projects by filmmakers from around the world, with an emphasis on support for filmmakers from the Mena region. Certain categories of funding reserved for Mena and Qatari filmmakers.
The fund is primarily for first and second-time filmmakers. Post-production funding is available to established filmmakers from the Mena region.
For more information about eligibility and submissions, please visit
http://www.dohafilminstitute.com/financing/grants/guidelines
A full directory of past grant recipients is available to view at
http://www.dohafilminstitute.com/financing/projects/grants
The Doha Film Institute Grants Program funding recipients for the Fall 2015 session are:
Feature Narrative / Development
"Death Street" by Mohanad Hayal (Iraq)
Tariq, the sniper of Haifa Street in Baghdad, kills Ahmed on his wedding day. While Tariq prevents anyone from approaching the corpse in the street, an intimate and telling drama unfolds.
"Miss Camel" by Haifaa Al Mansour (Saudia Arabia)
A teenage Saudi camel challenges the deep-rooted restrictions of her culture by traveling across the kingdom to compete in the Miss Camel beauty pageant in Doha.
"Pagan Magic" by Fyzal Boulifa (Morocco, France)
A young, poor and uneducated girl works as a maid for a middle-class family in contemporary Morocco. Her use of pagan rites to confront her entrapment and make sense of her world ultimately corrupt her.
"The Search for the Star Pearl" by Hafiz Ali Abdullah (Qatar)
Ali, a 17-year-old pearl diver from Doha, discovers a map to the Star Pearl of Abu Derya, the most valuable gem on Earth, and sets sail with three teenaged friends in search of the pearl. Along the way, they face mythological beasts that challenge their skills and friendship.
Feature Narrative / Production
"Cactus Flower" by Hala Elkoussy (Egypt)
A flood leaves three Cairenes homeless. As they journey across the city in search of shelter, they depend upon one another to survive and keep their dreams alive.
"Poisonous Roses" by Fawzi Saleh (Egypt)
The world has left nothing to Taheya apart from her brother Saqr. When he disappears, Taheya pursues him in desperation.
"The Return" by Meyar Al-Roumi (Syria, France)
A love story blossoms between Taysir and Lina, exiles from Syria, while they drive across their homeland to bury Taysir’s brother, a victim of the armed conflict.
"Till the Swallows Return" by Karim Moussaoui (Algeria, France)
This is the story of three characters who are a product of the conflicted Algeria of the 2000s. Their ideals shattered and their moral strength drained, each now faces a difficult life choice.
Feature Narrative / Post-production
"Bastard" by Uda Benyamina (Morocco, France)
Fifteen-year-old Dounia lives with her mother in a rough Parisian suburb, where she has been saddled with the nickname “bastard”.
"The Black Frost" by Maximiliano Schonfeld (Argentina)
Soon after a mysterious woman arrives on a plantation, a pernicious black frost ceases to devastate the countryside. Hope emerges. Might she might be a saviour?
"Blue Bicycle" by Ümit Köreken (Turkey)
Young Ali saves up all the money he can working at a tyre repair shop to buy a coveted blue bicycle. Meanwhile, at school, his love for his schoolmate Elif leads him to defend her dismissal as school president. A story of childish love, dreams and resistance.
"The Dark Wind" by Hussein Hassan (Iraq)
Radical Islamists attack a village in Iraq where two young Yazidis are preparing for their marriage. At that moment, their lives become a nightmare.
"The Idea of a Lake" (note: previously titled Air Pocket) by Milagros Mumenthaler (Switzerland, Argentina)
Inés, a photographer, is creating a book of her work. Gradually, the process becomes a personal exploration of her past and the absence of her father, who was disappeared during the military dictatorship in Argentina.
"The Mimosas" by Oliver Laxe (Spain, Morocco, France)
In the Atlas Mountains in the past, a caravan searches for the path to take a Sufi master home to die. Among the party is Ahmed, a rascal who eventually becomes inspired to lead the caravan to its destination. Along the way, he is assisted by Shakib, a man sent from contemporary Morocco to guide Ahmed on his journey.
"Rey" (King) by Niles Atallah (Chile)
In 1860, a French lawyer dreamed of becoming the King of Patagonia – and he did just that. Or so it seemed.
"Suspension" by Ala Eddine Slim (Tunisia)
N is a candidate for an illegal crossing of the Mediterranean from Tunisia. A supernatural voyage, during which N will confront Nature and himself, begins.
Feature Documentary / Development
"Agnus Dei" by Karim Sayad (Algeria, Switzerland)
In Algeria, Ali and his sheep, bought for slaughter on Eid Al-Adha, are getting ready for the fight. Once the bets are in, the referee invites the owners into the ring…
"Behind the Doors" by Yakout Elhababi (Morocco)
High in the Rif mountains of Morocco, the people survive by growing kif. Beneath the shadow of the ambiguous legality of the crop, ‘Behind the Doors’ tells the story of a family through its children and their mirroring games.
"The Great Family" by Eliane Raheb (Lebanon)
In 1976, at the age of four, Marlene was put up for adoption in Lebanon and raised in France. In delving into her past, she discovers she is a survivor of the massacre at the Tal Al-Zaatar Palestinian refugee camp, and a family of survivors grows around her.
Feature Documentary / Production
"The Colonel’s Stray Dogs" by Khalid Shamis (Libya, South Africa)
While director Khalid Shamis watched television in his suburban London home, his father was plotting the overthrow of Muammar Gadaffi in his study. When the regime fell, Shamis sought answers about Libya under Gadaffi and his father’s role in its failed liberation.
"Ibrahim" by Lina Alabed (Jordan)
‘Ibrahim’ uncovers the long journey of the director’s father as a young man, when he was a secret member of Abu Nidal, a militant Palestinian revolutionary organisation.
"Searching for Janitou" by Mohamed El Amine hattou (Algeria)
A journey to unravel love in past and contemporary Algeria by exploring the unique phenomenon of a Bollywood film that swept the country in the 1980s.
"To the Ends of the Earth" by Hamida Al Kawari ( Qatar)
A Qatari woman travels on an environmental expedition to Antarctica in search of hope, before returning to the Gulf and finding unity and inspiration for positive change.
"Weight Throwers" by Hind Bensari (Morocco)
‘Weight Thowers’ follows the struggles of Azzedine and Youssef, disabled members of Morocco’s unemployed and disillusioned young generation, as they struggle to train for the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
Feature Documentary / Post-production
"Tadmor" by Lokman Slim, Monika Borgmann (Lebanon)
A group of Lebanese men re-enact the ordeals they experienced as detainees in Syria’s notorious Tadmor prison. An ode to the human will to survive.
"When Two Worlds Collide" by Heidi Brandenburg, Mathew Orzel (Peru)
A story of a man and a people, and of the fate of one of our planet’s most valuable natural resources – the Amazon rainforest.
Short Narrative / Production
"Behind the Wall" by Karima Zoubir (Morocco)
Nadia, a little girl, lives in a Casablanca slum that is surrounded by a wall. One day, the municipality begins to paint the wall – but why this sudden interest?
"Kashta" by A.J. Al Thani (Qatar)
A father takes his two sons out to the desert to learn about hunting and survival, but the results are not quite what he was expecting.
"Language" by Mortada Gzar (Iraq)
An old blind man walks throught the streets of Baghdad, then falls asleep while reading a book in Braille. When he wakes up, he finds he has become a giant and reads the devastation of the city by touch.
"The Waiting Room" by Hind Fakhroo (Qatar)
An Arab family and a Western family find themselves sharing a hospital room; the only thing that separates them is a curtain.
- 1/5/2016
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
Wadjda director among 30 awarded grants in the Doha Film Institute’s latest round of funding.Scroll down for the full list of projects
Haifaa Al Mansour, the director of 2012 Bafta-nominated Wadjda, has received a grant for her first animated feature project Miss Camel (in development) as part of the Doha Film Institute’s Fall 2015 round of funding.
The film will follow a teenage camel in Saudi Arabia which travels across the country to compete in a beauty pageant.
In total, 30 projects have received grants, including 16 feature films, three of which are animations, and 10 documentaries.
Of the projects selected, 24 are from the Mena region, while for the first time filmmakers from Chile, Peru and Spain will all receive funding.
Fatma Al Remaihi, CEO of the Doha Film Institute, said: “Animated films are very popular in our region so it is very encouraging to see an acclaimed filmmaker like Haifaa Al Mansour turn her skills to this important genre; we...
Haifaa Al Mansour, the director of 2012 Bafta-nominated Wadjda, has received a grant for her first animated feature project Miss Camel (in development) as part of the Doha Film Institute’s Fall 2015 round of funding.
The film will follow a teenage camel in Saudi Arabia which travels across the country to compete in a beauty pageant.
In total, 30 projects have received grants, including 16 feature films, three of which are animations, and 10 documentaries.
Of the projects selected, 24 are from the Mena region, while for the first time filmmakers from Chile, Peru and Spain will all receive funding.
Fatma Al Remaihi, CEO of the Doha Film Institute, said: “Animated films are very popular in our region so it is very encouraging to see an acclaimed filmmaker like Haifaa Al Mansour turn her skills to this important genre; we...
- 12/21/2015
- ScreenDaily
He’s won both an Oscar and Emmy for his writing. Now John Ridley will get a shot to direct a big budget feature. Broad Green Pictures and Imagine Entertainment are partnering to produce Ridley’s script on the La Riots with the award-winning scribe set to work behind the camera.
Ridley won an Oscar for 12 Years a Slave and won an Emmy for American Crime. He does have some experience as a director with the biopic Jimi: All is by My Side (2013) as his last film. In addition, Ridley has directed numerous television episodes. However, it’s his writing talents that have earned him the most acclaim in Hollywood. Those writing credits include Three Kings (1999), Undercover Brother (2002) and Red Tails (2012). His first novel, Stray Dogs, was made into the Oliver Stone film U-Turn (1997).
According to Deadline, a major motion picture about the 1992 La Riots has been kicked around numerous studios for years.
Ridley won an Oscar for 12 Years a Slave and won an Emmy for American Crime. He does have some experience as a director with the biopic Jimi: All is by My Side (2013) as his last film. In addition, Ridley has directed numerous television episodes. However, it’s his writing talents that have earned him the most acclaim in Hollywood. Those writing credits include Three Kings (1999), Undercover Brother (2002) and Red Tails (2012). His first novel, Stray Dogs, was made into the Oliver Stone film U-Turn (1997).
According to Deadline, a major motion picture about the 1992 La Riots has been kicked around numerous studios for years.
- 10/18/2015
- by Jeff Bricker
- AreYouScreening.com
The Museum of Modern Art has tapped La Frances Hui, an expert in Asian cinema who most recently served as Film Curator and Associate Director of Cultural Programs at the Asia Society in New York, as an Associate Curator in the Department of Film, the museum announced this morning. Hui joins what critic Thelma Adams called "the nation's preeminent museum film department," which has been led since 2007 by Rajendra Roy, whose tenure has been marked by a certain populist streak—including an ongoing exhibition curated by Adjunct Film Curator Dave Kehr devoted to the films of Robert Zemeckis, director of "The Walk," and a blockbuster Tim Burton retrospective in 2009-2010. Hui, who presented the films of Tsai Ming-liang ("Stray Dogs") and Jafar Panahi ("Taxi," "This Is Not a Film") at the Asia Society, brings to MoMA both breadth and depth of knowledge when it comes to Asian cinema, including Chinese cinema,...
- 10/2/2015
- by Matt Brennan
- Thompson on Hollywood
One of the best films premiering at this year’s Venice Film Festival, I said in my review of Afternoon, “It’s always been easier to review Tsai Ming-liang’s films than to make sense of them. Characterized by an often impenetrable language of silence and immobility, the Malaysian-born, Taiwan-based filmmaker’s work triggers all kinds of intuitive response that writers crave, yet those same writers might be hard-pressed to explain what they’ve just seen on screen. In this sense, Afternoon poses the exact opposite dilemma, in that it’s by far the most verbal and straightforward project from Tsai – but how do you assess, evaluate, grade something so close to life you’re not even sure what to call it in cinematic terms?”
Featuring Tsai and his long-time actor-of-choice Kang-sheng Lee as themselves in an extended, unscripted conversation shot on static camera, Afternoon has no discernible narrative arc,...
Featuring Tsai and his long-time actor-of-choice Kang-sheng Lee as themselves in an extended, unscripted conversation shot on static camera, Afternoon has no discernible narrative arc,...
- 9/21/2015
- by Zhuo-Ning Su
- The Film Stage
Dear Fernando,Did you catch Tsai Ming-liang’s masterpiece Journey to the West at the festival last year? Those hoping that Tsai’s follow-up after that exhilaratingly pure film and the majestically decayed Stray Dogs would have a similarly expansive vision will be disappointed by Afternoon, a two-odd-hour, four-take long video conversation between the director and his inseparable actor-muse-alter-ego-best-friend, Lee Kang-sheng, made as a gallery installation to accompany Stray Dogs but shown in a cinema at Tiff. Yet by its very nature Tsai’s sorrowful minimalism has never been more emotional. The director is a veritable blabbermouth, and whether spurned on either by the mysterious motivation for the project, his interlocuting actor’s dry silence, or nervousness in the presence of the quite noticable camera crew (awkwardly tipping their heads in the frame, taking photographs, and later even asking questions as the conversation dwindles), Tsai Ming-liang nervously but avidly, movingly...
- 9/20/2015
- by Daniel Kasman
- MUBI
Leave it to Tsai Ming-liang to make something special out of a two-hour-and-ten-minute documentary of two people talking. "Afternoon" sees the filmmaker in conversation with his biggest muse, closest confidant, and lead actor for over 20 years, Lee Kang-sheng. It takes place in a derelict building (naturally), with a window behind either side of the two interlocutors. Through those windows; the world. Luscious greenery, a beautifully blue sky, and an intruding wind whispering in from time to time, are the supporting characters to what turns out to be a profoundly touching and revelatory discussion. Shot in a single composition, as if frozen in time, Tsai's prodigious talent for framing — witnessed since "Rebels of the Neon God" in 1992 all the way to his last masterpiece, "Stray Dogs" — is on full-on display and worthy of the world's most prestigious art galleries. Angled so as to have the corner of the room slightly off-kilter from the centre of the.
- 9/18/2015
- by Nikola Grozdanovic
- The Playlist
"Following the release of his 2013 film Stray Dogs (a work that some consider his masterpiece), Tsai Ming-liang announced his retirement from feature filmmaking," writes Michael Sicinski for Cinema Scope. "Afternoon is a feature-length experimental film that could be taken as the most complex DVD extra ever made. But for devotees of Tsai and his onscreen alter ego, actor Lee Kang-sheng, the film is hypnotic, even as the perversity of its stasis prompts a viewer to wonder whether it has a trajectory or is simply going where it will." We're collecting more reviews and we've got Tsai's trailer for Viennale 2015, opening next month. » - David Hudson...
- 9/16/2015
- Keyframe
"Following the release of his 2013 film Stray Dogs (a work that some consider his masterpiece), Tsai Ming-liang announced his retirement from feature filmmaking," writes Michael Sicinski for Cinema Scope. "Afternoon is a feature-length experimental film that could be taken as the most complex DVD extra ever made. But for devotees of Tsai and his onscreen alter ego, actor Lee Kang-sheng, the film is hypnotic, even as the perversity of its stasis prompts a viewer to wonder whether it has a trajectory or is simply going where it will." We're collecting more reviews and we've got Tsai's trailer for Viennale 2015, opening next month. » - David Hudson...
- 9/16/2015
- Fandor: Keyframe
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