Saudi Arabia, where popular anime characters such as “Captain Tsubasa” and “Dragon Ball” protagonist Son Goku have been engrained in the culture for decades, is taking its love affair with Japanese manga content to the next level.
In late March, just a few weeks after the death of “Dragon Ball” creator Akira Toriyama, it was announced that the world’s first theme park dedicated to the megahit Japanese manga and animation franchise will be built in Qiddiya, the massive entertainment and tourism project outside the Saudi capital of Riyadh through a joint venture between Qiddiya and Japan’s Toei Animation.
In January, Saudi animation studio Manga Productions premiered anime movie “Great Pretender Rzbliuto,” made in partnership with Japanese studio Production I.G., at the Muvi Cinemas multiplex in central Riyadh with director Hiro Kaburagi and producer Hitoshi Ito in tow. The event marked the first time a Japanese helmer attended the...
In late March, just a few weeks after the death of “Dragon Ball” creator Akira Toriyama, it was announced that the world’s first theme park dedicated to the megahit Japanese manga and animation franchise will be built in Qiddiya, the massive entertainment and tourism project outside the Saudi capital of Riyadh through a joint venture between Qiddiya and Japan’s Toei Animation.
In January, Saudi animation studio Manga Productions premiered anime movie “Great Pretender Rzbliuto,” made in partnership with Japanese studio Production I.G., at the Muvi Cinemas multiplex in central Riyadh with director Hiro Kaburagi and producer Hitoshi Ito in tow. The event marked the first time a Japanese helmer attended the...
- 3/26/2024
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
The 55th annual NAACP Image Awards got underway on Monday with Victoria Monét and Chris Brown leading the list of early winners.
The three-day virtual Image Awards show is hosted by Khloe Thomas. Night 1 featured presenters Bellah (Hulu’s “Queenie”), Da’Vinchi (Starz’s “Bmf”), Danielle Jalade (Disney’s “Saturdays”), Gabrielle Nevaeh (Nickelodeon’s “That Girl Lay Lay”) and Vanessa Simmons (BET+ “Deadly Entanglement”) revealing winners in the recording and literary categories.
Monét had received the most nominations in the recording categories with six nominations, followed closely by Usher who earned five nods, including entertainer of the year. During the virtual ceremony, the “Jaguar II” hitmaker won outstanding new artist and outstanding album — marking her first two NAACP Image Award wins and adding to a trophy case which already boasts three Grammys. Usher won for outstanding male artist, while the female artist prize went to H.E.R. Brown’s wins...
The three-day virtual Image Awards show is hosted by Khloe Thomas. Night 1 featured presenters Bellah (Hulu’s “Queenie”), Da’Vinchi (Starz’s “Bmf”), Danielle Jalade (Disney’s “Saturdays”), Gabrielle Nevaeh (Nickelodeon’s “That Girl Lay Lay”) and Vanessa Simmons (BET+ “Deadly Entanglement”) revealing winners in the recording and literary categories.
Monét had received the most nominations in the recording categories with six nominations, followed closely by Usher who earned five nods, including entertainer of the year. During the virtual ceremony, the “Jaguar II” hitmaker won outstanding new artist and outstanding album — marking her first two NAACP Image Award wins and adding to a trophy case which already boasts three Grammys. Usher won for outstanding male artist, while the female artist prize went to H.E.R. Brown’s wins...
- 3/12/2024
- by Angelique Jackson
- Variety Film + TV
H.E.R., Megan Thee Stallion and Usher were among the winners during Night 1 of the NAACP Image Awards, which were unveiled Monday during a virtual ceremony.
Usher was named outstanding male artist, H.E.R. won the award for outstanding female artist, and Megan Thee Stallion won for outstanding hip-hop/rap song for “Cobra.”
Other winners included Victoria Monét, Tems, Kirk Franklin and Chris Brown.
Khleo Thomas hosted the NAACP Virtual Image Awards show. Non-televised awards in other categories will be handed out in virtual shows on Tuesday and Wednesday. Additional awards will be handed out at a dinner hosted by Sherri Shepherd on Thursday and at a fashion show hosted by Brandee Evans on Friday. Frankie Beverly will be honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award at Thursday’s dinner, while June Ambrose will receive the NAACP Vanguard Award for Fashion at Friday’s Fashion Show.
On Saturday, the 55th NAACP...
Usher was named outstanding male artist, H.E.R. won the award for outstanding female artist, and Megan Thee Stallion won for outstanding hip-hop/rap song for “Cobra.”
Other winners included Victoria Monét, Tems, Kirk Franklin and Chris Brown.
Khleo Thomas hosted the NAACP Virtual Image Awards show. Non-televised awards in other categories will be handed out in virtual shows on Tuesday and Wednesday. Additional awards will be handed out at a dinner hosted by Sherri Shepherd on Thursday and at a fashion show hosted by Brandee Evans on Friday. Frankie Beverly will be honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award at Thursday’s dinner, while June Ambrose will receive the NAACP Vanguard Award for Fashion at Friday’s Fashion Show.
On Saturday, the 55th NAACP...
- 3/12/2024
- by Kimberly Nordyke
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Never give up! Never surrender! Never Surrender, the 2019 documentary about the making of beloved sci-fi comedy Galaxy Quest, is headed to Blu-ray later this month. Unfortunately it doesn’t come with a Protector case, although Vinegar Syndrome does have a nifty exclusive slipcover.
Here is the synopsis of Never Surrender: A Galaxy Quest Documentary, as per Blu-ray.com: “With beloved cult classic Galaxy Quest reaching its 20th Anniversary, this star-studded documentary unveils how the film turned fans into true heroes and predicted a future where geeks would rule the world! The cast and crew recall how a fire on set, the loss of a powerful director, and an unconvinced studio couldn’t stop the film that would never give up and never surrender!”
Bonus features on Never Surrender: A Galaxy Quest Documentary include: interviews with stars Tim Allen and Sigourney Weaver, director Dean Paristo, writer Robert Gordon, and numerous notable...
Here is the synopsis of Never Surrender: A Galaxy Quest Documentary, as per Blu-ray.com: “With beloved cult classic Galaxy Quest reaching its 20th Anniversary, this star-studded documentary unveils how the film turned fans into true heroes and predicted a future where geeks would rule the world! The cast and crew recall how a fire on set, the loss of a powerful director, and an unconvinced studio couldn’t stop the film that would never give up and never surrender!”
Bonus features on Never Surrender: A Galaxy Quest Documentary include: interviews with stars Tim Allen and Sigourney Weaver, director Dean Paristo, writer Robert Gordon, and numerous notable...
- 2/2/2024
- by Mathew Plale
- JoBlo.com
Exclusive: Pop icon Sia has boarded The Journey, a reality series at the junction of music, healing and make-over TV.
The Australian-born singer-songwriter has signed a deal with Original Bear Entertainment for the show, which is currently in development and billed as “the first make-over show that uses music instead of make-up.”
Sia, who has sold close to 7 million albums worldwide and had hits with the likes of ‘Chandelier’ and ‘Breathe Me’, will bring musical expertise to the project. “By pure coincidence, a friend showed me the teaser of the show, and it immediately grabbed me,” she said.
“The Journey promises to be an unforgettable and moving experience that combines the power of music with the resilience of the human spirit,” said Erik Felderhof, creator and executive producer of The Journey. “We’re thrilled to team with Sia, who has shared her own personal struggles to bring audiences a show...
The Australian-born singer-songwriter has signed a deal with Original Bear Entertainment for the show, which is currently in development and billed as “the first make-over show that uses music instead of make-up.”
Sia, who has sold close to 7 million albums worldwide and had hits with the likes of ‘Chandelier’ and ‘Breathe Me’, will bring musical expertise to the project. “By pure coincidence, a friend showed me the teaser of the show, and it immediately grabbed me,” she said.
“The Journey promises to be an unforgettable and moving experience that combines the power of music with the resilience of the human spirit,” said Erik Felderhof, creator and executive producer of The Journey. “We’re thrilled to team with Sia, who has shared her own personal struggles to bring audiences a show...
- 12/5/2023
- by Jesse Whittock
- Deadline Film + TV
South Korean studio Cj Enm has entered into a Mou with Saudi Arabian content company Manga Productions to jointly co-produce and distribute content.
The deal covers content across all areas of media and entertainment, including animation, TV series, films, webtoons and infrastructure. The two companies said their partnership also aims to mutually enhance talents and human resources.
Manga Productions focuses on the production and distribution of animations and games and is expanding its portfolio of collaborations with various partners in Asia. The company is co-producing films with Japanese animation studio Toei Animation, including Shizuno Kobun’s The Journey.
Manga Productions CEO Dr. Essam Bukhary said the deal, “would enable the two creative forces to merge and offer exceptional entertainment content to audiences worldwide. The partnership would be an essential opportunity to reach Korean audiences with rich Saudi content for the first time through Cj Enm and introduce Korean creative contents to the Arab world.
The deal covers content across all areas of media and entertainment, including animation, TV series, films, webtoons and infrastructure. The two companies said their partnership also aims to mutually enhance talents and human resources.
Manga Productions focuses on the production and distribution of animations and games and is expanding its portfolio of collaborations with various partners in Asia. The company is co-producing films with Japanese animation studio Toei Animation, including Shizuno Kobun’s The Journey.
Manga Productions CEO Dr. Essam Bukhary said the deal, “would enable the two creative forces to merge and offer exceptional entertainment content to audiences worldwide. The partnership would be an essential opportunity to reach Korean audiences with rich Saudi content for the first time through Cj Enm and introduce Korean creative contents to the Arab world.
- 11/2/2023
- by Liz Shackleton
- Deadline Film + TV
The first look images of “William Tell,” the epic story of the crossbow-wielding warrior, have been released. The feature film is in its last week of principal photography in Italy. Beta Cinema is representing international sales rights with WME Independent handling North American rights.
Nick Hamm directs, based on his screenplay, adapted from Friedrich Schiller’s play. Hamm’s credits include “Driven,” which was selected as the closing film at the Venice Film Festival 2018 and released by Universal; “Gigi & Nate” (2022); the Netflix series “White Lines” (2020); and “The Journey,” which premiered at Venice and Toronto in 2016.
The film stars Claes Bang, Connor Swindells, Ellie Bamber, Golshifteh Farahani, Jonah Hauer-King, Rafe Spall, Emily Beecham, Academy-Award nominee Jonathan Pryce and Academy Award winner Ben Kingsley.
The story unfolds in the 14th century amid the waning days of the Holy Roman Empire, when Europe’s nations fiercely vie for supremacy and the ambitious Austrians,...
Nick Hamm directs, based on his screenplay, adapted from Friedrich Schiller’s play. Hamm’s credits include “Driven,” which was selected as the closing film at the Venice Film Festival 2018 and released by Universal; “Gigi & Nate” (2022); the Netflix series “White Lines” (2020); and “The Journey,” which premiered at Venice and Toronto in 2016.
The film stars Claes Bang, Connor Swindells, Ellie Bamber, Golshifteh Farahani, Jonah Hauer-King, Rafe Spall, Emily Beecham, Academy-Award nominee Jonathan Pryce and Academy Award winner Ben Kingsley.
The story unfolds in the 14th century amid the waning days of the Holy Roman Empire, when Europe’s nations fiercely vie for supremacy and the ambitious Austrians,...
- 10/24/2023
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
Cast also includes Ellie Bamber, Jonah Hauer-King, Rafe Spall, Emily Beecham, Jonathan Pryce and Ben Kingsley.
Beta Cinema has boarded international sales on Nick Hamm’s English-language feature William Tell, based on the classic story of the crossbow warrior who shot an arrow through an apple on his son’s head and launched the struggle for Swiss independence.
Written and directed by Hamm, William Tell stars Claes Bang as Tell alongside Connor Swindells, Ellie Bamber, Golshifteh Farahani, Jonah Hauer-King, Rafe Spall, Emily Beecham as well as Jonathan Pryce and Ben Kingsley.
Beta Cinema and production companies Free Turn Films and...
Beta Cinema has boarded international sales on Nick Hamm’s English-language feature William Tell, based on the classic story of the crossbow warrior who shot an arrow through an apple on his son’s head and launched the struggle for Swiss independence.
Written and directed by Hamm, William Tell stars Claes Bang as Tell alongside Connor Swindells, Ellie Bamber, Golshifteh Farahani, Jonah Hauer-King, Rafe Spall, Emily Beecham as well as Jonathan Pryce and Ben Kingsley.
Beta Cinema and production companies Free Turn Films and...
- 10/24/2023
- by Tim Dams
- ScreenDaily
Cast also includes Connor Swindells, Ellie Bamber, Golshifteh Farahani, Jonah Hauer-King, Rafe Spall, Emily Beecham, Jonathan Pryce and Ben Kingsley.
Beta Cinema has boarded international sales on Nick Hamm’s English-language feature William Tell, based on the classic story of the Swiss crossbow warrior.
Written and directed by Hamm, William Tell stars Claes Bang as Tell alongside Connor Swindells, Ellie Bamber, Golshifteh Farahani, Jonah Hauer-King, Rafe Spall, Emily Beecham as well as Oscar nominee Jonathan Pryce and Academy Award winner Ben Kingsley.
Beta Cinema and production companies Free Turn Films and Tempo Productions have also released a first look of...
Beta Cinema has boarded international sales on Nick Hamm’s English-language feature William Tell, based on the classic story of the Swiss crossbow warrior.
Written and directed by Hamm, William Tell stars Claes Bang as Tell alongside Connor Swindells, Ellie Bamber, Golshifteh Farahani, Jonah Hauer-King, Rafe Spall, Emily Beecham as well as Oscar nominee Jonathan Pryce and Academy Award winner Ben Kingsley.
Beta Cinema and production companies Free Turn Films and Tempo Productions have also released a first look of...
- 10/24/2023
- by Tim Dams
- ScreenDaily
by Yann Benarrous
Have you ever asked yourself why football is so popular in the media all around the world? British heritage? Not really, considering that commonwealth countries generally prefer cricket. Because of its massive wealth and marketing strike force? Probably, but it can as well be considered as the consequence of it. No. It is far simpler: football is politics. Football is gathering all our modern societies’ nonsense: inequality, hopes, unfairness, unpredictability, and fast-food joys. And beyond its light entertainment disguise, “Ola Bola” is definitively a political film.
Check also this interview
Political is the plot since in all respects, it emphasizes societal issues of the modern Malaysia. Indeed once should not forget that Malaysia was not even a country prior to 1964, it is made of very distinct communities and that it has enjoyed almost unintentionally a formidable growth in the 80s surfing on the leftovers of the Four Asian tigers.
Have you ever asked yourself why football is so popular in the media all around the world? British heritage? Not really, considering that commonwealth countries generally prefer cricket. Because of its massive wealth and marketing strike force? Probably, but it can as well be considered as the consequence of it. No. It is far simpler: football is politics. Football is gathering all our modern societies’ nonsense: inequality, hopes, unfairness, unpredictability, and fast-food joys. And beyond its light entertainment disguise, “Ola Bola” is definitively a political film.
Check also this interview
Political is the plot since in all respects, it emphasizes societal issues of the modern Malaysia. Indeed once should not forget that Malaysia was not even a country prior to 1964, it is made of very distinct communities and that it has enjoyed almost unintentionally a formidable growth in the 80s surfing on the leftovers of the Four Asian tigers.
- 10/13/2023
- by Guest Writer
- AsianMoviePulse
There have already been several hundred complaints to Ofcom over Gregg Wallace’s “documentary” The British Miracle Meat, which aired on Channel 4 in July, and introduced the nation to the supposed rise in lab-grown meat derived from human flesh.
This groundbreaking satire was an instant viral hit, but seemed to divide the nation between those who thought it was a genius piece of television, and those who were disturbed, disgusted, or even duped.
But this is far from the first time that British television has controversially traumatised the nation: The British Miracle Meat is merely the latest in this country’s rich tradition of using dystopian TV shows and hoaxes to permanently scar the public. Let’s take a look (if you dare) at this particularly bleak area of British TV history, most of which you’ve probably long-since wiped from your memory (sorry):
The War Game (1966)
So...
This groundbreaking satire was an instant viral hit, but seemed to divide the nation between those who thought it was a genius piece of television, and those who were disturbed, disgusted, or even duped.
But this is far from the first time that British television has controversially traumatised the nation: The British Miracle Meat is merely the latest in this country’s rich tradition of using dystopian TV shows and hoaxes to permanently scar the public. Let’s take a look (if you dare) at this particularly bleak area of British TV history, most of which you’ve probably long-since wiped from your memory (sorry):
The War Game (1966)
So...
- 8/7/2023
- by Lauravickersgreen
- Den of Geek
To mix sports metaphors, H.E.R.’s new song “The Journey,” which will soundtrack ESPN’s broadcasts of the NBA Finals, is a big swing — an old-school, hyper-melodic, live-instrument-driven ballad. And for H.E.R., who sees a gap between the energy of her live shows and her recorded output to date, it’s the kind of song she’s had in her all along. She tells Rolling Stone about recording “The Journey,” explains how it reflects a rough year for her (which includes an ongoing legal battle with the record...
- 5/18/2023
- by Brian Hiatt
- Rollingstone.com
The second half of La Brea Season 2 went by even faster than the first.
After the Harrises and Sam and Riley returned to 10,000 BC in the midseason premiere, new threats and new mysteries were introduced for the characters.
Most of them flowed seamlessly, like finding a new way home for the survivors or Lucas’s and Veronica’s more prominent roles in the Clearing, but others still made little sense, like those red flowers. Let’s discuss the high and low points of La Brea Season 2.
Best Episode- La Brea Season 2 Episodes 13 and 14
It was much harder to select one episode in the second half because they were all fantastic, but “The Journey” perfectly symbolized the angst and adventure of a season finale.
In the first part, Gavin learned about a new time-travel portal to help them return home. However, he thought he would be dangerous because of the hundreds...
After the Harrises and Sam and Riley returned to 10,000 BC in the midseason premiere, new threats and new mysteries were introduced for the characters.
Most of them flowed seamlessly, like finding a new way home for the survivors or Lucas’s and Veronica’s more prominent roles in the Clearing, but others still made little sense, like those red flowers. Let’s discuss the high and low points of La Brea Season 2.
Best Episode- La Brea Season 2 Episodes 13 and 14
It was much harder to select one episode in the second half because they were all fantastic, but “The Journey” perfectly symbolized the angst and adventure of a season finale.
In the first part, Gavin learned about a new time-travel portal to help them return home. However, he thought he would be dangerous because of the hundreds...
- 3/6/2023
- by Laura Nowak
- TVfanatic
At the 2022 Marché du Film & Cannes Docs Events, Festival De Cannes Iefta, United Nations Refugee Agency (Unhcr) and Telling The Real Story present The 5th Edition of Refugee Voices In Film
Saturday, 21 May at Noon in Palais lFollowed By Q &A
&
Sunday, 22 May at Noon in Palais l Followed By Unhcr Roundtable Discussion
Participate in discussions on how you can getinvolved and contribute to create change.
Please note only people accredited with a Marché du Film or Festival badge can attend
Iefta In Collaboration With The Marché du Film-Festival De Cannes Announces For The Fourth Year Iefta’s Sponsorship Of A 10,000€ Prize For Docs-in-Progress At The Marché’s Cannes Docs
— — — — — — — -
Iefta, in conjunction with Arab Cinema Centre, and Mad Solutions presents At The Carlton Beach “The Critics Awards for Arab Films Ceremony”
And Special Honor To Unhcr
The International Emerging Film Talent Association (Iefta) returns to Cannes for the Twelfth Year with film programs, panels, awards, and cocktail receptions. Iefta promotes cultural diversity and international understanding and engages the art of cinema. Central to the Iefta mandate is discovering and developing new film talent from emerging regions, globally, and connecting them with established members of the entertainment community and to foster relationships that are, mentoring, inspiring and educational.
Iefta is proud to say that two of our recent film talent alumni have been selected for the Cannes festival’s mentorship and funding platforms. Ahmed Fawzi-Saleh’s Hamlet from the Slums is among 15 projects chosen for L’Atelier co-production forum, and Morad Mostafa’s Aisha Can’t Fly Away Anymore is one of 10 films selected for La Fabrique Cinema program.
Iefta is also celebrating its fifth year collaborating with the United Nations Refugee Agency (Unhcr) presenting films and programs which help bring awareness to the current global humanitarian crisis.
The 5th edition of Refugee Voices in Film, a presentation of the ongoing partnership between the Unhcr’s “Telling The Real Story” program and Iefta, honours the imaginative and humanitarian efforts of filmmakers as they document the experience of those enduring irregular migration, whether from violence, famine or political oppression. Using Narrative, Documentary and Animation formats, selected filmmakers — many of them refugees themselves — share untold stories of refugees everywhere. Here, refugees speak out about not only loss and desperation, but also resilience and hope. Witness the impact of film in giving a powerful voice to the displaced and dispossessed.
Returning to Cannes Docs, where the original ‘Refugee Voices in Film’ played back in 2016, the 5th edition program has gained traction premiering in El Gouna Film Festival in 2021, and also playing at Berlin’s EFM earlier this year.
This year’s program at the Marché du Film features works from Trs that focus on the experience of women. Screenings and panels are at Noon on 21 & 22 May in Palais 1.
1. The Journey Directed by Pantera Through Anonymous Content
2. ‘Zahra & Nura’s Story’ Directed by Menna Hamdy
3. ‘Haweya’s Story’ Directed by Moges Tafesse
4. ‘Muna’s Story’ Directed by Ragnhild Ek
5. ‘Maymun’s Story’ Directed by Neil Bell
The program can be found here: https://vimeo.com/668581509 — password: TRS2021
Both screenings will allow the audience to participate and engage in real time through Qr codes, collectively encouraging involvement, and ultimately translating into action and positive impact for refugees. There is also the option to attend the virtual screenings aired simultaneously. Please visit marchedufilm.online for more information
“In our long-standing partnership with Iefta, Unhcr is excited to pilot this program with our Innovation team, to see how we can translate reaction into meaningful action. Storytelling has always proven to be a powerful medium to shifts hearts and minds, and we are keen to learn how to harness this immediate emotional response in real time and direct it towards positive change.” — Anadil Hossain, Unhcr Principal Communications Advisor
For the fourth year, Iefta will sponsor a cash award of 10,000€ given to one of the 32 docs-in-progress from eight presenting partners participating in the Marché’s Docs-in-Progress Showcases at the Cannes Docs program headed by Pierre-Alexis Chevit, Head of Cannes Docs.
We at Cannes Docs — Marché du Film are truly grateful for our ongoing partnership with Iefta, this year for the 7th in a row. One could point out that not only has our collaboration carried on during the pandemic, but it’s actually been expanding up to this back to May, onsite edition! This year, the collaboration comprises 2 presentations of the 5thedition of Refugee Voices in Film, the €10,000 cash Iefta Award for one of the competing docs-in-progress, not forgetting an Iefta-hosted Happy Hour on May 21st, for the sheer pleasure of networking! We’re very happy to be rolling out all of this together once again this year, and looking forward to many more years of cooperation.
Each year, Cannes Docs partners with a number of festivals and organizations from all over the world to showcase curated selections of docs-in-progress in finalization stage, aiming to hit the circuit within a few weeks or months. These showcases of docs-in-progress are primarily designed for decision makers looking for fresh new titles, in particular festival programmers and sales agents. The projects are also generally in search of post-production funding or general gap financing, and sometimes still open to co-production opportunities. All the showcases are composed of four projects, each presented in the form of a pitch and a 10-minute excerpt of the rough cut.
This year the Docs-in-Progress Showcases at the Cannes Docs come from: New Zealand, Canada, Ukraine, Scandinavia, Japan, Chile, and the Circle Women Doc Accelerator
And, lastly, in conjunction with the Arab Cinema Centre, and Mad Solutions (Egypt), Iefta will be co-hosting a cocktail reception at the Carlton Beach Club to celebrate the work of Unhcr. This event is being held in conjunction with the The Critics Awards for Arab Films Ceremony, an initiative created by the Arab Cinema Center (Acc), that brings together the finest film critics from all over the world to select the best Arab films every year. “Iefta is one of the key supporters of Arab Cinema and we are proud that they are part of this year’s ceremony of the 6th edition of The Critics Awards for Arab Films,” stated Alaa Karkouti, and Maher Diab co-founders of Mad Solutions & Arab Cinema Center.
“We are honored to collaborate again this year with the Un refugee agency and the Marché Du FIlm’s Cannes Docs on multiple screenings highlighting the plight of refugees. Now more than ever, this program needs to be seen, discussed, shared and brought up in discussions beyond the people it directly impacts,” states Iefta President Marco Orsini. “This year is especially rewarding from Iefta’s perspective, from our continued relationship with the Acc and Mad Solutions, to see several of our alumni engaging the film world independently at this year’s festival. They represent the Horn of Africa and the Mena Region in documentary and narrative feature projects. We wish them luck and we hope you take the time to consider their work.”...
Saturday, 21 May at Noon in Palais lFollowed By Q &A
&
Sunday, 22 May at Noon in Palais l Followed By Unhcr Roundtable Discussion
Participate in discussions on how you can getinvolved and contribute to create change.
Please note only people accredited with a Marché du Film or Festival badge can attend
Iefta In Collaboration With The Marché du Film-Festival De Cannes Announces For The Fourth Year Iefta’s Sponsorship Of A 10,000€ Prize For Docs-in-Progress At The Marché’s Cannes Docs
— — — — — — — -
Iefta, in conjunction with Arab Cinema Centre, and Mad Solutions presents At The Carlton Beach “The Critics Awards for Arab Films Ceremony”
And Special Honor To Unhcr
The International Emerging Film Talent Association (Iefta) returns to Cannes for the Twelfth Year with film programs, panels, awards, and cocktail receptions. Iefta promotes cultural diversity and international understanding and engages the art of cinema. Central to the Iefta mandate is discovering and developing new film talent from emerging regions, globally, and connecting them with established members of the entertainment community and to foster relationships that are, mentoring, inspiring and educational.
Iefta is proud to say that two of our recent film talent alumni have been selected for the Cannes festival’s mentorship and funding platforms. Ahmed Fawzi-Saleh’s Hamlet from the Slums is among 15 projects chosen for L’Atelier co-production forum, and Morad Mostafa’s Aisha Can’t Fly Away Anymore is one of 10 films selected for La Fabrique Cinema program.
Iefta is also celebrating its fifth year collaborating with the United Nations Refugee Agency (Unhcr) presenting films and programs which help bring awareness to the current global humanitarian crisis.
The 5th edition of Refugee Voices in Film, a presentation of the ongoing partnership between the Unhcr’s “Telling The Real Story” program and Iefta, honours the imaginative and humanitarian efforts of filmmakers as they document the experience of those enduring irregular migration, whether from violence, famine or political oppression. Using Narrative, Documentary and Animation formats, selected filmmakers — many of them refugees themselves — share untold stories of refugees everywhere. Here, refugees speak out about not only loss and desperation, but also resilience and hope. Witness the impact of film in giving a powerful voice to the displaced and dispossessed.
Returning to Cannes Docs, where the original ‘Refugee Voices in Film’ played back in 2016, the 5th edition program has gained traction premiering in El Gouna Film Festival in 2021, and also playing at Berlin’s EFM earlier this year.
This year’s program at the Marché du Film features works from Trs that focus on the experience of women. Screenings and panels are at Noon on 21 & 22 May in Palais 1.
1. The Journey Directed by Pantera Through Anonymous Content
2. ‘Zahra & Nura’s Story’ Directed by Menna Hamdy
3. ‘Haweya’s Story’ Directed by Moges Tafesse
4. ‘Muna’s Story’ Directed by Ragnhild Ek
5. ‘Maymun’s Story’ Directed by Neil Bell
The program can be found here: https://vimeo.com/668581509 — password: TRS2021
Both screenings will allow the audience to participate and engage in real time through Qr codes, collectively encouraging involvement, and ultimately translating into action and positive impact for refugees. There is also the option to attend the virtual screenings aired simultaneously. Please visit marchedufilm.online for more information
“In our long-standing partnership with Iefta, Unhcr is excited to pilot this program with our Innovation team, to see how we can translate reaction into meaningful action. Storytelling has always proven to be a powerful medium to shifts hearts and minds, and we are keen to learn how to harness this immediate emotional response in real time and direct it towards positive change.” — Anadil Hossain, Unhcr Principal Communications Advisor
For the fourth year, Iefta will sponsor a cash award of 10,000€ given to one of the 32 docs-in-progress from eight presenting partners participating in the Marché’s Docs-in-Progress Showcases at the Cannes Docs program headed by Pierre-Alexis Chevit, Head of Cannes Docs.
We at Cannes Docs — Marché du Film are truly grateful for our ongoing partnership with Iefta, this year for the 7th in a row. One could point out that not only has our collaboration carried on during the pandemic, but it’s actually been expanding up to this back to May, onsite edition! This year, the collaboration comprises 2 presentations of the 5thedition of Refugee Voices in Film, the €10,000 cash Iefta Award for one of the competing docs-in-progress, not forgetting an Iefta-hosted Happy Hour on May 21st, for the sheer pleasure of networking! We’re very happy to be rolling out all of this together once again this year, and looking forward to many more years of cooperation.
Each year, Cannes Docs partners with a number of festivals and organizations from all over the world to showcase curated selections of docs-in-progress in finalization stage, aiming to hit the circuit within a few weeks or months. These showcases of docs-in-progress are primarily designed for decision makers looking for fresh new titles, in particular festival programmers and sales agents. The projects are also generally in search of post-production funding or general gap financing, and sometimes still open to co-production opportunities. All the showcases are composed of four projects, each presented in the form of a pitch and a 10-minute excerpt of the rough cut.
This year the Docs-in-Progress Showcases at the Cannes Docs come from: New Zealand, Canada, Ukraine, Scandinavia, Japan, Chile, and the Circle Women Doc Accelerator
And, lastly, in conjunction with the Arab Cinema Centre, and Mad Solutions (Egypt), Iefta will be co-hosting a cocktail reception at the Carlton Beach Club to celebrate the work of Unhcr. This event is being held in conjunction with the The Critics Awards for Arab Films Ceremony, an initiative created by the Arab Cinema Center (Acc), that brings together the finest film critics from all over the world to select the best Arab films every year. “Iefta is one of the key supporters of Arab Cinema and we are proud that they are part of this year’s ceremony of the 6th edition of The Critics Awards for Arab Films,” stated Alaa Karkouti, and Maher Diab co-founders of Mad Solutions & Arab Cinema Center.
“We are honored to collaborate again this year with the Un refugee agency and the Marché Du FIlm’s Cannes Docs on multiple screenings highlighting the plight of refugees. Now more than ever, this program needs to be seen, discussed, shared and brought up in discussions beyond the people it directly impacts,” states Iefta President Marco Orsini. “This year is especially rewarding from Iefta’s perspective, from our continued relationship with the Acc and Mad Solutions, to see several of our alumni engaging the film world independently at this year’s festival. They represent the Horn of Africa and the Mena Region in documentary and narrative feature projects. We wish them luck and we hope you take the time to consider their work.”...
- 5/18/2022
- by Sydney
- Sydney's Buzz
The Intl. Emerging Film Talent Assn. (Iefta) returns to the Cannes Festival for the 12th year with film programs, panels, awards and cocktail receptions.
Iefta, with the U.N. Refugee Agency and its Telling the Real Story program, will present the fifth edition of Refugee Voices in Film beginning at noon on May 21 and May 22, both at Palais 1.
For the fourth year, Iefta also will sponsor a cash award of 10,536 to one of the 32 docs-in-progress from eight presenting partners participating in the Marché’s Docs-in-Progress Showcases at the May 24 Cannes Docs program headed by Pierre-Alexis Chevit.
Third, Iefta, in conjunction with Arab Cinema Centre and Mad Solutions, will present the Critics Awards for Arab Films ceremony, including a special honor to the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (Unhcr) at the Carlton Beach.
The annual Refugee Voices in Film honors filmmakers — many of whom are refugees themselves — who document people enduring irregular migration,...
Iefta, with the U.N. Refugee Agency and its Telling the Real Story program, will present the fifth edition of Refugee Voices in Film beginning at noon on May 21 and May 22, both at Palais 1.
For the fourth year, Iefta also will sponsor a cash award of 10,536 to one of the 32 docs-in-progress from eight presenting partners participating in the Marché’s Docs-in-Progress Showcases at the May 24 Cannes Docs program headed by Pierre-Alexis Chevit.
Third, Iefta, in conjunction with Arab Cinema Centre and Mad Solutions, will present the Critics Awards for Arab Films ceremony, including a special honor to the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (Unhcr) at the Carlton Beach.
The annual Refugee Voices in Film honors filmmakers — many of whom are refugees themselves — who document people enduring irregular migration,...
- 5/10/2022
- by Tim Gray
- Variety Film + TV
Small Town Monsters Continues the Quest for Sasquatch On the Trail of Bigfoot: The Journey Debuts June 8th on VOD Latest Doc Mixes Monstrous Mystery & Human Drama Documentarian Seth Breedlove Combs Upstate New York for Evidence of the Elusive Legend. Here’s the Trailer:
Following a wildly successful 2020 with the releases of Mark of the Bell Witch and The Mothman Legacy, Small Town Monsters has announced the release of their latest documentary, On the Trail of Bigfoot: The Journey. The Journey is the followup to the miniseries “On the Trail of Bigfoot”, and cryptid documentarian Seth Breedlove leads the Small Town Monsters team deep into the Adirondacks on the hunt for Sasquatch. On the Trail of Bigfoot: The Journeywill be available to purchase or rent on June 8 on a number of platforms from 1091 Pictures, including iTunes, Amazon Prime Video, Vudu and FandangoNOW.
Breedlove and his handpicked crew of adventurers and...
Following a wildly successful 2020 with the releases of Mark of the Bell Witch and The Mothman Legacy, Small Town Monsters has announced the release of their latest documentary, On the Trail of Bigfoot: The Journey. The Journey is the followup to the miniseries “On the Trail of Bigfoot”, and cryptid documentarian Seth Breedlove leads the Small Town Monsters team deep into the Adirondacks on the hunt for Sasquatch. On the Trail of Bigfoot: The Journeywill be available to purchase or rent on June 8 on a number of platforms from 1091 Pictures, including iTunes, Amazon Prime Video, Vudu and FandangoNOW.
Breedlove and his handpicked crew of adventurers and...
- 5/10/2021
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Over the course of a pair of films and a television series, Nicholas Britell and Barry Jenkins have become one of the more exciting composer-director pairings working today. The upcoming series “The Underground Railroad” provided each of them with their widest canvas yet.
One of the best examples is the sequence featuring “Bessie,” the track embedded below. It is one of 25 cues that will appear on “The Underground Railroad: Volume 1,” set to be released by Lakeshore Records next week when the series debuts on Amazon Prime Video.
“It’s always an interesting question for me and for Barry, ‘What are we trying to say with the music?’ For us, the orchestra became a tool for a certain type of tone. ‘Bessie’ is really the most full realization of that idea within the world of ‘The Underground Railroad,'” Britell said. “That’s the sound of 50 strings together. We recorded it at Air Studios in London.
One of the best examples is the sequence featuring “Bessie,” the track embedded below. It is one of 25 cues that will appear on “The Underground Railroad: Volume 1,” set to be released by Lakeshore Records next week when the series debuts on Amazon Prime Video.
“It’s always an interesting question for me and for Barry, ‘What are we trying to say with the music?’ For us, the orchestra became a tool for a certain type of tone. ‘Bessie’ is really the most full realization of that idea within the world of ‘The Underground Railroad,'” Britell said. “That’s the sound of 50 strings together. We recorded it at Air Studios in London.
- 5/7/2021
- by Steve Greene
- Indiewire
During a week in which the entire football focus is squarely on the biggest game of the NFL season, EA Sports called a trick play few were expecting: the publisher is developing a new college football game for the first time since 2013.
All of a sudden, buzz shifted from whether Tom Brady’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers will beat Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl Lv on Sunday — briefly, anyway — and squarely on the announced return of college football to gaming.
Like Boise State’s epic Statue of Liberty play in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl, nobody saw this one coming. The EA’s NCAA Football franchise dropped out of college more than seven years ago, a casualty of the debate over whether student-athletes should be compensated for the use of their likeness while those who weren’t battling for school pride on fall Saturdays reaped the financial rewards...
All of a sudden, buzz shifted from whether Tom Brady’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers will beat Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl Lv on Sunday — briefly, anyway — and squarely on the announced return of college football to gaming.
Like Boise State’s epic Statue of Liberty play in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl, nobody saw this one coming. The EA’s NCAA Football franchise dropped out of college more than seven years ago, a casualty of the debate over whether student-athletes should be compensated for the use of their likeness while those who weren’t battling for school pride on fall Saturdays reaped the financial rewards...
- 2/3/2021
- by John Saavedra
- Den of Geek
Tollywood While there are many homegrown directors who've made successful, offbeat films, there are also a few who have gone abroad to learn filmmaking.Rajeswari ParasaIn the last decade, several Telugu films have received critical acclaim. These films visibly deviate from the template Tollywood movie plots, and have made a distinct mark in the industry. They do not deal with hypermasculine supermen who can send the villains flying in the air, but with characters who grapple with everyday realities. Some of the directors have also acted in films, playing various roles. While there are many homegrown directors who've made such successful, offbeat films, there are also a few who have gone abroad to learn filmmaking. Here's a list of Telugu directors who picked up their skills abroad. Tharun Bhascker: This director, who shot to fame with the Vijay Deverakonda and Ritu Varma starrer Pelli Choopulu, is a graduate from the...
- 12/25/2020
- by Rajeswari
- The News Minute
2019 Foreign Language Film Oscar Submissions Algeria – Until The End Of Time – Yasmine Chouikh Argentina– The Angel (El Angel) – Luis Ortega Austria – The Waldheim Waltz – Ruth Beckermann Belarus – Crystal Swan – Darya Zhuk Belgium – Girl – Lukas Dhont Bolivia – Muralla – Rodrigo Patiño Bosnia – Never Leave Me – Aida Begic Brazil – The Great Mystical Circus – Carlos Diegues Bulgaria – Omnipresent – Ilian Djevelekov Cambodia – Graves Without A Name – Rithy Pan Canada – Watch Dog – Sophie Dupuis Chile – And Suddenly The Dawn – Silvio Caiozzi Colombia– Birds of Passage, Cristina Gallego & Ciro Guerra Croatia – The Eighth Commissioner – Ivan Salaj Czech Republic – Winter Flies – Olmo Omerzu Denmark – The Guilty – Gustav Möller Dominican Republic – Cocote – Nelson Carlo de los Santos Ecuador – A Son Of Man – Jamaicanoproblem and Pablo Agüero Egypt – Yomeddine – Abu Bakr Shawky Estonia – Take It Or Leave It – Liina Trishkina-Vanhatalo Finland – Euthanizer – Teemu Nikin France – Memoir Of War – Emmanuel Finkiel Georgia – Namme – Zaza Khalvashi Germany – Never Look Away – Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck...
- 8/21/2020
- by Nancy Tartaglione
- Deadline Film + TV
Reagent Media has set Garrett Hedlund and Brady Jandreau for filmmaker Paxton Winters’ next feature, Outside the Wire, about an American soldier and an Iraqi insurgent who find themselves dependent on each other for their survival. The two are thrust together on a road trip through the perils of the new Iraq. What starts as a journey of hate, forces the men to face their fears and navigate each other to reach their final destination.
Outside the Wire is Winters’ second script, which was chosen to participate in the Sundance Institute’s Screenwriter’s Lab.
Zahraa Ghandour is also attached to star. Paula Linhares and Marcos Tellechea (Pacified) of Reagent Media are producing with Rick Rosenthal and Cherien Dabis serving as EPs. .Film Constellation is handling international rights with UTA Independent handling North American. Sales will launch at the upcoming Marché du Film Online.
Outside the Wire is Winters’ second script, which was chosen to participate in the Sundance Institute’s Screenwriter’s Lab.
Zahraa Ghandour is also attached to star. Paula Linhares and Marcos Tellechea (Pacified) of Reagent Media are producing with Rick Rosenthal and Cherien Dabis serving as EPs. .Film Constellation is handling international rights with UTA Independent handling North American. Sales will launch at the upcoming Marché du Film Online.
- 6/18/2020
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Garrett Hedlund and “The Rider” star Brady Jandreau are set to star in an Iraq War drama from writer and director Paxton Winters called “Outside the Wire,” the film’s production company Reagent Media announced Thursday.
Zahraa Ghandour is also attached to star in the film that will be presented to buyers at the Cannes Virtual Market. The film is the second script from Winters and was chosen as part of the Sundance Institute’s Screenwriter’s Lab.
The story for “Outside the Wire” follows an American soldier and an Iraqi insurgent who find themselves dependent on each other for their survival, as they are thrust together on a road trip through the perils of the new Iraq. What starts as a journey of hate, will force the men to face their fears and navigate each other to reach their final destination.
Also Read: Natasha Lyonne, Trevante Rhodes Join Lee...
Zahraa Ghandour is also attached to star in the film that will be presented to buyers at the Cannes Virtual Market. The film is the second script from Winters and was chosen as part of the Sundance Institute’s Screenwriter’s Lab.
The story for “Outside the Wire” follows an American soldier and an Iraqi insurgent who find themselves dependent on each other for their survival, as they are thrust together on a road trip through the perils of the new Iraq. What starts as a journey of hate, will force the men to face their fears and navigate each other to reach their final destination.
Also Read: Natasha Lyonne, Trevante Rhodes Join Lee...
- 6/18/2020
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
“Mudbound’s” Garrett Hedlund and “The Rider’s” Brady Jandreau have signed on to star in writer/director Paxton Winters’ “Outside the Wire,” alongside Zahraa Ghandour (“Baghdad in My Shadow”). Film Constellation is handling international rights with UTA Independent handling North American. Sales will launch at next week’s Marché du Film Online.
The story follows an American soldier and an Iraqi insurgent who find themselves dependent on each other for their survival, as they are thrust together on a road trip through the perils of the new Iraq. What starts as a journey of hate, will force the men to face their fears and navigate each other to reach their final destination. The movie is Winters’ second script, and was chosen to participate in the Sundance Institute’s Screenwriter’s Lab.
Paula Linhares and Marcos Tellechea of Reagent Media will produce, following on from their collaboration with Winters on...
The story follows an American soldier and an Iraqi insurgent who find themselves dependent on each other for their survival, as they are thrust together on a road trip through the perils of the new Iraq. What starts as a journey of hate, will force the men to face their fears and navigate each other to reach their final destination. The movie is Winters’ second script, and was chosen to participate in the Sundance Institute’s Screenwriter’s Lab.
Paula Linhares and Marcos Tellechea of Reagent Media will produce, following on from their collaboration with Winters on...
- 6/18/2020
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
Netflix is giving anime fans yet another reason to log in to their accounts (or their friends’ accounts) with the debut of Pokémon Journeys: The Series. And Twitter users are having a field day celebrating the release of the new Pokémon season. For a franchise that’s 24 years old, it sure has a lot of steam left and shows no sign of slowing down.
Pokémon Journeys is the 23rd season of the long-running series and Ash still seems to be drinking from the fountain of youth. Speaking of which, voice actor Sarah Natochenny tweeted that she’s reprising her role as Ash Ketchum for the English dub.
Pokémon Journeys is out today on @netflix! I’m back as the voice of Ash Ketchum for season 23. W/ @childishgamzeno, @CheramiLeigh + more! pic.twitter.com/LNOZLiCiWN
— Sarah Natochenny (@sarahnatochenny) June 12, 2020
This time around, Ash and Pikachu are joined by Goh, a trainer aspiring...
Pokémon Journeys is the 23rd season of the long-running series and Ash still seems to be drinking from the fountain of youth. Speaking of which, voice actor Sarah Natochenny tweeted that she’s reprising her role as Ash Ketchum for the English dub.
Pokémon Journeys is out today on @netflix! I’m back as the voice of Ash Ketchum for season 23. W/ @childishgamzeno, @CheramiLeigh + more! pic.twitter.com/LNOZLiCiWN
— Sarah Natochenny (@sarahnatochenny) June 12, 2020
This time around, Ash and Pikachu are joined by Goh, a trainer aspiring...
- 6/15/2020
- by Pirzan Turel
- We Got This Covered
While international collaborations between animation companies is not new, more of these cross-global deals involving IP are being inked. Lion Forge recently teamed with China’s Starlight Entertainment to develop animated features and other content, while Saudi Arabia’s Manga is working closely with Japan’s animation giant Toei on projects.
Starlight Entertainment, headed by cinefile Peter Luo, invested in “Crazy Rich Asians” and has gone on to ink deals with an array of talent including Roland Emmerich, F. Gary Gray and Jon M Chu.
It sees an opportunity with animation, and Lion Forge is Black-owned with IP that celebrates diversity — and it won an Oscar for animated short “Hair Love,” directed and written by Matthew Cherry, earlier this year.
Lion Forge Animation is run by CEO David Steward II and president Carl Reed, who, through the Starlight deal, have access to the Chinese market. And Starlight has access to the world through Lion Forge.
Starlight Entertainment, headed by cinefile Peter Luo, invested in “Crazy Rich Asians” and has gone on to ink deals with an array of talent including Roland Emmerich, F. Gary Gray and Jon M Chu.
It sees an opportunity with animation, and Lion Forge is Black-owned with IP that celebrates diversity — and it won an Oscar for animated short “Hair Love,” directed and written by Matthew Cherry, earlier this year.
Lion Forge Animation is run by CEO David Steward II and president Carl Reed, who, through the Starlight deal, have access to the Chinese market. And Starlight has access to the world through Lion Forge.
- 6/12/2020
- by Carole Horst
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Nick Hamm, director of movies Driven and The Journey and new Netflix series White Lines, is launching London- and L.A.-based entertainment company Free Turn.
Hamm is teaming with ex-wpp agency executive Jon Hamm on the firm which will be a hybrid film and TV production outfit and creative advertising agency. The brothers previously co-founded Greenroom Digital which they sold to Ipg in 2009.
Also aboard at Free Turn are Firecracker Films co-founder Jeremy Groman, who will take the role of Chief Creative Officer, and former Wpp agency growth director Gemma Batterby, who will run the business as Managing Director.
Hamm is currently in pre-production on Free Turn’s first movie. Factual will be under the guidance of Groman, whose recent projects include ESPN’s World’s Fastest Gamer. The company says it has already inked deals with Svod and Ott services “to exclusively create brand-funded entertainment for their...
Hamm is teaming with ex-wpp agency executive Jon Hamm on the firm which will be a hybrid film and TV production outfit and creative advertising agency. The brothers previously co-founded Greenroom Digital which they sold to Ipg in 2009.
Also aboard at Free Turn are Firecracker Films co-founder Jeremy Groman, who will take the role of Chief Creative Officer, and former Wpp agency growth director Gemma Batterby, who will run the business as Managing Director.
Hamm is currently in pre-production on Free Turn’s first movie. Factual will be under the guidance of Groman, whose recent projects include ESPN’s World’s Fastest Gamer. The company says it has already inked deals with Svod and Ott services “to exclusively create brand-funded entertainment for their...
- 5/15/2020
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Animation feature “The Journey,” co-produced by Saudi animation studios Manga Productions and Japan’s Toei Animation, has struck a deal with Dubai-based exhibitor Vox Cinemas for theatrical distribution across the Middle East and North Africa.
Manga has also announced that the toon epic based on Saudi folklore and directed by Japan’s Shizuno Kobun (“Godzilla: City on the Edge of Battle”) will be going out in Japan via Toei subsidiary T-Joy.
Distribution deals were announced at Berlin’s Efm market.
The co-production stems from a pact between the two companies made in November 2017, one month before Saudi Arabia lifted its 35-year ban on cinemas. It is being touted as a milestone for Manga which is fully financing the $10-15 million project that is currently in post.
Manga will presenting the pic to prospective buyers for other territories at the Cannes Marche du Film in May.
The epic revolves around a...
Manga has also announced that the toon epic based on Saudi folklore and directed by Japan’s Shizuno Kobun (“Godzilla: City on the Edge of Battle”) will be going out in Japan via Toei subsidiary T-Joy.
Distribution deals were announced at Berlin’s Efm market.
The co-production stems from a pact between the two companies made in November 2017, one month before Saudi Arabia lifted its 35-year ban on cinemas. It is being touted as a milestone for Manga which is fully financing the $10-15 million project that is currently in post.
Manga will presenting the pic to prospective buyers for other territories at the Cannes Marche du Film in May.
The epic revolves around a...
- 2/24/2020
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Ground-breaking animation combines tells Middle Eastern folkloric story using a Japanese anime art style.
Saudi animation studio Manga Productions has announced first theatrical deals on its debut feature-length production The Journey, an epic tale taking inspiration from Saudi folklore.
Dubai-based exhibition and distribution group Vox Cinemas has taken rights for Middle East and Africa while T-Joy, the exhibition and distribution arm of Japanese film and TV giant Toei Company, has taken rights for Japan.
A second Toei Company subsidiary, Toei Animation co-produced the feature, as part of a long-term pact with Manga Productions to collaborate on animation works combining the...
Saudi animation studio Manga Productions has announced first theatrical deals on its debut feature-length production The Journey, an epic tale taking inspiration from Saudi folklore.
Dubai-based exhibition and distribution group Vox Cinemas has taken rights for Middle East and Africa while T-Joy, the exhibition and distribution arm of Japanese film and TV giant Toei Company, has taken rights for Japan.
A second Toei Company subsidiary, Toei Animation co-produced the feature, as part of a long-term pact with Manga Productions to collaborate on animation works combining the...
- 2/24/2020
- by 1100388¦Melanie Goodfellow¦0¦
- ScreenDaily
Ground-breaking animation combines tells Middle Eastern folkloric story using a Japanese anime art style.
Saudi animation studio Manga Productions has announced first theatrical deals on its debut feature-length production The Journey, an epic tale taking inspiration from Saudi folklore.
Dubai-based exhibition and distribution group Vox Cinemas has taken rights for Middle East and Africa while T-Joy, the exhibition and distribution arm of Japanese film and TV giant Toei Company, has taken rights for Japan.
A second Toei Company subsidiary, Toei Animation co-produced the feature, as part of a long-term pact with Manga Productions to collaborate on animation works combining the...
Saudi animation studio Manga Productions has announced first theatrical deals on its debut feature-length production The Journey, an epic tale taking inspiration from Saudi folklore.
Dubai-based exhibition and distribution group Vox Cinemas has taken rights for Middle East and Africa while T-Joy, the exhibition and distribution arm of Japanese film and TV giant Toei Company, has taken rights for Japan.
A second Toei Company subsidiary, Toei Animation co-produced the feature, as part of a long-term pact with Manga Productions to collaborate on animation works combining the...
- 2/24/2020
- by 1100388¦Melanie Goodfellow¦0¦
- ScreenDaily
GÖTEBORG, Sweden All3Media is to handle international rights on Icelandic crime series “Black Sands” which, currently in development, is to be pitched at the Göteborg Festival’s TV Drama Vision confab on Thursday.
“Black Sands” marks the first crime thriller to be created by Icelandic helmer Baldvin Z (“Trapped”) since the hit series “Case.” Commissioned by Iceland’s Channel 2, the eight-part series is co-penned by Baldvin Z (aka Baldvin Zophoníasson) with Ragnar Jonsson and “Valhalla Murders”’ actor Aldís Hamilton, who has cornered the title role. Co-stars include Baldvin Z regular collaborator Thorsteinn Bachmann and New York The Julliard School alumnus Thorvaldur Kristjansson (“Dracula Untold”). Production is slated to start next year.
“Black Sands” is produced by Baldvin Z’s own shingle Glassriver, which he set up in the wake of “Case”’s success in 2016, along with writer/creator Andri Óttarson seasoned producer Abby Haflidadóttir, and producer/CEO Hörður Rúnarsson.
“Black Sands” marks the first crime thriller to be created by Icelandic helmer Baldvin Z (“Trapped”) since the hit series “Case.” Commissioned by Iceland’s Channel 2, the eight-part series is co-penned by Baldvin Z (aka Baldvin Zophoníasson) with Ragnar Jonsson and “Valhalla Murders”’ actor Aldís Hamilton, who has cornered the title role. Co-stars include Baldvin Z regular collaborator Thorsteinn Bachmann and New York The Julliard School alumnus Thorvaldur Kristjansson (“Dracula Untold”). Production is slated to start next year.
“Black Sands” is produced by Baldvin Z’s own shingle Glassriver, which he set up in the wake of “Case”’s success in 2016, along with writer/creator Andri Óttarson seasoned producer Abby Haflidadóttir, and producer/CEO Hörður Rúnarsson.
- 1/25/2020
- by Annika Pham
- Variety Film + TV
Rob Leane Sep 16, 2019
It gets the job done, but Pes 2020 is lacking that special something. Here's our review...
Release Date: Sept. 10, 2019
Platform: PS4 (reviewed), Xbo, PC
Developer: Pes Productions
Publisher: Konami
Genre: Sports sim
If you really tried, you could probably separate famous soccer players into two distinct camps: there are the workmanlike players who get the job done in an unfussy way, and then there are the showboaty players that pull unexpected tricks out of the bag. If we had to categorize soccer-inspired video games in the same way, eFootball: Pro Evolution Soccer 2020 would definitely fall into the former camp - it's a solid simulation of the beautiful game, with a strong array of team licenses by Pro Evo standards, but as an overall experience, it's not going to blow your socks off.
Gameplay-wise, as anyone who played the demo could tell you, playing against your mates in Pes...
It gets the job done, but Pes 2020 is lacking that special something. Here's our review...
Release Date: Sept. 10, 2019
Platform: PS4 (reviewed), Xbo, PC
Developer: Pes Productions
Publisher: Konami
Genre: Sports sim
If you really tried, you could probably separate famous soccer players into two distinct camps: there are the workmanlike players who get the job done in an unfussy way, and then there are the showboaty players that pull unexpected tricks out of the bag. If we had to categorize soccer-inspired video games in the same way, eFootball: Pro Evolution Soccer 2020 would definitely fall into the former camp - it's a solid simulation of the beautiful game, with a strong array of team licenses by Pro Evo standards, but as an overall experience, it's not going to blow your socks off.
Gameplay-wise, as anyone who played the demo could tell you, playing against your mates in Pes...
- 9/16/2019
- Den of Geek
Rob Leane Sep 4, 2019
We went hands-on with FIFA 20's Volta street football mode, and picked up some top tips.
At the Gamescom 2019 conference in Cologne, Den Of Geek popped over to the EA lounge to gets some hands-on time with FIFA 20. The new street football mode, Volta, was being shown off in a big way, with EA's Matt Turner on hand for interviews.
Before sitting down with Turner, we played a quick Volta match against the computer. And although it was a bit surreal to see Spurs taking on Birmingham at a 5-a-side pitch in sunny Brazil, it wasn't difficult to get to grips with this new way of playing. The controls are mostly the same, although you will see some little changes: with no slide-tackling, for instance, you have the option of a big lunging tackle instead of the usual leg-breaker.
Also, you might need to modify your playstyle...
We went hands-on with FIFA 20's Volta street football mode, and picked up some top tips.
At the Gamescom 2019 conference in Cologne, Den Of Geek popped over to the EA lounge to gets some hands-on time with FIFA 20. The new street football mode, Volta, was being shown off in a big way, with EA's Matt Turner on hand for interviews.
Before sitting down with Turner, we played a quick Volta match against the computer. And although it was a bit surreal to see Spurs taking on Birmingham at a 5-a-side pitch in sunny Brazil, it wasn't difficult to get to grips with this new way of playing. The controls are mostly the same, although you will see some little changes: with no slide-tackling, for instance, you have the option of a big lunging tackle instead of the usual leg-breaker.
Also, you might need to modify your playstyle...
- 9/4/2019
- Den of Geek
Nearly 15 years after his death, John DeLorean’s life story still feels tailor-made for the movies. He rose and fell, and then did it again. He married and remarried, and then did it again. He made huge mistakes, miraculously escaped punishment, and then — well, you get the idea.
So perhaps the problem is that there’s too much material here? “Driven” is the second film this summer to address DeLorean’s life, and the second one to feel overwhelmed by its subject. In the more ambitious “Framing John DeLorean,” documentarians Sheena Joyce and Don Argott addressed their subject head-on, mixing various styles and genres in an attempt to understand him.
Here, director Nick Hamm (“The Journey”) and writer Colin Bateman skirt the edges of his experience, as if they’re too intimidated to approach it directly. So we get a relatively amusing dramedy, but one in which DeLorean remains a...
So perhaps the problem is that there’s too much material here? “Driven” is the second film this summer to address DeLorean’s life, and the second one to feel overwhelmed by its subject. In the more ambitious “Framing John DeLorean,” documentarians Sheena Joyce and Don Argott addressed their subject head-on, mixing various styles and genres in an attempt to understand him.
Here, director Nick Hamm (“The Journey”) and writer Colin Bateman skirt the edges of his experience, as if they’re too intimidated to approach it directly. So we get a relatively amusing dramedy, but one in which DeLorean remains a...
- 8/15/2019
- by Elizabeth Weitzman
- The Wrap
Iraqi actress and filmmaker Zahraa Ghandour, who stars in the Locarno Festival screener “Baghdad in My Shadow,” by Iraqi-born Swiss filmmaker Samir, is making her first independent feature documentary about one of Iraq’s leading women’s rights advocates.
The film will explore the life of Hanaa Edwar, known as a fearless champion of human rights in Iraq since the 1960s. Edwar, who was forced to flee Iraq during the dictatorship of Saddam Hussein after campaigning against human rights abuses, returned in 2003 and today continues her work as co-founder and chair of the Iraqi Al-Amal Association, a human rights organization, and co-founder of the Iraqi Women’s Network.
“I decided that my first independent film should be about something I fully believe in, so I chose a woman that has inspired me for many years,” Ghandour told Variety.
The documentary will focus on Edwar, who is now in her mid-70s,...
The film will explore the life of Hanaa Edwar, known as a fearless champion of human rights in Iraq since the 1960s. Edwar, who was forced to flee Iraq during the dictatorship of Saddam Hussein after campaigning against human rights abuses, returned in 2003 and today continues her work as co-founder and chair of the Iraqi Al-Amal Association, a human rights organization, and co-founder of the Iraqi Women’s Network.
“I decided that my first independent film should be about something I fully believe in, so I chose a woman that has inspired me for many years,” Ghandour told Variety.
The documentary will focus on Edwar, who is now in her mid-70s,...
- 8/12/2019
- by Ed Meza
- Variety Film + TV
Last month, We Got This Covered flew out to northern California to take a deep dive into the this year’s highly anticipated FIFA 20. We’ve already dissected the new additions to FIFA Ultimate Team, and now we can talk about the brand new Volta Football. This exciting new mode offers players a new option in their FIFA journey, and it’s stacked with features to make even the casual fan take notice.
“Volta” means “the return” in Portuguese. In short, this is the return of streetball, built on the foundation of great gameplay and a free-flowing, fun experience. Volta takes the player on a journey around the globe, playing soccer on smaller pitches, with fewer players. But unlike, say, NBA Street, this is not arcade play. Volta retains all of the stellar gameplay mechanics that makes EA’s FIFA series an international hit each year while adding new and exciting ways to play.
“Volta” means “the return” in Portuguese. In short, this is the return of streetball, built on the foundation of great gameplay and a free-flowing, fun experience. Volta takes the player on a journey around the globe, playing soccer on smaller pitches, with fewer players. But unlike, say, NBA Street, this is not arcade play. Volta retains all of the stellar gameplay mechanics that makes EA’s FIFA series an international hit each year while adding new and exciting ways to play.
- 8/8/2019
- by Jon Hueber
- We Got This Covered
Rob Leane Jun 8, 2019
The first FIFA 20 trailer shows that EA is going back to the streets with a new mode called Volta...
EA has revealed an official FIFA 20 trailer, which confirms that the franchise is heading back to the streets for some playground-style matches. This new style of play is called Volta, and it's sure to be welcomed with open arms by anyone who misses FIFA Street.
Of course, when you're releasing a new soccer game every year, it isn't easy to make each one different to the last. And now, after three years of exploring Alex Hunter's story in The Journey, it looks like this new Volta mode will be a new way for EA to try and grab players' attention. Volta also plays host to this year's story mode, which suggests The Journey could be a thing of the past
Further Reading: 40 Games You Need to Play...
The first FIFA 20 trailer shows that EA is going back to the streets with a new mode called Volta...
EA has revealed an official FIFA 20 trailer, which confirms that the franchise is heading back to the streets for some playground-style matches. This new style of play is called Volta, and it's sure to be welcomed with open arms by anyone who misses FIFA Street.
Of course, when you're releasing a new soccer game every year, it isn't easy to make each one different to the last. And now, after three years of exploring Alex Hunter's story in The Journey, it looks like this new Volta mode will be a new way for EA to try and grab players' attention. Volta also plays host to this year's story mode, which suggests The Journey could be a thing of the past
Further Reading: 40 Games You Need to Play...
- 6/8/2019
- Den of Geek
In an industry-building effort for Saudi Arabia, new Saudi animation studio Manga Productions has teamed up with Japan’s Toei Animation on a $10 million to $15 million animation feature titled “The Journey,” an epic based on Saudi folklore to be directed by Shizuno Kobun, whose credits include “Godzilla: City on the Edge of Battle.”
Manga and Toei will collaborate on the pre-production and creation of story and the character design with Japanese and Saudi artists working together, they said in a joint statement.
The co-production stems from a pact between the two companies made in November 2017, one month before Saudi Arabia lifted its 35-year ban on cinemas.
“‘The Journey’ is a milestone project for Manga,” said Manga Productions CEO Bukhary Essam, who is at Cannes with members of the Manga creative team.
“What we are doing here with ‘The Journey’ is representative of our larger role in creating an ecosystem throughout...
Manga and Toei will collaborate on the pre-production and creation of story and the character design with Japanese and Saudi artists working together, they said in a joint statement.
The co-production stems from a pact between the two companies made in November 2017, one month before Saudi Arabia lifted its 35-year ban on cinemas.
“‘The Journey’ is a milestone project for Manga,” said Manga Productions CEO Bukhary Essam, who is at Cannes with members of the Manga creative team.
“What we are doing here with ‘The Journey’ is representative of our larger role in creating an ecosystem throughout...
- 5/19/2019
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
The feature-length animation is an epic tale drawn from Saudi folklore.
Japanese major Toei Animation and Saudi Arabian animation studio Manga Productions are joining forces on feature-length animation The Journey, an epic tale drawn from Saudi folklore.
Manga and Toei will collaborate on the pre-production and creation of story, character design and other assets on which both Japanese and Saudi artists will work together.
Celebrated animation director Shizuno Kobun, whose credits include Godzilla: City On The Edge Of Battle, is directing the production, involving both Japanese and Saudi animation artists. Tetsuro Iwamoto, whose credits include the Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney video game,...
Japanese major Toei Animation and Saudi Arabian animation studio Manga Productions are joining forces on feature-length animation The Journey, an epic tale drawn from Saudi folklore.
Manga and Toei will collaborate on the pre-production and creation of story, character design and other assets on which both Japanese and Saudi artists will work together.
Celebrated animation director Shizuno Kobun, whose credits include Godzilla: City On The Edge Of Battle, is directing the production, involving both Japanese and Saudi animation artists. Tetsuro Iwamoto, whose credits include the Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney video game,...
- 5/19/2019
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Universal Pictures Home Entertainment Content Group has purchased North American and some foreign rights to Nick Hamm’s John DeLorean movie Driven which made its world premiere at last year’s Venice Film Festival and continued on to Tiff. Pic will hit theaters on Aug. 16.
Inspired by true events, Driven is a wickedly comedic look at a bromance gone bad. Set in the opulence of early 1980s California, the story follows the meteoric rise of John DeLorean (Guardians of the Galaxy‘s Lee Pace) and his iconic DeLorean Motor Company, through his friendship with charming ex-con turned FBI informant, Jim Hoffman (SNL alum Jason Sudeikis). It was Hoffman who lured the car designer-engineer into a government cocaine trafficking ring, which DeLorean was tempted by given the fact that he needed $17M to save his floundering company. Isabel Arraiza is Cristina Ferrare, DeLorean’s fashion model wife, Judy Greer (Ant-Man...
Inspired by true events, Driven is a wickedly comedic look at a bromance gone bad. Set in the opulence of early 1980s California, the story follows the meteoric rise of John DeLorean (Guardians of the Galaxy‘s Lee Pace) and his iconic DeLorean Motor Company, through his friendship with charming ex-con turned FBI informant, Jim Hoffman (SNL alum Jason Sudeikis). It was Hoffman who lured the car designer-engineer into a government cocaine trafficking ring, which DeLorean was tempted by given the fact that he needed $17M to save his floundering company. Isabel Arraiza is Cristina Ferrare, DeLorean’s fashion model wife, Judy Greer (Ant-Man...
- 5/17/2019
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Winners of the 46th annual Annie Awards were revealed on Feb. 2, 2019 at UCLA’s Royce Hall in Los Angeles, California. “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” won all seven of its races including Best Studio Animated Feature. Its main Oscar rival for that award, ‘Incredibles 2,” took just 2 of its leading 11 bids. The Annies, which hand out awards in 32 categories, are presented by the Hollywood chapter of the International Animated Film Assn. Scroll down for the full list of winners (and complete roster of nominees).
In addition to the competitive awards, honorary Windsor McKay awards were presented honoring career achievement and exceptional contributions to animation by director, animator and art director Ralph Eggleston, voice director and voice actress Andrea Romano and, posthumously, to Frank Braxton, the first African-American animator, animation director and guild president. The Ub Iwerks Award was presented to Ton Roosendaal for developing Blender Open Source Animation Software while the...
In addition to the competitive awards, honorary Windsor McKay awards were presented honoring career achievement and exceptional contributions to animation by director, animator and art director Ralph Eggleston, voice director and voice actress Andrea Romano and, posthumously, to Frank Braxton, the first African-American animator, animation director and guild president. The Ub Iwerks Award was presented to Ton Roosendaal for developing Blender Open Source Animation Software while the...
- 2/3/2019
- by Paul Sheehan
- Gold Derby
This article about “Ruben Brandt, Collector” first appeared in the issue of TheWrap Magazine’s Oscar Nominations Preview issue.
It all started with Mimi. Milorad Krstic, a Yugoslavian-born artist who’d made a couple of short films and now lives in Budapest, was sketching one day in 2010 when he came up with a portrait of the woman who would become the inspiration for his first feature film, “Ruben Brandt, Collector.”
“I knew her name was Mimi as soon as I made the sketch,” he said. “And I knew she was an acrobat and a thief and a femme fatale and had a face like a horse but beautiful, and a neck like a giraffe.”
Also Read: 'Roma' and 'Cold War' Lead Oscars Best Foreign Language Film Shortlist
He pictured her at the center of a film about art, and then his imagination was off to the races. “I knew I...
It all started with Mimi. Milorad Krstic, a Yugoslavian-born artist who’d made a couple of short films and now lives in Budapest, was sketching one day in 2010 when he came up with a portrait of the woman who would become the inspiration for his first feature film, “Ruben Brandt, Collector.”
“I knew her name was Mimi as soon as I made the sketch,” he said. “And I knew she was an acrobat and a thief and a femme fatale and had a face like a horse but beautiful, and a neck like a giraffe.”
Also Read: 'Roma' and 'Cold War' Lead Oscars Best Foreign Language Film Shortlist
He pictured her at the center of a film about art, and then his imagination was off to the races. “I knew I...
- 1/9/2019
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
Nadia Murad once dreamed of opening a salon in her home village in Northern Iraq. The salon would be a place where Iraqi women could feel beautiful and special. But at the age of 21, Murad’s dreams were shattered by the Islamic State.
Murad is now turning her experience with Isis into a campaign to stop the genocide that is wreaking havoc in her home country, and director Alexandria Bombach is showcasing the activist’s fight in the documentary “On Her Shoulders.”
“We made this film to understand and connect with her humanity. To feel the complexity of that journey and her countless frustrations,” producer Hayley Pappas told TheWrap’s Sharon Waxman during a screening of the film at the Landmark Theatres Monday night.
Also Read: 'Jirga' Actor Had to Sleep With Knife Under Pillow in War-Torn Afghanistan While Filming
On August 3, 2014, members of Isis went into Murad...
Murad is now turning her experience with Isis into a campaign to stop the genocide that is wreaking havoc in her home country, and director Alexandria Bombach is showcasing the activist’s fight in the documentary “On Her Shoulders.”
“We made this film to understand and connect with her humanity. To feel the complexity of that journey and her countless frustrations,” producer Hayley Pappas told TheWrap’s Sharon Waxman during a screening of the film at the Landmark Theatres Monday night.
Also Read: 'Jirga' Actor Had to Sleep With Knife Under Pillow in War-Torn Afghanistan While Filming
On August 3, 2014, members of Isis went into Murad...
- 1/8/2019
- by Omar Sanchez
- The Wrap
Dazn, the streaming-sports outlet led by former ESPN chief John Skipper, is adding documentary programming to its slate of live-sports properties.
Dazn will debut “The Journey: Canelo/Rocky,” an original episodic program that takes fans behind the scenes as the December 15th super middleweight championship fight between Canelo Alvarez and Rocky Fielding at Madison Square Garden draws near. The show will take fans behind the scenes as both fighters prepare for the event. The series premiere will debut on Dazn’s platform and YouTube channel on Thursday, Dec. 6.
The move suggests Dazn, which entered the U.S. in July and is backed by U.K.-based Perform Group, isn’t limiting its ambitions to the boxing, mixed-martial arts and other sports programming it features for $9.99 a month. “Dazn continues to evolve as the sports network of the future and high-end content focused on our biggest boxing events is part of the plan,...
Dazn will debut “The Journey: Canelo/Rocky,” an original episodic program that takes fans behind the scenes as the December 15th super middleweight championship fight between Canelo Alvarez and Rocky Fielding at Madison Square Garden draws near. The show will take fans behind the scenes as both fighters prepare for the event. The series premiere will debut on Dazn’s platform and YouTube channel on Thursday, Dec. 6.
The move suggests Dazn, which entered the U.S. in July and is backed by U.K.-based Perform Group, isn’t limiting its ambitions to the boxing, mixed-martial arts and other sports programming it features for $9.99 a month. “Dazn continues to evolve as the sports network of the future and high-end content focused on our biggest boxing events is part of the plan,...
- 12/6/2018
- by Brian Steinberg
- Variety Film + TV
“Eternity,” Peru’s entry in this year’s Best Foreign Language Oscar category, has a language has never been heard in world cinema before: the language of the Aymara.
As part of TheWrap’s screening series, director Oscar Catacora discussed bringing the indigenous people of the Andes and their culture and struggles to the world through his camera.
“This story is much like the ones of my grandparents,” said Catacora, who himself is Aymara. “This was a very important subject to me, not just because of my upbringing, but because of the issue facing Aymara communities.”
Also Read: Making a Terrorist: 'The Journey' Director Explains How He Created Evil on Screen
Titled ‘Wiñaypacha’ in Aymara, the film follows Willka and Phaxsi, an elderly indigenous couple who have been abandoned by their children and society as a whole. Despite this, the couple waits and hopes for their son’s return,...
As part of TheWrap’s screening series, director Oscar Catacora discussed bringing the indigenous people of the Andes and their culture and struggles to the world through his camera.
“This story is much like the ones of my grandparents,” said Catacora, who himself is Aymara. “This was a very important subject to me, not just because of my upbringing, but because of the issue facing Aymara communities.”
Also Read: Making a Terrorist: 'The Journey' Director Explains How He Created Evil on Screen
Titled ‘Wiñaypacha’ in Aymara, the film follows Willka and Phaxsi, an elderly indigenous couple who have been abandoned by their children and society as a whole. Despite this, the couple waits and hopes for their son’s return,...
- 12/5/2018
- by Jeremy Fuster
- The Wrap
Late at night in a little motel in eastern Afghanistan, Australian actor Sam Smith nervously stared at his door with a knife under his pillow and passport in his pocket. Smith was waiting for someone to barge in as gunshots rang outside.
This wasn’t for a scene. This was the reality of shooting “Jirga.”
“The film is a very mellow version of what actually happened in real life,” Smith told TheWrap’s Sharon Waxman at a Q&A on Monday following a screening of the movie. “Jirga,” Australia’s entry into the Oscar foreign film race, was directed by Benjamin Gilmour, and both he and Smith were in attendance for the screening.
“Jirga” is a drama that traverses the country of Afghanistan on location behind former soldier Mike Wheeler (Smith). Without knowledge of the language or culture, Wheeler enlists a local taxi driver (Sher Alam Miskeen Ustad) to take...
This wasn’t for a scene. This was the reality of shooting “Jirga.”
“The film is a very mellow version of what actually happened in real life,” Smith told TheWrap’s Sharon Waxman at a Q&A on Monday following a screening of the movie. “Jirga,” Australia’s entry into the Oscar foreign film race, was directed by Benjamin Gilmour, and both he and Smith were in attendance for the screening.
“Jirga” is a drama that traverses the country of Afghanistan on location behind former soldier Mike Wheeler (Smith). Without knowledge of the language or culture, Wheeler enlists a local taxi driver (Sher Alam Miskeen Ustad) to take...
- 12/4/2018
- by Omar Sanchez
- The Wrap
Nominations for the 46th annual Annie Awards were announced on Dec. 3, 2018 and winners will be revealed on Feb. 2, 2018 at UCLA’s Royce Hall in Los Angeles, California. Pixar’s “Incredibles 2,” which is the frontrunner at the Oscars, leads with 11 nominations while Disney’s “Ralph Breaks the Internet” is right behind with 10. The Annie Awards cover 32 categories and are presented by the Hollywood chapter of the International Animated Film Association. Scroll down to see the full list of nominations.
In addition to the competitive awards, honorary Windsor McKay awards will be presented honoring career achievement and exceptional contributions to animation by director, animator and art director Ralph Eggleston, voice director and voice actress Andrea Romano and, posthumously, to Frank Braxton, the first African-American animator, animation director and guild president. The Ub Iwerks Award will be presented to Ton Roosendaal for developing Blender Open Source Animation Software while the June Foray...
In addition to the competitive awards, honorary Windsor McKay awards will be presented honoring career achievement and exceptional contributions to animation by director, animator and art director Ralph Eggleston, voice director and voice actress Andrea Romano and, posthumously, to Frank Braxton, the first African-American animator, animation director and guild president. The Ub Iwerks Award will be presented to Ton Roosendaal for developing Blender Open Source Animation Software while the June Foray...
- 12/3/2018
- by Paul Sheehan
- Gold Derby
Nam Ron (alias of Shahili Bin Abdan) was born in 1969 in Kangar, Malaysia. He graduated from the Department of Theatre in the National Arts Academy in 1994, and has since worked in theatre, television and film as a director, writer and actor. His reputation was launched by the play Misi (co-written with Faisal Tehrani), followed by many successful stage performances. He has worked with most reknowned Malaysian filmmakers such as Dain Said, Yasmin Ahmad, James Lee, Tan Chui Mui, acting in main, supporting roles not mentioning many cameo appearances. His directorial debut, “Gedebe” was a loose adaptation of “Julius Caesar” set in the underground Malaysian music scene. In his film works Nam Ron skillfully combines genres cinema with sharp social commentary.
Though he made his acting debut on television in 2000, Bront Palarae, who is a Malaysian of Pakistani-Malay-Thai descent, first gained fame by portraying two characters in Cinta Tsunami, a television series in 2005. Since then,...
Though he made his acting debut on television in 2000, Bront Palarae, who is a Malaysian of Pakistani-Malay-Thai descent, first gained fame by portraying two characters in Cinta Tsunami, a television series in 2005. Since then,...
- 12/3/2018
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
How different are the lives of President Donald Trump and your favorite Starbucks barista, really?
On Tuesday at the Landmark Theatres in Los Angeles, Taiwanese director Hsin-yao Huang argued that they may be more similar than you think. Huang was at the Landmark for a screening of his black comedy “The Great Buddha+,” Taiwan’s entry into the Oscar foreign film race.
“We are all on the existential boat even though at times we all think we are so different,” Huang told TheWrap’s Steve Pond with the help of a translator.
“The Great Buddha+” aims to steer the existential boat by analyzing two lower-income Taiwanese men: Pickle and Belly Button. Pickle is a night security guard at a bronze statue factory in Taiwan who spends his free time “reading” porn magazines and playing in a local band part-time. Belly Button, who collects and sells recycling as a form of income,...
On Tuesday at the Landmark Theatres in Los Angeles, Taiwanese director Hsin-yao Huang argued that they may be more similar than you think. Huang was at the Landmark for a screening of his black comedy “The Great Buddha+,” Taiwan’s entry into the Oscar foreign film race.
“We are all on the existential boat even though at times we all think we are so different,” Huang told TheWrap’s Steve Pond with the help of a translator.
“The Great Buddha+” aims to steer the existential boat by analyzing two lower-income Taiwanese men: Pickle and Belly Button. Pickle is a night security guard at a bronze statue factory in Taiwan who spends his free time “reading” porn magazines and playing in a local band part-time. Belly Button, who collects and sells recycling as a form of income,...
- 11/28/2018
- by Omar Sanchez
- The Wrap
Iraqi director Mohamed Al-Daradji can remember the exact day he was held hostage by Al Qaeda: Dec 16, 2004. Al-Daradji and his film crew at the time had guns pointed at their heads, seconds away from death. It was during a time when he thought terrorists were only evil men. In the coming years, Al-Daradji realized there was something more sinister behind the madness.
“Usually the victims are women, but a lot of women since 2003 have become suicide bombers,” the director told TheWrap’s Steve Pond at a Q&A on Monday following a screening of his film, “The Journey” at the Landmark Theatres in Los Angeles. The film is Iraq’s entry into the Oscar foreign film race.
“Is she in control, or are they [Al Qaeda] in control?” is the question Al-Daradji sought to answer in “The Journey,” a film he was inspired to make after being taken hostage.
Also Read: Gerard Butler...
“Usually the victims are women, but a lot of women since 2003 have become suicide bombers,” the director told TheWrap’s Steve Pond at a Q&A on Monday following a screening of his film, “The Journey” at the Landmark Theatres in Los Angeles. The film is Iraq’s entry into the Oscar foreign film race.
“Is she in control, or are they [Al Qaeda] in control?” is the question Al-Daradji sought to answer in “The Journey,” a film he was inspired to make after being taken hostage.
Also Read: Gerard Butler...
- 11/27/2018
- by Omar Sanchez
- The Wrap
Among the Middle East’s 10 submissions, three of which are helmed by women, are several titles that are likely to be competitive in the foreign-language category. These include the Cannes jury prize-winner “Capernaum,” from Lebanon’s helmer-actress Nadine Labaki, and “The Cakemaker” from Israel’s Ofir Raul Grazier. While the lineup includes some films that premiered at major festivals such as Berlin, Venice and Cannes, nearly all of the regional entries, with the exception of the Yemeni title “10 Days Before the Wedding,” have screened in multiple smaller festivals and nabbed several awards.
Labaki’s third feature, “Capernaum,” is the story of an impoverished Beirut boy who launches a lawsuit against his parents for bringing him into the world. It has a lot going for it: It’s a heart-tugging social-issues drama with adorable non-pro child actors, and it plays like, er, a “Slumdog Beirut.” Moreover, the film, due out Stateside in December,...
Labaki’s third feature, “Capernaum,” is the story of an impoverished Beirut boy who launches a lawsuit against his parents for bringing him into the world. It has a lot going for it: It’s a heart-tugging social-issues drama with adorable non-pro child actors, and it plays like, er, a “Slumdog Beirut.” Moreover, the film, due out Stateside in December,...
- 11/8/2018
- by Alissa Simon
- Variety Film + TV
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