In what seems like an odd choice for an English-language remake, helmer-writer Savi Gabizon transfers the action of his least successful Israeli drama, “Longing” (2017), to Canada. Alas, the story of a confirmed bachelor who learns that he fathered a son 19 years earlier fails to translate by striking far too many duff notes. Richard Gere struggles as the unlikable protagonist, whose attempts to learn more about the lad come off as creepy rather than poignant. After a limited theatrical release, the Lionsgate release will segue to digital and on-demand on June 28.
Gere plays busy New York businessman Daniel who is thrown for a loop when former girlfriend Rachel (Suzanne Clément) turns up with some big news. Not only did she return to Canada pregnant with his child, but the boy, Allen, recently died in a car accident. In spite of never wanting children, Daniel flies to Ontario for Allen’s memorial service,...
Gere plays busy New York businessman Daniel who is thrown for a loop when former girlfriend Rachel (Suzanne Clément) turns up with some big news. Not only did she return to Canada pregnant with his child, but the boy, Allen, recently died in a car accident. In spite of never wanting children, Daniel flies to Ontario for Allen’s memorial service,...
- 6/9/2024
- by Alissa Simon
- Variety Film + TV
Cate Blanchett: 'I’ve never been directed before by a threesome' Photo: Richard Mowe Normally Canadian director Guy Maddin has shunned casting star names in his body of work which now spans more than four decades.
Although his compatriots Atom Egoyan and David Cronenberg have been regular fixtures in the Cannes Film Festival firmament until this year Maddin, 68, had never reached the giddy heights of the Croisette with any of his idiosyncratic works.
That omission has changed after a collaboration with his directorial co-conspirators, the brothers Evan and Galen Johnson (also Canadians) on Rumours, an excoriating and dark political satire about world leaders meeting for a G7 submit in the isolated surrounds of a dank schloss in the heavily wooded German countryside turns into a zombie apocalypse and quest for survival.
Cate Blanchett: 'It is very hard not to laugh at the absurdity of the situation' Photo: Richard Mowe...
Although his compatriots Atom Egoyan and David Cronenberg have been regular fixtures in the Cannes Film Festival firmament until this year Maddin, 68, had never reached the giddy heights of the Croisette with any of his idiosyncratic works.
That omission has changed after a collaboration with his directorial co-conspirators, the brothers Evan and Galen Johnson (also Canadians) on Rumours, an excoriating and dark political satire about world leaders meeting for a G7 submit in the isolated surrounds of a dank schloss in the heavily wooded German countryside turns into a zombie apocalypse and quest for survival.
Cate Blanchett: 'It is very hard not to laugh at the absurdity of the situation' Photo: Richard Mowe...
- 5/22/2024
- by Richard Mowe
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Iranian filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof is set to attend the Cannes premiere of his latest feature, The Seed Of The Sacred Fig, after receiving an eight-year prison sentence from Iranian authorities and fleeing his home country.
Speculation had been rife that the dissident director would attend the festival when the film receives its world premiere in Competition on Friday (May 24), having found asylum in Germany, but Cannes’ general delegate Thierry Fremaux has now confirmed his attendance.
“We are particularly touched to welcome [Rasoulof] here as a filmmaker,” Fremaux said in a statement to Agence France-Presse (Afp).
Our joy will be that of...
Speculation had been rife that the dissident director would attend the festival when the film receives its world premiere in Competition on Friday (May 24), having found asylum in Germany, but Cannes’ general delegate Thierry Fremaux has now confirmed his attendance.
“We are particularly touched to welcome [Rasoulof] here as a filmmaker,” Fremaux said in a statement to Agence France-Presse (Afp).
Our joy will be that of...
- 5/22/2024
- ScreenDaily
International filmmakers are calling for solidarity with Mohammad Rasoulof and persecuted filmmakers in Iran in an open letter, shared with Variety.
Rasoulof – about to screen his latest film “The Seed of the Sacred Fig” in Cannes’ main competition – was sentenced to imprisonment and torture by the Islamic Republic of Iran. He fled the country.
“We condemn the inhumane treatment of Rasoulof and numerous other independent artists in Iran, who are being severely punished, criminalized and silenced for exercising their artistic freedom,” it was stated in the letter, already signed by “Holy Spider” star Zar Amir Ebrahimi, Fatih Akin, Atom Egoyan, Ildiko Enyedi, Andrew Haigh, Agnieszka Holland, Laura Poitras, Sandra Hüller, Sean Baker, Payal Kapadia and Ariane Labed.
“We stand in full solidarity with Rasoulof’s demands and call upon the international film community to raise our voices against an Islamist dictatorship that systematically oppresses every aspect of their society’s lives.
Rasoulof – about to screen his latest film “The Seed of the Sacred Fig” in Cannes’ main competition – was sentenced to imprisonment and torture by the Islamic Republic of Iran. He fled the country.
“We condemn the inhumane treatment of Rasoulof and numerous other independent artists in Iran, who are being severely punished, criminalized and silenced for exercising their artistic freedom,” it was stated in the letter, already signed by “Holy Spider” star Zar Amir Ebrahimi, Fatih Akin, Atom Egoyan, Ildiko Enyedi, Andrew Haigh, Agnieszka Holland, Laura Poitras, Sandra Hüller, Sean Baker, Payal Kapadia and Ariane Labed.
“We stand in full solidarity with Rasoulof’s demands and call upon the international film community to raise our voices against an Islamist dictatorship that systematically oppresses every aspect of their society’s lives.
- 5/22/2024
- by Marta Balaga
- Variety Film + TV
The Cannes Film Festival launches auteur filmmakers, and the best among them have known scenes of triumph at the iconic French seaside festival.
But not Guy Maddin, who for all his accolades as an original and idiosyncratic auteur prized for titles like The Forbidden Room and The Saddest Music in the World, has never — until now, that is — brought a film to the Croisette.
It took Maddin and co-directors Evan and Galen Johnson casting Oscar winners Cate Blanchett and Alicia Vikander and getting the backing of executive producer Ari Aster to get their absurdist political satire Rumours to the Cannes red carpet.
“Once we got some legitimate Oscar-winning movie stars, and other movie stars that are amazing, all of a sudden Cannes cleaned its glasses off for a closer look,” Maddin tells The Hollywood Reporter of the stars aligning ahead of a May 19 world premiere at the Lumière theater. Rumours...
But not Guy Maddin, who for all his accolades as an original and idiosyncratic auteur prized for titles like The Forbidden Room and The Saddest Music in the World, has never — until now, that is — brought a film to the Croisette.
It took Maddin and co-directors Evan and Galen Johnson casting Oscar winners Cate Blanchett and Alicia Vikander and getting the backing of executive producer Ari Aster to get their absurdist political satire Rumours to the Cannes red carpet.
“Once we got some legitimate Oscar-winning movie stars, and other movie stars that are amazing, all of a sudden Cannes cleaned its glasses off for a closer look,” Maddin tells The Hollywood Reporter of the stars aligning ahead of a May 19 world premiere at the Lumière theater. Rumours...
- 5/18/2024
- by Etan Vlessing
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Al Pacino and Dan Stevens have teamed up for exorcism horror film “The Ritual” from director David Midell.
XYZ Films has acquired worldwide rights to the feature, with plans to release it theatrically in 2025 and arrange international distribution at the upcoming Cannes market.
“The Ritual” was written by Midell and Enrico Natale and produced by Andrew Stevens, Mitchell Welch and Natale. Ashley Greene and Abigail Cowen round out the cast.
Based on a true story, “The Ritual” follows two priests — one questioning his faith (Stevens) and one reckoning with a troubled past (Pacino) — who must put aside their differences to save a possessed young woman through a difficult and dangerous series of exorcisms. The film is an authentic portrayal of Emma Schmidt, an American woman whose demonic possession culminated in harrowing exorcisms. Her case remains the most thoroughly documented exorcism in American history.
BondIt Media Capital provided financing for the project,...
XYZ Films has acquired worldwide rights to the feature, with plans to release it theatrically in 2025 and arrange international distribution at the upcoming Cannes market.
“The Ritual” was written by Midell and Enrico Natale and produced by Andrew Stevens, Mitchell Welch and Natale. Ashley Greene and Abigail Cowen round out the cast.
Based on a true story, “The Ritual” follows two priests — one questioning his faith (Stevens) and one reckoning with a troubled past (Pacino) — who must put aside their differences to save a possessed young woman through a difficult and dangerous series of exorcisms. The film is an authentic portrayal of Emma Schmidt, an American woman whose demonic possession culminated in harrowing exorcisms. Her case remains the most thoroughly documented exorcism in American history.
BondIt Media Capital provided financing for the project,...
- 4/23/2024
- by Alex Ritman
- Variety Film + TV
“Shazam” star Zachary Levi is set to headline rock-climbing action thriller “Free Fall” for XYZ Films, with acclaimed New Zealand stuntwoman and stunt coordinator Zoë Bell tapped to direct.
The film — written by Sean Finegan and Gregg Maxwell Parker — tells the story of a father’s attempt to reconcile with his estranged daughter on a rock-climbing trip that turns deadly as an accident leaves them stranded hundreds of feet in the air. Production is set to start later this year in New Zealand. Tom Hern and Nua Finau of Tavake are producing, with Navid McIlhargey and Erik Olsen executive producing alongside Finegan, Parker and Levi.
Bell began her career as a stunt performer on “Xena: Warrior Princess” and then alongside Quentin Tarantino as a stunt woman and coordinator over a decades-long relationship. She has worked on films such as “The Hateful Eight,” “Django Unchained,” “Kill Bill,” “Inglourious Basterds,” “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,...
The film — written by Sean Finegan and Gregg Maxwell Parker — tells the story of a father’s attempt to reconcile with his estranged daughter on a rock-climbing trip that turns deadly as an accident leaves them stranded hundreds of feet in the air. Production is set to start later this year in New Zealand. Tom Hern and Nua Finau of Tavake are producing, with Navid McIlhargey and Erik Olsen executive producing alongside Finegan, Parker and Levi.
Bell began her career as a stunt performer on “Xena: Warrior Princess” and then alongside Quentin Tarantino as a stunt woman and coordinator over a decades-long relationship. She has worked on films such as “The Hateful Eight,” “Django Unchained,” “Kill Bill,” “Inglourious Basterds,” “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,...
- 4/16/2024
- by Alex Ritman
- Variety Film + TV
Former Flanders Image manager Christian De Schutter has joined Tine Klint’s Denmark-based Scandinavian sales and aggregation company LevelK as festival consultant.
De Schutter left Flanders Image suddenly in December last year, announced via a short email from Flanders Audiovisual Fund CEO Koen Van Bockstal. Over 150 leading international industry figures then signed an open letter in support of De Schutter.
De Schutter had worked at Flanders Image since 2003, with responsibility for promoting Flemish films and TV dramas internationally. The organisation boosted the careers of filmmakers including Lukas Dhont, Fien Troch and Felix Van Groeningen, and scored Oscar nominations for films including Bullhead,...
De Schutter left Flanders Image suddenly in December last year, announced via a short email from Flanders Audiovisual Fund CEO Koen Van Bockstal. Over 150 leading international industry figures then signed an open letter in support of De Schutter.
De Schutter had worked at Flanders Image since 2003, with responsibility for promoting Flemish films and TV dramas internationally. The organisation boosted the careers of filmmakers including Lukas Dhont, Fien Troch and Felix Van Groeningen, and scored Oscar nominations for films including Bullhead,...
- 3/11/2024
- ScreenDaily
Qumra master Atom Egoyan has expressed his desire for a new “wave” of Armenian filmmakers and encouraged international projects to consider the region for post-production.
Speaking to Screen following his Qumra masterclass at the Doha incubator, Egoyan – who is Canadian, born in Egypt and of Armenian heritage – described Armenia as “an extraordinarily resilient, stubborn country” with “a rich cinema history”.
“I’m nothing but positive about the ability to make films in Armenia,” said Egoyan, who did acknowledge “political instability” following the Azerbaijani military offensive in the disputed Artsakh region on September 19 and 20 last year, which has been classified as...
Speaking to Screen following his Qumra masterclass at the Doha incubator, Egoyan – who is Canadian, born in Egypt and of Armenian heritage – described Armenia as “an extraordinarily resilient, stubborn country” with “a rich cinema history”.
“I’m nothing but positive about the ability to make films in Armenia,” said Egoyan, who did acknowledge “political instability” following the Azerbaijani military offensive in the disputed Artsakh region on September 19 and 20 last year, which has been classified as...
- 3/7/2024
- ScreenDaily
Qumra master Atom Egoyan has expressed his desire for a new “wave” of Armenian filmmakers and encouraged international projects to consider the region for post-production.
Speaking to Screen following his Qumra masterclass at the Doha incubator, Egoyan – who is Canadian, born in Egypt and of Armenian heritage – described Armenia as “an extraordinarily resilient, stubborn country” with “a rich cinema history”.
“I’m nothing but positive about the ability to make films in Armenia,” said Egoyan, who did acknowledge “political instability” following the Azerbaijani military offensive in the disputed Artsakh region on September 19 and 20 last year, which has been classified as...
Speaking to Screen following his Qumra masterclass at the Doha incubator, Egoyan – who is Canadian, born in Egypt and of Armenian heritage – described Armenia as “an extraordinarily resilient, stubborn country” with “a rich cinema history”.
“I’m nothing but positive about the ability to make films in Armenia,” said Egoyan, who did acknowledge “political instability” following the Azerbaijani military offensive in the disputed Artsakh region on September 19 and 20 last year, which has been classified as...
- 3/7/2024
- ScreenDaily
Qumra master Atom Egoyan has expressed his desire for a new “wave” of Armenian filmmakers; and encouraged international projects to consider the region for post-production.
Speaking to Screen following his Qumra masterclass at the Doha incubator, Egoyan – who is Canadian, born in Egypt and of Armenian heritage – described Armenia as “an extraordinarily resilient, stubborn country” with “a rich cinema history”.
“I’m nothing but positive about the ability to make films in Armenia,” said Egoyan, who did acknowledge “political instability” following the Azerbaijani military offensive in the disputed Artsakh region on September 19 and 20 last year, which has been classified as...
Speaking to Screen following his Qumra masterclass at the Doha incubator, Egoyan – who is Canadian, born in Egypt and of Armenian heritage – described Armenia as “an extraordinarily resilient, stubborn country” with “a rich cinema history”.
“I’m nothing but positive about the ability to make films in Armenia,” said Egoyan, who did acknowledge “political instability” following the Azerbaijani military offensive in the disputed Artsakh region on September 19 and 20 last year, which has been classified as...
- 3/7/2024
- ScreenDaily
Atom Egoyan has revealed that he was so traumatized by the negative reception to his Ryan Reynolds-starring thriller The Captive at the Cannes Film Festival that he will never return again with a film.
The pedophilia thriller, starring Reynolds as a man dealing with the disappearance of his nine-year-old daughter, was widely panned by the Cannes critics corps when it world premiered in competition in 2014.
“It was actually the worst reviewed film that I ever did. We should never have taken it to Cannes,” the Canadian-Armenian director told a masterclass at the Doha Film Institute’s Qumra meeting in Qatar on Wednesday.
“It got this really crazy reception. It was in competition on the Friday night. I haven’t been to Cannes since because I just don’t ever want to come back to what we had that night. The last couple of films, we showed in Venice or Berlin.
The pedophilia thriller, starring Reynolds as a man dealing with the disappearance of his nine-year-old daughter, was widely panned by the Cannes critics corps when it world premiered in competition in 2014.
“It was actually the worst reviewed film that I ever did. We should never have taken it to Cannes,” the Canadian-Armenian director told a masterclass at the Doha Film Institute’s Qumra meeting in Qatar on Wednesday.
“It got this really crazy reception. It was in competition on the Friday night. I haven’t been to Cannes since because I just don’t ever want to come back to what we had that night. The last couple of films, we showed in Venice or Berlin.
- 3/6/2024
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
French filmmaker Leos Carax discussed the sacred nature of the image and the challenge of retaining its power on the big screen in the digital age in an on-stage conversation at the Doha Film Institute’s Qumra event on Monday.
The filmmaker said he had transitioned to shooting in digital in his segment of the 2008 feature Tokyo!, one of his first works after the death of his beloved cinematographer Jean-Yves Escoffier, who died age 52 in 2003.
Carax revealed this move had changed his filmmaking process as he took the decision to stop watching the dailies from then on, which resulted in him ditching his habit of doing multiple retakes.
The director admitted that 15 years on, he is not a huge fan of shooting in digital.
“I don’t come from there. I still feel It’s a bad thing, even for the eyes… it’s become such a problem with digital...
The filmmaker said he had transitioned to shooting in digital in his segment of the 2008 feature Tokyo!, one of his first works after the death of his beloved cinematographer Jean-Yves Escoffier, who died age 52 in 2003.
Carax revealed this move had changed his filmmaking process as he took the decision to stop watching the dailies from then on, which resulted in him ditching his habit of doing multiple retakes.
The director admitted that 15 years on, he is not a huge fan of shooting in digital.
“I don’t come from there. I still feel It’s a bad thing, even for the eyes… it’s become such a problem with digital...
- 3/4/2024
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Upcoming directing and producing projects are expanding Toni Collette’s creative horizons, according to the Australian actress speaking at Qumra this weekend.
She will soon star in A French Pursuit, a comedy feature directed by Catherine Hardwicke. Collette will produce the film through her Vocab Films company, alongside UK producer Christopher Simon’s New Sparta Films.
“Meeting the production team we’re working with in France, casting people – it’s stuff you don’t get to do as an actor, it’s incredibly satisfying,” said Collette, speaking in Doha where she gave a masterclass to emerging filmmakers and attending industry...
She will soon star in A French Pursuit, a comedy feature directed by Catherine Hardwicke. Collette will produce the film through her Vocab Films company, alongside UK producer Christopher Simon’s New Sparta Films.
“Meeting the production team we’re working with in France, casting people – it’s stuff you don’t get to do as an actor, it’s incredibly satisfying,” said Collette, speaking in Doha where she gave a masterclass to emerging filmmakers and attending industry...
- 3/4/2024
- ScreenDaily
Jim Sheridan has dispelled rumors around a possible return to acting by Daniel Day-Lewis, who gave an Oscar-winning performance in the Irish director’s drama My Left Foot and also starred in his subsequent films In The Name Of The Father and The Boxer.
Rumors have been rife that Day-Lewis, who retired from acting in 2017, might be contemplating a return to the big screen after he was photographed by paparazzi coming out of a New York restaurant with Sheridan and Steven Spielberg in early January.
Sheridan said the trio had been holding a meeting about a possible reboot of his long-gestating project about the Kennedy family, focused on its social climber-patriarch Joseph Kennedy.
“We were talking about a project. Daniel was only going to be involved, if he did get involved, as an executive producer, not as an actor,” said Sheridan.
“It was on the life of Joe Kennedy, the patriarch of the Kennedy family…...
Rumors have been rife that Day-Lewis, who retired from acting in 2017, might be contemplating a return to the big screen after he was photographed by paparazzi coming out of a New York restaurant with Sheridan and Steven Spielberg in early January.
Sheridan said the trio had been holding a meeting about a possible reboot of his long-gestating project about the Kennedy family, focused on its social climber-patriarch Joseph Kennedy.
“We were talking about a project. Daniel was only going to be involved, if he did get involved, as an executive producer, not as an actor,” said Sheridan.
“It was on the life of Joe Kennedy, the patriarch of the Kennedy family…...
- 3/3/2024
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Actress Toni Collette discussed her journey from a working-class neighborhood in northwest Sydney to Hollywood star in a masterclass at the Doha Film Institute’s Qumra talent and project development event on Friday.
The Oscar-nominated Muriel’s Wedding, Little Miss Sunshine, Knives Out and Unbelievable acting star is among six top cinema professionals attending Qumra, alongside directors Leos Carax, Claire Denis, Atom Egoyan and Jim Sheridan as well as sound editor and designer Martin Hernández.
Colette said she had been drawn to performance from an early age, firstly through musical theatre and tap dance.
“My father said I came out of the womb with jazz hands towards the light,” she joked.
Looking back on her early career, Collette recalled how she had dropped out of Australia’s National Institute of Dramatic Art Nida after being offered the part of Sonya in a 1992 stage production of Uncle Vanya by Neil Armfield.
This...
The Oscar-nominated Muriel’s Wedding, Little Miss Sunshine, Knives Out and Unbelievable acting star is among six top cinema professionals attending Qumra, alongside directors Leos Carax, Claire Denis, Atom Egoyan and Jim Sheridan as well as sound editor and designer Martin Hernández.
Colette said she had been drawn to performance from an early age, firstly through musical theatre and tap dance.
“My father said I came out of the womb with jazz hands towards the light,” she joked.
Looking back on her early career, Collette recalled how she had dropped out of Australia’s National Institute of Dramatic Art Nida after being offered the part of Sonya in a 1992 stage production of Uncle Vanya by Neil Armfield.
This...
- 3/1/2024
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Sky has acquired UK rights to true-crime documentary series Inheritance: The Jersey Murders, which has been six years in the making.
The under-the-radar three-part series is set amidst the 1987 Great Storm on the island of Jersey, where Elizabeth and Nicholas Newall vanish. Suspicion falls on their sons, Roderick and Mark, when blood is found, leading to a murder investigation. Roderick evades the police but is eventually apprehended off the coast of Africa, while Mark is arrested in Europe. Legal complexities result in a secret deal: Roderick serves 12 years for double murder, while Mark serves 22 months and inherits the entire Newall fortune. More than three decades later, this three-part documentary uses 70 hours of unheard taped recordings between the brothers to reveal new insight and uncovers how Mark Newall went on to co-found a major e-commerce company.
The limited series was directed and produced by Eloise Singer at Singer Studios and...
The under-the-radar three-part series is set amidst the 1987 Great Storm on the island of Jersey, where Elizabeth and Nicholas Newall vanish. Suspicion falls on their sons, Roderick and Mark, when blood is found, leading to a murder investigation. Roderick evades the police but is eventually apprehended off the coast of Africa, while Mark is arrested in Europe. Legal complexities result in a secret deal: Roderick serves 12 years for double murder, while Mark serves 22 months and inherits the entire Newall fortune. More than three decades later, this three-part documentary uses 70 hours of unheard taped recordings between the brothers to reveal new insight and uncovers how Mark Newall went on to co-found a major e-commerce company.
The limited series was directed and produced by Eloise Singer at Singer Studios and...
- 2/29/2024
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
The Doha Film Institute’s unique Qumra incubator kicks off Friday with six days of master classes, labs and mentoring sessions and some 200 industry professionals – including programmers from Cannes, Venice, Toronto, Berlin and many other major festivals – expected to make the trek to the Qatari capital.
Qumra, which is an Arab word believed to be the origin of the word “camera,” is dedicated to supporting and shepherding first and second works by Arab directors but also supports some projects from other parts of the world. The mentors, through one-on-one meetings and master classes, will nurture the talent attached to more than 40 projects from 20 countries that are in development or post-production.
Projects in development will take part in group and individual sessions in script consulting, marketing and co-production advice, along with individual matchmaking. Projects in post-production are presented in a series of closed rough-cut and picture lock screenings for leading festival programmers,...
Qumra, which is an Arab word believed to be the origin of the word “camera,” is dedicated to supporting and shepherding first and second works by Arab directors but also supports some projects from other parts of the world. The mentors, through one-on-one meetings and master classes, will nurture the talent attached to more than 40 projects from 20 countries that are in development or post-production.
Projects in development will take part in group and individual sessions in script consulting, marketing and co-production advice, along with individual matchmaking. Projects in post-production are presented in a series of closed rough-cut and picture lock screenings for leading festival programmers,...
- 2/29/2024
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
It is the busiest time of the year for Doha Film Institute (Dfi) CEO Fatma Hassan Al Remaihi and her team as they gear up the 10th edition of the org’s Qumra talent and project incubator.
The initiative is a cornerstone of the activities of the Dfi which was launched in 2010 to help nurture a local film and TV sector as well as the wider independent filmmaking community in the Middle East and North Africa.
From March 1 to 6, some 250 professionals – including this year’s Qumra Masters Leos Carax, Toni Collette, Claire Denis, Atom Egoyan, Martín Hernández, and Jim Sheridan – will gather in Doha to support 40 projects by emerging directors, selected from recent Dfi grantees.
The Dfi also runs year-round grants programs, workshops and screenings for locally based filmmakers as well as Mena directors and a handful of emerging talents outside of the region. In a separate funding stream, it...
The initiative is a cornerstone of the activities of the Dfi which was launched in 2010 to help nurture a local film and TV sector as well as the wider independent filmmaking community in the Middle East and North Africa.
From March 1 to 6, some 250 professionals – including this year’s Qumra Masters Leos Carax, Toni Collette, Claire Denis, Atom Egoyan, Martín Hernández, and Jim Sheridan – will gather in Doha to support 40 projects by emerging directors, selected from recent Dfi grantees.
The Dfi also runs year-round grants programs, workshops and screenings for locally based filmmakers as well as Mena directors and a handful of emerging talents outside of the region. In a separate funding stream, it...
- 2/28/2024
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Qatar’s Doha Film Institute (Dfi) kicks off the 10th edition of its Qumra project and talent incubator event meeting this Friday.
Running from March 1 to 6 in downtown Doha and the lofty surroundings of the city’s I. M. Pei-designed Museum of Islamic Art, the event will welcome the filmmakers and producers of 40 projects across all formats for six days of masterclasses, workshops and one-on-one mentoring sessions.
Participants include UK director Ana Naomi de Sousa with Naseem, Fight With Grace about boxing star Naseem Hamed; Moroccan filmmaker Alaa Eddine Aljem with Eldorado, The Taste of the South, his second feature after Cannes Critics’ Week title The Unknown Saint; Tunisian director Mehdi Barsaoui with Aïcha, which follows 2019 drama A Son for which Sami Bouajila won Best Actor in the Venice’s Horizons sidebar, and Palestinian director Saleh Saadi with TV series Dyouf, about a young man who returns to his...
Running from March 1 to 6 in downtown Doha and the lofty surroundings of the city’s I. M. Pei-designed Museum of Islamic Art, the event will welcome the filmmakers and producers of 40 projects across all formats for six days of masterclasses, workshops and one-on-one mentoring sessions.
Participants include UK director Ana Naomi de Sousa with Naseem, Fight With Grace about boxing star Naseem Hamed; Moroccan filmmaker Alaa Eddine Aljem with Eldorado, The Taste of the South, his second feature after Cannes Critics’ Week title The Unknown Saint; Tunisian director Mehdi Barsaoui with Aïcha, which follows 2019 drama A Son for which Sami Bouajila won Best Actor in the Venice’s Horizons sidebar, and Palestinian director Saleh Saadi with TV series Dyouf, about a young man who returns to his...
- 2/28/2024
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Horror film “The Voices of Our Mother,” headlined by Sheila McCarthy (“Women Talking”), has wrapped principal photography.
The film is written and directed by Mark O’Brien, who is also an actor, with his most recent credit being Atom Egoyan’s Toronto and Berlinale selection “Seven Veils.” It tells the story of a family who is brought together when their matriarch falls ill, only to find that their lineage is connected by more than blood. The film was shot in Hamilton, Ontario.
The cast also includes Georgina Reilly (“Quantum Leap”), O’Brien, Carolina Bartzcak (“Painkiller”), Alex Ozerov-Meyer (“The Americans”), Anna Ferguson (“Lost Girl”) and Shawn Doyle (“Star Trek: Discovery”).
The film is produced by Canada’s Vortex Productions, a subsidiary of boutique distributor Vortex Media. This marks the second collaboration between O’Brien and Vortex Media who helped to finance and distribute the filmmaker’s Fantasia and Grimmfest-winning feature directorial debut “The Righteous.
The film is written and directed by Mark O’Brien, who is also an actor, with his most recent credit being Atom Egoyan’s Toronto and Berlinale selection “Seven Veils.” It tells the story of a family who is brought together when their matriarch falls ill, only to find that their lineage is connected by more than blood. The film was shot in Hamilton, Ontario.
The cast also includes Georgina Reilly (“Quantum Leap”), O’Brien, Carolina Bartzcak (“Painkiller”), Alex Ozerov-Meyer (“The Americans”), Anna Ferguson (“Lost Girl”) and Shawn Doyle (“Star Trek: Discovery”).
The film is produced by Canada’s Vortex Productions, a subsidiary of boutique distributor Vortex Media. This marks the second collaboration between O’Brien and Vortex Media who helped to finance and distribute the filmmaker’s Fantasia and Grimmfest-winning feature directorial debut “The Righteous.
- 2/26/2024
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Amanda Seyfried looked stunning at the Berlin Film Festival!
The 38-year-old actress stepped out for a premiere and photo call for her movie Seven Veils during the festival on Thursday (February 22) in Berlin, Germany.
Amanda was joined by co-stars Douglas Smith and Ambur Braid, as well as writer and director Atom Egoyan.
During her appearance at the festival, Amanda talked about how she’s only been playing mothers after having kids.
Keep reading to find out more…
“In my career, it’s still a bit new to play a mother. It seems like once I popped out a baby, I was just playing mothers, and that’s Hollywood for you. But I do think that the roles have become way richer and definitely challenging in ways that I didn’t have earlier in my career,” Amanda said (via Variety). “I felt like Jeanine [in Seven Veils], specifically as a mother, trying...
The 38-year-old actress stepped out for a premiere and photo call for her movie Seven Veils during the festival on Thursday (February 22) in Berlin, Germany.
Amanda was joined by co-stars Douglas Smith and Ambur Braid, as well as writer and director Atom Egoyan.
During her appearance at the festival, Amanda talked about how she’s only been playing mothers after having kids.
Keep reading to find out more…
“In my career, it’s still a bit new to play a mother. It seems like once I popped out a baby, I was just playing mothers, and that’s Hollywood for you. But I do think that the roles have become way richer and definitely challenging in ways that I didn’t have earlier in my career,” Amanda said (via Variety). “I felt like Jeanine [in Seven Veils], specifically as a mother, trying...
- 2/23/2024
- by Just Jared
- Just Jared
From his breakthrough work Family Viewing, which dates back to 1987, Atom Egoyan has been exploring the possibilities of different communication technologies by showing screens within screens, stories within other stories and the ways unconnected stories may merge with each other and with real life. Seven Veils is named for the biblical character Salome, whose seductive dancing as she shed those veils earned her a grisly prize: the severed head of John the Baptist, the ascetic prophet who predicted the coming of Jesus Christ.
The title is just as suggestive, however, of Egoyan’s approach to storytelling. One diaphanous layer of Salome’s wrappings drops to reveal another beneath; in the same way, Egoyan story is peeled back, one reveal after another. It is understandable that, after its world premiere in Toronto, some critics described the film as muddled; for anyone unfamiliar with his source stories, this dense thicket of magic-lantern slides could well be bewildering.
The title is just as suggestive, however, of Egoyan’s approach to storytelling. One diaphanous layer of Salome’s wrappings drops to reveal another beneath; in the same way, Egoyan story is peeled back, one reveal after another. It is understandable that, after its world premiere in Toronto, some critics described the film as muddled; for anyone unfamiliar with his source stories, this dense thicket of magic-lantern slides could well be bewildering.
- 2/22/2024
- by Stephanie Bunbury
- Deadline Film + TV
Amanda Seyfried reflected on being cast as a mother at the Berlin Film Festival press conference for her new film “Seven Veils,” saying that “it seems like once I popped out a baby, I was just playing mothers.” However, the mom of two does feel the roles she’s been given have “become way richer.”
In “Seven Veils,” Seyfried plays Jeanine, a theater director who is forced to deal with repressed trauma as she prepares a production of the opera “Salome.” When asked if she related to the character, Seyfried said she sympathized with Jeanine’s struggles as a mother.
“In my career, it’s still a bit new to play a mother. It seems like once I popped out a baby, I was just playing mothers, and that’s Hollywood for you. But I do think that the roles have become way richer and definitely challenging in ways that...
In “Seven Veils,” Seyfried plays Jeanine, a theater director who is forced to deal with repressed trauma as she prepares a production of the opera “Salome.” When asked if she related to the character, Seyfried said she sympathized with Jeanine’s struggles as a mother.
“In my career, it’s still a bit new to play a mother. It seems like once I popped out a baby, I was just playing mothers, and that’s Hollywood for you. But I do think that the roles have become way richer and definitely challenging in ways that...
- 2/22/2024
- by Ellise Shafer
- Variety Film + TV
UK producer David P Kelly has come on board Zara Jian’s hybrid documentary drama I Will Revenge This World With Love celebrating Armenia’s greatest filmmaker Sergei Paradjanov.
Jian is shooting material at the Berlinale with Canadian-Armenian director Atom Egoyan, whose The Seven Veils screens as a Berlinale Special. Paradjanov (1924-90) directed Shadows Of Forgotten Ancestors and The Colour Of Pomegranates.
Double Palme D’Or winner Emir Kusturica, Joel Chapiron, and Lora Guerra are on board the project, which is being set up as an Armenian-French-uk coproduction with support from the Cnc in France and the National Cinema Centre of Armenia.
Jian is shooting material at the Berlinale with Canadian-Armenian director Atom Egoyan, whose The Seven Veils screens as a Berlinale Special. Paradjanov (1924-90) directed Shadows Of Forgotten Ancestors and The Colour Of Pomegranates.
Double Palme D’Or winner Emir Kusturica, Joel Chapiron, and Lora Guerra are on board the project, which is being set up as an Armenian-French-uk coproduction with support from the Cnc in France and the National Cinema Centre of Armenia.
- 2/19/2024
- ScreenDaily
Toni Collette will attend Doha Film Institute (Dfi)’s Qumra project development incubator in Qatar in March.
The Australian actress and producer joins the Qumra Masters programme, through which she will take part in a conversation about her career for the audience of 200 Qumra attendees.
Scroll down for the full list of Qumra feature-length projects
Collette will also mentor the creators of the projects in the Qumra lab, most of whom are first- or second-time filmmakers.
She joins previously announced masters Leos Carax, Claire Denis, Atom Egoyan, Martin Hernandez and Jim Sheridan for Qumra’s 10th edition, running from March...
The Australian actress and producer joins the Qumra Masters programme, through which she will take part in a conversation about her career for the audience of 200 Qumra attendees.
Scroll down for the full list of Qumra feature-length projects
Collette will also mentor the creators of the projects in the Qumra lab, most of whom are first- or second-time filmmakers.
She joins previously announced masters Leos Carax, Claire Denis, Atom Egoyan, Martin Hernandez and Jim Sheridan for Qumra’s 10th edition, running from March...
- 2/17/2024
- ScreenDaily
Australian Golden Globe and Emmy Award-winning actor and producer Toni Collette (Knives Out) has been announced as a Master at the 10th edition of the Doha Film Institute’s Qumra talent incubator, running from March 1 to 6.
She joins Leos Carax, Claire Denis, Atom Egoyan, Martín Hernández, and Jim Sheridan who were previously announced as Masters for the 2024 edition of the meeting dedicated to supporting new voices from Arab and world cinema.
They join a long list of top professionals to have participated in Qumra since its launch in 2014, which has included James Schamus, Naomi Kawase, Asghar Farhadi, Gael Garcia Bernal and Tilda Swinton.
Additionally, the Dfi has also announced the 40 projects by emerging filmmakers from more than 20 countries, that will participate in the event. (scroll down for full details).
Under the Qumra format, the Masters give a masterclass and provide one-on-one mentorship the talents attached to the projects, alongside a...
She joins Leos Carax, Claire Denis, Atom Egoyan, Martín Hernández, and Jim Sheridan who were previously announced as Masters for the 2024 edition of the meeting dedicated to supporting new voices from Arab and world cinema.
They join a long list of top professionals to have participated in Qumra since its launch in 2014, which has included James Schamus, Naomi Kawase, Asghar Farhadi, Gael Garcia Bernal and Tilda Swinton.
Additionally, the Dfi has also announced the 40 projects by emerging filmmakers from more than 20 countries, that will participate in the event. (scroll down for full details).
Under the Qumra format, the Masters give a masterclass and provide one-on-one mentorship the talents attached to the projects, alongside a...
- 2/17/2024
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
“Tatami,” the Iranian drama from co-directors Guy Nattiv and Zar Amir, has been picked up by XYZ Films for North America, where both lip-synched English and original language versions will be released later this year.
The feature, which bowed in Venice 2023 where it won the Brian Award, made history by becoming the first film to be jointly directed by an Iranian and an Israeli filmmaker.
Starring Arienne Mandi, Amir, Jaime Ray Newman and Ash Goldeh, and written by Nattiv — an Oscar winner for his short film “Skin” — and Elham Erfani, “Tatami” is set during the Judo World Championships in Tbilisi, Georgia. Midway through the competition, Iranian female judo fighter Leila (Mandi) and her coach Maryam (Amir ) receive an ultimatum from the Islamic Republic ordering Leila to fake an injury and lose, lest she be branded a traitor of the state. With her own and her family’s freedom at stake,...
The feature, which bowed in Venice 2023 where it won the Brian Award, made history by becoming the first film to be jointly directed by an Iranian and an Israeli filmmaker.
Starring Arienne Mandi, Amir, Jaime Ray Newman and Ash Goldeh, and written by Nattiv — an Oscar winner for his short film “Skin” — and Elham Erfani, “Tatami” is set during the Judo World Championships in Tbilisi, Georgia. Midway through the competition, Iranian female judo fighter Leila (Mandi) and her coach Maryam (Amir ) receive an ultimatum from the Islamic Republic ordering Leila to fake an injury and lose, lest she be branded a traitor of the state. With her own and her family’s freedom at stake,...
- 2/17/2024
- by Alex Ritman
- Variety Film + TV
The Doha Film Institute has recruited Oscar nominee Jim Sheridan, French auteurs Claire Denis and Leos Carax, Canada’s Atom Egoyan and Oscar-nominated Mexican sound editor Martín Hernández to hold master classes and act as mentors during its upcoming Qumra Arab industry incubator.
The event, now celebrating its 10th edition, will run March 1-6 in the Qatari capital of Doha.
Qumra, which means “camera” in Arabic, blends together a creative workshop, co-production market and festival elements. It was established by the Doha Film Institute (Dfi) to help foster first and second works, mostly by Arab directors, and to create curated networking opportunities between the Arab and international film communities.
Egoyan will be making the trek to Doha segueing from Berlin, where he is internationally launching drama “Seven Veils” with Amanda Seyfried in tow. Sheridan is currently working on the docu-drama “Re-creation” about the murder of French film and TV producer...
The event, now celebrating its 10th edition, will run March 1-6 in the Qatari capital of Doha.
Qumra, which means “camera” in Arabic, blends together a creative workshop, co-production market and festival elements. It was established by the Doha Film Institute (Dfi) to help foster first and second works, mostly by Arab directors, and to create curated networking opportunities between the Arab and international film communities.
Egoyan will be making the trek to Doha segueing from Berlin, where he is internationally launching drama “Seven Veils” with Amanda Seyfried in tow. Sheridan is currently working on the docu-drama “Re-creation” about the murder of French film and TV producer...
- 2/5/2024
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Qatar’s Doha Film Institute (Dfi) has announced that Leos Carax, Claire Denis, Atom Egoyan, Martín Hernández and Jim Sheridan will serve as Qumra Masters at the 10th edition of its respected talent incubator event, running from March 1 to 6.
They join a long list of top professionals to have participated in the Qumra meeting since its launch in 2014, which has included James Schamus, Naomi Kawase, Asghar Farhadi, Gael Garcia Bernal and Tilda Swinton.
Under the Qumra format, a select group of Mena and international filmmakers and producers of projects supported by the Dfi’s grants program attend the six-day talent and project incubator meeting in Doha.
The Qumra Masters give a masterclass and then provide one-on-one mentorship to the partipants alongside a host of other industry professionals in attendance.
French director Carax is currently working on post-production for his personal work It’s Not Me, which follows his award-winning pop-rock melodrama Annette,...
They join a long list of top professionals to have participated in the Qumra meeting since its launch in 2014, which has included James Schamus, Naomi Kawase, Asghar Farhadi, Gael Garcia Bernal and Tilda Swinton.
Under the Qumra format, a select group of Mena and international filmmakers and producers of projects supported by the Dfi’s grants program attend the six-day talent and project incubator meeting in Doha.
The Qumra Masters give a masterclass and then provide one-on-one mentorship to the partipants alongside a host of other industry professionals in attendance.
French director Carax is currently working on post-production for his personal work It’s Not Me, which follows his award-winning pop-rock melodrama Annette,...
- 2/5/2024
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Claire Denis, Leox Carax, Jim Sheridan, Atom Egoyan and Martin Hernandez will be the Masters for the 10th edition of Qumra, the Doha Film Institute’s annual incubator event.
The four directors plus sound designer and editor Hernandez will discuss their careers in individual talks with the Qumra delegates.
This year’s Qumra will run from March 1-6, with the 10th edition a key milestone for a Middle Eastern film event.
“As the Arab world’s first-of-its-kind talent incubator, Qumra has served as the preeminent platform for emerging talents to give their projects a distinct advantage through invaluable networking sessions with leading industry professionals,...
The four directors plus sound designer and editor Hernandez will discuss their careers in individual talks with the Qumra delegates.
This year’s Qumra will run from March 1-6, with the 10th edition a key milestone for a Middle Eastern film event.
“As the Arab world’s first-of-its-kind talent incubator, Qumra has served as the preeminent platform for emerging talents to give their projects a distinct advantage through invaluable networking sessions with leading industry professionals,...
- 2/5/2024
- ScreenDaily
Maple Syrup Massacre is an editorial series where Joe Lipsett dissects the themes, conventions and contributions of new and classic Canadian horror films. Spoilers follow…
It would be disingenuous to suggest that Atom Egoyan’s The Adjuster is a horror film.
Psychological thriller is more apt descriptor, though audiences seeking scary set pieces will walk away unsatisfied. Despite this, The Adjuster has a narrative of thriller tropes, including a large number of psychosexual relationships, characters adopting dual roles (or simply role playing) and an ending that encourages audiences to re-evaluate what they have seen.
Egoyan is one of Canada’s most significant contemporary directors, though internationally his work is known principally in art cinema and film festival circles. In the 90s, Egoyan was a symbol of national pride; he, along with David Cronenberg, was essentially the face of English-language Canadian film. His most famous film is the Sarah Polley-starring The Sweet Hereafter,...
It would be disingenuous to suggest that Atom Egoyan’s The Adjuster is a horror film.
Psychological thriller is more apt descriptor, though audiences seeking scary set pieces will walk away unsatisfied. Despite this, The Adjuster has a narrative of thriller tropes, including a large number of psychosexual relationships, characters adopting dual roles (or simply role playing) and an ending that encourages audiences to re-evaluate what they have seen.
Egoyan is one of Canada’s most significant contemporary directors, though internationally his work is known principally in art cinema and film festival circles. In the 90s, Egoyan was a symbol of national pride; he, along with David Cronenberg, was essentially the face of English-language Canadian film. His most famous film is the Sarah Polley-starring The Sweet Hereafter,...
- 1/30/2024
- by Joe Lipsett
- bloody-disgusting.com
The Berlinale has rounded out its special screenings programme with three more films.
Omar Sy-starring The Strangers’ Case by Brandt Andersen is a Berlinale Special Gala.
Two Japanese mid-length films - Chime by Kiyoshi Kurosawa and August My Heaven by Riho Kudo - will play as Berlinale Specials.
Andersen’s The Strangers’ Case is about a tragedy that strikes a Syrian family in Aleppo which triggers a chain reaction of events involving five different families in four different countries. The cast includes Omar Sy, Jason Beghe and Yasmine Al Massri.
It is based on a 2020 short, Refugee, that Andersen...
Omar Sy-starring The Strangers’ Case by Brandt Andersen is a Berlinale Special Gala.
Two Japanese mid-length films - Chime by Kiyoshi Kurosawa and August My Heaven by Riho Kudo - will play as Berlinale Specials.
Andersen’s The Strangers’ Case is about a tragedy that strikes a Syrian family in Aleppo which triggers a chain reaction of events involving five different families in four different countries. The cast includes Omar Sy, Jason Beghe and Yasmine Al Massri.
It is based on a 2020 short, Refugee, that Andersen...
- 1/25/2024
- ScreenDaily
“Chime,” a mid-length movie by leading Japanese director Kurosawa Kiyoshi, is among three late additions to the Berlin Film Festival’s Berlinale Special section.
The two others are “August My Heaven,” another mid-length picture form Japan, directed by Kudo Riho, and “The Strangers’ Case,” a full-length feature directed by Brandt Andersen which will play as a Berlinale Special Gala presentation.
In “Chime” Tashiro, a student at a culinary school, hears voices in his head. His teacher, Matsuoka, remains unconcerned. But then Tashiro claims that half of his brain has been replaced by a machine.
In “August My Heaven,” Joe earns a living as a professional stand-in actor for hire to play a relative, lover or friend for her clients and attend ceremonies. After an encounter at a funeral, her professional and private live begin to merge.
Tragedy strikes a Syrian family in Aleppo in “The Strangers’ Case.” This triggers a...
The two others are “August My Heaven,” another mid-length picture form Japan, directed by Kudo Riho, and “The Strangers’ Case,” a full-length feature directed by Brandt Andersen which will play as a Berlinale Special Gala presentation.
In “Chime” Tashiro, a student at a culinary school, hears voices in his head. His teacher, Matsuoka, remains unconcerned. But then Tashiro claims that half of his brain has been replaced by a machine.
In “August My Heaven,” Joe earns a living as a professional stand-in actor for hire to play a relative, lover or friend for her clients and attend ceremonies. After an encounter at a funeral, her professional and private live begin to merge.
Tragedy strikes a Syrian family in Aleppo in “The Strangers’ Case.” This triggers a...
- 1/25/2024
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
A Different Man.The Berlinale have begun to announce the first few titles selected for the 74th edition of their festival, set to take place from February 15 through 21, 2024. This page will be updated as further sections are announced.COMPETITIONAnother End (Piero Messina)Architecton (Victor Kossakovsky)Black Tea (Abderrahmane Sissako)La Cocina (Alonso Ruiz Palacios) Dahomey (Mati Diop)A Different Man (Aaron Schimberg)The Empire (Bruno Dumont)Gloria! (Margherita Vicario)Suspended Time (Olivier Assayas)From Hilde, With Love (Andreas Dresen)My Favourite CakeLangue Etrangère (Claire Berger)Small Things Like These (Tim Mielants)Who Do I Belong To (Meryam Joobeur)Pepe (Nelson Carlos De Los Santos Arias)Shambhala (Min Bahadur Bham)Sterben (Matthias Glasner)Small Things Like These (Tim Mielants)A Traveler’s Needs (Hong Sang-soo)Sleep With Your Eyes Open. ENCOUNTERSArcadia (Yorgos Zois)Cidade; Campo (Juliana Rojas)Demba (Mamadou Dia)Direct ActionSleep With Your Eyes Open (Nele Wohlatz)The Fable (Raam Reddy...
- 1/23/2024
- MUBI
The upcoming 74th Berlin Film Festival looks set to be its starriest edition in years with Kristen Stewart, Adam Sandler, Cillian Murphy, Lena Dunham, Sebastian Stan, Amanda Seyfried and Rooney Mara among the talent due to attend this year.
Artistic Director Carlo Chatrian confirmed the actors’ presence in an interview with Deadline following the festival’s official press conference on Monday.
“Yes. All the stars we have invited are expected to be here and have confirmed their presence,” he said, when quizzed on the above names. “I think the glamor aspect on the red carpet is a good one this year.”
Most are attending in movies due to be showcased in the Berlinale Special Gala line-up.
Stewart, who was at the festival last year as jury president, returns for the Berlinale Special Gala screening of Rose Glass’s Love Lies Bleeding alongside Katy O’Brian, Ed Harris, Dave Franco and Jena Malone.
Artistic Director Carlo Chatrian confirmed the actors’ presence in an interview with Deadline following the festival’s official press conference on Monday.
“Yes. All the stars we have invited are expected to be here and have confirmed their presence,” he said, when quizzed on the above names. “I think the glamor aspect on the red carpet is a good one this year.”
Most are attending in movies due to be showcased in the Berlinale Special Gala line-up.
Stewart, who was at the festival last year as jury president, returns for the Berlinale Special Gala screening of Rose Glass’s Love Lies Bleeding alongside Katy O’Brian, Ed Harris, Dave Franco and Jena Malone.
- 1/23/2024
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
The Berlin Film Festival has unveiled a promising competition lineup for its upcoming edition, peppered with prestige star-driven titles such as the New York-set “La Cocina” with Rooney Mara, sci-fi drama “Another End” pairing Gael García Bernal and Renate Reinsve and its opening film “Small Things Like These” starring “Oppenheimer” protagonist Cillian Murphy.
As is customary, political elements play a prominent role. But the complete Berlinale roster revealed on Monday by artistic director Carlo Chatrian and executive director Mariëtte Rissenbeek – following previous announcements in past weeks – makes for the fest’s strongest selection in recent memory in terms of heft and ensures a rich red carpet following the Hollywood strikes hiatus.
Rissenbeek and Chatrain started the press conference with a statement on the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. “Festivals provide a space for artistic expression and enable peaceful dialogue. They are places of encounter and exchange and contribute to international understanding.
As is customary, political elements play a prominent role. But the complete Berlinale roster revealed on Monday by artistic director Carlo Chatrian and executive director Mariëtte Rissenbeek – following previous announcements in past weeks – makes for the fest’s strongest selection in recent memory in terms of heft and ensures a rich red carpet following the Hollywood strikes hiatus.
Rissenbeek and Chatrain started the press conference with a statement on the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. “Festivals provide a space for artistic expression and enable peaceful dialogue. They are places of encounter and exchange and contribute to international understanding.
- 1/22/2024
- by Nick Vivarelli and Ellise Shafer
- Variety Film + TV
On the eve of Sundance and Berlin, XYZ Films has hired former STX, Studiocanal and Wanda executive Celine Lin as SVP of international sales and distribution.
Lin will spearhead distribution and licensing strategy across the Apac region and select European markets. She will report to XYZ president of international sales and distribution Tatyana Joffe.
Lin most recently served as SVP of international sales at STX Entertainment in London. Prior to that she held senior executive posts at Studiocanal in Paris and Wanda in Beijing. She began her career managing international sales for Coproduction Office.
Joffe said, “We are thrilled for...
Lin will spearhead distribution and licensing strategy across the Apac region and select European markets. She will report to XYZ president of international sales and distribution Tatyana Joffe.
Lin most recently served as SVP of international sales at STX Entertainment in London. Prior to that she held senior executive posts at Studiocanal in Paris and Wanda in Beijing. She began her career managing international sales for Coproduction Office.
Joffe said, “We are thrilled for...
- 1/17/2024
- ScreenDaily
Company premiering Skywalkers: A Love Story, Krazy House in Sundance.
On the eve of Sundance and Berlin, XYZ Films has hired former STX, Studiocanal and Wanda executive Celine Lin as SVP of international sales and distribution.
Lin will spearhead distribution and licensing strategy across the Apac region and select European markets. She will report to XYZ president of international sales and distribution Tatyana Joffe.
Lin most recently served as SVP of international sales at STX Entertainment in London. Prior to that she held senior executive posts at Studiocanal in Paris and Wanda in Beijing. She began her career managing international sales for Coproduction Office.
On the eve of Sundance and Berlin, XYZ Films has hired former STX, Studiocanal and Wanda executive Celine Lin as SVP of international sales and distribution.
Lin will spearhead distribution and licensing strategy across the Apac region and select European markets. She will report to XYZ president of international sales and distribution Tatyana Joffe.
Lin most recently served as SVP of international sales at STX Entertainment in London. Prior to that she held senior executive posts at Studiocanal in Paris and Wanda in Beijing. She began her career managing international sales for Coproduction Office.
- 1/17/2024
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Armenia has been submitting films for the Best International Feature Film Oscar here and there since 2001, but never has the West Asian country been nominated. This year, that could change with Michael A. Goorjian’s hopeful fable of Soviet Armenia, “Amerikatsi.” For the first time, Armenia’s Oscar committee got their film on the shortlist of 15, thanks to a groundswell of support that started at the Woodstock Film Festival last year, and with the trumpeting of Canadian-Armenian filmmaker Atom Egoyan.
Many multi-hyphenates star in films they directed in service of getting the movie made at all. For actor and writer/director Goorjian, the Bay Area-born artist whose father was Armenian and whose paternal grandparents survived the Armenian genocide in World War I, it only made sense to play Charlie Bakhchinyan himself. In “Amerikatsi,” Charlie is an Armenian-American who repatriates to his homeland in 1948, when Armenia was in thrall to Soviet Communism.
Many multi-hyphenates star in films they directed in service of getting the movie made at all. For actor and writer/director Goorjian, the Bay Area-born artist whose father was Armenian and whose paternal grandparents survived the Armenian genocide in World War I, it only made sense to play Charlie Bakhchinyan himself. In “Amerikatsi,” Charlie is an Armenian-American who repatriates to his homeland in 1948, when Armenia was in thrall to Soviet Communism.
- 1/11/2024
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
Investment vehicle has backed 20 productions including upcoming Sundance premieres Skywalkers: A Love Story, Krazy House.
LA-based XYZ Films and European fund management company Ipr.Vc have renewed their slate financing partnership initially established in November 2019.
The investment vehicle has resulted in 20 productions to date including last year’s Berlinale selection Blackberry and upcoming Sundance premieres Skywalkers: A Love Story, a documentary by Jeff Zimbalist, and Krazy House starring Nick Frost and Alicia Silverstone.
Other XYZ Films which have received backing from Ipr.Vc include Atom Egoyan’s TIFF selection Seven Veils starring Amanda Seyfried, Ash with Eiza González and Aaron Paul and directed by Flying Lotus,...
LA-based XYZ Films and European fund management company Ipr.Vc have renewed their slate financing partnership initially established in November 2019.
The investment vehicle has resulted in 20 productions to date including last year’s Berlinale selection Blackberry and upcoming Sundance premieres Skywalkers: A Love Story, a documentary by Jeff Zimbalist, and Krazy House starring Nick Frost and Alicia Silverstone.
Other XYZ Films which have received backing from Ipr.Vc include Atom Egoyan’s TIFF selection Seven Veils starring Amanda Seyfried, Ash with Eiza González and Aaron Paul and directed by Flying Lotus,...
- 1/10/2024
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Martin Scorsese, whose latest film “Killers of the Flower Moon” is one of the most buzzed about movies of this awards season, will receive the Honorary Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival on Feb. 20.
The festival’s directors, Carlo Chatrian and Mariëtte Rissenbeek said Scorsese in “an unmatched role model” for “anyone who considers cinema as the art of shaping a story in such a way that is both completely personal and universal.
“His films have accompanied our history as spectators and human beings, his characters have lived and grown within us, his view of history and mankind has helped us to understand and question who we are and where we come from,” Chatrian and Rissenbeek continued.
The duo, who will step down after the upcoming Berlinale edition when their mandate ends, said “Killers of the Flower Moon,” is one of Scorsese’s greatest achievements.
Scorsese has a long history with the Berlin festival,...
The festival’s directors, Carlo Chatrian and Mariëtte Rissenbeek said Scorsese in “an unmatched role model” for “anyone who considers cinema as the art of shaping a story in such a way that is both completely personal and universal.
“His films have accompanied our history as spectators and human beings, his characters have lived and grown within us, his view of history and mankind has helped us to understand and question who we are and where we come from,” Chatrian and Rissenbeek continued.
The duo, who will step down after the upcoming Berlinale edition when their mandate ends, said “Killers of the Flower Moon,” is one of Scorsese’s greatest achievements.
Scorsese has a long history with the Berlin festival,...
- 12/21/2023
- by Elsa Keslassy and Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
The traditionally celebrity-heavy Toronto Film Festival has unveiled its list of Canada’s best indie films for 2023, which includes a host of first-time directors that have come to the fore as the Hollywood actors strike put local movies and talent front and center at TIFF last September.
Canadian filmmakers were able to grab the spotlight after SAG-AFTRA members barred from promoting studio or streamer projects allowed them to fill the vacuum on TIFF red carpets and at industry events.
New directors were also favorites of Toronto programmers as a shifting TIFF film market with few American celebrities in town also allowed the marquee festival to double down on finding new creative voices.
So here’s the top Canadian feature films of 2023, as decided by film pickers in Toronto.
1. BlackBerry
Matt Johnson’s drama about the meteoric rise of the world’s first smartphone, before its competitive collapse, bowed in Berlin.
Canadian filmmakers were able to grab the spotlight after SAG-AFTRA members barred from promoting studio or streamer projects allowed them to fill the vacuum on TIFF red carpets and at industry events.
New directors were also favorites of Toronto programmers as a shifting TIFF film market with few American celebrities in town also allowed the marquee festival to double down on finding new creative voices.
So here’s the top Canadian feature films of 2023, as decided by film pickers in Toronto.
1. BlackBerry
Matt Johnson’s drama about the meteoric rise of the world’s first smartphone, before its competitive collapse, bowed in Berlin.
- 12/20/2023
- by Etan Vlessing
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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
Berlin Film Festival artistic director Carlo Chatrian is in an upbeat mood as he puts the finishing touches on assembling his fifth and final edition. It appears to be shaping up nicely with a rich mix comprising prestige star-driven titles, such as the world premiere of Netflix’s “Spaceman” in which Adam Sandler plays an imperiled astronaut, and films with “political elements” that are intrinsic to the fest’s DNA.
The day before revealing his Berlin Special lineup that includes several star-studded galas – the main lineup will be announced on Jan. 22 – Chatrian spoke to Variety about how the 74th edition is starting to take form and why management changes at the Berlinale aren’t distracting him from his main mission: supporting good movies.
Berlin will be one of the first major festivals to take place after the Hollywood strikes. Will it benefit from this?
We are very happy that we...
The day before revealing his Berlin Special lineup that includes several star-studded galas – the main lineup will be announced on Jan. 22 – Chatrian spoke to Variety about how the 74th edition is starting to take form and why management changes at the Berlinale aren’t distracting him from his main mission: supporting good movies.
Berlin will be one of the first major festivals to take place after the Hollywood strikes. Will it benefit from this?
We are very happy that we...
- 12/20/2023
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
The Berlinale has announced the first seven productions, including one series, to be invited to the Berlinale Specials strand of its 74th edition running from February 15 to 25, 2024.
The line-up will include the world premiere of Johan Renck’s sci-fi drama Spaceman starring Adam Sandler as an astronaut on a lone space mission.
The drama, also featuring Carey Mulligan, Kunal Nayyar, Isabella Rossellini and Paul Dano in the cast, goes on worldwide release on Netflix on March 1, 2024
The Sandler sci-fi drama is due to go on worldwide release on Netflix on March 1, 2024.
There will also be international premieres for David and Nathan Zellner’s Sasquatch Sunset, with Riley Keough, Jesse Eisenberg, Nathan Zellner and Christophe Zajac-Denek, which is due to world premiere at Sundance.
Atom Egoyan’s TIFF-selected Seven Veils, featuring Amanda Seyfried, Rebecca Liddiard, Douglas Smith, Ambur Braid, Michael Kupfer-Radecky in the cast, is also in the line-up.
“We are...
The line-up will include the world premiere of Johan Renck’s sci-fi drama Spaceman starring Adam Sandler as an astronaut on a lone space mission.
The drama, also featuring Carey Mulligan, Kunal Nayyar, Isabella Rossellini and Paul Dano in the cast, goes on worldwide release on Netflix on March 1, 2024
The Sandler sci-fi drama is due to go on worldwide release on Netflix on March 1, 2024.
There will also be international premieres for David and Nathan Zellner’s Sasquatch Sunset, with Riley Keough, Jesse Eisenberg, Nathan Zellner and Christophe Zajac-Denek, which is due to world premiere at Sundance.
Atom Egoyan’s TIFF-selected Seven Veils, featuring Amanda Seyfried, Rebecca Liddiard, Douglas Smith, Ambur Braid, Michael Kupfer-Radecky in the cast, is also in the line-up.
“We are...
- 12/20/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Johan Renck’s Netflix sci-fi drama “Spaceman,” starring Adam Sandler, Carey Mulligan and Paul Dano, and German filmmaker Julia von Heinz’s “Treasure” – formerly titled “Iron Box” – with Lena Dunham and Stephen Fry, are among high-profile titles set to launch from the upcoming Berlin Film Festival.
The 74th Berlinale – which will unveil its competition lineup on Jan. 22 – has announced its star-studded Berlinale Special titles which also comprise German director Tilman Singer’s horror movie “Cuckoo,” toplining Euphoria star Hunter Shafer, John Malkovich, and Gemma Chan (“Crazy Rich Asians”) from Neon.
Also set for Berlinale Special screenings are directing duo David and Nathan Zellner’s latest film “Sasquatch Sunset” starring Riley Keough and Jesse Eisenberg, which will world premiere at Sundance, and Atom Egoyan’s “Seven Veils” starring Amanda Seyfried which premiered in Toronto sans talent in tow.
“It is with special pleasure and pride that we welcome back directors who...
The 74th Berlinale – which will unveil its competition lineup on Jan. 22 – has announced its star-studded Berlinale Special titles which also comprise German director Tilman Singer’s horror movie “Cuckoo,” toplining Euphoria star Hunter Shafer, John Malkovich, and Gemma Chan (“Crazy Rich Asians”) from Neon.
Also set for Berlinale Special screenings are directing duo David and Nathan Zellner’s latest film “Sasquatch Sunset” starring Riley Keough and Jesse Eisenberg, which will world premiere at Sundance, and Atom Egoyan’s “Seven Veils” starring Amanda Seyfried which premiered in Toronto sans talent in tow.
“It is with special pleasure and pride that we welcome back directors who...
- 12/20/2023
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Filmmaker Michael Goorjian set out to create a different kind of film about Armenian nationality when developing “Amerikatsi,” the country’s submission in the international feature category for this year’s Academy Awards. Along with directing, Goorjian also stars as Charlie, an American who repatriates to Armenia after World War II — but ends up in a Soviet prison for simply wearing a tie. The circumstances are absurd and bleak, but Goorjian was intent on finding a light, affirming tone for the story.
“There had been a lot of Armenian films usually focused on the genocide. I just wanted to make something that would be hopeful. But also I wanted to make a film that Armenians could be proud of, but wouldn’t be hard to share — that was enjoyable to watch,” Goorjian shared in a conversation with fellow director Atom Egoyan. “Today there’s so much crazy stuff going on.
“There had been a lot of Armenian films usually focused on the genocide. I just wanted to make something that would be hopeful. But also I wanted to make a film that Armenians could be proud of, but wouldn’t be hard to share — that was enjoyable to watch,” Goorjian shared in a conversation with fellow director Atom Egoyan. “Today there’s so much crazy stuff going on.
- 12/19/2023
- by J. Kim Murphy
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: XYZ Films, Wayward Entertainment, and Resolute Films have wrapped on the horror pic Svalta with This Way Up actor Aisling Bea and Nick Frost leading.
The pic, written and starring Nick Frost, has just wrapped production in Tampere, Finland, with post-production currently underway in the UK. Plot follows a family on their summer vacation to a remote island where they discover a serial killer is on the loose. Unfortunately for them, the locals have no interest in helping the stranded family. The title is taken from the name of the fictional island. Directing is Steffen Haars (New Kids Turbo). Cast is rounded out by Sebastian Croft (Heartstopper) and newcomer Maisie Ayres.
Lena Headey (Game Of Thrones) had previously been attached to the pic but stepped back due to what has been described as scheduling conflicts. She was replaced by Bea.
Svalta is produced by Lee Kim for Resolute Films,...
The pic, written and starring Nick Frost, has just wrapped production in Tampere, Finland, with post-production currently underway in the UK. Plot follows a family on their summer vacation to a remote island where they discover a serial killer is on the loose. Unfortunately for them, the locals have no interest in helping the stranded family. The title is taken from the name of the fictional island. Directing is Steffen Haars (New Kids Turbo). Cast is rounded out by Sebastian Croft (Heartstopper) and newcomer Maisie Ayres.
Lena Headey (Game Of Thrones) had previously been attached to the pic but stepped back due to what has been described as scheduling conflicts. She was replaced by Bea.
Svalta is produced by Lee Kim for Resolute Films,...
- 11/6/2023
- by Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
There's a wonderful little indie distributor based in NYC called Zeitgeist Films, founded in 1988. If you're a die-hard cinephile, you probably already recognize the name. They've supported amazing filmmakers and little films that deserve to be seen in US art house cinemas. From their website, they explain Zeitgeist as: "Distributed over 200 of the finest independent films from the U.S. and around the world including the early works of Todd Haynes, Christopher Nolan, François Ozon, Laura Poitras, Atom Egoyan and the Quay Brothers. Their catalog has also included films from the world's most outstanding filmmakers: Agnes Varda, Guy Maddin, Olivier Assayas, Jia Zhang-ke, Abbas Kiarostami, Derek Jarman, Nuri Bilge Ceylan, Peter Greenaway, Philippe Garrel, Yvonne Rainer, Jan Svankmajer, Margarethe Von Trotta, Andrei Zyvagintsev and Raoul Peck." To celebrate their 35th anniversary, Metrograph is hosting screenings of some of their finest gems. "We're particularly looking forward to reuniting with some of...
- 11/6/2023
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
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