The new projects from two-time Palme d’Or winner Ruben Östlund (The Triangle of Sadness, The Square); Irish director Lorcan Finnegan (Vivarium and upcoming Nicolas Cage drama The Surfer); and Polish filmmaker Agnieszka Smoczyńska, director of Letitia Wright/Tamara Lawrance-starrer The Silent Twins, will be pitching to potential backers at this year’s Cannes Investors Circle, an event organized by the Cannes film market that aims to bring together top art-house talent with producers and financiers.
The 2024 Cannes Investors Circle event, held on May 19 at the Plage des Palmes, will showcase 10 never-before-seen films in various stages of development to an exclusive group of investors and film financing experts. The projects range in budget from €1 million ($1.07 million) to more than €20 million ($21.4 million) and have been specifically curated by the market.
“The aim of the Marché du Film with the Cannes Investors Circle is to support artistically and financially
ambitious film projects,...
The 2024 Cannes Investors Circle event, held on May 19 at the Plage des Palmes, will showcase 10 never-before-seen films in various stages of development to an exclusive group of investors and film financing experts. The projects range in budget from €1 million ($1.07 million) to more than €20 million ($21.4 million) and have been specifically curated by the market.
“The aim of the Marché du Film with the Cannes Investors Circle is to support artistically and financially
ambitious film projects,...
- 4/30/2024
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Palme d’Or winning director Ruben Östlund is among 10 directors selected to present their upcoming feature film projects at the second edition of the Cannes Marché du Film’s Investors Circle initiative.
The one-day event, taking place on May 19, is aimed at connecting elevated, international feature film projects with film financiers and high-net worth individuals with a desire to invest in cinema.
Östlund, who won the Palme d’Or for The Square and Triangle of Sadness, which was also nominated for three Oscars, will attend the event in person.
The Marché du Film did not give details of the projects being showcased, but it is likely the director will be talking about upcoming airplane disaster movie The Entertainment System is Down, which he told Deadline last year he hopes to shoot in early 2025.
Other filmmakers due in Cannes for the event include Japan’s Chie Hayakawa, whose feature film debut...
The one-day event, taking place on May 19, is aimed at connecting elevated, international feature film projects with film financiers and high-net worth individuals with a desire to invest in cinema.
Östlund, who won the Palme d’Or for The Square and Triangle of Sadness, which was also nominated for three Oscars, will attend the event in person.
The Marché du Film did not give details of the projects being showcased, but it is likely the director will be talking about upcoming airplane disaster movie The Entertainment System is Down, which he told Deadline last year he hopes to shoot in early 2025.
Other filmmakers due in Cannes for the event include Japan’s Chie Hayakawa, whose feature film debut...
- 4/30/2024
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
The second edition of the Cannes Market’s Investors Circle will see 10 filmmakers, including Ruben Östlund and Nadav Lapid, present their latest projects to private investors.
The directors and their lead producers will pitch their films, which range from €1-20m in budget, on May 19 at an invitation-only event in the Plage des Palmes.
Alongside Östlund and Lapid is Japanese filmmaker Chie Hayakawa, whose debut Plan 75 received a Camera d’Or special mention in 2022. Other directors include Irish filmmaker Lorcan Finnegan, who is already at the festival for Midnight Screenings title The Surfer, and Italian director Laura Samani who...
The directors and their lead producers will pitch their films, which range from €1-20m in budget, on May 19 at an invitation-only event in the Plage des Palmes.
Alongside Östlund and Lapid is Japanese filmmaker Chie Hayakawa, whose debut Plan 75 received a Camera d’Or special mention in 2022. Other directors include Irish filmmaker Lorcan Finnegan, who is already at the festival for Midnight Screenings title The Surfer, and Italian director Laura Samani who...
- 4/30/2024
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: On the eve of Sheffield DocFest, Raul Niño Zambrano has been appointed creative director of the U.K.’s leading all-documentary festival, a position he held for the past year on an interim basis.
Sheffield DocFest’s board of trustees confirmed the appointment Tuesday, as the 30th edition of the festival prepares to open in the historic city in South Yorkshire, England. As creative director, Zambrano sets the program agenda across the festival’s Film Programs, Alternate Realities exhibition, Marketplace & Talent activities, and Talks & Sessions. The role is a joint leadership position, working collaboratively with Annabel Grundy, Sheffield DocFest’s managing director.
“We congratulate Raul on his creative leadership and for such a strong line up for our 30th edition,” said Alex Cooke, chair of the board of trustees of Sheffield DocFest. “Raul and Annabel make a great team. We look forward to their continued collaboration and vision for the future of DocFest.
Sheffield DocFest’s board of trustees confirmed the appointment Tuesday, as the 30th edition of the festival prepares to open in the historic city in South Yorkshire, England. As creative director, Zambrano sets the program agenda across the festival’s Film Programs, Alternate Realities exhibition, Marketplace & Talent activities, and Talks & Sessions. The role is a joint leadership position, working collaboratively with Annabel Grundy, Sheffield DocFest’s managing director.
“We congratulate Raul on his creative leadership and for such a strong line up for our 30th edition,” said Alex Cooke, chair of the board of trustees of Sheffield DocFest. “Raul and Annabel make a great team. We look forward to their continued collaboration and vision for the future of DocFest.
- 6/13/2023
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
The world premiere of ‘Wham!’ about the pop supergroup formed by George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley is among the highlights of the 30th edition of the Sheffield DocFest, set for June 14-19 in north-central England.
Multiple Emmy nominee Chris Smith directed the Wham! doc and will appear at Sheffield, conducting a master class after the film’s premiere. In all, Sheffield will host 37 world premieres and 20 international premieres, promising its “most innovative documentary offering yet,” according to festival organizers. [See the program lineup below].
Novaya Gazeta newspaper editor-in-chief Dmitry Muratov in Moscow October 8, 2021.
Among other world premieres is The Price of Truth, a film directed by Patrick Forbes about the Russian journalist Dmitry Muratov, winner of the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize. As Sheffield notes, Muratov auctioned his Nobel award and donated the proceeds to Ukrainian refugees, “and days later a masked attacker poured paint laced with acetone over him,” permanently damaging his eyesight.
Alex Cooke, chair of the board of trustees,...
Multiple Emmy nominee Chris Smith directed the Wham! doc and will appear at Sheffield, conducting a master class after the film’s premiere. In all, Sheffield will host 37 world premieres and 20 international premieres, promising its “most innovative documentary offering yet,” according to festival organizers. [See the program lineup below].
Novaya Gazeta newspaper editor-in-chief Dmitry Muratov in Moscow October 8, 2021.
Among other world premieres is The Price of Truth, a film directed by Patrick Forbes about the Russian journalist Dmitry Muratov, winner of the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize. As Sheffield notes, Muratov auctioned his Nobel award and donated the proceeds to Ukrainian refugees, “and days later a masked attacker poured paint laced with acetone over him,” permanently damaging his eyesight.
Alex Cooke, chair of the board of trustees,...
- 5/10/2023
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
The UK documentary festival runs June 14-19.
The UK’s Sheffield DocFest (June 14-19) has unveiled the line-up for its 30th edition and includes new films from Chris Smith, Paul Sng, Julie Cohen, and Patrick Forbes.
The selection includes 37 world and 20 international premieres, with 52 countries featuring across the entire lineup.
Titles include the world premiere of Smith’s Wham! in the Rhythms strand which celebrates the iconic musical duo and will be released on Netflix later this year. The Fyre and Jim & Andy director will also deliver a masterclass.
Opening the festival is Sng’s documentary Tish about the trailblazing...
The UK’s Sheffield DocFest (June 14-19) has unveiled the line-up for its 30th edition and includes new films from Chris Smith, Paul Sng, Julie Cohen, and Patrick Forbes.
The selection includes 37 world and 20 international premieres, with 52 countries featuring across the entire lineup.
Titles include the world premiere of Smith’s Wham! in the Rhythms strand which celebrates the iconic musical duo and will be released on Netflix later this year. The Fyre and Jim & Andy director will also deliver a masterclass.
Opening the festival is Sng’s documentary Tish about the trailblazing...
- 5/10/2023
- by Ellie Calnan
- ScreenDaily
Paul Sng’s “Tish,” an intimate portrait of British documentary photographer Tish Murtha, will open the 30th edition of Sheffield DocFest on June 14. Iranian filmmaker Rakhshan Bani-Etemad will be the guest of honor.
In his film, Sng – whose work includes “Poly Styrene: I Am a Cliché” and “Dispossession” – both celebrates the vision and humanism of a gifted artist, and follows Murtha’s daughter Ella as she fights to preserve her mother’s legacy.
“’Tish’ is a powerful tribute to a vital artist, activist and social chronicler, and a rallying call to all whose engagement with art questions who gets seen and heard, who doesn’t, and why,” the festival said in a statement. “This is a story of contemporary Britain, of the fight for culture, as well as the life of a mother and activist.”
The film is produced by Jen Corcoran (“Nascondino” [Hide and Seek]) through Teesside-based Freya Films...
In his film, Sng – whose work includes “Poly Styrene: I Am a Cliché” and “Dispossession” – both celebrates the vision and humanism of a gifted artist, and follows Murtha’s daughter Ella as she fights to preserve her mother’s legacy.
“’Tish’ is a powerful tribute to a vital artist, activist and social chronicler, and a rallying call to all whose engagement with art questions who gets seen and heard, who doesn’t, and why,” the festival said in a statement. “This is a story of contemporary Britain, of the fight for culture, as well as the life of a mother and activist.”
The film is produced by Jen Corcoran (“Nascondino” [Hide and Seek]) through Teesside-based Freya Films...
- 4/27/2023
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
Iranian actor Taraneh Alidoosti (“The Salesman”) is being released on bail from Evin Prison.
Nadereh Hakim Elahi, Alidoosti’s mother, revealed her release via an Instagram post.
The actor’s attorney, Zahra Minooei, tweeted about her release, saying: “Today, my client Ms. Taraneh Alidoosti will be released from Evin Prison after posting bail.”
The actor, who starred in four films directed by Asghar Farhadi, was jailed Dec. 17 after taking part in demonstrations to fight against the oppressive Iranian regime. She was also sanctioned for standing in solidarity with imprisoned Iranian filmmakers, notably Jafar Panahi and Mohammad Rasoulof.
Over 600 artists around the world had signed a petition urging Iran to release the actor.
In an online campaign launched under the title “Justice for Taraneh Alidousti,” Mark Ruffalo, Pedro Almodovar, Penelope Cruz, Juliette Binoche, Alfonso Cuaron, Ken Loach Emma Thompson, Jason Momoa, Jeremy Irons, Kate Winslet, Marion Cotillard, Ian McKellen and Isabelle Huppert...
Nadereh Hakim Elahi, Alidoosti’s mother, revealed her release via an Instagram post.
The actor’s attorney, Zahra Minooei, tweeted about her release, saying: “Today, my client Ms. Taraneh Alidoosti will be released from Evin Prison after posting bail.”
The actor, who starred in four films directed by Asghar Farhadi, was jailed Dec. 17 after taking part in demonstrations to fight against the oppressive Iranian regime. She was also sanctioned for standing in solidarity with imprisoned Iranian filmmakers, notably Jafar Panahi and Mohammad Rasoulof.
Over 600 artists around the world had signed a petition urging Iran to release the actor.
In an online campaign launched under the title “Justice for Taraneh Alidousti,” Mark Ruffalo, Pedro Almodovar, Penelope Cruz, Juliette Binoche, Alfonso Cuaron, Ken Loach Emma Thompson, Jason Momoa, Jeremy Irons, Kate Winslet, Marion Cotillard, Ian McKellen and Isabelle Huppert...
- 1/4/2023
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Each project will receive €10,000 in funding.
International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR)’s Hubert Bals Fund (Hbf) has selected 10 projects, all from female filmmakers, for its 2022 Script and Project Development Support scheme.
Each of the 10 projects receives a grant of €10,000 to be spent on development.
The selection includes Iranian filmmaker Rakhshan Banietemad, whose previous flm Tales picked up best screenplay at Venice Film festival in 2014, and Tamar Shavgulidze, the Georgian director of Comets which screened at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2019.
Two Brazilian projects, Everlane Moraes’ The Secret Of Sikán and Maíra Bühler’s The Marriage, are featured and will...
International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR)’s Hubert Bals Fund (Hbf) has selected 10 projects, all from female filmmakers, for its 2022 Script and Project Development Support scheme.
Each of the 10 projects receives a grant of €10,000 to be spent on development.
The selection includes Iranian filmmaker Rakhshan Banietemad, whose previous flm Tales picked up best screenplay at Venice Film festival in 2014, and Tamar Shavgulidze, the Georgian director of Comets which screened at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2019.
Two Brazilian projects, Everlane Moraes’ The Secret Of Sikán and Maíra Bühler’s The Marriage, are featured and will...
- 5/23/2022
- by Ellie Calnan
- ScreenDaily
Each project will receive €10,000 in funding.
International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR)’s Hubert Bals Fund (Hbf) has selected 10 projects, all from female filmmakers, for its 2022 Script and Project Development Support scheme.
Each of the 10 projects receives a grant of €10,000 to be spent on development.
The selection includes Iranian filmmaker Rakhshan Banietemad, whose previous flm Tales picked up best screenplay at Venice Film festival in 2014, and Tamar Shavgulidze, the Georgian director of Comets which screened at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2019.
Two Brazilian projects, Everlane Moraes’ The Secret Of Sikán and Maíra Bühler’s The Marriage, are featured and will...
International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR)’s Hubert Bals Fund (Hbf) has selected 10 projects, all from female filmmakers, for its 2022 Script and Project Development Support scheme.
Each of the 10 projects receives a grant of €10,000 to be spent on development.
The selection includes Iranian filmmaker Rakhshan Banietemad, whose previous flm Tales picked up best screenplay at Venice Film festival in 2014, and Tamar Shavgulidze, the Georgian director of Comets which screened at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2019.
Two Brazilian projects, Everlane Moraes’ The Secret Of Sikán and Maíra Bühler’s The Marriage, are featured and will...
- 5/23/2022
- by Ellie Calnan
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: The stories of a sex worker, a poacher hunter, a commando and a modern monk are among those being told in a new docuseries exec produced by Kathryn Bigelow.
The Hurt Locker director has teamed up with a slew of filmmakers from around the world and Endeavor Content to produce three-part docuseries Year Zero.
The series will look back at the moment of collective uncertainty that arose in early 2020 and weave together stories of adaptability and perseverance in a dramatic and swiftly changing world.
It will also feature the experiences of a speakeasy owner, a mafioso’s friend, a revolutionary, a futurist, a filmmaker, a migrant family, and a tribal elder – revealing the unexpected, humanizing connections between everyone.
It was created by four filmmakers and showrunners Zein Zubi, Pol Rodriguez, Billy Silva and Guille Isa.
The series has been filmed in Peru, Chile, Russia, Italy, Spain, Iran, Zambia, China,...
The Hurt Locker director has teamed up with a slew of filmmakers from around the world and Endeavor Content to produce three-part docuseries Year Zero.
The series will look back at the moment of collective uncertainty that arose in early 2020 and weave together stories of adaptability and perseverance in a dramatic and swiftly changing world.
It will also feature the experiences of a speakeasy owner, a mafioso’s friend, a revolutionary, a futurist, a filmmaker, a migrant family, and a tribal elder – revealing the unexpected, humanizing connections between everyone.
It was created by four filmmakers and showrunners Zein Zubi, Pol Rodriguez, Billy Silva and Guille Isa.
The series has been filmed in Peru, Chile, Russia, Italy, Spain, Iran, Zambia, China,...
- 10/5/2021
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
Streaming
Over the weekend, the La Biennale di Venezia launched its new Biennale Cinema Channel in collaboration with Italian streamer MYmovies, offering up a streamable selection of films which have featured in previous editions of the Venice International Film Festival but which are not currently available elsewhere in Italy. The channel drops with an initial library of 36 titles which featured in various sections of the festival between 2007 and 2020. In September, the first group of films will be supplemented with titles available on the 2021 festival’s Sala Web from Sept. 1-11, and continuously updated thereafter. The channel is available as a monthly subscription for €7.90 ($9.38) or in three-month blocks for €19.90 ($23.62).
Venice prizewinning titles from the initial lineup include 2014 best screenplay winner “Tales” by Rakhshan Banietemad, Gastón Solnicki’s 2016 Fipresci Award-winner “Kékszakállú” (“Bluebird”), and Amat Escalante’s “La región salvaje” (“The Untamed”), which won the filmmaker the Golden Lion for best director in...
Over the weekend, the La Biennale di Venezia launched its new Biennale Cinema Channel in collaboration with Italian streamer MYmovies, offering up a streamable selection of films which have featured in previous editions of the Venice International Film Festival but which are not currently available elsewhere in Italy. The channel drops with an initial library of 36 titles which featured in various sections of the festival between 2007 and 2020. In September, the first group of films will be supplemented with titles available on the 2021 festival’s Sala Web from Sept. 1-11, and continuously updated thereafter. The channel is available as a monthly subscription for €7.90 ($9.38) or in three-month blocks for €19.90 ($23.62).
Venice prizewinning titles from the initial lineup include 2014 best screenplay winner “Tales” by Rakhshan Banietemad, Gastón Solnicki’s 2016 Fipresci Award-winner “Kékszakállú” (“Bluebird”), and Amat Escalante’s “La región salvaje” (“The Untamed”), which won the filmmaker the Golden Lion for best director in...
- 7/5/2021
- by Jamie Lang
- Variety Film + TV
The Palm Springs International Film Festival has announced its juried award-winners, with the Fipresci prizes going to “Shoplifters,” “Italy,” and “Cold War.” The three films — all of which premiered at Cannes and won major prizes there — have proven a mainstay of awards season, especially Hirokazu Kore-eda’s Palme d’Or winner. It and “Cold War” both made the Academy Awards shortlist for Best Foreign Language Film, while “Dogman” was left out.
The full list of winners:
Fipresci Prize for Best Foreign Language Film of the Year
“Shoplifters” (Japan)
Fipresci Prize for the Best Actor in a Foreign Language Film
Marcello Fonte, “Dogman” (Italy)
Fipresci Prize for Best Actress in a Foreign Language Film
Joanna Kulig, “Cold War” (Poland)
The Fipresci jury members were Thomas Abeltshauser, Elaine Guerini, and Marietta Steinhart.
New Voices New Visions Award
“Sofia” (France/Qatar), directed by Meryem Benm’Barek
Honorable Mention
“Saf” (Turkey), directed by Ali Vatansever.
The full list of winners:
Fipresci Prize for Best Foreign Language Film of the Year
“Shoplifters” (Japan)
Fipresci Prize for the Best Actor in a Foreign Language Film
Marcello Fonte, “Dogman” (Italy)
Fipresci Prize for Best Actress in a Foreign Language Film
Joanna Kulig, “Cold War” (Poland)
The Fipresci jury members were Thomas Abeltshauser, Elaine Guerini, and Marietta Steinhart.
New Voices New Visions Award
“Sofia” (France/Qatar), directed by Meryem Benm’Barek
Honorable Mention
“Saf” (Turkey), directed by Ali Vatansever.
- 1/12/2019
- by Michael Nordine
- Indiewire
Iran's Farabi Cinema Foundation has shortlisted 10 films that are being considered as potential candidates to represent the Middle Eastern nation in the Best Foreign Language Film category at the 88th Academy Awards. A team of experts from the Iranian film industry has been commissioned to review the films and make a final selection in the upcoming days. Iran is one of the last country's to submit a film into the race which this year includes films from 67 countries so far.
Here are the 10 films being considered:
Note that none of this films has secured U.S. distribution, thus rights are available.
"13"
Dir. Hooman Seyedi
Isa: Visual Media Institute
"Crazy Castle"
Dir. Abolhassan Davoodi
Facebook Page
"Fish & Cat"
Dir. Shahram Mokri
Isa: Iranian Independents
"I Am Diego Maradona"
Dir. Bahram Tavakoli
Isa: Iranian Independents
"The Long Goodbye"
Dir. Farzad Motamen
Isa: Farabi Cinema Foundation
"Melbourne"
Dir. Nima Javidi
Isa: Iranian Independents
"Muhammad: The Messenger of God"
Dir. Majid Majidi
PC: Nourtaban Film Indsutry
"Tales"
Dir. Rakhshan Bani-Etemad
Isa: Noori Pictures
"Track 143"
Dir. Narges Abyar
Isa: Irib Media Trade
"What's the Time in Your World?"
Dir. Safi Yazdanian
Isa: Dreamlab Films
Despite censorship and other restrictions imposed on Iranian filmmakers, which would never allowed a film like Panahi's "Taxi" to become the country's Oscar entry, Iranian cinema is thriving and the films in this list showcase a range of sophisticated stories that have gotten the attention of multiple international festivals.
Simply based on its scale and the talent involved, the clear favorite would be Majidi's biopic "Muhammad: The Messenger of God." Not only is the director one of the most internationally acclaimed Iranian auteurs of all time, but the film also has 3-time Academy Award-winner Vittorio Storaro as its Dp. It's also the most expensive Iranian film ever made. However, regardless of these numerous qualities, the committee might choose to look elsewhere to avoid more controversy as the film has been banned in other Muslim countries that reject any visual depiction of the prophet, even if his face never appears in the film.
If Majidi's epic is deemed too much of a liability, there are plenty of other great options among the shortlisted works: Yazdanian's "What's the Time in Your World?" stars two of Iran's most well-known actors, Leila Hatami ("A Separation") and Ali Mosaffa ("The Past"), and won the Fipresci Prize at last year's Busan International Film Festival; "Tales" won the Best Screenplay award at the 2014 Venice Film Festival and stars "A Separation's" Peyman Moaadi; "Melbourne," which also stars Moaadi, had extensive presence in the festival circuit picking up several awards, and Mokri's "Fish & Cat" screened at AFI Fest and won a Special Prize in Venice back in 2013.
Iran won its first Academy Award with Asghar Farhadi's masterpiece "A Separation" in 2012. Prior to that deserved win, the country had only been nominated once for Majid Majidi's "Children of Heaven."...
Here are the 10 films being considered:
Note that none of this films has secured U.S. distribution, thus rights are available.
"13"
Dir. Hooman Seyedi
Isa: Visual Media Institute
"Crazy Castle"
Dir. Abolhassan Davoodi
Facebook Page
"Fish & Cat"
Dir. Shahram Mokri
Isa: Iranian Independents
"I Am Diego Maradona"
Dir. Bahram Tavakoli
Isa: Iranian Independents
"The Long Goodbye"
Dir. Farzad Motamen
Isa: Farabi Cinema Foundation
"Melbourne"
Dir. Nima Javidi
Isa: Iranian Independents
"Muhammad: The Messenger of God"
Dir. Majid Majidi
PC: Nourtaban Film Indsutry
"Tales"
Dir. Rakhshan Bani-Etemad
Isa: Noori Pictures
"Track 143"
Dir. Narges Abyar
Isa: Irib Media Trade
"What's the Time in Your World?"
Dir. Safi Yazdanian
Isa: Dreamlab Films
Despite censorship and other restrictions imposed on Iranian filmmakers, which would never allowed a film like Panahi's "Taxi" to become the country's Oscar entry, Iranian cinema is thriving and the films in this list showcase a range of sophisticated stories that have gotten the attention of multiple international festivals.
Simply based on its scale and the talent involved, the clear favorite would be Majidi's biopic "Muhammad: The Messenger of God." Not only is the director one of the most internationally acclaimed Iranian auteurs of all time, but the film also has 3-time Academy Award-winner Vittorio Storaro as its Dp. It's also the most expensive Iranian film ever made. However, regardless of these numerous qualities, the committee might choose to look elsewhere to avoid more controversy as the film has been banned in other Muslim countries that reject any visual depiction of the prophet, even if his face never appears in the film.
If Majidi's epic is deemed too much of a liability, there are plenty of other great options among the shortlisted works: Yazdanian's "What's the Time in Your World?" stars two of Iran's most well-known actors, Leila Hatami ("A Separation") and Ali Mosaffa ("The Past"), and won the Fipresci Prize at last year's Busan International Film Festival; "Tales" won the Best Screenplay award at the 2014 Venice Film Festival and stars "A Separation's" Peyman Moaadi; "Melbourne," which also stars Moaadi, had extensive presence in the festival circuit picking up several awards, and Mokri's "Fish & Cat" screened at AFI Fest and won a Special Prize in Venice back in 2013.
Iran won its first Academy Award with Asghar Farhadi's masterpiece "A Separation" in 2012. Prior to that deserved win, the country had only been nominated once for Majid Majidi's "Children of Heaven."...
- 9/25/2015
- by Carlos Aguilar
- Sydney's Buzz
The 12 titles include Jafar Panahi’s Berlinale winner, Roy Andersson’s Venice victor and Alfonso Gomez-Rejon’s Sundance prize-winner.Scroll down for competition line-up
A story shot entirely on iPhone, Sean Baker’s Tangerine, about a transgender La prostitute very cranky with her boyfriend, and another that is told in one take, Sebastian Schipper’s Berlinale award-winner Victoria, which features the Berlin party scene and a bank robbery, are among 12 movies in competition in the Sydney Film Festival (Sff).
Two Iranian films, Rakhshan Bani-Etemad’s Tales and Jafar Panahi’s Berlinale Golden Bear winner Tehran Taxi, are also in the running for the Us$50,000 (A$64,000) prize, as are French director Thomas Salvador’s “minimalist superhero film” Vincent, which he also stars in, and Portuguese director Miguel Gomes’ Arabian Nights, a six-hours-plus portrait of Portugal set to premiere at Cannes this month.
The three selections that have already won major prizes at top tier festivals are Francesco Munzi’s Italian...
A story shot entirely on iPhone, Sean Baker’s Tangerine, about a transgender La prostitute very cranky with her boyfriend, and another that is told in one take, Sebastian Schipper’s Berlinale award-winner Victoria, which features the Berlin party scene and a bank robbery, are among 12 movies in competition in the Sydney Film Festival (Sff).
Two Iranian films, Rakhshan Bani-Etemad’s Tales and Jafar Panahi’s Berlinale Golden Bear winner Tehran Taxi, are also in the running for the Us$50,000 (A$64,000) prize, as are French director Thomas Salvador’s “minimalist superhero film” Vincent, which he also stars in, and Portuguese director Miguel Gomes’ Arabian Nights, a six-hours-plus portrait of Portugal set to premiere at Cannes this month.
The three selections that have already won major prizes at top tier festivals are Francesco Munzi’s Italian...
- 5/6/2015
- by Sandy.George@me.com (Sandy George)
- ScreenDaily
Neil Armfield.s Holding the Man, Simon Stone.s The Daughter, Jeremy Sims. Last Cab to Darwin and Jen Peedom.s feature doc Sherpa will have their world premieres at the Sydney Film Festival.
The festival program unveiled today includes 33 world premieres (including 22 shorts) and 135 Australian premieres (with 18 shorts) among 251 titles from 68 countries.
Among the other premieres will be Daina Reid.s The Secret River, Ruby Entertainment's. ABC-tv miniseries starring Oliver Jackson Cohen and Sarah Snook, and three Oz docs, Marc Eberle.s The Cambodian Space Project — Not Easy Rock .n. Roll, Steve Thomas. Freedom Stories and Lisa Nicol.s Wide Open Sky.
Festival director Nashen Moodley boasted. this year.s event will be far larger than 2014's when 183 films from 47 countries were screened, including 15 world premieres. The expansion is possible in part due to the addition of two new screening venues in Newtown and Liverpool.
As previously announced, Brendan Cowell...
The festival program unveiled today includes 33 world premieres (including 22 shorts) and 135 Australian premieres (with 18 shorts) among 251 titles from 68 countries.
Among the other premieres will be Daina Reid.s The Secret River, Ruby Entertainment's. ABC-tv miniseries starring Oliver Jackson Cohen and Sarah Snook, and three Oz docs, Marc Eberle.s The Cambodian Space Project — Not Easy Rock .n. Roll, Steve Thomas. Freedom Stories and Lisa Nicol.s Wide Open Sky.
Festival director Nashen Moodley boasted. this year.s event will be far larger than 2014's when 183 films from 47 countries were screened, including 15 world premieres. The expansion is possible in part due to the addition of two new screening venues in Newtown and Liverpool.
As previously announced, Brendan Cowell...
- 5/6/2015
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
The Farhang Foundation will sponsor the UCLA Celebration of Iranian Cinema, curated by UCLA Film & Television Archive.This year marks the 26th anniversary of the popular film series, which kicks off on Sat., April 25, at 7:30 p.m. with the much-anticipated film, Tales (Ghesse-ha), directed by the award-winning filmmaker Rakhshan Bani-Etemad. Rakhshan Bani-Etemad weaves the stories of seven characters linked by shared struggles — social, economic, and political — into a film that is both a microcosm of Iranian working-class society, and with graceful narrative finesse, Bani-Etemad and her co-screenwriter Farid Mostafavi give the impression that they are casually eavesdropping on […]...
- 4/16/2015
- by April Neale
- Monsters and Critics
As the I for Iran series has taken the Tiff Lightbox by storm, with several sold out screenings and great press coverage, Sound on Sight has taken a moment to ask some questions on what has brought the series to Toronto and the greater impacts of Iranian cinema are within an increasingly globalized world.
Brad Deane, who is the Senior Manager, Film Programmes at Tiff, and the programmer for the series at Tiff Cinematheque.
Amir Soltani, a Toronto-based film critic and contributor to The Film Experience and Movie Mezzanine, who also writes and co-hosts a podcast about Iranian films at Hello Cinema. Amir Soltani will be introducing Hamoun, Dariush Mehrjui’s incisive, ironic, and finally dreamlike study of middle-class Iranian life, on Saturday, March 28 at 3:45pm.
Check out the rest of the series schedule Here
What has brought the I for Iran series from Fribourg International Film Festival to Toronto?...
Brad Deane, who is the Senior Manager, Film Programmes at Tiff, and the programmer for the series at Tiff Cinematheque.
Amir Soltani, a Toronto-based film critic and contributor to The Film Experience and Movie Mezzanine, who also writes and co-hosts a podcast about Iranian films at Hello Cinema. Amir Soltani will be introducing Hamoun, Dariush Mehrjui’s incisive, ironic, and finally dreamlike study of middle-class Iranian life, on Saturday, March 28 at 3:45pm.
Check out the rest of the series schedule Here
What has brought the I for Iran series from Fribourg International Film Festival to Toronto?...
- 3/20/2015
- by Staff
- SoundOnSight
Edited by Adam Cook
Above: the incredible new issue of Cinema Comparat/ive Cinema is online now under the theme of "Manny Farber: Systems of Movement". Among the included pieces is a conversation on Farber between Kent Jones and Jean-Pierre Gorin. As a welcome break from the Best of 2014 overload, David Bordwell & Kristin Thompson continue their tradition of instead focusing their attention on the best films of the year...90 years ago:
"These lists are our way of calling attention to important silent films that some readers may have overlooked. In one case here we point out a largely forgotten film that deserves to be better known, in the hope that an archive will take the hint. With the proliferation of silent-film festivals, of DVD and Blu-ray releases with restored prints and supplemental material, and of TCM’s eclectic screenings of foreign and silent titles, there seems to be considerably...
Above: the incredible new issue of Cinema Comparat/ive Cinema is online now under the theme of "Manny Farber: Systems of Movement". Among the included pieces is a conversation on Farber between Kent Jones and Jean-Pierre Gorin. As a welcome break from the Best of 2014 overload, David Bordwell & Kristin Thompson continue their tradition of instead focusing their attention on the best films of the year...90 years ago:
"These lists are our way of calling attention to important silent films that some readers may have overlooked. In one case here we point out a largely forgotten film that deserves to be better known, in the hope that an archive will take the hint. With the proliferation of silent-film festivals, of DVD and Blu-ray releases with restored prints and supplemental material, and of TCM’s eclectic screenings of foreign and silent titles, there seems to be considerably...
- 12/31/2014
- by Notebook
- MUBI
Glenn's last report from the Stockholm Film Festival...
The Stockholm International Film Festival is now over and as I try and drain the last remaining symptoms of jetlag out of my body (not to mention any recurring dependence on restaurant food, great wine, and luxurious European comfort that such a trip offers) it’s time to take one last look back. I will miss seeing the image of Uma Thurman lording over her loyal subjects as I walk down Drottningattan every day.
The Fipresci jury – combined of myself, Quirijn Foeken of The Netherlands, and Dieter Wieczorek of France – awarded our price to Hungry Hearts from Italian director Saverio Costanzo. The film stars Adam Driver and Alba Rohrwacher (you may remember her from I Am Love) as a couple whose impending child brings about an avalanche of potentially fatal paranoia. It was the first film that we saw at the festival...
The Stockholm International Film Festival is now over and as I try and drain the last remaining symptoms of jetlag out of my body (not to mention any recurring dependence on restaurant food, great wine, and luxurious European comfort that such a trip offers) it’s time to take one last look back. I will miss seeing the image of Uma Thurman lording over her loyal subjects as I walk down Drottningattan every day.
The Fipresci jury – combined of myself, Quirijn Foeken of The Netherlands, and Dieter Wieczorek of France – awarded our price to Hungry Hearts from Italian director Saverio Costanzo. The film stars Adam Driver and Alba Rohrwacher (you may remember her from I Am Love) as a couple whose impending child brings about an avalanche of potentially fatal paranoia. It was the first film that we saw at the festival...
- 11/17/2014
- by Glenn Dunks
- FilmExperience
The festival’s 25th edition will feature a contribution from Ai Weiwei and competition titles including Whiplash, Nightcrawler and Foxcatcher.
The Stockholm International Film Festival (Nov 5-16) is to present its Achievement Award to Us actress Uma Thurman.
The Kill Bill star will will visit Stockholm to receive the prestigious Bronze Horse and meet the audience during an exclusive “Face2Face”.
Thurman will also take part in the inauguration ceremony, which will include the unveiling of an ice sculpture by Chinese artist Ai Weiwei.
Weiwei was a Stockholm jury member last year but since he wasn’t allowed to leave China, he sent an empty chair named ”The Chair for Non-attendance” as symbol of his absence.
He is still not allowed to leave China so will send a design that will be portrayed in the form of a large ice sculpture symbolising this years’ Spotlight theme - Hope.
Brazil
The festival will focus this year on Brazil...
The Stockholm International Film Festival (Nov 5-16) is to present its Achievement Award to Us actress Uma Thurman.
The Kill Bill star will will visit Stockholm to receive the prestigious Bronze Horse and meet the audience during an exclusive “Face2Face”.
Thurman will also take part in the inauguration ceremony, which will include the unveiling of an ice sculpture by Chinese artist Ai Weiwei.
Weiwei was a Stockholm jury member last year but since he wasn’t allowed to leave China, he sent an empty chair named ”The Chair for Non-attendance” as symbol of his absence.
He is still not allowed to leave China so will send a design that will be portrayed in the form of a large ice sculpture symbolising this years’ Spotlight theme - Hope.
Brazil
The festival will focus this year on Brazil...
- 10/16/2014
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
Adff to present 197 films from 61 countries.
The 2014 Abu Dhabi Film Festival (Adff), backed by twofour54, will present nine feature world premieres, eight of them from the Arab world. The short film sections will host 48 world premieres.
The festival will open with Ali Mostafa’s From A to B [pictured], and festival director Ali Al-Jabri said: “It is the first time in the festival’s history that we opening with an Emirati film and we ares very proud about this landmark event.”
The festival runs October 23 to November 1 and presents 197 films from 61 countries.
For the second year, the festival host the Child Protection Award organised with the Child Protection Centre of the Ministry of Interior, to spotlight films that raise awareness about abused or neglected children. Films competing for that prize include Zerensenay Mehari’s Difret, Albert Shin’s In Her Place, and Cyprien Vial’s Young Tiger.
The Showcase section includes films such as ‘71, A Pigeon Sat on...
The 2014 Abu Dhabi Film Festival (Adff), backed by twofour54, will present nine feature world premieres, eight of them from the Arab world. The short film sections will host 48 world premieres.
The festival will open with Ali Mostafa’s From A to B [pictured], and festival director Ali Al-Jabri said: “It is the first time in the festival’s history that we opening with an Emirati film and we ares very proud about this landmark event.”
The festival runs October 23 to November 1 and presents 197 films from 61 countries.
For the second year, the festival host the Child Protection Award organised with the Child Protection Centre of the Ministry of Interior, to spotlight films that raise awareness about abused or neglected children. Films competing for that prize include Zerensenay Mehari’s Difret, Albert Shin’s In Her Place, and Cyprien Vial’s Young Tiger.
The Showcase section includes films such as ‘71, A Pigeon Sat on...
- 9/29/2014
- by wendy.mitchell@screendaily.com (Wendy Mitchell)
- ScreenDaily
Rakhshan Bani-Etemad’s controversial feature picked up the screenplay award at Venice.
Iranian drama Tales (Ghesse-ha) has been sold by Paris-based sales agent Noori Pricture to Benelux (Contact Film) and Latin America (Cineplex).
The LatAm deal was closed in Toronto while the Benelux agreement was made in Venice, where the film won the best screenplay award for director Rakhshan Bani-Etemad and Farid Mostafavi.
The film knits together the stories of seven characters linked by shared struggles - social, economic, political - to create a microcosm of Iranian working-class society.
It marks the end of an eight-year hiatus from narrative filmmaking from Bani-Etemad, who has previously won festival awards with features including Under the City’s Skin (2001) and Our Times (2002).
Bani-Etemad shot Tales two years ago but it could not be shown during the presidency of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Its frank depiction of contemporary Iranian society, of the plight of women in the country and of the difficulties facing...
Iranian drama Tales (Ghesse-ha) has been sold by Paris-based sales agent Noori Pricture to Benelux (Contact Film) and Latin America (Cineplex).
The LatAm deal was closed in Toronto while the Benelux agreement was made in Venice, where the film won the best screenplay award for director Rakhshan Bani-Etemad and Farid Mostafavi.
The film knits together the stories of seven characters linked by shared struggles - social, economic, political - to create a microcosm of Iranian working-class society.
It marks the end of an eight-year hiatus from narrative filmmaking from Bani-Etemad, who has previously won festival awards with features including Under the City’s Skin (2001) and Our Times (2002).
Bani-Etemad shot Tales two years ago but it could not be shown during the presidency of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Its frank depiction of contemporary Iranian society, of the plight of women in the country and of the difficulties facing...
- 9/15/2014
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
Rakhshan Bani-Etemad’s feature, which upset Iranian censors, is in competition at the Venice Film Festival.
Tales, the new film from acclaimed Iranian female director-writer-producer Rakhshan Bani-Etemad, is set to travel the globe following its world premiere in competition at the Venice Film Festival (Aug 27 - Sept 6).
The film, sold by Paris-based Noori Pictures, has now been selected for multiple festivals. Following its Venice premiere, Tales will be screened at Toronto, the London Film Festival, the Viennale, Busan, Thessaloniki and Filmfest Hamburg.
Bani-Etemad actually shot Tales two years ago but it could not be shown during the presidency of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Its frank depiction of contemporary Iranian society, of the plight of women in the country and of the difficulties facing workers and students, upset the censors.
Now, under Ahmadinejad’s successor, Hassan Rouhani, there has been a cultural thaw and the film can finally be seen at home and abroad.
“It is a very...
Tales, the new film from acclaimed Iranian female director-writer-producer Rakhshan Bani-Etemad, is set to travel the globe following its world premiere in competition at the Venice Film Festival (Aug 27 - Sept 6).
The film, sold by Paris-based Noori Pictures, has now been selected for multiple festivals. Following its Venice premiere, Tales will be screened at Toronto, the London Film Festival, the Viennale, Busan, Thessaloniki and Filmfest Hamburg.
Bani-Etemad actually shot Tales two years ago but it could not be shown during the presidency of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Its frank depiction of contemporary Iranian society, of the plight of women in the country and of the difficulties facing workers and students, upset the censors.
Now, under Ahmadinejad’s successor, Hassan Rouhani, there has been a cultural thaw and the film can finally be seen at home and abroad.
“It is a very...
- 8/29/2014
- by geoffrey@macnab.demon.co.uk (Geoffrey Macnab)
- ScreenDaily
★★★☆☆Entering the race for the prestigious Golden Lion prize at this year's 71st Venice Film Festival, Iranian director Rakhshan Bani-Etemad's Tales (Ghesse-ha, 2014) presents the interlocking lives of several disparate Iranians trying to make sense of modern day Iran; imagine a Shortcuts set in Tehran and with a predominantly female cast. A documentary filmmaker takes a late night taxi, filming the streets and only half listening to the stories that the taxi driver tells of his life. The taxi driver asks why he never filmed him. "Because you didn't ask me too," the filmmaker says before disappearing into the night and leaving the taxi driver to the unfolding of another story.
- 8/29/2014
- by CineVue UK
- CineVue
Films by David Gordon Green, Andrew Niccol and Abel Ferrara will bring world premieres to the Lido di Venezia this year, as the Venice Film Festival has announced its selections for the 71st edition of the oldest such event in the world. Green's "Manglehorn" with Al Pacino, Niccol's "Good Kill" with Ethan Hawke and Ferrara's "Pasolini" with Willem Dafoe promise to bring a fair share of star power to the event, while actors such as Viggo Mortensen, Andrew Garfield and Adam Driver feature in films sprinkled throughout the Competition. "The Act of Killing" director Joshua Oppenheimer will also continue his look at the Indonesian genocide with a new documentary, "The Look of Silence." Playing out of competition are films by Barry Levinson ("The Humbling," also starring Pacino), James Franco ("The Sound and the Fury") and Lisa Cholodenko ("Olive Kitteridge"), while Focus Features will bring the new Laika film, "The Boxtrolls,...
- 7/24/2014
- by Kristopher Tapley
- Hitfix
Director re-imprisoned over the weekend in notorious Evin jail.
Concerns are growing for Iranian filmmaker and women’s rights activist Mahnaz Mohammadi following reports she started a five-year jail sentence in Iran’s notorious Evin prison on the outskirts of Tehran last weekend.
The filmmaker was given a five-year prison sentence earlier this year on charges of being involved in “a plot against state security” and producing “propaganda against the government”.
She was first arrested in July 2011 on charges linked to her work with the Western media outlets such as the BBC, Al Jazeera, Radio France and Voice of America. She was imprisoned briefly before being placed under house arrest.
There has been no official statement on her incarceration in Evin but sources close to the filmmaker in Paris say she was taken into custody on June 7.
The French Directors Guild (Sfr) launched a petition on Thursday [June 12] calling for Mohammadi’s release.
“We are greatly...
Concerns are growing for Iranian filmmaker and women’s rights activist Mahnaz Mohammadi following reports she started a five-year jail sentence in Iran’s notorious Evin prison on the outskirts of Tehran last weekend.
The filmmaker was given a five-year prison sentence earlier this year on charges of being involved in “a plot against state security” and producing “propaganda against the government”.
She was first arrested in July 2011 on charges linked to her work with the Western media outlets such as the BBC, Al Jazeera, Radio France and Voice of America. She was imprisoned briefly before being placed under house arrest.
There has been no official statement on her incarceration in Evin but sources close to the filmmaker in Paris say she was taken into custody on June 7.
The French Directors Guild (Sfr) launched a petition on Thursday [June 12] calling for Mohammadi’s release.
“We are greatly...
- 6/13/2014
- ScreenDaily
Director re-imprisoned over the weekend in notorious Evin jail.
Concerns are growing for Iranian filmmaker and women’s rights activist Mahnaz Mohammadi following reports she started a five-year jail sentence in Iran’s notorious Evin prison on the outskirts of Tehran last weekend.
The filmmaker was given a five-year prison sentence earlier this year on charges of being involved in “a plot against state security” and producing “propaganda against the government”.
She was first arrested in July 2011 on charges linked to her work with the Western media outlets such as the BBC, Al Jazeera, Radio France and Voice of America. She was imprisoned briefly before being placed under house arrest.
There has been no official statement on her incarceration in Evin but sources close to the filmmaker in Paris say she was taken into custody on June 7.
The French Directors Guild (Sfr) launched a petition on Thursday [June 12] calling for Mohammadi’s release.
“We are greatly...
Concerns are growing for Iranian filmmaker and women’s rights activist Mahnaz Mohammadi following reports she started a five-year jail sentence in Iran’s notorious Evin prison on the outskirts of Tehran last weekend.
The filmmaker was given a five-year prison sentence earlier this year on charges of being involved in “a plot against state security” and producing “propaganda against the government”.
She was first arrested in July 2011 on charges linked to her work with the Western media outlets such as the BBC, Al Jazeera, Radio France and Voice of America. She was imprisoned briefly before being placed under house arrest.
There has been no official statement on her incarceration in Evin but sources close to the filmmaker in Paris say she was taken into custody on June 7.
The French Directors Guild (Sfr) launched a petition on Thursday [June 12] calling for Mohammadi’s release.
“We are greatly...
- 6/13/2014
- ScreenDaily
GOLD COAST, Queensland -- Korean writer-director Lee Chang Dong's Secret Sunshine and a trio of Iranian films dominated Tuesday's inaugural Asia Pacific Screen Awards.
Sunshine was a dual winner -- earning the award for best feature film as well as a best actress nod for its star, Jeon Do-Yeon, also a winner at the Festival de Cannes.
Three Iranian films took top prizes: Mainline helmers Raksha Bani-Etemead and Mohsen Abdolvahab won for achievement in directing; Hooman Behmanesh earned the cinematography nod for his work on Those Three; and Nightbus, a black-and-white war drama set against the Iran-Iraq conflict of the 1980s, won a special Jury Grand Prize.
"The Jury Grand Prize to Night Bus acknowledges the extraordinary achievements of Iran in filmmaking and the particular finesse that the writer and director, Kiumars Pourhamad, and his fine ensemble cast have brought to their craft," said jury president Shbana Azmi, an Indian actress.
The awards were "an initiative whose time has come, politically and culturally."...
Sunshine was a dual winner -- earning the award for best feature film as well as a best actress nod for its star, Jeon Do-Yeon, also a winner at the Festival de Cannes.
Three Iranian films took top prizes: Mainline helmers Raksha Bani-Etemead and Mohsen Abdolvahab won for achievement in directing; Hooman Behmanesh earned the cinematography nod for his work on Those Three; and Nightbus, a black-and-white war drama set against the Iran-Iraq conflict of the 1980s, won a special Jury Grand Prize.
"The Jury Grand Prize to Night Bus acknowledges the extraordinary achievements of Iran in filmmaking and the particular finesse that the writer and director, Kiumars Pourhamad, and his fine ensemble cast have brought to their craft," said jury president Shbana Azmi, an Indian actress.
The awards were "an initiative whose time has come, politically and culturally."...
- 11/14/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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