HBO has cut Miloš Biković from the cast of “The White Lotus” Season 3 following a callout from Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs — a move that Biković says “can create a disturbing precedent shadowing the essence of artistic freedom.”
“We have decided to part ways with Miloš Biković and the role will be recast,” an HBO spokesperson said in a statement.
“Today, a targeted campaign has been unleashed against me,” reads Biković’s statement in response, “seemingly as an external maneuver to influence decisions that can create a disturbing precedent shadowing the essence of artistic freedom. The result of such a narrative is the triumph of absurdity and the defeat of art.”
On Jan. 24, the foreign affairs office made a post on X (formerly Twitter) saying that the Serbian actor and Russian citizen “has been supporting Russia since the start of the full-scale invasion.” The office then named HBO directly,...
“We have decided to part ways with Miloš Biković and the role will be recast,” an HBO spokesperson said in a statement.
“Today, a targeted campaign has been unleashed against me,” reads Biković’s statement in response, “seemingly as an external maneuver to influence decisions that can create a disturbing precedent shadowing the essence of artistic freedom. The result of such a narrative is the triumph of absurdity and the defeat of art.”
On Jan. 24, the foreign affairs office made a post on X (formerly Twitter) saying that the Serbian actor and Russian citizen “has been supporting Russia since the start of the full-scale invasion.” The office then named HBO directly,...
- 2/2/2024
- by Selome Hailu
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive, updated with Biković’s statement: HBO has parted ways with actor Miloš Biković who will no longer be part of The White Lotus‘ upcoming third season set at a Thailand hotel, sources tell Deadline.
The series does not reveal character details but Biković is believed to have been cast in the small recurring role of a Russian. The part will now be recast as production is about to start in and around Koh Samui, Phuket, and Bangkok.
“I was honored to be chosen to be a part of White Lotus, a TV series that I hold in high regard and with colleagues whom I deeply respect,” Biković said in a statement, which you can read in full below. “However, my participation is not possible due to reasons beyond the realm of art and I will not bow to any narrative that seeks to compromise my integrity.”
The decision comes...
The series does not reveal character details but Biković is believed to have been cast in the small recurring role of a Russian. The part will now be recast as production is about to start in and around Koh Samui, Phuket, and Bangkok.
“I was honored to be chosen to be a part of White Lotus, a TV series that I hold in high regard and with colleagues whom I deeply respect,” Biković said in a statement, which you can read in full below. “However, my participation is not possible due to reasons beyond the realm of art and I will not bow to any narrative that seeks to compromise my integrity.”
The decision comes...
- 2/2/2024
- by Nellie Andreeva
- Deadline Film + TV
Ukraine is calling out HBO’s “The White Lotus” for casting Serbian actor Miloš Biković in Season 3, claiming that he is the “Kremlin’s foreign mouthpiece.”
Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs took to X/Twitter, on Wednesday to express its disappointment over the casting.
“Miloš Biković, Serbian actor who has been supporting Russia since the start of the full-scale invasion, is now set to star in HBO’s ‘The White Lotus’ Season 3,” the post reads. “@HBO, is it all right for you to work with a person who supports genocide & violates international law?”
The post is accompanied by a video accusing Biković of supporting the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The clip shows the actor receiving a medal of honor from Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2018 for his contribution to Russian arts and culture. Biković has held Russian citizenship since 2021 and referred to himself as an “active member of...
Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs took to X/Twitter, on Wednesday to express its disappointment over the casting.
“Miloš Biković, Serbian actor who has been supporting Russia since the start of the full-scale invasion, is now set to star in HBO’s ‘The White Lotus’ Season 3,” the post reads. “@HBO, is it all right for you to work with a person who supports genocide & violates international law?”
The post is accompanied by a video accusing Biković of supporting the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The clip shows the actor receiving a medal of honor from Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2018 for his contribution to Russian arts and culture. Biković has held Russian citizenship since 2021 and referred to himself as an “active member of...
- 1/25/2024
- by Ellise Shafer
- Variety Film + TV
Ukraine has attacked HBO after The White Lotus cast Miloš Biković, a Serbian actor who has voiced his admiration for Russia and accepted a medal from Vladimir Putin.
Biković joined Season 3 of Mike White’s hit drama earlier this month, with production set to begin in Thailand next month on a story following a new group of guests at another White Lotus hotel.
Character details have not been confirmed, but Deadline understands that Biković is believed to be playing a Russian.
Ukraine posted a social media video calling out Warner Bros.Discovery’s decision to give Biković work. Tagging HBO, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs asked: “Is it all right for you to work with a person who supports genocide & violates international law?”
Miloš Biković, Serbian actor who has been supporting Russia since the start of the full-scale invasion, is now set to star in HBO's The White Lotus Season 3@HBO,...
Biković joined Season 3 of Mike White’s hit drama earlier this month, with production set to begin in Thailand next month on a story following a new group of guests at another White Lotus hotel.
Character details have not been confirmed, but Deadline understands that Biković is believed to be playing a Russian.
Ukraine posted a social media video calling out Warner Bros.Discovery’s decision to give Biković work. Tagging HBO, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs asked: “Is it all right for you to work with a person who supports genocide & violates international law?”
Miloš Biković, Serbian actor who has been supporting Russia since the start of the full-scale invasion, is now set to star in HBO's The White Lotus Season 3@HBO,...
- 1/25/2024
- by Jake Kanter
- Deadline Film + TV
This year, only six Asian films (in the most broad geographical sense) out of 20 titles competed in the Official Competition of Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival. If there is one among them that stood out in quality, that's Batbayar Chogsom's sophomore drama “White Flag”, set up in the breathtaking vast Mongolian steppe surrounded by dramatic, naked mountains.
“White Flag” is screening at Tallinn Black Nights
Batbayar gained international attention with his debut “Out Of Paradise” (2018) that brought him Best Film Awards at the Shanghai International Film Festival, something that he still calls “quite unexpected”. It took five years for the Swiss-Mongolian helmer to make his second movie, mainly due to a couple of unsuccessful attempts to get funding for other projects he wanted to shoot in Switzerland. When fighting for financing proved futile, Batbayar decided to turn his gaze to his native country yet again, and he returned to Mongolia to make another independent,...
“White Flag” is screening at Tallinn Black Nights
Batbayar gained international attention with his debut “Out Of Paradise” (2018) that brought him Best Film Awards at the Shanghai International Film Festival, something that he still calls “quite unexpected”. It took five years for the Swiss-Mongolian helmer to make his second movie, mainly due to a couple of unsuccessful attempts to get funding for other projects he wanted to shoot in Switzerland. When fighting for financing proved futile, Batbayar decided to turn his gaze to his native country yet again, and he returned to Mongolia to make another independent,...
- 11/23/2023
- by Marina D. Richter
- AsianMoviePulse
Sean Penn is opening up about what he really thinks of Russian leader Vladimir Putin after meeting the dictator in 2001.
Penn detailed driving with Putin over 20 years ago after the Moscow Film Festival premiere of his neo-noir film “The Pledge.” Actor Jack Nicholson was also in attendance and the duo traveled with Putin to Oscar-winning Russian filmmaker Nikita Mikhalkov’s estate.
“We were put in a convoy. We knew that Putin was going to be the honored guest,” Penn told The Independent. “In the nature of that time and space, we accepted the invitation. We got in this convoy. And we were going as fast as they wanted to drive, with no care for whether it might have presented danger in the villages we drove through. When farmers with pony-driven carts were trying to come across, the security people in our vehicles would lean out the window to baton them away.
Penn detailed driving with Putin over 20 years ago after the Moscow Film Festival premiere of his neo-noir film “The Pledge.” Actor Jack Nicholson was also in attendance and the duo traveled with Putin to Oscar-winning Russian filmmaker Nikita Mikhalkov’s estate.
“We were put in a convoy. We knew that Putin was going to be the honored guest,” Penn told The Independent. “In the nature of that time and space, we accepted the invitation. We got in this convoy. And we were going as fast as they wanted to drive, with no care for whether it might have presented danger in the villages we drove through. When farmers with pony-driven carts were trying to come across, the security people in our vehicles would lean out the window to baton them away.
- 2/23/2023
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Sean Penn once met Vladimir Putin. Back in 2001, when he and Jack Nicholson went to the Moscow Film Festival for the Russian premiere of Penn’s film, The Pledge, the president turned up to meet them. Even then, more than 20 years before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Penn had a very bad feeling about the politician he now calls a “creepy little bully”.
During their time in Russia, Penn and Nicholson were driven to the dacha (or country house) belonging to Oscar-winning Russian filmmaker and Putin cheerleader, Nikita Mikhalkov.
“We were put in a convoy,” Penn remembers. “We knew that Putin was going to be the honoured guest. In the nature of that time and space, we accepted the invitation. We got in this convoy. And we were going as fast as they wanted to drive, with no care for whether it might have presented danger in the villages we drove through.
During their time in Russia, Penn and Nicholson were driven to the dacha (or country house) belonging to Oscar-winning Russian filmmaker and Putin cheerleader, Nikita Mikhalkov.
“We were put in a convoy,” Penn remembers. “We knew that Putin was going to be the honoured guest. In the nature of that time and space, we accepted the invitation. We got in this convoy. And we were going as fast as they wanted to drive, with no care for whether it might have presented danger in the villages we drove through.
- 2/23/2023
- by Geoffrey Macnab
- The Independent - Film
LGBTQ+Tnm caught up with filmmakers Talin Subbaraya, Anureet Watta, Coraci Ruiz, Soumyajit Ghosh, Arun Siddharth, and Mani Shankar Iyer to discuss their films which were screened at the Chennai International Queer Film Festival.Saradha UInstagram/ Arun Siddharth, HomegrowninThe pride flag flapping at the entrance of Goethe-Institut beamed bright, welcoming people with its rainbow hues on a rainy evening in Chennai. The auditorium was abuzz with laughter, chatter, and imploding silence at times, depending on the film being screened. Despite the heavy downpour outside, the compact auditorium was filled to capacity at this year’s ‘Reel Desires - Chennai International Queer Film Festival’ (Ciqff), which saw the attendance of members from the Lgbtqia+ community, allies, and cinephiles. Queer narratives came to life through the 22 shorts, features, and documentaries from eight countries that were screened in the festival held between November 11 and 13. The organisers of the festival told Tnm that the...
- 11/24/2022
- by SaradhaU
- The News Minute
Russia is boycotting the 2023 Academy Awards, further distancing itself from the West as the Kremlin’s war continues in Ukraine.
As first reported by the news outlet Afp, the Film Academy of Russia announced Monday that it would not be submitting a Russian film to contend in the Oscars’ Best International Feature Film category.
The decision comes as Russia’s latest effort to distance itself from the West and particularly the United States, which has continued to send aid to Ukraine since President Vladimir Putin’s controversial Feb. 24 invasion of the sovereign nation.
Also Read:
How This Year’s Oscar Contenders Will Determine the Health of the Post-Pandemic Box Office
“The presidium of the Film Academy of Russia has decided not to nominate a national film for the Oscars award of the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 2022,” the Russian academy said in a statement.
The surprise...
As first reported by the news outlet Afp, the Film Academy of Russia announced Monday that it would not be submitting a Russian film to contend in the Oscars’ Best International Feature Film category.
The decision comes as Russia’s latest effort to distance itself from the West and particularly the United States, which has continued to send aid to Ukraine since President Vladimir Putin’s controversial Feb. 24 invasion of the sovereign nation.
Also Read:
How This Year’s Oscar Contenders Will Determine the Health of the Post-Pandemic Box Office
“The presidium of the Film Academy of Russia has decided not to nominate a national film for the Oscars award of the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 2022,” the Russian academy said in a statement.
The surprise...
- 9/27/2022
- by Benjamin Lindsay
- The Wrap
Russia has opted not to submit a film in the Best International Feature category at the 95th Oscars. The decision, revealed late Monday night, was made by the Russian Film Academy and comes as the country’s ties with the west have deteriorated amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
A statement reads, “The presidium of the Russian Film Academy has decided not to nominate any Russian films for the 2022 Academy Awards.”
In the wake of the announcement, Chairman of the Russian Oscar selection committee, Pavel Chukhray, resigned in protest. According to state news agency Tass, Chukhray called the decision “illegal” and said it was made without consultation. He told Tass, “They did not even consider it necessary to notify of such a decision,” and added that director Nikolai Dostal is also leaving.
Another member of the Russian Oscar Committee, Alexei Uchitel, has called for a meeting with the Film Academy.
A statement reads, “The presidium of the Russian Film Academy has decided not to nominate any Russian films for the 2022 Academy Awards.”
In the wake of the announcement, Chairman of the Russian Oscar selection committee, Pavel Chukhray, resigned in protest. According to state news agency Tass, Chukhray called the decision “illegal” and said it was made without consultation. He told Tass, “They did not even consider it necessary to notify of such a decision,” and added that director Nikolai Dostal is also leaving.
Another member of the Russian Oscar Committee, Alexei Uchitel, has called for a meeting with the Film Academy.
- 9/27/2022
- by Nancy Tartaglione
- Deadline Film + TV
The chairman of Russia’s Oscar committee resigned in protest.
Russia will not submit an entry for the Oscars’ best international feature category this year.
In a statement released by the Russian Academy on Monday (September 26), and reported by Afp, it said: “The presidium of the Film Academy of Russia has decided not to nominate a national film for the Oscars award of the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 2022.”
Pavel Chukhray, the chairman of Russia’s Oscar committee, resigned today (September 27) in protest over the boycott.
In a letter published by state news agency Tass, he...
Russia will not submit an entry for the Oscars’ best international feature category this year.
In a statement released by the Russian Academy on Monday (September 26), and reported by Afp, it said: “The presidium of the Film Academy of Russia has decided not to nominate a national film for the Oscars award of the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 2022.”
Pavel Chukhray, the chairman of Russia’s Oscar committee, resigned today (September 27) in protest over the boycott.
In a letter published by state news agency Tass, he...
- 9/27/2022
- by Ellie Calnan
- ScreenDaily
Updated– Russia will not be sending an official Oscar candidate for the upcoming international feature film race, Variety has confirmed.
The news, which was reported by the news outlet Afp, was announced by the Russian film academy on Monday evening (Sept. 27). Several members of Russia’s Oscar committee, including its president Pavel Tchoukhraï, have resigned to protest the decision of the Russian film academy.
Tchoukhraï issued a letter, unveiled by veteran journalist Larisa Malyukova, in which he blamed the Russian film academy for taking an “unilateral decision over the head of the committee” and said it was both “unfair and illegal.” Joel Chapron, an expert on the Russian film industry who is based in Paris, said Tchoukhraï had been followed by several other member of the committee who have now resigned, including Nikolaï Dostal, Sergey Selyanov, Vladimir Kott and Andrey Zvyagintsev, who is currently living in Paris.
The decision of...
The news, which was reported by the news outlet Afp, was announced by the Russian film academy on Monday evening (Sept. 27). Several members of Russia’s Oscar committee, including its president Pavel Tchoukhraï, have resigned to protest the decision of the Russian film academy.
Tchoukhraï issued a letter, unveiled by veteran journalist Larisa Malyukova, in which he blamed the Russian film academy for taking an “unilateral decision over the head of the committee” and said it was both “unfair and illegal.” Joel Chapron, an expert on the Russian film industry who is based in Paris, said Tchoukhraï had been followed by several other member of the committee who have now resigned, including Nikolaï Dostal, Sergey Selyanov, Vladimir Kott and Andrey Zvyagintsev, who is currently living in Paris.
The decision of...
- 9/27/2022
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Festival will also host tributes to Taiwan’s Tsai Ming-liang and late director Shinji Aoyama.
US director Julie Taymor is to preside over the international competition jury of Tokyo International Film Festival, which has also announced plans to revive the Akira Kurosawa Award and host tribute screenings to Taiwan’s Tsai Ming-liang and late Japanese director Shinji Aoyama.
The festival has unveiled highlights of its 35th edition, which will run October 24 to November 2, ahead of the announcement of its full line up on September 21.
Taymor is known for directing features such as Frida, Titus, Across The Universe and The Glorias...
US director Julie Taymor is to preside over the international competition jury of Tokyo International Film Festival, which has also announced plans to revive the Akira Kurosawa Award and host tribute screenings to Taiwan’s Tsai Ming-liang and late Japanese director Shinji Aoyama.
The festival has unveiled highlights of its 35th edition, which will run October 24 to November 2, ahead of the announcement of its full line up on September 21.
Taymor is known for directing features such as Frida, Titus, Across The Universe and The Glorias...
- 9/16/2022
- by Michael Rosser
- ScreenDaily
Inaugural regional cash rebate has 100,000 Chf cap.
The canton of Valais has become Switzerland’s first region to launch an automatic cash rebate scheme to attract Swiss and international audiovisual productions.
Tristan Albrecht, head of the newly-created Valais Film Commission, was in Locarno this weekend to announce the full roll-out of the film commission’s services and the introduction of the cash rebate scheme.
During a discussion of new film financing models in Switzerland as part of the Locarno Pro programme of events, Albrecht explained that the architects of the Valais Film Commission had been inspired by the example of...
The canton of Valais has become Switzerland’s first region to launch an automatic cash rebate scheme to attract Swiss and international audiovisual productions.
Tristan Albrecht, head of the newly-created Valais Film Commission, was in Locarno this weekend to announce the full roll-out of the film commission’s services and the introduction of the cash rebate scheme.
During a discussion of new film financing models in Switzerland as part of the Locarno Pro programme of events, Albrecht explained that the architects of the Valais Film Commission had been inspired by the example of...
- 8/7/2022
- by Martin Blaney
- ScreenDaily
Following its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival Film, Noah Baumbach’s feature take of Don DeLillo’s 1985 novel White Noise will also open the 60th New York Film Festival, making its North American premiere at Alice Tully Hall on September 30.
In the Netflix movie, Adam Driver plays Jack Gladney, an ostentatious “Hitler Studies” professor and father-of-four whose comfortable suburban college town life and marriage to the secretive Babette (Greta Gerwig) are upended after a horrifying nearby accident creates an airborne toxic event of frightening and unknowable proportions. DeLillo’s novel is known for being a pop-philosophical nightmare on unbounded consumerism, ecological catastrophe, and the American obsession with death.
“In 1985 my father and I drove from Brooklyn to see Kurosawa’s Ran open the 23rd NYFF, the same year that he brought home the hardback of Don DeLillo’s White Noise,” said Baumbach. “Opening the 60th NYFF with White...
In the Netflix movie, Adam Driver plays Jack Gladney, an ostentatious “Hitler Studies” professor and father-of-four whose comfortable suburban college town life and marriage to the secretive Babette (Greta Gerwig) are upended after a horrifying nearby accident creates an airborne toxic event of frightening and unknowable proportions. DeLillo’s novel is known for being a pop-philosophical nightmare on unbounded consumerism, ecological catastrophe, and the American obsession with death.
“In 1985 my father and I drove from Brooklyn to see Kurosawa’s Ran open the 23rd NYFF, the same year that he brought home the hardback of Don DeLillo’s White Noise,” said Baumbach. “Opening the 60th NYFF with White...
- 8/2/2022
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Rustam Ibragimbekov, the renowned Soviet-era writer behind films including 1994 Oscar winner Burnt by the Sun and the 1970 classic White Sun of the Desert, died in Moscow on Friday, according to multiple reports. He was 83.
Born in Baku, Azerbaijan Ssr on February 5th 1939, Ibragimbekov penned more than 50 films throughout his career, including Guard Me, My Talisman (1986), Close to Eden (1991), The Barber of Siberia (1998), East/West (1999), Broken Bridges (1999) and Nomad: The Warrior (2005), breaking out with the action-comedy White Sun of the Desert, which he and Valentin Ezhov wrote for director Vladimir Motyl.
He co-wrote the historical drama Burnt by the Sun with director Nikita Mikhalkov and watched that film claim the Cannes Film Festival’s Grand Prix on its path to the Oscars.
Ibragimbekov was also a director, producer and playwright who helmed the films Aila (1998), Telefon doveriya (2001) and A Trap for the Ghost, (2011), along with a segment of 1977’s Günlarin bir günü.
Born in Baku, Azerbaijan Ssr on February 5th 1939, Ibragimbekov penned more than 50 films throughout his career, including Guard Me, My Talisman (1986), Close to Eden (1991), The Barber of Siberia (1998), East/West (1999), Broken Bridges (1999) and Nomad: The Warrior (2005), breaking out with the action-comedy White Sun of the Desert, which he and Valentin Ezhov wrote for director Vladimir Motyl.
He co-wrote the historical drama Burnt by the Sun with director Nikita Mikhalkov and watched that film claim the Cannes Film Festival’s Grand Prix on its path to the Oscars.
Ibragimbekov was also a director, producer and playwright who helmed the films Aila (1998), Telefon doveriya (2001) and A Trap for the Ghost, (2011), along with a segment of 1977’s Günlarin bir günü.
- 3/13/2022
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Russian Filmmakers Union KinoSoyuz issue declaration entitled ‘No To War’.
Internationally-renowned Russian directors Alexei Popogrebsky, Ilya Khrzhanovskiy, Marina Razbezhkina, Boris Khlebnikov and producers Evgeny Gindilis, Natalia Manskaya and Natalia Drozd are among the signatories of a declaration protesting at Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
In a declaration entitled ‘No To War’, the Union of Cinematographers and Professional Cinematographic Organisations and Associations of Russia (known as KinoSoyuz) said that it had “received with pain and anger” the news of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
“No national, political or geopolitical value can be more important than the most and fundamental value - the value of human life.
Internationally-renowned Russian directors Alexei Popogrebsky, Ilya Khrzhanovskiy, Marina Razbezhkina, Boris Khlebnikov and producers Evgeny Gindilis, Natalia Manskaya and Natalia Drozd are among the signatories of a declaration protesting at Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
In a declaration entitled ‘No To War’, the Union of Cinematographers and Professional Cinematographic Organisations and Associations of Russia (known as KinoSoyuz) said that it had “received with pain and anger” the news of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
“No national, political or geopolitical value can be more important than the most and fundamental value - the value of human life.
- 2/25/2022
- by Martin Blaney
- ScreenDaily
Russian sci-fi comedy “Couple from the Future,” a 2021 box-office hit directed by Alexey Nuzhny (“Fire”), is getting a Chinese remake, Variety has learned.
Production and distribution powerhouse Central Partnership has sold the rights for a Chinese adaptation to Shanghai Matching Culture Media.
The film is set in the year 2040. Evgeniy and Alexandra have been married for 20 years, and their relationship has lost its passion. Getting divorced isn’t an option – in the future, annulling a marriage is a very expensive affair. But fate hands them a chance: Evgeniy and Alexandra get sent back in time to that very day 20 years ago when Evgeniy, young and in love, proposed to Alexandra. Now the couple from the future want to break their young selves up in the past, but it won’t be easy when the young ones prove willing to fight for their love.
Produced by Trite Studio, Nikita Mikhalkov (an...
Production and distribution powerhouse Central Partnership has sold the rights for a Chinese adaptation to Shanghai Matching Culture Media.
The film is set in the year 2040. Evgeniy and Alexandra have been married for 20 years, and their relationship has lost its passion. Getting divorced isn’t an option – in the future, annulling a marriage is a very expensive affair. But fate hands them a chance: Evgeniy and Alexandra get sent back in time to that very day 20 years ago when Evgeniy, young and in love, proposed to Alexandra. Now the couple from the future want to break their young selves up in the past, but it won’t be easy when the young ones prove willing to fight for their love.
Produced by Trite Studio, Nikita Mikhalkov (an...
- 2/16/2022
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
“Brighton 4th” tells a gentle, naturalistic story of parental devotion and sacrifice, unfolding mostly in the former Soviet émigré enclave of Brighton Beach, N.Y. The tragicomedy nabbed a trifecta of awards at the recent Tribeca Festival, including best international narrative feature, screenplay and actor. It marks the third fiction outing by Georgian helmer Levan Koguashvili (“Blind Dates”) and follows a former Olympic wrestling champ from Tbilisi who goes to New York to help his adult son get his life back on track. The tender screenplay by Boris Frumin captures characters living in the new world in much the same fashion as they did in the old. It also offers a touching showcase for Levan Tediashvili, a non-professional actor and real-life wrestler. Boutique art-house distributors should take a look at this festival favorite.
A preamble in Tbilisi establishes the main character, Kakhi (Tediashvili), as a kind, even-tempered, nonjudgmental problem solver...
A preamble in Tbilisi establishes the main character, Kakhi (Tediashvili), as a kind, even-tempered, nonjudgmental problem solver...
- 6/23/2021
- by Alissa Simon
- Variety Film + TV
“The Pilot. A Battle for Survival” (Central Partnership)
Producers: Renat Davletyarov, Vlad Ryashin
Synopsis: December 1941, Northwestern Front. A German tank column is moving toward Moscow. During a mission to halt the enemy’s advance, Soviet pilot Nikolai Komlev’s plane is shot down behind enemy lines. Battling hunger and cold while evading packs of wolves and detachments of Nazi soldiers, the wounded pilot finally makes it back to safety. But there he faces another challenge, which will prove to be the most life-changing of all.
“The World Champion” (Central Partnership)
Producers: Alexey Sidorov, Nikita Mikhalkov, Rafael Minasbekyan, Leonid Vereshschagin
Synopsis: Some sporting triumphs are about more than just claiming a title. Some of them go down in history. A drama based on the legendary 1978 chess match between Soviet world champion Anatoly Karpov and the dissident Viktor Korchnoi. In this battle between two outstanding chess players (pictured), a duel of personalities under immense psychological pressure,...
Producers: Renat Davletyarov, Vlad Ryashin
Synopsis: December 1941, Northwestern Front. A German tank column is moving toward Moscow. During a mission to halt the enemy’s advance, Soviet pilot Nikolai Komlev’s plane is shot down behind enemy lines. Battling hunger and cold while evading packs of wolves and detachments of Nazi soldiers, the wounded pilot finally makes it back to safety. But there he faces another challenge, which will prove to be the most life-changing of all.
“The World Champion” (Central Partnership)
Producers: Alexey Sidorov, Nikita Mikhalkov, Rafael Minasbekyan, Leonid Vereshschagin
Synopsis: Some sporting triumphs are about more than just claiming a title. Some of them go down in history. A drama based on the legendary 1978 chess match between Soviet world champion Anatoly Karpov and the dissident Viktor Korchnoi. In this battle between two outstanding chess players (pictured), a duel of personalities under immense psychological pressure,...
- 5/19/2021
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
Production in Russia has continued apace throughout much of the coronavirus pandemic, and a broad slate of titles launching at the virtual edition of this year’s European Film Market — from high-concept period dramas to psychological thrillers to horror pics — will look to tap into international interest in the fast-growing industry. “For us, it’s business as usual — boosting that potential,” says Vadim Vereshchagin, CEO of Central Partnership.
During EFM, Vereshchagin’s production and distribution outfit will launch sales on a raft of titles including “The World Champion,” a drama based on the legendary 1978 chess match between Soviet world champion Anatoly Karpov and the dissident Viktor Korchnoi. The co-production with Nikita Mikhalkov’s Studio TriTe and pubcaster Russia-1 is directed by Alexey Sidorov, who helmed the WWII blockbuster “T-34.”
Set in the noir atmosphere of 1920s Russia, “December” follows the last days of Sergey Yesenin, a famous Russian poet and...
During EFM, Vereshchagin’s production and distribution outfit will launch sales on a raft of titles including “The World Champion,” a drama based on the legendary 1978 chess match between Soviet world champion Anatoly Karpov and the dissident Viktor Korchnoi. The co-production with Nikita Mikhalkov’s Studio TriTe and pubcaster Russia-1 is directed by Alexey Sidorov, who helmed the WWII blockbuster “T-34.”
Set in the noir atmosphere of 1920s Russia, “December” follows the last days of Sergey Yesenin, a famous Russian poet and...
- 3/4/2021
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
Soaring local box office has pushed the Russian film industry to new heights in recent years, even despite a downturn caused by the coronavirus pandemic, but Vadim Vereshchagin, CEO of leading production and distribution company Central Partnership, says introducing fresh Russian talent to the world remains his outfit’s top priority.
“For us, it’s business as usual—boosting that potential,” Vereshchagin tells Variety. “We’re getting more experience on which titles we should be making. Right now, every big-budget title we make, we’re thinking about the international market as well.” The challenge, he says, “is to get the right stories being made which would be appealing to general international audiences.”
With a library that includes films from top U.S. and European studios, as well as an extensive catalog of arthouse and commercial Russian movies, Central Partnership has been a leading distributor for nearly two decades. After ramping up production in recent years,...
“For us, it’s business as usual—boosting that potential,” Vereshchagin tells Variety. “We’re getting more experience on which titles we should be making. Right now, every big-budget title we make, we’re thinking about the international market as well.” The challenge, he says, “is to get the right stories being made which would be appealing to general international audiences.”
With a library that includes films from top U.S. and European studios, as well as an extensive catalog of arthouse and commercial Russian movies, Central Partnership has been a leading distributor for nearly two decades. After ramping up production in recent years,...
- 2/18/2021
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
Shout! Studios has taken North American rights to the action thriller “Fire,” and Russian production and distribution powerhouse Central Partnership has closed a host of other territories, the company announced during the Sundance Film Festival.
Directed by Alexey Nuzhniy, “Fire” is a splashy, big-budget actioner about heroic smokejumpers racing against disaster. Since its Christmas Eve release, the film has grossed more than $10 million at the Russian box office. Pic is produced by Nikita Mikhalkov’s Studio TriTe, pubcaster Russia-1 and Central Partnership, with the support of the Fond Kino cinema fund.
Central Partnership, which is handling international sales, has also closed distribution deals for Australia and New Zealand (Umbrella Entertainment), Germany and German-speaking Europe (Capelight Pictures), Spain (Mediaset), Latin America (Bf Distribution), Japan (Culture Entertainment), South Korea (BoXoo Entertainment) and Taiwan (MovieCloud). The film will be released in North America in the summer.
“‘Fire’ is a high-octane action thriller with...
Directed by Alexey Nuzhniy, “Fire” is a splashy, big-budget actioner about heroic smokejumpers racing against disaster. Since its Christmas Eve release, the film has grossed more than $10 million at the Russian box office. Pic is produced by Nikita Mikhalkov’s Studio TriTe, pubcaster Russia-1 and Central Partnership, with the support of the Fond Kino cinema fund.
Central Partnership, which is handling international sales, has also closed distribution deals for Australia and New Zealand (Umbrella Entertainment), Germany and German-speaking Europe (Capelight Pictures), Spain (Mediaset), Latin America (Bf Distribution), Japan (Culture Entertainment), South Korea (BoXoo Entertainment) and Taiwan (MovieCloud). The film will be released in North America in the summer.
“‘Fire’ is a high-octane action thriller with...
- 1/28/2021
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
by Nathaniel R
Russia has announced that Andrey Konchalovskiy's Dear Comrades!, a Grand Jury Prize winner in Venice, will be their selection for the Oscars. This is the third time Russia has selected Konchalovsky to submit them. The 83 year old director is deeply tied to Russian cinematic history. He's the elder brother of Russia's most Oscar-loved director Nikita Mikhalkov (Burnt by the Sun) and he began his career writing and working for the legendary Andrei Tarkovsky (on Ivan's Childhood and Andre Rublev) in the early 1960s before launching his own directorial career. He even tried his hand at English language films in the 1980s making Duet for One with Julie Andrews and the underappreciated Shy People with Barbara Hershey. His first Russian submission House of Fools in 2002 was unsuccessul. His second submission, the hugely lauded Paradise in 2016, got close to the nomination, securing a finalist spot for itself. Will...
Russia has announced that Andrey Konchalovskiy's Dear Comrades!, a Grand Jury Prize winner in Venice, will be their selection for the Oscars. This is the third time Russia has selected Konchalovsky to submit them. The 83 year old director is deeply tied to Russian cinematic history. He's the elder brother of Russia's most Oscar-loved director Nikita Mikhalkov (Burnt by the Sun) and he began his career writing and working for the legendary Andrei Tarkovsky (on Ivan's Childhood and Andre Rublev) in the early 1960s before launching his own directorial career. He even tried his hand at English language films in the 1980s making Duet for One with Julie Andrews and the underappreciated Shy People with Barbara Hershey. His first Russian submission House of Fools in 2002 was unsuccessul. His second submission, the hugely lauded Paradise in 2016, got close to the nomination, securing a finalist spot for itself. Will...
- 11/14/2020
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
Wife of a SpyThe programme for the 2020 edition of the Venice Film Festival has been unveiled, and includes new films from Gia Coppola, Lav Diaz, Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Alice Rohrwacher, Gianfranco Rosi, Frederick Wiseman, Chloé Zhao, and more.COMPETITIONIn Between Dying (Hilal Baydarov)Le sorelle Macluso (Emma Dante)The World to Come (Mona Fastvold)Nuevo Orden (Michel Franco)Lovers (Nicole Garcia)Laila in Haifa (Amos Gitai)Dear Comrades (Andrei Konchalovsky)Wife of a Spy (Kiyoshi Kurosawa)Sun Children (Majid Majidi)Pieces of a Woman (Kornél Mundruczó)Miss Marx (Susanna Nicchiarelli)Padrenostro (Claudio Noce)Notturno (Gianfranco Rosi)Never Gonna Snow AgainThe Disciple (Chaitanya Tamhane)And Tomorrow The Entire World (Julia Von Heinz)Quo Vadis, Aida? (Jasmila Zbanic)Nomadland (Chloé Zhao)Out Of COMPETITIONFeaturesThe Ties (Daniele Luchetti)Lasciami Andare (Stefano Mordini)Mandibules (Quentin Dupieux)Love After Love (Ann Hui)Assandria (Salvatore Mereu)The Duke (Roger Michell)Night in Paradise (Park Hoon-jung)Mosquito...
- 8/3/2020
- MUBI
With Telluride Film Festival forced to cancel their yearly event, what is now the first of the major fall festivals, Venice, has announced their complete lineup. Along with Chloé Zhao’s Nomadland, which was revealed yesterday, the lineup includes more of our most-anticipated films of the year, including Frederick Wiseman’s City Hall, Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s Wife of a Spy, Gia Coppola’s Mainstream, Abel Ferrara’s Sportin’ Life, Lav Diaz’s Genus Pan, Mona Fastvold’s The World to Come, Kornél Mundruczó’s Pieces of a Woman, Gianfranco Rosi’s Notturno, and more.
There were also a few surprises in the lineup. Luca Guadagnino has directed a new documentary titled Salvatore: Shoemaker of Dreams, while Alice Rohrwacher and Jr have teamed for the new short film, Omelia Contadina. Quentin Dupieux’s Mandibules will also premiere out of competition.
In perhaps the best surprise of all, a new, recently uncovered film by Orson Welles,...
There were also a few surprises in the lineup. Luca Guadagnino has directed a new documentary titled Salvatore: Shoemaker of Dreams, while Alice Rohrwacher and Jr have teamed for the new short film, Omelia Contadina. Quentin Dupieux’s Mandibules will also premiere out of competition.
In perhaps the best surprise of all, a new, recently uncovered film by Orson Welles,...
- 7/28/2020
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
There are not as many new films being made and some completed films are holding out until 2021 to make their festival premiere, but there’s no shortage of new restorations coming to film festivals soon. Cannes recently revealed their Classics lineup of titles screening this fall and hopefully coming to discs in the near future, and now it is Venice’s turn.
They’ve revealed the new restorations that will first screen at Cinema Ritrovato Festival in Bologna, Italy on August 25-31, followed by screenings at Venice Film Festival soon after. New restorations include work by Martin Scorsese, Souleymane Cissé, Michelangelo Antonioni, Shôhei Imamura, Fritz Lang, Sidney Lumet, Jean-Pierre Melville, Nikita Mikhalkov, and more. Some of these films already have forthcoming disc releases announced, including Claudine, coming to Criterion this fall.
Check out the lineup below (via Deadline) as well as the Venice Critics’ Week slate, which includes the Terrence Malick...
They’ve revealed the new restorations that will first screen at Cinema Ritrovato Festival in Bologna, Italy on August 25-31, followed by screenings at Venice Film Festival soon after. New restorations include work by Martin Scorsese, Souleymane Cissé, Michelangelo Antonioni, Shôhei Imamura, Fritz Lang, Sidney Lumet, Jean-Pierre Melville, Nikita Mikhalkov, and more. Some of these films already have forthcoming disc releases announced, including Claudine, coming to Criterion this fall.
Check out the lineup below (via Deadline) as well as the Venice Critics’ Week slate, which includes the Terrence Malick...
- 7/22/2020
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Restoration strand to take place outside of the city this year.
Films by Michelangelo Antonioni, Martin Scorsese and Sidney Lumet are among the lineup of the Venice Classics section at the 77th Venice Film Festival.
The 13 titles include Scorsese gangster drama Goodfellas, which has been restored by Warner Bros. and received its world premiere at Venice in 1990.
Others include Antonioni’s 1950 drama Chronicle Of A Love, which as been restored by Cineteca di Bologna; Sidney Lumet’s 1973 neo-noir thriller Serpico, restored by Studiocanal; and Souleymane Cissé’s 1975 Malian film The Young Girl, restored by Cinémathèque Française.
The strand, which comprises restored versions of classic films,...
Films by Michelangelo Antonioni, Martin Scorsese and Sidney Lumet are among the lineup of the Venice Classics section at the 77th Venice Film Festival.
The 13 titles include Scorsese gangster drama Goodfellas, which has been restored by Warner Bros. and received its world premiere at Venice in 1990.
Others include Antonioni’s 1950 drama Chronicle Of A Love, which as been restored by Cineteca di Bologna; Sidney Lumet’s 1973 neo-noir thriller Serpico, restored by Studiocanal; and Souleymane Cissé’s 1975 Malian film The Young Girl, restored by Cinémathèque Française.
The strand, which comprises restored versions of classic films,...
- 7/22/2020
- by 1100453¦Michael Rosser¦9¦
- ScreenDaily
The full lineup for the 77th Venice Film Festival will be announced on July 28. In the meantime, organizers have set the roster of restored titles that will make up the Venice Classics section which, unconventionally this year, will be hosted as part of the Cinema Ritrovato Festival in Bologna, Italy from August 25-31 in a show of solidarity between the events. The selection, which includes works by Michelangelo Antonioni, Shôhei Imamura, Fritz Lang, Sidney Lumet, Jean-Pierre Melville, Nikita Mikhalkov and Martin Scorsese will then be screened in Venice in the following months.
The Venice Film Festival, the first major international film event to take place since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, will be held from September 2-12 on the Lido. Certain changes owing to sanitary protocols imposed by the Covid-19 crisis were announced earlier this month, including the shifting of venues for the Classics section. The overall number of...
The Venice Film Festival, the first major international film event to take place since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, will be held from September 2-12 on the Lido. Certain changes owing to sanitary protocols imposed by the Covid-19 crisis were announced earlier this month, including the shifting of venues for the Classics section. The overall number of...
- 7/22/2020
- by Nancy Tartaglione
- Deadline Film + TV
Vadim Vereshchagin, CEO of leading Russian production and distribution company Central Partnership, says it’s time for the world to give a second look to Russian cinema—particularly the slick commercial titles that are racking up boffo box office back home.
“The key thing for us right now is to explain to the foreign buyers primarily, ‘Look, we’ve got great films. We’re not asking the same amount of money as Hollywood independent studios would. But you get the same [quality],’” he says.
Central Partnership began in the 1990s as a television production outfit, before branching out into distribution of mostly arthouse fare. In the early 2000s, it began moving toward mainstream titles, and since 2009 has been the exclusive distributor for Paramount Pictures in Russia. Its library includes films from top U.S. and European studios, as well as an extensive catalog of arthouse and commercial Russian movies.
The company’s current slate,...
“The key thing for us right now is to explain to the foreign buyers primarily, ‘Look, we’ve got great films. We’re not asking the same amount of money as Hollywood independent studios would. But you get the same [quality],’” he says.
Central Partnership began in the 1990s as a television production outfit, before branching out into distribution of mostly arthouse fare. In the early 2000s, it began moving toward mainstream titles, and since 2009 has been the exclusive distributor for Paramount Pictures in Russia. Its library includes films from top U.S. and European studios, as well as an extensive catalog of arthouse and commercial Russian movies.
The company’s current slate,...
- 6/7/2020
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
Has it been 35 years since film director Ivan Passer, who died Jan. 9, explained to me why horror movies will never stop getting financed and distributed? “They don’t give their producers any sleepless nights,” the sage Czech maestro quietly, sagely noted, summing up a multitude of film business realities in a simple haiku.
And how many decades ago was it when I was first gripped by Passer’s greatest film, “Cutter’s Way,” a completely uncompromising and richly drawn portrait of young Americans facing down the Masters of War that Bob Dylan sang about?
When did I first marvel at the wit and compassion Passer brought to the screenplays of his great fellow countryman Milos Forman? I saw their unforgettable social satire “The Firemen’s Ball” when it first graced our American shores and scored a best foreign language film nomination in the late ’60s.
Forman’s Czech New Wave classic “Loves of a Blonde,...
And how many decades ago was it when I was first gripped by Passer’s greatest film, “Cutter’s Way,” a completely uncompromising and richly drawn portrait of young Americans facing down the Masters of War that Bob Dylan sang about?
When did I first marvel at the wit and compassion Passer brought to the screenplays of his great fellow countryman Milos Forman? I saw their unforgettable social satire “The Firemen’s Ball” when it first graced our American shores and scored a best foreign language film nomination in the late ’60s.
Forman’s Czech New Wave classic “Loves of a Blonde,...
- 1/10/2020
- by Steven Gaydos
- Variety Film + TV
Directed by Aleksey Nuzhny, the film is produced by the heavyweight trio of Leonid Vereschagin, Anton Zlatopolskiy and Nikita Mikhalkov.
Leading Russian sales agent and distributor Central Partnership is launching pre-sales at Afm on big-budget action film Fire.
Directed by Aleksey Nuzhny, the film is produced by the heavyweight trio of Leonid Vereschagin, Anton Zlatopolskiy and Nikita Mikhalkov, who collaborated on Olympic basketball movie Three Seconds (aka Going Vertical), Russia’s highest-grossing film ever.
Fire follows so-called “smoke jumpers”, rescuers called on to show extreme bravery on a regular basis in putting out forest fires. The film, which is in post-production,...
Leading Russian sales agent and distributor Central Partnership is launching pre-sales at Afm on big-budget action film Fire.
Directed by Aleksey Nuzhny, the film is produced by the heavyweight trio of Leonid Vereschagin, Anton Zlatopolskiy and Nikita Mikhalkov, who collaborated on Olympic basketball movie Three Seconds (aka Going Vertical), Russia’s highest-grossing film ever.
Fire follows so-called “smoke jumpers”, rescuers called on to show extreme bravery on a regular basis in putting out forest fires. The film, which is in post-production,...
- 11/9/2019
- by 57¦Geoffrey Macnab¦41¦
- ScreenDaily
SeryozhaAlong with Eldar Ryazanov and Leonid Gaidai, Georgiy Daneliya, now 88, is one of the greatest comic filmmakers of the Soviet era. He describes his own genre as “sad comedy,”expertly balancing a warmhearted approach to characterization with a certain melancholy undertow. Yet, with his work never distributed outside of the Eastern Bloc, except for Finland, and in the case of Kin-dza-dza! (1986), Japan, he is more deserving than any other Soviet director of critical reappraisal. Soviet comedies in general, and Daneliya's comedies in particular, are often characterized by a certain naïveté, yet a simplicity in approach shouldn’t be confused with simple-mindedness. Instead, like in an Yasujiro Ozu movie, this plainness becomes a style in itself, a way of strengthening a story though seeming to do less. Slyly subverting the demands of a state-run studio system, this naïve approach allowed Daneliya's complex characterizations to nest themselves matryoshka doll-like inside superficially straightforward stories.
- 4/2/2019
- MUBI
With FilmStruck gone and Fandor recently sold to a new entity, cinephiles would appear to be running out of streaming services catered toward them. Here to fill that void is Ovid.TV, a new venture from six different independent film distributors — Bullfrog Films, Distrib Films Us, First Run Features, Grasshopper Film, Icarus Films, and KimStim — set to launch in March. In a statement announcing the new Svod platform, Ovid is is said to be “designed to provide North American viewers with access to thousands of mostly un-streamable documentaries, independent films, and notable works of international cinema.”
Jonathan Miller of Icarus Films, who will serve as director of Ovid, said, “the time for this kind of partnership is now, as the streaming giants focus on generating fast-turnaround new content, this coalition will offer new access to high-quality catalogs found nowhere else, featuring some of the most celebrated filmmakers and films in the canon.
Jonathan Miller of Icarus Films, who will serve as director of Ovid, said, “the time for this kind of partnership is now, as the streaming giants focus on generating fast-turnaround new content, this coalition will offer new access to high-quality catalogs found nowhere else, featuring some of the most celebrated filmmakers and films in the canon.
- 1/18/2019
- by Michael Nordine
- Indiewire
French producer worked with Wong Kar Wai, Wayne Wang, Nikita Mikhalkov, Zhang Yimou, Peter Greenaway and Jonathan Glazer.
France-born, Hong Kong based producer Jean Louis Piel, who worked with international filmmakers including Wong Kar Wai, Wayne Wang, Nikita Mikhalkov, Zhang Yimou, Peter Greenaway and Jonathan Glazer, has died of cancer at the age of 69.
Piel’s credits included Mikhalkov’s Close To Eden, which won the Golden Lion at the Venice film festival in 1991 and was nominated for the best foreign-language Oscar, and the Russian director’s Burnt By The Sun which won the Grand Prix at Cannes in 1994 and...
France-born, Hong Kong based producer Jean Louis Piel, who worked with international filmmakers including Wong Kar Wai, Wayne Wang, Nikita Mikhalkov, Zhang Yimou, Peter Greenaway and Jonathan Glazer, has died of cancer at the age of 69.
Piel’s credits included Mikhalkov’s Close To Eden, which won the Golden Lion at the Venice film festival in 1991 and was nominated for the best foreign-language Oscar, and the Russian director’s Burnt By The Sun which won the Grand Prix at Cannes in 1994 and...
- 12/21/2018
- by Louise Tutt
- ScreenDaily
The Film Society of Lincoln Center has set the Yorgos Lanthimos-directed The Favourite as the Opening Night selection for the 56th New York Film Festival. Deadline revealed last week that the film will make its world premiere at Venice, so this will be its New York premiere. That indicates it likely gets a showing at Telluride before the Nyff gala at Alice Tully Hall on Friday, September 28, 2018. Fox Searchlight Pictures releases it November 23. This becomes the second pic announced by Nyff, which recently set Alfonso Cuaron’s Roma to be the centerpiece selection. That film also will have its world premiere in Venice.
In The Favourite, the Duchess of Marlborough (Rachel Weisz) and her servant Abigail Hill (Emma Stone) engage in a sexually charged fight to the death for the body and soul of Queen Anne (Olivia Colman) at the height of the War of the Spanish Succession.
Said...
In The Favourite, the Duchess of Marlborough (Rachel Weisz) and her servant Abigail Hill (Emma Stone) engage in a sexually charged fight to the death for the body and soul of Queen Anne (Olivia Colman) at the height of the War of the Spanish Succession.
Said...
- 7/23/2018
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
The winners from Series Mania Lille/Hauts-de-France were presented tonight during the closing ceremony at Nouveau Siegle in Lille, France. The international competition ran from April 27 through this evening, honoring the cream of contemporary drama series.
Leading the way was The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, which won the Audience Award as the crowd favorite among new titles screening their first series, with votes collected after each screening. The series was created and directed by Amy Sherman-Palladino (USA), with production by Picrow and Amazon Studios. Its France broadcaster is Amazon Prime Video
The international jury, presided by Chris Brancato and composed of Maria Feldman, Maria Schrader, Clovis Cornillac and Pierre Lemaitre, gave four awards among the 10 series presented in world premiere.
The Grand Prize went to On The Spectrum, created by Dana Idisis and Yuval Shafferman (Israel), with direction by Yuval Shafferman and production from Sumayoko Mtd. The jury called it “a superb,...
Leading the way was The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, which won the Audience Award as the crowd favorite among new titles screening their first series, with votes collected after each screening. The series was created and directed by Amy Sherman-Palladino (USA), with production by Picrow and Amazon Studios. Its France broadcaster is Amazon Prime Video
The international jury, presided by Chris Brancato and composed of Maria Feldman, Maria Schrader, Clovis Cornillac and Pierre Lemaitre, gave four awards among the 10 series presented in world premiere.
The Grand Prize went to On The Spectrum, created by Dana Idisis and Yuval Shafferman (Israel), with direction by Yuval Shafferman and production from Sumayoko Mtd. The jury called it “a superb,...
- 5/5/2018
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
Fedor Bondarchuk’s sci-fi drama serves up striking cityscapes and decent special effects but feels slightly tired
Fedor Bondarchuk is the Russian director who has emerged from the shadow of his celebrated father, Sergei, as a commercial force: his Afghanistan war movie 9th Company (2005) – avowedly inspired by Ridley Scott’s Black Hawk Down – made its mark, though his gung-ho 3D action film Stalingrad (2013) was misguidedly macho and gamer-ish. Now he has made this moderate sci-fi invasion movie, with special effects that are serviceable, if not exactly state-of-the-art. A big spaceship lands with an almighty crash on Moscow’s tough housing district Chertanovo: some very striking cityscape shots of bleak high-rise buildings, here, eerier than any UFO. An alien divests himself of his giant-bug exoskeleton, taking human form as a handsome young guy, Hijken (Rinal Mukhametov), who entrances Yulya (Irina Starshenbaum) the teen daughter of the military honcho tasked with repelling...
Fedor Bondarchuk is the Russian director who has emerged from the shadow of his celebrated father, Sergei, as a commercial force: his Afghanistan war movie 9th Company (2005) – avowedly inspired by Ridley Scott’s Black Hawk Down – made its mark, though his gung-ho 3D action film Stalingrad (2013) was misguidedly macho and gamer-ish. Now he has made this moderate sci-fi invasion movie, with special effects that are serviceable, if not exactly state-of-the-art. A big spaceship lands with an almighty crash on Moscow’s tough housing district Chertanovo: some very striking cityscape shots of bleak high-rise buildings, here, eerier than any UFO. An alien divests himself of his giant-bug exoskeleton, taking human form as a handsome young guy, Hijken (Rinal Mukhametov), who entrances Yulya (Irina Starshenbaum) the teen daughter of the military honcho tasked with repelling...
- 1/18/2018
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
Next year's edition of the Moscow Film Festival (Miff) has been moved from its traditional dates in late June to April due to the soccer World Cup, which Russia will host from June 14 to July 15, the fest's president Nikita Mikhalkov announced.
Leonid Vereshchagin, a member of the festival's organizing committee, explained that the World Cup will be the main focus of attention in the capital and country in late June, also adding strain on the infrastructure.
"Holding the festival in its traditional dates will be impossible because of unavailability of hotel rooms, because of transport issues...
Leonid Vereshchagin, a member of the festival's organizing committee, explained that the World Cup will be the main focus of attention in the capital and country in late June, also adding strain on the infrastructure.
"Holding the festival in its traditional dates will be impossible because of unavailability of hotel rooms, because of transport issues...
- 11/10/2017
- by Vladimir Kozlov
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
‘The Salesman’ (Courtesy: Habib Majidi)
By: Carson Blackwelder
Managing Editor
It might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but we’re well on our way to seeing how the best foreign language film race will shape up at the Oscars in 2017. Leading the pack of the shortlist is The Salesman from Iran, which could land filmmaker Asghar Farhadi a rare second win in the category. How often do we see someone with more than one win in this worldwide competition?
The shortlist of nine films — more about those here — will, on January 24, be trimmed down to the official five nominees that will eventually face off at the Oscars on February 26. This site’s namesake, The Hollywood Reporter’s Scott Feinberg, lists the current frontrunners as: Germany’s Toni Erdmann (written and directed by Maren Ade), Denmark’s Land of Mine (written and directed by Martin Zandvliet), Sweden’s A...
By: Carson Blackwelder
Managing Editor
It might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but we’re well on our way to seeing how the best foreign language film race will shape up at the Oscars in 2017. Leading the pack of the shortlist is The Salesman from Iran, which could land filmmaker Asghar Farhadi a rare second win in the category. How often do we see someone with more than one win in this worldwide competition?
The shortlist of nine films — more about those here — will, on January 24, be trimmed down to the official five nominees that will eventually face off at the Oscars on February 26. This site’s namesake, The Hollywood Reporter’s Scott Feinberg, lists the current frontrunners as: Germany’s Toni Erdmann (written and directed by Maren Ade), Denmark’s Land of Mine (written and directed by Martin Zandvliet), Sweden’s A...
- 12/26/2016
- by Carson Blackwelder
- Scott Feinberg
The official submissions for the foreign language Oscar are in from around the world, and the Academy has deemed a record 85 eligible to compete. Last year, 81 submissions were released theatrically in their home countries between October 1, 2014 and September 30, 2015. (This year’s deadline for submissions was October 3, 2016.)
Several Academy foreign committees comprised of members from all the branches will whittle down the films to a shortlist of nine and finally, five Oscar nominees. (Last year’s winner was Cannes prize-winner “Son of Saul,” directed by Hungarian Lazlo Nemes.) Many countries pick films that do well on the festival circuit as their strongest Oscar contender; others do not.
Politics often intervene: Brazil’s submission was expected to be Cannes competition film “Aquarius,” starring Sonia Braga, but it was embroiled in controversy over filmmaker Kleber Mendonça Filho’s support of outgoing impeached president Dilma Rousseff. Bruno Barreto’s Brazil selection committee went...
Several Academy foreign committees comprised of members from all the branches will whittle down the films to a shortlist of nine and finally, five Oscar nominees. (Last year’s winner was Cannes prize-winner “Son of Saul,” directed by Hungarian Lazlo Nemes.) Many countries pick films that do well on the festival circuit as their strongest Oscar contender; others do not.
Politics often intervene: Brazil’s submission was expected to be Cannes competition film “Aquarius,” starring Sonia Braga, but it was embroiled in controversy over filmmaker Kleber Mendonça Filho’s support of outgoing impeached president Dilma Rousseff. Bruno Barreto’s Brazil selection committee went...
- 10/12/2016
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
The official submissions for the foreign language Oscar are in from around the world, and the Academy has deemed a record 85 eligible to compete. Last year, 81 submissions were released theatrically in their home countries between October 1, 2014 and September 30, 2015. (This year’s deadline for submissions was October 3, 2016.)
Several Academy foreign committees comprised of members from all the branches will whittle down the films to a shortlist of nine and finally, five Oscar nominees. (Last year’s winner was Cannes prize-winner “Son of Saul,” directed by Hungarian Lazlo Nemes.) Many countries pick films that do well on the festival circuit as their strongest Oscar contender; others do not.
Politics often intervene: Brazil’s submission was expected to be Cannes competition film “Aquarius,” starring Sonia Braga, but it was embroiled in controversy over filmmaker Kleber Mendonça Filho’s support of outgoing impeached president Dilma Rousseff. Bruno Barreto’s Brazil selection committee went...
Several Academy foreign committees comprised of members from all the branches will whittle down the films to a shortlist of nine and finally, five Oscar nominees. (Last year’s winner was Cannes prize-winner “Son of Saul,” directed by Hungarian Lazlo Nemes.) Many countries pick films that do well on the festival circuit as their strongest Oscar contender; others do not.
Politics often intervene: Brazil’s submission was expected to be Cannes competition film “Aquarius,” starring Sonia Braga, but it was embroiled in controversy over filmmaker Kleber Mendonça Filho’s support of outgoing impeached president Dilma Rousseff. Bruno Barreto’s Brazil selection committee went...
- 10/12/2016
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
The selection for the 2016 Venice Film Festival has been announced, with new films by Terrence Malick, Pablo Larraín, Lav Diaz, Wang Bing, Amat Escalante, Tom Ford, and more.COMPETITIONVoyage of TimeThe Bad Batch (Ana Lily Amirpour)Une vie i (Stéphane Brizé)La La Land (Damien Chazelle)The Light Between Oceans (Derek Cianfrance)El ciudadano ilustre (Mariano Cohn, Gastón Duprat)Spira Mirabilis (Massimo D'Anolfi, Martina Parenti)The Woman Who Left (Lav Diaz)La región salvaje (Amat Escalante)Nocturnal Animals (Tom Ford)Piuma (Roan Johnson)Paradise (Andrei Konchalovsky)Brimstone (Martin Koolhoven)Jackie (Pablo Larraín)Voyage of Time (Terrence Malick)El Cristo Ciego (Christopher Murray)Frantz (François Ozon)Questi Giorni (Giuseppe Piccioni)Arrival (Denis Villeneuve)Les beaux jours D'Aranjuez (Wim Wenders)Out Of COMPETITIONSafariOur War (Bruno Chiaravolloti, Claudio Jampaglia, Benedetta Argentieri)I Called Him Morgan (Kasper Collin)One More Time with Feeling (Andrew Dominik)The Bleeder (Philippe Falardeau)The Magnificent Seven (Antoine Fuqua...
- 7/28/2016
- MUBI
Titles this year range from Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai to John Landis’s An American Werewolf In London.
The selection of restored titles screening at this year’s Venice Film Festival (Aug 31 - Sept 10) have been revealed.
Italian director Roberto Andò (The Confessions) will oversee the strand’s jury of cinema history students which will award two prizes: Best Restored Film and Best Documentary On Cinema (the line-up of the latter will be revealed at a later date).
Now in its fifth year, this year’s selection includes Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai, Woody Allen’s Manhattan, John Landis’s An American Werewolf In London, Andrei Tarkovsky’s Stalker, and George A Romero’s Dawn Of The Dead amongst a host of other restorations.
The full Venice Film Festival line-up will be revealed on Thursday (July 28).
Venice Classics 2016 line-up:
1848, Dino Risi (Italy, 1948, 11’, B/W)
restored by: Archivio Nazionale Cinema Impresa-csc-Cineteca Nazionale and Veneranda Fabbrica del Duomo di Milano...
The selection of restored titles screening at this year’s Venice Film Festival (Aug 31 - Sept 10) have been revealed.
Italian director Roberto Andò (The Confessions) will oversee the strand’s jury of cinema history students which will award two prizes: Best Restored Film and Best Documentary On Cinema (the line-up of the latter will be revealed at a later date).
Now in its fifth year, this year’s selection includes Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai, Woody Allen’s Manhattan, John Landis’s An American Werewolf In London, Andrei Tarkovsky’s Stalker, and George A Romero’s Dawn Of The Dead amongst a host of other restorations.
The full Venice Film Festival line-up will be revealed on Thursday (July 28).
Venice Classics 2016 line-up:
1848, Dino Risi (Italy, 1948, 11’, B/W)
restored by: Archivio Nazionale Cinema Impresa-csc-Cineteca Nazionale and Veneranda Fabbrica del Duomo di Milano...
- 7/25/2016
- ScreenDaily
The Film Society of Lincoln Center announces Ava DuVernay’s documentary The 13th as the Opening Night selection of the 54th New York Film Festival (September 30 – October 16), making its world premiere at Alice Tully Hall. The 13th is the first-ever nonfiction work to open the festival, and will debut on Netflix and open in a limited theatrical run on October 7.
Chronicling the history of racial inequality in the United States, The 13th examines how our country has produced the highest rate of incarceration in the world, with the majority of those imprisoned being African-American. The title of DuVernay’s extraordinary and galvanizing film refers to the 13th Amendment to the Constitution—“Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States . . . ” The progression from that second qualifying clause to the horrors of mass incarceration and...
Chronicling the history of racial inequality in the United States, The 13th examines how our country has produced the highest rate of incarceration in the world, with the majority of those imprisoned being African-American. The title of DuVernay’s extraordinary and galvanizing film refers to the 13th Amendment to the Constitution—“Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States . . . ” The progression from that second qualifying clause to the horrors of mass incarceration and...
- 7/19/2016
- by Kellvin Chavez
- LRMonline.com
If the languid summer tentpole season has you down, fear not, as the promising fall slate is around the corner and today brings the first news of what we’ll see at the 2016 New York Film Festival. For the first time ever, a non-fiction film will open The Film Society of Lincoln Center’s festival: Ava DuVernay‘s The 13th. Her timely follow-up to Selma chronicles the history of racial inequality in the United States and will arrive on Netflix and in limited theaters shortly after its premiere at Nyff, on October 7.
“It is a true honor for me and my collaborators to premiere The 13th as the opening night selection of the New York Film Festival,” Ava DuVernay says. “This film was made as an answer to my own questions about how and why we have become the most incarcerated nation in the world, how and why we regard...
“It is a true honor for me and my collaborators to premiere The 13th as the opening night selection of the New York Film Festival,” Ava DuVernay says. “This film was made as an answer to my own questions about how and why we have become the most incarcerated nation in the world, how and why we regard...
- 7/19/2016
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Exclusive: IMAX-shot disaster movie has sold to multiple territories.
Central Partnership has been racking up sales on its $21mn IMAX-shot disaster movie The Crew. The film has sold to France (Purple Pictures), Turkey (Atv), Malaysia, Philippines, Cambodia (Suraya), Baltic States (Garsu).
The Crew was released in April in Russia and Cis and has been doing blockbuster business. It is now set to begin its international roll-out.
The Crew is produced by Leonid Vereschagin, Anton Zlatopolsky and Nikita Mikhalkov
Nikolay Lebedev directed the film based on the cult Soviet 1979 movie Air Crew, an eastern bloc variation on the American “Airport” movies of the 1970s.
Another next major Central Partnership production, Furious, is also provoking very strong interest among buyers.
The historical action drama tells the story of the seventeen warriors who fought against an army of thousands for the sake of their loved ones, their people and their country.
The film is still in production, but has already...
Central Partnership has been racking up sales on its $21mn IMAX-shot disaster movie The Crew. The film has sold to France (Purple Pictures), Turkey (Atv), Malaysia, Philippines, Cambodia (Suraya), Baltic States (Garsu).
The Crew was released in April in Russia and Cis and has been doing blockbuster business. It is now set to begin its international roll-out.
The Crew is produced by Leonid Vereschagin, Anton Zlatopolsky and Nikita Mikhalkov
Nikolay Lebedev directed the film based on the cult Soviet 1979 movie Air Crew, an eastern bloc variation on the American “Airport” movies of the 1970s.
Another next major Central Partnership production, Furious, is also provoking very strong interest among buyers.
The historical action drama tells the story of the seventeen warriors who fought against an army of thousands for the sake of their loved ones, their people and their country.
The film is still in production, but has already...
- 5/13/2016
- by geoffrey@macnab.demon.co.uk (Geoffrey Macnab)
- ScreenDaily
Ar Rahman
The Colombian film ‘Embrace of the Serpent’ directed by Ciro Guerra and produced by Cristina Gallego has been awarded the Best Film Award at the 46th International Film Festival of India. Honourable Chief Minister of Goa, Shri Laxmikant Parsekar and Honourable Minister of State I&B, Col. Rajyavardhan Rathore jointly presented the Golden Peacock to the Art Director of the film, Ramses Benjumea at a spectacular closing ceremony held at Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Indoor Stadium in Goa. The ceremony was compered by the actors Lillete Dubey and Kabir Bedi.
The world renowned and Oscar-winning music composer Mr. A. R. Rahman was the chief guest of the evening. He said, “I am so fascinated by the way the festival is being organized. I thank Iffi team for hosting the festival so beautifully. I hope that supported by festivals like Iffi, the people will come up with great cinema...
The Colombian film ‘Embrace of the Serpent’ directed by Ciro Guerra and produced by Cristina Gallego has been awarded the Best Film Award at the 46th International Film Festival of India. Honourable Chief Minister of Goa, Shri Laxmikant Parsekar and Honourable Minister of State I&B, Col. Rajyavardhan Rathore jointly presented the Golden Peacock to the Art Director of the film, Ramses Benjumea at a spectacular closing ceremony held at Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Indoor Stadium in Goa. The ceremony was compered by the actors Lillete Dubey and Kabir Bedi.
The world renowned and Oscar-winning music composer Mr. A. R. Rahman was the chief guest of the evening. He said, “I am so fascinated by the way the festival is being organized. I thank Iffi team for hosting the festival so beautifully. I hope that supported by festivals like Iffi, the people will come up with great cinema...
- 12/7/2015
- by Press Releases
- Bollyspice
The 20 and 10-year sentences meted out to Ukrainian film director Oleg Sentsov’s and his co-defendant Aleksandr Kolchenko have been upheld by the military division of the Russian Supreme Court.
A three-judge panel of the Moscow court decided that the sentences passed at the end of August should remain “unchanged”.
Sentsov’s lawyer Dmitry Dinze said after the ruling that defence would make another appeal.
Independent of this, Sentsov is suing the Russian security services Fsb and mass media for defamation.
The chances of Sentsov and Kolchenko’s sentences being overturned by the Supreme Court had not augured well after the appeal by activist Gennady Afanasyev had been summarily rejected.
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Pavel Klimkin condemned the court decision, saying that it was proof of the absence of justice in the Russian Federation and an example of the cynical policy currently being adopted.
On the eve of the Tuesday appeal hearing, Polish actor Daniel Olbrychski...
A three-judge panel of the Moscow court decided that the sentences passed at the end of August should remain “unchanged”.
Sentsov’s lawyer Dmitry Dinze said after the ruling that defence would make another appeal.
Independent of this, Sentsov is suing the Russian security services Fsb and mass media for defamation.
The chances of Sentsov and Kolchenko’s sentences being overturned by the Supreme Court had not augured well after the appeal by activist Gennady Afanasyev had been summarily rejected.
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Pavel Klimkin condemned the court decision, saying that it was proof of the absence of justice in the Russian Federation and an example of the cynical policy currently being adopted.
On the eve of the Tuesday appeal hearing, Polish actor Daniel Olbrychski...
- 11/26/2015
- by screen.berlin@googlemail.com (Martin Blaney)
- ScreenDaily
The possibility of a prisoner exchange has been mooted ahead of the Ukrainian film director Oleg Sentsov’s appeal against his 20-year sentence before Russia’s Supreme Court tomorrow (Nov 24).
According to a report by the Ukrainian website joinfo.ua, Yuri Grabovsky, the lawyer of one of two Russians captured in the Luhansk region last May, told the TV channel 24 that Sentsov and political activist Oleksandr Kolchenko might be exchanged for his client Alexander Alexandrov and Evgeny Evrofeev.
“It will definitely not be [the detained Ukrainian pilot Nadezhda] Savchenko. From what we heard, the discussion was only about Sentsov and Kolchenko,” Grabovsky said, suggesting that the chances of an exchange taking place were at 50:50.
Earlier this month, the Russian Defence Ministry had confirmed that Alexandrov and Evrofeev had not been Russian servicemen at the time of their detention, but were in the service of the militants of the self-proclaimed Luhansk People’s Republic.
Filmmakers implore Mikhalkov to act
The impending appeal...
According to a report by the Ukrainian website joinfo.ua, Yuri Grabovsky, the lawyer of one of two Russians captured in the Luhansk region last May, told the TV channel 24 that Sentsov and political activist Oleksandr Kolchenko might be exchanged for his client Alexander Alexandrov and Evgeny Evrofeev.
“It will definitely not be [the detained Ukrainian pilot Nadezhda] Savchenko. From what we heard, the discussion was only about Sentsov and Kolchenko,” Grabovsky said, suggesting that the chances of an exchange taking place were at 50:50.
Earlier this month, the Russian Defence Ministry had confirmed that Alexandrov and Evrofeev had not been Russian servicemen at the time of their detention, but were in the service of the militants of the self-proclaimed Luhansk People’s Republic.
Filmmakers implore Mikhalkov to act
The impending appeal...
- 11/23/2015
- by screen.berlin@googlemail.com (Martin Blaney)
- ScreenDaily
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