Strand Releasing has acquired the North American rights to Ray Yeung’s “All Shall Be Well,” which world premiered at this year’s Berlinale and won the Teddy Prize for best film. The movie played last week as the opening film at the Hong Kong International Film Festival.
“All Shall Be Well” chronicles the lives of two women, Angie and Pat, a couple living in Hong Kong who have been together for over four decades. After Pat’s unexpected death, Angie finds herself at the mercy of her extended family as she struggles to retain both her dignity and the home that they shared for over 30 years.
A universal tale, the movie also explores the limitations of Hong Kong’s laws, which don’t allow same-sex marriage. Patra Au Ga Man and Maggie Li Lin Lin star in the lead roles of Angie and Pat, respectively.
The deal was done...
“All Shall Be Well” chronicles the lives of two women, Angie and Pat, a couple living in Hong Kong who have been together for over four decades. After Pat’s unexpected death, Angie finds herself at the mercy of her extended family as she struggles to retain both her dignity and the home that they shared for over 30 years.
A universal tale, the movie also explores the limitations of Hong Kong’s laws, which don’t allow same-sex marriage. Patra Au Ga Man and Maggie Li Lin Lin star in the lead roles of Angie and Pat, respectively.
The deal was done...
- 4/10/2024
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Shreyom Ghosh’s “The Vampire of Sheung Shui” is unique in that it is a Hong Kong-set horror-comedy with a protagonist of Indian origin.
It has been selected for the 22nd Hong Kong — Asia Film Financing Forum (Haf), the project market that operates concurrently with FilMart.
Written by D.F.W. Buckingham (“Finding Love in Sisters”), the film will follow Lokesh, a slacker in his 30s, living with orthodox Jain parents in a sleepy Hong Kong suburb, waiting to take over the family jewellery store and move to the U.K. after selling it. When his father announces his retirement, Lokesh must show that he can be responsible and adhere to the values of his family’s traditions or lose the store to his annoying cousin. The problem is that Lokesh is turning into a bloodthirsty vampire. Now he must find a way to survive on blood without hurting people, while also...
It has been selected for the 22nd Hong Kong — Asia Film Financing Forum (Haf), the project market that operates concurrently with FilMart.
Written by D.F.W. Buckingham (“Finding Love in Sisters”), the film will follow Lokesh, a slacker in his 30s, living with orthodox Jain parents in a sleepy Hong Kong suburb, waiting to take over the family jewellery store and move to the U.K. after selling it. When his father announces his retirement, Lokesh must show that he can be responsible and adhere to the values of his family’s traditions or lose the store to his annoying cousin. The problem is that Lokesh is turning into a bloodthirsty vampire. Now he must find a way to survive on blood without hurting people, while also...
- 3/12/2024
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
The Hong Kong International Film Festival Society (Hkiffs) has unveiled 26 in-development projects for the 22nd Hong Kong-Asia Film Financing Forum (Haf), which will become part of the newly expanded Hkiff Industry Project Market.
The lineup features both veteran and rising filmmakers including Koji Fukada, Hong Khaou, Jang Kun-jae, Qiu Jiongjiong, Patiparn Boontarig, Wang Xiaoshuai, Teruhisa Yamamoto, and Zhang Lu. The projects cover comedy, horror, action, romance and family drama, including seven first features, two animations and a string of cross-country collaborations.
Scroll down for full list of projects
“The selection is a testament to the resurgence of diversity and the revitalisation of international collaborations,...
The lineup features both veteran and rising filmmakers including Koji Fukada, Hong Khaou, Jang Kun-jae, Qiu Jiongjiong, Patiparn Boontarig, Wang Xiaoshuai, Teruhisa Yamamoto, and Zhang Lu. The projects cover comedy, horror, action, romance and family drama, including seven first features, two animations and a string of cross-country collaborations.
Scroll down for full list of projects
“The selection is a testament to the resurgence of diversity and the revitalisation of international collaborations,...
- 1/18/2024
- ScreenDaily
Leading Asian film directors including Josh Kim, Fukada Koji and Patiparn Boontarig line up to pitch their in-development projects at the March edition of the Hong Kong – Asia Film Financing Forum (Haf).
Leading directors Wang Xiaoshuai and Zhang Lu will also be on the ground at Haf, operating as producers. So too will established producers Yamamoto Teruhisa (“Drive My Car”) and Michael J. Werner.
The 22nd edition of the Haf project market will run March 11-13 and sit alongside the four-day FilMart (March 11-14) at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. Haf is operated by The Hong Kong International Film Festival Society and this year will showcase 26 in-development projects. This year it will also be accompanied by the first edition of the Hkiff Industry – CAA China Genre Initiative (Hcg), which aims to support the development of Chinese language genre films.
Among the highlights: Wang Xiaoshuai will produce Zhang Yushan...
Leading directors Wang Xiaoshuai and Zhang Lu will also be on the ground at Haf, operating as producers. So too will established producers Yamamoto Teruhisa (“Drive My Car”) and Michael J. Werner.
The 22nd edition of the Haf project market will run March 11-13 and sit alongside the four-day FilMart (March 11-14) at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. Haf is operated by The Hong Kong International Film Festival Society and this year will showcase 26 in-development projects. This year it will also be accompanied by the first edition of the Hkiff Industry – CAA China Genre Initiative (Hcg), which aims to support the development of Chinese language genre films.
Among the highlights: Wang Xiaoshuai will produce Zhang Yushan...
- 1/18/2024
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
India’s Film Bazaar, the Singapore-based Asia TV Forum & Market’s (Atf) IP Accelerator Project Market (Aipa) and the Southeast Asian Audio-Visual Association (Saava) have formed a project market partnership.
Film Bazaar, South Asia’s largest film market is operated by India’s National Film Development Corporation (Nfdc) and runs concurrently with the International Film Festival of India (Iffi). The project market partnership signed with Saava and Nfdc arranges for an exchange of projects in development and/or work-in-progress between them.
The exchanges start this year, with “Becoming”, a feature-length India-South Korea production from the documentary section of Film Bazaar’s co-production market going to Aipa 2023. Next year, one or more of Aipa’s projects in the current edition will be given an automatic entry into 2024’s edition of the Film Bazaar’s co-production market.
In addition, on the back of the increased Indian film incentive schemes, the partnership between...
Film Bazaar, South Asia’s largest film market is operated by India’s National Film Development Corporation (Nfdc) and runs concurrently with the International Film Festival of India (Iffi). The project market partnership signed with Saava and Nfdc arranges for an exchange of projects in development and/or work-in-progress between them.
The exchanges start this year, with “Becoming”, a feature-length India-South Korea production from the documentary section of Film Bazaar’s co-production market going to Aipa 2023. Next year, one or more of Aipa’s projects in the current edition will be given an automatic entry into 2024’s edition of the Film Bazaar’s co-production market.
In addition, on the back of the increased Indian film incentive schemes, the partnership between...
- 11/24/2023
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Only a few months ago, hundreds of Asian film executives were expecting to attend this week’s Berlin festival and the European Film Market. For many, it would have been their first participation in a top-tier overseas festival for nearly two years.
But the Omicron variant has upended those dreams. And, except for those folks with a film playing in the festival, most have stayed at home. Again.
That amplifies a trend of diminished Asian participation that was noticeable at both Cannes and Venice in 2021, though was less pronounced at Locarno.
And Asia’s own top festivals are becoming similarly disconnected from the rest of the world. Shanghai, Busan and Tokyo managed to return to their traditional calendar dates and operated as in-person events, but travel restrictions throughout the region crimped program scale, film selections and rendered their physical components almost entirely local. Tokyo said that there were just 42 international guests on its red carpet.
But the Omicron variant has upended those dreams. And, except for those folks with a film playing in the festival, most have stayed at home. Again.
That amplifies a trend of diminished Asian participation that was noticeable at both Cannes and Venice in 2021, though was less pronounced at Locarno.
And Asia’s own top festivals are becoming similarly disconnected from the rest of the world. Shanghai, Busan and Tokyo managed to return to their traditional calendar dates and operated as in-person events, but travel restrictions throughout the region crimped program scale, film selections and rendered their physical components almost entirely local. Tokyo said that there were just 42 international guests on its red carpet.
- 2/12/2022
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Leading indie film project market, the Hong Kong-Asia Film Financing Forum has revealed a selection of 28 titles for its twentieth edition and confirmed that it will be held online for the third time in a row.
“Unfortunately, we won’t have the opportunity to celebrate our 20th anniversary by hosting our usual in-person event due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and travel restrictions,” Hkiff industry director Jacob Wong said. “Nevertheless, based on experience gained from the last two years, we will strive to improve our online booking and meeting system to make it a breeze for all participants.”
The market will operate March 14-16, 2022, alongside the 26th edition of rights market Hong Kong FilMart (March 14-17.)
The market contains a familiar mix of experienced hands and newcomers. Among the well-established producers and directors with projects selected are: Huang Ji (2021 Rotterdam festival winner “Egg and Stone”); Hong Kong’s Jun Li...
“Unfortunately, we won’t have the opportunity to celebrate our 20th anniversary by hosting our usual in-person event due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and travel restrictions,” Hkiff industry director Jacob Wong said. “Nevertheless, based on experience gained from the last two years, we will strive to improve our online booking and meeting system to make it a breeze for all participants.”
The market will operate March 14-16, 2022, alongside the 26th edition of rights market Hong Kong FilMart (March 14-17.)
The market contains a familiar mix of experienced hands and newcomers. Among the well-established producers and directors with projects selected are: Huang Ji (2021 Rotterdam festival winner “Egg and Stone”); Hong Kong’s Jun Li...
- 1/18/2022
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
The selection includes eight Hong Kong projects and the first-ever Thai-Muslim horror
The Hong Kong-Asia Film Financing Forum (Haf) has announced 28 in-development projects for its 20th anniversary edition.
All are fiction projects, including eight from Hong Kong, 12 debut features and projects spearheaded by renowned filmmakers and producers including Huang Ji, Jun Li, Tetsuya Mariko, Ida Panahandeh, Michael J. Werner, Fruit Chan, Nonzee Nimibutr, Yang Chao and Jane Zheng.
For the third year in a row, Haf will run online from March 14-16 alongside the 26th edition of Hong Kong Filmart.
“Unfortunately, we won’t have the opportunity to celebrate our...
The Hong Kong-Asia Film Financing Forum (Haf) has announced 28 in-development projects for its 20th anniversary edition.
All are fiction projects, including eight from Hong Kong, 12 debut features and projects spearheaded by renowned filmmakers and producers including Huang Ji, Jun Li, Tetsuya Mariko, Ida Panahandeh, Michael J. Werner, Fruit Chan, Nonzee Nimibutr, Yang Chao and Jane Zheng.
For the third year in a row, Haf will run online from March 14-16 alongside the 26th edition of Hong Kong Filmart.
“Unfortunately, we won’t have the opportunity to celebrate our...
- 1/18/2022
- by Silvia Wong
- ScreenDaily
Yeung will continue to grow We Pictures’ slate, while broadening its business in the areas of content creation, IP development and distribution.
Former Edko Films executive Esther Yeung has been appointed chief operating officer of Hong Kong filmmaker Peter Ho-sun Chan’s We Pictures.
In her new role, she will continue to grow We Pictures’ slate, while broadening its business in the areas of content creation, IP development and distribution. She will report directly to Chan.
Yeung most recently served as general manager, head of sales and distribution, at Bill Kong’s Hong Kong-based producer-distributor Edko Films. During her tenure,...
Former Edko Films executive Esther Yeung has been appointed chief operating officer of Hong Kong filmmaker Peter Ho-sun Chan’s We Pictures.
In her new role, she will continue to grow We Pictures’ slate, while broadening its business in the areas of content creation, IP development and distribution. She will report directly to Chan.
Yeung most recently served as general manager, head of sales and distribution, at Bill Kong’s Hong Kong-based producer-distributor Edko Films. During her tenure,...
- 12/2/2021
- by Liz Shackleton
- ScreenDaily
After the success of 2019’s “Suk Suk,” in which he examined the late blooming love of two elderly men, Hong Kong based filmmaker Ray Yeung is proposing to take an adjacent track in his upcoming film “Today… Tomorrow…”
After the death of her partner, a 60-something lesbian finds herself at the mercy of the partner’s family as she struggles to fight for the home that the two women had shared for over thirty years.
Yeung aims to shoot the $600,000 project early next year. And having assembled 40% of that total, he is now seeking to complete the budget by pitching it at the Busan International Film Festival’s Asian Project Market. Remarkably, it has also been selected for three other project events – Rome’s Mia, the Tokyo Gap-Financing Market, and the Golden Horse Film Project Promotion market – in quick succession.
Production is by Michael J. Werner and Teresa Kwong through New Voice Film Productions.
After the death of her partner, a 60-something lesbian finds herself at the mercy of the partner’s family as she struggles to fight for the home that the two women had shared for over thirty years.
Yeung aims to shoot the $600,000 project early next year. And having assembled 40% of that total, he is now seeking to complete the budget by pitching it at the Busan International Film Festival’s Asian Project Market. Remarkably, it has also been selected for three other project events – Rome’s Mia, the Tokyo Gap-Financing Market, and the Golden Horse Film Project Promotion market – in quick succession.
Production is by Michael J. Werner and Teresa Kwong through New Voice Film Productions.
- 10/13/2021
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Films from Asia are struggling to compete at this year’s major film festivals. That’s not necessarily a reflection on their artistic merits, but a symptom of a painful 2021 divide between the film industry’s East and West.
A full-sized Cannes festival was noticeably light on Asian selections, and the same goes for the Venice Film Festival. Toronto has cut its overall lineup by two thirds and its extensive Asian program has shrunk in proportion.
Locarno’s selection leaned the other way and assembled a strong Southeast Asia selection, along with its Open Doors industry program, and saw its Golden Leopard top prize awarded to Thailand’s “A Useful Ghost.”
The heart of Asia’s festival troubles is a combination of Covid-related travel restrictions and a mistrust of hybrid and online festivals by rights holders and distributors. A change of direction by the Chinese industry adds another, smaller complication.
A full-sized Cannes festival was noticeably light on Asian selections, and the same goes for the Venice Film Festival. Toronto has cut its overall lineup by two thirds and its extensive Asian program has shrunk in proportion.
Locarno’s selection leaned the other way and assembled a strong Southeast Asia selection, along with its Open Doors industry program, and saw its Golden Leopard top prize awarded to Thailand’s “A Useful Ghost.”
The heart of Asia’s festival troubles is a combination of Covid-related travel restrictions and a mistrust of hybrid and online festivals by rights holders and distributors. A change of direction by the Chinese industry adds another, smaller complication.
- 9/4/2021
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
A selection of 26 titles from 15 different countries.
South Korea’s Busan International Film Festival (Biff) has confirmed a 26-title line-up for the 2021 Asian Project Market (Apm).
Projects at the Apm include Siren Vanishes, directed by Harumoto Yojiro, whose feature A Balance won the New Currents Award at Biff last year before going on to the Berlinale this year.
The 26 projects from 15 different countries also includes titles from House Of Hummingbird director Kim Bora, The Mirror Never Lies director Kamila Andini, and Twilight’s Kiss (Suk Suk) director Ray Yeung.
Organisers announced Apm received a record-breaking 429 film submissions this year, up approximately...
South Korea’s Busan International Film Festival (Biff) has confirmed a 26-title line-up for the 2021 Asian Project Market (Apm).
Projects at the Apm include Siren Vanishes, directed by Harumoto Yojiro, whose feature A Balance won the New Currents Award at Biff last year before going on to the Berlinale this year.
The 26 projects from 15 different countries also includes titles from House Of Hummingbird director Kim Bora, The Mirror Never Lies director Kamila Andini, and Twilight’s Kiss (Suk Suk) director Ray Yeung.
Organisers announced Apm received a record-breaking 429 film submissions this year, up approximately...
- 8/10/2021
- by Jean Noh
- ScreenDaily
Strand Releasing has acquired North American rights to Ray Yeung’s “Twilight’s Kiss” (“Suk Suk”) which world premiered at Busan and played at this year’s Berlin Film Festival.
Sold by Films Boutique, “Twilight’s Kiss” tells the story of two closeted married men in their twilight years, Pak, a 70 year-old taxi driver who refuses to retire, and Hoi, a 65 year-old retired single father. Despite years of societal and personal pressure, they are proud of the families they have created through hard work and determination. Yet, when they meet, something that had been suppressed for so many years is unleashed in them.
Strand Releasing, whose roster is packed with renowned world auteurs, previously handled Yeung’s film “Front Cover” with Jake Choi (“Single Parents”). “The delicate and beautiful story of two older men finding love later in life is a refreshing and realistic story and although uniquely Asian, is universal,...
Sold by Films Boutique, “Twilight’s Kiss” tells the story of two closeted married men in their twilight years, Pak, a 70 year-old taxi driver who refuses to retire, and Hoi, a 65 year-old retired single father. Despite years of societal and personal pressure, they are proud of the families they have created through hard work and determination. Yet, when they meet, something that had been suppressed for so many years is unleashed in them.
Strand Releasing, whose roster is packed with renowned world auteurs, previously handled Yeung’s film “Front Cover” with Jake Choi (“Single Parents”). “The delicate and beautiful story of two older men finding love later in life is a refreshing and realistic story and although uniquely Asian, is universal,...
- 6/4/2020
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
The coronavirus disrupted both the festival and commercial careers of Hong Kong drama film “Suk Suk.” But as the film’s narrative suggests, a late blooming is still possible.
Written and directed by Ray Yeung, the film chronicles the gay romance between two aging men who had lived much of their younger lives hiding their sexuality. It had its world premiere at the Busan festival in October and competed for the Teddy Award in February as part of the Berlin festival’s Panorama section. But a planned series of other festival releases in key territories was abruptly halted when the Covid-19 outbreak became a global pandemic.
The film’s sales agent, Films Boutique is now trying to develop a new festival strategy that stretches through 2020 and early 2021.
Films Boutique is also pushing ahead with license deals. In Asia, “Suk Suk” has been licensed to Cai Chang International for Taiwan, M Pictures for Thailand,...
Written and directed by Ray Yeung, the film chronicles the gay romance between two aging men who had lived much of their younger lives hiding their sexuality. It had its world premiere at the Busan festival in October and competed for the Teddy Award in February as part of the Berlin festival’s Panorama section. But a planned series of other festival releases in key territories was abruptly halted when the Covid-19 outbreak became a global pandemic.
The film’s sales agent, Films Boutique is now trying to develop a new festival strategy that stretches through 2020 and early 2021.
Films Boutique is also pushing ahead with license deals. In Asia, “Suk Suk” has been licensed to Cai Chang International for Taiwan, M Pictures for Thailand,...
- 5/29/2020
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
International Sales Agents (Isa)This is the first of a series, part of a tour of the arthouse international sales agents who are active today, looking for new ways of delivering the kinds of films I love the most which are also the most difficult and non-renumerative.
Many films are financed by their governments or international film bodies who recognize that one cannot live on bread alone; that art sustains our spirit. But in today's days of Corona Virus, we are moving into survival mode and art is often the first casualty in any struggle for survival. So monetary renumeration matters.
In times of trouble, the spirit does not die and so we are keeping up the good fight. I hope that by highlighting the ISAs (international sales agents) who create monetary returns for artists by selliing the rights to exhibit the films to distributors who then open films territorially or on platforms,...
Many films are financed by their governments or international film bodies who recognize that one cannot live on bread alone; that art sustains our spirit. But in today's days of Corona Virus, we are moving into survival mode and art is often the first casualty in any struggle for survival. So monetary renumeration matters.
In times of trouble, the spirit does not die and so we are keeping up the good fight. I hope that by highlighting the ISAs (international sales agents) who create monetary returns for artists by selliing the rights to exhibit the films to distributors who then open films territorially or on platforms,...
- 4/30/2020
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
Juries announced for the 23rd Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival.
Donnie Brasco director Mike Newell is to preside over the official selection at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival (Nov 15-Dec 1).
The UK filmmaker behind Four Weddings And A Funeral and Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire will be joined by Danish actress Lisa Carlehed, Italian composer Pivio, Indian director Rima Das, Italian director and cinematographer Fabrizio Maltese and Istanbul Film Festival director Kerem Ayan.
Together, the jury will consider the 21 films in official selection and hand out prizes for best film, director, script, actress, actor, cinematographer and music.
Donnie Brasco director Mike Newell is to preside over the official selection at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival (Nov 15-Dec 1).
The UK filmmaker behind Four Weddings And A Funeral and Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire will be joined by Danish actress Lisa Carlehed, Italian composer Pivio, Indian director Rima Das, Italian director and cinematographer Fabrizio Maltese and Istanbul Film Festival director Kerem Ayan.
Together, the jury will consider the 21 films in official selection and hand out prizes for best film, director, script, actress, actor, cinematographer and music.
- 11/11/2019
- by 1100453¦Michael Rosser¦9¦
- ScreenDaily
World sales rights to gay drama “Suk Suk” were picked up by Films Boutique, on the eve of the film’s world premiere at the Busan International Film Festival.
Directed by Ray Yeung, “Suk Suk” is the story of two elderly men who have spent all their lives hiding their sexuality, but in late life are able to consider a different future. Yeung’s screenplay is inspired by a non-fiction book written by Hk University Professor Travis Kong.
The film adaptation stars Tai Bo (“The Cabbie”) and Ben Yuen (“Tracey”). Patra Ga Man Au, Kong To, Chun Yip Lo, Yiu Sing Lam co-star.
“Sometimes you start watching a film without expectations and suddently something magic happens. ‘Suk Suk’ is one of these very rare films that is a very moving love story, supported by two oustanding actors’ performances,” said Films Boutique CEO Jean-Christophe Simon. “The film also has a strong...
Directed by Ray Yeung, “Suk Suk” is the story of two elderly men who have spent all their lives hiding their sexuality, but in late life are able to consider a different future. Yeung’s screenplay is inspired by a non-fiction book written by Hk University Professor Travis Kong.
The film adaptation stars Tai Bo (“The Cabbie”) and Ben Yuen (“Tracey”). Patra Ga Man Au, Kong To, Chun Yip Lo, Yiu Sing Lam co-star.
“Sometimes you start watching a film without expectations and suddently something magic happens. ‘Suk Suk’ is one of these very rare films that is a very moving love story, supported by two oustanding actors’ performances,” said Films Boutique CEO Jean-Christophe Simon. “The film also has a strong...
- 10/3/2019
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Written and directed by Ray Yeung, the film recently picked up five nominations for this year’s Golden Horse Awards.
Berlin-based Films Boutique has picked up international rights to Ray Yeung’s Suk Suk, which receives its world premiere at Busan International Film Festival (Biff) on Friday night (October 4).
The Hong Kong-set, gay-themed drama recently picked up five nominations for this year’s Golden Horse Awards, including best feature, best original screenplay, best actor (for the two leads Tai Bo and Ben Yuen) and best supporting actress for Patra Ga Man Au. It is premiering in Busan’s A Window...
Berlin-based Films Boutique has picked up international rights to Ray Yeung’s Suk Suk, which receives its world premiere at Busan International Film Festival (Biff) on Friday night (October 4).
The Hong Kong-set, gay-themed drama recently picked up five nominations for this year’s Golden Horse Awards, including best feature, best original screenplay, best actor (for the two leads Tai Bo and Ben Yuen) and best supporting actress for Patra Ga Man Au. It is premiering in Busan’s A Window...
- 10/3/2019
- by 89¦Liz Shackleton¦0¦
- ScreenDaily
The section will also include Graeme A. Scott’s ‘Beyond The Beach: The Hell And The Hope’.
American Skin, the second feature from controversial The Birth Of A Nation director Nate Parker, is one of two world premieres added to the out of competition Sconfini section of this year’s Venice Film Festival (August 28 – September 7).
The festival has also added Beyond The Beach: The Hell And The Hope, a documentary directed by UK producer Graeme A. Scott and Us cinematographer Buddy Squires.
American Skin is about a janitor and Marine veteran Lincoln Jefferson (played by Parker), who takes a police...
American Skin, the second feature from controversial The Birth Of A Nation director Nate Parker, is one of two world premieres added to the out of competition Sconfini section of this year’s Venice Film Festival (August 28 – September 7).
The festival has also added Beyond The Beach: The Hell And The Hope, a documentary directed by UK producer Graeme A. Scott and Us cinematographer Buddy Squires.
American Skin is about a janitor and Marine veteran Lincoln Jefferson (played by Parker), who takes a police...
- 8/7/2019
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
The section will also include Graeme A. Scott’s ‘Beyond The Beach: The Hell And The Hope’.
American Skin, the second feature from The Birth Of A Nation director Nate Parker, is one of two world premiere titles added to the Sconfini section of this year’s Venice Film Festival (August 28 – September 7).
The festival has also added Beyond The Beach: The Hell And The Hope, a documentary directed by UK producer Graeme A. Scott and Us cinematographer Buddy Squires.
American Skin is about a janitor and Marine veteran Lincoln Jefferson (played by Parker), who takes a police station hostage after...
American Skin, the second feature from The Birth Of A Nation director Nate Parker, is one of two world premiere titles added to the Sconfini section of this year’s Venice Film Festival (August 28 – September 7).
The festival has also added Beyond The Beach: The Hell And The Hope, a documentary directed by UK producer Graeme A. Scott and Us cinematographer Buddy Squires.
American Skin is about a janitor and Marine veteran Lincoln Jefferson (played by Parker), who takes a police station hostage after...
- 8/7/2019
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
U.S. director Nate Parker’s drama “American Skin,” his second feature after “The Birth of a Nation,” has been added to the Venice Film Festival lineup.
Parker both directs and stars in the movie, which will have its world premiere on the Lido. He plays Lincoln, a Marine veteran who now works as a school janitor and is trying to mend his relationship with his son after his divorce. One day, during a routine police check, the boy is killed, but the officer guilty of shooting him is declared innocent without having to face trial. Lincoln then takes matters into his own hands.
After “The Birth of a Nation” made a splash, winning a prize at Sundance in 2016, Parker found himself engulfed in controversy after it emerged that he had once been charged with — but acquitted of — rape.
Spike Lee is expected attend the premiere of “American Skin,” which...
Parker both directs and stars in the movie, which will have its world premiere on the Lido. He plays Lincoln, a Marine veteran who now works as a school janitor and is trying to mend his relationship with his son after his divorce. One day, during a routine police check, the boy is killed, but the officer guilty of shooting him is declared innocent without having to face trial. Lincoln then takes matters into his own hands.
After “The Birth of a Nation” made a splash, winning a prize at Sundance in 2016, Parker found himself engulfed in controversy after it emerged that he had once been charged with — but acquitted of — rape.
Spike Lee is expected attend the premiere of “American Skin,” which...
- 8/7/2019
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Projects selected by Annecy, Haf, Los Cabos, New Horizons, Thessaloniki and Malaga festivals will pitch to industry.
The Marché du Film at the Cannes Film Festival (May 14-25) has announced the festivals and projects that will take part in its Goes to Cannes showcase (May 18-20).
Five international film festivals have been invited to programme work-in-progress projects actively seeking a sales agent, distributors or a festival selection.
The festivals taking part in the event this year are: Annecy International Animation Film Festival, Hong Kong - Asia Film Financing Forum (Haf), Los Cabos International Film Festival, New Horizons International Film Festival,...
The Marché du Film at the Cannes Film Festival (May 14-25) has announced the festivals and projects that will take part in its Goes to Cannes showcase (May 18-20).
Five international film festivals have been invited to programme work-in-progress projects actively seeking a sales agent, distributors or a festival selection.
The festivals taking part in the event this year are: Annecy International Animation Film Festival, Hong Kong - Asia Film Financing Forum (Haf), Los Cabos International Film Festival, New Horizons International Film Festival,...
- 4/16/2019
- by Orlando Parfitt
- ScreenDaily
Korean drama movie, “Clean Up” took the best film prize on Friday night at the closing ceremony of the International Film Festival and Awards Macao.
The jury, which comprised Chen Kaige, Danis Tanovic, Mabel Cheung, Paul Currie, and Tillotama Shome, said: “’Clean Up’ is a powerful, visceral film which is symbolic and naturalistic at the same time… The director unfolds a psychological drama with simmering intensity, and humanists the criminal without condoning the heinous crime in any way.”
The festival, completing its third edition, wrapped up with another breezy and efficient closing ceremony, kept largely on schedule thanks to its local live broadcast.
Celebrities on the red carpet included Phillip Noyce, Aaron Kwok and Ben Wheatley. Industry executives in attendance included Ellen Eliasoph, Michael J. Werner and Shekhar Kapur.
The closing ceremony was also the occasion for Variety and the festival to present awards to Asia’s next wave of talent.
The jury, which comprised Chen Kaige, Danis Tanovic, Mabel Cheung, Paul Currie, and Tillotama Shome, said: “’Clean Up’ is a powerful, visceral film which is symbolic and naturalistic at the same time… The director unfolds a psychological drama with simmering intensity, and humanists the criminal without condoning the heinous crime in any way.”
The festival, completing its third edition, wrapped up with another breezy and efficient closing ceremony, kept largely on schedule thanks to its local live broadcast.
Celebrities on the red carpet included Phillip Noyce, Aaron Kwok and Ben Wheatley. Industry executives in attendance included Ellen Eliasoph, Michael J. Werner and Shekhar Kapur.
The closing ceremony was also the occasion for Variety and the festival to present awards to Asia’s next wave of talent.
- 12/14/2018
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Abdul Zainidi’s Worm And The Widow and Sokyou Chea’s Soul Searching take top award.
The Bucheon Award at this year’s Network of Asian Fantastic Films (Naff) in South Korea went to two projects from countries not so often touted in cinema – Abdul Zainidi’s Worm And The Widow from Brunei and Sokyou Chea’s Soul Searching from Cambodia.
The 22nd Bucheon International Film Festival (Bifan)’s industry programme Naff runs until today (July 18) with the awards presented last night. According to organisers, the selection of 26 projects saw a total of 495 meetings with 67 companies and institutions over three days.
The Bucheon Award at this year’s Network of Asian Fantastic Films (Naff) in South Korea went to two projects from countries not so often touted in cinema – Abdul Zainidi’s Worm And The Widow from Brunei and Sokyou Chea’s Soul Searching from Cambodia.
The 22nd Bucheon International Film Festival (Bifan)’s industry programme Naff runs until today (July 18) with the awards presented last night. According to organisers, the selection of 26 projects saw a total of 495 meetings with 67 companies and institutions over three days.
- 7/18/2018
- by Jean Noh
- ScreenDaily
Abdul Zainidi’s Worm And The Widow and Sokyou Chea’s Soul Searching take top two awards.
The Bucheon Awards at this year’s Network of Asian Fantastic Films (Naff) in South Korea went to two projects from countries not so often touted in cinema – Abdul Zainidi’s Worm And The Widow from Brunei and Sokyou Chea’s Soul Searching from Cambodia.
The 22nd Bucheon International Film Festival (Bifan)’s industry programme Naff runs until today (July 18) with the awards presented last night. According to organisers, the selection of 26 projects saw a total of 495 meetings with 67 companies and institutions over three days.
The Bucheon Awards at this year’s Network of Asian Fantastic Films (Naff) in South Korea went to two projects from countries not so often touted in cinema – Abdul Zainidi’s Worm And The Widow from Brunei and Sokyou Chea’s Soul Searching from Cambodia.
The 22nd Bucheon International Film Festival (Bifan)’s industry programme Naff runs until today (July 18) with the awards presented last night. According to organisers, the selection of 26 projects saw a total of 495 meetings with 67 companies and institutions over three days.
- 7/18/2018
- by Jean Noh
- ScreenDaily
The Naff genre film project market closed its latest edition on Tuesday with a top prize, worth $13,300 (Krw 15 million) for Abdul Zainidi’s “Worm and the Widow” from Brunei, and Sokyou Chea’s “Soul Searching” from Cambodia.
The three-day Naff market is part of the B.I.G. industry sidebar to the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (BiFan), held in Bucheon, on the outskirts of Seoul. Organizers brokered 495 one-to-one meetings between the 26 projects and some 67 distribution, finance and production companies.
Visahl Furia’s “Bogie No. S4,” a ghostly story set on a train, took the B.I.G Naff Award with a cash prize of $8,900, as well as the new Blood Window Award. The B.I.G Naff Korean Award was presented to “Remember, Spring” by Jeon In-hwan with a cash prize of $5,300 (Krw 6 million).
Prizewinners were selected by a jury of veteran producers including Lee Dong-ha, producer of 2016 hit “Train to Busan,...
The three-day Naff market is part of the B.I.G. industry sidebar to the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (BiFan), held in Bucheon, on the outskirts of Seoul. Organizers brokered 495 one-to-one meetings between the 26 projects and some 67 distribution, finance and production companies.
Visahl Furia’s “Bogie No. S4,” a ghostly story set on a train, took the B.I.G Naff Award with a cash prize of $8,900, as well as the new Blood Window Award. The B.I.G Naff Korean Award was presented to “Remember, Spring” by Jeon In-hwan with a cash prize of $5,300 (Krw 6 million).
Prizewinners were selected by a jury of veteran producers including Lee Dong-ha, producer of 2016 hit “Train to Busan,...
- 7/18/2018
- by Sonia Kil
- Variety Film + TV
Selection focuses on first-time filmmakers from Laos, Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand.
Source: Seafic
(Top, left to right) Geck Geck Ang (Singapore), He Shuming (Singapore), Xaisongkham Induangchanthy (Laos), (Bottom left-right) Sorayos Prapapan (Thailand), Tumpal Tampubolon (Indonesia)
Southeast Asia Fiction Film Lab (Seafic) has finalised the selection for its second edition, focusing on first-time filmmakers from Laos, Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand.
Established producers such as Fran Borgia (A Yellow Bird) and Anthony Chen (Pop Aye) are attached to some of the projects, which cover topics including family strife, sociopolitical bureaucracy, cross-cultural humour and deadly crocodiles (see details below).
The five projects were selected by a committee that includes Sri Lankan director Vimukthi Jayasundara, Japanese producer Yukie Kito, New Europe Films Sales CEO Jan Naszewski, Macao film festival’s Lorna Tee, Berlinale Talents’ Florian Weghorn and former Fortissimo Films chief Michael J. Werner.
The first session of the Seafic script and mentoring lab will take place February 24-March 3, 2018 at Monoceros Resort...
Source: Seafic
(Top, left to right) Geck Geck Ang (Singapore), He Shuming (Singapore), Xaisongkham Induangchanthy (Laos), (Bottom left-right) Sorayos Prapapan (Thailand), Tumpal Tampubolon (Indonesia)
Southeast Asia Fiction Film Lab (Seafic) has finalised the selection for its second edition, focusing on first-time filmmakers from Laos, Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand.
Established producers such as Fran Borgia (A Yellow Bird) and Anthony Chen (Pop Aye) are attached to some of the projects, which cover topics including family strife, sociopolitical bureaucracy, cross-cultural humour and deadly crocodiles (see details below).
The five projects were selected by a committee that includes Sri Lankan director Vimukthi Jayasundara, Japanese producer Yukie Kito, New Europe Films Sales CEO Jan Naszewski, Macao film festival’s Lorna Tee, Berlinale Talents’ Florian Weghorn and former Fortissimo Films chief Michael J. Werner.
The first session of the Seafic script and mentoring lab will take place February 24-March 3, 2018 at Monoceros Resort...
- 1/31/2018
- by Liz Shackleton
- ScreenDaily
Selection includes films from Siddiq Barmak, Yoon Gaeun and Min Bahadur Bham.
In South Korea, the Busan International Film Festival (Biff)’s Asian Project Market (Apm) has announced 28 titles from 17 countries for this year.
The 20th Apm’s selection includes projects from Golden Globe best foreign language film award winner Siddiq Barmak (Osama) and Berlinale Generation director Yoon Gaeun (The World Of Us).
Afghan filmmaker Barmak’s Georgia-France co-production The Pass is a wartime drama about two soldiers from opposite sides who are forced to cooperate in order to cross a dangerous mountain pass alongside refugees.
Korean director Yoon’s Sora is a drama about a middle school girl who finds out a secret about the new kid in the neighborhood.
According to organizers, the number of projects submitted to Apm this year went up “almost 25%” from the previous year to reach 317. In the 19 previous years, “a total of 499 projects have been selected with more than 220 of...
In South Korea, the Busan International Film Festival (Biff)’s Asian Project Market (Apm) has announced 28 titles from 17 countries for this year.
The 20th Apm’s selection includes projects from Golden Globe best foreign language film award winner Siddiq Barmak (Osama) and Berlinale Generation director Yoon Gaeun (The World Of Us).
Afghan filmmaker Barmak’s Georgia-France co-production The Pass is a wartime drama about two soldiers from opposite sides who are forced to cooperate in order to cross a dangerous mountain pass alongside refugees.
Korean director Yoon’s Sora is a drama about a middle school girl who finds out a secret about the new kid in the neighborhood.
According to organizers, the number of projects submitted to Apm this year went up “almost 25%” from the previous year to reach 317. In the 19 previous years, “a total of 499 projects have been selected with more than 220 of...
- 8/14/2017
- by hjnoh2007@gmail.com (Jean Noh)
- ScreenDaily
Goodridge joins the International Film Festival & Awards Macao in its second year of operation.
Protagonist Pictures CEO Mike Goodridge has been appointed artistic director of the International Film Festival & Awards Macao (Iffam).
Goodridge is stepping down from Protagonist in August, but will remain on the company’s board of directors.
The second edition of the Iffam is scheduled to take place at the Macao Cultural Centre from December 8-14.
The Iffam Organising Committee has also announced that the festival’s competition programme would be dedicated to films from first and second time film-makers and that the jury would award a $60,000 prize for best feature.
“This is a young festival and we think that our international competition should consist of work from young directors who can offer fresh perspectives on the world we live in,” said Goodridge.
Meanwhile Goodridge, head of festival management Lorna Tee and head of industry June Wu will focus on developing the Iffam Industry...
Protagonist Pictures CEO Mike Goodridge has been appointed artistic director of the International Film Festival & Awards Macao (Iffam).
Goodridge is stepping down from Protagonist in August, but will remain on the company’s board of directors.
The second edition of the Iffam is scheduled to take place at the Macao Cultural Centre from December 8-14.
The Iffam Organising Committee has also announced that the festival’s competition programme would be dedicated to films from first and second time film-makers and that the jury would award a $60,000 prize for best feature.
“This is a young festival and we think that our international competition should consist of work from young directors who can offer fresh perspectives on the world we live in,” said Goodridge.
Meanwhile Goodridge, head of festival management Lorna Tee and head of industry June Wu will focus on developing the Iffam Industry...
- 6/16/2017
- by lizshackleton@gmail.com (Liz Shackleton)
- ScreenDaily
Deal sees Fox partner with Lifelike Pictures.
Fox International Productions (Fip) is teaming with Jakarta-based Lifelike Pictures on its first Indonesian co-production, action title 212 Warrior.
Fip president Tomas Jegeus announced the deal in Jakarta today with the film’s producer Sheila Timothy and executive producer Michael Werner. Under the deal, the two companies will develop, produce and distribute the film throughout Indonesia and possibly to other countries.
Angga D Sasongko will direct the film, which is scheduled to start shooting in 2017 for release in 2018. The screenplay was written by Timothy, Tumpal Tampubolon and Seno Gumira Ajidarma.
Wiro Sableng or 212 Warrior is the name of the main protagonist in a silat (Indonesian martial arts) book series created by late writer Bastian Tito. Each novel in the series, which ran for 39 years, sold hundreds of thousands of copies.
Vino G. Bastian, who is Bastian Tito’s son, will play Wiro Sableng, while cast also includes Marsha Timothy and Sherina Munaf...
Fox International Productions (Fip) is teaming with Jakarta-based Lifelike Pictures on its first Indonesian co-production, action title 212 Warrior.
Fip president Tomas Jegeus announced the deal in Jakarta today with the film’s producer Sheila Timothy and executive producer Michael Werner. Under the deal, the two companies will develop, produce and distribute the film throughout Indonesia and possibly to other countries.
Angga D Sasongko will direct the film, which is scheduled to start shooting in 2017 for release in 2018. The screenplay was written by Timothy, Tumpal Tampubolon and Seno Gumira Ajidarma.
Wiro Sableng or 212 Warrior is the name of the main protagonist in a silat (Indonesian martial arts) book series created by late writer Bastian Tito. Each novel in the series, which ran for 39 years, sold hundreds of thousands of copies.
Vino G. Bastian, who is Bastian Tito’s son, will play Wiro Sableng, while cast also includes Marsha Timothy and Sherina Munaf...
- 2/9/2017
- ScreenDaily
Sales agent Fortissimo Films’ bankruptcy last week represented a major loss for members of the independent film industry that had worked with the company, based in Amsterdam and Hong Kong, for 25 years. A pioneer in the Asian and art house movie world, Fortissimo represented narrative films from acclaimed directors like Wong Kar-wai (“In the Mood for Love”), Tsui Hark (“Seven Swords”) and Jim Jarmusch (“Mystery Train”). It also handled sales for documentaries like Andrew Jarecki’s “Capturing The Friedmans,” Robert Kenner’s “Food Inc.,” Morgan Spurlock’s “Super Size Me” and Martin Scorsese’s “Shine a Light.”
Fortissimo was known for its impeccable taste that shunned mainstream titles, landing recent award-winners like writer-director Yi’nan Diao’s 2014 crime-drama “Black Coal, Thin Ice,” which won Berlin’s Golden Bear award, and Naji Abu Nowar’s adventure-drama “Theeb,” which earned Nowar the Best Director award at the 2014 Venice Film Festival. Though awards...
Fortissimo was known for its impeccable taste that shunned mainstream titles, landing recent award-winners like writer-director Yi’nan Diao’s 2014 crime-drama “Black Coal, Thin Ice,” which won Berlin’s Golden Bear award, and Naji Abu Nowar’s adventure-drama “Theeb,” which earned Nowar the Best Director award at the 2014 Venice Film Festival. Though awards...
- 8/23/2016
- by Graham Winfrey
- Indiewire
Sales agent Fortissimo Films has filed for bankruptcy.
As first reported by Variety, the company filed for bankruptcy yesterday in Amsterdam, shuttering its offices in Hong Kong, London, Amsterdam and Beijing..
The sales agent began in 1991, founded by Wouter Barendrecht and Helen Loveridge. Michael Werner joined the company four years later and led it from 2009, becoming a partner in the company and producing films such as.Shortbus.and.Mysterious Skin.
Fortissimo specialised in the Asia-Pacific region and was increasingly run out of Hong Kong.
The company's library has over 300 titles, including Scorsese's Shine a Light, Wong Kar Wai.s Chungking Express, Morgan Spurlock.s Super Size Me, Sydney Pollack.s Sketches Of Frank Gehry,.Andrew Jarecki.s Capturing The Friedmans and the film that made a star of Jennifer Lawrence, Debra Granik's Winter's Bone.
Australian titles include Sue Brooks' Looking for Grace and Leon Ford's Griff the Invisible.
As first reported by Variety, the company filed for bankruptcy yesterday in Amsterdam, shuttering its offices in Hong Kong, London, Amsterdam and Beijing..
The sales agent began in 1991, founded by Wouter Barendrecht and Helen Loveridge. Michael Werner joined the company four years later and led it from 2009, becoming a partner in the company and producing films such as.Shortbus.and.Mysterious Skin.
Fortissimo specialised in the Asia-Pacific region and was increasingly run out of Hong Kong.
The company's library has over 300 titles, including Scorsese's Shine a Light, Wong Kar Wai.s Chungking Express, Morgan Spurlock.s Super Size Me, Sydney Pollack.s Sketches Of Frank Gehry,.Andrew Jarecki.s Capturing The Friedmans and the film that made a star of Jennifer Lawrence, Debra Granik's Winter's Bone.
Australian titles include Sue Brooks' Looking for Grace and Leon Ford's Griff the Invisible.
- 8/18/2016
- by Staff Writer
- IF.com.au
Hong Kong and Amsterdam-based sales agent Fortissimo Films has filed for voluntary bankruptcy in the Netherlands, bringing to a close the company’s 25-year run as a champion of Asian and independent cinema.
An administrator, known as a “curator” in the Netherlands, has been appointed and further filings will be made for subsidiaries of the Amsterdam-based parent company, Fortissimo Holdings.
The administrator is expected to meet with staff in Amsterdam this week.
The company appears to be another victim of a punishing market for arthouse cinema, in which buyers and prices are dwindling, but operating costs, especially for companies with large libraries, remain constant.
Founded by Wouter Barendrecht and Helen Loveridge in 1991, Fortissimo brought Asian filmmakers such as Wong Kar Wai, Pen-ek Ratanaruang and Tsui Hark to global audiences, and also worked with Western indie auteurs including Jim Jarmusch, John Cameron Mitchell and Hal Hartley.
Michael Werner joined the company in 1995 and took over as sole chairman...
An administrator, known as a “curator” in the Netherlands, has been appointed and further filings will be made for subsidiaries of the Amsterdam-based parent company, Fortissimo Holdings.
The administrator is expected to meet with staff in Amsterdam this week.
The company appears to be another victim of a punishing market for arthouse cinema, in which buyers and prices are dwindling, but operating costs, especially for companies with large libraries, remain constant.
Founded by Wouter Barendrecht and Helen Loveridge in 1991, Fortissimo brought Asian filmmakers such as Wong Kar Wai, Pen-ek Ratanaruang and Tsui Hark to global audiences, and also worked with Western indie auteurs including Jim Jarmusch, John Cameron Mitchell and Hal Hartley.
Michael Werner joined the company in 1995 and took over as sole chairman...
- 8/17/2016
- by lizshackleton@gmail.com (Liz Shackleton)
- ScreenDaily
Festival consultants to include James Schamus, Olivier Père, Huang Jianxin and Michael J. Werner.
The inaugural International Film Festival and Awards Macao (Iffam, Dec 8 – 13), spearheaded by former Venice and Rome chief Marco Mueller, will have a strong but not exclusive focus on genre titles, the festival has announced.
The event will include a number of gala and red carpet screenings, with a competition strand and special focus sections alongside an industry screening programme, masterclasses, education initiatives and a co-production event.
The festival’s screening programme will encompass the following strands:
• Competition – 10 to 12 new international films to be judged by a jury of five film professionals
• Out of Competition / Gala – a selection of 6 of the most important works from the latter half of the year
• Hidden Dragons – 6 films representing the latest trends in contemporary Asian genre cinema
• Best of Fest Panorama – 5 or 6 award-winning feature films from major international festivals
• Crossfire – 12 non-East Asian, non-us genre films...
The inaugural International Film Festival and Awards Macao (Iffam, Dec 8 – 13), spearheaded by former Venice and Rome chief Marco Mueller, will have a strong but not exclusive focus on genre titles, the festival has announced.
The event will include a number of gala and red carpet screenings, with a competition strand and special focus sections alongside an industry screening programme, masterclasses, education initiatives and a co-production event.
The festival’s screening programme will encompass the following strands:
• Competition – 10 to 12 new international films to be judged by a jury of five film professionals
• Out of Competition / Gala – a selection of 6 of the most important works from the latter half of the year
• Hidden Dragons – 6 films representing the latest trends in contemporary Asian genre cinema
• Best of Fest Panorama – 5 or 6 award-winning feature films from major international festivals
• Crossfire – 12 non-East Asian, non-us genre films...
- 7/11/2016
- by andreas.wiseman@screendaily.com (Andreas Wiseman)
- ScreenDaily
The second edition of Qumra, March 4 - 9, organized by the Doha Film Institute has wrapped. Through a series of one-on-one meetings, consultations and tutorials, delegates at Qumra - the producers and directors associated with the 33 projects from 19 countries selected for the industry program - are provided with deep insights on how their films can find their voice in the global film market.
Only 100+ people, all working hard and all meeting every day is especially appealing. Seen in light of mega-events as Berlin, Cannes, Tiff and Sundance, the intimacy of everyone sharing meals, attending the same party, staying at the same hotels within the famed souk and in walking distance to the incredibly beautiful Museum of Islamic Art, designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect I.M. Pei where morning events, classes and screenings take place makes this event forever memorable.
Mentoring is a natural result of the rich mix of people from all levels of the industry sharing themselves along with their expertise.
In my closing conversation with Doha Film Institute CEO Fatma Al Remaihi, Qumra Deputy Director Hanaa Issa and Artistic Advisor for the Doha Film Institute, filmmaker Elia Suleiman, I had quite pointed questions to ask but in fact, they were too pointed because as Elia said, “While the Qatar film industry is still in its infancy, we are all discovering and learning about the region and Qatar, the power of the filmmakers’ voices. We have no target to hit, because that would be too confining.”
What is the objective of all the activity of Dfi?
Fatma : Qumra marks the beginning of new collaborations, new creative partnerships and new friendships. At its heart, the mission of this event is to support emerging filmmakers. The program has been designed with the constant goal of creating a supportive and productive space for projects by emerging filmmakers to be nurtured and to provide maximum opportunities for our filmmakers to benefit from the wisdom of the most experienced industry experts in the world.
“Last year, we launched Qumra and embarked on an ambitious journey to provide emerging talent with an industry platform to help them build their skills and foster meaningful industry connections. In its second edition, we are excited to see it define its own niche with experts from across the world taking part in the discussions and asserting their commitment to supporting young filmmakers. We thank them for being here in Qatar and sharing their experience with the spirit of generosity that has come to embody this event.”
The objective of supporting Arab voices is being met faster than expected as shown by the success of ‘ Theeb’.
Editor: “Theeb” has won numerous awards in festivals including its debut in Venice where director-writer Naji Abu Nowar won for Best Director, winning the U.K.’s top BAFTA Award for Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer by Naji Abu Nowar and Rupert Lloyd and reaching the level of nominee for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.
This coproduction between Jordan, United Arab Emirates, Qatar and U.K. was funded by Doha Film Institute, Visions Sud Est and Anad of Abu Dhabi and it has been sold by top international sales agent Fortissimo to Australia (Jiff Distribution), Belgium (ABC), Middle East (Mad Solutions), Netherlands (ABC – Cinemien), Norway (As Fidalgo), Switzerland (trigon-film) U.K. (New Wave) and U.S. (Film Movement).
Hanaa Issa : “In many ways, Qumra is the culmination of the work we have been doing at the Doha Film Institute over the past five years. It builds on the existing support we give to filmmakers through our education and development programs, our funding programs, and our screenings and film appreciation initiatives. Our first edition showed us that the format worked and provided meaningful results to all those who participated, and we are confident that the second edition has contributed to extending further support to our talents.
I notice how many young filmmakers are here, and how shorts seem to be a strong suit right now for them. How does this objective apply specifically to Qatar?
Hanaa : The Dfi is making Qatar voices heard by traveling, bringing a package of films and selected participants to Berlin, Cannes, Dubai and Clermont-Ferrand, the world’s first and still most prestigious short film festival.
Elia: Qumra is for the young filmmakers and to inspire them, especially at a time when fences and borders are being built all around, and new ones are springing everywhere in the world. The imagination and poetry of our young filmmakers serve as a resistance to these borders. The fact that we are here at Qumra shows our confidence in our filmmakers in breaking down these barriers.
Are you getting any feedback yet?
Elia : I mix among everyone and am hearing very positive things from the filmmakers, the experts and festival programmers.
I heard James Schamus say it is unique. I’ve had several conversations with young women filmmakers that go beyond the subject of filmmaking.
Elia: There are more women here than last year, perhaps because the doors are so recently opened.
How do you evaluate all that has happened here?
Fatma: Very soon after the event, all together, every person involved in the event reviews every step and we forecast trends from what we see has taken place so far. We plan how to fulfil the needs of the filmmakers as we grow.
How do you see the future?
Hanaa: Many more people want to come and some want to come at their own expense. We want to meet the demands and also to keep the integrity of Qumra and insure that projects develop with follow up by all participants. We want to keep the format and avoid getting too big, to keep it relevant…We want to see the evolution of the projects here.
I myself love the intimacy and fear its loss as more people become aware of how great this program is. As press, I hesitate to write to tell more people about it because I want to keep it small as a participant.
Elia: In ten years perhaps one of the Masters will be someone who began here.
Fatma: The returnees from the first year are here with passion. And yet we need to guard the windows for new comers.
Hanaa: I would say Qumra is “elastic”.
Those are good closing words. “Elastic” defines Qumra now. Thank you for this look at what has happened so far at Qumra. I hope to remain a part of the Qumra family now that I have participated with the short filmmakers myself and have experienced the people’s warm hospitality!
From the official press notes:
Doha Film Institute CEO Fatma Al Remaihi said: “Qumra offers audiences highly engaging film experiences presenting new insights into the language of cinema and the process behind the creation of compelling films. They will also be educational and inspirational, underlining our commitment to strengthening film culture in Qatar by promoting access to and appreciation of world cinema.”
Masters and master classes with James Schamus, Joshua Oppenheimer, Naomi Kawase, Aleksandr Sokurov and Nuri Bilge Ceylan interested all participants and much of the public.
The Masters screenings, accompanied by Q&A sessions with the visiting Qumra Masters linked to each film were “The Look of Silence” (Denmark, Indonesia, Finland, Norway, UK / Indonesian, Javanese /2014) by Qumra Master Joshua Oppenheimer, “Once Upon a Time in Anatolia” (Turkey, Bosnia and Herzegovina / Turkish / 2011) by Qumra Master Nuri Bilge Ceylan; “Russian Ark” (Russian Federation, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Japan / Russian / 2002) by Qumra Master Aleksandr Sokurov; “The Mourning Forest” (Japan, France / Japanese / 2007) by Qumra Master Naomi Kawase; and “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” (Taiwan, Hong Kong, USA, China / Mandarin / 2001) by Ang Lee, co-written and produced by Lee’s longtime collaborator and Qumra Master, James Schamus.
The ‘New Voices in Cinema’ screenings included two feature films granted by the Doha Film Institute: “ Mediterranea” (Italy, France, Germany, Qatar/ Arabic, English, French, Italian; 2015) by Jonas Carpignano being sold internationally by Ndm and Wme; “ Roundabout in my Head”/ “Fi rassi roun-point” (Algeria, France, Qatar/Arabic/2015); and two award-winning short films “Waves 98” by Ely Dagher (Lebanon, Qatar / Arabic / 2015), winner of the Palme d’Or for Best Short Film at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival and “The Palm Tree ” (Qatar, No Dialogue, 2015) by Jasim Al Rumaihi, winner of the 2015 Ajyal Youth Film Festival Made in Qatar Award for Best Documentary.
Many of the industry guests included returnees as well as the new guests which count Bero Beyer, Rotterdam; Tine Fisher, Cph Dox; Christophe Le Parc, Director’s Fortnight, Cannes; Vincenzo Bugno, World Cinema Fund, Berlinale; Cameron Bailey, Tiff and Carlo Chatrian, Locarno here for their second time; Sundance for its first year; Matthijs Wouter Knol, European Film Market; Mike Goodridge, Protagonist; Memento Films, Arte; Michael Werner, Fortissimo; Alaa Karkouti, Mad Solutions and Selim El Azar, Gulf Films.
Also attending for the first time was Netflix who picked up “Under the Shadow” an elevated horror/ thriller partially funded by the Doha Film Institute, Film Movement and the Ford Foundation.
The closing night party was a sumptuous affair held in the desert, an homage to the tent dwellings of the Doha Bedouins, grandparents of those who are now forging a new urban and international identity.
Only 100+ people, all working hard and all meeting every day is especially appealing. Seen in light of mega-events as Berlin, Cannes, Tiff and Sundance, the intimacy of everyone sharing meals, attending the same party, staying at the same hotels within the famed souk and in walking distance to the incredibly beautiful Museum of Islamic Art, designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect I.M. Pei where morning events, classes and screenings take place makes this event forever memorable.
Mentoring is a natural result of the rich mix of people from all levels of the industry sharing themselves along with their expertise.
In my closing conversation with Doha Film Institute CEO Fatma Al Remaihi, Qumra Deputy Director Hanaa Issa and Artistic Advisor for the Doha Film Institute, filmmaker Elia Suleiman, I had quite pointed questions to ask but in fact, they were too pointed because as Elia said, “While the Qatar film industry is still in its infancy, we are all discovering and learning about the region and Qatar, the power of the filmmakers’ voices. We have no target to hit, because that would be too confining.”
What is the objective of all the activity of Dfi?
Fatma : Qumra marks the beginning of new collaborations, new creative partnerships and new friendships. At its heart, the mission of this event is to support emerging filmmakers. The program has been designed with the constant goal of creating a supportive and productive space for projects by emerging filmmakers to be nurtured and to provide maximum opportunities for our filmmakers to benefit from the wisdom of the most experienced industry experts in the world.
“Last year, we launched Qumra and embarked on an ambitious journey to provide emerging talent with an industry platform to help them build their skills and foster meaningful industry connections. In its second edition, we are excited to see it define its own niche with experts from across the world taking part in the discussions and asserting their commitment to supporting young filmmakers. We thank them for being here in Qatar and sharing their experience with the spirit of generosity that has come to embody this event.”
The objective of supporting Arab voices is being met faster than expected as shown by the success of ‘ Theeb’.
Editor: “Theeb” has won numerous awards in festivals including its debut in Venice where director-writer Naji Abu Nowar won for Best Director, winning the U.K.’s top BAFTA Award for Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer by Naji Abu Nowar and Rupert Lloyd and reaching the level of nominee for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.
This coproduction between Jordan, United Arab Emirates, Qatar and U.K. was funded by Doha Film Institute, Visions Sud Est and Anad of Abu Dhabi and it has been sold by top international sales agent Fortissimo to Australia (Jiff Distribution), Belgium (ABC), Middle East (Mad Solutions), Netherlands (ABC – Cinemien), Norway (As Fidalgo), Switzerland (trigon-film) U.K. (New Wave) and U.S. (Film Movement).
Hanaa Issa : “In many ways, Qumra is the culmination of the work we have been doing at the Doha Film Institute over the past five years. It builds on the existing support we give to filmmakers through our education and development programs, our funding programs, and our screenings and film appreciation initiatives. Our first edition showed us that the format worked and provided meaningful results to all those who participated, and we are confident that the second edition has contributed to extending further support to our talents.
I notice how many young filmmakers are here, and how shorts seem to be a strong suit right now for them. How does this objective apply specifically to Qatar?
Hanaa : The Dfi is making Qatar voices heard by traveling, bringing a package of films and selected participants to Berlin, Cannes, Dubai and Clermont-Ferrand, the world’s first and still most prestigious short film festival.
Elia: Qumra is for the young filmmakers and to inspire them, especially at a time when fences and borders are being built all around, and new ones are springing everywhere in the world. The imagination and poetry of our young filmmakers serve as a resistance to these borders. The fact that we are here at Qumra shows our confidence in our filmmakers in breaking down these barriers.
Are you getting any feedback yet?
Elia : I mix among everyone and am hearing very positive things from the filmmakers, the experts and festival programmers.
I heard James Schamus say it is unique. I’ve had several conversations with young women filmmakers that go beyond the subject of filmmaking.
Elia: There are more women here than last year, perhaps because the doors are so recently opened.
How do you evaluate all that has happened here?
Fatma: Very soon after the event, all together, every person involved in the event reviews every step and we forecast trends from what we see has taken place so far. We plan how to fulfil the needs of the filmmakers as we grow.
How do you see the future?
Hanaa: Many more people want to come and some want to come at their own expense. We want to meet the demands and also to keep the integrity of Qumra and insure that projects develop with follow up by all participants. We want to keep the format and avoid getting too big, to keep it relevant…We want to see the evolution of the projects here.
I myself love the intimacy and fear its loss as more people become aware of how great this program is. As press, I hesitate to write to tell more people about it because I want to keep it small as a participant.
Elia: In ten years perhaps one of the Masters will be someone who began here.
Fatma: The returnees from the first year are here with passion. And yet we need to guard the windows for new comers.
Hanaa: I would say Qumra is “elastic”.
Those are good closing words. “Elastic” defines Qumra now. Thank you for this look at what has happened so far at Qumra. I hope to remain a part of the Qumra family now that I have participated with the short filmmakers myself and have experienced the people’s warm hospitality!
From the official press notes:
Doha Film Institute CEO Fatma Al Remaihi said: “Qumra offers audiences highly engaging film experiences presenting new insights into the language of cinema and the process behind the creation of compelling films. They will also be educational and inspirational, underlining our commitment to strengthening film culture in Qatar by promoting access to and appreciation of world cinema.”
Masters and master classes with James Schamus, Joshua Oppenheimer, Naomi Kawase, Aleksandr Sokurov and Nuri Bilge Ceylan interested all participants and much of the public.
The Masters screenings, accompanied by Q&A sessions with the visiting Qumra Masters linked to each film were “The Look of Silence” (Denmark, Indonesia, Finland, Norway, UK / Indonesian, Javanese /2014) by Qumra Master Joshua Oppenheimer, “Once Upon a Time in Anatolia” (Turkey, Bosnia and Herzegovina / Turkish / 2011) by Qumra Master Nuri Bilge Ceylan; “Russian Ark” (Russian Federation, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Japan / Russian / 2002) by Qumra Master Aleksandr Sokurov; “The Mourning Forest” (Japan, France / Japanese / 2007) by Qumra Master Naomi Kawase; and “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” (Taiwan, Hong Kong, USA, China / Mandarin / 2001) by Ang Lee, co-written and produced by Lee’s longtime collaborator and Qumra Master, James Schamus.
The ‘New Voices in Cinema’ screenings included two feature films granted by the Doha Film Institute: “ Mediterranea” (Italy, France, Germany, Qatar/ Arabic, English, French, Italian; 2015) by Jonas Carpignano being sold internationally by Ndm and Wme; “ Roundabout in my Head”/ “Fi rassi roun-point” (Algeria, France, Qatar/Arabic/2015); and two award-winning short films “Waves 98” by Ely Dagher (Lebanon, Qatar / Arabic / 2015), winner of the Palme d’Or for Best Short Film at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival and “The Palm Tree ” (Qatar, No Dialogue, 2015) by Jasim Al Rumaihi, winner of the 2015 Ajyal Youth Film Festival Made in Qatar Award for Best Documentary.
Many of the industry guests included returnees as well as the new guests which count Bero Beyer, Rotterdam; Tine Fisher, Cph Dox; Christophe Le Parc, Director’s Fortnight, Cannes; Vincenzo Bugno, World Cinema Fund, Berlinale; Cameron Bailey, Tiff and Carlo Chatrian, Locarno here for their second time; Sundance for its first year; Matthijs Wouter Knol, European Film Market; Mike Goodridge, Protagonist; Memento Films, Arte; Michael Werner, Fortissimo; Alaa Karkouti, Mad Solutions and Selim El Azar, Gulf Films.
Also attending for the first time was Netflix who picked up “Under the Shadow” an elevated horror/ thriller partially funded by the Doha Film Institute, Film Movement and the Ford Foundation.
The closing night party was a sumptuous affair held in the desert, an homage to the tent dwellings of the Doha Bedouins, grandparents of those who are now forging a new urban and international identity.
- 3/24/2016
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
Exclusive: The distributor has acquired North American rights to a pair of culinary documentaries – Ants On A Shrimp and Kampai! For The Love Of Sake.
Maurice Dekkers’ Ants On A Shrimp follows chef René Redzepi as he transplants his renowned restaurant Noma from Copenhagen to the Mandarin Oriental Tokyo for five weeks.
Dan Blazer and Nelsje Musch-Elzinga produced the recent Berlinale world premiere and Dekkers served as executive producer with Marc Blazer.
Ants On A Shrimp will screen at the 2016 Hot Docs Film Festival in Special Presentations.
Mirai Konishi’s Kampai! For The Love Of Sake explores the Japanese spirit through the eyes of a British sake brewer in Japan, an American journalist and author of multiple sake guidebooks, and the reforming young president of an old Japanese sake brewery.
Konishi and Chiaki Yanagimoto produced the film, which premiered at the 2015 San Sebastián Film Festival.
Nao Komai, Soojun Bae, Fortissimo Films’ Michael J. Werner, and [link=nm...
Maurice Dekkers’ Ants On A Shrimp follows chef René Redzepi as he transplants his renowned restaurant Noma from Copenhagen to the Mandarin Oriental Tokyo for five weeks.
Dan Blazer and Nelsje Musch-Elzinga produced the recent Berlinale world premiere and Dekkers served as executive producer with Marc Blazer.
Ants On A Shrimp will screen at the 2016 Hot Docs Film Festival in Special Presentations.
Mirai Konishi’s Kampai! For The Love Of Sake explores the Japanese spirit through the eyes of a British sake brewer in Japan, an American journalist and author of multiple sake guidebooks, and the reforming young president of an old Japanese sake brewery.
Konishi and Chiaki Yanagimoto produced the film, which premiered at the 2015 San Sebastián Film Festival.
Nao Komai, Soojun Bae, Fortissimo Films’ Michael J. Werner, and [link=nm...
- 3/16/2016
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Qumra, the annual industry event by the Doha Film Institute designed to nurture the development of emerging filmmakers, will welcome more than 100 industry professionals, including international film festival directors, producers, fund managers, script consultants, distributors and other experts during its second edition to be held from March 4 to 9, 2016.
A number of industry leaders who attended the inaugural edition last year have confirmed their participation for the second time alongside many new organizations represented for the first time at the annual gathering dedicated to supporting first- and second-time filmmakers on both a creative and practical level. The delegates come from as far afield as Argentina, Australia, India, Germany, France, The Netherlands, Egypt and the Us.
Fatma Al Remaihi, Chief Executive Officer of the Doha Film Institute, said: “Qumra presents a very important component in nurturing a film industry in Qatar and the Arab world and the participation of international industry experts is integral to this initiative. I would like to thank each of these seasoned professionals for lending their expertise to benefit the participating projects and for being part of the unique creative network that we have cultivated through Qumra.”
She added: “We have seen many productive and tangible outcomes for the projects that were developed in the first edition of Qumra and I am confident that the connections made between emerging filmmakers and industry mentors in the coming week will contribute to the growth of a more robust regional film industry and benefit the participants far into the future.”
The Qumra industry program is centered around 33 projects from Qatar, the Arab region and the rest of the world at various stages of development. The industry sessions are presented in two strands: tutorials, workshops, consultations and one-on-one meetings for projects still in development; and a series of work-in-progress and ‘picture lock’ screenings and feedback sessions for projects in post production. I am proud to be a part of the tutorials and one-on-one sessions with the filmmakers working on short films.
Among the leading industry names to attend the event this year are: David Parfitt, Academy Award-winning producer, Chairman of Film London and ex-Chairman of BAFTA; Christophe Leparc, Managing Director, Programmer at Director’s Fortnight Cannes Film Festival and recently appointed Festival Director of Cinemed; Cameron Bailey, Festival Director, Toronto International Film Festival; Carlo Chatrian, Artistic Director of Festival Del Film Locarno; Vincenzo Bugno, Project Manager of Berlinale World Cinema Fund and member of the Berlinale Competition Selection Committee; Matthijs Wouter Knol, Director of the European Film Market at the Berlin International Film Festival; Remi Burah, Senior Executive Vice President, Arte France Cinéma; Cara Mertes, Director of the Ford Foundation’s JustFilms; Mike Goodridge, CEO of Protagonist Pictures; Alexandre Mallet-Guy, President of Memento Films; Michael J. Werner, Managing Director & Chairman of Fortissimo Films; and first-time representatives from Netflix, AMC / Sundance Channel Global and the Sundance Institute.
Strong representation from programmers and directors of the world’s leading film festivals and institutes includes: Cph:dox Copenhagen International Documentary Film Festival; Morelia Film Festival in Mexico & San Sebastian Film Festival, Spain; International Film Festival of Rotterdam, The Netherlands; Busan International Film Festival, South Korea; Latin Arab International Film Festival in Argentina; Melbourne International Film Festival, Australia; Tribeca Film Institute, USA; International Istanbul Film Festival; Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Film Festival; Berlinale Shorts at International Film Festival of Berlin; Sarajevo Film Festival; and the Dubai International Film Festival.
High profile regional distributors and international sales agents and distributors include representatives from Wild Bunch of France; Film Movement of USA; Memento Films, France; Tricon Films, Canada; Urban Distribution International of France; The Match Factory of Germany; Gulf Films of UAE; Mad Solutions, Egypt ; Front Row Filmed Entertainment, UAE; Moving Turtle, Lebanon and Mc Distribution, Lebanon.
International film funds and commissions represented at Qumra 2016 include: Idfa Bertha Fund of the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam; the Hubert Bals Fund of the International Film Festival of Rotterdam; Medienboard Berlin Brandenburg; the Robert Bosch Stiftung, Berlin; The Royal Film Commission, Jordan; the Arab Fund for Arts & Culture; Screen Institute Beirut; the Netherlands Film Fund and Gulf funds Sanad Film Fund and Enjazz, UAE as well as regional financiers Image Nation and Mbc Group.
Qatar-based organizations are represented by Innovation Films and the Al Jazeera Media Training & Development Centre in Qatar along with 120 Qatar-based film, media and entertainment delegates who will also participate in the program, further building on the event’s aim to connect local, regional and international industry for the benefit of emerging talent.
Qumra has three main elements: Masterclasses by the Qumra Masters, which will be led this year by James Schamus (Us), Joshua Oppenheimer (Us), Naomi Kawase (Japan), Nuri Bilge Ceylan (Turkey) and Aleksandr Sokurov (Russia); industry meetings and screenings. All projects selected by the Doha Film Institute will benefit from the industry meetings with the experts to take their work to the next stage.
The screenings are in two categories: Master Screenings & New Voices in Cinema. The Masters Screenings this year include "The Look of Silence" (Denmark, Indonesia, Finland, Norway, UK / Indonesian, Javanese /2014) by Joshua Oppenheimer,Once Upon a Time in Anatolia (Turkey, Bosnia and Herzegovina / Turkish / 2011) by Nuri Bilge Ceylan; "Russian Ark" (Russian Federation, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Japan / Russian / 2002) by Aleksandr Sokurov;"The Mourning Forest" (Japan, France / Japanese / 2007) by Naomi Kawase; and " Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" Taiwan, Hong Kong, USA, China / Mandarin / 2001) by Ang Lee.
In the New Voices in Cinema segment, are: "The Palm Tree" (Qatar, No Dialogue, 2015) by Jasim Al Rumaihi; "Mediterranea" (Italy, France, Germany, Qatar/ Arabic, English, French, Italian; 2015) by Jonas Carpignano; "Roundabout in my Head" (Algeria, France, Qatar/Arabic/2015), and "Waves 98" by Ely Dagher (Lebanon, Qatar / Arabic / 2015).
All screenings will take place at the Museum of Islamic Art Auditorium and tickets are now on sale at www.dohafilminstitute.com...
A number of industry leaders who attended the inaugural edition last year have confirmed their participation for the second time alongside many new organizations represented for the first time at the annual gathering dedicated to supporting first- and second-time filmmakers on both a creative and practical level. The delegates come from as far afield as Argentina, Australia, India, Germany, France, The Netherlands, Egypt and the Us.
Fatma Al Remaihi, Chief Executive Officer of the Doha Film Institute, said: “Qumra presents a very important component in nurturing a film industry in Qatar and the Arab world and the participation of international industry experts is integral to this initiative. I would like to thank each of these seasoned professionals for lending their expertise to benefit the participating projects and for being part of the unique creative network that we have cultivated through Qumra.”
She added: “We have seen many productive and tangible outcomes for the projects that were developed in the first edition of Qumra and I am confident that the connections made between emerging filmmakers and industry mentors in the coming week will contribute to the growth of a more robust regional film industry and benefit the participants far into the future.”
The Qumra industry program is centered around 33 projects from Qatar, the Arab region and the rest of the world at various stages of development. The industry sessions are presented in two strands: tutorials, workshops, consultations and one-on-one meetings for projects still in development; and a series of work-in-progress and ‘picture lock’ screenings and feedback sessions for projects in post production. I am proud to be a part of the tutorials and one-on-one sessions with the filmmakers working on short films.
Among the leading industry names to attend the event this year are: David Parfitt, Academy Award-winning producer, Chairman of Film London and ex-Chairman of BAFTA; Christophe Leparc, Managing Director, Programmer at Director’s Fortnight Cannes Film Festival and recently appointed Festival Director of Cinemed; Cameron Bailey, Festival Director, Toronto International Film Festival; Carlo Chatrian, Artistic Director of Festival Del Film Locarno; Vincenzo Bugno, Project Manager of Berlinale World Cinema Fund and member of the Berlinale Competition Selection Committee; Matthijs Wouter Knol, Director of the European Film Market at the Berlin International Film Festival; Remi Burah, Senior Executive Vice President, Arte France Cinéma; Cara Mertes, Director of the Ford Foundation’s JustFilms; Mike Goodridge, CEO of Protagonist Pictures; Alexandre Mallet-Guy, President of Memento Films; Michael J. Werner, Managing Director & Chairman of Fortissimo Films; and first-time representatives from Netflix, AMC / Sundance Channel Global and the Sundance Institute.
Strong representation from programmers and directors of the world’s leading film festivals and institutes includes: Cph:dox Copenhagen International Documentary Film Festival; Morelia Film Festival in Mexico & San Sebastian Film Festival, Spain; International Film Festival of Rotterdam, The Netherlands; Busan International Film Festival, South Korea; Latin Arab International Film Festival in Argentina; Melbourne International Film Festival, Australia; Tribeca Film Institute, USA; International Istanbul Film Festival; Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Film Festival; Berlinale Shorts at International Film Festival of Berlin; Sarajevo Film Festival; and the Dubai International Film Festival.
High profile regional distributors and international sales agents and distributors include representatives from Wild Bunch of France; Film Movement of USA; Memento Films, France; Tricon Films, Canada; Urban Distribution International of France; The Match Factory of Germany; Gulf Films of UAE; Mad Solutions, Egypt ; Front Row Filmed Entertainment, UAE; Moving Turtle, Lebanon and Mc Distribution, Lebanon.
International film funds and commissions represented at Qumra 2016 include: Idfa Bertha Fund of the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam; the Hubert Bals Fund of the International Film Festival of Rotterdam; Medienboard Berlin Brandenburg; the Robert Bosch Stiftung, Berlin; The Royal Film Commission, Jordan; the Arab Fund for Arts & Culture; Screen Institute Beirut; the Netherlands Film Fund and Gulf funds Sanad Film Fund and Enjazz, UAE as well as regional financiers Image Nation and Mbc Group.
Qatar-based organizations are represented by Innovation Films and the Al Jazeera Media Training & Development Centre in Qatar along with 120 Qatar-based film, media and entertainment delegates who will also participate in the program, further building on the event’s aim to connect local, regional and international industry for the benefit of emerging talent.
Qumra has three main elements: Masterclasses by the Qumra Masters, which will be led this year by James Schamus (Us), Joshua Oppenheimer (Us), Naomi Kawase (Japan), Nuri Bilge Ceylan (Turkey) and Aleksandr Sokurov (Russia); industry meetings and screenings. All projects selected by the Doha Film Institute will benefit from the industry meetings with the experts to take their work to the next stage.
The screenings are in two categories: Master Screenings & New Voices in Cinema. The Masters Screenings this year include "The Look of Silence" (Denmark, Indonesia, Finland, Norway, UK / Indonesian, Javanese /2014) by Joshua Oppenheimer,Once Upon a Time in Anatolia (Turkey, Bosnia and Herzegovina / Turkish / 2011) by Nuri Bilge Ceylan; "Russian Ark" (Russian Federation, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Japan / Russian / 2002) by Aleksandr Sokurov;"The Mourning Forest" (Japan, France / Japanese / 2007) by Naomi Kawase; and " Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" Taiwan, Hong Kong, USA, China / Mandarin / 2001) by Ang Lee.
In the New Voices in Cinema segment, are: "The Palm Tree" (Qatar, No Dialogue, 2015) by Jasim Al Rumaihi; "Mediterranea" (Italy, France, Germany, Qatar/ Arabic, English, French, Italian; 2015) by Jonas Carpignano; "Roundabout in my Head" (Algeria, France, Qatar/Arabic/2015), and "Waves 98" by Ely Dagher (Lebanon, Qatar / Arabic / 2015).
All screenings will take place at the Museum of Islamic Art Auditorium and tickets are now on sale at www.dohafilminstitute.com...
- 3/6/2016
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
Netflix, Sundance and Efm are among new delegates attending the second edition of the Dfi’s Qumra.
The Doha Film Institute today launched the second edition of Qumra, which is dedicated to supporting Dfi-backed first- and second-time filmmakers on both a creative and practical level.
Festival directors, producers, sales executives, fund managers, script consultants, distributors and other experts attend to meet with and mentor the new talents, discuss their forthcoming projects and see works in progress. This year’s emerging filmmakers represent 33 projects from 19 countries.
Returning industry delegates attending Qumra include Cameron Bailey from Toronto, Mirsad Purivatra from Sarajevo, Melbourne-based script consultant Claire Dobbs, Christophe Leparc of Cannes Directors’ Fortnight, Selim El Azar from Gulf Films, Gianluca Chakra of Front Row, Paul Baboudjian of Screen Institute Beirut, French producer Marie-Pierre Macia of Mpm Film, Frederic Corvez of Urban Distribution International, and representatives from Wild Bunch.
New delegates joining the second edition include Funa Maduka from Netflix, producer...
The Doha Film Institute today launched the second edition of Qumra, which is dedicated to supporting Dfi-backed first- and second-time filmmakers on both a creative and practical level.
Festival directors, producers, sales executives, fund managers, script consultants, distributors and other experts attend to meet with and mentor the new talents, discuss their forthcoming projects and see works in progress. This year’s emerging filmmakers represent 33 projects from 19 countries.
Returning industry delegates attending Qumra include Cameron Bailey from Toronto, Mirsad Purivatra from Sarajevo, Melbourne-based script consultant Claire Dobbs, Christophe Leparc of Cannes Directors’ Fortnight, Selim El Azar from Gulf Films, Gianluca Chakra of Front Row, Paul Baboudjian of Screen Institute Beirut, French producer Marie-Pierre Macia of Mpm Film, Frederic Corvez of Urban Distribution International, and representatives from Wild Bunch.
New delegates joining the second edition include Funa Maduka from Netflix, producer...
- 3/4/2016
- by wendy.mitchell@screendaily.com (Wendy Mitchell)
- ScreenDaily
The second edition of Qumra, March 4 - 9, the industry development event organized by the Doha Film Institute to nurture emerging voices in cinema with a focus on first and second-time filmmakers, will include as Masters, James Schamus and Joshua Oppenheimer along with Naomi Kawase, Aleksandr Sokurov and Nuri Bilge Ceylan participating in a series of master classes and one-on-one sessions with selected Qumra filmmakers and their projects along with screenings and Q&A sessions for Doha audiences throughout the week.
Read about previously announced Qumra Masters.
Held at the incredibly beautiful Museum of Islamic Art, designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect I.M. Pei, and a cultural partner of the Doha Film Institute, Qumra supports the development of emerging filmmakers from Qatar, the Arab region and around the world. Dfi has arranged a “rainbow of colors in a bouquet of participants and masters”. Elia Suleiman, Artistic Advisor for the Doha Film Institute says, “each master is very different and the event looks like an edition of poetry.”
Due to unforeseen circumstances, previously announced Qumra Master Lucrecia Martel is no longer able to participate this year.
Directors and producers attached to up to thirty three projects in development or post-production are invited to participate in Qumra, named from the Arabic term ‘qumra’ popularly said to be the origin of the word ‘camera’ and used by the scientist, astronomer and mathematician Alhazen (Ibn al-Haytham, 965-c.1040 Ce), whose work in optics laid out the principles of the camera obscura.
Qumra includes a number of emerging filmmakers from Qatar, as well as recipients of funding from the Institute’s Grants Program. The robust program features industry meetings designed to assist with propelling projects to their next stages of development, master classes, work-in-progress screenings, matchmaking sessions and tailored workshops with industry experts. This creative exchange takes place alongside a program of public screenings curated with input from the Qumra Masters.
Especially appealing about this event, seen in light of mega-events as Berlin, Cannes, Tiff and Sundance is the intimacy of everyone sharing meals, attending the same party, staying at the same hotel within the famed souk and in walking distance to the museum. Only 150 people, all working hard and all meeting every day as they work with 23 features, 11 of which are in development and 12 in post whose program has been guided by Elia Suleiman and Qumra Deputy Director Hanaa Issa. The Qumra team will also help us navigate the souk to find the best bargains in spices like saffron and sumac and tumeric, textiles and other middle eastern treasures from the silk road!
Qumra has come a long way in one year; where last year there was only one documentary, this year there are eight documentary features – four in development and four works-in-progress - and four short documentaries in development. Five of them are Qatari, five are from the Mena region and two international. There are 23 features of which five are from Qatar and 10 shorts, all from Qatar. Each Master will meet with four to five filmmakers formally but the collaboration among mentors and emerging filmmakers will extend far beyond such formal meetings.
There are also three great moderators of panels: Richard Pena, the longtime chief for the Film Society of Lincoln Center in New York, Jean Michel Poignet and Paolo Bertolini of the Venice Film Festival.
Also included is a highly engaging selection of movies by the five Qumra Masters and from a selection of emerging talent during daily screenings and Q&A sessions. The selection includes Academy Award, Cannes Film Festival and Ajyal Youth Film Festival award winners.
Doha Film Institute CEO Fatma Al Remaihi said: “This year, the Qumra Screenings will showcase the work of five esteemed masters of cinema alongside some tremendously talented emerging filmmakers. By presenting these two spectrums of cinematic works, Qumra will offer audiences highly engaging film experiences that will present new insights into the language of cinema and the process behind the creation of compelling films. They will also be educational and inspirational, underlining our commitment to strengthening film culture in Qatar by promoting access to and appreciation of world cinema.”
The Masters screenings, accompanied by Q&A sessions with the visiting Qumra Masters linked to each film are “The Look of Silence” (Denmark, Indonesia, Finland, Norway, UK / Indonesian, Javanese /2014) by Qumra Master Joshua Oppenheimer, “Once Upon a Time in Anatolia” (Turkey, Bosnia and Herzegovina / Turkish / 2011) by Qumra Master Nuri Bilge Ceylan; “The Russian Ark” (Russian Federation, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Japan / Russian / 2002) by Qumra Master Aleksandr Sokurov; “The Mourning Forest” (Japan, France / Japanese / 2007) by Qumra Master Naomi Kawase; and “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” (Taiwan, Hong Kong, USA, China / Mandarin / 2001) by Ang Lee, co-written and produced by Lee’s longtime collaborator and Qumra Master, James Schamus.
The ‘New Voices in Cinema’ screenings include two feature films granted by the Doha Film Institute: “ Mediterranea” (Italy, France, Germany, Qatar/ Arabic, English, French, Italian; 2015) by Jonas Carpignano being sold internationally by Ndm and Wme; “Roundabout in my Head”/ “Fi rassi roun-point” (Algeria, France, Qatar/Arabic/2015); and two award-winning short films “Waves 98” by Ely Dagher (Lebanon, Qatar / Arabic / 2015), winner of the Palme d’Or for Best Short Film at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival and “The Palm Tree ” (Qatar, No Dialogue, 2015) by Jasim Al Rumaihi, winner of the 2015 Ajyal Youth Film Festival Made in Qatar Award for Best Documentary.
“We are privileged to have James Schamus and Joshua Oppenheimer participate as Qumra Masters this year,” said Doha Film Institute CEO Fatma Al Remaihi. “Both filmmakers, while very different in style, are truly ground-breaking in their fields and bring a wealth of experience to Qumra that will be invaluable for the young filmmakers participating.”
“We look forward to welcoming James and Joshua to the Gulf region for the first time and enabling our Qumra 2016 participants to establish a connection with these two leaders of independent filmmaking in the Us.”
Both Schamus and Oppenheimer were born in the Us and combine their acclaimed filmmaking careers with other roles within the industry: Schamus as a revered film historian and academic; and Oppenheimer as Artistic Director of the Centre for Documentary and Experimental Film at the University of Westminster in London.
Schamus, a multi award-winning screenwriter, director and leading Us indie producer, is best known for his long creative collaboration with Taiwanese director Ang Lee. He has worked with Lee on nine films, including “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” (2000), which won four Academy Awards, including Best Foreign Language Film and Best Cinematography, and remains the highest-grossing non-English-language film in the Us. He was the screenwriter for Lee's “The Ice Storm”, for which he won the award for Best Screenplay at the Festival de Cannes in 1997 and co-wrote “Eat Drink Man Woman” (1994), the first of Lee’s films to achieve both critical and commercial success.
As a producer, Schamus co-founded the Us powerhouse production company Good Machine in the early 1990s, and then from 2002 to 2014 was CEO of Focus Features, the motion picture production, financing and worldwide distribution company whose films during his tenure included Wes Anderson's “Moonrise Kingdom” (2012), Michel Gondry's Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004), Roman Polanski's “The Pianist “(2002), Henry Selick's Coraline (2009) and Sofia Coppola’s “Lost in Translation” (2003).
In 2014, Schamus turned his hand to directing with the short documentary “That Film About Money” (2014), and in 2016 made his feature directorial debut with an adaptation of Philip Roth's “Indignation," which had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2016 and is screening at this year’s Berlin International Film Festival in the Panorama section.
Schamus is also Professor of Professional Practice at Columbia University’s School of the Arts, where he teaches film history and theory, and is the author of 'Carl Theodor Dreyer's Gertrud: The Moving Word', published by the University of Washington Press.
Elia Suleiman , the Artistic Advisor to Doha Film Institute, recalls how he and James grew up together in New York as long-time friends. James introduced him to the Chilean master filmmaker Raul Ruiz. Schamus helped him with his short film while at Good Machine. He helped edit the script and was his guardian angel helping with his first contract. They even had a code for “urgent”. When Elia was in Jerusalem and James in London they used the code whenever Elia was overwhelmed by the paperwork needed. James would answer within 15 minutes. Now James has come full circle on his own, from being one of the most important producers of the decade to directing his own film. When asked by Qumra what was most important, he said first time filmmakers were the most important. And he has always been able to spot the most talented of emerging filmmakers.
Two-time Academy Award nominee Joshua Oppenheimer’s debut feature-length film, “The Act of Killing” (2012) was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature Film, named Film of the Year by The Guardian and the Sight and Sound Film Poll, and won 72 international awards, including a European Film Award, a BAFTA, an Asia Pacific Screen Award, a Berlin International Film Festival Audience Award, and the Guardian Film Award for Best Film.
His second film, “The Look of Silence” (2014) had its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival, where it won five awards including the Grand Jury Prize, the Fipresci Prize and the Fedeora Prize. It was nominated for the 2016 Oscar for Best Documentary Film, and has received 66 international awards, including an International Documentary Association Award for Best Documentary, a Gotham Award for Best Documentary, and three Cinema Eye Honors for Nonfiction Filmmaking.
Oppenheimer is a partner at the Final Cut for Real production company in Copenhagen, and Artistic Director of the Centre for Documentary and Experimental Film at the University of Westminster, London.
Many of the industry guests include returnees as well as the new guests which count Bero Beyer, Rotterdam; Tine Fisher, Cph Dox; Christophe Le Parc, Director’s Fortnight, Cannes; Vincenzo Bugno, World Cinema Fund, Berlinale; Cameron Bailey, Tiff and Carlo Chatrian, Locarno here for their second time; Sundance for its first year; Matthijs Wouter Knol, European Film Market; Mike Goodridge, Protagonist; Memento Films, Arte; Michael Werner, Fortissimo; Alaa Karkouti, Mad Solutions and Selim El Azar, Gulf Films.
Also attending for the first time will be Netflix who picked up “Under the Shadow” an elevated horror/ thriller partially funded by the Doha Film Institute, Film Movement and the Ford Foundation.
Previous Qumra Masters include Mexican actor, director and producer Gael Garcia Bernal (“Amores Perros”; “No”; “Deficit”), Mauritanian director Abderrahmane Sissako (Timbuktu - nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the 2015 Academy Awards); Romanian auteur and Palme d’Or winner Cristian Mungiu (“4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days”; “Beyond the Hills”); and Bosnian writer/director Danis Tanović (“An Episode in the Life of an Iron Picker”; “Tigers”, “No Man’s Land” - winner of Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 2001).
Read about previously announced Qumra Masters.
Held at the incredibly beautiful Museum of Islamic Art, designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect I.M. Pei, and a cultural partner of the Doha Film Institute, Qumra supports the development of emerging filmmakers from Qatar, the Arab region and around the world. Dfi has arranged a “rainbow of colors in a bouquet of participants and masters”. Elia Suleiman, Artistic Advisor for the Doha Film Institute says, “each master is very different and the event looks like an edition of poetry.”
Due to unforeseen circumstances, previously announced Qumra Master Lucrecia Martel is no longer able to participate this year.
Directors and producers attached to up to thirty three projects in development or post-production are invited to participate in Qumra, named from the Arabic term ‘qumra’ popularly said to be the origin of the word ‘camera’ and used by the scientist, astronomer and mathematician Alhazen (Ibn al-Haytham, 965-c.1040 Ce), whose work in optics laid out the principles of the camera obscura.
Qumra includes a number of emerging filmmakers from Qatar, as well as recipients of funding from the Institute’s Grants Program. The robust program features industry meetings designed to assist with propelling projects to their next stages of development, master classes, work-in-progress screenings, matchmaking sessions and tailored workshops with industry experts. This creative exchange takes place alongside a program of public screenings curated with input from the Qumra Masters.
Especially appealing about this event, seen in light of mega-events as Berlin, Cannes, Tiff and Sundance is the intimacy of everyone sharing meals, attending the same party, staying at the same hotel within the famed souk and in walking distance to the museum. Only 150 people, all working hard and all meeting every day as they work with 23 features, 11 of which are in development and 12 in post whose program has been guided by Elia Suleiman and Qumra Deputy Director Hanaa Issa. The Qumra team will also help us navigate the souk to find the best bargains in spices like saffron and sumac and tumeric, textiles and other middle eastern treasures from the silk road!
Qumra has come a long way in one year; where last year there was only one documentary, this year there are eight documentary features – four in development and four works-in-progress - and four short documentaries in development. Five of them are Qatari, five are from the Mena region and two international. There are 23 features of which five are from Qatar and 10 shorts, all from Qatar. Each Master will meet with four to five filmmakers formally but the collaboration among mentors and emerging filmmakers will extend far beyond such formal meetings.
There are also three great moderators of panels: Richard Pena, the longtime chief for the Film Society of Lincoln Center in New York, Jean Michel Poignet and Paolo Bertolini of the Venice Film Festival.
Also included is a highly engaging selection of movies by the five Qumra Masters and from a selection of emerging talent during daily screenings and Q&A sessions. The selection includes Academy Award, Cannes Film Festival and Ajyal Youth Film Festival award winners.
Doha Film Institute CEO Fatma Al Remaihi said: “This year, the Qumra Screenings will showcase the work of five esteemed masters of cinema alongside some tremendously talented emerging filmmakers. By presenting these two spectrums of cinematic works, Qumra will offer audiences highly engaging film experiences that will present new insights into the language of cinema and the process behind the creation of compelling films. They will also be educational and inspirational, underlining our commitment to strengthening film culture in Qatar by promoting access to and appreciation of world cinema.”
The Masters screenings, accompanied by Q&A sessions with the visiting Qumra Masters linked to each film are “The Look of Silence” (Denmark, Indonesia, Finland, Norway, UK / Indonesian, Javanese /2014) by Qumra Master Joshua Oppenheimer, “Once Upon a Time in Anatolia” (Turkey, Bosnia and Herzegovina / Turkish / 2011) by Qumra Master Nuri Bilge Ceylan; “The Russian Ark” (Russian Federation, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Japan / Russian / 2002) by Qumra Master Aleksandr Sokurov; “The Mourning Forest” (Japan, France / Japanese / 2007) by Qumra Master Naomi Kawase; and “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” (Taiwan, Hong Kong, USA, China / Mandarin / 2001) by Ang Lee, co-written and produced by Lee’s longtime collaborator and Qumra Master, James Schamus.
The ‘New Voices in Cinema’ screenings include two feature films granted by the Doha Film Institute: “ Mediterranea” (Italy, France, Germany, Qatar/ Arabic, English, French, Italian; 2015) by Jonas Carpignano being sold internationally by Ndm and Wme; “Roundabout in my Head”/ “Fi rassi roun-point” (Algeria, France, Qatar/Arabic/2015); and two award-winning short films “Waves 98” by Ely Dagher (Lebanon, Qatar / Arabic / 2015), winner of the Palme d’Or for Best Short Film at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival and “The Palm Tree ” (Qatar, No Dialogue, 2015) by Jasim Al Rumaihi, winner of the 2015 Ajyal Youth Film Festival Made in Qatar Award for Best Documentary.
“We are privileged to have James Schamus and Joshua Oppenheimer participate as Qumra Masters this year,” said Doha Film Institute CEO Fatma Al Remaihi. “Both filmmakers, while very different in style, are truly ground-breaking in their fields and bring a wealth of experience to Qumra that will be invaluable for the young filmmakers participating.”
“We look forward to welcoming James and Joshua to the Gulf region for the first time and enabling our Qumra 2016 participants to establish a connection with these two leaders of independent filmmaking in the Us.”
Both Schamus and Oppenheimer were born in the Us and combine their acclaimed filmmaking careers with other roles within the industry: Schamus as a revered film historian and academic; and Oppenheimer as Artistic Director of the Centre for Documentary and Experimental Film at the University of Westminster in London.
Schamus, a multi award-winning screenwriter, director and leading Us indie producer, is best known for his long creative collaboration with Taiwanese director Ang Lee. He has worked with Lee on nine films, including “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” (2000), which won four Academy Awards, including Best Foreign Language Film and Best Cinematography, and remains the highest-grossing non-English-language film in the Us. He was the screenwriter for Lee's “The Ice Storm”, for which he won the award for Best Screenplay at the Festival de Cannes in 1997 and co-wrote “Eat Drink Man Woman” (1994), the first of Lee’s films to achieve both critical and commercial success.
As a producer, Schamus co-founded the Us powerhouse production company Good Machine in the early 1990s, and then from 2002 to 2014 was CEO of Focus Features, the motion picture production, financing and worldwide distribution company whose films during his tenure included Wes Anderson's “Moonrise Kingdom” (2012), Michel Gondry's Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004), Roman Polanski's “The Pianist “(2002), Henry Selick's Coraline (2009) and Sofia Coppola’s “Lost in Translation” (2003).
In 2014, Schamus turned his hand to directing with the short documentary “That Film About Money” (2014), and in 2016 made his feature directorial debut with an adaptation of Philip Roth's “Indignation," which had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2016 and is screening at this year’s Berlin International Film Festival in the Panorama section.
Schamus is also Professor of Professional Practice at Columbia University’s School of the Arts, where he teaches film history and theory, and is the author of 'Carl Theodor Dreyer's Gertrud: The Moving Word', published by the University of Washington Press.
Elia Suleiman , the Artistic Advisor to Doha Film Institute, recalls how he and James grew up together in New York as long-time friends. James introduced him to the Chilean master filmmaker Raul Ruiz. Schamus helped him with his short film while at Good Machine. He helped edit the script and was his guardian angel helping with his first contract. They even had a code for “urgent”. When Elia was in Jerusalem and James in London they used the code whenever Elia was overwhelmed by the paperwork needed. James would answer within 15 minutes. Now James has come full circle on his own, from being one of the most important producers of the decade to directing his own film. When asked by Qumra what was most important, he said first time filmmakers were the most important. And he has always been able to spot the most talented of emerging filmmakers.
Two-time Academy Award nominee Joshua Oppenheimer’s debut feature-length film, “The Act of Killing” (2012) was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature Film, named Film of the Year by The Guardian and the Sight and Sound Film Poll, and won 72 international awards, including a European Film Award, a BAFTA, an Asia Pacific Screen Award, a Berlin International Film Festival Audience Award, and the Guardian Film Award for Best Film.
His second film, “The Look of Silence” (2014) had its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival, where it won five awards including the Grand Jury Prize, the Fipresci Prize and the Fedeora Prize. It was nominated for the 2016 Oscar for Best Documentary Film, and has received 66 international awards, including an International Documentary Association Award for Best Documentary, a Gotham Award for Best Documentary, and three Cinema Eye Honors for Nonfiction Filmmaking.
Oppenheimer is a partner at the Final Cut for Real production company in Copenhagen, and Artistic Director of the Centre for Documentary and Experimental Film at the University of Westminster, London.
Many of the industry guests include returnees as well as the new guests which count Bero Beyer, Rotterdam; Tine Fisher, Cph Dox; Christophe Le Parc, Director’s Fortnight, Cannes; Vincenzo Bugno, World Cinema Fund, Berlinale; Cameron Bailey, Tiff and Carlo Chatrian, Locarno here for their second time; Sundance for its first year; Matthijs Wouter Knol, European Film Market; Mike Goodridge, Protagonist; Memento Films, Arte; Michael Werner, Fortissimo; Alaa Karkouti, Mad Solutions and Selim El Azar, Gulf Films.
Also attending for the first time will be Netflix who picked up “Under the Shadow” an elevated horror/ thriller partially funded by the Doha Film Institute, Film Movement and the Ford Foundation.
Previous Qumra Masters include Mexican actor, director and producer Gael Garcia Bernal (“Amores Perros”; “No”; “Deficit”), Mauritanian director Abderrahmane Sissako (Timbuktu - nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the 2015 Academy Awards); Romanian auteur and Palme d’Or winner Cristian Mungiu (“4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days”; “Beyond the Hills”); and Bosnian writer/director Danis Tanović (“An Episode in the Life of an Iron Picker”; “Tigers”, “No Man’s Land” - winner of Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 2001).
- 2/24/2016
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
The film will be released in Japan in Q3 2016.
Hark & Company has acquired the Japanese rights to Chinese director Larry Yang’s Mountain Cry, which recently premiered as the closing film of the 20th Busan International Film Festival, with a theatrical release in Japan scheduled for the third quarter of 2016.
Based on a short novel set in an isolated mountain village in the mid-1980s, the film follows a mysterious mute widow who becomes increasingly attached to a fellow villager assigned to care for her and her children after the death of her husband. The cast features Lang Yueting and Wang Ziyi.
“This modest film from director Larry Yang has a very powerful moving story and a message that I am confident will resonate with our audiences in Japan. The two leads are very appealing with fresh faces and great acting talent,” said Satoru Iseki, director of Hark & Company, who is a long-time supporter of quality cinema...
Hark & Company has acquired the Japanese rights to Chinese director Larry Yang’s Mountain Cry, which recently premiered as the closing film of the 20th Busan International Film Festival, with a theatrical release in Japan scheduled for the third quarter of 2016.
Based on a short novel set in an isolated mountain village in the mid-1980s, the film follows a mysterious mute widow who becomes increasingly attached to a fellow villager assigned to care for her and her children after the death of her husband. The cast features Lang Yueting and Wang Ziyi.
“This modest film from director Larry Yang has a very powerful moving story and a message that I am confident will resonate with our audiences in Japan. The two leads are very appealing with fresh faces and great acting talent,” said Satoru Iseki, director of Hark & Company, who is a long-time supporter of quality cinema...
- 10/14/2015
- ScreenDaily
Once I Was A Dragonfly was selected from 10 works in progress presented to the festival’s jury.
Producer-director Elli Toivoniemi’s feature documentary debut Once I Was A Dragonfly received the Best Pitch Award at this year’s Finnish Film Affair (Sept 22-24) in Helsinki.
The new $3,400 (€3,000) award, which was sponsored by the Finnish Film Foundation for use in the film’s international marketing, was decided by a three-person jury made up of Fortissimo Films’ Berenice Fugard, Robert Burke of TenOne Entertainment and La-based critic Barbara Gasser.
Announcing the winner on Wednesday evening, Gasser said that it had been a “tough decision” to make the final choice from the 10 works in progress, but Toivoniemi’s film boasted “stunning visuals” and was “a story we could also relate to”.
The $224,000 (€200,000) Tuffi Films production centres on 24-year-old Miikka Friman’s lifelong fascination with dragonflies from the tender age of six and the decisions he must take as the obligations...
Producer-director Elli Toivoniemi’s feature documentary debut Once I Was A Dragonfly received the Best Pitch Award at this year’s Finnish Film Affair (Sept 22-24) in Helsinki.
The new $3,400 (€3,000) award, which was sponsored by the Finnish Film Foundation for use in the film’s international marketing, was decided by a three-person jury made up of Fortissimo Films’ Berenice Fugard, Robert Burke of TenOne Entertainment and La-based critic Barbara Gasser.
Announcing the winner on Wednesday evening, Gasser said that it had been a “tough decision” to make the final choice from the 10 works in progress, but Toivoniemi’s film boasted “stunning visuals” and was “a story we could also relate to”.
The $224,000 (€200,000) Tuffi Films production centres on 24-year-old Miikka Friman’s lifelong fascination with dragonflies from the tender age of six and the decisions he must take as the obligations...
- 9/24/2015
- by screen.berlin@googlemail.com (Martin Blaney)
- ScreenDaily
Edko Films has acquired all Hong Kong and Macau rights to Ray Yeung’s gay comedy drama Front Cover, with a Hong Kong theatrical release scheduled for the first quarter of 2016.
The English-language feature follows the unlikely friendship between an American gay fashion stylist who detests his Asian heritage (played by Jake Choi) and a famous actor from China (James Chen). It recently opened the Hong Kong Lesbian and Gay Film Festival (Sept 19-Oct 10).
“Ray is our local hero in Lgbt cinema. He is one of the founders of the Hklgff and also very much a pioneer in Hong Kong Lgbt cinema,” said Edko Films general manager of sales and acquisitions Esther Yeung, who negotiated the deal with Fortissimo Films’ chairman Michael Werner.
As previously announced, Fortissimo has sold North American rights to Strand Releasing, which aims for a multi-market theatrical release starting in New York City from early 2016.
The film will next screen at the Chicago...
The English-language feature follows the unlikely friendship between an American gay fashion stylist who detests his Asian heritage (played by Jake Choi) and a famous actor from China (James Chen). It recently opened the Hong Kong Lesbian and Gay Film Festival (Sept 19-Oct 10).
“Ray is our local hero in Lgbt cinema. He is one of the founders of the Hklgff and also very much a pioneer in Hong Kong Lgbt cinema,” said Edko Films general manager of sales and acquisitions Esther Yeung, who negotiated the deal with Fortissimo Films’ chairman Michael Werner.
As previously announced, Fortissimo has sold North American rights to Strand Releasing, which aims for a multi-market theatrical release starting in New York City from early 2016.
The film will next screen at the Chicago...
- 9/23/2015
- ScreenDaily
Fortissimo Films has acquired global rights to Larry Yang’s Mountain Cry, which will receive its world premiere as the closing film of this year’s Busan International Film Festival (Biff) on October 10.
The film is the first of an initial slate of five films to be produced jointly by Village Roadshow Pictures Asia (Vrpa) and China’s Hairun Pictures.
Set in a remote mountain village in the mid 1980s, it follows a mysterious young mute woman and her two children who upend the village’s tight-knit community structure. Lang Yueting (Office) and Wang Ziyi (Chongqing Blues) head the cast.
The film was produced by Vrpa CEO Ellen Eliasoph and Hairun vice president Victoria Hon with Yanming Liu and Greg Basser serving as executive producers.
Vrpa boarded the project after it won the prize for ‘Best Commercial Potential’ at last year’s Beijing International Film Festival ‘Pitch & Catch’ event.
Vrpa and Hairun will jointly release the film...
The film is the first of an initial slate of five films to be produced jointly by Village Roadshow Pictures Asia (Vrpa) and China’s Hairun Pictures.
Set in a remote mountain village in the mid 1980s, it follows a mysterious young mute woman and her two children who upend the village’s tight-knit community structure. Lang Yueting (Office) and Wang Ziyi (Chongqing Blues) head the cast.
The film was produced by Vrpa CEO Ellen Eliasoph and Hairun vice president Victoria Hon with Yanming Liu and Greg Basser serving as executive producers.
Vrpa boarded the project after it won the prize for ‘Best Commercial Potential’ at last year’s Beijing International Film Festival ‘Pitch & Catch’ event.
Vrpa and Hairun will jointly release the film...
- 8/26/2015
- by lizshackleton@gmail.com (Liz Shackleton)
- ScreenDaily
Fortissimo Films has acquired global rights to Larry Yang’s Mountain Cry, which will receive its world premiere as the closing film of this year’s Busan International Film Festival (Biff) on October 10.
The film is the first of an initial slate of five films to be produced jointly by Village Roadshow Pictures Asia (Vrpa) and China’s Hairun Pictures.
Set in a remote mountain village in the mid 1980s, it follows a mysterious young mute woman and her two children who upend the village’s tight-knit community structure. Lang Yueting (Office) and Wang Ziyi (Chongqing Blues) head the cast.
The film was produced by Vrpa CEO Ellen Eliasoph and Hairun vice president Victoria Hon with Yanming Liu and Greg Basser serving as executive producers. Vrpa boarded the project after it won the prize for ‘Best Commercial Potential’ at last year’s Beijing International Film Festival ‘Pitch & Catch’ event.
Vrpa and Hairun will jointly release the film...
The film is the first of an initial slate of five films to be produced jointly by Village Roadshow Pictures Asia (Vrpa) and China’s Hairun Pictures.
Set in a remote mountain village in the mid 1980s, it follows a mysterious young mute woman and her two children who upend the village’s tight-knit community structure. Lang Yueting (Office) and Wang Ziyi (Chongqing Blues) head the cast.
The film was produced by Vrpa CEO Ellen Eliasoph and Hairun vice president Victoria Hon with Yanming Liu and Greg Basser serving as executive producers. Vrpa boarded the project after it won the prize for ‘Best Commercial Potential’ at last year’s Beijing International Film Festival ‘Pitch & Catch’ event.
Vrpa and Hairun will jointly release the film...
- 8/26/2015
- by lizshackleton@gmail.com (Liz Shackleton)
- ScreenDaily
Fortissimo Films has acquired international rights to Canadian filmmaker Stephen Dunn’s directorial debut Closet Monster.
Currently in post-production, the English-language coming-of-age drama follows a creative and imaginative teenager who has spent years destabilised by his dysfunctional parents, unsure of his sexuality and haunted by horrific images of a childhood trauma.
Connor Jessup (Falling Skies, Blackbird) plays the teenager. The film also features a talking hamster voiced by Isabella Rossellini.
The film was produced by Rhombus Media (The Red Violin, Blindness) and Best Boy Entertainment with the participation of Telefilm Canada, Newfoundland & Labrador Film Development Corporation and The Harold Greenberg Fund and Rogers Telefund. Canadian distribution will be handled by Elevation Pictures.
Dunn’s short films have won awards at festivals including Toronto and Tribeca. In 2015, his short film series Pop-Up Porno created a sensation at Sundance.
The deal for international rights was finalised by Fortissimo Films’ chairman Michael J. Werner and producers Fraser Ash and Kevin Krikst...
Currently in post-production, the English-language coming-of-age drama follows a creative and imaginative teenager who has spent years destabilised by his dysfunctional parents, unsure of his sexuality and haunted by horrific images of a childhood trauma.
Connor Jessup (Falling Skies, Blackbird) plays the teenager. The film also features a talking hamster voiced by Isabella Rossellini.
The film was produced by Rhombus Media (The Red Violin, Blindness) and Best Boy Entertainment with the participation of Telefilm Canada, Newfoundland & Labrador Film Development Corporation and The Harold Greenberg Fund and Rogers Telefund. Canadian distribution will be handled by Elevation Pictures.
Dunn’s short films have won awards at festivals including Toronto and Tribeca. In 2015, his short film series Pop-Up Porno created a sensation at Sundance.
The deal for international rights was finalised by Fortissimo Films’ chairman Michael J. Werner and producers Fraser Ash and Kevin Krikst...
- 5/12/2015
- by lizshackleton@gmail.com (Liz Shackleton)
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Fortissimo Films chairman Michael Werner said on Friday (January 30) the company had bulked up its Efm war chest with international rights to Chloé Zhao’s recent Sundance premiere.
Songs My Brothers Taught Me debuted to high acclaim in Park City earlier this week in the Us Dramatic Competition section and stars non-professional leads John Reddy and Jashaun St John.
Beijing-born Zhao directed from her own screenplay about a teenager and his younger sister on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation who find themselves on separate paths to rediscover the meaning of home.
Significant Productions’ Forest Whitaker and Nina Yang Bongiovi hold North American rights to Songs My Brothers Taught Me and produced along with Zhao, Mollye Asher and Angela C Lee.
Fortissimo svp of acquisitions Berenice Fugard negotiated the deal with Bongiovi and the company is already understood to be fielding offers.
The new arrival joins a Berlin sales slate that includes festival selections Breathe Umphefumlo and Sergio...
Songs My Brothers Taught Me debuted to high acclaim in Park City earlier this week in the Us Dramatic Competition section and stars non-professional leads John Reddy and Jashaun St John.
Beijing-born Zhao directed from her own screenplay about a teenager and his younger sister on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation who find themselves on separate paths to rediscover the meaning of home.
Significant Productions’ Forest Whitaker and Nina Yang Bongiovi hold North American rights to Songs My Brothers Taught Me and produced along with Zhao, Mollye Asher and Angela C Lee.
Fortissimo svp of acquisitions Berenice Fugard negotiated the deal with Bongiovi and the company is already understood to be fielding offers.
The new arrival joins a Berlin sales slate that includes festival selections Breathe Umphefumlo and Sergio...
- 1/30/2015
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Palm Springs International Film Festival is the most accommodating to the industry, the easiest to get around with a frequent shuttle, the easiest to see great films, the best environment, the best audiences (all the shows are sold out) of festivals.
However, it is strange being surrounded by old people who are all my age. My prejudices against “old people” remains the same as when I considered them to be a part of my mother’s generation. However, some of these “old people” know so much more about the films, and their educated way of making choices of what to see are so much better than mine. I thought I knew everything...what a laugh. They know every director, all their past films, and they painstakingly plan with handwritten schedules and lots of discussion which films they will see.
I have been coming to the festival, almost “dropping in” on it since it is a mere 2 hour drive from L.A. for many years and everyone is always so helpful. It is totally familiar to me; it’s leisurely, very few restaurants (if any) are really great, there is a certain tackiness to the shops And there are always new film adventures and new folks to see.
This year I was happily hanging out the first weekend with Nancy Gerstman from Zeitgeist, and on the second weekend with Fortissimo’s Michael Werner and Tom Davia whose new company CineMaven (www.Cinemaven.com) sounds like a great company for festivals, filmmakers and companies needing acquisition help. We had a great dinner at Spencer’s where the Awards Luncheon was held.
On the recommendation of Mattijs Wouter Knol, the new head of the European Film Market at Berlin – on Facebook as he is now preparing the Efm and was not here – I watched “Clouds of Sils Maria” by Olivier Assayas. Opinions on this film as with most films by Assayas, vary, but mine is that this languid study on acting and real life and how aging and death fit into the mix was a major treat. Like Polanski’s “Venus in Fur”, the alternating currents of acting and real life flow electrically with shocks and illumination included. Rather than aging, let’s call ourselves “ageless” and have an end to confusion about the inevitable life processes.
Like “Winters Sleep," another of my favorite “intellectual cinema” choices, in “Sils Maria”, the interior processes of the protagonists are revealed only in the unfolding of the story.
Kirsten Stewart played an amazing role as the actress’s young assistant in this deeply felt, intellectually worked out study of aging vs. ageless.
By biting off what seems like more than she can chew in consenting to play opposite the great Juliette Binoche who is at the height of her career, a young Hollywood starlet with a penchant for scandal (Chloë Grace Moretz) gives Juliette Binoche the resolution to the unhappiness that has been nagging at her throughout the film.
Maria Enders is asked to perform in a revival of the play that made her famous twenty years earlier. But back then, she played the role of Sigrid, an alluring young girl who disarms and eventually drives her boss Helena to suicide. Now she is being asked to step into the other role, that of the older Helena. She doesn’t want to play this role but is coaxed by circumstances into playing it and when she discusses it with the young actress who blithely tells her it’s time to move on, she becomes the Eve of “All About Eve” and Juliette “gets” it.
Cinematography is by Yorick Le Saux (“Only Lovers Left Alive," “Potiche," “Carlos”). IFC has North American rights.
Moving on, I can’t wait to see Juliette Binoche in her next role, the Opening Night film of the Berlinale, Isabel Croixet's “Nobody Wants the Night ”. The film co-stars Oscar nominee Rinko Kikuchi (“Babel”) and Gabriel Byrne (as explorer Robert Peary) and takes place in 1908 in the Arctic and Greenland. (Isa: Elle Driver
The other film I saw that first weekend was “Dancing Arabs” (Isa: The Match Factory) by Eran Riklis who was there to discuss the film as well. He had been a soldier in Israel’s worst war. He witnessed Sadat making peace with Israel. However, when Perez was assassinated, he saw Israel declining into a violent nation as peace became more and more elusive.
Dancing Arabs is a very popular novel in Israel. It is an odd title for this film, but it derives from a saying, “you can't dance at two weddings at the same time”. The film is also loosely based on another novel...Second Person Singular. But after filming a while, the characters took on lives of their own and the novels were more or less forgotten in the process of making the movie.
Lots of questions are left open in this film because there are no answers. In a way, the film is experimental. It opens as a charming family film, but changes and actually becomes almost morbid. People however do change, and the young “genius” living in a small Arab town in Israel/ Palestine becomes a mature man living in Berlin at the end of the story.
This is the first film of the male lead, Tawfeek Barhom. Who plays Eyad. While casting, Riklis said that the young actor told him he had known him since he was ten when he saw him making the movie “The Syrian Bride” in his village. He went to set every day for three weeks, and he knew he wanted to be an actor. On screen he is playing himself, and a lot of the story was true...he lived too long with the Jews, his Arab was no longer good. This he said at a screening held in the north of Israel to an audience of mostly Arabs who do not go to many movies, but were invited by Israel to see the film.
In the film he gives up his education for love of girl and she gives up her love for him for the love of her country. This is how minority relationships often turn out.
Eyad’s father’s reaction to the relationship of his university student son with an Israeli Jewish student is unexpected, but he too is buried by tradition whereas the mother with her small smile gives a ray of hope.
The scriptwriter-novelist, Sayed Kashua is brilliant, and this is a part of his real life. Kashua and Riklis have a love-hate relationship: when Kashua, who based the novel on his own life, saw the fine cut...he fainted. His wife said, “What are you complaining about, did your mother look like that?”
Sayed said complained that his own kids don't speak Arabic anymore, and so he took a sabbatical and is now in Champaign-Urbana at the University of Illinois.
The audience in Israel, judging by the 20 to 30 Facebook comments, they get daily consists of 20% Arabs which is great because they don't normally go to movies. Even a right wing Israeli said he liked the movie. The goes beyond right and left.
It is not a blockbuster, but it doing well. The word “Arab” might keep some people away.
On the second weekend I went to see “Salt of the Earth” (Isa: Ndm), now nominated for Best Feature Documentary at the Academy Awards, and “Packed in a Trunk: The Lost Art of Edith Lake Wilkinson” by her grandniece Michelle Boyaner.
Sebastião Salgado’s photographs are linked by his son and director Wim Wenders to his life. With his own voice and that of his son, Juliano, they discover the undiscovered in photography and in their own lives.
“Packed in a Trunk: The Lost Art of Edith Lake Wilkinson” is the story of artist Edith Lake Wilkinson, committed to an asylum in 1925 and never heard from again. All her worldly possessions were packed into trunks and shipped to a relative in West Virginia where they sat in an attic for 40 years. Edith's great-niece, Emmy Award winning writer and director Jane Anderson, grew up surrounded by Edith's paintings, thanks to her mother who had gone poking through that dusty attic and rescued Edith's work. The film follows Jane in her decades-long journey to find the answers to the mystery of Edith's buried life, return the work to Provincetown and have Edith's contributions recognized by the larger art world.
Read More: Sydney Levine on "Finding Vivian Maier"
In many ways this is similar to “Finding Vivian Maier," which also nominated for an Oscar in the Best Feature Documentary category, in that both recover long lost and never acknowledged art which is astoundingly good art. This one goes further into the lesbian relationships of artists Edith and Jane and takes another unexpected step into the psychic world of a medium who actually solves the mystery of why Edith was committed and then forgotten. This is a must-see for art lovers and would make a great fiction film as well.
Another notable aspect of Psiff that is how, just before the Awards begin for Golden Globe and for the Academy, all the big name stars are here for two awards events. One, the opening night gala raises millions for the festival. The other, Variety’s 10 Directors to Watch brunch, brings more stars and that funny speech by Chris Rock (See Video Here).
Read More: Dir. Andrey Zvyagintsev on his Oscar-Nominated "Leviathan"
Also remarkable is that, aside from the above Awards and then the final festival awards bestowed, the Golden Globes mirrored the Palm Springs Fest’s awards:
Actress in a drama: Julianne Moore, “Still Alice” (Isa: Memento) won Psiff’s Achievement Award
Actor in a drama: Eddie Redmayne, “The Theory of Everything” (Uip) also received the Psiff Desert Palm Achievement Award.
Supporting actor, drama: J.K. Simmons, “Whiplash” (Isa: Sierra/ Affinity) received the Psiff Spotlight Award.
Director Richard Linklater, “Boyhood” (Uip/ Paramount) received the Sonny Bono Visionary Award.
Foreign Language Film: "Leviathan” (Isa: Pyramide) received the PSiFF Best Foreign Language Film.
Screenplay: Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, Nicolas Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris, Armando Bo, “Birdman” (Fox Searchlight), Inarritu received Psiff Director of the Year Award which was bestowed by “Birdman” star Michael Keaton. And the Golden Globe Award for Actor, musical or comedy, went to Michael Keaton for “Birdman”...
However, it is strange being surrounded by old people who are all my age. My prejudices against “old people” remains the same as when I considered them to be a part of my mother’s generation. However, some of these “old people” know so much more about the films, and their educated way of making choices of what to see are so much better than mine. I thought I knew everything...what a laugh. They know every director, all their past films, and they painstakingly plan with handwritten schedules and lots of discussion which films they will see.
I have been coming to the festival, almost “dropping in” on it since it is a mere 2 hour drive from L.A. for many years and everyone is always so helpful. It is totally familiar to me; it’s leisurely, very few restaurants (if any) are really great, there is a certain tackiness to the shops And there are always new film adventures and new folks to see.
This year I was happily hanging out the first weekend with Nancy Gerstman from Zeitgeist, and on the second weekend with Fortissimo’s Michael Werner and Tom Davia whose new company CineMaven (www.Cinemaven.com) sounds like a great company for festivals, filmmakers and companies needing acquisition help. We had a great dinner at Spencer’s where the Awards Luncheon was held.
On the recommendation of Mattijs Wouter Knol, the new head of the European Film Market at Berlin – on Facebook as he is now preparing the Efm and was not here – I watched “Clouds of Sils Maria” by Olivier Assayas. Opinions on this film as with most films by Assayas, vary, but mine is that this languid study on acting and real life and how aging and death fit into the mix was a major treat. Like Polanski’s “Venus in Fur”, the alternating currents of acting and real life flow electrically with shocks and illumination included. Rather than aging, let’s call ourselves “ageless” and have an end to confusion about the inevitable life processes.
Like “Winters Sleep," another of my favorite “intellectual cinema” choices, in “Sils Maria”, the interior processes of the protagonists are revealed only in the unfolding of the story.
Kirsten Stewart played an amazing role as the actress’s young assistant in this deeply felt, intellectually worked out study of aging vs. ageless.
By biting off what seems like more than she can chew in consenting to play opposite the great Juliette Binoche who is at the height of her career, a young Hollywood starlet with a penchant for scandal (Chloë Grace Moretz) gives Juliette Binoche the resolution to the unhappiness that has been nagging at her throughout the film.
Maria Enders is asked to perform in a revival of the play that made her famous twenty years earlier. But back then, she played the role of Sigrid, an alluring young girl who disarms and eventually drives her boss Helena to suicide. Now she is being asked to step into the other role, that of the older Helena. She doesn’t want to play this role but is coaxed by circumstances into playing it and when she discusses it with the young actress who blithely tells her it’s time to move on, she becomes the Eve of “All About Eve” and Juliette “gets” it.
Cinematography is by Yorick Le Saux (“Only Lovers Left Alive," “Potiche," “Carlos”). IFC has North American rights.
Moving on, I can’t wait to see Juliette Binoche in her next role, the Opening Night film of the Berlinale, Isabel Croixet's “Nobody Wants the Night ”. The film co-stars Oscar nominee Rinko Kikuchi (“Babel”) and Gabriel Byrne (as explorer Robert Peary) and takes place in 1908 in the Arctic and Greenland. (Isa: Elle Driver
The other film I saw that first weekend was “Dancing Arabs” (Isa: The Match Factory) by Eran Riklis who was there to discuss the film as well. He had been a soldier in Israel’s worst war. He witnessed Sadat making peace with Israel. However, when Perez was assassinated, he saw Israel declining into a violent nation as peace became more and more elusive.
Dancing Arabs is a very popular novel in Israel. It is an odd title for this film, but it derives from a saying, “you can't dance at two weddings at the same time”. The film is also loosely based on another novel...Second Person Singular. But after filming a while, the characters took on lives of their own and the novels were more or less forgotten in the process of making the movie.
Lots of questions are left open in this film because there are no answers. In a way, the film is experimental. It opens as a charming family film, but changes and actually becomes almost morbid. People however do change, and the young “genius” living in a small Arab town in Israel/ Palestine becomes a mature man living in Berlin at the end of the story.
This is the first film of the male lead, Tawfeek Barhom. Who plays Eyad. While casting, Riklis said that the young actor told him he had known him since he was ten when he saw him making the movie “The Syrian Bride” in his village. He went to set every day for three weeks, and he knew he wanted to be an actor. On screen he is playing himself, and a lot of the story was true...he lived too long with the Jews, his Arab was no longer good. This he said at a screening held in the north of Israel to an audience of mostly Arabs who do not go to many movies, but were invited by Israel to see the film.
In the film he gives up his education for love of girl and she gives up her love for him for the love of her country. This is how minority relationships often turn out.
Eyad’s father’s reaction to the relationship of his university student son with an Israeli Jewish student is unexpected, but he too is buried by tradition whereas the mother with her small smile gives a ray of hope.
The scriptwriter-novelist, Sayed Kashua is brilliant, and this is a part of his real life. Kashua and Riklis have a love-hate relationship: when Kashua, who based the novel on his own life, saw the fine cut...he fainted. His wife said, “What are you complaining about, did your mother look like that?”
Sayed said complained that his own kids don't speak Arabic anymore, and so he took a sabbatical and is now in Champaign-Urbana at the University of Illinois.
The audience in Israel, judging by the 20 to 30 Facebook comments, they get daily consists of 20% Arabs which is great because they don't normally go to movies. Even a right wing Israeli said he liked the movie. The goes beyond right and left.
It is not a blockbuster, but it doing well. The word “Arab” might keep some people away.
On the second weekend I went to see “Salt of the Earth” (Isa: Ndm), now nominated for Best Feature Documentary at the Academy Awards, and “Packed in a Trunk: The Lost Art of Edith Lake Wilkinson” by her grandniece Michelle Boyaner.
Sebastião Salgado’s photographs are linked by his son and director Wim Wenders to his life. With his own voice and that of his son, Juliano, they discover the undiscovered in photography and in their own lives.
“Packed in a Trunk: The Lost Art of Edith Lake Wilkinson” is the story of artist Edith Lake Wilkinson, committed to an asylum in 1925 and never heard from again. All her worldly possessions were packed into trunks and shipped to a relative in West Virginia where they sat in an attic for 40 years. Edith's great-niece, Emmy Award winning writer and director Jane Anderson, grew up surrounded by Edith's paintings, thanks to her mother who had gone poking through that dusty attic and rescued Edith's work. The film follows Jane in her decades-long journey to find the answers to the mystery of Edith's buried life, return the work to Provincetown and have Edith's contributions recognized by the larger art world.
Read More: Sydney Levine on "Finding Vivian Maier"
In many ways this is similar to “Finding Vivian Maier," which also nominated for an Oscar in the Best Feature Documentary category, in that both recover long lost and never acknowledged art which is astoundingly good art. This one goes further into the lesbian relationships of artists Edith and Jane and takes another unexpected step into the psychic world of a medium who actually solves the mystery of why Edith was committed and then forgotten. This is a must-see for art lovers and would make a great fiction film as well.
Another notable aspect of Psiff that is how, just before the Awards begin for Golden Globe and for the Academy, all the big name stars are here for two awards events. One, the opening night gala raises millions for the festival. The other, Variety’s 10 Directors to Watch brunch, brings more stars and that funny speech by Chris Rock (See Video Here).
Read More: Dir. Andrey Zvyagintsev on his Oscar-Nominated "Leviathan"
Also remarkable is that, aside from the above Awards and then the final festival awards bestowed, the Golden Globes mirrored the Palm Springs Fest’s awards:
Actress in a drama: Julianne Moore, “Still Alice” (Isa: Memento) won Psiff’s Achievement Award
Actor in a drama: Eddie Redmayne, “The Theory of Everything” (Uip) also received the Psiff Desert Palm Achievement Award.
Supporting actor, drama: J.K. Simmons, “Whiplash” (Isa: Sierra/ Affinity) received the Psiff Spotlight Award.
Director Richard Linklater, “Boyhood” (Uip/ Paramount) received the Sonny Bono Visionary Award.
Foreign Language Film: "Leviathan” (Isa: Pyramide) received the PSiFF Best Foreign Language Film.
Screenplay: Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, Nicolas Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris, Armando Bo, “Birdman” (Fox Searchlight), Inarritu received Psiff Director of the Year Award which was bestowed by “Birdman” star Michael Keaton. And the Golden Globe Award for Actor, musical or comedy, went to Michael Keaton for “Birdman”...
- 1/17/2015
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
StudioCanal’s former head of acquisitions appointed senior vice president of acquisitions at Fortissimo with immediate effect.
Berenice Fugard has been appointed senior vice president of acquisitions at Fortissimo Films, following over a year of Fugard delivering external consultancy services to the company.
Formerly head of acquisitions at StudioCanal, acquiring the likes of Searching for Sugar Man, Rush and The Place Beyond the Pines, Fugard has also worked at Portobello Pictures, Pathe Distribution Ltd and Paramount Vantage.
Fortissimo’s Michael Werner commented: “Berenice has a long history of being involved with quality cinema that has resulted in so many commercial and artistic hits. Our collaboration with her over the past year has been great and we are thrilled that she is joining us full time to oversee and head-up our acquisition activities.”
“Fortissimo’s dedication to high-calibre cinema is consistently impressive. I’m very happy to join them on their quest to bring exciting projects to global...
Berenice Fugard has been appointed senior vice president of acquisitions at Fortissimo Films, following over a year of Fugard delivering external consultancy services to the company.
Formerly head of acquisitions at StudioCanal, acquiring the likes of Searching for Sugar Man, Rush and The Place Beyond the Pines, Fugard has also worked at Portobello Pictures, Pathe Distribution Ltd and Paramount Vantage.
Fortissimo’s Michael Werner commented: “Berenice has a long history of being involved with quality cinema that has resulted in so many commercial and artistic hits. Our collaboration with her over the past year has been great and we are thrilled that she is joining us full time to oversee and head-up our acquisition activities.”
“Fortissimo’s dedication to high-calibre cinema is consistently impressive. I’m very happy to join them on their quest to bring exciting projects to global...
- 11/3/2014
- by ian.sandwell@screendaily.com (Ian Sandwell)
- ScreenDaily
Fortissimo Films has announced that Winnie Lau is leaving after 13 years with the company to join a leading production house in a senior capacity.
Lau served in a variety of roles at Fortissimo in Amsterdam, Hong Kong, New York and most recently Beijing. Her new appointment will be announced in the next few days.
Fortissimo Films chairman Michael J. Werner said: “Winnie has been a member of this special Fortissimo family for such a long time and we will all dearly miss her yet we are proud and thrilled for her that this unique opportunity has presented itself for her to work with an award-winning director and producer in order to pursue a new phase in her career.”
Lau said: “Fortissimo is such a fantastic place for me to have come of age in the industry. I had a great time and a great many years there and worked for and with some incredibly passionate and dedicated...
Lau served in a variety of roles at Fortissimo in Amsterdam, Hong Kong, New York and most recently Beijing. Her new appointment will be announced in the next few days.
Fortissimo Films chairman Michael J. Werner said: “Winnie has been a member of this special Fortissimo family for such a long time and we will all dearly miss her yet we are proud and thrilled for her that this unique opportunity has presented itself for her to work with an award-winning director and producer in order to pursue a new phase in her career.”
Lau said: “Fortissimo is such a fantastic place for me to have come of age in the industry. I had a great time and a great many years there and worked for and with some incredibly passionate and dedicated...
- 9/17/2014
- by lizshackleton@gmail.com (Liz Shackleton)
- ScreenDaily
Toronto top brass have unveiled details of the Asia Film Summit, Moguls panel and Doc Conference.
Asia Film Summit
The third annual Asia Film Summit is set for September 9 at the Shangri-La Hotel and features Legendary East CEO Peter Loehr, The Raid franchise director Gareth Evans, directors Andrew Lau and Wang Xiaoshuai, UniJapan’s Kenta Fudesaka and senior vp of Cj Entertainment Kini Kim.
The programme includes a headline conversation between Loehr and Toronto International Film Festival (Tiff) artistic director Cameron Bailey and a conversation on Asian art-house and vanguard cinema with Xiaoshuai, Evans, Xyz Films partner Nate Bolotin and Chinese Shadows’ Isabelle Glachant.
This year’s Case Study will profile Revenge Of The Green Dragons, the Tiff world premiere screening directed by Lau, who will be joined on stage by co-director and writer Andrew Loo and one of the film’s stars, Justin Chon.
A panel on global storytelling will feature Canadian director Richie Mehta, Well...
Asia Film Summit
The third annual Asia Film Summit is set for September 9 at the Shangri-La Hotel and features Legendary East CEO Peter Loehr, The Raid franchise director Gareth Evans, directors Andrew Lau and Wang Xiaoshuai, UniJapan’s Kenta Fudesaka and senior vp of Cj Entertainment Kini Kim.
The programme includes a headline conversation between Loehr and Toronto International Film Festival (Tiff) artistic director Cameron Bailey and a conversation on Asian art-house and vanguard cinema with Xiaoshuai, Evans, Xyz Films partner Nate Bolotin and Chinese Shadows’ Isabelle Glachant.
This year’s Case Study will profile Revenge Of The Green Dragons, the Tiff world premiere screening directed by Lau, who will be joined on stage by co-director and writer Andrew Loo and one of the film’s stars, Justin Chon.
A panel on global storytelling will feature Canadian director Richie Mehta, Well...
- 8/14/2014
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
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