Catalan films routinely punch above their weight at high-profile international festivals: Think 2022 Berlin Golden Bear winner “Alcarràs.” That trend looks primed to continue in 2024.
Catalan auteur Albert Serra will debut “Afternoons of Solitude,” co-produced by Catalan companies Andergraun Films and Lacima, with Ideale Audience and Tardes de Soledad.
A fall fest bet, “They Will Be Dust,” from Carlos Marqués- Marcet, is produced by Catalonia’s Lastor Media alongside Chile’s Alina Film and Kino Produzioni in Italy.
Few regions boast a lineup of female filmmakers as impressive as Catalonia. This year, new films from Goya Award winners Pilar Palomero (“Glimmers”) and Belén Funes (“The Turtles”) are strong contenders for festival recognition.
With the backing of Catalonia’s Minority Co-Production Fund, four international co-prods are poised to make a significant impact on this year’s festival circuit. Keep an eye out for Javier Rebollo’s “Close to the Sultan”, Calia Atan...
Catalan auteur Albert Serra will debut “Afternoons of Solitude,” co-produced by Catalan companies Andergraun Films and Lacima, with Ideale Audience and Tardes de Soledad.
A fall fest bet, “They Will Be Dust,” from Carlos Marqués- Marcet, is produced by Catalonia’s Lastor Media alongside Chile’s Alina Film and Kino Produzioni in Italy.
Few regions boast a lineup of female filmmakers as impressive as Catalonia. This year, new films from Goya Award winners Pilar Palomero (“Glimmers”) and Belén Funes (“The Turtles”) are strong contenders for festival recognition.
With the backing of Catalonia’s Minority Co-Production Fund, four international co-prods are poised to make a significant impact on this year’s festival circuit. Keep an eye out for Javier Rebollo’s “Close to the Sultan”, Calia Atan...
- 5/14/2024
- by Jamie Lang
- Variety Film + TV
When in 2020 the U.S. decided to withdraw their troops from Afghanistan, the country as well as the whole region delved into a period of uncertainty. Fearing the Taliban would again take hold of the political and cultural life, many thought a time defined by violence, repression and inequality would start again. Women in Afghanistan feared for the worst, especially when the peace talks were announced and it was rumored they would be left out, which confirmed their belief. However, in the final commission, consisting of 21 members, four women were ultimately nominated, a heavy responsibility, as their decision would define the country they live in for future generations. In her documentary “The Sharp Edge of Peace”, director Roya Sadat takes a look at these four women, their background and the challenges they had to face once nominated as peace delegates in Afghanistan.
Like many of her colleagues, Sadat was forced...
Like many of her colleagues, Sadat was forced...
- 5/10/2024
- by Rouven Linnarz
- AsianMoviePulse
The impact of the Israel-Hamas war covered extensively by the world media and saturating social media platforms has Middle Eastern directors and their films suddenly in the spotlight on the international film festival circuit.
At Hot Docs, Canada’s largest documentary festival that kicks into gear this weekend, Palestinian filmmaker Mohamed Jabaly has brought his documentary Life is Beautiful to Toronto for a North American premiere. The film follows his exile to Norway caused by an earlier 2014 regional conflict and thwarted efforts to get back to his family in Gaza.
“The film has unfortunately become more relevant to what’s going on these days. I was hoping to release the film in a more peaceful situation,” Jabaly tells The Hollywood Reporter. The irony is his documentary debuted at the IDFA Festival in Amsterdam in November 2023, soon after the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attacks in southern Israel sparked a wider Israel-Gaza conflict...
At Hot Docs, Canada’s largest documentary festival that kicks into gear this weekend, Palestinian filmmaker Mohamed Jabaly has brought his documentary Life is Beautiful to Toronto for a North American premiere. The film follows his exile to Norway caused by an earlier 2014 regional conflict and thwarted efforts to get back to his family in Gaza.
“The film has unfortunately become more relevant to what’s going on these days. I was hoping to release the film in a more peaceful situation,” Jabaly tells The Hollywood Reporter. The irony is his documentary debuted at the IDFA Festival in Amsterdam in November 2023, soon after the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attacks in southern Israel sparked a wider Israel-Gaza conflict...
- 4/26/2024
- by Etan Vlessing
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Eminent Afghanistan filmmaker Roya Sadat had quite the journey while filming “The Sharp Edge of Peace,” which has its world premiere at Hot Docs.
The film follows four women leaders, Fatima Gailani, Fawzia Koofi, Habiba Sarabi and Sharifa Zumati, who risk their lives and receive death threats, as they find a way to sit at the negotiating table with the Taliban to ensure justice for women.
Sadat, whose “A Letter to the President” was Afghanistan’s contender in Oscar’s international category in 2017, was a teenage schoolgirl when the Taliban returned to power for the first time this century, a period she describes as a “terrifying nightmare of five dark and hopeless years.”
“The women of Afghanistan have an unwritten history of struggle. There’s no mention of their names in the pages of political history; this lost history has been standing up for its rights for years. And this time,...
The film follows four women leaders, Fatima Gailani, Fawzia Koofi, Habiba Sarabi and Sharifa Zumati, who risk their lives and receive death threats, as they find a way to sit at the negotiating table with the Taliban to ensure justice for women.
Sadat, whose “A Letter to the President” was Afghanistan’s contender in Oscar’s international category in 2017, was a teenage schoolgirl when the Taliban returned to power for the first time this century, a period she describes as a “terrifying nightmare of five dark and hopeless years.”
“The women of Afghanistan have an unwritten history of struggle. There’s no mention of their names in the pages of political history; this lost history has been standing up for its rights for years. And this time,...
- 4/25/2024
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Hot Docs is billed as North America’s largest documentary festival, conference and market and this year is offering up 168 films for its 31st edition running April 25-May 5 in Toronto.
It is opening with the international premiere of Luther: Never Too Much about R&b singer-songwriter and producer Luther Vandross.
Among the festival’s 51 world premieres this year are special presentations of Red Fever from Cree filmmaker Neil Diamond and Catherine Bainbridge, and The Ride Ahead from Samuel and Dan Habib.
The international competition includes the world premiere of Farming The Revolution from India and the international premiere of Ukrainian Sundance prize-winner Porcelain War.
It is opening with the international premiere of Luther: Never Too Much about R&b singer-songwriter and producer Luther Vandross.
Among the festival’s 51 world premieres this year are special presentations of Red Fever from Cree filmmaker Neil Diamond and Catherine Bainbridge, and The Ride Ahead from Samuel and Dan Habib.
The international competition includes the world premiere of Farming The Revolution from India and the international premiere of Ukrainian Sundance prize-winner Porcelain War.
- 4/25/2024
- ScreenDaily
Billed as North America’s largest documentary festival, conference and market, Hot Docs offers up 168 films for its 31st edition running April 25-May 5 in Toronto, opening with the international premiere of Luther: Never Too Much about R&b singer-songwriter and producer Luther Vandross.
Among the festival’s 51 world premieres this year are special presentations of Red Fever from Cree filmmaker Neil Diamond and Catherine Bainbridge, and The Ride Ahead from Samuel and Dan Habib.
The international competition includes the world premiere of Farming The Revolution from India and the international premiere of Ukrainian Sundance prize-winner Porcelain War.
This year’s Made In section highlights Spain,...
Among the festival’s 51 world premieres this year are special presentations of Red Fever from Cree filmmaker Neil Diamond and Catherine Bainbridge, and The Ride Ahead from Samuel and Dan Habib.
The international competition includes the world premiere of Farming The Revolution from India and the international premiere of Ukrainian Sundance prize-winner Porcelain War.
This year’s Made In section highlights Spain,...
- 4/25/2024
- ScreenDaily
Outside its Market, of the eleven Spanish films elected for this year’s Berlin Film Festival, five have Catalan involvement, a testament to the significant investment and creative nurturing that occurs there. Below are those five and market highlights:
“Cura Sana” (Lucía G. Romero)
Produced by Escac Films, a Generation 14plus short delving into sisters’ lives shaped by ancestral violence, exploring deep familial bonds and the lasting impact of abuse.
“The Human Hibernation” (Anna Cornudella)
A sci-fi exploration of siblings undergoing hibernation, with only the sister awakening, blurring the lines between human and animal. A narrative of survival and awakening by Catalunya’s Joponica Films and Valladolid’s Batiak Films.
“Memories Of A Burning Body,” (Antonella Sudasassi Furniss)
A Berlin Panorama player, unraveling the repressed dimensions of womanhood, produced by Playlab Films and Costa Rica’s Substance Films. Sales: Bendita Film Sales.
“Reinas,” (Klaudia Reynicke)
In 1992 Lima, Lucia, Aurora, and...
“Cura Sana” (Lucía G. Romero)
Produced by Escac Films, a Generation 14plus short delving into sisters’ lives shaped by ancestral violence, exploring deep familial bonds and the lasting impact of abuse.
“The Human Hibernation” (Anna Cornudella)
A sci-fi exploration of siblings undergoing hibernation, with only the sister awakening, blurring the lines between human and animal. A narrative of survival and awakening by Catalunya’s Joponica Films and Valladolid’s Batiak Films.
“Memories Of A Burning Body,” (Antonella Sudasassi Furniss)
A Berlin Panorama player, unraveling the repressed dimensions of womanhood, produced by Playlab Films and Costa Rica’s Substance Films. Sales: Bendita Film Sales.
“Reinas,” (Klaudia Reynicke)
In 1992 Lima, Lucia, Aurora, and...
- 2/15/2024
- by Callum McLennan
- Variety Film + TV
Pluto Film has expanded its lineup ahead of this year’s EFM in Berlin with Generation 14plus screener “Huling Palabas.”
The Berlin-based sales company has also acquired the historical drama “Sima’s Song” by award-winning Afghan director Roya Sadat; Mehmet Akif Büyükatalay’s timely and suspenseful German social drama “Hysteria”; and Luxembourgish helmer Eric Lamhène’s “Breathing Underwater,” which explores violence against women.
Ryan Espinosa Machado’s Philippine coming-of-age drama “Huling Palabas,” described by Pluto Film CEO Daniela Cölle as “a charming LGBTQ debut,” follows a 16-year-old boy in 2001 who, while searching for his father in the most unlikely of places, becomes mystified by two movie-like characters who appear in his small town.
“Huling Palabas” is produced by the Philippines’ Tilt Studios, Terminal Six, Waf Studios and Studio Pulo.
“Sima’s Song”
“Sima’s Song” stars Mozhdah Jamalzadah and Niloufar Koukhani as Suraya and Sima, lifelong friends whose lives take...
The Berlin-based sales company has also acquired the historical drama “Sima’s Song” by award-winning Afghan director Roya Sadat; Mehmet Akif Büyükatalay’s timely and suspenseful German social drama “Hysteria”; and Luxembourgish helmer Eric Lamhène’s “Breathing Underwater,” which explores violence against women.
Ryan Espinosa Machado’s Philippine coming-of-age drama “Huling Palabas,” described by Pluto Film CEO Daniela Cölle as “a charming LGBTQ debut,” follows a 16-year-old boy in 2001 who, while searching for his father in the most unlikely of places, becomes mystified by two movie-like characters who appear in his small town.
“Huling Palabas” is produced by the Philippines’ Tilt Studios, Terminal Six, Waf Studios and Studio Pulo.
“Sima’s Song”
“Sima’s Song” stars Mozhdah Jamalzadah and Niloufar Koukhani as Suraya and Sima, lifelong friends whose lives take...
- 2/2/2024
- by Ed Meza
- Variety Film + TV
“A Hunt for Hedgehogs,” the new film by Hungarian director Mihály Schwechtje and “Rock Bottom,” the feature debut of Spaniard María Trénor mark two potential highlights of San Sebastian’s pix-in-post sidebar Wip Europa, that runs Sept 25-27.
In 2020, the San Sebastian Film Festival, the highest-profile film event in the Spanish-speaking world, launched two new pix-in-post showcases, Wip Latam and Wip Europa, replacing respectively Films in Progress and Glocal in Progress sidebars.
The five candidates productions that will vie for the Wip Europa Award are from Germany, Hungary, Spain and Turkey. Among them is “A Hunt for Hedgehogs,” the second feature from Schwechtje who debuted with “I Hope You’ll Die Next Time:-),” winner of best film in the youth strand at Tallinn Black Nights in 2018. He has also directed several episodes of the popular HBO Hungary series “In Treatment.”
“Rock Bottom,” an animated feature using a rotoscoped 2D style,...
In 2020, the San Sebastian Film Festival, the highest-profile film event in the Spanish-speaking world, launched two new pix-in-post showcases, Wip Latam and Wip Europa, replacing respectively Films in Progress and Glocal in Progress sidebars.
The five candidates productions that will vie for the Wip Europa Award are from Germany, Hungary, Spain and Turkey. Among them is “A Hunt for Hedgehogs,” the second feature from Schwechtje who debuted with “I Hope You’ll Die Next Time:-),” winner of best film in the youth strand at Tallinn Black Nights in 2018. He has also directed several episodes of the popular HBO Hungary series “In Treatment.”
“Rock Bottom,” an animated feature using a rotoscoped 2D style,...
- 9/23/2023
- by Emiliano De Pablos
- Variety Film + TV
Chicago – Week Three of Season 17 Chicago’s Asian Pop-Up Cinema’s (APUC17) will focus on some outside-the-norm Asian countries including Iran, Afghanistan and Mongolia, including in-person appearances. For details and ticket info, click APUC17.
The film schedule and details are (click links) on Saturday, September 23rd, Harvest Moon, A Letter to the President and Like a Fish on the Moon.
APUC17: Director Amarsaikhan Baljinnyam of ‘Harvest Moon’ to Appear
Photo credit: AsianPopUpCinema.org
APUC17 will honor director Amarsaikhan Baljinnyam of “Harvest Moon” with their Pinnacle Career Achievement Award. Director Roya Sadat is will also appear to represent “A Letter to the President.”
Trailer, Asian Pop-Up Cinema Season 17 …
Season 17 of the Asian Pop-Up Cinema presents Week Three on September 23rd, 2023, at AMC New City, 1500 North Clybourn Avenue, Chicago. For a complete overview and schedule for the rest of the season, which takes place through October 7th, click here.
By Patrick McDONALDEditor and Film Critic/WriterHollywoodChicago.
The film schedule and details are (click links) on Saturday, September 23rd, Harvest Moon, A Letter to the President and Like a Fish on the Moon.
APUC17: Director Amarsaikhan Baljinnyam of ‘Harvest Moon’ to Appear
Photo credit: AsianPopUpCinema.org
APUC17 will honor director Amarsaikhan Baljinnyam of “Harvest Moon” with their Pinnacle Career Achievement Award. Director Roya Sadat is will also appear to represent “A Letter to the President.”
Trailer, Asian Pop-Up Cinema Season 17 …
Season 17 of the Asian Pop-Up Cinema presents Week Three on September 23rd, 2023, at AMC New City, 1500 North Clybourn Avenue, Chicago. For a complete overview and schedule for the rest of the season, which takes place through October 7th, click here.
By Patrick McDONALDEditor and Film Critic/WriterHollywoodChicago.
- 9/20/2023
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Chicago – Fall film festivals begin this week with Season 17 of the Asian Pop-Up Cinema, curated by Executive Director/Founder Sophia Wong Boccio. Opening Night is Friday, September 8th, with the Japanese film “Yudo,” subtitled “The Way of the Bath,” directed by Masayuki Suzuki. For tickets and info, click Apuc 17.
The Asian Pop-Up Cinema (Apuc) will take place in Chicago between September 8th and October 7th, 2023, and for the first time will include film selections from Mongolia, Iran and Afghanistan, along with entries from Japan, Hong Kong, South Korea, China and more. According to Sophia Wong Boccio, “Through the lenses of this season’s diversified filmmakers we are presenting a broad spectrum of films that are relevant and entertaining.”
Apuc Season 17, September 8th - October 7th, 2023
Photo credit: AsianPopUpCinema.org
This season’s special guests appearing on behalf of their films include Amarsaikhan Baljinnyham, Ben Yuen, Dornaz Hajiha, Lawrence Kan, Lee Won Suk,...
The Asian Pop-Up Cinema (Apuc) will take place in Chicago between September 8th and October 7th, 2023, and for the first time will include film selections from Mongolia, Iran and Afghanistan, along with entries from Japan, Hong Kong, South Korea, China and more. According to Sophia Wong Boccio, “Through the lenses of this season’s diversified filmmakers we are presenting a broad spectrum of films that are relevant and entertaining.”
Apuc Season 17, September 8th - October 7th, 2023
Photo credit: AsianPopUpCinema.org
This season’s special guests appearing on behalf of their films include Amarsaikhan Baljinnyham, Ben Yuen, Dornaz Hajiha, Lawrence Kan, Lee Won Suk,...
- 9/6/2023
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Chicago, Il – Asian Pop-Up Cinema (Apuc) announces its upcoming Season 17 lineup, running between September 8 and October 7 in Chicago. For the first time, this year's programming will include film selections from Mongolia, Iran and Afghanistan, along with entries from Japan, Hong Kong, South Korea and more. This season's special guests attending with their films include Amarsaikhan Baljinnyham, Ben Yuen, Dornaz Hajiha, Lawrence Kan, Lee Won Suk, Ng Siu Hin, Park Dong-Hee, Rachel Leung, Roya Sadat and Wong You Nam. South Korean actor Lee Sun-Kyun will be Apuc's Excellent Achievement in Film Award recipient and will receive his award before the feature presentation of closing night film Killing Romance.
Apuc's Season 17 opens with a screening of director Masayuki Suzuki's Yudo, following architect Shiro Miura's (Toma Ikuta) attempts to modernize his outdated public bathhouse family business. As he immerses himself in the new role, Shiro connects with customers and begins to...
Apuc's Season 17 opens with a screening of director Masayuki Suzuki's Yudo, following architect Shiro Miura's (Toma Ikuta) attempts to modernize his outdated public bathhouse family business. As he immerses himself in the new role, Shiro connects with customers and begins to...
- 8/30/2023
- by Adam Symchuk
- AsianMoviePulse
Season 17 (September 8 – October 7) kicks off with a screening of director Masayuki Suzuki's Yudo, architect Shiro Miura's (Toma Ikuta) and his return to his family-owned public bathhouse. Intent on modernizing the outdated establishment, Shiro faces unexpected challenges from both his brother Goro (Gaku Hamada) and a fire that lands him as the bathhouse's temporary manager. As he immerses himself in the role, Shiro connects with customers and begins to understand the happiness and democratizing power the place offers. The film will be presented at AMC Newcity 14, 1500 N. Clybourn, (September 8).
Centerpiece film Harvest Moon is Mongolian actor Amarsaikhan Baljinnyam's debut feature as director. An award-winning screenwriter, he adapted this father-son story from a short novel by T. Bum-Erden, following a city chef who must fulfill the harvesting in his village after his father dies. Representing Mongolia in the international feature 2022 Oscar submission, the film will be presented at AMC Newcity...
Centerpiece film Harvest Moon is Mongolian actor Amarsaikhan Baljinnyam's debut feature as director. An award-winning screenwriter, he adapted this father-son story from a short novel by T. Bum-Erden, following a city chef who must fulfill the harvesting in his village after his father dies. Representing Mongolia in the international feature 2022 Oscar submission, the film will be presented at AMC Newcity...
- 8/23/2023
- by Adriana Rosati
- AsianMoviePulse
Five productions from Germany, Hungary, Spain and Turkey will make up the Wip Europa selection, the San Sebastián Festival initiative running from 25-27 September for films at the post-production stage with a majority of European production.
German director Michael Fetter Nathansky will show his second film, Mannequins (working title), a romantic drama set against a social backdrop about the magic of falling in love and the painful process of falling out in one of Europe’s biggest mining areas. The film participated in its project stage in the Cutting Edge Talent Camp of Mannheim-Heidelberg Festival.
Sima’s Song is also the second film from the Afghan moviemaker Roya Sadat, known for her activism in favour of women’s rights. This Spanish coproduction with The Netherlands and France set in Afghanistan prior to the breakout of civil war narrates the confrontation between two close friends on different sides of the political fence.
German director Michael Fetter Nathansky will show his second film, Mannequins (working title), a romantic drama set against a social backdrop about the magic of falling in love and the painful process of falling out in one of Europe’s biggest mining areas. The film participated in its project stage in the Cutting Edge Talent Camp of Mannheim-Heidelberg Festival.
Sima’s Song is also the second film from the Afghan moviemaker Roya Sadat, known for her activism in favour of women’s rights. This Spanish coproduction with The Netherlands and France set in Afghanistan prior to the breakout of civil war narrates the confrontation between two close friends on different sides of the political fence.
- 8/10/2023
- by Movies Martin Cid Magazine
- Martin Cid Magazine - Movies
Five productions from Germany, Hungary, Spain and Turkey will make up the Wip Europa selection, the San Sebastián Festival initiative running from 25-27 September for films at the post-production stage with a majority of European production.
German director Michael Fetter Nathansky will show his second film, Mannequins (working title), a romantic drama set against a social backdrop about the magic of falling in love and the painful process of falling out in one of Europe’s biggest mining areas. The film participated in its project stage in the Cutting Edge Talent Camp of Mannheim-Heidelberg Festival.
Sima’s Song is also the second film from the Afghan moviemaker Roya Sadat, known for her activism in favour of women’s rights. This Spanish coproduction with The Netherlands and France set in Afghanistan prior to the breakout of civil war narrates the confrontation between two close friends on different sides of the political fence.
German director Michael Fetter Nathansky will show his second film, Mannequins (working title), a romantic drama set against a social backdrop about the magic of falling in love and the painful process of falling out in one of Europe’s biggest mining areas. The film participated in its project stage in the Cutting Edge Talent Camp of Mannheim-Heidelberg Festival.
Sima’s Song is also the second film from the Afghan moviemaker Roya Sadat, known for her activism in favour of women’s rights. This Spanish coproduction with The Netherlands and France set in Afghanistan prior to the breakout of civil war narrates the confrontation between two close friends on different sides of the political fence.
- 8/10/2023
- by Movies Martin Cid Magazine
- Martin Cid Magazine - Movies
Five projects from Germany, Spain, Hungry and Turkey will participate in this year’s initiative for films in post-production.
Five projects from Germany, Spain, Hungry and Turkey will participate in San Sebastian’s Wip Europa initiative for films in post-production with majority European backing.
The programme will run September 25-27 during which the projects will be screened to producers, distributors, sales agents and programmers. A €10,000 Wip Europa prize is up for grabs to assist with post-production services.
Among the selection is Rima’s Song from Afghan filmmaker Roya Sadat whose debut feature A Letter To The President was the country...
Five projects from Germany, Spain, Hungry and Turkey will participate in San Sebastian’s Wip Europa initiative for films in post-production with majority European backing.
The programme will run September 25-27 during which the projects will be screened to producers, distributors, sales agents and programmers. A €10,000 Wip Europa prize is up for grabs to assist with post-production services.
Among the selection is Rima’s Song from Afghan filmmaker Roya Sadat whose debut feature A Letter To The President was the country...
- 8/9/2023
- by Ellie Calnan
- ScreenDaily
In the lead-up to Cannes, Spanish film sales continue to show resilience despite shifting market trends and global challenges. The market signals suggest an enduring preference for genre movies and high-concept films, while the sale of arthouse fare remains tough.
Antonio Saura, director general of Latido Films, tells Variety, “The trends we are seeing confirm the trends we identified last year — movies with a strong concept, genre in general, generate interest, [whereas] drama and ‘art house’ is more complicated and requires a different type of attention and positioning.”
While there are signs of interest for movies with top talent attached, smaller films without a significant festival presence face an uphill battle.
This trend is underscored by the Spanish films selected for Cannes, which range from Benito Zambrano’s “Jumping the Fence” and Roya Sadat’s “Sima’s Song,” to Pau Calpe’s “Werewolf.” These films, part of the Spanish Screenings Goes to Cannes section,...
Antonio Saura, director general of Latido Films, tells Variety, “The trends we are seeing confirm the trends we identified last year — movies with a strong concept, genre in general, generate interest, [whereas] drama and ‘art house’ is more complicated and requires a different type of attention and positioning.”
While there are signs of interest for movies with top talent attached, smaller films without a significant festival presence face an uphill battle.
This trend is underscored by the Spanish films selected for Cannes, which range from Benito Zambrano’s “Jumping the Fence” and Roya Sadat’s “Sima’s Song,” to Pau Calpe’s “Werewolf.” These films, part of the Spanish Screenings Goes to Cannes section,...
- 5/19/2023
- by Callum McLennan
- Variety Film + TV
Benito Zambrano’s “Jumping the Fence” joins Roya Sadat’s “Sima’s Song,” and Pau Calpe’s “Werewolf” in the lineup of Spanish Screenings Goes to Cannes, a selection of five pix in post which underscores the ever broadening compass – in genre, setting, protagonists, production bases and models – of film production in Spain.
“Sima’s Song,” for example, is set in 1979 Kabul, “Jumping the Fence” on the Morocco-Spain border in Africa.
Many titles, though still in post production, come laden with prizes as projects, prestige deals or rich talent. “Sima’s Song,” from Afghan director Roya Sadat, whose “A Letter to the President” was shortlisted for an Oscar, won the Taicca Award at Busan’s Asian Project Market and the Ifi-Pas Award at Mumbai’s Film Bazaar. Its producer, Alba Sotorra, was nominated for an International Emmy as a director for “The Return: Life After Isis.”
The second feature from Orr,...
“Sima’s Song,” for example, is set in 1979 Kabul, “Jumping the Fence” on the Morocco-Spain border in Africa.
Many titles, though still in post production, come laden with prizes as projects, prestige deals or rich talent. “Sima’s Song,” from Afghan director Roya Sadat, whose “A Letter to the President” was shortlisted for an Oscar, won the Taicca Award at Busan’s Asian Project Market and the Ifi-Pas Award at Mumbai’s Film Bazaar. Its producer, Alba Sotorra, was nominated for an International Emmy as a director for “The Return: Life After Isis.”
The second feature from Orr,...
- 4/19/2023
- by John Hopewell and Pablo Sandoval
- Variety Film + TV
Sima’s Song
Word on the socials is that Roya Sadat kickstarted her next project with Greece aiding Afghanistan to double down efforts to recreate a Kabul backdrop. A Spain-Netherlands-France co-production, formerly known as “The Forgotten History,” Sima’s Song sees the friendship of two girls disrupted by their opposing ideals. Supported by Eurimages in early ’22, the sophomore film follows the Locarno preemed A Letter To The President (2018). Alba Sotorra, Frank Hoeve and Maeva Savinien produced the project. We’re thinking Venice for this one.
Gist: In the pre-civil war context in Afghanistan, the childhood friendship of Suraya and Sima is broken when Sima’s brother is arrested and killed by the communist party in which Suraya participates.…...
Word on the socials is that Roya Sadat kickstarted her next project with Greece aiding Afghanistan to double down efforts to recreate a Kabul backdrop. A Spain-Netherlands-France co-production, formerly known as “The Forgotten History,” Sima’s Song sees the friendship of two girls disrupted by their opposing ideals. Supported by Eurimages in early ’22, the sophomore film follows the Locarno preemed A Letter To The President (2018). Alba Sotorra, Frank Hoeve and Maeva Savinien produced the project. We’re thinking Venice for this one.
Gist: In the pre-civil war context in Afghanistan, the childhood friendship of Suraya and Sima is broken when Sima’s brother is arrested and killed by the communist party in which Suraya participates.…...
- 1/11/2023
- by Eric Lavallée
- IONCINEMA.com
Korean filmmaker Lee Jeong-hong’s A Wild Roomer and Shivamma, from India’s Jaishankar Aryar, were the winners of the New Currents Awards at the close of an encouragingly busy Busan International Film Festival.
A Wild Roomer, about a 30-something drifter, picked up multiple honors at the festival, also taking the Netpac Award, Critic b Award and Kbs Independent Film Award. Set in an Indian village, Shivamma is about an illiterate woman who falls for a pyramid selling scheme.
The Kim Jiseok Awards went to Scent Of Wind, from Iranian filmmaker Hadi Mohaghegh, which also played as Biff’s opening film, and Alteration from Uzbekistan’s Yalkin Tuychiev.
Other winners included Aamir Bashir’s The Winter Within, which took the Kb New Currents Audience Award, and Vinay Shukla’s documentary While We Watched, which was presented with the Busan Cinephile Award (see full list of winners below...
A Wild Roomer, about a 30-something drifter, picked up multiple honors at the festival, also taking the Netpac Award, Critic b Award and Kbs Independent Film Award. Set in an Indian village, Shivamma is about an illiterate woman who falls for a pyramid selling scheme.
The Kim Jiseok Awards went to Scent Of Wind, from Iranian filmmaker Hadi Mohaghegh, which also played as Biff’s opening film, and Alteration from Uzbekistan’s Yalkin Tuychiev.
Other winners included Aamir Bashir’s The Winter Within, which took the Kb New Currents Audience Award, and Vinay Shukla’s documentary While We Watched, which was presented with the Busan Cinephile Award (see full list of winners below...
- 10/14/2022
- by Liz Shackleton
- Deadline Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
The Asian Content Film Market (Acfm), the Busan International Film Festival’s industry platform, wrapped up this week with organizers and market participants voicing a mix of optimism and concern for the post-pandemic state of the movie market.
The event, which was held in the city’s massive Bexco convention center, attracted 1,059 companies and 2,185 industry participants from 48 countries over four days — the highest attendance rate since the market launched in 2006.
The European Pavilion, which was jointly established by the European Film Promotion (Efp) and Unifrance, was staffed by representatives from 39 companies, while major Korean distributors and streaming services, including Disney+ and Netflix, participated in the Busan Story Market, the venue for intellectual property (IP) pitches, which introduced new projects from the region.
A market insider who spoke on condition of anonymity told The Hollywood Reporter that Acfm could potentially become the primary platform...
The Asian Content Film Market (Acfm), the Busan International Film Festival’s industry platform, wrapped up this week with organizers and market participants voicing a mix of optimism and concern for the post-pandemic state of the movie market.
The event, which was held in the city’s massive Bexco convention center, attracted 1,059 companies and 2,185 industry participants from 48 countries over four days — the highest attendance rate since the market launched in 2006.
The European Pavilion, which was jointly established by the European Film Promotion (Efp) and Unifrance, was staffed by representatives from 39 companies, while major Korean distributors and streaming services, including Disney+ and Netflix, participated in the Busan Story Market, the venue for intellectual property (IP) pitches, which introduced new projects from the region.
A market insider who spoke on condition of anonymity told The Hollywood Reporter that Acfm could potentially become the primary platform...
- 10/13/2022
- by Soomee Park
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Further winners include ‘Gaspar’ from Indonesia and ‘Sima’s Song’ from Afghan director Roya Sadat.
Myanmar project Future Laobans, directed by Maung Sun and produced by jailed filmmaker Ma Aeint, won the Busan Award at the Asian Project Market today (October 11).
The project picked up the 15,000 cash prize in Busan. Currently in script development, Future Laobans is about three young scavengers in Myanmar who smuggle a jade stone across the border with dreams of becoming millionaires.
Filmmaker Ma Aeint was jailed in Myanmar in April on charges of anti-junta activity and is serving a three-year sentence. She was mentioned as...
Myanmar project Future Laobans, directed by Maung Sun and produced by jailed filmmaker Ma Aeint, won the Busan Award at the Asian Project Market today (October 11).
The project picked up the 15,000 cash prize in Busan. Currently in script development, Future Laobans is about three young scavengers in Myanmar who smuggle a jade stone across the border with dreams of becoming millionaires.
Filmmaker Ma Aeint was jailed in Myanmar in April on charges of anti-junta activity and is serving a three-year sentence. She was mentioned as...
- 10/11/2022
- by Jean Noh
- ScreenDaily
“Future Laobans,” a project directed by Maung Sun and produced by Maung Sun and Ma Aeint claimed the Busan Prize, the top award at the Asian Project Market, on Tuesday.
The awards were made at an event held at the Paradise Hotel in Busan’s Haeundae district at the end of three days of quick-fire meetings between producers and directors and an array of potential co-producers, financiers and distributors. Organizers said that they put together 705 such one-on-one meetings on the sidelines of the Busan International Film Festival.
Ma Aeint had not been able to take part in meetings at the Apm or participate in the closing ceremony as she is a political prisoner, currently in prison in Myanmar. She has currently served roughly one and ahalf years of a three-year sentence.
Unable to make a speech at the closing ceremony Maung Sun told Variety: “I’m making this film for her.
The awards were made at an event held at the Paradise Hotel in Busan’s Haeundae district at the end of three days of quick-fire meetings between producers and directors and an array of potential co-producers, financiers and distributors. Organizers said that they put together 705 such one-on-one meetings on the sidelines of the Busan International Film Festival.
Ma Aeint had not been able to take part in meetings at the Apm or participate in the closing ceremony as she is a political prisoner, currently in prison in Myanmar. She has currently served roughly one and ahalf years of a three-year sentence.
Unable to make a speech at the closing ceremony Maung Sun told Variety: “I’m making this film for her.
- 10/11/2022
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Afghan filmmaker Roya Sadat (who saw her debut film A Letter To The President preem in Locarno) appears to be moments away from embarking on the production of her sophomore feature. Screen Daily reports Sima’s Song (formerly known as The Forgotten History) is moving swimmingly landing some players and a backdrop that might surprise some as a stand-in for Kabul. Sadat will be filming the dramatic thriller in Greece, with Mozhdah Jamalzadah, Leen Alam and Niloufar Koukhani. The role of Sima does not appear to be cast yet. Sounds like a counter-point argument will be made by Sadat. The project was supported by the Eurimages fund back in March ’22.…...
- 10/9/2022
- by Eric Lavallée
- IONCINEMA.com
Production is set to begin in Greece in November.
Afghan-Canadian actress Mozhdah Jamalzadah is to star in Roya Sadat’s Sima’s Song, which is set to be showcased at the Asian Project Market (Apm) in Busan.
The dramatic thriller is a Spain-Netherlands-France co-production and is set to begin production in Greece in six weeks. It marks the second feature from Sadat, Afghanistan’s leading female director, whose drama A Letter To The President was her country’s submission to the Oscars in 2018.
Set in Kabul, Sima’s Song will follow two friends on opposite ends of the social and...
Afghan-Canadian actress Mozhdah Jamalzadah is to star in Roya Sadat’s Sima’s Song, which is set to be showcased at the Asian Project Market (Apm) in Busan.
The dramatic thriller is a Spain-Netherlands-France co-production and is set to begin production in Greece in six weeks. It marks the second feature from Sadat, Afghanistan’s leading female director, whose drama A Letter To The President was her country’s submission to the Oscars in 2018.
Set in Kabul, Sima’s Song will follow two friends on opposite ends of the social and...
- 10/8/2022
- by Jean Noh
- ScreenDaily
-How did the original concept for the Herat International Women’s Film Festival come together?
Prior to the Herat International Women’s Film Festival, there was no film festival on women in Afghanistan, and there was no international film festival on women in the region. In the days when Mrs. Roya Sadat, the festival’s founder and president, was thinking with a group of friends and colleagues about how to organize a film festival that addresses issues related to women’s cultural, political and social rights, her hometown, Herat, a province in western Afghanistan, was suffering the highest rate of violence against women, with many women setting themselves on fire. On the other hand, one of the reasons the festival was named Herat was that it was to be held at the historic Herat Citadel, known as QalaIktyaruddin, because the only cinema in Herat was destroyed during the Taliban era,...
Prior to the Herat International Women’s Film Festival, there was no film festival on women in Afghanistan, and there was no international film festival on women in the region. In the days when Mrs. Roya Sadat, the festival’s founder and president, was thinking with a group of friends and colleagues about how to organize a film festival that addresses issues related to women’s cultural, political and social rights, her hometown, Herat, a province in western Afghanistan, was suffering the highest rate of violence against women, with many women setting themselves on fire. On the other hand, one of the reasons the festival was named Herat was that it was to be held at the historic Herat Citadel, known as QalaIktyaruddin, because the only cinema in Herat was destroyed during the Taliban era,...
- 9/17/2022
- by Guest Writer
- AsianMoviePulse
Projects selected from 15 countries.
South Korea’s Busan International Film Festival (Biff) has unveiled the 29 titles selected for the 2022 Asian Project Market (Apm).
The film financing event that runs as part of Biff’s Asian Contents and Film Market will return in-person from October 9-11, after taking place as a hybrid event last year due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
From this year, Apm has excluded non-Asian projects to provide more focused support for Asian projects, which must be submitted by directors who have made at least one short or full-length feature as well as producers who have been involved with at least one feature.
South Korea’s Busan International Film Festival (Biff) has unveiled the 29 titles selected for the 2022 Asian Project Market (Apm).
The film financing event that runs as part of Biff’s Asian Contents and Film Market will return in-person from October 9-11, after taking place as a hybrid event last year due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
From this year, Apm has excluded non-Asian projects to provide more focused support for Asian projects, which must be submitted by directors who have made at least one short or full-length feature as well as producers who have been involved with at least one feature.
- 8/12/2022
- by Michael Rosser
- ScreenDaily
Busan International Film Festival (Biff) has announced the 29 projects selected for this year’s Asian Project Market (Apm), a core strand of the festival’s industry activities, including new works from Thailand’s Aditya Assarat, China’s Wang Qi, Vietnam’s Le Bao and Myanmar’s Maung Sun, whose producer Ma Aeint is currently in prison in Yangon.
Ma Aeint, who previously produced Maung Sun’s award-winning Money Has Four Legs, was recently sentenced to three years in jail with hard labor by Myanmar’s military junta, which took over the country in a brutal coup in early 2021. She was accused of “causing fear, spreading fake news or agitating against government employees”. She is attached as a producer to Maung Sun’s new project, Future Laobans, described as a drama about the “international dimension of organized crime.”
Assarat, an award-winning Thai director, is returning to feature-length directing after focusing on producing,...
Ma Aeint, who previously produced Maung Sun’s award-winning Money Has Four Legs, was recently sentenced to three years in jail with hard labor by Myanmar’s military junta, which took over the country in a brutal coup in early 2021. She was accused of “causing fear, spreading fake news or agitating against government employees”. She is attached as a producer to Maung Sun’s new project, Future Laobans, described as a drama about the “international dimension of organized crime.”
Assarat, an award-winning Thai director, is returning to feature-length directing after focusing on producing,...
- 8/11/2022
- by Liz Shackleton
- Deadline Film + TV
The Asian Project Market, the film financing event attached to the Busan festival’s Asian Contents & Film Market, will return this year as an in-person event. To increase the focus on regional projects it has selected 29 titles and excluded those from outside Asia.
The Apm will be held at the Busan Exhibition and Convention Center (Bexco) and run Oct. 9-11, 2022. The Busan International Film Festival runs Oct 5-14.
Organizers say that thematically the selection – made from 288 projects submitted – highlights women filmmakers and the return of a handful of Busan festival alumni. The selection also finds house room for nine projects from South Korea.
The Apm prizes awarded to be awarded on Oct. 11 will also be “more diverse.” They include a newly-established Taicca Award and the Vipo Award, sponsored by Taiwan Creative Content Agency and Japan’s Visual Industry Promotion Organization respectively, which will pay out 10,000 to support film development. And...
The Apm will be held at the Busan Exhibition and Convention Center (Bexco) and run Oct. 9-11, 2022. The Busan International Film Festival runs Oct 5-14.
Organizers say that thematically the selection – made from 288 projects submitted – highlights women filmmakers and the return of a handful of Busan festival alumni. The selection also finds house room for nine projects from South Korea.
The Apm prizes awarded to be awarded on Oct. 11 will also be “more diverse.” They include a newly-established Taicca Award and the Vipo Award, sponsored by Taiwan Creative Content Agency and Japan’s Visual Industry Promotion Organization respectively, which will pay out 10,000 to support film development. And...
- 8/11/2022
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Further funding awarded to new Bruno Dumont feature and ‘Niko’ franchise.
Joshua Oppenheimer’s upcoming musical The End starring Tilda Swinton is one of 23 features to receive a share of €5.5m ($6.1m) in the latest round of Eurimages co-production support funding.
The film, a co-production between Denmark, Germany and Ireland, receives €480,000 – the largest of the 23 awards in this selection.
Scroll down for the full list of titles
The End stars George MacKay and Stephen Graham alongside Swinton in the musical about the last human family. Neon has acquired North America rights.
The Empire, the latest film from French director Bruno Dumont,...
Joshua Oppenheimer’s upcoming musical The End starring Tilda Swinton is one of 23 features to receive a share of €5.5m ($6.1m) in the latest round of Eurimages co-production support funding.
The film, a co-production between Denmark, Germany and Ireland, receives €480,000 – the largest of the 23 awards in this selection.
Scroll down for the full list of titles
The End stars George MacKay and Stephen Graham alongside Swinton in the musical about the last human family. Neon has acquired North America rights.
The Empire, the latest film from French director Bruno Dumont,...
- 3/30/2022
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
Leesa Gazi’s Bengali-language A House Named Shahana won the feature award in the Film Bazaar Recommends section.
Kannada-language drama Shivamma, directed by Jai Shankar, and Baghjan, an Assamese and Moran-language drama from Jaicheng Zxai Dohutia, were presented with the Prasad Labs and Qube Moviebuff Appreciation Awards in the Works-in-Progress (Wip) section of Film Bazaar Online 2021.
A special mention by the Wip Lab Mentors went to A Space Of Our Own (Ek Jagah Apni), a Hindi-language drama directed by the Ektara Collective. The mentors said in a statement that they wanted to recognise the film “for challenging the conventional structures...
Kannada-language drama Shivamma, directed by Jai Shankar, and Baghjan, an Assamese and Moran-language drama from Jaicheng Zxai Dohutia, were presented with the Prasad Labs and Qube Moviebuff Appreciation Awards in the Works-in-Progress (Wip) section of Film Bazaar Online 2021.
A special mention by the Wip Lab Mentors went to A Space Of Our Own (Ek Jagah Apni), a Hindi-language drama directed by the Ektara Collective. The mentors said in a statement that they wanted to recognise the film “for challenging the conventional structures...
- 11/26/2021
- by Liz Shackleton
- ScreenDaily
Nepalese project “Ek Mutthi Badal” (My Share of Sky) by Sahara Sharma has won the Rotterdam Lab Award at India’s Film Bazaar virtual co-production market.
“Ek Mutthi Badal” producer Abhimanyu Dixit is the emerging South Asian producer chosen to attend the Rotterdam Lab Program at the 2022 edition of the International Film Festival Rotterdam.
Roya Sadat’s “The Forgotten History” won the Institut Francais and Produire Au Sud Award, which provides support for script translation to French and two script consultations.
The Bazaar’s Work in Progress lab includes two awards, the Prasad Lab Digital Intermediate Award and the Moviebuff Appreciation Award. Jaicheng Zxai Dohutia’s “Baghjaan” and Jai Shankar’s “Shivamma” won the awards, while Ektara Collective’s “Ek Jagah Apni” (A Space of Our Own) scored a special mention.
The Prasad Lab Digital Intermediate Award and the Moviebuff Appreciation Award are also given out at the market’s Film Bazaar Recommends section.
“Ek Mutthi Badal” producer Abhimanyu Dixit is the emerging South Asian producer chosen to attend the Rotterdam Lab Program at the 2022 edition of the International Film Festival Rotterdam.
Roya Sadat’s “The Forgotten History” won the Institut Francais and Produire Au Sud Award, which provides support for script translation to French and two script consultations.
The Bazaar’s Work in Progress lab includes two awards, the Prasad Lab Digital Intermediate Award and the Moviebuff Appreciation Award. Jaicheng Zxai Dohutia’s “Baghjaan” and Jai Shankar’s “Shivamma” won the awards, while Ektara Collective’s “Ek Jagah Apni” (A Space of Our Own) scored a special mention.
The Prasad Lab Digital Intermediate Award and the Moviebuff Appreciation Award are also given out at the market’s Film Bazaar Recommends section.
- 11/25/2021
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
“The Forgotten History,” by celebrated Afghanistan filmmaker Roya Sadat (“A Letter to the President”), is one of 20 projects from 11 countries chosen for India’s Film Bazaar virtual co-production market.
Being produced by Sadat’s women-centric collective Roya Film House and Spain’s Alba Sotorra Cinema Productions, the project previously participated at the Hong Kong – Asia Film Financing Forum and the Hong Kong International Film & TV Market.
The market line-up of stories will be told in the Assamese, Bengali, Dari, English, German, Hindi, Kannada, Konkani, Malayalam, Marathi, Nepali, Portuguese, Sinhala, Tamil, and Telugu. The selected projects will be pitched virtually to international and Indian producers, distributors, festival programmers, financiers and sales agents.
Projects include “Ashwamedh” (The Sacrifice) (India-u.K.) by Ridham Janve, whose debut feature film, “The Gold-Laden Sheep and The Sacred Mountain,” won the Young Cinema Award at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards and the Silver Gateway Award at the Jio Mami International Film Festival.
Being produced by Sadat’s women-centric collective Roya Film House and Spain’s Alba Sotorra Cinema Productions, the project previously participated at the Hong Kong – Asia Film Financing Forum and the Hong Kong International Film & TV Market.
The market line-up of stories will be told in the Assamese, Bengali, Dari, English, German, Hindi, Kannada, Konkani, Malayalam, Marathi, Nepali, Portuguese, Sinhala, Tamil, and Telugu. The selected projects will be pitched virtually to international and Indian producers, distributors, festival programmers, financiers and sales agents.
Projects include “Ashwamedh” (The Sacrifice) (India-u.K.) by Ridham Janve, whose debut feature film, “The Gold-Laden Sheep and The Sacred Mountain,” won the Young Cinema Award at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards and the Silver Gateway Award at the Jio Mami International Film Festival.
- 10/28/2021
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Sahraa Karimi (left in the photo), born in 1985, comes from the second generation of Afghan refugees in Iran. At the age of fifteen, she played as an actress in two Iranian films, which brought her to study cinema in Slovakia and graduated with a Phd of directing. During these years,she has made more than 30 short fictions and documentaries, some of which won numerous awards in international film festivals. After 10 years of making many shorts and documentaries, she returned to Kabul. She made two documentaries, “Afghan Women Behind the Wheel” in 2010 and “Parlika: A Woman in the Land of Men” in 2016, which were successful internationally. “Hava, Maryam, Ayesha” is her first feature film which was shot entirely in Kabul with Afghan actors and was screened in competition at Vesoul International Film Festival of Asian Cinema, where she also attended.
Interview with Sahraa Karimi: My message is that it does not...
Interview with Sahraa Karimi: My message is that it does not...
- 8/18/2021
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Afghan filmmaker Roya Sadat is readying “The Forgotten History,” her next feature after the acclaimed “A Letter to the President” (2017). Sadat is one of the few women filmmakers from Afghanistan and taught herself cinema during the Taliban regime.
“The Forgotten History,” set in pre-civil war Afghanistan, sees the friendship of two girls disrupted by their opposing ideals. Through the years, they discover that friendship is stronger than any political ideal.
Sadat aims to go beyond the cliched Afghanistan narrative with the film. “I felt that the world needs to hear a new and unspoken story of our land with a look that reminds us, and the world, again of love and sacrifice,” Sadat tells Variety. “I felt that this story which takes place in the 1970s has a lot to say about a country where once there were guns and wars.”
“The story that has always been told about Afghan...
“The Forgotten History,” set in pre-civil war Afghanistan, sees the friendship of two girls disrupted by their opposing ideals. Through the years, they discover that friendship is stronger than any political ideal.
Sadat aims to go beyond the cliched Afghanistan narrative with the film. “I felt that the world needs to hear a new and unspoken story of our land with a look that reminds us, and the world, again of love and sacrifice,” Sadat tells Variety. “I felt that this story which takes place in the 1970s has a lot to say about a country where once there were guns and wars.”
“The story that has always been told about Afghan...
- 3/15/2021
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
The Hong Kong – Asia Film Financing Forum (Haf) today unveils the lineup for its 19th edition (HAF19), with 29 projects from established Asian directors and producers such as Hur Jin-Ho, Kawase Naomi, Ning Hao, Ogigami Naoko, Wang Bing, Yee Chih-Yen, emerging filmmakers like Cai Chengjie, Oliver Chan, Roya Sadat, Yang Mingming, as well as nine first-feature directors.
Returning to its regular March slot, HAF19 will run concurrently with the 25th Hong Kong Filmart (Filmart) from 15 to 17 March. It will again take place online following Haf’s first-ever virtual edition held in August 2020.
“Despite the challenging circumstances brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic, Haf remains strongly committed to filmmakers,” Haf director Jacob Wong said. “We will have our dedicated online meeting platform this year for accredited Haf and Filmart participants to schedule and conduct meetings directly. It’s hassle-free and user-friendly, requiring no download or additional log-on.”
HAF19 selected the 29 projects, including nine documentaries,...
Returning to its regular March slot, HAF19 will run concurrently with the 25th Hong Kong Filmart (Filmart) from 15 to 17 March. It will again take place online following Haf’s first-ever virtual edition held in August 2020.
“Despite the challenging circumstances brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic, Haf remains strongly committed to filmmakers,” Haf director Jacob Wong said. “We will have our dedicated online meeting platform this year for accredited Haf and Filmart participants to schedule and conduct meetings directly. It’s hassle-free and user-friendly, requiring no download or additional log-on.”
HAF19 selected the 29 projects, including nine documentaries,...
- 1/19/2021
- by Adriana Rosati
- AsianMoviePulse
Twenty-nine projects from across Asia have been selected to take part in March’s Hong Kong-Asia Film Financing Forum (Haf), which will go virtual for the second time.
Scheduled to take place March 15-17, 2021, Haf will run concurrently with the Hong Kong FilMart. Both events were postponed last year to August due to the pandemic and eventually migrated online.
They will return to their usual March slot this year in tweaked virtual format. A new online meeting platform “requiring no download or additional log-on” will be set up for participants this year, said Haf director Jacob Wong.
The 29 shortlisted projects, including nine documentaries, were selected from 321 submissions from 80 countries and regions, Haf said on Monday.
Shortlisted projects include those to be directed by established filmmakers as well as emerging talent. The strongest presences are from Hong Kong, mainland China and India.
Two of the eight mainland Chinese projects are produced...
Scheduled to take place March 15-17, 2021, Haf will run concurrently with the Hong Kong FilMart. Both events were postponed last year to August due to the pandemic and eventually migrated online.
They will return to their usual March slot this year in tweaked virtual format. A new online meeting platform “requiring no download or additional log-on” will be set up for participants this year, said Haf director Jacob Wong.
The 29 shortlisted projects, including nine documentaries, were selected from 321 submissions from 80 countries and regions, Haf said on Monday.
Shortlisted projects include those to be directed by established filmmakers as well as emerging talent. The strongest presences are from Hong Kong, mainland China and India.
Two of the eight mainland Chinese projects are produced...
- 1/18/2021
- by Vivienne Chow
- Variety Film + TV
Line-up includes nine documentaries and nine first-time feature directors.
The Hong Kong-Asia Film Financing Forum (Haf) has announced the 29 projects selected for this year’s edition, including established Asian directors and producers such as Hur Jin-Ho, Naomi Kawase and Ning Hao, as well as emerging filmmakers and nine first-time feature directors.
Returning to its regular March slot, Haf will take place online from March 15-17, coinciding with Filmart Online, which runs March 15-18. Haf and Filmart also took place virtually in August 2020.
“Despite the challenging circumstances brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic, Haf remains strongly committed to filmmakers,” said Haf director Jacob Wong.
The Hong Kong-Asia Film Financing Forum (Haf) has announced the 29 projects selected for this year’s edition, including established Asian directors and producers such as Hur Jin-Ho, Naomi Kawase and Ning Hao, as well as emerging filmmakers and nine first-time feature directors.
Returning to its regular March slot, Haf will take place online from March 15-17, coinciding with Filmart Online, which runs March 15-18. Haf and Filmart also took place virtually in August 2020.
“Despite the challenging circumstances brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic, Haf remains strongly committed to filmmakers,” said Haf director Jacob Wong.
- 1/18/2021
- by Liz Shackleton
- ScreenDaily
Instead of simply writing our wishes to all our readers, for 2021 we decided to ask our friends to do so.
Mattie Do, Joko Anwar, Taku Tsuboi, Indrasis Acharya, Leena Alam, Takeshi Kushida, Bront Palarae, Torico, Isabel Sandoval, Ryo Katayama, Anthony Chen, Roya Sadat, Kazutaka Watanabe, Akio Fujimoto, Min Siu Goh, Scott C. Hillyard, Gerald Chew, Amy Cheng, Ronny Sen, Kenichi Ugana, Mostofa Sarwar Farooki, Park Jung Bum, Kim Min-jae, Shogen, Atsushi Funahashi, Jero Yun, Shuna Iijima and Khavn responded to our call. Check out their wishes...
Mattie Do, Joko Anwar, Taku Tsuboi, Indrasis Acharya, Leena Alam, Takeshi Kushida, Bront Palarae, Torico, Isabel Sandoval, Ryo Katayama, Anthony Chen, Roya Sadat, Kazutaka Watanabe, Akio Fujimoto, Min Siu Goh, Scott C. Hillyard, Gerald Chew, Amy Cheng, Ronny Sen, Kenichi Ugana, Mostofa Sarwar Farooki, Park Jung Bum, Kim Min-jae, Shogen, Atsushi Funahashi, Jero Yun, Shuna Iijima and Khavn responded to our call. Check out their wishes...
- 1/5/2021
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Roya Sadat is an Afghan film producer and director. She was the first woman director in the history of Afghan cinema in the post-Taliban era, and ventured into making feature films and documentaries on the theme of injustice and restrictions imposed on women. Following the fall of the Taliban regime in the country, she made her debut feature film Three Dots. For this film she received six of nine awards which included as best director and best film. In 2003, she and her sister Alka Sadat established the Roya Film House and under this banner produced more than 30 documentaries and feature films. Sadat is also credited with establishing the International Women’s Film Festival in Afghanistan in 2013 as co-founder and president.
On the occasion of her presence as President of the Netpac Jury in Fica Vesoul, we speak with her about growing up under Taliban rule and the path that led her to filmmaking,...
On the occasion of her presence as President of the Netpac Jury in Fica Vesoul, we speak with her about growing up under Taliban rule and the path that led her to filmmaking,...
- 3/4/2020
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
The 26th edition of the prestigious Festival International des Cinémas d’Asie de Vesoul came to an end on Tueasday night. Waiting for the next edition – already scheduled for 26 January to 02 February 2021 – let’s have a look at the winner of this year.
Honorary Golden Cyclo:
Mr. Jay Jeon, Director of Busan International Film Festival (South Korea)
Golden Rickshaw Award: (International Jury)
President: Jay Jeon, Director of Busan International Film Festival (South Korea)
Members: Ariel Schweitzer, Cinema Historian (Israel), Yuliya Kim, Film Festival Director (Kazakhstan), Josabeth Villanueva Alonso, Director and Producer (Philippines)
Mariam by Sharipa Urazbayeva (Kazakhstan)
Mariam by Sharipa Urazbayeva
Grand Jury Award:
Just Like That by Kislay (India)
Jury Prize: (Ex-aequo)
John Denver Trending by Arden Rod B. Condez (Philippines)
A Bedsore by Shim Hye-jung (South Korea)
John Denver Trending by Arden Rod B. Condez
Netpac Award (Network For The Promotion Of Asian Cinema):
President: Roya Sadat,...
Honorary Golden Cyclo:
Mr. Jay Jeon, Director of Busan International Film Festival (South Korea)
Golden Rickshaw Award: (International Jury)
President: Jay Jeon, Director of Busan International Film Festival (South Korea)
Members: Ariel Schweitzer, Cinema Historian (Israel), Yuliya Kim, Film Festival Director (Kazakhstan), Josabeth Villanueva Alonso, Director and Producer (Philippines)
Mariam by Sharipa Urazbayeva (Kazakhstan)
Mariam by Sharipa Urazbayeva
Grand Jury Award:
Just Like That by Kislay (India)
Jury Prize: (Ex-aequo)
John Denver Trending by Arden Rod B. Condez (Philippines)
A Bedsore by Shim Hye-jung (South Korea)
John Denver Trending by Arden Rod B. Condez
Netpac Award (Network For The Promotion Of Asian Cinema):
President: Roya Sadat,...
- 2/20/2020
- by Adriana Rosati
- AsianMoviePulse
Jury Members and Full Program for 26th Vesoul International Film Festival of Asian Cinemas Announced
The President of the International Jury of the 26th Vesoul International Film Festival of Asian Cinemas (11-18 February 2020) will be Pema Tseden, the Tibetan director who was won two Golden Cyclos. He will be accompanied by Joji Alonso, producer (Philippines), Jay Jeon (director of the prestigious Busan International Film Festival (S. Korea), Yuliya Kim, producer and director of International Film Festival of Almaty (Kazakhstan) and Ariel Schweitzer, critic, academic and historian (Israel).
Critic’s Choice Jury: President Rosslyn Hyams (Radio France Internationale) Members: Wang Muyan (Screen International) and Shurong Hermine Roumilhac (Radio France Internationale)
Netpac Jury: President: Roya Sadat, director (Afghanistan) Members: Samar Qupty, lead actress of “Junction 48” (Israel), Sonthar Gyal, Tibetan Director (China)
Roya Sadat, center, with crew members at a test shoot for a TV drama she is directing in Kabul, Oct. 18, 2017. Sadat sold her apartment, car and jewelry to make a movie that deepens the conversation on women’s rights.
Critic’s Choice Jury: President Rosslyn Hyams (Radio France Internationale) Members: Wang Muyan (Screen International) and Shurong Hermine Roumilhac (Radio France Internationale)
Netpac Jury: President: Roya Sadat, director (Afghanistan) Members: Samar Qupty, lead actress of “Junction 48” (Israel), Sonthar Gyal, Tibetan Director (China)
Roya Sadat, center, with crew members at a test shoot for a TV drama she is directing in Kabul, Oct. 18, 2017. Sadat sold her apartment, car and jewelry to make a movie that deepens the conversation on women’s rights.
- 1/31/2020
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Leena Alam is an award winning Afghan film and Tv actress and a Human rights activist. She started her acting career in 1998 with films as “In a Foreign Land”, “Loori” and a few more made by the Afghan diaspora filmmakers in the Us. She made her debut in Afghanistan in Barmak Akram’s 2008 “Kabuli Kid”, and went on to do “Soil and Cora”l, “Ahwal e Darya”, “A Letter to the President” and a few short films to help young rising film makers in Afghanistan. She is mostly known to have worked in subjects that speaks on Child Marriage, Gender Equality, Women’s Right and Social Conflicts. Her notable work on these subjects are “Shereen” The struggle of a powerful woman, a taboo-smashing feminist TV drama, and “The Killing of Farkhunda” a re-enactment of the killing of a 27-year-old Afghan woman falsely accused of burning a copy of the Quran.
- 1/30/2019
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
The first film by a woman after the fall of the Taliban regime, and Afghanistan’s submission for the foreign-language Oscar, is an extremely pointy production that deals with the inconsistencies of the Afghan legal system, which lingers between Islamic, statutory and customary rules, as it presents the issues women face in the country, through a genuinely feminist view.
A Letter to the President screened at Vesoul International Film Festival of Asian cinema
The film revolves around Soraya, a mother of two, who tries to balance her career as the head of the Kabul Crime Division and her life as the wife of a very rich but on the verge of alcoholism husband, who, additionally, is dominated by his gangster father. The already crumbling balance ends when Soraya decides to save a woman who is being accused of adultery and is actually sentenced to death by the village elders, and...
A Letter to the President screened at Vesoul International Film Festival of Asian cinema
The film revolves around Soraya, a mother of two, who tries to balance her career as the head of the Kabul Crime Division and her life as the wife of a very rich but on the verge of alcoholism husband, who, additionally, is dominated by his gangster father. The already crumbling balance ends when Soraya decides to save a woman who is being accused of adultery and is actually sentenced to death by the village elders, and...
- 1/28/2019
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Bhutanese filmmaker Tashi Gyeltshen’s debut feature is a co-production between Bhutan, Nepal and Germany.
Asian Shadows has picked up international rights to Bhutanese director Tashi Gyeltshen’s debut feature The Red Phallus, which is premiering in Busan’s New Currents competition.
Set in a remote valley in Bhutan, the film follows a teenaged girl who lives with her father, a traditional craftsman of wooden phalluses. Feeling trapped by the belief systems of her community, she starts a relationship with a married man from the lowest caste of the village.
The film is produced by Gyeltshen’s Studio 108 in collaboration with Kathmandu-based Icefall Productions,...
Asian Shadows has picked up international rights to Bhutanese director Tashi Gyeltshen’s debut feature The Red Phallus, which is premiering in Busan’s New Currents competition.
Set in a remote valley in Bhutan, the film follows a teenaged girl who lives with her father, a traditional craftsman of wooden phalluses. Feeling trapped by the belief systems of her community, she starts a relationship with a married man from the lowest caste of the village.
The film is produced by Gyeltshen’s Studio 108 in collaboration with Kathmandu-based Icefall Productions,...
- 10/4/2018
- by Liz Shackleton
- ScreenDaily
Eva Trobisch’s drama also secured a local deal.
Eva Trobisch’s graduation film All Good (Alles Ist Gut) was the big winner at this year’s Munich Filmfest (28 June - 7 July) which closed at the weekend with the German premiere of Andrew Niccol’s sci-fi thriller Anon.
Trobisch’s drama about a woman who is raped and the impact it has on her life took home the German Cinema New Talent Award for best director for Trobisch and best actor for Aenne Schwarz, as well as the prize from the Fipresci international critics jury. It screend in the New German Cinema section.
Eva Trobisch’s graduation film All Good (Alles Ist Gut) was the big winner at this year’s Munich Filmfest (28 June - 7 July) which closed at the weekend with the German premiere of Andrew Niccol’s sci-fi thriller Anon.
Trobisch’s drama about a woman who is raped and the impact it has on her life took home the German Cinema New Talent Award for best director for Trobisch and best actor for Aenne Schwarz, as well as the prize from the Fipresci international critics jury. It screend in the New German Cinema section.
- 7/9/2018
- by Martin Blaney
- ScreenDaily
The first film by a woman after the fall of the Taliban regime, and Afghanistan’s submission for the foreign-language Oscar, is an extremely pointy production that deals with the inconsistencies of the Afghan legal system, which lingers between Islamic, statutory and customary rules, as it presents the issues women face in the country, through a genuinely feminist view.
“A Letter to a President” is screening at Aperture: Asia & Pacific Film Festival
The film revolves around Soraya, a mother of two, who tries to balance her career as the head of the Kabul Crime Division and her life as the wife of a very rich but on the verge of alcoholism husband, who, additionally, is dominated by his gangster father. The already crumbling balance ends when Soraya decides to save a woman who is being accused of adultery and is actually sentenced to death by the village elders, and in...
“A Letter to a President” is screening at Aperture: Asia & Pacific Film Festival
The film revolves around Soraya, a mother of two, who tries to balance her career as the head of the Kabul Crime Division and her life as the wife of a very rich but on the verge of alcoholism husband, who, additionally, is dominated by his gangster father. The already crumbling balance ends when Soraya decides to save a woman who is being accused of adultery and is actually sentenced to death by the village elders, and in...
- 6/25/2018
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Launching In London On June 29; Touring The Uk In Summer/Autumn 2018
Aperture: Asia & Pacific Film Festival is a new UK-wide film festival dedicated to screening some of the boldest, most daring, challenging, and striking films from the Asian and Pacific regions. Focusing particularly on underrepresented cinemas, from Azerbaijan to Vanuatu and everything in between, the festival aims to open windows on worlds whose landscapes and peoples remain largely absent from UK screens. Aperture is the only φestival in the UK currently with a remit that specifically covers the whole of the Asian and Pacific regions.
For this first edition of the festival, key areas of focus include films from Central Asia, the Himalayas, Southeast Asia, New Zealand and Pacific Islands. The programme comprises 12 features, including 4 UK premieres and 4 London premieres, and 17 short films.
Key themes within the festival programme include migration and displaced peoples, social justice, and female empowerment. Over...
Aperture: Asia & Pacific Film Festival is a new UK-wide film festival dedicated to screening some of the boldest, most daring, challenging, and striking films from the Asian and Pacific regions. Focusing particularly on underrepresented cinemas, from Azerbaijan to Vanuatu and everything in between, the festival aims to open windows on worlds whose landscapes and peoples remain largely absent from UK screens. Aperture is the only φestival in the UK currently with a remit that specifically covers the whole of the Asian and Pacific regions.
For this first edition of the festival, key areas of focus include films from Central Asia, the Himalayas, Southeast Asia, New Zealand and Pacific Islands. The programme comprises 12 features, including 4 UK premieres and 4 London premieres, and 17 short films.
Key themes within the festival programme include migration and displaced peoples, social justice, and female empowerment. Over...
- 6/8/2018
- by Adriana Rosati
- AsianMoviePulse
Bangkok-set contemporary tale to screen in Berlinale Forum.
Hong Kong-based sales agent Asian Shadows has picked up international rights to Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit’s Die Tomorrow, marking its first Thai acquisition.
The film, which will play in Berlin’s Forum section, is set in contemporary Bangkok and follows characters at different stages of their lives grappling with mortality.
Released on eight screens in Thailand in November 2017, the film is still playing and has grossed $160,000 to date.
Die Tomorrow is the fifth feature from Nawapol, whose first film 36 won the New Currents Award at Busan International Film Festival (Biff) in 2012 and had a long festival career.
His second feature, Mary Is Happy, Mary Is Happy, screened at the Venice Film Festival in 2013, while his feature documentary The Master premiered in Biff’s Wide Angle section in 2015.
In 2015, he also directed Heart Attack for Thai studio Gth, which won eight prizes at the Thailand National Film Association Awards. He has returned...
Hong Kong-based sales agent Asian Shadows has picked up international rights to Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit’s Die Tomorrow, marking its first Thai acquisition.
The film, which will play in Berlin’s Forum section, is set in contemporary Bangkok and follows characters at different stages of their lives grappling with mortality.
Released on eight screens in Thailand in November 2017, the film is still playing and has grossed $160,000 to date.
Die Tomorrow is the fifth feature from Nawapol, whose first film 36 won the New Currents Award at Busan International Film Festival (Biff) in 2012 and had a long festival career.
His second feature, Mary Is Happy, Mary Is Happy, screened at the Venice Film Festival in 2013, while his feature documentary The Master premiered in Biff’s Wide Angle section in 2015.
In 2015, he also directed Heart Attack for Thai studio Gth, which won eight prizes at the Thailand National Film Association Awards. He has returned...
- 1/23/2018
- by Liz Shackleton
- ScreenDaily
W arm Bread and The Nipple’s Circle is one of the twenty-three films selected for the co- production market of Film Bazaar 2013. We spoke to the director Roya Sadat:
Roya Sadat
Tell us about your project. What language will it be in?
This project began in 2009, and was select for the Ppp (Pusan Promotion Plan) film market at Pusan International Film Festival, South Korea. It received a cash award from the Gutenberg film market for development of the script.
The film is about a 25 year-old brave, diligent Pashtoon girl, Uzra, in love with a Pakistani boy, Shamshad. A girl, she worked as diligently as any hardworking rural man, while her brother studied in the city nearby. Quchi, a violent 45 year old parliamentarian, had been imposing on Uzra to marry him, leading her to plan an escape with Shamshad. She reached the destination, but Shamshad was captured and held...
Roya Sadat
Tell us about your project. What language will it be in?
This project began in 2009, and was select for the Ppp (Pusan Promotion Plan) film market at Pusan International Film Festival, South Korea. It received a cash award from the Gutenberg film market for development of the script.
The film is about a 25 year-old brave, diligent Pashtoon girl, Uzra, in love with a Pakistani boy, Shamshad. A girl, she worked as diligently as any hardworking rural man, while her brother studied in the city nearby. Quchi, a violent 45 year old parliamentarian, had been imposing on Uzra to marry him, leading her to plan an escape with Shamshad. She reached the destination, but Shamshad was captured and held...
- 11/15/2013
- by Editorial Team
- DearCinema.com
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