The Doha Film Institute’s unique Qumra incubator kicks off Friday with six days of master classes, labs and mentoring sessions and some 200 industry professionals – including programmers from Cannes, Venice, Toronto, Berlin and many other major festivals – expected to make the trek to the Qatari capital.
Qumra, which is an Arab word believed to be the origin of the word “camera,” is dedicated to supporting and shepherding first and second works by Arab directors but also supports some projects from other parts of the world. The mentors, through one-on-one meetings and master classes, will nurture the talent attached to more than 40 projects from 20 countries that are in development or post-production.
Projects in development will take part in group and individual sessions in script consulting, marketing and co-production advice, along with individual matchmaking. Projects in post-production are presented in a series of closed rough-cut and picture lock screenings for leading festival programmers,...
Qumra, which is an Arab word believed to be the origin of the word “camera,” is dedicated to supporting and shepherding first and second works by Arab directors but also supports some projects from other parts of the world. The mentors, through one-on-one meetings and master classes, will nurture the talent attached to more than 40 projects from 20 countries that are in development or post-production.
Projects in development will take part in group and individual sessions in script consulting, marketing and co-production advice, along with individual matchmaking. Projects in post-production are presented in a series of closed rough-cut and picture lock screenings for leading festival programmers,...
- 2/29/2024
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
South Korean director Hong Sang-soo was awarded the El Gouna Gold Star for best narrative film for his meditation on art and relationships, “In Our Day,” as the delayed edition of the El Gouna Film Festival held its closing ceremony on Thursday. The Italian animated film “A Greyhound of a Girl,” directed by Enzo D’Alò, and the Brazilian director Guto Parente’s “A Strange Path” picked up the Silver and Bronze Stars respectively.
The jury comprised of Indian director Anup Singh, Jordanian actress Saba Mubarak, Palestinian actress Yasmine Al-Massri, French Lebanese actress Manal Issa and Egyptian filmmaker Omar El Zohairy.
In the non-fiction category, Ibrahim Nash’at’s acclaimed documentary “Hollywoodgate” took the top prize, with “Seven Winters in Tehran” and Mila Turajlić’s Serbian film “Non-Aligned: Scenes from the Labudović Reels” sharing the Silver Star, and “On the Adamant,” directed by French director Nicolas Philibert, taking the Bronze Star. The...
The jury comprised of Indian director Anup Singh, Jordanian actress Saba Mubarak, Palestinian actress Yasmine Al-Massri, French Lebanese actress Manal Issa and Egyptian filmmaker Omar El Zohairy.
In the non-fiction category, Ibrahim Nash’at’s acclaimed documentary “Hollywoodgate” took the top prize, with “Seven Winters in Tehran” and Mila Turajlić’s Serbian film “Non-Aligned: Scenes from the Labudović Reels” sharing the Silver Star, and “On the Adamant,” directed by French director Nicolas Philibert, taking the Bronze Star. The...
- 12/22/2023
- by John Bleasdale
- Variety Film + TV
Saudi Arabia Launches First Cinema Guild Six Year After Lifting Of Ban
Saudi Arabia has launched its first official film industry guild six years after the lifting of its 35-year cinema ban in 2017. The initiative overseen by Minister of Culture, Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Mohammed bin Farhan Al-Saud, was announced during the Red Sea International Film Festival. “Having a professional association is fundamental for the development of the sector,” inaugural board member and director Hana Al Omair told a conference discussing the objectives of the new body. She said the association’s key role would be to establish legislation for the sector as well as labor rights for cinema professionals. Al Omair was joined in the discussion by the association’s president, the artist and producer Mishal Al Mutairi; veteran acting star Abdulmohsen Al-Nimr; director Tawfik Alzaidi, whose first feature Norah world premiered at the festival on Tuesday evening as well as Alaa Faden,...
Saudi Arabia has launched its first official film industry guild six years after the lifting of its 35-year cinema ban in 2017. The initiative overseen by Minister of Culture, Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Mohammed bin Farhan Al-Saud, was announced during the Red Sea International Film Festival. “Having a professional association is fundamental for the development of the sector,” inaugural board member and director Hana Al Omair told a conference discussing the objectives of the new body. She said the association’s key role would be to establish legislation for the sector as well as labor rights for cinema professionals. Al Omair was joined in the discussion by the association’s president, the artist and producer Mishal Al Mutairi; veteran acting star Abdulmohsen Al-Nimr; director Tawfik Alzaidi, whose first feature Norah world premiered at the festival on Tuesday evening as well as Alaa Faden,...
- 12/6/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
The third edition of the Red Sea Souk, the market arm of the Red Sea Film Festival, awarded its top prize of $100,000 to “The Return of the Prodigal Son” by Rani Massalha. Another eight feature projects and two TV series were awarded cash and in-kind prizes as part of the Red Souk Awards.
Massalha’s film, a co-production between Egypt, Tunisia and France, tells the story of Salem, a pig farmer in Egypt who is a Copt — a native Christian community in the country, often persecuted — amidst a breakout of the swine flu in 2009 that sends Egypt into a spiral of psychosis, leading the Mubarak government to pass a law to slaughter all the pigs.
In a statement, the writer-director said: “The pigs of Egypt were ‘sacrificed’ under political pressure and hysterical media coverage organized by the Muslim Brotherhood, crystalizing the structural violence of Egyptian social relations between communities.”
“Isn...
Massalha’s film, a co-production between Egypt, Tunisia and France, tells the story of Salem, a pig farmer in Egypt who is a Copt — a native Christian community in the country, often persecuted — amidst a breakout of the swine flu in 2009 that sends Egypt into a spiral of psychosis, leading the Mubarak government to pass a law to slaughter all the pigs.
In a statement, the writer-director said: “The pigs of Egypt were ‘sacrificed’ under political pressure and hysterical media coverage organized by the Muslim Brotherhood, crystalizing the structural violence of Egyptian social relations between communities.”
“Isn...
- 12/5/2023
- by Rafa Sales Ross
- Variety Film + TV
It’s a busy year for the Red Sea Souk, the market arm of the Red Sea Film Festival dedicated to discovering new Arab and African talent. The same could have been said of every year of the market’s three-year history, however, with Saudi Arabia’s lightning-fast film industry solidifying the Souk as the principal film market for the Middle East and North Africa.
The third edition of the Souk, taking place between Dec. 2-5, marks the first time the market held an open call for submissions. Previously, selection happened directly or through the Red Sea Fund. According to Red Sea Souk manager Zain Zedan, the response to the open call was overwhelmingly positive.
“We had over 300 submissions, a great number for our first call. It also gives us an indication that there is a lot of interest as people are seeing what the Souk has done in the previous two years.
The third edition of the Souk, taking place between Dec. 2-5, marks the first time the market held an open call for submissions. Previously, selection happened directly or through the Red Sea Fund. According to Red Sea Souk manager Zain Zedan, the response to the open call was overwhelmingly positive.
“We had over 300 submissions, a great number for our first call. It also gives us an indication that there is a lot of interest as people are seeing what the Souk has done in the previous two years.
- 12/2/2023
- by Rafa Sales Ross
- Variety Film + TV
Moroccan director Hicham Lasri is presenting the world premiere of his seventh feature film, “Moroccan Badass Girl,” at the Marrakech Film Festival, and also participating in the Atlas Workshops with “Happy Lovers.” He describes both as dark comedies about antiheroes in the Arab world, “a bit in the vein of the Coen brothers.”
“Moroccan Badass Girl,” starring Fadoua Taleb, is a contemporary low-budget pic about a headstrong, unpredictable young Moroccan woman in Casablanca. “Happy Lovers” features a clumsy French writer who accepts a mission to kill a well-known author, with a fatwa on his head.
Both projects mark a major change from Lasri’s previous six feature films, which have all been set in Morocco in the 1980s, at the end of the so-called “Years of Lead,” during the reign of King Hassan II.
“Moroccan Badass Girl” is produced by Lasri through S.A. Prod., with sales handled by Mad Solutions.
“Moroccan Badass Girl,” starring Fadoua Taleb, is a contemporary low-budget pic about a headstrong, unpredictable young Moroccan woman in Casablanca. “Happy Lovers” features a clumsy French writer who accepts a mission to kill a well-known author, with a fatwa on his head.
Both projects mark a major change from Lasri’s previous six feature films, which have all been set in Morocco in the 1980s, at the end of the so-called “Years of Lead,” during the reign of King Hassan II.
“Moroccan Badass Girl” is produced by Lasri through S.A. Prod., with sales handled by Mad Solutions.
- 11/30/2023
- by Martin Dale
- Variety Film + TV
Industry speakers at festival include ‘Quo Vadis, Aida?’ director Jasmila Zbanic, former Marvel exec Karim Zreik.
Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea International Film Festival (Rsiff) has selected 26 feature film projects for its Red Sea Souk Project Market; plus a Work-in-Progress showcase, and speakers for its 360° industry events programme.
The 26 Souk projects hail from Africa and the Arab region. Titles include Djeliya, Memory Of Manding, a documentary from Burkinabe filmmaker Boubacar Sangare, whose third film A Golden Life played at the Berlinale earlier this year.
Scroll down for the full list of projects
Also included is Scandar Copti’s animated documentary A Childhood,...
Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea International Film Festival (Rsiff) has selected 26 feature film projects for its Red Sea Souk Project Market; plus a Work-in-Progress showcase, and speakers for its 360° industry events programme.
The 26 Souk projects hail from Africa and the Arab region. Titles include Djeliya, Memory Of Manding, a documentary from Burkinabe filmmaker Boubacar Sangare, whose third film A Golden Life played at the Berlinale earlier this year.
Scroll down for the full list of projects
Also included is Scandar Copti’s animated documentary A Childhood,...
- 11/7/2023
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea Film Festival has revealed details of the Red Sea Souk, the fest’s industry market that will offer meeting and networking opportunities revolving around new Arab and African product.
The Souk will take place Dec. 2-5 alongside the Nov. 30-Dec. 9 fest in Jeddah, on the Red Sea’s eastern shore. The fest’s industry side will also comprise the Red Sea Talent Days on Dec. 6-7, which will give regional talents and young filmmakers a chance to connect with industry experts.
The Red Sea Souk Project Market will showcase 26 feature-length projects from across the Arab and African region. Of these, 12 are Red Sea Lodge projects that were developed in-house during the year through workshops and labs in partnership with Italy’s Torino Film Lab.
Four of these projects will be awarded the annual Red Sea Lodge production prizes of $50,000 each.
All 26 selected projects in the...
The Souk will take place Dec. 2-5 alongside the Nov. 30-Dec. 9 fest in Jeddah, on the Red Sea’s eastern shore. The fest’s industry side will also comprise the Red Sea Talent Days on Dec. 6-7, which will give regional talents and young filmmakers a chance to connect with industry experts.
The Red Sea Souk Project Market will showcase 26 feature-length projects from across the Arab and African region. Of these, 12 are Red Sea Lodge projects that were developed in-house during the year through workshops and labs in partnership with Italy’s Torino Film Lab.
Four of these projects will be awarded the annual Red Sea Lodge production prizes of $50,000 each.
All 26 selected projects in the...
- 11/7/2023
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
The Red Sea International Film Festival, has unveiled the 26 projects selected as part of its industry-focused Red Sea Souk Market, running from December 2 to 5.
Projects in development include Palestinian director Scandar Copti’s A Childhood, Lebanese-French filmmaker Danielle Arbid’s Love Conquers All and Madness And Honey Days by Iraq’s Ahmed Yassin Al-Daradji.
Within the Market selection are twelve Red Sea Lodge projects which were developed during the year through intensive workshops and in partnership with the Torino Film Lab. Four of these projects will be awarded the annual Red Sea Lodge production prizes of $50,000 each.
All 26 selected projects will compete for cash prizes offered by the Red Sea Fund, to be awarded by an international jury of producers: $35,000 for development, $25,000 for the Jury Special Mention Award and $100,000 for production
Another six projects will be showcased in Works-In-Progress section including Men In The Sun by Palestinian director Mahdi Fleifel,...
Projects in development include Palestinian director Scandar Copti’s A Childhood, Lebanese-French filmmaker Danielle Arbid’s Love Conquers All and Madness And Honey Days by Iraq’s Ahmed Yassin Al-Daradji.
Within the Market selection are twelve Red Sea Lodge projects which were developed during the year through intensive workshops and in partnership with the Torino Film Lab. Four of these projects will be awarded the annual Red Sea Lodge production prizes of $50,000 each.
All 26 selected projects will compete for cash prizes offered by the Red Sea Fund, to be awarded by an international jury of producers: $35,000 for development, $25,000 for the Jury Special Mention Award and $100,000 for production
Another six projects will be showcased in Works-In-Progress section including Men In The Sun by Palestinian director Mahdi Fleifel,...
- 11/7/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Some 18 producers from 17 countries will attend workshops throughout 2023 and 2024.
Eve Gabereau of the UK’s Modern Films and Denmark’s Monica Hellstrom are among 18 independent producers selected for Ace 33, the latest intake for the Ace Producers Network.
The 18 producers from 17 different countries will attend three workshops throughout 2023 and 2024 with independent feature projects. The workshops will take place in Norway in October, on content development; in Warsaw, Poland in November, on financing strategies; and finally in France, looking at business strategies.
Scroll down for the Ace 33 selection
The producers will then join the Ace Network following the 2024 Ace meeting in Bordeaux,...
Eve Gabereau of the UK’s Modern Films and Denmark’s Monica Hellstrom are among 18 independent producers selected for Ace 33, the latest intake for the Ace Producers Network.
The 18 producers from 17 different countries will attend three workshops throughout 2023 and 2024 with independent feature projects. The workshops will take place in Norway in October, on content development; in Warsaw, Poland in November, on financing strategies; and finally in France, looking at business strategies.
Scroll down for the Ace 33 selection
The producers will then join the Ace Network following the 2024 Ace meeting in Bordeaux,...
- 9/12/2023
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
18 producers from 17 countries will attend workshops throughout 2023 and 2024.
Eve Gabereau of UK company Modern Films and Danish producer Monica Hellstrom are among 18 independent producers selected for Ace 33, the latest intake for the Ace Producers Network.
The 18 producers from 17 different countries will attend three workshops throughout 2023 and 2024 with independent feature projects. The workshops will take place in Norway in October, on content development; in Warsaw, Poland in November, on financing strategies; and finally in France, looking at business strategies.
Scroll down for the Ace 33 selection
The producers will then join the Ace Network following the 2024 Ace meeting in Bordeaux, France.
London-based...
Eve Gabereau of UK company Modern Films and Danish producer Monica Hellstrom are among 18 independent producers selected for Ace 33, the latest intake for the Ace Producers Network.
The 18 producers from 17 different countries will attend three workshops throughout 2023 and 2024 with independent feature projects. The workshops will take place in Norway in October, on content development; in Warsaw, Poland in November, on financing strategies; and finally in France, looking at business strategies.
Scroll down for the Ace 33 selection
The producers will then join the Ace Network following the 2024 Ace meeting in Bordeaux, France.
London-based...
- 9/12/2023
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
Fantastic 7 is the showcase of international genre projects at an advanced stage of production.
Carlota Pereda’s second film The Chapel, her follow-up to Sundance hit Piggy, is among the seven films selected for Fantastic 7, the showcase of international genre projects at various stages of production to be showcased at the Cannes market this year.
Fantastic 7 is a joint initiative of the Cannes Marche du Film, Sitges’ International Fantastic Film Festival of Catalonia and Buenos Aires’ Ventana Sur co-director Bernardo Bergeret. Each film has been selected by a different genre-focused festival
The Chapel, which is in post, is the selection of Sitges.
Carlota Pereda’s second film The Chapel, her follow-up to Sundance hit Piggy, is among the seven films selected for Fantastic 7, the showcase of international genre projects at various stages of production to be showcased at the Cannes market this year.
Fantastic 7 is a joint initiative of the Cannes Marche du Film, Sitges’ International Fantastic Film Festival of Catalonia and Buenos Aires’ Ventana Sur co-director Bernardo Bergeret. Each film has been selected by a different genre-focused festival
The Chapel, which is in post, is the selection of Sitges.
- 4/25/2023
- by Emilio Mayorga
- ScreenDaily
Marrakech – One of Morocco’s highest-profile female producers has got her hands full with a slew of new projects. Lamia Chraibi of the Casablanca-based production shingle Laprod has revealed a full new production slate to Variety that she is working on beyond her current focus, the production “Thank You Satan” directed by Morocco’s Hicham Lasri (“Cruelty Free”).
Previously called “Happy Lovers,” the dark comedy is about a penniless novelist who plans to assassinate a famous author that has been issued a fatwa. He wants to use the money to buy his wife and new children a place in the sun.
“It will be a first of its kind and I cannot wait for this movie to be made,” she tells Variety.
Other projects in the works include drama/horror “Le Refuge” by Talal Selhami (“Achora”). The director described the film as Polanski-esque in style. The story unfolds inside an apartment with very few characters.
Previously called “Happy Lovers,” the dark comedy is about a penniless novelist who plans to assassinate a famous author that has been issued a fatwa. He wants to use the money to buy his wife and new children a place in the sun.
“It will be a first of its kind and I cannot wait for this movie to be made,” she tells Variety.
Other projects in the works include drama/horror “Le Refuge” by Talal Selhami (“Achora”). The director described the film as Polanski-esque in style. The story unfolds inside an apartment with very few characters.
- 11/19/2022
- by Liza Foreman
- Variety Film + TV
Jerzy Skolimowski’s Eo Wins Arab Critics’ Awards For European Films
Veteran Polish director Jerzy Skolimowski’s Eo, exploring the world through the eyes of a donkey, has won the fourth edition of the Arab Critics’ Awards For European Films, in which 76 critics hailing from 15 Arab-language territories voted on their favorite film out of Europe to have premiered on the festival circuit over the course of this year. The prize was announced at the Cairo International Film Festival. Skolimowski was not able to attend the awards ceremony in person because he is currently in L.A. promoting the film, which is Poland’s Oscar entry this year, but he sent a message of thanks. “I am incredibly happy that Eo has been appreciated by the Arab Critics’ Circle as it must mean that my simple story of a donkey has moved people’s hearts across different cultures,” he said. Pan-Arab...
Veteran Polish director Jerzy Skolimowski’s Eo, exploring the world through the eyes of a donkey, has won the fourth edition of the Arab Critics’ Awards For European Films, in which 76 critics hailing from 15 Arab-language territories voted on their favorite film out of Europe to have premiered on the festival circuit over the course of this year. The prize was announced at the Cairo International Film Festival. Skolimowski was not able to attend the awards ceremony in person because he is currently in L.A. promoting the film, which is Poland’s Oscar entry this year, but he sent a message of thanks. “I am incredibly happy that Eo has been appreciated by the Arab Critics’ Circle as it must mean that my simple story of a donkey has moved people’s hearts across different cultures,” he said. Pan-Arab...
- 11/18/2022
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Film Independent today announced the names of the 30 filmmakers, from 11 nations, selected to participate in its 2022 Global Media Makers LA Residency, taking place in person this month.
The filmmakers and projects chosen are Sumon Delwar (My Cousin), Ali El Arabi and Ahmed El Zoghby (The Legend of Zeinab and Noah), Prantik Basu (Dengue), Archana Borhade and Mangesh Joshi (Purjey (Parts)), Sriram Raja and Deyali Mukherjee (New Sweetness), Kushal Batunge (They Call Her Mafia), Gaby Zarazir and Michael Zarazir, Lamia Chraibi and Hicham Lasri (Meskoun), Anup Poudel and Abinash Bikram Shah (Elephants in the Fog), Rajan Kathet and Sunir Pandey (No Winter Holidays), Fizza Ali Meerza and Nabeel Qureshi (There Was a Boy), Suzannah Mirghani (Cotton Queen), Amjad Abu Alala and Mohamed Kordofani (Goodbye Julia), Lotfi Achour and Anissa Daoud (Red Path), Rashid Abdelhamid and Ismahane Lahmar (A Respectable Family), Sezen Kayhan and Beste Yamalıoğlu (Women with...
The filmmakers and projects chosen are Sumon Delwar (My Cousin), Ali El Arabi and Ahmed El Zoghby (The Legend of Zeinab and Noah), Prantik Basu (Dengue), Archana Borhade and Mangesh Joshi (Purjey (Parts)), Sriram Raja and Deyali Mukherjee (New Sweetness), Kushal Batunge (They Call Her Mafia), Gaby Zarazir and Michael Zarazir, Lamia Chraibi and Hicham Lasri (Meskoun), Anup Poudel and Abinash Bikram Shah (Elephants in the Fog), Rajan Kathet and Sunir Pandey (No Winter Holidays), Fizza Ali Meerza and Nabeel Qureshi (There Was a Boy), Suzannah Mirghani (Cotton Queen), Amjad Abu Alala and Mohamed Kordofani (Goodbye Julia), Lotfi Achour and Anissa Daoud (Red Path), Rashid Abdelhamid and Ismahane Lahmar (A Respectable Family), Sezen Kayhan and Beste Yamalıoğlu (Women with...
- 4/13/2022
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
The seventh edition will nurture 48 projects by first and second-time directors hailing mainly from the Arab world.
The Doha Film Institute (Dfi) kicked off the online edition of its seventh annual talent and project development meeting Qumra on Friday.
Unfolding from March 12-17, the event will nurture 48 short and feature-length films at different stages of their creation from 41 countries, that have previously received the support of the Dfi grants programme.
They range from in-development projects such as Moroccan director Kamal Lazraq’s Casablanca-set kidnap caper Hounds to projects in post-production including Lebanese filmmaker Mounia Akl’s Costa Brava Lebanon,...
The Doha Film Institute (Dfi) kicked off the online edition of its seventh annual talent and project development meeting Qumra on Friday.
Unfolding from March 12-17, the event will nurture 48 short and feature-length films at different stages of their creation from 41 countries, that have previously received the support of the Dfi grants programme.
They range from in-development projects such as Moroccan director Kamal Lazraq’s Casablanca-set kidnap caper Hounds to projects in post-production including Lebanese filmmaker Mounia Akl’s Costa Brava Lebanon,...
- 3/12/2021
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- ScreenDaily
“The Alleys,” “The Legend of Zeineb and Noah” and “I Can Hear Your Voice… Still” were the big winners of the Cairo Film Connection, the co-production platform of the Cairo International Film Festival.
“The Alleys,” the directorial debut from the Oscar-nominated “Theeb” producer Bassel Ghandour, was awarded the $10,000 Badyã Award and $10,000 New Century Productions Prize.
Currently in post-production, “The Alleys” is a Jordan, Egyptian, French and Saudi co-production about a charming hustler who pretends to be a white-collar career man in a gossip-ridden, violent neighborhood.
The jury, comprising Jordanian actor and producer Saba Mubarak, Moroccan producer Lamia Chraibi, and Egyptian filmmaker Abubakr Shawky, was slated to give out 21 awards from 18 different companies, but they added three more to the list during the ceremony.
“The Legend of Zeineb and Noah” by acclaimed Egyptian director Yousry Nasrallah, whose 2012 film “After the Battle” competed for the Palme d’Or, took home five of...
“The Alleys,” the directorial debut from the Oscar-nominated “Theeb” producer Bassel Ghandour, was awarded the $10,000 Badyã Award and $10,000 New Century Productions Prize.
Currently in post-production, “The Alleys” is a Jordan, Egyptian, French and Saudi co-production about a charming hustler who pretends to be a white-collar career man in a gossip-ridden, violent neighborhood.
The jury, comprising Jordanian actor and producer Saba Mubarak, Moroccan producer Lamia Chraibi, and Egyptian filmmaker Abubakr Shawky, was slated to give out 21 awards from 18 different companies, but they added three more to the list during the ceremony.
“The Legend of Zeineb and Noah” by acclaimed Egyptian director Yousry Nasrallah, whose 2012 film “After the Battle” competed for the Palme d’Or, took home five of...
- 12/9/2020
- by Kaleem Aftab
- Variety Film + TV
The Albanian project directed by Suela Bako was deemed the best of the six pitched at the event, which was held entirely online, while the Croatian project Four Days at the Sea was also awarded. At its first edition, the Dot.on.the.map Industry Days co-production and networking platform succeeded in eliminating physical borders and uniting industry professionals across the Mediterranean and Europe. The platform, which was forced to run digitally from 9-11 April, owing to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, is organised by the Cyprus Film Days International Film Festival, the Cultural Services of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sport and Youth and the Rialto Theatre. At the pitching session, which was attended by more than 40 professionals from 17 countries, the six projects (see the news) were presented by their producers and directors, and the jury, comprising French producer Guillaume De Seille, Moroccan producer Lamia Chraibi and connecting cottbus co-production market.
The Doha Film Institute has added French auteur Claire Denis and Oscar-nominated cinematographer Phedon Papamichael (“Nebraska”) to the lineup of star talent who will act as mentors for the Qumra Masters program during its upcoming Qumra event dedicated to fostering fresh Arab film fare that is opening up to TV projects.
They join previously announced directors James Gray and Jessica Hausner and sound designer Mark A. Mangini (“Mad Max: Fury Road”) for the 2020 edition that will run March 20-25 in the Qatari capital.
Mangini will be the first sound designer to attend the unique event conceived by Palestinian director Elia Suleiman, who is Qumra’s creative director.
Qumra, which is an Arab word believed to be the origin of the word “camera,” is dedicated to supporting and shepherding first and second works mostly by Arab directors. The mentors, through one-on-one meetings and master classes, will nurture the talent attached to...
They join previously announced directors James Gray and Jessica Hausner and sound designer Mark A. Mangini (“Mad Max: Fury Road”) for the 2020 edition that will run March 20-25 in the Qatari capital.
Mangini will be the first sound designer to attend the unique event conceived by Palestinian director Elia Suleiman, who is Qumra’s creative director.
Qumra, which is an Arab word believed to be the origin of the word “camera,” is dedicated to supporting and shepherding first and second works mostly by Arab directors. The mentors, through one-on-one meetings and master classes, will nurture the talent attached to...
- 2/23/2020
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Qatari institute supports a record 42 projects in autumn funding round.
Moroccan director Hicham Lasri, Syrian Venice Lion of the Future winner Soudade Kaadan and Brazil’s Karim Aïnouz are among the latest round of new grantees of the Doha Film Institute (Dfi).
The Qatari institute has announced a record 42 projects for its autumn 2019 selection, 35 of which have strong Middle East and North Africa connections.
Prolific director Lasri, whose last work Jahilya screened in the Berlinale Forum in 2018, received backing for his upcoming supernatural TV series Meskoun.
The fantasy drama revolves around a Moroccan man who drowns crossing the Mediterranean on...
Moroccan director Hicham Lasri, Syrian Venice Lion of the Future winner Soudade Kaadan and Brazil’s Karim Aïnouz are among the latest round of new grantees of the Doha Film Institute (Dfi).
The Qatari institute has announced a record 42 projects for its autumn 2019 selection, 35 of which have strong Middle East and North Africa connections.
Prolific director Lasri, whose last work Jahilya screened in the Berlinale Forum in 2018, received backing for his upcoming supernatural TV series Meskoun.
The fantasy drama revolves around a Moroccan man who drowns crossing the Mediterranean on...
- 1/28/2020
- by 1100388¦Melanie Goodfellow¦0¦
- ScreenDaily
Mica
Ismaël Ferroukhi breaks a nine-year absence with third feature, Mica, a French-Moroccan co-production produced by Lamia Chraibi, starring Sabrina Ouzani, Zakaria Inan and Azelarab Khagat. Ferroukhi won Best Debut Film at the 2004 Venice Film Festival for The Great Journey and his 2011 sophomore film Free Men received an Special Screening at Cannes. The film was a recent winner of the Gff award at the Final Cut in Venice Workshop.
Gist: Co-written by Fadette Drouard, Mica is a kid from the slums who is hired as a handyman at a swank Casablanca tennis club.…...
Ismaël Ferroukhi breaks a nine-year absence with third feature, Mica, a French-Moroccan co-production produced by Lamia Chraibi, starring Sabrina Ouzani, Zakaria Inan and Azelarab Khagat. Ferroukhi won Best Debut Film at the 2004 Venice Film Festival for The Great Journey and his 2011 sophomore film Free Men received an Special Screening at Cannes. The film was a recent winner of the Gff award at the Final Cut in Venice Workshop.
Gist: Co-written by Fadette Drouard, Mica is a kid from the slums who is hired as a handyman at a swank Casablanca tennis club.…...
- 12/31/2019
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
Mati Diop, Talal Selhami and Larissa Sansour discuss their different routes to genre at Marrakech’s Atlas Workshops.
International festival programmers are sitting up and paying attention to the rise in genre cinema by Arab and African filmmakers.
Mati Diop’s genre-bending drama Atlantics wowed Cannes Competition earlier this year, with Algerian psychological drama Abou Leila screening in Cannes Critics Week and Tunisian horror film Dachra for Venice Critics’ Week in 2018.
A group of filmmakers gathered to discuss their routes into genre filmmaking at a panel talk ‘Unearthing the Fantastic’ held during the Atlas Workshops of the Marrkech International Film Festival last week.
International festival programmers are sitting up and paying attention to the rise in genre cinema by Arab and African filmmakers.
Mati Diop’s genre-bending drama Atlantics wowed Cannes Competition earlier this year, with Algerian psychological drama Abou Leila screening in Cannes Critics Week and Tunisian horror film Dachra for Venice Critics’ Week in 2018.
A group of filmmakers gathered to discuss their routes into genre filmmaking at a panel talk ‘Unearthing the Fantastic’ held during the Atlas Workshops of the Marrkech International Film Festival last week.
- 12/11/2019
- by 1100388¦Melanie Goodfellow¦0¦
- ScreenDaily
2019 has been an excellent year for films from Africa and the Middle East, with a higher presence in A-list festivals, and kudos for films such as Mati Diop’s “Atlantics,” which won the Grand Prix at Cannes.
The “new wave” of Arab and African cinema includes a small group of films that explore links with genre cinema – including fantasy, sci-fi and horror – which is related to a broader trend in literature and the contemporary arts in the Arab world that is exploring dystopias and fantasy settings.
Lamia Chraibi, a leading producer of daring films from the Middle East and North Africa region, is developing a pan-Arab genre series, “Meskoun,” with Moroccan filmmaker Hicham Lasri (“Jahilya”) as showrunner, in coproduction with Mohamed Hefzy’s Film Clinic (Egypt), Georges Schoucair’s Abbout Productions (Lebanon) and Habib Attia’s Cinetelefilms (Tunisia).
Chraibi recently produced Talal Selhami’s “Achoura,” Morocco’s first fantasy film,...
The “new wave” of Arab and African cinema includes a small group of films that explore links with genre cinema – including fantasy, sci-fi and horror – which is related to a broader trend in literature and the contemporary arts in the Arab world that is exploring dystopias and fantasy settings.
Lamia Chraibi, a leading producer of daring films from the Middle East and North Africa region, is developing a pan-Arab genre series, “Meskoun,” with Moroccan filmmaker Hicham Lasri (“Jahilya”) as showrunner, in coproduction with Mohamed Hefzy’s Film Clinic (Egypt), Georges Schoucair’s Abbout Productions (Lebanon) and Habib Attia’s Cinetelefilms (Tunisia).
Chraibi recently produced Talal Selhami’s “Achoura,” Morocco’s first fantasy film,...
- 12/8/2019
- by Martin Dale
- Variety Film + TV
Lamia Chraibi, a leading producer of daring films from the Middle East and North Africa region, is developing “Meskoun,” an ambitious pan-Arab genre-bending series with Moroccan filmmaker Hicham Lasri (“Jahilya”) on board as showrunner.
Chraibi (“Mimosas”) will produce the 14-episode series with her Moroccan banner La Prod, along with Mohamed Hefzy’s Egyptian company Film Clinic, Lebanese outfit Abbout Productions and Habib Attia’s Tunisian company Cinetelefilms.
“Meskoun” follows Lotfi, a young man who lost his fiancée and decides to take off to Europe without a permit, and tries crossing the sea. But Lotfi ends up drowning in high waters with seven other illegal immigrants from different nationalities. A month later, he reemerges inhabited by the souls of the seven strangers who drowned with him. In order to free himself from these souls, Lotfi, who has become a sort of unwilling superhero, must accomplish their respective last wish, taking him...
Chraibi (“Mimosas”) will produce the 14-episode series with her Moroccan banner La Prod, along with Mohamed Hefzy’s Egyptian company Film Clinic, Lebanese outfit Abbout Productions and Habib Attia’s Tunisian company Cinetelefilms.
“Meskoun” follows Lotfi, a young man who lost his fiancée and decides to take off to Europe without a permit, and tries crossing the sea. But Lotfi ends up drowning in high waters with seven other illegal immigrants from different nationalities. A month later, he reemerges inhabited by the souls of the seven strangers who drowned with him. In order to free himself from these souls, Lotfi, who has become a sort of unwilling superhero, must accomplish their respective last wish, taking him...
- 12/5/2019
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
The Doha Film Institute’s unique Qumra workshop wrapped its fifth edition on Wednesday following six days of masterclasses, labs and mentoring sessions that bolstered the Dfi’s status as the prime entity fostering Arab filmmaking and connecting directors from most of the region with the rest of the world.
Programmers from Cannes, Venice, Toronto, Berlin and many other major festivals were in attendance, as has become customary, as well as a select group of industry execs from more than 30 countries including a high-caliber U.S. contingent. They came to provide their input on 36 Dfi-backed projects, most of which by Arab directors, and to hobnob in a relaxed informal setting.
“It’s a very intimate structure that doesn’t just offer support or critique, but also real dialogue,” said Iraqi-Moroccan director Tala Hadid (pictured) one of this year’s Qumra mentors. “They choose and curate very carefully who should go with which project,...
Programmers from Cannes, Venice, Toronto, Berlin and many other major festivals were in attendance, as has become customary, as well as a select group of industry execs from more than 30 countries including a high-caliber U.S. contingent. They came to provide their input on 36 Dfi-backed projects, most of which by Arab directors, and to hobnob in a relaxed informal setting.
“It’s a very intimate structure that doesn’t just offer support or critique, but also real dialogue,” said Iraqi-Moroccan director Tala Hadid (pictured) one of this year’s Qumra mentors. “They choose and curate very carefully who should go with which project,...
- 3/21/2019
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Industry professionals will discuss 36 projects at all stages of development.
The fifth edition of Qumra, the Doha Film Institute (Dfi)’s regional talent and project development event begins in Doha today (Friday March 15).
Budding filmmakers from the region and leading international industry professionals will come together to discuss and nurture around 36 film projects at all stages of production at the six-day meeting. Qumra takes place in and around Doha’s Souq Wafiq area as well as the city’s I.M. Pei-designed Museum of Islamic Art.
“The unprecedented access for emerging talent to the world’s top leaders across all...
The fifth edition of Qumra, the Doha Film Institute (Dfi)’s regional talent and project development event begins in Doha today (Friday March 15).
Budding filmmakers from the region and leading international industry professionals will come together to discuss and nurture around 36 film projects at all stages of production at the six-day meeting. Qumra takes place in and around Doha’s Souq Wafiq area as well as the city’s I.M. Pei-designed Museum of Islamic Art.
“The unprecedented access for emerging talent to the world’s top leaders across all...
- 3/15/2019
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- ScreenDaily
Palestinian filmmaker Annemarie Jacir’s Nazareth-set dark comedy Wajib scooped the top prize at Diff’s co-financing event the Dubai Film Connection on Sunday.
The project, following a divorced father as he spends the day with his estranged son delivering wedding invitations for his daughter, won Diff’s $25,000 prize.
Jacir’s long-time producer Ossama Bawardi at their joint company Philistine Films is producing.
The Dfc award came hot on the heels of another two awards for the project. Earlier in the week, the picture also received the Asian Pacific Screen Awards (Apsa) film grant as well as a development award from the Tribeca Film Institute.
Jacir previously participated at the Dfc with When I Saw You, which was Palestine’s foreign-language Oscar entry and won best Asian film in Berlin and best Arab film in Abu Dhabi
The Diff prize jury consisted of Loic Magneron, founding chief of Paris-based sales company Wide Management, the Toronto...
The project, following a divorced father as he spends the day with his estranged son delivering wedding invitations for his daughter, won Diff’s $25,000 prize.
Jacir’s long-time producer Ossama Bawardi at their joint company Philistine Films is producing.
The Dfc award came hot on the heels of another two awards for the project. Earlier in the week, the picture also received the Asian Pacific Screen Awards (Apsa) film grant as well as a development award from the Tribeca Film Institute.
Jacir previously participated at the Dfc with When I Saw You, which was Palestine’s foreign-language Oscar entry and won best Asian film in Berlin and best Arab film in Abu Dhabi
The Diff prize jury consisted of Loic Magneron, founding chief of Paris-based sales company Wide Management, the Toronto...
- 12/14/2015
- ScreenDaily
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