The Doha Film Institute (Dfi) has selected 44 projects for its 2024 spring grants cycle, including Mahdi Fleifel’s To A Land Unknown, which has its world premiere in Directors’ Fortnight in Cannes next Wednesday, May 22.
Fleifel’s fiction feature debut is a crime thriller about a Palestinian refugee living on the fringes of Athens society, who seeks revenge on the smuggler who ripped him off.
Scroll down for the full list of grants
Palestinian-Danish filmmaker Fleifel studied at the UK’s National Film and Television School, and previously made 2012 feature-length documentary A World Not Ours, which played at the Berlinale and Cph:dox.
Fleifel’s fiction feature debut is a crime thriller about a Palestinian refugee living on the fringes of Athens society, who seeks revenge on the smuggler who ripped him off.
Scroll down for the full list of grants
Palestinian-Danish filmmaker Fleifel studied at the UK’s National Film and Television School, and previously made 2012 feature-length documentary A World Not Ours, which played at the Berlinale and Cph:dox.
- 5/17/2024
- ScreenDaily
2024 Hubert Bals Fund’s Hbf+Europe: Erige Sehiri, Danielle Arbid & Ala Eddine Slim Projects Get Coin
Ten projects are the latest to be awarded by the Hubert Bals Fund’s Hbf+Europe support schemes. Ten projects in all are receiving coin and among them we have an Anonymous project, plus the latest from Erige Sehiri, Danielle Arbid and Ala Eddine Slim. Several of these will be considered for the upcoming Locarno and Venice Film Festivals. Under the Fig Trees‘ Erige Sehiri looks at a community in Tunisia and the dilemmas that arise from welcoming a refugee child in Marie & Jolie. Danielle Arbid’s love story titled Love Conquers All is set in Beirut and tells thee tale of a young undocumented Sudanese migrant and an older local woman (Hiam Abbas).…...
- 5/7/2024
- by Eric Lavallée
- IONCINEMA.com
Erige Sehiri, Danielle Arbid and Francisco Márquez’s latest projects are among the 10 co-productions receiving €60,000 each through the Hubert Bals Fund (Hbf) of the International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR).
The projects, eight supported for co-production and two for post-production, are helmed by mostly first- or second-time filmmakers from Singapore, Turkey, Lebanon, Chile, Tunisia, Mexico and Argentina. The European co-producers, through which the projects are awarded, hail from the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, France and Spain.
Tunisian director Sehiri, whose debut Under The Fig Tree debuted in Directors’ Fortnight 2022, is supported for Marie & Jolie. The film centres around a pastor, a trafficker...
The projects, eight supported for co-production and two for post-production, are helmed by mostly first- or second-time filmmakers from Singapore, Turkey, Lebanon, Chile, Tunisia, Mexico and Argentina. The European co-producers, through which the projects are awarded, hail from the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, France and Spain.
Tunisian director Sehiri, whose debut Under The Fig Tree debuted in Directors’ Fortnight 2022, is supported for Marie & Jolie. The film centres around a pastor, a trafficker...
- 5/7/2024
- ScreenDaily
Figment of their Imagination: Sehiri’s Baskets Filled with Hope, Humor and Harsh Truths
There is a lot more behind the scenes drama that goes into the picking of the fruits, vegetables, or in this case, the figs we eat if we go by Erige Sehiri’s agronomic, and economic spun tale youth’s shared wisdom and missteps. With plenty of treading on someone’s toes, the predominately set in-between branches and tree trunks Under the Fig Trees is less about labor-intensive work of the sector and more about a belief that a patriarchal Tunisia can do better. By way of private conversations and thorny rebuttals, we find a cleverly disguised collective coming-of-age tale about future men getting second chances, and about young women who dream (in-between instagram posts and boy-talk) of a better outcome.…...
There is a lot more behind the scenes drama that goes into the picking of the fruits, vegetables, or in this case, the figs we eat if we go by Erige Sehiri’s agronomic, and economic spun tale youth’s shared wisdom and missteps. With plenty of treading on someone’s toes, the predominately set in-between branches and tree trunks Under the Fig Trees is less about labor-intensive work of the sector and more about a belief that a patriarchal Tunisia can do better. By way of private conversations and thorny rebuttals, we find a cleverly disguised collective coming-of-age tale about future men getting second chances, and about young women who dream (in-between instagram posts and boy-talk) of a better outcome.…...
- 1/29/2024
- by Eric Lavallée
- IONCINEMA.com
The Marrakech International Film Festival folks have revealed 25 projects chosen for the sixth edition of its industry-oriented Atlas Workshops, designed to support up-and-coming talent from Morocco, the Arab region, and Africa — and as we saw this past Cannes Film Festival we really do feel the emergence of dozens of great filmmakers coming out of these regions. Atlas Workshops will feature 16 projects in various stages of development and nine films either in production or post-production. They were chosen from a pool of 300+ applications originating from across the Arab world and the African continent. We are quick to notice the Directors’ Fortnight selected Under The Fig Trees‘ Erige Sehiri presenting a new project in Marie & Jolie and Critics’ Week selected The Gravedigger’s Wife‘s Khadar Ayderus Ahmed is moving forward with his sophomore project titled Thundering Smoke.…...
- 11/3/2023
- by Eric Lavallée
- IONCINEMA.com
Tunisian Youssef Chebbi’s “Plague,” Moroccan Adnane Baraka’s “We Don’t Forget” and Meryam Joobeur’s “Motherhood” feature among buzz titles at this year’s Marrakech Festival Atlas Workshops, which will have Martin Scorsese as their official patron.
Consolidated as a key platform for Moroccan, Arab and African projects and pix in production made by a new generation of filmmakers and created by Marrakech Festival artistic director Remi Bonhomme, the Atlas Workshops unspool Nov. 27-30. They take place alongside the 20th edition of the Marrakech International Film Festival, which runs from Nov. 24-Dec. 2.
In a definite potential highlight of the Atlas Workshops, Meryjam Joubeur, whose “Brotherhood” was Oscar nominated for best live action short, will present 10 minutes of “Motherhood,” one of the awaited feature debuts of 2023. It is sure to spark major festival interest.
“Plague” marks Chebbi’s second feature after acclaimed Cannes Directors’ Fortnight genre blender “Ashkal: The Tunisian Investigation,...
Consolidated as a key platform for Moroccan, Arab and African projects and pix in production made by a new generation of filmmakers and created by Marrakech Festival artistic director Remi Bonhomme, the Atlas Workshops unspool Nov. 27-30. They take place alongside the 20th edition of the Marrakech International Film Festival, which runs from Nov. 24-Dec. 2.
In a definite potential highlight of the Atlas Workshops, Meryjam Joubeur, whose “Brotherhood” was Oscar nominated for best live action short, will present 10 minutes of “Motherhood,” one of the awaited feature debuts of 2023. It is sure to spark major festival interest.
“Plague” marks Chebbi’s second feature after acclaimed Cannes Directors’ Fortnight genre blender “Ashkal: The Tunisian Investigation,...
- 11/3/2023
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
Projects come from 11 different countries across the Arab world and African continent.
The Atlas Workshops, the industry platform of the Marrakech International Film Festival, has unveiled 25 projects for its sixth edition, which runs from November 27-30.
Atlas Workshops has lined up 16 projects in development and nine films in production or post-production from 11 countries across the Arab world and African continent.
The line-up includes projects from Tunisian directors Youssef Chebbi and Erige Sehiri. Chebbi’s feature Ashkal played in Directors’ Fortnight at Cannes last year, as did Sehiri’s Under The Fig Trees.
Also coming to The Atlas Workshops is Somalia...
The Atlas Workshops, the industry platform of the Marrakech International Film Festival, has unveiled 25 projects for its sixth edition, which runs from November 27-30.
Atlas Workshops has lined up 16 projects in development and nine films in production or post-production from 11 countries across the Arab world and African continent.
The line-up includes projects from Tunisian directors Youssef Chebbi and Erige Sehiri. Chebbi’s feature Ashkal played in Directors’ Fortnight at Cannes last year, as did Sehiri’s Under The Fig Trees.
Also coming to The Atlas Workshops is Somalia...
- 11/3/2023
- by Tim Dams
- ScreenDaily
The Marrakech International Film Festival has unveiled the 25 projects selected for the sixth edition of its industry-focused Atlas Workshops, aimed at nurturing emerging Moroccan, Arab and African talent.
Running from November 27 to 30, the event will present 16 projects in development and nine films in production or post-production from 11 countries, selected from among the 320 applications received from the Arab world and African continent.
In a reflection of the growing diversity of the stories being told by Arab and African independent filmmakers, the selection spans a diverse range of film genres, from Lebanese director Sandra Tabet’s horror picture Rabies to Moroccan filmmaker Hind Bensari’s humanist documentary Out of School and Adnane Baraka’s poetic work We Don’t Forget.
Moroccan filmmaker Baraka made waves with his documentary Fragments from Heaven, about a nomad living in a tent in a remote part of Morocco who goes in search of meteorite fragments to boost the family fortunes.
Running from November 27 to 30, the event will present 16 projects in development and nine films in production or post-production from 11 countries, selected from among the 320 applications received from the Arab world and African continent.
In a reflection of the growing diversity of the stories being told by Arab and African independent filmmakers, the selection spans a diverse range of film genres, from Lebanese director Sandra Tabet’s horror picture Rabies to Moroccan filmmaker Hind Bensari’s humanist documentary Out of School and Adnane Baraka’s poetic work We Don’t Forget.
Moroccan filmmaker Baraka made waves with his documentary Fragments from Heaven, about a nomad living in a tent in a remote part of Morocco who goes in search of meteorite fragments to boost the family fortunes.
- 11/3/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
"You'd better not let him catch you." Film Movement has revealed an official US trailer for a Tunisian indie drama titled Under the Fig Trees, made by documentary filmmaker Erige Sehiri as her first narrative feature. This initially premiered way back during the 2021 Venice Film Festival, and it is finally getting a proper art house release in the US this fall. It also toured to other fests, including at the Munich, Melbourne, Reykjavik, London, and Toronto Film Festivals in 2022. Set over the course of a single day, and with a cast made up of an ensemble of non-professional actors, Under the Fig Trees is "an elegant, understated tapestry of complex interactions" and "pleasurable, immersive experience" that ultimately reveals the ways in which sisterhood itself becomes an act of resistance. The film stars Fide Fdhili, Feten Fdhili, Ameni Fdhili, Samar Sifi, and Leila Ouhebi. The country of Tunisia...
- 10/15/2023
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
A selection at Cannes Film Festival’s Directors’ Fortnight sidebar, Erige Sehiri’s drama Under the Fig Trees would go on to be selected as Tunisia’s Oscar entry and now is finally getting a U.S. release starting this month courtesy of Film Movement Classics. Set over the course of a single day, and with a cast made up of an intergenerational ensemble of non-professional actors, the film ultimately reveals the ways in which sisterhood itself becomes an act of resistance. Ahead of the October 20 theatrical release, we’re pleased to exclusively premiere the new trailer.
Here’s the synopsis: “On a hot summer day, a crew of workers – men and women, young and old – arrive at dawn at a picturesque fig orchard in northwest Tunisia. We eavesdrop, through the sun-dappled leaves of the fig trees, on the young women stealing away precious moments from the foreman’s watchful gaze.
Here’s the synopsis: “On a hot summer day, a crew of workers – men and women, young and old – arrive at dawn at a picturesque fig orchard in northwest Tunisia. We eavesdrop, through the sun-dappled leaves of the fig trees, on the young women stealing away precious moments from the foreman’s watchful gaze.
- 10/11/2023
- by Leonard Pearce
- The Film Stage
Critical Zone.International Competition(Jury: Lambert Wilson, Zar Amir Ebrahimi, Lesli Klainberg, Charlotte Wells, Matthijs Wouter Knol)Golden Leopard: Critical Zone (Ali Ahmadzadeh)Special Jury Prize: Do Not Expect Too Much From the End of the World (Radu Jude)Best Direction: Stepne (Maryna Vroda)Best Performance: Dimitra Vlagopoulou (Animal)Best Performance: Renée Soutendijk (Sweet Dreams)Special Mention: Nuit Obscure - Au Revoir Ici, N'importe Où (Sylvain George)Filmmakers Of The PresentGolden Leopard: Dreaming & Dying (Nelson Yeo)Best Emerging Director: Katharina Huber (A Good Place)Special Jury Prize: Camping Du Lac (Éléonore Saintagnan)Best Performance: Clara Schwinning (A Good Place)Best Performance: Isold Halldórudóttir and Stavros Zafeiris (Touched)Special Mentions: Excursions (Una Gunjak), Negu Hurbilak (Colective Negu)First Feature(Jury: Omar El Zohairy, Devika Girish, Isabel Sandoval)First Feature Award: Dreaming & Dying (Nelson Yeo)Pardi Di Domani(Jury: Ewa Puszczyńska, Matthew Rankin, Amos Sussigan)Best...
- 8/12/2023
- MUBI
The pair join jury president French actor Lambert Wilson in the international competition strand
Aftersun director Charlotte Wells and Holy Spider star Zar Amir Ebrahimi are among the jurors for the 76th Locarno Film Festival (August 2-12).
The Scottish filmmaker and Iranian actor will sit on the international competition jury, led by French actor Lambert Wilson, alongside European Film Academy president Matthijs Wouter Knol and Lesli Klainberg, president of film at the Lincoln Centre.
Films competing at Locarno this year include Radu Jude’s Do Not Expect Too Much From The End Of The World, Lav Diaz’s Essential Truths...
Aftersun director Charlotte Wells and Holy Spider star Zar Amir Ebrahimi are among the jurors for the 76th Locarno Film Festival (August 2-12).
The Scottish filmmaker and Iranian actor will sit on the international competition jury, led by French actor Lambert Wilson, alongside European Film Academy president Matthijs Wouter Knol and Lesli Klainberg, president of film at the Lincoln Centre.
Films competing at Locarno this year include Radu Jude’s Do Not Expect Too Much From The End Of The World, Lav Diaz’s Essential Truths...
- 7/12/2023
- by Ellie Calnan
- ScreenDaily
Aftersun director Charlotte Wells and Holy Spider star Zar Amir Ebrahimi have joined the jury of the 76th Locarno International Film Festival and will judge the 2023 competitors for the festival’s Golden Leopard award. Ebrahimi also stars in Noora Niasari’s Sundance audience award winner Shayda, which will be the closing film in Locarno this year.
French actor Lambert Wilson, known for his performances in the Matrix films, will head up this year’s Locarno international jury as president. Also in the 2023 jury are European Film Academy director and CEO Matthijs Wouter Knol and Lesli Klainberg, President of Film at New York’s Lincoln Center.
The films of Locarno’s Concorso Cineasti del presente sidebar, featuring works from first and second-time directors will be assessed by a three-person jury of Beatrice Fiorentino, general delegate of Film Critics’ Week at the Venice Film Festival, the French-Tunisian director Erige Sehiri (Under the Fig Trees...
French actor Lambert Wilson, known for his performances in the Matrix films, will head up this year’s Locarno international jury as president. Also in the 2023 jury are European Film Academy director and CEO Matthijs Wouter Knol and Lesli Klainberg, President of Film at New York’s Lincoln Center.
The films of Locarno’s Concorso Cineasti del presente sidebar, featuring works from first and second-time directors will be assessed by a three-person jury of Beatrice Fiorentino, general delegate of Film Critics’ Week at the Venice Film Festival, the French-Tunisian director Erige Sehiri (Under the Fig Trees...
- 7/12/2023
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Actor, writer and director Lutz and producer Didar Domehri reflect on bringing the film to the big screen.
Studiocanal has inked deals in key European territories for Alex Lutz’s twisty romantic drama Strangers By Night (Une Nuit) following its Cannes premiere as the closing night film of Un Certain Regard.
The Paris-set love story, written by and starring Lutz opposite Karin Viard, has sold to Wanted in Italy, Lusomundo in Portugal, Scanbox in Scandinavia, Kino Swiat in Poland, Mars Films in Turkey, Arthouse in Ukraine, O’Brother in Benelux and will be released by Studiocanal in Germany. Studiocanal will release...
Studiocanal has inked deals in key European territories for Alex Lutz’s twisty romantic drama Strangers By Night (Une Nuit) following its Cannes premiere as the closing night film of Un Certain Regard.
The Paris-set love story, written by and starring Lutz opposite Karin Viard, has sold to Wanted in Italy, Lusomundo in Portugal, Scanbox in Scandinavia, Kino Swiat in Poland, Mars Films in Turkey, Arthouse in Ukraine, O’Brother in Benelux and will be released by Studiocanal in Germany. Studiocanal will release...
- 6/1/2023
- by Rebecca Leffler
- ScreenDaily
Here’s the latest episode of the The Filmmakers Podcast, part of the ever-growing podcast roster here on Nerdly. If you haven’t heard the show yet, you can check out previous episodes on the official podcast site, whilst we’ll be featuring each and every new episode as it premieres.
For those unfamiliar with the series, The Filmmakers Podcast is a podcast about how to make films from micro budget indie films to bigger budget studio films and everything in-between. Our hosts Giles Alderson, Dan Richardson, Andrew Rodger and Cristian James talk how to get films made, how to actually make them and how to try not to f… it up in their very humble opinion. Guests will come on and chat about their film making experiences from directors, writers, producers, screenwriters, actors, cinematographers and distributors.
The Filmmaker’s Podcast #340: How to make festival films, raise finance and...
For those unfamiliar with the series, The Filmmakers Podcast is a podcast about how to make films from micro budget indie films to bigger budget studio films and everything in-between. Our hosts Giles Alderson, Dan Richardson, Andrew Rodger and Cristian James talk how to get films made, how to actually make them and how to try not to f… it up in their very humble opinion. Guests will come on and chat about their film making experiences from directors, writers, producers, screenwriters, actors, cinematographers and distributors.
The Filmmaker’s Podcast #340: How to make festival films, raise finance and...
- 5/29/2023
- by Phil Wheat
- Nerdly
Largely improvised, Erige Sehiri’s film packs argument, gossip, romance and social criticism into a busy day of fruit picking
French-Tunisian documentary maker Erige Sehiri makes a watchable fiction feature with this shrewd, sympathetic ensemble study, which takes place as promised in the title: over a single working day in a fig tree orchard in Kesra, north-western Tunisia. Every day a truck comes to pick up a crowd of people doing cash-in-hand work picking the fruit: largely women, young and old, and some men. The long working day unfolds as the shadows shorten, then lengthen and friendships, enmities, generational and political disputes and embryonic and failed love affairs are revealed to us.
The movie is largely improvised and Sehiri appears often to have set up specific situations for two or three characters to work around, so there are some slightly protracted, shapeless, acting-class improv conversations and arguments, and even some...
French-Tunisian documentary maker Erige Sehiri makes a watchable fiction feature with this shrewd, sympathetic ensemble study, which takes place as promised in the title: over a single working day in a fig tree orchard in Kesra, north-western Tunisia. Every day a truck comes to pick up a crowd of people doing cash-in-hand work picking the fruit: largely women, young and old, and some men. The long working day unfolds as the shadows shorten, then lengthen and friendships, enmities, generational and political disputes and embryonic and failed love affairs are revealed to us.
The movie is largely improvised and Sehiri appears often to have set up specific situations for two or three characters to work around, so there are some slightly protracted, shapeless, acting-class improv conversations and arguments, and even some...
- 5/16/2023
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
The Blue Caftan by Moroccan director and Cannes 2023 Jury member Maryam Touzani has topped the nominations in the seventh edition of the Critics Awards for Arab Films.
The portrait of marriage and stifled sexuality, starring Saleh Bakri and Lubna Azabal has been nominated in seven categories including best film, actor, actress, director, screenplay, cinematography and music.
The film world premiered in Cannes Un Certain Regard in 2022 and went on to be Morocco’s best international film submission for the 2023 Academy Awards making it as far as the first long list.
The Critics Awards for Arab Films are overseen by the Arab Cinema Centre and judged by 193 critics from 72 countries. The winners will be announced at a ceremony during Cannes.
To qualify for consideration, films need to have premiered at international film festivals outside of the Arab world in 2022; involve at least one Arab world production company, and be feature-length.
Other...
The portrait of marriage and stifled sexuality, starring Saleh Bakri and Lubna Azabal has been nominated in seven categories including best film, actor, actress, director, screenplay, cinematography and music.
The film world premiered in Cannes Un Certain Regard in 2022 and went on to be Morocco’s best international film submission for the 2023 Academy Awards making it as far as the first long list.
The Critics Awards for Arab Films are overseen by the Arab Cinema Centre and judged by 193 critics from 72 countries. The winners will be announced at a ceremony during Cannes.
To qualify for consideration, films need to have premiered at international film festivals outside of the Arab world in 2022; involve at least one Arab world production company, and be feature-length.
Other...
- 5/12/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Three categories have been added to this year’s awards.
Moroccan filmmaker Maryam Touzani’s The Blue Caftan leads the nominations in the 7th Critics Awards for Arab Films, which has added categories for best editing, cinematography and music.
The Arabic-language drama, in which a woman and her closeted gay husband hire a young apprentice at their caftan store, secured seven nominations – every category except editing and documentary. The film premiered in Un Certain Regard at Cannes last year and was Morocco’s submission for the international feature film Oscar, making the shortlist but not final nominations.
A strong showing...
Moroccan filmmaker Maryam Touzani’s The Blue Caftan leads the nominations in the 7th Critics Awards for Arab Films, which has added categories for best editing, cinematography and music.
The Arabic-language drama, in which a woman and her closeted gay husband hire a young apprentice at their caftan store, secured seven nominations – every category except editing and documentary. The film premiered in Un Certain Regard at Cannes last year and was Morocco’s submission for the international feature film Oscar, making the shortlist but not final nominations.
A strong showing...
- 5/12/2023
- by Michael Rosser
- ScreenDaily
Returning to Johannesburg cinemas for the first time since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, the Joburg Film Festival kicked off its 5th edition with a joyful relaunch on Tuesday night, as local luminaries walked a gold carpet in Nelson Mandela Square in honor of the festival’s slogan, “Our Stories. Our Gold,” and the crowd was serenaded with a soaring performance from South African soprano Zandile Mzazi and singer Thandiswa Mazwai.
The event, which runs Jan. 31 – Feb. 5, bowed with the African premiere of “Xalé” (pictured), from veteran Senegalese director Moussa Sène Absa, a story of female subjugation and self-liberation that opened last year’s BFI Film Festival and was the West African nation’s entry in the 2023 international feature film Oscar race.
The festival wraps with “The Umbrella Men,” by local helmer John Barker (“Wonder Boy for President”), a caper comedy about first-time bank robbers pulling a heist...
The event, which runs Jan. 31 – Feb. 5, bowed with the African premiere of “Xalé” (pictured), from veteran Senegalese director Moussa Sène Absa, a story of female subjugation and self-liberation that opened last year’s BFI Film Festival and was the West African nation’s entry in the 2023 international feature film Oscar race.
The festival wraps with “The Umbrella Men,” by local helmer John Barker (“Wonder Boy for President”), a caper comedy about first-time bank robbers pulling a heist...
- 2/1/2023
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
Prince Edward To Present New Production Guild of Great Britain Talent Prize
Prince Edward, who is the royal Patron of the Production Guild of Great Britain (Pggb), will present the body’s new film and TV industry award that has been created in his name as part of its inaugural Talent Showcase, presented in association with Disney Studios Content and supported by Entertainment Partners. Four industry organizations have been shortlisted for The Earl of Wessex Award, created to recognise professionals working in the UK film and TV industry who have created “a successful way of inspiring local talent or skills, widening access or being more inclusive.” The nominees are youth-led production company Fully Focused; media charity Mama Youth Project; social change enablers Resource Productions and mental health and wellbeing nonprofit 6ft From the Spotlight. He will present the prize at the first Pggb Talent Showcase on January 24. The Earl of...
Prince Edward, who is the royal Patron of the Production Guild of Great Britain (Pggb), will present the body’s new film and TV industry award that has been created in his name as part of its inaugural Talent Showcase, presented in association with Disney Studios Content and supported by Entertainment Partners. Four industry organizations have been shortlisted for The Earl of Wessex Award, created to recognise professionals working in the UK film and TV industry who have created “a successful way of inspiring local talent or skills, widening access or being more inclusive.” The nominees are youth-led production company Fully Focused; media charity Mama Youth Project; social change enablers Resource Productions and mental health and wellbeing nonprofit 6ft From the Spotlight. He will present the prize at the first Pggb Talent Showcase on January 24. The Earl of...
- 1/19/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Legal docudrama Saint Omer was voted Best Picture at the 34th Annual Palm Springs International Film Festival, which announced this year’s juried award winners today.
Saint Omer wins for its ability “to expertly interrogate issues of society, culture, race, and gender,” the festival release stated. “Alice Diop, as screenwriter and director, delivers a film that explores different dynamics of Black women in contemporary France, drawing empathetic lead performances from Kayije Kagame and Guslagie Malanga. By harnessing the skills of her technical team, Diop turns Saint Omer into a shrewd, cogent, ambitious, and overwhelming film which teases a metafictional awareness while remaining clear-eyed and unsentimental.”
The Palm Springs festival took place from January 5-16 and screened 134 films from 64 countries, including 27 premieres. The lineup includes 35 of the International Feature Film Oscar submissions.
The jury award categories included the Fipresci Prize for films...
Saint Omer wins for its ability “to expertly interrogate issues of society, culture, race, and gender,” the festival release stated. “Alice Diop, as screenwriter and director, delivers a film that explores different dynamics of Black women in contemporary France, drawing empathetic lead performances from Kayije Kagame and Guslagie Malanga. By harnessing the skills of her technical team, Diop turns Saint Omer into a shrewd, cogent, ambitious, and overwhelming film which teases a metafictional awareness while remaining clear-eyed and unsentimental.”
The Palm Springs festival took place from January 5-16 and screened 134 films from 64 countries, including 27 premieres. The lineup includes 35 of the International Feature Film Oscar submissions.
The jury award categories included the Fipresci Prize for films...
- 1/15/2023
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
ReviewSet in rural Tunisia, the film tracks a sunny day in the lives of a group of fig harvesters consisting of old-timers as well as teenagers taking up the job during their summer break from school.Saradha UInstagram/ Erige SehiriPlucking figs is a delicate process. The lean and fragile branches need to be bent gently using a twig, ensuring that they don’t break. Once picked from the trees, they have to be carefully placed in the basket lined with leaves. Much like the fig harvesters in her film, director Erige Sehiri too treats her debut feature Under the Fig Trees with the same kind of sensitivity and care. Set in rural Tunisia, the slice-of-life film tracks a sunny day in the lives of a group of harvesters — consisting of old-timers as well as teenagers taking up the job during their summer break from school — working at an orchard. The...
- 12/21/2022
- by AjayR
- The News Minute
Every morning in northwest Tunisia, a truck drives around picking up day laborers for the nearby fig orchard. While some are old and experienced, “Under the Fig Trees” follows a group of teenage girls who take on this job during their summer school break. When we first meet them, as they giddily (if wearily) walk up onto the pickup truck, it’s clear this has all become routine for them. The day that follows, as chronicled in Erige Sehiri’s sun-dappled film, offers a rare glimpse into their seemingly mundane life and their even richer inner lives.
Working from a script co-written with Ghalya Lacroix and Peggy Hamann, Sehiri turns this rural fig orchard into a stage where dramas, small and big alike, are played out. Away from the prying eyes of their parents yet keenly aware of how they’re looked upon by the men and older women they work with,...
Working from a script co-written with Ghalya Lacroix and Peggy Hamann, Sehiri turns this rural fig orchard into a stage where dramas, small and big alike, are played out. Away from the prying eyes of their parents yet keenly aware of how they’re looked upon by the men and older women they work with,...
- 12/9/2022
- by Manuel Betancourt
- Variety Film + TV
Rita Moreno, Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin and Sally Field star in ’80 For Brady’ from Paramount Pictures.
The world premiere of 80 for Brady starring Jane Fonda, Sally Field, Rita Moreno, and Lily Tomlin will open the 34th Annual Palm Springs International Festival on Friday, January 6, 2023, and The Lost King from director Stephen Frears will close the festival on Sunday, January 15th. In between, Psiff will screen 132 films including the world premiere of the documentary Shot in the Arm.
“We are beyond excited to welcome back our beloved audience and filmmakers in Palm Springs. We’re especially thrilled to be joined by all four leads of 80 For Brady. The film is brimming with joy and heart, and it’s a perfect film to kick off our 34th edition,” said Artistic Director Lili Rodriguez. “Our programmers have dedicated almost a year to scouting the world for the films that make up this edition.
The world premiere of 80 for Brady starring Jane Fonda, Sally Field, Rita Moreno, and Lily Tomlin will open the 34th Annual Palm Springs International Festival on Friday, January 6, 2023, and The Lost King from director Stephen Frears will close the festival on Sunday, January 15th. In between, Psiff will screen 132 films including the world premiere of the documentary Shot in the Arm.
“We are beyond excited to welcome back our beloved audience and filmmakers in Palm Springs. We’re especially thrilled to be joined by all four leads of 80 For Brady. The film is brimming with joy and heart, and it’s a perfect film to kick off our 34th edition,” said Artistic Director Lili Rodriguez. “Our programmers have dedicated almost a year to scouting the world for the films that make up this edition.
- 12/6/2022
- by Rebecca Murray
- Showbiz Junkies
Cairo-based film marketing and distribution outfit Mad Solutions has acquired rights for Arab territories to three films that celebrated their premieres this year at the Cannes and Venice film festivals.
The deals include Fyzal Boulifa’s “The Damned Don’t Cry,” which bowed in the Venice Days sidebar at the Italian fest and will have its Middle East and North Africa premiere at Marrakech before traveling to Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea Film Festival. Also acquired was Rachid Hami’s “For My Country,” a Venice Horizons selection that will have its regional premiere at the Cairo Film Festival.
The company also picked up the rights to Clément Cogitore’s “Sons of Ramses,” which had its world premiere in the Cannes Film Festival’s Critics’ Week strand.
“We are delighted to have acquired the distribution rights to three artistically distinguished films in 2022, which is considered the climax of our efforts in...
The deals include Fyzal Boulifa’s “The Damned Don’t Cry,” which bowed in the Venice Days sidebar at the Italian fest and will have its Middle East and North Africa premiere at Marrakech before traveling to Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea Film Festival. Also acquired was Rachid Hami’s “For My Country,” a Venice Horizons selection that will have its regional premiere at the Cairo Film Festival.
The company also picked up the rights to Clément Cogitore’s “Sons of Ramses,” which had its world premiere in the Cannes Film Festival’s Critics’ Week strand.
“We are delighted to have acquired the distribution rights to three artistically distinguished films in 2022, which is considered the climax of our efforts in...
- 11/16/2022
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
Erige Sehiri’s coming-of-age story world premiered in Cannes Director’s Fortnight.
Paris-based sales company Luxbox has secured key sales for Tunisian Oscar submission Under The Fig Trees, with Modern Films acquiring UK-Ireland rights and Trent Film picking up the film for Italy.
Erige Sehiri’s coming-of-age story about a group of rural youths picking figs over a summer world premiered in Cannes Director’s Fortnight in May before a North American premiere in Toronto in the Contemporary World Cinema section and world tour at festivals including Karlovy Vary, Melbourne and Sarajevo.
Luxbox has previously sold the title to North...
Paris-based sales company Luxbox has secured key sales for Tunisian Oscar submission Under The Fig Trees, with Modern Films acquiring UK-Ireland rights and Trent Film picking up the film for Italy.
Erige Sehiri’s coming-of-age story about a group of rural youths picking figs over a summer world premiered in Cannes Director’s Fortnight in May before a North American premiere in Toronto in the Contemporary World Cinema section and world tour at festivals including Karlovy Vary, Melbourne and Sarajevo.
Luxbox has previously sold the title to North...
- 11/9/2022
- by Rebecca Leffler
- ScreenDaily
A small gem from this year’s Director’s Fortnight has been gaining a lot of traction with film festival wins, certification as Tunisia’s Oscar submission and now the folks at Film Movement have landed the drama that takes place under trees, through branches and offers seedlings of change and hope. Docu-helmer Erige Sehiri‘s Under The Fig Trees features an ensemble (non-professional actors) with faces you aren’t likely to forget (a pair of charming sisters are prominently featured here) will according to Variety will roll out to theaters in 2023. In our Cannes review we noted that “while this is not as critical as Mounia Meddour’s (Papicha) similar reflections found in neighboring contemporary Algeria, there are nonetheless face-value elements that make this a simplistic, breezy watch that is ripe for bigger discussions.”…...
- 11/3/2022
- by Eric Lavallée
- IONCINEMA.com
Film Movement has acquired North American rights to “Under The Fig Trees,” Tunisia’s official Oscar submission which opened at Cannes’ Director’s Fortnight.
The film, which marks the narrative feature debut of French Tunisian documentary filmmaker Erige Sehiri, is an ensemble film about a group of workers in a Tunisian orchard. Luxbox Films is handling international sales on the movie.
“Under The Fig Trees” will roll out to theaters in 2023, followed by a wide release on all leading home entertainment and digital platforms. The announcement was made by Michael Rosenberg, president of Film Movement and Jennyfer Gautier, head of international sales for Luxbox Films.
Set over the course of a summer day in northwest Tunisia, the film follows Melek and her friends who work in the orchards to pay for their studies, prepare for their weddings or help their families. Yet, between the fig trees, they steal away from work to catch up,...
The film, which marks the narrative feature debut of French Tunisian documentary filmmaker Erige Sehiri, is an ensemble film about a group of workers in a Tunisian orchard. Luxbox Films is handling international sales on the movie.
“Under The Fig Trees” will roll out to theaters in 2023, followed by a wide release on all leading home entertainment and digital platforms. The announcement was made by Michael Rosenberg, president of Film Movement and Jennyfer Gautier, head of international sales for Luxbox Films.
Set over the course of a summer day in northwest Tunisia, the film follows Melek and her friends who work in the orchards to pay for their studies, prepare for their weddings or help their families. Yet, between the fig trees, they steal away from work to catch up,...
- 11/2/2022
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Sf Studios Acquires Johan Rundberg’s ‘Moonwind & Hoff’ Book Series
Sf Studios has acquired the film rights to Johan Rundberg’s book series Moonwind & Hoff. The series includes the novels The Night Raven, The Queen of Thieves, The Angel of Death, and The Blood Pact. The Night Raven is the first novel that will be adapted, produced, and distributed by Sf Studios. The film is expected to start shooting at the beginning of 2024 with a theatrical release in 2025. Stefan H. Lindén and Alexandra Thönnersten, producers at Sf Studios, said: “The Night Raven and the entire series about Moonwind & Hoff are exactly in the realm of magical realism that we both dreamed of producing. In many ways, both the world and the characters feel inspiring and exciting. We want to create a grand series of films that can enthrall cinema audiences.”
Marrakech Unveils Line-Up For Atlas Workshops Project Platform
The Marrakech...
Sf Studios has acquired the film rights to Johan Rundberg’s book series Moonwind & Hoff. The series includes the novels The Night Raven, The Queen of Thieves, The Angel of Death, and The Blood Pact. The Night Raven is the first novel that will be adapted, produced, and distributed by Sf Studios. The film is expected to start shooting at the beginning of 2024 with a theatrical release in 2025. Stefan H. Lindén and Alexandra Thönnersten, producers at Sf Studios, said: “The Night Raven and the entire series about Moonwind & Hoff are exactly in the realm of magical realism that we both dreamed of producing. In many ways, both the world and the characters feel inspiring and exciting. We want to create a grand series of films that can enthrall cinema audiences.”
Marrakech Unveils Line-Up For Atlas Workshops Project Platform
The Marrakech...
- 10/19/2022
- by Zac Ntim and Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Under the Fig Trees Photo: Courtesy of Cannes Directors' Fortnight
The 66th edition of London Film Festival begins on October 5 with the world premiere of Matilda: The Musical. While there's plenty of gloss and star names in the festival's galas, which include Knives Out sequel Glass Onion, Noah Baumbach's White Noise and Sebastián Lelio's The Wonder, our spotlight this week is taking a look at some of the other less obvious gems across the programme. For more details and to book, visit the official site, plus read all our coverage here.
Under The Fig Trees, showing October 5 and 6
There's a gentle, sun-dappled sweep to this debut fiction feature from Erige Sehiri - who previously worked in documentary - which unfolds during a single day in a fig orchard. The film has elements of documentary as we watch her non-professional go about their business, as Sehiri gently explores the...
The 66th edition of London Film Festival begins on October 5 with the world premiere of Matilda: The Musical. While there's plenty of gloss and star names in the festival's galas, which include Knives Out sequel Glass Onion, Noah Baumbach's White Noise and Sebastián Lelio's The Wonder, our spotlight this week is taking a look at some of the other less obvious gems across the programme. For more details and to book, visit the official site, plus read all our coverage here.
Under The Fig Trees, showing October 5 and 6
There's a gentle, sun-dappled sweep to this debut fiction feature from Erige Sehiri - who previously worked in documentary - which unfolds during a single day in a fig orchard. The film has elements of documentary as we watch her non-professional go about their business, as Sehiri gently explores the...
- 9/30/2022
- by Amber Wilkinson
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Festival runs October 12-23.
Jafar Panahi’s No Bears, Alice Diop’s Saint Omer, and Sergei Loznitsa’s The Natural History Of Destruction are among the international competitions line-up at the 58th Chicago International Film Festival next month.
This year’s competitions include 10 films receiving their North American premiere and 17 getting their US premiere as the entries vie for the festival’s Gold Hugo award in the categories of international feature, international documentary, and new directors.
The festival runs October 12-23. The full international competition line-ups are below.
Playing in International Feature Competition are: The Beasts (Sp-Fr), Rodrigo Sorogoyen, US premiere; Before,...
Jafar Panahi’s No Bears, Alice Diop’s Saint Omer, and Sergei Loznitsa’s The Natural History Of Destruction are among the international competitions line-up at the 58th Chicago International Film Festival next month.
This year’s competitions include 10 films receiving their North American premiere and 17 getting their US premiere as the entries vie for the festival’s Gold Hugo award in the categories of international feature, international documentary, and new directors.
The festival runs October 12-23. The full international competition line-ups are below.
Playing in International Feature Competition are: The Beasts (Sp-Fr), Rodrigo Sorogoyen, US premiere; Before,...
- 9/16/2022
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Keep track of all the submissions for best international feature at the 2023 Academy Awards.
Entries for the 2023 Oscar for best international feature are underway, and Screen is profiling each one on this page.
Scroll down for profiles of each Oscar entry
An international feature film is defined as a feature-length motion picture produced outside the US with a predominantly (more than 50) non-English dialogue track and can include animated and documentary features.
Submitted films must have been released theatrically in their respective countries between January 1, 2022 and November 30, 2022. The deadline for submissions to the Academy is October 3, 2022.
A shortlist of 15 finalists is...
Entries for the 2023 Oscar for best international feature are underway, and Screen is profiling each one on this page.
Scroll down for profiles of each Oscar entry
An international feature film is defined as a feature-length motion picture produced outside the US with a predominantly (more than 50) non-English dialogue track and can include animated and documentary features.
Submitted films must have been released theatrically in their respective countries between January 1, 2022 and November 30, 2022. The deadline for submissions to the Academy is October 3, 2022.
A shortlist of 15 finalists is...
- 9/12/2022
- by Screen staff
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Tunisia has submitted Erige Sehiri’s bucolic coming-of-age tale Under the Fig Trees, about a group of teenagers working as fig pickers over the summer, as its entry for the Best International Film Oscar.
News of the selection came ahead of the feature’s North American premiere Friday in Toronto’s Contemporary World Cinema program.
The work had its world premiere in Cannes Directors’ Fortnight in May and since has played at a host of festivals including Karlovy Vary, Melbourne and Sarajevo.
Paris-based sales company Luxbox has unveiled a clutch of new deals to coincide with the Oscar announcement.
Fresh sales include to Benelux (Liberation), Portugal (Nitrato), Spain (Atalante), Turkey (Bir Film) and Eastern Europe (HBO), adding to previously announced deals to France (Jour2Fête) and the Middle East (Mad Solutions).
The film marks Sehiri’s debut fiction feature after a number of award-winning medium and long-length documentaries including the 2018 work Railway Men,...
News of the selection came ahead of the feature’s North American premiere Friday in Toronto’s Contemporary World Cinema program.
The work had its world premiere in Cannes Directors’ Fortnight in May and since has played at a host of festivals including Karlovy Vary, Melbourne and Sarajevo.
Paris-based sales company Luxbox has unveiled a clutch of new deals to coincide with the Oscar announcement.
Fresh sales include to Benelux (Liberation), Portugal (Nitrato), Spain (Atalante), Turkey (Bir Film) and Eastern Europe (HBO), adding to previously announced deals to France (Jour2Fête) and the Middle East (Mad Solutions).
The film marks Sehiri’s debut fiction feature after a number of award-winning medium and long-length documentaries including the 2018 work Railway Men,...
- 9/9/2022
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
The 2022 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) has announced the international arm of its festival. Taking place September 8 through 18, TIFF previously unveiled Sally El Hosaini’s opening night film “The Swimmers” as well as Special Presentations including the world premieres of Steven Spielberg’s semi-autobiographical “The Fabelmans,” Rian Johnson’s “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery,” and Nicholas Stoller’s “Bros.”
“The Woman King,” “Catherine Called Birdy,” “The Menu,” “Moonage Daydream,” and “My Policeman” additionally debut at the festival.
Now, the Contemporary World Cinema slate has been announced for 2022 TIFF. The lineup includes features from more than 50 countries spanning the globe. The respective world premieres for “Bones of Crows” and “The Swearing Jar” are among programming highlights, as well as the North American premieres for Koji Fukada’s “Love Life” and Jerzy Skolimowski’s “Eo.”
“We are so proud of the TIFF Docs and Contemporary World Cinema programs,” Anita Lee, chief programming officer,...
“The Woman King,” “Catherine Called Birdy,” “The Menu,” “Moonage Daydream,” and “My Policeman” additionally debut at the festival.
Now, the Contemporary World Cinema slate has been announced for 2022 TIFF. The lineup includes features from more than 50 countries spanning the globe. The respective world premieres for “Bones of Crows” and “The Swearing Jar” are among programming highlights, as well as the North American premieres for Koji Fukada’s “Love Life” and Jerzy Skolimowski’s “Eo.”
“We are so proud of the TIFF Docs and Contemporary World Cinema programs,” Anita Lee, chief programming officer,...
- 8/17/2022
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
The selection includes Amjad Al Rasheed’s Inshallah A Boy.
The dark comedy Inshallah A Boy, from former Screen Arab Star of Tomorrow Amjad Al Rasheed, is one of eight feature projects selected for the 10th edition of Venice’s Final Cut, supporting work-in-progress films from Africa and the Middle East.
The progarmme will run as part of the Venice International Film Festival’s Venice Production Bridge.
The selected projects, which include three fiction and five documentaries, will be shown to producers, buyers, distributors, post-production companies and film festival programmers during a three day workshop from September 3-5.
Inshallah A...
The dark comedy Inshallah A Boy, from former Screen Arab Star of Tomorrow Amjad Al Rasheed, is one of eight feature projects selected for the 10th edition of Venice’s Final Cut, supporting work-in-progress films from Africa and the Middle East.
The progarmme will run as part of the Venice International Film Festival’s Venice Production Bridge.
The selected projects, which include three fiction and five documentaries, will be shown to producers, buyers, distributors, post-production companies and film festival programmers during a three day workshop from September 3-5.
Inshallah A...
- 7/12/2022
- by Ellie Calnan
- ScreenDaily
The selection includes Amjad Al Rasheed’s Inshallah A Boy.
The dark comedy Inshallah A Boy, from former Arab Screen Star of Tomorrow Amjad Al Rasheed, is one of eight feature projects selected for the 10th edition of Venice’s Final Cut, supporting work-in-progress films from Africa and the Middle East.
The progarmme will run as part of the Venice International FIlm Festival’s Venice Production Bridge.
The selected projects, which include three fiction and five documentaries, will be shown to producers, buyers, distributors, post-production companies and film festival programmers during a three day workshop from September 3-5.
Inshallah A...
The dark comedy Inshallah A Boy, from former Arab Screen Star of Tomorrow Amjad Al Rasheed, is one of eight feature projects selected for the 10th edition of Venice’s Final Cut, supporting work-in-progress films from Africa and the Middle East.
The progarmme will run as part of the Venice International FIlm Festival’s Venice Production Bridge.
The selected projects, which include three fiction and five documentaries, will be shown to producers, buyers, distributors, post-production companies and film festival programmers during a three day workshop from September 3-5.
Inshallah A...
- 7/12/2022
- by Ellie Calnan
- ScreenDaily
Fide (Fide Fdhili) in Under The Fig Trees. Erige Sehiri: 'It was not about the beauty of the place but the beauty of them and that's what I wanted to focus on' French-Tunisian director Erige Sehiri has a documentary background that infuses her fiction feature debut Under The Fig Trees with a warm naturalism. Her low-key but absorbing drama, which screens at Karlovy Vary Film Festival next month after its world premiere in Cannes, unfolds over a single day in the life of a group of fig-pickers in a hot summer orchard and features non-professional actors. Through the course of the shift there will be gentle flirtation but also scheming and spying.
“I found that I liberated myself a bit from documentary, from reality,” says Sehiri, when I catch up with her on Zoom, “but at the same time, it's very grounded in the reality. So it's like in between.
“I found that I liberated myself a bit from documentary, from reality,” says Sehiri, when I catch up with her on Zoom, “but at the same time, it's very grounded in the reality. So it's like in between.
- 6/26/2022
- by Amber Wilkinson
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Festival has programmed 120 films from 52 countries
The Munich Film Festival (June 23 – July 2) is showcasing many of the highlights from last month’s Cannes Film Festival when it returns with a full programme of features for the first time since 2019.
Munich pivoted online in 2020 due to the pandemic, and programmed a reduced number of films in 2021, mainly in open-air locations.
Munich is opening this year with Marie Kreutzer’s Corsage, which saw Vicky Krieps win the Un Certain Regard best performance award for her portrayal of Empress Elisabeth of Austria.
Corsage will play in Munich’s main Cinemasters Competition, alongside Cannes...
The Munich Film Festival (June 23 – July 2) is showcasing many of the highlights from last month’s Cannes Film Festival when it returns with a full programme of features for the first time since 2019.
Munich pivoted online in 2020 due to the pandemic, and programmed a reduced number of films in 2021, mainly in open-air locations.
Munich is opening this year with Marie Kreutzer’s Corsage, which saw Vicky Krieps win the Un Certain Regard best performance award for her portrayal of Empress Elisabeth of Austria.
Corsage will play in Munich’s main Cinemasters Competition, alongside Cannes...
- 6/10/2022
- by Tim Dams
- ScreenDaily
Festival has programmed 120 films from 52 countries
The Munich Film Festival (June 23 – July 2) is showcasing many of the highlights from last month’s Cannes Film Festival when it returns with a full programme of features for the first time since 2019.
Munich pivoted online in 2020 due to the pandemic, and programmed a reduced number of films in 2021, mainly in open-air locations.
Munich is opening this year with Marie Kreutzer’s Corsage, which saw Vicky Krieps win the Un Certain Regard best performance award for her portrayal of Empress Elisabeth of Austria.
Corsage will play in Munich’s main Cinemasters Competition, alongside Cannes...
The Munich Film Festival (June 23 – July 2) is showcasing many of the highlights from last month’s Cannes Film Festival when it returns with a full programme of features for the first time since 2019.
Munich pivoted online in 2020 due to the pandemic, and programmed a reduced number of films in 2021, mainly in open-air locations.
Munich is opening this year with Marie Kreutzer’s Corsage, which saw Vicky Krieps win the Un Certain Regard best performance award for her portrayal of Empress Elisabeth of Austria.
Corsage will play in Munich’s main Cinemasters Competition, alongside Cannes...
- 6/10/2022
- by Tim Dams
- ScreenDaily
As the boundaries in cinema become increasingly fluid, emerging filmmakers whose films have been selected at the Cannes Film Festival have been discussing their journey from documentary to fiction at the Cannes Market’s Cannes Docs sidebar.
Curated by the Documentary Assn. of Europe, the panel on Sunday brought together Ukrainian director Maksym Nakonechnyi, the director of Un Certain Regard title “Butterfly Vision,” and Erige Sehiri (“Railway Men”), the Tunisian director of “Under the Fig Leaves,” which had its world premiere in the Directors’ Fortnight sidebar.
The titles are fiction debuts for Nakonechnyi and Sehiri, who are both experienced documentary filmmakers.
Inspired by the conflict in Ukraine’s Eastern Donbas region that has been ongoing since 2014, “Butterfly Vision” is the story of a young Ukrainian soldier who returns home after being held captive for months and discovers she is pregnant after being raped by her Russian warden.
Nakonechnyi, whose credits...
Curated by the Documentary Assn. of Europe, the panel on Sunday brought together Ukrainian director Maksym Nakonechnyi, the director of Un Certain Regard title “Butterfly Vision,” and Erige Sehiri (“Railway Men”), the Tunisian director of “Under the Fig Leaves,” which had its world premiere in the Directors’ Fortnight sidebar.
The titles are fiction debuts for Nakonechnyi and Sehiri, who are both experienced documentary filmmakers.
Inspired by the conflict in Ukraine’s Eastern Donbas region that has been ongoing since 2014, “Butterfly Vision” is the story of a young Ukrainian soldier who returns home after being held captive for months and discovers she is pregnant after being raped by her Russian warden.
Nakonechnyi, whose credits...
- 5/24/2022
- by Lise Pedersen
- Variety Film + TV
Cairo-based film marketing and distribution outfit Mad Solutions has taken an equity ownership stake in New York’s revived arthouse distributor D Street Releasing.
The partnership will extend the reach of Mad Solutions’ theatrical distribution operations, giving it an inroad into the U.S. arthouse sector where so far Arab cinema has been largely reliant on festival exposure.
Mad Solutions, which is a top distributor of specialty Arab cinema across the West Asia region, now plans to release between five and seven standout titles from Saudi Arabia, Egypt and other Arabic-speaking countries to North American audiences.
D Street Releasing, which has been largely dormant in recent years, is a division of D Street Media Group, the New York-based production, distribution and music publishing company with affiliate operations in the U.S., Germany, Ecuador, Argentina and South Africa.
Mad co-founders Alaa Karkouti and Maher Diab met D Street’s founding CEO...
The partnership will extend the reach of Mad Solutions’ theatrical distribution operations, giving it an inroad into the U.S. arthouse sector where so far Arab cinema has been largely reliant on festival exposure.
Mad Solutions, which is a top distributor of specialty Arab cinema across the West Asia region, now plans to release between five and seven standout titles from Saudi Arabia, Egypt and other Arabic-speaking countries to North American audiences.
D Street Releasing, which has been largely dormant in recent years, is a division of D Street Media Group, the New York-based production, distribution and music publishing company with affiliate operations in the U.S., Germany, Ecuador, Argentina and South Africa.
Mad co-founders Alaa Karkouti and Maher Diab met D Street’s founding CEO...
- 5/18/2022
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
The production is Sehiri’s first fiction feature after her 2018 award-winning documentary Railway Men and short work My Father’s Facebook.
Screen can reveal the first trailer for French-Tunisian director Erige Sehiri’s Under The Fig Trees ahead of its world premiere in Cannes Directors’ Fortnight.
The film revolves around young women and men working the summer harvest in rural Tunisia as they develop new feelings, flirt, and try to understand each other.
The production is Sehiri’s first fiction feature after her 2018 award-winning documentary Railway Men and short work My Father’s Facebook.
It is produced by Sehiri’s...
Screen can reveal the first trailer for French-Tunisian director Erige Sehiri’s Under The Fig Trees ahead of its world premiere in Cannes Directors’ Fortnight.
The film revolves around young women and men working the summer harvest in rural Tunisia as they develop new feelings, flirt, and try to understand each other.
The production is Sehiri’s first fiction feature after her 2018 award-winning documentary Railway Men and short work My Father’s Facebook.
It is produced by Sehiri’s...
- 5/16/2022
- by Orlando Parfitt
- ScreenDaily
French-Tunisian director Erige Sehiri’s first fiction feature follows youngsters working in the fig harvest in Tunisia.
French-Tunisian director Erige Sehiri’s Under The Fig Trees has sold to France and the Middle East ahead of its world premiere in Directors’ Fortnight later this month.
Jour2Fête will distribute the film in France and Mad Solutions has taken rights for the Middle East and North Africa. Paris-based Luxbox is handling international sales.
The film revolves around young women and men working the summer harvest in rural Tunisia as they develop new feelings, flirt, and try to understand each other.
The production...
French-Tunisian director Erige Sehiri’s Under The Fig Trees has sold to France and the Middle East ahead of its world premiere in Directors’ Fortnight later this month.
Jour2Fête will distribute the film in France and Mad Solutions has taken rights for the Middle East and North Africa. Paris-based Luxbox is handling international sales.
The film revolves around young women and men working the summer harvest in rural Tunisia as they develop new feelings, flirt, and try to understand each other.
The production...
- 5/3/2022
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- ScreenDaily
The lineup for the 2022 Directors' Fortnight (Quinzaine des Réalisateurs) at Cannes has been announced. See also the lineup of the Official Selection.Feature Films Scarlet (Pietro Marcello): In northern France, Juliette grows up alone with her father, Raphaël, a veteran of the First World War. Passionate about singing and music, the lonely young girl meets a magician one summer who promises that scarlet sails will one day take her away from her village.1976 (Manuela Martelli): Carmen is 49 years old. Her life as a bourgeois housewife is interrupted when the priest at the church where she does charity work asks her to take care of a young revolutionary, a man he is giving asylum to, who has just been hurt.The Water (Elena López Riera)The Dam (Ali Cherri): Sudan. Maher works in a traditional brickyard fed by the waters of the Nile. Every evening, he secretly wanders...
- 4/27/2022
- MUBI
The Cannes official competition lineup didn’t exactly see a surge in the number of female filmmakers represented. Enter Quinzaine, a.k.a. Director’s Fortnight, the beloved sidebar of the festival this year kicking off May 18. The lineup of titles includes 11 films directed by women, including Mia Hansen-Løve’s “One Fine Morning,” a romance starring Léa Seydoux and Melvil Poupaud; the new film from “Disorder” director Alice Winocour, “Paris Memories”; the feature directing debut of actor Charlotte Le Bon, “Falcon Lake”; and more.
This year’s lineup also includes new works from genre filmmakers: Alex Garland’s “Men,” releasing stateside May 20 from A24, will premiere as a Special Screening of the festival. Plus, there’s British director Mark Jenkin’s anticipated experimental horror film “Enys Men.” Paul Mescal stars in the psychological thriller “God’s Creatures,” directed by Saela Davis and Anna Rose Holmer, who directed the 2015 Venice hit “The Fits.
This year’s lineup also includes new works from genre filmmakers: Alex Garland’s “Men,” releasing stateside May 20 from A24, will premiere as a Special Screening of the festival. Plus, there’s British director Mark Jenkin’s anticipated experimental horror film “Enys Men.” Paul Mescal stars in the psychological thriller “God’s Creatures,” directed by Saela Davis and Anna Rose Holmer, who directed the 2015 Venice hit “The Fits.
- 4/19/2022
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
Following the main lineup, Quinzaine des Réalisateurs aka Directors’ Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival has unveiled their 2022 slate. Featuring the already-announced opening film, Scarlet, from Martin Eden director Pietro Marcello, the lineup also includes Mia Hansen-Løve’s One Fine Morning, Alice Winocour’s Paris Memories, Mark Jenkin’s Bait follow-up Enys Men, Anna Rose Holmer & Saela Davis’ God’s Creatures, João Pedro Rodrigues’ Will-o’-the-Wisp, Véréna Paravel & Lucien Castaing-Taylor’s De Humani Corporis Fabrica, and Alex Garland’s Men, which will arrive in the U.S. soon after its Cannes premiere.
See the lineup below.
Scarlet by Pietro Marcello – Opening Film
1976 by Manuela Martelli
The Water by Elena López Riera
The Dam by Ali Cherri
The Super 8 Years by Annie Ernaux & David Ernaux-Briot
Ashkal by Youssef Chebbi
The Five Devils by Léa Mysius
De Humani Corporis Fabrica by Véréna Paravel & Lucien Castaing-Taylor
Continental Drift (South) by Lionel Baier
Enys...
See the lineup below.
Scarlet by Pietro Marcello – Opening Film
1976 by Manuela Martelli
The Water by Elena López Riera
The Dam by Ali Cherri
The Super 8 Years by Annie Ernaux & David Ernaux-Briot
Ashkal by Youssef Chebbi
The Five Devils by Léa Mysius
De Humani Corporis Fabrica by Véréna Paravel & Lucien Castaing-Taylor
Continental Drift (South) by Lionel Baier
Enys...
- 4/19/2022
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Directors’ Fortnight, the sidebar running alongside the Cannes Film Festival, has unveiled a strong lineup for its 54th edition, which will be the last one for outgoing artistic director Paolo Moretti.
The sidebar has landed a pair of movies from A24, Alex Garland’s horror film “Men” with Jessie Buckley which will play in the Special Screening section, and “God’s Creatures,” a psychological thriller directed by Saela Davis and Anna Rose Holmer, the filmmaking duo who made their feature debut with the Sundance film “The Fits.” Set in an Irish fishing village, “God’s Creatures” stars Aisling Franciosi, Emily Watson and Paul Mescal. Other elevated genre films on the roster include British helmer Mark Jenkin’s anticipated “Enys Men.”
Directors’ Fortnight will showcase films by 11 female directors and eight feature debuts. By comparison, Cannes Film Festival’s competition currently has only three films helmed by women.
Several French female helmers who...
The sidebar has landed a pair of movies from A24, Alex Garland’s horror film “Men” with Jessie Buckley which will play in the Special Screening section, and “God’s Creatures,” a psychological thriller directed by Saela Davis and Anna Rose Holmer, the filmmaking duo who made their feature debut with the Sundance film “The Fits.” Set in an Irish fishing village, “God’s Creatures” stars Aisling Franciosi, Emily Watson and Paul Mescal. Other elevated genre films on the roster include British helmer Mark Jenkin’s anticipated “Enys Men.”
Directors’ Fortnight will showcase films by 11 female directors and eight feature debuts. By comparison, Cannes Film Festival’s competition currently has only three films helmed by women.
Several French female helmers who...
- 4/19/2022
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Alex Garland’s “Men,” Mia Hansen-Love’s “One Fine Morning” and Alice Winocour’s “Paris Memories” are among the films that will screen in the independent Directors Fortnight section at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival, Directors Fortnight organizers announced at a press conference in Paris on Tuesday.
Garland, the director of “Ex Machina,” will be making his Cannes debut with “Men,” while Hansen-Love will be returning to a different section of the festival where she was in the main competition a year ago with “Bergman Island.”
Other films include Owen Kline’s “Funny Pages,” produced by the Safdie brothers. Of the 23 films announced on Tuesday, 11 have female directors.
Previously, Directors Fortnight announced that Pietro Marcello’s “L’envol” (“Scarlett”) would serve as the opening screening in the section.
Directors Fortnight is an independent section that runs concurrent with the main Cannes Film Festival. It was launched in 1969 on the heels of the...
Garland, the director of “Ex Machina,” will be making his Cannes debut with “Men,” while Hansen-Love will be returning to a different section of the festival where she was in the main competition a year ago with “Bergman Island.”
Other films include Owen Kline’s “Funny Pages,” produced by the Safdie brothers. Of the 23 films announced on Tuesday, 11 have female directors.
Previously, Directors Fortnight announced that Pietro Marcello’s “L’envol” (“Scarlett”) would serve as the opening screening in the section.
Directors Fortnight is an independent section that runs concurrent with the main Cannes Film Festival. It was launched in 1969 on the heels of the...
- 4/19/2022
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
Cannes Directors’ Fortnight has unveiled its line-up for 2022. Scroll down to see the full list.
The selection include Alex Garland’s Cannes debut Men, the Jessie Buckley-starring movie from the surreal sci-fi master. The film will play as a Special Screening in Cannes before A24 releases in the U.S. in May.
Opening the selection will be Pietro Marcello’s Scarlet, and closing will be The Green Perfume by Nicolas Pariser.
Prominent French director Mia Hansen-Løve is back with One Fine Morning, starring Lea Seydoux, and Proxima filmmaker Alice Winocour will show her new pic Paris Memories.
Also on the list is the Paul Mescal and Emily Watson starring God’s Creatures (a second A24 title), and Mark Jenkin’s follow-up to his indie UK breakout Bait, the 1970s-set horror Enys Men.
Kelly Reichardt will receive this year’s Director’s Fortnight’s honorary Carrosse d’Or honor and will...
The selection include Alex Garland’s Cannes debut Men, the Jessie Buckley-starring movie from the surreal sci-fi master. The film will play as a Special Screening in Cannes before A24 releases in the U.S. in May.
Opening the selection will be Pietro Marcello’s Scarlet, and closing will be The Green Perfume by Nicolas Pariser.
Prominent French director Mia Hansen-Løve is back with One Fine Morning, starring Lea Seydoux, and Proxima filmmaker Alice Winocour will show her new pic Paris Memories.
Also on the list is the Paul Mescal and Emily Watson starring God’s Creatures (a second A24 title), and Mark Jenkin’s follow-up to his indie UK breakout Bait, the 1970s-set horror Enys Men.
Kelly Reichardt will receive this year’s Director’s Fortnight’s honorary Carrosse d’Or honor and will...
- 4/19/2022
- by Tom Grater
- Deadline Film + TV
The parallel section unveiled 23 titles on Tuesday, with a 24th selection to follow in the coming days.
UK director Alex Garland’s horror film Men and French filmmaker Mia Hansen-Løve’s romantic drama One Fine Morning are among the 24 features due to world premiere in the 54th Cannes Directors’ Fortnight, running May 18-27.
The non-competitive Cannes parallel section, run by French directors guild the Société des Réalisateurs (Srf), unveiled 23 of the selected titles at a news conference at the Forum cultural centre in central Paris on Tuesday morning. A final selected film will be revealed in the coming days along with the short film line-up.
UK director Alex Garland’s horror film Men and French filmmaker Mia Hansen-Løve’s romantic drama One Fine Morning are among the 24 features due to world premiere in the 54th Cannes Directors’ Fortnight, running May 18-27.
The non-competitive Cannes parallel section, run by French directors guild the Société des Réalisateurs (Srf), unveiled 23 of the selected titles at a news conference at the Forum cultural centre in central Paris on Tuesday morning. A final selected film will be revealed in the coming days along with the short film line-up.
- 4/19/2022
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- ScreenDaily
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