For the perpetually impecunious (see: poor) indie filmmaker, a well-executed short or feature project can often be your best passport to the larger world. Left to our own scant devices, our calendars are unlikely to fill up with myriad jaunts to such exotic locales as Cannes, Venice, Locarno or, erm, Arkansas. But with a piping hot Dcp in hand, you not have not just an excuse to visit such places but an invitation. And few American cities are quite as dreamily summoned in the mind as day-glow Miami. After all: if it’s good enough for LeBron James, it’s good enough for us.
For 41 years, the Miami Film Festival has been showcasing innovative, inclusive work from new and emerging independent creators worldwide. Unsurprisingly, many of said creators are our own beloved Film Independent Fellows. In fact, a whopping 38 Fi Fellows will be in the Magic City next week to show new work,...
For 41 years, the Miami Film Festival has been showcasing innovative, inclusive work from new and emerging independent creators worldwide. Unsurprisingly, many of said creators are our own beloved Film Independent Fellows. In fact, a whopping 38 Fi Fellows will be in the Magic City next week to show new work,...
- 3/28/2024
- by Film Independent
- Film Independent News & More
Global Media Makers is proud of all of our Fellows who had an outstanding presence at this year’s Berlinale. Filmmakers arrived with projects in development, like Angolan Fellow Fradique Bastos, whose Gmm-supported project, Hold Time for Me, won the World Cinema Fund Audience Strategies Award at the Co-Production Market, and Nepali Fellow Rajan Katet, participated in the Berlinale Talents program after a successful festival run for his documentary No Winter Holidays.
After his film Goodbye Julia was selected as Sudan’s submission to the Oscars, Amjad Abu Alala served on the jury of the program’s Generation section. His Executive Producer, Lupita N’yongo, was the jury president of the festival’s main slate. Lebanese Fellow Myriam Sassine produced Diaries from Lebanon by director Myriam El Hajj, which premiered in the Panorama section.
One of the most memorable moments was on closing night in the main competition, which...
After his film Goodbye Julia was selected as Sudan’s submission to the Oscars, Amjad Abu Alala served on the jury of the program’s Generation section. His Executive Producer, Lupita N’yongo, was the jury president of the festival’s main slate. Lebanese Fellow Myriam Sassine produced Diaries from Lebanon by director Myriam El Hajj, which premiered in the Panorama section.
One of the most memorable moments was on closing night in the main competition, which...
- 3/11/2024
- by Film Independent
- Film Independent News & More
Generation, the Berlin Film Festival sidebar for children and youth films, has announced this year’s winners unveiling the picks from both the Generation 14plus (for teen and older viewers) and the youth jury for the Generation Kplus (kids and tweens) sections.
Sasha Nathwani’s coming-of-age drama Last Swim, about an Iranian-British teen confronting a major life decision, took the Crystal Bear for best film in the Generation 14plus section, with Kim Hye-young’s It’s Okay!, about an orphaned young dancer, winning the top prize for Generation Kplus. Both prizes were awarded by youth juries of young filmgoers.
In its statement, the 14plus jury called Last Swim “a story about the beauty of life and of things coming to an end. It is a film that does not shy away from portraying the messy and consuming feelings that can arise when you know your dreams may not be fulfilled. However,...
Sasha Nathwani’s coming-of-age drama Last Swim, about an Iranian-British teen confronting a major life decision, took the Crystal Bear for best film in the Generation 14plus section, with Kim Hye-young’s It’s Okay!, about an orphaned young dancer, winning the top prize for Generation Kplus. Both prizes were awarded by youth juries of young filmgoers.
In its statement, the 14plus jury called Last Swim “a story about the beauty of life and of things coming to an end. It is a film that does not shy away from portraying the messy and consuming feelings that can arise when you know your dreams may not be fulfilled. However,...
- 2/25/2024
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The Berlin International Film Festival has confirmed its full juries for the 2024 edition (February 16-24), with Italian actress Jasmine Trinca and German filmmaker Christian Petzold among those joining president Lupita Nyong’o on the main international jury.
Also on the jury are filmmakers Ann Hui (Hong Kong) and Albert Serra (Spain) alongside Ukrainian novelist and poet Oksana Zabuzhko.
The international jury will select the winners of the Golden and Silver Bears from the 20 films playing in Competition.
The three-member jury for the Encounters strand comprises filmmakers Lisandro Alonso (Argentina), Denis Côté (Canada) and Tizza Covi (Italy).
The Encounters jury will choose the winners of best film,...
Also on the jury are filmmakers Ann Hui (Hong Kong) and Albert Serra (Spain) alongside Ukrainian novelist and poet Oksana Zabuzhko.
The international jury will select the winners of the Golden and Silver Bears from the 20 films playing in Competition.
The three-member jury for the Encounters strand comprises filmmakers Lisandro Alonso (Argentina), Denis Côté (Canada) and Tizza Covi (Italy).
The Encounters jury will choose the winners of best film,...
- 2/1/2024
- ScreenDaily
The international jury at the 74th Berlin Film Festival, led by Lupita Nyong’o, will include filmmakers Christian Petzold (Germany) and Ann Hui.
The international jury members also include actor-producer-director Brady Corbet (U.S.), filmmaker Albert Serra (Spain), actor-director Jasmine Trinca (Italy) and writer Oksana Zabuzhko (Ukraine). They will decide who will win the festival’s Golden and the Silver Bears.
The three-member jury that chooses the winners for best film, director and the special jury award at the Berlinale’s Encounters strand is made up of filmmakers Lisandro Alonso (Argentina), Denis Côté (Canada) and Tizza Covi (Italy).
Director and screenwriter Ilker Çatak (Germany), sound artist and researcher Xabier Erkizia (Spain) and director, screenwriter, video artist and lecturer Jennifer Reeder (U.S.) are the international short film jury for the 2024 Berlinale Shorts competition. They will be choosing the winner of the Golden Bear for best short film, the winner of the...
The international jury members also include actor-producer-director Brady Corbet (U.S.), filmmaker Albert Serra (Spain), actor-director Jasmine Trinca (Italy) and writer Oksana Zabuzhko (Ukraine). They will decide who will win the festival’s Golden and the Silver Bears.
The three-member jury that chooses the winners for best film, director and the special jury award at the Berlinale’s Encounters strand is made up of filmmakers Lisandro Alonso (Argentina), Denis Côté (Canada) and Tizza Covi (Italy).
Director and screenwriter Ilker Çatak (Germany), sound artist and researcher Xabier Erkizia (Spain) and director, screenwriter, video artist and lecturer Jennifer Reeder (U.S.) are the international short film jury for the 2024 Berlinale Shorts competition. They will be choosing the winner of the Golden Bear for best short film, the winner of the...
- 2/1/2024
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: L.A. and Cairo-based production company Ambient Light Films is upping its support for Middle East and North African indie cinema.
The company has unveiled details of six grants that it awarded to Mena filmmakers in the context of the CineGouna Bridge project market at the El Gouna Film Festival in December.
They included cast grants for Tunisian filmmaker Hinde Boujemaa’s Yammi, about a son who lashes out at the women closest to him following his mother’s death, and Lebanese director Dahlia Nemlich’s Assa, a Fish in a Bowl, about a couple who hire an Ethiopian maid to care for their child with unexpected consequences.
Service grants went to to Lebanese director George Peter Barbari’s So the Lover Could Come Out Again about the relationship between snipers against the backdrop of the Lebanese civil war, and Tunisian road movie Tunis-Djerba by Amel Guellaty.
Further in-kind...
The company has unveiled details of six grants that it awarded to Mena filmmakers in the context of the CineGouna Bridge project market at the El Gouna Film Festival in December.
They included cast grants for Tunisian filmmaker Hinde Boujemaa’s Yammi, about a son who lashes out at the women closest to him following his mother’s death, and Lebanese director Dahlia Nemlich’s Assa, a Fish in a Bowl, about a couple who hire an Ethiopian maid to care for their child with unexpected consequences.
Service grants went to to Lebanese director George Peter Barbari’s So the Lover Could Come Out Again about the relationship between snipers against the backdrop of the Lebanese civil war, and Tunisian road movie Tunis-Djerba by Amel Guellaty.
Further in-kind...
- 1/24/2024
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Mohamed Kordofani’s Sudanese title previously opened strongly in Egypt.
Mohamed Kordofani’s Goodbye Julia, which became the first Sudanese feature to ever play at Cannes earlier this year, has achieved another first following its release across the Gulf.
The film has recorded box office of $349,000 from 27,000 admissions following its release by Mad Solutions in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman and Bahrain on December 7 and in the UAE on December 14 across a total of 84 screens. This is a record for a non-Egyptian or non-Saudi arthouse film in the Gcc.
Saudi accounted for 40% of total takings from 37 screens while the UAE represented 30% of revenues from 27 screens.
Mohamed Kordofani’s Goodbye Julia, which became the first Sudanese feature to ever play at Cannes earlier this year, has achieved another first following its release across the Gulf.
The film has recorded box office of $349,000 from 27,000 admissions following its release by Mad Solutions in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman and Bahrain on December 7 and in the UAE on December 14 across a total of 84 screens. This is a record for a non-Egyptian or non-Saudi arthouse film in the Gcc.
Saudi accounted for 40% of total takings from 37 screens while the UAE represented 30% of revenues from 27 screens.
- 12/22/2023
- by Michael Rosser
- ScreenDaily
To make a film critical of oneself and the values instilled in you by family and society is not an easy task. But that’s exactly what Mohamed Kordofani set out to do with Goodbye Julia. “I wanted this to be a mirror for Sudanese people. I think we, as a community, care too much about how people view us but we don’t care at all about what the people we oppress think.”
The film–screening for free this Tuesday, December 12 as part of Film Independent Presents!–tackles the macro issues of racism, colorism and prejudice within Sudan while concentrating on the growing friendship between two women in Khartoum. The first Mona (Eiman Yousef) is a privileged Sudanese housewife of Arab descent. The other, Julia (Siran Riak), is a poor woman originally from South Sudan and of African descent who ends up being her maid.
Like an Asghar Farhadi...
The film–screening for free this Tuesday, December 12 as part of Film Independent Presents!–tackles the macro issues of racism, colorism and prejudice within Sudan while concentrating on the growing friendship between two women in Khartoum. The first Mona (Eiman Yousef) is a privileged Sudanese housewife of Arab descent. The other, Julia (Siran Riak), is a poor woman originally from South Sudan and of African descent who ends up being her maid.
Like an Asghar Farhadi...
- 12/7/2023
- by Murtada Elfadl
- Film Independent News & More
Mad Solutions — the Middle East and North Africa region’s leading sales agent and distributor of Arabic-language films — has acquired the world sales rights for Tunisian director Nada Mezni Hafaiedh’s debut feature “Take My Breath,” which world premiered in the International Competition of the Warsaw Film Festival this fall.
Hafaiedh’s film, which has found great success in Tunisian cinemas over the past month, follows the life of a young seamstress named Shams, whose tranquil life unravels when their intersex identity is exposed. Engaged in a steamy love triangle and targeted by an obsessive attacker, Shams escapes to the capital city.
Taking refuge with their lover’s mystic cousin, Shams grapples with their complex sense of self. The evocative tale explores the clash between desire and identity.
In creating “Take My Breath,” Hafaiedh says she aimed to “highlight overlooked struggles and spark discussion about avoided subjects” in her native Tunisia,...
Hafaiedh’s film, which has found great success in Tunisian cinemas over the past month, follows the life of a young seamstress named Shams, whose tranquil life unravels when their intersex identity is exposed. Engaged in a steamy love triangle and targeted by an obsessive attacker, Shams escapes to the capital city.
Taking refuge with their lover’s mystic cousin, Shams grapples with their complex sense of self. The evocative tale explores the clash between desire and identity.
In creating “Take My Breath,” Hafaiedh says she aimed to “highlight overlooked struggles and spark discussion about avoided subjects” in her native Tunisia,...
- 11/30/2023
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
Lupita Nyong’o has joined Goodbye Julia, Sudan’s entry for this year’s Best International feature race at the Oscars, as an executive producer.
Directed by Sudanese filmmaker Mohamed Kordofani in his feature film debut, the pic explores the events leading up the 2011 split between Sudan’s southern and northern populations. The film made history in Cannes this year as the first Sudanese film to play in the festival after it was selected for Un Certain Regard.
The film’s Cannes premiere took place just weeks after fighting broke out in Khartoum due to a clash between rival generals, which has led to the deaths of 5,000 people and uprooted seven million people.
Since Cannes, the film has also played at Karlovy Vary in its Horizons section and had been set to make its Mena premiere at Egypt’s El Gouna Film Festival in October ahead of a theatrical release in...
Directed by Sudanese filmmaker Mohamed Kordofani in his feature film debut, the pic explores the events leading up the 2011 split between Sudan’s southern and northern populations. The film made history in Cannes this year as the first Sudanese film to play in the festival after it was selected for Un Certain Regard.
The film’s Cannes premiere took place just weeks after fighting broke out in Khartoum due to a clash between rival generals, which has led to the deaths of 5,000 people and uprooted seven million people.
Since Cannes, the film has also played at Karlovy Vary in its Horizons section and had been set to make its Mena premiere at Egypt’s El Gouna Film Festival in October ahead of a theatrical release in...
- 11/9/2023
- by Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
Oscar-winning actor Lupita Nyong’o is stepping into an executive producer role to support Sudan’s second-ever Academy Award international feature film submission, “Goodbye Julia.”
The timely film, directed by Sudanese filmmaker Mohamed Kordofani, takes place just before the 2011 secession of South Sudan and won the Un Certain Regard section’s Prix de Liberté (Freedom Prize) at Cannes.
“‘Goodbye Julia’ is a powerful representation of the conflict happening in Sudan right now, which affects millions of lives across Eastern Africa,” Nyong’o said in a statement. “Mohamed Kordofani and the filmmakers present the issues in a beautiful, deeply personal way. I’m honored to lend my voice to help bring this film’s message to the world.”
Nyong’o, who played played Nakia in Marvel’s “Black Panther” franchise, will next be seen starring in Paramount’s “A Quiet Place” horror franchise spinoff “A Quiet Place: Day One,” written and directed by Michael Sarnoski.
The timely film, directed by Sudanese filmmaker Mohamed Kordofani, takes place just before the 2011 secession of South Sudan and won the Un Certain Regard section’s Prix de Liberté (Freedom Prize) at Cannes.
“‘Goodbye Julia’ is a powerful representation of the conflict happening in Sudan right now, which affects millions of lives across Eastern Africa,” Nyong’o said in a statement. “Mohamed Kordofani and the filmmakers present the issues in a beautiful, deeply personal way. I’m honored to lend my voice to help bring this film’s message to the world.”
Nyong’o, who played played Nakia in Marvel’s “Black Panther” franchise, will next be seen starring in Paramount’s “A Quiet Place” horror franchise spinoff “A Quiet Place: Day One,” written and directed by Michael Sarnoski.
- 11/9/2023
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Mohamed Kordofani’s Khartoum-set drama Goodbye Julia made history at Cannes earlier this year as the first Sudanese feature to play in the festival across its 76 editions.
Six months on, the film is achieving a new first at the Egyptian box office.
The drama took the top slot on its opening day on October 25 on just nine screens, ahead of Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon, which was on its second week on release on around 25 screens.
Widening out to some 25 screens, Goodbye Julia drew 13,135 spectators for a gross of $33,650 in its first week, according to locally collated figures.
By comparison, Killers of the Flower Moon went on to take $41,000 in the same week, for a total Egyptian gross of $102,000 by the end of its second week on release.
As of November 6, Goodbye Julia had grossed $56,637 in total.
Exploring the events leading up the 2011 schism between Sudan’s southern and northern populations,...
Six months on, the film is achieving a new first at the Egyptian box office.
The drama took the top slot on its opening day on October 25 on just nine screens, ahead of Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon, which was on its second week on release on around 25 screens.
Widening out to some 25 screens, Goodbye Julia drew 13,135 spectators for a gross of $33,650 in its first week, according to locally collated figures.
By comparison, Killers of the Flower Moon went on to take $41,000 in the same week, for a total Egyptian gross of $102,000 by the end of its second week on release.
As of November 6, Goodbye Julia had grossed $56,637 in total.
Exploring the events leading up the 2011 schism between Sudan’s southern and northern populations,...
- 11/6/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Screen is profiling every submission for best international feature at the 96th Academy Awards.
Entries for the 2024 Oscar for best international feature are underway, and Screen is profiling each one on this page.
The 96th Academy Awards is set to take place on March 10, 2024 at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
An international feature film is defined as a feature-length motion picture (over 40 minutes) 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 December 1, 2022, and October 31, 2023. The deadline...
Entries for the 2024 Oscar for best international feature are underway, and Screen is profiling each one on this page.
The 96th Academy Awards is set to take place on March 10, 2024 at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
An international feature film is defined as a feature-length motion picture (over 40 minutes) 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 December 1, 2022, and October 31, 2023. The deadline...
- 9/29/2023
- by Screen staff
- ScreenDaily
Screen is profiling every submission for best international feature at the 96th Academy Awards.
Entries for the 2024 Oscar for best international feature are underway, and Screen is profiling each one on this page.
The 96th Academy Awards is set to take place on March 10, 2024 at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
An international feature film is defined as a feature-length motion picture (over 40 minutes) 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 December 1, 2022, and October 31, 2023. The deadline...
Entries for the 2024 Oscar for best international feature are underway, and Screen is profiling each one on this page.
The 96th Academy Awards is set to take place on March 10, 2024 at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
An international feature film is defined as a feature-length motion picture (over 40 minutes) 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 December 1, 2022, and October 31, 2023. The deadline...
- 9/29/2023
- by Screen staff
- ScreenDaily
Screen is profiling every submission for best international feature at the 96th Academy Awards.
Entries for the 2024 Oscar for best international feature are underway, and Screen is profiling each one on this page.
The 96th Academy Awards is set to take place on March 10, 2024 at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
An international feature film is defined as a feature-length motion picture (over 40 minutes) 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 December 1, 2022, and October 31, 2023. The deadline...
Entries for the 2024 Oscar for best international feature are underway, and Screen is profiling each one on this page.
The 96th Academy Awards is set to take place on March 10, 2024 at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
An international feature film is defined as a feature-length motion picture (over 40 minutes) 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 December 1, 2022, and October 31, 2023. The deadline...
- 9/28/2023
- by Screen staff
- ScreenDaily
Screen is profiling every submission for best international feature at the 96th Academy Awards.
Entries for the 2024 Oscar for best international feature are underway, and Screen is profiling each one on this page.
The 96th Academy Awards is set to take place on March 10, 2024 at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
An international feature film is defined as a feature-length motion picture (over 40 minutes) 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 December 1, 2022, and October 31, 2023. The deadline...
Entries for the 2024 Oscar for best international feature are underway, and Screen is profiling each one on this page.
The 96th Academy Awards is set to take place on March 10, 2024 at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
An international feature film is defined as a feature-length motion picture (over 40 minutes) 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 December 1, 2022, and October 31, 2023. The deadline...
- 9/28/2023
- by Screen staff
- ScreenDaily
Screen is profiling every submission for best international feature at the 96th Academy Awards.
Entries for the 2024 Oscar for best international feature are underway, and Screen is profiling each one on this page.
The 96th Academy Awards is set to take place on March 10, 2024 at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
An international feature film is defined as a feature-length motion picture (over 40 minutes) 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 December 1, 2022, and October 31, 2023. The deadline...
Entries for the 2024 Oscar for best international feature are underway, and Screen is profiling each one on this page.
The 96th Academy Awards is set to take place on March 10, 2024 at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
An international feature film is defined as a feature-length motion picture (over 40 minutes) 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 December 1, 2022, and October 31, 2023. The deadline...
- 9/28/2023
- by Screen staff
- ScreenDaily
Sudan has submitted Mohamed Kordofani’s Khartoum-set drama Goodbye Julia for Best International Feature Film at the 96th Academy Awards.
The film made history in Cannes this year as the first Sudanese film to play in the festival after it was selected for Un Certain Regard.
Its premiere took place just weeks after fighting broke out in Khartoum due to a clash between rival generals, which has led to the deaths of 5,000 people and uprooted seven million people.
Since Cannes, the film has also played at Karlovy Vary in its Horizons section and will make its Mena premiere at Egypt’s El Gouna Film Festival in October ahead of a theatrical release in the country on October 25. It has also been selected for the BFI London Film Festival.
The selection was made by the Sudanese National Committee which is operating in exile.
Alaa Karkouti at Mad Solutions, which is handling world sales,...
The film made history in Cannes this year as the first Sudanese film to play in the festival after it was selected for Un Certain Regard.
Its premiere took place just weeks after fighting broke out in Khartoum due to a clash between rival generals, which has led to the deaths of 5,000 people and uprooted seven million people.
Since Cannes, the film has also played at Karlovy Vary in its Horizons section and will make its Mena premiere at Egypt’s El Gouna Film Festival in October ahead of a theatrical release in the country on October 25. It has also been selected for the BFI London Film Festival.
The selection was made by the Sudanese National Committee which is operating in exile.
Alaa Karkouti at Mad Solutions, which is handling world sales,...
- 9/27/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Goodbye Julia, the first-ever Sudanese feature to screen at the Cannes Film Festival, has been selected by Sudan to be its second-ever Academy Awards submission for best international feature film.
Earlier this year, the film, directed by Mohamed Kordofani, also won the Un Certain Regard’s freedom prize at Cannes.
Set just before the secession of South Sudan in 2011, Goodbye Julia follows Mona (Eiman Yousif), a well-off woman from the north, who seeks redemption after her husband shoots and kills a southern man. While in distraught, she hires the man’s wife Julia (Siran Riak) as her maid. The film depicts the complicated relationship and differences between Northern and Southern Sudanese communities.
Kordofani previously told The Hollywood Reporter that the film is “about the transformation of someone who realizes that they have been unknowingly racist and want to overcome this racism. A transformation of someone who first abides by social norms and traditions,...
Earlier this year, the film, directed by Mohamed Kordofani, also won the Un Certain Regard’s freedom prize at Cannes.
Set just before the secession of South Sudan in 2011, Goodbye Julia follows Mona (Eiman Yousif), a well-off woman from the north, who seeks redemption after her husband shoots and kills a southern man. While in distraught, she hires the man’s wife Julia (Siran Riak) as her maid. The film depicts the complicated relationship and differences between Northern and Southern Sudanese communities.
Kordofani previously told The Hollywood Reporter that the film is “about the transformation of someone who realizes that they have been unknowingly racist and want to overcome this racism. A transformation of someone who first abides by social norms and traditions,...
- 9/26/2023
- by Carly Thomas
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Sudanese director Mohamed Kordofani’s feature debut “Goodbye Julia,” a timely morality tale that takes place just before the 2011 secession of South Sudan and won the Un Certain Regard section’s Prix de Liberté (Freedom Prize) at Cannes, has scored a raft of sales following its launch.
The first Sudanese film ever to screen in Cannes official selection, “Goodbye Julia” is the story of two women — one from the North, the other from the South — who are brought together by fate in a complex relationship that attempts to reconcile differences between northern and southern Sudanese communities in the currently war-ravaged country.
After being picked up by Arp Sélection for France just ahead of its Cannes world premiere in May, the well-received drama has now been sold by pan-Arab distributor Mad Solutions – which moved into international distribution with this title – to the following territories: Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands (September Film...
The first Sudanese film ever to screen in Cannes official selection, “Goodbye Julia” is the story of two women — one from the North, the other from the South — who are brought together by fate in a complex relationship that attempts to reconcile differences between northern and southern Sudanese communities in the currently war-ravaged country.
After being picked up by Arp Sélection for France just ahead of its Cannes world premiere in May, the well-received drama has now been sold by pan-Arab distributor Mad Solutions – which moved into international distribution with this title – to the following territories: Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands (September Film...
- 6/16/2023
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Film Independent has set 26 filmmakers from 15 nations to participate in the 2023 edition of their Global Media Makers LA Residency, which is being held in person this month.
A mentoring initiative and cultural exchange program that connects American filmmakers and industry pros with filmmakers spread across the globe, Gmm sees Fellows participate in filmmaking tracks focused on screenwriting, directing, creative development and documentary filmmaking, where they develop their current projects alongside a team of U.S. mentors.
The program, presented by Film Independent and the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, further bolsters up-and-comers by providing access to master classes, industry sessions and field trips, as well as cultural engagement and networking opportunities.
This edition of Gmm is the eighth put on since 2016, and as always, the selection process was highly competitive, attracting a diverse pool of media makers, with the countries of Angola, Libya,...
A mentoring initiative and cultural exchange program that connects American filmmakers and industry pros with filmmakers spread across the globe, Gmm sees Fellows participate in filmmaking tracks focused on screenwriting, directing, creative development and documentary filmmaking, where they develop their current projects alongside a team of U.S. mentors.
The program, presented by Film Independent and the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, further bolsters up-and-comers by providing access to master classes, industry sessions and field trips, as well as cultural engagement and networking opportunities.
This edition of Gmm is the eighth put on since 2016, and as always, the selection process was highly competitive, attracting a diverse pool of media makers, with the countries of Angola, Libya,...
- 6/5/2023
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
CAA Media Finance has come on board to handle sales in North America on Mohamed Kordofani’s “Goodbye Julia,” the first film from Sudan to launch from the Cannes Film Festival.
CAA will be working in tandem with Egypt-based producer Ali El Arabi’s Ambient Light Films, which holds North American rights for the timely drama that premiered on May 21 in Un Certain Regard.
“Goodbye Julia” takes place just before the 2011 secession of South Sudan. It revolves around two women, one from the north, the other from the south, that are brought together by fate in a complex relationship that attempts to reconcile differences between northern and southern Sudanese communities.
in an interview with Variety, Kordofani expressed the hope that his film “can be the start of a movement for reconciliation between all the Sudanese people” in the war-ravaged country.
Produced by fellow Sudanese filmmaker Amjad Abu Alala — director of “You Will Die at 20,...
CAA will be working in tandem with Egypt-based producer Ali El Arabi’s Ambient Light Films, which holds North American rights for the timely drama that premiered on May 21 in Un Certain Regard.
“Goodbye Julia” takes place just before the 2011 secession of South Sudan. It revolves around two women, one from the north, the other from the south, that are brought together by fate in a complex relationship that attempts to reconcile differences between northern and southern Sudanese communities.
in an interview with Variety, Kordofani expressed the hope that his film “can be the start of a movement for reconciliation between all the Sudanese people” in the war-ravaged country.
Produced by fellow Sudanese filmmaker Amjad Abu Alala — director of “You Will Die at 20,...
- 5/21/2023
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Egyptian-u.S. company Ambient Light has acquired North American sales rights for Sudanese director Mohamed Kordofani’s Cannes Un Certain Regard title Goodbye Julia, and is teaming with CAA to find North American distribution.
Egyptian producer and director Ali El Arabi’s Cairo and L.A.-based company Ambient Light is one of a number of co-producers on the film alongside lead producer Amjad Abu Alala, who works under the banner of Station Films.
El Arabi is best known internationally for his feature documentary Captains of Za’atari, about two Syrian boys growing up in a refugee camp in Jordan with dreams of becoming soccer stars, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2021.
The film was handled internationally by Dogwoof, which sold the film to Utopia for the U.S.
El Arabi explains that the lessons he learned through the U.S. distribution of Captains of Za’atari...
Egyptian producer and director Ali El Arabi’s Cairo and L.A.-based company Ambient Light is one of a number of co-producers on the film alongside lead producer Amjad Abu Alala, who works under the banner of Station Films.
El Arabi is best known internationally for his feature documentary Captains of Za’atari, about two Syrian boys growing up in a refugee camp in Jordan with dreams of becoming soccer stars, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2021.
The film was handled internationally by Dogwoof, which sold the film to Utopia for the U.S.
El Arabi explains that the lessons he learned through the U.S. distribution of Captains of Za’atari...
- 5/21/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Paris-based distributor Arp Sélection has snapped up the timely Sudanese drama “Goodbye Julia” for French distribution ahead of its Cannes Un Certain Regard premiere next week.
The film, which is Sudanese director Mohamed Kordofani’s feature debut, marks the first feature from Sudan to bow from the Croisette and takes place just before the 2011 secession of South Sudan. In “Goodbye Julia,” two women — one from the North, the other from the South — are brought together by fate in a complex relationship that attempts to reconcile differences between northern and southern Sudanese communities.
in an interview with Variety, Kordofani expressed the hope that his film “Can be the start of a movement for reconciliation between all the Sudanese people” in the war-ravaged country.
The two central roles are played respectively by Eiman Yousif and Sudanese supermodel Siran Riak (pictured above), making her big-screen acting debut. The cast also includes Nazar Goma and Ger Duany,...
The film, which is Sudanese director Mohamed Kordofani’s feature debut, marks the first feature from Sudan to bow from the Croisette and takes place just before the 2011 secession of South Sudan. In “Goodbye Julia,” two women — one from the North, the other from the South — are brought together by fate in a complex relationship that attempts to reconcile differences between northern and southern Sudanese communities.
in an interview with Variety, Kordofani expressed the hope that his film “Can be the start of a movement for reconciliation between all the Sudanese people” in the war-ravaged country.
The two central roles are played respectively by Eiman Yousif and Sudanese supermodel Siran Riak (pictured above), making her big-screen acting debut. The cast also includes Nazar Goma and Ger Duany,...
- 5/11/2023
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
‘Mena 360’ will spotlight the production and film financing opportunities in the Arab world.
The Cannes Market has partnered with Saudi Arabia’s Neom Media Industries and Arab Cinema Centre to host a conference on the fast-growing opportunities in production, finance and talent in the Middle East and North Africa.
Titled ’Mena 360: Accessing the Largest Untapped Market’ in the World, it will run as part of the Cannes Next programme and comprise three panels exploring the best ways for the international industry to secure financing, partners, locations and talent from the region.
Mena executives and talent due to speak on the panels include Wayne Borg,...
The Cannes Market has partnered with Saudi Arabia’s Neom Media Industries and Arab Cinema Centre to host a conference on the fast-growing opportunities in production, finance and talent in the Middle East and North Africa.
Titled ’Mena 360: Accessing the Largest Untapped Market’ in the World, it will run as part of the Cannes Next programme and comprise three panels exploring the best ways for the international industry to secure financing, partners, locations and talent from the region.
Mena executives and talent due to speak on the panels include Wayne Borg,...
- 5/11/2023
- by Michael Rosser
- ScreenDaily
Sudanese director Mohamed Kordofani will soon be in Cannes with “Goodbye Julia,” a drama that he says reflects the “systematic racism” that led to the secession of South Sudan in 2011 and is, albeit indirectly, closely connected with the conflict that erupted in the country in April.
The powerful film, which is premiering in Un Certain Regard, marks the first Sudanese feature to bow from the Croisette. But there is an even greater historic significance to “Goodbye Julia,” in which two women – one from the North, the other from the South – are brought together by fate in a complex relationship that attempts to reconcile differences between northern and southern Sudanese communities. It’s the hope that “it can be the start of a movement for reconciliation between all the Sudanese people,” Kordofani says.
Produced by fellow Sudanese filmmaker Amjad Abu Alala — director of “You Will Die at 20,” which became Sudan...
The powerful film, which is premiering in Un Certain Regard, marks the first Sudanese feature to bow from the Croisette. But there is an even greater historic significance to “Goodbye Julia,” in which two women – one from the North, the other from the South – are brought together by fate in a complex relationship that attempts to reconcile differences between northern and southern Sudanese communities. It’s the hope that “it can be the start of a movement for reconciliation between all the Sudanese people,” Kordofani says.
Produced by fellow Sudanese filmmaker Amjad Abu Alala — director of “You Will Die at 20,” which became Sudan...
- 5/8/2023
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
On April 14, just hours after the Cannes Film Festival unveiled the full line-up of its 76th edition, Sudanese filmmaker Mohamed Kordofani took to Facebook to express his gratitude for the well wishes pouring in. His debut feature, “Goodbye Julia,” had been selected to world premiere in the festival’s Un Certain Regard section, marking the first time a Sudanese film will bow on the Croisette.
“I do not know if faith and hard work alone make dreams come true,” he wrote, describing the challenge of making movies in Sudan as an “almost impossible” task. “One needs a little luck and a lot of people’s support and faith.”
One day later, those dreams were dashed as violence erupted in the streets of the Sudanese capital, Khartoum.
The conflict between factions loyal to two rival generals, who together engineered a military coup in 2021, has pushed Sudan to the brink of civil war.
“I do not know if faith and hard work alone make dreams come true,” he wrote, describing the challenge of making movies in Sudan as an “almost impossible” task. “One needs a little luck and a lot of people’s support and faith.”
One day later, those dreams were dashed as violence erupted in the streets of the Sudanese capital, Khartoum.
The conflict between factions loyal to two rival generals, who together engineered a military coup in 2021, has pushed Sudan to the brink of civil war.
- 5/5/2023
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
Mohamed Kordofani’s debut feature will premiere in Un Certain Regard.
Pan-Arab outfit Mad Solutions is moving into international sales and has acquired worldwide rights to Mohamed Kordofani’s debut feature Goodbye Julia, the first Sudanese film ever to be selected by the Cannes Film Festival.
The film will receive its world premiere in the Un Certain Regard section of the festival, which announced its lineup today.
Set in Khartoum ahead of Sudan’s division into two separate countries in 2011, the drama explores the differences between their two populations through two women hailing from the north and south of the country.
Pan-Arab outfit Mad Solutions is moving into international sales and has acquired worldwide rights to Mohamed Kordofani’s debut feature Goodbye Julia, the first Sudanese film ever to be selected by the Cannes Film Festival.
The film will receive its world premiere in the Un Certain Regard section of the festival, which announced its lineup today.
Set in Khartoum ahead of Sudan’s division into two separate countries in 2011, the drama explores the differences between their two populations through two women hailing from the north and south of the country.
- 4/13/2023
- by Michael Rosser
- ScreenDaily
Amr Gamal‘s The Burdened added another accolade to its trophy shelf on Saturday, February 25th, winning the Amnesty International Film Award — which comes with a cash prize of €5,000 — during the Independent Juries Award Ceremony that was held as part of the activities of the Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale).
The film’s crew was present at the ceremony, including the director, who received the award. The Berlinale also announced on the same day that The Burdened placed second in the running for the Panorama Section‘s Audience Award, which Gamal will be honored for in a second ceremony that will be held on February 26th.
“I am truly humbled by the audience’s positive reception to the film. The Burdened was a labor of love, dedication, and persistence to shed light on one story of many in a country under fire. I’m glad that the...
The film’s crew was present at the ceremony, including the director, who received the award. The Berlinale also announced on the same day that The Burdened placed second in the running for the Panorama Section‘s Audience Award, which Gamal will be honored for in a second ceremony that will be held on February 26th.
“I am truly humbled by the audience’s positive reception to the film. The Burdened was a labor of love, dedication, and persistence to shed light on one story of many in a country under fire. I’m glad that the...
- 3/1/2023
- by Rhythm Zaveri
- AsianMoviePulse
Amr Gamal’s Yemeni film “The Burdened” (Al Murhaqoon) is set to hold its world premiere at the 2023 Berlin International Film Festival’s Panorama Section on February 20th at 4 pm at Kino International in the presence of the film’s director, producer, and cast.
The film is also set to have a screening for media accreditation on Saturday, February 18th at 6:30 pm at Cubix 2, along with four more screenings for the public during the festival, which is running from February 16th to the 26th:
Tuesday, February 21st at 10 pm at Cubix 7 Wednesday, February 22nd at 4 pm at Cubix 5 Thursday, February 23rd at 6:30 pm at Cubix 9 Sunday, February 26th at 4 pm at Cubix 5
“The Burdened” is based on a true story set in Aden, Yemen. The film follows Ahmed, Isra’a, and their three children after they both lose their jobs as a result of an economic crisis.
The film is also set to have a screening for media accreditation on Saturday, February 18th at 6:30 pm at Cubix 2, along with four more screenings for the public during the festival, which is running from February 16th to the 26th:
Tuesday, February 21st at 10 pm at Cubix 7 Wednesday, February 22nd at 4 pm at Cubix 5 Thursday, February 23rd at 6:30 pm at Cubix 9 Sunday, February 26th at 4 pm at Cubix 5
“The Burdened” is based on a true story set in Aden, Yemen. The film follows Ahmed, Isra’a, and their three children after they both lose their jobs as a result of an economic crisis.
- 2/14/2023
- by Adriana Rosati
- AsianMoviePulse
Films Boutiques has boarded Amr Gamal’s “The Burdened” ahead of its world premiere at the Berlin Film Festival.
Slated for the Panorama section, “The Burdened” will be the first Yememi film to play in the official selection of the Berlinale.
The movie takes place in Aden, Yemen, where Isra’a and Ahmed put all their efforts offering a normal life and education to their three young children. When they find out that Isra’a is pregnant again, they have to make difficult decisions guided only by their family’s interest. “The Burdened” stars Khaled Hamdan and Abeer Mohammed.
Gamal previously directed “10 Days before the Wedding” and the series “Last Chance.” “The Burdened” is produced by Mohsen Alkhalifi and Amr Gamal at Adenium Productions, Yemen-based company.
Co-producers are Amjad Abu Alala, Mohammed Alomda at Station Films, Sudan, and Red Sea International Film Festival at Saudi Arabia. The movie was lensed by Mrinal Desai,...
Slated for the Panorama section, “The Burdened” will be the first Yememi film to play in the official selection of the Berlinale.
The movie takes place in Aden, Yemen, where Isra’a and Ahmed put all their efforts offering a normal life and education to their three young children. When they find out that Isra’a is pregnant again, they have to make difficult decisions guided only by their family’s interest. “The Burdened” stars Khaled Hamdan and Abeer Mohammed.
Gamal previously directed “10 Days before the Wedding” and the series “Last Chance.” “The Burdened” is produced by Mohsen Alkhalifi and Amr Gamal at Adenium Productions, Yemen-based company.
Co-producers are Amjad Abu Alala, Mohammed Alomda at Station Films, Sudan, and Red Sea International Film Festival at Saudi Arabia. The movie was lensed by Mrinal Desai,...
- 12/15/2022
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Prominent film distributor Mad Solutions has taken pan-Arab rights to abortion-themed Yemeni drama “The Burdened” (“Al Murhaqoon”), which is among works-in-progress presented at Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea Souk project market.
Produced and directed by Amr Gamal, “The Burdened” scooped an award among works-in-progress at the industry section of the Karlovy Vary Intl. Film Festival in July.
The story, written by Gamal and Mazen Refaat, centers on Ahmed, Isra’a and their three children in Aden, Yemen, in 2019. It is based on true events experienced by the director with one of his close friends. Due to the country’s economic crisis both parents lose their jobs. The drama starts with Isra’a finding out about her fourth pregnancy at a time when they cannot cover the expenses of a new child, leading them to make difficult decisions, amid their community’s conservative stance, in order to survive.
“Burdened” will be...
Produced and directed by Amr Gamal, “The Burdened” scooped an award among works-in-progress at the industry section of the Karlovy Vary Intl. Film Festival in July.
The story, written by Gamal and Mazen Refaat, centers on Ahmed, Isra’a and their three children in Aden, Yemen, in 2019. It is based on true events experienced by the director with one of his close friends. Due to the country’s economic crisis both parents lose their jobs. The drama starts with Isra’a finding out about her fourth pregnancy at a time when they cannot cover the expenses of a new child, leading them to make difficult decisions, amid their community’s conservative stance, in order to survive.
“Burdened” will be...
- 12/3/2022
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
This fall, Arab filmmakers will be out in force at such prestigious international fests as Venice and Toronto. Venice alone boasts six features from first- and second-time Arab directors in its official sections, plus an additional six works-in-progress at its Final Cut Production Bridge. Meanwhile, Toronto opens with “The Swimmers,” a drama from U.K. helmer Sally El Hosaini based on the journey of Syrian sisters and Olympic hopefuls Yusra and Sara Mardini, who fled the war in their home country for Germany. Yusra competed in the 2016 and 2021 Summer Olympics. An additional six Arab films will screen at the Canadian fest.
Dek: Arab filmmakers embrace genres and issues as festivals and distributors take notice
By Alissa Simon
This fall, Arab filmmakers will be out in force at such prestigious international fests as Venice and Toronto. Venice alone boasts six features from first- and second-time Arab directors in its official sections,...
Dek: Arab filmmakers embrace genres and issues as festivals and distributors take notice
By Alissa Simon
This fall, Arab filmmakers will be out in force at such prestigious international fests as Venice and Toronto. Venice alone boasts six features from first- and second-time Arab directors in its official sections,...
- 9/3/2022
- by Alissa Simon
- Variety Film + TV
Four previously backed films are screening at Venice this year.
The Berlinale’s World Cinema Fund (Wcf) is to provide a combined €344,000 in finance to seven international projects.
In its latest funding round, the Wcf has recommended production funding for six projects from Burkina Faso, Chile, Egypt, Democratic Republic of Congo, Senegal and Colombia. The fund has also recommened providing distribution funding for the August 25 German release of Sudanese film You Will Die At Twenty.
The Berlinale’s funding initiative was set up in 2004 to help diversify German cinema and support projects from areas of the world with less filmmaking infrastructure.
The Berlinale’s World Cinema Fund (Wcf) is to provide a combined €344,000 in finance to seven international projects.
In its latest funding round, the Wcf has recommended production funding for six projects from Burkina Faso, Chile, Egypt, Democratic Republic of Congo, Senegal and Colombia. The fund has also recommened providing distribution funding for the August 25 German release of Sudanese film You Will Die At Twenty.
The Berlinale’s funding initiative was set up in 2004 to help diversify German cinema and support projects from areas of the world with less filmmaking infrastructure.
- 8/16/2022
- by Ellie Calnan
- ScreenDaily
In the upcoming drama “The Burdened” (“Al Murhaqoon”), about a family of five faced with a difficult decision, director Amr Gamal readies to tackle the subject that continues to ruffle feathers, and not just in his native Yemen: abortion.
The film, set to be finished in August and based on a true story, was recently named the winner of the Works in Progress Post-Production Development Award at Karlovy Vary Film Festival’s industry section Eastern Promises. It’s produced by Adenium Productions, based in Yemen, and co-produced by Station Films of Sudan.
“This story touched my heart, because it happened to a very close friend of mine,” Gamal tells Variety.
“He plays a big part in the movie, but he doesn’t want to reveal himself. He and his wife, who is also a friend, are just too afraid. They don’t want others to know about what has happened.
The film, set to be finished in August and based on a true story, was recently named the winner of the Works in Progress Post-Production Development Award at Karlovy Vary Film Festival’s industry section Eastern Promises. It’s produced by Adenium Productions, based in Yemen, and co-produced by Station Films of Sudan.
“This story touched my heart, because it happened to a very close friend of mine,” Gamal tells Variety.
“He plays a big part in the movie, but he doesn’t want to reveal himself. He and his wife, who is also a friend, are just too afraid. They don’t want others to know about what has happened.
- 7/8/2022
- by Marta Balaga
- Variety Film + TV
Yemeni film “The Burdened,” directed by Amr Gamal, won the Works in Progress Post-Production Development Award in Eastern Promises, the industry section of the Karlovy Vary Intl. Film Festival on Tuesday.
The story, written by Gamal and Mazen Refaat, centers on Ahmed, Isra’a and their three children in Aden, Yemen in 2019. Both parents lose their jobs and suffer from the economic crisis. The movie starts with Isra’a finding out about her pregnancy at a time when they cannot cover the expenses of a new child, leading them to make difficult decisions in order to survive.
The jury said it was “impressed by the director’s brave approach to tackling this sensitive subject against all odds.”
The Yemen-Sudan coproduction is produced by Mohsen Alkhalifi, Gamal, Amjad Abu Alala and Mohammed Alomda.
The Works in Progress Karlovy Vary Iff Award went to “Endless Summer Syndrome,” directed by Kaveh Daneshmand, an...
The story, written by Gamal and Mazen Refaat, centers on Ahmed, Isra’a and their three children in Aden, Yemen in 2019. Both parents lose their jobs and suffer from the economic crisis. The movie starts with Isra’a finding out about her pregnancy at a time when they cannot cover the expenses of a new child, leading them to make difficult decisions in order to survive.
The jury said it was “impressed by the director’s brave approach to tackling this sensitive subject against all odds.”
The Yemen-Sudan coproduction is produced by Mohsen Alkhalifi, Gamal, Amjad Abu Alala and Mohammed Alomda.
The Works in Progress Karlovy Vary Iff Award went to “Endless Summer Syndrome,” directed by Kaveh Daneshmand, an...
- 7/5/2022
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
Karlovy Vary Intl. Film Festival’s industry section, Eastern Promises, has unveiled its lineup of 35 film projects, which will be showcased during the Works in Progress, Works in Development – Feature Launch, First Cut+ Works in Progress and Odesa International Film Festival Works in Progress presentations. The most promising projects will receive awards totaling Euros 125,000.
The showcasing of projects to industry professionals will take place in Karlovy Vary during Kviff Industry Days. On July 4, are Works in Progress and Works in Development – Feature Launch; on July 5, First Cut+ Works in Progress and Oiff WiP Selection.
For Works in Progress, 10 fiction and documentary feature films in the late stage of production or post-production from the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, the Balkans, the former Soviet Union, the Middle East, and North Africa have been selected. The prize will be decided by jury members Dennis Ruh (European Film Market), Óscar Alonzo (Latido Films...
The showcasing of projects to industry professionals will take place in Karlovy Vary during Kviff Industry Days. On July 4, are Works in Progress and Works in Development – Feature Launch; on July 5, First Cut+ Works in Progress and Oiff WiP Selection.
For Works in Progress, 10 fiction and documentary feature films in the late stage of production or post-production from the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, the Balkans, the former Soviet Union, the Middle East, and North Africa have been selected. The prize will be decided by jury members Dennis Ruh (European Film Market), Óscar Alonzo (Latido Films...
- 6/13/2022
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety 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
Eric Lagesse, the CEO/president of Paris-based arthouse distributor and world sales outfit Pyramide Films, received the Industry Tribute Award at Cairo Film Festival on Friday. Variety spoke with him about his relationship with Arab cinema, and the state of the independent film business in France.
How do you feel about receiving this tribute?
It’s great, but I have had a year to get used to it. Because of the pandemic, I didn’t receive it last year, as planned. Nothing major has changed in the meantime. I am still very fond of Arab and Egyptian films. We are now working with a new generation of films and filmmakers like “Amira” (pictured), which played in the Horizons Competition at the Venice Film Festival this year.
What is your connection to the Arab film world?
We have been collaborating with the Arab world since the beginning of Pyramide. The first...
How do you feel about receiving this tribute?
It’s great, but I have had a year to get used to it. Because of the pandemic, I didn’t receive it last year, as planned. Nothing major has changed in the meantime. I am still very fond of Arab and Egyptian films. We are now working with a new generation of films and filmmakers like “Amira” (pictured), which played in the Horizons Competition at the Venice Film Festival this year.
What is your connection to the Arab film world?
We have been collaborating with the Arab world since the beginning of Pyramide. The first...
- 12/5/2021
- by Liza Foreman
- Variety Film + TV
Sudan’s first Oscar entry, about a boy destined to die young, is warmed by compassion and gorgeous, dreamy imagery
‘You will die at 20.” That’s the death sentence handed down to a newborn baby at the start of this gentle, affecting Sudanese drama, the feature debut of director Amjad Abu Alala (and was Sudan’s first ever Oscar entry). The scene has a kind of intense, dreamy realism. A couple bring their baby son to a Sufi naming ceremony in the desert, and while a sheikh performs the blessing, a dervish in a green jalabiya sways in a trance. The crowd chants numbers, one for every year of the baby’s life. “One … two … three …” At the count of 20, the dervish falls into a faint. The sheikh confirms everyone’s gasps: the baby will die at 20. “God’s command is inevitable.”
The film is a parable about the dangers...
‘You will die at 20.” That’s the death sentence handed down to a newborn baby at the start of this gentle, affecting Sudanese drama, the feature debut of director Amjad Abu Alala (and was Sudan’s first ever Oscar entry). The scene has a kind of intense, dreamy realism. A couple bring their baby son to a Sufi naming ceremony in the desert, and while a sheikh performs the blessing, a dervish in a green jalabiya sways in a trance. The crowd chants numbers, one for every year of the baby’s life. “One … two … three …” At the count of 20, the dervish falls into a faint. The sheikh confirms everyone’s gasps: the baby will die at 20. “God’s command is inevitable.”
The film is a parable about the dangers...
- 11/8/2021
- by Cath Clarke
- The Guardian - Film News
Other African submissions so far include Nabil Ayouch’s Casablanca Beats for Morocco.
Finnish-Somali filmmaker Khadar Ayderus Ahmed’s The Gravedigger’s Wife, which world premiered in Cannes Critics’ Week in July, has been selected as Somalia’s first-ever Oscar submission for the 2022 Academy Awards.
Set in Djibouti City in the Horn of Africa, the drama stars Finnish-Somali actor Omar Abdi as a gravedigger on a quest to raise the money for the kidney transplant desperately needed by his beloved wife, played by Canadian-Somali model and actress Yasmin Warsame.
The film’s selection for consideration in the best international film category...
Finnish-Somali filmmaker Khadar Ayderus Ahmed’s The Gravedigger’s Wife, which world premiered in Cannes Critics’ Week in July, has been selected as Somalia’s first-ever Oscar submission for the 2022 Academy Awards.
Set in Djibouti City in the Horn of Africa, the drama stars Finnish-Somali actor Omar Abdi as a gravedigger on a quest to raise the money for the kidney transplant desperately needed by his beloved wife, played by Canadian-Somali model and actress Yasmin Warsame.
The film’s selection for consideration in the best international film category...
- 10/7/2021
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- ScreenDaily
Some 22 projects are receiving support from the Swedish fund.
The new Göteborg Film Fund has confirmed its second round of funding, including its first development grants.
The supported projects include the Iranian-Kurdish thriller Zalava, the feature debut of Arsalan Amiri, which is competing in Venice Critics’ Week; and Ukrainian drama Pamfir, by Dmytro Sukholytkyy-Sobchuk. The latter is now in post and selected for the Venice Gap Financing Market and is about a decent man who gives up his honest job to help his family.
In addition, Oleg Sentsov, who is premiering Rhino in Venice, is receiving development supportt for his fiction film Kai.
The new Göteborg Film Fund has confirmed its second round of funding, including its first development grants.
The supported projects include the Iranian-Kurdish thriller Zalava, the feature debut of Arsalan Amiri, which is competing in Venice Critics’ Week; and Ukrainian drama Pamfir, by Dmytro Sukholytkyy-Sobchuk. The latter is now in post and selected for the Venice Gap Financing Market and is about a decent man who gives up his honest job to help his family.
In addition, Oleg Sentsov, who is premiering Rhino in Venice, is receiving development supportt for his fiction film Kai.
- 9/6/2021
- by Wendy Mitchell
- ScreenDaily
Vengeance is Mine, All Others Pay CashINTERNATIONAL Competition(Jury: Eliza Hittman, Kevin Jerome Everson, Philippe Lacôte, Leonor Silveira, Isabelle Ferrari)Golden Leopard: Vengeance is Mine, All Others Pay Cash (Edwin) | Read our reviewSpecial Jury Prize: A New Old Play (Jiongjiong Qiu) | Read our reviewBest Direction: Abel Ferrara (Zeros and Ones) | Read our reviewBest Actress: Anastasiya Krasovskaya (Gerda)Best Actor: Mohamed Mellali and Valero Escolar (The Odd-Job Men)Special Mention: Soul of a Beast (Lorenz Merz) and The Sacred Spirit (Chema García Ibarra) | Read our reviewFILMMAKERS Of The Present( Jury: Agathe Bonitzer, Mattie Do, Vanja Kaludjercic)Golden Leopard: Brotherhood (Francesco Montagner)Special Jury Prize: L'Été l'éternité (Émilie Aussel)Prize for Best Emerging Director: Hleb Papou (The Legionnaire) Best Actress: Saskia Rosendahl (No One's with the Calves) | Read our reviewBest Actor: Gia Agumava (Wet Sand)First Feature(Jury: Amjad Abu Alala, Karina Ressler, Katharina Wyss)Best First Feature: She Will (Charlotte Colbert...
- 8/16/2021
- MUBI
The Locarno Film Festival returns to its original physical format under the guidance of new Artistic Director Giona A. Nazzaro, who worked with the Selection Committees to pick out the titles screening in Locarno from 4 through 14 August. Alongside the welcome return of long-established favorites, there are also new items such as the competitive short films program Corti d’autore in the Pardi di domani section, plus a dedicated program for younger viewers: Locarno Kids: Screenings.
In full compliance with current health and sanitary regulations, Locarno74 will once again be an in-person event, with the return of evenings in Piazza Grande and of screenings in the other twelve theaters around the city. The venue for all meetings and panel discussions with guest personalities accompanying their films will be the Rotonda by la Mobiliare, the new home of the Forum.
The Ticket Shop will be open for ticket purchase from mid-July, whereas...
In full compliance with current health and sanitary regulations, Locarno74 will once again be an in-person event, with the return of evenings in Piazza Grande and of screenings in the other twelve theaters around the city. The venue for all meetings and panel discussions with guest personalities accompanying their films will be the Rotonda by la Mobiliare, the new home of the Forum.
The Ticket Shop will be open for ticket purchase from mid-July, whereas...
- 7/19/2021
- by Grace Han
- AsianMoviePulse
Sundance title “Captains of Zaatari” has sold into Utopia for the U.S., where it will get a theatrical release this fall.
London-based sales agent Dogwoof secured the movie with Robert Schwartzman and Cole Harper’s fledgling distributor Utopia, which is planning a day-and-date release in cinemas on Nov. 19 in New York and Los Angeles, alongside a premiere on Apple TV and Altavod.
Directed and produced by Ali El Arabi from Egypt, the film follows two best friends, Mahmoud and Fawzi, living in the Zaatari Refugee Camp in Jordan, who dream of becoming professional soccer players. Despite being confined under challenging conditions, they remain hopeful and practice day in and day out. When a world-renowned sports academy visits, both have a chance to turn their dream into a reality.
The film, which world premiered in competition at Sundance in January, has also sold into Sherry Media (Canada), Trigon (Switzerland) and...
London-based sales agent Dogwoof secured the movie with Robert Schwartzman and Cole Harper’s fledgling distributor Utopia, which is planning a day-and-date release in cinemas on Nov. 19 in New York and Los Angeles, alongside a premiere on Apple TV and Altavod.
Directed and produced by Ali El Arabi from Egypt, the film follows two best friends, Mahmoud and Fawzi, living in the Zaatari Refugee Camp in Jordan, who dream of becoming professional soccer players. Despite being confined under challenging conditions, they remain hopeful and practice day in and day out. When a world-renowned sports academy visits, both have a chance to turn their dream into a reality.
The film, which world premiered in competition at Sundance in January, has also sold into Sherry Media (Canada), Trigon (Switzerland) and...
- 7/7/2021
- by Manori Ravindran
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: CAA has signed Amjad Abu Alala and will represent the You Will Die At 20 filmmaker in all areas.
The Sudanese screenwriter, director and producer made his film debut at the Venice Film Festival in 2019, where he won the Lion of the Future Award for Best Debut Film. Only the eighth narrative feature produced in Sudan, You Will Die At 20 follows a young man named Muzamil whose death at age 20 is prophesied on the day of his birth by a traveling sheik. The award-winning film played at several other festivals and is set to represent Sudan in the Best International Feature Film race at the 2021 Academy Awards.
Alala is currently developing Queendom, a premium series for Middle Eastern studio Genomedia Studios. He also co-produced the documentary Ali El Arabi’s Captains of Zaatari, which premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival.
The Sudanese screenwriter, director and producer made his film debut at the Venice Film Festival in 2019, where he won the Lion of the Future Award for Best Debut Film. Only the eighth narrative feature produced in Sudan, You Will Die At 20 follows a young man named Muzamil whose death at age 20 is prophesied on the day of his birth by a traveling sheik. The award-winning film played at several other festivals and is set to represent Sudan in the Best International Feature Film race at the 2021 Academy Awards.
Alala is currently developing Queendom, a premium series for Middle Eastern studio Genomedia Studios. He also co-produced the documentary Ali El Arabi’s Captains of Zaatari, which premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival.
- 2/2/2021
- by Alexandra Del Rosario
- Deadline Film + TV
If you are looking to stir emotions and grab some tissues this weekend Our Friend has got you covered.
Based on Matthew Teague’s book The Friend: Love Is Not a Big Enough Word, Gabriela Cowperthwaite directs this heartfelt drama adapted by Brad Ingelsby that follows journalist Matt (Casey Affleck), his wife Nicole (Dakota Johnson) and their two young daughters as their lives are turned upside down when Nicole is diagnosed with terminal cancer. Matt becomes overwhelmed with being a caretaker and a parent so he calls on the couple’s best friend Dane Faucheux (Jason Segel) to help out. As Dane puts his life on hold to stay with his friends, the impact of this life decision changes all of their lives in the most profound way.
Our Friend is based on the true story of the Teague family and went by the title The Friend when it made...
Based on Matthew Teague’s book The Friend: Love Is Not a Big Enough Word, Gabriela Cowperthwaite directs this heartfelt drama adapted by Brad Ingelsby that follows journalist Matt (Casey Affleck), his wife Nicole (Dakota Johnson) and their two young daughters as their lives are turned upside down when Nicole is diagnosed with terminal cancer. Matt becomes overwhelmed with being a caretaker and a parent so he calls on the couple’s best friend Dane Faucheux (Jason Segel) to help out. As Dane puts his life on hold to stay with his friends, the impact of this life decision changes all of their lives in the most profound way.
Our Friend is based on the true story of the Teague family and went by the title The Friend when it made...
- 1/22/2021
- by Dino-Ray Ramos
- Deadline Film + TV
Set in a remote Sudanese village where religion and prophecy are valuable currencies, You Will Die at Twenty beautifully examines misguided notions of faith. After giving birth to her first baby, Sakina (Islam Mubarak) visits the local Sheikh for a formal blessing. Instead of hearing promising words about the child’s bright future, she receives a dire omen: the boy will die on his 20th birthday.
Shockwaves of gossip spread as the entire village mints this premonition as tragic inevitability. Sensing the coming stress of their cursed family situation, her weak husband decides to leave and work abroad, promising to send money back as if that were appropriate compensation to excuse his betrayal. Almost immediately, Sakina’s sense of loss doubles, pushing her into a state of prolonged mourning for someone who has not yet died. She realizes rather quickly that raising her son alone will mean enduring years of isolation and alienation.
Shockwaves of gossip spread as the entire village mints this premonition as tragic inevitability. Sensing the coming stress of their cursed family situation, her weak husband decides to leave and work abroad, promising to send money back as if that were appropriate compensation to excuse his betrayal. Almost immediately, Sakina’s sense of loss doubles, pushing her into a state of prolonged mourning for someone who has not yet died. She realizes rather quickly that raising her son alone will mean enduring years of isolation and alienation.
- 1/21/2021
- by Glenn Heath Jr.
- The Film Stage
Film Movement president Michael Rosenberg, Loco Films head of sales Arnaud Godard announce acquisitions.
Film Movement has acquired US rights to Philipp Yuryev’s Venice Giornate degli Autori Director’s Award winner The Whaler Boy and Ivan Ostrochovsky’s Berlinale selection Servants (exclusive).
Both films are in the pipeline for 2021 theatrical releases followed by roll-out on home entertainment and digital platforms.
The Whaler Boy stars Vladimir Onokhov as Leshka, a 15-year-old whale hunter in the north eastern region of Russia who contemplates a perilous voyage across the on the Bering Strait to meet a girl he encounters on a webcam site.
Film Movement has acquired US rights to Philipp Yuryev’s Venice Giornate degli Autori Director’s Award winner The Whaler Boy and Ivan Ostrochovsky’s Berlinale selection Servants (exclusive).
Both films are in the pipeline for 2021 theatrical releases followed by roll-out on home entertainment and digital platforms.
The Whaler Boy stars Vladimir Onokhov as Leshka, a 15-year-old whale hunter in the north eastern region of Russia who contemplates a perilous voyage across the on the Bering Strait to meet a girl he encounters on a webcam site.
- 1/19/2021
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
by Nathaniel R
In past years we've broken the International Feature Oscar category down into lots of different articles but we should probably calm down. So herewith the lists we usually provide in several articles in a more condensed all-in-one format! 93 films are competing for the nomination in this category. Given the field, consider this a year for fresh voices. Only eight countries chose directors who have previously helmed Oscar-nominated or finalist films. Since we've already covered the previously Oscar-honored directors, let's look at the others.
We'll divvy it up into three categories: debuts, female directors, and the rest of the field.
The Debut Directors List
Amjad Abu Alala (You Will Die at 20 for Sudan)
Sudan's first-ever Oscar submission comes from a first-time director. He previously worked as a producer. ...
In past years we've broken the International Feature Oscar category down into lots of different articles but we should probably calm down. So herewith the lists we usually provide in several articles in a more condensed all-in-one format! 93 films are competing for the nomination in this category. Given the field, consider this a year for fresh voices. Only eight countries chose directors who have previously helmed Oscar-nominated or finalist films. Since we've already covered the previously Oscar-honored directors, let's look at the others.
We'll divvy it up into three categories: debuts, female directors, and the rest of the field.
The Debut Directors List
Amjad Abu Alala (You Will Die at 20 for Sudan)
Sudan's first-ever Oscar submission comes from a first-time director. He previously worked as a producer. ...
- 1/14/2021
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
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