By the time we meet them, Chatila and Reda already are down in the lower depths. Cousins from Palestine, they have spent much of their lives living as refugees on the run. Having made it as far as Athens, a kind of holding zone for people from the Middle East trying to slip into Europe, they are trying to scrape together money to get to Germany.
Ferrety Chatila (Mahmood Bakri) is masterminding the cousins’ next fundraising operation in one of Athens’s pleasantly proletarian parks, directing his sweet-faced cousin Reda (Aram Sabbah) to fall over on his skateboard in front of a middle-aged woman who almost certainly will help him. Chatila’s job is to snatch her handbag and run. It’s mean, it’s shabby, and it’s miserably cheap. Their mark’s purse contains 5 euros, the price of a couple of coffees. They won’t be able to...
Ferrety Chatila (Mahmood Bakri) is masterminding the cousins’ next fundraising operation in one of Athens’s pleasantly proletarian parks, directing his sweet-faced cousin Reda (Aram Sabbah) to fall over on his skateboard in front of a middle-aged woman who almost certainly will help him. Chatila’s job is to snatch her handbag and run. It’s mean, it’s shabby, and it’s miserably cheap. Their mark’s purse contains 5 euros, the price of a couple of coffees. They won’t be able to...
- 5/24/2024
- by Stephanie Bunbury
- Deadline Film + TV
The brilliant Palestinian-Danish documentarian Mahdi Fleifel (“A World Not Ours”) leaps successfully into fiction with a feature debut that borrows a narrative container from “Midnight Cowboy” and a tormented soul that is all Palestinian.
The film opens with a quote from the celebrated Palestinian scholar, Edward Said: “In a way, it’s a sort of fate of Palestinians not to end up where they started, but somewhere unexpected and far away.” These words have been cutting since the moment they were first spoken years ago, but released into the world now during the horrific genocide in Gaza, they have an extra, desperate bite, as another generation is forced to seek displacement as the only alternative to violent death. Premiering at Cannes in this climate, Fleifel’s portrait of two individual characters asks questions that cannot be confined to the screen. Where do you belong after you have been driven from your homeland?...
The film opens with a quote from the celebrated Palestinian scholar, Edward Said: “In a way, it’s a sort of fate of Palestinians not to end up where they started, but somewhere unexpected and far away.” These words have been cutting since the moment they were first spoken years ago, but released into the world now during the horrific genocide in Gaza, they have an extra, desperate bite, as another generation is forced to seek displacement as the only alternative to violent death. Premiering at Cannes in this climate, Fleifel’s portrait of two individual characters asks questions that cannot be confined to the screen. Where do you belong after you have been driven from your homeland?...
- 5/22/2024
- by Sophie Monks Kaufman
- Indiewire
Danish-Palestinian director Mahdi Fleifel’s assured fiction debut opens in a typical town square in contemporary Athens. The square is leafy and shaded, with plentiful orange trees, but it’s not prettified or bourgeois. The people hanging out there are a mixture of tourists, locals and those of indeterminate status, including Chatila (Mahmood Bakri) and Reda (Aram Sabbah), a couple of young men seemingly watching the world go by on a nice day in the city. They observe a small boy jumping to snatch an orange from a tree, before setting their sights on an older woman relaxing on a bench. Chatila confirms her as their target and the pair set in motion a modest and well-rehearsed bag-snatching scam.
It’s the first of many attempts the pair will make to raise money. Chatila and Reda are Palestinians, stuck in Athens, hoping to reach Germany. The duo are cousins, and...
It’s the first of many attempts the pair will make to raise money. Chatila and Reda are Palestinians, stuck in Athens, hoping to reach Germany. The duo are cousins, and...
- 5/22/2024
- by Catherine Bray
- Variety Film + TV
The tragic predicament of the Palestinians and what they’re now being subjected to begs to be analyzed and dissected, with various areas of dubious historical consensus put to new scrutiny; in Mahdi Fleifel’s fiction debut To a Land Unknown, we’re solely in a disorienting present tense, where there’s seldom time to think and reflect, only to agitate for survival.
The director himself was raised in a Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon, a background echoed in the film’s key characters, before he settled in Denmark and studied in the UK; thus, he’s never lived under direct contact with the Israeli occupation. Acclaimed docs followed, most notably I Signed the Petition, a 10-minute short that went semi-viral, concerning the calls to boycott Radiohead’s 2017 concert in Tel Aviv. Evidenced by To a Land Unknown, his move to fiction is quite seamless, if always abetted by the...
The director himself was raised in a Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon, a background echoed in the film’s key characters, before he settled in Denmark and studied in the UK; thus, he’s never lived under direct contact with the Israeli occupation. Acclaimed docs followed, most notably I Signed the Petition, a 10-minute short that went semi-viral, concerning the calls to boycott Radiohead’s 2017 concert in Tel Aviv. Evidenced by To a Land Unknown, his move to fiction is quite seamless, if always abetted by the...
- 5/22/2024
- by David Katz
- The Film Stage
Karim Debbagh‘s leading Tangier-based line producer Kasbah Films has secured a raft of U.S. and U.K. projects that will lense in Morocco, including “Lords of War,” the sequel to “Lord of War,” starring Nicolas Cage as the world’s most notorious arms dealer.
While attending the Marrakech Film Festival, Debbagh spoke to Variety about his work on “Lords of War,” which is expected to start shooting in March for approximately 40 days and is being produced by Philippe Rousselet and Fabrice Gianfermi, alongside Cage’s Saturn Films. Debbagh is currently scouting locations across Morocco.
“We’re trying to cover four or five African countries, such as Libya, Egypt, Senegal and Mali and several countries in the Middle East, and we’ve almost found everything in Morocco,” said the veteran producer, who seemed overjoyed to restart scouting after having been forced to pause for eight months due to the...
While attending the Marrakech Film Festival, Debbagh spoke to Variety about his work on “Lords of War,” which is expected to start shooting in March for approximately 40 days and is being produced by Philippe Rousselet and Fabrice Gianfermi, alongside Cage’s Saturn Films. Debbagh is currently scouting locations across Morocco.
“We’re trying to cover four or five African countries, such as Libya, Egypt, Senegal and Mali and several countries in the Middle East, and we’ve almost found everything in Morocco,” said the veteran producer, who seemed overjoyed to restart scouting after having been forced to pause for eight months due to the...
- 12/3/2023
- by Elsa Keslassy and Ben Croll
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Rising British actress Leo Hatton has inked with Artists First for management.
The move comes ahead of the Season 2 premiere of No Man’s Land, the Hulu/Fremantle series examining the Syrian civil war, which she’s boarded as a season regular.
The thriller created by María Feldman and Eitan Mansuri looks at the war through the prism of a man searching for his missing sister. As he navigates through the chaos, he encounters a diverse group of characters, as well as a web of secrets and betrayals, coming to grips with moral complexities surrounding the ongoing conflict. Hatton’s part of an ensemble that also includes Mélanie Thierry, Souheila Yacoub, James Krishna Floyd and Zed Josef, among others.
Also coming up for the thesp is the Israeli-American indie The King of Sunflowers, directed by Emil Ben Shimon.
Described as a talent on the verge of her big break, the...
The move comes ahead of the Season 2 premiere of No Man’s Land, the Hulu/Fremantle series examining the Syrian civil war, which she’s boarded as a season regular.
The thriller created by María Feldman and Eitan Mansuri looks at the war through the prism of a man searching for his missing sister. As he navigates through the chaos, he encounters a diverse group of characters, as well as a web of secrets and betrayals, coming to grips with moral complexities surrounding the ongoing conflict. Hatton’s part of an ensemble that also includes Mélanie Thierry, Souheila Yacoub, James Krishna Floyd and Zed Josef, among others.
Also coming up for the thesp is the Israeli-American indie The King of Sunflowers, directed by Emil Ben Shimon.
Described as a talent on the verge of her big break, the...
- 10/6/2023
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Also opening this weekend was ‘Insidious: The Red Door’ which made £2.3m for Sony.
RankFilm (distributor)Three-day gross (June 30-July 2)Total gross to date Week 1. Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny (Disney) £3m £13.2m 2 2. Elemental (Disney) £2.9m £3m 1 3. Insidious: The Red Door (Sony) £2.3m £2.3m 1 4. Spider-Man: Across The Spiderverse (Sony) £964,646 £27.7m 6 5. The Little Mermaid (Disney) £490,133 £26m 7
Disney titles went head-to-head at the UK-Ireland box office this weekend after Pixar animation Elemental narrowly missed out on knocking Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny off the top spot.
While previews helped push the Elemental over the £3m mark, its three-day...
RankFilm (distributor)Three-day gross (June 30-July 2)Total gross to date Week 1. Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny (Disney) £3m £13.2m 2 2. Elemental (Disney) £2.9m £3m 1 3. Insidious: The Red Door (Sony) £2.3m £2.3m 1 4. Spider-Man: Across The Spiderverse (Sony) £964,646 £27.7m 6 5. The Little Mermaid (Disney) £490,133 £26m 7
Disney titles went head-to-head at the UK-Ireland box office this weekend after Pixar animation Elemental narrowly missed out on knocking Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny off the top spot.
While previews helped push the Elemental over the £3m mark, its three-day...
- 7/10/2023
- by Ellie Calnan
- ScreenDaily
The setting for British-Moroccan director Fyzal Boulifa’s latest feature may be radically different from the kitchen sink spaces of his debut drama Lynn + Lucy but it carries with it further contemplation of class structures and the way that people’s closest relationships can often prove to be the most toxic.
Also, as with his first film - which saw him street cast Roxanne Scrimshaw in one of the title roles - he has looked to non-professionals this time around. The charismatic Aïcha Tebbae proves to be a real discovery in the role of Fatima-Zahra, a mother who has a complex relationship with her teenage son Selim (Abdellah El Hajjouji). The pair carry their lives around with them in a collection of large bags, moving just another part of their established routine and one triggered, at the start of the film, by an attempt by her to get money for the.
Also, as with his first film - which saw him street cast Roxanne Scrimshaw in one of the title roles - he has looked to non-professionals this time around. The charismatic Aïcha Tebbae proves to be a real discovery in the role of Fatima-Zahra, a mother who has a complex relationship with her teenage son Selim (Abdellah El Hajjouji). The pair carry their lives around with them in a collection of large bags, moving just another part of their established routine and one triggered, at the start of the film, by an attempt by her to get money for the.
- 7/8/2023
- by Amber Wilkinson
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Sony starting latest ‘Insidious’ film, Picturehouse has ‘Smoking Causes Coughing’ for independents.
Elemental, the latest Disney-Pixar animation collaboration, is the widest opening title at this weekend’s UK-Ireland box office, which sees reduced location numbers due to the immediate closure of six sites in the Empire Cinemas chain.
The chain, which has 14 cinemas and 129 screens, is entering administration, with venues at Bishop’s Stortford, Catterick Garrison, Sunderland, Swindon, Walthamstow and Wigan all closing today.
Elemental will therefore start in 625 venues, down slightly from its anticipated number. Directed by Peter Sohn, Elemental is set in a city where fire, water, land...
Elemental, the latest Disney-Pixar animation collaboration, is the widest opening title at this weekend’s UK-Ireland box office, which sees reduced location numbers due to the immediate closure of six sites in the Empire Cinemas chain.
The chain, which has 14 cinemas and 129 screens, is entering administration, with venues at Bishop’s Stortford, Catterick Garrison, Sunderland, Swindon, Walthamstow and Wigan all closing today.
Elemental will therefore start in 625 venues, down slightly from its anticipated number. Directed by Peter Sohn, Elemental is set in a city where fire, water, land...
- 7/7/2023
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
Film-maker Fyzal Boulifa: ‘I need to engage with my country in this strange time of identity crisis’
The acclaimed British-Moroccan director, who made his name with 2019’s Lynn + Lucy, on growing up in white working-class Leicester, filming with nuance and the brutality of London
Fyzal Boulifa and I arrive together at his film distributor’s offices, to a boisterous welcome from a pair of French bulldogs. He stoically endures their enthusiasm while confiding under his breath that he is actually terrified of dogs. It seems an apt introduction to a director who spent more than a decade in the shadows, painstakingly teaching himself how to direct short films, before two of them burst into the sunlight with wins at the Cannes film festival.
It was immediately clear that he was something special. The Curse, his 2012 short, which was nominated for a Bafta, is a jewel-like fable of a young Moroccan woman persecuted by children who spot her consorting with a man outside a remote desert settlement.
Fyzal Boulifa and I arrive together at his film distributor’s offices, to a boisterous welcome from a pair of French bulldogs. He stoically endures their enthusiasm while confiding under his breath that he is actually terrified of dogs. It seems an apt introduction to a director who spent more than a decade in the shadows, painstakingly teaching himself how to direct short films, before two of them burst into the sunlight with wins at the Cannes film festival.
It was immediately clear that he was something special. The Curse, his 2012 short, which was nominated for a Bafta, is a jewel-like fable of a young Moroccan woman persecuted by children who spot her consorting with a man outside a remote desert settlement.
- 7/2/2023
- by Claire Armitstead
- The Guardian - Film News
The 2023 Berlin International Film Festival will honor French cinematographer Caroline Champetier with a Berlinale Camera award for lifetime achievement.
Champetier, who has lensed groundbreaking work for such directors as François Truffaut, Jean-Luc Godard, Leos Carax, Claude Lanzmann and Margarethe von Trotta, will be presented with the award at this year’s Berlinale on Feb. 23.
The veteran French cinematographer has sat behind the camera on more than 100 feature films and numerous shorts, from the start of her career in the early 1980s with Chantal Akerman’s Toute une nuit (1982) and Jacques Rivette’s Le Pont du Nord (1981), through such acclaimed films as Xavier Beauvois’ Of Gods and Men (2011), as well as von Trotta’s Hannah Arendt (2012) and Carax’s Holy Motors (2012) and Annette (2021).
Holy Motors won Champetier the Silver Frog at the 2012 Camerimage festival, which celebrates cinematographers, and she has received five César nominations, winning once for Of Gods and Men.
Champetier, who has lensed groundbreaking work for such directors as François Truffaut, Jean-Luc Godard, Leos Carax, Claude Lanzmann and Margarethe von Trotta, will be presented with the award at this year’s Berlinale on Feb. 23.
The veteran French cinematographer has sat behind the camera on more than 100 feature films and numerous shorts, from the start of her career in the early 1980s with Chantal Akerman’s Toute une nuit (1982) and Jacques Rivette’s Le Pont du Nord (1981), through such acclaimed films as Xavier Beauvois’ Of Gods and Men (2011), as well as von Trotta’s Hannah Arendt (2012) and Carax’s Holy Motors (2012) and Annette (2021).
Holy Motors won Champetier the Silver Frog at the 2012 Camerimage festival, which celebrates cinematographers, and she has received five César nominations, winning once for Of Gods and Men.
- 1/30/2023
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
“Love to Love You, Donna Summer,” a docu biopic of the iconic disco singer, has been added to the lineup of Berlinale Special.
Directed by Oscar-winning documentary filmmaker Roger Ross Williams (“Music by Prudence”) and Brooklyn Sudano, the film weaves rich archive of unpublished extracts, home video, photographs, artwork, writings, personal audio and other recordings spanning Summer’s life.
Also joining the Berlinale Special roster is “100 Years of Disney Animation – a Shorts Celebration,” which sees Clark Spencer, the Oscar-winning Walt Disney Animation Studios president, sharing his favorite shorts. Among them are rare gems from the earliest days of animation, from the introduction of sound to Mickey Mouse.
The 73rd edition of the Berlin Film Festival will also pay tribute to renowned cinematographer Caroline Champetier who will receive the Berlinale Camera Award. The prize was created in 1986 to honor personalities and institutions who have made a special contribution to filmmaking.
“With her extraordinary body of work,...
Directed by Oscar-winning documentary filmmaker Roger Ross Williams (“Music by Prudence”) and Brooklyn Sudano, the film weaves rich archive of unpublished extracts, home video, photographs, artwork, writings, personal audio and other recordings spanning Summer’s life.
Also joining the Berlinale Special roster is “100 Years of Disney Animation – a Shorts Celebration,” which sees Clark Spencer, the Oscar-winning Walt Disney Animation Studios president, sharing his favorite shorts. Among them are rare gems from the earliest days of animation, from the introduction of sound to Mickey Mouse.
The 73rd edition of the Berlin Film Festival will also pay tribute to renowned cinematographer Caroline Champetier who will receive the Berlinale Camera Award. The prize was created in 1986 to honor personalities and institutions who have made a special contribution to filmmaking.
“With her extraordinary body of work,...
- 1/30/2023
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
That’s a wrap on the 34th annual Palm Springs International Film Festival.
The desert fest rolled its credits Sunday by announcing this year’s slate of award winners, including jury prizes and audience awards. Taking top honors — the Fipresci Prize as voted on by a special jury of international film critics who reviewed 35 of 93 official submission for the Academy Awards international feature film category — was Alice Diop’s legal drama Saint Omer.
The jury praised the French film for how it interrogates issues of society, culture, race and gender. “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 jury said in a statement.
Other Fipresci Prizes went to screenwriters Carla Simón and Arnau Vilaró for Alcarràs for international screenplay (Spain), Oksana Cherkashyna from Klondike for best actress...
The desert fest rolled its credits Sunday by announcing this year’s slate of award winners, including jury prizes and audience awards. Taking top honors — the Fipresci Prize as voted on by a special jury of international film critics who reviewed 35 of 93 official submission for the Academy Awards international feature film category — was Alice Diop’s legal drama Saint Omer.
The jury praised the French film for how it interrogates issues of society, culture, race and gender. “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 jury said in a statement.
Other Fipresci Prizes went to screenwriters Carla Simón and Arnau Vilaró for Alcarràs for international screenplay (Spain), Oksana Cherkashyna from Klondike for best actress...
- 1/16/2023
- by Chris Gardner
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
‘Saint Omer,’ ‘Joyland’ and ‘Alcarràs’ Among Palm Springs International Film Festival Awards Winners
The Palm Springs International Film Festival announced winners for this year’s event, with “Saint Omer,” the charged courtroom drama that is the French selection for this year’s Oscars, taking the top prize for International Feature.
Oscar-qualifying films were celebrated at the high-profile yearly festival, with 134 films having been screened from 64 countries. In addition to the “Saint Omer” win, acting honors went to Ali Junejo from “Joyland,” Pakistan’s LGBTQ+-centered official entry, and Oksana Cherkashyna for the war drama “Klondike” from Ukraine. Mubi’s acclaimed drama “Alcarràs” claimed the screenwriting award and the documentary award went to the Canadian rape justice feature “To Kill a Tiger.”
Also Read:
Critics Choice Awards 2023 Winners List: ‘Everything Everywhere All At Once’ Wins 5 Awards Including Best Picture
Below is a list of all of the jury winners from the Palm Springs International Film Festival:
Fipresci Prize for Best International Feature Film of...
Oscar-qualifying films were celebrated at the high-profile yearly festival, with 134 films having been screened from 64 countries. In addition to the “Saint Omer” win, acting honors went to Ali Junejo from “Joyland,” Pakistan’s LGBTQ+-centered official entry, and Oksana Cherkashyna for the war drama “Klondike” from Ukraine. Mubi’s acclaimed drama “Alcarràs” claimed the screenwriting award and the documentary award went to the Canadian rape justice feature “To Kill a Tiger.”
Also Read:
Critics Choice Awards 2023 Winners List: ‘Everything Everywhere All At Once’ Wins 5 Awards Including Best Picture
Below is a list of all of the jury winners from the Palm Springs International Film Festival:
Fipresci Prize for Best International Feature Film of...
- 1/16/2023
- by Jason Clark
- The Wrap
Further titles include Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s ’The Beasts’ and Chie Hayakawa’s debut ‘Plan 75’.
Venice titles including Fyzal Boulifa’s Morocco-set drama The Damned Don’t Cry and Penelope Cruz-starring melodrama L’Immensità are among the prestige international titles on UK-Ireland distributor Curzon’s 2023 slate.
The line-up represents filmmakers from Italy, Spain, Japan, France and the UK.
“The past year has been a difficult one for international film in the UK,” said Louisa Dent, Curzon Film managing director, “but we remain absolutely committed to championing the best cinema from around the world.”
UK filmmaker Boulifa’s second feature, after debut Lynn + Lucy,...
Venice titles including Fyzal Boulifa’s Morocco-set drama The Damned Don’t Cry and Penelope Cruz-starring melodrama L’Immensità are among the prestige international titles on UK-Ireland distributor Curzon’s 2023 slate.
The line-up represents filmmakers from Italy, Spain, Japan, France and the UK.
“The past year has been a difficult one for international film in the UK,” said Louisa Dent, Curzon Film managing director, “but we remain absolutely committed to championing the best cinema from around the world.”
UK filmmaker Boulifa’s second feature, after debut Lynn + Lucy,...
- 12/20/2022
- by Mona Tabbara
- ScreenDaily
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
Iranian director Emad Aleebrahim-Dehkordi’s feature directorial debut A Tale Of Shemroon won the top Étoile d’Or—the Festival Grand Prize – at the Marrakech International Film Festival on Saturday.
The feature, which was among 14 first and second films competing in the festival’s main competition, world premiered in the San Sebastian’s New Directors section earlier this year.
Set in contemporary Tehran, the timely work revolves around two brothers living with their invalid father, and still reeling from their mother’s death.
The older brother hits on a moneymaking scheme to break out of the family’s humdrum existence which brings him to contact with the city’s gilded youth, but things do not go to plan.
Oscar-winning Italian director Paolo Sorrentino was president of the jury this year, joined by British actress Vanessa Kirby German actor Diane Kruger Australian director Justin Kurzel, Lebanese director and actor Nadine Labaki,...
The feature, which was among 14 first and second films competing in the festival’s main competition, world premiered in the San Sebastian’s New Directors section earlier this year.
Set in contemporary Tehran, the timely work revolves around two brothers living with their invalid father, and still reeling from their mother’s death.
The older brother hits on a moneymaking scheme to break out of the family’s humdrum existence which brings him to contact with the city’s gilded youth, but things do not go to plan.
Oscar-winning Italian director Paolo Sorrentino was president of the jury this year, joined by British actress Vanessa Kirby German actor Diane Kruger Australian director Justin Kurzel, Lebanese director and actor Nadine Labaki,...
- 11/19/2022
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Few other figures are so associated in an executive role with the Marrakech Film Festival from its very birth to robust strength two decades later than Faïçal Laraïchi.
Under his stewardship in various roles, the Festival has grown from an event which dazzled with its ability to attract the big names of New Hollywood and way beyond to one which also captures the fast-rising tide of high-caliber new filmmaking talent across the African continent and Arab world. Their joint presence – inspirational big names, inspired newer filmmakers, as Laraïchi says – now lies at the heart of the Marrakech Festival, born out by its high-quality first and second film main competition, Moroccan Panorama, vibrant Atlas Workshops and other sections.
Variety caught up with Laraïchi on the eve of this year’s 19th Festival.
How have your goals entwined with the festival’s larger sweep?
I’ve been administrator for the festival since its creation,...
Under his stewardship in various roles, the Festival has grown from an event which dazzled with its ability to attract the big names of New Hollywood and way beyond to one which also captures the fast-rising tide of high-caliber new filmmaking talent across the African continent and Arab world. Their joint presence – inspirational big names, inspired newer filmmakers, as Laraïchi says – now lies at the heart of the Marrakech Festival, born out by its high-quality first and second film main competition, Moroccan Panorama, vibrant Atlas Workshops and other sections.
Variety caught up with Laraïchi on the eve of this year’s 19th Festival.
How have your goals entwined with the festival’s larger sweep?
I’ve been administrator for the festival since its creation,...
- 11/16/2022
- by Ben Croll
- Variety Film + TV
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
Boasting a selection of 76 films from 33 countries spread across seven sections, this year’s Marrakech Film Festival will offer no shortage of cinematic treasure. Running over Nov. 11 – 19, the festival’s 19th edition will open with “Guillermo del Toro’s “Pinocchio” ahead of gala screenings of James Gray’s “Armageddon Time,” Paul Schrader’s “Master Gardener,” and Sally El Hosaini’s “The Swimmers.”
While hosting a handful of world premieres – including Anurag Kashyap’s Bollywood-flavored “Almost Love,” to be presented outdoors at Marrakech’s Jemaa El Fna Square – this year’s festival will also spotlight a number of jewels from the festival circuit.
Below are fourteen standouts from this year’s program.
“Abdelinho” (dir. Hicham Ayouch) (Moroccan Panorama)
Satirical comedy “Abdelinho” follows a young Moroccan man with samba in his bones and Brazil ever on his mind. Director Hicham Ayouch’s bright crowd-pleaser is one of several finished projects to graduate...
While hosting a handful of world premieres – including Anurag Kashyap’s Bollywood-flavored “Almost Love,” to be presented outdoors at Marrakech’s Jemaa El Fna Square – this year’s festival will also spotlight a number of jewels from the festival circuit.
Below are fourteen standouts from this year’s program.
“Abdelinho” (dir. Hicham Ayouch) (Moroccan Panorama)
Satirical comedy “Abdelinho” follows a young Moroccan man with samba in his bones and Brazil ever on his mind. Director Hicham Ayouch’s bright crowd-pleaser is one of several finished projects to graduate...
- 11/11/2022
- by Ben Croll
- Variety Film + TV
After a two-year, pandemic-forced pause, the Marrakech Film Festival returns with a roar, hosting a comeback edition chock-full of stars and that will showcase an international competition of first and second films.
Running from Nov. 11 – 19, the festival’s 19th edition will also cap an already stellar year for the Moroccan film industry, as the cultural event hosts home-turf premieres for a slate of local productions that have enchanted the festival circuit.
“This has been a very strong year for Moroccan cinema,” says Marrakech artistic director Rémi Bonhomme, pointing to projects like Maryam Touzani’s “The Blue Caftan,” (pictured), Fyzal Boulifa’s “The Damned Don’t Cry,” Yasmine Benkiran’s “Queens” and Adnane Baraka’s “Fragments of Heaven.”
“It’s quite historic that four Moroccan films were selected in Cannes, Venice, and Locarno this year. We see more and more Arab and African films play in international festivals and getting access to international distribution,...
Running from Nov. 11 – 19, the festival’s 19th edition will also cap an already stellar year for the Moroccan film industry, as the cultural event hosts home-turf premieres for a slate of local productions that have enchanted the festival circuit.
“This has been a very strong year for Moroccan cinema,” says Marrakech artistic director Rémi Bonhomme, pointing to projects like Maryam Touzani’s “The Blue Caftan,” (pictured), Fyzal Boulifa’s “The Damned Don’t Cry,” Yasmine Benkiran’s “Queens” and Adnane Baraka’s “Fragments of Heaven.”
“It’s quite historic that four Moroccan films were selected in Cannes, Venice, and Locarno this year. We see more and more Arab and African films play in international festivals and getting access to international distribution,...
- 11/11/2022
- by Ben Croll
- 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
Festival runs November 9-20.
The Stockholm International Film Festival will present 130 films from 50 countries, opening on November 9 with Sweden’s international Oscar submission, Boy From Heaven by Tarik Saleh.
Political thriller Boy From Heaven premiered in competition at Cannes where it was awarded best screenplay.
Actor Fares Fares will receive the Stockholm Achievement Award on opening night. His credits include Easy Money, Safe House, Westworld and Chernobyl.
The Stockholm Visionary Award will go to Sam Mendes who will present the Nordic premiere of Empire Of Light.
Other notable selections include Luca Guadagnino’s Bones And All; Gina Prince-Bythewood’s The Woman King...
The Stockholm International Film Festival will present 130 films from 50 countries, opening on November 9 with Sweden’s international Oscar submission, Boy From Heaven by Tarik Saleh.
Political thriller Boy From Heaven premiered in competition at Cannes where it was awarded best screenplay.
Actor Fares Fares will receive the Stockholm Achievement Award on opening night. His credits include Easy Money, Safe House, Westworld and Chernobyl.
The Stockholm Visionary Award will go to Sam Mendes who will present the Nordic premiere of Empire Of Light.
Other notable selections include Luca Guadagnino’s Bones And All; Gina Prince-Bythewood’s The Woman King...
- 10/13/2022
- by Wendy Mitchell
- ScreenDaily
The London Film Festival has revealed its jury line-up for this year’s awards.
The Official Competition jury is led by “Power of the Dog” and “Cold War” producer Tanya Seghatchian (pictured), while the First Feature Competition (Sutherland Award) jury will be headed up by director and actor Nana Mensah whose directorial debut “Queen of Glory” won the Best New Narrative Director prize at the 2021 Tribeca Film Festival.
Elsewhere, Italian filmmaker Roberto Minervini will lead the jury selecting the winner of the Grierson Award for Best Documentary after winning the award in 2018 for his film “What You Gonna Do When the World’s On Fire.”
Finally, the Immersive Art and Xr Competition will be led by photographer Misan Harriman, while producer and director Joy Gharoro-Akpojotor will lead the jury selecting the best short film.
See below for the full jury lists:
Official Competition
Seghatchian is joined this year by: actor...
The Official Competition jury is led by “Power of the Dog” and “Cold War” producer Tanya Seghatchian (pictured), while the First Feature Competition (Sutherland Award) jury will be headed up by director and actor Nana Mensah whose directorial debut “Queen of Glory” won the Best New Narrative Director prize at the 2021 Tribeca Film Festival.
Elsewhere, Italian filmmaker Roberto Minervini will lead the jury selecting the winner of the Grierson Award for Best Documentary after winning the award in 2018 for his film “What You Gonna Do When the World’s On Fire.”
Finally, the Immersive Art and Xr Competition will be led by photographer Misan Harriman, while producer and director Joy Gharoro-Akpojotor will lead the jury selecting the best short film.
See below for the full jury lists:
Official Competition
Seghatchian is joined this year by: actor...
- 10/4/2022
- by Manori Ravindran
- Variety Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
Tanya Seghatchian, who produced Jane Campion’s 2021 awards darling The Power of the Dog, has been named head of the official competition jury for the 2022 BFI London Film Festival, which kicks of on Wednesday, Oct. 5 with the world premiere of Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical.
Seghatchian, who earned a BAFTA last year when The Power of the Dog claimed the best film honor, will lead the jury that also includes Game of Thrones and Star Wars star Gwendoline Christie, One Night in Miami writer and Soul co-director Kemp Powers, Chaitanya Tamhane, the Indian director behind Court and The Disciple, and journalist Charles Gant.
The lineup of films in Lff’s main competition includes Santiago Mitre’s Argentina, 1985, Clement Virgo’s Brother, Marie Kreutzer’s Corsage, The Damned Don’t Cry from Fyzal Boulifa, Mark Jenkin’s Enys Men, Hlynur Pámason’s Godland,...
Tanya Seghatchian, who produced Jane Campion’s 2021 awards darling The Power of the Dog, has been named head of the official competition jury for the 2022 BFI London Film Festival, which kicks of on Wednesday, Oct. 5 with the world premiere of Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical.
Seghatchian, who earned a BAFTA last year when The Power of the Dog claimed the best film honor, will lead the jury that also includes Game of Thrones and Star Wars star Gwendoline Christie, One Night in Miami writer and Soul co-director Kemp Powers, Chaitanya Tamhane, the Indian director behind Court and The Disciple, and journalist Charles Gant.
The lineup of films in Lff’s main competition includes Santiago Mitre’s Argentina, 1985, Clement Virgo’s Brother, Marie Kreutzer’s Corsage, The Damned Don’t Cry from Fyzal Boulifa, Mark Jenkin’s Enys Men, Hlynur Pámason’s Godland,...
- 10/4/2022
- by Alex Ritman
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
A total of 164 feature films will play at this year’s London Film Festival, alongside an abundance of shorts, TV series and an expanded program of Xr (extended reality) works — and that’s in a comparatively slimmed-down era of curation for a public-facing festival that has long aimed to bring the best of the global festival circuit to non-traveling cinephiles.
What has definitely grown is the Lff’s national reach: In what fest director Tricia Tuttle terms the festival’s “new normal” format after a few years of structural shifts and Covid-era adjustments, the capital-centered event will also be hosting screenings in 10 other cities around the U.K., from Manchester to Edinburgh to Belfast — sealing its status as the country’s preeminent film festival. A digital program of up to 20 titles will also be made available for online viewing, while short films and screen talks will be free to stream...
What has definitely grown is the Lff’s national reach: In what fest director Tricia Tuttle terms the festival’s “new normal” format after a few years of structural shifts and Covid-era adjustments, the capital-centered event will also be hosting screenings in 10 other cities around the U.K., from Manchester to Edinburgh to Belfast — sealing its status as the country’s preeminent film festival. A digital program of up to 20 titles will also be made available for online viewing, while short films and screen talks will be free to stream...
- 10/2/2022
- by Guy Lodge
- Variety Film + TV
In the little-remembered 1950 noir “The Damned Don’t Cry,” Joan Crawford plays a Texan housewife whose grief for her late son spurs her to make a new life for herself in the urban underworld. Fyzal Boulifa’s exquisite new film of the same title is named expressly for that Crawford vehicle, but is neither a remake nor a direct homage. Rather, it remixes the narrative components of that film and others of its ilk into the kind of new-school-old-school heart-tugger — one might say tearjerker if its characters weren’t, true to its title, stoically dry-eyed throughout — that might have been designed for the shoulder-padded diva were she alive in 2022 and, perhaps more crucially, of Moroccan heritage.
Charting the turbulent relationship between a single mother and her teenage son on the destitute fringes of Tangier society, the second feature from BAFTA-nominated British-Moroccan filmmaker Boulifa sees him shifting focus to his North African...
Charting the turbulent relationship between a single mother and her teenage son on the destitute fringes of Tangier society, the second feature from BAFTA-nominated British-Moroccan filmmaker Boulifa sees him shifting focus to his North African...
- 9/17/2022
- by Guy Lodge
- Variety Film + TV
Wissam Charaf’s Dirty Difficult Dangerous also won the Europa Cinemas Label.
Graham Foy’s The Maiden has won Venice’s Giornate degli Autori (GdA) Cinema of the Future award.
The Canadian-us film was among seven titles from the GdA sidebar, all first or second features, competing for the €3,000 prize.
Foy’s debut follows three suburban teenagers whose lives are intertwined when one of them disappears and strange occurrences begin cropping up.
The jury was made up of five students from an Italian film school who said: “The film impressed us with its emotional density and the immediacy of its unrestrained,...
Graham Foy’s The Maiden has won Venice’s Giornate degli Autori (GdA) Cinema of the Future award.
The Canadian-us film was among seven titles from the GdA sidebar, all first or second features, competing for the €3,000 prize.
Foy’s debut follows three suburban teenagers whose lives are intertwined when one of them disappears and strange occurrences begin cropping up.
The jury was made up of five students from an Italian film school who said: “The film impressed us with its emotional density and the immediacy of its unrestrained,...
- 9/9/2022
- by Ellie Calnan
- ScreenDaily
A Boy’s Best Friend is His Mother: Boulifa Explores Complex Symbiosis in Mother-Son Drama
Although it’s cribbing the title of a 1950 Joan Crawford starrer, Fyzal Boulifa’s sophomore film The Damned Don’t Cry (Les damnés ne pleurent pas) is hardly as melodramatic as such a reference suggests. Somewhat of a surprising affair for contemporary Moroccan cinema considering its blunt preoccupations with the realities of sexuality suppressed by cultural and religious attitudes, it’s also exceptionally acted from its two lead performers, each making their acting debut as a mother and son pair of outcasts whose mutual support for one another allowed them to survive.…...
Although it’s cribbing the title of a 1950 Joan Crawford starrer, Fyzal Boulifa’s sophomore film The Damned Don’t Cry (Les damnés ne pleurent pas) is hardly as melodramatic as such a reference suggests. Somewhat of a surprising affair for contemporary Moroccan cinema considering its blunt preoccupations with the realities of sexuality suppressed by cultural and religious attitudes, it’s also exceptionally acted from its two lead performers, each making their acting debut as a mother and son pair of outcasts whose mutual support for one another allowed them to survive.…...
- 9/8/2022
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
In Morocco, homosexuality is banned and just one in five citizens find gayness “acceptable,” at least according to a 2019 poll. An Elton John concert twelve years ago broke the law, but was personally approved by Morocco’s king. Still, Grindr thrives, and third-largest city, Tangier, has a decades-long tradition as a haven for LGBT+ culture in North Africa.
Morocco thus makes a fitting setting for British sophomore director Fyzal Boulifa’s challenging melodrama “The Damned Don’t Cry,” a loose remake of Pier Paolo Pasolini’s “Mamma Roma,” which was nominated for the Golden Lion sixty Venice Film Festivals ago. But selectors in this year’s Giornate Degli Autori sidebar program did not place Boulifa’s film out of sentimentality alone. “The Damned Don’t Cry” is excellent, asking tough questions about society and morality without easy answers or neat conclusions. Non-actors populate the cast, performing terrifically, in one of many nods...
Morocco thus makes a fitting setting for British sophomore director Fyzal Boulifa’s challenging melodrama “The Damned Don’t Cry,” a loose remake of Pier Paolo Pasolini’s “Mamma Roma,” which was nominated for the Golden Lion sixty Venice Film Festivals ago. But selectors in this year’s Giornate Degli Autori sidebar program did not place Boulifa’s film out of sentimentality alone. “The Damned Don’t Cry” is excellent, asking tough questions about society and morality without easy answers or neat conclusions. Non-actors populate the cast, performing terrifically, in one of many nods...
- 9/8/2022
- by Adam Solomons
- Indiewire
Fyzal Boulifa explores the decisions forced on a poverty-stricken Moroccan family in this vivid and powerful drama
British-Moroccan film-maker Fyzal Boulifa made an impressive debut three years ago with Lynn + Lucy, his social-realist psychodrama of female friendship on an Essex housing estate. This follow-up, showing in the Venice Critics’ Week sidebar, is every bit as impressive: an intimate, poignant and even tragic study of a mother-son relationship set in Morocco. It is humane, richly involving and powerfully acted by two headliners making their screen debut.
Selim (Adbellah El Hajjouji) is a teenage boy who lives with his middle-aged mum Fatima-Zahra (Aicha Tebbae) in a tiny rented room. They share a mattress on the floor to sleep, like a married couple. One morning, Fatima-Zahra tells her trusting boy that she is off for a “job interview”, although he is baffled that she needs quite so much jewellery and makeup for something like this.
British-Moroccan film-maker Fyzal Boulifa made an impressive debut three years ago with Lynn + Lucy, his social-realist psychodrama of female friendship on an Essex housing estate. This follow-up, showing in the Venice Critics’ Week sidebar, is every bit as impressive: an intimate, poignant and even tragic study of a mother-son relationship set in Morocco. It is humane, richly involving and powerfully acted by two headliners making their screen debut.
Selim (Adbellah El Hajjouji) is a teenage boy who lives with his middle-aged mum Fatima-Zahra (Aicha Tebbae) in a tiny rented room. They share a mattress on the floor to sleep, like a married couple. One morning, Fatima-Zahra tells her trusting boy that she is off for a “job interview”, although he is baffled that she needs quite so much jewellery and makeup for something like this.
- 9/8/2022
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
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
The 66th BFI London Film Festival in partnership with American Express has announced the contenders for the Best Film Award; this year’s Official Competition selection is presented in association with Sight and Sound.
The 2022 nominated films showcase a remarkable range of filmmaking talent from across the world with 13 countries represented across the selection. From a thrilling and uncompromising Argentinian political drama to a chilling British folk horror tale; and a breathtaking story of brotherly love to the poignancy of family displacement during the Syrian conflict in Damascus, the films selected for Official Competition celebrate passionate and inspired global filmmaking.
Established in 2009 and first won by Jacques Audiard for A Prophet, recent winners of the Best Film Award include Sudabeh Mortezai’s Joy, Alejandro Landes’ Monos and, in 2021, Panah Panahi’s Hit the Road.
Also in news – Stephen Graham to joins period drama series ‘A Thousand Blows’
The 8 films in the Official Competition are:
Argentina,...
The 2022 nominated films showcase a remarkable range of filmmaking talent from across the world with 13 countries represented across the selection. From a thrilling and uncompromising Argentinian political drama to a chilling British folk horror tale; and a breathtaking story of brotherly love to the poignancy of family displacement during the Syrian conflict in Damascus, the films selected for Official Competition celebrate passionate and inspired global filmmaking.
Established in 2009 and first won by Jacques Audiard for A Prophet, recent winners of the Best Film Award include Sudabeh Mortezai’s Joy, Alejandro Landes’ Monos and, in 2021, Panah Panahi’s Hit the Road.
Also in news – Stephen Graham to joins period drama series ‘A Thousand Blows’
The 8 films in the Official Competition are:
Argentina,...
- 8/25/2022
- by Zehra Phelan
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Mark Jenkin’s latest Cornish horror Enys Men and Alice Diop’s feature debut Saint Omer are among the eight titles set to compete in the Official Competition of the 66th BFI London Film Festival, running from October 5 – 16.
Thirteen countries are represented across this year’s selection. The winner of the festival’s Best Film award will be chosen by the Official Competition Jury, the members of which will be announced in the coming weeks.
BFI Southbank will be home to the Official Competition titles this year. And the winner of the Best Film Award will be announced at a special virtual Lff Awards Ceremony event on Sunday 16 October on BFI YouTube and social media.
Established in 2009 and first won by Jacques Audiard’s A Prophet, recent winners of the London Film Festival’s Best Film Award include Sudabeh Mortezai’s Joy, Alejandro Landes’ Monos, and, in 2021, Panah Panahi’s Hit the Road.
Thirteen countries are represented across this year’s selection. The winner of the festival’s Best Film award will be chosen by the Official Competition Jury, the members of which will be announced in the coming weeks.
BFI Southbank will be home to the Official Competition titles this year. And the winner of the Best Film Award will be announced at a special virtual Lff Awards Ceremony event on Sunday 16 October on BFI YouTube and social media.
Established in 2009 and first won by Jacques Audiard’s A Prophet, recent winners of the London Film Festival’s Best Film Award include Sudabeh Mortezai’s Joy, Alejandro Landes’ Monos, and, in 2021, Panah Panahi’s Hit the Road.
- 8/25/2022
- by Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
Enys Men Photo: Courtesy of Cannes Directors' Fortnight Enys Men, directed by Mark Jenkin and Alice Diop's Saint Omer are among the titles announced in this years Official Competition selection for London Film Festival.
Eight films, representing 13 countries, will vie for the Best Film Award at the 66th edition of the event, which runs from October 5 to 16.
The films in Official Competition are:
Argentina, 1985 Brother Corsage The Damned Don't Cry Enys Men Godland Nezouh Saint Omer
The other competitive categories, the Grierson Award for Best Documentary, the Sutherland Award for Best First Feature, the Short Film Award and the Best Immersive Art and Xr Award will be revealed at the full programme launch on September 1. There will also be an Audience Award....
Eight films, representing 13 countries, will vie for the Best Film Award at the 66th edition of the event, which runs from October 5 to 16.
The films in Official Competition are:
Argentina, 1985 Brother Corsage The Damned Don't Cry Enys Men Godland Nezouh Saint Omer
The other competitive categories, the Grierson Award for Best Documentary, the Sutherland Award for Best First Feature, the Short Film Award and the Best Immersive Art and Xr Award will be revealed at the full programme launch on September 1. There will also be an Audience Award....
- 8/25/2022
- by Amber Wilkinson
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
The BFI London Film Festival has revealed eight titles that will be in official competition.
The films include Santiago Mitre’s political drama “Argentina, 1985” (Argentina); Clement Virgo’s brotherly love tale “Brother” (Canada); Marie Kreutzer’s irreverent period drama “Corsage” (Austria-Luxembourg-Germany-France); Fyzal Boulifa’s atmospheric domestic drama “The Damned Don’t Cry” (France-Belgium-Morocco); Mark Jenkin’s folk horror tale “Enys Men” (U.K.); Hlynur Palmason’s historical epic “Godland” (Denmark-Iceland-France-Sweden); Soudade Kaadan’s poignant family film “Nezouh” (U.K.-Syria-France); and Alice Diop’s courtroom drama “Saint Omer.”
The nominated films are all on the festival circuit this year. “Argentina, 1985” and “Saint Omer” are debuting at Venice and both are up for the Golden Lion. “The Damned Don’t Cry” and “Nezouh” are also set for Venice bows. “Brother” will bow at Toronto, while “Corsage” won best performance at Cannes and best actress at Sarajevo for Vicky Krieps. “Enys Men” and “Godland” were also in Cannes.
The films include Santiago Mitre’s political drama “Argentina, 1985” (Argentina); Clement Virgo’s brotherly love tale “Brother” (Canada); Marie Kreutzer’s irreverent period drama “Corsage” (Austria-Luxembourg-Germany-France); Fyzal Boulifa’s atmospheric domestic drama “The Damned Don’t Cry” (France-Belgium-Morocco); Mark Jenkin’s folk horror tale “Enys Men” (U.K.); Hlynur Palmason’s historical epic “Godland” (Denmark-Iceland-France-Sweden); Soudade Kaadan’s poignant family film “Nezouh” (U.K.-Syria-France); and Alice Diop’s courtroom drama “Saint Omer.”
The nominated films are all on the festival circuit this year. “Argentina, 1985” and “Saint Omer” are debuting at Venice and both are up for the Golden Lion. “The Damned Don’t Cry” and “Nezouh” are also set for Venice bows. “Brother” will bow at Toronto, while “Corsage” won best performance at Cannes and best actress at Sarajevo for Vicky Krieps. “Enys Men” and “Godland” were also in Cannes.
- 8/25/2022
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
The winner will be revealed at a virtual awards ceremony on October 16.
Saint Omer, Corsage and Nezouh are among the eight titles screening as part of the official competition at the 66th BFI London Film Festival.
Thirteen countries are represented across this year’s selection. The winner is to be chosen by a jury and revealed at a virtual awards presentation on October 16.
The jury members will be announced in the coming weeks.
Scroll down for the Lff official competition line-up
Saint Omer is the fiction debut from French director Alice Diop, and is to world premiere at Venice. It is set in a courtroom,...
Saint Omer, Corsage and Nezouh are among the eight titles screening as part of the official competition at the 66th BFI London Film Festival.
Thirteen countries are represented across this year’s selection. The winner is to be chosen by a jury and revealed at a virtual awards presentation on October 16.
The jury members will be announced in the coming weeks.
Scroll down for the Lff official competition line-up
Saint Omer is the fiction debut from French director Alice Diop, and is to world premiere at Venice. It is set in a courtroom,...
- 8/25/2022
- by Mona Tabbara
- ScreenDaily
Deckert Distribution takes on sales for Venetian Nights title ‘Kristos - The Last Child’ (exclusive)
Doc is directed by French-Italian filmmaker Giulia Amati.
Leipzig-based documentary sales outfit Deckert Distribution has taken on world sales duties for Venetian Nights selection Kristos - The Last Child, directed by French-Italian filmmaker Giulia Amati.
The observational film is set on a remote island in Greece’s Dodecanese which has only 30 inhabitants including Kristos, its last remaining child. He is the one pupil at the local school and about to start his final year of elementary school. To finish compulsory education, he needs to leave Arki and move to a larger island. His family can’t afford the expense and...
Leipzig-based documentary sales outfit Deckert Distribution has taken on world sales duties for Venetian Nights selection Kristos - The Last Child, directed by French-Italian filmmaker Giulia Amati.
The observational film is set on a remote island in Greece’s Dodecanese which has only 30 inhabitants including Kristos, its last remaining child. He is the one pupil at the local school and about to start his final year of elementary school. To finish compulsory education, he needs to leave Arki and move to a larger island. His family can’t afford the expense and...
- 8/16/2022
- by Geoffrey Macnab
- ScreenDaily
Abel Ferrara, Shia Labeouf And Steve Buscemi Head To Venice Sidebar Giornate Degli Autori
Abel Ferrara’s Padre Pio, starring Shia Labeouf as the controversial 20th-Century monk, will be among the 10 films world premiering in competition in parallel Venice sidebar Giornate degli Autori (August 31 to September 10). Other contenders include Canadian filmmaker Graham Foy’s teen tragedy The Maiden, U.K.-Moroccan director Fyzal Boulifa’s mother and son tale The Damned Don’t Cry; Algerian costume drama The Last Queen by Adila Bendimerad and Damien Ounouri and opening film Dirty, Difficult, Dangerous, a Beirut-set love story involving a Syrian refugee and Eritrean careworker tale by French-Lebanese director Wissam Charaf. The films will compete for the GdA Director’s Award, which is decided by a jury of 27 young European cinephiles, presided over this year by French director Céline Sciamma, under the coordination of Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (Kviff) director Karel Och.
Abel Ferrara’s Padre Pio, starring Shia Labeouf as the controversial 20th-Century monk, will be among the 10 films world premiering in competition in parallel Venice sidebar Giornate degli Autori (August 31 to September 10). Other contenders include Canadian filmmaker Graham Foy’s teen tragedy The Maiden, U.K.-Moroccan director Fyzal Boulifa’s mother and son tale The Damned Don’t Cry; Algerian costume drama The Last Queen by Adila Bendimerad and Damien Ounouri and opening film Dirty, Difficult, Dangerous, a Beirut-set love story involving a Syrian refugee and Eritrean careworker tale by French-Lebanese director Wissam Charaf. The films will compete for the GdA Director’s Award, which is decided by a jury of 27 young European cinephiles, presided over this year by French director Céline Sciamma, under the coordination of Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (Kviff) director Karel Och.
- 7/28/2022
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Wissam Charaf’s Dirty, Difficult, Dangerous will open the Venice sidebar.
Abel Ferrara’s Padre Pio, Steve Buscemi’s The Listener and rising UK director Georgia Oakley’s Blue Jean are among the world premieres in this year’s Giornate degli Autori (GdA) , the independent sidebar of the Venice Film Festival (August 31 - September 10).
Lebanese director Wissam Charaf’s Dirty, Difficult, Dangerous will open the programme in competition. The film entwines multiple love stories against the backdrop of Lebanon’s near collapse.
UK director Fyzal Boulifa’s The Damned Don’t Cry is also playing in competition. The film is a...
Abel Ferrara’s Padre Pio, Steve Buscemi’s The Listener and rising UK director Georgia Oakley’s Blue Jean are among the world premieres in this year’s Giornate degli Autori (GdA) , the independent sidebar of the Venice Film Festival (August 31 - September 10).
Lebanese director Wissam Charaf’s Dirty, Difficult, Dangerous will open the programme in competition. The film entwines multiple love stories against the backdrop of Lebanon’s near collapse.
UK director Fyzal Boulifa’s The Damned Don’t Cry is also playing in competition. The film is a...
- 7/28/2022
- by Ellie Calnan
- ScreenDaily
White NoiseCOMPETITIONWhite Noise (Noah Baumbach)Il Signore Delle Formiche (Gianni Amelio)The Whale (Darren Aronofsky)L’Immensita (Emanuele Crialese)Saint Omer (Alice Diop)Blonde (Andrew Dominik)Tár (Todd Field)Love Life (Koji Fukada)Bardo, False Chronicle Of A Handful Of Truths (Alejandro G. Inarritu)Athena (Romain Gavras)Bones & All (Luca Guadagnino)The Eternal Daughter (Joanna Hogg)Beyond The Wall (Vahid Jalilvand)The Banshees Of Inisherin (Martin McDonagh)Argentina, 1985 (Santiago Mitre)Chiara (Susanna Nicchiarelli)Monica (Andrea Pallaoro)No Bears (Jafar Panahi)All The Beauty And The Bloodshed (Laura Poitras)A Couple (Frederick Wiseman)The Son (Florian Zeller)Our Ties (Roschdy Zem)Other People’s Children (Rebecca Zlotowski)Out Of COMPETITIONFictionThe Hanging Sun (Francesco Carrozzini)When The Waves Are Gone (Lav Diaz)Living (Oliver Hermanus)Dead For A Dollar (Walter Hill)Call Of God (Kim Ki-duk)Dreamin’ Wild (Bill Pohlad)Master Gardener (Paul Schrader)Siccità (Paolo Virzi)Pearl (Ti West)Don’t Worry Darling...
- 7/28/2022
- MUBI
Abel Ferrara’s “Padre Pio,” starring Shia Labeouf as an Italian monk who gained rock-star status among the Catholic faithful, is among the titles set to launch from the Venice Film Festival’s independently run Giornate Degli Autori.
The section, also known as Venice Days, will see Labeouf back on the big screen after the actor — best known for his roles in the Transformers and Indiana Jones franchises — took a break from acting in 2020 following allegations made by his ex-girlfriend Tahliah Debrett Barnett. The singer, known as FKA twigs, sued the actor for sexual battery, assault and emotional distress.
It is not yet known whether Labeouf will be on the Lido to promote “Padre Pio.”
In the latest film by Ferrara, who is known for cult classics such as “Bad Lieutenant,” Labeouf puts in what Giornate chief Gaia Furrer called an “extraordinary” performance as the “mystic and feverish” Capuchin monk...
The section, also known as Venice Days, will see Labeouf back on the big screen after the actor — best known for his roles in the Transformers and Indiana Jones franchises — took a break from acting in 2020 following allegations made by his ex-girlfriend Tahliah Debrett Barnett. The singer, known as FKA twigs, sued the actor for sexual battery, assault and emotional distress.
It is not yet known whether Labeouf will be on the Lido to promote “Padre Pio.”
In the latest film by Ferrara, who is known for cult classics such as “Bad Lieutenant,” Labeouf puts in what Giornate chief Gaia Furrer called an “extraordinary” performance as the “mystic and feverish” Capuchin monk...
- 7/28/2022
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Upcoming features from Margarethe Von Trotta and Fernando Trueba also receive support.
Co-productions from Belgian director Lukas Dhont, Canada’s Brandon Cronenberg and UK filmmaker Fyzal Boulifa are among 49 selected for support in the latest Eurimages funding round.
Dhont, whose transgender dancer drama Girl won the Camera d’Or at Cannes in 2018, received €300,000 toward his anticipated second feature, Close.
The Belgium-France-Netherlands co-production centres on two 13-year-old boys who have always been incredibly close but drift apart after their relationship is questioned by schoolmates. When tragedy strikes, one is forced to confront why he distanced himself from his closest friend.
German...
Co-productions from Belgian director Lukas Dhont, Canada’s Brandon Cronenberg and UK filmmaker Fyzal Boulifa are among 49 selected for support in the latest Eurimages funding round.
Dhont, whose transgender dancer drama Girl won the Camera d’Or at Cannes in 2018, received €300,000 toward his anticipated second feature, Close.
The Belgium-France-Netherlands co-production centres on two 13-year-old boys who have always been incredibly close but drift apart after their relationship is questioned by schoolmates. When tragedy strikes, one is forced to confront why he distanced himself from his closest friend.
German...
- 6/29/2021
- by Michael Rosser
- ScreenDaily
Upcoming features from Margarethe Von Trotta and Fernando Trueba also receive support.
Co-productions from Belgian director Lukas Dhont, Canada’s Brandon Cronenberg and UK filmmaker Fyzal Boulifa are among 49 selected for support in the latest Eurimages funding round.
Dhont, whose transgender dancer drama Girl won the Camera d’Or at Cannes in 2018, received €300,000 toward his anticipated second feature, Close.
The Belgium-France-Netherlands co-production centres on two 13-year-old boys who have always been incredibly close but drift apart after their relationship is questioned by schoolmates. When tragedy strikes, one is forced to confront why he distanced himself from his closest friend.
German...
Co-productions from Belgian director Lukas Dhont, Canada’s Brandon Cronenberg and UK filmmaker Fyzal Boulifa are among 49 selected for support in the latest Eurimages funding round.
Dhont, whose transgender dancer drama Girl won the Camera d’Or at Cannes in 2018, received €300,000 toward his anticipated second feature, Close.
The Belgium-France-Netherlands co-production centres on two 13-year-old boys who have always been incredibly close but drift apart after their relationship is questioned by schoolmates. When tragedy strikes, one is forced to confront why he distanced himself from his closest friend.
German...
- 6/29/2021
- by Michael Rosser
- ScreenDaily
Now in its fourth edition, the showcase is funded and run by the BFI and the British Council, in partnership with BBC Film and Film4.
New films from Harry Wootliff, the directors of Notes On Blindness and Yardie star Aml Ameen are among the titles selected for this year’s Great 8, the annual Cannes buyers’ showcase of UK films from emerging directors.
The selected filmmakers will present unseen footage from their films to international buyers and festival programmers online on June 17. All eight films are in post-production and will be available to buyers at the pre-Cannes screenings virtual market (June...
New films from Harry Wootliff, the directors of Notes On Blindness and Yardie star Aml Ameen are among the titles selected for this year’s Great 8, the annual Cannes buyers’ showcase of UK films from emerging directors.
The selected filmmakers will present unseen footage from their films to international buyers and festival programmers online on June 17. All eight films are in post-production and will be available to buyers at the pre-Cannes screenings virtual market (June...
- 6/10/2021
- by Orlando Parfitt
- ScreenDaily
Today, the London Critics Circle announced the nominations for the 41st annual London Critics’ Circle Film Awards which saw Rose Glass’ dramatic horror, ‘Saint Maud’, out in front with 8 nominations.
Other leading contenders include Sarah Gavron’s London coming-of-age story ‘Rocks’ with 6 nominations, Chloé Zhao’s improvised American road movie ‘Nomadland’ with 5, and Emerald Fennell’s provocative blackly comical thriller ‘Promising Young Woman’ with 4. Also earning 4 nominations were David Fincher’s Hollywood biopic ‘Mank’ and Steve McQueen’s house-party drama ‘Lovers Rock’. McQueen is up for Director of the Year for his five Small Axe films.
The late Chadwick Boseman received nominations both for his lead role in ‘Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom’ and his supporting role in ‘Da 5 Blood’s. Other multiple acting nominees include Morfydd Clark, Anthony Hopkins, Carey Mulligan, Riz Ahmed, Vanessa Kirby, Sacha Baron Cohen and ‘Rocks‘ newcomer Bukky Bakray.
Due to the pandemic, more films released...
Other leading contenders include Sarah Gavron’s London coming-of-age story ‘Rocks’ with 6 nominations, Chloé Zhao’s improvised American road movie ‘Nomadland’ with 5, and Emerald Fennell’s provocative blackly comical thriller ‘Promising Young Woman’ with 4. Also earning 4 nominations were David Fincher’s Hollywood biopic ‘Mank’ and Steve McQueen’s house-party drama ‘Lovers Rock’. McQueen is up for Director of the Year for his five Small Axe films.
The late Chadwick Boseman received nominations both for his lead role in ‘Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom’ and his supporting role in ‘Da 5 Blood’s. Other multiple acting nominees include Morfydd Clark, Anthony Hopkins, Carey Mulligan, Riz Ahmed, Vanessa Kirby, Sacha Baron Cohen and ‘Rocks‘ newcomer Bukky Bakray.
Due to the pandemic, more films released...
- 1/12/2021
- by Zehra Phelan
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Films by women writer-directors including Rose Glass, Sarah Gavron, Chloé Zhao and Emerald Fennell scored the most nominations for the 41st London Critics’ Circle Film Awards, which were announced on Tuesday.
Glass’s horror film “Saint Maud” earned eight nominations, including film, director, screenwriter, actress (Morfydd Clark), supporting actress (Jennifer Ehle) and British/Irish film of the year, while Clark is also nominated for British/Irish actress.
Sarah Gavron’s coming-of-age tale “Rocks” scored six nominations, Chloé Zhao’s road movie “Nomadland” five, and Emerald Fennell’s black comedy “Promising Young Woman” four. David Fincher’s biopic “Mank” and Steve McQueen’s house-party film “Lovers Rock” also had four nominations each.
The late Chadwick Boseman received nominations for his lead role in “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” and his supporting role in “Da 5 Bloods.” Other multiple acting nominees include Morfydd Clark, Anthony Hopkins, Carey Mulligan, Riz Ahmed, Vanessa Kirby, Sacha Baron Cohen and Bukky Bakray.
Glass’s horror film “Saint Maud” earned eight nominations, including film, director, screenwriter, actress (Morfydd Clark), supporting actress (Jennifer Ehle) and British/Irish film of the year, while Clark is also nominated for British/Irish actress.
Sarah Gavron’s coming-of-age tale “Rocks” scored six nominations, Chloé Zhao’s road movie “Nomadland” five, and Emerald Fennell’s black comedy “Promising Young Woman” four. David Fincher’s biopic “Mank” and Steve McQueen’s house-party film “Lovers Rock” also had four nominations each.
The late Chadwick Boseman received nominations for his lead role in “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” and his supporting role in “Da 5 Bloods.” Other multiple acting nominees include Morfydd Clark, Anthony Hopkins, Carey Mulligan, Riz Ahmed, Vanessa Kirby, Sacha Baron Cohen and Bukky Bakray.
- 1/12/2021
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Multiple nominations for ‘Nomadland’ and ‘Promising Young Woman’.
Rose Glass’ debut feature Saint Maud heads the nominations at the 41st London Critics’ Circle Film Awards, with eight nominations including film of the year and director of the year.
The horror film is also up for British/Irish film of the year, with further nominations for Glass in screenwriter and breakthrough British/Irish filmmaker, and Morfydd Clark in both actress and British/Irish actress of the year (the latter also for her role in Eternal Beauty).
Rocks, another UK title directed by Sarah Gavron with associate director Anu Henriques, received six...
Rose Glass’ debut feature Saint Maud heads the nominations at the 41st London Critics’ Circle Film Awards, with eight nominations including film of the year and director of the year.
The horror film is also up for British/Irish film of the year, with further nominations for Glass in screenwriter and breakthrough British/Irish filmmaker, and Morfydd Clark in both actress and British/Irish actress of the year (the latter also for her role in Eternal Beauty).
Rocks, another UK title directed by Sarah Gavron with associate director Anu Henriques, received six...
- 1/12/2021
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
Films by writer-directors Rose Glass, Sarah Gavron, Chloé Zhao and Emerald Fennell earned the most nominations for the 41st London Critics‘ Circle Film Awards, which will be presented virtually in early February. Scroll down for full list of nominees.
Glass’ dramatic horror Saint Maud was out front with eight nominations, including Film, Director, Screenwriter, Actress (Morfydd Clark) and Supporting Actress (Jennifer Ehle). In addition, the film is nominated for British/Irish Film of the Year, and Clark is nominated for British/Irish Actress, a body-of-work award that includes her appearance in Eternal Beauty.
Other leading contenders include Sarah Gavron’s London coming-of-age story Rocks with six nominations, Chloé Zhao’s improvised American road movie Nomadland with five, and Emerald Fennell’s provocative blackly comical thriller Promising Young Woman with four.
Also earning four nominations were David Fincher’s Hollywood biopic Mank and Steve McQueen’s house-party drama Lovers Rock. McQueen...
Glass’ dramatic horror Saint Maud was out front with eight nominations, including Film, Director, Screenwriter, Actress (Morfydd Clark) and Supporting Actress (Jennifer Ehle). In addition, the film is nominated for British/Irish Film of the Year, and Clark is nominated for British/Irish Actress, a body-of-work award that includes her appearance in Eternal Beauty.
Other leading contenders include Sarah Gavron’s London coming-of-age story Rocks with six nominations, Chloé Zhao’s improvised American road movie Nomadland with five, and Emerald Fennell’s provocative blackly comical thriller Promising Young Woman with four.
Also earning four nominations were David Fincher’s Hollywood biopic Mank and Steve McQueen’s house-party drama Lovers Rock. McQueen...
- 1/12/2021
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Jury members include ‘Animals’ producer Sarah Brocklehurst.
Wild Rose director Tom Harper and Animals producer Sarah Brocklehurst are among the jurors of this year’s British Independent Film Awards (BIFA).
Brocklehurst will preside over the main jury that includes The Last Tree actor Samuel Adewunmi; Daphne and Rialto director Peter Mackie Burns; writer and actor Mark O’Halloran; Blue Story producer Joy Gharoro Akpojotor; Only You filmmaker Harry Wootliff; writer-director Reggie Yates; Anthony Andrews, co-founder of exhibitor We Are Parable; and broadcaster Yinka Bokinni
The new talent jury will be chaired by film critic Amon Warmann and includes Harper, whose Wild Rose...
Wild Rose director Tom Harper and Animals producer Sarah Brocklehurst are among the jurors of this year’s British Independent Film Awards (BIFA).
Brocklehurst will preside over the main jury that includes The Last Tree actor Samuel Adewunmi; Daphne and Rialto director Peter Mackie Burns; writer and actor Mark O’Halloran; Blue Story producer Joy Gharoro Akpojotor; Only You filmmaker Harry Wootliff; writer-director Reggie Yates; Anthony Andrews, co-founder of exhibitor We Are Parable; and broadcaster Yinka Bokinni
The new talent jury will be chaired by film critic Amon Warmann and includes Harper, whose Wild Rose...
- 12/21/2020
- by Michael Rosser
- ScreenDaily
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