Dubai-based sales outfit Mad World has acquired worldwide sales rights to Nadim Tabet’s upcoming ghost story In This Darkness I See You ahead of the Cannes market
The Lebanese thriller will join the inaugural slate of Mad World, a new sales and distribution company for Arab-language feature films that was launched yesterday by Mad Solutions.
The supernatural story follows strange events that occur at a construction site in a Lebanese village, where tensions between Syrian workers and local villagers come to a head after one labourer becomes convinced that the site is haunted. The screenplay was co-written by Tabet,...
The Lebanese thriller will join the inaugural slate of Mad World, a new sales and distribution company for Arab-language feature films that was launched yesterday by Mad Solutions.
The supernatural story follows strange events that occur at a construction site in a Lebanese village, where tensions between Syrian workers and local villagers come to a head after one labourer becomes convinced that the site is haunted. The screenplay was co-written by Tabet,...
- 5/10/2024
- ScreenDaily
The Doha Film Institute’s unique Qumra incubator kicks off Friday with six days of master classes, labs and mentoring sessions and some 200 industry professionals – including programmers from Cannes, Venice, Toronto, Berlin and many other major festivals – expected to make the trek to the Qatari capital.
Qumra, which is an Arab word believed to be the origin of the word “camera,” is dedicated to supporting and shepherding first and second works by Arab directors but also supports some projects from other parts of the world. The mentors, through one-on-one meetings and master classes, will nurture the talent attached to more than 40 projects from 20 countries that are in development or post-production.
Projects in development will take part in group and individual sessions in script consulting, marketing and co-production advice, along with individual matchmaking. Projects in post-production are presented in a series of closed rough-cut and picture lock screenings for leading festival programmers,...
Qumra, which is an Arab word believed to be the origin of the word “camera,” is dedicated to supporting and shepherding first and second works by Arab directors but also supports some projects from other parts of the world. The mentors, through one-on-one meetings and master classes, will nurture the talent attached to more than 40 projects from 20 countries that are in development or post-production.
Projects in development will take part in group and individual sessions in script consulting, marketing and co-production advice, along with individual matchmaking. Projects in post-production are presented in a series of closed rough-cut and picture lock screenings for leading festival programmers,...
- 2/29/2024
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
“Succession” star Hiam Abbass will play a role that is the polar opposite of Marcia Roy in French-Lebanese director Danielle Arbid’s age-gap drama “Love Conquers All.”
The Palestinian actor — who in the HBO series played the third and final wife of billionaire Logan Roy — will next star as Susan, a 65-year-old impoverished widow living in Beirut. There, she meets Osman, a young Sudanese immigrant worker without papers. They instantly fall in love.
The “Love Conquers All” project is being shopped in Saudi Arabia at the Red Sea Film Festival co-production platform Red Sea Souk by producers Georges Schoucair and Omar El Kadi, who say this could be the first feature Abbass will appear in after “Succession.”
The idea is that, while in “Succession” Abbass plays the shrewd wife of a very rich man, in “Love Conquers All” “the protagonists are both poor,” El Kadi told Variety. “What Danielle wants...
The Palestinian actor — who in the HBO series played the third and final wife of billionaire Logan Roy — will next star as Susan, a 65-year-old impoverished widow living in Beirut. There, she meets Osman, a young Sudanese immigrant worker without papers. They instantly fall in love.
The “Love Conquers All” project is being shopped in Saudi Arabia at the Red Sea Film Festival co-production platform Red Sea Souk by producers Georges Schoucair and Omar El Kadi, who say this could be the first feature Abbass will appear in after “Succession.”
The idea is that, while in “Succession” Abbass plays the shrewd wife of a very rich man, in “Love Conquers All” “the protagonists are both poor,” El Kadi told Variety. “What Danielle wants...
- 12/5/2023
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: German broadcasting network Ard has been accused of censorship following its decision to pull a scheduled broadcast of Palestinian director Annemarie Jacir’s 2017 feature Wajib due to the Israel-Hamas conflict.
The film’s German co-producer Titus Kreyenberg told Deadline that Wajib had been due to air this Sunday (November 19), with the programming slot set for months and already announced in TV listings.
“It’s been taken off the schedule. Internally, we were told that it was decided that this was not the time to show a Palestinian film,” said Kreyenberg who works under the banner of Berlin and Cologne-based Unafilm with recent credits including Octopus Skin and A Woman.
Deadline has contacted Ard – a joint network involving 10 German regional public broadcasters – as well as Hamburg-based member Ndr, which backed the production. The networks have yet to respond.
Jacir’s drama Wajib is a gentle comedy-drama capturing the reality of Palestinians living within Israeli borders.
The film’s German co-producer Titus Kreyenberg told Deadline that Wajib had been due to air this Sunday (November 19), with the programming slot set for months and already announced in TV listings.
“It’s been taken off the schedule. Internally, we were told that it was decided that this was not the time to show a Palestinian film,” said Kreyenberg who works under the banner of Berlin and Cologne-based Unafilm with recent credits including Octopus Skin and A Woman.
Deadline has contacted Ard – a joint network involving 10 German regional public broadcasters – as well as Hamburg-based member Ndr, which backed the production. The networks have yet to respond.
Jacir’s drama Wajib is a gentle comedy-drama capturing the reality of Palestinians living within Israeli borders.
- 11/16/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Kino Lorber has acquired North American rights to first-time Lebanese director Mounia Akl’s timely drama “Costa Brava, Lebanon,” which launched positively last year from Venice.
“Costa Brava” provides an acerbic take on Lebanon’s waste management crisis and its turbulent political landscape and combines the country’s strife with the global climate crisis.
The darkly comic drama pairs Oscar-nominated Lebanese star and filmmaker Nadine Labaki (“Capernaum”) and Palestinian actor Saleh Bakri (“The Band’s Visit”) as a couple who has moved from Beirut to live idyllically in the mountains, until one day the government decides to build a garbage landfill right beside their house.
After bowing from Venice “Costa Brava” segued to the Toronto and London fests, where it won prizes.
The pic’s production team boasts about it being the first feature in the Arab region to implement green measures on set, with strict sustainability protocols about recycling, water use,...
“Costa Brava” provides an acerbic take on Lebanon’s waste management crisis and its turbulent political landscape and combines the country’s strife with the global climate crisis.
The darkly comic drama pairs Oscar-nominated Lebanese star and filmmaker Nadine Labaki (“Capernaum”) and Palestinian actor Saleh Bakri (“The Band’s Visit”) as a couple who has moved from Beirut to live idyllically in the mountains, until one day the government decides to build a garbage landfill right beside their house.
After bowing from Venice “Costa Brava” segued to the Toronto and London fests, where it won prizes.
The pic’s production team boasts about it being the first feature in the Arab region to implement green measures on set, with strict sustainability protocols about recycling, water use,...
- 6/7/2022
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
Kino Lorber has picked up North American rights to Costa Brava, Lebanon, a darkly comic tale set against the current political and environmental crises in Lebanon.
Mounia Akl’s directorial debut, which premiered in Venice’s Orizzonti Extra sidebar last year, stars actress/director Nadine Labaki (Capernaum) and Saleh Bakri (The Band’s Visit). Kino Lorber is planning a theatrical release for Costa Brava, Lebanon on July 15.
Aki’s intergenerational family story focuses on the free-spirited Badri clan, who, in an effort to escape the toxic pollution and social unrest of Beirut, build a mini-utopia off the grid. But the world intervenes when the Lebanese government begins construction on a garbage landfill right outside their fence. The country’s trash and corruption is literally being brought to their doorstep. The Badris are forced to either stay true to their ideals and live outside the...
Kino Lorber has picked up North American rights to Costa Brava, Lebanon, a darkly comic tale set against the current political and environmental crises in Lebanon.
Mounia Akl’s directorial debut, which premiered in Venice’s Orizzonti Extra sidebar last year, stars actress/director Nadine Labaki (Capernaum) and Saleh Bakri (The Band’s Visit). Kino Lorber is planning a theatrical release for Costa Brava, Lebanon on July 15.
Aki’s intergenerational family story focuses on the free-spirited Badri clan, who, in an effort to escape the toxic pollution and social unrest of Beirut, build a mini-utopia off the grid. But the world intervenes when the Lebanese government begins construction on a garbage landfill right outside their fence. The country’s trash and corruption is literally being brought to their doorstep. The Badris are forced to either stay true to their ideals and live outside the...
- 6/7/2022
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Lebanese director Mounia Akl’s long-gestating first feature, “Costa Brava, Lebanon,” which screens in Venice Horizons, is about her relationship with Beirut and Lebanon “and the complexity of this love/hate relationship that is becoming more and more complicated as our country is falling apart,” she says.
The country’s complications came literally crashing into the pic’s production when Beirut, on Aug. 4, 2020, was devastated by one of the biggest non-nuclear explosions ever recorded. It left hundreds dead and hundreds of thousands homeless. It also took place during a “Costa Brava” pre-production meeting.
“Our cinematographer [Joe Saade] almost lost his eye, the office was completely destroyed and we walked out knowing that our whole city was destroyed,” she recounts.
Two months later, the “Costa Brava” team decided to go ahead and shoot despite the blast, and also despite the pandemic and Lebanon’s economic collapse, which had depreciated the value of their funding.
The country’s complications came literally crashing into the pic’s production when Beirut, on Aug. 4, 2020, was devastated by one of the biggest non-nuclear explosions ever recorded. It left hundreds dead and hundreds of thousands homeless. It also took place during a “Costa Brava” pre-production meeting.
“Our cinematographer [Joe Saade] almost lost his eye, the office was completely destroyed and we walked out knowing that our whole city was destroyed,” she recounts.
Two months later, the “Costa Brava” team decided to go ahead and shoot despite the blast, and also despite the pandemic and Lebanon’s economic collapse, which had depreciated the value of their funding.
- 9/6/2021
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Participant is teaming up with leading French sales agent MK2 Films and Endeavor Content to represent worldwide distribution rights on “Costa Brava, Lebanon,” the anticipated feature debut of Lebanese filmmaker Mounia Akl.
“Costa Brava, Lebanon” will be headlined by Lebanese star and filmmaker Nadine Labaki (“Capernaum”), alongside Palestinian actor Saleh Bakri (“The Band’s Visit”). The pair will play a couple who decide to leave the toxic pollution of their home city of Beirut, hoping to build a utopian existence in a pristine home in the mountains. This dream life is shattered when a landfill is built right outside its fence, bringing the garbage and corruption they hoped to leave behind to its door. As the trash rises, so do the tensions in their perfect home.
Akl, an alumni of Cannes’ Cinefondation, previously directed the critically-acclaimed short film “Submarine” in 2015. The student short was nominated for a BAFTA and played at Toronto and SXSW,...
“Costa Brava, Lebanon” will be headlined by Lebanese star and filmmaker Nadine Labaki (“Capernaum”), alongside Palestinian actor Saleh Bakri (“The Band’s Visit”). The pair will play a couple who decide to leave the toxic pollution of their home city of Beirut, hoping to build a utopian existence in a pristine home in the mountains. This dream life is shattered when a landfill is built right outside its fence, bringing the garbage and corruption they hoped to leave behind to its door. As the trash rises, so do the tensions in their perfect home.
Akl, an alumni of Cannes’ Cinefondation, previously directed the critically-acclaimed short film “Submarine” in 2015. The student short was nominated for a BAFTA and played at Toronto and SXSW,...
- 7/14/2021
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
The Doha Film Institute has recruited a mix of prominent film directors comprising Claire Denis, James Gray and Jessica Hausner, as well as other top notch talents, to act as mentors during its upcoming Qumra Arab industry incubator, which will be held online.
Ace cinematographer Phedon Papamichael (“Ford v Ferrari”), and Oscar-winning sound designer Mark Mangini (“Mad Max: Fury Road”) will join the trio of auteurs for the creative workshop event. All are returning Qumra Masters.
Qumra, which is an Arab word believed to be the origin of the word “camera,” is dedicated to supporting and shepherding first and second works by Arab and international directors.
Qumra 2021, which is scheduled to run March 12-17, will present projects in various stages for 30 feature films, six TV series projects and 12 shorts coming from 21 countries.
The mentors will nurture the talent through one-on-one virtual meetings and master classes.
Director and producer teams will...
Ace cinematographer Phedon Papamichael (“Ford v Ferrari”), and Oscar-winning sound designer Mark Mangini (“Mad Max: Fury Road”) will join the trio of auteurs for the creative workshop event. All are returning Qumra Masters.
Qumra, which is an Arab word believed to be the origin of the word “camera,” is dedicated to supporting and shepherding first and second works by Arab and international directors.
Qumra 2021, which is scheduled to run March 12-17, will present projects in various stages for 30 feature films, six TV series projects and 12 shorts coming from 21 countries.
The mentors will nurture the talent through one-on-one virtual meetings and master classes.
Director and producer teams will...
- 2/22/2021
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Top 100 Most Anticipated Foreign Films of 2021: #85. Joana Hadjithomas & Khalil Joriege’s Memory Box
Memory Box
It’s been over a decade since the last narrative feature from Lebanese directors Joana Hadjithomas and Khalil Joriege, but they’re back with fourth feature Memory Box (aka The Notebooks), produced by Abbout Productions’ Georges Schoucair and Haut Et Court’s Carole Scotta. Manal Issa (Nocturama), Rim Turki and Paloma Vauthier are among the cast in the production lensed by French-Canadian Josée Deshaies (of Bertrand Bonello’s House of Tolerance and Saint Laurent). Key figures of contemporary Lebanese cinema, Hadjithomas and Joriege have been working in documentary film for the past decade but are best remembered for their 2005 film A Perfect Day, which won the Fipresci prize out of Locarno and 2008’s I Want to See, which starred Catherine Deneuve and premiered in Un Certain Regard at Cannes.…...
It’s been over a decade since the last narrative feature from Lebanese directors Joana Hadjithomas and Khalil Joriege, but they’re back with fourth feature Memory Box (aka The Notebooks), produced by Abbout Productions’ Georges Schoucair and Haut Et Court’s Carole Scotta. Manal Issa (Nocturama), Rim Turki and Paloma Vauthier are among the cast in the production lensed by French-Canadian Josée Deshaies (of Bertrand Bonello’s House of Tolerance and Saint Laurent). Key figures of contemporary Lebanese cinema, Hadjithomas and Joriege have been working in documentary film for the past decade but are best remembered for their 2005 film A Perfect Day, which won the Fipresci prize out of Locarno and 2008’s I Want to See, which starred Catherine Deneuve and premiered in Un Certain Regard at Cannes.…...
- 1/2/2021
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
The production has recently signed Nadine Labaki and Saleh Bakri to lead roles.
Paris-based mk2 films have boarded sales on Lebanese director Mounia Akl’s dark comedy Costa Brava Lebanon about a family whose seemingly idyllic lifestyle in the mountains is threatened by the construction of a landfill site on their doorstep.
The company is launching sales at the AFM.
The production has recently signed Lebanese filmmaker and actress Nadine Labaki to co-star opposite Palestinian actor Saleh Bakri, who is best known internationally for his performances in The Band’s Visit and Wajib.
The pair play a couple who remove...
Paris-based mk2 films have boarded sales on Lebanese director Mounia Akl’s dark comedy Costa Brava Lebanon about a family whose seemingly idyllic lifestyle in the mountains is threatened by the construction of a landfill site on their doorstep.
The company is launching sales at the AFM.
The production has recently signed Lebanese filmmaker and actress Nadine Labaki to co-star opposite Palestinian actor Saleh Bakri, who is best known internationally for his performances in The Band’s Visit and Wajib.
The pair play a couple who remove...
- 11/9/2020
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Film Independent has unveiled their keynotes, conversations and panelists for the 15th annual Film Independent Forum. The Forum, which is traditionally a weekend event, will now be a week-long virtual event that will reach all corners of the globe from July 31 to August 7.
The event has set a roster of banner names in the industry, featuring a U.S. Filmmaker Keynote with Lulu Wang (The Farewell); a U.S. Executive Keynote with Elissa Federoff, President of Distribution at Neon; a Documentary Keynote with Dawn Porter; and a Global Executive Keynote with Ashok Amritraj, Chairman and CEO of Hyde Park Entertainment Group. Traditionally a weekend event, the Forum has expanded to a full week-long event accessible online to global audiences the week of July 31 to August 7.
In addition, panels will cover financing, production and distribution of films to digital content across diverse platforms...
The event has set a roster of banner names in the industry, featuring a U.S. Filmmaker Keynote with Lulu Wang (The Farewell); a U.S. Executive Keynote with Elissa Federoff, President of Distribution at Neon; a Documentary Keynote with Dawn Porter; and a Global Executive Keynote with Ashok Amritraj, Chairman and CEO of Hyde Park Entertainment Group. Traditionally a weekend event, the Forum has expanded to a full week-long event accessible online to global audiences the week of July 31 to August 7.
In addition, panels will cover financing, production and distribution of films to digital content across diverse platforms...
- 6/30/2020
- by Dino-Ray Ramos
- Deadline Film + TV
Six countries feature across this year’s Sørfond fund projects.
The Norwegian Film Institute has awarded Nok 3m to six international co-productions with Norwegian minority producers.
The six projects were chosen from 45 applications to the Sørfond fund, which exists to support film production in developing countries where it is limited for political or economic reasons.
They were selected by a jury composed of editor and Norwegian Film School professor Sophie Hesselberg; producer and director Sebastián Peña Escobar; and Films From The South Festival project manager Per Eirik Gilsvik.
The jury held its discussions remotely, with Hesselberg and Gilsvik joining from Oslo,...
The Norwegian Film Institute has awarded Nok 3m to six international co-productions with Norwegian minority producers.
The six projects were chosen from 45 applications to the Sørfond fund, which exists to support film production in developing countries where it is limited for political or economic reasons.
They were selected by a jury composed of editor and Norwegian Film School professor Sophie Hesselberg; producer and director Sebastián Peña Escobar; and Films From The South Festival project manager Per Eirik Gilsvik.
The jury held its discussions remotely, with Hesselberg and Gilsvik joining from Oslo,...
- 5/26/2020
- by 1101321¦Ben Dalton¦26¦
- ScreenDaily
Tribeca Film Institute announced on Thursday the 43 projects that will participate in this year’s Tfi Network film market, to be held virtually due to the coronavirus pandemic.
A traditional Tfi Network three-day event would see emerging filmmakers and creators from across the globe coming together in New York City to embark on a day of pitch prep and industry roundtables, along with two days of individual meetings with professionals during the Tribeca Film Festival, which has also moved some of its programming online. This year, Tfi Network, presented by AT&T, will move online from April 27 through May 1. Prior to Tfi Network, filmmakers will attend “Prep Week” from April 21 through April 23, which includes online pitch training sessions with mentors. This year’s 43 winners include scripted projects, documentaries and interactive projects.
“Tfi remains dedicated to creating opportunities for independent artists without compromising their health or safety,” Tribeca Film Institute executive director...
A traditional Tfi Network three-day event would see emerging filmmakers and creators from across the globe coming together in New York City to embark on a day of pitch prep and industry roundtables, along with two days of individual meetings with professionals during the Tribeca Film Festival, which has also moved some of its programming online. This year, Tfi Network, presented by AT&T, will move online from April 27 through May 1. Prior to Tfi Network, filmmakers will attend “Prep Week” from April 21 through April 23, which includes online pitch training sessions with mentors. This year’s 43 winners include scripted projects, documentaries and interactive projects.
“Tfi remains dedicated to creating opportunities for independent artists without compromising their health or safety,” Tribeca Film Institute executive director...
- 4/16/2020
- by Mackenzie Nichols
- Variety Film + TV
“We finished the shoot for Ely Dagher’s Harvest just as the first case of Covid-19 was reported in Lebanon.”
Beirut-based producer Georges Schoucair is the founder and CEO of top Middle East independent film production house Abbout Productions and its more recently created sister company Schortcut Films.
The recent credits of Abbout Productions include Oualid Mouaness’s coming-of-age drama 1982, which was Lebanon’s submission to the Academy Awards’ best international film category this year; Ahmad Ghossein’s All This Victory, which premiered in Venice Critics’ Week; and Egyptian filmmaker Mohamed Siam’s feature-length documentary Amal.
Schortcut Films, which he...
Beirut-based producer Georges Schoucair is the founder and CEO of top Middle East independent film production house Abbout Productions and its more recently created sister company Schortcut Films.
The recent credits of Abbout Productions include Oualid Mouaness’s coming-of-age drama 1982, which was Lebanon’s submission to the Academy Awards’ best international film category this year; Ahmad Ghossein’s All This Victory, which premiered in Venice Critics’ Week; and Egyptian filmmaker Mohamed Siam’s feature-length documentary Amal.
Schortcut Films, which he...
- 4/15/2020
- by 1100388¦Melanie Goodfellow¦0¦
- ScreenDaily
“We finished the shoot for Ely Dagher’s film Harvest just as the first case of Covid-19 was reported in Lebanon.”
Beirut-based producer Georges Schoucair is the founder and CEO of top Middle East independent film production house Abbout Productions and its more recently created sister company Schortcut Films.
The recent credits of Abbout Productions include Oualid Mouaness’s bittersweet coming-of-age drama 1982, which premiered at Toronto and was Lebanon’s submission to the Academy Awards’ best international film category this year; Ahmad Ghossein’s All This Victory, which premiered in Venice Critics’ Week, winning three awards, and Egyptian filmmaker Mohamed Siam’s feature-length documentary Amal.
Beirut-based producer Georges Schoucair is the founder and CEO of top Middle East independent film production house Abbout Productions and its more recently created sister company Schortcut Films.
The recent credits of Abbout Productions include Oualid Mouaness’s bittersweet coming-of-age drama 1982, which premiered at Toronto and was Lebanon’s submission to the Academy Awards’ best international film category this year; Ahmad Ghossein’s All This Victory, which premiered in Venice Critics’ Week, winning three awards, and Egyptian filmmaker Mohamed Siam’s feature-length documentary Amal.
- 4/15/2020
- by 1100388¦Melanie Goodfellow¦0¦
- ScreenDaily
Twice Academy Award-nominated writer-director Hany Abu-Assad is teaming with Abbout Productions, Lebanon’s top indie shingle, on TV series project “The King’s Wives.”
The six-episode fiction, pitched Feb. 25 at the 2020 Berlinale Co-Pro Series, is set to be the first TV drama produced by Abbout, a Beirut-set production house run by Georges Schoucair, best known to date for films with a distinctly Arab voice.
Scheduled to shoot from fall 2021 in Morocco or Turkey, “The King’s Wives” is conceived as a multicultural project, with Palestinian-Dutch Abu-Assad as co-creator and showrunner, production by a Lebanese team, with a cast coming from all over the Arab world and international heads of departments.
A TV drama with humorous elements, set in a modern unnamed Arab monarchy, “The King’s Wives” follows Zein, a revolutionary princess who wants to challenge the monarchy and improve women’s rights.
She aligns with her progressive husband, Prince Malik,...
The six-episode fiction, pitched Feb. 25 at the 2020 Berlinale Co-Pro Series, is set to be the first TV drama produced by Abbout, a Beirut-set production house run by Georges Schoucair, best known to date for films with a distinctly Arab voice.
Scheduled to shoot from fall 2021 in Morocco or Turkey, “The King’s Wives” is conceived as a multicultural project, with Palestinian-Dutch Abu-Assad as co-creator and showrunner, production by a Lebanese team, with a cast coming from all over the Arab world and international heads of departments.
A TV drama with humorous elements, set in a modern unnamed Arab monarchy, “The King’s Wives” follows Zein, a revolutionary princess who wants to challenge the monarchy and improve women’s rights.
She aligns with her progressive husband, Prince Malik,...
- 2/25/2020
- by Emiliano De Pablos
- Variety Film + TV
2019 has been an excellent year for films from Africa and the Middle East, with a higher presence in A-list festivals, and kudos for films such as Mati Diop’s “Atlantics,” which won the Grand Prix at Cannes.
The “new wave” of Arab and African cinema includes a small group of films that explore links with genre cinema – including fantasy, sci-fi and horror – which is related to a broader trend in literature and the contemporary arts in the Arab world that is exploring dystopias and fantasy settings.
Lamia Chraibi, a leading producer of daring films from the Middle East and North Africa region, is developing a pan-Arab genre series, “Meskoun,” with Moroccan filmmaker Hicham Lasri (“Jahilya”) as showrunner, in coproduction with Mohamed Hefzy’s Film Clinic (Egypt), Georges Schoucair’s Abbout Productions (Lebanon) and Habib Attia’s Cinetelefilms (Tunisia).
Chraibi recently produced Talal Selhami’s “Achoura,” Morocco’s first fantasy film,...
The “new wave” of Arab and African cinema includes a small group of films that explore links with genre cinema – including fantasy, sci-fi and horror – which is related to a broader trend in literature and the contemporary arts in the Arab world that is exploring dystopias and fantasy settings.
Lamia Chraibi, a leading producer of daring films from the Middle East and North Africa region, is developing a pan-Arab genre series, “Meskoun,” with Moroccan filmmaker Hicham Lasri (“Jahilya”) as showrunner, in coproduction with Mohamed Hefzy’s Film Clinic (Egypt), Georges Schoucair’s Abbout Productions (Lebanon) and Habib Attia’s Cinetelefilms (Tunisia).
Chraibi recently produced Talal Selhami’s “Achoura,” Morocco’s first fantasy film,...
- 12/8/2019
- by Martin Dale
- Variety Film + TV
Emerging African filmmakers triumph at project development event.
Ethiopian director Hiwot Admasu Getaneh’s Addis Ababa-set tale of self-discovery Sweet Annoyance scooped the top €10,000 development prize at the Marrakech International Film Festival’s second Atlas Workshops on Friday (Dec 6).
The four-day meeting drew some 270 international cinema professionals and presented 28 projects in development and post-production from Middle Eastern, North African and African filmmakers.
The jury for the 10 projects in the running for the Atlas Development Awards was composed of Moroccan director Laïla Marrakchi, Lebanese producer Georges Schoucair and Juliette Schrameck, managing director of Paris-based mk2 Films.
Set against the nightlife of the Ethiopian capital,...
Ethiopian director Hiwot Admasu Getaneh’s Addis Ababa-set tale of self-discovery Sweet Annoyance scooped the top €10,000 development prize at the Marrakech International Film Festival’s second Atlas Workshops on Friday (Dec 6).
The four-day meeting drew some 270 international cinema professionals and presented 28 projects in development and post-production from Middle Eastern, North African and African filmmakers.
The jury for the 10 projects in the running for the Atlas Development Awards was composed of Moroccan director Laïla Marrakchi, Lebanese producer Georges Schoucair and Juliette Schrameck, managing director of Paris-based mk2 Films.
Set against the nightlife of the Ethiopian capital,...
- 12/7/2019
- by 1100388¦Melanie Goodfellow¦0¦
- ScreenDaily
Djibouti’s “The Gravedigger,” Morocco’s “Zanka Contact” and Ethiopia’s “Sweet Annoyance” were among the major winners in the post-production and development categories of the second edition of the Marrakech Film Festival’s Atlas Workshops.
“The Gravedigger,” by Khadar Ahmed, and “Zanka Contact,” by Ismaël el Iraki, won the top awards – €20,000 and $11,000 respectively – in the post-production competition, and “The Gravedigger” also won the new $3,300 Naas prize for film circulation. Both pics are first features.
Ethiopia’s “Sweet Annoyance,” by Hiwot Admasu Getaneh, Morocco’s “The Original Lie,” by Asmae El Moudir, and Rwanda’s “Ikimanuka – Seasons of the Weary Kind,” by Samuel Ishimwe, were the winners in the development competition, and received $11,000, $5,500 and $5,500 respectively.
The new $6,660 Artekino prize attributed during the workshops was awarded to Morocco’s “Les Meutes” by Kamal Lazraq. This is the first time that French-German broadcaster Arte has attributed an award in an African film festival.
“The Gravedigger,” by Khadar Ahmed, and “Zanka Contact,” by Ismaël el Iraki, won the top awards – €20,000 and $11,000 respectively – in the post-production competition, and “The Gravedigger” also won the new $3,300 Naas prize for film circulation. Both pics are first features.
Ethiopia’s “Sweet Annoyance,” by Hiwot Admasu Getaneh, Morocco’s “The Original Lie,” by Asmae El Moudir, and Rwanda’s “Ikimanuka – Seasons of the Weary Kind,” by Samuel Ishimwe, were the winners in the development competition, and received $11,000, $5,500 and $5,500 respectively.
The new $6,660 Artekino prize attributed during the workshops was awarded to Morocco’s “Les Meutes” by Kamal Lazraq. This is the first time that French-German broadcaster Arte has attributed an award in an African film festival.
- 12/7/2019
- by Martin Dale
- Variety Film + TV
Just as Netflix tries to gain traction in the Middle East by backing local genre series, such as its first Arab original, “Jinn,” from Jordan, and Egypt’s upcoming “Paranormal,” Beirut’s Maskoon Fantastic Film Festival is launching the region’s first platform dedicated to genre films.
Five Arabic-language projects, ranging from a zombie comedy to a supernatural female-empowerment drama, have been selected for the Maskoon Fantastic Lab’s pilot edition, which is set for Nov. 7-8 in Beirut’s Lebanese Academy of Fine Arts. All the projects have a strong sociopolitical subtext, organizers say.
“Arab producers and film festivals haven’t really embraced genre cinema yet,” said Myriam Sassine, the fest’s chief exec. “So we felt the need for a platform to encourage and help those filmmakers who would like to venture into genre”
The fest’s artistic director, Antoine Waked, underlined that, at a time when genre...
Five Arabic-language projects, ranging from a zombie comedy to a supernatural female-empowerment drama, have been selected for the Maskoon Fantastic Lab’s pilot edition, which is set for Nov. 7-8 in Beirut’s Lebanese Academy of Fine Arts. All the projects have a strong sociopolitical subtext, organizers say.
“Arab producers and film festivals haven’t really embraced genre cinema yet,” said Myriam Sassine, the fest’s chief exec. “So we felt the need for a platform to encourage and help those filmmakers who would like to venture into genre”
The fest’s artistic director, Antoine Waked, underlined that, at a time when genre...
- 9/23/2019
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
“All This Victory,” a tense war drama directed by Lebanon’s Ahmad Ghossein and set in 2006 in his country during the conflict between Hezbollah and Israel, is the big winner at the Venice Critics’ Week section dedicated to first works.
The film is about a young man named Marwan who during a ceasefire goes in search of his father who refused to leave his Southern village, while his wife Rana is preparing papers for their immigration to Canada. Marwan however finds no traces of his father, the ceasefire is quickly broken and the situation spiral out of control after he is forced to shelter in the home of Najib, his father’s friend, and some of Najib’s friends. As bombs hail down, tensions within the house rise; and then a group of Israeli soldiers enter the building.
“Victory,” which is produced by Georges Schoucair and Myriam Sassine of Beirut-based...
The film is about a young man named Marwan who during a ceasefire goes in search of his father who refused to leave his Southern village, while his wife Rana is preparing papers for their immigration to Canada. Marwan however finds no traces of his father, the ceasefire is quickly broken and the situation spiral out of control after he is forced to shelter in the home of Najib, his father’s friend, and some of Najib’s friends. As bombs hail down, tensions within the house rise; and then a group of Israeli soldiers enter the building.
“Victory,” which is produced by Georges Schoucair and Myriam Sassine of Beirut-based...
- 9/6/2019
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Oualid Mouaness’ drama joins Sophie Deraspe’s Contemporary World Cinema entry Antigone on Tiff slate.
Anick Poirier and Lorne Price’s new sales agency WaZabi Films has announced its first acquisition, picking up the majority of worldwide rights to Lebanon-set 1982 starring Nadine Labaki ahead of its world premiere in Tiff Discovery next month.
Oualid Mouaness’ feature debut takes place against the backdrop of the 1982 invasion of Lebanon and is set at a private school on the outskirts of Beirut, as 11-year-old Wissam tries to tell a classmate he loves her.
Meanwhile his teachers – on different sides of the political spectrum...
Anick Poirier and Lorne Price’s new sales agency WaZabi Films has announced its first acquisition, picking up the majority of worldwide rights to Lebanon-set 1982 starring Nadine Labaki ahead of its world premiere in Tiff Discovery next month.
Oualid Mouaness’ feature debut takes place against the backdrop of the 1982 invasion of Lebanon and is set at a private school on the outskirts of Beirut, as 11-year-old Wissam tries to tell a classmate he loves her.
Meanwhile his teachers – on different sides of the political spectrum...
- 8/16/2019
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Total of 842 people from 59 countries invited by AMPAS.
This year, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) has invited 842 people from 59 countries to join its membership.
The strong cohort of international film names includes two producers of Cold War, the directors of Dogman, Stan & Ollie, and I Am Not A Witch, and various executives from different facets of the industry.
International executives invited include Eric Lagesse of French sales and distribution outfit Pyramide Films, London-based Netflix development and acquisitions executive Funa Maduka, Michele Halberstadt of French distribution and sales outfit Arp Selection, Lebanese producer and distributor Georges Schoucair of Abbout Productions,...
This year, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) has invited 842 people from 59 countries to join its membership.
The strong cohort of international film names includes two producers of Cold War, the directors of Dogman, Stan & Ollie, and I Am Not A Witch, and various executives from different facets of the industry.
International executives invited include Eric Lagesse of French sales and distribution outfit Pyramide Films, London-based Netflix development and acquisitions executive Funa Maduka, Michele Halberstadt of French distribution and sales outfit Arp Selection, Lebanese producer and distributor Georges Schoucair of Abbout Productions,...
- 7/3/2019
- by Tom Grater
- ScreenDaily
Tribeca, SXSW award-winners 'Initials S.G.', 'Alice', 'Tito' on Visit Films Cannes slate (exclusive)
Ryan Kampe to show teaser footage fromupcoming adventure doc The Sanctity Of Space, punk rock doc White Riot.
Ryan Kampe’s Visit Films heads to the Croisette with a bumper sales slate led by Tribeca Film Festival Nora Ephron Award winner Initials S.G.
The roster includes Tribeca selection Crshd, SXSW winners Alice, Saint Frances and Tito, SXSW selection The Wall Of Mexico, and Sundance selection Adam.
Visit will screen Lucía Garibaldi’s Sundance World Cinema Dramatic Competition best award-winner The Sharks, about a girl’s sexual awakening in a small beach town. Kampe will also present teaser footage from...
Ryan Kampe’s Visit Films heads to the Croisette with a bumper sales slate led by Tribeca Film Festival Nora Ephron Award winner Initials S.G.
The roster includes Tribeca selection Crshd, SXSW winners Alice, Saint Frances and Tito, SXSW selection The Wall Of Mexico, and Sundance selection Adam.
Visit will screen Lucía Garibaldi’s Sundance World Cinema Dramatic Competition best award-winner The Sharks, about a girl’s sexual awakening in a small beach town. Kampe will also present teaser footage from...
- 5/13/2019
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
The Doha Film Institute’s unique Qumra workshop wrapped its fifth edition on Wednesday following six days of masterclasses, labs and mentoring sessions that bolstered the Dfi’s status as the prime entity fostering Arab filmmaking and connecting directors from most of the region with the rest of the world.
Programmers from Cannes, Venice, Toronto, Berlin and many other major festivals were in attendance, as has become customary, as well as a select group of industry execs from more than 30 countries including a high-caliber U.S. contingent. They came to provide their input on 36 Dfi-backed projects, most of which by Arab directors, and to hobnob in a relaxed informal setting.
“It’s a very intimate structure that doesn’t just offer support or critique, but also real dialogue,” said Iraqi-Moroccan director Tala Hadid (pictured) one of this year’s Qumra mentors. “They choose and curate very carefully who should go with which project,...
Programmers from Cannes, Venice, Toronto, Berlin and many other major festivals were in attendance, as has become customary, as well as a select group of industry execs from more than 30 countries including a high-caliber U.S. contingent. They came to provide their input on 36 Dfi-backed projects, most of which by Arab directors, and to hobnob in a relaxed informal setting.
“It’s a very intimate structure that doesn’t just offer support or critique, but also real dialogue,” said Iraqi-Moroccan director Tala Hadid (pictured) one of this year’s Qumra mentors. “They choose and curate very carefully who should go with which project,...
- 3/21/2019
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Industry professionals will discuss 36 projects at all stages of development.
The fifth edition of Qumra, the Doha Film Institute (Dfi)’s regional talent and project development event begins in Doha today (Friday March 15).
Budding filmmakers from the region and leading international industry professionals will come together to discuss and nurture around 36 film projects at all stages of production at the six-day meeting. Qumra takes place in and around Doha’s Souq Wafiq area as well as the city’s I.M. Pei-designed Museum of Islamic Art.
“The unprecedented access for emerging talent to the world’s top leaders across all...
The fifth edition of Qumra, the Doha Film Institute (Dfi)’s regional talent and project development event begins in Doha today (Friday March 15).
Budding filmmakers from the region and leading international industry professionals will come together to discuss and nurture around 36 film projects at all stages of production at the six-day meeting. Qumra takes place in and around Doha’s Souq Wafiq area as well as the city’s I.M. Pei-designed Museum of Islamic Art.
“The unprecedented access for emerging talent to the world’s top leaders across all...
- 3/15/2019
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- ScreenDaily
The 18th annual Tribeca Film Festival has revealed its lineup of 103 feature films.
Standout titles include world premieres of a hybrid narrative-documentary film about John DeLorean (starring Alec Baldwin); an Antoine Fuqua-directed documentary about Muhammad Ali; and a portrait of Chelsea Manning; and films starring Margot Robbie, Elijah Wood and Billy Crystal. Christoph Waltz’s directorial debut, Georgetown, offers a cast including Annette Bening, Vanessa Redgrave and Corey Hawkins, in a world premiere.
The always-comprehensive Tribeca offerings also include a must for film buffs and tech geeks, Making Waves: The Art of Sound in Films. The documentary features Walter Murch, Ben Burtt, Gary Rydstrom, George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, Barbra Streisand and Ryan Coogler. As with a large number of screenings at Tribeca, Making Waves will feature a conversation after the end credits, a master-class conversation featuring Burtt and Rydstrom.
The festival, which this year runs April 24 to May 5, also...
Standout titles include world premieres of a hybrid narrative-documentary film about John DeLorean (starring Alec Baldwin); an Antoine Fuqua-directed documentary about Muhammad Ali; and a portrait of Chelsea Manning; and films starring Margot Robbie, Elijah Wood and Billy Crystal. Christoph Waltz’s directorial debut, Georgetown, offers a cast including Annette Bening, Vanessa Redgrave and Corey Hawkins, in a world premiere.
The always-comprehensive Tribeca offerings also include a must for film buffs and tech geeks, Making Waves: The Art of Sound in Films. The documentary features Walter Murch, Ben Burtt, Gary Rydstrom, George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, Barbra Streisand and Ryan Coogler. As with a large number of screenings at Tribeca, Making Waves will feature a conversation after the end credits, a master-class conversation featuring Burtt and Rydstrom.
The festival, which this year runs April 24 to May 5, also...
- 3/5/2019
- by Dade Hayes
- Deadline Film + TV
The 18th edition of Tribeca Film Festival will get underway next month, featuring 103 films from 124 filmmakers, with 50% women-directed films in the three competition sections. Highlights include world premieres directed by Abel Ferrara, Werner Herzog, Christoph Waltz, as well as films by Sebastian Schipper, Mary Harron, Peter Strickland, and Andrew Ahn.
Check out the lineup below for the festival taking place April 24 – May 5.
U.S. Narrative Competition
Tribeca’s U.S. Narrative Competition showcases extraordinary work from breakout independent voices and distinguished filmmaking talent. These ten world premieres will vie for the Founders Award for Best Narrative Feature, Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Actor, and Best Actress. Last year, the award for Best Narrative Feature went to Kent Jones’ Diane while Jeffrey Wright was awarded Best Actor for his role in O.G. Other previous films from this section include Reed Morano’s Meadowland (2015), Ingrid Jungermann’s Women Who Kill (2016), and...
Check out the lineup below for the festival taking place April 24 – May 5.
U.S. Narrative Competition
Tribeca’s U.S. Narrative Competition showcases extraordinary work from breakout independent voices and distinguished filmmaking talent. These ten world premieres will vie for the Founders Award for Best Narrative Feature, Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Actor, and Best Actress. Last year, the award for Best Narrative Feature went to Kent Jones’ Diane while Jeffrey Wright was awarded Best Actor for his role in O.G. Other previous films from this section include Reed Morano’s Meadowland (2015), Ingrid Jungermann’s Women Who Kill (2016), and...
- 3/5/2019
- by Leonard Pearce
- The Film Stage
The Tribeca Film Festival has set its full feature slate for 2019, selecting 103 titles including world premieres of films by Jared Leto, Christoph Waltz, and Margot Robbie.
The 18th edition of the festival, which runs from April 24 to May 5, will include documentaries from Antoine Fuqua, Werner Herzog, and Abel Ferrara, and music-focused docs highlighting the lead singer of band Inxs (“Mystify: Michael Hutchence”), Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman (“The Quiet One”), and musician Linda Ronstadt (“Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice”) with Sheryl Crow performing after the premiere.
Leto’s “A Day in the Life of America” is a crowd-sourced documentary featuring footage from all 50 states on July 4, 2017. Waltz is making his directorial debut with the crime drama “Georgetown,” starring himself, Annette Bening, and Vanessa Redgrave. Robbie stars in and produces “Dreamland,” a Depression-era drama set in the Oklahoma dustbowl.
Other notable titles include “Mad Men” producer Semi Chellas making...
The 18th edition of the festival, which runs from April 24 to May 5, will include documentaries from Antoine Fuqua, Werner Herzog, and Abel Ferrara, and music-focused docs highlighting the lead singer of band Inxs (“Mystify: Michael Hutchence”), Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman (“The Quiet One”), and musician Linda Ronstadt (“Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice”) with Sheryl Crow performing after the premiere.
Leto’s “A Day in the Life of America” is a crowd-sourced documentary featuring footage from all 50 states on July 4, 2017. Waltz is making his directorial debut with the crime drama “Georgetown,” starring himself, Annette Bening, and Vanessa Redgrave. Robbie stars in and produces “Dreamland,” a Depression-era drama set in the Oklahoma dustbowl.
Other notable titles include “Mad Men” producer Semi Chellas making...
- 3/5/2019
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
Georges Schoucair’s Beirut-based Abbout Productions has teamed up at the Efm with 4 European producers on “Costa Brava Lebanon,” a first feature set amid Lebanon’s never-ending garbage crisis to be directed by Mounia Akl who studied film at Columbia University.
Abbout has finalized its coproduction pacts on this pic with France’s Cinéma Defacto; Denmark’s Snowglobe Films; Norway’s Barentsfilm; and French-Swedish producer Olivier Guerpillon.
Set in a near future in which Lebanon is drowning in garbage, “Costa Brava” is about a family that leads an idyllic isolated life in their house in the mountains to which they’ve fled to lead a sterile and utopian exile. When the government finally finds a solution the world comes crashing in in the form of a garbage landfill to be built at their doorstep. The tensions this causes among family members makes them realize that “the rot was not just outside their home,...
Abbout has finalized its coproduction pacts on this pic with France’s Cinéma Defacto; Denmark’s Snowglobe Films; Norway’s Barentsfilm; and French-Swedish producer Olivier Guerpillon.
Set in a near future in which Lebanon is drowning in garbage, “Costa Brava” is about a family that leads an idyllic isolated life in their house in the mountains to which they’ve fled to lead a sterile and utopian exile. When the government finally finds a solution the world comes crashing in in the form of a garbage landfill to be built at their doorstep. The tensions this causes among family members makes them realize that “the rot was not just outside their home,...
- 2/14/2019
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Initials S.G.
Rania Attieh and Daniel Garcia sanguinely moved into production in January of 2018 with their fourth feature film, Initials S.G. A wink to Serge Gainsbourg, the enigmatic personality of the character embodied by Argentinian actor Diego Peretti is at the core of what is a widely unpredictable storyline. Selected for the Us in Progress in Wrocław, this is produced by the filmmakers alongside Iván Eibuszyc, Shruti Ganguly and Georges Schoucair. The project received some support via the 2018 Music and Sound Design Lab and became film fest darlings with their third feature in 2014’s H. (read review) which was showcased at fest heavyweights Venice, Sundance and Berlin.…...
Rania Attieh and Daniel Garcia sanguinely moved into production in January of 2018 with their fourth feature film, Initials S.G. A wink to Serge Gainsbourg, the enigmatic personality of the character embodied by Argentinian actor Diego Peretti is at the core of what is a widely unpredictable storyline. Selected for the Us in Progress in Wrocław, this is produced by the filmmakers alongside Iván Eibuszyc, Shruti Ganguly and Georges Schoucair. The project received some support via the 2018 Music and Sound Design Lab and became film fest darlings with their third feature in 2014’s H. (read review) which was showcased at fest heavyweights Venice, Sundance and Berlin.…...
- 1/24/2019
- by Eric Lavallée
- IONCINEMA.com
Ten leading European sales agents attended the first edition of Marrakech Film Festival’s Atlas Workshops. In interviews with Variety the executives emphasized the importance of this new industry event, which will help leverage the importance of Marrakech as a key industry hub for Arab and African filmmakers.
Films Boutique’s Gabor Greiner said that the workshops provided an excellent opportunity to meet filmmakers and producers from the region, some of whom don’t travel very often to festivals in Europe.
“African cinema has tremendous potential and we’re keen to learn more about cinema from the region. As sales agents we’re on the lookout for something that stands out, and it can be easier to find unusual new voices in a region where cinema production is less common.”
Greiner cited examples of recent films that have raised visibility for Africa-related issues – such as Aalam-Warqe Davidian’s tragic romance “Fig Tree,...
Films Boutique’s Gabor Greiner said that the workshops provided an excellent opportunity to meet filmmakers and producers from the region, some of whom don’t travel very often to festivals in Europe.
“African cinema has tremendous potential and we’re keen to learn more about cinema from the region. As sales agents we’re on the lookout for something that stands out, and it can be easier to find unusual new voices in a region where cinema production is less common.”
Greiner cited examples of recent films that have raised visibility for Africa-related issues – such as Aalam-Warqe Davidian’s tragic romance “Fig Tree,...
- 12/6/2018
- by Martin Dale
- Variety Film + TV
Written and directed by Lucrecia Martel, the Argentine auteur behind La Cineaga and The Headless Woman, Zama is the long-awaited adaptation of Antonio Di Benedetto’s classic of Latin American modernism.
Zama transports us to a remote corner of 18th-century South America where Zama, a servant of the Spanish crown, slowly loses his grip on reality. Zama brings a 21st century perspective to bear on the history of colonial catastrophe in the Americas. Marooned in an a colonial outpost, the titular Don Diego De Zama (a soulful yet funny Daniel Gimenez Cacho, Bad Education, Y Tu Mama narrator, Arrancame la vida) waits in vain for a transfer to a more prestigious post.
Martel, in a perfect coupling of literary source material and cinematic sensibility, renders Zama’s world as both absurd and mysterious as he succumbs more and more to lust, paranoia and a creeping disorientation. A fever dream, the...
Zama transports us to a remote corner of 18th-century South America where Zama, a servant of the Spanish crown, slowly loses his grip on reality. Zama brings a 21st century perspective to bear on the history of colonial catastrophe in the Americas. Marooned in an a colonial outpost, the titular Don Diego De Zama (a soulful yet funny Daniel Gimenez Cacho, Bad Education, Y Tu Mama narrator, Arrancame la vida) waits in vain for a transfer to a more prestigious post.
Martel, in a perfect coupling of literary source material and cinematic sensibility, renders Zama’s world as both absurd and mysterious as he succumbs more and more to lust, paranoia and a creeping disorientation. A fever dream, the...
- 12/6/2017
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
Godless wins Special Jury Prize and Best Actress.Scroll down for the full list of winners
Turkish director Mehmet Can Mertoğlu’s Album has won the Heart of Sarajevo for Best Feature Film at this year’s Sarajevo Film Festival (Aug 12-20).
The comedy, which premiered in Critics’ Week at Cannes in May, follows a middle class Turkish couple who try to cover up the forgery of their family history.
The decision was made by a jury led by Palestinian director Elia Suleiman. The award comes with a prize of $18,000 (€16,000).
Album producer Yoel Meranda commented when receiving the award: “Many people here know that most of the stuff that helped this film get made happened in Sarajevo. It started in Sarajevo, and it’s amazing that we have completed this circle.”
Ralitza Petrova’s Godless was awarded two prizes: the Special Jury prize and Best Actress for lead Irena Ivanova.
The Bulgarian-French-Danish...
Turkish director Mehmet Can Mertoğlu’s Album has won the Heart of Sarajevo for Best Feature Film at this year’s Sarajevo Film Festival (Aug 12-20).
The comedy, which premiered in Critics’ Week at Cannes in May, follows a middle class Turkish couple who try to cover up the forgery of their family history.
The decision was made by a jury led by Palestinian director Elia Suleiman. The award comes with a prize of $18,000 (€16,000).
Album producer Yoel Meranda commented when receiving the award: “Many people here know that most of the stuff that helped this film get made happened in Sarajevo. It started in Sarajevo, and it’s amazing that we have completed this circle.”
Ralitza Petrova’s Godless was awarded two prizes: the Special Jury prize and Best Actress for lead Irena Ivanova.
The Bulgarian-French-Danish...
- 8/20/2016
- by tom.grater@screendaily.com (Tom Grater)
- ScreenDaily
Ten projects from South-East Europe, Middle East and North Africa will compete for industry awards.
Sarajevo Film Festival’s (Aug 12-20) Works in Progress strand has revealed the line-up of projects which will compete for three awards during the festival’s Industry Days on Aug 17 and 18.
Prizes will include the traditional post-production in-kind awards from Slovenia’s Restart (€20,000) and Berlin-based The Post Republic (€50,000), as well as a newly established €30,000 cash prize from Turkish broadcaster Trt.
The jury is comprised of Jan Naszewski of New Europe Film Sales, Giona A. Nazzaro from the Venice Film Festival Critics’ Week, Michael Reuter of The Post Republic and a representative from the Trt.
The projects will be presented to funders, sales agents, distributors, broadcasters and festival programmers, including representatives of Bankside Films, the Berlin International Film Festival, Bir Film, Celluloid Dreams, Coproduction Office, the Directors’ Fortnight, Elle Driver, the Festival de Cannes, Indie Sales, Lumiere, The Match...
Sarajevo Film Festival’s (Aug 12-20) Works in Progress strand has revealed the line-up of projects which will compete for three awards during the festival’s Industry Days on Aug 17 and 18.
Prizes will include the traditional post-production in-kind awards from Slovenia’s Restart (€20,000) and Berlin-based The Post Republic (€50,000), as well as a newly established €30,000 cash prize from Turkish broadcaster Trt.
The jury is comprised of Jan Naszewski of New Europe Film Sales, Giona A. Nazzaro from the Venice Film Festival Critics’ Week, Michael Reuter of The Post Republic and a representative from the Trt.
The projects will be presented to funders, sales agents, distributors, broadcasters and festival programmers, including representatives of Bankside Films, the Berlin International Film Festival, Bir Film, Celluloid Dreams, Coproduction Office, the Directors’ Fortnight, Elle Driver, the Festival de Cannes, Indie Sales, Lumiere, The Match...
- 8/5/2016
- by vladan.petkovic@gmail.com (Vladan Petkovic)
- ScreenDaily
Mexican feature Perpetual Sadness and Israeli drama Next to Her take top prizes at Greek festival.Scroll down for full list of winners
Mexican director Jorge Perez Solorzano’s Perpetual Sadness (La Tirisia) was named best film at the 55th Thessaloniki International Film Festival (Oct 31 - Nov 9) winning the Golden Alexander.
It beat competition from 13 other first and second films screened in this year’s international competition section.
The film deals with the stoicism and the sadness shared by women in a remote village facing the departure of their sons in search of work. World sales are handled by Media Luna.
It marks the second consecutive year that a Mexican production has won top honours at Thessaloniki. Last year, Diego Quemada-Diez’s Golden Dream (La jaula de oro) scooped the top award as well as best director.
Some 10 Mexican features have played in competition at the festival since 2000, winning cropping 12 principal awards.
Israeli feature...
Mexican director Jorge Perez Solorzano’s Perpetual Sadness (La Tirisia) was named best film at the 55th Thessaloniki International Film Festival (Oct 31 - Nov 9) winning the Golden Alexander.
It beat competition from 13 other first and second films screened in this year’s international competition section.
The film deals with the stoicism and the sadness shared by women in a remote village facing the departure of their sons in search of work. World sales are handled by Media Luna.
It marks the second consecutive year that a Mexican production has won top honours at Thessaloniki. Last year, Diego Quemada-Diez’s Golden Dream (La jaula de oro) scooped the top award as well as best director.
Some 10 Mexican features have played in competition at the festival since 2000, winning cropping 12 principal awards.
Israeli feature...
- 11/10/2014
- by alexisgrivas@yahoo.com (Alexis Grivas)
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Road trip comedy to co-star Laura Carmichael and Chloe Pirrie.
Paris-based Urban Distribution International (Udi) has picked up sales on Chanya Button’s upcoming road-trip comedy Burn, Burn, Burn on the eve of its shoot.
Downton Abbey actress Laura Carmichael and Chloe Pirrie (Shell), a Screen Star of Tomorrow and Bafta Breakthrough Brit in 2013, are set to co-star as two friends who travel across Britain to scatter the ashes of their late best friend Dan.
Other cast members include Alison Steadman and Nigel Planer.
The women take turns driving with Dan in the glove compartment, in a tupperware container, decreasing in volume as the trip progresses.
“Burn Burn Burn is the perfect feelgood movie - the one you want to see after a hard day’s work with your best friend, or again on TV and VOD with your mum,” said Udi chief Frederic Corvez.
“It’s funny, insolent, tender, smart...
Paris-based Urban Distribution International (Udi) has picked up sales on Chanya Button’s upcoming road-trip comedy Burn, Burn, Burn on the eve of its shoot.
Downton Abbey actress Laura Carmichael and Chloe Pirrie (Shell), a Screen Star of Tomorrow and Bafta Breakthrough Brit in 2013, are set to co-star as two friends who travel across Britain to scatter the ashes of their late best friend Dan.
Other cast members include Alison Steadman and Nigel Planer.
The women take turns driving with Dan in the glove compartment, in a tupperware container, decreasing in volume as the trip progresses.
“Burn Burn Burn is the perfect feelgood movie - the one you want to see after a hard day’s work with your best friend, or again on TV and VOD with your mum,” said Udi chief Frederic Corvez.
“It’s funny, insolent, tender, smart...
- 10/14/2014
- ScreenDaily
Six out of 40 submitted projects have made the final cut for the CineLink Work in Progress section, taking place as part of the Sarajevo Film Festival later this month.
The Work in Progress sessions present upcoming films currently in post-production to decision-makers from the European film industry.
This year’s projects come from Georgia, Greece, Israel, Kosovo, Romania and Turkey.
Brides (Patardzlebi) (Georgia, France)
Directed by Tinatin Kajrishvili
Wednesday 4:45 Am (Tetarti 04:45) (Greece, Germany, Israel)
Directed by Alexis Alexiou
Manpower (Israel, France)
Directed by Noam Kaplan
Three windows and a hanging (Tri dritare dhe nje varje) (Kosovo, Germany)
Directed by Isa Qosja
World is Mine (Lumea e mea) (Romania)
Directed by Nicolae Constantin Tănase
The Lamb (Kuzu) (Turkey, Germany)
Directed by Kutluğ Ataman
A seventh additional project will be announced during the festival – a documentary selected from the Docu Rough Cut Boutique, the workshop organized by the festival’s Documentary Competition Programme in collaboration with the...
The Work in Progress sessions present upcoming films currently in post-production to decision-makers from the European film industry.
This year’s projects come from Georgia, Greece, Israel, Kosovo, Romania and Turkey.
Brides (Patardzlebi) (Georgia, France)
Directed by Tinatin Kajrishvili
Wednesday 4:45 Am (Tetarti 04:45) (Greece, Germany, Israel)
Directed by Alexis Alexiou
Manpower (Israel, France)
Directed by Noam Kaplan
Three windows and a hanging (Tri dritare dhe nje varje) (Kosovo, Germany)
Directed by Isa Qosja
World is Mine (Lumea e mea) (Romania)
Directed by Nicolae Constantin Tănase
The Lamb (Kuzu) (Turkey, Germany)
Directed by Kutluğ Ataman
A seventh additional project will be announced during the festival – a documentary selected from the Docu Rough Cut Boutique, the workshop organized by the festival’s Documentary Competition Programme in collaboration with the...
- 8/8/2013
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
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