The films of prolific director Anne Fontaine range from the serious (Agnus Dei, Nathalie) to the ridiculous (Perfect Mothers) to the slickly entertaining (The Girl from Monaco, Coco Before Chanel, Gemma Bovery), making her one of the more diversified filmmakers operating in this sort of semi-commercial vein in France.
Her latest effort, Reinventing Marvin (or just Marvin in French), is a stab at yet another genre: the queer coming-of-age story, which she mixes into a confessional performance piece that includes, among other fourth wall-breaking elements, Isabelle Huppert co-starring as herself. The result is a hodgepodge that...
Her latest effort, Reinventing Marvin (or just Marvin in French), is a stab at yet another genre: the queer coming-of-age story, which she mixes into a confessional performance piece that includes, among other fourth wall-breaking elements, Isabelle Huppert co-starring as herself. The result is a hodgepodge that...
- 9/2/2017
- by Jordan Mintzer
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The legal battles and political infighting of the historic Taormina Film Festival have reduced the 63-year-old celebration to rubble this year.
Traditionally Sicily’s largest fest, the event has throughout its history drawn big-name celebrities eager for a quick sojourn to the Mediterranean. Everyone from Elizabeth Taylor to Marlon Brando to Robert De Niro have taken to the stage of the ancient Greek Theater where the festival is held.
After a call was held this year for a new organizer, live broadcasting company Videobank won the contract. This infuriated publicist Tiziana Rocca, who ran the fest with her company Agnus Dei...
Traditionally Sicily’s largest fest, the event has throughout its history drawn big-name celebrities eager for a quick sojourn to the Mediterranean. Everyone from Elizabeth Taylor to Marlon Brando to Robert De Niro have taken to the stage of the ancient Greek Theater where the festival is held.
After a call was held this year for a new organizer, live broadcasting company Videobank won the contract. This infuriated publicist Tiziana Rocca, who ran the fest with her company Agnus Dei...
- 5/3/2017
- by Ariston Anderson
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Upcoming films by Babak Jalali, Kaouther Ben Hania and Bassem among the 34 projects due to attend this year.Scroll down for full list of projects
Argentine film-maker Lucrecia Martel and veteran producer Paulo Branco have been confirmed as the final two ‘masters’ at the Doha Film Institute’s talent development event Qumra.
They will join previously announced mentor-speakers Iranian director Asghar Farhadi, French auteur Bruno Dumont and creative documentarian Rithy Panh at the third edition of the bespoke event, running March 3 to 8, 2017.
Colourful Portuguese producer Paulo Branco – who is based between Paris and Lisbon – has more than 300 producing credits to his name, amassed over four decades, working with the likes of David Cronenberg, Wim Wenders, Chantal Akerman, Alain Tanner, Werner Schroeter, Olivier Assayas, and Cédric Kahn.
His Paris-based sales and production company Alfama Films is at the Efm this year with Robert Schwentke’s long-awaited Second World War adventure title The Captain.
“Paulo Branco is one...
Argentine film-maker Lucrecia Martel and veteran producer Paulo Branco have been confirmed as the final two ‘masters’ at the Doha Film Institute’s talent development event Qumra.
They will join previously announced mentor-speakers Iranian director Asghar Farhadi, French auteur Bruno Dumont and creative documentarian Rithy Panh at the third edition of the bespoke event, running March 3 to 8, 2017.
Colourful Portuguese producer Paulo Branco – who is based between Paris and Lisbon – has more than 300 producing credits to his name, amassed over four decades, working with the likes of David Cronenberg, Wim Wenders, Chantal Akerman, Alain Tanner, Werner Schroeter, Olivier Assayas, and Cédric Kahn.
His Paris-based sales and production company Alfama Films is at the Efm this year with Robert Schwentke’s long-awaited Second World War adventure title The Captain.
“Paulo Branco is one...
- 2/12/2017
- ScreenDaily
Two years after winning the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, “Ida” director Paweł Pawlikowski has begun work on his follow-up. “Cold War” is described by Deadline as a “passionate love story between two people of different backgrounds and temperaments — who are fatally mismatched yet fatefully condemned to one another” that takes place in 1950s Poland, Berlin, Yugoslavia and Paris.
Read More: Oscar-Nominated ‘Ida’ Director Pawel Pawlikowski On How He’s Surviving Awards Season
“Ida,” the first Polish film to win the foreign-language Oscar, also took home a BAFTA Award and was nominated for a Golden Globe (“Leviathan” won). Tomasz Kot, Joanna Kulig and Agata Kulesza (who was named Best Supporting Actress by the Los Angeles Film Critics Association for her role in “Ida”) all star in “Cold War,” about which little is currently known other than the premise.
Read More: ‘A Man Called Ove’ Co-Star Bahar Pars May...
Read More: Oscar-Nominated ‘Ida’ Director Pawel Pawlikowski On How He’s Surviving Awards Season
“Ida,” the first Polish film to win the foreign-language Oscar, also took home a BAFTA Award and was nominated for a Golden Globe (“Leviathan” won). Tomasz Kot, Joanna Kulig and Agata Kulesza (who was named Best Supporting Actress by the Los Angeles Film Critics Association for her role in “Ida”) all star in “Cold War,” about which little is currently known other than the premise.
Read More: ‘A Man Called Ove’ Co-Star Bahar Pars May...
- 2/7/2017
- by Michael Nordine
- Indiewire
With a seemingly endless amount of streaming options — not only the titles at our disposal, but services themselves — we’ve taken it upon ourselves to highlight the titles that have recently hit platforms. Every week, one will be able to see the cream of the crop (or perhaps some simply interesting picks) of streaming titles (new and old) across platforms such as Netflix, iTunes, Amazon, and more (note: U.S. only). Check out our rundown for this week’s selections below.
Aquarius (Kleber Mendonça Filho)
The staggeringly accomplished debut feature by Brazilian critic-turned-director Kleber Mendonça Filho, Neighboring Sounds, announced the arrival of a remarkable new talent in international cinema. Clearly recognizable as the work of the same director, Mendonça’s equally assertive follow-up, Aquarius, establishes his authorial voice as well as his place as one of the most eloquent filmic commentators on the contemporary state of Brazilian society. – Giovanni M.
Aquarius (Kleber Mendonça Filho)
The staggeringly accomplished debut feature by Brazilian critic-turned-director Kleber Mendonça Filho, Neighboring Sounds, announced the arrival of a remarkable new talent in international cinema. Clearly recognizable as the work of the same director, Mendonça’s equally assertive follow-up, Aquarius, establishes his authorial voice as well as his place as one of the most eloquent filmic commentators on the contemporary state of Brazilian society. – Giovanni M.
- 1/13/2017
- by The Film Stage
- The Film Stage
With a seemingly endless amount of streaming options — not only the titles at our disposal, but services themselves — we’ve taken it upon ourselves to highlight the titles that have recently hit platforms. Every week, one will be able to see the cream of the crop (or perhaps some simply interesting picks) of streaming titles (new and old) across platforms such as Netflix, iTunes, Amazon, and more (note: U.S. only). Check out our rundown for this week’s selections below.
Complete Unknown (Joshua Marston)
Armed with two top-notch leads and a compelling premise, Joshua Marston‘s third feature, Complete Unknown, spends a lot of time hinting at which direction it will go, without going anywhere at all. Tom (Michael Shannon) is living with his wife Rehema (Azita Ghanizada) in New York City, spending the majority of his days drafting agricultural policy emails in a cramped government office. It is...
Complete Unknown (Joshua Marston)
Armed with two top-notch leads and a compelling premise, Joshua Marston‘s third feature, Complete Unknown, spends a lot of time hinting at which direction it will go, without going anywhere at all. Tom (Michael Shannon) is living with his wife Rehema (Azita Ghanizada) in New York City, spending the majority of his days drafting agricultural policy emails in a cramped government office. It is...
- 9/30/2016
- by The Film Stage
- The Film Stage
France has chosen to put forth Paul Verhoeven's first French-language film, Elle, as its submission for the Foreign Language Oscar race. The selection committee at national film board the Cnc made the decision on the Isabelle Huppert-starrer Monday, after “long and passionate debates.” It chose from a field of four movies that had been shortlisted. They also included François Ozon's Frantz; Anne Fontaine's Agnus Dei; and Danièle Thompson's Cézanne Et Moi. Elle was a hit…...
- 9/26/2016
- Deadline
France has shortlisted four films for the Foreign Language Oscar race with the official entry to be determined later this month. The selection committee will be voting on two films that Music Box has Stateside: Anne Fontaine's Sundance pic Agnus Dei which was released as The Innocents and has grossed about $1M to date; and François Ozon's Frantz which just debuted in Venice and won the Best New Actress prize for Paula Beer. Also on the list is Paul Verhoeven's lauded Elle…...
- 9/15/2016
- Deadline TV
France has shortlisted four films for the Foreign Language Oscar race with the official entry to be determined later this month. The selection committee will be voting on two films that Music Box has Stateside: Anne Fontaine's Sundance pic Agnus Dei which was released as The Innocents and has grossed about $1M to date; and François Ozon's Frantz which just debuted in Venice and won the Best New Actress prize for Paula Beer. Also on the list is Paul Verhoeven's lauded Elle…...
- 9/15/2016
- Deadline
Other winners include Agnus Dei, Toni Erdmann, The Day Will Come, Amundsen & Nobile and I’ll Try Again.
The audience award at The 44th Norwegian International Film Festival Haugesund has gone to Paolo Genovese’s Perfect Strangers.
The Ray of Sunshine award went to Benjamin Ree’s chess champion documentary Magnus, which the jury said “is a film where the human being is at the centre, proving how love and community can bring out the very best in us.”
“This is the story of an extraordinary human being and talent, and through tight and respectful dramaturgy, as well as a good helping of humour, we get deeply under the skin of its protagonist.”
The ecumenical Andreas Award went to Anne Fontaine’s French drama Agnus Dei.
The Norwegian Film Critics Award went to Maren Ade’s Cannes hit Toni Erdmann.
The Fipresci Award went to The Day Will Come from Denmark’s Jesper W Nielsen.
In the Co-production...
The audience award at The 44th Norwegian International Film Festival Haugesund has gone to Paolo Genovese’s Perfect Strangers.
The Ray of Sunshine award went to Benjamin Ree’s chess champion documentary Magnus, which the jury said “is a film where the human being is at the centre, proving how love and community can bring out the very best in us.”
“This is the story of an extraordinary human being and talent, and through tight and respectful dramaturgy, as well as a good helping of humour, we get deeply under the skin of its protagonist.”
The ecumenical Andreas Award went to Anne Fontaine’s French drama Agnus Dei.
The Norwegian Film Critics Award went to Maren Ade’s Cannes hit Toni Erdmann.
The Fipresci Award went to The Day Will Come from Denmark’s Jesper W Nielsen.
In the Co-production...
- 8/26/2016
- by wendy.mitchell@screendaily.com (Wendy Mitchell)
- ScreenDaily
Other winners include Agnus Dei, Toni Erdmann, The Day Will Come, Amundsen & Nobile and I’ll Try Again.
The audience award at The 44th Norwegian International Film Festival Haugesund has gone to Paolo Genovese’s Perfect Strangers.
The Ray of Sunshine award went to Benjamin Ree’s chess champion documentary Magnus, which the jury said “is a film where the human being is at the centre, proving how love and community can bring out the very best in us.”
“This is the story of an extraordinary human being and talent, and through tight and respectful dramaturgy, as well as a good helping of humour, we get deeply under the skin of its protagonist.”
The ecumenical Andreas Award went to Anne Fontaine’s French drama Agnus Dei.
The Norwegian Film Critics Award went to Maren Ade’s Cannes hit Toni Erdmann.
The Fipresci Award went to The Day Will Come from Denmark’s Jesper W Nielsen.
In the Co-production...
The audience award at The 44th Norwegian International Film Festival Haugesund has gone to Paolo Genovese’s Perfect Strangers.
The Ray of Sunshine award went to Benjamin Ree’s chess champion documentary Magnus, which the jury said “is a film where the human being is at the centre, proving how love and community can bring out the very best in us.”
“This is the story of an extraordinary human being and talent, and through tight and respectful dramaturgy, as well as a good helping of humour, we get deeply under the skin of its protagonist.”
The ecumenical Andreas Award went to Anne Fontaine’s French drama Agnus Dei.
The Norwegian Film Critics Award went to Maren Ade’s Cannes hit Toni Erdmann.
The Fipresci Award went to The Day Will Come from Denmark’s Jesper W Nielsen.
In the Co-production...
- 8/26/2016
- by wendy.mitchell@screendaily.com (Wendy Mitchell)
- ScreenDaily
At breakfast with Anton Honik, Miri Ann Beuschel and Forældre director Christian Tafdrup Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
Roman Polanski's Rosemary's Baby, Michael Haneke, a rabbit memory not from Alice In Wonderland, Danish fairy tales, Oscar Wilde's The Picture Of Dorian Gray, Molière's Tartuffe and an Andrei Tarkovsky tracking shot pops up in my conversation with director/writer/actor Christian Tafdrup.
In a turn of events straight out of David Lynch's Lost Highway book of identity magic, Kjeld (Søren Malling of Nikolaj Arcel's A Royal Affair) dreams to relive his younger days. This comes true in unexpected ways through Miri Ann Beuschel and Elliott Crosset Hove. With their son Esben (Anton Honik) leaving for college, Kjeld and Vibeke (Bodil Jørgensen of Cæcilia Holbek Trier's Agnus Dei and Anders Thomas Jensen's Men & Chicken) feel that their suburban house has become too big and empty for them. They...
Roman Polanski's Rosemary's Baby, Michael Haneke, a rabbit memory not from Alice In Wonderland, Danish fairy tales, Oscar Wilde's The Picture Of Dorian Gray, Molière's Tartuffe and an Andrei Tarkovsky tracking shot pops up in my conversation with director/writer/actor Christian Tafdrup.
In a turn of events straight out of David Lynch's Lost Highway book of identity magic, Kjeld (Søren Malling of Nikolaj Arcel's A Royal Affair) dreams to relive his younger days. This comes true in unexpected ways through Miri Ann Beuschel and Elliott Crosset Hove. With their son Esben (Anton Honik) leaving for college, Kjeld and Vibeke (Bodil Jørgensen of Cæcilia Holbek Trier's Agnus Dei and Anders Thomas Jensen's Men & Chicken) feel that their suburban house has become too big and empty for them. They...
- 7/23/2016
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Grégoire Hetzel: "Joy is difficult to translate." Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
The composer for Arnaud Desplechin's My Golden Days (Trois Souvenirs De Ma Jeunesse), A Christmas Tale (Un Conte De Noël); Kings & Queen (Rois Et Reine); La Forêt and The Beloved (L'Aimée), Mathieu Amalric's The Blue Room (La Chambre Bleue), Cédric Anger's Next Time I'll Aim For the Heart (La Prochaine Fois Je Viserai Le Coeur), and Renaud Fely's L'Ami (François D'Assise Et Ses Frères) spoke with me about scoring Catherine Corsini's Summertime (La Belle Saison) starring Izïa Higelin and Cécile de France and Anne Fontaine's The Innocents (Agnus Dei).
Delphine (Izïa Higelin) in Paris
Grégoire Hetzel, who previously worked with Corsini on Les Ambitieux and Three Worlds (Trois Mondes) points out the similarity between her joy and Anne Fontaine's religion in our conversation high above Central Park.
The love story in Summertime...
The composer for Arnaud Desplechin's My Golden Days (Trois Souvenirs De Ma Jeunesse), A Christmas Tale (Un Conte De Noël); Kings & Queen (Rois Et Reine); La Forêt and The Beloved (L'Aimée), Mathieu Amalric's The Blue Room (La Chambre Bleue), Cédric Anger's Next Time I'll Aim For the Heart (La Prochaine Fois Je Viserai Le Coeur), and Renaud Fely's L'Ami (François D'Assise Et Ses Frères) spoke with me about scoring Catherine Corsini's Summertime (La Belle Saison) starring Izïa Higelin and Cécile de France and Anne Fontaine's The Innocents (Agnus Dei).
Delphine (Izïa Higelin) in Paris
Grégoire Hetzel, who previously worked with Corsini on Les Ambitieux and Three Worlds (Trois Mondes) points out the similarity between her joy and Anne Fontaine's religion in our conversation high above Central Park.
The love story in Summertime...
- 7/10/2016
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
When Anne Fontaine’s “The Innocents” made its debut at Sundance earlier this year, it was under the title “Agnus Dei,” referring to a liturgical chant that has been a part of Roman Catholic mass since the seventh century. The sentiment of the traditional chant is simple: “Lamb of God, you who take away the sins of the world, have mercy upon us. Lamb of God, you who take away the sins of the world, grant us peace.” For the haunted characters that inhabit Fontaine’s sensitive slice of forgotten history, that search for mercy and peace finds itself in some very unexpected places. And not all of them are touched by God.
Fontaine’s film tackles a fictionalized take on the story of Madeleine Pauliac (the film renames her Mathilde Beaulieu), a doctor and Resistance fighter who was a member of the French Red Cross during and after World War II.
Fontaine’s film tackles a fictionalized take on the story of Madeleine Pauliac (the film renames her Mathilde Beaulieu), a doctor and Resistance fighter who was a member of the French Red Cross during and after World War II.
- 7/1/2016
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
The first trailer for Anne Fontaine‘s (Gemma Bovery, Adore) latest feature The Innocents (alternatively titled Agnus Dei) depicts the struggle of a young Red Cross doctor in Poland, 1945, who realizes several nuns are pregnant when she goes to assist survivors of a German camp.
With largely locked down compositions mixed with controlled, gliding shots, the imagery is reminiscent of 2014’s wonderful Ida. However, The Innocents has a more vintage, grainy filmic quality that lends itself to its darker, cooler color palette and low light imagery.
We said in our review: “Despite an ending that is far too obvious and tidy, Agnus Dei is a moving drama about the struggle to keep one’s faith in the most difficult of situations. Also working as an allegory for humanity’s enduring difficulty to stay true to one’s ideals when a quandary is thrown in the mix, Agnus Dei is a...
With largely locked down compositions mixed with controlled, gliding shots, the imagery is reminiscent of 2014’s wonderful Ida. However, The Innocents has a more vintage, grainy filmic quality that lends itself to its darker, cooler color palette and low light imagery.
We said in our review: “Despite an ending that is far too obvious and tidy, Agnus Dei is a moving drama about the struggle to keep one’s faith in the most difficult of situations. Also working as an allegory for humanity’s enduring difficulty to stay true to one’s ideals when a quandary is thrown in the mix, Agnus Dei is a...
- 6/17/2016
- by Mike Mazzanti
- The Film Stage
Hélene Grimaud Water: Berio: Wasserklavier: Sawhney: Water: Transitions 1-7; Takemitsu: Rain Tree Sketch No. 2; Fauré: Barcarolle No. 5; Ravel: Jeux d'eau; Albéniz: Almeria; Liszt: Les Jeux d'eaux a la Villa d'Este; Janáček: In the Mist: No. 1; Debussy: La Cathedrale engloutie (Deutsche Grammophon) Classical purists be warned: almost half the tracks here are not the solo piano recital you might expect from the billing. Instead, Grimaud had composer Nitin Sawhney create electronic bridging miniatures (ranging from 0:56 to 1:41) fitted between the solo piano tracks. This works wonderfully well, changing this album from a traditional presentation into a moody soundscape (though the purist crowd was quick to take offense, witness the extremely snarky review on classicstoday.com). Of course, Grimaud is her usual scintillating self on the solo piano pieces. The pieces she has chosen for this thematic program are in a couple of cases "usual suspects" -- the Ravel and Debussy...
- 5/31/2016
- by SteveHoltje
- www.culturecatch.com
Grégoire Hetzel with Anne-Katrin Titze: "It's like Bernard Herrmann or Ravel." Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
Grégoire Hetzel scored Mathieu Amalric's chronicle of fluid crime The Blue Room (La Chambre Bleue) and César winning director Arnaud Desplechin's mythical braid of adventure My Golden Days (Trois Souvenirs De Ma Jeunesse), A Christmas Tale (Un Conte De Noël); Kings & Queen (Rois Et Reine); La Forêt and The Beloved (L'Aimée).
Grégoire recently worked on Cédric Anger's Next Time I'll Aim For The Heart (La Prochaine Fois Je Viserai Le Coeur); Anne Fontaine's The Innocents (Agnus Dei); Renaud Fely's L'Ami (François D'Assise Et Ses Frères), Mathieu Demy's Americano and Catherine Corsini's Summertime (La Belle Saison), which he presented at Rendez-Vous with French Cinema in New York.
Arnaud Desplechin: "In Arnaud's films the music is always underscored …" Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
Gilles Deleuze, Bernard Herrmann and Maurice Ravel eventually reverberated...
Grégoire Hetzel scored Mathieu Amalric's chronicle of fluid crime The Blue Room (La Chambre Bleue) and César winning director Arnaud Desplechin's mythical braid of adventure My Golden Days (Trois Souvenirs De Ma Jeunesse), A Christmas Tale (Un Conte De Noël); Kings & Queen (Rois Et Reine); La Forêt and The Beloved (L'Aimée).
Grégoire recently worked on Cédric Anger's Next Time I'll Aim For The Heart (La Prochaine Fois Je Viserai Le Coeur); Anne Fontaine's The Innocents (Agnus Dei); Renaud Fely's L'Ami (François D'Assise Et Ses Frères), Mathieu Demy's Americano and Catherine Corsini's Summertime (La Belle Saison), which he presented at Rendez-Vous with French Cinema in New York.
Arnaud Desplechin: "In Arnaud's films the music is always underscored …" Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
Gilles Deleuze, Bernard Herrmann and Maurice Ravel eventually reverberated...
- 3/15/2016
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Directors and producers from 19 countries are attached to 13 narrative feature films, 10 feature documentaries and 10 short films participating in the 6 day program of industry sessions designed to progress their projects and prepare them for international markets. The emphasis is on supporting first-and-second-time filmmakers with projects in development and post-production.
The Doha Film Institute's second edition of Qumra will be taking place in Doha, Qatar from March 4-9. 15 projects are from Qatar-based filmmakers, 12 from the Middle East North Africa (Mena) region and 6 from the rest of the world. 11 of the 33 projects are features films in development, 12 are in post-production and 10 are short films in development.
Twenty of the feature projects are alumni of the Institute’s grants program and 3 are by independent filmmakers from Qatar. Of the 10 short projects, 7 are by Qatari filmmakers and 3 are by Qatar-based filmmakers identified through the Institute’s ongoing engagement with local industry.
Doha Film Institute CEO Fatma Al Remaihi said: “We are very excited by the diverse slate of projects selected for Qumra 2016, representing emerging talent from Qatar, the Arab region and around the world.”
“We have prepared an intensive program for our project delegates which is designed to inspire them creatively and support them in navigating the evolving landscape of the film industry. I look forward to welcoming each of our project delegates to Qumra for what promises to be a productive exchange of ideas, culture and creativity.”
New to this year’s edition is the Qumra Shorts Programme, a dedicated strand designed to address the unique requirements of short films in development, during which 10 Qatar-based filmmakers will present their projects to a group of international industry professionals, including script consultants, producers, lab representatives, programmers and buyers, all of whom are experts in the short form.
The ten short filmmakers have been supported by the Doha Film Institute in various ways throughout their careers and many are alumni of its educational initiatives, workshops and funding programs. "Kashta" by Aj Al Thani has been supported by the Institute’s grants program and "Amer: The Arabian Legend" by Jassim Al-Rumaihi is supported by the Qatari Film Fund, the newly established funding and development program for Qatari filmmakers which was announced last year.
Directors and producers attached to each of the 33 projects will attend the sessions in Doha where they will be linked with more than 100 seasoned industry experts from all facets of the film industry including representatives from leading international film festivals, funding bodies, sales, production and distribution companies along with development specialists and script consultants.
The program is specifically tailored to each project’s needs and is divided according to their stage of development. Projects in development will participate in group and individual sessions for script consulting, legal, sales, marketing and co-production advice along with one-on-one match-made meetings and tutorials.
Projects in post-production are divided into two strands: the Work-in-Progress sessions will present a series of closed rough-cut screenings of 20-minute excerpts from the four narrative and four documentary Qumra projects in post-production followed by immediate, individual feedback from a panel of selected industry experts; and the Picture Lock Screenings will present exclusive 20 minute excerpts of four feature-length Qumra projects in the final stages of post-production for leading festival programmers, broadcasters, market representatives, sales agents and distributors.
The Qumra Projects delegates will also attend daily master classes and screenings presented by five Qumra Masters who represent some of the leading figures in world cinema today.
The 2016 Qumra Masters are Nuri Bilge Ceylan (Turkey), Naomi Kawase (Japan), Joshua Oppenheimer (Us), James Schamus (Us), Aleksandr Sokurov (Russia). Each Master will be matched to a selection of Qumra projects to participate in dedicated mentoring sessions with the emerging filmmakers.
The 2016 Qumra Projects are:
Feature Films:
Feature Narrative, Development
"Bull Shark" by Mohammed Al Ibrahim (Qatar, Bahrain, USA)
An up-and-coming investment banker makes his mark in the Arab region’s most prominent Islamic investment bank, only to find he has been caught in the middle of the costliest embezzlement scheme in Arab history.
"Death Street" by Mohanad Hayal (Iraq, Qatar)
Tariq, the sniper of Haifa Street in Baghdad, kills Ahmed on the day he intends to propose marriage. While Tariq prevents anyone from approaching the corpse in the street, an intimate and telling drama unfolds.
"Evil Eye" by Sophia Al-Maria (Qatar, Morocco)
After inheriting the keys to an apartment in The City, country girl Dihya finds out that The Village she comes from has a reputation for witchcraft in this North African take on the teen witch film.
"The Pearl" by Noor Al-Nasr (Qatar)
A tech-obsessed Qatari teen, disconnected from his family, travels back in time to an era before his beloved technology existed, when the city’s main source of income was pearl diving. Alone on this journey, he must learn how to survive and communicate face-to-face in order to reconnect with his family.
"The Search for the Star Pearl" by Hafiz Ali Ali (Qatar)
Ali, a 17-year-old pearl diver from Doha, discovers a map to the Star Pearl of Abu Derya, the most valuable gem on Earth, and sets sail with three teenaged friends in search of it. Along the way, they face mythological beasts that challenge their skills and friendship.
"Stolen Skies" by Laila Hotait Salas (Lebanon, Qatar)
When a bomb is detonated in Cairo, one family feels it ricochet through the erased memories of three generations.
"Till the Swallows Return" by Karim Moussaoui (Algeria, France, Qatar)
This is the story of three characters who are a product of the conflicted Algeria of the 2000s. Their ideals shattered and their moral strength drained, each now faces a difficult life choice.
Feature Documentary, Development
"Agnus Dei" by Karim Sayad (Algeria, Switzerland, Qatar)
On the vacant lot where the confrontation takes place, the tension is at its peak. Foufa and his sheep King are getting ready for the fight...
"Behind the Doors" by Yakout Elhababi (Morocco, Qatar)
High in the Rif mountains of Morocco, the people survive by growing kif. Beneath the shadow of the ambiguous legality of the crop, ‘Behind the Doors’ tells the story of a family through its children and their mirroring games.
"The Great Family" by Eliane Raheb (Lebanon, France, Qatar)
In 1976, at the age of four, Marlene was put up for adoption in Lebanon and raised in France. In delving into her past, she discovers she is a survivor of the massacre at the Tal Al Zaatar Palestinian refugee camp, and a family of survivors grows around her.
"To the Ends of the Earth" by Hamida Issa (Qatar)
A Qatari woman travels on an environmental expedition to Antarctica in search of hope, before returning to the Gulf and finding unity and inspiration for positive change.
Feature Narrative, Works-in-Progress
"Ali, The Goat and Ibrahim" by Sherif Elbendary (Egypt, France, Germany, USA, Qatar)
Ali and Ibrahim are two lonely and weird characters who are rejected by their society. Ali loves a goat called Nada, and Ibrahim is a sound engineer who is disturbed by strange voices that he alone can hear. When their paths cross, this odd pair embarks on a journey that will change their lives.
"Dede" by Mariam Khatchvani (Georgia, Qatar)
As Georgia fights for its independence after the collapse of the Soviet Union, a young woman struggles to make a life in the remote, isolated villages high in the Caucasus Mountains, where ancient patriarchal laws threaten to separate her from her daughter.
"Poisonous Roses" by Fawzi Saleh (Egypt, Qatar)
The world has left nothing to Taheya apart from her brother Saqr. When he disappears, Taheya pursues him in desperation.
"White Sun" by Deepak Rauniyar (Nepal, The Netherlands, Qatar)
A drama about life in a Nepali mountain village in the wake of the decade-long armed conflict.
Feature Documentary, Works-in-Progress
"Ghost Hunting" by Raed Andoni (Palestine, France, Switzerland, Qatar)
Director Raed Andoni assembles an eclectic group of Palestinians to rebuild the Israeli investigation centre in which they were imprisoned – a place they never actually saw because they were always blindfolded.
"My Uncle the “Terrorist” by Elias Moubarak (Lebanon, Germany, Qatar)
A film director seeks to uncover a 40-year-old family taboo: the controversial life of his Uncle Fouad, a poet and an engineer of the Munich massacre.
"The Silk Railroad" by Martin Dicicco (USA, Georgia, Qatar)
Wealth, opportunity, and discord collide along the route of a new railroad bridging Europe and Asia.
"Tondo" by Jewel Maranan (The Philippines, Germany, Qatar)
‘Tondo’ is a film about four people in different stages of life - birth, youth, adulthood and death - who are caught in the path of expansion of Manila’s busiest international port.
Feature Narrative, Picture Lock
"Bastard" by Uda Benyamina (Morocco, France, Qatar)
Fifteen-year-old Dounia lives with her mother in a rough
Parisian suburb, where she has been saddled with the nickname “bastard”.
"The Mimosas" by Oliver Laxe (Spain, Morocco, France, Qatar)
In the Atlas Mountains in the past, a caravan searches for the path to take a Sufi master home to die. Among the party is Ahmed, a rascal who eventually becomes inspired to lead the caravan to its destination. Along the way, Ahmed is assisted by Shakib, a man sent from contemporary Morocco to guide him on his journey.
"Beirut Rooster" by Ziad Kalthoum (Syria, Lebanon, Germany, Qatar)
While Syrian workers rebuild Lebanon, a country ruined by a lengthy civil war, their hometowns in Syria are destroyed during the brutal conflict there. Who will rebuild their houses?
"Those From the Shore" by Tamara Stepanyan (Armenia, Lebanon, France, Qatar)
Marseille, 2014. Dozens of Armenian asylum seekers are trying to survive while waiting for their applications to be considered. They live in an indeterminate space, wandering in limbo.
Short Films:
Development, Short Narrative
"I Want to Feel What I Feel When I Am Asleep" by Abdullah Al-Mulla (Qatar)
A man wearing a gas mask is on a journey to fulfil a selfless purpose. Among the people of a drugged and mesmerised society, he cleans up a ruined city in order to cover up the destruction that has taken place.
"Kashta" by Aj Al Thani (Qatar)
A father takes his two sons out on a trip to the desert to go hunting, but the results are not quite what he was expecting.
"Qafas" by Mayar Hamdan (Qatar)
A young man tries everything to escape the cage he is chained in. Only when he realises that the true obstacle to his release is not the chains, but rather his outlook on his situation, does he finally become free.
"A Ranged Marriage" by Nora Al Subai (Qatar)
After being stuck in an arranged married for a year, a desperate wife discovers the perfect gift for their anniversary: a romantic dinner that will kill her husband.
"The World is Blue" by Amna Al Binali (Qatar)
During her sister’s engagement party, Hend comes to terms with the contradiction between how she wants her life to unfold and the inevitability of how it has been drawn for her.
Development, Short Documentary
"Amer: The Arabian Legend" by Jassim Al-Rumaihi (Qatar)
Sent as a gift to the late Emir of Qatar in the 1980s, Amer seemed like an average purebred Arabian. After he was taken to the tracks of Umm Qarn to train other horses, however, he showed his class, changing the face of Arabian horseracing forever.
"Buqsha" by Fahad Al Obaidly (Qatar)
‘Buqsha’ strives to encourage people to go beyond their preconceptions and venture into the past to look to the future Throughout our journey, we demonstrate the importance of learning from traditional culture while preserving our own, and that the balance between artistic heritage and the contemporary arts nurtures creativity.
"The Innocent Prisoner" by Amina Ahmed Al-Boluchi (Qatar)
The story of a man trying to wash away his history of being a prisoner, determining his destiny by becoming a better person, and finding himself a place in his own society.
"Love in the Middle East" by Mostafa Sheshtawy (Qatar)
Romantic love is very common, yet it can mean something completely different from one person to the next. Through a young man’s journey, this film looks at what it means to fall in love in the Middle East.
Picture Lock, Short Narrative
"More Than Two Days" by Ahmed Abdelnaser (Qatar)
Over the course of two days, two brothers go through critical moments that may change their lives. ‘More Than Two Days’ examines their relationship and how each of them is trying to face up to the new situation in their lives.
The Doha Film Institute's second edition of Qumra will be taking place in Doha, Qatar from March 4-9. 15 projects are from Qatar-based filmmakers, 12 from the Middle East North Africa (Mena) region and 6 from the rest of the world. 11 of the 33 projects are features films in development, 12 are in post-production and 10 are short films in development.
Twenty of the feature projects are alumni of the Institute’s grants program and 3 are by independent filmmakers from Qatar. Of the 10 short projects, 7 are by Qatari filmmakers and 3 are by Qatar-based filmmakers identified through the Institute’s ongoing engagement with local industry.
Doha Film Institute CEO Fatma Al Remaihi said: “We are very excited by the diverse slate of projects selected for Qumra 2016, representing emerging talent from Qatar, the Arab region and around the world.”
“We have prepared an intensive program for our project delegates which is designed to inspire them creatively and support them in navigating the evolving landscape of the film industry. I look forward to welcoming each of our project delegates to Qumra for what promises to be a productive exchange of ideas, culture and creativity.”
New to this year’s edition is the Qumra Shorts Programme, a dedicated strand designed to address the unique requirements of short films in development, during which 10 Qatar-based filmmakers will present their projects to a group of international industry professionals, including script consultants, producers, lab representatives, programmers and buyers, all of whom are experts in the short form.
The ten short filmmakers have been supported by the Doha Film Institute in various ways throughout their careers and many are alumni of its educational initiatives, workshops and funding programs. "Kashta" by Aj Al Thani has been supported by the Institute’s grants program and "Amer: The Arabian Legend" by Jassim Al-Rumaihi is supported by the Qatari Film Fund, the newly established funding and development program for Qatari filmmakers which was announced last year.
Directors and producers attached to each of the 33 projects will attend the sessions in Doha where they will be linked with more than 100 seasoned industry experts from all facets of the film industry including representatives from leading international film festivals, funding bodies, sales, production and distribution companies along with development specialists and script consultants.
The program is specifically tailored to each project’s needs and is divided according to their stage of development. Projects in development will participate in group and individual sessions for script consulting, legal, sales, marketing and co-production advice along with one-on-one match-made meetings and tutorials.
Projects in post-production are divided into two strands: the Work-in-Progress sessions will present a series of closed rough-cut screenings of 20-minute excerpts from the four narrative and four documentary Qumra projects in post-production followed by immediate, individual feedback from a panel of selected industry experts; and the Picture Lock Screenings will present exclusive 20 minute excerpts of four feature-length Qumra projects in the final stages of post-production for leading festival programmers, broadcasters, market representatives, sales agents and distributors.
The Qumra Projects delegates will also attend daily master classes and screenings presented by five Qumra Masters who represent some of the leading figures in world cinema today.
The 2016 Qumra Masters are Nuri Bilge Ceylan (Turkey), Naomi Kawase (Japan), Joshua Oppenheimer (Us), James Schamus (Us), Aleksandr Sokurov (Russia). Each Master will be matched to a selection of Qumra projects to participate in dedicated mentoring sessions with the emerging filmmakers.
The 2016 Qumra Projects are:
Feature Films:
Feature Narrative, Development
"Bull Shark" by Mohammed Al Ibrahim (Qatar, Bahrain, USA)
An up-and-coming investment banker makes his mark in the Arab region’s most prominent Islamic investment bank, only to find he has been caught in the middle of the costliest embezzlement scheme in Arab history.
"Death Street" by Mohanad Hayal (Iraq, Qatar)
Tariq, the sniper of Haifa Street in Baghdad, kills Ahmed on the day he intends to propose marriage. While Tariq prevents anyone from approaching the corpse in the street, an intimate and telling drama unfolds.
"Evil Eye" by Sophia Al-Maria (Qatar, Morocco)
After inheriting the keys to an apartment in The City, country girl Dihya finds out that The Village she comes from has a reputation for witchcraft in this North African take on the teen witch film.
"The Pearl" by Noor Al-Nasr (Qatar)
A tech-obsessed Qatari teen, disconnected from his family, travels back in time to an era before his beloved technology existed, when the city’s main source of income was pearl diving. Alone on this journey, he must learn how to survive and communicate face-to-face in order to reconnect with his family.
"The Search for the Star Pearl" by Hafiz Ali Ali (Qatar)
Ali, a 17-year-old pearl diver from Doha, discovers a map to the Star Pearl of Abu Derya, the most valuable gem on Earth, and sets sail with three teenaged friends in search of it. Along the way, they face mythological beasts that challenge their skills and friendship.
"Stolen Skies" by Laila Hotait Salas (Lebanon, Qatar)
When a bomb is detonated in Cairo, one family feels it ricochet through the erased memories of three generations.
"Till the Swallows Return" by Karim Moussaoui (Algeria, France, Qatar)
This is the story of three characters who are a product of the conflicted Algeria of the 2000s. Their ideals shattered and their moral strength drained, each now faces a difficult life choice.
Feature Documentary, Development
"Agnus Dei" by Karim Sayad (Algeria, Switzerland, Qatar)
On the vacant lot where the confrontation takes place, the tension is at its peak. Foufa and his sheep King are getting ready for the fight...
"Behind the Doors" by Yakout Elhababi (Morocco, Qatar)
High in the Rif mountains of Morocco, the people survive by growing kif. Beneath the shadow of the ambiguous legality of the crop, ‘Behind the Doors’ tells the story of a family through its children and their mirroring games.
"The Great Family" by Eliane Raheb (Lebanon, France, Qatar)
In 1976, at the age of four, Marlene was put up for adoption in Lebanon and raised in France. In delving into her past, she discovers she is a survivor of the massacre at the Tal Al Zaatar Palestinian refugee camp, and a family of survivors grows around her.
"To the Ends of the Earth" by Hamida Issa (Qatar)
A Qatari woman travels on an environmental expedition to Antarctica in search of hope, before returning to the Gulf and finding unity and inspiration for positive change.
Feature Narrative, Works-in-Progress
"Ali, The Goat and Ibrahim" by Sherif Elbendary (Egypt, France, Germany, USA, Qatar)
Ali and Ibrahim are two lonely and weird characters who are rejected by their society. Ali loves a goat called Nada, and Ibrahim is a sound engineer who is disturbed by strange voices that he alone can hear. When their paths cross, this odd pair embarks on a journey that will change their lives.
"Dede" by Mariam Khatchvani (Georgia, Qatar)
As Georgia fights for its independence after the collapse of the Soviet Union, a young woman struggles to make a life in the remote, isolated villages high in the Caucasus Mountains, where ancient patriarchal laws threaten to separate her from her daughter.
"Poisonous Roses" by Fawzi Saleh (Egypt, Qatar)
The world has left nothing to Taheya apart from her brother Saqr. When he disappears, Taheya pursues him in desperation.
"White Sun" by Deepak Rauniyar (Nepal, The Netherlands, Qatar)
A drama about life in a Nepali mountain village in the wake of the decade-long armed conflict.
Feature Documentary, Works-in-Progress
"Ghost Hunting" by Raed Andoni (Palestine, France, Switzerland, Qatar)
Director Raed Andoni assembles an eclectic group of Palestinians to rebuild the Israeli investigation centre in which they were imprisoned – a place they never actually saw because they were always blindfolded.
"My Uncle the “Terrorist” by Elias Moubarak (Lebanon, Germany, Qatar)
A film director seeks to uncover a 40-year-old family taboo: the controversial life of his Uncle Fouad, a poet and an engineer of the Munich massacre.
"The Silk Railroad" by Martin Dicicco (USA, Georgia, Qatar)
Wealth, opportunity, and discord collide along the route of a new railroad bridging Europe and Asia.
"Tondo" by Jewel Maranan (The Philippines, Germany, Qatar)
‘Tondo’ is a film about four people in different stages of life - birth, youth, adulthood and death - who are caught in the path of expansion of Manila’s busiest international port.
Feature Narrative, Picture Lock
"Bastard" by Uda Benyamina (Morocco, France, Qatar)
Fifteen-year-old Dounia lives with her mother in a rough
Parisian suburb, where she has been saddled with the nickname “bastard”.
"The Mimosas" by Oliver Laxe (Spain, Morocco, France, Qatar)
In the Atlas Mountains in the past, a caravan searches for the path to take a Sufi master home to die. Among the party is Ahmed, a rascal who eventually becomes inspired to lead the caravan to its destination. Along the way, Ahmed is assisted by Shakib, a man sent from contemporary Morocco to guide him on his journey.
"Beirut Rooster" by Ziad Kalthoum (Syria, Lebanon, Germany, Qatar)
While Syrian workers rebuild Lebanon, a country ruined by a lengthy civil war, their hometowns in Syria are destroyed during the brutal conflict there. Who will rebuild their houses?
"Those From the Shore" by Tamara Stepanyan (Armenia, Lebanon, France, Qatar)
Marseille, 2014. Dozens of Armenian asylum seekers are trying to survive while waiting for their applications to be considered. They live in an indeterminate space, wandering in limbo.
Short Films:
Development, Short Narrative
"I Want to Feel What I Feel When I Am Asleep" by Abdullah Al-Mulla (Qatar)
A man wearing a gas mask is on a journey to fulfil a selfless purpose. Among the people of a drugged and mesmerised society, he cleans up a ruined city in order to cover up the destruction that has taken place.
"Kashta" by Aj Al Thani (Qatar)
A father takes his two sons out on a trip to the desert to go hunting, but the results are not quite what he was expecting.
"Qafas" by Mayar Hamdan (Qatar)
A young man tries everything to escape the cage he is chained in. Only when he realises that the true obstacle to his release is not the chains, but rather his outlook on his situation, does he finally become free.
"A Ranged Marriage" by Nora Al Subai (Qatar)
After being stuck in an arranged married for a year, a desperate wife discovers the perfect gift for their anniversary: a romantic dinner that will kill her husband.
"The World is Blue" by Amna Al Binali (Qatar)
During her sister’s engagement party, Hend comes to terms with the contradiction between how she wants her life to unfold and the inevitability of how it has been drawn for her.
Development, Short Documentary
"Amer: The Arabian Legend" by Jassim Al-Rumaihi (Qatar)
Sent as a gift to the late Emir of Qatar in the 1980s, Amer seemed like an average purebred Arabian. After he was taken to the tracks of Umm Qarn to train other horses, however, he showed his class, changing the face of Arabian horseracing forever.
"Buqsha" by Fahad Al Obaidly (Qatar)
‘Buqsha’ strives to encourage people to go beyond their preconceptions and venture into the past to look to the future Throughout our journey, we demonstrate the importance of learning from traditional culture while preserving our own, and that the balance between artistic heritage and the contemporary arts nurtures creativity.
"The Innocent Prisoner" by Amina Ahmed Al-Boluchi (Qatar)
The story of a man trying to wash away his history of being a prisoner, determining his destiny by becoming a better person, and finding himself a place in his own society.
"Love in the Middle East" by Mostafa Sheshtawy (Qatar)
Romantic love is very common, yet it can mean something completely different from one person to the next. Through a young man’s journey, this film looks at what it means to fall in love in the Middle East.
Picture Lock, Short Narrative
"More Than Two Days" by Ahmed Abdelnaser (Qatar)
Over the course of two days, two brothers go through critical moments that may change their lives. ‘More Than Two Days’ examines their relationship and how each of them is trying to face up to the new situation in their lives.
- 2/24/2016
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
The directors and producers of the selected projects will participate in a six-day programme with industry figures including Joshua Oppenheimer and Aleksandr Sokurov.Scroll down for the full list of projects
The Doha Film Institute has revealed the projects that will participate in the second edition of Qumra (March 4-9).
There are a total of 33 projects from 19 countries involved, including 13 narrative features, 10 feature documentaries and 10 short films.
Of those, 15 are Qatar-based projects, and a further 12 are from the wider Arab region, with 6 international projects involved.
The directors and producers of the selected titles will participate in a six-day programme of industry sessions with leading industry figures, designed to progress their projects and prepare them for international markets.
This year’s Qumra masters are Joshua Oppenheimer, James Schamus, Naomi Kawase, Nuri Bilge Ceylan, and Aleksandr Sokurov.
The 2016 Qumra Projects are:Feature Narrative, Development:
Bull Shark by Mohammed Al Ibrahim (Qatar, Bahrain, USA)
An up-and-coming investment banker makes his mark...
The Doha Film Institute has revealed the projects that will participate in the second edition of Qumra (March 4-9).
There are a total of 33 projects from 19 countries involved, including 13 narrative features, 10 feature documentaries and 10 short films.
Of those, 15 are Qatar-based projects, and a further 12 are from the wider Arab region, with 6 international projects involved.
The directors and producers of the selected titles will participate in a six-day programme of industry sessions with leading industry figures, designed to progress their projects and prepare them for international markets.
This year’s Qumra masters are Joshua Oppenheimer, James Schamus, Naomi Kawase, Nuri Bilge Ceylan, and Aleksandr Sokurov.
The 2016 Qumra Projects are:Feature Narrative, Development:
Bull Shark by Mohammed Al Ibrahim (Qatar, Bahrain, USA)
An up-and-coming investment banker makes his mark...
- 2/24/2016
- ScreenDaily
The Innocents debuted at Sundance; Suburra made by the team behind Gomorrah.
Stockholm-based Edge Entertainment has snapped up a brace of acquisitions at the European Film Market (Efm) in Berlin: The Innocents by Anne Fontaine; and Suburra by the team behind the TV series Gomorrah.
The Innocents, originally titled Agnus Dei, received its world premiere at Sundance where Screen’s review called it “heart-tugging”.
Set in 1945 Poland, it follows a young French Red Cross doctor who is sent to assist the survivors of the German camps and discovers several nuns in advanced states of pregnancy during a visit to a nearby convent.
The film stars one of this year’s European Shooting Stars, Lou de Laâge (Respire), and Agata Kulesza (Ida).
Edge acquired from Films Distribution for Sweden, Finland, Iceland and the Baltics as well as the pay-tv rights for Denmark and Norway.
Picturehouse announced it had taken UK distribution rights earlier this week.
Stefano Sollima’s [link...
Stockholm-based Edge Entertainment has snapped up a brace of acquisitions at the European Film Market (Efm) in Berlin: The Innocents by Anne Fontaine; and Suburra by the team behind the TV series Gomorrah.
The Innocents, originally titled Agnus Dei, received its world premiere at Sundance where Screen’s review called it “heart-tugging”.
Set in 1945 Poland, it follows a young French Red Cross doctor who is sent to assist the survivors of the German camps and discovers several nuns in advanced states of pregnancy during a visit to a nearby convent.
The film stars one of this year’s European Shooting Stars, Lou de Laâge (Respire), and Agata Kulesza (Ida).
Edge acquired from Films Distribution for Sweden, Finland, Iceland and the Baltics as well as the pay-tv rights for Denmark and Norway.
Picturehouse announced it had taken UK distribution rights earlier this week.
Stefano Sollima’s [link...
- 2/18/2016
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
Re-titled Anne Fontaine drama Agnus Dei premiered at Sundance.
Picturehouse has taken UK distribution rights to Anne Fontaine’s post-WW2 drama Agnus Dei and has retitled the film The Innocents for its theatrical run.
Starring Lou de Laâge (Respire) and Agata Kulesza (Ida), the French-Polish drama is set in Poland in 1945, following a young Red Cross doctor who is sent to help war survivors.
The Innocents premiered at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival where Screen’s review called it “heart-tugging”.
Produced by Eric and Nicolas Altmayer (In The House), Eliza Oczkowska and Klaudia Smieja are co-producers, while Sabrina B. Karine, Alice Vial, Pascal Bonitzer and Anne Fontaine combined on the screenplay.
The deal was negotiated between Picturehouse Entertainment’s Clare Binns and Sébastien Beffa of Films Distribution, who are handling international sales.
Picturehouse has taken UK distribution rights to Anne Fontaine’s post-WW2 drama Agnus Dei and has retitled the film The Innocents for its theatrical run.
Starring Lou de Laâge (Respire) and Agata Kulesza (Ida), the French-Polish drama is set in Poland in 1945, following a young Red Cross doctor who is sent to help war survivors.
The Innocents premiered at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival where Screen’s review called it “heart-tugging”.
Produced by Eric and Nicolas Altmayer (In The House), Eliza Oczkowska and Klaudia Smieja are co-producers, while Sabrina B. Karine, Alice Vial, Pascal Bonitzer and Anne Fontaine combined on the screenplay.
The deal was negotiated between Picturehouse Entertainment’s Clare Binns and Sébastien Beffa of Films Distribution, who are handling international sales.
- 2/16/2016
- ScreenDaily
Plus: Production begins on The Last Word; Keira Knightley circles Collateral Beauty; Music Box acquires Sundance entry The Innocents; and more…
Aaron Eckhart stars in Courage, based on Jim Dent’s novel Courage Beyond The Game: The Freddie Steinmark Story and Spotlight will commence sales at the Efm this week.
Angelo Pizzo directed the film about about a university athlete who receives a shocking diagnosis following an injury. Clarius distributed Courage in the Us last November under the title My All American.
Production is underway in the Los Angeles area on Mark Pellington’s The Last Word starring Shirley Maclaine and Amanda Seyfried. Bleecker Street will distribute the drama in the Us and Myriad Pictures handles international sales at the Efm. Anne Heche, Philip Baker Hall and Scott Speedman and Tom Everett Scott round out the key cast.Kristin Stewart and Helena Bonham Carter are in talks and James Franco is attached to star in Jt Leroy, about...
Aaron Eckhart stars in Courage, based on Jim Dent’s novel Courage Beyond The Game: The Freddie Steinmark Story and Spotlight will commence sales at the Efm this week.
Angelo Pizzo directed the film about about a university athlete who receives a shocking diagnosis following an injury. Clarius distributed Courage in the Us last November under the title My All American.
Production is underway in the Los Angeles area on Mark Pellington’s The Last Word starring Shirley Maclaine and Amanda Seyfried. Bleecker Street will distribute the drama in the Us and Myriad Pictures handles international sales at the Efm. Anne Heche, Philip Baker Hall and Scott Speedman and Tom Everett Scott round out the key cast.Kristin Stewart and Helena Bonham Carter are in talks and James Franco is attached to star in Jt Leroy, about...
- 2/9/2016
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Plus: Keira Knightley circles Collateral Beauty; Music Box acquires Sundance entry The Innocents; Alcon sets writer for The Ice Twins; and more…
Aaron Eckhart stars in Courage, based on Jim Dent’s novel Courage Beyond The Game: The Freddie Steinmark Story and Spotlight will commence sales at the Efm this week.
Angelo Pizzo directed the film about about a university athlete who receives a shocking diagnosis following an injury. Clarius distributed Courage in the Us last November under the title My All American.
Kristin Stewart and Helena Bonham Carter are in talks and James Franco is attached to star in Jt Leroy, about the hoax female blogger who passed herself off as a transgender male. Lbi Entertainment /Aquarius / Rabbit Bandini Productions produce and Fortitude International represents international rights.Keira Knightley is reportedly in talks to star opposite Will Smith in New Line/Village Roadshow’s drama Collateral Beauty. Warner Bros will distribute in the Us on March...
Aaron Eckhart stars in Courage, based on Jim Dent’s novel Courage Beyond The Game: The Freddie Steinmark Story and Spotlight will commence sales at the Efm this week.
Angelo Pizzo directed the film about about a university athlete who receives a shocking diagnosis following an injury. Clarius distributed Courage in the Us last November under the title My All American.
Kristin Stewart and Helena Bonham Carter are in talks and James Franco is attached to star in Jt Leroy, about the hoax female blogger who passed herself off as a transgender male. Lbi Entertainment /Aquarius / Rabbit Bandini Productions produce and Fortitude International represents international rights.Keira Knightley is reportedly in talks to star opposite Will Smith in New Line/Village Roadshow’s drama Collateral Beauty. Warner Bros will distribute in the Us on March...
- 2/9/2016
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Music Box Films, the Chicago-based distributor of Golden Globe nominee The Club, has just acquired the drama The Innocents from French filmmaker Anne Fontaine (Coco Before Chanel) which had its world premiere at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival. Formerly titled Agnus Dei, the film follows a young French Red Cross doctor based in Warsaw 1945 who is asked by a nun for help. She is brought to a cloistered Benedictine convent where she discovers a young novice in labor. It…...
- 2/9/2016
- Deadline
Anne Fontaine's "Agnus Dei" may not have made much noise at Sundance last month compared to buzzy festival titles like "Swiss Army Man" and "The Birth of a Nation," but it quickly earned a small, passionate following and the film has now found distribution thanks to Music Box Films. The Chicago-based company has acquired all U.S. rights to the film under a new name, "The Innocents," and will release it this summer. Read More: Music Box Films Acquires Alexander Sokurov's Acclaimed 'Francofonia' The official synopsis reads: "Poland, December 1945: Mathilde (Lou de Laâge, 'Breathe') is a young French Red Cross doctor based in Warsaw when a nun seeks her help. She is brought to a cloistered Benedictine convent where she discovers a young novice in labor. It soon becomes clear that the entire order has been profoundly traumatized and several other nuns are pregnant from a series of...
- 2/9/2016
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
2015 was a successful year regarding the quantity and quality of foreign productions shot in Poland. At the beginning of the year, Anne Fontaine (“Coco Before Chanel,” “Perfect Mothers”) filmed a French-Polish co-production “Agnus Dei” in Warmia, which premiered at this year's Sundance Film Festival. The film features Polish and French actresses among others Lou de Laage, Agata Kulesza, Agata Buzek and Joanna Kulig.
In the spring, the crew of a Polish-German-French-Belgian co-production about the life of Maria Sklodowska-Curie (dir. Marie Noelle) spent 20 days on the set in among others Lodz, Leba and Krakow. The cast is international, and the film is made in French. The Polish Nobelist is portrayed by Karolina Gruszka (“Oxygen”).
The summer brought about increased activity of German producers. A Zdf TV show, “Ein Sommer in…” was filmed in two resort towns in the north-eastern Poland – Mikolajki and Mragowo. Ard and Tvp collaborated on the set of "Polizeiruf 110" ("Police Call 110"), which was filmed in July and August among others in a Polish border-town – Swiecko. Also in July began the shooting of a new part of detective TV series "Der Usedom-Krimi" filmed on both the Polish and German side of the Usedom island.
However, a true influx of foreign productions took place in the autumn. American-Polish thriller “Chronology” was filmed in Poznan. The cast includes William Baldwin (TV series "Gossip Girl," "Adrift in Manhattan") and Danny Trejo (“Machete,” “From Dusk till Dawn”).
The Goetz Palace in Brzesk, in Malopolska hosted filmmakers from India who for six days were shooting “Fitoor,” an Indian adaptation of Dickens's “Great Expectations.” The crew consisted of over 40 Indians and almost 80 Poles. Another crew from India – this time from the so-called Kollywood in the south of the country – spent twenty days on the set in various Polish locations (among others Zakopane, Walbrzych, Krakow, Leba). The film titled “24” features Surya, a Tamil superstar, in the main role.
The autumn months were also very intensive in Lodz with three simultaneous big film sets. Andrzej Wajda (“The Promised Land,” “Walesa. Man of Hope”) worked on his new film “Powidoki”; Opus Film, the producer of “Ida”, organized for an Israeli partner eleven-day shoot to a film set in 1970s – “Past Life,” directed by Avi Nesher; and American director Martha Coolidge (“The Prince and Me,” TV shows “Sex and the City,” “The Twilight Zone,” “Weeds”) filmed her project “Music, War and Love,” whose producer is among others Fred Roos known from such films as “Apocalypse Now,” “The Godfather” or “Lost in Translation.” The picture features Adelaide Clemens (“The Great Gatsby”), Connie Nielsen (“Gladiator”), Toby Sebastian (“Game of Thrones”) and Stellan Skarsgård (“Nymphomaniac”).
The end of the year was also very successful for Malopolska and Krakow. Two movies were filmed in the region – an American-British biography of Martin Luther commissioned by PBS with Padraic Delaney (“The Wind that Shakes the Barley,” “The Tudors”) in the main role; and a feature titled “True Crimes” starring two-time winner of a Golden Globe – Jim Carrey (“The Truman Show,” “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,” “The Mask”) as the protagonist. The crew spent 32 days on the set in Krakow. The picture was directed by Greek Alexandros Avranas (“Miss Violence”), written by Jeremy Brock (“Brideshead Revisited,” “The Last King of Scotland”), and produced by Brett Ratner (“X-Men 3: the Last Stand,” TV series “Rush Hour”). Accompanying Jim Carrey were Charlotte Gainsbourg (“Nymphomaniac,” “Antichrist”); Marton Csokas (“The Lord of the Rings: the Return of the King,” “The Amazing Spider-Man 2”) and Polish actors Agata Kulesza (“Ida”) and Robert Wieckiewicz (“Walesa. Man of Hope”).
The first information about productions planned for 2016 has already been released. In January, Krakow will host the crew of French black comedy “Grand Froid,” Gérard Pautonnier's debut featuring Jean-Pierre Bacri (“The Taste of Others,” “Let It Rain”), Olivier Gourmet (“Rosetta,” “The Son”) and Arthur Dupond (“Bus Palladium”). The project won the first edition of the Krakow International Film Fund.
In the spring, the crew of a Polish-German-French-Belgian co-production about the life of Maria Sklodowska-Curie (dir. Marie Noelle) spent 20 days on the set in among others Lodz, Leba and Krakow. The cast is international, and the film is made in French. The Polish Nobelist is portrayed by Karolina Gruszka (“Oxygen”).
The summer brought about increased activity of German producers. A Zdf TV show, “Ein Sommer in…” was filmed in two resort towns in the north-eastern Poland – Mikolajki and Mragowo. Ard and Tvp collaborated on the set of "Polizeiruf 110" ("Police Call 110"), which was filmed in July and August among others in a Polish border-town – Swiecko. Also in July began the shooting of a new part of detective TV series "Der Usedom-Krimi" filmed on both the Polish and German side of the Usedom island.
However, a true influx of foreign productions took place in the autumn. American-Polish thriller “Chronology” was filmed in Poznan. The cast includes William Baldwin (TV series "Gossip Girl," "Adrift in Manhattan") and Danny Trejo (“Machete,” “From Dusk till Dawn”).
The Goetz Palace in Brzesk, in Malopolska hosted filmmakers from India who for six days were shooting “Fitoor,” an Indian adaptation of Dickens's “Great Expectations.” The crew consisted of over 40 Indians and almost 80 Poles. Another crew from India – this time from the so-called Kollywood in the south of the country – spent twenty days on the set in various Polish locations (among others Zakopane, Walbrzych, Krakow, Leba). The film titled “24” features Surya, a Tamil superstar, in the main role.
The autumn months were also very intensive in Lodz with three simultaneous big film sets. Andrzej Wajda (“The Promised Land,” “Walesa. Man of Hope”) worked on his new film “Powidoki”; Opus Film, the producer of “Ida”, organized for an Israeli partner eleven-day shoot to a film set in 1970s – “Past Life,” directed by Avi Nesher; and American director Martha Coolidge (“The Prince and Me,” TV shows “Sex and the City,” “The Twilight Zone,” “Weeds”) filmed her project “Music, War and Love,” whose producer is among others Fred Roos known from such films as “Apocalypse Now,” “The Godfather” or “Lost in Translation.” The picture features Adelaide Clemens (“The Great Gatsby”), Connie Nielsen (“Gladiator”), Toby Sebastian (“Game of Thrones”) and Stellan Skarsgård (“Nymphomaniac”).
The end of the year was also very successful for Malopolska and Krakow. Two movies were filmed in the region – an American-British biography of Martin Luther commissioned by PBS with Padraic Delaney (“The Wind that Shakes the Barley,” “The Tudors”) in the main role; and a feature titled “True Crimes” starring two-time winner of a Golden Globe – Jim Carrey (“The Truman Show,” “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,” “The Mask”) as the protagonist. The crew spent 32 days on the set in Krakow. The picture was directed by Greek Alexandros Avranas (“Miss Violence”), written by Jeremy Brock (“Brideshead Revisited,” “The Last King of Scotland”), and produced by Brett Ratner (“X-Men 3: the Last Stand,” TV series “Rush Hour”). Accompanying Jim Carrey were Charlotte Gainsbourg (“Nymphomaniac,” “Antichrist”); Marton Csokas (“The Lord of the Rings: the Return of the King,” “The Amazing Spider-Man 2”) and Polish actors Agata Kulesza (“Ida”) and Robert Wieckiewicz (“Walesa. Man of Hope”).
The first information about productions planned for 2016 has already been released. In January, Krakow will host the crew of French black comedy “Grand Froid,” Gérard Pautonnier's debut featuring Jean-Pierre Bacri (“The Taste of Others,” “Let It Rain”), Olivier Gourmet (“Rosetta,” “The Son”) and Arthur Dupond (“Bus Palladium”). The project won the first edition of the Krakow International Film Fund.
- 2/4/2016
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
During the American Film Festival in Wroclaw Poland in November, I met someone at a party. The Polish parties, at least at the American Film Festival, are always very friendly. The American Film Festival and U.S. in Progress late night party is held in the same venue every night with free drinks. Later in the night all those still standing go to a Soviet-style diner and eat the best pierogis I have ever had in my life.
After attending this festival every year since 2008, you would think I knew everyone, but in fact, I often stay by those I know or don’t go to such late high energy parties. However, one night I did go and at the bar, I met a woman named Anna Różalska who looked so familiar that I was sure she was an American I knew from home.
And as we talked, as if we had known each other for all our lives, I realized that even though she was not American, she would fit perfectly among my colleagues in “Hollywood” should she ever decide to give it a try.
Anna was heading the production and development department at Alvernia Studios where she coproduced the Golden Globe nominated “Arbitrage” directed by Nick Jarecki (USA, 2012) starring Richard Gere and Susan Sarandon, the film that Roadside Attractions did so well with on VoD as well as theatrically. She coproduced “Vamps” by Amy Heckerling (USA, 2012) starring Sigourney Weaver. Later Anna exec produced “Sweet Home” (Spain, 2014) produced by Filmax and a short movie “ Ambition” directed by Oscar Nominee Tomek Baginski and starring Aidan Gillen from the “Game of Thrones” for Platige Image and I Exec.
Over the years Anna has built strong relationshops with major Polish producers, TV stations and filmmakers both in Poland and internationally. In 2015 she co-founded Match&Spark Management, a talent management company representing and promoting directors, DOPs and music composers in Poland and outside of the country. The idea is to match filmmakers who have been working in commercials, television and film to broader relationships in the areas they want to develop.
M&S aims to help find Polish talent representation in other markets such as U.S., U.K., France, etc. and to manage them by building long term relationships with other international agents and managers.
M&S also represents Polish talents based outside of Poland in the local markets. Lucas Zal (Oscar-nominee for cinematography on “Ida” by director Pawel Pawlikowski) is one of the most notable clients of M&S.
M&S aims to package the projects in Poland and in the European market using the models of the largest agencies and management companies in Hollywood.
Currently M&S is in post-production on its first U.S. coproduction, a documentary with RatPac, “In The Name Of Honor”, directed by Pawel Gula. More local and international projects, both films and television series are in the pipeline.
Anna graduated from Warsaw Business School, went on to the Polish National Film, Theatre and TV School in Lodz and received her Cems Masters Degree in International Management (Esade / Barcelona). She also had a scholarship to attend Haute Ecole de Commerce in Montreal.
She speaks English, Spanish, French and Polish.
www.matchandspark.com
Poland is very U.S.-friendly and has liberal film laws favoring coproductions. We have recently seen two of their films at Sundance, Anne Fontaine's "Agnus Dei" in the Premieres section, a French-Polish coproduction being sold internationally by Films Distribution and the 100% original Polish mermaid vampire lesbian musical, "The Lure" directed by Agnieszka Smoczynska in the World Cinema Section.
Annashe is fluent in English, Spanish, French and Polish and is in a perfect position to bridge future developments between the two countries and other countries as well.
After attending this festival every year since 2008, you would think I knew everyone, but in fact, I often stay by those I know or don’t go to such late high energy parties. However, one night I did go and at the bar, I met a woman named Anna Różalska who looked so familiar that I was sure she was an American I knew from home.
And as we talked, as if we had known each other for all our lives, I realized that even though she was not American, she would fit perfectly among my colleagues in “Hollywood” should she ever decide to give it a try.
Anna was heading the production and development department at Alvernia Studios where she coproduced the Golden Globe nominated “Arbitrage” directed by Nick Jarecki (USA, 2012) starring Richard Gere and Susan Sarandon, the film that Roadside Attractions did so well with on VoD as well as theatrically. She coproduced “Vamps” by Amy Heckerling (USA, 2012) starring Sigourney Weaver. Later Anna exec produced “Sweet Home” (Spain, 2014) produced by Filmax and a short movie “ Ambition” directed by Oscar Nominee Tomek Baginski and starring Aidan Gillen from the “Game of Thrones” for Platige Image and I Exec.
Over the years Anna has built strong relationshops with major Polish producers, TV stations and filmmakers both in Poland and internationally. In 2015 she co-founded Match&Spark Management, a talent management company representing and promoting directors, DOPs and music composers in Poland and outside of the country. The idea is to match filmmakers who have been working in commercials, television and film to broader relationships in the areas they want to develop.
M&S aims to help find Polish talent representation in other markets such as U.S., U.K., France, etc. and to manage them by building long term relationships with other international agents and managers.
M&S also represents Polish talents based outside of Poland in the local markets. Lucas Zal (Oscar-nominee for cinematography on “Ida” by director Pawel Pawlikowski) is one of the most notable clients of M&S.
M&S aims to package the projects in Poland and in the European market using the models of the largest agencies and management companies in Hollywood.
Currently M&S is in post-production on its first U.S. coproduction, a documentary with RatPac, “In The Name Of Honor”, directed by Pawel Gula. More local and international projects, both films and television series are in the pipeline.
Anna graduated from Warsaw Business School, went on to the Polish National Film, Theatre and TV School in Lodz and received her Cems Masters Degree in International Management (Esade / Barcelona). She also had a scholarship to attend Haute Ecole de Commerce in Montreal.
She speaks English, Spanish, French and Polish.
www.matchandspark.com
Poland is very U.S.-friendly and has liberal film laws favoring coproductions. We have recently seen two of their films at Sundance, Anne Fontaine's "Agnus Dei" in the Premieres section, a French-Polish coproduction being sold internationally by Films Distribution and the 100% original Polish mermaid vampire lesbian musical, "The Lure" directed by Agnieszka Smoczynska in the World Cinema Section.
Annashe is fluent in English, Spanish, French and Polish and is in a perfect position to bridge future developments between the two countries and other countries as well.
- 2/2/2016
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
All the news, reviews and interviews coming out of Park City.News
The Birth of a Nation
What were the buzz titles of 2016?
‘The Birth Of A Nation’, ‘Sonita’ rule Sundance awards
Sundance buyers wait to see if numbers add up
Six major deals signed in Park City
Fox Searchlight in record $17.5m deal for ‘Birth Of A Nation’
The Orchard snaps up ‘Wilderpeople’
Sundance unveils shorts winners
‘Indignation’, ‘Equity’ find Us homes
Amazon strikes $10m deal for ‘Manchester By The Sea’
Sundance director lambasts Chilean film support
Partners unite on ‘Under The Shadow’
Spc takes world on Frank Zappa doc
Mongrel International boards ‘Little Men’
Brainstorm Media sparks to ‘Resilience’
Buyers circle hot ‘Manchester’
Robert Redford addresses diversity
Curzon Artificial Eye acquires Whit Stillman’s ‘Love & Friendship’
‘Embrace Of The Serpent’ wins Sloan prize
Netflix acquires ‘Audrie & Daisy’
Magnolia takes ‘Lo And Behold’
Paramount Home Media in talks for ‘The Intervention’
Sundance Channel acquires five festival...
The Birth of a Nation
What were the buzz titles of 2016?
‘The Birth Of A Nation’, ‘Sonita’ rule Sundance awards
Sundance buyers wait to see if numbers add up
Six major deals signed in Park City
Fox Searchlight in record $17.5m deal for ‘Birth Of A Nation’
The Orchard snaps up ‘Wilderpeople’
Sundance unveils shorts winners
‘Indignation’, ‘Equity’ find Us homes
Amazon strikes $10m deal for ‘Manchester By The Sea’
Sundance director lambasts Chilean film support
Partners unite on ‘Under The Shadow’
Spc takes world on Frank Zappa doc
Mongrel International boards ‘Little Men’
Brainstorm Media sparks to ‘Resilience’
Buyers circle hot ‘Manchester’
Robert Redford addresses diversity
Curzon Artificial Eye acquires Whit Stillman’s ‘Love & Friendship’
‘Embrace Of The Serpent’ wins Sloan prize
Netflix acquires ‘Audrie & Daisy’
Magnolia takes ‘Lo And Behold’
Paramount Home Media in talks for ‘The Intervention’
Sundance Channel acquires five festival...
- 2/1/2016
- ScreenDaily
Captured on cinema since it commenced, if a filmmaker doesn’t find a new angle in which tell the horrors of World War II, then it can perhaps seem like a futile effort. Agnus Dei, the latest film from Coco Before Chanel director Anne Fontaine, digs up such an example of a compelling, true story from Philippe Maynial. Its title, translated as Lamb of God from its Latin origin, most commonly refers to the sacrificial giving that Jesus offers. However, specifically in the Old Testament, it can refer to a person who succumbs to the punishment of sins without willing to do so, which is clearly where Fontaine more specifically draws from.
We begin in December 1945, a few months after World War II ended, and its effects are perhaps being most felt in a secluded convent outside of Warsaw, Poland. It’s there where an outfit of Soviet soldiers raped the nuns during the war,...
We begin in December 1945, a few months after World War II ended, and its effects are perhaps being most felt in a secluded convent outside of Warsaw, Poland. It’s there where an outfit of Soviet soldiers raped the nuns during the war,...
- 1/30/2016
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
War can sometimes be seen as series of tests —involving patriotism or morals— for those involved as combatants, as well as for those caught in the crossfire. But the particular perplex in which the devout must reconcile their faith with the horror of conflict is not often cinematically depicted with the kind of central focus demonstrated in “Agnus Dei.” Director Anne Fontaine’s film is based on actual events and grapples with thorny questions that plague even the most zealous during times of crisis. It’s a pity, then, that this picture finds Fontaine compelled to find a resolution in a situation that seldom yields easy answers. Read More: The 30 Most Anticipated Films Of 2016 It’s December 1945, and World War II is over. But for the nuns at a convent in Poland, a country that's still politically unstable, there is no respite. French Red Cross worker Mathilde Beaulieu (Lou de Laâge...
- 1/27/2016
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
All the news, reviews and interviews coming out of Park City.News
The Birth of a Nation
Fox Searchlight in record $17.5m deal for ‘Birth Of A Nation’
The Orchard snaps up ‘Wilderpeople’
Sundance unveils shorts winners
‘Indignation’, ‘Equity’ find Us homes
Amazon strikes $10m deal for ‘Manchester By The Sea’
Sundance director lambasts Chilean film support
Partners unite on ‘Under The Shadow’
Spc takes world on Frank Zappa doc
Mongrel International boards ‘Little Men’
Brainstorm Media sparks to ‘Resilience’
Buyers circle hot ‘Manchester’
Robert Redford addresses diversity
Curzon Artificial Eye acquires Whit Stillman’s ‘Love & Friendship’
Interviews
The Lure
Babak Anvari, ‘Under The Shadow’Agnieszka Smoczynska, ‘The Lure’Alejandro Fernández Almendras, ‘Much Ado About Nothing’Elite Zexer, ‘Sand Storm’Felix van Groeningen, ‘Belgica’Mirjana Karanovic, ‘A Good Wife’Rebecca Daly, ‘Mammal’Yao Huang, ‘Pleasure. Love.’Doron Weber, The Sloan FoundationFEATURES
Source: Jemal Countess
Sundance 2016: the year starts hereSundance 2016: World Cinema film profilesNew Frontier strand...
The Birth of a Nation
Fox Searchlight in record $17.5m deal for ‘Birth Of A Nation’
The Orchard snaps up ‘Wilderpeople’
Sundance unveils shorts winners
‘Indignation’, ‘Equity’ find Us homes
Amazon strikes $10m deal for ‘Manchester By The Sea’
Sundance director lambasts Chilean film support
Partners unite on ‘Under The Shadow’
Spc takes world on Frank Zappa doc
Mongrel International boards ‘Little Men’
Brainstorm Media sparks to ‘Resilience’
Buyers circle hot ‘Manchester’
Robert Redford addresses diversity
Curzon Artificial Eye acquires Whit Stillman’s ‘Love & Friendship’
Interviews
The Lure
Babak Anvari, ‘Under The Shadow’Agnieszka Smoczynska, ‘The Lure’Alejandro Fernández Almendras, ‘Much Ado About Nothing’Elite Zexer, ‘Sand Storm’Felix van Groeningen, ‘Belgica’Mirjana Karanovic, ‘A Good Wife’Rebecca Daly, ‘Mammal’Yao Huang, ‘Pleasure. Love.’Doron Weber, The Sloan FoundationFEATURES
Source: Jemal Countess
Sundance 2016: the year starts hereSundance 2016: World Cinema film profilesNew Frontier strand...
- 1/27/2016
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Helmer Anne Fontaine’s Agnus Dei is set to debut early next week in the Sundance Film Festival’s Premieres section. Today, we’ve got the first trailer (above) for the Franco-Polish drama. Set in 1945 Poland and based on a true story, it focuses on Mathilde (Lou De Laâge), a young Red Cross doctor treating WWII soldiers after the war. When she is approached by a nun who begs her for help, Mathilde follows the desperate woman back to the convent. There, Mathilde…...
- 1/21/2016
- Deadline
Promotional campaigns for six European films are being boosted with Films Sales Support (Fss) from European Film Promotion (Efp) at this year’s Sundance Film Festival (Jan 21-31).
A total of $27,000 (€25,000) towards sales companies’ campaigns has been earmarked by Efp in total to facilitate sales of European films to North America and to strengthen networking with buyers at the festival. Fss is backed by the Creative Europe - Media Programme of the European Union.
French sales company Films Distribution premieres Agnus Dei by Anne Fontaine, who will attend Sundance to present her film that is set in Poland 1945.
German sales company Films Boutique has two films at the festival: documentary Land Of The Enlightened by Pieter-Jan De Pue and Mirjana Karanovic’s feature A Good Wife.
The Match Factory focusses on Wild, a feature by Nicolette Krebitz, and on Felix van Groeningen’s new film Belgica (Belgium).
All of the films are screening in Competition as well...
A total of $27,000 (€25,000) towards sales companies’ campaigns has been earmarked by Efp in total to facilitate sales of European films to North America and to strengthen networking with buyers at the festival. Fss is backed by the Creative Europe - Media Programme of the European Union.
French sales company Films Distribution premieres Agnus Dei by Anne Fontaine, who will attend Sundance to present her film that is set in Poland 1945.
German sales company Films Boutique has two films at the festival: documentary Land Of The Enlightened by Pieter-Jan De Pue and Mirjana Karanovic’s feature A Good Wife.
The Match Factory focusses on Wild, a feature by Nicolette Krebitz, and on Felix van Groeningen’s new film Belgica (Belgium).
All of the films are screening in Competition as well...
- 1/19/2016
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
The Doha Film Institute has announced the recipients of the Fall 2015 session of its grants program following the Dubai International Film Festival, where 15 of the Institute’s previous grantees, 4 of which are world premieres, were showcased. Thirty projects from 19 countries – comprising 16 feature-length narrative films, 10 feature documentaries and 4 short films – will receive funding for development, production or post-production.
The Fall session marks the 11th session of the grants program, which is dedicated to supporting new cinematic talent, with a focus on first- and second-time filmmakers.
Twenty-four of the projects are from the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region, while 6 are from the rest of the world. For the first time, filmmakers from Chile, Peru and Spain will receive funding from the program.
Stories of displacement, physical or spiritual journeys, tales of family life, the power of nature and the importance of protecting the environment are highlighted in the selections this Fall.
Four projects from Qatar-based filmmakers were awarded grants – Hafiz Ali Abdullah’s "The Search for the Star Pearl," about a young pearl diver from Doha who discovers a map to the most valuable gem on Earth, and sets sail with three teenage friends in search of it; Hamida Al Kawari’s "To the Ends of the Earth" – the first Qatari feature documentary to receive a grant from the Institute – which follows a Qatari woman on an environmental expedition to Antarctica in search of hope; A.J. Al Thani’s "Kashta," a family drama about a father who takes his sons out into the desert to teach them about hunting and survival; and Hend Fakhroo’s "The Waiting Room," about an Arab and a Western family who find themselves sharing a hospital room.
Among the 30 projects selected for funding, 5 are from Morocco – Fyzal Boulifa’s "Pagan Magic," the story of a poor youngster working as a maid for a middle-class family; second-time grantee Uda Benyamina’s "Bastard," about a 15-year-old girl who lives with her mother in a rough Parisian suburb; Yakout Elhababi’s "Behind the Doors," which looks at family life and childhood set high in the Rif mountains of Morocco; Hind Bensari’s "Weight Throwers," a documentary look at the struggles of two young athletes as they train for the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro; and "Behind The Wall," by Karima Zoubir, a short film set in a Casablanca slum.
Also featuring strongly are three animation projects – established filmmaker Haifaa Al Mansour’s "Miss Camel," the story of a teenage Saudi camel who challenges the deep-rooted restrictions of her culture by travelling across the kingdom to compete in the Miss Camel beauty pageant in Doha; Mortada Gzar’s "Language," about a blind man on the streets of Baghdad who wakes up as a giant and reads the devastation of the city by touch; and Hafiz Ali Abdullah’s "The Search for the Star Pearl."
As in several previous sessions of the grants program, powerful projects from Argentina have also secured funding. Milagros Mumenthaler’s Swiss/Argentinian film "The Idea of a Lake" is about a photographer who undergoes a personal exploration of her past and the absence of her father while creating a book of her work, while Maximiliano Schonfeld’s "The Black Frost" is a drama set on a plantation where a pernicious black frost threatens to devastate the countryside until a mysterious woman arrives.
Continuing the environmental theme, Heidi Brandenburg and Mathew Orzel’s "When Two Worlds Collide" is the story of an indigenous Peruvian man and his people, and of the fate of one of our planet’s most valuable natural resources – the Amazon rainforest. The film, which has its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in January, is the first-ever Peruvian recipient of a grant from the Institute.
Fatma Al Remaihi, CEO of the Doha Film Institute, said: “Our Fall grantees cover a broad range of subjects and represent some powerful new voices in cinema, especially from Qatar and North Africa with several projects supported from Morocco and Algeria.”
“Animated films are very popular in our region so it is very encouraging to see an acclaimed filmmaker like Haifaa Al Mansour turn her skills to this important genre; we support two other animated projects in this grants cycle as well.”
“Our grantees represent the core of the Doha Film Institute’s mandate to support emerging filmmakers and contribute to the development of the regional film industry. We have supported more than 255 films since the inception of the grants program and we continue to seek out projects with a strong directorial vision that are challenging, creative and thought-provoking. Our new round of grantees is no exception and I am delighted to welcome this outstanding crop of projects to our growing community of grantee alumni.”
Submissions for the next funding round open January 6 and close January 19, 2016. Funding is available to projects by filmmakers from around the world, with an emphasis on support for filmmakers from the Mena region. Certain categories of funding reserved for Mena and Qatari filmmakers.
The fund is primarily for first and second-time filmmakers. Post-production funding is available to established filmmakers from the Mena region.
For more information about eligibility and submissions, please visit
http://www.dohafilminstitute.com/financing/grants/guidelines
A full directory of past grant recipients is available to view at
http://www.dohafilminstitute.com/financing/projects/grants
The Doha Film Institute Grants Program funding recipients for the Fall 2015 session are:
Feature Narrative / Development
"Death Street" by Mohanad Hayal (Iraq)
Tariq, the sniper of Haifa Street in Baghdad, kills Ahmed on his wedding day. While Tariq prevents anyone from approaching the corpse in the street, an intimate and telling drama unfolds.
"Miss Camel" by Haifaa Al Mansour (Saudia Arabia)
A teenage Saudi camel challenges the deep-rooted restrictions of her culture by traveling across the kingdom to compete in the Miss Camel beauty pageant in Doha.
"Pagan Magic" by Fyzal Boulifa (Morocco, France)
A young, poor and uneducated girl works as a maid for a middle-class family in contemporary Morocco. Her use of pagan rites to confront her entrapment and make sense of her world ultimately corrupt her.
"The Search for the Star Pearl" by Hafiz Ali Abdullah (Qatar)
Ali, a 17-year-old pearl diver from Doha, discovers a map to the Star Pearl of Abu Derya, the most valuable gem on Earth, and sets sail with three teenaged friends in search of the pearl. Along the way, they face mythological beasts that challenge their skills and friendship.
Feature Narrative / Production
"Cactus Flower" by Hala Elkoussy (Egypt)
A flood leaves three Cairenes homeless. As they journey across the city in search of shelter, they depend upon one another to survive and keep their dreams alive.
"Poisonous Roses" by Fawzi Saleh (Egypt)
The world has left nothing to Taheya apart from her brother Saqr. When he disappears, Taheya pursues him in desperation.
"The Return" by Meyar Al-Roumi (Syria, France)
A love story blossoms between Taysir and Lina, exiles from Syria, while they drive across their homeland to bury Taysir’s brother, a victim of the armed conflict.
"Till the Swallows Return" by Karim Moussaoui (Algeria, France)
This is the story of three characters who are a product of the conflicted Algeria of the 2000s. Their ideals shattered and their moral strength drained, each now faces a difficult life choice.
Feature Narrative / Post-production
"Bastard" by Uda Benyamina (Morocco, France)
Fifteen-year-old Dounia lives with her mother in a rough Parisian suburb, where she has been saddled with the nickname “bastard”.
"The Black Frost" by Maximiliano Schonfeld (Argentina)
Soon after a mysterious woman arrives on a plantation, a pernicious black frost ceases to devastate the countryside. Hope emerges. Might she might be a saviour?
"Blue Bicycle" by Ümit Köreken (Turkey)
Young Ali saves up all the money he can working at a tyre repair shop to buy a coveted blue bicycle. Meanwhile, at school, his love for his schoolmate Elif leads him to defend her dismissal as school president. A story of childish love, dreams and resistance.
"The Dark Wind" by Hussein Hassan (Iraq)
Radical Islamists attack a village in Iraq where two young Yazidis are preparing for their marriage. At that moment, their lives become a nightmare.
"The Idea of a Lake" (note: previously titled Air Pocket) by Milagros Mumenthaler (Switzerland, Argentina)
Inés, a photographer, is creating a book of her work. Gradually, the process becomes a personal exploration of her past and the absence of her father, who was disappeared during the military dictatorship in Argentina.
"The Mimosas" by Oliver Laxe (Spain, Morocco, France)
In the Atlas Mountains in the past, a caravan searches for the path to take a Sufi master home to die. Among the party is Ahmed, a rascal who eventually becomes inspired to lead the caravan to its destination. Along the way, he is assisted by Shakib, a man sent from contemporary Morocco to guide Ahmed on his journey.
"Rey" (King) by Niles Atallah (Chile)
In 1860, a French lawyer dreamed of becoming the King of Patagonia – and he did just that. Or so it seemed.
"Suspension" by Ala Eddine Slim (Tunisia)
N is a candidate for an illegal crossing of the Mediterranean from Tunisia. A supernatural voyage, during which N will confront Nature and himself, begins.
Feature Documentary / Development
"Agnus Dei" by Karim Sayad (Algeria, Switzerland)
In Algeria, Ali and his sheep, bought for slaughter on Eid Al-Adha, are getting ready for the fight. Once the bets are in, the referee invites the owners into the ring…
"Behind the Doors" by Yakout Elhababi (Morocco)
High in the Rif mountains of Morocco, the people survive by growing kif. Beneath the shadow of the ambiguous legality of the crop, ‘Behind the Doors’ tells the story of a family through its children and their mirroring games.
"The Great Family" by Eliane Raheb (Lebanon)
In 1976, at the age of four, Marlene was put up for adoption in Lebanon and raised in France. In delving into her past, she discovers she is a survivor of the massacre at the Tal Al-Zaatar Palestinian refugee camp, and a family of survivors grows around her.
Feature Documentary / Production
"The Colonel’s Stray Dogs" by Khalid Shamis (Libya, South Africa)
While director Khalid Shamis watched television in his suburban London home, his father was plotting the overthrow of Muammar Gadaffi in his study. When the regime fell, Shamis sought answers about Libya under Gadaffi and his father’s role in its failed liberation.
"Ibrahim" by Lina Alabed (Jordan)
‘Ibrahim’ uncovers the long journey of the director’s father as a young man, when he was a secret member of Abu Nidal, a militant Palestinian revolutionary organisation.
"Searching for Janitou" by Mohamed El Amine hattou (Algeria)
A journey to unravel love in past and contemporary Algeria by exploring the unique phenomenon of a Bollywood film that swept the country in the 1980s.
"To the Ends of the Earth" by Hamida Al Kawari ( Qatar)
A Qatari woman travels on an environmental expedition to Antarctica in search of hope, before returning to the Gulf and finding unity and inspiration for positive change.
"Weight Throwers" by Hind Bensari (Morocco)
‘Weight Thowers’ follows the struggles of Azzedine and Youssef, disabled members of Morocco’s unemployed and disillusioned young generation, as they struggle to train for the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
Feature Documentary / Post-production
"Tadmor" by Lokman Slim, Monika Borgmann (Lebanon)
A group of Lebanese men re-enact the ordeals they experienced as detainees in Syria’s notorious Tadmor prison. An ode to the human will to survive.
"When Two Worlds Collide" by Heidi Brandenburg, Mathew Orzel (Peru)
A story of a man and a people, and of the fate of one of our planet’s most valuable natural resources – the Amazon rainforest.
Short Narrative / Production
"Behind the Wall" by Karima Zoubir (Morocco)
Nadia, a little girl, lives in a Casablanca slum that is surrounded by a wall. One day, the municipality begins to paint the wall – but why this sudden interest?
"Kashta" by A.J. Al Thani (Qatar)
A father takes his two sons out to the desert to learn about hunting and survival, but the results are not quite what he was expecting.
"Language" by Mortada Gzar (Iraq)
An old blind man walks throught the streets of Baghdad, then falls asleep while reading a book in Braille. When he wakes up, he finds he has become a giant and reads the devastation of the city by touch.
"The Waiting Room" by Hind Fakhroo (Qatar)
An Arab family and a Western family find themselves sharing a hospital room; the only thing that separates them is a curtain.
The Fall session marks the 11th session of the grants program, which is dedicated to supporting new cinematic talent, with a focus on first- and second-time filmmakers.
Twenty-four of the projects are from the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region, while 6 are from the rest of the world. For the first time, filmmakers from Chile, Peru and Spain will receive funding from the program.
Stories of displacement, physical or spiritual journeys, tales of family life, the power of nature and the importance of protecting the environment are highlighted in the selections this Fall.
Four projects from Qatar-based filmmakers were awarded grants – Hafiz Ali Abdullah’s "The Search for the Star Pearl," about a young pearl diver from Doha who discovers a map to the most valuable gem on Earth, and sets sail with three teenage friends in search of it; Hamida Al Kawari’s "To the Ends of the Earth" – the first Qatari feature documentary to receive a grant from the Institute – which follows a Qatari woman on an environmental expedition to Antarctica in search of hope; A.J. Al Thani’s "Kashta," a family drama about a father who takes his sons out into the desert to teach them about hunting and survival; and Hend Fakhroo’s "The Waiting Room," about an Arab and a Western family who find themselves sharing a hospital room.
Among the 30 projects selected for funding, 5 are from Morocco – Fyzal Boulifa’s "Pagan Magic," the story of a poor youngster working as a maid for a middle-class family; second-time grantee Uda Benyamina’s "Bastard," about a 15-year-old girl who lives with her mother in a rough Parisian suburb; Yakout Elhababi’s "Behind the Doors," which looks at family life and childhood set high in the Rif mountains of Morocco; Hind Bensari’s "Weight Throwers," a documentary look at the struggles of two young athletes as they train for the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro; and "Behind The Wall," by Karima Zoubir, a short film set in a Casablanca slum.
Also featuring strongly are three animation projects – established filmmaker Haifaa Al Mansour’s "Miss Camel," the story of a teenage Saudi camel who challenges the deep-rooted restrictions of her culture by travelling across the kingdom to compete in the Miss Camel beauty pageant in Doha; Mortada Gzar’s "Language," about a blind man on the streets of Baghdad who wakes up as a giant and reads the devastation of the city by touch; and Hafiz Ali Abdullah’s "The Search for the Star Pearl."
As in several previous sessions of the grants program, powerful projects from Argentina have also secured funding. Milagros Mumenthaler’s Swiss/Argentinian film "The Idea of a Lake" is about a photographer who undergoes a personal exploration of her past and the absence of her father while creating a book of her work, while Maximiliano Schonfeld’s "The Black Frost" is a drama set on a plantation where a pernicious black frost threatens to devastate the countryside until a mysterious woman arrives.
Continuing the environmental theme, Heidi Brandenburg and Mathew Orzel’s "When Two Worlds Collide" is the story of an indigenous Peruvian man and his people, and of the fate of one of our planet’s most valuable natural resources – the Amazon rainforest. The film, which has its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in January, is the first-ever Peruvian recipient of a grant from the Institute.
Fatma Al Remaihi, CEO of the Doha Film Institute, said: “Our Fall grantees cover a broad range of subjects and represent some powerful new voices in cinema, especially from Qatar and North Africa with several projects supported from Morocco and Algeria.”
“Animated films are very popular in our region so it is very encouraging to see an acclaimed filmmaker like Haifaa Al Mansour turn her skills to this important genre; we support two other animated projects in this grants cycle as well.”
“Our grantees represent the core of the Doha Film Institute’s mandate to support emerging filmmakers and contribute to the development of the regional film industry. We have supported more than 255 films since the inception of the grants program and we continue to seek out projects with a strong directorial vision that are challenging, creative and thought-provoking. Our new round of grantees is no exception and I am delighted to welcome this outstanding crop of projects to our growing community of grantee alumni.”
Submissions for the next funding round open January 6 and close January 19, 2016. Funding is available to projects by filmmakers from around the world, with an emphasis on support for filmmakers from the Mena region. Certain categories of funding reserved for Mena and Qatari filmmakers.
The fund is primarily for first and second-time filmmakers. Post-production funding is available to established filmmakers from the Mena region.
For more information about eligibility and submissions, please visit
http://www.dohafilminstitute.com/financing/grants/guidelines
A full directory of past grant recipients is available to view at
http://www.dohafilminstitute.com/financing/projects/grants
The Doha Film Institute Grants Program funding recipients for the Fall 2015 session are:
Feature Narrative / Development
"Death Street" by Mohanad Hayal (Iraq)
Tariq, the sniper of Haifa Street in Baghdad, kills Ahmed on his wedding day. While Tariq prevents anyone from approaching the corpse in the street, an intimate and telling drama unfolds.
"Miss Camel" by Haifaa Al Mansour (Saudia Arabia)
A teenage Saudi camel challenges the deep-rooted restrictions of her culture by traveling across the kingdom to compete in the Miss Camel beauty pageant in Doha.
"Pagan Magic" by Fyzal Boulifa (Morocco, France)
A young, poor and uneducated girl works as a maid for a middle-class family in contemporary Morocco. Her use of pagan rites to confront her entrapment and make sense of her world ultimately corrupt her.
"The Search for the Star Pearl" by Hafiz Ali Abdullah (Qatar)
Ali, a 17-year-old pearl diver from Doha, discovers a map to the Star Pearl of Abu Derya, the most valuable gem on Earth, and sets sail with three teenaged friends in search of the pearl. Along the way, they face mythological beasts that challenge their skills and friendship.
Feature Narrative / Production
"Cactus Flower" by Hala Elkoussy (Egypt)
A flood leaves three Cairenes homeless. As they journey across the city in search of shelter, they depend upon one another to survive and keep their dreams alive.
"Poisonous Roses" by Fawzi Saleh (Egypt)
The world has left nothing to Taheya apart from her brother Saqr. When he disappears, Taheya pursues him in desperation.
"The Return" by Meyar Al-Roumi (Syria, France)
A love story blossoms between Taysir and Lina, exiles from Syria, while they drive across their homeland to bury Taysir’s brother, a victim of the armed conflict.
"Till the Swallows Return" by Karim Moussaoui (Algeria, France)
This is the story of three characters who are a product of the conflicted Algeria of the 2000s. Their ideals shattered and their moral strength drained, each now faces a difficult life choice.
Feature Narrative / Post-production
"Bastard" by Uda Benyamina (Morocco, France)
Fifteen-year-old Dounia lives with her mother in a rough Parisian suburb, where she has been saddled with the nickname “bastard”.
"The Black Frost" by Maximiliano Schonfeld (Argentina)
Soon after a mysterious woman arrives on a plantation, a pernicious black frost ceases to devastate the countryside. Hope emerges. Might she might be a saviour?
"Blue Bicycle" by Ümit Köreken (Turkey)
Young Ali saves up all the money he can working at a tyre repair shop to buy a coveted blue bicycle. Meanwhile, at school, his love for his schoolmate Elif leads him to defend her dismissal as school president. A story of childish love, dreams and resistance.
"The Dark Wind" by Hussein Hassan (Iraq)
Radical Islamists attack a village in Iraq where two young Yazidis are preparing for their marriage. At that moment, their lives become a nightmare.
"The Idea of a Lake" (note: previously titled Air Pocket) by Milagros Mumenthaler (Switzerland, Argentina)
Inés, a photographer, is creating a book of her work. Gradually, the process becomes a personal exploration of her past and the absence of her father, who was disappeared during the military dictatorship in Argentina.
"The Mimosas" by Oliver Laxe (Spain, Morocco, France)
In the Atlas Mountains in the past, a caravan searches for the path to take a Sufi master home to die. Among the party is Ahmed, a rascal who eventually becomes inspired to lead the caravan to its destination. Along the way, he is assisted by Shakib, a man sent from contemporary Morocco to guide Ahmed on his journey.
"Rey" (King) by Niles Atallah (Chile)
In 1860, a French lawyer dreamed of becoming the King of Patagonia – and he did just that. Or so it seemed.
"Suspension" by Ala Eddine Slim (Tunisia)
N is a candidate for an illegal crossing of the Mediterranean from Tunisia. A supernatural voyage, during which N will confront Nature and himself, begins.
Feature Documentary / Development
"Agnus Dei" by Karim Sayad (Algeria, Switzerland)
In Algeria, Ali and his sheep, bought for slaughter on Eid Al-Adha, are getting ready for the fight. Once the bets are in, the referee invites the owners into the ring…
"Behind the Doors" by Yakout Elhababi (Morocco)
High in the Rif mountains of Morocco, the people survive by growing kif. Beneath the shadow of the ambiguous legality of the crop, ‘Behind the Doors’ tells the story of a family through its children and their mirroring games.
"The Great Family" by Eliane Raheb (Lebanon)
In 1976, at the age of four, Marlene was put up for adoption in Lebanon and raised in France. In delving into her past, she discovers she is a survivor of the massacre at the Tal Al-Zaatar Palestinian refugee camp, and a family of survivors grows around her.
Feature Documentary / Production
"The Colonel’s Stray Dogs" by Khalid Shamis (Libya, South Africa)
While director Khalid Shamis watched television in his suburban London home, his father was plotting the overthrow of Muammar Gadaffi in his study. When the regime fell, Shamis sought answers about Libya under Gadaffi and his father’s role in its failed liberation.
"Ibrahim" by Lina Alabed (Jordan)
‘Ibrahim’ uncovers the long journey of the director’s father as a young man, when he was a secret member of Abu Nidal, a militant Palestinian revolutionary organisation.
"Searching for Janitou" by Mohamed El Amine hattou (Algeria)
A journey to unravel love in past and contemporary Algeria by exploring the unique phenomenon of a Bollywood film that swept the country in the 1980s.
"To the Ends of the Earth" by Hamida Al Kawari ( Qatar)
A Qatari woman travels on an environmental expedition to Antarctica in search of hope, before returning to the Gulf and finding unity and inspiration for positive change.
"Weight Throwers" by Hind Bensari (Morocco)
‘Weight Thowers’ follows the struggles of Azzedine and Youssef, disabled members of Morocco’s unemployed and disillusioned young generation, as they struggle to train for the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
Feature Documentary / Post-production
"Tadmor" by Lokman Slim, Monika Borgmann (Lebanon)
A group of Lebanese men re-enact the ordeals they experienced as detainees in Syria’s notorious Tadmor prison. An ode to the human will to survive.
"When Two Worlds Collide" by Heidi Brandenburg, Mathew Orzel (Peru)
A story of a man and a people, and of the fate of one of our planet’s most valuable natural resources – the Amazon rainforest.
Short Narrative / Production
"Behind the Wall" by Karima Zoubir (Morocco)
Nadia, a little girl, lives in a Casablanca slum that is surrounded by a wall. One day, the municipality begins to paint the wall – but why this sudden interest?
"Kashta" by A.J. Al Thani (Qatar)
A father takes his two sons out to the desert to learn about hunting and survival, but the results are not quite what he was expecting.
"Language" by Mortada Gzar (Iraq)
An old blind man walks throught the streets of Baghdad, then falls asleep while reading a book in Braille. When he wakes up, he finds he has become a giant and reads the devastation of the city by touch.
"The Waiting Room" by Hind Fakhroo (Qatar)
An Arab family and a Western family find themselves sharing a hospital room; the only thing that separates them is a curtain.
- 1/5/2016
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
Wadjda director among 30 awarded grants in the Doha Film Institute’s latest round of funding.Scroll down for the full list of projects
Haifaa Al Mansour, the director of 2012 Bafta-nominated Wadjda, has received a grant for her first animated feature project Miss Camel (in development) as part of the Doha Film Institute’s Fall 2015 round of funding.
The film will follow a teenage camel in Saudi Arabia which travels across the country to compete in a beauty pageant.
In total, 30 projects have received grants, including 16 feature films, three of which are animations, and 10 documentaries.
Of the projects selected, 24 are from the Mena region, while for the first time filmmakers from Chile, Peru and Spain will all receive funding.
Fatma Al Remaihi, CEO of the Doha Film Institute, said: “Animated films are very popular in our region so it is very encouraging to see an acclaimed filmmaker like Haifaa Al Mansour turn her skills to this important genre; we...
Haifaa Al Mansour, the director of 2012 Bafta-nominated Wadjda, has received a grant for her first animated feature project Miss Camel (in development) as part of the Doha Film Institute’s Fall 2015 round of funding.
The film will follow a teenage camel in Saudi Arabia which travels across the country to compete in a beauty pageant.
In total, 30 projects have received grants, including 16 feature films, three of which are animations, and 10 documentaries.
Of the projects selected, 24 are from the Mena region, while for the first time filmmakers from Chile, Peru and Spain will all receive funding.
Fatma Al Remaihi, CEO of the Doha Film Institute, said: “Animated films are very popular in our region so it is very encouraging to see an acclaimed filmmaker like Haifaa Al Mansour turn her skills to this important genre; we...
- 12/21/2015
- ScreenDaily
Sundance 2016 is fast approaching. Last week we posted the movie lineup of Midnight and Competition film selections. We now have the complete lineup for the premieres in both the feature film and documentary categories. We also have their selections for the Spotlight and Kid films. I've also included a list of special events.
There are a lot of great films on this list that I'm excited about seeing because of the incredible talent involved. Viggo Mortensen and Frank Langella star in Captain Fantastic; Laura Dern, Kristen Stewart, Michelle Williams star in Certain Women; Rachel Weisz, Michael Shannon, Kathy Bates and Danny Glover star in Complete Unknown; Paul Rudd and Selena Gomez star in The Fundamentals of Caring; John Krasinski directed a film called The Hollars which he stars in with Anna Kendrick, Margo Martindale, Richard Jenkins, Sharlto Copley, and Charlie Day; Thor: Ragnarok director Taika Waititi has made a new...
There are a lot of great films on this list that I'm excited about seeing because of the incredible talent involved. Viggo Mortensen and Frank Langella star in Captain Fantastic; Laura Dern, Kristen Stewart, Michelle Williams star in Certain Women; Rachel Weisz, Michael Shannon, Kathy Bates and Danny Glover star in Complete Unknown; Paul Rudd and Selena Gomez star in The Fundamentals of Caring; John Krasinski directed a film called The Hollars which he stars in with Anna Kendrick, Margo Martindale, Richard Jenkins, Sharlto Copley, and Charlie Day; Thor: Ragnarok director Taika Waititi has made a new...
- 12/13/2015
- by Joey Paur
- GeekTyrant
Premieres A showcase of world premieres of some of the most highly anticipated narrative films of the coming year. "Agnus Dei" / France, Poland (Director: Anne Fontaine, Screenwriters: Sabrina N. Karine, Alice Vial, Pascal Bonitzer) — 1945 Poland: Mathilde, a young French doctor, is on a mission to help World War II survivors. When a nun seeks her assistance in helping several pregnant nuns in hiding, who are unable to reconcile their faith with their pregnancies, Mathilde becomes their only hope. Cast: Lou de Laâge, Agata Kulesza, Agata Buzek, Vincent Macaigne, Joanna Kulig, Katarzyna Dabrowska. World Premiere "Ali & Nino" / United Kingdom (Director: Asif Kapadia, Screenwriter: Christopher Hampton) — Muslim prince Ali and Georgian aristocrat Nino have grown up in the Russian province of Azerbaijan. Their tragic love story sees the outbreak of the First World War and the world’s struggle for Baku’s oil. Ultimately they must choose to...
- 12/8/2015
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
Every film at Sundance is competing for something — love, affection, cold hard cash — but every year, dozens of films play Sundance without officially competing in any of the big four categories. The film festival announced its out-of-competition lineup today, a slate that's not just notable for the parade of big-name directors bringing their latest works to Park City, but also for the variety of TV or TV-adjacent projects choosing to open at the Mecca of indie film. Besides new work from Whit Stillman, Werner Herzog, and Kenneth Lonergan, we've also got the debuts of Chelsea Handler's Chelsea Does, James Franco's 11.22.63, and Starz's adaptation of Steven Soderbergh's The Girlfriend Experience*. Read the official Sundance summaries below, and then check out the films that will be competing right here.Narrative Film Premieres Agnus Dei / France, Poland (Director: Anne Fontaine, Screenwriters: Sabrina N. Karine, Alice Vial, Pascal Bonitzer) — 1945 Poland: Mathilde,...
- 12/7/2015
- by Nate Jones
- Vulture
Sundance programmers have unveiled what is a jaw-dropping, savoury Premieres line-up. With names such as Asif Kapadia (Ali & Nino), Kelly Reichardt (Certain Women), Joshua Marston (Complete Unknown), Ira Sachs (Little Men), Whit Stillman (Love & Friendship), Kenneth Lonergan (Manchester by the Sea), Todd Solondz (Wiener-Dog) and James Schamus’ directorial debut (Indignation), the 2016 edition could be considered a “gold” level edition that in the decade plus years we’ve been covering the fest easily rivals what we might find in the Main Comp in Cannes later that year. In addition to titan auteurs names mentioned above, the fest also have faves in Anne Fontaine, Taika Waititi, John Carney and Diego Luna on tap plus will showcase work from Matthew Ross (directorial debut – Frank & Lola) and Matt Ross (sophomore film – Captain Fantastic). Here is the Premieres line-up.
Agnus Dei / France, Poland (Director: Anne Fontaine, Screenwriters: Sabrina N. Karine, Alice Vial, Pascal Bonitzer) — 1945 Poland: Mathilde,...
Agnus Dei / France, Poland (Director: Anne Fontaine, Screenwriters: Sabrina N. Karine, Alice Vial, Pascal Bonitzer) — 1945 Poland: Mathilde,...
- 12/7/2015
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
Every new year brings us another Sundance Film Festival and with 45 days left until Sundance 2016 kicks off on January 21st, it's time to find out what will be playing up in snowy Park City this January. Yesterday, Sundance revealed the first 66 films playing in-competition at the festival. Today, they reveal the remaining features and documentaries playing in the Premieres category and Spotlight category. There are tons of great films in this line-up, including: Tiff holdover Green Room, Viggo Mortensen in Captain Fantastic, John Krasinski directing The Hollars, Taika Waititi's Hunt for the Wilderpeople and much more. To dive in, browse through the first few selections of Sundance 2016 films - visit Sundance.org for details. Premieres: A showcase of world premieres of some of the most highly anticipated narrative films of the coming year. Agnus Dei / France, Poland (Director: Anne Fontaine, Screenwriters: Sabrina N. Karine, Alice Vial, Pascal Bonitzer) — 1945 Poland: Mathilde,...
- 12/7/2015
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Top brass at the Park City festival have rounded out the feature line-up with a dazzling selection on paper that includes new work from Asif Kapadia and other returning alumni such as Todd Solondz, Taika Waititi and Joshua Marston.Scroll Down For Full List
Road movie The Fundamentals Of Caring by Rob Burnett starring Paul Rudd will close the festival, while Maggie Greenwald’s Sophie And The Rising Sun is the Salt Lake City Gala Film. Heid Ewing and Rachel Grady’s Norman Lear: Just Another Version Of You is a Day One Film.
The Premieres line-up introduces Indignation, the feature directorial debut from former Focus Features CEO and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon screenwriter James Schamus, and the latest world premieres from John Carney, Kenneth Lonergan, Ira Sachs and Diego Luna.
The Documentary Premieres section encompass latest films from Werner Herzog, Spike Lee, Liz Garbus and Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato.
The Spotlight...
Road movie The Fundamentals Of Caring by Rob Burnett starring Paul Rudd will close the festival, while Maggie Greenwald’s Sophie And The Rising Sun is the Salt Lake City Gala Film. Heid Ewing and Rachel Grady’s Norman Lear: Just Another Version Of You is a Day One Film.
The Premieres line-up introduces Indignation, the feature directorial debut from former Focus Features CEO and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon screenwriter James Schamus, and the latest world premieres from John Carney, Kenneth Lonergan, Ira Sachs and Diego Luna.
The Documentary Premieres section encompass latest films from Werner Herzog, Spike Lee, Liz Garbus and Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato.
The Spotlight...
- 12/7/2015
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Top brass at the Park City festival have rounded out the feature line-up with a dazzling selection on paper that includes new work from Asif Kapadia and other returning alumni such as Todd Solondz, Taika Waititi and Joshua Marston.Scroll Down For Full List
Road movie The Fundamentals Of Caring by Rob Burnett starring Paul Rudd will close the festival, while Maggie Greenwald’s Sophie And The Rising Sun is the Salt Lake City Gala Film. Heid Ewing and Rachel Grady’s Norman Lear: Just Another Version Of You is a Day One Film.
The Premieres line-up introduces Indignation, the feature directorial debut from former Focus Features CEO and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon screenwriter James Schamus, and the latest world premieres from John Carney, Kenneth Lonergan, Ira Sachs and Diego Luna.
The Documentary Premieres section encompass latest films from Werner Herzog, Spike Lee, Liz Garbus and Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato.
The Spotlight...
Road movie The Fundamentals Of Caring by Rob Burnett starring Paul Rudd will close the festival, while Maggie Greenwald’s Sophie And The Rising Sun is the Salt Lake City Gala Film. Heid Ewing and Rachel Grady’s Norman Lear: Just Another Version Of You is a Day One Film.
The Premieres line-up introduces Indignation, the feature directorial debut from former Focus Features CEO and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon screenwriter James Schamus, and the latest world premieres from John Carney, Kenneth Lonergan, Ira Sachs and Diego Luna.
The Documentary Premieres section encompass latest films from Werner Herzog, Spike Lee, Liz Garbus and Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato.
The Spotlight...
- 12/7/2015
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
After unveiling what’s sure to be a great many discoveries with their competition, Next line-up, and more, Sundance Film Festival 2016 have now revealed their premieres line-up. “Many of our selections this year reveal that what resides at the core of captivating stories are fascinating, and at times heroic, characters,” programming director Trevor Groth says. “In shining light on these people, independent filmmakers are doing what they’ve always done best: connecting the dots of human existence with a deeply charged emotional current.”
Featuring new films from Kenneth Lonergan, Werner Herzog, Kelly Reichardt, Todd Solondz, Taika Waititi, Ira Sachs, Whit Stillman, and more, check out the line-ups below, along with images where available.
Premieres
A showcase of world premieres of some of the most highly anticipated narrative films of the coming year.
Agnus Dei / France, Poland (Director: Anne Fontaine, Screenwriters: Sabrina N. Karine, Alice Vial, Pascal Bonitzer) — 1945 Poland: Mathilde, a young French doctor,...
Featuring new films from Kenneth Lonergan, Werner Herzog, Kelly Reichardt, Todd Solondz, Taika Waititi, Ira Sachs, Whit Stillman, and more, check out the line-ups below, along with images where available.
Premieres
A showcase of world premieres of some of the most highly anticipated narrative films of the coming year.
Agnus Dei / France, Poland (Director: Anne Fontaine, Screenwriters: Sabrina N. Karine, Alice Vial, Pascal Bonitzer) — 1945 Poland: Mathilde, a young French doctor,...
- 12/7/2015
- by Leonard Pearce
- The Film Stage
The Latin liturgical hymn “Agnus Dei” (“Lamb of God”) serves as the backdrop for communion in the Ventrishire chapel; as Lady Love prays devoutly, Father Ruskin shares communion with the Archdeacon of Windsor. The boys choir sings — in Latin — “Lamb of God, you who take away the sins of the world, have mercy upon us.”By the end of the episode, the word lamb has been given a new connotation, and Wilkin Brattle might be the savior that Ventrishire needs. Of course, he’s not alone. Lady Love’s leadership is still the driving force behind the future of Ventrishire, even though Chamberlain Milus and Baron Pryce are trying to negotiate her away (married to Baron Pryce, the shires would merge). Milus knows her pregnancy is not real, so he hangs that over her head in his attempts to marry her off. She rejects this: “I am not a silent...
- 10/21/2015
- by Leigh Kolb
- Vulture
Bohemia Group is expanding into New Zealand. The Hollywood-based international management firm has consolidated its yearlong collaboration with Gail Cowan of Gail Cowan Management, who will spearhead the new offices for Bohemia Australasia. Cowan, a longtime talent manager based in Auckland, will bring to the agency a pool of high-profile New Zealand actors, many of whom have had roles in the Hobbit and Lord Of The Rings franchises. CEO Susan Ferris says: “I would like to think that we are leading the charge with this global way of doing business in management, and that you really don’t have to be trapped by geography anymore. Even though we are continuously building and expanding Bohemia, we will always keep our actors’ feet firmly planted on the ground, while they keep their heads in the clouds. Now we can do it without borders.” Ferris also has brought in two new La-based managers: Zach James,...
- 1/22/2015
- by Nancy Tartaglione
- Deadline
Controversial composer Alfred Schnittke was born November 24, 1934 in the Soviet Union's Volga Republic, an ethnic German enclave. In his mid-thirties he pioneered a broadly eclectic style of composing that drew on many classical styles (even sometimes quoting familiar Beethoven or Bach works, among others) as well as the occasional foray into jazz and pop. By 1972 his experimentalism had earned the disapproval of the Soviet Composers Union (the Soviets also weren't enamored of his occasional expressions of religion, for that matter), but a number of esteemed musicians who had left Russia to live in the West supported his work and brought him an international reputation. His work was basically pessimistic in outlook, but its emotional impact, and the accessibility of some of the styles he drew on, nonetheless seduced many listeners.
The contradictions in Schnittke's style are laid out in his liner notes to the Bis recording of his Symphony No.
The contradictions in Schnittke's style are laid out in his liner notes to the Bis recording of his Symphony No.
- 11/24/2014
- by SteveHoltje
- www.culturecatch.com
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