In 2020, director Hsin-Chien Huang won the NewImages Festival’s top prize for “Bodyless,” a dreamlike exploration of his own childhood growing up under Taiwanese martial law. That year’s jury was led by French music producer and composer Jean-Michel Jarre – and sometime over the course of the festival the two men hit it off.
This year, the fast friends will return as creative partners and co-directors of “The Eye and I,” a visual and musical collaboration screening in NewImages’ competition and born of the festival’s wider goal to develop the immersive ecosystem in part by encouraging such outcomes.
“Our mission is to connect people,” says festival director Michele Ziegler. “We’re always looking to expand our circle and build our community – and we hope more and more people will join.”
Indeed, a bout of jury duty has proven to be a powerful motivator, as Jarre is hardly the first creative to make the leap.
This year, the fast friends will return as creative partners and co-directors of “The Eye and I,” a visual and musical collaboration screening in NewImages’ competition and born of the festival’s wider goal to develop the immersive ecosystem in part by encouraging such outcomes.
“Our mission is to connect people,” says festival director Michele Ziegler. “We’re always looking to expand our circle and build our community – and we hope more and more people will join.”
Indeed, a bout of jury duty has proven to be a powerful motivator, as Jarre is hardly the first creative to make the leap.
- 4/23/2024
- by Ben Croll
- Variety Film + TV
The best feature prize went to ’Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person’.
Canadian director and screenwriter Ariane Louis-Seize won the Reflet d’Or for best feature prize for Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person as this year’s Geneva International Film Festival (Giff) drew to a close this weekend (Saturday November 11).
Louis-Seize took home the prize for her film about a female vampire too sensitive to kill who meets a lonely man which carries a cash prize of Chf 10,000, 75% of which goes to the director and 25% to the rights holder who registered the film in the Festival selection. The cash...
Canadian director and screenwriter Ariane Louis-Seize won the Reflet d’Or for best feature prize for Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person as this year’s Geneva International Film Festival (Giff) drew to a close this weekend (Saturday November 11).
Louis-Seize took home the prize for her film about a female vampire too sensitive to kill who meets a lonely man which carries a cash prize of Chf 10,000, 75% of which goes to the director and 25% to the rights holder who registered the film in the Festival selection. The cash...
- 11/13/2023
- by Stuart Kemp
- ScreenDaily
The best feature prize went to ’Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person’.
Canadian director and screenwriter Ariane Louis-Seize won the Reflet d’Or for best feature prize for Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person as this year’s Geneva International Film Festival (Giff) drew to a close this weekend (Saturday November 11).
Louis-Seize took home the prize for her film about a female vampire too sensitive to kill who meets a lonely man which carries a cash prize of Chf 10,000, 75% of which goes to the director and 25% to the rights holder who registered the film in the Festival selection. The cash...
Canadian director and screenwriter Ariane Louis-Seize won the Reflet d’Or for best feature prize for Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person as this year’s Geneva International Film Festival (Giff) drew to a close this weekend (Saturday November 11).
Louis-Seize took home the prize for her film about a female vampire too sensitive to kill who meets a lonely man which carries a cash prize of Chf 10,000, 75% of which goes to the director and 25% to the rights holder who registered the film in the Festival selection. The cash...
- 11/13/2023
- by Stuart Kemp
- ScreenDaily
The festival and its Geneva Digital Market take place from November 3-11 in Switzerland.
International festival favourites, a fresh take on the international series competition and the world debut of an installation by Jean-Michel Jarre, exemplify the Geneva International Film Festival’s mission to investigate and celebrate audiovisual content in all its guises.
“Our goal for audiences and international participants alike is to reinforce the interaction with content and the cinematographic experience for film, series and also digital creation,” says artistic director Anais Emery, who is overseeing her third edition. “I hope the audience will get curious about this diversity of audiovisual offerings.
International festival favourites, a fresh take on the international series competition and the world debut of an installation by Jean-Michel Jarre, exemplify the Geneva International Film Festival’s mission to investigate and celebrate audiovisual content in all its guises.
“Our goal for audiences and international participants alike is to reinforce the interaction with content and the cinematographic experience for film, series and also digital creation,” says artistic director Anais Emery, who is overseeing her third edition. “I hope the audience will get curious about this diversity of audiovisual offerings.
- 11/3/2023
- by Stuart Kemp
- ScreenDaily
The Red Sea International Film Festival in partnership with Vox Cinemas, Mbc Group, and Saudia Airlines announced the winners of the Red Sea competition sections. The 16 feature, 18 shorts selection and 21 ground-breaking global virtual reality experiences are a celebration of the most exciting, innovative new films and cinematic storytelling from established and emerging filmmakers from the Arab world and Africa.
This year’s jury included: President of the Red Sea Features Competition, Academy Award-winning Italian director and writer Giuseppe Tornatore, Tunisian actress Hend Sabry, Palestinian-American director, writer, actress, and producer Cherien Dabis, Mexican festival director and founder of the Morelia International Film Festival Daniela Michel and Saudi film director Abdulaziz Alshlahei.
Competition Jury Prize went to the Cannes Directors Fortnight premiering Hit the Road by Panah Panahi from Iran.
Competition Best Film went to Brighton 4th by Levan Koguashvili a coproduction of Georgia, Russia, Bulgaria, USA, Monaco. This is Georgia’s submission for Oscar Nomination for Best International Film and the winner of the Asian World Film Festival, Los Angeles for Best Picture. This film about the Georgian emigrants living in Brighton Beach, USA today captures the heart of the viewers with its open sharing of the Georgians today. Its director Levan Koguashvili graduated NYU Film school. The film is the winner of three prizes at Cottbus Film Festival and three awards at Tribeca as well.
Competition Best Actor and Best Director for Europa went to Amal Ali and Haider Rashid respectively, a coproduction of Iraq, Italy, and Kuwait:
Haider Rashid says, “Regarding the main role, Kamal, I was set on finding an actor who could understand the sense of displacement that we wanted to portray on an emotional level. My colleague Daniele Bernabei ran into a trailer for a short film while at the Short Film Corner in Cannes and sent it to me, as the cast was composed of several Arab actors. As soon as I saw Adam Ali I felt there was something interesting about him, a silent movie face in a way. That made me want to find out more, since we were going to make a film in which dialogue is at a minimum and most of the film is on the protagonist’s shoulders.
While he was in Canada shooting Apple+’s Little America, we had a very interesting conversation and found some common grounds on certain issues like the misrepresentation of certain ethnicities in film and TV and what it feels like to be sometimes torn between two cultures. Adam is of Libyan origins and moved with his family to Manchester when he was a child, so the issue of identity was also a common ground between us.
Of course this film is pretty different as it is so physical and it was clear that we were going to do many things that not every actor would be willing to do. While speaking to Adam, it seemed to me that there was a certain pride about him that would help me in pushing him in certain directions both physically and emotionally by sometimes provoking him. He was great in being determined to do what was necessary and I have to say he was really brave in how he faced the physical and emotional challenges that the story entailed.”
Competition Best Actress Award went to Arawinda Kirana for her role in Yuni a production of Indonesia, Singapore, France, Australia. She also won for best actress in the Asian World Film Festival, Los Angeles. This is a beautifully shot story of the feisy rebellion of a young woman in Indonesia today, a place we have not seen in its contemporary feminine aspects until now.
Best Saudi Film Rupture by Hamzah K. Jamjoom — Saudi Arabia
Audience Award You Resemble Me by Dina Amer — Egypt, France, USA
Immersive Silver Yusr Samsara by Hsin-Chien Huang — Taiwan
Immersive Gold Yusr End of Night by David Adler — Denmark, France
Short Competition Golden Yusr Tala’vision by Murad Abu Eisheh — Jordan, Germany
Competition Special Mention Farha by Darin J. Sallam — Jordan
Competition Best Cinematic Contribution went to Amin Jafari for Hit the Road — Iran
Competition Best Screenplay Neighbours by Mano Khalil — Syria, Switzerland...
This year’s jury included: President of the Red Sea Features Competition, Academy Award-winning Italian director and writer Giuseppe Tornatore, Tunisian actress Hend Sabry, Palestinian-American director, writer, actress, and producer Cherien Dabis, Mexican festival director and founder of the Morelia International Film Festival Daniela Michel and Saudi film director Abdulaziz Alshlahei.
Competition Jury Prize went to the Cannes Directors Fortnight premiering Hit the Road by Panah Panahi from Iran.
Competition Best Film went to Brighton 4th by Levan Koguashvili a coproduction of Georgia, Russia, Bulgaria, USA, Monaco. This is Georgia’s submission for Oscar Nomination for Best International Film and the winner of the Asian World Film Festival, Los Angeles for Best Picture. This film about the Georgian emigrants living in Brighton Beach, USA today captures the heart of the viewers with its open sharing of the Georgians today. Its director Levan Koguashvili graduated NYU Film school. The film is the winner of three prizes at Cottbus Film Festival and three awards at Tribeca as well.
Competition Best Actor and Best Director for Europa went to Amal Ali and Haider Rashid respectively, a coproduction of Iraq, Italy, and Kuwait:
Haider Rashid says, “Regarding the main role, Kamal, I was set on finding an actor who could understand the sense of displacement that we wanted to portray on an emotional level. My colleague Daniele Bernabei ran into a trailer for a short film while at the Short Film Corner in Cannes and sent it to me, as the cast was composed of several Arab actors. As soon as I saw Adam Ali I felt there was something interesting about him, a silent movie face in a way. That made me want to find out more, since we were going to make a film in which dialogue is at a minimum and most of the film is on the protagonist’s shoulders.
While he was in Canada shooting Apple+’s Little America, we had a very interesting conversation and found some common grounds on certain issues like the misrepresentation of certain ethnicities in film and TV and what it feels like to be sometimes torn between two cultures. Adam is of Libyan origins and moved with his family to Manchester when he was a child, so the issue of identity was also a common ground between us.
Of course this film is pretty different as it is so physical and it was clear that we were going to do many things that not every actor would be willing to do. While speaking to Adam, it seemed to me that there was a certain pride about him that would help me in pushing him in certain directions both physically and emotionally by sometimes provoking him. He was great in being determined to do what was necessary and I have to say he was really brave in how he faced the physical and emotional challenges that the story entailed.”
Competition Best Actress Award went to Arawinda Kirana for her role in Yuni a production of Indonesia, Singapore, France, Australia. She also won for best actress in the Asian World Film Festival, Los Angeles. This is a beautifully shot story of the feisy rebellion of a young woman in Indonesia today, a place we have not seen in its contemporary feminine aspects until now.
Best Saudi Film Rupture by Hamzah K. Jamjoom — Saudi Arabia
Audience Award You Resemble Me by Dina Amer — Egypt, France, USA
Immersive Silver Yusr Samsara by Hsin-Chien Huang — Taiwan
Immersive Gold Yusr End of Night by David Adler — Denmark, France
Short Competition Golden Yusr Tala’vision by Murad Abu Eisheh — Jordan, Germany
Competition Special Mention Farha by Darin J. Sallam — Jordan
Competition Best Cinematic Contribution went to Amin Jafari for Hit the Road — Iran
Competition Best Screenplay Neighbours by Mano Khalil — Syria, Switzerland...
- 5/8/2022
- by Sydney
- Sydney's Buzz
Levan Koguashvili’s Brighton 4th has scooped up the Best Film prize at Saudi Arabia’s inaugural Red Sea Film Festival. The title is Georgia’s entry in the Academy Awards international feature category this year.
Elsewhere in the festival’s Yusr Awards, Hamzah K. Jamjoom’s title Rupture was the winner for Best Saudi Film while Egyptian title You Resemble Me from director Dina Amer won the Audience Award.
Meanwhile, the jury prize was awarded to Iranian helmer Panah Panahi’s family road trip effort Hit The Road, which also won the Red Sea’s best cinematic contribution award. That title premiered in the Cannes Directors’ Fortnight earlier this year. Murad Abu Eisheh’s Tala’Vision nabbed the Best Short award while Haider Rashid won Best Director for his title Europa.
The festival’s selection included 16 features, 18 short films and 21 virtual reality experiences in a celebration of innovative films...
Elsewhere in the festival’s Yusr Awards, Hamzah K. Jamjoom’s title Rupture was the winner for Best Saudi Film while Egyptian title You Resemble Me from director Dina Amer won the Audience Award.
Meanwhile, the jury prize was awarded to Iranian helmer Panah Panahi’s family road trip effort Hit The Road, which also won the Red Sea’s best cinematic contribution award. That title premiered in the Cannes Directors’ Fortnight earlier this year. Murad Abu Eisheh’s Tala’Vision nabbed the Best Short award while Haider Rashid won Best Director for his title Europa.
The festival’s selection included 16 features, 18 short films and 21 virtual reality experiences in a celebration of innovative films...
- 12/14/2021
- by Diana Lodderhose
- Deadline Film + TV
Levan Koguashvili’s “Brighton 4th” has won best film at Saudi Arabia’s inaugural Red Sea Film Festival, while Hamzah K. Jamjoom’s “Rupture” won best Saudi film.
“Brighton 4th” is Georgia’s entry in the Academy Awards’ international feature category.
Haider Rashid won best director for “Europa” and Adam Ali won best actor for his role in the film. Arawinda Kirana won best actress for her performance in Kamila Andini’s “Yuni,” which is Indonesia’s entry in the Oscars’ international category.
This year’s jury included: president of the Red Sea features competition, Academy Award-winning Italian director and writer Giuseppe Tornatore; Tunisian actor Hend Sabry; Palestinian-American director, writer, actor, and producer Cherien Dabis; Mexican festival director and founder of the Morelia International Film Festival Daniela Michel; and Saudi film director Abdulaziz Alshlahei. The Red Sea shorts competition jury was headed by Egyptian director Marwan Hamed and joined by...
“Brighton 4th” is Georgia’s entry in the Academy Awards’ international feature category.
Haider Rashid won best director for “Europa” and Adam Ali won best actor for his role in the film. Arawinda Kirana won best actress for her performance in Kamila Andini’s “Yuni,” which is Indonesia’s entry in the Oscars’ international category.
This year’s jury included: president of the Red Sea features competition, Academy Award-winning Italian director and writer Giuseppe Tornatore; Tunisian actor Hend Sabry; Palestinian-American director, writer, actor, and producer Cherien Dabis; Mexican festival director and founder of the Morelia International Film Festival Daniela Michel; and Saudi film director Abdulaziz Alshlahei. The Red Sea shorts competition jury was headed by Egyptian director Marwan Hamed and joined by...
- 12/13/2021
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Venice works with VR platforms including Facebook-owned Oculus and Viveport, which do not allow nudity and sex, for example.
Venice VR Expanded co-creators Liz Rosenthal and Michel Reilhac have warned of freedom of expression issues threatening to stop daring and ground-breaking VR work being seen widely.
The Venice organisers need to work with the leading VR platforms, who are generally strong supporters of artists in the fast growing VR field, in order to distribute virtual-reality projects online. The hitch comes with what these platforms are allowing to be seen.
“They have a very strict moral code with very strictly defined family moral values,...
Venice VR Expanded co-creators Liz Rosenthal and Michel Reilhac have warned of freedom of expression issues threatening to stop daring and ground-breaking VR work being seen widely.
The Venice organisers need to work with the leading VR platforms, who are generally strong supporters of artists in the fast growing VR field, in order to distribute virtual-reality projects online. The hitch comes with what these platforms are allowing to be seen.
“They have a very strict moral code with very strictly defined family moral values,...
- 9/3/2021
- by Geoffrey Macnab
- ScreenDaily
Venice works with VR platforms including Facebook-owned Oculus and Viveport, which do not allow nudity and sex, for example.
Venice VR Expanded co-creators Liz Rosenthal and Michel Reilhac have warned of a creeping censorship issue threatening to stop daring and ground-breaking VR work being seen widely.
The Venice organisers need to work with platforms including Facebook-owned Oculus and Viveport, which is owned by Taiwan’s Htc, in order to distribute virtual reality projects online. The hitch comes with what these platforms are allowing to be seen.
“They have a very strict moral code with very strictly defined family moral values,...
Venice VR Expanded co-creators Liz Rosenthal and Michel Reilhac have warned of a creeping censorship issue threatening to stop daring and ground-breaking VR work being seen widely.
The Venice organisers need to work with platforms including Facebook-owned Oculus and Viveport, which is owned by Taiwan’s Htc, in order to distribute virtual reality projects online. The hitch comes with what these platforms are allowing to be seen.
“They have a very strict moral code with very strictly defined family moral values,...
- 9/3/2021
- by Geoffrey Macnab
- ScreenDaily
Taiwan’s leadership position in the still-emerging field of virtual reality storytelling has seldom been more evident than in Venice’s 2021 vr competition section. Seven of the total 37 vr projects selected to exhibit in Venice this year are from Taiwan, a record number for a single territory. Taiwanese mixed-media artist Hsin-Chien Huang, who won Venice’s very first best vr experience award in 2017, is back with two works in competition: Samsara, which won the best vr story prize at the Cannes film market’s VR showcase in July, and The Starry Sand Beach, produced together with French artist Nina Barbier....
Taiwan’s leadership position in the still-emerging field of virtual reality storytelling has seldom been more evident than in Venice’s 2021 VR competition section. Seven of the total 37 VR projects selected to exhibit in Venice this year are from Taiwan, a record number for a single territory. Taiwanese mixed-media artist Hsin-Chien Huang, who won Venice’s very first best VR experience award in 2017, is back with two works in competition: Samsara, which won the best VR story prize at the Cannes film market’s VR showcase in July, and The Starry Sand Beach, produced together with French artist Nina Barbier....
YouTube Names VP For Europe, Middle East & Africa
YouTube has appointed Pedro Pina as VP, YouTube, responsible for all aspects of the business across Europe, Middle East and Africa (Emea). The exec arrives with 30 years of experienced in global marketing. He first joined Google in 2013 as leader in the Global Client & Agency Solutions team, working with clients including Apple and Coca Cola. In 2019, he was named one of the 10 most influential LGBTQ+ executives in the UK by the British LGBTQ+ awards. “I believe we have just scratched the surface when it comes to what YouTube can bring to people’s lives and to the world. The potential is limitless here in this region so the opportunity to lead the team to our next phase of growth was too good to miss,” said Pina.
Venice Unveils VR Program
The Venice Film Festival has rounded out its Virtual Reality selection with Venice VR Expanded titles announced today.
YouTube has appointed Pedro Pina as VP, YouTube, responsible for all aspects of the business across Europe, Middle East and Africa (Emea). The exec arrives with 30 years of experienced in global marketing. He first joined Google in 2013 as leader in the Global Client & Agency Solutions team, working with clients including Apple and Coca Cola. In 2019, he was named one of the 10 most influential LGBTQ+ executives in the UK by the British LGBTQ+ awards. “I believe we have just scratched the surface when it comes to what YouTube can bring to people’s lives and to the world. The potential is limitless here in this region so the opportunity to lead the team to our next phase of growth was too good to miss,” said Pina.
Venice Unveils VR Program
The Venice Film Festival has rounded out its Virtual Reality selection with Venice VR Expanded titles announced today.
- 7/29/2021
- by Tom Grater and Nancy Tartaglione
- Deadline Film + TV
The Venice International Film Festival has unveiled the lineup for the 2021 Venice VR Expanded section, the virtual reality sidebar that runs alongside the prestigious cinema event.
A total of 37 projects from 21 countries will screen during this year’s VR Expanded event, including 23 works in competition.
Competition works range in length from the seven-minute Italian-Spanish production Il Dubbio — Episode 2 from directors Matteo Lonardi, Javier Lajara, and Javier Martinez, to the one-hour immersive theater production The Severance Theory: Welcome To Respite from U.S. artist Lyndsie Scoggin.
Taiwanese VR artist Hsin-Chien Huang has two works in Venice’s VR Expanded ...
A total of 37 projects from 21 countries will screen during this year’s VR Expanded event, including 23 works in competition.
Competition works range in length from the seven-minute Italian-Spanish production Il Dubbio — Episode 2 from directors Matteo Lonardi, Javier Lajara, and Javier Martinez, to the one-hour immersive theater production The Severance Theory: Welcome To Respite from U.S. artist Lyndsie Scoggin.
Taiwanese VR artist Hsin-Chien Huang has two works in Venice’s VR Expanded ...
- 7/29/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
The Venice International Film Festival has unveiled the lineup for the 2021 Venice VR Expanded section, the virtual reality sidebar that runs alongside the prestigious cinema event.
A total of 37 projects from 21 countries will screen during this year’s VR Expanded event, including 23 works in competition.
Competition works range in length from the seven-minute Italian-Spanish production Il Dubbio — Episode 2 from directors Matteo Lonardi, Javier Lajara, and Javier Martinez, to the one-hour immersive theater production The Severance Theory: Welcome To Respite from U.S. artist Lyndsie Scoggin.
Taiwanese VR artist Hsin-Chien Huang has two works in Venice’s VR Expanded ...
A total of 37 projects from 21 countries will screen during this year’s VR Expanded event, including 23 works in competition.
Competition works range in length from the seven-minute Italian-Spanish production Il Dubbio — Episode 2 from directors Matteo Lonardi, Javier Lajara, and Javier Martinez, to the one-hour immersive theater production The Severance Theory: Welcome To Respite from U.S. artist Lyndsie Scoggin.
Taiwanese VR artist Hsin-Chien Huang has two works in Venice’s VR Expanded ...
- 7/29/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The immersive VR piece “Bodyless,” director Hsin-Chien Huang’s dreamlike exploration of his own childhood growing up under Taiwanese martial law, took home top honors at Paris’ NewImages Festival on Friday evening. Along with its newly minted Masque d’Or for best VR work, the 25-minute piece walked away with €6,000 in prize money.
Led by French music producer and composer Jean-Michel Jarre, this year’s jury – which also included directors Julie Bertuccelli, Jérémy Clapin and Alice Diop alongside actor Vimala Pons – honored two films with a second place tie, offering the special jury prize to both Ainslee Robson’s exploration of Ethiopian-American identity “Ferenj: A Graphic Memoir in VR,” and Fabito Rychter and Amir Admoni’s wryly surrealist “Gravity VR.”
Jarre’s jury also awarded Marie Blondiaux and Charles Ayats’ interactive project “Moa – My Own Assistant,” which was adapted from a novel by French writer Alain Damasio, and...
Led by French music producer and composer Jean-Michel Jarre, this year’s jury – which also included directors Julie Bertuccelli, Jérémy Clapin and Alice Diop alongside actor Vimala Pons – honored two films with a second place tie, offering the special jury prize to both Ainslee Robson’s exploration of Ethiopian-American identity “Ferenj: A Graphic Memoir in VR,” and Fabito Rychter and Amir Admoni’s wryly surrealist “Gravity VR.”
Jarre’s jury also awarded Marie Blondiaux and Charles Ayats’ interactive project “Moa – My Own Assistant,” which was adapted from a novel by French writer Alain Damasio, and...
- 9/26/2020
- by Ben Croll
- Variety Film + TV
“It needs to be recognised in the way that film is recognised.”
Virtual Reality is taking hold on the Lido as Venice, the only A-list festival which has its own Vr competition, ramps up its Vr offerings yet further.
“[Vr] is a new form of storytelling and art and it needs to be recognised in the same way that film is recognised,” said Liz Rosenthal, co-programmer of Venice Vr alongside Michel Reilhac.
The Venice competition is divided into two strands. Linear and Interactive. There is also an Out of Competition/Best Of Vr section.
“What we felt was that Vr was...
Virtual Reality is taking hold on the Lido as Venice, the only A-list festival which has its own Vr competition, ramps up its Vr offerings yet further.
“[Vr] is a new form of storytelling and art and it needs to be recognised in the same way that film is recognised,” said Liz Rosenthal, co-programmer of Venice Vr alongside Michel Reilhac.
The Venice competition is divided into two strands. Linear and Interactive. There is also an Out of Competition/Best Of Vr section.
“What we felt was that Vr was...
- 8/30/2019
- by Geoffrey Macnab
- ScreenDaily
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