The pioneering French-Iranian producer and sales agent leaves behind a long-lasting legacy
Pioneering producer and celebrated Celluloid Dreams founder Hengameh Panahi died on November 5 following a long illness, sending shockwaves of sadness throughout the international film community and leaving a long-lasting legacy of both championing auteur cinema and shaking up the status quo in her wake.
The revered French-Iranian industry executive was known for finding and following emerging directors and accompanying their films to festival glory and international acclaim. Her career spanned four decades and more than 800 films.
She worked alongside iconic directors from across the globe including Jacques Audiard,...
Pioneering producer and celebrated Celluloid Dreams founder Hengameh Panahi died on November 5 following a long illness, sending shockwaves of sadness throughout the international film community and leaving a long-lasting legacy of both championing auteur cinema and shaking up the status quo in her wake.
The revered French-Iranian industry executive was known for finding and following emerging directors and accompanying their films to festival glory and international acclaim. Her career spanned four decades and more than 800 films.
She worked alongside iconic directors from across the globe including Jacques Audiard,...
- 11/10/2023
- by Rebecca Leffler
- ScreenDaily
Groundbreaking French-Iranian sales agent and producer Hengameh Panahi, who represented a myriad of renowned Cannes and Venice prize-winning auteur directors, has died at the age of 67.
Paris-based press attaché Viviana Andriani, who handled press campaigns for a number of Panahi’s films, announced the news in a short communiqué.
She said Panahi had died on November 5 after bravely battling a long illness.
Panahi was a force to be reckoned with on the international film industry circuit, who launched dozens of renowned arthouse directors at the beginning of their careers and accompanied them as they won awards and fame.
Born in Iran, Panahi was sent to Belgium to complete her education as teenager.
She got her first big break in the film industry as head of international at Brussels-based animation studio Graphoui.
In an early sign of her flare for scouting promising talent, Panahi connected with John Lasseter and Tim Burton...
Paris-based press attaché Viviana Andriani, who handled press campaigns for a number of Panahi’s films, announced the news in a short communiqué.
She said Panahi had died on November 5 after bravely battling a long illness.
Panahi was a force to be reckoned with on the international film industry circuit, who launched dozens of renowned arthouse directors at the beginning of their careers and accompanied them as they won awards and fame.
Born in Iran, Panahi was sent to Belgium to complete her education as teenager.
She got her first big break in the film industry as head of international at Brussels-based animation studio Graphoui.
In an early sign of her flare for scouting promising talent, Panahi connected with John Lasseter and Tim Burton...
- 11/9/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
The first calendar year to see the physical return of almost every major film festival since the pandemic, 2022 has been a huge morale booster for filmmakers from all around the globe. And now, with the third edition of Deadline’s Contenders Film: International kicking off Saturday at 8 a.m. Pt, that outreach expands even further: leaving a carbon-free footprint, our online event will showcase the myriad films that soared at Sundance, beguiled Berlin, captivated Cannes, thrilled Telluride, vitalized Venice and touched Toronto, all the while shining a spotlight on the must-see movies that might have flown under your radar.
Click her to register for and watch today’s Contenders livestream.
Since submissions accepted for the Best International Feature Film Oscar category continue to grow — up by something like 30 from just 10 years ago, buoyed no doubt by the boundary-breaking success of 2019’s Parasite — it is harder than ever before to see...
Click her to register for and watch today’s Contenders livestream.
Since submissions accepted for the Best International Feature Film Oscar category continue to grow — up by something like 30 from just 10 years ago, buoyed no doubt by the boundary-breaking success of 2019’s Parasite — it is harder than ever before to see...
- 12/3/2022
- by Damon Wise
- Deadline Film + TV
When people think of the term “Oscar-bait,” there are many adjectives that come to their mind: formulaic, stale, cookie-cutter, generic, by-the-numbers.
“Oscar-bait” has a negative connotation to it because it describes a movie that is specifically made to please a certain demographic (in this case Oscar voters), leading to a movie that is both emotionally manipulative and has very little to say about anything beyond surface-level observations.
That’s why it is so ironic that this film is titled The Box because it felt exactly like an Oscar-bait film – it is, indeed, Venezuela’s 2023 Best Foreign Picture Academy Award submission – that fits very neatly in a safe, cookie-cutter box, resulting in a story that is both emotionally manipulative and has nothing deep to say about its subject matter.
The Box, a film directed by Lorenzo Vigas, stars Hernán Mendoza and Hatzín Oscar Navarrete. The film tells the story of a...
“Oscar-bait” has a negative connotation to it because it describes a movie that is specifically made to please a certain demographic (in this case Oscar voters), leading to a movie that is both emotionally manipulative and has very little to say about anything beyond surface-level observations.
That’s why it is so ironic that this film is titled The Box because it felt exactly like an Oscar-bait film – it is, indeed, Venezuela’s 2023 Best Foreign Picture Academy Award submission – that fits very neatly in a safe, cookie-cutter box, resulting in a story that is both emotionally manipulative and has nothing deep to say about its subject matter.
The Box, a film directed by Lorenzo Vigas, stars Hernán Mendoza and Hatzín Oscar Navarrete. The film tells the story of a...
- 11/11/2022
- by Timothy Lee
- Uinterview
Five Inspirations is a series in which we ask directors to share five things that shaped and informed their film. Lorenzo Vigas's The Box is now showing exclusively on Mubi in many countries—including the United States, United Kingdom, India, Turkey, Germany, Ireland, and Canada—starting November 11, 2022, in the series The New Auteurs.Inspiration #1Mouchette by Robert BressonRobert Bresson's work has influenced me because it goes against the established norm within the cinematographic narrative. Bresson moves away from the usual tools of manipulation and seeks to convey emotion through pure cinematic language. Actors should not convey emotion through their performances; rather, as a result of the cinematographic narrative, the viewer comes to feel the emotional movement of the actors. The individual shot should not convey beauty, but the sum of them together is what should achieve meaning. The work is the sum of all its elements and none of them should stand out.
- 11/10/2022
- MUBI
Father Knows Best: Vigas Caps His Father/Son Trilogy with Blunt Brutality
In his long-gestating follow-up to 2014 Golden Lion winner From Afar, Venezuela’s Lorenzo Vigas caps his thematic paternity-themed trilogy with The Box, a title meant to reflect the banal packaging of terrible events transpired and to follow. Vigas coldly ponders a situation as if from afar himself, distanced from violence and murder as if they’re normal, everyday events, which instills a sense of chilly terror. As such, it’s a film much harder to get into than his previous work, where there were at least begrudging moments of authentic kindness providing respite.…...
In his long-gestating follow-up to 2014 Golden Lion winner From Afar, Venezuela’s Lorenzo Vigas caps his thematic paternity-themed trilogy with The Box, a title meant to reflect the banal packaging of terrible events transpired and to follow. Vigas coldly ponders a situation as if from afar himself, distanced from violence and murder as if they’re normal, everyday events, which instills a sense of chilly terror. As such, it’s a film much harder to get into than his previous work, where there were at least begrudging moments of authentic kindness providing respite.…...
- 11/3/2022
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
Watch the trailer for Venezuelan director Lorenzo Vigas’s The Box (La caja) ahead of the film’s stateside release via Mubi. The film focuses on an adolescent boy named Hatzín from Mexico City, whose father’s corpse was recently discovered amid a mass grave in the country’s vast northern territory. On his way back to the capital after identifying the remains, he is shocked when he comes across a man who bears a striking resemblance to his dad. The boy quickly enmeshes himself in the man’s life—who denies any possible paternal relation—increasingly convinced that the body in […]
The post Trailer Watch: Lorenzo Vigas’s The Box first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post Trailer Watch: Lorenzo Vigas’s The Box first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 11/3/2022
- by Filmmaker Staff
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Watch the trailer for Venezuelan director Lorenzo Vigas’s The Box (La caja) ahead of the film’s stateside release via Mubi. The film focuses on an adolescent boy named Hatzín from Mexico City, whose father’s corpse was recently discovered amid a mass grave in the country’s vast northern territory. On his way back to the capital after identifying the remains, he is shocked when he comes across a man who bears a striking resemblance to his dad. The boy quickly enmeshes himself in the man’s life—who denies any possible paternal relation—increasingly convinced that the body in […]
The post Trailer Watch: Lorenzo Vigas’s The Box first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post Trailer Watch: Lorenzo Vigas’s The Box first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 11/3/2022
- by Filmmaker Staff
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
Mubi has announced its lineup of streaming offerings for next month, including new restorations of Lars von Trier’s The Kingdom I & II ahead of the third installment beginning to roll out right after Thanksgiving. Additional highlights include Christos Nikou’s Apples, Lorenzo Vigas’ The Box, Paweł Łozińsk’s The Balcony Movie, and Antonio Marziale’s short Starfuckers, along with films by Hou Hsiao-hsien, Park Chan-wook, Lucrecia Martel, and more.
Check out the lineup below and get 30 days free here.
November 1 – A Married Woman, directed by Jean-Luc Godard | For Ever Godard
November 2 – No Ordinary Man, directed by Aisling Chin-Yee, Chase Joynt | Portrait of the Artist
November 3 – Time to Love, directed by Metin Erksan | Rediscovered
November 4 – Apples, directed by Christos Nikou | Mubi Spotlight
November 5 – The Assassin, directed by Hou Hsiao-hsien | Hou Hsiao-hsien: A Double Bill
November 6 – Daughter of the Nile, directed by Hou Hsiao-hsien | Hou Hsiao-hsien: A Double Bill
November...
Check out the lineup below and get 30 days free here.
November 1 – A Married Woman, directed by Jean-Luc Godard | For Ever Godard
November 2 – No Ordinary Man, directed by Aisling Chin-Yee, Chase Joynt | Portrait of the Artist
November 3 – Time to Love, directed by Metin Erksan | Rediscovered
November 4 – Apples, directed by Christos Nikou | Mubi Spotlight
November 5 – The Assassin, directed by Hou Hsiao-hsien | Hou Hsiao-hsien: A Double Bill
November 6 – Daughter of the Nile, directed by Hou Hsiao-hsien | Hou Hsiao-hsien: A Double Bill
November...
- 10/30/2022
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Lost And Found
“The House of the Lost on the Cape,” a Japanese animated movie which was an official selection at the recent Annecy festival will have a theatrical release in North America from Sept. 7. The film is to be distributed by Los Angeles-based Eleven Arts in association with Anime Expo and Iconic Events Releasing. It tells the story of two children who lose their home to a natural disaster and are taken in by a strange old woman. The roll-out begins in Los Angeles and New York and will expand to other cities.
The film is the directorial debut of Kawatsura Shinya and was written by Yoshida Reiko as an adaptation of the award-winning novel of the same title by Kashiwaba Sachiko. Animation work was headed by David Production. Earlier this year “Cape” also won the ‘best animation film’ prize at the 76th Annual Mainichi Film Awards.
Right And Roll
Crunchyroll,...
“The House of the Lost on the Cape,” a Japanese animated movie which was an official selection at the recent Annecy festival will have a theatrical release in North America from Sept. 7. The film is to be distributed by Los Angeles-based Eleven Arts in association with Anime Expo and Iconic Events Releasing. It tells the story of two children who lose their home to a natural disaster and are taken in by a strange old woman. The roll-out begins in Los Angeles and New York and will expand to other cities.
The film is the directorial debut of Kawatsura Shinya and was written by Yoshida Reiko as an adaptation of the award-winning novel of the same title by Kashiwaba Sachiko. Animation work was headed by David Production. Earlier this year “Cape” also won the ‘best animation film’ prize at the 76th Annual Mainichi Film Awards.
Right And Roll
Crunchyroll,...
- 8/5/2022
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
Bart Walker, a veteran power player on the independent film who is best known for a long tenure at ICM Partners, is joining Gersh as a partner.
Based in the agency’s New York office, Walker brings with him a long list of talent across film, TV and stage including David Byrne, Lisa Cholodenko, Sofia Coppola, Tamara Jenkins, Spike Lee, Mira Nair, Oliver Stone, Thomas Vinterberg, Mati Diop, Michel Franco, Mia Hansen-Love, Jim Jarmusch, the Kloster Brothers, Lorenzo Vigas, Benoit Delhomme, Iram Haq, Sally Potter, Richard Press and Olmo Schnabel.
The move by the well-respected agent is the latest major shift on the agency landscape in the wake of CAA’s acquisition of ICM. “The challenge of the moment in representation is focus and advocacy that is specific to the individual clients,” Walker said in a statement announcing the news. “My clients and...
Bart Walker, a veteran power player on the independent film who is best known for a long tenure at ICM Partners, is joining Gersh as a partner.
Based in the agency’s New York office, Walker brings with him a long list of talent across film, TV and stage including David Byrne, Lisa Cholodenko, Sofia Coppola, Tamara Jenkins, Spike Lee, Mira Nair, Oliver Stone, Thomas Vinterberg, Mati Diop, Michel Franco, Mia Hansen-Love, Jim Jarmusch, the Kloster Brothers, Lorenzo Vigas, Benoit Delhomme, Iram Haq, Sally Potter, Richard Press and Olmo Schnabel.
The move by the well-respected agent is the latest major shift on the agency landscape in the wake of CAA’s acquisition of ICM. “The challenge of the moment in representation is focus and advocacy that is specific to the individual clients,” Walker said in a statement announcing the news. “My clients and...
- 8/4/2022
- by Chris Gardner
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Bart Walker, former talent agent and partner for ICM Partners, has joined the Gersh Agency as a senior partner, Variety has confirmed. He will be based in the company’s New York office.
Walker’s move comes shortly after fellow Hollywood talent agency CAA’s acquisition of ICM this June. Following the acquisition, Walker opted to leave the company, where he has worked since 2012.
Walker is expected to bring a large number of his clients with him to Gersh, with names such as David Bryne, Sofia Coppola, Spike Lee, Oliver Stone, Thomas Vinterberg, Mia Hansen-Love, Jim Jarmusch, Mati Diop, Tamara Jenkins, Mira Nair, Michel Franco and Lorenzo Vigas.
“Bart Walker is a brilliant agent with impeccable taste,” Gersh senior partners Bob and David Gersh and Leslie Siebert said in a joint statement. “The list of filmmakers he represents is formidable and we anticipate amazing integration with our existing clients. He...
Walker’s move comes shortly after fellow Hollywood talent agency CAA’s acquisition of ICM this June. Following the acquisition, Walker opted to leave the company, where he has worked since 2012.
Walker is expected to bring a large number of his clients with him to Gersh, with names such as David Bryne, Sofia Coppola, Spike Lee, Oliver Stone, Thomas Vinterberg, Mia Hansen-Love, Jim Jarmusch, Mati Diop, Tamara Jenkins, Mira Nair, Michel Franco and Lorenzo Vigas.
“Bart Walker is a brilliant agent with impeccable taste,” Gersh senior partners Bob and David Gersh and Leslie Siebert said in a joint statement. “The list of filmmakers he represents is formidable and we anticipate amazing integration with our existing clients. He...
- 8/4/2022
- by Wilson Chapman
- Variety Film + TV
Bart Walker will join Gersh as Senior Partner in the New York office. The longtime ICM agent, who decided not to stay when CAA acquired that agency, will continue to represent his esteemed clients in film, television and theatre including Oscar nominees/winners such as David Byrne, Lisa Cholodenko, Sofia Coppola, Tamara Jenkins, Spike Lee, Mira Nair, Oliver Stone and Thomas Vinterberg; Cannes, Venice and Sundance prize winners such as Mati Diop, Michel Franco, Mia Hansen-Love, Jim Jarmusch, The Kloster Brothers, and Lorenzo Vigas: and multi-hyphenate artists such as Benoit Delhomme, Iram Haq, Sally Potter, Richard Press, and Olmo Schnabel.
Walker, along with ICM indie film head Jessica Lacy, have been fixtures of the film festivals and the independent filmmaking sphere for as long as I can remember. Lacy recently left to join Range Media Partners. He had been talking with agencies and management companies and landing Walker is a coup for Gersh.
Walker, along with ICM indie film head Jessica Lacy, have been fixtures of the film festivals and the independent filmmaking sphere for as long as I can remember. Lacy recently left to join Range Media Partners. He had been talking with agencies and management companies and landing Walker is a coup for Gersh.
- 8/4/2022
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
Berlin Golden Bear winner ‘Alcarràs’ among titles.
Sydney Film Festival (June 8-19) has revealed the 12 titles that will play in competition at its 69th edition.
The titles include Carla Simon’s Catalan family drama Alcarràs, which won the Golden Bear at the Berlinale in February; Colm Bairéad’s Irish-language drama The Quiet Girl, which took the grand prize in Berlin’s Generation Kplus strand; and Alejandro Loayza Grisi’s Bolivian eco-drama Utama, winner of the grand jury prize at Sundance in January.
Scroll down for full list of titles
The sole documentary in the line-up is Sara Dosa’s Fire of Love,...
Sydney Film Festival (June 8-19) has revealed the 12 titles that will play in competition at its 69th edition.
The titles include Carla Simon’s Catalan family drama Alcarràs, which won the Golden Bear at the Berlinale in February; Colm Bairéad’s Irish-language drama The Quiet Girl, which took the grand prize in Berlin’s Generation Kplus strand; and Alejandro Loayza Grisi’s Bolivian eco-drama Utama, winner of the grand jury prize at Sundance in January.
Scroll down for full list of titles
The sole documentary in the line-up is Sara Dosa’s Fire of Love,...
- 5/11/2022
- by Sandy George
- ScreenDaily
Following the success of their collaboration on Nicolás Postiglione’s debut feature “Immersion,” production shingles Whisky Content of Mexico and Chile’s Juntos Films have forged a medium-term strategic alliance for the joint development of nine films in six years.
The agreement comes just days after the premiere of “Immersion,” a thriller headlined by Chile’s most bankable star, Alfredo Castro, at the Miami Film Festival where its poster won the Best Poster Design Award. The film has already racked up top awards from the festivals of Guadalajara, Tallinn Black Nights and Punta del Este.
The move also comes as further cooperation among Hispanic companies continue apace in response to the increasing challenges of local content production. The insatiable demand for content from both traditional and new players – especially streamers – in the entertainment industry is also a key factor.
“This is another firm step towards our goal of turning our...
The agreement comes just days after the premiere of “Immersion,” a thriller headlined by Chile’s most bankable star, Alfredo Castro, at the Miami Film Festival where its poster won the Best Poster Design Award. The film has already racked up top awards from the festivals of Guadalajara, Tallinn Black Nights and Punta del Este.
The move also comes as further cooperation among Hispanic companies continue apace in response to the increasing challenges of local content production. The insatiable demand for content from both traditional and new players – especially streamers – in the entertainment industry is also a key factor.
“This is another firm step towards our goal of turning our...
- 3/18/2022
- by Anna Marie de la Fuente
- Variety Film + TV
The theme of fathers and sons runs through the films of Venezuela-born writer-director Lorenzo Vigas, whose 2015 debut drama “From Afar,” which focuses on a troubled middle-aged man and young hustler in Caracas, won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival. In Vigas’ latest film “El Caja” (“The Box”), which screened Thursday at the 39th annual Miami Film Festival, this motif continues to resonate — and on a global scale.
“El Caja,” which revolves around a young boy in Mexico City longing for a father figure — a desperate search with deadly consequences — could be the prototype of how a dictator such as Vladimir Putin rises to power, Vigas pointed out.
“We are always trapped in our obsessions,” Vigas told fest attendees during a Q&a that followed the screening. “I had a very good relationship with my father, a very close and warm and good relationship. But I connected with that...
“El Caja,” which revolves around a young boy in Mexico City longing for a father figure — a desperate search with deadly consequences — could be the prototype of how a dictator such as Vladimir Putin rises to power, Vigas pointed out.
“We are always trapped in our obsessions,” Vigas told fest attendees during a Q&a that followed the screening. “I had a very good relationship with my father, a very close and warm and good relationship. But I connected with that...
- 3/11/2022
- by Malina Saval
- Variety Film + TV
Greece’s Thessaloniki International Film Festival (TIFF) took place as a hybrid event from November 4-14.
French director Samuel Theis’ Softie has won the Golden Alexander-Theo Angelopoulos for best film at Greece’s Thessaloniki International Film Festival (TIFF) which took place as a hybrid event from November 4-14. The award is a cash prize of €10,000.
The French production, which premiered in Cannes’ Critics Week, follows Johnny, a sensitive and intelligent 10-year-old boy living with his single mother, as he searches for a father figure in his new school teacher.
The international competition jury headed by Belgian film maker Nanouk Leopold...
French director Samuel Theis’ Softie has won the Golden Alexander-Theo Angelopoulos for best film at Greece’s Thessaloniki International Film Festival (TIFF) which took place as a hybrid event from November 4-14. The award is a cash prize of €10,000.
The French production, which premiered in Cannes’ Critics Week, follows Johnny, a sensitive and intelligent 10-year-old boy living with his single mother, as he searches for a father figure in his new school teacher.
The international competition jury headed by Belgian film maker Nanouk Leopold...
- 11/17/2021
- by Alexis Grivas
- ScreenDaily
Samuel Theis’ “Softie” won the top prize at the 62nd Thessaloniki Film Festival, which wrapped Sunday night with a ceremony in Greece’s second city.
The film, which premiered in Cannes’ Critics’ Week section, was awarded the Golden Alexander and a €10,000 cash prize by a jury comprised of writer-director Nanouk Leopold, sound designer Roland Vajs and actor Michelle Valley.
The Special Jury Award was given to “Clara Sola,” by Natalie Álvarez Mesén, while the Special Jury Award for best director went to Lorenzo Vigas for “The Box.”
The award for best actress went to Sofia Kokkali for her performance in “Moon, 66 Questions,” by director Jacqueline Lentzou. Aliocha Reinert won the prize for best actor for his role in Golden Alexander winner “Softie.” The award for best screenplay went to Laurynas Bareiša for his film “Pilgrims,” while a special mention was given to Alexandre Koberidze for “What Do We See When We Look at the Sky?...
The film, which premiered in Cannes’ Critics’ Week section, was awarded the Golden Alexander and a €10,000 cash prize by a jury comprised of writer-director Nanouk Leopold, sound designer Roland Vajs and actor Michelle Valley.
The Special Jury Award was given to “Clara Sola,” by Natalie Álvarez Mesén, while the Special Jury Award for best director went to Lorenzo Vigas for “The Box.”
The award for best actress went to Sofia Kokkali for her performance in “Moon, 66 Questions,” by director Jacqueline Lentzou. Aliocha Reinert won the prize for best actor for his role in Golden Alexander winner “Softie.” The award for best screenplay went to Laurynas Bareiša for his film “Pilgrims,” while a special mention was given to Alexandre Koberidze for “What Do We See When We Look at the Sky?...
- 11/14/2021
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
When the curtain rises Thursday on the 62nd edition of the Thessaloniki Film Festival, it will be a long-awaited return to form for one of the oldest fests on the circuit, after a surge in Covid-19 cases last fall forced the organizers to pivot from a hybrid to a fully online edition.
Attempting to sum up his feelings on the eve of opening night, festival director Orestis Andreadakis was gripped by emotion, using words like “strange,” “happy” and “anxious” in the same breath.
“It’s as if you go out from the hospital, this period of pandemic, and you don’t know how to speak to your friends, you don’t know how to be in love again, you don’t know how to speak with your relatives and parents and children,” Andreadakis tells Variety. “But at the same time, you have a big appetite for life.”
For the veteran film critic,...
Attempting to sum up his feelings on the eve of opening night, festival director Orestis Andreadakis was gripped by emotion, using words like “strange,” “happy” and “anxious” in the same breath.
“It’s as if you go out from the hospital, this period of pandemic, and you don’t know how to speak to your friends, you don’t know how to be in love again, you don’t know how to speak with your relatives and parents and children,” Andreadakis tells Variety. “But at the same time, you have a big appetite for life.”
For the veteran film critic,...
- 11/4/2021
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
Bleecker Street has landed North American rights to “Sundown,” a suspenseful drama about family and privilege.
Filmmaker Michel Franco (” After Lucia”) wrote and directed the movie, which will be released in theaters sometime in 2022.
“Sundown” — starring Tim Roth, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Iazua Larios and Henry Goodman — follows a wealthy British family on a vacation abruptly cut short in Acapulco. When one relative disrupts the family’s tight-knit order, simmering tensions threaten to expose long-gestating rifts.
It premiered at Venice Film Festival and Toronto International Film Festival to solid reviews. Variety’s chief film critic Peter Debruge praised “Sundown,” calling it the “high-minded director’s most successful film to date.”
“‘Sundown’ is an intricate, unconventional puzzle — a mystery, complete with murder, in which the solution isn’t nearly so important as the process of putting it all together,” Debruge wrote in his review.
Franco says he hopes the movie sparks a dialogue.
Filmmaker Michel Franco (” After Lucia”) wrote and directed the movie, which will be released in theaters sometime in 2022.
“Sundown” — starring Tim Roth, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Iazua Larios and Henry Goodman — follows a wealthy British family on a vacation abruptly cut short in Acapulco. When one relative disrupts the family’s tight-knit order, simmering tensions threaten to expose long-gestating rifts.
It premiered at Venice Film Festival and Toronto International Film Festival to solid reviews. Variety’s chief film critic Peter Debruge praised “Sundown,” calling it the “high-minded director’s most successful film to date.”
“‘Sundown’ is an intricate, unconventional puzzle — a mystery, complete with murder, in which the solution isn’t nearly so important as the process of putting it all together,” Debruge wrote in his review.
Franco says he hopes the movie sparks a dialogue.
- 10/26/2021
- by Rebecca Rubin
- Variety Film + TV
Bleecker Street has acquired North American rights to Sundown, the latest film from Mexican writer-director Michel Franco that world premiered this fall at the Venice Film Festival. A 2022 theatrical release in the U.S. is in the works for the tense family drama.
Tim Roth reunites with Franco (he starred in Franco’s 2015 pic Chronic) to star in Sundown with Charlotte Gainsbourg, Iazua Larios and Henry Goodman. Roth and Gainsbourg play Neil and Alice, the core of a wealthy British family on vacation in Acapulco with younger members Colin (Samuel Bottomley) and Alexa (Albertine Kotting McMillan) until a distant emergency cuts their trip short. When one relative disrupts the family’s tight-knit order, simmering tensions rise to the fore revealing long-gestating rifts.
Franco, Cristina Velasco L. and Eréndira Núñez Larios are producers in the Teorema production, a co-production with Film I Väst, CommonGround Pictures and Luxbox. Roth and Lorenzo Vigas are executive producers.
Tim Roth reunites with Franco (he starred in Franco’s 2015 pic Chronic) to star in Sundown with Charlotte Gainsbourg, Iazua Larios and Henry Goodman. Roth and Gainsbourg play Neil and Alice, the core of a wealthy British family on vacation in Acapulco with younger members Colin (Samuel Bottomley) and Alexa (Albertine Kotting McMillan) until a distant emergency cuts their trip short. When one relative disrupts the family’s tight-knit order, simmering tensions rise to the fore revealing long-gestating rifts.
Franco, Cristina Velasco L. and Eréndira Núñez Larios are producers in the Teorema production, a co-production with Film I Väst, CommonGround Pictures and Luxbox. Roth and Lorenzo Vigas are executive producers.
- 10/26/2021
- by Patrick Hipes
- Deadline Film + TV
Another World (Venice)
Cannes best actor laureate Vincent Lindon reteams with The Measure of a Man director Stéphane Brizé for another exploration of the demise of France’s working class. In this nerve-racking look at a factory boss obliged to make layoffs, Lindon channels the tremendous strain faced by a solicitous man who’s been backed into a corner beneath the crushing weight of global capitalism. — Jordan Mintzer
The Box (Venice, Toronto)
This quietly devastating drama from Lorenzo Vigas (From Afar) recounts the reckoning of an orphaned teenager (Hatzín Navarrete) with a man he’s convinced is his father (Hernán Mendoza). Set against the badlands ...
Cannes best actor laureate Vincent Lindon reteams with The Measure of a Man director Stéphane Brizé for another exploration of the demise of France’s working class. In this nerve-racking look at a factory boss obliged to make layoffs, Lindon channels the tremendous strain faced by a solicitous man who’s been backed into a corner beneath the crushing weight of global capitalism. — Jordan Mintzer
The Box (Venice, Toronto)
This quietly devastating drama from Lorenzo Vigas (From Afar) recounts the reckoning of an orphaned teenager (Hatzín Navarrete) with a man he’s convinced is his father (Hernán Mendoza). Set against the badlands ...
- 9/21/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Comfortable in his newly found friendship, Hatzín (Hatzín Navarrete), a teenager from Mexico City who traveled to Chihuahua’s northern state to reclaim his father’s remains, pretends to be upset and explains he’s decided to return home. He laughs several seconds later, tricking Mario (Hernán Mendoza), his boss and impromptu life mentor.
Read More: Toronto Film Fest 2021 Preview: 16 Must-See Movies To Watch
Proving he can convincingly lie on command is the first indication of the lengths to which the boy will go to protect this bond he holds so precious.
Continue reading ‘The Box’: Golden Lion Winner Lorenzo Vigas Crafts A Tense, Slow-Burn Coming-Of-Age Drama [TIFF Review] at The Playlist.
Read More: Toronto Film Fest 2021 Preview: 16 Must-See Movies To Watch
Proving he can convincingly lie on command is the first indication of the lengths to which the boy will go to protect this bond he holds so precious.
Continue reading ‘The Box’: Golden Lion Winner Lorenzo Vigas Crafts A Tense, Slow-Burn Coming-Of-Age Drama [TIFF Review] at The Playlist.
- 9/16/2021
- by Carlos Aguilar
- The Playlist
Back in 2015, in what already feels like a slightly different era of the Venice Film Festival — currently on a roll of crowning big-name Oscar players — Venezuelan filmmaker Lorenzo Vigas won the Golden Lion for his debut feature “From Afar.” A small, subtle queer relationship study, riddled with ambiguity, it never made quite the impression it deserved to on the post-festival art-house circuit. (Its total U.S. box office was in the low five figures.) That was our loss more than his, and for his superb second narrative feature, Vigas shows no inclination to compromise: “The Box” may see him relocating to Mexico, but it’s otherwise wholly of a piece with his debut in its terse, cut-to-the-quick refinement, its loaded, exquisitely composed images, and its fixation on shifting, complex man-versus-boy dynamics.
Though it’s ultimately no easier a sell than “From Afar,” there’s more of a heated genre thrust...
Though it’s ultimately no easier a sell than “From Afar,” there’s more of a heated genre thrust...
- 9/7/2021
- by Guy Lodge
- Variety Film + TV
Former Golden Lion winner Lorenzo Vigas (From Afar) returns to the Venice Film Festival with his second feature, La Caja, aka The Box. Set in northern Mexico, it’s a grueling insight into the plight of casual workers as well as a mystery about a son and his possible father.
Teenager Hatzín (Hatzín Navarrete) arrives in an industrial town to collect the remains of his estranged father, whom he’s told has died in a mining accident. But when he sees a man in the street who resembles his father, he’s convinced there’s been a mistake.
Pursuing Mario (Hernán Mendoza) relentlessly, he refuses to believe that he’s not his father. Eventually, Mario allows Hatzín to run errands for him, and gives him shelter. But Mario’s line of work is not for the faint hearted: he hires laborers for factories, where the conditions are harsh. Innocent Hatzín...
Teenager Hatzín (Hatzín Navarrete) arrives in an industrial town to collect the remains of his estranged father, whom he’s told has died in a mining accident. But when he sees a man in the street who resembles his father, he’s convinced there’s been a mistake.
Pursuing Mario (Hernán Mendoza) relentlessly, he refuses to believe that he’s not his father. Eventually, Mario allows Hatzín to run errands for him, and gives him shelter. But Mario’s line of work is not for the faint hearted: he hires laborers for factories, where the conditions are harsh. Innocent Hatzín...
- 9/6/2021
- by Anna Smith
- Deadline Film + TV
The final instalment in Venezuelan director Lorenzo Vigas’s trilogy about fathers and sons takes on social issues as well as emotional ones
Teenage Hatzin is on his way home with his father’s remains in a box when he looks out the window and sees a familiar face on the street. He jumps off the bus and the man turns around. If the box contains Esteban, then who’s this guy, Mario? And if Mario is his father, then who the hell’s in the box?
Rest assured that these questions will be addressed and responded to during the course of La Caja, the closing part of Venezuelan writer-director Lorenzo Vigas’s acclaimed trilogy about the fraught, shifting relationship between fathers and sons. Vigas’s last instalment, From Afar, took the top prize here in Venice back in 2015, although since then the jury has swung towards bigger and splashier fare.
Teenage Hatzin is on his way home with his father’s remains in a box when he looks out the window and sees a familiar face on the street. He jumps off the bus and the man turns around. If the box contains Esteban, then who’s this guy, Mario? And if Mario is his father, then who the hell’s in the box?
Rest assured that these questions will be addressed and responded to during the course of La Caja, the closing part of Venezuelan writer-director Lorenzo Vigas’s acclaimed trilogy about the fraught, shifting relationship between fathers and sons. Vigas’s last instalment, From Afar, took the top prize here in Venice back in 2015, although since then the jury has swung towards bigger and splashier fare.
- 9/6/2021
- by Xan Brooks
- The Guardian - Film News
Six years after becoming the first Latin American to win the Venice Film Festival’s top award with his searing debut, From Afar, Lorenzo Vigas returns to the competition with another stealth gut punch. In The Box, the director leaves his native Venezuela for the vast empty landscapes of northwestern Mexico, though his thematic interest in absent fathers and the corresponding hunger to fill that void remains. An acutely observed chamber piece played out by two exceptionally well-cast actors who keep you guessing about the subtle shifts in their characters’ relationship, this is an unflinching account of human lives rendered disposable by greed and ...
Six years after becoming the first Latin American to win the Venice Film Festival’s top award with his searing debut, From Afar, Lorenzo Vigas returns to the competition with another stealth gut punch. In The Box, the director leaves his native Venezuela for the vast empty landscapes of northwestern Mexico, though his thematic interest in absent fathers and the corresponding hunger to fill that void remains. An acutely observed chamber piece played out by two exceptionally well-cast actors who keep you guessing about the subtle shifts in their characters’ relationship, this is an unflinching account of human lives rendered disposable by greed and ...
Lorenzo Vigas, who made film festival history by being the first Venezuelan-born filmmaker to snag the Venice Golden Lion in 2015, is back on the Lido with “The Box” (“La Caja”), the final part of a trilogy that began with his Cannes Critics’ Week short “Elephants Never Forget” and continued with his Venice-winning feature debut, “From Afar.”
A resident of Mexico since 2001, Vigas was watching the news on TV about people recovering the bodies of their lost relatives from mass graves when the idea for “The Box” came to him. “I sat down to write and, in an hour, wrote the entire plot, practically in tears,” he tells Variety, adding: “This had never happened to me before.” He then set it aside to make “From Afar.” “The heart of the story is really about a boy in search of his father.” That’s the overriding theme in all three stories: What...
A resident of Mexico since 2001, Vigas was watching the news on TV about people recovering the bodies of their lost relatives from mass graves when the idea for “The Box” came to him. “I sat down to write and, in an hour, wrote the entire plot, practically in tears,” he tells Variety, adding: “This had never happened to me before.” He then set it aside to make “From Afar.” “The heart of the story is really about a boy in search of his father.” That’s the overriding theme in all three stories: What...
- 9/6/2021
- by Anna Marie de la Fuente
- Variety Film + TV
Violence in Mexico was one of the dominant themes of the press conference for Michel Franco’s Venice competition title “Sundown” on Sunday, with the director and stars Tim Roth, Charlotte Gainsbourg and Iazua Larios in attendance.
Set in the seemingly tranquil Mexican resort city Acapulco, Roth and Gainsbourg play members of a wealthy British family whose vacation there is cut short by a distant death and an existential crisis comes to the fore. Larios plays an Acapulco native who is key to the narrative.
“We have a huge problem in Mexico with violence every day,” said Larios.
Franco is not shy of depicting violence in his films, including in his previous film “New Order,” which won the Silver Lion and the Leoncino d’Oro Agiscuola Award at the 2020 Venice Film Festival. The violence in “Sundown” is comparatively muted and is restricted to short, sharp shocks.
“I do think Mexicans,...
Set in the seemingly tranquil Mexican resort city Acapulco, Roth and Gainsbourg play members of a wealthy British family whose vacation there is cut short by a distant death and an existential crisis comes to the fore. Larios plays an Acapulco native who is key to the narrative.
“We have a huge problem in Mexico with violence every day,” said Larios.
Franco is not shy of depicting violence in his films, including in his previous film “New Order,” which won the Silver Lion and the Leoncino d’Oro Agiscuola Award at the 2020 Venice Film Festival. The violence in “Sundown” is comparatively muted and is restricted to short, sharp shocks.
“I do think Mexicans,...
- 9/5/2021
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Mexico’s Michel Franco is back in Venice after his triumphant Silver Lion win last year for his dystopian thriller “New Order.” His new film “Sundown” is in competition at the Lido where it world premieres on Sunday. Variety spoke to the director and the film’s star Tim Roth.
While “New Order” used thousands of extras and was shot on a larger, more ambitious scale than any of Franco’s previous films, “Sundown” is a return to a more intimate, personal drama with Franco’s long-time collaborator and friend Roth leading the cast.
In it, Roth plays a wealthy man going through an existential crisis while vacationing in Acapulco with his family. Not much more can be said of the plot without revealing its twists.
This is the second time Roth stars in a Franco-directed film. Their relationship sparked nearly 10 years ago when Roth, as Cannes’ 2012 Un Certain Regard jury president,...
While “New Order” used thousands of extras and was shot on a larger, more ambitious scale than any of Franco’s previous films, “Sundown” is a return to a more intimate, personal drama with Franco’s long-time collaborator and friend Roth leading the cast.
In it, Roth plays a wealthy man going through an existential crisis while vacationing in Acapulco with his family. Not much more can be said of the plot without revealing its twists.
This is the second time Roth stars in a Franco-directed film. Their relationship sparked nearly 10 years ago when Roth, as Cannes’ 2012 Un Certain Regard jury president,...
- 9/4/2021
- by Anna Marie de la Fuente
- Variety Film + TV
The first trailer for Venice competition title “La Caja” (The Box) has landed. The film is by Lorenzo Vigas, who won the Venice Golden Lion in 2015 for “Desde allá” (From Afar).
The film follows Hatzin, a young teenager from Mexico City who travels to collect the remains of his father, which have been found in a communal grave amid the huge skies and empty landscape of Northern Mexico. But a casual encounter with a man who shares a physical resemblance with his father fills him with doubts and hope about his parent’s true whereabouts.
Vigas’ 2004 short film “Los elefantes nunca olvidan” (Elephants Never Forget), which premiered at the Cannes Critics’ Week, was the first part of of a fiction trilogy that builds on the theme of the father figure. The second part was “Desde allá.” “La Caja” completes the trilogy.
In 2016, at the Venice Film Festival, Vigas presented a feature documentary about his father,...
The film follows Hatzin, a young teenager from Mexico City who travels to collect the remains of his father, which have been found in a communal grave amid the huge skies and empty landscape of Northern Mexico. But a casual encounter with a man who shares a physical resemblance with his father fills him with doubts and hope about his parent’s true whereabouts.
Vigas’ 2004 short film “Los elefantes nunca olvidan” (Elephants Never Forget), which premiered at the Cannes Critics’ Week, was the first part of of a fiction trilogy that builds on the theme of the father figure. The second part was “Desde allá.” “La Caja” completes the trilogy.
In 2016, at the Venice Film Festival, Vigas presented a feature documentary about his father,...
- 9/3/2021
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Screen profiles the Venice Competition section, which includes new titles from Pedro Almodovar, Paolo Sorrentino, Jane Campion and Pablo Larrain.
Following a physical 2020 edition that triumphantly braved the pandemic, Venice Film Festival (September 1-11) is back on the Lido with a line‑up showcasing major filmmakers including Pedro Almodovar, Paolo Sorrentino, Jane Campion and Pablo Larrain.
America Latina (It-Fr)
Dirs. Damiano D’Innocenzo, Fabio D’Innocenzo
Widely seen as Italian film’s next big things, the 33-year-old twin brothers have so far — among other feats — opened their 2018 debut feature Boys Cry in Berlin’s Panorama section, co-scripted Matteo Garrone’s Dogman, picked...
Following a physical 2020 edition that triumphantly braved the pandemic, Venice Film Festival (September 1-11) is back on the Lido with a line‑up showcasing major filmmakers including Pedro Almodovar, Paolo Sorrentino, Jane Campion and Pablo Larrain.
America Latina (It-Fr)
Dirs. Damiano D’Innocenzo, Fabio D’Innocenzo
Widely seen as Italian film’s next big things, the 33-year-old twin brothers have so far — among other feats — opened their 2018 debut feature Boys Cry in Berlin’s Panorama section, co-scripted Matteo Garrone’s Dogman, picked...
- 8/27/2021
- ScreenDaily
Toronto Film Festival Adds Docs and Midnight Titles Including ‘Titane,’ ‘Attica’ and ‘Neptune Frost’
The Toronto International Film Festival announced which films will fill the TIFF Docs, Midnight Madness, and Wavelength sections at this year’s edition of the event, which runs from Sept. 9-18. The festival also added new titles to the Special Presentation and Contemporary World Cinema programs.
Opening TIFF Docs is the world premiere of “Attica” by Stanley Nelson, which tells the story of the 1971 Attica prison riot. Coming about as a result of the prisoners’ fight for more humane living conditions and lasting for five days, it remains the deadliest prison rebellion in U.S. history.
Wavelengths will open with “Neptune Frost” from directors and married couple Saul Williams and Anisia Uzeyman. The film is billed a sci-fi musical romance between an intersex hacker and a coltan miner that will follow the “virtual marvel born as a result of their union.” This marks the North American premiere of the film,...
Opening TIFF Docs is the world premiere of “Attica” by Stanley Nelson, which tells the story of the 1971 Attica prison riot. Coming about as a result of the prisoners’ fight for more humane living conditions and lasting for five days, it remains the deadliest prison rebellion in U.S. history.
Wavelengths will open with “Neptune Frost” from directors and married couple Saul Williams and Anisia Uzeyman. The film is billed a sci-fi musical romance between an intersex hacker and a coltan miner that will follow the “virtual marvel born as a result of their union.” This marks the North American premiere of the film,...
- 8/4/2021
- by Selome Hailu
- Variety Film + TV
BenedictionThe lineup has been unveiled for the 2021 edition of the Toronto International Film Festival, which will take place over 10 days (September 9-18) both in-person and physically in Toronto, and digitally across Canada. Wavelengths - FEATURESFutura (Pietro Marcello, Francesco Munzi, Alice Rohrwacher)The Girl and the Spider (Ramon Zürcher, Silvan Zürcher)Neptune Frost (Saul Williams, Anisia Uzeyman)A Night of Knowing Nothing (Payal Kapadia)Ste. Anne (Rhayne Vermette)The Tsugua Diaries (Maureen Fazendeiro, Miguel Gomes)Wavelengths - SHORTSThe Capacity for Adequate Anger (Vika Kirchenbauer)Dear Chantal (Querida Chantal) (Nicolás Pereda)earthearthearth (Daïchi Saïto)Inner Outer Space (Laida Lertxundi)Polycephaly in D (Michael Robinson)“The red filter is withdrawn.” (Minjung Kim)Train Again (Peter Tscherkassky)Midnight Madness After Blue (Dirty Paradise) (Bertrand Mandico)Dashcam (Rob Savage)Saloum (Jean Luc Herbulot)Titane (Julia Ducournau)You Are Not My Mother (Kate Dolan)Zalava (Arsalan Amiri)TIFF DOCSAttica (Stanley Nelson)Beba (Rebeca Huntt)Becoming Cousteau...
- 8/4/2021
- MUBI
The world premiere of Jesús López will open the Horizontes Latinos section Photo: Courtesy of San Sebastian Film Festival The San Sebastian Film Festival has announced that 10 Latin American films will compete in its Horizontes Latinos section this year. The selection includes five films from the festival's Latin American work in progress (Wip) initiative.
The winner of last year's Wip Latam award Dusk Stone, directed by Iván Fund, will compete for the Horizontes Award following its screening in the Venice Festival’s Giornate degli Autori section.
Also in the line-up are three returning directors Paz Fábrega, Alonso Ruizpalacios and Lorenzo Vigas - who bring Aurora, A Cop Movie and The Box respectively.
Uruguayan film The Employer and the Employee, directed by Manuel Nieto Zas, winner of the Egeda Platino Industry Award for best Wip Latam 2020, will close the Horizontes selection.
The section will open with the world premiere of Jesús López,...
The winner of last year's Wip Latam award Dusk Stone, directed by Iván Fund, will compete for the Horizontes Award following its screening in the Venice Festival’s Giornate degli Autori section.
Also in the line-up are three returning directors Paz Fábrega, Alonso Ruizpalacios and Lorenzo Vigas - who bring Aurora, A Cop Movie and The Box respectively.
Uruguayan film The Employer and the Employee, directed by Manuel Nieto Zas, winner of the Egeda Platino Industry Award for best Wip Latam 2020, will close the Horizontes selection.
The section will open with the world premiere of Jesús López,...
- 8/4/2021
- by Amber Wilkinson
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Titles include a new film from ‘Host’ director Rob Savage.
Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) has added 35 feature titles to its line-up for 2021, predominantly across the TIFF Docs, Midnight Madness and Wavelengths strands.
The new titles include 11 world premieres, consisting of eight in TIFF Docs and three in Midnight Madness.
Titles in the latter include Dashcam, the new film from Rob Savage, director of 2020 pandemic horror hit Host. Savage was named a Screen Star of Tomorrow in 2013.
Also in the Midnight Madness section is Kate Dolan’s You Are Not My Mother, inspired by the mythology of the Changeling, which...
Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) has added 35 feature titles to its line-up for 2021, predominantly across the TIFF Docs, Midnight Madness and Wavelengths strands.
The new titles include 11 world premieres, consisting of eight in TIFF Docs and three in Midnight Madness.
Titles in the latter include Dashcam, the new film from Rob Savage, director of 2020 pandemic horror hit Host. Savage was named a Screen Star of Tomorrow in 2013.
Also in the Midnight Madness section is Kate Dolan’s You Are Not My Mother, inspired by the mythology of the Changeling, which...
- 8/4/2021
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
New nonfiction films from directors Liz Garbus, Stanley Nelson, and E. Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin will screen at the Toronto International Film Festival as part of the TIFF Docs program, TIFF organizers announced on Wednesday.
Nelson’s documentary “Attica” will serve as the opening-night film in the section, while other docs at the festival will include Garbus’ “Becoming Cousteau,” Barry Avrich’s “Oscar Peterson: Black + White,” Penny Lane’s “Listening to Kenny G” and Vasarhelyi and Chin’s “Rescue.”
The festival’s Midnight Madness section will open with the Cannes Palme d’Or winner “Titane,” by Julia Ducournau, while TIFF has also added three Special Presentations films that also premiered in Cannes: Nadav Lapid’s “Ahed’s Knee,” Bruno Dumont’s “France” and Ari Folman’s “Where Is Anne Frank?”
In the Contemporary World Cinema section, additions include Juho Kuosmanen’s “Compartment No. 6” and Khadar Ayderus Ahmed’s “The Gravedigger’s Wife.
Nelson’s documentary “Attica” will serve as the opening-night film in the section, while other docs at the festival will include Garbus’ “Becoming Cousteau,” Barry Avrich’s “Oscar Peterson: Black + White,” Penny Lane’s “Listening to Kenny G” and Vasarhelyi and Chin’s “Rescue.”
The festival’s Midnight Madness section will open with the Cannes Palme d’Or winner “Titane,” by Julia Ducournau, while TIFF has also added three Special Presentations films that also premiered in Cannes: Nadav Lapid’s “Ahed’s Knee,” Bruno Dumont’s “France” and Ari Folman’s “Where Is Anne Frank?”
In the Contemporary World Cinema section, additions include Juho Kuosmanen’s “Compartment No. 6” and Khadar Ayderus Ahmed’s “The Gravedigger’s Wife.
- 8/4/2021
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
The programme for the 2021 Venice Film Festival has been unveiled, and includes new films from Pedro Almodóvar, Jane Campion, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Michelangelo Frammartino, Pablo Larraín, Paul Schrader, Ridley Scott, and more.Parallel MothersCOMPETITIONParallel Mothers (Pedro Almodóvar)Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon (Ana Lily Amirpour)Un Autre Monde (Stephane Brize)The Power of the Dog (Jane Campion)America LatinaL’Evenement (Audrey Diwan)Official CompetitionThe Hole (Michelangelo Frammartino)Sundown (Michel Franco)Lost Illusions (Xavier Giannoli)The Lost Daughter (Maggie Gyllenhaal)Spencer (Pablo Larrain)Freaks Out (Gabriele Mainetti)Qui Rido Io (Mario Martone)On The Job: The Missing 8 (Erik Matti)Leave No Traces (Jan P. Matuszyński)Captain Volkonogov EscapedThe Card Counter (Paul Schrader)The Hand of God (Paolo Sorrentino)Reflection (Valentyn Vasyanovych)The Box (Lorenzo Vigas)Out Of COMPETITIONFeaturesDune (Denis Villeneuve)Il Bambino Nascosto (Roberto Andò)Les Choses Humaines (Yvan Attal)Ariaferma (Leonardo Di Costanzo)Halloween Kills (David Gordon Green...
- 8/3/2021
- MUBI
The Toronto Film Festival on Wednesday unveiled its lineups for the Contemporary World Cinema and Discovery programs as it ramps up toward the kickoff of its 46th edition September 9-18. The festival also solidified additional Gala and Special Presentation titles and took the wraps off TIFF Rewind, a new block that highlights memorable films from previous TIFF editions along with conversations and Q&As with directors and casts.
This comes after the festival last week announced that Dear Evan Hansen will be the opening-night film, while Zhang Yimou’s One Second will close it. It also revealed a portion of the Gala and Special presentation titles that featured films from directors Edgar Wright, Melanie Laurent, Barry Levinson, Antoine Fuqua, Jacques Audiard and Ted Melfi.
Today, TIFF added world premieres for Maya Forbes and Wallace Wolodarsky’s The Good House and Camille Griffin’s Silent Night to its Gala lineup, and...
This comes after the festival last week announced that Dear Evan Hansen will be the opening-night film, while Zhang Yimou’s One Second will close it. It also revealed a portion of the Gala and Special presentation titles that featured films from directors Edgar Wright, Melanie Laurent, Barry Levinson, Antoine Fuqua, Jacques Audiard and Ted Melfi.
Today, TIFF added world premieres for Maya Forbes and Wallace Wolodarsky’s The Good House and Camille Griffin’s Silent Night to its Gala lineup, and...
- 7/28/2021
- by Patrick Hipes
- Deadline Film + TV
The Toronto International Film Festival has revealed the slate of titles that will round out its contemporary world cinema and discovery programs.
Among the films playing in the contemporary world cinema lineup include director Wen Shipei’s “Are You Lonesome Tonight,” Lorenzo Vigas’ “The Box,” Manuel Martín Cuenca’s “The Daughter” and Bouli Lanners’ “Nobody Has to Know.” The discovery program will host Tea Lindeburg’s “As In Heaven,” filmmaker Hong Sung-eun’s “Aloners” and Anatolian Leopard from director Emre Kayış.
“TIFF Programmers continue discovering compelling and diverse stories from around the globe,” said Diana Sanchez, TIFF’s senior director of film. “With these two programmes, Contemporary World Cinema and Discovery, audiences can look forward to this stellar lineup to immerse themselves in. TIFF is dedicated to amplifying the voices of Black and Indigenous filmmakers and filmmakers of colour, emerging Canadian talent, and powerful storytellers who identify as women, and...
Among the films playing in the contemporary world cinema lineup include director Wen Shipei’s “Are You Lonesome Tonight,” Lorenzo Vigas’ “The Box,” Manuel Martín Cuenca’s “The Daughter” and Bouli Lanners’ “Nobody Has to Know.” The discovery program will host Tea Lindeburg’s “As In Heaven,” filmmaker Hong Sung-eun’s “Aloners” and Anatolian Leopard from director Emre Kayış.
“TIFF Programmers continue discovering compelling and diverse stories from around the globe,” said Diana Sanchez, TIFF’s senior director of film. “With these two programmes, Contemporary World Cinema and Discovery, audiences can look forward to this stellar lineup to immerse themselves in. TIFF is dedicated to amplifying the voices of Black and Indigenous filmmakers and filmmakers of colour, emerging Canadian talent, and powerful storytellers who identify as women, and...
- 7/28/2021
- by Rebecca Rubin
- Variety Film + TV
New TIFF Rewind features filmmakers in conversation about memorable selections from the past.
World premieres of Ruth Paxton’s UK horror A Banquet, Agustina San Martín’s Argentinian genre tale To Kill The Beast and Sébastien Pilote’s Canadian period drama Maria Chapdelaine are among Contemporary World Cinema and Discovery selections announced by Toronto International Film festival.
Scroll down for full list of new titles
The festival also unveiled additional Gala and Special Presentations titles, and introduced TIFF Rewind featuring filmmakers in conversation about memorable selections from the past.
Gala screenings include the world premiere of Camille Griffin’s UK...
World premieres of Ruth Paxton’s UK horror A Banquet, Agustina San Martín’s Argentinian genre tale To Kill The Beast and Sébastien Pilote’s Canadian period drama Maria Chapdelaine are among Contemporary World Cinema and Discovery selections announced by Toronto International Film festival.
Scroll down for full list of new titles
The festival also unveiled additional Gala and Special Presentations titles, and introduced TIFF Rewind featuring filmmakers in conversation about memorable selections from the past.
Gala screenings include the world premiere of Camille Griffin’s UK...
- 7/28/2021
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
As anticipated, writer-director Jane Campion’s The Power of the Dog will make its world premiere in competition at the Venice Film Festival.
The festival unveiled its full line-up yesterday, with Campion’s drama – a Netflix Original – to compete against 20 other titles such as Pablo Larrain’s Princess Diana biopic Spencer; Maggie Gyllenhaal’s directorial debut The Lost Daughter and Pedro Almodovar’s Parallel Mothers.
An Australian-New Zealand co-production based on the 1967 novel by Thomas Savage, The Power of the Dog stars Benedict Cumberbatch, Kirsten Dunst, Jesse Plemons, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Thomasin McKenzie, Frances Conroy, Keith Carradine, Peter Carroll and Adam Beach.
Set in the 1920s, Cumberbatch and Plemons play brothers Phil and George Burbank, who own the biggest ranch in the Montana valley.
When George secretly marries local widow Rose (Dunst), a shocked and angry Phil wages a relentless war to destroy her, using her effeminate son Peter (Smit-McPhee) as a pawn.
The festival unveiled its full line-up yesterday, with Campion’s drama – a Netflix Original – to compete against 20 other titles such as Pablo Larrain’s Princess Diana biopic Spencer; Maggie Gyllenhaal’s directorial debut The Lost Daughter and Pedro Almodovar’s Parallel Mothers.
An Australian-New Zealand co-production based on the 1967 novel by Thomas Savage, The Power of the Dog stars Benedict Cumberbatch, Kirsten Dunst, Jesse Plemons, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Thomasin McKenzie, Frances Conroy, Keith Carradine, Peter Carroll and Adam Beach.
Set in the 1920s, Cumberbatch and Plemons play brothers Phil and George Burbank, who own the biggest ranch in the Montana valley.
When George secretly marries local widow Rose (Dunst), a shocked and angry Phil wages a relentless war to destroy her, using her effeminate son Peter (Smit-McPhee) as a pawn.
- 7/27/2021
- by Jackie Keast
- IF.com.au
Taking place September 1 through 11, the Venice Film Festival has now unveiled its lineup, after a few teases of what it contains (the opening night selection of Madres Paralelas by Pedro Almodovar and Denis Villeneuve’s Dune). Among the selections are Jane Campion’s The Power of a Dog, Paul Schrader’s The Card Counter, Pablo Larrain’s Spencer, Ana Lily Amirpour’s Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon.
Maggie Gyllenhaal’s directorial debut The Lost Daughter, Ridley Scott’s The Last Duel, Paolo Sorrentino’s The Hand of God, and Edgar Wright’s The Last Night in Soho will premiere there, along with new shorts by Radu Jude and Tsai Ming-liang.
Check out the line below for the festival that will feature 50% capacity at screenings.
Venezia 78 – Competition
Madres Paralelas, dir: Pedro Almodovar
Mona Lisa And The Blood Moon, dir: Ana Lily Amirpour
Un Autre Monde, dir: Stéphane Brizé
The Power Of The Dog,...
Maggie Gyllenhaal’s directorial debut The Lost Daughter, Ridley Scott’s The Last Duel, Paolo Sorrentino’s The Hand of God, and Edgar Wright’s The Last Night in Soho will premiere there, along with new shorts by Radu Jude and Tsai Ming-liang.
Check out the line below for the festival that will feature 50% capacity at screenings.
Venezia 78 – Competition
Madres Paralelas, dir: Pedro Almodovar
Mona Lisa And The Blood Moon, dir: Ana Lily Amirpour
Un Autre Monde, dir: Stéphane Brizé
The Power Of The Dog,...
- 7/26/2021
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
The 2021 Cannes Film Festival brought the international film circuit back to life in roaring fashion earlier this month (French filmmaker Julia Ducournau became the second woman director to win the Palme d’Or thanks to Neon release “Titane”), and next up are the trio of major fall film festivals in September: the Venice Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, and Toronto International Film Festival. Venice is first out of the gate by launching its 78th edition Wednesday, September 1. The lineup for Venice 2021 has now been revealed.
As previously announced, Pedro Almodóvar will kick off the 2021 Venice Film Festival with the world premiere of his new drama “Parallel Mothers.” The film will debut in competition and vie for the festival’s top prize, the Golden Lion. “Parallel Mothers” is written and directed by Almodóvar, and stars both regular and new collaborators, including Penélope Cruz, Milena Smit, Israel Elejalde, Aitana Sánchez-Gijón, Julieta Serrano,...
As previously announced, Pedro Almodóvar will kick off the 2021 Venice Film Festival with the world premiere of his new drama “Parallel Mothers.” The film will debut in competition and vie for the festival’s top prize, the Golden Lion. “Parallel Mothers” is written and directed by Almodóvar, and stars both regular and new collaborators, including Penélope Cruz, Milena Smit, Israel Elejalde, Aitana Sánchez-Gijón, Julieta Serrano,...
- 7/26/2021
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
Updated, with more detail: The Venice Film Festival unveiled the lineup for its 78th edition Monday morning with a notably strong studio presence after last year’s near dearth of Hollywood titles and muted star attendance. Universal (with Blumhouse’s previously announced Halloween Kills and Focus’ Last Night In Soho and The Card Counter), Warner Bros (with Legendary’s also previously confirmed Dune) and Disney (with 20th Century’s The Last Duel) will all be represented in town and each was thanked by Venice chief Alberto Barbera for supporting the event. “There is a strong comeback of the Americans,” he said. Scroll down for a full list of titles announced today.
Also showing up is Netflix, which has a cozy relationship with Venice. On the streamer’s roster are Paolo Sorrentino’s The Hand of God and Jane Campion’s The Power Of The Dog, both in competition.
Venice has...
Also showing up is Netflix, which has a cozy relationship with Venice. On the streamer’s roster are Paolo Sorrentino’s The Hand of God and Jane Campion’s The Power Of The Dog, both in competition.
Venice has...
- 7/26/2021
- by Nancy Tartaglione
- Deadline Film + TV
This year’s line-up includes five female directors in competition.
The line-up of the 78th Venice Film Festival (September 1-11) has been announced by festival president Roberto Cicutto and artistic director Alberto Barbera.
Scroll down for the full line-up
This year’s selection saw the festival take a backward step for gender balance, with five female directors selected in the main competition, down from last year’s eight. 26% of films in the overall line-up are directed by women, down from 28% in 2020.
The high-profile titles picked for competition this year include Pablo Larrain’s Spencer; Paolo Sorrentino’s The Hand Of God...
The line-up of the 78th Venice Film Festival (September 1-11) has been announced by festival president Roberto Cicutto and artistic director Alberto Barbera.
Scroll down for the full line-up
This year’s selection saw the festival take a backward step for gender balance, with five female directors selected in the main competition, down from last year’s eight. 26% of films in the overall line-up are directed by women, down from 28% in 2020.
The high-profile titles picked for competition this year include Pablo Larrain’s Spencer; Paolo Sorrentino’s The Hand Of God...
- 7/26/2021
- by Orlando Parfitt
- ScreenDaily
Leading arthouse sales agency The Match Factory has acquired “The Box” (La Caja), the second feature of Mexican filmmaker Lorenzo Vigas, winner of Venice Film Festival’s Golden Lion with “From Afar.” “The Box” is likely to find a berth at Cannes or Venice.
The film follows Hatzin, a teenager from Mexico City, who travels to collect the remains of his father, which have been found in a communal grave in the northern part of Mexico. But a casual encounter with a man who shares a physical resemblance with his father fills Hatzin with both doubts and hope about his parent’s true whereabouts.
Vigas says that in the film he reflects on “the theme of identity from various points of view.” He adds: “Latin American history is very young. Until a relatively short time ago, we were still European colonies; as a continent, we are trying to understand who...
The film follows Hatzin, a teenager from Mexico City, who travels to collect the remains of his father, which have been found in a communal grave in the northern part of Mexico. But a casual encounter with a man who shares a physical resemblance with his father fills Hatzin with both doubts and hope about his parent’s true whereabouts.
Vigas says that in the film he reflects on “the theme of identity from various points of view.” He adds: “Latin American history is very young. Until a relatively short time ago, we were still European colonies; as a continent, we are trying to understand who...
- 4/3/2021
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
Studio executives expect five-day opening weekend in $30m range.
Godzilla vs. Kong grossed $9.6m on it first day in North American cinemas on Wednesday (March 31), marking a record opening day during the pandemic, Warner Bros executives said.
The tentpole, which stormed to a $123.1m international debut at the weekend powered by $69.2m from China, opened in 2,409 US sites and will expand by 655 to 3,064 on Friday.
The film rated A on Cinemascore, suggesting word of mouth could be strong heading into Easter weekend. Studio executives are expecting a five-day opening weekend in the $30m range.
The studio said premium formats contributed...
Godzilla vs. Kong grossed $9.6m on it first day in North American cinemas on Wednesday (March 31), marking a record opening day during the pandemic, Warner Bros executives said.
The tentpole, which stormed to a $123.1m international debut at the weekend powered by $69.2m from China, opened in 2,409 US sites and will expand by 655 to 3,064 on Friday.
The film rated A on Cinemascore, suggesting word of mouth could be strong heading into Easter weekend. Studio executives are expecting a five-day opening weekend in the $30m range.
The studio said premium formats contributed...
- 4/1/2021
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Studio executives expect five-day opening weekend in $30m range.
Godzilla vs. Kong grossed $9.6m on it first day in North American cinemas on Wednesday (March 31), marking a record opening day during the pandemic, Warner Bros executives said.
The tentpole, which stormed to a $123.1m international debut at the weekend powered by $69.2m from China, opened in 2,409 US sites and will expand by 655 to 3,064 on Friday.
The film rated A on Cinemascore, suggesting word of mouth could be strong heading into Easter weekend. Studio executives are expecting a five-day opening weekend in the $30m range.
The studio said premium formats contributed...
Godzilla vs. Kong grossed $9.6m on it first day in North American cinemas on Wednesday (March 31), marking a record opening day during the pandemic, Warner Bros executives said.
The tentpole, which stormed to a $123.1m international debut at the weekend powered by $69.2m from China, opened in 2,409 US sites and will expand by 655 to 3,064 on Friday.
The film rated A on Cinemascore, suggesting word of mouth could be strong heading into Easter weekend. Studio executives are expecting a five-day opening weekend in the $30m range.
The studio said premium formats contributed...
- 4/1/2021
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
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