Karlovy Vary International Film Festival has unveiled the official selection for its 58th edition, including new features by Mark Cousins, Noaz Deshe, Oleg Sentsov and Beata Parkanova.
The festival, which runs from June 28-July 6 in the Czech spa town, has selected 34 films for its official selection, which spans the main Crystal Globe Competition, the Proxima Competition and Special Screenings.
Scroll down for full selection
There are 11 world premieres and one international premiere in the Crystal Globe Competition. UK director Cousins world premieres A Sudden Glimpse To Deeper Things, a documentary portrait of British painter Wilhelmina Barns-Graham, a leading figure in...
The festival, which runs from June 28-July 6 in the Czech spa town, has selected 34 films for its official selection, which spans the main Crystal Globe Competition, the Proxima Competition and Special Screenings.
Scroll down for full selection
There are 11 world premieres and one international premiere in the Crystal Globe Competition. UK director Cousins world premieres A Sudden Glimpse To Deeper Things, a documentary portrait of British painter Wilhelmina Barns-Graham, a leading figure in...
- 5/28/2024
- ScreenDaily
The 32-strong official selection of the 58th edition of Karlovy Vary Film Festival, Central and Eastern Europe’s leading cinema fete, will feature 15 directorial debuts as well as the latest works of established filmmakers such as Mark Cousins, Oleh Sentsov, Noaz Deshe, Antonin Peretjatko, Beata Parkanova and Burak Cevik.
Karel Och, artistic director of Karlovy Vary, said Tuesday that he’d identified a number of themes and genre in the selection, which included “a freshly revisionist take on the esthetical canons of a period film; a balanced, caring but also provocative look on the fate of a woman in the contemporary society in any moment of her life; and the immediate influence of political events on the life of an individual human being anywhere in the world.”
The festival, which runs June 28-July 6 in the Czech Republic, has also revealed the juries of the Crystal Globe and Proxima competitions. The...
Karel Och, artistic director of Karlovy Vary, said Tuesday that he’d identified a number of themes and genre in the selection, which included “a freshly revisionist take on the esthetical canons of a period film; a balanced, caring but also provocative look on the fate of a woman in the contemporary society in any moment of her life; and the immediate influence of political events on the life of an individual human being anywhere in the world.”
The festival, which runs June 28-July 6 in the Czech Republic, has also revealed the juries of the Crystal Globe and Proxima competitions. The...
- 5/28/2024
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
Young Vietnamese director Truong Minh Quy made a splash at the Cannes Film Festival with his Un Certain Regard film “Viet and Nam,” which debuted on Wednesday.
His story, a contemporary-ish romance between two young miners, traces the memories and dreams of a nation. It is sensuous, atmospheric, formal, but humane, and mixes moments of longueur with surprising jolts of humor and joy.
Truong Minh Quy spoke to Variety about the film’s origins, his unusual choice of shooting on Super 16mm film stock, and of swallowing his pride (for now) and accepting that the film cannot be shown in his native Vietnam.
What are the origins of this, your third, film? And how long did it take to come to fruition?
I checked, it started in January of 2020. Just a few months after I moved to France to study. And right after I finished my feature documentary, ‘The Treehouse....
His story, a contemporary-ish romance between two young miners, traces the memories and dreams of a nation. It is sensuous, atmospheric, formal, but humane, and mixes moments of longueur with surprising jolts of humor and joy.
Truong Minh Quy spoke to Variety about the film’s origins, his unusual choice of shooting on Super 16mm film stock, and of swallowing his pride (for now) and accepting that the film cannot be shown in his native Vietnam.
What are the origins of this, your third, film? And how long did it take to come to fruition?
I checked, it started in January of 2020. Just a few months after I moved to France to study. And right after I finished my feature documentary, ‘The Treehouse....
- 5/23/2024
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Vietnamese director Truong Minh Quy’s Viet And Nam, which is set to world premiere in Cannes’ Un Certain Regard, has been banned in Vietnam due to its “negative view” about the country and its people.
It is understood the queer characters are not a deciding factor for the ban as Vietnam has been more relaxed with LGBTQ+ characters and themes on screen in recent years.
Instead, the issues are the Vietnamese version of the film’s title (which means In The Heart Of The Earth) content, and theme, which portray “a gloomy, deadlocked, and negative view” about the country and people,...
It is understood the queer characters are not a deciding factor for the ban as Vietnam has been more relaxed with LGBTQ+ characters and themes on screen in recent years.
Instead, the issues are the Vietnamese version of the film’s title (which means In The Heart Of The Earth) content, and theme, which portray “a gloomy, deadlocked, and negative view” about the country and people,...
- 5/14/2024
- ScreenDaily
French sales agent Pyramide International has dropped a dark and subtle teaser for “Việt and Nam” a gay drama about two young miners who must complete a mission before fate pulls them apart.
Directed by Vietnamese auteur Trương Minh Quý, the film plays at the Cannes Film Festival in Un Certain Regard with its world premiere on May 22.
Per a synopsis from lead producer Epicmedia: “Nam and Việt, both young miners, cherish fleeting moments, knowing that one of them will soon leave for a new life across the sea. But the departure cannot happen as, lying in a far-off forest is Nam’s father, a soldier, whose remains they’re compelled to find. Together, following the mysteries of memories and dreams, they retrace the path to the past.”
The film is the third feature by Trương Minh Quý, who previously made a splash by taking part in the 2012 edition...
Directed by Vietnamese auteur Trương Minh Quý, the film plays at the Cannes Film Festival in Un Certain Regard with its world premiere on May 22.
Per a synopsis from lead producer Epicmedia: “Nam and Việt, both young miners, cherish fleeting moments, knowing that one of them will soon leave for a new life across the sea. But the departure cannot happen as, lying in a far-off forest is Nam’s father, a soldier, whose remains they’re compelled to find. Together, following the mysteries of memories and dreams, they retrace the path to the past.”
The film is the third feature by Trương Minh Quý, who previously made a splash by taking part in the 2012 edition...
- 5/11/2024
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Pyramide International has acquired world sales (excluding France), to the upcoming Cannes Un Certain Regard title “Việt and Nam” by Vietnamese auteur Trương Minh Quý. Shot on 16mm stock, the film is a drama about two young miners who must complete a mission before fate pulls them apart.
“In the depths of the underground coal mines, where danger awaits and darkness prevails, Nam and Việt, both young miners, cherish fleeting moments, knowing that one of them will soon leave for a new life across the sea. But the departure cannot happen as, lying somewhere deep within the earth, in the far-off forest is Nam’s father, a soldier, whose remains they’re compelled to find. Together, following the mysteries of memories and dreams, they retrace the path to the past,” reads a synopsis supplied by lead producer Epicmedia of The Philippines.
Trương Minh Quý made a splash by taking part...
“In the depths of the underground coal mines, where danger awaits and darkness prevails, Nam and Việt, both young miners, cherish fleeting moments, knowing that one of them will soon leave for a new life across the sea. But the departure cannot happen as, lying somewhere deep within the earth, in the far-off forest is Nam’s father, a soldier, whose remains they’re compelled to find. Together, following the mysteries of memories and dreams, they retrace the path to the past,” reads a synopsis supplied by lead producer Epicmedia of The Philippines.
Trương Minh Quý made a splash by taking part...
- 4/11/2024
- by Patrick Frater and Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Anima, the Filipino studio behind Venice winner On The Job 2: The Missing 8 and Sundance winner Leonor Will Never Die, is joining with Project 8 Projects to co-produce Antoinette Jadaone’s teenage pregnancy drama Sunshine.
Maris Racal stars in the film, marking her third collaboration with Jadaone. The story follows a young gymnast who discovers she is pregnant on the week of the national team tryouts. On her way to a seller of illegal abortion drugs, she meets a mysterious girl who eerily talks and thinks like her.
Currently in post-production, the film is a follow-up to Jadaone’s Fan Girl (2020), which played at Tokyo International Film Festival and Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival main competition.
Jadaone is known for both indie and mainstream films in the Philippines. She directed one of the highest-grossing indie films in Philippine cinema history, That Thing Called Tadhana (2014), which also played widely at...
Maris Racal stars in the film, marking her third collaboration with Jadaone. The story follows a young gymnast who discovers she is pregnant on the week of the national team tryouts. On her way to a seller of illegal abortion drugs, she meets a mysterious girl who eerily talks and thinks like her.
Currently in post-production, the film is a follow-up to Jadaone’s Fan Girl (2020), which played at Tokyo International Film Festival and Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival main competition.
Jadaone is known for both indie and mainstream films in the Philippines. She directed one of the highest-grossing indie films in Philippine cinema history, That Thing Called Tadhana (2014), which also played widely at...
- 3/11/2024
- by Liz Shackleton
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: It’s just another day in Manila’s Riverbanks Center studios and a stand-in actor is beating off a group of gangsters with an outsized prosthetic penis – thankfully one that is wrapped in a tasteful chiffon scarf.
The actor he’s standing in for, Enrique Gil, is one of the biggest heartthrobs in the Philippines’ film and TV industries and it’s safe to say he’s taking a slight departure with his most recent project, I Am Not Big Bird, which was mostly filmed in Thailand with some interiors in Manila.
Produced by Anima Studios and Abs-cbn’s Black Sheep, the film is about a 30-something virgin (Gil) who, dejected after his girlfriend turns down his marriage proposal, heads off on holiday to Thailand with a bunch of friends. Once there, a peculiar chain of events ensues when Gil’s character is mistaken for a famous Thai porn star,...
The actor he’s standing in for, Enrique Gil, is one of the biggest heartthrobs in the Philippines’ film and TV industries and it’s safe to say he’s taking a slight departure with his most recent project, I Am Not Big Bird, which was mostly filmed in Thailand with some interiors in Manila.
Produced by Anima Studios and Abs-cbn’s Black Sheep, the film is about a 30-something virgin (Gil) who, dejected after his girlfriend turns down his marriage proposal, heads off on holiday to Thailand with a bunch of friends. Once there, a peculiar chain of events ensues when Gil’s character is mistaken for a famous Thai porn star,...
- 10/5/2023
- by Liz Shackleton
- Deadline Film + TV
Films Boutique will handle international sales on Filipino master Lav Díaz’s “Essential Truths of The Lake,” one of the highest-profile titles in the just announced main International Competition at this year’s Locarno Festival.
The Berlin and Lyon-based production-sales company’s fifth collaboration with Diaz following, among others, Venice Golden Bear Winner “The Woman Who Left” and Berlin Silver Bear Winner “Lullaby To A Sorrowful Mystery,” “Essential Truths of The Lake” marks a prequel to Diaz’s ‘When The Waves Are Gone’ that premiered out of competition at Venice last year.
It reprises the character of the ethically conflicted police lieutenant Hermes Papauran, one of the best investigators of the Philippines. When asked what drives a man to search for the truth, Papauran says dejectedly that maybe he just wants to keep inflicting pain on himself.
Faced with Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s bloody murders and brazen lies, he...
The Berlin and Lyon-based production-sales company’s fifth collaboration with Diaz following, among others, Venice Golden Bear Winner “The Woman Who Left” and Berlin Silver Bear Winner “Lullaby To A Sorrowful Mystery,” “Essential Truths of The Lake” marks a prequel to Diaz’s ‘When The Waves Are Gone’ that premiered out of competition at Venice last year.
It reprises the character of the ethically conflicted police lieutenant Hermes Papauran, one of the best investigators of the Philippines. When asked what drives a man to search for the truth, Papauran says dejectedly that maybe he just wants to keep inflicting pain on himself.
Faced with Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s bloody murders and brazen lies, he...
- 7/5/2023
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
The global impact of traditional tattooing and the need to end its stigma is explored in upcoming feature-documentary “Treasure of the Rice Terraces,” directed by Filipino-Canadian Kent Donguines.
The film sees Donguines embark on a journey of self-discovery and record the oral history recounted by 106-year-old Indigenous tattoo artist Apo Whang-Od, who was recently an unlikely cover star of Vogue Philippines.
The film explores how the old practises in the Kalinga region, once banned and despised in Philippine society, have now evolved into a chic and in-demand type of body art that has become a source of pride and belonging for many Filipinos. It also delves into the issues of stolen mummified bodies, cultural appropriation, stigmatization, and discrimination faced by tattooed individuals.
Now shooting in Manila and the mountainous Kalinga region, the film is directed by Donguines and written by Donguines and Zlatina Pacheva (“Run the Burbs,” “Kim’s Convenience”).
“Treasure...
The film sees Donguines embark on a journey of self-discovery and record the oral history recounted by 106-year-old Indigenous tattoo artist Apo Whang-Od, who was recently an unlikely cover star of Vogue Philippines.
The film explores how the old practises in the Kalinga region, once banned and despised in Philippine society, have now evolved into a chic and in-demand type of body art that has become a source of pride and belonging for many Filipinos. It also delves into the issues of stolen mummified bodies, cultural appropriation, stigmatization, and discrimination faced by tattooed individuals.
Now shooting in Manila and the mountainous Kalinga region, the film is directed by Donguines and written by Donguines and Zlatina Pacheva (“Run the Burbs,” “Kim’s Convenience”).
“Treasure...
- 4/13/2023
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Tagalog-language selection to debut on platform by end of 2023.
Prime Video has picked up worldwide rights to Filipino Sundance Midnight premiere In My Mother’s Skin ahead of Friday night’s world premiere.
Kenneth Dagatan wrote and directed the horror fairytale about a young girl whose duty to protect her dying mother is complicated by her misplaced trust in a bewitching, flesh-eating fairy.
Beauty Gonzalez, Felicity Kyle Napuli, Jasmine Curtis-Smith, James Mavie Estrella, and Angeli Bayani star in the Tagalog-language film – the only entry in this year’s Midnight selection not in the English language.
Prime Video will debut In...
Prime Video has picked up worldwide rights to Filipino Sundance Midnight premiere In My Mother’s Skin ahead of Friday night’s world premiere.
Kenneth Dagatan wrote and directed the horror fairytale about a young girl whose duty to protect her dying mother is complicated by her misplaced trust in a bewitching, flesh-eating fairy.
Beauty Gonzalez, Felicity Kyle Napuli, Jasmine Curtis-Smith, James Mavie Estrella, and Angeli Bayani star in the Tagalog-language film – the only entry in this year’s Midnight selection not in the English language.
Prime Video will debut In...
- 1/19/2023
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
In what reps the first acquisition of this year’s Sundance Film Festival by a streamer, Prime Video is taking global rights to Kenneth Dagatan’s Filipino horror movie In My Mother’s Skin which is premiering in the Midnight section on Friday, Jan. 20. A Q4 drop date in several countries is currently scheduled.
In My Mother’s Skin is the only non-English title playing in this year’s Midnight lineup.
Set in 1945 Philippines, at the tail end of World War II, the pic follows the story of Tala, a 14-year-old daughter of a Philippines textile merchant who lives in a war-worn colonial house with her sickly mother Ligaya and younger brother Bayani. When Tala’s father mysteriously leaves once more to barter for his family’s freedom with the Japanese, his family finds themselves alone in their isolated forest mansion, awaiting his return. With Ligaya’s condition rapidly deteriorating,...
In My Mother’s Skin is the only non-English title playing in this year’s Midnight lineup.
Set in 1945 Philippines, at the tail end of World War II, the pic follows the story of Tala, a 14-year-old daughter of a Philippines textile merchant who lives in a war-worn colonial house with her sickly mother Ligaya and younger brother Bayani. When Tala’s father mysteriously leaves once more to barter for his family’s freedom with the Japanese, his family finds themselves alone in their isolated forest mansion, awaiting his return. With Ligaya’s condition rapidly deteriorating,...
- 1/19/2023
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Taking place January 19th–29th, the 2023 Sundance Film Festival will spotlight 99 feature films from around the globe, and we have a look at the full list of movies screening in the eclectic and eerie Midnight category, including the world premieres of Brandon Cronenberg's Infinity Pool and Kenneth Dagatan's In My Mother’s Skin:
From the Press Release: From horror and comedy to works that defy genre classification, these films will keep you wide awake, even at the most arduous hour. Films that have premiered in this category in recent years include Fresh, Hereditary, Mandy, Relic, Assassination Nation, and The Babadook.
birth/rebirth / U.S.A. — A single mother and a childless morgue technician are bound together by their relationship to a little girl they have reanimated from the dead. Cast: Marin Ireland, Judy Reyes, A.J. Lister, Breeda Wool. World Premiere. Fiction. Day One
In My Mother’s Skin...
From the Press Release: From horror and comedy to works that defy genre classification, these films will keep you wide awake, even at the most arduous hour. Films that have premiered in this category in recent years include Fresh, Hereditary, Mandy, Relic, Assassination Nation, and The Babadook.
birth/rebirth / U.S.A. — A single mother and a childless morgue technician are bound together by their relationship to a little girl they have reanimated from the dead. Cast: Marin Ireland, Judy Reyes, A.J. Lister, Breeda Wool. World Premiere. Fiction. Day One
In My Mother’s Skin...
- 12/8/2022
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
It’s that time of the year again when the Sundance Film Festival shares all of its horror discoveries that we’ll be seeing in the next few years.
Today they announced the comprehensive slate of independent films selected from the fest that will take place January 19–29, 2023, in person in Park City, Salt Lake City, and the Sundance Resort, along with a selection of films available online across the country January 24–29, 2023.
Bloody Disgusting combed through the entire program this afternoon and pulled out all of the genre films of note, with first-look images and information where available.
What are you most excited to see at Sundance next year?
Midnight: From horror and comedy to works that defy genre classification, these films will keep you wide awake, even at the most arduous hour. Films that have premiered in this category in recent years include Fresh, Hereditary, Mandy, Relic, Assassination Nation, and The Babadook.
Today they announced the comprehensive slate of independent films selected from the fest that will take place January 19–29, 2023, in person in Park City, Salt Lake City, and the Sundance Resort, along with a selection of films available online across the country January 24–29, 2023.
Bloody Disgusting combed through the entire program this afternoon and pulled out all of the genre films of note, with first-look images and information where available.
What are you most excited to see at Sundance next year?
Midnight: From horror and comedy to works that defy genre classification, these films will keep you wide awake, even at the most arduous hour. Films that have premiered in this category in recent years include Fresh, Hereditary, Mandy, Relic, Assassination Nation, and The Babadook.
- 12/7/2022
- by Brad Miska
- bloody-disgusting.com
The comeback movie of indie filmmaker and pioneer of Malaysian New Wave Cinema, Tan Chui Mui, after 10 years of directing hiatus, is an unpredictable, genre-fluid meta film. “Barbarian Invasion” was realised under the project “Back to Basics” by Hong Kong International Film Festival Society Limited and Heaven Pictures, that assigned a budget of Rmb¥1,000,000 to filmmakers and challenged them to produce a high-quality film without frills. Her work is doing rather well in the festival circuit, having won the Jury Grand Prix prize, one of the two top honours at the Golden Goblet Awards, in conjunction with the 24th Shanghai International Film Festival.
“Barbarian Invasion“ is screening at Five Flavours Asian Film Festival
The film follows Moon Lee (directress Tan Chui Mui) a well-respected actress who’s taken few years off after having a child and a painful divorce. She is immediately introduced as exhausted and barely coping with her...
“Barbarian Invasion“ is screening at Five Flavours Asian Film Festival
The film follows Moon Lee (directress Tan Chui Mui) a well-respected actress who’s taken few years off after having a child and a painful divorce. She is immediately introduced as exhausted and barely coping with her...
- 11/22/2022
- by Adriana Rosati
- AsianMoviePulse
Malaysia’s Rajendran brothers, producer Kumanavannan and director Gogularaajan, are angry and have a divinity-tinged story to tell.
Tamil and Malay-language project “Depth of Darkness” (“Kaali”) comes to India’s Film Bazaar co-production market from Busan, where in October, it won the development award at incubator program Malaysian Development Lab for Fiction Feature Films (mylab), an initiative supported by the National Film Development Corporation Malaysia (Finas), the Singapore Film Commission (Sfc), the Film Development Council of the Philippines (Fdcp) and Taiwan Creative Content Agency (Taicca).
“Depth of Darkness” is set in the 1960s, in a secluded Malaysian oil palm plantation which borders a thick forest. Kaali, an innocent, young wife and plantation worker of the Tamil diaspora community yearns to be a mother but is unable to conceive. This subjects her to the oppression of her own society and family. A series of tragic events lead Kaali to realize the...
Tamil and Malay-language project “Depth of Darkness” (“Kaali”) comes to India’s Film Bazaar co-production market from Busan, where in October, it won the development award at incubator program Malaysian Development Lab for Fiction Feature Films (mylab), an initiative supported by the National Film Development Corporation Malaysia (Finas), the Singapore Film Commission (Sfc), the Film Development Council of the Philippines (Fdcp) and Taiwan Creative Content Agency (Taicca).
“Depth of Darkness” is set in the 1960s, in a secluded Malaysian oil palm plantation which borders a thick forest. Kaali, an innocent, young wife and plantation worker of the Tamil diaspora community yearns to be a mother but is unable to conceive. This subjects her to the oppression of her own society and family. A series of tragic events lead Kaali to realize the...
- 11/20/2022
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Rlje Films will be releasing the Eva Green psychological thriller Nocebo in the United States on November 4th, and to help you decide whether or not this is a movie you’d like to watch the weekend after Halloween, we have the trailer for Nocebo embedded above! And VOD release will follow on November 22nd. Variety reports that Vertigo Releasing has acquired the U.K. and Ireland distribution rights and will be releasing the film there on December 9th.
Directed by Lorcan Finnegan (Vivarium) from a screenplay written by Garret Shanley (Without Name), Nocebo finds Green taking on the role of
a fashion designer who is suffering from a mysterious illness that puzzles her doctors and frustrates her husband. Help arrives in the form of Diana, a Filipino carer who uses traditional folk healing to reveal a horrifying truth.
Green is joined in the cast by Mark Strong (Shazam!) as...
Directed by Lorcan Finnegan (Vivarium) from a screenplay written by Garret Shanley (Without Name), Nocebo finds Green taking on the role of
a fashion designer who is suffering from a mysterious illness that puzzles her doctors and frustrates her husband. Help arrives in the form of Diana, a Filipino carer who uses traditional folk healing to reveal a horrifying truth.
Green is joined in the cast by Mark Strong (Shazam!) as...
- 10/28/2022
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
Vertigo Releasing has acquired “Nocebo,” starring Eva Green (“Proxima”) and Mark Strong (“Tár”) for the U.K. and Ireland.
Directed by IFTA-winning filmmaker Lorcan Finnegan (“Vivarium”) and written by Garret Shanley (“Without Name”), the film follows a fashion designer (Green) who is suffering from a mysterious illness that puzzles her doctors and frustrates her husband (Strong). Help arrives in the form of Diana, a Filipino carer (Chai Fonacier) who uses traditional folk healing to reveal a horrifying truth.
“Nocebo” has had festival play at Sitges and Cork.
The film is a co-production between Ireland and the Philippines and was supported by Screen Ireland and the Film Development Council of the Philippines. It is produced by Brunella Cocchiglia for Lovely Productions and Emily Leo for Wild Swim Films in co-production with Bianca Balbuena and Bradley Liew of Epicmedia.
Vertigo Releasing acquired the rights from XYZ Films who are handling international sales,...
Directed by IFTA-winning filmmaker Lorcan Finnegan (“Vivarium”) and written by Garret Shanley (“Without Name”), the film follows a fashion designer (Green) who is suffering from a mysterious illness that puzzles her doctors and frustrates her husband (Strong). Help arrives in the form of Diana, a Filipino carer (Chai Fonacier) who uses traditional folk healing to reveal a horrifying truth.
“Nocebo” has had festival play at Sitges and Cork.
The film is a co-production between Ireland and the Philippines and was supported by Screen Ireland and the Film Development Council of the Philippines. It is produced by Brunella Cocchiglia for Lovely Productions and Emily Leo for Wild Swim Films in co-production with Bianca Balbuena and Bradley Liew of Epicmedia.
Vertigo Releasing acquired the rights from XYZ Films who are handling international sales,...
- 10/28/2022
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
“Avatar” producer Jon Landau, Charles Rivkin, chairman of the Motion Picture Association, and the MPA’s Asia regional chief Belinda Lui, were on hand Wednesday in South Korea to tread the red carpet at the Busan International Film Festival.
It has been a struggle for Asian film festivals and rights markets to return to normal as conservative governments and reticent populations warily and belatedly embraced reduced quarantine periods, the end of mandatory mask-wearing and social distancing. But Wednesday night’s hosts were at pains to stress that this year’s 27th Biff is operating at full capacity.
“I can’t tell you how emotional I am tonight,” said Lee Yong-kwan co-founder of the festival and now its chairman.
The Busan festival is Asia’s biggest and most significant talent and film discovery event. But in 2020 it was downsized and held virtually. Last year’s event operated largely behind a cordon...
It has been a struggle for Asian film festivals and rights markets to return to normal as conservative governments and reticent populations warily and belatedly embraced reduced quarantine periods, the end of mandatory mask-wearing and social distancing. But Wednesday night’s hosts were at pains to stress that this year’s 27th Biff is operating at full capacity.
“I can’t tell you how emotional I am tonight,” said Lee Yong-kwan co-founder of the festival and now its chairman.
The Busan festival is Asia’s biggest and most significant talent and film discovery event. But in 2020 it was downsized and held virtually. Last year’s event operated largely behind a cordon...
- 10/5/2022
- by Patrick Frater and Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
The Fund is aimed at co-productions between European and international partners.
Vietnamese filmmaker Truong Minh Quy has been awarded the TorinoFilmLab (Tfl) co-production fund award for his upcoming feature Viet And Nam.
The award consists of €50,000, which will be allocated to the European production company working on the film – Germany’s Scarlet Visions – as well as a series of expert consultancies with people in various areas of filmmaking. Experts include UK art director Fleur Whitlock and the Emmy-winning production designer of 2006’s Jane Eyre, Grenville Horner.
Viet And Nam follows a couple who both work as miners, as one of...
Vietnamese filmmaker Truong Minh Quy has been awarded the TorinoFilmLab (Tfl) co-production fund award for his upcoming feature Viet And Nam.
The award consists of €50,000, which will be allocated to the European production company working on the film – Germany’s Scarlet Visions – as well as a series of expert consultancies with people in various areas of filmmaking. Experts include UK art director Fleur Whitlock and the Emmy-winning production designer of 2006’s Jane Eyre, Grenville Horner.
Viet And Nam follows a couple who both work as miners, as one of...
- 9/27/2022
- by Ellie Calnan
- ScreenDaily
Fresh off a standing ovation for auteur Lav Diaz’s “When the Waves Are Gone” at the Venice Film Festival, the Philippines’ Epicmedia Productions has revealed a global co-production slate.
Next up is Swiss co-production “Electric Child” by Simon Jacquemet (“The Innocent”), which was presented at the Venice Production Bridge last year. The story revolves around a couple whose child develops an unusual illness. While the mother and baby drift into their own world, the computer-science professor father develops a pact with an A.I. character on a virtual island to save his child. The project, which is starting production imminently, is supported by the Film Location Incentive Fund of the Film Development Council of the Philippines, the Swiss Federal Office of Culture, the Zurich Film Foundation, Filmstiftung Nrw and TV channels Srf and Arte.
Truong Minh Quy (“The Tree House”) is in preproduction on “Viet and Nam,” which follows...
Next up is Swiss co-production “Electric Child” by Simon Jacquemet (“The Innocent”), which was presented at the Venice Production Bridge last year. The story revolves around a couple whose child develops an unusual illness. While the mother and baby drift into their own world, the computer-science professor father develops a pact with an A.I. character on a virtual island to save his child. The project, which is starting production imminently, is supported by the Film Location Incentive Fund of the Film Development Council of the Philippines, the Swiss Federal Office of Culture, the Zurich Film Foundation, Filmstiftung Nrw and TV channels Srf and Arte.
Truong Minh Quy (“The Tree House”) is in preproduction on “Viet and Nam,” which follows...
- 9/6/2022
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Sadaf Foroughi’s Iran-set feature Summer With Hope has clinched the Grand Prix award in the main Crystal Globe Competition of the 56th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, running July 1-9.
The social drama revolves around a young swimming champion whose close bond with his trainer sparks disapproval from people around them.
Summer With Hope is Iranian-Canadian filmmaker Foroughi’s second film after Ava which debuted at Toronto in 2017, winning the Fipresci international critics prize.
Kviff’s Grand Prix comes with a 25,000 cash prize to be shared equally between the director and producer. Kiarash Anvari of Toronto-based First Generation Films is the lead producer on the film.
This year’s Crystal Globe competition jury comprised Argentinian film producer Benjamin Domenech, German filmmaker Jan-Ole Gerster, Polish distributor and festival organiser Roman Gutek, international sales agent and producer Fiorella Moretti and Danish film editor and screenwriter Molly Malene Stensgaard.
In other main competition awards,...
The social drama revolves around a young swimming champion whose close bond with his trainer sparks disapproval from people around them.
Summer With Hope is Iranian-Canadian filmmaker Foroughi’s second film after Ava which debuted at Toronto in 2017, winning the Fipresci international critics prize.
Kviff’s Grand Prix comes with a 25,000 cash prize to be shared equally between the director and producer. Kiarash Anvari of Toronto-based First Generation Films is the lead producer on the film.
This year’s Crystal Globe competition jury comprised Argentinian film producer Benjamin Domenech, German filmmaker Jan-Ole Gerster, Polish distributor and festival organiser Roman Gutek, international sales agent and producer Fiorella Moretti and Danish film editor and screenwriter Molly Malene Stensgaard.
In other main competition awards,...
- 7/9/2022
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Oscar-winning actors Geoffrey Rush and Benicio Del Toro will be feted at the 56th edition of the Karlovy Vary Intl. Film Festival, which will run July 1-9. The actors will receive their awards at the festival’s closing ceremony. The Czech event has also revealed its juries.
“We are honored and delighted that two extraordinary actors we have been deeply admiring for many years accepted our invitation to come to Karlovy Vary,” said Kviff’s president Jiří Bartoška.
Rush will receive the festival’s Crystal Globe for outstanding artistic contribution to world cinema, and his films “The King’s Speech,” “Quills” and “Shine” will be screened as an homage to the actor.
Rush began his career in theater with the Queensland Theater Company. An important turning point in his cinematic career came in 1996, when he excelled in the role of composer and pianist David Helfgott in Scott Hick’s “Shine,” which won him an Oscar,...
“We are honored and delighted that two extraordinary actors we have been deeply admiring for many years accepted our invitation to come to Karlovy Vary,” said Kviff’s president Jiří Bartoška.
Rush will receive the festival’s Crystal Globe for outstanding artistic contribution to world cinema, and his films “The King’s Speech,” “Quills” and “Shine” will be screened as an homage to the actor.
Rush began his career in theater with the Queensland Theater Company. An important turning point in his cinematic career came in 1996, when he excelled in the role of composer and pianist David Helfgott in Scott Hick’s “Shine,” which won him an Oscar,...
- 6/21/2022
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
Geoffrey Rush and Benicio Del Toro will be honored with career awards at the 56th edition of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (Kviff), running July 1-9 against the backdrop of the picturesque Czech Republic spa town.
Australian actor Rush will receive the festival’s Crystal Globe for Outstanding Artistic Contribution to World Cinema.
The King’s Speech, for which Rush won a BAFTA and was nominated for an Oscar and Golden Globe, Quills and Shine will screen in the festival as part of the homage to the actor.
Del Toro will be honored with the Kviff President’s Award, celebrating actors, directors, and producers who have made a fundamental contribution to the development of film and cinema.
The homage will also include screenings of Del Toro’s 1995 international breakthrough film The Usual Suspects and Traffic, for which he won an Oscar as well as a Golden Globe, BAFTA and Silver...
Australian actor Rush will receive the festival’s Crystal Globe for Outstanding Artistic Contribution to World Cinema.
The King’s Speech, for which Rush won a BAFTA and was nominated for an Oscar and Golden Globe, Quills and Shine will screen in the festival as part of the homage to the actor.
Del Toro will be honored with the Kviff President’s Award, celebrating actors, directors, and producers who have made a fundamental contribution to the development of film and cinema.
The homage will also include screenings of Del Toro’s 1995 international breakthrough film The Usual Suspects and Traffic, for which he won an Oscar as well as a Golden Globe, BAFTA and Silver...
- 6/21/2022
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Rush will receive the Crystal Globe, del Toro the President’s Award.
Oscar-winning actors Geoffrey Rush and Benicio del Toro will receive special honours at this year’s Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (Kviff), which runs from July 1-9.
Rush will receive the Crystal Globe for Outstanding Artistic Contribution to World Cinema, an award previously given to talents including John Travolta, Ken Loach, Julianne Moore, Patricia Clarkson and last year’s awardee Michael Caine.
Del Toro will receive the President’s Award, which last year was given to Ethan Hawke.
Kviff will play a selection of films featuring the two...
Oscar-winning actors Geoffrey Rush and Benicio del Toro will receive special honours at this year’s Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (Kviff), which runs from July 1-9.
Rush will receive the Crystal Globe for Outstanding Artistic Contribution to World Cinema, an award previously given to talents including John Travolta, Ken Loach, Julianne Moore, Patricia Clarkson and last year’s awardee Michael Caine.
Del Toro will receive the President’s Award, which last year was given to Ethan Hawke.
Kviff will play a selection of films featuring the two...
- 6/21/2022
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
Kenneth Lim Dagatan’s horror thriller In My Mother’s Skin is set to be revealed as the first co-production between the Philippines, Singapore and Taiwan.
Scheduled to start filming in mid-June with actress and Instagram star Beauty Gonzalez, the project is set to be announced tomorrow (May 21) by Singapore’s Infocomm Media Development Authority (Imda) and Film Development Council of the Philippines (Fdcp) at their joint pavilion in the Riviera’s International Village.
The story follows a girl who trusts a flesh-eating fairy to save her dying mother when they are left behind in an isolated mansion, near the...
Scheduled to start filming in mid-June with actress and Instagram star Beauty Gonzalez, the project is set to be announced tomorrow (May 21) by Singapore’s Infocomm Media Development Authority (Imda) and Film Development Council of the Philippines (Fdcp) at their joint pavilion in the Riviera’s International Village.
The story follows a girl who trusts a flesh-eating fairy to save her dying mother when they are left behind in an isolated mansion, near the...
- 5/20/2022
- by Silvia Wong
- ScreenDaily
The comeback movie of indie filmmaker and pioneer of Malaysian New Wave Cinema, Tan Chui Mui, after 10 years of directing hiatus, is an unpredictable, genre-fluid meta film. “Barbarian Invasion” was realised under the project “Back to Basics” by Hong Kong International Film Festival Society Limited and Heaven Pictures, that assigned a budget of Rmb¥1,000,000 to filmmakers and challenged them to produce a high-quality film without frills. Her work is doing rather well in the festival circuit, having won the Jury Grand Prix prize, one of the two top honours at the Golden Goblet Awards, in conjunction with the 24th Shanghai International Film Festival.
“Barbarian Invasion” is screening at New York Asian Film Festival
The film follows Moon Lee (directress Tan Chui Mui) a well-respected actress who’s taken few years off after having a child and a painful divorce. She is immediately introduced as exhausted and barely coping with her...
“Barbarian Invasion” is screening at New York Asian Film Festival
The film follows Moon Lee (directress Tan Chui Mui) a well-respected actress who’s taken few years off after having a child and a painful divorce. She is immediately introduced as exhausted and barely coping with her...
- 8/16/2021
- by Adriana Rosati
- AsianMoviePulse
“Barbarian Invasion” wins the Jury Grand Prix in the 24th Shanghai International Film Festival Golden Goblet Awards on 19 June. The film is presented by Heaven Pictures, in co-production with The Hong Kong International Film Festival Society.
Tan Chui Mui, a staple of the Malaysian New Wave, returns to the international film scene with third feature film “Barbarian Invasion”, filling the roles of director, writer and lead actor, her poignant and fun piece on body sovereignty, motherhood and martial arts. She brings much of her old crew back in front of the cameras, Pete Teo, James Lee and Bront Palare give strong performances in the film while Woo Ming Jin produces alongside Bianca Balbuena, known for her work with Lav Diaz.
In awarding “Barbarian Invasion”, the jury stated, “This film takes a genre that is familiar to us all and turns it on its tail. Its handling of pace is pitch perfect,...
Tan Chui Mui, a staple of the Malaysian New Wave, returns to the international film scene with third feature film “Barbarian Invasion”, filling the roles of director, writer and lead actor, her poignant and fun piece on body sovereignty, motherhood and martial arts. She brings much of her old crew back in front of the cameras, Pete Teo, James Lee and Bront Palare give strong performances in the film while Woo Ming Jin produces alongside Bianca Balbuena, known for her work with Lav Diaz.
In awarding “Barbarian Invasion”, the jury stated, “This film takes a genre that is familiar to us all and turns it on its tail. Its handling of pace is pitch perfect,...
- 6/22/2021
- by Rouven Linnarz
- AsianMoviePulse
Tan Chui Mui returns to the international film scene with Barbarian Invasion, her poignant and fun piece on body sovereignty, motherhood and martial arts. Barbarian Invasion will launch at the 24th Shanghai International Film Festival (Siff), in competition for the Golden Goblet Award.
Of the selection, Director Tan says, “There will be many old friends attending Shanghai International Film Festival. I felt like a mischievous kid, I’d put a frog in a box, now just anxiously waiting, anticipating, trying to imagine their face when they open the box….”
Tan Chui Mui
Barbarian Invasion follows a washed-up actor who is offered a comeback opportunity after a devastating divorce only to find her ex-husband cast opposite her.
Tan, a staple of the Malaysian New Wave which swept the festival circuit by storm in the early noughts, brings much of her old crew back in front of the camera. Pete Teo, James...
Of the selection, Director Tan says, “There will be many old friends attending Shanghai International Film Festival. I felt like a mischievous kid, I’d put a frog in a box, now just anxiously waiting, anticipating, trying to imagine their face when they open the box….”
Tan Chui Mui
Barbarian Invasion follows a washed-up actor who is offered a comeback opportunity after a devastating divorce only to find her ex-husband cast opposite her.
Tan, a staple of the Malaysian New Wave which swept the festival circuit by storm in the early noughts, brings much of her old crew back in front of the camera. Pete Teo, James...
- 6/2/2021
- by Adriana Rosati
- AsianMoviePulse
The industry event will run entirely online from July 8-13.
South Korea’s Bucheon International Film Festival (Bifan), Asia’s largest genre film festival, has announced 40 official selections from 29 countries for this year’s Naff project market.
The 19 titles selected for the It Project strand include director Khavn De La Cruz’s Philippines project 100 Midget Zombie Cannibals, produced by Achinette Villamore and Stephan Holl, and director Mattie Do’s Laos-Spain co-production The White King, produced by Annick Mahnert and Douangmany Soliphanh, as well as director Quentin Lee’s US project How To Talk With Spirits which he is also producing.
South Korea’s Bucheon International Film Festival (Bifan), Asia’s largest genre film festival, has announced 40 official selections from 29 countries for this year’s Naff project market.
The 19 titles selected for the It Project strand include director Khavn De La Cruz’s Philippines project 100 Midget Zombie Cannibals, produced by Achinette Villamore and Stephan Holl, and director Mattie Do’s Laos-Spain co-production The White King, produced by Annick Mahnert and Douangmany Soliphanh, as well as director Quentin Lee’s US project How To Talk With Spirits which he is also producing.
- 5/24/2021
- ScreenDaily
The Naff genre film project market that is attached to the BiFan fantasy festival in South Korea will expand to 40 projects at its upcoming July edition.
The 25th edition of the festival will overlap with Cannes, running July 8-18, 2021, with both online and offline screenings, as well as in person audience events, while Naff (July 8-13) will be held as a virtual event for the second successive year.
Naff organizers said that they had increased the number of selections from 30 last year to 40 this time, hailing from 29 countries and territories. These are spread across multiple different sections including the main It Project cluster, project Spotlight Korea, Works in Progress and those with partner events Nordic Genre Invasion, Blood Window and Fantastic 7. For the first time, the market has been opened to series, reflecting the impact of streaming services on the Asian production industry.
The lineup contains many familiar names from...
The 25th edition of the festival will overlap with Cannes, running July 8-18, 2021, with both online and offline screenings, as well as in person audience events, while Naff (July 8-13) will be held as a virtual event for the second successive year.
Naff organizers said that they had increased the number of selections from 30 last year to 40 this time, hailing from 29 countries and territories. These are spread across multiple different sections including the main It Project cluster, project Spotlight Korea, Works in Progress and those with partner events Nordic Genre Invasion, Blood Window and Fantastic 7. For the first time, the market has been opened to series, reflecting the impact of streaming services on the Asian production industry.
The lineup contains many familiar names from...
- 5/24/2021
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Eva Green, Mark Strong and Chai Fonacier have boarded “Vivarium” director Lorcan Finnegan’s psychological thriller “Nocebo,” which is now in production in Ireland.
The film, which marks the first co-production between Ireland and the Philippines, follows a fashion designer (Green) suffering from a mysterious illness that puzzles her doctors and frustrates her husband (Strong) until help arrives in the form of a Filipino carer (Fonacier), who uses traditional folk healing to reveal a horrifying truth.
Set between London and Manila, the film’s themes explore consumerism, human exploitation and the fast fashion industry, as well as the brain’s power in deciding whether to harm or cure the physical body. “Nocebo” is the antonym of “placebo,” and refers to the Nocebo Effect, in which negative thinking on the part of a patient results in a more negative outcome.
Written by Finnegan’s frequent collaborator, Garret Shanley, the film is...
The film, which marks the first co-production between Ireland and the Philippines, follows a fashion designer (Green) suffering from a mysterious illness that puzzles her doctors and frustrates her husband (Strong) until help arrives in the form of a Filipino carer (Fonacier), who uses traditional folk healing to reveal a horrifying truth.
Set between London and Manila, the film’s themes explore consumerism, human exploitation and the fast fashion industry, as well as the brain’s power in deciding whether to harm or cure the physical body. “Nocebo” is the antonym of “placebo,” and refers to the Nocebo Effect, in which negative thinking on the part of a patient results in a more negative outcome.
Written by Finnegan’s frequent collaborator, Garret Shanley, the film is...
- 2/25/2021
- by Manori Ravindran
- Variety Film + TV
Film co-productions are on the rise in South East Asia, but their growth brings tricky choices for producers.
Leading practitioners Monday shone a useful light on how to navigate the often tricky paths of co-productions at a Singapore International Film Festival panel discussion. The film festival is part of the ongoing Singapore Media Festival.
Co-productions in the region are gaining pace with the Singapore Film Commission’s Southeast Asia Co-Production Grant supporting projects with up to S$250,000 per project, and the Film Development Council of the Philippines’ Asean Co-production Fund that offers up to $150,000 per project, which is due to go live in January.
The Singapore Grants have already borne fruit with beneficiaries showcased at the festival including “Aswang,” “Bình,” “Citizen Hustler,” “Judy Free,” “Nursery Rhymes” and “Ploy.”
Speaking at the ‘Southeast Asian Producers Network: Accessing International Co-production—Why and How?’ panel, Vietnamese producer Tran Thi Bich Ngoc (“The Third Wife...
Leading practitioners Monday shone a useful light on how to navigate the often tricky paths of co-productions at a Singapore International Film Festival panel discussion. The film festival is part of the ongoing Singapore Media Festival.
Co-productions in the region are gaining pace with the Singapore Film Commission’s Southeast Asia Co-Production Grant supporting projects with up to S$250,000 per project, and the Film Development Council of the Philippines’ Asean Co-production Fund that offers up to $150,000 per project, which is due to go live in January.
The Singapore Grants have already borne fruit with beneficiaries showcased at the festival including “Aswang,” “Bình,” “Citizen Hustler,” “Judy Free,” “Nursery Rhymes” and “Ploy.”
Speaking at the ‘Southeast Asian Producers Network: Accessing International Co-production—Why and How?’ panel, Vietnamese producer Tran Thi Bich Ngoc (“The Third Wife...
- 12/1/2020
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
The Asia Pacific Screen Academy honoured regional filmmakers at a special presentation on Australia’s Gold Coast last night (November 26).
Thailand-based producer Soros Sukhum took home the 2020 Fiapf Award for Outstanding Achievement in Film in the Asia Pacific region. Sukhum is well regarded for work in the Thai indie space, launching the careers of Aditya Assarat, Sivaroj Kongsakul, Anocha Suwichakornpong, and Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit. His latest credit is Memoria, the English language debut for director Apichatpong Weerasethakul, starring Tilda Swinton.
Hosted by Iranian born Australian presenter Leila McKinnon, the ceremony also awarded its Young Cinema Award to Indian filmmaker Akshay Indikar for Chronicle Of Space (Sthalpuran), with a Special Mention going to Australian Stephen Maxwell Johnson for High Ground.
The Apsa Presentation Ceremony marked the end of the 2020 Apsa Forum, a week-long series of panels and roundtable events delivered both in person and digitally, with participants from 18 countries.
The MPA Apsa Academy Film Fund...
Thailand-based producer Soros Sukhum took home the 2020 Fiapf Award for Outstanding Achievement in Film in the Asia Pacific region. Sukhum is well regarded for work in the Thai indie space, launching the careers of Aditya Assarat, Sivaroj Kongsakul, Anocha Suwichakornpong, and Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit. His latest credit is Memoria, the English language debut for director Apichatpong Weerasethakul, starring Tilda Swinton.
Hosted by Iranian born Australian presenter Leila McKinnon, the ceremony also awarded its Young Cinema Award to Indian filmmaker Akshay Indikar for Chronicle Of Space (Sthalpuran), with a Special Mention going to Australian Stephen Maxwell Johnson for High Ground.
The Apsa Presentation Ceremony marked the end of the 2020 Apsa Forum, a week-long series of panels and roundtable events delivered both in person and digitally, with participants from 18 countries.
The MPA Apsa Academy Film Fund...
- 11/27/2020
- by Tom Grater
- Deadline Film + TV
Soros Sukhum received the outstanding achievement prize.
Palestinian director Annemarie Jacir and Filipino producer Bianca Balbuena are among the winners at the 2020 Asia Pacific Screen Awards (Apsa), which held a special award presentation in Australia’s Gold Coast.
The pair were two of four recipients of $25,000 each through the Apsa Academy Film Fund which awards projects at script development stage.
In receiving the grant towards her project All Before You, Jacir becomes the first filmmaker to receive the Apsa grant on two occasions. She was previously awarded for 2017 film Wajib, which premiered at Locarno, winning five prizes including the special prize for best film.
Palestinian director Annemarie Jacir and Filipino producer Bianca Balbuena are among the winners at the 2020 Asia Pacific Screen Awards (Apsa), which held a special award presentation in Australia’s Gold Coast.
The pair were two of four recipients of $25,000 each through the Apsa Academy Film Fund which awards projects at script development stage.
In receiving the grant towards her project All Before You, Jacir becomes the first filmmaker to receive the Apsa grant on two occasions. She was previously awarded for 2017 film Wajib, which premiered at Locarno, winning five prizes including the special prize for best film.
- 11/26/2020
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
Thai producer Soros Sukhum was Thursday honored with the Fiapf Award for outstanding achievement in film in the Asia Pacific region. The prize was presented as part of a heavily revamped Asia Pacific Screen Awards ceremony, at Gold Coast in Australia’s Queensland.
The Young Cinema Award was won by Indian filmmaker Akshay Indikar for “Chronicle of Space” (“Sthalpuran”), with a special mention going to Australia’s Stephen Maxwell Johnson for “High Ground.”
Earlier this year the Apsa Awards event’s future had seemed deeply clouded due to twin hits from financial problems and the coronavirus. Normally, a dozen prizes are awarded to artistic films from across the vast Unesco-defined Asia region.
In June, the Brisbane City Council and its offshoot Brisbane Marketing, notified Apsa organizers that they would not be able to fund the event due to the impact of the coronavirus on the city’s budget.
The...
The Young Cinema Award was won by Indian filmmaker Akshay Indikar for “Chronicle of Space” (“Sthalpuran”), with a special mention going to Australia’s Stephen Maxwell Johnson for “High Ground.”
Earlier this year the Apsa Awards event’s future had seemed deeply clouded due to twin hits from financial problems and the coronavirus. Normally, a dozen prizes are awarded to artistic films from across the vast Unesco-defined Asia region.
In June, the Brisbane City Council and its offshoot Brisbane Marketing, notified Apsa organizers that they would not be able to fund the event due to the impact of the coronavirus on the city’s budget.
The...
- 11/26/2020
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Stephen Johnson’s High Ground earned a special mention from The Young Cinema Award jury at this evening’s Asia Pacific Screen Awards, held on the Gold Coast.
Set in 1930s Arnhem Land, High Ground follows young Aboriginal man Gutjuk (Jacob Junior Nayinggul), who in a bid to save the last of his family teams up with ex-soldier Travis (Simon Baker) to track down the most dangerous warrior in the Territory – his uncle.
The Apsa jury praised the assured direction of Johnson, noting his film gave “voice to the issue of brutal colonisation.” Jack Thompson, Apsa president and star of the film, accepted the honour on behalf of the director.
High Ground premiered at the Berlin Film Festival and also stars Callan Mulvey, Witiyana Marika, Caren Pistorius and Ryan Corr. Madman Entertainment will release the drama, written by Chris Anastassiades and produced by David Jowsey, Johnson, Marika, Maggie Miles and Greer Simpkin,...
Set in 1930s Arnhem Land, High Ground follows young Aboriginal man Gutjuk (Jacob Junior Nayinggul), who in a bid to save the last of his family teams up with ex-soldier Travis (Simon Baker) to track down the most dangerous warrior in the Territory – his uncle.
The Apsa jury praised the assured direction of Johnson, noting his film gave “voice to the issue of brutal colonisation.” Jack Thompson, Apsa president and star of the film, accepted the honour on behalf of the director.
High Ground premiered at the Berlin Film Festival and also stars Callan Mulvey, Witiyana Marika, Caren Pistorius and Ryan Corr. Madman Entertainment will release the drama, written by Chris Anastassiades and produced by David Jowsey, Johnson, Marika, Maggie Miles and Greer Simpkin,...
- 11/26/2020
- by Jackie Keast
- IF.com.au
Finnegan’s ’Nocebo’ received €750,000, the highest single award this quarter.
New projects from filmmakers Lee Cronin and Lorcan Finnegan are among several new productions being backed by Screen Ireland in its latest round of funding decisions.
Cronin (The Hole In The Ground) will direct the psychological thriller Box Of Bones from a screenplay he co-wrote with Stephen Shields, to be produced by Wild Atlantic Pictures (Black ’47).
Box Of Bones tells the story of Alice, a devoted young woman who battles to save her fiancé from his conviction that a supernatural entity is trying to possess his body. Wild Atlantic Pictures...
New projects from filmmakers Lee Cronin and Lorcan Finnegan are among several new productions being backed by Screen Ireland in its latest round of funding decisions.
Cronin (The Hole In The Ground) will direct the psychological thriller Box Of Bones from a screenplay he co-wrote with Stephen Shields, to be produced by Wild Atlantic Pictures (Black ’47).
Box Of Bones tells the story of Alice, a devoted young woman who battles to save her fiancé from his conviction that a supernatural entity is trying to possess his body. Wild Atlantic Pictures...
- 11/12/2020
- by Esther McCarthy
- ScreenDaily
The 6-day conference will run online from November 20-26.
Singaporean filmmaker Anthony Chen, and Mouly Surya from Indonesia are among the speakers confirmed for the second annual Asia Pacific Screen Forum, which will run online from November 20-26.
Events in the six-day conference will be accessible to participants across the continent, as well as in-person at the Home Of The Arts venue in Gold Coast, Australia.
The schedule includes panels, smaller-scale roundtable discussions, and a screening programme.
Chen, whose second feature Wet Season was recently selected as Singapore’s entry for the 2020 Oscar international feature award, will take part in...
Singaporean filmmaker Anthony Chen, and Mouly Surya from Indonesia are among the speakers confirmed for the second annual Asia Pacific Screen Forum, which will run online from November 20-26.
Events in the six-day conference will be accessible to participants across the continent, as well as in-person at the Home Of The Arts venue in Gold Coast, Australia.
The schedule includes panels, smaller-scale roundtable discussions, and a screening programme.
Chen, whose second feature Wet Season was recently selected as Singapore’s entry for the 2020 Oscar international feature award, will take part in...
- 10/27/2020
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
Project development initiative has opened up to projects from the wider Southeast Asian region.
Full Circle Lab, a project development programme backed by the Film Development Council of the Philippines (Fdcp), has announced the 20 projects selected for this year’s edition, which will take place online September 15-29.
The initiative, which is co-headed by Matthieu Darras and Izabela Igel, will be preceded by the Film Industry Conference (September 11-15), which will also be held online and open to a larger audience. Full Circle Lab was initially scheduled to take place in Manila in April, but was postponed due to the Covid-19 coronavirus.
Full Circle Lab, a project development programme backed by the Film Development Council of the Philippines (Fdcp), has announced the 20 projects selected for this year’s edition, which will take place online September 15-29.
The initiative, which is co-headed by Matthieu Darras and Izabela Igel, will be preceded by the Film Industry Conference (September 11-15), which will also be held online and open to a larger audience. Full Circle Lab was initially scheduled to take place in Manila in April, but was postponed due to the Covid-19 coronavirus.
- 8/27/2020
- by 89¦Liz Shackleton¦0¦
- ScreenDaily
The SeaShorts Film Festival has announced the full details and Official Selection for its fourth edition to be held this 12th to 20th September. In the most accessible version of the annual event yet, audiences will be given the opportunity to connect over an entirely digital series of live and online activities throughout the nine-day run.
In adapting to the new normal of social distancing, the Festival continues to shine a spotlight on the enormous depth and diversity of short filmmaking from across Southeast Asia. The pulse of emerging talent can be seen in the competition section. Chosen from 544 entries, the 30 nominees will vie for the coveted SeaShorts Award, with the best Malaysian effort walking away with the Next New Wave Award. In addition to the top honours, the shortlist will be in contention for prizes in direction, screenwriting, cinematography, editing, sound, and acting.
Winners will be decided by a...
In adapting to the new normal of social distancing, the Festival continues to shine a spotlight on the enormous depth and diversity of short filmmaking from across Southeast Asia. The pulse of emerging talent can be seen in the competition section. Chosen from 544 entries, the 30 nominees will vie for the coveted SeaShorts Award, with the best Malaysian effort walking away with the Next New Wave Award. In addition to the top honours, the shortlist will be in contention for prizes in direction, screenwriting, cinematography, editing, sound, and acting.
Winners will be decided by a...
- 8/18/2020
- by Rouven Linnarz
- AsianMoviePulse
(above) Still from “They Say Nothing Stays The Same,”Joe Oagiri, 2019, Japan
The 19th edition of the Lincoln Center’s New York Asian Film Festival will be virtual this year, and will go from August 28 to September 12, 2020. This year’s focus is on women filmmakers, under the title “Women Transforming Film.” In this year’s line-up, Nyaff spotlights titles directed and led by women — including “Heavy Craving”, “Lucky Chan-sil”, “Kim Ji-young, Born 1982,”, “My Prince Edward”, and “Victim(s)”.
A generous share of the program is devoted to new filmmakers, including striking directorial debuts and sophomore efforts. This edition reflects today’s particularly kinetic innovations, much informed by social media and the hyper information highway. An impressive cross-section of work highlights new ideas in storytelling and tackles social mores and personal demons, including “John Denver Trending”, “Beauty Water”, “Detention”, and “IWeirDo”, to name a few. Work by first and second-time directors...
The 19th edition of the Lincoln Center’s New York Asian Film Festival will be virtual this year, and will go from August 28 to September 12, 2020. This year’s focus is on women filmmakers, under the title “Women Transforming Film.” In this year’s line-up, Nyaff spotlights titles directed and led by women — including “Heavy Craving”, “Lucky Chan-sil”, “Kim Ji-young, Born 1982,”, “My Prince Edward”, and “Victim(s)”.
A generous share of the program is devoted to new filmmakers, including striking directorial debuts and sophomore efforts. This edition reflects today’s particularly kinetic innovations, much informed by social media and the hyper information highway. An impressive cross-section of work highlights new ideas in storytelling and tackles social mores and personal demons, including “John Denver Trending”, “Beauty Water”, “Detention”, and “IWeirDo”, to name a few. Work by first and second-time directors...
- 8/11/2020
- by Grace Han
- AsianMoviePulse
Powered by Chinese streaming technology, the New York Asian Film Festival will this year move from the real world to the virtual. With strong focuses on women filmmakers and Korean movies, the 19th Nyaff will run Aug. 28-Sept 12.
The opening film is the North American Premiere of “The Girl and the Gun” (aka “Babae at Baril”), directed by Rae Red, starring Janine Gutierrez, and produced by Iana Celest Bernardez and Bianca Balbuena. Other female-centric picks include “Heavy Craving” from Taiwan, “Lucky Chan-sil” and “Kim Ji-young, Born 1982,” both from South Korea, “My Prince Edward” from Hong Kong, and “Victim(s)” from Malaysia.
The virtual festival will play out on software supplied by Smart Cinema, a three year old Chinese operation, backed by former Wanda executive Jack Gao. Its U.S. arm is a joint venture with pioneering distributor of Asian films WellGo USA.
“I’m sure people will pick up on...
The opening film is the North American Premiere of “The Girl and the Gun” (aka “Babae at Baril”), directed by Rae Red, starring Janine Gutierrez, and produced by Iana Celest Bernardez and Bianca Balbuena. Other female-centric picks include “Heavy Craving” from Taiwan, “Lucky Chan-sil” and “Kim Ji-young, Born 1982,” both from South Korea, “My Prince Edward” from Hong Kong, and “Victim(s)” from Malaysia.
The virtual festival will play out on software supplied by Smart Cinema, a three year old Chinese operation, backed by former Wanda executive Jack Gao. Its U.S. arm is a joint venture with pioneering distributor of Asian films WellGo USA.
“I’m sure people will pick up on...
- 8/10/2020
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Upcoming films from Lucrecia Martel, Lisandro Alonso, Lav Diaz and Miguel Gomes selected for special initiative.
The Locarno Film Festival has announced the line-up of 20 features that it has selected for its exceptional The Films After Tomorrow initiative.
The special event was created to support feature films that have stalled at various stages of production due to the Covid-19 pandemic which also led to the cancellation of the physical edition of the 73rd edition of Locarno.
Locarno’s artistic director Lili Hinstin said that 545 projects had been submitted to the initiative in a sign of the impact that the pandemic has had on independent filmmaking.
The Locarno Film Festival has announced the line-up of 20 features that it has selected for its exceptional The Films After Tomorrow initiative.
The special event was created to support feature films that have stalled at various stages of production due to the Covid-19 pandemic which also led to the cancellation of the physical edition of the 73rd edition of Locarno.
Locarno’s artistic director Lili Hinstin said that 545 projects had been submitted to the initiative in a sign of the impact that the pandemic has had on independent filmmaking.
- 6/25/2020
- by 1100388¦Melanie Goodfellow¦69¦
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Gravitas Ventures has picked up U.S. distribution on Bradley Liew’s horror movie Motel Acacia after striking a deal with Berlin-based sales agent Picture Tree International.
The English-language film is a co-production between five Asian nations – Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Taiwan (with Slovenia). It follows a young Filipino man who is groomed by his tyrannical Caucasian father to take over Motel Acacia, which is tasked with exterminating immigrants by the government.
Liew also wrote the screenplay with Bianca Balbuena and the pair produced.
The movie premiered in Tokyo International Film Festival’s Asian Competition last year and is set for its European premiere at Brussels Fantastic Fest in April.
Gravitas has committed to giving it some theatrical play.
The English-language film is a co-production between five Asian nations – Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Taiwan (with Slovenia). It follows a young Filipino man who is groomed by his tyrannical Caucasian father to take over Motel Acacia, which is tasked with exterminating immigrants by the government.
Liew also wrote the screenplay with Bianca Balbuena and the pair produced.
The movie premiered in Tokyo International Film Festival’s Asian Competition last year and is set for its European premiere at Brussels Fantastic Fest in April.
Gravitas has committed to giving it some theatrical play.
- 2/21/2020
- by Tom Grater
- Deadline Film + TV
When the Waves Are Gone
Without taking a breath, Filipino auteur Lav Diaz should likely have latest feature When the Waves Are Gone ready for 2020. Diaz has been collecting funding for the noir tinged revenge thriller in the midst of premiering his last two titles, 2018’s Season of the Devil and 2019’s The Halt. His latest is produced by Bianca Balbuena and received funding from Arte France Cinema and Thailand’s Purin Pictures grant. Diaz’s infamous running times, which have been known to reach seven to nine hours, built an impressive reputation through Venice, where 2007’s Death in the Land of Encantos and 2008’s Melancholia received awards out of the Horizons sidebar.…...
Without taking a breath, Filipino auteur Lav Diaz should likely have latest feature When the Waves Are Gone ready for 2020. Diaz has been collecting funding for the noir tinged revenge thriller in the midst of premiering his last two titles, 2018’s Season of the Devil and 2019’s The Halt. His latest is produced by Bianca Balbuena and received funding from Arte France Cinema and Thailand’s Purin Pictures grant. Diaz’s infamous running times, which have been known to reach seven to nine hours, built an impressive reputation through Venice, where 2007’s Death in the Land of Encantos and 2008’s Melancholia received awards out of the Horizons sidebar.…...
- 1/2/2020
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
Iffam Project Market also handed awards to projects from South Africa, Australia-Japan and Portugal.
Dodo Dayao’s Filipino project Dear Wormwood picked up the Best Project Award, which comes with a cash prize of $15,000, at the International Film Festival & Awards Macao (Iffam) Project Market last night (December 8).
The jury comprised Singaporean director-producer Eric Khoo, Berlinale Efm director Matthijs Wouter Knol and Shozo Ichiyama, head of Tokyo Filmex and producer/CEO of Kino International.
Produced by Bianca Balbuena, Bradley Liew and Patti Lapus, Dear Wormwood explores how the lives of five women in the remote Philippine mountains are endangered when a...
Dodo Dayao’s Filipino project Dear Wormwood picked up the Best Project Award, which comes with a cash prize of $15,000, at the International Film Festival & Awards Macao (Iffam) Project Market last night (December 8).
The jury comprised Singaporean director-producer Eric Khoo, Berlinale Efm director Matthijs Wouter Knol and Shozo Ichiyama, head of Tokyo Filmex and producer/CEO of Kino International.
Produced by Bianca Balbuena, Bradley Liew and Patti Lapus, Dear Wormwood explores how the lives of five women in the remote Philippine mountains are endangered when a...
- 12/9/2019
- by 134¦Jean Noh¦516¦
- ScreenDaily
Philippines director Dodo Dayao’s supernatural horror project “Dear Wormwood” claimed the top prize on Sunday at the Iffam Project Market, part of the ongoing International Film Festival & Awards Macao.
“Wormwood” is a tale of five women living together in a remote house in the forest, where a mystery illness strikes one of the quintet, followed by a series of cataclysmic events in the surrounding forest. Dayao says he originally conceived the film as a chamber piece about the end of the world, but has expanded it into something larger and more political. He calls it a: “Lovecraftian cosmic horror that seems like a tonal fit for our times.”
It boasts Malaysian director Bradley Liew as producer, alongside Patti Lupus and Bianca Balbuena. Prior to the Macao event it had secured roughly 15% of its estimated $525,000 budget. The winners shared a cash prize of $40,000.
“The Day and Night of Brahma,” to...
“Wormwood” is a tale of five women living together in a remote house in the forest, where a mystery illness strikes one of the quintet, followed by a series of cataclysmic events in the surrounding forest. Dayao says he originally conceived the film as a chamber piece about the end of the world, but has expanded it into something larger and more political. He calls it a: “Lovecraftian cosmic horror that seems like a tonal fit for our times.”
It boasts Malaysian director Bradley Liew as producer, alongside Patti Lupus and Bianca Balbuena. Prior to the Macao event it had secured roughly 15% of its estimated $525,000 budget. The winners shared a cash prize of $40,000.
“The Day and Night of Brahma,” to...
- 12/8/2019
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
“Motel Acacia” takes place in America, but not any version of America that Americans will recognize. “Re-elect Roberts!” announces a garish campaign billboard bearing the face of a generic white politician. “We are great again!” Well, it’s easy to guess who that’s referring to and to extrapolate what alternate reality “Motel Acacia” has in mind. This is America as seen from abroad, America as a scary place where ugly white racists don’t just build walls to keep undocumented aliens out; they sacrifice oblivious immigrants to a menacing tree demon.
A what? Tree demons aren’t really a thing in the United States, but they’re a fertile part of Filipino folklore, and given that “Motel Acacia” is actually an Asian co-production from Philippines-based director Bradley Liew (“Singing in Graveyards”), that explains how such a monster would find its way into a movie set in the Northern U.
A what? Tree demons aren’t really a thing in the United States, but they’re a fertile part of Filipino folklore, and given that “Motel Acacia” is actually an Asian co-production from Philippines-based director Bradley Liew (“Singing in Graveyards”), that explains how such a monster would find its way into a movie set in the Northern U.
- 11/9/2019
- by Peter Debruge
- Variety Film + TV
Bangkok-based fund is handing out four production and one post-production grants in autumn 2019 funding round.
New projects from Indonesia’s Edwin and the Philippines’ Lav Diaz are among the five grant recipients in Bangkok-based film fund Purin Pictures’ latest funding round.
Purin Pictures announced that four projects – three fiction and one documentary – would receive production grants, while one fiction project would receive a post-production grant of $50,000 in post-production services.
The four production grant recipients include Edwin’s Vengeance Is Mine, All Others Pay Cash, Laz Diaz’s When The Waves Are Gone, Indonesian filmmaker Makbul Mubarak’s Autobiography and Children Of The Mist,...
New projects from Indonesia’s Edwin and the Philippines’ Lav Diaz are among the five grant recipients in Bangkok-based film fund Purin Pictures’ latest funding round.
Purin Pictures announced that four projects – three fiction and one documentary – would receive production grants, while one fiction project would receive a post-production grant of $50,000 in post-production services.
The four production grant recipients include Edwin’s Vengeance Is Mine, All Others Pay Cash, Laz Diaz’s When The Waves Are Gone, Indonesian filmmaker Makbul Mubarak’s Autobiography and Children Of The Mist,...
- 11/1/2019
- by 89¦Liz Shackleton¦0¦
- ScreenDaily
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