Exclusive: Dakota Shapiro (The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes), Ben Groh (God’s Time, Mutt) and Oliver Cooper are to star in psychedelic indie movie The Lemurian Candidate after it received SAG-AFTRA Interim Agreement approval.
The film, written and directed by Casey Cooper Johnson, follows three former college buddies who reunite for a backpacking trip on Mount Shasta to heal old wounds and improve their mental health. The weekend descends into madness and a quest for alien contact after one of them introduces hallucinogens into the mix.
Production is set to begin this summer in California following the go-ahead from the striking SAG.
The union’s interim agreements, aimed at keeping truly independent productions filming and retaining jobs for below-the-line workers, have come under scrutiny in recent days following the approval for more than 120 films and TV to continue. The situation was described...
The film, written and directed by Casey Cooper Johnson, follows three former college buddies who reunite for a backpacking trip on Mount Shasta to heal old wounds and improve their mental health. The weekend descends into madness and a quest for alien contact after one of them introduces hallucinogens into the mix.
Production is set to begin this summer in California following the go-ahead from the striking SAG.
The union’s interim agreements, aimed at keeping truly independent productions filming and retaining jobs for below-the-line workers, have come under scrutiny in recent days following the approval for more than 120 films and TV to continue. The situation was described...
- 8/3/2023
- by Jesse Whittock
- Deadline Film + TV
This review was adapted from a piece that ran on “Murina” when the film premiered in Cannes in July 2021.
The last few weeks in the United States have lent resonance to a current in international films that’s been growing over the past couple of years – stories of young women trying to find places for themselves in environments that afford them little or no agency in their own lives. The films have nothing to do with Roe v. Wade, but from the recent Cannes period drama “Corsage” (a royal woman chafing under physical and societal constraints) to the unsettling Costa Rican film “Clara Sola” (which puts a mystical spin on the awakening of female power) the movies can feel timely to viewers that see their own boundaries narrowing.
First-time Croatian director Antoneta Alamat Kusijanovic’s “Murina,” which won the Camera d’Or as the best first film at Cannes in 2021 and comes to U.
The last few weeks in the United States have lent resonance to a current in international films that’s been growing over the past couple of years – stories of young women trying to find places for themselves in environments that afford them little or no agency in their own lives. The films have nothing to do with Roe v. Wade, but from the recent Cannes period drama “Corsage” (a royal woman chafing under physical and societal constraints) to the unsettling Costa Rican film “Clara Sola” (which puts a mystical spin on the awakening of female power) the movies can feel timely to viewers that see their own boundaries narrowing.
First-time Croatian director Antoneta Alamat Kusijanovic’s “Murina,” which won the Camera d’Or as the best first film at Cannes in 2021 and comes to U.
- 7/14/2022
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
One of the intriguing aspects of any film festival is the way conversations can develop between films that may have been made in completely different circumstances and countries — how themes can cut across regions and genres and a multifaceted dialogue can spring up even if none of the filmmakers knew they were getting into it.
At this year’s Cannes Film Festival, one of the conversations that has developed is about young women trying to find a place for themselves in environments that afford them little or no agency in their own lives. We’ve seen that theme given a mystical spin in the Costa Rican drama “Clara Sola” and a naturalistic one in the African film “Lingui, the Sacred Bonds.” It’s even surfaced in Charlotte Gainsbourg’s documentary about her mother, Jane Birkin, “Jane by Charlotte,” in Joanna Hogg’s “The Souvenir Part II” and in Joachim Trier...
At this year’s Cannes Film Festival, one of the conversations that has developed is about young women trying to find a place for themselves in environments that afford them little or no agency in their own lives. We’ve seen that theme given a mystical spin in the Costa Rican drama “Clara Sola” and a naturalistic one in the African film “Lingui, the Sacred Bonds.” It’s even surfaced in Charlotte Gainsbourg’s documentary about her mother, Jane Birkin, “Jane by Charlotte,” in Joanna Hogg’s “The Souvenir Part II” and in Joachim Trier...
- 7/10/2021
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
The film is scheduled for a VoD release in April.
Matchbox Films has acquired UK-Ireland and Australia-New Zealand distribution rights on Antoneta Kastrati’s Kosovar drama Zana.
A UK-Ireland VoD release is set for mid-April, first through Curzon Home Cinema and BFI Player before expanding to other platforms by the end of the month.
The Australia-New Zealand release will follow shortly after that.
UK-based Alief Film Company co-produced the film and has confirmed further sales for Germany (Zdf) and German-speaking Austria and Switzerland (3Sat), also for releases in April.
Inspired by Kastrati’s own tragic family history, Zana is set...
Matchbox Films has acquired UK-Ireland and Australia-New Zealand distribution rights on Antoneta Kastrati’s Kosovar drama Zana.
A UK-Ireland VoD release is set for mid-April, first through Curzon Home Cinema and BFI Player before expanding to other platforms by the end of the month.
The Australia-New Zealand release will follow shortly after that.
UK-based Alief Film Company co-produced the film and has confirmed further sales for Germany (Zdf) and German-speaking Austria and Switzerland (3Sat), also for releases in April.
Inspired by Kastrati’s own tragic family history, Zana is set...
- 3/5/2021
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
European Shooting Stars 2021
This year’s ten European Shooting Star actors are Seidi Haarla (Finland), Nicolas Maury (France), Albrecht Schuch (Germany), Natasa Stork (Hungary), Fionn O’Shea (Ireland), Žygimantė Elena Jakštaitė (Lithuania), Martijn Lakemeier (The Netherlands), Sara Klimoska (North Macedonia), Alba Baptista (Portugal) and Gustav Lindh (Sweden). The selection jury included U.S. casting director Cassandra Han, Kosovan director Antoneta Kastrati and Danish producer René Ezra. European Film Promotion’s 24th edition of the program will take place digitally, from 23 to 25 February 2021. Previous Shooting Stars have included Carey Mulligan, Alba Rohrwacher, Alicia Vikander, Maisie Williams and Riz Ahmed.
Nent Group Chair
Nent Group Chair David Chance has decided not to stand for re-election this year. The Nent Group Nomination Committee has proposes the election of Pernille Erenbjerg as the new Chair of the Board. Erenbjerg has served as member of the Nent Group Board since May 2020, and was previously President and CEO of Tdc,...
This year’s ten European Shooting Star actors are Seidi Haarla (Finland), Nicolas Maury (France), Albrecht Schuch (Germany), Natasa Stork (Hungary), Fionn O’Shea (Ireland), Žygimantė Elena Jakštaitė (Lithuania), Martijn Lakemeier (The Netherlands), Sara Klimoska (North Macedonia), Alba Baptista (Portugal) and Gustav Lindh (Sweden). The selection jury included U.S. casting director Cassandra Han, Kosovan director Antoneta Kastrati and Danish producer René Ezra. European Film Promotion’s 24th edition of the program will take place digitally, from 23 to 25 February 2021. Previous Shooting Stars have included Carey Mulligan, Alba Rohrwacher, Alicia Vikander, Maisie Williams and Riz Ahmed.
Nent Group Chair
Nent Group Chair David Chance has decided not to stand for re-election this year. The Nent Group Nomination Committee has proposes the election of Pernille Erenbjerg as the new Chair of the Board. Erenbjerg has served as member of the Nent Group Board since May 2020, and was previously President and CEO of Tdc,...
- 1/12/2021
- by Andreas Wiseman, Tom Grater and Jake Kanter
- Deadline Film + TV
Talent showcase to move online due to ongoing virus restrictions.
The 10 rising actors selected for this year’s European Shooting Stars has been unveiled and will be showcased online for the first time as a result of the pandemic.
This year’s selection comprise: Seidi Haarla (Finland); Nicolas Maury (France); Albrecht Schuch (Germany); Natasa Stork (Hungary); Fionn O’Shea (Ireland); Zygimante Elena Jakstaite (Lithuania); Martijn Lakemeijer (Netherlands); Sara Klimoska (North Macedonia); Alba Baptista (Portugal); and Gustav Lindh (Sweden).
European Film Promotion (Efp) usually provides a high-profile platform for emerging talent at the Berlinale, introducing young actors to international casting directors, producers and filmmakers at the festival.
The 10 rising actors selected for this year’s European Shooting Stars has been unveiled and will be showcased online for the first time as a result of the pandemic.
This year’s selection comprise: Seidi Haarla (Finland); Nicolas Maury (France); Albrecht Schuch (Germany); Natasa Stork (Hungary); Fionn O’Shea (Ireland); Zygimante Elena Jakstaite (Lithuania); Martijn Lakemeijer (Netherlands); Sara Klimoska (North Macedonia); Alba Baptista (Portugal); and Gustav Lindh (Sweden).
European Film Promotion (Efp) usually provides a high-profile platform for emerging talent at the Berlinale, introducing young actors to international casting directors, producers and filmmakers at the festival.
- 1/12/2021
- by Michael Rosser
- ScreenDaily
European Film Promotion has revealed the 10 actors who will take part in the 24th edition of European Shooting Stars. The program, which launches emerging European thespians onto the world stage, has boosted the careers of actors like Carey Mulligan, Alicia Vikander, Riz Ahmed and George MacKay.
For the first time, Efp will present the neophyte actors to the film industry, public and international press as part of a three-day online program. Efp’s oldest and most prestigious initiative will take place digitally from Feb. 23-25, one week before the industry events of this year’s 71st Berlinale (March 1-5). The Shooting Stars award ceremony will take place within the framework of the Berlinale screenings in the summer.
“Although this year we sadly cannot meet in person, we invite you to join, discover and celebrate the best in rising European acting talent, while staying safe at home,” Efp’s managing director Sonja Heinen said.
For the first time, Efp will present the neophyte actors to the film industry, public and international press as part of a three-day online program. Efp’s oldest and most prestigious initiative will take place digitally from Feb. 23-25, one week before the industry events of this year’s 71st Berlinale (March 1-5). The Shooting Stars award ceremony will take place within the framework of the Berlinale screenings in the summer.
“Although this year we sadly cannot meet in person, we invite you to join, discover and celebrate the best in rising European acting talent, while staying safe at home,” Efp’s managing director Sonja Heinen said.
- 1/12/2021
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
The Efp’s European Shooting Stars has announced the three judges that will head up them 24th Edition of the programme.
The jury consists of Kosovan director Antoneta Kastrati, whose highly acclaimed and awarded feature film debut Zana celebrated its World Premiere at the Toronto Film Festival 2019 and was also presented at the Sydney Film Festival as part of the Efp programme Europe! Voices Of Women In Film, and has recently been announced as Kosovo’s entry for Oscars 2020.
American casting director Cassandra Han, whose Italian credits include Ford v. Ferrari by James Mangold, A Hidden Life by Terrence Malick and the ongoing Netflix series Barbarians, by Barbara Eder and Steve Saint Leger.
Also in news – Glasgow Film Festival Announces Hybrid Festival for 2021
The former Producer On The Move from Denmark, René Ezra, who recently produced the critically acclaimed series The Investigation by Tobias Lindholm and Queen of Hearts by May el-Toukhy,...
The jury consists of Kosovan director Antoneta Kastrati, whose highly acclaimed and awarded feature film debut Zana celebrated its World Premiere at the Toronto Film Festival 2019 and was also presented at the Sydney Film Festival as part of the Efp programme Europe! Voices Of Women In Film, and has recently been announced as Kosovo’s entry for Oscars 2020.
American casting director Cassandra Han, whose Italian credits include Ford v. Ferrari by James Mangold, A Hidden Life by Terrence Malick and the ongoing Netflix series Barbarians, by Barbara Eder and Steve Saint Leger.
Also in news – Glasgow Film Festival Announces Hybrid Festival for 2021
The former Producer On The Move from Denmark, René Ezra, who recently produced the critically acclaimed series The Investigation by Tobias Lindholm and Queen of Hearts by May el-Toukhy,...
- 11/26/2020
- by Zehra Phelan
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
The 24th edition of the initiative will introduce 10 up-and-coming actors and actresses to press and industry during the Berlinale in February 2021. The 24th edition of Efp's European Shooting Stars will introduce 10 up-and-coming actors and actresses to press and industry during the Berlin International Film Festival in February 2021. The agency has announced the appointment of this year's jury, consisting of three industry experts who will select the ten fresh European acting talents from the candidates who have been nominated by their national film promotion institutes. The jury consists of Kosovan director Antoneta Kastrati, whose highly acclaimed and awarded feature film debut Zana celebrated its world premiere at the Toronto Film Festival 2019, and was Kosovo's entry for the 2020 Oscars; American casting director Cassandra Han, whose Italian credits include Ford v. Ferrari by James Mangold, A Hidden Life by Terrence Malick and the ongoing Netflix series Barbarians,...
- 11/25/2020
- Cineuropa - The Best of European Cinema
In today’s bulletin, “Line of Duty” wraps filming; ViacomCBS and Morena team on “The Kellys”; Netflix is set to change its Spanish billing system; Woodcut and Spark merge; Dazn buys key soccer rights; and Berlin sets Shooting Stars jury.
Jed Mercurio‘s hit police procedural “Line of Duty” has completed shooting its sixth season, complying with U.K. government Covid-19 protocols, and will debut on the BBC in 2021.
Kelly Macdonald (“Giri/Haji”) is the next guest series lead. She plays Detective Chief Inspector Joanne Davidson, the senior investigating officer on an unsolved murder case whose unconventional conduct attracts the attention of AC-12, the anti-corruption internal affairs unit around which the series revolves. The series regulars include Adrian Dunbar, Martin Compston and Vicky McClure.
The shoot shut down for five months at the height of the coronavirus pandemic and resumed in August. The series is made for BBC One by World Productions.
Jed Mercurio‘s hit police procedural “Line of Duty” has completed shooting its sixth season, complying with U.K. government Covid-19 protocols, and will debut on the BBC in 2021.
Kelly Macdonald (“Giri/Haji”) is the next guest series lead. She plays Detective Chief Inspector Joanne Davidson, the senior investigating officer on an unsolved murder case whose unconventional conduct attracts the attention of AC-12, the anti-corruption internal affairs unit around which the series revolves. The series regulars include Adrian Dunbar, Martin Compston and Vicky McClure.
The shoot shut down for five months at the height of the coronavirus pandemic and resumed in August. The series is made for BBC One by World Productions.
- 11/24/2020
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
ViacomCBS International & Morena Films Ink Dramedy Deal
ViacomCBS International Studios and leading Spanish production company Morena Films has struck a co-development deal for dramedy TV series The Kellys. Hector Lozano will be creator and showrunner of the series about a group of cleaners in a Spanish coastal hotel. “The Kellys is set to be a high-quality production with great international potential, and Morena Films is the perfect partner for the project. We are thrilled to have Hector Lozano on board for this dramedy about strong women, which touches on universal themes such as personal and labor dignity, and love amidst hardship”, said Laura Abril, Senior Vice President Vis Emea & Asia.
Buffalo 8 Limited Series Based On Mueller Investigation Memoir
Exclusive: LA-based Buffalo 8 Productions is in development on a limited TV series based on the memoir Kompromat: My Story From Trump to Mueller and Ussr to USA,...
ViacomCBS International Studios and leading Spanish production company Morena Films has struck a co-development deal for dramedy TV series The Kellys. Hector Lozano will be creator and showrunner of the series about a group of cleaners in a Spanish coastal hotel. “The Kellys is set to be a high-quality production with great international potential, and Morena Films is the perfect partner for the project. We are thrilled to have Hector Lozano on board for this dramedy about strong women, which touches on universal themes such as personal and labor dignity, and love amidst hardship”, said Laura Abril, Senior Vice President Vis Emea & Asia.
Buffalo 8 Limited Series Based On Mueller Investigation Memoir
Exclusive: LA-based Buffalo 8 Productions is in development on a limited TV series based on the memoir Kompromat: My Story From Trump to Mueller and Ussr to USA,...
- 11/24/2020
- by Andreas Wiseman, Jake Kanter and Tom Grater
- Deadline Film + TV
London-based Matchbox films has bagged the U.K., Ireland and Australasian rights to Boaz Yakin’s all-singing, all-dancing gender-fluid romance “Aviva,” from Tbilisi, Béziers and London-based producer/distributor Alief Film.
The film is scheduled for distribution in those territories from the first quarter 2021.
Closed on the eve of the AFM, the deal follows Alief’s earlier U.S. sale of the film to Outsider Pictures and Strand Releasing in April. Outsider released the dance drama virtually in the U.S. in June on fledgling Hollywood movie service Row8.
Strand has also announced a mid-December release date for the film’s distribution for electronic sell-through/transactional video on demand, DVD and BluRay.
Shot on location in Paris and New York, “Aviva” revolves around a pair of transatlantic lovers, Aviva and Eden, whose characters take on both male and female forms at different moments during the narrative.
Young Parisian Aviva is played...
The film is scheduled for distribution in those territories from the first quarter 2021.
Closed on the eve of the AFM, the deal follows Alief’s earlier U.S. sale of the film to Outsider Pictures and Strand Releasing in April. Outsider released the dance drama virtually in the U.S. in June on fledgling Hollywood movie service Row8.
Strand has also announced a mid-December release date for the film’s distribution for electronic sell-through/transactional video on demand, DVD and BluRay.
Shot on location in Paris and New York, “Aviva” revolves around a pair of transatlantic lovers, Aviva and Eden, whose characters take on both male and female forms at different moments during the narrative.
Young Parisian Aviva is played...
- 11/6/2020
- by Ann-Marie Corvin
- Variety Film + TV
Boaz Yakin ‘s romantic dance drama “Aviva” has been sold by Alief Film Company to several big territories.
An exploration of gender identity and self-expression through body language, “Aviva,” shot on location in Paris and New York and revolves around a pair of transatlantic lovers, Aviva and Eden. After a long courtship they meet in person and fall in love, settling into an intimate relationship that leads to marriage, but one, as many are, laced with conflicts. The two protaganists are played by four different actors expressing both masculine and feminine sides.
Alief Film Company has closed deals with Synapse Distribution for Latin America and Yes Dbs for Israel, following the film’s premiere in competition at the Haifa Film Festival.
The film also played virtually at SXSW, Fantaspoa, Choreoscope Spain and Mexico editions, where it won the top prize.
“Aviva” was released virtually on in June 12 in North America by Outsider Pictures,...
An exploration of gender identity and self-expression through body language, “Aviva,” shot on location in Paris and New York and revolves around a pair of transatlantic lovers, Aviva and Eden. After a long courtship they meet in person and fall in love, settling into an intimate relationship that leads to marriage, but one, as many are, laced with conflicts. The two protaganists are played by four different actors expressing both masculine and feminine sides.
Alief Film Company has closed deals with Synapse Distribution for Latin America and Yes Dbs for Israel, following the film’s premiere in competition at the Haifa Film Festival.
The film also played virtually at SXSW, Fantaspoa, Choreoscope Spain and Mexico editions, where it won the top prize.
“Aviva” was released virtually on in June 12 in North America by Outsider Pictures,...
- 9/19/2020
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
London and Tblisi-based Alief has picked up worldwide rights for Ángeles Hernández and David Matamorros’ Spanish relationship drama “Isaac.” Variety has obtained exclusive access to the trailer.
The film is based on the Spanish play “El día que nació Isaac” by Antonio Hernández Centeno, who is also known for his work on such Spanish series as Amazon’s “Caronte” and Netflix’s “Unauthorized Living.”
Described as “a quirky Dogma 95-style story of love and gender fluidity,” “Isaac” focuses on two old friends, Denis and Nacho, who meet again years after having had an intense relationship as teenagers. Now in relationships with their respective partners, the two couples grow close and end up fulfilling each other’s needs.
Hernández and Matamorros co-directed the pic and produced via their Barcelona-based Mr. Miyagi Films.
Toplining the cast are Ivan Sanchez and Pepe Ocio, both of whom currently star in hit Netflix shows “You Cannot Hide” and “High Seas,...
The film is based on the Spanish play “El día que nació Isaac” by Antonio Hernández Centeno, who is also known for his work on such Spanish series as Amazon’s “Caronte” and Netflix’s “Unauthorized Living.”
Described as “a quirky Dogma 95-style story of love and gender fluidity,” “Isaac” focuses on two old friends, Denis and Nacho, who meet again years after having had an intense relationship as teenagers. Now in relationships with their respective partners, the two couples grow close and end up fulfilling each other’s needs.
Hernández and Matamorros co-directed the pic and produced via their Barcelona-based Mr. Miyagi Films.
Toplining the cast are Ivan Sanchez and Pepe Ocio, both of whom currently star in hit Netflix shows “You Cannot Hide” and “High Seas,...
- 6/17/2020
- by Ed Meza
- Variety Film + TV
Ten films have been chosen, produced by 14 different European nations.
Neasa Hardiman’s sci-fi thriller Sea Fever is one of the 10 female-directed features chosen for Sydney Film Festival (Sff) and European Film Promotion (Efp)’s Europe! Voices of Women in Film initiative, which will run online from June 10-21.
Chosen by Sff director Nashen Moodley, the 10 films are produced by 14 European countries.
Hardiman’s film premiered at Toronto International Film Festival last September, and is an Ireland-Sweden-Belgium-uk co-production. It stars Connie Nielsen, Hermione Corfield and Dougray Scott in the story of a West of Ireland trawler crew who struggle for...
Neasa Hardiman’s sci-fi thriller Sea Fever is one of the 10 female-directed features chosen for Sydney Film Festival (Sff) and European Film Promotion (Efp)’s Europe! Voices of Women in Film initiative, which will run online from June 10-21.
Chosen by Sff director Nashen Moodley, the 10 films are produced by 14 European countries.
Hardiman’s film premiered at Toronto International Film Festival last September, and is an Ireland-Sweden-Belgium-uk co-production. It stars Connie Nielsen, Hermione Corfield and Dougray Scott in the story of a West of Ireland trawler crew who struggle for...
- 5/26/2020
- by 1101321¦Ben Dalton¦26¦
- ScreenDaily
Outsider Pictures, with Strand Releasing, has acquired all North American rights on “Aviva,” a resolute return to independent filmmaking by the director who lit a fire with his Sundance Grand Prix winning debut, “Fresh,” but is best known by many for the Jerry Bruckheimer-produced feel-good race relations drama “Remember the Titans.”
Scheduled to world premiere in the Visions section of the SXSW Festival this April, and channelling part autobiographical elements, as well as life-long but unexplored influences and years of pent-up frustration from not doing the movies he really wanted to make – Yakin has told Indiewire’s Eric Kohn – “Aviva” turns on Eden, a Yakin alter-ego, who hesitates about marrying his French partner who has moved to New York to live with him.
A simple plot summary is unlikely, however, to do justice to a film which is part musical – with set pieces in a barroom, at a wedding,...
Scheduled to world premiere in the Visions section of the SXSW Festival this April, and channelling part autobiographical elements, as well as life-long but unexplored influences and years of pent-up frustration from not doing the movies he really wanted to make – Yakin has told Indiewire’s Eric Kohn – “Aviva” turns on Eden, a Yakin alter-ego, who hesitates about marrying his French partner who has moved to New York to live with him.
A simple plot summary is unlikely, however, to do justice to a film which is part musical – with set pieces in a barroom, at a wedding,...
- 4/14/2020
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
Taking a bet on U.S. audiences' growing appetite for unusual foreign-language drama, Synergetic Distribution has picked up North American rights to Zana, a surreal feature from Kosovar director Antoneta Kastrati.
Zana premiered last year at the Toronto International Film Festival, where it drew rave reviews for its haunting story of post-traumatic stress and the psychological scars of war, inspired by Kastrati's own tragic family history.
The plot of Zana also has a touch of horror about it. Set in a small Kosovar town 10 years after the end of the Balkan wars, Lume (Adriana Matoshi), who is still traumatized from losing ...
Zana premiered last year at the Toronto International Film Festival, where it drew rave reviews for its haunting story of post-traumatic stress and the psychological scars of war, inspired by Kastrati's own tragic family history.
The plot of Zana also has a touch of horror about it. Set in a small Kosovar town 10 years after the end of the Balkan wars, Lume (Adriana Matoshi), who is still traumatized from losing ...
- 2/22/2020
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Taking a bet on U.S. audiences' growing appetite for unusual foreign-language drama, Synergetic Distribution has picked up North American rights to Zana, a surreal feature from Kosovar director Antoneta Kastrati.
Zana premiered last year at the Toronto International Film Festival, where it drew rave reviews for its haunting story of post-traumatic stress and the psychological scars of war, inspired by Kastrati's own tragic family history.
The plot of Zana also has a touch of horror about it. Set in a small Kosovar town 10 years after the end of the Balkan wars, Lume (Adriana Matoshi), who is still traumatized from losing ...
Zana premiered last year at the Toronto International Film Festival, where it drew rave reviews for its haunting story of post-traumatic stress and the psychological scars of war, inspired by Kastrati's own tragic family history.
The plot of Zana also has a touch of horror about it. Set in a small Kosovar town 10 years after the end of the Balkan wars, Lume (Adriana Matoshi), who is still traumatized from losing ...
- 2/22/2020
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
The annual Palm Springs International Film Festival in California is always an opportunity to catch up on many of the contenders for the Best International Feature — née Best Foreign-Language — Film Academy Award. Now in its 31st edition, the festival this year has 51 of them, from favorite-to-beat “Parasite” from South Korea and Senegal’s “Atlantics,” to other films quietly making strides in the race: Czech Republic’s “The Painted Bird,” Sweden’s “And Then We Danced,” Russia’s “Beanpole,” Romania’s “The Whistlers,” North Macedonia’s documentary contender “Honeyland,” Norway’s “Out Stealing Horses,” and many more.
The festival will screen 188 films from 81 countries, including 51 premieres, from January 2-13, 2020. The Awards Buzz section includes a special jury of international film critics, who will review these films to present the Fipresci Award for Best Foreign Language Film of the Year, as well as Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Screenplay in this category.
The festival will screen 188 films from 81 countries, including 51 premieres, from January 2-13, 2020. The Awards Buzz section includes a special jury of international film critics, who will review these films to present the Fipresci Award for Best Foreign Language Film of the Year, as well as Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Screenplay in this category.
- 12/10/2019
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
The 2020 Palm Springs International Film Festival will open on Jan. 3 with Simone Godano’s Italian farce “An Almost Ordinary Summer” and close on Jan. 12 with Peter Cattaneo’s Kristin Scott Thomas/Sharon Horgan film “Military Wives,” Psiff organizers announced on Tuesday.
The festival will screen 188 films from 81 different countries, including 51 of the 91 Oscar entries in the Best International Feature Film category. Those films will include Bong Joon Ho’s “Parasite,” Pedro Almodovar’s “Pain and Glory,” Ladj Ly’s “Les Miserables,” Karim Ainouz’s “Invisible Life,” Halina Reijn’s “Instinct,” Yaron Zilberman’s “Incitement,” Vaclav Marhoul’s “The Painted Bird,” Kantemir Balagov’s “Beanpole,” Lila Aviles’ “The Chambermaid” and Antoneta Kastrati’s “Zana.”
Other programs will include the Talking Pictures series of conversations with filmmakers and authors from “Hustlers,” “Jojo Rabbit” and “Motherless Brooklyn”; Focus on Italy, featuring seven Italian films including “The Traitor”; Modern Masters, which will present new films from Roy Andersson,...
The festival will screen 188 films from 81 different countries, including 51 of the 91 Oscar entries in the Best International Feature Film category. Those films will include Bong Joon Ho’s “Parasite,” Pedro Almodovar’s “Pain and Glory,” Ladj Ly’s “Les Miserables,” Karim Ainouz’s “Invisible Life,” Halina Reijn’s “Instinct,” Yaron Zilberman’s “Incitement,” Vaclav Marhoul’s “The Painted Bird,” Kantemir Balagov’s “Beanpole,” Lila Aviles’ “The Chambermaid” and Antoneta Kastrati’s “Zana.”
Other programs will include the Talking Pictures series of conversations with filmmakers and authors from “Hustlers,” “Jojo Rabbit” and “Motherless Brooklyn”; Focus on Italy, featuring seven Italian films including “The Traitor”; Modern Masters, which will present new films from Roy Andersson,...
- 12/10/2019
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
After losing both their sister and their mother to the Kosovo war two days before it ended, filmmaker sisters Antoneta Kastrati and Sevdije Kastrati, tell a very personal tale in ‘Zana’.
Zana premiered at the Toronto Film Festival. It was released recently in Kosovo and is one of the country’s top theatrical openings.
Los Angeles-based director/co-writer Antoneta and her sister, cinematographer Sevdije, both graduated from the American Film Institute. The screening, held at AFI, was attended by classmates and family, including the director’s husband, co-writer and producer of the film, Casey Cooper Johnson, an American who lived for 10 years in post-war Kosovo producing documentaries and television who Antoneta met in Kosovo with whom she has now been working for 17 years. At AFI he wrote and directed the short film Unmanned which screened at AFI Fest and Tribeca. He is currently completing a documentary for Brave New Films on voter suppression in U.
Zana premiered at the Toronto Film Festival. It was released recently in Kosovo and is one of the country’s top theatrical openings.
Los Angeles-based director/co-writer Antoneta and her sister, cinematographer Sevdije, both graduated from the American Film Institute. The screening, held at AFI, was attended by classmates and family, including the director’s husband, co-writer and producer of the film, Casey Cooper Johnson, an American who lived for 10 years in post-war Kosovo producing documentaries and television who Antoneta met in Kosovo with whom she has now been working for 17 years. At AFI he wrote and directed the short film Unmanned which screened at AFI Fest and Tribeca. He is currently completing a documentary for Brave New Films on voter suppression in U.
- 11/21/2019
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
Kosovo’s Oscar® 2019 Entry for the Best International Feature ‘Zana’After losing both their sister and their mother to the Kosovo war two days before it ended, filmmaker sisters Antoneta Kastrati and Sevdije Kastrati, tell a very personal tale in ‘Zana’.
Zana premiered at the Toronto Film Festival. It was released recently in Kosovo and is one of the country’s top theatrical openings.
Los Angeles-based director/co-writer Antoneta and her sister, cinematographer Sevdije, both graduated from the American Film Institute. The screening, held at AFI, was attended by classmates and family, including the director’s husband, Casey Cooper Johnson, an American who lived for 10 years in post-war Kosovo producing documentaries and television. whoshe met in Kosovo with whom she has been working for 17 years. At AFI he wrote and directed the short film Unmanned which screened at AFI Fest and Tribeca. He is currently completing a documentary for Brave...
Zana premiered at the Toronto Film Festival. It was released recently in Kosovo and is one of the country’s top theatrical openings.
Los Angeles-based director/co-writer Antoneta and her sister, cinematographer Sevdije, both graduated from the American Film Institute. The screening, held at AFI, was attended by classmates and family, including the director’s husband, Casey Cooper Johnson, an American who lived for 10 years in post-war Kosovo producing documentaries and television. whoshe met in Kosovo with whom she has been working for 17 years. At AFI he wrote and directed the short film Unmanned which screened at AFI Fest and Tribeca. He is currently completing a documentary for Brave...
- 11/20/2019
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
This story on Mati Diop, Antoneta Kastrati and the female directors in the Oscars’ Best International Feature Film category first appeared in the International Film issue of TheWrap’s Oscar magazine.
When Mati Diop first heard questions about gender inequity in the film business, she didn’t know how to react. A mixed-race woman of Senegalese descent raised in Paris from the age of 8 by a strong single mother, she had been directing short films and acting since her early 20s, seldom stopping to consider that her opportunities might be restricted by her gender.
“When people started to talk to me about misogyny, I was like, ‘What is it?'” said Diop, whose haunting feature debut, “Atlantics,” is Senegal’s entry in the Best International Feature Film race. “I think I was in denial.”
Even as she worked on “Atlantics,” Diop said she resisted being a standard-bearer for her gender.
When Mati Diop first heard questions about gender inequity in the film business, she didn’t know how to react. A mixed-race woman of Senegalese descent raised in Paris from the age of 8 by a strong single mother, she had been directing short films and acting since her early 20s, seldom stopping to consider that her opportunities might be restricted by her gender.
“When people started to talk to me about misogyny, I was like, ‘What is it?'” said Diop, whose haunting feature debut, “Atlantics,” is Senegal’s entry in the Best International Feature Film race. “I think I was in denial.”
Even as she worked on “Atlantics,” Diop said she resisted being a standard-bearer for her gender.
- 11/19/2019
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
A record 93 countries submitted entries in the International Feature Film race at the 2020 Oscars. That is up by six from last year,when the category was still called Best Foreign-Language Film, and eclipses the record 92 submissions in 2018. The nations represented ranged from A (Albania) to V (Vietnam). Predicting the eventual five Oscar nominees is made difficult by the two-step process.
First, the several hundred academy members of the Foreign-Language Film screening committee are required to watch a number of the submissions (upwards of a dozen) over a two-month period that ends in mid December. They will rate them from 6 to 10 and their top six vote-getters make it to the next round, as will three films added by the 20 members of the executive committee.
Those nine semi-finalists will be screened three per day beginning in early January by select committee members in Gotham, Hollywood, London and San Francisco. These 40 folks will...
First, the several hundred academy members of the Foreign-Language Film screening committee are required to watch a number of the submissions (upwards of a dozen) over a two-month period that ends in mid December. They will rate them from 6 to 10 and their top six vote-getters make it to the next round, as will three films added by the 20 members of the executive committee.
Those nine semi-finalists will be screened three per day beginning in early January by select committee members in Gotham, Hollywood, London and San Francisco. These 40 folks will...
- 10/7/2019
- by Paul Sheehan
- Gold Derby
Expanded shortlist of 10 films to be announced on December 16.
The Academy on Monday (7) confirmed that 93 countries have submitted films for consideration in the international feature film category for the 92nd Academy Awards.
Ghana, Nigeria and Uzbekistan are first-time entrants with Kwabena Gyansah’s Azali, Genevieve Nnaji’s Lionheart, and Umid Khamdamov’s Hot Bread, respectively.
Earlier this year, the Academy board voted to rename the category formerly known as foreign language film, and expand the shortlist from nine to 10 films.
The shortlist will be announced on December 16. Nominations for the 92nd Oscars will be unveiled on January 13, 2020, and the Oscars...
The Academy on Monday (7) confirmed that 93 countries have submitted films for consideration in the international feature film category for the 92nd Academy Awards.
Ghana, Nigeria and Uzbekistan are first-time entrants with Kwabena Gyansah’s Azali, Genevieve Nnaji’s Lionheart, and Umid Khamdamov’s Hot Bread, respectively.
Earlier this year, the Academy board voted to rename the category formerly known as foreign language film, and expand the shortlist from nine to 10 films.
The shortlist will be announced on December 16. Nominations for the 92nd Oscars will be unveiled on January 13, 2020, and the Oscars...
- 10/7/2019
- by 36¦Jeremy Kay¦54¦
- ScreenDaily
The 2020 foreign-language Oscar nominees will come from submissions from 93 countries, up from last year’s 87, and breaking the record 92 from 2017. A contender for the renamed Best International Feature must be a feature-length motion picture (more than 40 minutes) produced outside the United States with a predominantly non-English dialogue track.
Ghana, Nigeria, and Uzbekistan are first-time entrants, but Uganda did not qualify. China (Yu Yang’s “Ne Zha”) and Senegal (Mati Diop’s “Atlantics”) submitted their films under the wire on the deadline of October 1.
Earlier this year, the Academy’s Board of Governors voted not only to rename the Foreign Language Film category, but to expand the shortlist from nine films to 10.
The 2019 submissions, listed in alphabetical order by country, are:
Albania, “The Delegation,” Bujar Alimani, director;
Algeria, “Papicha,” Mounia Meddour, director;
Argentina, “Heroic Losers,” Sebastián Borensztein, director;
Armenia, “Lengthy Night,” Edgar Baghdasaryan, director;
Australia, “Buoyancy,” Rodd Rathjen, director;
Austria, “Joy,...
Ghana, Nigeria, and Uzbekistan are first-time entrants, but Uganda did not qualify. China (Yu Yang’s “Ne Zha”) and Senegal (Mati Diop’s “Atlantics”) submitted their films under the wire on the deadline of October 1.
Earlier this year, the Academy’s Board of Governors voted not only to rename the Foreign Language Film category, but to expand the shortlist from nine films to 10.
The 2019 submissions, listed in alphabetical order by country, are:
Albania, “The Delegation,” Bujar Alimani, director;
Algeria, “Papicha,” Mounia Meddour, director;
Argentina, “Heroic Losers,” Sebastián Borensztein, director;
Armenia, “Lengthy Night,” Edgar Baghdasaryan, director;
Australia, “Buoyancy,” Rodd Rathjen, director;
Austria, “Joy,...
- 10/7/2019
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
The 2020 foreign-language Oscar nominees will come from submissions from 93 countries, up from last year’s 87, and breaking the record 92 from 2017. A contender for the renamed Best International Feature must be a feature-length motion picture (more than 40 minutes) produced outside the United States with a predominantly non-English dialogue track.
Ghana, Nigeria, and Uzbekistan are first-time entrants, but Uganda did not qualify. China (Yu Yang’s “Ne Zha”) and Senegal (Mati Diop’s “Atlantics”) submitted their films under the wire on the deadline of October 1.
Earlier this year, the Academy’s Board of Governors voted not only to rename the Foreign Language Film category, but to expand the shortlist from nine films to 10.
The 2019 submissions, listed in alphabetical order by country, are:
Albania, “The Delegation,” Bujar Alimani, director;
Algeria, “Papicha,” Mounia Meddour, director;
Argentina, “Heroic Losers,” Sebastián Borensztein, director;
Armenia, “Lengthy Night,” Edgar Baghdasaryan, director;
Australia, “Buoyancy,” Rodd Rathjen, director;
Austria, “Joy,...
Ghana, Nigeria, and Uzbekistan are first-time entrants, but Uganda did not qualify. China (Yu Yang’s “Ne Zha”) and Senegal (Mati Diop’s “Atlantics”) submitted their films under the wire on the deadline of October 1.
Earlier this year, the Academy’s Board of Governors voted not only to rename the Foreign Language Film category, but to expand the shortlist from nine films to 10.
The 2019 submissions, listed in alphabetical order by country, are:
Albania, “The Delegation,” Bujar Alimani, director;
Algeria, “Papicha,” Mounia Meddour, director;
Argentina, “Heroic Losers,” Sebastián Borensztein, director;
Armenia, “Lengthy Night,” Edgar Baghdasaryan, director;
Australia, “Buoyancy,” Rodd Rathjen, director;
Austria, “Joy,...
- 10/7/2019
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has released the full list of countries that have submitted a pic for consideration for the new International Feature Film Oscar category.
Here are the 93 nations and their hopefuls, in alphabetical order:
Albania, The Delegation, Bujar Alimani, director;
Algeria, Papicha, Mounia Meddour, director;
Argentina, Heroic Losers, Sebastián Borensztein, director;
Armenia, Lengthy Night, Edgar Baghdasaryan, director;
Australia, Buoyancy, Rodd Rathjen, director;
Austria, Joy, Sudabeh Mortezai, director;
Bangladesh, Alpha, Nasiruddin Yousuff, director;
Belarus, Debut, Anastasiya Miroshnichenko, director;
Belgium, Our Mothers, César Díaz, director;
Bolivia, I Miss You, Rodrigo Bellott, director;
Bosnia and Herzegovina, The Son, Ines Tanovic, director;
Brazil, Invisible Life, Karim Aïnouz, director;
Bulgaria, Ága, Milko Lazarov, director;
Cambodia, In the Life of Music, Caylee So, Sok Visal, directors;
Canada, Antigone, Sophie Deraspe, director;
Chile, Spider, Andrés Wood, director;
China, Ne Zha, Yu Yang, director;
Colombia, Monos, Alejandro Landes, director;
Costa Rica, The Awakening of the Ants,...
Here are the 93 nations and their hopefuls, in alphabetical order:
Albania, The Delegation, Bujar Alimani, director;
Algeria, Papicha, Mounia Meddour, director;
Argentina, Heroic Losers, Sebastián Borensztein, director;
Armenia, Lengthy Night, Edgar Baghdasaryan, director;
Australia, Buoyancy, Rodd Rathjen, director;
Austria, Joy, Sudabeh Mortezai, director;
Bangladesh, Alpha, Nasiruddin Yousuff, director;
Belarus, Debut, Anastasiya Miroshnichenko, director;
Belgium, Our Mothers, César Díaz, director;
Bolivia, I Miss You, Rodrigo Bellott, director;
Bosnia and Herzegovina, The Son, Ines Tanovic, director;
Brazil, Invisible Life, Karim Aïnouz, director;
Bulgaria, Ága, Milko Lazarov, director;
Cambodia, In the Life of Music, Caylee So, Sok Visal, directors;
Canada, Antigone, Sophie Deraspe, director;
Chile, Spider, Andrés Wood, director;
China, Ne Zha, Yu Yang, director;
Colombia, Monos, Alejandro Landes, director;
Costa Rica, The Awakening of the Ants,...
- 10/7/2019
- by Erik Pedersen
- Deadline Film + TV
Kosovo has submitted Antoneta Kastrati's feature debut Zana for consideration in the international feature Oscar category.
The film, a co-production with neighboring Albania, follows the story of Lume (Adriana Matoshi), an Albanian woman who lives with her husband and mother in law in a village. Lume lost her only child a decade before during the civil war that raged across the former Yugoslavia and is now haunted by night terrors and is unable to get pregnant.
Desperate for a child, she and her family abandon modern medicine and turn to a traditional healer for help, where Lume undergoes elaborate ...
The film, a co-production with neighboring Albania, follows the story of Lume (Adriana Matoshi), an Albanian woman who lives with her husband and mother in law in a village. Lume lost her only child a decade before during the civil war that raged across the former Yugoslavia and is now haunted by night terrors and is unable to get pregnant.
Desperate for a child, she and her family abandon modern medicine and turn to a traditional healer for help, where Lume undergoes elaborate ...
- 9/16/2019
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Kosovo has submitted Antoneta Kastrati's feature debut Zana for consideration in the international feature Oscar category.
The film, a co-production with neighboring Albania, follows the story of Lume (Adriana Matoshi), an Albanian woman who lives with her husband and mother in law in a village. Lume lost her only child a decade before during the civil war that raged across the former Yugoslavia and is now haunted by night terrors and is unable to get pregnant.
Desperate for a child, she and her family abandon modern medicine and turn to a traditional healer for help, where Lume undergoes elaborate ...
The film, a co-production with neighboring Albania, follows the story of Lume (Adriana Matoshi), an Albanian woman who lives with her husband and mother in law in a village. Lume lost her only child a decade before during the civil war that raged across the former Yugoslavia and is now haunted by night terrors and is unable to get pregnant.
Desperate for a child, she and her family abandon modern medicine and turn to a traditional healer for help, where Lume undergoes elaborate ...
- 9/16/2019
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Haunted by the trauma of war and pressured by family to seek treatment for her infertility, a Kosovar woman struggles to balance the responsibilities of motherhood with her personal healing in “Zana,” documentarian Antoneta Kastrati’s feature debut, which has its world premiere in the Discovery section of the Toronto Intl. Film Festival.
“Zana” is produced by Casey Cooper Johnson for Crossing Bridges Films and co-produced by Sevdije Kastrati, Dritan Huqi for On Film Production (Albania), and Miguel Govea and Brett Walker for Alief. Alief is handling world sales.
“Zana” is a deeply personal film for Kastrati, who lost her mother and a sister in a war that claimed more than 10,000 lives and displaced more than a million people. After surviving the conflict and studying journalism she began to make documentaries about post-war Kosovar society, including her most recent short, “She Comes in Spring,” which premiered at the Busan Film Festival.
“Zana” is produced by Casey Cooper Johnson for Crossing Bridges Films and co-produced by Sevdije Kastrati, Dritan Huqi for On Film Production (Albania), and Miguel Govea and Brett Walker for Alief. Alief is handling world sales.
“Zana” is a deeply personal film for Kastrati, who lost her mother and a sister in a war that claimed more than 10,000 lives and displaced more than a million people. After surviving the conflict and studying journalism she began to make documentaries about post-war Kosovar society, including her most recent short, “She Comes in Spring,” which premiered at the Busan Film Festival.
- 9/7/2019
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
“Spy Kids” and “Predators” producer Elizabeth Avellan has acquired remake rights to supernatural thriller “The Whistler,” pacting with production-distribution Alief which is world premiering “Zana” at Toronto.
Gisberg Bermúdez, who co-wrote, directed, co-produced and edited the original movie, will now helm the English-language adaptation.
Aiming to launch an English-language franchise, Avellán will produce the remake through her company Eya Productions; Bermudez’s La Rue Films and Alief co-produce.
“The Whistler” is set to open in U.S. theaters on Sept. 6 via Dark Star Productions. This will be followed by a VOD release via Uncork’d Entertainment. The original feature is described by Alief as “‘The Conjuring’ meets ‘The Killing of a Sacred Deer’” in an “elliptical” retelling of the myth. It was inspired by a Venezuelan/Colombian folklore bogeyman whose presence is announced by his whistling. In Bermúdez’s Spanish-language original, a father seeks to unearth the origin of the Whistler...
Gisberg Bermúdez, who co-wrote, directed, co-produced and edited the original movie, will now helm the English-language adaptation.
Aiming to launch an English-language franchise, Avellán will produce the remake through her company Eya Productions; Bermudez’s La Rue Films and Alief co-produce.
“The Whistler” is set to open in U.S. theaters on Sept. 6 via Dark Star Productions. This will be followed by a VOD release via Uncork’d Entertainment. The original feature is described by Alief as “‘The Conjuring’ meets ‘The Killing of a Sacred Deer’” in an “elliptical” retelling of the myth. It was inspired by a Venezuelan/Colombian folklore bogeyman whose presence is announced by his whistling. In Bermúdez’s Spanish-language original, a father seeks to unearth the origin of the Whistler...
- 9/5/2019
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
Kosovar director Antoneta Kastrati’s debut feature is set to world-premiere in the Discovery section of the upcoming Toronto International Film Festival. In a small Kosovar village, Lume (Adriana Matoshi), lives with her husband Ilir (Astrit Kabashi) and her mother-in-law Remzije (Fatmire Sahiti). Lume is under constant pressure to get pregnant, especially from Remzije, who threatens to “replace” her with a younger and more eager prospective wife who will bring her grandchildren. Desperate, Lume decides to stray away from modern medicine and seeks the help of witch doctors and mystic healers who promise to treat her infertility. During the process, her well-hidden post-war traumas will soon return to the surface, and the family will start to question her mental and psychological state. This is what Antoneta Kastrati portrays in her debut feature film, Zana, set to world-premiere in the Discovery section of the 44th Toronto International Film Festival. The Kosovar director.
The emerging Kosovar filmmaker is presenting her social drama in the Discovery section of the leading North American festival. After surviving the war in Kosovo in the late 1990s, writer-director Antoneta Kastrati began making documentaries about post-war Kosovar society, along with her sister Sevdije. In parallel, Antoneta directed a series of short films, the most recent one, She Comes In Spring, premiering at the Busan Film Festival. Her feature debut, Zana, is set to world premiere in the Discovery section of the 44th Toronto International Film Festival (Tiff) (5-15 September). “I feel so fortunate that Zana resonated with Tiff and that I get a chance to have a premiere there. It is validating and a big step for me as a debut feature director. I am hopeful that launching Zana at Tiff will help the film reach a wide audience and that it will help me on my way to.
‘The Australian Dream.’
Daniel Gordon’s The Australian Dream and Ben Lawrence’s Hearts and Bones will have their international premieres at the Toronto International Film Festival.
In addition, Eva Orner’s Bikram: Yogi, Guru, Predator will be among 25 titles in the Tiff Docs section, along with The Australian Dream.
Good Thing Productions and Passion Pictures’ The Australian Dream opened the Melbourne International Film Festival. Written by Stan Grant, the film looks at race, identity and belonging from the perspective of former Sydney Swans captain and Indigenous rights activist Adam Goodes.
In 2013 Goodes sparked a national conversation about racism after requesting a 13-year-old Collingwood supporter be removed from the ground after calling him an “ape.”
Madman Entertainment will launch the film on 100—plus screens on August 22.
Lawrence’s debut feature Hearts and Bones, which had its world premiere at the Sydney Film Festival, will screen in the Discovery program.
Produced...
Daniel Gordon’s The Australian Dream and Ben Lawrence’s Hearts and Bones will have their international premieres at the Toronto International Film Festival.
In addition, Eva Orner’s Bikram: Yogi, Guru, Predator will be among 25 titles in the Tiff Docs section, along with The Australian Dream.
Good Thing Productions and Passion Pictures’ The Australian Dream opened the Melbourne International Film Festival. Written by Stan Grant, the film looks at race, identity and belonging from the perspective of former Sydney Swans captain and Indigenous rights activist Adam Goodes.
In 2013 Goodes sparked a national conversation about racism after requesting a 13-year-old Collingwood supporter be removed from the ground after calling him an “ape.”
Madman Entertainment will launch the film on 100—plus screens on August 22.
Lawrence’s debut feature Hearts and Bones, which had its world premiere at the Sydney Film Festival, will screen in the Discovery program.
Produced...
- 8/8/2019
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
London-based Matchbox Films has snapped up U.K. rights to Venezuelan supernatural thriller “The Whistler” from London and Tbilisi-based film production-distribution company, Alief.
Closed at the Efm, deal comes in the wake of the drama’s Best Ibero-American Feature Award at the Buenos Aires Rojo Sangre Fantastic Film Festival in December and best cinematography, original score and screenplay awards from the Caracas Cinematography Critics Circle in January.
In director Gisberg Bermudez’s retelling of a popular Venezuelan-Colombian myth, a father seeks to unearth the origin of the Whistler’s curse in order to halt the gradual possession of his daughter by the avenging entity.
Alief has already closed deals for “The Whistler” with Sbp Worldwide for Argentina, Chile, Uruguay and Paraguay; Star Films for Peru, Ecuador and Bolivia; Uncork’d with Dark Star for the U.S. and Canada, and Tema Distribuciones for Spain.
The film had its Latin American theatrical roll out on Dec.
Closed at the Efm, deal comes in the wake of the drama’s Best Ibero-American Feature Award at the Buenos Aires Rojo Sangre Fantastic Film Festival in December and best cinematography, original score and screenplay awards from the Caracas Cinematography Critics Circle in January.
In director Gisberg Bermudez’s retelling of a popular Venezuelan-Colombian myth, a father seeks to unearth the origin of the Whistler’s curse in order to halt the gradual possession of his daughter by the avenging entity.
Alief has already closed deals for “The Whistler” with Sbp Worldwide for Argentina, Chile, Uruguay and Paraguay; Star Films for Peru, Ecuador and Bolivia; Uncork’d with Dark Star for the U.S. and Canada, and Tema Distribuciones for Spain.
The film had its Latin American theatrical roll out on Dec.
- 2/14/2019
- by Anna Marie de la Fuente
- Variety Film + TV
Earlier this week, "Middle of Nowhere" director and African-American Film Festival Releasing Movement founder Ava DuVernay was the keynote speaker at the American Film Institute's Directing Workshop for Women. DuVernay, who won the U.S. dramatic directing award at last year's Sundance, gave brief remarks before viewing the work of the workshop's up-and-coming participants. Honored this year were Shaz Bennett, Catherine Dent, Antoneta Kastrati, Lauren Ludwig, Stephanie Martin, Juliana Penaradna-Loftus, Lisanne Sartor and Sarah Gertrude Shapiro. Below are DuVernay's remarks to her fellow women directors:i'm using one of my 5 allotted minutes to show you something that helps me. Some days I watch and I laugh. Some days I watch and I get a little misty. Depends on the day. So I thought to myself, why not me? Why not us? The question is fundamentally flawed in that it shouldn't be a viable question in the first place. It speaks to exclusion and heirachy and.
- 5/10/2013
- by Ava DuVernay
- Indiewire
The American Film Institute will introduce eight new female filmmakers at its Directing Workshop for Women on May 6, where new short films by each director will screen. The keynote address comes from "Middle of Nowhere" director Ava DuVernay, who won Best Director at Sundance in 2012 and recently nabbed a prize at Tribeca. Her new documentary "Venus Vs" premieres at Laff this June. The list of directors honored at the AFI Directing Workshop for Women Class, and their respective short films, below. Read more about the films on AFI's website here. Shaz Bennett, "Alaska is a Drag" Catherine Dent, "Silk" Antoneta Kastrati, "She Comes in Spring" Lauren Ludwig, "Burn Brightly" Stephanie Martin, "Wild Horses" Juliana Penaranda-Loftus, "Learning to Fly" Lisanne Sartor, "Six Letter Word" Sarah Gertrude Shapiro, "Sequin Raze"...
- 5/2/2013
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Thompson on Hollywood
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