Elizabeth Woodward saw an opportunity in the indie film market and ran with it. The founder and CEO of production shingle and distributor Willa is poised to break into bigger endeavors with Alonso Ruizpalacios’ “La Cocina,” which it will release Oct. 25 in New York and Nov. 1 in Los Angeles, Chicago and San Francisco. The film then rolls out nationwide Nov. 8 in over 75 markets.
The film embodies Willa’s mission of finding great material with a social conscience and tailoring the release strategy to not only bring in audiences but really reach them through events around the film. With “La Cocina,” which played in the Berlinale competition, that strategy entails an urgency spurred by the current election campaigns, from the presidential race to races on local levels.
Woodward strives to make films that move audiences, and because she came into the industry during a time of change and transition, “I’ve...
The film embodies Willa’s mission of finding great material with a social conscience and tailoring the release strategy to not only bring in audiences but really reach them through events around the film. With “La Cocina,” which played in the Berlinale competition, that strategy entails an urgency spurred by the current election campaigns, from the presidential race to races on local levels.
Woodward strives to make films that move audiences, and because she came into the industry during a time of change and transition, “I’ve...
- 10/24/2024
- by Carole Horst
- Variety Film + TV
“La Cocina,” starring Rooney Mara and Raúl Briones, gets its U.S. release Oct. 25 at the Angelika Film Center in New York, and Nov. 1 at L.A.’s Laemmle Monica. Willa is handling U.S. distribution. The drama will then get a rollout in the top 10 American markets. HanWay handles international sales.
Directed and written by Alonso Ruizpalacios, “La Cocina” stars Briones as Pedro, an undocumented cook in a busy midtown Manhattan restaurant in love with server Julia (Mara), who is pregnant with his child. Tension builds and then erupts when it’s discovered that money has been stolen from the cash register, and blame falls on Pedro. But who really stole the money?
Mexican filmmaker Ruizpalacios adapts “The Kitchen,” a 1957 play by Arnold Wesker, into a drama about social and financial inequalities in modern-day America. It also gives the anonymous workers who drive the service economy a human face,...
Directed and written by Alonso Ruizpalacios, “La Cocina” stars Briones as Pedro, an undocumented cook in a busy midtown Manhattan restaurant in love with server Julia (Mara), who is pregnant with his child. Tension builds and then erupts when it’s discovered that money has been stolen from the cash register, and blame falls on Pedro. But who really stole the money?
Mexican filmmaker Ruizpalacios adapts “The Kitchen,” a 1957 play by Arnold Wesker, into a drama about social and financial inequalities in modern-day America. It also gives the anonymous workers who drive the service economy a human face,...
- 8/26/2024
- by Carole Horst
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Carmelyn P. Malalis has been appointed as the first Head of Impact at the production company and financier Level Forward, Deadline has learned, bringing with her three decades’ experience working to advance civil and human rights.
Appointed as a member of Level Forward’s Impact Advisory Group in 2023, Malalis will now oversee all aspects of the company’s impact work including impact partnerships, activations, programming and learning workshops, impact measurement, and the Level Forward Impact Advisory Group. She reports to Adrienne Becker, Level Forward’s CEO.
Malalis is the former Chair and Commissioner of the New York City Commission on Human Rights, the agency tasked with combating discrimination and harassment in employment, housing, and public accommodations in New York City. During her tenure, the NYC Human Rights Law was amended over 20 times to expand protections in the City, and the Commission was known for its aggressive law enforcement; creative...
Appointed as a member of Level Forward’s Impact Advisory Group in 2023, Malalis will now oversee all aspects of the company’s impact work including impact partnerships, activations, programming and learning workshops, impact measurement, and the Level Forward Impact Advisory Group. She reports to Adrienne Becker, Level Forward’s CEO.
Malalis is the former Chair and Commissioner of the New York City Commission on Human Rights, the agency tasked with combating discrimination and harassment in employment, housing, and public accommodations in New York City. During her tenure, the NYC Human Rights Law was amended over 20 times to expand protections in the City, and the Commission was known for its aggressive law enforcement; creative...
- 6/4/2024
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Distributor La Vingt-Cinquième Heure has acquired the French rights to Egyptian-American director Dina Amer’s politically sensitive drama “You Resemble Me.” The film tells the story of Hasna Aït Boulahcen, who in 2015 was wrongly believed to be Europe’s first female suicide bomber.
The film is a deeply researched character study of the young Muslim woman, who became linked to the November 2015 terrorist attacks in Paris even though she didn’t participate in them. Aït Boulahcen died during an anti-terrorism raid alongside her cousin Abdelhamid Abaaoud, who was one of the ringleaders of the coordinated assaults that killed 130 people in the French capital, including 90 at the Bataclan theater.
In a strong show of support, revered French auteur Claire Denis (“High Life”) is boarding “You Resemble Me” as an executive producer. Denis will also participate in onstage conversations with Amer during the film’s French theatrical run this fall.
“You Resemble Me,...
The film is a deeply researched character study of the young Muslim woman, who became linked to the November 2015 terrorist attacks in Paris even though she didn’t participate in them. Aït Boulahcen died during an anti-terrorism raid alongside her cousin Abdelhamid Abaaoud, who was one of the ringleaders of the coordinated assaults that killed 130 people in the French capital, including 90 at the Bataclan theater.
In a strong show of support, revered French auteur Claire Denis (“High Life”) is boarding “You Resemble Me” as an executive producer. Denis will also participate in onstage conversations with Amer during the film’s French theatrical run this fall.
“You Resemble Me,...
- 5/31/2024
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Willa, Astrakan Film and Cold Iron Pictures are set to join Argonauts Productions to produce “The Boy With the Light Blue Eyes,” a coming-of-age queer Greek tragedy.
Written by Thanasis Neofotistos and Grigoris Skarakis, and to be directed by Neofotistos as his debut feature, “The Boy With the Light Blue Eyes” follows teenager Peter as he navigates the suffocating confines of his superstitious and traditional Greek village community.
Peter is born with light blue eyes in a village that considers them a threat, but only his mother knows. She decides to cover their color with a mask at all times, claiming a threatening eye condition. In this blissful ignorance, Peter and his best friend Aemon embark on an adventure through which Peter learns the painful truth about his eyes and the lies he has been told.
The project participated in Cannes Focus CoPro, and the script has been developed through the Mediterranean Film Institute,...
Written by Thanasis Neofotistos and Grigoris Skarakis, and to be directed by Neofotistos as his debut feature, “The Boy With the Light Blue Eyes” follows teenager Peter as he navigates the suffocating confines of his superstitious and traditional Greek village community.
Peter is born with light blue eyes in a village that considers them a threat, but only his mother knows. She decides to cover their color with a mask at all times, claiming a threatening eye condition. In this blissful ignorance, Peter and his best friend Aemon embark on an adventure through which Peter learns the painful truth about his eyes and the lies he has been told.
The project participated in Cannes Focus CoPro, and the script has been developed through the Mediterranean Film Institute,...
- 1/23/2024
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
Bookmark this page for the latest updates in the territory.
Screen is listing the 2023 release dates for films in the UK and Ireland in the calendar below.
For distributors who wish to add/amend a date on the calendar, please get in touch with Screen here. Screen is also running a calendar for festival and market dates throughout 2023 here.
December
December 31
Berliner Philharmoniker Live: New Year’s Eve Concert 2023 (Trafalgar - event cinema)
Previous releases January
January 6
Piggy (Vertigo), The Enforcer (Vertigo), Alcarràs (Mubi), A Man Called Otto (Sony), Rashomon (BFI), Till (Universal)
January 7
Andre Rieu In Dublin 2023 (Piece of...
Screen is listing the 2023 release dates for films in the UK and Ireland in the calendar below.
For distributors who wish to add/amend a date on the calendar, please get in touch with Screen here. Screen is also running a calendar for festival and market dates throughout 2023 here.
December
December 31
Berliner Philharmoniker Live: New Year’s Eve Concert 2023 (Trafalgar - event cinema)
Previous releases January
January 6
Piggy (Vertigo), The Enforcer (Vertigo), Alcarràs (Mubi), A Man Called Otto (Sony), Rashomon (BFI), Till (Universal)
January 7
Andre Rieu In Dublin 2023 (Piece of...
- 12/30/2023
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
The film won the special jury award at this year’s SXSW film festival.
Another Body, a documentary about a student’s search for justice after she discovers deepfake pornography of herself online, has secured UK-Ireland and Canada theatrical release deals.
Modern Films and Willa will release the film in the UK and Ireland this autumn, day and date with a digital release; with levelFilm handling the Canadian release.
Another Body had its world premiere at SXSW in the US in March, where it won a special jury prize. Subsequent festival play has included Canada’s Hot Docs and Germany...
Another Body, a documentary about a student’s search for justice after she discovers deepfake pornography of herself online, has secured UK-Ireland and Canada theatrical release deals.
Modern Films and Willa will release the film in the UK and Ireland this autumn, day and date with a digital release; with levelFilm handling the Canadian release.
Another Body had its world premiere at SXSW in the US in March, where it won a special jury prize. Subsequent festival play has included Canada’s Hot Docs and Germany...
- 9/21/2023
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
Utopia has acquired U.S. distribution rights to “Another Body,” the SXSW Special Jury Award-winning documentary exploring the growing threat of online deepfake pornography.
“Another Body,” which is presented by the Oscar-winning Impact Partners, tells the story of a college student’s search for answers and justice after she discovers deepfake pornography of herself circulating online. The film marks the feature debut of Sophie Compton and Reuben Hamlyn, who also produced alongside Elizabeth Woodward at U.S.-based banner Willa. The doc will also be released by Willa via its newly launched distribution division focusing on impact content.
Utopia and Willa are planning a theatrical run this fall in New York, Los Angeles and across key markets in the U.S., with a day-and-date roll out on digital streaming platforms. The release will include events with special guests and Q&As, and a network of audience engagement partners. Woodward previously...
“Another Body,” which is presented by the Oscar-winning Impact Partners, tells the story of a college student’s search for answers and justice after she discovers deepfake pornography of herself circulating online. The film marks the feature debut of Sophie Compton and Reuben Hamlyn, who also produced alongside Elizabeth Woodward at U.S.-based banner Willa. The doc will also be released by Willa via its newly launched distribution division focusing on impact content.
Utopia and Willa are planning a theatrical run this fall in New York, Los Angeles and across key markets in the U.S., with a day-and-date roll out on digital streaming platforms. The release will include events with special guests and Q&As, and a network of audience engagement partners. Woodward previously...
- 8/18/2023
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
The Cannes Screenplay List, an initiative backed by the talent platform Wscripted in partnership with Mubi, will be back for a third edition at the Cannes Film Festival’s Marché du Film.
An international jury comprising filmmakers Mounia Meddour, Funa Maduka (“Waiting for Hassana”), and Camille Griffin (“The Silent Night”) will sift through submitted feature scripts from women and non-binary writers.
The final List of top scripts will be presented to producers during during the Cannes Marché du Film, in collaboration with Mubi.
Meddour made her feature debut “Papicha” in 2019 which played to acclaim at Cannes’ Un Certain Regard and went on to win two Cesar Awards for best first film and female newcomer Lyna Khoudri. Her sophomore outing, “Houria”, is a tale of sorority about a dancer’s dream to join the Algerian National Ballet. The lushly lensed film, which reteams Meddour with Khoudri, debuted in French theatres on...
An international jury comprising filmmakers Mounia Meddour, Funa Maduka (“Waiting for Hassana”), and Camille Griffin (“The Silent Night”) will sift through submitted feature scripts from women and non-binary writers.
The final List of top scripts will be presented to producers during during the Cannes Marché du Film, in collaboration with Mubi.
Meddour made her feature debut “Papicha” in 2019 which played to acclaim at Cannes’ Un Certain Regard and went on to win two Cesar Awards for best first film and female newcomer Lyna Khoudri. Her sophomore outing, “Houria”, is a tale of sorority about a dancer’s dream to join the Algerian National Ballet. The lushly lensed film, which reteams Meddour with Khoudri, debuted in French theatres on...
- 3/28/2023
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
‘Riceboy Sleeps’ Scoops Top Canadian Film Award
Anthony Shim’s Riceboy Sleeps has won Canada’s biggest film award, the Rogers Best Canadian Film Award. The prize, decided by the Toronto Film Critics Association (Tfca), comes with a Can$100,000 cash prize. Riceboy Sleeps beat nominees Clement Virgo’s Brother and David Cronenberg’s Crimes of the Future. The semi-autobiographical film explores the challenges of living between two cultures through the tale of a Korean immigrant single mother raising her son in Canada. Shot in the Greater Vancouver area and Korea, the feature world premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2022, winning its Platform Prize, and then played in Busan and a raft of other festivals. The win comes as Toronto-based distributor Game Theory Films gears up for the title’s Canadian release on March 17. The feature will also be released in Korea, Singapore and the US in the coming months.
Anthony Shim’s Riceboy Sleeps has won Canada’s biggest film award, the Rogers Best Canadian Film Award. The prize, decided by the Toronto Film Critics Association (Tfca), comes with a Can$100,000 cash prize. Riceboy Sleeps beat nominees Clement Virgo’s Brother and David Cronenberg’s Crimes of the Future. The semi-autobiographical film explores the challenges of living between two cultures through the tale of a Korean immigrant single mother raising her son in Canada. Shot in the Greater Vancouver area and Korea, the feature world premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2022, winning its Platform Prize, and then played in Busan and a raft of other festivals. The win comes as Toronto-based distributor Game Theory Films gears up for the title’s Canadian release on March 17. The feature will also be released in Korea, Singapore and the US in the coming months.
- 3/8/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Hello and welcome back to the Scene 2 Seen Podcast, I am your host Valerie Complex. On today’s episode we’re chatting with director-producer Dina Amer.
Amer is an award-winning filmmaker and journalist. She helped produce the Oscar-nominated and Emmy-winning documentary The Square, in which the Egyptian Revolution was chronicled from the front lines. Growing up between the U.S. and Egypt, her work has focused on sharing nuanced, human stories with a global audience.
From documentary, she’s moved over to features and has debuted her first film, You Resemble Me, which tells the true story of Hasna Ait Boulahcen, a woman falsely accused of being Europe’s first female suicide bomber.
At the time, police had confirmed the 26-year-old Boulahcen was the woman who died when she blew herself up during a police raid on an apartment in the Paris suburb of Saint-Denis in the aftermath of the 2015 terror attacks in the city.
Amer is an award-winning filmmaker and journalist. She helped produce the Oscar-nominated and Emmy-winning documentary The Square, in which the Egyptian Revolution was chronicled from the front lines. Growing up between the U.S. and Egypt, her work has focused on sharing nuanced, human stories with a global audience.
From documentary, she’s moved over to features and has debuted her first film, You Resemble Me, which tells the true story of Hasna Ait Boulahcen, a woman falsely accused of being Europe’s first female suicide bomber.
At the time, police had confirmed the 26-year-old Boulahcen was the woman who died when she blew herself up during a police raid on an apartment in the Paris suburb of Saint-Denis in the aftermath of the 2015 terror attacks in the city.
- 2/9/2023
- by Valerie Complex
- Deadline Film + TV
Expertly blending fiction, news footage and interviews, this potent debut pieces together the events leading to Hasna Aït Boulahcen’s killing by French police
Dina Amer is a former Vice News journalist making a fierce feature debut with this vehement, focused and often disturbing movie, plausibly and sympathetically creating a backstory for a real-life case and finally aligning the fictionalised mise en scène, news footage and interviews with expert assurance and care.
You Resemble Me is an imagined response to the case of Hasna Aït Boulahcen, a young French woman of Moroccan descent who had been radicalised by Islamic State and was killed in 2015 during the raid on a Paris apartment building after the terrorist attacks on various targets, including the Bataclan theatre. The siege culminated in a shootout and an explosion; afterwards excitable media reporters claimed Aït Boulahcen was Europe’s “first female suicide bomber”, with much prurient commentary...
Dina Amer is a former Vice News journalist making a fierce feature debut with this vehement, focused and often disturbing movie, plausibly and sympathetically creating a backstory for a real-life case and finally aligning the fictionalised mise en scène, news footage and interviews with expert assurance and care.
You Resemble Me is an imagined response to the case of Hasna Aït Boulahcen, a young French woman of Moroccan descent who had been radicalised by Islamic State and was killed in 2015 during the raid on a Paris apartment building after the terrorist attacks on various targets, including the Bataclan theatre. The siege culminated in a shootout and an explosion; afterwards excitable media reporters claimed Aït Boulahcen was Europe’s “first female suicide bomber”, with much prurient commentary...
- 2/1/2023
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
It was a closely fought weekend at the U.K. and Ireland box office between “Avatar: The Way of Water” and “Pathaan,” with the former edging the top slot.
Disney’s “Avatar: The Way of Water” topped the charts for the seventh weekend in a row with £2.1 million (2.6 million) for a total of £70.6 million, per numbers from Comscore.
Yash Raj Films’ Bollywood film “Pathaan” debuted close behind in second place with £1.9 million. Directed by Siddharth Anand and starring Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone and John Abraham, the film released midweek on Jan. 25 across 223 locations. The film collected £1.4 million for the weekend (Friday-Sunday) and £1.9 million in total including Wednesday and Thursday.
On Jan. 25, “Pathaan” had the highest opening day ever for an Indian title in the U.K. with £319,000. No film had ever crossed the £300,000 mark on a single day prior to this. This was also the highest single day collection...
Disney’s “Avatar: The Way of Water” topped the charts for the seventh weekend in a row with £2.1 million (2.6 million) for a total of £70.6 million, per numbers from Comscore.
Yash Raj Films’ Bollywood film “Pathaan” debuted close behind in second place with £1.9 million. Directed by Siddharth Anand and starring Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone and John Abraham, the film released midweek on Jan. 25 across 223 locations. The film collected £1.4 million for the weekend (Friday-Sunday) and £1.9 million in total including Wednesday and Thursday.
On Jan. 25, “Pathaan” had the highest opening day ever for an Indian title in the U.K. with £319,000. No film had ever crossed the £300,000 mark on a single day prior to this. This was also the highest single day collection...
- 1/31/2023
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Egyptian-American director Dina Amer’s politically sensitive drama “You Resemble Me,” the story of Hasna Aït Boulahcen who in 2015 was wrongly believed to be Europe’s first female suicide bomber, is getting a Middle East release via Front Row Filmed Entertainment.
Amer’s feature debut, which world premiered positively at the 2021 Venice Film Festival, is a deeply researched character study of the fragile young Muslim woman who became linked to the November 2015 terrorist attacks in Paris even though she didn’t participate in them. Aït Boulahcen died during an anti-terrorism raid alongside her cousin Abdelhamid Abaaoud, who was one of the ringleaders of the coordinated assaults that killed 130 people in the French capital, including 90 at the Bataclan theater.
Executive-produced by Spike Lee, Spike Jonze, Alma Har’el, and Riz Ahmed, “You Resemble Me” world premiered last year from the Venice Film Festival’s Venice Days section. Pic’s Middle East festival...
Amer’s feature debut, which world premiered positively at the 2021 Venice Film Festival, is a deeply researched character study of the fragile young Muslim woman who became linked to the November 2015 terrorist attacks in Paris even though she didn’t participate in them. Aït Boulahcen died during an anti-terrorism raid alongside her cousin Abdelhamid Abaaoud, who was one of the ringleaders of the coordinated assaults that killed 130 people in the French capital, including 90 at the Bataclan theater.
Executive-produced by Spike Lee, Spike Jonze, Alma Har’el, and Riz Ahmed, “You Resemble Me” world premiered last year from the Venice Film Festival’s Venice Days section. Pic’s Middle East festival...
- 9/19/2022
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
List features screenplays by US-Egyptian filmmaker Dina Amer, Nigerian screenwriter Onyinye Egenti and Chinese-us director Eris Qian.
Paris-based talent platform Wscripted has unveiled its second Cannes Screenplay List showcasing a selection of scripts by female and non-binary writers.
This year’s list, which has been created in partnership with streaming service Mubi, features 25-English-language and six French-language feature scripts available for option or financing, by women screenwriters from France, Nigeria North America and the UK.
The selected talents include US-Egyptian filmmaker Dina Amer, Nigerian screenwriter Onyinye Egenti and Chinese-us director Eris Qian.
Amer broke out internationally in 2021 her first feature...
Paris-based talent platform Wscripted has unveiled its second Cannes Screenplay List showcasing a selection of scripts by female and non-binary writers.
This year’s list, which has been created in partnership with streaming service Mubi, features 25-English-language and six French-language feature scripts available for option or financing, by women screenwriters from France, Nigeria North America and the UK.
The selected talents include US-Egyptian filmmaker Dina Amer, Nigerian screenwriter Onyinye Egenti and Chinese-us director Eris Qian.
Amer broke out internationally in 2021 her first feature...
- 5/18/2022
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- ScreenDaily
Czech crime series “Nineties” by Slovak director Peter Bebjak drew 2.23 million viewers over six nights on Czech Television – the best result for a Czech series in the past 18 years, according to Film New Europe.
The fifth episode, “Barrels,” broke the rating record with 2.41 million viewers (one in four Czechs watched it), becoming the most watched TV show in primetime since the start of the electronic measurement of broadcasting rating in 1997.
“Nineties” is based on real criminal cases that occurred in the 90s, after the fall of communism in Czechoslovakia. The series has six episodes and the main characters are played by Martin Finger, Kryštof Bartoš, Ondřej Sokol, Vasil Fridrich and Robert Mikluš.
The series is directed by Bebjak and Dan Wlodarczyk, and was produced by Czech Television, and creative producer Michal Reitler.
‘You Resemble Me’ Wins Prague Iff – Febiofest
The debut feature by Dina Amer, “You Resemble Me,” a coproduction between France,...
The fifth episode, “Barrels,” broke the rating record with 2.41 million viewers (one in four Czechs watched it), becoming the most watched TV show in primetime since the start of the electronic measurement of broadcasting rating in 1997.
“Nineties” is based on real criminal cases that occurred in the 90s, after the fall of communism in Czechoslovakia. The series has six episodes and the main characters are played by Martin Finger, Kryštof Bartoš, Ondřej Sokol, Vasil Fridrich and Robert Mikluš.
The series is directed by Bebjak and Dan Wlodarczyk, and was produced by Czech Television, and creative producer Michal Reitler.
‘You Resemble Me’ Wins Prague Iff – Febiofest
The debut feature by Dina Amer, “You Resemble Me,” a coproduction between France,...
- 5/5/2022
- by Ales Hudsky
- Variety Film + TV
Nejc Gazvoda, whose previous films include “A Trip” and “Dual,” has started shooting “Father Figure” in his home town, Novo Mesto, Slovenia. The film will be shot in 25 days and is expected to be completed in the spring of 2023, online news service Film New Europe reports.
“Father Figure” is an absurdist tale, written by Gazvoda, which follows a mother and her son who move from Ljubljana to a small town after the mother’s divorce. Jan is in his final year of elementary school, and Maja is a psychologist at the same school. The film begins with the reopening of schools after the end of the pandemic, but things do not seem to be the way they were before.
“ ‘Father Figure’ is a film about a particular period (the middle of 2021), set in an elementary school, and all the issues it deals with are concrete: peer violence, loneliness, dignity. At the same time,...
“Father Figure” is an absurdist tale, written by Gazvoda, which follows a mother and her son who move from Ljubljana to a small town after the mother’s divorce. Jan is in his final year of elementary school, and Maja is a psychologist at the same school. The film begins with the reopening of schools after the end of the pandemic, but things do not seem to be the way they were before.
“ ‘Father Figure’ is a film about a particular period (the middle of 2021), set in an elementary school, and all the issues it deals with are concrete: peer violence, loneliness, dignity. At the same time,...
- 4/21/2022
- by Damijan Vinter
- Variety Film + TV
12 upcoming films from the Middle East and North Africa will be supported by project and talent incubator.
Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea International Film Festival (Rsiff) has unveiled the 12 projects selected for this year’s edition of its Red Sea Lodge project and talent development programme.
Of the 12 projects selected, six are from Saudi Arabia while the other projects are from Egypt, Algeria, and Lebanon, with 50% of the participants directed, produced, and written by women
The selection includes Saudi director and writer Hana Alomair’s feature directorial debut Seasons Of Love And War. The love triangle tale set in an...
Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea International Film Festival (Rsiff) has unveiled the 12 projects selected for this year’s edition of its Red Sea Lodge project and talent development programme.
Of the 12 projects selected, six are from Saudi Arabia while the other projects are from Egypt, Algeria, and Lebanon, with 50% of the participants directed, produced, and written by women
The selection includes Saudi director and writer Hana Alomair’s feature directorial debut Seasons Of Love And War. The love triangle tale set in an...
- 3/15/2022
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- ScreenDaily
Hybrid event ran March 4-13.
Dramas from Hispaniola dominated the jury and audience awards at the hybrid 39th Miami Film Festival as Géssica Généus’s Haiti-set Freda won the $25,000 Knight Marimbas Award and Jose Maria Cabral’s Dominican Republic production Parsley took the audience feature film award.
The festival, which ran both in-theater and virtual presentations and ran from March 4-13, gave special recognition through the Knight Marimbas jury to actor Haztin Navarrete from The Box and actress Mari Oliveira from Medusa.
A third Hispaniola drama, Carajita (Dr-Arg) by Ulises Porra and Silvina Schnicer, was awarded the $10,000 HBO Ibero-American Feature Film Award sponsored by WarnerMedia.
Dramas from Hispaniola dominated the jury and audience awards at the hybrid 39th Miami Film Festival as Géssica Généus’s Haiti-set Freda won the $25,000 Knight Marimbas Award and Jose Maria Cabral’s Dominican Republic production Parsley took the audience feature film award.
The festival, which ran both in-theater and virtual presentations and ran from March 4-13, gave special recognition through the Knight Marimbas jury to actor Haztin Navarrete from The Box and actress Mari Oliveira from Medusa.
A third Hispaniola drama, Carajita (Dr-Arg) by Ulises Porra and Silvina Schnicer, was awarded the $10,000 HBO Ibero-American Feature Film Award sponsored by WarnerMedia.
- 3/14/2022
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
The feature film “Freda” and short film “You Can Always Come Home,” both family dramas, earned top prizes at the 39th edition of Miami Dade College’s Miami Film Festival. Presented in a hybrid format this year, with both in-theater and virtual presentations, the 2022 Festival ran from March 4-13.
Making its U.S. premiere at this year’s Festival, “Freda,” directed by Géssica Généus, earned the top award for her first feature set in Haiti, the $25,000 Knight Marimbas Award. The winning film was selected by jury members Damon D’Oliveria, April Dobbins and Rubén Peralta Rigaud. Of the film, the jury noted, “this film resonated with all of us for its strong, female-centered narrative, and its exceptional performances from emerging actors. We couldn’t stop thinking about this world and these characters, and we appreciated being immersed in a place that we don’t often see onscreen – portrayed in such a realistic,...
Making its U.S. premiere at this year’s Festival, “Freda,” directed by Géssica Généus, earned the top award for her first feature set in Haiti, the $25,000 Knight Marimbas Award. The winning film was selected by jury members Damon D’Oliveria, April Dobbins and Rubén Peralta Rigaud. Of the film, the jury noted, “this film resonated with all of us for its strong, female-centered narrative, and its exceptional performances from emerging actors. We couldn’t stop thinking about this world and these characters, and we appreciated being immersed in a place that we don’t often see onscreen – portrayed in such a realistic,...
- 3/13/2022
- by Malina Saval
- Variety Film + TV
Two family dramas, the feature film Freda and short film You Can Always Come Home, have earned the top prizes at the 39th edition of Miami Dade College’s Miami Film Festival. Presented in a hybrid format with in-theater and virtual presentations, the 2022 Festival ran from March 4 through tomorrow.
Making its US premiere at this year’s Festival, Freda, directed by Géssica Généus, earned the top award for her first feature. Set in Haiti, the $25,000 Knight Marimbas Award, supported by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, is an international competition for new narrative feature films that best exemplify richness and resonance for cinema’s future.
The winning film was selected by jury members Damon D’Oliveria, April Dobbins, and Rubén Peralta Rigaud. The jury said, “This film resonated with all of us for its strong, female-centered narrative, and its exceptional performances from emerging actors. We couldn’t stop...
Making its US premiere at this year’s Festival, Freda, directed by Géssica Généus, earned the top award for her first feature. Set in Haiti, the $25,000 Knight Marimbas Award, supported by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, is an international competition for new narrative feature films that best exemplify richness and resonance for cinema’s future.
The winning film was selected by jury members Damon D’Oliveria, April Dobbins, and Rubén Peralta Rigaud. The jury said, “This film resonated with all of us for its strong, female-centered narrative, and its exceptional performances from emerging actors. We couldn’t stop...
- 3/13/2022
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
The Santa Barbara Film Festival unveiled winners for its 37th edition on Saturday morning, bestowing its Audience Choice award to the Irish-language film Róise and Frank.
Juried winners at this year’s festival include Jon-Sesrie Goff’s After Sherman as Best Documentary, and Shawkat Amin Korki’s The Exam (Ezmûn) winning the Jeffrey C. Barbakow Award for best international feature film.
Róise and Frank (Mo ghrá buan), directed by Rachael Moriarty and Peter Murphy, centers on Róise (Brid Ni Neachtain), a widow in mourning who befriends a dog who just might be her late husband reincarnated. The pic earlier this week screened at the Dublin Film Festival where it won the Best Ensemble award.
Overall, this year’s in-person festival attracted 200 films from 54 countries along with its usual A-list of panel galas celebrating the year’s best in film – a traditional stop on the awards circuit. This year included Q...
Juried winners at this year’s festival include Jon-Sesrie Goff’s After Sherman as Best Documentary, and Shawkat Amin Korki’s The Exam (Ezmûn) winning the Jeffrey C. Barbakow Award for best international feature film.
Róise and Frank (Mo ghrá buan), directed by Rachael Moriarty and Peter Murphy, centers on Róise (Brid Ni Neachtain), a widow in mourning who befriends a dog who just might be her late husband reincarnated. The pic earlier this week screened at the Dublin Film Festival where it won the Best Ensemble award.
Overall, this year’s in-person festival attracted 200 films from 54 countries along with its usual A-list of panel galas celebrating the year’s best in film – a traditional stop on the awards circuit. This year included Q...
- 3/12/2022
- by Patrick Hipes
- Deadline Film + TV
Across a large swathe of West Asia, the year 2021 for the entertainment industry has marked a time of monumental change, as well as fierce resistance.
Saudi Arabia in December held its first major international film festival, following the removal four years ago of a 35-year ban on cinema for religious reasons. Meanwhile, in Afghanistan, movie theaters have been shuttered as the country’s Islamic militant guerrillas-turned-rulers decide whether they will allow movie screenings. Taliban authorities have also issued a series of “religious guidelines” under which Afghanistan’s TV networks can’t broadcast soap operas or dramas featuring female actors.
Meanwhile, censors in Arab-speaking nations across most of the region, which is also referred to as the Middle East, continued in 2021 to ban Hollywood films touching on sensitive religious or political issues, sex and homosexuality, such as Marvels’ “Eternals,” featuring the first MCU gay superhero, and “West Side Story” which has...
Saudi Arabia in December held its first major international film festival, following the removal four years ago of a 35-year ban on cinema for religious reasons. Meanwhile, in Afghanistan, movie theaters have been shuttered as the country’s Islamic militant guerrillas-turned-rulers decide whether they will allow movie screenings. Taliban authorities have also issued a series of “religious guidelines” under which Afghanistan’s TV networks can’t broadcast soap operas or dramas featuring female actors.
Meanwhile, censors in Arab-speaking nations across most of the region, which is also referred to as the Middle East, continued in 2021 to ban Hollywood films touching on sensitive religious or political issues, sex and homosexuality, such as Marvels’ “Eternals,” featuring the first MCU gay superhero, and “West Side Story” which has...
- 12/20/2021
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Levan Koguashvili’s Brighton 4th has scooped up the Best Film prize at Saudi Arabia’s inaugural Red Sea Film Festival. The title is Georgia’s entry in the Academy Awards international feature category this year.
Elsewhere in the festival’s Yusr Awards, Hamzah K. Jamjoom’s title Rupture was the winner for Best Saudi Film while Egyptian title You Resemble Me from director Dina Amer won the Audience Award.
Meanwhile, the jury prize was awarded to Iranian helmer Panah Panahi’s family road trip effort Hit The Road, which also won the Red Sea’s best cinematic contribution award. That title premiered in the Cannes Directors’ Fortnight earlier this year. Murad Abu Eisheh’s Tala’Vision nabbed the Best Short award while Haider Rashid won Best Director for his title Europa.
The festival’s selection included 16 features, 18 short films and 21 virtual reality experiences in a celebration of innovative films...
Elsewhere in the festival’s Yusr Awards, Hamzah K. Jamjoom’s title Rupture was the winner for Best Saudi Film while Egyptian title You Resemble Me from director Dina Amer won the Audience Award.
Meanwhile, the jury prize was awarded to Iranian helmer Panah Panahi’s family road trip effort Hit The Road, which also won the Red Sea’s best cinematic contribution award. That title premiered in the Cannes Directors’ Fortnight earlier this year. Murad Abu Eisheh’s Tala’Vision nabbed the Best Short award while Haider Rashid won Best Director for his title Europa.
The festival’s selection included 16 features, 18 short films and 21 virtual reality experiences in a celebration of innovative films...
- 12/14/2021
- by Diana Lodderhose
- Deadline Film + TV
Giuseppe Tornatore was jury president for the inaugural competition featuring 16 features.
Georgian director Levan Koguashvili’s Brighton 4th has won best film at the inaugural edition of Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea International Film Festival, unfolding in Jeddah from December 6-15.
It follows a raft of prizes for the New York-set father-son drama that world premiered at Tribeca where it won best international feature, actor and screenplay.
There were 16 features from the Middle East and Africa in the inaugural competition.
Italian director Giuseppe Tornatore presided over the main competition jury with Tunisian actress Hend Sabry, Palestinian-American director Cherien Dabis, Morelia...
Georgian director Levan Koguashvili’s Brighton 4th has won best film at the inaugural edition of Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea International Film Festival, unfolding in Jeddah from December 6-15.
It follows a raft of prizes for the New York-set father-son drama that world premiered at Tribeca where it won best international feature, actor and screenplay.
There were 16 features from the Middle East and Africa in the inaugural competition.
Italian director Giuseppe Tornatore presided over the main competition jury with Tunisian actress Hend Sabry, Palestinian-American director Cherien Dabis, Morelia...
- 12/13/2021
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- ScreenDaily
Levan Koguashvili’s “Brighton 4th” has won best film at Saudi Arabia’s inaugural Red Sea Film Festival, while Hamzah K. Jamjoom’s “Rupture” won best Saudi film.
“Brighton 4th” is Georgia’s entry in the Academy Awards’ international feature category.
Haider Rashid won best director for “Europa” and Adam Ali won best actor for his role in the film. Arawinda Kirana won best actress for her performance in Kamila Andini’s “Yuni,” which is Indonesia’s entry in the Oscars’ international category.
This year’s jury included: president of the Red Sea features competition, Academy Award-winning Italian director and writer Giuseppe Tornatore; Tunisian actor Hend Sabry; Palestinian-American director, writer, actor, and producer Cherien Dabis; Mexican festival director and founder of the Morelia International Film Festival Daniela Michel; and Saudi film director Abdulaziz Alshlahei. The Red Sea shorts competition jury was headed by Egyptian director Marwan Hamed and joined by...
“Brighton 4th” is Georgia’s entry in the Academy Awards’ international feature category.
Haider Rashid won best director for “Europa” and Adam Ali won best actor for his role in the film. Arawinda Kirana won best actress for her performance in Kamila Andini’s “Yuni,” which is Indonesia’s entry in the Oscars’ international category.
This year’s jury included: president of the Red Sea features competition, Academy Award-winning Italian director and writer Giuseppe Tornatore; Tunisian actor Hend Sabry; Palestinian-American director, writer, actor, and producer Cherien Dabis; Mexican festival director and founder of the Morelia International Film Festival Daniela Michel; and Saudi film director Abdulaziz Alshlahei. The Red Sea shorts competition jury was headed by Egyptian director Marwan Hamed and joined by...
- 12/13/2021
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
In November 2015 Paris experienced a wave of terrorist bombings; one, in particular, was wrongly attributed by the media to Hasna Ait Boulahcen, Europe’s supposedly first female suicide bomber. Writer and director Dina Amer – who at the time was a journalist for Vice and reported the story – begins to right her fake news reporting telling the fractured and tragic life of Hasna.
The film opens the first half of the story following Hasna (Lorenza Grimaudo), the child of a reluctant, abusive mother who would rather sleep all day than take care of her children. Hasna’s closest sibling is Sister Miriam (Ilonna Grimaudo), her doppelganger shadow who idolises her older sister. Dressed in the same dress, which Hasna has stolen for her as a present for Miriam’s birthday, Amer begins to show, via various close-up shots, the absolute intimacy of the pair as they wander the streets of Paris playing.
The film opens the first half of the story following Hasna (Lorenza Grimaudo), the child of a reluctant, abusive mother who would rather sleep all day than take care of her children. Hasna’s closest sibling is Sister Miriam (Ilonna Grimaudo), her doppelganger shadow who idolises her older sister. Dressed in the same dress, which Hasna has stolen for her as a present for Miriam’s birthday, Amer begins to show, via various close-up shots, the absolute intimacy of the pair as they wander the streets of Paris playing.
- 12/13/2021
- by Zehra Phelan
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Riz Ahmed has boarded Egyptian-American director Dina Amer’s “You Resemble Me,” a bold exploration of the roots of Islamic radicalization through the story of Hasna Aït Boulahcen – who in 2015 was wrongly believed to be Europe’s first female suicide bomber – ahead of the pic’s premiere in the Middle East and North Africa region (Mena).
Amer’s feature debut, which world premiered positively at the Venice Film Festival, is a deeply researched character study of the fragile young Muslim woman who became linked to the November 2015 terrorist attacks in Paris even though she didn’t participate in them. Boulahcen died during an anti-terrorism raid alongside her cousin Abdelhamid Abaaoud, who was one of the ringleaders of the coordinated assaults that killed 130 people in the French capital, including 90 at the Bataclan theater.
Ahmed’s show of support for the film – which is also executive produced by Spike Lee, Spike Jonze...
Amer’s feature debut, which world premiered positively at the Venice Film Festival, is a deeply researched character study of the fragile young Muslim woman who became linked to the November 2015 terrorist attacks in Paris even though she didn’t participate in them. Boulahcen died during an anti-terrorism raid alongside her cousin Abdelhamid Abaaoud, who was one of the ringleaders of the coordinated assaults that killed 130 people in the French capital, including 90 at the Bataclan theater.
Ahmed’s show of support for the film – which is also executive produced by Spike Lee, Spike Jonze...
- 12/4/2021
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Who was Hasna Ait Boulahcen? In November 2015, after the Paris bombings, news outlets called her “Europe’s first female suicide bomber.” Journalists swarmed around her story, trying to extract details about the mysterious young woman. They wondered how she went from being a fixture of Parisian nightlife to blowing herself up in a flat in Saint-Denis. They published photos of her (or who they thought she was), including one I find myself returning to. In it, Hasna, donning a navy-blue chador and thick black eyeliner, smirks at the camera. Her hands, both making V-signs, frame her soft face.
It turns ...
It turns ...
- 9/21/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
The worlds of contemporary geopolitics and narrative independent filmmaking collide in You Resemble Me, a movie that shape-shifts from a first act coming-of-age tale into something searing and provocative, and ripped straight from the headlines. Bold and scattered, it marks a formidable debut for Dina Amer, a first time director who emerges with no shortage of credentials: an award-winning journalist of Egyptian and American extraction (her work has featured in CNN and the New York Times) and associate producer of the Oscar nominated The Square, Amer is perhaps best known for her role as a political correspondent for Vice (also producer here), a job that that took her to the front lines of human-trafficking in Syria, among other precarious situations.
At the start, You Resemble Me plays a bit like Deniz Ergüven’s Mustang. We’re in France this time, but the lighting is just as lovely and natural, the mood just as vital,...
At the start, You Resemble Me plays a bit like Deniz Ergüven’s Mustang. We’re in France this time, but the lighting is just as lovely and natural, the mood just as vital,...
- 9/16/2021
- by Rory O'Connor
- The Film Stage
Dina Amer, an Egyptian-American filmmaker and award-winning journalist, explores the roots of radicalization through a contemporary coming-of-age story in her bold feature debut “You Resemble Me,” which world premieres today at the Venice Film Festival.
“You Resemble Me” delivers a nuanced character study of Hasna Aït Boulahcen, the troubled young woman who became connected to the November 2015 terrorist attacks in Paris and was erroneously believed to be Europe’s first female suicide bomber. Although she didn’t participate in the attacks, she died during a broad anti-terrorism raid in Saint-Denis alongside her cousin Abdelhamid Abaaoud, one of the ringleaders of the coordinated assaults which killed 130 people in the French capital, including 90 at the Bataclan theater.
Fast-paced and dense, the movie chronicles the chaotic childhood of Aït Boulahcen in an underprivileged suburb of Paris where she lived with her younger sister, with whom she had a strong bond, as well as her dysfunctional mother and brother.
“You Resemble Me” delivers a nuanced character study of Hasna Aït Boulahcen, the troubled young woman who became connected to the November 2015 terrorist attacks in Paris and was erroneously believed to be Europe’s first female suicide bomber. Although she didn’t participate in the attacks, she died during a broad anti-terrorism raid in Saint-Denis alongside her cousin Abdelhamid Abaaoud, one of the ringleaders of the coordinated assaults which killed 130 people in the French capital, including 90 at the Bataclan theater.
Fast-paced and dense, the movie chronicles the chaotic childhood of Aït Boulahcen in an underprivileged suburb of Paris where she lived with her younger sister, with whom she had a strong bond, as well as her dysfunctional mother and brother.
- 9/8/2021
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Here’s a first clip from You Resemble Me, the debut feature of NY-based Egyptian-American director Dina Amer which has its world premiere in the Venice Days section of the Venice Film Festival this week.
Executive Produced by Spike Lee, Spike Jonze and Alma Har’el, the French-language pic is being sold by CAA for North America and Match Factory for international.
Cultural and intergenerational trauma erupt in this story about two sisters on the outskirts of Paris. After the siblings are torn apart, the eldest, Hasna, struggles to find her identity, leading to a choice that shocks the world.
Director Amer says the film was “created to understand the roots of one woman’s trauma — a journey through layers of disassociation, from the personal and familial to the religious and colonial; a kaleidoscope of splintered identities and fractured dreams. You Resemble Me is an invitation to look beyond our perception of the absolute truth,...
Executive Produced by Spike Lee, Spike Jonze and Alma Har’el, the French-language pic is being sold by CAA for North America and Match Factory for international.
Cultural and intergenerational trauma erupt in this story about two sisters on the outskirts of Paris. After the siblings are torn apart, the eldest, Hasna, struggles to find her identity, leading to a choice that shocks the world.
Director Amer says the film was “created to understand the roots of one woman’s trauma — a journey through layers of disassociation, from the personal and familial to the religious and colonial; a kaleidoscope of splintered identities and fractured dreams. You Resemble Me is an invitation to look beyond our perception of the absolute truth,...
- 9/7/2021
- by Nancy Tartaglione
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Nathalie Seaver has been promoted to Executive Vice President at Jamie Wolf’s award-winning production company, Foothill Productions.
In her new role, she will continue to work closely with Wolf to expand Foothill’s presence in upcoming feature films and documentaries, while supporting filmmakers under the Foothill banner.
“Our goal has always been to support extraordinary films, and Nathalie has been crucial in expanding our ability to be a great partner to and resource for filmmakers,” said Wolf. “I’m thrilled to have her continuing this important work at Foothill.”
Seaver joined Foothill in 2018 as a Creative and Marketing consultant, and has worked there on projects including Emmy and Peabody-nominated documentary Be Natural; Jessica Earnshaw’s Jacinta, which won the Albert Maysles Award for Best New Documentary at the 2020 Tribeca Film Festival; and Mapplethorpe, The Director’s Cut, Ondi Timoner’s scripted portrait of the iconic photographer, among others.
In her new role, she will continue to work closely with Wolf to expand Foothill’s presence in upcoming feature films and documentaries, while supporting filmmakers under the Foothill banner.
“Our goal has always been to support extraordinary films, and Nathalie has been crucial in expanding our ability to be a great partner to and resource for filmmakers,” said Wolf. “I’m thrilled to have her continuing this important work at Foothill.”
Seaver joined Foothill in 2018 as a Creative and Marketing consultant, and has worked there on projects including Emmy and Peabody-nominated documentary Be Natural; Jessica Earnshaw’s Jacinta, which won the Albert Maysles Award for Best New Documentary at the 2020 Tribeca Film Festival; and Mapplethorpe, The Director’s Cut, Ondi Timoner’s scripted portrait of the iconic photographer, among others.
- 8/26/2021
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
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