Bulgarian writer-director Stephan Komandarev’s best-known previous films — such as the widely travelled 2008 intergenerational Oscar-submission The World Is Big and Salvation Lurks Around the Corner and 2014’s border-set drama The Judgment — have put the issues of immigration and emigration right at the heart of their stories. With his latest, Directions, which screened in Cannes’ Un Certain Regard section, that theme is once again present, but Komandarev this time focuses more closely on the tortured soul of Bulgarians who haven’t left their native land, or at least not yet. A criss-crossing narrative that hops from taxi to taxi over the...
- 6/4/2017
- by Leslie Felperin
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
A Good Wife won best film in the Balkan competition, while the best pitch prize went to The Witch Hunters, but the festival faces an uncertain future.
Kosovo’s Pristina Film Festival (April 22-29) has revealed the winners for its 8th edition, after bouncing back from last year’s government funding cuts, which saw the festival held in exile in Albania.
The jury overseeing the festival’s Balkan competition, dubbed the Honey & Blood program, awarded its best film prize to A Good Wife (Dobra Zena), which Serbian actress Mirjana Karanović wrote, directed and also starred in.
Snezana Penev [pictured right] produced the film, which was a Serbia-Bosnia-Croatia co-production and premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival.
The competition’s jury, comprised of Pluto Film’s Jana Wolff, Belgian actor Jehon Gorani and Swiss producer Dario Schoch, awarded best director to Turkish film-maker Kaan Müjdeci [pictured top] for his feature debut Sivas, while best actor went to Assen Blatechki for Bulgarian...
Kosovo’s Pristina Film Festival (April 22-29) has revealed the winners for its 8th edition, after bouncing back from last year’s government funding cuts, which saw the festival held in exile in Albania.
The jury overseeing the festival’s Balkan competition, dubbed the Honey & Blood program, awarded its best film prize to A Good Wife (Dobra Zena), which Serbian actress Mirjana Karanović wrote, directed and also starred in.
Snezana Penev [pictured right] produced the film, which was a Serbia-Bosnia-Croatia co-production and premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival.
The competition’s jury, comprised of Pluto Film’s Jana Wolff, Belgian actor Jehon Gorani and Swiss producer Dario Schoch, awarded best director to Turkish film-maker Kaan Müjdeci [pictured top] for his feature debut Sivas, while best actor went to Assen Blatechki for Bulgarian...
- 5/3/2016
- ScreenDaily
A Good Wife won best film in the Balkan competition, while the best pitch prize went to The Witch Hunters, but the festival faces an uncertain future.
Kosovo’s Pristina Film Festival (April 22-29) has revealed the winners for its 8th edition, after bouncing back from last year’s government funding cuts, which saw the festival held in exile in Albania.
The jury overseeing the festival’s Balkan competition, dubbed the Honey & Blood program, awarded its best film prize to A Good Wife (Dobra Zena), which Serbian actress Mirjana Karanović wrote, directed and also starred in.
Snezana Penev [pictured right] produced the film, which was a Serbia-Bosnia-Croatia co-production and premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival.
The competition’s jury, comprised of Pluto Film’s Jana Wolff, Belgian actor Jehon Gorani and Swiss producer Dario Schoch, awarded best director to Turkish film-maker Kaan Müjdeci [pictured top] for his feature debut Sivas, while best actor went to Assen Blatechki for Bulgarian...
Kosovo’s Pristina Film Festival (April 22-29) has revealed the winners for its 8th edition, after bouncing back from last year’s government funding cuts, which saw the festival held in exile in Albania.
The jury overseeing the festival’s Balkan competition, dubbed the Honey & Blood program, awarded its best film prize to A Good Wife (Dobra Zena), which Serbian actress Mirjana Karanović wrote, directed and also starred in.
Snezana Penev [pictured right] produced the film, which was a Serbia-Bosnia-Croatia co-production and premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival.
The competition’s jury, comprised of Pluto Film’s Jana Wolff, Belgian actor Jehon Gorani and Swiss producer Dario Schoch, awarded best director to Turkish film-maker Kaan Müjdeci [pictured top] for his feature debut Sivas, while best actor went to Assen Blatechki for Bulgarian...
- 5/3/2016
- ScreenDaily
United States Of Love, Rams and Mustang will feature at the eighth edition of the festival; regional premiere of Mirjana Karanovic’s A Good Wife.Scroll down for full line-up
The eighth Prishtina International Film Festival (April 22-29) will open with a screening of Jonas Carpignano’s Mediterranea, which will compete as part of the event’s European Film Competition.
Tomasz Wasilewski’s Silver Berlin Bear-winning United States Of Love will also compete in the strand, as will Grímur Hákonarson’s Cannes Un Certain Regard-winning Rams and Deniz Gamze Ergüven’s Oscar-nominated Mustang.
Completing the line-up is Juris Kursietis’ Modris, Carlos Marques-Marcet’s 10,000 Km, and Swiss 10-part Sci-Fi anthology Heimtaland. The films will compete for the festival’s Golden Goddess prize for best European film.
The Honey and Blood competition, which showcases Balkan titles, will this year feature nine films including Danis Tanovic’s Silver Berlin Bear-winning Death In Sarajevo - which will close the festival with Tanovic...
The eighth Prishtina International Film Festival (April 22-29) will open with a screening of Jonas Carpignano’s Mediterranea, which will compete as part of the event’s European Film Competition.
Tomasz Wasilewski’s Silver Berlin Bear-winning United States Of Love will also compete in the strand, as will Grímur Hákonarson’s Cannes Un Certain Regard-winning Rams and Deniz Gamze Ergüven’s Oscar-nominated Mustang.
Completing the line-up is Juris Kursietis’ Modris, Carlos Marques-Marcet’s 10,000 Km, and Swiss 10-part Sci-Fi anthology Heimtaland. The films will compete for the festival’s Golden Goddess prize for best European film.
The Honey and Blood competition, which showcases Balkan titles, will this year feature nine films including Danis Tanovic’s Silver Berlin Bear-winning Death In Sarajevo - which will close the festival with Tanovic...
- 4/7/2016
- ScreenDaily
United States Of Love, Rams and Mustang will feature at the eighth edition of the festival; regional premiere of Mirjana Karanovic’s A Good Wife.Scroll down for full line-up
The eighth Prishtina International Film Festival (April 22-29) will open with a screening of Jonas Carpignano’s Mediterranea, which will compete as part of the event’s European Film Competition.
Tomasz Wasilewski’s Silver Berlin Bear-winning United States Of Love will also compete in the strand, as will Grímur Hákonarson’s Cannes Un Certain Regard-winning Rams and Deniz Gamze Ergüven’s Oscar-nominated Mustang.
Completing the line-up is Juris Kursietis’ Modris, Carlos Marques-Marcet’s 10,000 Km, and Swiss 10-part Sci-Fi anthology Heimtaland. The films will compete for the festival’s Golden Goddess prize for best European film.
The Honey and Blood competition, which showcases Balkan titles, will this year feature nine films including Danis Tanovic’s Silver Berlin Bear-winning Death In Sarajevo and the regional premiere of Mirjana Karanović...
The eighth Prishtina International Film Festival (April 22-29) will open with a screening of Jonas Carpignano’s Mediterranea, which will compete as part of the event’s European Film Competition.
Tomasz Wasilewski’s Silver Berlin Bear-winning United States Of Love will also compete in the strand, as will Grímur Hákonarson’s Cannes Un Certain Regard-winning Rams and Deniz Gamze Ergüven’s Oscar-nominated Mustang.
Completing the line-up is Juris Kursietis’ Modris, Carlos Marques-Marcet’s 10,000 Km, and Swiss 10-part Sci-Fi anthology Heimtaland. The films will compete for the festival’s Golden Goddess prize for best European film.
The Honey and Blood competition, which showcases Balkan titles, will this year feature nine films including Danis Tanovic’s Silver Berlin Bear-winning Death In Sarajevo and the regional premiere of Mirjana Karanović...
- 4/7/2016
- ScreenDaily
Farmington-Hills based nonprofit organization kickstART farmington announced the film lineup and schedule for the 2016 Greater Farmington Film Festival earlier this month and it looks like they will be offering a great selection of films this year. The Greater Farmington Film Festival takes place March 3-6, 2016 with a selection of recently released feature films and documentaries that engage the heart and mind, explore important contemporary issues, and inspire action: good films for a better world.
You can find the full film line up and schedule for the 2016 Greater Farmington Film Festival below. Overall, the festival provides a unique opportunity for audiences to enjoy these inspiring films as none of these films have been released widely in Michigan, and several will enjoy their Michigan debut.
In addition, the Greater Farmington Film Festival invites the public to attend the 2016 Festival Preview Party on Thursday evening, February 18th, from 7:00-10:00 Pm at...
You can find the full film line up and schedule for the 2016 Greater Farmington Film Festival below. Overall, the festival provides a unique opportunity for audiences to enjoy these inspiring films as none of these films have been released widely in Michigan, and several will enjoy their Michigan debut.
In addition, the Greater Farmington Film Festival invites the public to attend the 2016 Festival Preview Party on Thursday evening, February 18th, from 7:00-10:00 Pm at...
- 2/17/2016
- by Mike Tyrkus
- CinemaNerdz
TheWrap Screening Series: Syrian Refugee Crisis Highlights Bulgarian Oscar Submission ‘The Judgment’
The timeliest Oscar contender has got to be Bulgaria’s “The Judgment,” a drama set along the terrifying precipice on the Bulgarian border, where Syrian and other refugees risk death daily. “One month ago, an officer from the border police killed a refugee from Afghanistan,” director Stephan Komandarev told moderator Sharon Waxman at TheWrap’s Award Screening Series at the Landmark Theater in Los Angeles on Thursday. “Some say this film predicted this would happen, but this is the reality.” “Everything you see on the screen — the empty villages, the sign with the name of the village scratched out and ‘Mexico’ written.
- 11/21/2015
- by Tim Appelo
- The Wrap
The Heartland Film Festival chose Stephan Komandarev’s The Judgment as Best Narrative Feature last night during ceremonies at the Old National Centre in Indianapolis, Indiana. Romeo Is Bleeding, directed by Jason Zeldes, took the prize for Best Documentary Feature. Nods for The Judgment, which is Bulgaria’s entry for the Foreign Language Film category of the Academy Awards, and Romeo Is Bleeding, each come with $45,000 prizes. Best Narrative Short award went to The Way of…...
- 10/25/2015
- Deadline
The Santa Barbara International Film Festival has unveiled its 2015 line-up which includes films representing 54 countries, 23 world premieres and 53 U.S. premieres. The U.S. premiere of Niki Caro’s McFarland USA will close out the 30th fest. Based on the 1987 true story and starring Kevin Costner and Maria Bello, the film follows novice runners from McFarland, an economically challenged town in California’s farm-rich Central Valley, as they give their all to build a cross-country team under the direction of Coach Jim White (Costner), a newcomer to their predominantly Latino high school. The unlikely band of runners overcomes the odds to forge not only a championship cross-country team but an enduring legacy as well.
The festival runs from January 27-February 7.
Below is the list of World and U.S. Premiere films followed by the list of titles by sidebar categories.
World Premieres
A Better You, USA
Directed by Matt Walsh
Cast: Brian Huskey,...
The festival runs from January 27-February 7.
Below is the list of World and U.S. Premiere films followed by the list of titles by sidebar categories.
World Premieres
A Better You, USA
Directed by Matt Walsh
Cast: Brian Huskey,...
- 1/8/2015
- by The Deadline Team
- Deadline
A self-acknowledged "showcase for Academy Award frontrunners," the Santa Barbara International Film Festival is often overlooked for the actual films that earn it festival status. An amalgamation of international discoveries and ’merica’s circuit highlights, the Sbiff curates a week of best-of-the-best to pair with their star-praising. The 2015 edition offers another expansive selection, bookended by two films that aren’t on any radars just yet. Sbiff will open with "Desert Dancer," producer Richard Raymond’s directorial debut. Starring Reece Ritchie and Frieda Pinto, the drama follows a group of friends who wave off the harsh political climate of Iran’s 2009 presidential election in favor of forming a dance team, picking up moves from Michael Jackson, Gene Kelly and Rudolf Nureyev thanks to the magic of YouTube. The festival will close with "McFarland, USA," starring Kevin Costner and Maria Bello. Telling the 1987 true story of a Latino high school’s underdog cross-country team,...
- 1/8/2015
- by Matt Patches
- Hitfix
Serbian film No One’s Child, about a boy raised by wolves, has been named top project at the Les Arcs European Film Festival’s Work-in-Progress screenings.
No One’s Child (Nicije dete) is the first feature of Belgrade writer and director Vuk Rsumovic and is produced by Art & Popcorn’s Miroslav Mogorovic.
It beat nine other projects to the inaugural Digimage Classics Awards, which comprises services valued up to $8,300 (€6,000).
The jury included Films Boutique head of acquisitions Gabor Greiner, Fortissimo Films acquisitions consultant Ellis Driessen and Karel Och, artistic director at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.
The jury praised the film for “a sincere and convincing presentation” and “for strong screen presence”.
No One’s Child, made on a budget of $1m (€750,000), is currently in post-production with an expected delivery date of April 2014.
Kinorama (Hungary) is co-producing. The project is currently looking for a sales agent.
Inspired by a true story, it stars Denis Murtic...
No One’s Child (Nicije dete) is the first feature of Belgrade writer and director Vuk Rsumovic and is produced by Art & Popcorn’s Miroslav Mogorovic.
It beat nine other projects to the inaugural Digimage Classics Awards, which comprises services valued up to $8,300 (€6,000).
The jury included Films Boutique head of acquisitions Gabor Greiner, Fortissimo Films acquisitions consultant Ellis Driessen and Karel Och, artistic director at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.
The jury praised the film for “a sincere and convincing presentation” and “for strong screen presence”.
No One’s Child, made on a budget of $1m (€750,000), is currently in post-production with an expected delivery date of April 2014.
Kinorama (Hungary) is co-producing. The project is currently looking for a sales agent.
Inspired by a true story, it stars Denis Murtic...
- 12/16/2013
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
Central and Eastern European filmmakers presented 19 projects at various stages of production at Karlovy Vary’s annual Works in Progress initiative.
The popular industry programme at Kviff is in its ninth year, and past films shown as Works In Progress include I Am, Lunacy, Katyn, Tricks, Alois Nebel and My Dog Killer, among many others.
This year’s selection included a standout pitch for The Disobedient [pictured], a Serbian coming-of-age road movie about two 24-year-olds from Tilva Ros producers Mina Djukic (who will direct) and Nikola Lezaic.The film is now in post for autumn delivery after wrapping its shoot in September 2012.
Another promising Serbian title, of a very different flavour, was the crowdpleasing dark comedy Monument to Michael Jackson (working title). The film will be ready to launch this autumn and the footage shown got the day’s only laughs out of the industry-heavy crowd. The film is a co-production with Macedonia and Germany.
Among the Czech...
The popular industry programme at Kviff is in its ninth year, and past films shown as Works In Progress include I Am, Lunacy, Katyn, Tricks, Alois Nebel and My Dog Killer, among many others.
This year’s selection included a standout pitch for The Disobedient [pictured], a Serbian coming-of-age road movie about two 24-year-olds from Tilva Ros producers Mina Djukic (who will direct) and Nikola Lezaic.The film is now in post for autumn delivery after wrapping its shoot in September 2012.
Another promising Serbian title, of a very different flavour, was the crowdpleasing dark comedy Monument to Michael Jackson (working title). The film will be ready to launch this autumn and the footage shown got the day’s only laughs out of the industry-heavy crowd. The film is a co-production with Macedonia and Germany.
Among the Czech...
- 7/1/2013
- by wendy.mitchell@screendaily.com (Wendy Mitchell)
- ScreenDaily
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.