One of the major figures at this year’s Venice Film Festival, Academy Award-nominated “Call Me By Your Name” director Luca Guadagnino will serve as president of the main competition official jury at Spain’s 68th San Sebastian Festival.
The announcement comes as Guadagnino world premieres two films at Venice: the doc feature “Salvatore: Shoemaker of Dreams,” about extraordinary Italian luxury shoe designer-entrepreneur Salvatore Ferragamo, and a more personal 122-minute short “Fiori, Fiori, Fiori,” in which Guadagnino looks up childhood friends to see how they’re faring during Covid-19.
At San Sebastian, Guadagnino will also be on double duty as he will also present out of the competition the world premiere of his series “We Are What We Are,” an HBO/Sky Italia production sold by Fremantle.
Acclaimed for his often glamorous movies directed with a high-style, and set in glorious locations and featuring marvelous houses – Guadagnino nevertheless maintains he has no style,...
The announcement comes as Guadagnino world premieres two films at Venice: the doc feature “Salvatore: Shoemaker of Dreams,” about extraordinary Italian luxury shoe designer-entrepreneur Salvatore Ferragamo, and a more personal 122-minute short “Fiori, Fiori, Fiori,” in which Guadagnino looks up childhood friends to see how they’re faring during Covid-19.
At San Sebastian, Guadagnino will also be on double duty as he will also present out of the competition the world premiere of his series “We Are What We Are,” an HBO/Sky Italia production sold by Fremantle.
Acclaimed for his often glamorous movies directed with a high-style, and set in glorious locations and featuring marvelous houses – Guadagnino nevertheless maintains he has no style,...
- 9/4/2020
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
Lamia Chraibi, a leading producer of daring films from the Middle East and North Africa region, is developing “Meskoun,” an ambitious pan-Arab genre-bending series with Moroccan filmmaker Hicham Lasri (“Jahilya”) on board as showrunner.
Chraibi (“Mimosas”) will produce the 14-episode series with her Moroccan banner La Prod, along with Mohamed Hefzy’s Egyptian company Film Clinic, Lebanese outfit Abbout Productions and Habib Attia’s Tunisian company Cinetelefilms.
“Meskoun” follows Lotfi, a young man who lost his fiancée and decides to take off to Europe without a permit, and tries crossing the sea. But Lotfi ends up drowning in high waters with seven other illegal immigrants from different nationalities. A month later, he reemerges inhabited by the souls of the seven strangers who drowned with him. In order to free himself from these souls, Lotfi, who has become a sort of unwilling superhero, must accomplish their respective last wish, taking him...
Chraibi (“Mimosas”) will produce the 14-episode series with her Moroccan banner La Prod, along with Mohamed Hefzy’s Egyptian company Film Clinic, Lebanese outfit Abbout Productions and Habib Attia’s Tunisian company Cinetelefilms.
“Meskoun” follows Lotfi, a young man who lost his fiancée and decides to take off to Europe without a permit, and tries crossing the sea. But Lotfi ends up drowning in high waters with seven other illegal immigrants from different nationalities. A month later, he reemerges inhabited by the souls of the seven strangers who drowned with him. In order to free himself from these souls, Lotfi, who has become a sort of unwilling superhero, must accomplish their respective last wish, taking him...
- 12/5/2019
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Get in touch to send in cinephile news and discoveries. For daily updates follow us @NotebookMUBI.NEWSPaul Thomas Anderson on set of Punch-Drunk LovePaul Thomas Anderson is set to return to his hometown of San Fernando Valley—last seen in his 2002 Punch-Drunk Love—with a 1970s-set high school movie, which will follow a student who is also a successful child actor. Recommended VIEWINGCult director Richard Stanley returns from his 25-year hiatus from directing narrative films with this his Nicolas Cage-led H.P. Lovecraft adaptation Color Out of Space, which now has a rapturous trailer. Stanley is also currently in the early stages of developing an adaptation of Lovecraft's The Dunwich Horror. We are very fond of Spanish filmmaker Oliver Laxe’s oneiric cinema, thus we are completely taken by the trailer for his forthcoming Fire Will Come, which premiered in Cannes. An entirely engrossing trailer for Blumhouse’s reinvention of H.G. Wells The Invisible Man,...
- 11/13/2019
- MUBI
San Sebastian — Rouge International co-founder Nadia Turincev, whose credits included the Oscar-nominated “The Insult,” “Raw” and “Mimosas,” has teamed with Omar El Kadi, head of acquisitions and sales, Emea, at Lebanon’s Mc Distribution, to launch Easy Riders Films, a new Paris-based production company.
If Easy Riders Films first titles are anything to go by – Latin American co-production “Perros,” 1941 Lebanon-set comedy “The Fifteen,” political romantic drama series “L’Âge d’Or,” Easy Riders looks set to pursue the adventurous, unconventional production line which has come to distinguish Turincev.
At the same time she and El Kadi have linked from the get-go with prestigious production partners around the globe and are backing projects put through the most illustrious of development programs.
“Perros,” for example, is directed by Cannes Cinéfondation Résidence 2019 winner Vinko Tomičić, is also produced by Chile’s Jirafa Films, behind Christopher Murray’s “The Blind Christ” and Alicia Scherson’s “Il Futuro,...
If Easy Riders Films first titles are anything to go by – Latin American co-production “Perros,” 1941 Lebanon-set comedy “The Fifteen,” political romantic drama series “L’Âge d’Or,” Easy Riders looks set to pursue the adventurous, unconventional production line which has come to distinguish Turincev.
At the same time she and El Kadi have linked from the get-go with prestigious production partners around the globe and are backing projects put through the most illustrious of development programs.
“Perros,” for example, is directed by Cannes Cinéfondation Résidence 2019 winner Vinko Tomičić, is also produced by Chile’s Jirafa Films, behind Christopher Murray’s “The Blind Christ” and Alicia Scherson’s “Il Futuro,...
- 9/26/2019
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
‘+90dB’
A Basque rock band travels the globe playing to diehard fans from Japan, the U.S., Germany and France. Marina Lameiro’s second film, produced by Arena Comunicación and Txalap.art.
‘918 Nights’
Arantza Santesteban writes and directs her first feature documentary in which she explores the experience of being incarcerated for what seemed to be 918 nights. Txintxua Films and Hiruki Filmak currently produce.
‘Bromo: Agent Gernika’
Directed by Gerard Escuer the documentary follows the tumultuous life of José Laradogoitia a Basque double spy that worked against the Nazis during the World War Two. Produced by Area Audiovisual the documentary that plays with fictionalized scenes was selected in the Co production Forum of Documentaries Lau Haizetara on the 67th edition of San Sebastian. Is currently in preproduction.
‘Bye, Bye, Mr. Etxebeste’
Asier Altuna and Telmo Esnal’s follow-up to their 2005 social satire “Hello, Mr. Etxebeste,” the first Basque-language feature in years,...
A Basque rock band travels the globe playing to diehard fans from Japan, the U.S., Germany and France. Marina Lameiro’s second film, produced by Arena Comunicación and Txalap.art.
‘918 Nights’
Arantza Santesteban writes and directs her first feature documentary in which she explores the experience of being incarcerated for what seemed to be 918 nights. Txintxua Films and Hiruki Filmak currently produce.
‘Bromo: Agent Gernika’
Directed by Gerard Escuer the documentary follows the tumultuous life of José Laradogoitia a Basque double spy that worked against the Nazis during the World War Two. Produced by Area Audiovisual the documentary that plays with fictionalized scenes was selected in the Co production Forum of Documentaries Lau Haizetara on the 67th edition of San Sebastian. Is currently in preproduction.
‘Bye, Bye, Mr. Etxebeste’
Asier Altuna and Telmo Esnal’s follow-up to their 2005 social satire “Hello, Mr. Etxebeste,” the first Basque-language feature in years,...
- 9/24/2019
- by Emiliano Granada
- Variety Film + TV
Antonio Méndez Esparza’s “Que nadie duerma,” Fernando Franco’s “La consagración de la primavera” and Agustí Villaronga’s “3.000 obstáculos” figure among the seven projects to be pitched at Paris’ Small Is Biutiful forum.
The closing event for the alternative Spanish film festival Dífferent 12!, Small Is Biutiful takes place June 26, bringing together French distributors and sales executives around a selection of Spanish feature projects seeking partners.
Backed by the Cannes Film Market, Different! is organised by Espagnolas en Paris and the Ile-de-France Film Commission.
Past projects presented at Small Is Biutiful take in Oliver Laxe’s “Mimosas,” which won Cannes 2016 Critics’ Week; Carlos Vermut’s “Magical Girl,” San Sebastián’s top Golden Shell Award in 2014, and Arantxa Echevarría’s “Carmen & Lola,” winner of breakout director and supporting actress nods at February’s Goya Awards, as well as a Cannes Directors’ Fortnight contender.
“Que nadie duerma” is produced by Pedro Hernández...
The closing event for the alternative Spanish film festival Dífferent 12!, Small Is Biutiful takes place June 26, bringing together French distributors and sales executives around a selection of Spanish feature projects seeking partners.
Backed by the Cannes Film Market, Different! is organised by Espagnolas en Paris and the Ile-de-France Film Commission.
Past projects presented at Small Is Biutiful take in Oliver Laxe’s “Mimosas,” which won Cannes 2016 Critics’ Week; Carlos Vermut’s “Magical Girl,” San Sebastián’s top Golden Shell Award in 2014, and Arantxa Echevarría’s “Carmen & Lola,” winner of breakout director and supporting actress nods at February’s Goya Awards, as well as a Cannes Directors’ Fortnight contender.
“Que nadie duerma” is produced by Pedro Hernández...
- 6/25/2019
- by Emiliano De Pablos
- Variety Film + TV
Viewers obsessive about spoiler alerts will be thwarted by the very title of “Fire Will Come”: You know exactly what climax is coming in Oliver Laxe’s rustically beautiful rural parable, but its dreamy, mesmeric power lies in the waiting. An exactingly paced slow burn before it becomes, well, a very fast one, this second feature from the Franco-Spanish filmmaker confirms all the poised formal promise of “You Are All Captains” and “Mimosas,” while bringing greater depth and generosity of human observation to his rich, abundant mood-harvesting. Following the daily travails of a convicted pyromaniac as he attempts to resettle in his family farmstead, “Fire Will Come” may have limited commercial potential, but its appearance in Cannes’ Un Certain Regard sidebar — where it deservedly won the runner-up Jury Prize, following the 2016 Critics’ Week triumph of “Mimosas” — represents another step toward major auteur status for its unobtrusively gifted helmer.
Though...
Though...
- 6/9/2019
- by Guy Lodge
- Variety Film + TV
With a seemingly endless amount of streaming options — not only the titles at our disposal, but services themselves — we’ve taken it upon ourselves to highlight the titles that have recently hit platforms. Every week, one will be able to see the cream of the crop (or perhaps some simply interesting picks) of streaming titles (new and old) across platforms such as Netflix, iTunes, Amazon, and more (note: U.S. only). Check out our rundown for this week’s selections below.
Allure (Carlos Sanchez and Jason Sanchez)
Capturing the complexity of abuse is tough to accomplish when mainstream audiences clamor for black and white delineations between predator and prey. Some go the horror route for metaphorical terror focusing on the pursuer while others go dramatic for the helplessness of a victim unable to break free. Writer/directors (and photographers) Carlos Sanchez and Jason Sanchez chose to throw out convention, using...
Allure (Carlos Sanchez and Jason Sanchez)
Capturing the complexity of abuse is tough to accomplish when mainstream audiences clamor for black and white delineations between predator and prey. Some go the horror route for metaphorical terror focusing on the pursuer while others go dramatic for the helplessness of a victim unable to break free. Writer/directors (and photographers) Carlos Sanchez and Jason Sanchez chose to throw out convention, using...
- 3/16/2018
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
As 2017 winds down, like most cinephiles, we’re looking to get our hands on the titles that may have slipped under the radar or simply gone unseen. With the proliferation of streaming options, it’s thankfully easier than ever to play catch-up, and to assist with the process, we’re bringing you a rundown of the best titles of the year available to watch.
Curated from the Best Films of 2017 So Far list we published for the first half of the year, it also includes films we’ve enjoyed the past few months and some we’ve recently caught up on. This is far from a be-all, end-all year-end feature (that will come at the end of the year), but rather something that will hopefully be a helpful tool for readers to have a chance to seek out notable, perhaps underseen, titles from the year.
Note that we’re going by U.
Curated from the Best Films of 2017 So Far list we published for the first half of the year, it also includes films we’ve enjoyed the past few months and some we’ve recently caught up on. This is far from a be-all, end-all year-end feature (that will come at the end of the year), but rather something that will hopefully be a helpful tool for readers to have a chance to seek out notable, perhaps underseen, titles from the year.
Note that we’re going by U.
- 10/25/2017
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Ben Rivers' The Sky Trembles and the Earth Is Afraid and the Two Eyes Are Not Brothers (2015) is showing on Mubi from September 6 - October 6 and Oliver Laxe's Mimosas (2016) from September 7 - October 7, 2017 in the United Kingdom as part of the series Close-Up on Oliver Laxe.MimosasBoth Mimosas and The Sky Trembles and the Earth Is Afraid and the Two Eyes Are Not Brothers mirror each other in many different ways: they both take place in the same geographical space, the south of Morocco, they were filmed at the same time, have some of the same people in them, and are filmed in 16mm. But these are only apparent similarities that veil deeper discussions between both films. Director Oliver Laxe stands behind the camera in Mimosas, he is observed from the distance in the first part of The Sky Trembles, and finally ends up crossing the invisible wall...
- 9/11/2017
- MUBI
Preparing to ride restless horses
A journey through the mountains to return a dead sheikh to the ancient city of his birth takes on a spiritual dimension in Mimosas, Oliver Laxe's strange combination of western, modern day thriller and mystical epic. It was born out of a five year creative process, says Laxe, so pinpointing where ideas came from is difficult, but nevertheless he's prepared to share his thoughts on the experience and what it taught him.
"I was was very clear that I wanted to make an affirmative film mixing adventure with religion or mysticism," he says. "It's an experimental film in a way. In this creative process I travelled to a lot of places: Mauritania, Morocco, Senegal, Iran, Turkey. I was living in the south of Morocco to explore the location where I wanted to shoot. I had the idea to make a film of a caravan crossing the mountains.
A journey through the mountains to return a dead sheikh to the ancient city of his birth takes on a spiritual dimension in Mimosas, Oliver Laxe's strange combination of western, modern day thriller and mystical epic. It was born out of a five year creative process, says Laxe, so pinpointing where ideas came from is difficult, but nevertheless he's prepared to share his thoughts on the experience and what it taught him.
"I was was very clear that I wanted to make an affirmative film mixing adventure with religion or mysticism," he says. "It's an experimental film in a way. In this creative process I travelled to a lot of places: Mauritania, Morocco, Senegal, Iran, Turkey. I was living in the south of Morocco to explore the location where I wanted to shoot. I had the idea to make a film of a caravan crossing the mountains.
- 8/25/2017
- by Jennie Kermode
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Shot with non-professionals on location in the Atlas mountains, this dreamy, beautifully shot parable has been compared to Aguirre: The Wrath of God
Recently, British director Ben Rivers made a deeply strange Morocco-set movie, inspired by a Paul Bowles story, entitled The Sky Trembles and the Earth Is Afraid and the Two Eyes Are Not Brothers. It featured a director making a film with non-professionals on location – and for these shots Rivers used a real director and (as it were) real non-professionals making a real film: this film, in fact, from 35-year-old French-born director Oliver Laxe.
Mimosas is a challengingly static, dreamily mysterious and beautifully shot film about two disreputable Moroccan men who, as part of a caravan of travellers, accept the task of carrying the dead body of a holy man, the “Sheikh”, across the Atlas mountains to be buried in his home village. They receive help from a...
Recently, British director Ben Rivers made a deeply strange Morocco-set movie, inspired by a Paul Bowles story, entitled The Sky Trembles and the Earth Is Afraid and the Two Eyes Are Not Brothers. It featured a director making a film with non-professionals on location – and for these shots Rivers used a real director and (as it were) real non-professionals making a real film: this film, in fact, from 35-year-old French-born director Oliver Laxe.
Mimosas is a challengingly static, dreamily mysterious and beautifully shot film about two disreputable Moroccan men who, as part of a caravan of travellers, accept the task of carrying the dead body of a holy man, the “Sheikh”, across the Atlas mountains to be buried in his home village. They receive help from a...
- 8/25/2017
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
With a seemingly endless amount of streaming options — not only the titles at our disposal, but services themselves — we’ve taken it upon ourselves to highlight the titles that have recently hit platforms. Every week, one will be able to see the cream of the crop (or perhaps some simply interesting picks) of streaming titles (new and old) across platforms such as Netflix, iTunes, Amazon, and more (note: U.S. only). Check out our rundown for this week’s selections below.
Daughters of the Dust (Julie Dash)
That there’s a fair chance you’ve never seen Daughters of the Dust — full disclosure: I am among these people — should be taken as a failure of distribution and exposure, not the film’s quality and impact. There’s also a fair chance that the closest you’ve really come to Julie Dash‘s 1991 film is Beyoncé’s Lemonade, which paid a direct visual tribute that,...
Daughters of the Dust (Julie Dash)
That there’s a fair chance you’ve never seen Daughters of the Dust — full disclosure: I am among these people — should be taken as a failure of distribution and exposure, not the film’s quality and impact. There’s also a fair chance that the closest you’ve really come to Julie Dash‘s 1991 film is Beyoncé’s Lemonade, which paid a direct visual tribute that,...
- 6/16/2017
- by The Film Stage
- The Film Stage
Los perros, premiering in Critics' Week this year, is the second feature film by Marcela Said.When this year’s Cannes slate was announced, an absence that many immediately noted in the competition slate was that of Claire Denis’ latest project: Un beau soleil intérieur, an adaptation of Roland Barthes's 1977 text A Lover's Discourse: Fragments. Leaving aside why her last feature, Bastards, was shunted to the Un Certain Regard section in 2013, the fact that one of the world’s greatest living filmmakers was again denied a competition slot was baffling, to say the least. Except that the film will be at Cannes, premiering alongside new films by Philippe Garrel, Bruno Dumont, and Abel Ferrara no less; it just won’t be in what’s known as the Official Selection. Specifically, Denis will be opening the Director’s Fortnight (Quinzaine des Réalisateurs), a separate, parallel festival completely independent from what...
- 5/17/2017
- MUBI
Adrian Orr's Niñato topped the 19th edition of the Buenos Aires Film Festival (Bafici), which announced on Saturday the awards of its five competitions. The Spanish film, which premiered at the Visions du Réel film festival, depicts a young unemployed single father and occasional rapper who takes care of his child while living with with his parents.
Spain's independent cinema was a big winner at Bafici: Barcelona-born Carla Simón won best director honors for her debut feature Summer 1993, while the Avant Garde and Genre competition delivered a special mention for Galician filmmaker Oliver Laxe's Mimosas and a shared best short...
Spain's independent cinema was a big winner at Bafici: Barcelona-born Carla Simón won best director honors for her debut feature Summer 1993, while the Avant Garde and Genre competition delivered a special mention for Galician filmmaker Oliver Laxe's Mimosas and a shared best short...
- 4/29/2017
- by Agustin Mango
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Although there’s no shortage of regional film festivals throughout the year, few — if any — are better curated than the Maryland Film Festival. With a slate organized by Director of Programming Eric Allen Hatch, the downtown Baltimore festival, which takes place from May 3-7, offers the finest in independent and international cinema of the past year, as well as some of our most-anticipated world premieres.
Now in its 19th year, we’re pleased to debut the full line-up for the 6-screen festival, and can exclusively reveal that Brett Haley‘s The Hero (one of our favorite films from Sundance) will be the Closing Night film. World premiering at the festival is Stephen Cone‘s Princess Cyd, his follow-up to one of last year’s finest films, Henry Gamble’s Birthday Party, along with Josh Crockett‘s Dr. Brinks & Dr. Brinks.
We can also exclusively reveal the Opening Night Shorts — 5 short...
Now in its 19th year, we’re pleased to debut the full line-up for the 6-screen festival, and can exclusively reveal that Brett Haley‘s The Hero (one of our favorite films from Sundance) will be the Closing Night film. World premiering at the festival is Stephen Cone‘s Princess Cyd, his follow-up to one of last year’s finest films, Henry Gamble’s Birthday Party, along with Josh Crockett‘s Dr. Brinks & Dr. Brinks.
We can also exclusively reveal the Opening Night Shorts — 5 short...
- 4/21/2017
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
The Arab Cinema Center is launching the Critics Awards to promote and support Arab cinema internationally. The winners will be for Best Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actress and Best Actor.
The 26 member jury includes prominent Arab and foreign critics from 15 countries from around the world. Egyptian film critic Ahmed Shawky is serving as manager of the Critics Awards.
Film analyst Alaa Karkouti, CEO of Mad Solutions, the company in charge of organizing the Arab Cinema Center’s events and also the first Pan Arab independent distributor and PR company of Arabic content to and from the Arab world, said: “The Critics Awards marks a first-time initiative that encompasses film critics from all over the world dedicated to Arab films within the strategy of Arab Cinema Center to add initiatives and events to every large-scale international film festival around the world.”
He added: “This is the first new addition...
The 26 member jury includes prominent Arab and foreign critics from 15 countries from around the world. Egyptian film critic Ahmed Shawky is serving as manager of the Critics Awards.
Film analyst Alaa Karkouti, CEO of Mad Solutions, the company in charge of organizing the Arab Cinema Center’s events and also the first Pan Arab independent distributor and PR company of Arabic content to and from the Arab world, said: “The Critics Awards marks a first-time initiative that encompasses film critics from all over the world dedicated to Arab films within the strategy of Arab Cinema Center to add initiatives and events to every large-scale international film festival around the world.”
He added: “This is the first new addition...
- 4/16/2017
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
One of the common threads in the last decade or so of experimental film has been the coincidence of folklore and film grain, as the filmmakers who have the clearest heads for anthropology and myth—whether they are established names like Ben Rivers (Two Years At Sea) and Ben Russell (Let Each One Go Where He May, the Rivers collaboration A Spell To Ward Off The Darkness) or newcomers like the duo of Samuel M. Delgado and Helena Girón—also share an interest in the properties of celluloid. Perhaps it’s part of a wider search for all things primeval: the rugged landscape, the oral tradition, the photochemical process, each promising to lead the artist back to something like the raw material of their origins. This is partly what the Morocco-based Franco-Spanish filmmaker Oliver Laxe is going for with Mimosas, his primitivist, shot-on-16mm fairy tale about a ragtag group...
- 4/12/2017
- by Ignatiy Vishnevetsky
- avclub.com
On Body And Soul, Félicité among UK acquisitions.
Streaming service Mubi has picked up a quartet of Berlin and Cannes titles for exclusive theatrical and VOD release in the UK.
From Films Boutique, the company picked up Berlin Golden Bear winner On Body And Soul by Ildikó Enyedi.
The Hungarian drama, which also won the Fipresci prize, chart the story of two introverted people, both workers in a meat-processing plant, who find out by chance that they share the same dream every night.
They are puzzled, incredulous and frightened. As they begin to accept this strange coincidence, they try to recreate in broad daylight what happens in their shared dreams.
From Jour2Fete, the company has acquired Alain Gomis’ Berlin Silver Bear grand jury prize-winner Félicité.
The movie charts the story of a free-willed woman working as a singer in a bar in Kinshasa whose life is thrown into turmoil when her 14-year-old son falls victim to an accident...
Streaming service Mubi has picked up a quartet of Berlin and Cannes titles for exclusive theatrical and VOD release in the UK.
From Films Boutique, the company picked up Berlin Golden Bear winner On Body And Soul by Ildikó Enyedi.
The Hungarian drama, which also won the Fipresci prize, chart the story of two introverted people, both workers in a meat-processing plant, who find out by chance that they share the same dream every night.
They are puzzled, incredulous and frightened. As they begin to accept this strange coincidence, they try to recreate in broad daylight what happens in their shared dreams.
From Jour2Fete, the company has acquired Alain Gomis’ Berlin Silver Bear grand jury prize-winner Félicité.
The movie charts the story of a free-willed woman working as a singer in a bar in Kinshasa whose life is thrown into turmoil when her 14-year-old son falls victim to an accident...
- 4/10/2017
- by andreas.wiseman@screendaily.com (Andreas Wiseman)
- ScreenDaily
Poster shows director Julia Ducournau and actress Garance Marillier.
The poster for the 56th Cannes Critics’ Week has been revealed.
It features Raw director Julia Ducournau hugging star Garance Marillier during the film’s screening at the 2016 Critics’ Week. Alice Khol was the photographer.
French-Belgium production Raw, titled Grave in France, sees Marillier play a girl who turns to cannibalism after a bizarre initiation ritual.
Critics’ Week, the parallel section of the Cannes Film Festival honouring first and second films, will be held on 18 to 26 May, with the selection unveiled on 24 April.
Brazilian filmmaker Kleber Mendonça Filho will preside over the jury, which will award the Nespresso Grand Prize and the France 4 Visionary Award to one of the seven feature films in competition, as well as the Leica Cine Discovery Prize to one of 10 short films.
The jury also includes Diana Bustamante Escobar (producer and artistic director of the Cartagena Festival), Eric Kohn (editor of Indiewire), Hania...
The poster for the 56th Cannes Critics’ Week has been revealed.
It features Raw director Julia Ducournau hugging star Garance Marillier during the film’s screening at the 2016 Critics’ Week. Alice Khol was the photographer.
French-Belgium production Raw, titled Grave in France, sees Marillier play a girl who turns to cannibalism after a bizarre initiation ritual.
Critics’ Week, the parallel section of the Cannes Film Festival honouring first and second films, will be held on 18 to 26 May, with the selection unveiled on 24 April.
Brazilian filmmaker Kleber Mendonça Filho will preside over the jury, which will award the Nespresso Grand Prize and the France 4 Visionary Award to one of the seven feature films in competition, as well as the Leica Cine Discovery Prize to one of 10 short films.
The jury also includes Diana Bustamante Escobar (producer and artistic director of the Cartagena Festival), Eric Kohn (editor of Indiewire), Hania...
- 4/6/2017
- by orlando.parfitt@screendaily.com (Orlando Parfitt)
- ScreenDaily
Aquarius director leads jury that will award the Nespresso Grand Prize.
Brazilian filmmaker Kleber Mendonça Filho will preside over the jury at the 56th Cannes Critics’ Week, the parallel section of the Cannes Film Festival honouring first and second films.
The jury will award the Nespresso Grand Prize and the France 4 Visionary Award to one of the seven feature films in competition, as well as the Leica Cine Discovery Prize to one of 10 short films.
The director, whose Aquarius competed in Cannes’ main competition last year, is joined on the jury by Diana Bustamante Escobar (producer and artistic director of the Cartagena Festival), Eric Kohn (editor of Indiewire), Hania Mroué (director of the Cinema Metropolis in Lebanon) and Niels Schneider (Cesar Award-winning French comedian).
The Critics’ Week competition has previously featured work by Rebecca Zlotowski (Beautiful Thorn), Jeff Nichols (Take Shelter), Myroslav Slaboshpytskiy (The Tribe), David Robert Mitchell (It Follows), Santiago Miter (Paulina), Oliver Laxe (Mimosas) and Julia Ducournau...
Brazilian filmmaker Kleber Mendonça Filho will preside over the jury at the 56th Cannes Critics’ Week, the parallel section of the Cannes Film Festival honouring first and second films.
The jury will award the Nespresso Grand Prize and the France 4 Visionary Award to one of the seven feature films in competition, as well as the Leica Cine Discovery Prize to one of 10 short films.
The director, whose Aquarius competed in Cannes’ main competition last year, is joined on the jury by Diana Bustamante Escobar (producer and artistic director of the Cartagena Festival), Eric Kohn (editor of Indiewire), Hania Mroué (director of the Cinema Metropolis in Lebanon) and Niels Schneider (Cesar Award-winning French comedian).
The Critics’ Week competition has previously featured work by Rebecca Zlotowski (Beautiful Thorn), Jeff Nichols (Take Shelter), Myroslav Slaboshpytskiy (The Tribe), David Robert Mitchell (It Follows), Santiago Miter (Paulina), Oliver Laxe (Mimosas) and Julia Ducournau...
- 3/16/2017
- by orlando.parfitt@screendaily.com (Orlando Parfitt)
- ScreenDaily
Producer Michel Merkt, Cohen Media Group’s John Kochman and long-time The Simpsons writer-producer Mike Reiss will also attend.
The Doha Film Institute kicked off the third edition of its bespoke event Qumra on Friday bringing together up and coming film-makers and experienced cinema professionals from across the globe.
A total of 34 Dfi-backed projects from 25 countries at different stages of development are due to attend the six-day event featuring master-classes, screenings seminars and one-on-one sessions.
“Our focus remains to cultivate the exchange of knowledge, ideas, creativity and inspiration, and create a supportive and productive space for your projects to benefit from interactions with some of the most experienced industry professionals,” said commented Dfi CEO Fatma Al-Remaihi who welcomed the guests alongside the event’s artistic director Elia Suleiman.
Prolific Portuguese producer Paulo Branco will kick off the master-classes on Saturday (5), having chosen to screen Wim Wenders’s 1994 Lisbon Story as a work representative of his career.
French...
The Doha Film Institute kicked off the third edition of its bespoke event Qumra on Friday bringing together up and coming film-makers and experienced cinema professionals from across the globe.
A total of 34 Dfi-backed projects from 25 countries at different stages of development are due to attend the six-day event featuring master-classes, screenings seminars and one-on-one sessions.
“Our focus remains to cultivate the exchange of knowledge, ideas, creativity and inspiration, and create a supportive and productive space for your projects to benefit from interactions with some of the most experienced industry professionals,” said commented Dfi CEO Fatma Al-Remaihi who welcomed the guests alongside the event’s artistic director Elia Suleiman.
Prolific Portuguese producer Paulo Branco will kick off the master-classes on Saturday (5), having chosen to screen Wim Wenders’s 1994 Lisbon Story as a work representative of his career.
French...
- 3/3/2017
- ScreenDaily
The Gff closing gala party at the Cca
This year’s Glasgow Film Festival came to a close over Saturday and Sunday, but there was an impressive collection of films packed into that time. Some viewers caught up on earlier festival highlights as they got additional screenings, but there were also a few interesting choices that had been saved until the end. First among these was Mimosas, which may have seemed familiar to some viewers because it shares footage with one of last year’s festival choices, The Sky Trembles And The Earth Is Afraid And The Two Eyes Are Not Brothers. Both blend fact and fiction to tell strange tales of life in the mountains and deserts of Morocco, with the latter telling the fictional story of what happens to Oliver Laxe, director of the former, after he strays from the set halfway through filming.
Taking in a treasure...
This year’s Glasgow Film Festival came to a close over Saturday and Sunday, but there was an impressive collection of films packed into that time. Some viewers caught up on earlier festival highlights as they got additional screenings, but there were also a few interesting choices that had been saved until the end. First among these was Mimosas, which may have seemed familiar to some viewers because it shares footage with one of last year’s festival choices, The Sky Trembles And The Earth Is Afraid And The Two Eyes Are Not Brothers. Both blend fact and fiction to tell strange tales of life in the mountains and deserts of Morocco, with the latter telling the fictional story of what happens to Oliver Laxe, director of the former, after he strays from the set halfway through filming.
Taking in a treasure...
- 2/27/2017
- by Jennie Kermode
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Jonathan Levine (50/50, Warm Bodies) is set to direct a new dark comedy, and according to The Hollywood Reporter, he has snagged two heavy-hitters for the lead roles. Flarsky, a tale about an unemployed journalist (played by Seth Rogen, who seems to be continually trying to expand his dramatic chops outside his comedic efforts) that decides to pursue his childhood crush (Charlize Theron), who now happens to be one of the most powerful women in the world. The script is penned by Dan Sterling (The Interview), and was sitting on the Black List in 2011 until it was scooped by Point Grey and Denver & Delilah. Flarsky is set for an August production start, which means we’ll likely see it in 2018.
In other news, director Matt Ross, whose last film Captain Fantastic earned Viggo Mortensen an Oscar nomination, has found his next project with Tomorrow and Tomorrow, Variety reports, and he’ll...
In other news, director Matt Ross, whose last film Captain Fantastic earned Viggo Mortensen an Oscar nomination, has found his next project with Tomorrow and Tomorrow, Variety reports, and he’ll...
- 2/24/2017
- by Mike Mazzanti
- The Film Stage
Although relegation to a sidebar made the film harder to find amidst Cannes’ typical hustle and bustle, Mimosas made a strong impression on those who saw it, earning some of the festival’s best reviews and ultimately taking home their Critics’ Week Grand Prize. Oliver Laxe’s 16mm-shot, Morocco-set western has been praised for its rich, even hypnotic images, the effect of a spare narrative, and cultural narrative amidst certain genre trappings — and now it’s coming to the U.S. for a theatrical run, courtesy of Grasshopper Film.
You’ll get some taste for the picture’s particular approach in a U.S. trailer that’s just been released. And that’s an occasion not to be passed up: as we said in our review, “It’s a spiritual, ambiguously plotted journey through the Atlas Mountains, and those willing to give in to its mystical embrace and gorgeous visuals should find it a sensual,...
You’ll get some taste for the picture’s particular approach in a U.S. trailer that’s just been released. And that’s an occasion not to be passed up: as we said in our review, “It’s a spiritual, ambiguously plotted journey through the Atlas Mountains, and those willing to give in to its mystical embrace and gorgeous visuals should find it a sensual,...
- 2/23/2017
- by Nick Newman
- The Film Stage
Exclusive: Iffr reveals lineup and jury for programme focused on emerging filmmakers.
International Film Festival Rotterdam (Iffr) (25 Jan – 5 Feb) has announced the full line-up of its Bright Future programme, including the titles that will compete for the Bright Future Award.
Scroll down for the full lineup
The competition for the Bright Future Award 2017 consists of sixteen debut films, including Chinese documentary Children Are Not Afraid of Death, Children Are Afraid of Ghosts by Rong Guang Rong and Caroline Leone’s melancholy Brazilian road movie Pela Janela. Also competing are Belgian title Inside the Distance and German feature Self-Criticism Of A Bourgeois Dog.
The jury for the award will be made up of Italian film producer Marta Donzelli (Le Quattro Volte); Marleen Slot, Netherlands producer for Viking Film (Neon Bull) and chair of Film Producers Netherlands (Fpn); and Jean-Pierre Rehm, director of the French film festival Fid Marseille.
Outside of this competition, Bright Future also presents...
International Film Festival Rotterdam (Iffr) (25 Jan – 5 Feb) has announced the full line-up of its Bright Future programme, including the titles that will compete for the Bright Future Award.
Scroll down for the full lineup
The competition for the Bright Future Award 2017 consists of sixteen debut films, including Chinese documentary Children Are Not Afraid of Death, Children Are Afraid of Ghosts by Rong Guang Rong and Caroline Leone’s melancholy Brazilian road movie Pela Janela. Also competing are Belgian title Inside the Distance and German feature Self-Criticism Of A Bourgeois Dog.
The jury for the award will be made up of Italian film producer Marta Donzelli (Le Quattro Volte); Marleen Slot, Netherlands producer for Viking Film (Neon Bull) and chair of Film Producers Netherlands (Fpn); and Jean-Pierre Rehm, director of the French film festival Fid Marseille.
Outside of this competition, Bright Future also presents...
- 1/4/2017
- by andreas.wiseman@screendaily.com (Andreas Wiseman)
- ScreenDaily
This was a busy year at Tiff, where I was a juror for Fipresci, helping to award a prize for best premiere in the Discovery section. Not only did this mean that some other films had to take a back burner—sadly, I did not see Eduardo Williams’ The Human Surge—but my writing time was a bit compromised as well. Better late than never? That is for you, Gentle Reader, to decide.Austerlitz (Sergei Loznitsa, Germany)So basic in the telling—a record of several days’ worth of visitors mostly to the Sachsenhausen concentration camp in Oranienberg, Germany—Austerlitz is a film that in many ways exemplifies the critical theory of Theodor Adorno and Walter Benjamin. What is the net effect for humanity when, faced with the drive to remember the unfathomable, we employ the grossly inadequate tools at our disposal?Austerlitz takes its name from W. G. Sebald’s final novel.
- 9/20/2016
- MUBI
★★★★☆ Ben Rivers' The Sky Trembles and the Earth is Afraid and the Two Eyes Are Not Brothers began with behind-the-scenes footage from two films being shot in Morocco before a film director, played by Oliver Laxe, disappeared into the wilderness. The latter half may be pure fiction, but the first was compiled with footage from the shoot of Laxe's own film, Mimosas. Strikingly similar to the Rivers film - both are simultaneously entrancing and inscrutable - it's a sparse and ravishing meditation on faith.
- 9/15/2016
- by CineVue
- CineVue
Oliver LaxeTime seems to have inverted: last year saw the release of British artist Ben Rivers’ The Sky Trembles and the Earth Is Afraid and the Two Eyes Are Not Brothers, a feature film that appears to be a behind-the-scenes record of the production of Spanish director Oliver Laxe’s second film, Mimosas, in Morocco. But soon The Sky Trembles turns into something else, its patchwork-colored landscapes drawing Laxe off his own film set and on a stripped-down journey through the desert. Kidnapped and covered in tin armor, Laxe goes through an allegorical rite of passage inspired by the writing of Paul Bowles and reminiscent of how, in his feature debut, 2010’s marvelous You Are All Captains, the young director is also replaced from his own film and which seems to get along just fine without him.This year we finally see Mimosas, the film whose production we spied in The Sky Trembles.
- 9/13/2016
- MUBI
The Film Society of Lincoln Center today announced the lineup for Explorations, a new section featuring bold selections from the vanguard of contemporary cinema, and Main Slate shorts for the 54th New York Film Festival.
Read More: Nyff Reveals Main Slate of 2016 Titles, Including ‘Manchester By the Sea,’ ‘Paterson’ and ‘Personal Shopper’
Explorations is devoted to work from around the world, from filmmakers across the spectrum of experience and artistic sensibility. It kicks off with six features, including Albert Serra’s latest, “The Death of Louis Xiv,” featuring a tour de force performance by French cinema legend Jean-Pierre Léaud; Douglas Gordon’s portrait of avant-garde icon Jonas Mekas, “I Had Nowhere to Go”; João Pedro Rodrigues’s “The Ornithologist”, which won him the Best Director prize at Locarno; as well as Natalia Almada’s “Everything Else”, Gastón Solnicki’s “Kékszakállú,” and Oliver Laxe’s “Mimosas.”
New York Film Festival Director...
Read More: Nyff Reveals Main Slate of 2016 Titles, Including ‘Manchester By the Sea,’ ‘Paterson’ and ‘Personal Shopper’
Explorations is devoted to work from around the world, from filmmakers across the spectrum of experience and artistic sensibility. It kicks off with six features, including Albert Serra’s latest, “The Death of Louis Xiv,” featuring a tour de force performance by French cinema legend Jean-Pierre Léaud; Douglas Gordon’s portrait of avant-garde icon Jonas Mekas, “I Had Nowhere to Go”; João Pedro Rodrigues’s “The Ornithologist”, which won him the Best Director prize at Locarno; as well as Natalia Almada’s “Everything Else”, Gastón Solnicki’s “Kékszakállú,” and Oliver Laxe’s “Mimosas.”
New York Film Festival Director...
- 8/29/2016
- by Vikram Murthi
- Indiewire
Raven Banner’s specialty label has acquired Canadian rights to two Toronto-bound Cannes triumphs: Un Certain Regard winner The Happiest Day In The Life Of Olli Mäki and Critics Week winner Mimosas.
The Happiest Day In The Life Of Olli Mäki marks the feature debut of Finland’s Juho Kuosmanen and tells of the eponymous Finnish boxer’s bid to win the world featherweight title in 1962. It gets its first screening in Discovery on September 8.
Mimosas is the second feature from Spain’s Oliver Laxe and centres on a mysterious caravan carrying a dying sheikh to his resting place in the Moroccan desert. The film first screens in Wavelengths on September 10.
Northern Banner plans a theatrical 2017 release for both titles and negotiated The Happiest Day In The Life Of Olli Mäki with Les Films du Losange and Mimosas with Paris-based Luxbox.
“It’s a huge honour to be working with such bold and innovative new filmmakers as Kuosmanen...
The Happiest Day In The Life Of Olli Mäki marks the feature debut of Finland’s Juho Kuosmanen and tells of the eponymous Finnish boxer’s bid to win the world featherweight title in 1962. It gets its first screening in Discovery on September 8.
Mimosas is the second feature from Spain’s Oliver Laxe and centres on a mysterious caravan carrying a dying sheikh to his resting place in the Moroccan desert. The film first screens in Wavelengths on September 10.
Northern Banner plans a theatrical 2017 release for both titles and negotiated The Happiest Day In The Life Of Olli Mäki with Les Films du Losange and Mimosas with Paris-based Luxbox.
“It’s a huge honour to be working with such bold and innovative new filmmakers as Kuosmanen...
- 8/29/2016
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Plus: Nyff unveils inaugural Explorations strand; Academy announces 17 student winners; and more…
Focus Features has pushed J A Bayona’s imminent Toronto world premiere into December.
A Monster Calls will launch on a ten-city run on December 23 before expanding wide on January 6, 2017.
The film premieres in Toronto as a gala presentation on September 9 and recounts the story of the son of a dying woman who befriends a tree-shaped beast.
Liam Neeson, Sigourney Weaver, Felicity Jones, Toby Kebbell and Lewis MacDougall are among the cast. The original release date was October 21. Lionsgate International handles sales outside the Us.
Top brass at The Film Society Of Lincoln Center have announced Explorations, a new section of the New York Film Festival from global film-makers “across the spectrum of experience and artistic sensibility.” The inaugural roster comprises: Albert Serra’s The Death Of Louis Xiv; Douglas Gordon’s I Had Nowhere to Go; João Pedro Rodrigues’ The Ornithologist; Natalia Almada’s Everything...
Focus Features has pushed J A Bayona’s imminent Toronto world premiere into December.
A Monster Calls will launch on a ten-city run on December 23 before expanding wide on January 6, 2017.
The film premieres in Toronto as a gala presentation on September 9 and recounts the story of the son of a dying woman who befriends a tree-shaped beast.
Liam Neeson, Sigourney Weaver, Felicity Jones, Toby Kebbell and Lewis MacDougall are among the cast. The original release date was October 21. Lionsgate International handles sales outside the Us.
Top brass at The Film Society Of Lincoln Center have announced Explorations, a new section of the New York Film Festival from global film-makers “across the spectrum of experience and artistic sensibility.” The inaugural roster comprises: Albert Serra’s The Death Of Louis Xiv; Douglas Gordon’s I Had Nowhere to Go; João Pedro Rodrigues’ The Ornithologist; Natalia Almada’s Everything...
- 8/29/2016
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
NEWSMost exciting for us this week is the news that the Cannes Un Certain Regard prizewinner this year, Juho Kuosmanen's wonderful debut film The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Mäki, will be having its North American premiere in the Discovery section of the Toronto International Film Festival. Mubi is distributing the film theatrically and digitally in the United States and United Kingdom.Recommended VIEWINGCourtesy of the Criterion Collection, excerpts of Ingrid Bergman's home movies, which include Alfred Hitchcock, made around the time of their collaboration on Spellbound. With the full lineup of the Toronto International Film Festival announced and the autumn film season nearly upon us, wonderful trailers have been released in an overwhelming deluge. Here are some of the highlights:The much-anticipated restoration and re-release of Julie Dash's Daughters of the Dust.Hong Sang-soo's Yourself and Yours, which gets a typically wacky trailer.Bertrand Bonello's Nocturama,...
- 8/24/2016
- MUBI
Exclusive: Tale of Ukrainian woman’s struggle to build new life in Germany was produced by Pandora.
Paris-based Luxbox has picked up world sales rights to German director Michael Koch’s migrant drama Marija ahead of its premiere in competition at the Locarno Film Festival in August.
The debut feature revolves around a young Ukrainian woman who makes a living cleaning hotel rooms in the German city of Dortmund but dreams of owning her own hair salon.
Determined to achieve her ambitions, she is willing to compromise her body, personal relationships and even suppress her own feelings in the process. Russian-born, Germany-based actress Margarita Breitkreiz plays the titular role.
Cologne-based Pandora Film Produktion lead-produced the film with Swiss Hugofilm and Germany’s Little Shark Entertainment on board as co-producers.
“For Pandora, it is very important to continue producing artistic first films from Germany,” commented Pandora producer Christoph Friedel. “With Marija, Michael Koch achieves...
Paris-based Luxbox has picked up world sales rights to German director Michael Koch’s migrant drama Marija ahead of its premiere in competition at the Locarno Film Festival in August.
The debut feature revolves around a young Ukrainian woman who makes a living cleaning hotel rooms in the German city of Dortmund but dreams of owning her own hair salon.
Determined to achieve her ambitions, she is willing to compromise her body, personal relationships and even suppress her own feelings in the process. Russian-born, Germany-based actress Margarita Breitkreiz plays the titular role.
Cologne-based Pandora Film Produktion lead-produced the film with Swiss Hugofilm and Germany’s Little Shark Entertainment on board as co-producers.
“For Pandora, it is very important to continue producing artistic first films from Germany,” commented Pandora producer Christoph Friedel. “With Marija, Michael Koch achieves...
- 7/13/2016
- ScreenDaily
Keep up with the wild and wooly world of indie film acquisitions with our weekly Rundown of everything that’s been picked up around the globe. Check out last week’s Rundown here.
– Oscilloscope Laboratories has announced that it has acquired North American rights to Bill Ross and Turner Ross’s latest documentary featuring and produced by David Byrne, “Contemporary Color.” The film premiered at the 2016 Tribeca Film Festival, where it won awards for Best Documentary Cinematography and Best Documentary Editing.
The film’s camera operators included many well-known documentary directors and cinematographers, including Jarred Alterman, Sean Price Williams, Robert Greene, Amanda Rose Wilder, Jessica Oreck, Wyatt Garfield and Michael Palmieri. Oscilloscope will release the film in theaters in 2017 followed by a release across all ancillary platforms.
– Abramorama has acquired U.S. theatrical rights to Kim A. Snyder’s powerful documentary “Newtown,” which was produced by Itvs, while The Orchard will handle TV,...
– Oscilloscope Laboratories has announced that it has acquired North American rights to Bill Ross and Turner Ross’s latest documentary featuring and produced by David Byrne, “Contemporary Color.” The film premiered at the 2016 Tribeca Film Festival, where it won awards for Best Documentary Cinematography and Best Documentary Editing.
The film’s camera operators included many well-known documentary directors and cinematographers, including Jarred Alterman, Sean Price Williams, Robert Greene, Amanda Rose Wilder, Jessica Oreck, Wyatt Garfield and Michael Palmieri. Oscilloscope will release the film in theaters in 2017 followed by a release across all ancillary platforms.
– Abramorama has acquired U.S. theatrical rights to Kim A. Snyder’s powerful documentary “Newtown,” which was produced by Itvs, while The Orchard will handle TV,...
- 7/1/2016
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
Fledgling NY outfit Grasshopper Film has taken rights to Oliver Laxe’s Morocco-set Western.
New York-based Grasshopper Film has acquired Us rights to Oliver Laxe’s Cannes-winning film Mimosas.
The Arabic language Western, which won the Critics Week Grand Prize at Cannes in May, follows a caravan carrying a dying sheikh who wished to be buried with his loved ones in the Moroccan Atlas Mountains.
The Us deal was negotiated by Ryan Krivoshey, founder and president of Grasshopper Film, with Fiorella Moretti of Paris-based sales agent Luxbox.
Krivoshey commented: “Mimosas is an enigmatic, gorgeous work that will enthrall audiences around the country, much as it did in Cannes. We are extremely excited to be working with Oliver, Fiorella, and the entire Luxbox team on this release.”
Laxe’s feature debut You All Are Captains premiered at Cannes in 2010, winning the Firpresci prize.
Launched earlier this year, Grasshopper Film’s upcoming slate includes Laura Israel’s documentary Don’t Blink...
New York-based Grasshopper Film has acquired Us rights to Oliver Laxe’s Cannes-winning film Mimosas.
The Arabic language Western, which won the Critics Week Grand Prize at Cannes in May, follows a caravan carrying a dying sheikh who wished to be buried with his loved ones in the Moroccan Atlas Mountains.
The Us deal was negotiated by Ryan Krivoshey, founder and president of Grasshopper Film, with Fiorella Moretti of Paris-based sales agent Luxbox.
Krivoshey commented: “Mimosas is an enigmatic, gorgeous work that will enthrall audiences around the country, much as it did in Cannes. We are extremely excited to be working with Oliver, Fiorella, and the entire Luxbox team on this release.”
Laxe’s feature debut You All Are Captains premiered at Cannes in 2010, winning the Firpresci prize.
Launched earlier this year, Grasshopper Film’s upcoming slate includes Laura Israel’s documentary Don’t Blink...
- 6/29/2016
- ScreenDaily
New York-based Grasshopper Film has picked up all U.S. distribution rights to Oliver Laxe's Mimosas, which scooped the Critics’ Week Grand Prize at the Cannes Film Festival last month. A theatrical release is planned in winter this year. Grasshopper made the deal with Paris-based Luxbox. The sophomore feature from Spanish director Laxe, Mimosas follows a mysterious caravan carrying a dying sheikh into the Moroccan Atlas Mountains. The odyssey comes with its own mystical…...
- 6/29/2016
- Deadline
Halfway through the Cannes Film Festival, buzz is hearing about “Jackie”, now in post-production, an account of the days of First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy in the immediate aftermath of John F. Kennedy's assassination in 1963, directed by Pablo Larraín whose Directors’ Fortnight contender “Neruda” is receiving raves here. Another hot Directors’ Fortnight film “Mean Dreams” with Bill Paxton is praised by one important film buyer as “Mud” meets “Cold in July” in a tense coming-of-age drama about a 15-year-old boy. And Sony Pictures Classics has snatched U.S. rights to the German Competition comedy, “Toni Erdmann”.
This year in the Cannes Film Festival’s Official Competition Section, there are no first time film directors, only established masters, some praised and some panned. However, Cannes Official Un Certain Regard specifically shows emerging filmmakers who are considered to be the next generation of master auteurs of cinema. Out of its 17 films, seven were first features from Romania, France, Israel, USA, Argentina, Finland and the Netherlands. Three of the seven are by women: Stéphanie Di Giusto’s “La Danseuse” (“The Dancer”) is about Loïe Fuller, the toast of the Folies Bergères at the turn of the 20th century and an inspiration for Toulouse-Lautrec and the Lumière Brothers.
Maha Haj From Israel debuted on the first day with “Personal Affairs”, about an old couple in Nazareth and their son and daughter who live on the other side of the border. Other first films are the much-anticipated “The Red Turtle”, a dialogue-free animated feature from Studio Ghibli but made in France and directed by Dutch-born, London-based animator Michael Dudok de Wit, the Finnish-German-Swedish “The Happiest Day In The Life Of Olli Mäki” and Bogdan Mirica’s “Dogs”. The debut So. Korean film, “Train to Busan”, showed in the Official Midnight Screening section and featured a zombie-virus breaking out in South Korea, and a couple of passengers struggling to survive on the train from Seoul to Busan – enough to make me want to stop traveling.
“Fool Moon” by France’s Gregoire Leprinr-Foret had a Special Screening within the Official selection and received mixed reviews. In Critics Week, three of ten films selected and judged bycritics as the best films of the year thus far are first features: K. Rajapal’s drama “A Yellow Bird” from Singapore and France about a Singaporean Indian man trying to reconnect with his estranged family after he is released from prison, Mehmet Can Mertoglu’s “Albüm” from Turkey, France and Romania (See the trailer here) and Alessandro Comidin’s “Happy Times Will Come Soon” from Italy. The Acid sidebar of eight very independent features has two first films.
Also noticeable this year is the high number of films co-financed by the Doha Film Institute. Asgaard Farhadi's " The Salesman" will have its world premiere in the Festival’s Official Competition where it competes for the coveted Palme d’Or. “The Salesman” is about a couple who is forced out of their apartment due to dangerous works on a neighboring building. It is one of two Iranian films this year. The other, “Inversion” will play in Un Certain Regard.” Newly established Doha Film Institute lent financial support to two films showing in Un Certain Regard section – “Apprentice” (Singapore, Germany, France, Hong Kong, Qatar) written and directed by Boo Junfeng; and debut feature “Dogs” (Romania, France, Bulgaria, Qatar). Directors’ Fortnight is screens “Divines” (Morocco, France, Qatar) and three Dfi grantee films compete for top honors in the Critics Week: “Mimosas” (Spain, Morocco, France, Qatar) by Oliver Laxe; “Tramontane” (Lebanon, France, UAE, Qatar) by Vatche Boulghourjian; and “Diamond Island” (Cambodia, France, Germany, Qatar) by Davy Chou touted as poetic and beautiful, a part of what might be a Cambodian New Wave. This New Wave from Cambodia is being helped along by the Doha Film Institute whose CEO, Fatma Al Remaihi says:
“At the very core of Dfi’s film funding mandate is to contribute to World Cinema and ensure that great stories continue to be told. These projects will also inspire the young Qatari film professionals to create compelling content that will gain international acclaim.”
Shahrbanoo Sadat’s debut feature “Wolf and Sheep”, in Directors’ Fortnight, is about Sadat herself, who lives in Kabul and Denmark. It takes place in the isolated village in Central Afghanistan where she grew up and where young boys and girls are shepherds. International coproductions are the engine driving the film business today and this one, a Denmark-France-Sweden-Afghanistan coproduction is a prime example. Sadat was spotted previously when her 2011 short “Vice Versa One” screened at Directors’ Fortnight and was invited to develop “Wolf And Sheep” at Cannes Cinefondation Residency in 2010, which mentors emerging talent. Virginie Devesa of the international sales company Alpha Violet picked up the film here in Cannes. Alpha Violet is also selling ”A Yellow Bird” in Critics’ Week and is representing “Luxembourg”, the newest film by Myroslav Slaboshpytskiy, whose first film “The Tribe” played in Sundance and other top fests.
This year in the Cannes Film Festival’s Official Competition Section, there are no first time film directors, only established masters, some praised and some panned. However, Cannes Official Un Certain Regard specifically shows emerging filmmakers who are considered to be the next generation of master auteurs of cinema. Out of its 17 films, seven were first features from Romania, France, Israel, USA, Argentina, Finland and the Netherlands. Three of the seven are by women: Stéphanie Di Giusto’s “La Danseuse” (“The Dancer”) is about Loïe Fuller, the toast of the Folies Bergères at the turn of the 20th century and an inspiration for Toulouse-Lautrec and the Lumière Brothers.
Maha Haj From Israel debuted on the first day with “Personal Affairs”, about an old couple in Nazareth and their son and daughter who live on the other side of the border. Other first films are the much-anticipated “The Red Turtle”, a dialogue-free animated feature from Studio Ghibli but made in France and directed by Dutch-born, London-based animator Michael Dudok de Wit, the Finnish-German-Swedish “The Happiest Day In The Life Of Olli Mäki” and Bogdan Mirica’s “Dogs”. The debut So. Korean film, “Train to Busan”, showed in the Official Midnight Screening section and featured a zombie-virus breaking out in South Korea, and a couple of passengers struggling to survive on the train from Seoul to Busan – enough to make me want to stop traveling.
“Fool Moon” by France’s Gregoire Leprinr-Foret had a Special Screening within the Official selection and received mixed reviews. In Critics Week, three of ten films selected and judged bycritics as the best films of the year thus far are first features: K. Rajapal’s drama “A Yellow Bird” from Singapore and France about a Singaporean Indian man trying to reconnect with his estranged family after he is released from prison, Mehmet Can Mertoglu’s “Albüm” from Turkey, France and Romania (See the trailer here) and Alessandro Comidin’s “Happy Times Will Come Soon” from Italy. The Acid sidebar of eight very independent features has two first films.
Also noticeable this year is the high number of films co-financed by the Doha Film Institute. Asgaard Farhadi's " The Salesman" will have its world premiere in the Festival’s Official Competition where it competes for the coveted Palme d’Or. “The Salesman” is about a couple who is forced out of their apartment due to dangerous works on a neighboring building. It is one of two Iranian films this year. The other, “Inversion” will play in Un Certain Regard.” Newly established Doha Film Institute lent financial support to two films showing in Un Certain Regard section – “Apprentice” (Singapore, Germany, France, Hong Kong, Qatar) written and directed by Boo Junfeng; and debut feature “Dogs” (Romania, France, Bulgaria, Qatar). Directors’ Fortnight is screens “Divines” (Morocco, France, Qatar) and three Dfi grantee films compete for top honors in the Critics Week: “Mimosas” (Spain, Morocco, France, Qatar) by Oliver Laxe; “Tramontane” (Lebanon, France, UAE, Qatar) by Vatche Boulghourjian; and “Diamond Island” (Cambodia, France, Germany, Qatar) by Davy Chou touted as poetic and beautiful, a part of what might be a Cambodian New Wave. This New Wave from Cambodia is being helped along by the Doha Film Institute whose CEO, Fatma Al Remaihi says:
“At the very core of Dfi’s film funding mandate is to contribute to World Cinema and ensure that great stories continue to be told. These projects will also inspire the young Qatari film professionals to create compelling content that will gain international acclaim.”
Shahrbanoo Sadat’s debut feature “Wolf and Sheep”, in Directors’ Fortnight, is about Sadat herself, who lives in Kabul and Denmark. It takes place in the isolated village in Central Afghanistan where she grew up and where young boys and girls are shepherds. International coproductions are the engine driving the film business today and this one, a Denmark-France-Sweden-Afghanistan coproduction is a prime example. Sadat was spotted previously when her 2011 short “Vice Versa One” screened at Directors’ Fortnight and was invited to develop “Wolf And Sheep” at Cannes Cinefondation Residency in 2010, which mentors emerging talent. Virginie Devesa of the international sales company Alpha Violet picked up the film here in Cannes. Alpha Violet is also selling ”A Yellow Bird” in Critics’ Week and is representing “Luxembourg”, the newest film by Myroslav Slaboshpytskiy, whose first film “The Tribe” played in Sundance and other top fests.
- 5/27/2016
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
Below you will find our favorite films of the Festival de Cannes, as well as an index of our coverage, with more entries, including interviews, to come. We also have an index of the festival's awards.Toni ErdmannAWARDSTOP Picksdaniel Kasmani. Toni Erdmann, PatersonII. Elle, Sweet Dreams, Sieranevada, The Death of Louis Xiviii. Exile, Aquarius, Staying VerticalIV. Personal Shopper, Mimosas, Wolf and Sheep, Raw***Coverageforrest CARDAMENISAcross The Croisette: A Brief History of the Directors' FortnightADRIAN CURRYThe Posters of the 2016 Cannes CompetitionDANIEL KASMANSieranevada (Cristi Puiu)Staying Vertical (Alain Guiraudie)Sweet Dreams (Marco Bellocchio)Slack Bay (Bruno Dumont)Endless Poetry (Alejandro Jodorowsky)Exile (Rithy Panh)Toni Erdmann (Maren Ade)Mimosas (Oliver Laxe)Paterson (Jim Jarmusch)Personal Shopper (Oliver Assayas)The Unknown Girl (Jean Pierre & Luc Dardenne)La mort de Louis Xiv (Albert Serra)Elle (Paul Verhoeven)Josh CABRITAThe Neon Demon (Nicolas Winding Refn)Jake PAULThe Current Debate: Amazon at CannesThe Current Debate: Pop...
- 5/27/2016
- MUBI
A “religious western” is how Moroccan-based Spanish director Oliver Laxe describes his second film Mimosas, winner of the top prize at Cannes’ Critics’ Week. It’s a spiritual, ambiguously-plotted journey through the Atlas Mountains, but those willing to give in to its mystical embrace and gorgeous visuals should find it an sensual, engrossing watch.
There’s spiritualism from the opening scenes: deep in the Moroccan mountains, a group of nomadic travelers are being led to the ancient city of Sijilmasa by their wizened old sheik, a dying man who wants to be buried in his home town. Crossing the Atlas is treacherous, and some in the caravan object, but faith in their leader among the rest carries them through.
The film cuts to what seems like another world – a bustling city, where Shakib (an eminently watchable Shakib Ben Omar) extolls a Quranic tale of the devil in the garden of Eden.
There’s spiritualism from the opening scenes: deep in the Moroccan mountains, a group of nomadic travelers are being led to the ancient city of Sijilmasa by their wizened old sheik, a dying man who wants to be buried in his home town. Crossing the Atlas is treacherous, and some in the caravan object, but faith in their leader among the rest carries them through.
The film cuts to what seems like another world – a bustling city, where Shakib (an eminently watchable Shakib Ben Omar) extolls a Quranic tale of the devil in the garden of Eden.
- 5/25/2016
- by Ed Frankl
- The Film Stage
In CompetitionPalme d'Or – I, Daniel Blake, directed by Ken Loach. Grand Prix – It's Only the End of the World, directed by Xavier Dolan.Jury Prize – American Honey, directed by Andrea Arnold. Best Director – Olivier Assayas for Personal Shopper and Cristian Mungiu for Graduation. Best Actor – Shahab Hosseini for The Salesman.Best Actress – Jaclyn Jose for Ma' Rosa.Best Screenplay – Asghar Farhadi for The Salesman.Un Certain RegardPrix Un Certain Regard – The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Mäki, directed by Juho KuosmanenJury Prize – Harmonium, directed by Köji Fukada. Best Director – Captain Fantastic, directed by Matt Ross. Best Screenplay – Delphine Coulin and Muriel Coulin for The Stopover. Special Prize – The Red Turtle, directed by Michael Dudok de WitCamera d'OrCamera d'Or – Divines, directed by Houda Benyamina.Critics' WeekCritics' Week Grand Prize – Mimosas, directed by Oliver Laxe. FIPRESCICompetition Fipresci Prize – Toni Erdmann, directed by Maren AdeUn Certain Regard Fipresci Prize – Caini, directed...
- 5/22/2016
- MUBI
Other winners included Mehmet Can Mertoglu’s Albüm and Wregas Bhanuteja’s Penjak.
Oliver Laxe’s Mimosas has won the Nespresso Grand Prize at the 55th Critics’ Week – the Cannes Film Festival sidebar devoted to first and second features.
Review: Mimosas
The story follows a caravan escorting a dying sheikh across the Atlas Mountains to fulfil his dying wish.
France-born, Spain-based Laxe won the €15,000 ($17,000) prize, which has previously been awarded to Guillermo del Toro, Gaspar Noe and Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu among others.
The film, which was shot in Morocco and took part in Qumra 2016, is Laxe’s second film after You Are All Captains, which screened in Directors’ Fortnight in 2010, winning the Fipresci prize
Mimosas is a Spain-Morocco-France-Qatar co-production and is sold by Luxbox.
Albüm, from Turkish filmmaker Mehmet Can Mertoğlu, won the France 4 Visionary Award, which rewards “outstanding creativity and innovation”.
The black comedy centres on an Antalya-based couple who fake a pregnancy to keep their...
Oliver Laxe’s Mimosas has won the Nespresso Grand Prize at the 55th Critics’ Week – the Cannes Film Festival sidebar devoted to first and second features.
Review: Mimosas
The story follows a caravan escorting a dying sheikh across the Atlas Mountains to fulfil his dying wish.
France-born, Spain-based Laxe won the €15,000 ($17,000) prize, which has previously been awarded to Guillermo del Toro, Gaspar Noe and Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu among others.
The film, which was shot in Morocco and took part in Qumra 2016, is Laxe’s second film after You Are All Captains, which screened in Directors’ Fortnight in 2010, winning the Fipresci prize
Mimosas is a Spain-Morocco-France-Qatar co-production and is sold by Luxbox.
Albüm, from Turkish filmmaker Mehmet Can Mertoğlu, won the France 4 Visionary Award, which rewards “outstanding creativity and innovation”.
The black comedy centres on an Antalya-based couple who fake a pregnancy to keep their...
- 5/20/2016
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
Other winners included Mehmet Can Mertoglu’s Albüm and Wregas Bhanuteja’s Penjak.
Oliver Laxe’s Mimosas has won the Nespresso Grand Prize at the 55th Critics’ Week – the Cannes Film Festival sidebar devoted to first and second features.
Review: Mimosas
The story follows a caravan escorting a dying sheikh across the Atlas Mountains to fulfil his dying wish.
France-born, Spain-based Laxe won the €15,000 ($17,000) prize, which has previously been awarded to Guillermo del Toro, Gaspar Noe and Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu among others.
The film, which was shot in Morocco and took part in Qumra 2016, is Laxe’s second film after You Are All Captains, which screened in Directors’ Fortnight in 2010, winning the Fipresci prize
Mimosas is a Spain-Morocco-France-Qatar co-production and is sold by Luxbox.
Albüm, from Turkish filmmaker Mehmet Can Mertoğlu, won the France 4 Visionary Award, which rewards “outstanding creativity and innovation”.
The black comedy centres on an Antalya-based couple who fake a pregnancy to keep their...
Oliver Laxe’s Mimosas has won the Nespresso Grand Prize at the 55th Critics’ Week – the Cannes Film Festival sidebar devoted to first and second features.
Review: Mimosas
The story follows a caravan escorting a dying sheikh across the Atlas Mountains to fulfil his dying wish.
France-born, Spain-based Laxe won the €15,000 ($17,000) prize, which has previously been awarded to Guillermo del Toro, Gaspar Noe and Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu among others.
The film, which was shot in Morocco and took part in Qumra 2016, is Laxe’s second film after You Are All Captains, which screened in Directors’ Fortnight in 2010, winning the Fipresci prize
Mimosas is a Spain-Morocco-France-Qatar co-production and is sold by Luxbox.
Albüm, from Turkish filmmaker Mehmet Can Mertoğlu, won the France 4 Visionary Award, which rewards “outstanding creativity and innovation”.
The black comedy centres on an Antalya-based couple who fake a pregnancy to keep their...
- 5/20/2016
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
The Critics' Week sidebar awards were given out Thursday night at the Cannes Film Festival, with Mimosas taking the top prize. The film, directed by Oliver Laxe, earned the Nespresso Grand Prize, which includes a €15,000 ($16,955) prize. The story centers on a caravan escorting an elderly and dying Sheikh through the Moroccan Atlas. When the man dies before they reach their destination, two rogues traveling with the caravan choose to continue the journey to bring the corpse to its final resting place. Seven films competed in the Critics' Week section, which focuses on discovering new talent. Mehmet
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- 5/19/2016
- by Rebecca Ford, Rhonda Richford
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
In the first group of significant prizes to come as the Cannes Film Festival winds down, the Critics’ Week sidebar named its winners this evening. Mimosas, the sophomore feature from Spain’s Oliver Laxe, scored the Nespresso Grand Prize, while Turkish comedy Album was honored with the France 4 Visionary Award. In prizes given by the section’s partners, crowd-pleaser One Week And A Day by Israeli-American Asaph Polonsky was also highlighted. Mimosas is a mountain odyssey…...
- 5/19/2016
- Deadline
"The Salesman" written and directed by celebrated filmmaker Asghar Farhadi, and co-financed by the Doha Film Institute, had its world premiere in the official competition of the 2016 Cannes Film Festival. Six other films supported by the Doha Film Institute Grants program have been screening in key sections at the prestigious global film event.
"The Salesman" is produced by Memento Films Production and Asghar Farhadi Production, in coproduction with Arte France Cinéma and in association with Doha Film Institute, Memento Films Distribution and Arte France. Amazon and Cohen Media Group have recently picked up North American rights.
Forced out of their apartment due to dangerous works on a neighboring building, Emad and Rana move into a new flat in the center of Tehran. An incident linked to the previous tenant will dramatically change the young couple’s life. "The Salesman" stars Shahab Hosseini ("A Separation") and Taraneh Alidoosti ("About Elly"). Farhadi won the 2012 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film for "A Separation" and the Best Actress Award at Cannes 2013 for his last film "The Past."
Fatma Al Remaihi, Chief Executive Officer of the Doha Film Institute, said: “We are delighted that seven films supported by the Institute have been officially selected at Cannes this year. The selection of 'The Salesman' in the Festival’s official competition section is an achievement we are all very excited about, as it adds to our pride in partnering with international productions that set new benchmarks in excellence in filmmaking. Asghar Farhadi is one of the most recognized filmmakers working today, someone we have long admired for his talent and commitment to making films that tackle strong subject matters with enduring humanity.
“I would like to thank the entire team behind the film for sharing their vision with us and making us a part of their incredible journey, and wish them the very best. This has been a passion project for all involved and we look forward to audiences discovering this latest masterpiece”.
Among the six Dfi grantee films, two have been selected to the Un Certain Regard section - "Apprentice" (Singapore, Germany, France, Hong Kong, Qatar) written and directed by Boo Junfeng; and "Dogs" (Romania, France, Bulgaria, Qatar) by Bogdan Florian Mirica.
Showcased in the Directors’ Fortnight is "Divines" (Morocco, France, Qatar), directed by Houda Benyamina. The remaining three Dfi grantee films will compete for top honours in the Critics Week including: "Mimosas" (Spain, Morocco, France, Qatar) by Oliver Laxe; "Tramontane" (Lebanon, France, UAE, Qatar) by Vatche Boulghourjian; and "Diamond Island" (Cambodia, France, Germany, Qatar) by Davy Chou.
“At the very core of Dfi’s film funding mandate is to contribute to World Cinema and ensure that great stories continue to be told. We are committed to celebrating high-calibre talents, both emerging and established, to contribute to a growing roster of quality world cinema. Through our Dfi Grantee program, we are underling our commitment to support emerging talent and create a body of work that reflects the cinematic ambitions of the next generation. These projects will also inspire the young Qatari film professionals to create compelling content that will gain international acclaim,” added Al Remaihi.
As part of Qatar’s presence in Cannes, the Doha Film Institute is also presenting a special Made in Qatar showcase of short films at the Cannes’ Short Film Corner, a section of the festival dedicated to showcasing films from more than 90 countries to thousands of accredited industry guests, festival selectors and short film industry specialists.
The line-up includes winners of the Best Documentary Film and Best Narrative Film at Ajyal 2015, "The Palm Tree" by Jassim al Remaihi and "Asfoora" by Mayar Hamdan respectively, "Good as New" by Jasser Alagha, "Yellow Nights" by Abdullah Al Mulla, "The Notebook" by Amna Al-Binali, "Light Sounds" by Karem Kamel, "Veganize it" by Khalid Salim, "To My Mother" by Amina Ahmed Al Bloshi and "Inside Out" by Fahad Al-Obaidly.
Since premiering at Ajyal in 2015 the Miq package screened at Clermont Ferrand and Berlinale, and is also scheduled to screen in Sarajevo and several other festivals on the international circuit later this year.
"The Salesman" is produced by Memento Films Production and Asghar Farhadi Production, in coproduction with Arte France Cinéma and in association with Doha Film Institute, Memento Films Distribution and Arte France. Amazon and Cohen Media Group have recently picked up North American rights.
Forced out of their apartment due to dangerous works on a neighboring building, Emad and Rana move into a new flat in the center of Tehran. An incident linked to the previous tenant will dramatically change the young couple’s life. "The Salesman" stars Shahab Hosseini ("A Separation") and Taraneh Alidoosti ("About Elly"). Farhadi won the 2012 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film for "A Separation" and the Best Actress Award at Cannes 2013 for his last film "The Past."
Fatma Al Remaihi, Chief Executive Officer of the Doha Film Institute, said: “We are delighted that seven films supported by the Institute have been officially selected at Cannes this year. The selection of 'The Salesman' in the Festival’s official competition section is an achievement we are all very excited about, as it adds to our pride in partnering with international productions that set new benchmarks in excellence in filmmaking. Asghar Farhadi is one of the most recognized filmmakers working today, someone we have long admired for his talent and commitment to making films that tackle strong subject matters with enduring humanity.
“I would like to thank the entire team behind the film for sharing their vision with us and making us a part of their incredible journey, and wish them the very best. This has been a passion project for all involved and we look forward to audiences discovering this latest masterpiece”.
Among the six Dfi grantee films, two have been selected to the Un Certain Regard section - "Apprentice" (Singapore, Germany, France, Hong Kong, Qatar) written and directed by Boo Junfeng; and "Dogs" (Romania, France, Bulgaria, Qatar) by Bogdan Florian Mirica.
Showcased in the Directors’ Fortnight is "Divines" (Morocco, France, Qatar), directed by Houda Benyamina. The remaining three Dfi grantee films will compete for top honours in the Critics Week including: "Mimosas" (Spain, Morocco, France, Qatar) by Oliver Laxe; "Tramontane" (Lebanon, France, UAE, Qatar) by Vatche Boulghourjian; and "Diamond Island" (Cambodia, France, Germany, Qatar) by Davy Chou.
“At the very core of Dfi’s film funding mandate is to contribute to World Cinema and ensure that great stories continue to be told. We are committed to celebrating high-calibre talents, both emerging and established, to contribute to a growing roster of quality world cinema. Through our Dfi Grantee program, we are underling our commitment to support emerging talent and create a body of work that reflects the cinematic ambitions of the next generation. These projects will also inspire the young Qatari film professionals to create compelling content that will gain international acclaim,” added Al Remaihi.
As part of Qatar’s presence in Cannes, the Doha Film Institute is also presenting a special Made in Qatar showcase of short films at the Cannes’ Short Film Corner, a section of the festival dedicated to showcasing films from more than 90 countries to thousands of accredited industry guests, festival selectors and short film industry specialists.
The line-up includes winners of the Best Documentary Film and Best Narrative Film at Ajyal 2015, "The Palm Tree" by Jassim al Remaihi and "Asfoora" by Mayar Hamdan respectively, "Good as New" by Jasser Alagha, "Yellow Nights" by Abdullah Al Mulla, "The Notebook" by Amna Al-Binali, "Light Sounds" by Karem Kamel, "Veganize it" by Khalid Salim, "To My Mother" by Amina Ahmed Al Bloshi and "Inside Out" by Fahad Al-Obaidly.
Since premiering at Ajyal in 2015 the Miq package screened at Clermont Ferrand and Berlinale, and is also scheduled to screen in Sarajevo and several other festivals on the international circuit later this year.
- 5/19/2016
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
Time seems to have inverted: last year saw the release of British artist Ben Rivers’ The Sky Trembles and the Earth Is Afraid and the Two Eyes Are Not Brothers, a feature film that appears to be a behind-the-scenes record of the production of Spanish director Oliver Laxe’s second film, Mimosas, in Morocco. But soon The Sky Trembles turns into something else, its patchwork-colored landscapes drawing Laxe off his own film set and on a stripped-down journey through the desert. Kidnapped and covered in tin armor, Laxe goes through an allegorical rite of passage inspired by the writing of Paul Bowles and reminiscent of how, in his feature debut, 2010’s marvelous You Are All Captains, the young director is also replaced from his own film and which seems to get along just fine without him.This year we finally see Mimosas, the film whose production we spied in The Sky Trembles.
- 5/16/2016
- MUBI
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