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Triple Palme d’Or nominated French filmmaker Bertrand Bonello whose latest daring work “The Beast” was one of the hottest titles in the 2023 Venice competition, will be the guest of honor at the second Ecam Forum co-production platform, which will unspool over June 10-13 in Madrid.

On the heels of U.S. indie producer Ted Hope who kicked off Ecam Forum’s masterclass sessions with standout industry voices in 2024, Bonello will discuss his visionary work on June 12 at the Cineteca Madrid. Concurrently, the screening of three of his defining works –Cannes official entries “Tiresia” (2003), “House of Tolerance” (2011) and Directors’ Fortnight’s “Zombi Child” (2019) – will serve as entry points to his cinematic journey.

The Bonello tribute is organized by Ecam Forum – the new industry event spearheaded by Madrid’s prestigious film school Ecam – together with Cineteca Madrid and Filmadrid Festival, in conjunction with collection agent Dama and the Institut Français in Spain.

Sales agency Luxbox has closed a distribution deal for France with Nour Films on Lav Diaz’s “Magellan,” starring Gael García Bernal, which has its world premiere in the Cannes Premiere section of the Cannes Film Festival.

The film, set in the 16th century, follows Magellan, a young and ambitious Portuguese navigator. He rebels against the power of the King of Portugal, who doesn’t support his dream of discovering the world, and persuades the Spanish monarchy to fund his bold expedition to the fabled lands of the East.

The voyage is exhausting beyond expectations, with hunger and mutiny pushing the crew to their limits. Upon reaching the islands of the Malayan Archipelago, Magellan’s mind changes. He becomes obsessed with conquest and conversion, which sparks violent uprisings beyond his control.

The Nour Films team said in a joint statement: “With rare evocative power, ‘Magellan’ stands out as a new masterpiece by Lav Diaz.

Sales agency Luxbox has come on board Lav Diaz’s historical drama “Magellan,” which stars Gael García Bernal. The film will have its world premiere in Cannes Film Festival’s Premiere section.

Diaz’s previous films include “The Woman Who Left,” which won Venice’s Golden Lion in 2016, and “From What Is Before,” which won Locarno’s Golden Leopard in 2014.

The film, set in the 16th century, follows Magellan, a young and ambitious Portuguese navigator. He rebels against the power of the King of Portugal, who doesn’t support his dream of discovering the world, and persuades the Spanish monarchy to fund his bold expedition to the fabled lands of the East.

The voyage is exhausting beyond expectations, with hunger and mutiny pushing the crew to their limits. Upon reaching the islands of the Malayan Archipelago, Magellan’s mind changes. He becomes obsessed with conquest and conversion, which sparks violent uprisings beyond his control.

Gold Derby's top news stories for April 23, 2025.

Die, My Love and The Chronology of Water added to Cannes lineup

The Cannes Film Festival announced several additions to its 2025 lineup, including Lynne Ramsay's psychological thriller Die, My Love starring Jennifer Lawrence and Robert Pattinson, which will screen in competition, and Kristen Stewart's feature directorial debut, biographical drama The Chronology of Water, which will premiere as part of Un Certain Regard.

Other additions include Ethan Coen’s Honey Don’t in the midnights section; Saeed Roustaee’s Mother and Child in competition; Anna Cazenave Cambet’s Love Me Tender, Simón Mesa Soto’s Un Poeta and Pedro Pinho’s O Riso E A Faca (Le Rire et le Couteau) in Un Certain Regard; Kōji Fukada’s Renai Saiban, Hlynur Pálmason’s Ástin Sem Eftir Er, Lav Diaz’s Magalhães in premiere; and Vincent Maël Cardona’s Le Roi Soleil in midnights.

This year’s Cannes Film Festival lineup just got a little splashier.

Kristen Stewart’s long-awaited directorial debut The Chronology of Water and the Jennifer Lawrence and Robert Pattinson-starring Die, My Love from director Lynne Ramsay have been added to the schedule. Stewart’s film, which stars Imogen Poots, will screen in the fest’s Un Certain Regard section while Die, My Love will be in the fest’s competition section.

Also joining the competition section is Woman and Child, the latest title from Iranian director Saeed Roustaee. The filmmaker previously competed for the Palme d’Or at the 2022 fest with his film Leila’s Brothers. Elsewhere, Ethan Coen’s Honey Don’t! will premiere in the fest’s Midnight section. The road trip movie stars Aubrey Plaza, Margaret Qualley and Chris Evans.

The latest title joins an already announced line-up that includes films from Richard Linklater, Wes Anderson, Julie Ducournau and Spike Lee.

As is tradition, the Cannes Film Festival has announced late-breaking additions to its 2025 festival lineup, with new films coming from Lynne Ramsay, and Saeed Roustayi.

The 78th edition will now include Ramsay’s “Die, My Love,” starring Jennifer Lawrence and Robert Pattinson, in the competition. All the Scottish director’s previous films have premiered at Cannes; the dark martial comedy/horror is her first film since 2017’s “You Were Never Really Here” won the Cannes Best Screenplay prize. Here, Jennifer Lawrence plays a wife unraveling in the country, and married to Pattinson’s character. Lakeith Stanfield, Nick Nolte, and Sissy Spacek also star in this adaptation of Ariana Harwicz’s novel. Ramsay wrote the script with Enda Walsh and Alice Birch.

The film made it into Cannes just in time as hoped, and this means we’ll be seeing Lawrence and Pattinson standing in front of glittering flash bulbs on the Palais red carpet.

After the initial main announcement and sidebars, the full Cannes Film Festival lineup has now come into focus with 16 additions today. Highlights include Lynne Ramsay’s Die My Love, starring Jennifer Lawrence and Robert Pattinson, in competition, while elsewhere Kristen Stewart’s directorial debut The Chronology of Water, Ethan Coen’s Honey Don’t, Hlynur Palmason’s The Love That Remains, Koji Fukada’s Love on Trial, Lav Diaz’s Magellan, and Pedro Pinho’s I Only Rest in the Storm have been added.

See below via Screen Daily.

Competition

Die My Love, dir. Lynne Ramsay

Mother And Child, dir. Saeed Roustaee

Un Certain Regard

Love Me Tender, dir. Anna Cazenave Cambet

A Poet, dir. Simon Mesa Soto

I Only Rest In The Storm, dir. Pedro Pinho

The Chronology Of Water, dir. Kristen Stewart

Cannes Premiere

Love On Trial dir. Koji Fukada

The Love That Remains, dir. Hlynur Palmason

Magellan,...

The Cannes Film Festival has added several titles to the official selection, including Lynne Ramsay’s “Die, My Love,” a thriller starring Jennifer Lawrence and Robert Pattinson, as well as Kristen Stewart’s “The Chronology of Water” in Un Certain Regard and Ethan Coen’s “Honey Don’t!” in the midnights section.

Other additions to the official selection are Saeed Roustaee’s “Woman and Child” in competition; Anna Cazenave Cambet’s “Love Me Tender,” Simón Mesa Soto’s “Un Poeta” and Pedro Pinho’s “O Riso E A Faca (Le Rire et le Couteau”) in Un Certain Regard; “Kōji Fukada’s “Renai Saiban,” Hlynur Pálmason’s “Ástin Sem Eftir Er,” Lav Diaz’s “Magalhães” in premiere; and Vincent Maël Cardona’s “Le Roi Soleil” in midnights.

“Die, My Love” was screened for the Cannes committee after the festival’s official press conference on April 10, during which chief Thierry Fremaux unveiled the lineup.

The Cannes Film Festival has added a fresh round of titles to its 78th edition, including Lynne Ramsay’s Die, My Love and Saeed Roustaee’s Woman And Child which will play in the main competition. (scroll down for full list)

Ramsay’s dark comedy thriller Die, My Love transposes Ariana Harwicz’s novel about a woman living in the French countryside who develops severe postpartum depression, to Montana and stars Jennifer Lawrence and Robert Pattinson.

Roustaee’s Woman and Child, is the first film from the Iranian director since his 2022 Cannes Palme d’Or contender Leila’s Brothers.

The contemporary family drama of revenge and forgiveness stars Parinaz Izadyar (Law of Tehran) as a widowed nurse struggling with her rebellious son. Tensions reach a peak during the betrothal ceremony with her new boyfriend, but when a tragic accident occurs, she finds herself confronting feelings of betrayal as she seeks justice.

The Cannes Film Festival has updated its 2025 Official Selection with 16 new films, including two new Competition titles.

Lynne Ramsay’s Die, My Love and Saeed Roustaee’s WomanAnd Child join the Competition line-up, bringing it to 21 films.

Scroll down for the full list of new titles

The Un Certain Regard line-up adds a further four films, including Kristen Stewart’s directorial debut The Chronology Of Water, and is now at 20 films.

The festival has also added Ethan Coen’s Focus Features title Honey Don’t!starring Margaret Qualley as a Midnight Screening; and Hlynur Palmason’s The Love That Remains and...

Production has commenced on the psychological horror film The Sacrifice in the Philippines, Deadline has learned.

It follows a group of travel vloggers who find themselves in a remote village haunted by ancient rituals and a terrifying legend.

Timothy Granaderos (“13 Reasons Why”) stars along with filmmaker Lav Diaz (The Woman Who Left), Lovi Poe, Enchong Dee, and Marietta Subong.

Supported by the Film Development Council of the Philippines, Prime Cruz directs from a script by Jerrold Tarog.

Poe also serves as producer alongside Montgomery Blencowe (Escape Plan 2: Hades) under the C’est Lovi Productions banner, with Mark Stewart (Escape Plan) producing for Kind Hearts Entertainment.

Lovi Poe in ‘Owe My Love’

The post “13 Reasons Why” Actor Timothy Granaderos Stars in Filipino Horror ‘The Sacrifice’ appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Exclusive: The Sacrifice, a psychological horror flick from filmmaker Prime Cruz and led by Filipino actress and singer Lovi Poe (Seasons) has begun production in the Philippines.

Veteran director Lav Diaz also stars in the flick alongside Timothy Granaderos (13 Reasons Why) and Enchong Dee (GomBurZa). Marietta Subong also stars.

The film follows a group of travel vloggers who find themselves in a remote village haunted by ancient rituals and a terrifying legend.

Directed by Cruz from an original screenplay penned by Jerrold Tarog, The Sacrifice is produced by Montgomery Blencowe (Heist) and Poe under the C’est Lovi Productions banner, with Mark Stewart (Escape Plan) serving as producer under Kind Hearts Entertainment. The film has support from the Film Development Council of the Philippines (Fdcp). Casting is by Thomas Sullivan.

The film will be shot entirely on location in the Philippines. Poe stars following her recent turn as Attorney...

Among the lineup for the Cannes Film Festival’s 78th edition are some big names from Hollywood and global cinema. We already knew that Tom Cruise will light the fuse on Paramount/Skydance’s Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning on May 14 out of competition, while there was plenty of speculation that Scarlett Johansson would have a pair of movies on the Croisette. The latter has now been confirmed with Johansson’s directorial debut Eleanor the Great set for Un Certain Regard, and her acting reteam with Wes Anderson in his latest, The Phoenician Scheme, in Competition. Also confirmed is Ari Aster’s Eddington with Joaquin Phoenix, Pedro Pascal and Emma Stone.

Many more stars are potentially in store now that the bulk of the official selection has been revealed. Not everyone is confirmed to attend the Riviera shindig, but here’s a look at some of the possibilities.

Cannes...

Costume designer Anna Terrazas has spent her career working between her native Mexico and the U.S., on films and shows including Roma, The Deuce, Bardo – False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths and most recently Eddington.

Speaking to Deadline at the Doha Film Institute’s Qumra project and talent incubator on Tuesday, she revealed her fear as she traveled to the U.S. earlier this year in the wake of Donald Trump’s presidency and his attacks on Mexico.

“I went back to New Mexico for Eddington, for a couple of things, and Trump was president. When we shot, he wasn’t there yet,” said Terrazas.

“For the first time, when I crossed, I had a weird feeling. I have a visa, an O1 visa, that I have been having for almost 15 years… But this time when I entered the U.S, I was a tiny bit afraid. I was like,...

Hong Kong filmmaking stalwart Johnnie To Kei Fung says he is in the middle of making a feature film starring popstar Anson Lo, and has shot 10 days across the last three years.

Speaking to Screen ahead of his masterclass at the Doha Film Institute’s Qumra lab, To said the film has been shooting in Hong Kong, and is about “hope”.

Lo was spotted shooting with To in March last year. To told Screen that the cast also includes “an old actress, and a young girl”, that the feature will be ready “as soon as possible” and that he will...

The Cannes Film Festival will reveal its 2025 lineup on Thursday morning European time and expectations are high for a typically bountiful lineup of starry fare and arthouse treats. Cannes remains the Super Bowl for indie film lovers.

It’s always a nervous waiting game for those connected to Cannes hopefuls. Multiple festival regulars have told us that selectors are later than ever in giving them notice. The festival has often announced a major movie or two by now, but not this year. The identity of Juliette Binoche‘s fellow jury members are still also under wraps.

In terms of films in the running, much of the reporting we did in February in our Cannes and Venice prediction piece has either come to pass or is shaping up as we forecast. You can read that story here.

Tom Cruise’s Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning remains the most likely big Hollywood studio splash.

Filipino director Lav Diaz says he is preparing an adaptation of an obscure Alexandre Dumas work, to shoot later this year.

Without naming the work, Diaz told Screen the film was scheduled to shoot at the start of this year before the director became unwell. Now recovered, he is looking to shoot it towards the end of 2025.

Diaz’s previous films include 2022’s When The Waves Are Gone, a loose adaptation of Dumas’s most famous work The Count of Monte Cristo.

The director also hopes a 165-minute version of Magellan, his feature film starring Gael Garcia Bernal as Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan,...

Filipino director Lav Diaz has revealed that a shortened cut of his long-awaited feature Beatrice, The Wife, starring Gael García Bernal as Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan, could premiere in Cannes this May.

Speaking in a masterclass at the Doha Film Festival’s Qumra event on Sunday, Diaz said he had just finished cutting a two hour, 45-minute version of the film, even though his long-term plan is for a nine-hour movie.

Quizzed on whether it might be Venice-bound, where his last film Phantosmia played Out of Competition in 2024, the director replied that rather it was aiming for a debut in “an important festival in France”.

Diaz was last in Cannes Official Selection with Norte, the End of History, which premiered in Un Certain Regard in 2013, while his film Ang Hupa (The Halt) premiered in Directors’ Fortnight in 2019.

Per a synopsis released by the films producers Andergraun Films (Spain), Rosa Filmes...

It was a bad idea from the start. Of course it was. "Minecraft," first produced by the Swedish company Mojang Studios in 2011, started as a modest sandbox game where idle youths could while away their time mining wood, ore, and other materials to build whatever structures they wanted. There weren't levels to "Minecraft," nor any sort of quest to complete. It was, to borrow another critic's phrase, a faffing-about simulator. The game was very popular, bolstered by its simple, cubic, pixelated aesthetic; it was a 3D version of an 8-Bit, Nes-era game. 

A generation became addicted. It swelled and swelled. A tribe of YouTubers appeared, posting hundreds of hours of Minecraft" gameplay video as they explored the fineries of mining, crafting, combining materials, and battling Endermen. As of this writing, "Minecraft" is the single best-selling video game of all time (it's in second place if one combined every iteration of...

Fatma Al Remaihi, CEO of the Doha Film Institute (Dfi), spoke out against the attack by Israeli settlers on and arrest by Israeli police of Hamdan Ballal, co-director of Oscar-winning documentary No Other Land.

“The recent attack on Palestinian filmmaker Hamdan Ballal proves that even winning the most prestigious award, an Oscar, does not offer any safety from violent oppression by the occupation,” said Al Remaihi, speaking at the opening of the 2025 edition of the Dfi’s Qumra lab. Ballal was released the day after his arrest.

Remarking that this year marks the 15th anniversaryof Dfi, Al Remaihi said, “We...

Brazilian director Walter Salles kicks off the 11th Doha Film Institute’s Qumra meeting this Friday, in one of his first international appearances since political drama I’m Still Here won the Best International Feature Film Academy Award on March 2.

Running from April 4 to 9 in Doha, and then online from April 12 to 14, annual talent and project incubator Qumra will host the directors and producers of 49 works supported by Qatar’s Doha Film Institute (Dfi) in various stages of development and production.

Salles is attending as a “Qumra Master” alongside Filipino filmmaker Lav Diaz, Iranian and French cinematographer Darius Khondji, Mexican costume designer Anna Terrazas and Hong Kong filmmaker Johnnie To.

In this role, they will each give a masterclass on their careers and lessons learned for the emerging filmmakers in the room and also mentor a...

The Doha Film Institute’s Qumra workshop kicks off Friday with the cream of the Arab cinema crop on display – including several timely Palestinian projects – and a host of top industry professionals expected to make the trek to the Qatari capital.

Standout titles set to be unveiled in Doha – which played a key role in mediation efforts between Hamas and Israel – comprise sci-fi thriller “In Memory of Times to Come” (see concept still above), a first feature from Danish-Palestinian artist Larissa Sansour, who represented Denmark at the 58th Venice Visual Arts Biennale. The film is set 30 years from now when, following an “eco apocalypse,” a woman and her husband lead a peaceful life in a restored Bethlehem townhouse, according to the synopsis.

“In Memory,” which will start shooting this fall is produced by Anna Köhncke (“The Act of Killing”) and multiple Oscar-nominated Monica Hellström. The film delves into the complexities of memory,...

Inspired by Jose Rizal’s third, unfinished novel, but ultimately a radical deconstruction, “Rizal’s Makamisa: Phantasm of Revenge” is a silent film like no other, that recently won Best Feature Film ln Lausanne. Shot on expired film stock that was later hand-painted and scratched by Khavn, the result is a visual experiment that embraces chaos in every form.

The main story, though intentionally thin, revolves around three central figures. Agaton Damaso is a cruel Spanish priest, Simoun Rizal is a melancholic Filipino poet, and Sisa Bracken is an enigmatic American woman who serves as a source of conflict between the two men. Rizal is determined to write the ultimate Filipino poem, while Sisa searches desperately for her two lost children. Damaso’s oppressive presence looms over them until it vanishes in the most shocking manner. Meanwhile, Rizal’s epic poem unfolds visually on screen, interwoven with an ever-growing cast...

The Doha Film Institute (Dfi) has unveiled the 49 projects across all formats that will be showcased at the 11th edition of its Qumra development and networking event in April.

They include Quarter to Thursday from Algerian director Sofia Djama, about three friends on a mission to bury a dachshund in a military base, which is in development. Djama’s last feature The Blessed won a slew of awards in Venice Horizons in 2017, and delivered a breakout best actress role for rising French-Algerian actress Lyna Khoudri.

The selection also features Syrian director Anas Khalaf’s Love 45 about an overweight Lebanese man who is caught in a destructive spiral, which is in production. Khalaf’s previous credits include the Syria, Bashar al-Assad-era set thriller The Translator.

The picture lock line-up includes Tunisian director Erige Sehiri’s Marie & Jolie about three Ivorian women from different generations making a life in in the...

Warner Bros Discovery said on Tuesday that its streaming service Max will launch in Australia on March 31 with premium, standard, and an ad-supported tier.

The company said details on pricing plans would emerge “in the weeks prior to launch”.

Max will launch in Australia with a range of subscription tiers, including premium, standard and an ad-supported tier. Further details about subscription tiers, pricing, content and product features on Max will be shared in the weeks prior to launch.

Warner Bros Discovery president of global streaming and games Jb Perrette said globalisation of Max was a “top priority” and Australia represented...

Walter Salles, Johnnie To, Lav Diaz, Darius Khondji and Anna Terrazas will serve as Qumra Masters at the 11th edition of the Doha Film Institute’s annual talent and project incubator.

They follow in the wake of some 50 top cinemas figures who have also taken up the role over the past 10 editions, including Claire Denis, Leos Carax, Tilda Swinton, Gael Garcia Bernal and James Gray.

The event, running from April 4 to 9, will invite the producers and directors of some 40 projects supported by the Doha Film Institute (Dfi) for six days of development support and networking.

Brazilian director Salles (The Motorcycle Diaries) will be in attendance at the meeting fresh from his buzzy awards season with his Oscar-nominated drama I’m Still Here.

Filipino director Diaz brings his vision of a special brand of slow cinema which includes films such as The Woman Who Left and Evolution of a Filipino Family.

Iranian-French...

The Doha Film Institute has recruited Oscar nominee Walter Salles (“I’m Still Here”), iconic Hong Kong director Johnnie To, prominent Filipino auteur Lav Diaz, ace cinematographer Darius Khondji and master Mexican costume designer Anna Terrazas to hold onstage conversations and act as mentors during its upcoming Qumra Arab industry incubator.

The event, now celebrating its 11th edition, will run April 4-9 in the Qatari capital of Doha.

Qumra, which means “camera” in Arabic, blends together a creative workshop, co-production market and festival elements. It was established by the Doha Film Institute (Dfi) to help foster first and second works, mostly by Arab directors, and to create curated networking opportunities between the Arab and international film communities.

The Dfi is a major indie Arab film industry driver and has also been providing funding for Arab TV series for the past few years. Qumra 2025 will feature a selection of top notch Arab films in various stages,...

Brazilian filmmaker Walter Salles and Filipino director Lav Diaz are among the five Masters invited to the 11th edition of the Doha Film Institute’s Qumra lab.

Hong Kong filmmaker Johnnie To, Mexican costume designer Anna Terrazas and Iranian-French cinematographer Darius Khondji round out the 2025 Masters.

The 11th edition of Qumra will run from April 4-9 in Doha, Qatar.

The Masters will give one-on-one mentorship to the Qumra lab participants, and will each give a masterclass about their careers.

Salles is nearing the end of an awards campaign for his 10th feature film I’m Still Here. The film debuted in competition at Venice last year,...

Have you ever wondered how would a bastard child between Lav Diaz’ DIY filmmaking and the once-popular “mumblecore” cinema might look like if it were sprinkled with some artistic ambition? Ready or not, the answer is here in the form of Liryc Dela Cruz’s debut feature Where The Night Stands Still, which premiered at the Perspectives section of Berlinale.

Our protagonist Lilia (Tess Magallanes) is a Filipino woman living in Italy. She lives alone in a large and largely unfurnished villa and her daily life consists of routines. When she wakes up, she says a prayer in which she mentions Signora Patrizia, then proceeds to the surrounding garden for a breath of fresh air and some serenity, after which she does some more chores. One would assume that she lives as a maid in someone else’s home, but later we learn she inherited the estate from the late Signora she.

Set in an Italian villa, “Where the Night Stands Still” is an exercise in minimalist storytelling. Three Filipino migrant siblings gather in a mansion inherited by the oldest of them, Rosa (Jenny Llanto Caringal). The other two are Lilia (Tess Magallanes) and Manny (Benjamin Vasquez Barcellano Jr.). They decide to visit their sister, seemingly just to check up on her. However, their true, poorly veiled intentions, soon come to the fore. Villa is to be sold, so that all three can return to their home country and enjoy an unlikely fortune which Rosa obtained.

Where the Night Stands Still is sceening at Berlin International Film Festival

The opening sequences confusingly set up a different film however. We see the protagonist lying in a bed covered by a mosquito net. She then proceeds to pray and converse with the (as we soon learn) dead Madam Patrizia. The woman was a previous owner of the villa,...

Asia in the mid-1990s to early 2000s experienced both economic upheaval and a cinematic renaissance. As the financial crisis rippled through the region, a new wave of filmmakers emerged, crafting films that captured the turbulence of the era. World cinema witnessed the rise of several influential movements, from J-horror and Korean crime thrillers to the early days of Hallyu and the digital arthouse films of Southeast Asia that produced figures such as Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Erik Khoo, and Lav Diaz.

Between the festival regulars and national mainstream releases, are relatively underseen films that captured their times with a sense of grit. In the wake of the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis, the region faced economic instability, widespread unemployment, and a deep sense of uncertainty about the future. Against this backdrop, a wave of filmmakers across Asia captured the struggles, aspirations, and disillusionment of those navigating an increasingly precarious world. These films, often made on modest budgets,...

If you were to walk up to somebody 20 years ago and ask them about a film's length, a common consensus was likely to emerge: the longer the runtime, the less appealing it is to watch. In 2024, however, the response might be different. In 2021, the Los Angeles Times reported a study that concluded less than half of moviegoers are dissuaded by lengthy runtimes. In 2023, Slate reported that the average runtime of the 10 highest-grossing movies in the United States was 2 hours and 23 minutes -- over 20 minutes longer than 20 years ago. With rising trends in long-form content engagement across film, television, and online video, it has become clear that people are ready for longer viewing experiences, TikTok attention spans be damned.

Most people look at beefy, historical epics like "The Ten Commandments" and "Lawrence of Arabia" as the be-all and end-all of long-form cinema, but those are just the tip of the iceberg.

Film critic and filmmaker Dodo Dayao noted in an interview that Lav Diaz is surprisingly prolific for someone who is doing films with runtimes longer than the conventional. “Phantosmia”’s release, after not stopping at any point before, during, and after the pandemic, proved just that. This latest work continues Diaz’s exploration of historical trauma and moral reckoning, using his distinctive narrative style to examine the inner lives of those shaped—and haunted—by violence.

Phantosmia is screening at San Diego Asian Film Festival

In the film we follow two strands of narratives that collide midway. First, the story of retired Master Sergeant Hilarion Zabala (Ronnie Lazaro) who, in his old age, is looking for a cure for the phantom rotten scent that has been plaguing him for decades. According to his psychiatrist, this is a manifestation of post-traumatic stress and suggested that a certain radical form of therapy...

Governments and agencies across Asia are taking steps to expand and extend the cross-border film coproduction movement.

A seminar called ‘From Eurasia to Global Collaboration’ on Thursday, the third day of the Taiwan Creative Content Fest, represented a handy recap of funding and structural developments from four countries: The Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia and Turkey.

Alex Sihar, from Indonesia’s directorate of culture, part of the ministry of education, described an ongoing process intended to put the industry on a more professional footing.

“While we have a long history of filmmaking and a very diverse culture, our films until recently have had very little international exposure, there has been little knowledge transfer and no incentives for location shooting or co-production.”

Film policy was previously stretched across multiple ministries, but is now to be overseen by a film department under the education ministry, which is newly separated from educational matters.

Co-productions are...

Taiwan-Italy production outfit Volos Films has unveiled a diverse slate of features and documentaries at the Taiwan Creative Content Fest (Tccf).

The feature film lineup includes “Polaris,” directed by Yamanaka Yoko, whose “Desert of Namibia” screened at Cannes’ Directors’ Fortnight. Set in a Tokyo bar, the film follows women from different backgrounds whose lives intersect. The project marks Volos’s first Japan co-production, with producers Chang Chuti, Chuma Kusuke, Mao Okuno and Stefano Centini attached.

Stefanos Tsai’s “Sunshower” centers on a Chinese-American man visiting his grandmother with dementia, who mistakes him for her first love. Jonathan Hsu produces, with Centini executive producing.

In the documentary section, Hong Kong director Frankie Sin presents “Nomads of the Island,” exploring his family’s fishing heritage and migration to Taiwan. Sin’s previous documentary “Another Home” won the Biff Mecenat Award at Busan 2024. Chiu Ping-Yu and Centini produce, with Peter Yam and Huang Hui-Chen are executive producing.

It doesn’t happen often that a long feature animation polarises film critics to such an extent as Yoko Kuno & Nobuhiro Yamashita‘s “Ghost Cat Anzu” did after its world premiere in the Directors Fortnight section of this year’s Cannes Film Festival. Its animation style was called anything from bleak or ugly to unique & beautiful and the plotline was criticized for being undercooked, and even all over the place. But the film continues to travel the world regardless. Its second significant station was at the prestigious Annecy International Animation Film Festival, followed by the beloved genre Ff Fantasia, where it won the Audience Award Gold for Best Animated Feature.

Finally catching up with “Ghost Cat Anzu” at the Viennale, the annual feast for cinephiles in the Austrian capital Vienna, a place that didn’t pay too much attention to the animation in its 62-year-long history had a special taste to it,...

We’re introduced to the world of renowned Filipino director Lav Diaz and taken on a voyage of introspection with one man’s mission for peace. Diaz has become celebrated for thought-provoking art cinema that lingers contemplatively over society’s deeper troubles. His trademarks include minimalist black-and-whiteinematography forming a solemn canvas and lengthy runtimes that immerse us in lived experiences.

Our guide is Hilarion Zabala, a retired soldier tormented by olfactory delusions reflecting past trauma. Known as phantosmia, these phantom smells transport Zabala back to horrors witnessed as a military and police officer during a turbulent era. Diagnosed with a condition both physical and emotional, he embarks on a non-traditional form of therapy—reliving his career to exorcise demons through writing.

Zabala’s journey leads to a remote penal colony where new injustices are brought to light as old wounds are reopened. But might redemption also be found?

Diaz uses...

The Philippines’ QCinema International Film Festival has locked its 12th edition lineup, with Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s “Cloud” — Japan’s submission for the 97th Academy Awards — set to close the November event. The festival opens with “Directors’ Factory Philippines,” an eight-filmmaker omnibus collaboration with Cannes Directors’ Fortnight that pairs Filipino directors with counterparts from across Asia.

The omnibus features four films: Eve Baswel and Malaysia’s Gogularaajan Rajendran direct “Walay Balay”; Maria Estela Paiso teams with India’s Ashok Vish for “Nightbirds”; Arvin Belarmino collaborates with Cambodia’s Lomorpich Rithy on “Silig”; and Don Eblahan partners with Singapore’s Tan Siyou for “Cold Cut.”

The Quezon City-based fest will unspool 77 titles, including 55 features and 22 shorts, across 11 sections under this year’s theme “The Gaze.”

In the main competition Asian Next Wave, eight features compete: Duong Dieu Linh’s Venice Critics’ Week grand prize winner “Don’t Cry Butterfly”; Nelicia Low’s “Pierce...

Since the late 1990s, Lav Diaz’s cinema has explored the Philippines’ troubled history with colonization, authoritarianism, corruption, poverty, macho-feudalism and the tensions that animate and enliven the sociopaths of today. His durational works are simultaneously a test of patience and spirit and assertions that the stories of Filipinos deserve time and space to unfold in all of its complexities. Diaz’s works paint portraits of good men and women whose morals disintegrate along with their minds, poisoned by the pressures of the world, leading them to commit uncharacteristic acts of violence one would think they are too progressive or too intelligent […]

The post “Sit Here. Stand Here. Work Here. Slap Her Here”: Lav Diaz and Hazel Orencio on Phantosmia first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.

Since the late 1990s, Lav Diaz’s cinema has explored the Philippines’ troubled history with colonization, authoritarianism, corruption, poverty, macho-feudalism and the tensions that animate and enliven the sociopaths of today. His durational works are simultaneously a test of patience and spirit and assertions that the stories of Filipinos deserve time and space to unfold in all of its complexities. Diaz’s works paint portraits of good men and women whose morals disintegrate along with their minds, poisoned by the pressures of the world, leading them to commit uncharacteristic acts of violence one would think they are too progressive or too intelligent […]

The post “Sit Here. Stand Here. Work Here. Slap Her Here”: Lav Diaz and Hazel Orencio on Phantosmia first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.

It is hard to talk about Jun Lana’s “Shadow Behind the Moon” without spoiling the would-be experience of the audience. To describe it on its form is already giving it away: it is a single-take drama with analog-video aesthetics. The treatment places the writer-director Lana into the spotlight of technical exposition and, interestingly, goes on to fill this exercise with an equally indulging material.

The film is prologued by a series of on-screen texts to provide some context: the story is set in the early 1990s during the intensified military campaign against communist rebels in the Marag Valley. Caught in this struggle are “internal refugees” who are displaced from their homes, but relocated within the area. Joel (Anthony Falcon) and Ema (Lj Reyes) are part of these “internal refugees” with no permanent residency but cannot leave the valley. They are friends with Mando (Luis Alandy), a soldier who helped them when Joel got sick.

Thai sales agent Diversion has boarded Filipino drama Phantosmia by Golden Lion-winning director Lav Diaz ahead of its world premiere out of competition at the Venice Film Festival.

The four-hour, black-and-white drama explores the harrowing psychological journey of a retired military officer, who suffers from a recurring olfactory disorder, which affects sense of smell, possibly linked to past traumas. As he revisits the darkest episodes of his life in a remote penal colony, the film delves into themes of violence, memory, and the dark side of human condition.

Shot in Sampaloc, in the Quezon province of the Philippines, the film...

Lav Diaz’s “Phantosmia,” which has its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival in the out of competition section, has debuted its trailer.

The film centers on Hilarion Zabala, whose mysterious olfactory problem has recurred. A counselor/psychiatrist suspects it to be a lingering case of phantosmia, a phantom smell, and possibly caused by trauma, a deep psychological fracture. One recommended radical process to cure the ailment was that Hilarion must go back and deal with the darkest currents of his past life in the military service. Reassigned in the very remote Pulo Penal Colony, he must also confront the horrific realities of his present situation.

In a statement, the director asks: “Do human beings have the right to kill other human beings? A big part of the story of ‘Phantosmia’ is about this discourse, and other questions about man’s existence.”

He adds: “One of the main protagonists...

While we might still be on the fence about what is being described as a first-person shooter-type experience in Harmony Korine‘s Baby Invasion, but the Venice Film Festival’s Out of Competition section lineup could be just as daring as the films selected for the competition. We have established filmmakers giving another go at it from Pupi Avati‘s gothic-friendly L’Orto Americano to Claude Lelouch‘s latest feature which caps off a trilogy in Finalement, and then we have a burst of Asian cinema auteurs from Kurosawa Kiyoshi in Cloud to a just over one hour narrative from Takeshi Kitano in Broken Rage to Lav Diaz once again testing our patience with the over four hour journey in Phantosmia.…...

We’re just about five weeks away from the opening of the 81st Venice International Film Festival, the oldest such celebration of international cinema and the official kickoff to awards season in earnest. A gondola loaded with news about this year’s titles washed up on our shores this morning, and this year’s competition slate is packed.

It’s no surprise that Todd Phillips will bring his “Joker” sequel, “Joker: Folie à Deux,” back to the late-summer Italian event. The first dark comic book film won the top prize there in 2019, slapping a huge international halo on it released to the public, eventually netting Joaquin Phoenix the Best Actor Oscar, as well as a Best Original Score trophy for Hildur Guðnadóttir and nine other nominations, including Best Picture. The sequel, which was not a foregone conclusion when the first movie was made, but a Mack truck of Warner Bros....

Just a day after New York Film Festival and Toronto International Film Festival made major announcements, Venice Film Festival is here with their full lineup ahead of the festival taking place August 28 through September 7.

Highlights include Pedro Almodóvar’s The Room Next Door, Luca Guadagnino’s Queer, Brady Corbet’s The Brutalist, Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s Cloud, Alex Ross Perry’s Pavements, Harmony Korine’s Baby Invasion, Pablo Larraín’s Maria, Takeshi Kitano’s Broken Rage, Errol Morris’ Separated, Lav Diaz’s Phantosmia, Thomas Vinterberg’s Families Like Ours, Dea Kulumbegashvili’s April, and more.

Check out the lineup below with a hat tip to Cineuropa.

Competition

The Room Next Door – Pedro Almodóvar

Campo di battaglia – Gianni Amelio

Leurs enfants après eux – Ludovic & Zoran Boukherma

The Brutalist – Brady Corbet

Jouer avec le feu – Delphine & Muriel Coulin

Vermiglio – Maura Delpero

Iddu (Sicilian Letters) – Fabio Grassadonia & Antonio Piazza

Queer – Luca Guadagnino

Love – Dag Johan Haugerud...

The lineup for the 81st Venice International Film Festival is here. Artistic director Alberto Barbera and Biennale president Pietrangelo Buttafuoco revealed the complete list of titles across sections early on Tuesday, July 23. Watch the live stream here or on YouTube.

Competition highlights included, as expected, Todd Phillips’ “Joker: Folie à Deux,” Pablo Larraín’s “Maria” with Angelina Jolie, Luca Guadagnino’s “Queer” with Daniel Craig, and Pedro Almodóvar’s first English-language feature, “The Room Next Door.” Other gems in the lineup include “April,” from Georgian “Beginning” director Dea Kulumbegashvili; Brady Corbet’s “Fountainhead”-inspired epic “The Brutalist,” which runs a whopping 215 minutes and will present in 70mm; Aussie auteur Justin Kurzel’s thriller “The Order”; “Chevalier” director Athina Rachel Tsangari’s “Harvest” with Caleb Landry Jones; and Halina Reijn’s psychosexual thriller for A24, “Babygirl,” starring Nicole Kidman and Harris Dickinson.

Out of competition across series and features, there’s new work from Harmony Korine,...

Venice Film Festival has revealed the programme for its 81st edition, featuring a 21-strong Competition that includes new films from Todd Phillips, Pedro Almodovar, Luca Guadagino, Pablo Larrain, Brady Corbet and Justin Kurzel.

Scroll down for full line-up

The selection was unveiled by festival president Pietrangelo Buttafuoco and artistic director Alberto Barbera. It marked Buttafuoco’s first time at the annual press conference, after replacing Roberto Cicutto in October 2023.

Further filmmakers in Competition include Wang Bing, Luis Ortega, Dea Kulumbegashvili, Dag Johan Haugerud, Athina Rachel Tsangari and Walter Salles.

The line-up also includes Jon Watt’s Wolfs, starring Brad Pitt and George Clooney,...

Hello, and welcome to the Scene 2 Seen Podcast!

I am Valerie Complex, an associate editor and film writer at Deadline. Today, I am chatting with actress Dolly De Leon, veteran stage and screen actress from the Philippines whose star is on the rise in Hollywood.

She received her long-overdue international breakout role in Ruben Östlund’s 2022 critically-acclaimed feature Triangle of Sadness, which won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival and was released in theaters by Neon.

De Leon was awarded the Best Supporting Actor prize by the LA Film Critics Association and was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress and the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role—the first Filipino to be nominated in an acting category at either association.

More recently, De Leon starred in the Filipino box office sensation A Very Good Girl co-starring Kathryn Bernardo, the drama...

The most narratively straightforward of the 2024 shorts in the Directors’ Factory at the Cannes Film Festival, Silig is also the pick of the bunch. Mamang (Sylvia Sanchez) hasn’t been home for two decades so her old flame Sabina (Lav Diaz regular Angel Aquino) barely recognises her at first.

Mamang has returned for a reason, however, and it’s something she hopes Sabina - who works at a funeral home - can help with. Although Silig is, on the face of it, concerned with saying goodbye, the film by Filipino director Arvin Belarmino and Cambodian filmmaker Lomorpich Rithy - aka YoKi - is as much about embracing life as it is leaving it.

There’s a spark between the women from the start with acting veterans Sanchez and Aquino allowing plenty of chemistry to flare between the curmudgeonly Mamang and the more softly spoken Sabina. A trip to the fairground.