Among the film riches found in Sundance Film Festival’s 2022 short film program we found Lebanese filmmaker Dania Bdeir’s Washa. A film told on ground floor level (and awful undocumented migrant worker realities) and many meters high in the sky. Told with sensuality, fantasy and undoing the mythos of masculinity, Bdeir zeroes in on how a little bit solitude and privacy allows the individual to truly spread their wings.
Warsha would end up winning the Short Film Jury Award: International Fiction before setting off on a long film festival life and while she was pushing the word on the short, Bdeir was also participating at various labs with her debut feature title Pigeon Wars – which was selected for the Sundance Directors Lab and landed 2nd place prize at the Marrakech Atlas Labs – and it was at the 2022 Red Sea International Film Festival (she was part of the half dozen...
Warsha would end up winning the Short Film Jury Award: International Fiction before setting off on a long film festival life and while she was pushing the word on the short, Bdeir was also participating at various labs with her debut feature title Pigeon Wars – which was selected for the Sundance Directors Lab and landed 2nd place prize at the Marrakech Atlas Labs – and it was at the 2022 Red Sea International Film Festival (she was part of the half dozen...
- 11/2/2023
- by Eric Lavallée
- IONCINEMA.com
This week Filmmaker is publishing three diaries from writers and directors who attended the 2023 Sundance Directors Lab. We’ve already published writer-director Dania Bdeir’s as well as director-writer-producer Masami Kawai‘s. Next up is writer-director Walter Thompson-Hernández, who traveled to the Lab with If I Go Will They Miss Me. (He’s also a Filmmaker 2022 25 New Face.) Here’s the description: “Twelve-year-old Lil Ant begins to see mysterious figures — eerie men with their arms spread like wings — around his home. When his father, Big Ant, realizes his son sees these “airplane people” too, their family history emerges and reveals deeper meaning and […]
The post Sundance Directors Lab 2023 Diary: Walter Thompson-Hernández first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post Sundance Directors Lab 2023 Diary: Walter Thompson-Hernández first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 8/7/2023
- by Walter Thompson-Hernández
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
This week Filmmaker is publishing three diaries from writers and directors who attended the 2023 Sundance Directors Lab. We’ve already published writer-director Dania Bdeir’s as well as director-writer-producer Masami Kawai‘s. Next up is writer-director Walter Thompson-Hernández, who traveled to the Lab with If I Go Will They Miss Me. (He’s also a Filmmaker 2022 25 New Face.) Here’s the description: “Twelve-year-old Lil Ant begins to see mysterious figures — eerie men with their arms spread like wings — around his home. When his father, Big Ant, realizes his son sees these “airplane people” too, their family history emerges and reveals deeper meaning and […]
The post Sundance Directors Lab 2023 Diary: Walter Thompson-Hernández first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post Sundance Directors Lab 2023 Diary: Walter Thompson-Hernández first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 8/7/2023
- by Walter Thompson-Hernández
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
This week Filmmaker is publishing three diaries from writers and directors who attended the 2023 Sundance Directors Lab. We’ve already published writer-director Dania Bdeir‘s, and next up is director-writer-producer Masami Kawai, who traveled to the Lab with Valley of the Tall Grass. Here’s the description: “A TV/Vcr combo set is thrown out, but it survives and circulates through the lives of various working class Indigenous characters of color in an Oregon town. They find forgotten memories, love, and connection through this seemingly obsolete object.” A complete list of Sundance Labs participants can be found here. — Editor My project Valley […]
The post Sundance Directors Lab 2023 Diary: Masami Kawai first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post Sundance Directors Lab 2023 Diary: Masami Kawai first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 8/2/2023
- by Masami Kawai
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
This week Filmmaker is publishing three diaries from writers and directors who attended the 2023 Sundance Directors Lab. We’ve already published writer-director Dania Bdeir‘s, and next up is director-writer-producer Masami Kawai, who traveled to the Lab with Valley of the Tall Grass. Here’s the description: “A TV/Vcr combo set is thrown out, but it survives and circulates through the lives of various working class Indigenous characters of color in an Oregon town. They find forgotten memories, love, and connection through this seemingly obsolete object.” A complete list of Sundance Labs participants can be found here. — Editor My project Valley […]
The post Sundance Directors Lab 2023 Diary: Masami Kawai first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post Sundance Directors Lab 2023 Diary: Masami Kawai first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 8/2/2023
- by Masami Kawai
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
This week Filmmaker is publishing three diaries from writers and directors who attended the 2023 Sundance Directors Lab. First up is writer/director Dania Bdeir, who traveled to the Lab with Pigeon Wars, a Lebanon-Canada-France production co-written by Bane Fakih. Here’s the description: “In the gritty world of Beirut’s pigeon wars, a relentless young woman and a dutiful young man form an unlikely alliance, challenging societal norms and political tensions while seeking redemption and self-discovery.” A complete list of Sundance Labs participants can be found here. — Editor Tuesday 30th: So many more people this time around (as opposed to January’s […]
The post Sundance Directors Lab 2023 Diary: Dania Bdeir first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post Sundance Directors Lab 2023 Diary: Dania Bdeir first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 8/1/2023
- by Dania Bdeir
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
This week Filmmaker is publishing three diaries from writers and directors who attended the 2023 Sundance Directors Lab. First up is writer/director Dania Bdeir, who traveled to the Lab with Pigeon Wars, a Lebanon-Canada-France production co-written by Bane Fakih. Here’s the description: “In the gritty world of Beirut’s pigeon wars, a relentless young woman and a dutiful young man form an unlikely alliance, challenging societal norms and political tensions while seeking redemption and self-discovery.” A complete list of Sundance Labs participants can be found here. — Editor Tuesday 30th: So many more people this time around (as opposed to January’s […]
The post Sundance Directors Lab 2023 Diary: Dania Bdeir first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post Sundance Directors Lab 2023 Diary: Dania Bdeir first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 8/1/2023
- by Dania Bdeir
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
Anaïs Demoustier, the French actor known for her roles in films “Smoking Causes Coughing” and “Anaïs in Love,” has been announced as president of this year’s Caméra d’or Jury at Cannes. The Caméra d’Or award is given to the best debut feature film in the Official Selection and aims to inspire young filmmakers to continue in their creative endeavors.
“Among my greatest joys as a spectator is seeing the debut film of a director who goes on to become a major force. A gesture, the first one, one that forever anchors the necessity of a director and creates a desire to see him or her begin again,” said Demoustier.
“As an actress, I’ve been lucky to experience alongside young directors the delicate balance between nervous energy and a desire to see through their first creation. I am very honoured and looking forward to discovering debut films...
“Among my greatest joys as a spectator is seeing the debut film of a director who goes on to become a major force. A gesture, the first one, one that forever anchors the necessity of a director and creates a desire to see him or her begin again,” said Demoustier.
“As an actress, I’ve been lucky to experience alongside young directors the delicate balance between nervous energy and a desire to see through their first creation. I am very honoured and looking forward to discovering debut films...
- 4/28/2023
- by Jazz Tangcay, Charna Flam, McKinley Franklin and Sophia Scorziello
- Variety Film + TV
The Sundance Institute has announced the participants in their famed screenwriters, directors and Native labs.
The directors and screenwriters labs will support 12 fellows, with five fellows selected for the Native lab. Lab participants will develop their original works under the mentorship of notable advisors. Paul Thomas Anderson, Ryan Coogler, David Gordon Green, Sterlin Harjo, Taika Waititi, Lulu Wang and Chloé Zhao are among previous Sundance lab participants.
The directors lab advisor cohort includes Miguel Arteta, Joan Darling, Rick Famuyiwa, Stephen Goldblatt, Keith Gordon, Randa Haines, Ed Harris, Gina Prince-Bythewood, Polly Morgan, Ira Sachs, Michelle Tesoro and Joan Tewkesbury. The screenwriters lab advisor cohort, led by artistic director Howard Rodman, includes Justin Chon, Sebastian Cordero, Cherien Dabis, D.V. Devincentis, Scott Frank, John Gatins, Nicole Kassell, Kasi Lemmons, Tarell Alvin McCraney, Elena Soarez and Robin Swicord. The Native Lab creative advisors include Andrew Ahn, Alex Lazarowich (Cree), Dana Ladoux Miller (Sāmoan) and Jennifer Reeder.
The directors and screenwriters labs will support 12 fellows, with five fellows selected for the Native lab. Lab participants will develop their original works under the mentorship of notable advisors. Paul Thomas Anderson, Ryan Coogler, David Gordon Green, Sterlin Harjo, Taika Waititi, Lulu Wang and Chloé Zhao are among previous Sundance lab participants.
The directors lab advisor cohort includes Miguel Arteta, Joan Darling, Rick Famuyiwa, Stephen Goldblatt, Keith Gordon, Randa Haines, Ed Harris, Gina Prince-Bythewood, Polly Morgan, Ira Sachs, Michelle Tesoro and Joan Tewkesbury. The screenwriters lab advisor cohort, led by artistic director Howard Rodman, includes Justin Chon, Sebastian Cordero, Cherien Dabis, D.V. Devincentis, Scott Frank, John Gatins, Nicole Kassell, Kasi Lemmons, Tarell Alvin McCraney, Elena Soarez and Robin Swicord. The Native Lab creative advisors include Andrew Ahn, Alex Lazarowich (Cree), Dana Ladoux Miller (Sāmoan) and Jennifer Reeder.
- 4/27/2023
- by Mia Galuppo
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The Sundance Institute on Thursday announced the fellows set for the 2023 edition of their Directors, Screenwriters and Native Labs.
Native Lab participants will include Eva Grant (Degrees of Separation), Quinne Larsen (Trouble), Anpa’o Locke (Growing Pains), Jana Schmieding (Auntie Chuck) and Cian Elyse White (Te Puhi’).
Those taking part in the Directors Lab and/or the Screenwriters Lab include Hadas Ayalon (In a Minute You’ll Be Gone), Dania Bdeir & Bane Fakih (Pigeon Wars), Rashad Frett & Lin Que Ayoung (Ricky), Masami Kawai (Valley of the Tall Grass), Gabriela Ortega (Huella), Audrey Rosenberg (Wild Animals), Abinash Bikram Shah (Elephants in the Fog), Walter Thompson-Hernández (If I Go Will They Miss Me), Sean Wang (DìDi (弟弟)) and Farida Zahran (The Leftover Ladies).
A significant part of supporting Indigenous filmmakers for nearly two decades, the Native Lab will kick off online this year from May 1–5 before continuing in person in Santa Fe,...
Native Lab participants will include Eva Grant (Degrees of Separation), Quinne Larsen (Trouble), Anpa’o Locke (Growing Pains), Jana Schmieding (Auntie Chuck) and Cian Elyse White (Te Puhi’).
Those taking part in the Directors Lab and/or the Screenwriters Lab include Hadas Ayalon (In a Minute You’ll Be Gone), Dania Bdeir & Bane Fakih (Pigeon Wars), Rashad Frett & Lin Que Ayoung (Ricky), Masami Kawai (Valley of the Tall Grass), Gabriela Ortega (Huella), Audrey Rosenberg (Wild Animals), Abinash Bikram Shah (Elephants in the Fog), Walter Thompson-Hernández (If I Go Will They Miss Me), Sean Wang (DìDi (弟弟)) and Farida Zahran (The Leftover Ladies).
A significant part of supporting Indigenous filmmakers for nearly two decades, the Native Lab will kick off online this year from May 1–5 before continuing in person in Santa Fe,...
- 4/27/2023
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Labs run from May to June.
Sundance Institute has announced the Fellows for the 2023 Directors, Screenwriters, and Native Labs.
This year’s Directors and Screenwriters Labs will support 12 Fellows, with five selected for the Native Lab.
Sundance Institute said the Native Lab has been a significant part of supporting Indigenous filmmakers for nearly two decades and will take place online from May 1–5 and continues from May 8–13 in-person in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Projects and Fellows for the 2023 Sundance Institute Native Lab: Eva Grant / Degrees Of Separation (Can); Quinne Larsen / Trouble (USA): Anpa’o Locke / Growing Pains (USA); Jana Schmieding...
Sundance Institute has announced the Fellows for the 2023 Directors, Screenwriters, and Native Labs.
This year’s Directors and Screenwriters Labs will support 12 Fellows, with five selected for the Native Lab.
Sundance Institute said the Native Lab has been a significant part of supporting Indigenous filmmakers for nearly two decades and will take place online from May 1–5 and continues from May 8–13 in-person in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Projects and Fellows for the 2023 Sundance Institute Native Lab: Eva Grant / Degrees Of Separation (Can); Quinne Larsen / Trouble (USA): Anpa’o Locke / Growing Pains (USA); Jana Schmieding...
- 4/27/2023
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
The Sundance Institute has named the participants and projects set for the 2023 editions of a pair of its flagship programs: the Screenwriters Lab and Screenwriters Intensive.
Lab participants will include Joseph Sackett (Cross Pollination), Sean Wang (Dìdi (弟弟)), Abinash Bikram Shah (Elephants in the Fog), Gabriela Ortega (Huella), Walter Thompson-Hernández (If I Go Will They Miss Me), Hadas Ayalon (In a Minute You’ll Be Gone), Bernardo Cubría, John Hibey & Joshua Penn Soskin (Kill Yr Idols), Dania Bdeir & Bane Fakih (Pigeon Wars), Rashad Frett & Lin Que Ayoung (Ricky), Farida Zahran (The Leftover Ladies), Masami Kawai (Valley of the Tall Grass) and Audrey Rosenberg (Wild Animals).
Those set for the Intensive are Keisha Rae Witherspoon & Jason Fitzroy Jeffers (Arc), Shireen Alihaji (Blue Veil), Spencer Cook & Parker Smith (Lame), Jesahel Newton-Bernal (Leche), Cynthia Lowen (Light Mass Energy), Rebin Zangana (Qareen), David Liu (Santa Anita), Urvashi Pathania (Skin), Ciara Leina`ala Lacy (Untitled...
Lab participants will include Joseph Sackett (Cross Pollination), Sean Wang (Dìdi (弟弟)), Abinash Bikram Shah (Elephants in the Fog), Gabriela Ortega (Huella), Walter Thompson-Hernández (If I Go Will They Miss Me), Hadas Ayalon (In a Minute You’ll Be Gone), Bernardo Cubría, John Hibey & Joshua Penn Soskin (Kill Yr Idols), Dania Bdeir & Bane Fakih (Pigeon Wars), Rashad Frett & Lin Que Ayoung (Ricky), Farida Zahran (The Leftover Ladies), Masami Kawai (Valley of the Tall Grass) and Audrey Rosenberg (Wild Animals).
Those set for the Intensive are Keisha Rae Witherspoon & Jason Fitzroy Jeffers (Arc), Shireen Alihaji (Blue Veil), Spencer Cook & Parker Smith (Lame), Jesahel Newton-Bernal (Leche), Cynthia Lowen (Light Mass Energy), Rebin Zangana (Qareen), David Liu (Santa Anita), Urvashi Pathania (Skin), Ciara Leina`ala Lacy (Untitled...
- 1/13/2023
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
2022 was a great year for Asian short films (and mid-length for that matter) with a number of creators choosing the medium in order to both deal with the financial difficulties the pandemic caused and to have a medium that allows more creative freedom, with the two actually being directly connected. As such, we decided to have a list on short films for the first time on Asian Movie Pulse, in order to highlight this rather neglected (by audiences at least) part of the industry, but also to showcase that brilliance knows no duration.
Without further ado, here are the best Asian short films of 2022, in random order. Some films may have premiered in 2021, but since they mostly circulated in 2022, we decided to include them.
1. The Flight of Banog
The first thing to note about “The Flight of Banog” is just how kinetic the short film is. From the moment Amang...
Without further ado, here are the best Asian short films of 2022, in random order. Some films may have premiered in 2021, but since they mostly circulated in 2022, we decided to include them.
1. The Flight of Banog
The first thing to note about “The Flight of Banog” is just how kinetic the short film is. From the moment Amang...
- 1/13/2023
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Considering the gradual rise of cinema in the Arabic countries, either indoors or through diaspora, this year we expanded the selection of the Best West Asian films to include both West and Central Asian countries, in a list we feel highlights the diversity of the cinema of those countries, as much as the quality of their productions. Iran has the lion’s share as usual, considering it is the largest industry of the region, but movies from Israel, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Pakistan, Lebanon, Kuwait, Iraq, Bangladesh, Kazakhstan, Kurdistan also found their place in the list. Also of note is the fact that a number of these productions move towards the mainstream, in a rather pleasant diversity from the “misery porn” we usually get to watch from these countries, while documentaries and shorts are also included
Without further ado, here are the best West Asian films of 2022, in random order. Some...
Without further ado, here are the best West Asian films of 2022, in random order. Some...
- 1/5/2023
- by AMP Group
- AsianMoviePulse
On December 9, IndieWire will showcase some of the best Oscar-qualified short films of the year, at an event in Los Angeles co-hosted by ShortsTV and National Geographic Documentary Films. The program, which takes place ahead of IndieWire parent company Penske Media’s LA3C festival, features around 90 minutes of shorts that have qualified for the Oscar short film categories either by winning at an Oscar-qualifying festival or receiving an awards qualifying run.
Academy Members, Guild Members, Members of the Industry and fans may apply to attend this event here. (Capacity is limited; an application does not guarantee admission.) A limited number of tickets for the short film event will be available exclusively to LA3C passholders, who will also have access to additional events the same week hosted by fellow Penske brands Deadline, The Hollywood Reporter, She Media, Vibe, Variety, and Women’s Wear Daily.
The program is an international selection that includes live action,...
Academy Members, Guild Members, Members of the Industry and fans may apply to attend this event here. (Capacity is limited; an application does not guarantee admission.) A limited number of tickets for the short film event will be available exclusively to LA3C passholders, who will also have access to additional events the same week hosted by fellow Penske brands Deadline, The Hollywood Reporter, She Media, Vibe, Variety, and Women’s Wear Daily.
The program is an international selection that includes live action,...
- 12/6/2022
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Our sixth edition of Arab Stars of Tomorrow spotlights rising Middle Eastern and North African talents.
In our sixth edition of Arab Stars of Tomorrow, Screen International spotlights five emerging Middle Eastern and North African talents in the fields of acting and directing.
This year’s selection comprises Saudi writer/director Mohamed Al Salman, Moroccan writer/director Sofia Alaoui, Lebanese writer/director Dania Bdeir, Tunisian actor Adam Bessa and Lebanese actor Ziad Jallad.
The showcase has been organised in cooperation with the Red Sea International Film Festival for the first time. At a launch panel held at the festival on...
In our sixth edition of Arab Stars of Tomorrow, Screen International spotlights five emerging Middle Eastern and North African talents in the fields of acting and directing.
This year’s selection comprises Saudi writer/director Mohamed Al Salman, Moroccan writer/director Sofia Alaoui, Lebanese writer/director Dania Bdeir, Tunisian actor Adam Bessa and Lebanese actor Ziad Jallad.
The showcase has been organised in cooperation with the Red Sea International Film Festival for the first time. At a launch panel held at the festival on...
- 12/5/2022
- by Michael Rosser
- ScreenDaily
Los Angeles, Nov. 21, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — The eighth annual Asian World Film Festival (Awff) announced its competition winners at a star-studded event November 18 at Beverly Hill’s Saban Theater. The Last Film Show (India), directed by Pan Nalin, won the Snow Leopard Award for Best Film; Mohsen Tanabandeh garnered the Snow Leopard for Best Actor for World War III (Iran), and Hui Fang Hong was honored with the Snow Leopard for Best Actress for Ajoomma (Singapore).
Asian World Film Festival (Awff)
The Snow Leopard Special Jury Award went to World War III, directed by Houman Seyedi, and the Snow Leopard Audience Award to Aurora’s Sunrise (Armenia), directed by Inna Sahakyan. Kerr (Turkey) director of photography, Andreas Sinanos, received the Panavision Best Cinematography Award along with a 60,000 Panavision Camera Grant of cutting-edge filmmaking equipment.
Short films and the talent behind them were also recognized at the standing-room-only event. The Hollywood Foreign Press...
Asian World Film Festival (Awff)
The Snow Leopard Special Jury Award went to World War III, directed by Houman Seyedi, and the Snow Leopard Audience Award to Aurora’s Sunrise (Armenia), directed by Inna Sahakyan. Kerr (Turkey) director of photography, Andreas Sinanos, received the Panavision Best Cinematography Award along with a 60,000 Panavision Camera Grant of cutting-edge filmmaking equipment.
Short films and the talent behind them were also recognized at the standing-room-only event. The Hollywood Foreign Press...
- 11/21/2022
- by Martin Cid Magazine
- Martin Cid Magazine - Movies
“Last Film Show” (aka “Chhello Show”), India’s Oscar contender, was this weekend named winner of the Asian World Film Festival in Los Angeles.
Writer-director Pan Nalin and producer Dheer Momaya were presented with the Snow Leopard trophy at the Saban Theater in Beverly Hills.
“The best movie encompasses everything we want to see in a great film: good storytelling, moving performances, technically appealing, visually intoxicating and heartfelt connectivity to audiences. We received a line of very good movies this year and it was a tough decision. But this film reminded us of why we loved cinema. It reminded us of cinema’s ability to both enchant and inspire. It is a love letter to cinema to light and to life itself,” said festival jurors Janet Nepales and Pitof Jean-Christophe.
The film has been on the festival circuit for over a year, since debuting in in June 2021 at the Tribeca Film Festival.
Writer-director Pan Nalin and producer Dheer Momaya were presented with the Snow Leopard trophy at the Saban Theater in Beverly Hills.
“The best movie encompasses everything we want to see in a great film: good storytelling, moving performances, technically appealing, visually intoxicating and heartfelt connectivity to audiences. We received a line of very good movies this year and it was a tough decision. But this film reminded us of why we loved cinema. It reminded us of cinema’s ability to both enchant and inspire. It is a love letter to cinema to light and to life itself,” said festival jurors Janet Nepales and Pitof Jean-Christophe.
The film has been on the festival circuit for over a year, since debuting in in June 2021 at the Tribeca Film Festival.
- 11/21/2022
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Director Emad Aleebrahim Dehkordi dedicates award to ‘women of Iran and younger generation.’
Iranian director Emad Aleebrahim Dehkordi’s directorial debut drama A Tale of Shemroon won the Marrakech International’s Film Festival’s Etoile d’Or grand prize as the nine-day festival wrapped its 19th in-person edition over the weekend.
The Farsi and French-language film takes place north of Tehran and follows a boy and his younger brother who, following the death of their mother, attempt to launch a quick money-making business to help their family, but end up getting caught up in an illegal drug trade and Tehran’s wealthy world of corruption.
Iranian director Emad Aleebrahim Dehkordi’s directorial debut drama A Tale of Shemroon won the Marrakech International’s Film Festival’s Etoile d’Or grand prize as the nine-day festival wrapped its 19th in-person edition over the weekend.
The Farsi and French-language film takes place north of Tehran and follows a boy and his younger brother who, following the death of their mother, attempt to launch a quick money-making business to help their family, but end up getting caught up in an illegal drug trade and Tehran’s wealthy world of corruption.
- 11/20/2022
- by Rebecca Leffler
- ScreenDaily
Jerzy Skolimowski’s Eo Wins Arab Critics’ Awards For European Films
Veteran Polish director Jerzy Skolimowski’s Eo, exploring the world through the eyes of a donkey, has won the fourth edition of the Arab Critics’ Awards For European Films, in which 76 critics hailing from 15 Arab-language territories voted on their favorite film out of Europe to have premiered on the festival circuit over the course of this year. The prize was announced at the Cairo International Film Festival. Skolimowski was not able to attend the awards ceremony in person because he is currently in L.A. promoting the film, which is Poland’s Oscar entry this year, but he sent a message of thanks. “I am incredibly happy that Eo has been appreciated by the Arab Critics’ Circle as it must mean that my simple story of a donkey has moved people’s hearts across different cultures,” he said. Pan-Arab...
Veteran Polish director Jerzy Skolimowski’s Eo, exploring the world through the eyes of a donkey, has won the fourth edition of the Arab Critics’ Awards For European Films, in which 76 critics hailing from 15 Arab-language territories voted on their favorite film out of Europe to have premiered on the festival circuit over the course of this year. The prize was announced at the Cairo International Film Festival. Skolimowski was not able to attend the awards ceremony in person because he is currently in L.A. promoting the film, which is Poland’s Oscar entry this year, but he sent a message of thanks. “I am incredibly happy that Eo has been appreciated by the Arab Critics’ Circle as it must mean that my simple story of a donkey has moved people’s hearts across different cultures,” he said. Pan-Arab...
- 11/18/2022
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Amjad Al Rasheed’s “Inshallah A Boy,” Luck Razanajaona’s “Disco Afrika,” and Boubacar Sangaré’s “A Golden Life” claimed a trio of post-production prizes at this year’s Atlas Workshops, which ran from Nov. 14–17 as part of the Marrakech Film Festival.
The Moroccan festival’s industry platform, this 5th edition of the Atlas Workshops saw a return to in-person events after two years online, and with it, a welcome reception from the 250 professional delegates who turned out to support the 23 selected projects – in development, production and post-production – with mentorship sessions, targeted consulting and, finally, 109,000 in prize money split between the eight winning titles.
Directed by Amjad Al Rasheed, produced by Rula Nasser of The Imaginarium Films, and winner of this year’s top prize at Venice Final Cut, the Jordanian drama “Inshallah A Boy” can now add a 25,000 Atlas Workshops post-production grant to an already hefty list honors (that...
The Moroccan festival’s industry platform, this 5th edition of the Atlas Workshops saw a return to in-person events after two years online, and with it, a welcome reception from the 250 professional delegates who turned out to support the 23 selected projects – in development, production and post-production – with mentorship sessions, targeted consulting and, finally, 109,000 in prize money split between the eight winning titles.
Directed by Amjad Al Rasheed, produced by Rula Nasser of The Imaginarium Films, and winner of this year’s top prize at Venice Final Cut, the Jordanian drama “Inshallah A Boy” can now add a 25,000 Atlas Workshops post-production grant to an already hefty list honors (that...
- 11/18/2022
- by Ben Croll
- Variety Film + TV
Marrakech — Lebanese producer Pierre Sarraf from Né à Beyrouth Films and Sahar Yousefi at Canada’s Nava Projects have boarded one of the most buzzed about titles at the Atlas Workshops industry and mentoring platform at the Marrakech Film Festival. The Atlas Workshops opens its doors today.
“Pigeon Wars” marks the first feature from the Canadian-Lebanese filmmaker and Oscar hopeful, Dania Bdeir, whose gender-defying short film “Warsha” has won over 60 awards – three of which are Oscar qualifying, at Sundance, Outfest and Tokyo’s Short Shorts. The film is currently shortlisted for the 2023 César Awards.
Sarraf is producing the feature with Yousefi serving as the co-production partner. Ne a Beyrouth Films was also a producer on “Warsha,” which follows a Syrian migrant working as a crane operator at a construction site in Beirut who has a secret passion.
In “Pigeon Wars,” Rana, 20, a competitive young woman trying to avoid a difficult secret from her past,...
“Pigeon Wars” marks the first feature from the Canadian-Lebanese filmmaker and Oscar hopeful, Dania Bdeir, whose gender-defying short film “Warsha” has won over 60 awards – three of which are Oscar qualifying, at Sundance, Outfest and Tokyo’s Short Shorts. The film is currently shortlisted for the 2023 César Awards.
Sarraf is producing the feature with Yousefi serving as the co-production partner. Ne a Beyrouth Films was also a producer on “Warsha,” which follows a Syrian migrant working as a crane operator at a construction site in Beirut who has a secret passion.
In “Pigeon Wars,” Rana, 20, a competitive young woman trying to avoid a difficult secret from her past,...
- 11/14/2022
- by Liza Foreman
- Variety Film + TV
Marrakech — Running Nov. 14-17, the 5th Atlas Workshops, the industry-and-talent development program for Moroccan, Arab and African projects at the Marrakech Film Festival, is celebrating its return to an in-person event this time round.
With an increase in submissions, awards, and an ever-larger audience of industry execs checking out projects, the three-day confab showcases some of the brightest, next-gen talent.
“It’s the fifth edition, and we are super happy to be back in Morocco,” said Thibaut Bracq, head of Atlas Workshops.
This time round, the atelier will present 16 projects in development, five from Morocco, as well as six films in post-production from 11 countries, chosen from 240 applications received.
“One of the ideas with the new artistic direction at the festival was to create a space for African and Arab filmmakers to meet and present projects,” says Bracq. “The idea was for Marrakech to be a place to bring together those filmmakers.
With an increase in submissions, awards, and an ever-larger audience of industry execs checking out projects, the three-day confab showcases some of the brightest, next-gen talent.
“It’s the fifth edition, and we are super happy to be back in Morocco,” said Thibaut Bracq, head of Atlas Workshops.
This time round, the atelier will present 16 projects in development, five from Morocco, as well as six films in post-production from 11 countries, chosen from 240 applications received.
“One of the ideas with the new artistic direction at the festival was to create a space for African and Arab filmmakers to meet and present projects,” says Bracq. “The idea was for Marrakech to be a place to bring together those filmmakers.
- 11/11/2022
- by Liza Foreman
- Variety Film + TV
Interfilm International Short Film Festival Berlin is back with its 38th edition, running from the 15th to the 20th of November 2022. This year the regional focus will be on the cinematography of the Philippines, while the thematic focus Ghosts of Europe looks towards the EU. Interfilm dedicates also a spotlight program to Belarusian filmmaking, which courageously takes on the current regime.
To use the organisers’ words: “The competitions present themselves as usual politically, combative and at the same time empathetic and full of confidence. Great stories meet abstract animation, essayistic forms meet concrete narration. (…) Interforum is the place to discuss and learn, and various special programs and events round off the week dedicated to short film.“
You can find the full programme on the official website here.
Here are all the Asian titles:
International Competition
Anxious Body by Yoriko Mizushiri // France – Japan 2021
A Guitar in the Bucket by Boyoung Kim...
To use the organisers’ words: “The competitions present themselves as usual politically, combative and at the same time empathetic and full of confidence. Great stories meet abstract animation, essayistic forms meet concrete narration. (…) Interforum is the place to discuss and learn, and various special programs and events round off the week dedicated to short film.“
You can find the full programme on the official website here.
Here are all the Asian titles:
International Competition
Anxious Body by Yoriko Mizushiri // France – Japan 2021
A Guitar in the Bucket by Boyoung Kim...
- 11/4/2022
- by Adriana Rosati
- AsianMoviePulse
The Arab Film and Media Institute (Afmi) is pleased to announce the full program for the 2022 Arab Film Festival, running November 11-20, 2022 with a hybrid program of in-person and virtual events. For the full lineup and schedule, please visit arabfilmfestival.org. A list of available screeners can be found below.
The festival offers special programming to local audiences, and unprecedented access to the diversity and range of authentic Arab experiences. It has gained an international reputation for excellence and offers its audiences access to media that reflects the lives of under-represented and provocative themes and groups on a cultural and societal level.
The festival runs throughout the San Francisco Bay Area at the Castro Theatre (San Francisco), Roxie Theater (San Francisco) and the New Parkway Theater (Oakland). The program spans 10 days, presenting 60 films from 18 countries, 22 directed by women. AFF2022 includes opening and closing parties, filmmaker mixers, classical films, industry and community panels,...
The festival offers special programming to local audiences, and unprecedented access to the diversity and range of authentic Arab experiences. It has gained an international reputation for excellence and offers its audiences access to media that reflects the lives of under-represented and provocative themes and groups on a cultural and societal level.
The festival runs throughout the San Francisco Bay Area at the Castro Theatre (San Francisco), Roxie Theater (San Francisco) and the New Parkway Theater (Oakland). The program spans 10 days, presenting 60 films from 18 countries, 22 directed by women. AFF2022 includes opening and closing parties, filmmaker mixers, classical films, industry and community panels,...
- 10/30/2022
- by Grace Han
- AsianMoviePulse
The festival runs November 11-19
The Marrakech International Film Festival (November 11-19) has mapped out its 2022 Atlas Workshops programme with 23 projects and films selected for its 5th edition.
The Moroccan festival’s industry platform will feature 16 projects in development and six films in post-production from 11 countries. The project incubator and industry platform was launched in 2018 and was held online in 2020 and 2021. This will be its return to an in-person event set for Nov 14-17. The program aims to support the next generation of Moroccan, Arab and African filmmakers by giving their projects exposure on the international stage during the global,...
The Marrakech International Film Festival (November 11-19) has mapped out its 2022 Atlas Workshops programme with 23 projects and films selected for its 5th edition.
The Moroccan festival’s industry platform will feature 16 projects in development and six films in post-production from 11 countries. The project incubator and industry platform was launched in 2018 and was held online in 2020 and 2021. This will be its return to an in-person event set for Nov 14-17. The program aims to support the next generation of Moroccan, Arab and African filmmakers by giving their projects exposure on the international stage during the global,...
- 10/19/2022
- by Rebecca Leffler
- ScreenDaily
Though their “’80s Horror” lineup would constitute enough of a Halloween push, the Criterion Channel enter October all guns blazing. The month’s lineup also includes a 19-movie vampire series running from 1931’s Dracula (English and Spanish both) to 2014’s A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, the collection in-between including Herzog’s Nosferatu, Near Dark, and Let the Right One In. Last year’s “Universal Horror” collection returns, a 17-title Ishirō Honda retrospective has been set, and a few genre titles stand alone: Hush…Hush, Sweet Charlotte, The House of the Devil, and Island of Lost Souls.
Streaming premieres include restorations of Tsai Ming-liang’s Vive L’amour and Ed Lachman’s Lou Reed / John Cale concert film Songs for Drella; October’s Criterion editions are Samuel Fuller’s Forty Guns, Bill Duke’s Deep Cover, Haxan, and My Own Private Idaho. Meanwhile, Ari Aster has curated an “Adventures...
Streaming premieres include restorations of Tsai Ming-liang’s Vive L’amour and Ed Lachman’s Lou Reed / John Cale concert film Songs for Drella; October’s Criterion editions are Samuel Fuller’s Forty Guns, Bill Duke’s Deep Cover, Haxan, and My Own Private Idaho. Meanwhile, Ari Aster has curated an “Adventures...
- 9/26/2022
- by Nick Newman
- The Film Stage
Dubai-based producer and distributor Front Row Filmed Entertainment has acquired pan-Middle East and North Africa rights to Sundance 2022 titles Warsha and Sirens.
Directed by Lebanese-Syrian filmmaker Dania Bdeir, Warsha won Sundance’s Short Film Jury Award in the world cinema section..
Male belly dancer Mohammad Khansa plays a migrant working as a construction worker in Beirut, who finds a safe place to live out his secret passion on the top of one of the city’s tallest and most notoriously dangerous cranes.
Since its Sundance win, the film has played at more than 80 festivals and clinched a raft of awards.
Moroccan-u.S.filmmaker Rita Baghdadi’s documentary feature Sirens follows the electric guitar-playing co-founders of the Middle East’s first all-female metal band. Following its Sundance debut, the documentary also went on to play at a raft of international festivals.
Front Row said the acquisitions demonstrated the company’s commitment...
Directed by Lebanese-Syrian filmmaker Dania Bdeir, Warsha won Sundance’s Short Film Jury Award in the world cinema section..
Male belly dancer Mohammad Khansa plays a migrant working as a construction worker in Beirut, who finds a safe place to live out his secret passion on the top of one of the city’s tallest and most notoriously dangerous cranes.
Since its Sundance win, the film has played at more than 80 festivals and clinched a raft of awards.
Moroccan-u.S.filmmaker Rita Baghdadi’s documentary feature Sirens follows the electric guitar-playing co-founders of the Middle East’s first all-female metal band. Following its Sundance debut, the documentary also went on to play at a raft of international festivals.
Front Row said the acquisitions demonstrated the company’s commitment...
- 8/2/2022
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
Dubai-based Middle East distributor and producer Front Row Filmed Entertainment, which scored a major hit earlier this year with its local remake of Perfect Strangers for Netflix, has acquired the regional rights to two Sundance-bowing and gender-defying Arab films.
Sirens, exec produced by Maya Rudolph and Natasha Lyonne and directed by Moroccan-American filmmaker Rita Baghdadi, follows the story of Lilas and Shery, the co-founders and guitarists of the Middle-East’s first all-female metal band as they wrestle with friendship, sexuality and destruction in their pursuit of becoming Thrash metal rock stars.
The feature doc has played in over 40 festivals internationally so far in addition to Sundance, winning several awards along the way including the one in a million documentary award at the Sun Valley Film Festival, the special jury award for courage in filmmaking at the Florida Film Festival and the mermaid award...
Dubai-based Middle East distributor and producer Front Row Filmed Entertainment, which scored a major hit earlier this year with its local remake of Perfect Strangers for Netflix, has acquired the regional rights to two Sundance-bowing and gender-defying Arab films.
Sirens, exec produced by Maya Rudolph and Natasha Lyonne and directed by Moroccan-American filmmaker Rita Baghdadi, follows the story of Lilas and Shery, the co-founders and guitarists of the Middle-East’s first all-female metal band as they wrestle with friendship, sexuality and destruction in their pursuit of becoming Thrash metal rock stars.
The feature doc has played in over 40 festivals internationally so far in addition to Sundance, winning several awards along the way including the one in a million documentary award at the Sun Valley Film Festival, the special jury award for courage in filmmaking at the Florida Film Festival and the mermaid award...
- 8/2/2022
- by Alex Ritman
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Shailaja Padindala’s Kannada-language film “Naanu Ladies” won best narrative feature and Pedro Peira’s English and Spanish-language film “LA QueenCianera” best documentary feature at the 2022 Kashish LGBTQ+ film festival in Mumbai.
Gujarati-language shorts “Muhafiz” by Pradipta Ray and “Dal Bhat” by Nemil Shah” won best Indian narrative short and the Riyad Wadia Award for best emerging Indian filmmaker respectively. “Muhafiz” also won best screenplay for Ray and Ashutosh Pathak.
Padindala said: “ ‘Naanu Ladies’ is a film attempting to identify cis-het culture [as it] weaves itself into the queerness of everyday life. The film attempts to re-understand uses of reproductive sciences for a queer lifestyle. I look forward to making more queer content with queer folks, across as many regional languages as possible. My next film is going to be a Tamil feature, in which queerness is also going to be a part of the story, of a bigger picture.”
Kashish 2022 screened 184 Lgbtqia+ films,...
Gujarati-language shorts “Muhafiz” by Pradipta Ray and “Dal Bhat” by Nemil Shah” won best Indian narrative short and the Riyad Wadia Award for best emerging Indian filmmaker respectively. “Muhafiz” also won best screenplay for Ray and Ashutosh Pathak.
Padindala said: “ ‘Naanu Ladies’ is a film attempting to identify cis-het culture [as it] weaves itself into the queerness of everyday life. The film attempts to re-understand uses of reproductive sciences for a queer lifestyle. I look forward to making more queer content with queer folks, across as many regional languages as possible. My next film is going to be a Tamil feature, in which queerness is also going to be a part of the story, of a bigger picture.”
Kashish 2022 screened 184 Lgbtqia+ films,...
- 6/15/2022
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
The hardships immingrant workers face all over the world have been the main topic of a plethora of movies, both documentaries and fiction. Dania Bdeir, however, presents a truly unique perspective (both metaphorically and literally) on the issue, through a rather intelligent approach.
“Warsha” is screening at Vienna Shorts
Mohammad is a Syrian builder in Beirut, who is struggling with the fact he cannot get any privacy, since his living with a number of compatriots/coworkers has made it impossible. An initial scene, when he is locked in the bathroom and produces the photo of a woman in a flamboyant dress, but is almost immediately interrupted, highlights this problem, as much as his face as they are being driven, a bit later, to the construction site they work in. The same day, Mohammad decides to take the place of a colleague who died in an accident in a towering, hazardous...
“Warsha” is screening at Vienna Shorts
Mohammad is a Syrian builder in Beirut, who is struggling with the fact he cannot get any privacy, since his living with a number of compatriots/coworkers has made it impossible. An initial scene, when he is locked in the bathroom and produces the photo of a woman in a flamboyant dress, but is almost immediately interrupted, highlights this problem, as much as his face as they are being driven, a bit later, to the construction site they work in. The same day, Mohammad decides to take the place of a colleague who died in an accident in a towering, hazardous...
- 5/28/2022
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
BFI’s springtime celebration of queer cinema is back! Whether you choose to join Flare in person or online (or both), you are about to discover the best in contemporary Lgbtqia+ cinema from around the world.
Films screen at BFI Southbank, with a selection screening virtually on BFI Player available across the UK 16 to 27 March. You can find the Full Programme and Info about tickets on the Official Website Here
Let’s have a look at the Asian titles and also at the films with some Asia in them:
“Hearts” Strand
A Distant Place
A young Korean sheepherder raising his niece is visited by two people from his past in this intimate and sumptuously shot family drama.
By Park Kun-young / South Korea 2020 / 119min
Fragrance of the First Flower
A chance meeting between former high-school friends stirs up forgotten feelings in this beautifully charming Taiwanese digital series screening in its entirety.
Films screen at BFI Southbank, with a selection screening virtually on BFI Player available across the UK 16 to 27 March. You can find the Full Programme and Info about tickets on the Official Website Here
Let’s have a look at the Asian titles and also at the films with some Asia in them:
“Hearts” Strand
A Distant Place
A young Korean sheepherder raising his niece is visited by two people from his past in this intimate and sumptuously shot family drama.
By Park Kun-young / South Korea 2020 / 119min
Fragrance of the First Flower
A chance meeting between former high-school friends stirs up forgotten feelings in this beautifully charming Taiwanese digital series screening in its entirety.
- 2/16/2022
- by Adriana Rosati
- AsianMoviePulse
This year’s Sundance Film Festival featured 84 feature films, 59 short films, and 26 jury-awarded prizes — with at least 7 of them distributed to Asian productions. Unsurprisingly, most of the Asian award winners revolved around tales of precarity. Shaunak Sen’s Delhi-based ecology-conscious film “All That Breathes” won a Grand Jury Prize in the World Cinema Documentary category. Snow Hnin Ei Hlaing’s on-the-ground documentary about Rohingya discrimination in the Rakhine State, “Midwives” won the World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award: Excellence in Verite Filmmaking. Maryna Er Gorbach’s Ukraine-Turkey co-production about a family living along the precarious Ukraine-Russian border, “Klondike”, took home the Directing Award: World Cinema Dramatic.
Several dramatic films took their pickings, too. Philippines-based Martika Ramirez Escobar’s love letter to cinema, “Leonor Will Never Die,” also was selected for the World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award: Innovative Spirit. Shorts “Night Bus” (Joe Hsieh) and “Warsha” (Dania Bdeir) likewise swept the shorts fiction awards,...
Several dramatic films took their pickings, too. Philippines-based Martika Ramirez Escobar’s love letter to cinema, “Leonor Will Never Die,” also was selected for the World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award: Innovative Spirit. Shorts “Night Bus” (Joe Hsieh) and “Warsha” (Dania Bdeir) likewise swept the shorts fiction awards,...
- 1/30/2022
- by Grace Han
- AsianMoviePulse
Chicago – The 2022 Sundance Film Festival announced their Grand Jury Prizes on January 28th, and the top films were “Nanny” (U.S. Dramatic), “The Exiles” (U.S. Documentary), “Utama” (World Cinema Dramatic) and “All That Breathes” (World Cinema Documentary).
After nine days, 84 feature films and 59 Short Films, honors were also given for Audience Awards, Festival Favorite Award, Jury Awards for Directing, Screenwriting & Editing and Special Jury Awards.
The list of all award winners are below.
Grand Jury Prize
‘Nanny’
Photo credit: Sundance Film Festival
U.S. Dramatic: “Nanny” directed by Nikyatu Jusu
U.S. Documentary: “The Exiles,” directed by Ben Klein & Violet Columbus
World Cinema Dramatic:: “Utama” (Bolivia/Uraguay/France) directed by Alejandro Loayza Grisi
World Cinema Documentary: “All That Breathes” (India/UK) directed by Shaunak Sen
Audience Awards
Cha Cha Real Smooth
Photo credit: Sundance Film Festival
U.S. Dramatic: “Cha Cha Real Smooth” directed by Cooper Raif
U.S.
After nine days, 84 feature films and 59 Short Films, honors were also given for Audience Awards, Festival Favorite Award, Jury Awards for Directing, Screenwriting & Editing and Special Jury Awards.
The list of all award winners are below.
Grand Jury Prize
‘Nanny’
Photo credit: Sundance Film Festival
U.S. Dramatic: “Nanny” directed by Nikyatu Jusu
U.S. Documentary: “The Exiles,” directed by Ben Klein & Violet Columbus
World Cinema Dramatic:: “Utama” (Bolivia/Uraguay/France) directed by Alejandro Loayza Grisi
World Cinema Documentary: “All That Breathes” (India/UK) directed by Shaunak Sen
Audience Awards
Cha Cha Real Smooth
Photo credit: Sundance Film Festival
U.S. Dramatic: “Cha Cha Real Smooth” directed by Cooper Raif
U.S.
- 1/29/2022
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Earlier, Sundance announced that its 2022 edition will be hybrid. Most titles will be available online while their in-person festivities start up again in Park City. Their main slate has just gone live as well. Though the festival has a tendency to update their lineup as the festivities grow closer, their competition categories have at least been set in stone.
Naturally, we compiled all of the Asian and Asian diaspora-directed ones we could find so far. Like last year, most Asian titles tend to be in the documentaries. In the World Cinema Documentary Competition, at least 4 entries span from different corners of the continent: India (“All That Breathes”), Myanmar (“Midwives”), Lebanon (“Sirens”), and Israel (“Tantura”). 4 entries revolving around or by Asian diaspora filmmakers make their mark in the US Documentary Competition as well. “Free Chol Soo Lee”, “Jihad Rehab”, “Tiktok.Boom” and “The Exiles” cover fex-Al-Queda extremists, Tiananmen Square exiles, a wrongly-convicted Korean immigrant,...
Naturally, we compiled all of the Asian and Asian diaspora-directed ones we could find so far. Like last year, most Asian titles tend to be in the documentaries. In the World Cinema Documentary Competition, at least 4 entries span from different corners of the continent: India (“All That Breathes”), Myanmar (“Midwives”), Lebanon (“Sirens”), and Israel (“Tantura”). 4 entries revolving around or by Asian diaspora filmmakers make their mark in the US Documentary Competition as well. “Free Chol Soo Lee”, “Jihad Rehab”, “Tiktok.Boom” and “The Exiles” cover fex-Al-Queda extremists, Tiananmen Square exiles, a wrongly-convicted Korean immigrant,...
- 12/16/2021
- by Grace Han
- AsianMoviePulse
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.