Embark on an odyssey into the modern Arabian Gulf with Jisr Film Festival, an inaugural cultural festival making its debut in Singapore. Jisr offers an immersive experience introducing the rich cultural tapestry of the Gulf Cooperation Council (Gcc) countries to local audiences through a three-part program – a film festival (23-24 March and 30-31 March), a business conference (27 March) and an exclusive film studio day tour organised in partnership with Iskandar Malaysia Studios (28 March). The event is
presented by food security consultancy firm, Swapac, Singapore-based creative agency, Cinepluto in partnership with the Singapore Business Federation, The Middle East Institute, Smart Cities Network and The Projector.
A film festival that aims to break age-old stereotypes
Using art as a medium to connect, Jisr will kickstart festivities by bringing an engaging film festival to Singapore, featuring the works and perspectives of established and emerging filmmakers from the Gcc countries. Over two weekends, audiences...
presented by food security consultancy firm, Swapac, Singapore-based creative agency, Cinepluto in partnership with the Singapore Business Federation, The Middle East Institute, Smart Cities Network and The Projector.
A film festival that aims to break age-old stereotypes
Using art as a medium to connect, Jisr will kickstart festivities by bringing an engaging film festival to Singapore, featuring the works and perspectives of established and emerging filmmakers from the Gcc countries. Over two weekends, audiences...
- 3/21/2024
- by Suzie Cho
- AsianMoviePulse
Qatar’s Doha Film Institute (Dfi) kicks off the 10th edition of its Qumra project and talent incubator event meeting this Friday.
Running from March 1 to 6 in downtown Doha and the lofty surroundings of the city’s I. M. Pei-designed Museum of Islamic Art, the event will welcome the filmmakers and producers of 40 projects across all formats for six days of masterclasses, workshops and one-on-one mentoring sessions.
Participants include UK director Ana Naomi de Sousa with Naseem, Fight With Grace about boxing star Naseem Hamed; Moroccan filmmaker Alaa Eddine Aljem with Eldorado, The Taste of the South, his second feature after Cannes Critics’ Week title The Unknown Saint; Tunisian director Mehdi Barsaoui with Aïcha, which follows 2019 drama A Son for which Sami Bouajila won Best Actor in the Venice’s Horizons sidebar, and Palestinian director Saleh Saadi with TV series Dyouf, about a young man who returns to his...
Running from March 1 to 6 in downtown Doha and the lofty surroundings of the city’s I. M. Pei-designed Museum of Islamic Art, the event will welcome the filmmakers and producers of 40 projects across all formats for six days of masterclasses, workshops and one-on-one mentoring sessions.
Participants include UK director Ana Naomi de Sousa with Naseem, Fight With Grace about boxing star Naseem Hamed; Moroccan filmmaker Alaa Eddine Aljem with Eldorado, The Taste of the South, his second feature after Cannes Critics’ Week title The Unknown Saint; Tunisian director Mehdi Barsaoui with Aïcha, which follows 2019 drama A Son for which Sami Bouajila won Best Actor in the Venice’s Horizons sidebar, and Palestinian director Saleh Saadi with TV series Dyouf, about a young man who returns to his...
- 2/28/2024
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Saudi Arabia’s top local film distribution player CineWaves Films has announced the opening of a China office that it claims makes it the first Arab cultural entity to establish a physical presence in the world’s second-largest movie market.
The official announcement was made over the weekend during the Arab-Chinese Animation Forum by Zha Yindong, the deputy mayor of the city of Suzhou; and Saudi film industry pioneer Faisal Baltyuor, founder and CEO of CineWaves Films, in the presence of Chinese government representatives and cultural sectors.
“There are a lot of initiatives that are being taken in Saudi Arabia when it comes to cinema,” Baltyuor told Variety Tuesday on the sidelines of the Venice Film Festival. “There are collaborations with Hollywood and with Europe in the West, but I didn’t see any initiatives being taken towards the Far East.”
That’s why few years ago Baltyour went to China and tried to connect.
The official announcement was made over the weekend during the Arab-Chinese Animation Forum by Zha Yindong, the deputy mayor of the city of Suzhou; and Saudi film industry pioneer Faisal Baltyuor, founder and CEO of CineWaves Films, in the presence of Chinese government representatives and cultural sectors.
“There are a lot of initiatives that are being taken in Saudi Arabia when it comes to cinema,” Baltyuor told Variety Tuesday on the sidelines of the Venice Film Festival. “There are collaborations with Hollywood and with Europe in the West, but I didn’t see any initiatives being taken towards the Far East.”
That’s why few years ago Baltyour went to China and tried to connect.
- 9/5/2023
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Opening is part of strategy focusing on international expansion and new opportunities for Saudi films worldwide.
Leading Saudi Arabian distributor CineWaves Films has opened an office in China as part of a strategy focusing on international expansion and opening up opportunities for Saudi films worldwide.
CineWaves Film said the new office – in Suzhou, a city west of Shanghai – was the first to be opened by an Arab cultural entity in China.
The announcement came during the Arab-Chinese Animation Forum last week. The Forum aims to foster cooperation between China and Arab countries in IP rights, talent training and the joint...
Leading Saudi Arabian distributor CineWaves Films has opened an office in China as part of a strategy focusing on international expansion and opening up opportunities for Saudi films worldwide.
CineWaves Film said the new office – in Suzhou, a city west of Shanghai – was the first to be opened by an Arab cultural entity in China.
The announcement came during the Arab-Chinese Animation Forum last week. The Forum aims to foster cooperation between China and Arab countries in IP rights, talent training and the joint...
- 9/5/2023
- by Tim Dams
- ScreenDaily
The pop-up initiative showcases independent cinema within the framework of the Diriyah Biennale.
Burgeoning Saudi exhibitor Muvi Cinemas and content production and distribution company Telfaz11 have launched joint pop-up venture Wadi Cinema aimed at fostering arthouse cinema-going in the country.
Unfolding within Saudi Arabia’s first-ever art biennale, running in the historic city of Diriyah on the outskirts of Riyadh from December 16 to March 11, the initiative consists of a temporary cinema and a programme of recent arthouse titles.
It opens on Thursday (December 23) with a screening of Oscar-nominated The Man Who Sold His Skin by Tunisian director Kaouther Ben Hania,...
Burgeoning Saudi exhibitor Muvi Cinemas and content production and distribution company Telfaz11 have launched joint pop-up venture Wadi Cinema aimed at fostering arthouse cinema-going in the country.
Unfolding within Saudi Arabia’s first-ever art biennale, running in the historic city of Diriyah on the outskirts of Riyadh from December 16 to March 11, the initiative consists of a temporary cinema and a programme of recent arthouse titles.
It opens on Thursday (December 23) with a screening of Oscar-nominated The Man Who Sold His Skin by Tunisian director Kaouther Ben Hania,...
- 12/23/2021
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- ScreenDaily
Nominations in the 14th Asia Pacific Screen Awards (Apsa) were revealed today with nods for 38 films from 25 Asia Pacific countries and regions. Winners will be announced on Thursday, November 11, at the 14th Apsa Ceremony on the Australia Gold Coast. Nominations include Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Drive My Car, which won the best screenplay award at Cannes, Asghar Farhadi’s Cannes Grand Prix winning, film A Hero, and the TIFF Platform award winning film Yuni directed by Kamila Andini.
Apsa celebrates cinema from over 70 countries, with an enhanced focus on content that reflects the region’s diversity.
Below is the full list of nominees.
Best Feature Film
A Hero (Ghahreman)
Directed by Asghar Farhadi
A Night of Knowing Nothing
Directed by Payal Kapadia
Drive My Car
Directed by Ryusuke Hamaguchi
The Pencil (Prostoy karandash)
Directed by Natalya Nazarova
There is No Evil (Sheytan vojud nadarad)
Directed by Mohammad Rasoulof
Best Youth Feature...
Apsa celebrates cinema from over 70 countries, with an enhanced focus on content that reflects the region’s diversity.
Below is the full list of nominees.
Best Feature Film
A Hero (Ghahreman)
Directed by Asghar Farhadi
A Night of Knowing Nothing
Directed by Payal Kapadia
Drive My Car
Directed by Ryusuke Hamaguchi
The Pencil (Prostoy karandash)
Directed by Natalya Nazarova
There is No Evil (Sheytan vojud nadarad)
Directed by Mohammad Rasoulof
Best Youth Feature...
- 10/13/2021
- by Valerie Complex
- Deadline Film + TV
Winners will be announced on November 11.
Cannes winners Drive My Car, directed by Ryusuke Hamaguchi, and Asghar Farhadi’s A Hero lead the nominations at the Asia Pacific Screen Academy (Apsa) awards.
Drive My Car is Japan’s entry for the best international feature Oscar and the Cannes 2021 Competition best screenplay winner. It follows a theatre actor and director who is grappling with grief for his lost wife.
A Hero, which won the grand prix at Cannes, is a French-Iranian co-production which looks at what happens when an unlikely hero finds himself caught up in a social media storm.
Both...
Cannes winners Drive My Car, directed by Ryusuke Hamaguchi, and Asghar Farhadi’s A Hero lead the nominations at the Asia Pacific Screen Academy (Apsa) awards.
Drive My Car is Japan’s entry for the best international feature Oscar and the Cannes 2021 Competition best screenplay winner. It follows a theatre actor and director who is grappling with grief for his lost wife.
A Hero, which won the grand prix at Cannes, is a French-Iranian co-production which looks at what happens when an unlikely hero finds himself caught up in a social media storm.
Both...
- 10/13/2021
- by Mona Tabbara
- ScreenDaily
Hamaguchi Ryusuke’s “Drive My Car” and Asghar Farhadi’s “A Hero,” two films that debuted in Cannes, emerge as the strong favorites for the Asia Pacific Screen Awards, after nominations were announced on Wednesday.
Both films are nominated for best film, best directing, best screenplay and best performance by an actor.
The best film category is rounded out by nominations for India-France co-production “A Night of Knowing Nothing,” directed by India’s Payal Kapadia; “The Pencil” from Russia’s Natalya Nazarova; and “There is No Evil,” an Iran-Czech-Germany co-production directed by Mohammad Rasoulof that won the Golden Bear in Berlin.
Organizers said that nominations had gone to 38 films from 25 Asia Pacific countries and regions. Films from Japan and Iran each collected seven nominations. And, after 14 years, a representative from Vietnam collected the country’s first Apsa nomination.
But the Apsa nominations represented a complete shut-out for both mainland China and Taiwan.
Both films are nominated for best film, best directing, best screenplay and best performance by an actor.
The best film category is rounded out by nominations for India-France co-production “A Night of Knowing Nothing,” directed by India’s Payal Kapadia; “The Pencil” from Russia’s Natalya Nazarova; and “There is No Evil,” an Iran-Czech-Germany co-production directed by Mohammad Rasoulof that won the Golden Bear in Berlin.
Organizers said that nominations had gone to 38 films from 25 Asia Pacific countries and regions. Films from Japan and Iran each collected seven nominations. And, after 14 years, a representative from Vietnam collected the country’s first Apsa nomination.
But the Apsa nominations represented a complete shut-out for both mainland China and Taiwan.
- 10/12/2021
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Scales is the latest in a movement of feminist cinema coming from Saudi Arabia, in the wake of great work done by Haifaa Al-Mansour (whose excellent The Perfect Candidate was released earlier this year). In her first feature, writer-director Shahad Ameen proves herself a force behind the camera with stunning black-and-white photography and poetic imagery guiding us through the tale of a young girl’s struggle for liberation—yet at a lean 75 minutes, there’s not quite enough meat on the bones to leave a lasting impression.
Basima Hajjar plays the strong and silent heroine, Hayat, a young girl who, at least to begin with, passively accepts the patriarchal society in which she’s grown up. In the alternate reality Ameen has created, the waters around the small fishing village Hayat lives in are filled with sea maidens. Every family must sacrifice one of their daughters to placate them, ensuring...
Basima Hajjar plays the strong and silent heroine, Hayat, a young girl who, at least to begin with, passively accepts the patriarchal society in which she’s grown up. In the alternate reality Ameen has created, the waters around the small fishing village Hayat lives in are filled with sea maidens. Every family must sacrifice one of their daughters to placate them, ensuring...
- 7/8/2021
- by Orla Smith
- The Film Stage
The position of Saudi women as second-class citizens receives a potent metaphoric visualization in Saudi helmer-writer Shahad Ameen’s parable-like debut drama, “Scales.” Revealing more through imagery than dialogue, the tale unfolds on a barren island where tradition dictates that each family sacrifice a daughter to the sea maidens to ensure the local fishermen a good catch. , with the taut first third particularly strong. But the narrative’s momentum and clarity dissipate in the middle and final sections even as the visuals continue to impress. Still, the boldly inventive “Scales” marks Ameen as a talent to watch.
Variance Films is releasing “Scales” in New York and Los Angeles on July 9. A wider rollout will follow. The 2019 production had a prize-winning festival run and was chosen as the Saudi entry for the best international feature Oscar.
In the harsh, dystopian world that Ameen creates, femininity is repressed and masculinity is all powerful.
Variance Films is releasing “Scales” in New York and Los Angeles on July 9. A wider rollout will follow. The 2019 production had a prize-winning festival run and was chosen as the Saudi entry for the best international feature Oscar.
In the harsh, dystopian world that Ameen creates, femininity is repressed and masculinity is all powerful.
- 7/8/2021
- by Alissa Simon
- Variety Film + TV
The most beautiful moonlight I've ever seen was in Sinai. I was at a small camp not far from Dahab, but far enough and so far from any large human settlement that there was no light pollution. It was a full moon night, and the silver light shone against the mountains, the sea, and the mountains across, the coast of Saudi Arabia. Sitting under this light in silence, one would have no doubts of the terrible beauty of the landscape, barren in vegetation but rich in stories, and sea monsters lurking in the deep. Shahad Ameen's feature debut Scales is a stark and haunting fable, a Middle Eastern fairy tale that feels both ancient and timeless, a parable about the roles of men and women...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
- 7/7/2021
- Screen Anarchy
Premiering at the 2019 Venice International Film Festival’s Critics’ Week, where it won the Verona Film Club Award, Shahad Ameen’s debut feature Scales went on to be selected as Saudi Arabia’s entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 2021 Academy Awards. Now set for a release next month, on July 9, the first trailer has arrived for the film which tells a spellbinding feminist parable following a young girl who goes against her village’s tradition of sacrificing female children.
“With Scales, I wanted to build a world where femininity is repressed, and masculinity is celebrated,” said the director. “Through Hayat, I wanted to explore the effect of that on girls and society as a whole. I wanted to build a story world where Icouldutilize imagery rather than dialogue. I drew a lot of inspiration from the use of imagery in Arabic poetry as I wanted the narrative...
“With Scales, I wanted to build a world where femininity is repressed, and masculinity is celebrated,” said the director. “Through Hayat, I wanted to explore the effect of that on girls and society as a whole. I wanted to build a story world where Icouldutilize imagery rather than dialogue. I drew a lot of inspiration from the use of imagery in Arabic poetry as I wanted the narrative...
- 6/27/2021
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Shahad Ameen's debut feature film, the fable Scales, will open in cinemas in New York and Los Angeles on Friday, July 9th, with rollout to follow. Variance Films is handling the release, written and directed by Ameen. Scales was Saudi Arabia's official entry in the International Feature Film category for the 93Rd Oscars®. After taking one look at this trailer below it's not hard to see why. Gosh, this is very pretty to look at. Wow. Variance Films is proud to present Scales, the spellbinding debut feature by Saudi Arabian writer/director Shahad Ameen. The film's premiere took place at the 2019 Venice International Film Festival’s Critics’ Week, where it won the Verona Film Club Award, before touring notable festivals around the world, including...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
- 6/24/2021
- Screen Anarchy
"Girls like you belong to the Sea Maiden." Variance Films has released a new official US trailer for a Saudi Arabian film titled Scales, which originally premiered back at the 2019 Venice Film Festival in the Critics' Week sidebar section. It picked up a few awards and also toured around through other festivals all over the world. Written & directed by Shahad Ameen, Scales was also Saudi Arabia's official submission to the 93rd Oscars earlier this year. Set in a dystopian landscape, Scales is the story of a young strong-willed girl, Hayat, who lives in a poor fishing village governed by a dark tradition in which every family must give one daughter to the sea creatures who inhabit the waters nearby. Saved from this fate by her father, Hayat is considered a curse on the village and grows up an outcast. Nevertheless, she does not surrender to this fate and fights for a place within her village.
- 6/24/2021
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
A dystopian landscape, a curse, a dark family tradition, and mermaids: These are just a few of the foreboding elements that make up Shahad Ameen’s Saudi Arabian feminist fable “Scales,” which represented the country in the 2021 Best International Feature Academy Awards race. After making a splash at the Venice Film Festival in 2019, where it was honored with the Verona Award in the Critics’ Week section and dubbed the lineup’s most innovative film, the film is now reading for a stateside release.
Here’s the official synopsis: “‘Scales’ is a visually stunning feminist parable set in a dystopian landscape. It follows the story of a strong-willed young girl, Hayat, whose poor fishing village is governed by a dark tradition: every family must give one daughter to the mermaid-like sea creatures who inhabit the waters, to ensure the village can continue their fishing expeditions. When Hayat’s father refuses, the girl becomes a pariah,...
Here’s the official synopsis: “‘Scales’ is a visually stunning feminist parable set in a dystopian landscape. It follows the story of a strong-willed young girl, Hayat, whose poor fishing village is governed by a dark tradition: every family must give one daughter to the mermaid-like sea creatures who inhabit the waters, to ensure the village can continue their fishing expeditions. When Hayat’s father refuses, the girl becomes a pariah,...
- 6/24/2021
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
One of Saudi Arabian director Shahad Ameen’s first films was “Eye & Mermaid,” a short about a girl who learns that her father’s job is to hunt and slaughter mermaids. It was a story about the fractured relationship between a father and daughter, but for her new film “Scales,” Ameen felt there was a missed opportunity in exploring more about the girl.
“Scales” is Saudi Arabia’s submission to the Best International Feature race at the Oscars. The film is shot in a timeless black and white with an eye toward mythology about a girl named Hayat, who lives in a poor fishing village where families sacrifice one daughter to mermaids in the sea, leading to the fishermen to retaliate by hunting them. Hayat however was spared from this fate and lives as an outcast, and Ameen wanted to explore how this custom could affect someone’s self-esteem.
“It...
“Scales” is Saudi Arabia’s submission to the Best International Feature race at the Oscars. The film is shot in a timeless black and white with an eye toward mythology about a girl named Hayat, who lives in a poor fishing village where families sacrifice one daughter to mermaids in the sea, leading to the fishermen to retaliate by hunting them. Hayat however was spared from this fate and lives as an outcast, and Ameen wanted to explore how this custom could affect someone’s self-esteem.
“It...
- 1/29/2021
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
Although this year’s Middle Eastern/North African Oscar submissions have yet to generate a strong buzz, there are titles among the 10 films that could be contenders for the international feature short list.
Chief among them is “Sun Children” from veteran Iranian helmer Majid Majidi, whose 1997 “Children of Heaven” landed a foreign-language film nomination. This gripping drama about exploited urban street kids is cast with charismatic, non-pro performers and earned an acting award at the Venice fest for its resilient young protagonist. Strand Films will release.
A possible dark horse is “Broken Keys,” the feature debut of Lebanese multi-hyphenate Jimmy Keyrouz. It marks an expansion of his 2016 Student Academy Award-winner “Nocturne in Black” about a musician in a Syrian town controlled by Isis. Sporting the Cannes Label, this tense drama, with a score by Keyrouz’s famous compatriot Gabriel Yared, shares the combination of real-life crisis and sweeping emotion that characterizes some past nominees.
Chief among them is “Sun Children” from veteran Iranian helmer Majid Majidi, whose 1997 “Children of Heaven” landed a foreign-language film nomination. This gripping drama about exploited urban street kids is cast with charismatic, non-pro performers and earned an acting award at the Venice fest for its resilient young protagonist. Strand Films will release.
A possible dark horse is “Broken Keys,” the feature debut of Lebanese multi-hyphenate Jimmy Keyrouz. It marks an expansion of his 2016 Student Academy Award-winner “Nocturne in Black” about a musician in a Syrian town controlled by Isis. Sporting the Cannes Label, this tense drama, with a score by Keyrouz’s famous compatriot Gabriel Yared, shares the combination of real-life crisis and sweeping emotion that characterizes some past nominees.
- 1/27/2021
- by Alissa Simon
- Variety Film + TV
Every year since its creation in 1956, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) invites the film industries of various countries to submit their best film for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film. The award is presented annually by the Academy to a feature-length motion picture produced outside the United States that contains primarily non-English dialogue and that was released theatrically in their respective countries between 1 October 2019 and 31 December 2020.
Here are the Asian Submissions for Best International Feature Film. There are some excellent movies in this bunch and we have seen and reviewed already some of them.
Armenia
“Songs of Solomon” by Arman Nshanian
Bangladesh
“Sincerely Yours, Dhaka” by eleven different directors
Bhutan
“Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom“ by Pawo Choyning Dorji
Cambodia
“Fathers” by Huy Yaleng
China
“Leap” by Peter Chan
Georgia
“Beginnin” by Dea Kulumbegashvili
Hong Kong
“Better Days” by Derek Tsang
India
“Jallikattu...
Here are the Asian Submissions for Best International Feature Film. There are some excellent movies in this bunch and we have seen and reviewed already some of them.
Armenia
“Songs of Solomon” by Arman Nshanian
Bangladesh
“Sincerely Yours, Dhaka” by eleven different directors
Bhutan
“Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom“ by Pawo Choyning Dorji
Cambodia
“Fathers” by Huy Yaleng
China
“Leap” by Peter Chan
Georgia
“Beginnin” by Dea Kulumbegashvili
Hong Kong
“Better Days” by Derek Tsang
India
“Jallikattu...
- 1/6/2021
- by Adriana Rosati
- AsianMoviePulse
Bookmark this page for all the latest international feature submissions.
Submissions for the best international feature film award at the 2021 Academy Awards have started to come in, and Screen is keeping a running list of each film below.
Scroll down for the full list
The 93rd Academy Awards is set to take place on April 25, 2021. It was originally set to be held on February 28, before both the ceremony and eligibility period were postponed for two months due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Submitted films must have been released in their respective countries between the expanded dates of October 1, 2019, and December 31, 2020. (Last year it was October-September.
Submissions for the best international feature film award at the 2021 Academy Awards have started to come in, and Screen is keeping a running list of each film below.
Scroll down for the full list
The 93rd Academy Awards is set to take place on April 25, 2021. It was originally set to be held on February 28, before both the ceremony and eligibility period were postponed for two months due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Submitted films must have been released in their respective countries between the expanded dates of October 1, 2019, and December 31, 2020. (Last year it was October-September.
- 12/21/2020
- by Ben Dalton¬Michael Rosser
- ScreenDaily
Saudi director Shahad Ameen‘s feminist fable “Scales” has been selected as Saudi Arabia’s official candidate for the Oscar in the international feature film category.
“Scales” draws on Arabic folklore about a young woman named Hayat – played by newcomer Basima Hajjar – who rebels against the tradition in her fishing village of sacrificing female children to monstrous mermaids lurking in the sea. The groundbreaking film launched from the 2019 Venice Film Festival’s Critics’ Week, where it won the Verona Film Club award for innovative filmmaking, and has since been shown at a slew of other festivals, including London, Carthage, Cairo, Singapore, where it won best picture, and at SXSW 2020.
In November 2020, “Scales” was released theatrically in Saudi Arabia. Variance Films will release the film in the U.S. next year.
“I have only ever wanted ‘Scales’ to be seen, enjoyed and to act as a catalyst for wider conversations about gender roles,...
“Scales” draws on Arabic folklore about a young woman named Hayat – played by newcomer Basima Hajjar – who rebels against the tradition in her fishing village of sacrificing female children to monstrous mermaids lurking in the sea. The groundbreaking film launched from the 2019 Venice Film Festival’s Critics’ Week, where it won the Verona Film Club award for innovative filmmaking, and has since been shown at a slew of other festivals, including London, Carthage, Cairo, Singapore, where it won best picture, and at SXSW 2020.
In November 2020, “Scales” was released theatrically in Saudi Arabia. Variance Films will release the film in the U.S. next year.
“I have only ever wanted ‘Scales’ to be seen, enjoyed and to act as a catalyst for wider conversations about gender roles,...
- 12/21/2020
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
The winners of the International New Talent Competition will be announced online as overseas filmmakers can’t visit Taiwan.
This year’s Taipei Film Festival has confirmed that it will go ahead as scheduled as a physical event from June 25 to July 11, but due to Taiwan’s border restrictions in response to the Covid-19 coronavirus, is not likely to have any international guests.
The festival will open with the world premiere of Ko Chen-nien’s debut feature The Silent Forest, and close with Tsai Ming-liang’s Days, which won the Teddy Jury Award at this year’s Berlin Film Festival.
This year’s Taipei Film Festival has confirmed that it will go ahead as scheduled as a physical event from June 25 to July 11, but due to Taiwan’s border restrictions in response to the Covid-19 coronavirus, is not likely to have any international guests.
The festival will open with the world premiere of Ko Chen-nien’s debut feature The Silent Forest, and close with Tsai Ming-liang’s Days, which won the Teddy Jury Award at this year’s Berlin Film Festival.
- 5/26/2020
- by 89¦Liz Shackleton¦0¦
- ScreenDaily
The Taipei Film Festival will go ahead in June, making it one of the first significant festivals to do so in the post-coronavirus era. While its film selection is international, audiences will be entirely local.
Organizers announced Monday that the festival will open on June 25 with the world premiere of Taiwan-made “Silent Forest.” It will close on July 11, with a screening of “Days,” by Tsai Ming-liang, which appeared in competition in Berlin and earned a special mention in the Teddy section for gay film.
Based on real events, “Silent Forest describes a cruel game in which deaf teenagers discover the last row of the school bus, and how the joy of integrating into a new life instantly becomes fear. Festival organizers called it “one of the most stunning and shocking movies of 2020.”
Berlin, in late February, was one of the last major film festivals to take place before the Covid-...
Organizers announced Monday that the festival will open on June 25 with the world premiere of Taiwan-made “Silent Forest.” It will close on July 11, with a screening of “Days,” by Tsai Ming-liang, which appeared in competition in Berlin and earned a special mention in the Teddy section for gay film.
Based on real events, “Silent Forest describes a cruel game in which deaf teenagers discover the last row of the school bus, and how the joy of integrating into a new life instantly becomes fear. Festival organizers called it “one of the most stunning and shocking movies of 2020.”
Berlin, in late February, was one of the last major film festivals to take place before the Covid-...
- 5/25/2020
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
In today’s film news roundup, “Maze Runner” director Wes Ball gets a sci-fi gig, Montreal’s Fantasia festival goes virtual, Saudi fantasy drama “Scales” finds a home, and “Point Defiance” and “Waterlily Jaguar” are set for release.
Project Launch
“Maze Runner” director Wes Ball will direct an adaptation of the sci-fi adventure “The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August” for Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Partners.
The film centers on a man repeatedly born into the same life and remembers all his past experiences. He seeks to save the world by outmaneuvering a similarly gifted rival who’s willing to make any sacrifice to attain a godlike knowledge.
The movie is based on a novel written by Catherine Webb under the pseudonym Claire North, who won the John W. Campbell Memorial Award for Best Science Fiction Novel and was nominated for the Arthur C. Clarke Award for Best Science Fiction Novel.
Project Launch
“Maze Runner” director Wes Ball will direct an adaptation of the sci-fi adventure “The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August” for Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Partners.
The film centers on a man repeatedly born into the same life and remembers all his past experiences. He seeks to save the world by outmaneuvering a similarly gifted rival who’s willing to make any sacrifice to attain a godlike knowledge.
The movie is based on a novel written by Catherine Webb under the pseudonym Claire North, who won the John W. Campbell Memorial Award for Best Science Fiction Novel and was nominated for the Arthur C. Clarke Award for Best Science Fiction Novel.
- 4/30/2020
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Variance Films has acquired the North American theatrical rights to Shahad Ameen’s debut drama of magical realism Scales. the film, which comes from Image Nation Abu Dhabi will be released theatrically later this year.
Written and directed by Saudi Arabian filmmaker Ameen, the visually enticing Scales is described as a “feminist parable set in a dystopian landscape”. The film premiered at the Venice International Film Festival’s Critics Week, where it won the Verona Film Club Award. It was also set to screen at this year’s SXSW Film Festival before it was canceled due to the pandemic.
Shot on location in Oman, the story follows a young girl by the name of Hayat. She lives in a poor fishing village which has a dark tradition where every family must give one daughter to the mermaid-like sea creatures who inhabit the waters, to ensure the village can continue their fishing expeditions.
Written and directed by Saudi Arabian filmmaker Ameen, the visually enticing Scales is described as a “feminist parable set in a dystopian landscape”. The film premiered at the Venice International Film Festival’s Critics Week, where it won the Verona Film Club Award. It was also set to screen at this year’s SXSW Film Festival before it was canceled due to the pandemic.
Shot on location in Oman, the story follows a young girl by the name of Hayat. She lives in a poor fishing village which has a dark tradition where every family must give one daughter to the mermaid-like sea creatures who inhabit the waters, to ensure the village can continue their fishing expeditions.
- 4/29/2020
- by Dino-Ray Ramos
- Deadline Film + TV
The film is directed by Saudi Arabian filmmaker Shahad Ameen.
Saudi Arabian filmmaker Shahad Ameen’s Scales, about a young girl who defies chauvinistic traditions to prove her worth, took the best film prize at the Silver Screen Awards of the 30th Singapore International Film Festival.
It was a unanimous decision by the jury who found it “a very original and strong film from a first-time filmmaker who speaks about patriarchy with the simplicity of a fable”.
Indian filmmaker Anurag Kashyap served as jury head, with Malaysia’s Amir Muhammad, Hong Kong’s Pang Ho Cheung and Indonesia’s Nia...
Saudi Arabian filmmaker Shahad Ameen’s Scales, about a young girl who defies chauvinistic traditions to prove her worth, took the best film prize at the Silver Screen Awards of the 30th Singapore International Film Festival.
It was a unanimous decision by the jury who found it “a very original and strong film from a first-time filmmaker who speaks about patriarchy with the simplicity of a fable”.
Indian filmmaker Anurag Kashyap served as jury head, with Malaysia’s Amir Muhammad, Hong Kong’s Pang Ho Cheung and Indonesia’s Nia...
- 12/2/2019
- by 1100978¦Silvia Wong¦0¦
- ScreenDaily
“Scales” (aka “Sayidat Al Bahr”), directed by Saudi Arabian first-time filmmaker, Shahad Ameen, was named as the best film in the Asian feature competition at the 30th edition of the Singapore International Film Festival.
The tale of a young girl who defies her village’s harsh and chauvinistic traditions to prove her worth, collected the festival’s Silver Screen Award on Saturday at a ceremony held in the National Museum of Singapore.
The blue carpet event welcomed local figures Boo Junfeng, Royston Tan, and Tan Pin Pin, as well as film industry officials Joachim Ng, and Howie Lau. Chinese acting star Yao Chen and Japanese director Miike Takashi were also present to pick up special awards. Yao spiced up proceedings, with a throw-away comment: “recently I have been able to play several characters who found the strength to go after the love and sex that they wanted.”
Anthony Chen, whose...
The tale of a young girl who defies her village’s harsh and chauvinistic traditions to prove her worth, collected the festival’s Silver Screen Award on Saturday at a ceremony held in the National Museum of Singapore.
The blue carpet event welcomed local figures Boo Junfeng, Royston Tan, and Tan Pin Pin, as well as film industry officials Joachim Ng, and Howie Lau. Chinese acting star Yao Chen and Japanese director Miike Takashi were also present to pick up special awards. Yao spiced up proceedings, with a throw-away comment: “recently I have been able to play several characters who found the strength to go after the love and sex that they wanted.”
Anthony Chen, whose...
- 11/30/2019
- by Patrick Frater and Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
The Cairo Film Festival’s Industry Days wrapped Tuesday on a high note, with several Arabic film projects emerging as standouts of its co-production platform.
The informal market component of the rebooted Cairo fest entailed five days of networking, deal-making, and mentoring, and had a greater focus on TV. Attending were such high-level execs as Agc Studios topper Stuart Ford, AMC Networks’ VP of productions Kristin Jones, and Netflix director of international originals Ahmed Sharkawi. There was also a clutch of CAA agents, plenty of European buyers, and producers and financiers from India and China.
They came to mingle with the Middle East industry at a time when the region’s market is increasingly perceived as having potential that can be unlocked despite turbulence in territories such as Lebanon, an Arabic film industry hotbed, where banks have currently blocked money transfers outside the country until unrest subsides.
“We are just...
The informal market component of the rebooted Cairo fest entailed five days of networking, deal-making, and mentoring, and had a greater focus on TV. Attending were such high-level execs as Agc Studios topper Stuart Ford, AMC Networks’ VP of productions Kristin Jones, and Netflix director of international originals Ahmed Sharkawi. There was also a clutch of CAA agents, plenty of European buyers, and producers and financiers from India and China.
They came to mingle with the Middle East industry at a time when the region’s market is increasingly perceived as having potential that can be unlocked despite turbulence in territories such as Lebanon, an Arabic film industry hotbed, where banks have currently blocked money transfers outside the country until unrest subsides.
“We are just...
- 11/27/2019
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
The festivals’s long-running Silver Screen Awards includes a nine-strong Asian feature film competition, featuring several titles by first-time directors.
The Singapore International Film Festival (Sgiff) has revealed the line-up for its 30th edition, which runs Nov 21-Dec 1.
The festivals’s long-running Silver Screen Awards includes a nine-strong Asian feature film competition, featuring several titles by first-time directors. Most of the contenders are already award winners, including Gu Xiaogang’s Dwelling In The Fuchun Mountains which earned best film and best director at First International Film Festival in Xining, Yosep Anggi Noen’s The Science Of Fictions, which received a special mention at Locarno,...
The Singapore International Film Festival (Sgiff) has revealed the line-up for its 30th edition, which runs Nov 21-Dec 1.
The festivals’s long-running Silver Screen Awards includes a nine-strong Asian feature film competition, featuring several titles by first-time directors. Most of the contenders are already award winners, including Gu Xiaogang’s Dwelling In The Fuchun Mountains which earned best film and best director at First International Film Festival in Xining, Yosep Anggi Noen’s The Science Of Fictions, which received a special mention at Locarno,...
- 10/22/2019
- by 1100978¦Silvia Wong¦0¦
- ScreenDaily
Just like her heroine, writer / director Shahad Ameen breaks out of the male-dominated Saudi film industry and shapes her own path and she certainly does it in style. Her debut feature “Scales” (Sayidat Al-Bahr) follows the 2013 short movie “Eye & Mermaid” that was presented at the film festivals in Dubai, Toronto, and Stockholm and it’s the base concept that has been expanded in “Scales”. The film had its World premiere in Critics’ Week at the Venice International Film Festival.
“Scales” is screening at the BFI London Film Festival 2019
Once upon a time … in a fictional island, in a fictional era, a small fishing village believes that giving the first-born daughters to the sea to feed some monstrous mermaid-like creatures that inhabit the ocean, will keep the beasts quiet and away from threatening the village.
The film opens at night with this cruel ritual; men on a torchlit beach walk in...
“Scales” is screening at the BFI London Film Festival 2019
Once upon a time … in a fictional island, in a fictional era, a small fishing village believes that giving the first-born daughters to the sea to feed some monstrous mermaid-like creatures that inhabit the ocean, will keep the beasts quiet and away from threatening the village.
The film opens at night with this cruel ritual; men on a torchlit beach walk in...
- 10/10/2019
- by Adriana Rosati
- AsianMoviePulse
Gravitas Ventures has landed worldwide rights to A.J. Edwards’s crime drama Age Out (formerly known as Friday’s Child), which premiered at 2018 SXSW Film Festival. The pic, which will be released in limited theaters and on demand November 22, stars Tye Sheridan, Imogen Poots (Green Room), Jeffrey Wright, Brett Butler (The Walking Dead), and Caleb Landry Jones. The plot follows Richie (Sheridan), a fresh out of foster care 18-year-old who is forced to navigate a stark life on his own since his emancipation. Richie must survive despite a glaring environment of poverty, addiction and run-ins with the law. Tony Piantedosi, Vice President of Acquisitions at Gravitas, negotiated the deal with Alan Elias at OnBuzz.
Film Independent has revealed that Bull, the drama directed by Annie Silverstein, will serve as the opening night feature for The New Wave,...
Film Independent has revealed that Bull, the drama directed by Annie Silverstein, will serve as the opening night feature for The New Wave,...
- 10/8/2019
- by Amanda N'Duka
- Deadline Film + TV
The 5050×2020 gender equality charter was launched at the Cannes Film Festival in 2018.
The Cairo International Film Festival (Ciff) has become the first Arab film festival, and second African festival, to sign the 5050×2020 gender equality charter, launched at the Cannes Film Festival in 2018.
The signing of the pledge will take place during a gala screening of fantasy drama Scales, the debut feature of Saudi Arabian filmmaker Shahad Ameen which world premiered to acclaim in Venice Critic’s Week in September.
Produced by Imagenation Abu Dhabi and sold internationally by Agc International, the film will also participate in Ciff’s Horizons of...
The Cairo International Film Festival (Ciff) has become the first Arab film festival, and second African festival, to sign the 5050×2020 gender equality charter, launched at the Cannes Film Festival in 2018.
The signing of the pledge will take place during a gala screening of fantasy drama Scales, the debut feature of Saudi Arabian filmmaker Shahad Ameen which world premiered to acclaim in Venice Critic’s Week in September.
Produced by Imagenation Abu Dhabi and sold internationally by Agc International, the film will also participate in Ciff’s Horizons of...
- 10/4/2019
- by 1100380¦Melanie Goodfellow¦0¦
- ScreenDaily
Venice 2019: Ahmad Ghossein’s film has taken home the Grand Prize, the Audience Award and the gong for Best Technical Contribution; Scales by Shahad Ameen was crowned the winner by the under-30 jury. The International Film Critics’ Week (Sic) – an independent and parallel section organised by the National Union of Italian Film Critics (Sncci) as an integral part of the Venice International Film Festival – has handed out the awards of its 34th edition. The International Film Critics’ Week Grand Prize – made possible thanks to the support of the Siae – Italian Authors and Publishers Association and comprising a prize worth €5,000, handed out by an international jury consisting of Marta Bałaga, Paolo Mereghetti and Erfan Rashid – went to All This Victory by Ahmad Ghossein (Lebanon/France/Qatar). Ghossein’s movie also picked up the Audience Award, provided thanks to the support of the Municipality of Taranto, and the Mario...
“All This Victory,” a tense war drama directed by Lebanon’s Ahmad Ghossein and set in 2006 in his country during the conflict between Hezbollah and Israel, is the big winner at the Venice Critics’ Week section dedicated to first works.
The film is about a young man named Marwan who during a ceasefire goes in search of his father who refused to leave his Southern village, while his wife Rana is preparing papers for their immigration to Canada. Marwan however finds no traces of his father, the ceasefire is quickly broken and the situation spiral out of control after he is forced to shelter in the home of Najib, his father’s friend, and some of Najib’s friends. As bombs hail down, tensions within the house rise; and then a group of Israeli soldiers enter the building.
“Victory,” which is produced by Georges Schoucair and Myriam Sassine of Beirut-based...
The film is about a young man named Marwan who during a ceasefire goes in search of his father who refused to leave his Southern village, while his wife Rana is preparing papers for their immigration to Canada. Marwan however finds no traces of his father, the ceasefire is quickly broken and the situation spiral out of control after he is forced to shelter in the home of Najib, his father’s friend, and some of Najib’s friends. As bombs hail down, tensions within the house rise; and then a group of Israeli soldiers enter the building.
“Victory,” which is produced by Georges Schoucair and Myriam Sassine of Beirut-based...
- 9/6/2019
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Young Saudi Arabian writer-director Shahad Ameen is making a splash in Venice with her debut feature “Scales,” a feminist fable that draws on Arabic folklore about a young woman named Hayat who rebels against the tradition in her fishing village of sacrificing female children to monstrous mermaids lurking in the sea. She spoke to Variety about the long journey of this visually impressive and narratively bold depiction of patriarchal power that packs a subtle but incisive punch.
I’ve been tracking this film for a long time. Can you talk to me about its journey?
I started writing the script for “Scales” when I was in post on my short “Eye & Mermaid,” on which the film’s concept is based on, even though it’s a completely different story. That was in around 2014. The script took a very long time before we got to where we were able to shoot...
I’ve been tracking this film for a long time. Can you talk to me about its journey?
I started writing the script for “Scales” when I was in post on my short “Eye & Mermaid,” on which the film’s concept is based on, even though it’s a completely different story. That was in around 2014. The script took a very long time before we got to where we were able to shoot...
- 9/3/2019
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Gala screenings include ‘The Lighthouse’ and ‘The King’.
Robert Eggers’ The Lighthouse, Pablo Larrain’s Ema, Tom Harper’s The Aeronauts and David Michod’s The King will all be showcased as gala screenings at this year’s BFI London Film Festival (October 2-13).
The full programme has been announced today. Scroll down for the list.
Lff artistic director Tricia Tuttle talks new festival hub, ticket prices and venue challenges
Further galas include Noah Baumbach’s Marriage Story, Mirrah Foulkes’ Judy And Punch, Kleber Mendonça Filho and Juliano Dornelles’ Bacurau, and Marielle Heller’s A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood,...
Robert Eggers’ The Lighthouse, Pablo Larrain’s Ema, Tom Harper’s The Aeronauts and David Michod’s The King will all be showcased as gala screenings at this year’s BFI London Film Festival (October 2-13).
The full programme has been announced today. Scroll down for the list.
Lff artistic director Tricia Tuttle talks new festival hub, ticket prices and venue challenges
Further galas include Noah Baumbach’s Marriage Story, Mirrah Foulkes’ Judy And Punch, Kleber Mendonça Filho and Juliano Dornelles’ Bacurau, and Marielle Heller’s A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood,...
- 8/29/2019
- by Geoffrey Macnab
- ScreenDaily
The strand will open with Indian animation Bombay Rose, and close with Joshua Gil’s fantasy drama Sanctorum.
The line-up for the 2019 edition of the Venice Film Festival’s independent strand Critics’ Week (which runs August 28-September 7) has been unveiled.
The competition section includes Rare Beasts, the directorial debut of UK actress Bille Piper, in which she stars with Leo Bill, David Thewlis, Kerry Fox, and newcomer Toby Woolf.
Also in the competition are Lithuanian documentary director Mantas Kvedaravicius’ feature debut Parthenon; Shahad Ameen’s Saudi Arabian mermaid fantasy Scales; and Ahmad Ghossein’s All This Victory set in Lebanon...
The line-up for the 2019 edition of the Venice Film Festival’s independent strand Critics’ Week (which runs August 28-September 7) has been unveiled.
The competition section includes Rare Beasts, the directorial debut of UK actress Bille Piper, in which she stars with Leo Bill, David Thewlis, Kerry Fox, and newcomer Toby Woolf.
Also in the competition are Lithuanian documentary director Mantas Kvedaravicius’ feature debut Parthenon; Shahad Ameen’s Saudi Arabian mermaid fantasy Scales; and Ahmad Ghossein’s All This Victory set in Lebanon...
- 7/19/2019
- by Orlando Parfitt
- ScreenDaily
The Venice Film Festival (Aug 28 – Sept 7) Critics’ Week lineup was unveiled today with seven films playing in competition including UK pic Rare Beasts, the directorial debut of Doctor Who actress Billie Piper.
Piper also stars in the feature about a struggling young writer and mother who comes from a dysfunctional family. Also starring are Leo Bill, Lily James and David Thewlis. UK outfit Western Edge Pictures produces in association with Moffen Media Limited.
Also among the lineup are Saudi title Scales by Shahad Ameen, a magical-realist mermaid movie set during a mythical Arabian past; and All This Victory, a drama set in 2006 in Lebanon during the war between Hezbollah and Israel, directed by Ahmad Ghossein.
Lithuanian pic Parthenon will play in competition as will Chilean title The Prince, a prison-set gay melodrama starring Alfredo Castro. Danish director Marie Grahto will premiere Psychosia while Italy will be represented by Ascanio Petrini’s Tony Driver.
Piper also stars in the feature about a struggling young writer and mother who comes from a dysfunctional family. Also starring are Leo Bill, Lily James and David Thewlis. UK outfit Western Edge Pictures produces in association with Moffen Media Limited.
Also among the lineup are Saudi title Scales by Shahad Ameen, a magical-realist mermaid movie set during a mythical Arabian past; and All This Victory, a drama set in 2006 in Lebanon during the war between Hezbollah and Israel, directed by Ahmad Ghossein.
Lithuanian pic Parthenon will play in competition as will Chilean title The Prince, a prison-set gay melodrama starring Alfredo Castro. Danish director Marie Grahto will premiere Psychosia while Italy will be represented by Ascanio Petrini’s Tony Driver.
- 7/19/2019
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
“Rare Beasts,” the directorial debut of British stage and screen actress Billie Piper is set to premiere at the Venice Film Festival’s Critics’ Week, which has unveiled its lineup of nine first works, four of them from female filmmakers.
Produced by Vaughan Sivell of Western Edge Pictures in association with Moffen Media Limited, “Rare Beasts” is “a completely unhinged comedy,” section chief Giona Nazzaro said.
Piper plays Mandy, a struggling young writer and mother who comes from a dysfunctional family and falls upon a troubled man played by Leo Bill (“Peterloo”). The high-caliber cast of Brits also includes Lily James (“Downton Abbey”) and David Thewlis, best known as Remus Lupin in the Harry Potter film series.
The out-of-competition opener for Critics’ Week will be Indian animation film “Bombay Rose” by Gitanjali Rao, which Nazzaro described as a love story between a Hindu girl and a Muslim boy and also...
Produced by Vaughan Sivell of Western Edge Pictures in association with Moffen Media Limited, “Rare Beasts” is “a completely unhinged comedy,” section chief Giona Nazzaro said.
Piper plays Mandy, a struggling young writer and mother who comes from a dysfunctional family and falls upon a troubled man played by Leo Bill (“Peterloo”). The high-caliber cast of Brits also includes Lily James (“Downton Abbey”) and David Thewlis, best known as Remus Lupin in the Harry Potter film series.
The out-of-competition opener for Critics’ Week will be Indian animation film “Bombay Rose” by Gitanjali Rao, which Nazzaro described as a love story between a Hindu girl and a Muslim boy and also...
- 7/19/2019
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
A decade ago, Hollywood received an injection of Middle East oil money when the United Arab Emirates and Qatar decided to build an entertainment industry as part of their economic diversification. But the eager newcomers soon got burned by their knowledge gap and, for the most part, rapidly shrank their investments and redirected their ambitions.
Cut to 2018. The petrodollars are back — but with a more cautious approach — in a new wave of Arab investment led by Saudi Arabia, whose recent entry onto the scene has helped rekindle ties between Hollywood and the Middle East.
The oil-rich kingdom’s decision to lift its 35-year-old ban on movie theaters in December has triggered a flurry of film-related activity at home and in the wider region. AMC Theaters and other multiplex chains are now scrambling to build theaters and screens in Saudi Arabia, the Middle East’s last untapped movie market. The country’s first national film entity,...
Cut to 2018. The petrodollars are back — but with a more cautious approach — in a new wave of Arab investment led by Saudi Arabia, whose recent entry onto the scene has helped rekindle ties between Hollywood and the Middle East.
The oil-rich kingdom’s decision to lift its 35-year-old ban on movie theaters in December has triggered a flurry of film-related activity at home and in the wider region. AMC Theaters and other multiplex chains are now scrambling to build theaters and screens in Saudi Arabia, the Middle East’s last untapped movie market. The country’s first national film entity,...
- 5/4/2018
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
On Monday night, while crown prince Mohammed bin Salman dined with Rupert Murdoch, Bob Iger and Dwayne Johnson, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia kicked off a Saudi Art Days, a three-day event that is meant to introduce Los Angels to the burgeoning Saudi entertainment industry.
Taking place at the Academy's Linwood Dunn Theater, the events coincides with prince's visit to Los Angeles, a stop on his three-week tour of the U.S.
The first night of Saudi Art Days included a discussion with two Saudi directors, Mohamed Al Salman and Shahad Ameen, that was moderated by Film Independent president Josh Welsh.
To...
Taking place at the Academy's Linwood Dunn Theater, the events coincides with prince's visit to Los Angeles, a stop on his three-week tour of the U.S.
The first night of Saudi Art Days included a discussion with two Saudi directors, Mohamed Al Salman and Shahad Ameen, that was moderated by Film Independent president Josh Welsh.
To...
- 4/3/2018
- by Mia Galuppo
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Former Doha Film Institute director of film financing Paul Miller and development producer Stephen Strachan are launching Abu Dhabi-based company, The Film Bureau, aimed at supporting the development and financing of projects by Gulf region directors.
“The idea is to use our combined knowledge of development, education and financing, both regional and international, to help raise the bar here; gearing films, whatever their size, towards an audience and a more market-driven model of financing,” said Miller [pictured].
Its first two projects comprise an Arabic-language adaptation of Rob Meyer’s A Birder’s Guide To Everything and Saudi director Shahad Ameen’s mermaid fantasy Scales, which was one of the nominees in this year’s Iwc Filmmaker Award.
Strachan said the new entity would focus on script development, packaging and ultimately connecting projects with finance partners, both local and international.
“In the four years that I’ve been here, I’ve seen the whole region mature. We’re getting...
“The idea is to use our combined knowledge of development, education and financing, both regional and international, to help raise the bar here; gearing films, whatever their size, towards an audience and a more market-driven model of financing,” said Miller [pictured].
Its first two projects comprise an Arabic-language adaptation of Rob Meyer’s A Birder’s Guide To Everything and Saudi director Shahad Ameen’s mermaid fantasy Scales, which was one of the nominees in this year’s Iwc Filmmaker Award.
Strachan said the new entity would focus on script development, packaging and ultimately connecting projects with finance partners, both local and international.
“In the four years that I’ve been here, I’ve seen the whole region mature. We’re getting...
- 12/12/2015
- ScreenDaily
Qatari director Khalifa Al Muraikhi, Saudi filmmaker Shahad Ameen and Emirati director Layla Kaylif have been shortlisted for the Iwc Filmmaker Award at this year’s Dubai International Film Festival (Diff).
A partnership between Diff and Iwc Schaffhausen, the Iwc Filmmaker Award is designed to help Gulf filmmakers get their projects from script to screen. The winner receives a cash prize of $100,000.
Among this year’s shortlisted projects, Sahaab, from Khalifa Al Muraikhi (Threads Beneath The Sands), tells the tale of aspiring falconers preparing to take part in a race.
After premiering her short film Eye & Mermaid at Diff in 2013, Shahad Ameen returns to the festival with her project Scales, a fantasy feature that follows the story of a pre-adolescent teen faced with fulfilling her destiny as a hunted, yet free, mermaid.
Layla Kaylif’s The Letter Writer is a romantic drama which tells a story of deception and lies as a young boy uses his skills...
A partnership between Diff and Iwc Schaffhausen, the Iwc Filmmaker Award is designed to help Gulf filmmakers get their projects from script to screen. The winner receives a cash prize of $100,000.
Among this year’s shortlisted projects, Sahaab, from Khalifa Al Muraikhi (Threads Beneath The Sands), tells the tale of aspiring falconers preparing to take part in a race.
After premiering her short film Eye & Mermaid at Diff in 2013, Shahad Ameen returns to the festival with her project Scales, a fantasy feature that follows the story of a pre-adolescent teen faced with fulfilling her destiny as a hunted, yet free, mermaid.
Layla Kaylif’s The Letter Writer is a romantic drama which tells a story of deception and lies as a young boy uses his skills...
- 10/15/2015
- by lizshackleton@gmail.com (Liz Shackleton)
- ScreenDaily
Doha Film Institute has hit on a winning formula says filmmakers and top industry experts.
Top industry professionals and emerging filmmakers attending the Doha Film Institute’s Qumra meeting last week have given the inaugural meeting the thumbs up.
The bespoke programme welcomed 29 Dfi-backed projects for six-days of inspirational master-classes, seminars, work-in-progress screenings and hands-on ones-on-ones with some of the world’s top filmmaking talent.
The some 100 industry professionals at Qumra included Toronto International Film Festival artistic director Cameron Bailey, Film and Music Entertainment F&Me CEO Mike Downey, Visit Films founder Ryan Kampe and Jason Kliot of Open City Films.
Kliot said: “I love this formula. I think it’s really successful. I’ve been to all the events - in Rotterdam, Berlin and in New York during independent film week - and I think they all have strengths and weaknesses but what I find here is that the creators have been incredibly intelligent in keeping...
Top industry professionals and emerging filmmakers attending the Doha Film Institute’s Qumra meeting last week have given the inaugural meeting the thumbs up.
The bespoke programme welcomed 29 Dfi-backed projects for six-days of inspirational master-classes, seminars, work-in-progress screenings and hands-on ones-on-ones with some of the world’s top filmmaking talent.
The some 100 industry professionals at Qumra included Toronto International Film Festival artistic director Cameron Bailey, Film and Music Entertainment F&Me CEO Mike Downey, Visit Films founder Ryan Kampe and Jason Kliot of Open City Films.
Kliot said: “I love this formula. I think it’s really successful. I’ve been to all the events - in Rotterdam, Berlin and in New York during independent film week - and I think they all have strengths and weaknesses but what I find here is that the creators have been incredibly intelligent in keeping...
- 3/12/2015
- ScreenDaily
Mexican actor joins lists of ‘masters’ for Dfi’s inaugural Qumra event, which will see 31 projects from 29 countries involved.
Mexican actor, director and producer Gael Garcia Bernal has joined the list of ‘masters’ for the Doha Film Institute’s inaugural Qumra event, running March 6-11.
The masters previously reported in December are Abderrahmane Sissako, Leila Hatami Cristian Mungiu and Danis Tanović. “They represent different regions and different types of cinema, they all have mastered their craft,” Dfi CEO Fatma Al Remaihi told Screen. “But they are also all passionate to share their experience to help the next generation.”
Dfi has announced the 31 projects from 29 countries selected for Qumra, including 23 narrative features, four feature documentaries and four short films. There are 22 projects who are supported by Dfi and a further nine from Qatari independent filmmakers.
A total of 19 of the projects are in development with the rest in post production.
The 31 projects (full list below) include the story...
Mexican actor, director and producer Gael Garcia Bernal has joined the list of ‘masters’ for the Doha Film Institute’s inaugural Qumra event, running March 6-11.
The masters previously reported in December are Abderrahmane Sissako, Leila Hatami Cristian Mungiu and Danis Tanović. “They represent different regions and different types of cinema, they all have mastered their craft,” Dfi CEO Fatma Al Remaihi told Screen. “But they are also all passionate to share their experience to help the next generation.”
Dfi has announced the 31 projects from 29 countries selected for Qumra, including 23 narrative features, four feature documentaries and four short films. There are 22 projects who are supported by Dfi and a further nine from Qatari independent filmmakers.
A total of 19 of the projects are in development with the rest in post production.
The 31 projects (full list below) include the story...
- 2/9/2015
- by wendy.mitchell@screendaily.com (Wendy Mitchell)
- ScreenDaily
Filmmakers from 24 countries, including the Us and Italy, to receive funding
The Doha Film Institute has announced recipients of the autumn 2014 session of its grants programme. The announcement has come just ahead of the Berlinale (Feb 5-15) where four of the Institute’s previous grantees will be presented, including three world premieres.
Some 21 projects from 24 countries – comprising nine narrative feature films, eight feature documentaries and four short films – will receive funding for development, production or post-production.
It marks the ninth session of the grants programme, which supports new cinematic talent, with a focus on first and second-time filmmakers.
A total of 11 of the projects are from the Middle East North Africa (Mena) region; eight are from the Oecd’s Development Assistance Committee list of countries (Dac); and two are from the rest of the world.
For the first time, filmmakers from Italy, Madagascar, Myanmar, Nepal, The Philippines and Us will receive grants.
Among the 21 projects...
The Doha Film Institute has announced recipients of the autumn 2014 session of its grants programme. The announcement has come just ahead of the Berlinale (Feb 5-15) where four of the Institute’s previous grantees will be presented, including three world premieres.
Some 21 projects from 24 countries – comprising nine narrative feature films, eight feature documentaries and four short films – will receive funding for development, production or post-production.
It marks the ninth session of the grants programme, which supports new cinematic talent, with a focus on first and second-time filmmakers.
A total of 11 of the projects are from the Middle East North Africa (Mena) region; eight are from the Oecd’s Development Assistance Committee list of countries (Dac); and two are from the rest of the world.
For the first time, filmmakers from Italy, Madagascar, Myanmar, Nepal, The Philippines and Us will receive grants.
Among the 21 projects...
- 2/4/2015
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
Abu Dhabi Film Festival announces winners of Emirates Film Competition and International Short Film CompetitionScroll down for full list of winners
Abu Dhabi Film Festival has unveiled the winners of the Emirates Film Competition and the International Short Film Competition
At a ceremony in Abu Dhabi’s Emirates Palace, where the festival is based, the top award in the short narrative competition went to Shahad Ameen’s Eye & Mermaid, which also won best cinematography.
The 14-minute film centres on 10-year-old Hanan, who lives in a fishing village on the coast of the Arabian Peninsula and tries to discover the origin of the black pearls that her father brings back from his nighttime fishing trips.
The Best Emirati Film award went to Nayla Al Khaja’s The Neighbour, an 18-minute film about a woman who moves to Dubai to make a fresh start and befriends an elderly neighbour
The award for Best Script went to Cholo, while the first...
Abu Dhabi Film Festival has unveiled the winners of the Emirates Film Competition and the International Short Film Competition
At a ceremony in Abu Dhabi’s Emirates Palace, where the festival is based, the top award in the short narrative competition went to Shahad Ameen’s Eye & Mermaid, which also won best cinematography.
The 14-minute film centres on 10-year-old Hanan, who lives in a fishing village on the coast of the Arabian Peninsula and tries to discover the origin of the black pearls that her father brings back from his nighttime fishing trips.
The Best Emirati Film award went to Nayla Al Khaja’s The Neighbour, an 18-minute film about a woman who moves to Dubai to make a fresh start and befriends an elderly neighbour
The award for Best Script went to Cholo, while the first...
- 10/31/2014
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
The festival’s 25th edition will feature a contribution from Ai Weiwei and competition titles including Whiplash, Nightcrawler and Foxcatcher.
The Stockholm International Film Festival (Nov 5-16) is to present its Achievement Award to Us actress Uma Thurman.
The Kill Bill star will will visit Stockholm to receive the prestigious Bronze Horse and meet the audience during an exclusive “Face2Face”.
Thurman will also take part in the inauguration ceremony, which will include the unveiling of an ice sculpture by Chinese artist Ai Weiwei.
Weiwei was a Stockholm jury member last year but since he wasn’t allowed to leave China, he sent an empty chair named ”The Chair for Non-attendance” as symbol of his absence.
He is still not allowed to leave China so will send a design that will be portrayed in the form of a large ice sculpture symbolising this years’ Spotlight theme - Hope.
Brazil
The festival will focus this year on Brazil...
The Stockholm International Film Festival (Nov 5-16) is to present its Achievement Award to Us actress Uma Thurman.
The Kill Bill star will will visit Stockholm to receive the prestigious Bronze Horse and meet the audience during an exclusive “Face2Face”.
Thurman will also take part in the inauguration ceremony, which will include the unveiling of an ice sculpture by Chinese artist Ai Weiwei.
Weiwei was a Stockholm jury member last year but since he wasn’t allowed to leave China, he sent an empty chair named ”The Chair for Non-attendance” as symbol of his absence.
He is still not allowed to leave China so will send a design that will be portrayed in the form of a large ice sculpture symbolising this years’ Spotlight theme - Hope.
Brazil
The festival will focus this year on Brazil...
- 10/16/2014
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
Women directors make up 70% of competition films.
Abu Dhabi Film Festival (Adff) (Oct 23-Nov 1) has announced the selection for this year’s Emirates Film Competition (Efc).
The upcoming edition of the competition features a total of 53 films, of which 37 films are directed by women, across a variety of genres.
The line up also features films by Emirati filmmakers such as Nasser Al Tamimi’s Female Scream, Nasser Al-Yaqoubi’s Haneen, Hassan Kiyani’s Marwan The Boxer and Ali Mostafa’s musical Rise. In addition, Sarah Al Agroobi’s Super Lochal is among the selected films.
Desire by Hala Matar (Bahrain, starring Johnny Knoxville) has been selected for Adff’s Short Film Competition along with Koshk, from Emirati director Abdullah Al-Kaabi. These two films will participate in both Efc and the Short Film Competition.
Highly anticipated films from the Gcc region include Now Showing directed by Abdullah Al Daihani (Kuwait), Rainbow directed by Mahmood Al-Shaikh (Bahrain) and 623 directed...
Abu Dhabi Film Festival (Adff) (Oct 23-Nov 1) has announced the selection for this year’s Emirates Film Competition (Efc).
The upcoming edition of the competition features a total of 53 films, of which 37 films are directed by women, across a variety of genres.
The line up also features films by Emirati filmmakers such as Nasser Al Tamimi’s Female Scream, Nasser Al-Yaqoubi’s Haneen, Hassan Kiyani’s Marwan The Boxer and Ali Mostafa’s musical Rise. In addition, Sarah Al Agroobi’s Super Lochal is among the selected films.
Desire by Hala Matar (Bahrain, starring Johnny Knoxville) has been selected for Adff’s Short Film Competition along with Koshk, from Emirati director Abdullah Al-Kaabi. These two films will participate in both Efc and the Short Film Competition.
Highly anticipated films from the Gcc region include Now Showing directed by Abdullah Al Daihani (Kuwait), Rainbow directed by Mahmood Al-Shaikh (Bahrain) and 623 directed...
- 9/22/2014
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
New work from Claire Denis takes its place in the inaugural Short Cuts International line-up at the Toronto International Film Festival (Sept 4-14).Scroll down for full list
A total of 36 shorts from filmmakers representing 29 countries will screen in five curated programmes.
“Some of the best filmmaking in the industry is happening in the short form and the introduction of this programme allows the festival to identify talented filmmakers and connect them to the rest of the world as well as the highly engaged audience present here in Toronto,” said Tiff director of special projects Shane Smith.
“From politically and socially provocative narratives, to aesthetically compelling animation and profoundly moving documentaries, the works in Short Cuts International are vigorous and vital films showcasing unique, yet universal, stories about the human condition.”
Short Cuts International is programmed by Smith; Kathleen McInnis, Short Cuts International programmer; and Magali Simard, Short Cuts programmer and Tiff manager Of film programmes.
The...
A total of 36 shorts from filmmakers representing 29 countries will screen in five curated programmes.
“Some of the best filmmaking in the industry is happening in the short form and the introduction of this programme allows the festival to identify talented filmmakers and connect them to the rest of the world as well as the highly engaged audience present here in Toronto,” said Tiff director of special projects Shane Smith.
“From politically and socially provocative narratives, to aesthetically compelling animation and profoundly moving documentaries, the works in Short Cuts International are vigorous and vital films showcasing unique, yet universal, stories about the human condition.”
Short Cuts International is programmed by Smith; Kathleen McInnis, Short Cuts International programmer; and Magali Simard, Short Cuts programmer and Tiff manager Of film programmes.
The...
- 8/12/2014
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.