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Otros de los títulos seleccionados incluyen ‘Bird’, ‘Emilia Perez’, ‘Kinds of Kindness’ y ‘The Substance’.

La Academia de Cine Europeo ha anunciado la primera selección de títulos que optan a las nominaciones de los Premios del Cine Europeo. Se han seleccionado 29 producciones y en septiembre se ampliará la lista con una nueva tanda de títulos.

En esta primera lista se encuentran tres películas españolas: Un amor, de Isabel Coixet, con siete nominaciones a los premios Goya 2024, O Corno, de Jaione Camborda, ganadora de la Concha de Oro en el Festival de San Sebastián 2023, y Volveréis, de Jonás Trueba, premio a la Mejor Película europea en la Quincena de Realizadores de Cannes.

La ceremonia de los Premios del Cine Europeo tendrá lugar el 7 de diciembre en Lucerna (Suiza). Pueden optar a los Premios del Cine Europeo los largometrajes europeos que, entre otros criterios, hayan tenido su primera proyección oficial entre el...

The first wave of titles in contention for the 2024 European Film Awards include Yorgos Lanthimos’ Kinds Of Kindness and Sundance award-winner Kneecap.

Cannes premieres feature predominantly in the 29 titles unveiled today (August 14), including Jacques Audiard’s Emilia Perez; Mohammad Rasoulof’s The Seed Of The Sacred Fig; Miguel Gomes’ Grand Tour; Halfdan Ullmann Tønde’s Armand and Coralie Fargeat’s The Substance – all of which picked up prizes on the Croisette.

Other films from Cannes include Andrea Arnold’s Bird; Emanuel Pârvu’s Three Kilometers To The End Of The World; The Count Of Monte-Cristo; and Magnus von Horn’s The Girl With The Needle.

Cannes Competition titles The Substance, The Seed Of The Sacred Fig, and Emilia Perez are among the first set of titles recommended for nominations at this year’s European Film Awards.

Overall, 29 titles have been selected for the first stage of nominations by the European Film Academy Board. The selection includes films from 26 countries. In the coming weeks, the 5,000 members of the European Film Academy will start to vote on the selected films. The winners will be announced at the European Film Awards ceremony in Lucerne, Switzerland, on December 7.

To be eligible for a European Film Awards, films must be European feature films which, among other criteria, had their first official screening between June 1, 2023 and May 31, 2024 and have a European director. The rule book states that should a film director not be European, exceptions can be made if the filmmaker is “provided they have a European refugee or similar status...

Can one tell something about the character of a nation from its cinematic output? France gives us introspective blends of philosophy and romance. Italy gives us gorgeously photographed family dramas and political thrillers. The Scandinavian countries lead the way in modern noir. And Estonia – well, Estonia’s output is something altogether unique.

Chainsaws Were Singing is, in its own way, a very Estonian film. It will appeal to fans of the likes of The Invisible Fight and Jesus Shows You The Way To The Highway, even if its closest precedent is US production Cannibal: The Musical. Blending kitsch themes and imagery with deadpan humour, it’s a loose reworking of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre with added romance and relentlessly upbeat songs, and it really has to be seen to be believed.

Even before the action begins, Tom (Karl Ilves) is having a bad day. His girlfriend has dumped him and he.

Fantasia is back this summer with its 28th edition! And, of course, its first wave is an impressive, eclectic mix of genre titles you won't want to miss. The first wave announcement is in its entirety below and you can learn more about attending the fest at: https://fantasiafestival.com/en

The Fantasia International Film Festival will celebrate its upcoming 28th edition with an electrifying program of screenings, workshops, and launch events running from July 18 through August 4, 2024, returning yet again at the Concordia Hall and J.A. de Sève cinemas, with additional screens and events at Montreal’s Cinémathèque québécoise and Cinéma du Musée.

The festival’s full lineup will be announced on July 3, but in the meantime, Fantasia is excited to reveal a select first wave of premiere titles, along with a first look at its 2024 poster art.

The festival’s 2024 poster art, created by Montreal visual artist Donald Caron,...

The Fantasia International Film Festival will be celebrating its 28th edition with another densely packed slate of events and programming running from July 18 through August 4, 2024, returning yet again at the Concordia Hall and J.A. de Sève cinemas, with additional screens and events at Montreal’s Cinémathèque québécoise and Cinéma du Musée.

The festival’s full lineup will be announced on July 3, but in the meantime, Fantasia 2024 has revealed a select first wave of premiere titles. With premieres for Chuck Russell’s Witchboard remake, the Mike Flanagan-presented found footage Shelby Oaks, the latest from La Llorona filmmaker Jayro Bustamante and more, Fantasia’s shaping up to have another can’t miss slate of films.

The first wave of select titles, from the press release:

Witchboard

From A Nightmare On Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors and the beloved1988 remake of The Blob to The Mask, Eraser, and The Scorpion King,...

At one point watching The Invisible Fight my vision started to separate. That was likely a function of exhaustion, my eyes have been corrected by lenses for decades, but for a moment I wondered if the magic of cinema now extended to literal simultaneity of perspective. A madcap meditation on various orthodoxies, some of them Russian, some of them Soviet, some of them with harmonica by Ozzy Osbourne. Its iconography is a mixture of film grain and gilt on wooden panels, soft focus from smoke damage to gatefold album sleeves.

It unfolds across chapters or stations whose titles are displayed in fonts that recall bands from Birmingham that spawned genres that spawned Scandinavian biker gangs or Golden Triangle action films so cut by piracy and different audience tastes that they are less stepped down than kicked out. There are moments whose cranked action recalls the work of Millers George (Mad Max...

Writer-director Rainer Sarnet’s deliriously weird The Invisible Fight would be irksome if it weren’t crafted so lovingly and with a charming earnestness. Part wuxia homage, part coming-of-age story, this slice of absurdist historical fiction has little on its mind other than to amuse, which it does regularly enough to stay on the audience’s good side.

The film is set in the Soviet Union circa 1973, with the drabness of life under an authoritarian regime sharply contrasting with the more fulfilling, vibrant existence that our protagonist, Rafael (Ursel Tilk), is chasing after. The young man, who still lives with his mother in a modest apartment, is the only survivor of an attack by three Chinese bandits at the Soviet-Chinese border, where he works as a guard. When his car breaks down one day near a monastery, Rafael, a rebel in search of radicalization, goads the monks and does his...

"I'm going to be a monk." Kino Lorber has unveiled their official US trailer for the Estonian film known as The Invisible Fight, a martial arts comedy made by Estonian filmmaker Rainer Sarnet (also of the cult hit November). This is finally set to open in US theaters in February, starting at the Alamo Drafthouse Lower Manhattan, with more cities to follow throughout March. It premiered at Locarno and played at Fantastic Fest and Sitges (where I caught up with it). The Invisible Fight is described as a satirical take on the martial arts film, artfully paying tribute to the genre's Chinese wuxia roots. Set in the 1970s, it's about an Estonian guard on the Soviet-Chinese border who, after surviving and watching a deadly attack, decides to become a monk but must continually prove along the way that he's capable of becoming the enlightened man that he set out to be.

Copenhagen-based LevelK has pounced on world sales rights to the Swedish suspense drama “Hunters on a White Field,” toplining stellar acting trio Jens Hultén, Magnus Krepper and Ardalan Esmaili.

The pic will bow as an exclusive market screening at Göteborg’s Nordic Film Market, running Jan. 31-Feb 2.

Making her feature debut as writer-director is Sarah Gyllenstierna, a former assistant producer and director to artists including Spike Lee and Matthew Barney.

The suspense drama, based on a novel by Mats Wägeus, follows three men – Alex, Greger and Henrik – who get together a weekend to go hunting in the woods. The novice Alex learns how to hunt from his experienced partners. An initial spell of hunting success sharpens their instincts and stirs a sense of rivalry. One day, all animals vanish and the forest turns eerily quiet, yet for the men-the hunt must go on.

“I started developing this film in 2020 when...

Bring on Estonian kung fu!! There's a badass little film playing on the film festival circuit this fall called The Invisible Fight, the sixth feature directed by Estonian filmmaker Rainer Sarnet. After first premiering at the Locarno Film Festival in Switzerland, it has also played at Fantastic Fest, in Helsinki, and the Sitges Film Festival in Spain - where I was lucky enough to catch up with it. And yep – The Invisible Fight rocks! A kooky martial arts flick meets Estonian comedy set in the Soviet-era past, where a guy decides to go against the communist system and learn kung fu – just because it's cool. Even if this loses steam in the second half, this film is mega enjoyable because it's so boldly original. Where else can you learn about the temptations of black metal kung fu, taught by Orthodox monks with long beards, who insist on the importance of humility over dexterity.

"The demons are your own thoughts. You must fight against them!" There's a must see early festival trailer available online for an Estonian film called The Invisible Fight, a martial arts comedy made by filmmaker Rainer Sarnet (also of the cult hit November). This first premiered at the 2023 Locarno Film Festival, and just played at Fantastic Fest, with a stop at the Sitges Film Festival next. Kino Lorber in the US has already picked up distribution rights, with plans to release it in early 2024. Add it to your watchlist!! The Invisible Fight is described as a satirical take on the martial arts film, artfully paying tribute to the genre’s Chinese wuxia roots through a Northern European story. Set in the 1970s, it's about a guard on the Soviet-Chinese border who, after surviving a deadly attack, decides to become a monk but must continually prove along the way that he's...

Exclusive: Kino Lorber has acquired North American distribution rights to Fantastic Fest and Sitges 2023 movie The Invisible Fight from LevelK. Above is a new international teaser for the movie.

The Estonian heavy metal kung fu comedy is written and directed by Rainer Sarnet (November) and got its world premiere at the Locarno Film Festival. Kino Lorber is lining up a theatrical, digital, and home video release in 2024.

The Invisible Fight is a satirical take on the martial arts film, paying tribute to the genre’s Chinese wuxia roots through a Northern European story. In the movie, a guard on the Soviet-Chinese border survives a deadly attack but then decides to become a monk and must continually prove along the way that he’s capable of becoming the enlightened man he set out to be.

The deal was negotiated by Kino Lorber Senior Vice President Wendy Lidell and Tine Klint of LevelK.

In out-there Estonian comedy “The Invisible Fight,” a clueless Russian border guard somehow escapes a surprise attack by three formidable Chinese action figures — gravity-defying kung fu warriors who swoop in out of nowhere, blasting Black Sabbath on their bright red boombox — so he does what anyone in his position would do: He resolves to become an Orthodox monk. Huh? “I guess God has other plans for you,” a less-fortunate comrade wheezes with his dying breath, setting up one of the oddest plots audiences are likely to find on the art-house circuit this year.

After attracting international attention with 2017 festival discovery “November” —a hyper-stylized, black-and-white folk horror novelty involving pagan stick monsters known as “kratts” — writer-director Rainer Sarnet swings to the color-saturated opposite extreme to make a genre-splicing martial arts satire. Set in the highly repressive, mid-’70s Soviet Union and shot like a vintage drive-in movie, “The Invisible Fight” treats kung fu as comedy,...

The hype is real: Ali Ahmadzadeh’s “Critical Zone” (“Mantagheye bohrani”) has picked up the top Golden Leopard at Locarno.

It has been a bumpy ride for the film, set in Tehran over the course of one lonely night and described by the fest as “a hymn to freedom and resistance.”

As reported by Variety, Iranian authorities have been pressuring Ahmadzadeh to pull it from the Swiss festival – arguing it was shot without permission – and with the director himself banned from leaving the country.

“Instead of actors, I worked with real people. In most situations, we had to hide the camera or find complicated tricks to work around the limitations. Making this film was a big rebellion. Showing it means an even bigger victory for us,” said Ahmadzadeh in a statement, with Locarno’s artistic director Giona A. Nazzaro calling for his release.

“It means a lot. Not only for Ali,...

LevelK has boarded “The Invisible Fight,” Estonian director Rainer Sarnet’s kung fu comedy set in an Orthodox monastery in the former Soviet Union. The film world premieres Aug. 11 in the main competition of the Locarno Film Festival.

“The Invisible Fight” is set in 1973 on the Soviet-Chinese border, where Private Rafael is on guard duty when his border post is attacked by a band of Chinese warriors schooled in the ancient art of kung fu. The only one to miraculously survive, Rafael, is fascinated by the long-haired, black-clad, kung fu hippies flying through the treetops while blasting forbidden Black Sabbath music from their portable radio. He’s suddenly struck by a revelation: he, too, wants to become a kung fu warrior.

Faith leads Rafael to an Orthodox monastery where the black-clad monks do their training, but his road to achieving the almighty power of humility required is long, winding and full of adventures.

Do Not Expect Too Much Of The End Of The World (Radu Jude).The lineup for the 76th edition of the festival has been announced, including new films by Eduardo Williams, Leonor Teles, Lav Diaz, Radu Jude, and others.Concorso INTERNAZIONALEAnimal (Sofia Exarchou)Critical Zone (Ali Ahmadzadeh)Essential Truths of the Lake (Lav Diaz)Home (Leonor Teles)The Human Surge 3 (Eduardo Williams)The Invisible Fight (Rainer Sarnet)Do Not Expect Too Much Of The End Of The World (Radu Jude)Lousy Carter (Bob Byington)Manga D’Terra (Basil Da Cunha)Nuit Obscure – Au Revoir Ici, N’Importe Où (Sylvain George)Patagonia (Simone Bozzelli)The Permanent Picture (Laura Ferrés)Rossosperanza (Annarita Zambrano)Stepne (Maryna Vroda)Sweet Dreams (Ena Sendijarević)The Vanishing Soldier (Dani Rosenberg)Yannick (Quentin Dupieux)Excursion (Una Gunjak).Concorso Cineasti Del PRESENTECamping du Lac (Eléonore Saintagnan)Ein Schöner Ort (Katharina Huber)Excursion (Una Gunjak)Family Portrait (Lucy Kerr)Dreaming...