News

Soaked in a whimsical score, the disputes, romances and mishaps of an Algerian family (and their neighbors/enemies) unfold under the sun and on the sand in “Front Row,” the latest from veteran Algerian writer-director Merzak Allouache. As its title might suggest, the ensemble dramedy offers a privileged view into how the working-class Bouderbalas interact with one another on a day at the nearby beach. Early risers, the matriarch Zohra (Fatiha Ouared), her eldest son Rayan (Mehdi Sadi), teenage Houria (Hawa Baya) and a trio of younger kids arrive on the shore before anybody else in the hope of snagging an unblocked view of the ocean and a few hours of isolated fun before the crowds saturate the water.

But as beachgoers rapidly fill the space, a territorial dispute over the front row erupts between the Bouderbalas and more affluent Kadouris, who look down upon their counterparts with outspoken disdain.

Algerian director Merzak Allouache received the Variety International Vanguard Director Award at the Red Sea Film Festival over the weekend, prior to the premiere of his social comedy, “Front Row,” about a feud between matriarchs vying for the best spot at the beach.

Allouache is Algeria’s best-known director, with a career spanning six decades and around 40 feature films that began with “Omar Gatlato” in 1976. His penetrating vision, which blends social drama and comedy, has earned him considerable critical acclaim, including for 2012 Cannes-player “The Repentant,” “The Rooftops,” which premiered in Venice in 2013, and “Divine Wind” (2018).

The helmer talked with Variety’s Italy and Middle East correspondent, Nick Vivarelli, at the Variety Lounge presented by Film AlUla about some of the highlights of his career, which followed in the footsteps of local filmmakers who profiled the independence of Algeria in the 1960s. He is now one of the last surviving veterans...

Egyptian producer Mohamed Hefzy and Algerian director Merzak Allouache will be honored this week by Variety at the Red Sea Film Festival in the port city of Jeddah in Saudi Arabia.

Hefzy will receive the Variety International Vanguard Producer Award, while Allouache is being bestowed with the Variety International Vanguard Director Award. Both honors are given in recognition of their achievements over the course of their careers.

Hefzy will receive his award on stage on Dec. 9 before the Red Sea screening of his film “Abdo & Saneya,” which starts 5 P.M. Allouache will receive his award before the premiere of his film “Front Row” on Dec. 8, starting at 5.15 P.M. Both screenings take place in the auditorium in Culture Square in Jeddah.

Hefzy and his Cairo-based production company Film Clinic have a reputation for promoting emerging Egyptian filmmaking talents such as Abu Bakr Shawky (“Yomeddine”), Omar El Zohairy (“Feathers”) and Mohamed Diab...

MPM Premium has inked deals on Mandoob, the Saudi thriller which broke box office records on its local release last year.

It has sold the film to India (Superfine), Latin America (Encripta), Australia (Sbs) and Indonesia (Falcon); while negotiations are underway for France, the US, and Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

Mandoob – which also has the English title Night Courier in some territories – is the feature directorial debut of Ali Kalthami, co-founder of Saudi studio Telfaz11. Set in the Saudi capital Riyadh, it follows a mentally fragile man racing against time to save his ailing father.

It debuted at Toronto in...

The Red Sea International Film Festival (Rsiff) unveils a stellar lineup of films under ‘Arab Spectacular,’ celebrating the rich, diverse fabric of Arab storytelling. This year’s selection highlights five remarkable films hailing from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Algeria, reinforcing the Festival’s commitment to elevating Arab cinematic narratives on a global stage.

The ‘Arab Spectacular’ programme this year is a vibrant showcase of innovative storytelling that reflects both the cultural heritage and contemporary experiences of the region. Each film in the lineup offers a unique lens through which audiences can engage with the themes of identity, resilience, and the complexities of modern life, fostering a deeper understanding of the region’s rich narratives and cinematic artistry.

Antoine Khalife, Director of Arab Programs & Film Classics for the Rsiff said: “We know that our stories and the quality of the way we tell them deserve a place alongside other international films,...

Films from Saudi Arabia form the core of the Red Sea International Film Festival’s Arab Spectacular five-picture strand, which features world premieres of a trio of new Saudi titles exploring societal changes in the kingdom.

One case in point is “Hobal,” the new allegorical drama by Saudi director Abdulaziz Alshlahei (“The Tambour of Retribution”). The film follows a Bedouin family whose members are forced by its patriarch to live in isolation in the desert due to fear of an infectious disease during the 1990s when Saudi was starting to open up to the outside world.

Another Saudi social drama in the section is “My Driver and I,” the directorial debut of New York-trained Saudi multi-hyphenate Ahd Kamel. It tells the story of Salma — a young, privileged and rebellious Saudi girl — and her African driver, Gamar, who left his family and moved to Jeddah to earn a living. Set during the 1980s and 90s,...

The Red Sea International Film Festival (Rsiff) has selected five films for its Arab Spectacular strand, which showcases Arab storytelling.

This year’s selection come from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Algeria, and include four world premieres.

They are US-Egypt co-production Abdo & Saneya by Omar Bakry, which sees a couple from rural Egypt emigrate to New York in search of a cure for their infertility.

The three other world premieres are Saudi productions. Ahd Kamel’s My Driver And I is set in 1980s and 1990s Jeddah, where a Saudi girl and her Sudanese driver form a friendship which is tested...

The Red Sea International Film Festival (Rsiff) in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday unveiled the lineup of films for its Arab Spectacular section, which celebrates “the rich, diverse fabric of Arab storytelling.”

This year’s selection “highlights five remarkable films hailing from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Algeria, reinforcing the festival’s commitment to elevating Arab cinematic narratives on a global stage,” organizers said. “Each film in the lineup offers a unique lens through which audiences can engage with the themes of identity, resilience, and the complexities of modern life, fostering a deeper understanding of the region’s rich narratives and cinematic artistry.”

The movies include the story of a Saudi girl and her Sudanese driver who form a friendship, a look at a Bedouin family’s life in the middle of the desert, and the journey of a couple from rural Egypt who immigrate to New York in search of a cure for their infertility.

The 49th edition of the Toronto Film Festival continues to announce more movies, with the festival on Tuesday unveiled its 2024 Centrepiece lineup that features 43 titles from filmmakers representing 41 countries. TIFF runs September 5-15 under its new sponsorship with Rogers.

In total, the list includes 18 world premieres from Algeria, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, France, Germany, Indonesia, Nigeria, Panama, Philippines, Poland, Singapore, Spain and the U.S..

The section is a reflection of TIFF’s spirit of providing an elevated platform for international cinema, acclaimed titles from festivals around the globe, premieres from Canadian and international talents, and the latest work from influential filmmakers.

Iranian filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof, who made it to Cannes this past year with The Seed of the Sacred Fig after fleeing his home country, is at TIFF with not one but two movies. He’ll have The Seed of the Sacred Fig, but also a title he wrote,...

Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) has unveiled the 43 features selection for the Centrepiece programme including world premieres for Algerian director Merzak Allouache’s feuding matriarchs comedy Front Row and Laura Piani’s romantic comedy Jane Austen Wrecked My Life.

Taking their place in the global cinema showcase alongside the latest work from 41 countries are features that have already impressed at festivals, such as Mohammad Rasoulof’s Cannes award winner The Seed Of The Sacred Fig, and Steven Soderbergh’s Sundance selection Presence.

The 18 world premieres include Iranian filmmaker Ali Samadi Ahadi’s human rights drama Seven Days written by Rasoulof,...

The 2024 Toronto International Film Festival has revealed its Centrepiece program lineup, with 43 films from 41 countries. The selections include 18 world premieres plus an array of festival favorites and winners from Cannes (“The Seed of the Sacred Fig“), Sundance (“Presence“), and more recently the 2024 Venice Film Festival (“April”). This year’s festival runs Thursday, September 5 through Sunday, September 15.

Per TIFF, Centrepiece honors “and celebrates global cinematic achievements, inviting audiences to immerse themselves in a dynamic array of contemporary films. The programme is a reflection of TIFF’s commitment to providing an elevated platform for international cinema, acclaimed titles from festivals around the globe, highly anticipated premieres from Canadian and international talents, and the latest work of influential filmmaking luminaries.”

The 2024 Centrepiece selection has been programmed by Jason Anderson, Kelly Boutsalis, Diana Cadavid, Robyn Citizen, Giovanna Fulvi, Nataleah Hunter-Young, June Kim, Dorota Lech, Jason Ryle, and Norm Wilner.

Per the festival, “Notable world premieres include ‘Front Row,...

Steven Soderbergh’s spooky ghost story Presence — starring Lucy Liu, Chris Sullivan and newcomer Callina Liang — will receive its international premiere as part of the Centerpiece sidebar at the 2024 Toronto Film Festival.

Soderbergh first screened Presence at Sundance earlier this year, some 35 years after the debut of his breakout film, Sex, Lies and Videotape, in Park City. In all, TIFF’s Centerpiece section, previously known as Contemporary World Cinema, unveiled 43 films from 41 countries on Tuesday.

There’s world premieres for Marcelle Lunam’s rom com Addition, starring Teresa Palmer and Joe Dempsie; Erin Lee Carr’s documentary Fanatical: The Catfishing of Tegan and Sara, a Hulu title about the Canadian pop duo falling victim to identity theft; French director Laura Piani’s Jane Austen Wrecked My Life, with a Frederick Wiseman cameo; Sofia Bohdanowicz’s Measures for a Funeral, written by actor Derah Campbell; and Algerian director Merzak Allouache’s Front Row,...

The Cairo Intl. Film Festival kicked off Nov. 13 with the Middle East premiere of Steven Spielberg’s “The Fabelmans,” and a new-look leadership team bringing fresh energy to the grande dame of Arab cinema.

This year’s event marks the first as festival director for Egyptian filmmaker Amir Ramses, who was appointed earlier this year, as well as industry head Reem Allam.

Ramses was tapped just weeks after Egyptian producer Mohamed Hefzy stepped down as festival president, after a four-year tenure in which he helped to revamp the long-running event.

Hefzy was particularly instrumental in expanding the fest’s international reach, bolstering ties with counterparts overseas, and launching an industry component that has quickly established itself as one of the leading platforms for filmmakers from the region.

The festival’s 44th edition, which runs until Nov. 22, unspools amid a crowded fall calendar of Arab fests, running parallel to Marrakech (Nov.

Steven Spielberg’s semi-autobiographical, coming-of-age drama The Fabelmans has been announced as the opening film of 44th Cairo International Film Festival, running from November 13 to 22.

This year’s edition of the historic Egyptian festival will unfold under the direction of a new management team following the departure of former head Mohamed Hefzy in March.

Veteran actor Hussein Fahmy returns as president at the festival, a role he held in the past, while respected Egyptian film programmer Amir Ramses has taken up the baton of artistic director.

This year’s main International Competition features Ahmad Abdalla’s 19B (Egypt), Firas Khoury’s Alam (Palestine), Nicolas’s Giraud’s The Astronaut (France), Pierre Földes’s Blind Willow Sleeping Woman (France), Damian Kocur’s Bread And Salt (Poland), Maksym Nakonechnyi’s Butterfly Vision (Ukraine), Ali Cherri’s The Dam, Ivan Löwenberg’s I Don’t Want To Be Dust (Mexico), Ridha Behi...

Steven Spielberg’s “The Fabelmans” will open the 44th edition of the Cairo Film Festival, the Arab world’s venerable cinematic showcase, which takes place Nov. 13 – 22.

The Oscar-winning director’s semi-autobiographical film, which follows the formative years of a young man who discovers movies as a means to help him see the truth about others and himself, earned a standing ovation following its premiere at the Toronto Film Festival.

This year’s event in the Egyptian capital, which takes place as most film festivals and industry events have returned to business as usual after two years of pandemic cancellations and disruptions, nevertheless unfolds against a backdrop of global uncertainty.

Festival president Hussein Fahmy conjured the specter of war in Ukraine as he described a “year of ambitions and challenges” in a statement, posing the questions: “Where do we go from here? How can the festival take new steps, in particular,...

The Egyptian festival runs November 13-22.

The Cairo International Film Festival has unveiled the line-up for its 44th edition.

Steven Spielberg’s The Fabelmans will open the festival following its world premiere at Toronto where it picked up the people’s choice award.

Scroll down for full line-up

Ciff’s international competition section contains 14 titles, including five world premieres.

Egyptian director Ahmad Abdalla’s 19B is one of the world premieres competing for the Golden Pyramid for best film. It follows an old guard whose peaceful job of watching over an abandoned villa is threatened when a young park attendant turns up.

Amid the Arab world’s volatile festival landscape, Egypt’s ambitious El Gouna Film Festival, heading into its second edition, is aiming to raise its profile a few notches. The fest has secured the cream of this year’s global cinematic crop and more than doubled the cash prizes for Arabic projects at its co-production market.

Following the unexpected shuttering last December of the Dubai fest and market after 14 editions, El Gouna is certainly better positioned to play a prominent role as an Arab film industry driver and bridgehead into the Middle East for quality international films.

“The only selection criteria we have is that all films should be fresh Middle East premieres,” says Intishal Al Timimi, artistic director of the Sept. 20-28 event held in the El Gouna Red Sea resort and backed by Egyptian telecom billionaire Naguib Sawiris.

While world premieres are understandably scarce, this year El Gouna...

Two terrorists, strangers to each other, come together to attack an oil refinery in Merzak Allouache’s perhaps too subtle exploration of extremist psychology, Divine Wind (Rih Rabani). Though it sounds like an action film, this small, low-budget art film is anything but. Shot in stark black and white that mirrors the simplified, do-or-die world outlook of the protags, it faces off two very different types of extremists: a sophisticated young man from the middle class and a hardened woman who could easily be described as a fanatic. Unfortunately, it has little to add to what is known, or imagined, about ...

Two terrorists, strangers to each other, come together to attack an oil refinery in Merzak Allouache’s perhaps too subtle exploration of extremist psychology, Divine Wind (Rih Rabani). Though it sounds like an action film, this small, low-budget art film is anything but. Shot in stark black and white that mirrors the simplified, do-or-die world outlook of the protags, it faces off two very different types of extremists: a sophisticated young man from the middle class and a hardened woman who could easily be described as a fanatic. Unfortunately, it has little to add to what is known, or imagined, about ...

Little is known about Nour and Amine, the two young jihadists assigned to sabotage a North African oil refinery in “Divine Wind,” a bare-bones drama from veteran Algerian director Merzak Allouache. The purpose of their mission is unclear, as is the ideology that underpins it and the socioeconomic conditions that led them to this dangerous desert outpost. Allouache’s minimalism extends to the photography, an unadorned black-and-white that keeps the focus on the emotions of his characters rather than any superfluous details that might draw the eye away. Yet this simplicity also spotlights an absence of complexity, not just in the missing political context, but within the hearts of the lonely, desperate warriors who are preparing to die for the cause. Allouache has been a festival fixture since his debut in 1976, but Stateside prospects have been limited — and will likely remain so here.

Rebuking the image of a jihadist as a hardened fighter,...

As Al Gouna Film Festival opens its second year, as Dubai Film Festival and Market closes its doors, as Saudi Arabia purports to be entering the Western world of filmmaking, Dfi has stayed the course and presented 12 films in Tiff it had helped to fund.

Doha Film Institute continues its commitment to nurturing emerging filmmakers through its Grants Programme for Film, TV and Web Series.

First and second time filmmakers from around the world, alongside established directors from the Mena region, are all invited to apply for funding.

At Tiff 2018 their films include:

The Load (Teret) by Ognjen Glavoic — — Vlada works as a truck driver during the Nato bombing of Serbia in 1999. Tasked with transporting a mysterious load from Kosovo to Belgrade, he drives through unfamiliar territory, trying to make his way in a country scarred by the war. He knows that once the job is over, he will need...

The Toronto International Film Festival​ has unveiled its second batch of titles premiering in its Gala and Special Presentations programs next month, including four new Gala titles and a whopping 22 new Special Presentations, plus their star-studded Masters and Contemporary World Cinema sections.

Joining previously announced titles like “A Star Is Born,” “If Beale Street Could Talk,” “High Life,” and “Widows,” are a number of other major awards season titles, including Jonah Hill’s directorial debut “Mid90s,” Joel Edgerton’s “Boy Erased,” Jeremy Saulnier’s “Hold the Dark,” Paul Greengrass’ fact-based “22 July,” and Naomi Kawase’s English-language debut “Vision.”

The festival also announced this morning that that event will open with David Mackenzie’s “Outlaw King” and close with Justin Kelly’s “Jeremiah Terminator LeRoy.”

“We’re rounding out the lineup of Galas and Special Presentations with some of the most exciting films of the year,” said Cameron Bailey, Artistic Director of Tiff,...

The Toronto International Film Festival has added a lineup of directors that range from Paul Greengrass to Jonah Hill and includes a large contingent of celebrated international auteurs.

The more than 100 additions to the Toronto lineup include Greengrass’ “22 July,” about 2011 terrorist attacks in Norway; Hill’s feature directorial debut, “Mid90s,” with Katherine Waterston and Lucas Hedges in a story of a Southern California teen who discovers skateboarding; “Green Book,” from “There’s Something About Mary” and “Dumb and Dumber” director Peter Farrelly; and Joel Edgerton’s “Boy Erased,” a coming-of-age drama written and directed by Edgerton and starring Nicole Kidman, Russell Crowe, and Lucas Hedges as a teen who is put in a gay conversion program.

The new films span five different sections of the festival: Galas, Special Presentations, Masters, Contemporary World Cinema and Wavelengths.

Also Read: 'Beautiful Boy,' 'A Star Is Born' Highlight Toronto Film...

“Outlaw King,” a biopic about Scottish hero Robert the Bruce, and “Jeremiah Terminator LeRoy,” a look at an infamous literary fabulist, will both screen at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival.

The “Hell or High Water” team of director David MacKenzie and Chris Pine reunite for “Outlaw King,” which will be the opening night gala presentation. It’s being billed as a David-versus-Goliath story, one that chronicles the Bruce’s transformation from defeated nobleman to defiant freedom fighter.

“Jeremiah Terminator LeRoy,” stars Laura Dern as an author who adopts a fictitious persona of Jt LeRoy, a queer man. After her book tops the best-seller list and Jt LeRoy becomes an object of fixation among the literary set, she’s forced to come to terms with the consequences of her creative nom-de-plume. Kristen Stewart co-stars in the film. “Jeremiah Terminator LeRoy” will be the festival’s closing night offering.

In addition,...

A total of 35 projects supported in latest funding round.

Algerian director Merzak Allouache and Chilean writer-filmmaker Dominga Sotomayor have clinched funding in the autumn round of grants from the Doha Film Institute (Dfi).

Source: Idfa

Of Fathers And Sons

Allouache, whose last film Madame Courage premiered in Venice’s New Horizons sidebar in 2015, won backing for his upcoming drama Divine Wind, about an attack on an oil refinery which does not go to plan.

Double Rotterdam-winner Sotomayer’s grant is for her upcoming coming of age drama Late To Die Young about a group of youngsters living in an isolated community outside the city as they prepare for New Year’s Eve.

Other supported fiction feature projects include Syrian film-maker Soudade Kaadan’s The Day I Lost My Shadow about a woman who gets swept up in the Syrian war in 2012 after she takes the day off work to search for a gas cylinder.

A total of 35 projects supported in latest funding round.

Algerian director Merzak Allouache and Chilean writer-filmmaker Dominga Sotomayor have clinched funding in the autumn round of grants from the Doha Film Institute (Dfi).

Source: Idfa

Of Fathers And Sons

Allouache, whose last film Madame Courage premiered in Venice’s New Horizons sidebar in 2015, won backing for his upcoming drama Divine Wind, about an attack on an oil refinery which does not go to plan.

Double Rotterdam-winner Sotomayer’s grant is for her upcoming coming of age drama Late To Die Young about a group of youngsters living in an isolated community outside the city as they prepare for New Year’s Eve.

Other supported fiction feature projects include Syrian film-maker Soudade Kaadan’s The Day I Lost My Shadow about a woman who gets swept up in the Syrian war in 2012 after she takes the day off work to search for a gas cylinder.

Documentary feature grantees...

What actually goes on in the head of a suicide terrorist, and who put it there? In Investigating Paradise (Tahqiq fel djenna), veteran Algerian director Merzak Allouache explores the appalling consequences of ludicrous ideas, specifically the prospect that an Islamic martyr is going to be attended by 72 willing virgins, the houris, the minute he enters paradise. Shooting in stark black-and-white and using an original blend of fiction and documentary techniques, Allouache looks at this erotic promise from a woman journalist’s point of view, revealing the vast socio-religious divide in his country as he teases out the politics of what...

Jessica Chastain in a scene from Take Shelter - the poster image for the 55th Cannes Critics’ Week (Image La Semaine de la Critique).

As it celebrates its 55th anniversary this year, Cannes Critics’ Week organisers have chosen an image of actress Jessica Chastain in a scene from Jeff Nichols’s second feature Take Shelter, as the “face” of the new edition devoted to first or second features by directors from all over the world.

The film received the Grand Prix Nespresso during the 50th edition of the selection chosen by the French film critics. The organisers said that the image symbolised the emergence of new talents on the international arena. Such film-makers as Chris Marker, Denys Arcand, Bernardo Bertolucci, Jean Eustache, Philippe Garel, Barbet Schroeder, Ken Loach, Merzak Allouache, Romain Goupil, Leos Carax, Amos Gitai, Wong Kar-wai, Arnaud Desplechin, Benoît Poelvoorde, Guillermo del Toro, Jacques Audiard, Kevin Smith, François Ozon,...

Full line-up of the Stockholm film festival includes feature and documentary competition line-ups.Scroll down for full line-up

The Stockholm International Film Festival (Nov 11-22) has unveiled the line-up for its 26th edition, comprising more than 190 films from over 70 countries.

The Stockholm Xxvi Competition includes Marielle Heller’s Us title The Diary of a Teenage Girl and László Nemes’ Holocaust drama Son Of Saul.

It marks the first time Stockholm has a greater number of women than men competing for the Bronze Horse – the festival’s top prize.

The documentary competition includes Amy Berg’s An Open Secret, an investigation into accusations of teenagers being sexually abused within the film industry; and Cosima Spender’s Palio, centred on the annual horse race in Siena, Italy.

Announcing the programme, festival director Git Scheynius also revealed that Chinese artist Ai Weiwei will visit Stockholm for the first time as chairman of the jury for the first Stockholm Impact Award, which...

The beauty of foreign-language films like filmmaker Merzak Allouache’s Madame Courage is being ‘safely’ transported to another location and lifestyle often alien to our own. This is the case here, part-set in Algiers’ beach shanty towns. It’s not the best film, but its social significance and insight in local class structure overrides some of its

The post Lff 2015: Madame Courage Review appeared first on HeyUGuys.

Stars: Adlane Djemil, Lamia Bezouaoui, Leila Tilmatine | Written and Directed by Merzak Allouache

A pill-popping purse-snatcher by day and habitual terror to his mother by night, Omar (Adlane Djemil) is a young man we can all relate to. Living in an Algerian shanty town and making ends meet fencing stolen goods only to buy himself Artane tablets (also known as Madame Courage) and, occasionally, food for his maltreated sex worker sister and put-upon mother, he doesn’t have a lot going for him. Which is perhaps why, when he steals – and later returns – teenager Selma’s (Lamia Bezouaoui) necklace, he develops an infatuation for her that he finds impossible to articulate. So – like we all do – he resorts to following her home and sitting underneath her balcony night after night.

It’s hard to know whether or not a film is depicting a nation or subculture accurately when you’ve no first-hand experience of either,...

The 59Th BFI London Film Festival Announces Full 2015 Programme

You can peruse the programme at your leisure here.

The programme for the 59th BFI London Film Festival in partnership launched today, with Festival Director Clare Stewart presenting this year’s rich and diverse selection of films and events. BFI London Film Festival is Britain’s leading film event and one of the world’s oldest film festivals. It introduces the finest new British and international films to an expanding London and UK-wide audience. The Festival provides an essential platform for films seeking global success; and promotes the careers of British and international filmmakers through its industry and awards programmes. With this year’s industry programme stronger than ever, offering international filmmakers and leaders a programme of insightful events covering every area of the film industry‎ Lff positions London as the world’s leading creative city.

The Festival will screen a...

Smack dab in the middle of the fall film fest season, the Venice Film Festival via Sala Web screening room (September 3rd to 16th) will be serving up fifteen offerings (12 feature films in the Orizzonti Competition and 3 feature films from the Biennale College) for the streaming VOD platform set up by the Festival Scope folks. Among the titles that lovers of world cinema will have the unique opportunity to see the likes of Italian Gangsters from helmer Renato De Maria (Tiff preemed La prima linea) and Jake Mahaffy’s long-awaited sophomore film, Free in Deed (see pic above). The films will be made available for five days after the films have premiere screenings at the festival. You can view all the films listed below and grab your tickets at the official Festival Scope channel.

Orizzonti Films

Neon Bull (Boi Neon), by Gabriel Mascaro – From September 3rd

Brazil, Uruguay, Netherlands; 101’ Portuguese

Iremar works at the Vaquejadas,...

Venice’s “virtual festival” will feature 15 world premieres this year.Scroll Down For Full List

The fourth edition of Sala Web, the “virtual festival” at the Venice Film Festival (September 2-12), has revealed it’s line-up for 2015.

This year’s selection of films includes 15 world premieres: 12 from the Orizzonti Competition and three features from the Biennale College, Venice’s laboratory that supports micro-budget films.

Directors having their films featured include Merzak Allouache (The Rooftops), Jake Mahaffy (Wellness) and Gabriel Mascaro (August Winds), as well as numerous first-time filmmakers.

The selected films will again be streaming on VOD platform Festival Scope and will be available for five days after the films have premiere screenings at the festival.

Full list:

Synopses provided by Venice Film Festival

Orizzonti Films

Neon Bull (Boi Neon) dir. Gabriel Mascaro

Brazil, Uruguay, Netherlands; 101’ Portuguese

(Available from September 3)

Iremar works at the Vaquejadas, a rodeo in the Northeast of Brazil, where two men...

Sala Web will screen films through the festival Titles screening in the fourth edition of Sala Web at Venice Festival have been announced. The screening room of the festival will run from September 3 to 16, showcasing 12 feature films from the Orizzonti Competition and three feature films from the Biennale College, Venice’s own laboratory dedicated to support micro-budget films.

The Orizzonti Competition line-up includes established filmmakers such as Merzak Allouache (The Rooftops, The Repentant), and Jake Mahaffy (Wellness), along with first-feature directors, including Anita Rocha Da Silveira, Hada Mogar and Yorgos Zois. Other highlights are the new films by Gabriel Mascaro (August Winds) and Vetri Maaran, who will present the first film in Tamil to screen in Venice.

This edition of Sala Web will feature titles from 20 countries, including Brazil, Greece, Israel, Mexico, China, USA and France.

Strong women dealing with politics in Iran (Wednesday, May 9), a teenager dealing with a...

The full lineup for the Venice Film Festival has been revealed, and includes new films by Martin Scorsese, Jerzy Skolimowsky, Frederick Wiseman, Marco Bellocchio, Tsai Ming-liang, Aleksandro Sokurov and more.CompetitionFrenzy (Emin Alper, Turkey/France/Qatar)Heart of a Dog (Laurie Anderson, Us)Blood of My Blood (Marco Bellocchio, Italy)Looking for Grace (Sue Brooks, Australia)Equals (Drake Doremus, Us)Remember (Atom Egoyan, Canada/Germany)Beasts of No Nation (Cary Fukunaga, Us)Per amor vostro (Giuseppe M. Gaudino, Italy/France)Marguerite (Xavier Giannoli, France/Czech Republic/Belgium)Rabin, the Last Day (Amos Gitai, Israel/France)A Bigger Splash (Luca Guadagnino, Italy/France)The Endless River (Oliver Hermanus, South Africa/France)The Danish Girl (Tom Hooper, UK/Us)Anomalisa (Charlie Kaufman/Duke Johnson, Us)L'attesa (Piero Mesina, Italy)11 Minutes (Jerzy Skolimowski, Poland)Francofonia (Aleksandr Sokurov, France/Germany/Netherlands)The Clan (Pablo Trapero, Argentina/Spain)Desde alla (Lorenza Vigas, Venezuela/Mexico)L'hermine (Christian Vincent,...

Back to back mid-summer Xmas mornings with the rollout of major premiere titles at Tiff and now the full line-up for Venice means we’re now carefully dissecting the numerous films announced with our first focus going down the list at the treasure trove of items in the Horizons Section, otherwise known as Orizzonti. Names that pop out of the group of eighteen include Danish helmer Tobias Lindholm‘s heavily anticipated third feature film, A War. Re-teaming with actor Pilou Asbæk in just as many outings, R (2010) and A Hijacking (2012) are part of his already stacked early filmography, this is about a solider stationed in Afghanistan and finds himself caught in a catch-22 type of situation.

Another highly anticipated film (our Nicholas Bell slotted it at #33) which posits a person in a life or death type of situation is Nicolas Saada‘s sophomore film. Based on true horrific events, set...

On the heels of yesterday's Toronto Film Festival announcement, this morning we get the lineup for the 2015 Venice Film Festival and, as always, there's a little crossover with some films set to premiere on the Lido ahead of their Toronto (and/or Telluride premieres). Some of the titles not screening at Toronto (at least not yet) that will premiere at Venice include Baltasar Kormakur's Everest, which is serving as the opening night film, Drake Doremus' Equals starring Kristen Stewart, A Bigger Splash from Luca Guadagnino, Go With Me directed by Daniel Alfredson, Dito Montiel's Man Down, Amy Berg's Janis as well as a new, 16-minute short film from Martin Scorsese titled The Audition and a Brian De Palma documentary directed by Noah Baumbach and Jake Paltrow. There's also buzz building for The Childhood of a Leader directed by Brady Corbet and starring Robert Pattinson and Berenice Bejo.

The Venice Film Festival has become one of the longest-running events on the festival circuit, its veteran status giving it a level of prestige that has only been heightened by the films that have screened at the event. Having first started in 1932, a number of movies that have gone on to be classics have won prizes at the festival, including Akira Kurosawa’s Rashomon, Satyajit Ray’s Aparajito, and Alain Resnais’ Last Year at Marienbad. Interest in the festival’s lineup announcement has thus grown over the years, with many film fans curious to see what the organisers select to play at the event, due to its stature. The full lineup for the 2015 incarnation of the festival, the 72nd one in the festival’s history, has now been announced. The festival itself will run from September 2nd to the 12th, with a jury that includes Alfonso Cuarón, Nuri Bilge Ceylan,...

The Danish Girl, starring Eddie Redmayne, and Atom Egoyan’s Remember among the 21 competition titles.Scroll down for full line-up

The 72nd Venice Film Festival (Sept 2-12) has unveiled the 55 features – mixing star vehicles and international auteurs – that will make up this year’s official selection.

Venice director Alberto Barbera and Biennale president Paolo Baratta announced the line-up this morning.

As previously announced, Baltasar Kormakur’s mountaineering thriller Everest, starring Jake Gyllenhaal, will open the festival on Sept 2. The Universal release will play out of competition.

Birdman, last year’s opening night film, went on to be named best picture at this year’s Academy Awards, while multiple Oscar-winner Gravity bowed at the 2013 edition.

Venice also revealed that Guan Hu’s Mr Six will close the festival on Sept 12. Feng Xiaogang plays the title character, a former gangster living alone with various illnesses, who is tempted back into the business by his son.

Competition titles...

I had the good fortune of spending some time speaking with the CEO of the Doha Film Institute, Fatma Al Remahi, whom I had met previously at the Toronto Film Festival. She is a woman of rare talents and I intend to devote a "Women to Watch" feature on her when I return to Los Angeles. With her this day in Cannes were Khalil Benkirane, Head of Grants and Elia Suleiman, the Palestinian filmmaker known for his wry comedies/ commentaries of the current state of affairs around the Mideast, like "Divine Intervention", "The Time That Remains", "Chronicle of a Disappearance", winner of five major awards, and a segment in the 2012 omnibus, "7 Days in Havana".

They are here to celebrate being in Cannes with five films that they have invested in and which have won slots in the festival, thus proving how well their grants have worked. Even this past fall in Venice two of their films won prizes, one, "Sivas" from Turkey and Germany won the Special Jury Prize and Best Actor Award, and "Theeb" from Jordan UAE, Qatar and UK.

Before going into the films the Doha Film Institute is granting not only money to, but greater support from the filmmaking community in the Mideast and the larger world, I asked Suleiman how he envisaged his role. His answer was that, "with age, as strong passions wind down a bit, one has time and the wish to give back to the young, fresh filmmakers. In the process, you learn from their experience, and your own passion is rekindled by theirs. We all felt the same way at the same time, and the new grants program started very quickly with a wholeness to it.

It offers a way to stay connected and alert. Personally, it gives us a community, helping others and in doing this, we help ourselves. That is why we are here."

CEO Fatma Al Ramahi added that after five years of curating projects, granting financial aid and co-financing projects, they had come full circle and Dfi was now offering filmmakers more in what resembles an ecosystem.

I pointedly asked about the place of women in this "ecosystem" to which Khalil Benkirane replied, it depends upon the submissions. They preselect some and others are chosen; the decisions are based upon the combination of merit, narrative story, content, relevance and a direction toward a cinema for tomorrow, bringing in a new voice. The last three sessions before this one included more projects by women than men. This last session had less than 50% by women, more like 30%. But they have no quota which they must fill. They are conscious, but the chose by merit. Women may be in greater numbers because they offer fresh, new voices. In five years we will see more features by women.

I asked about the presence of USA projects their selection, having noticed a little known incident dramatized in "Houston, We Have a Problem!" by Ziga Virc (Slovenia, Germany, Croatia, Qatar) which occurred in March, 1961 when Yugoslavia sold its secret space program to the USA. Two months later, President Kennedy announced that Americans would travel to the Moon.

They pointed out the USA coproduction, "Liyana" by Aaron and Amanda Kopp (USA, Swaziland, Qatar), a feature doc about some talented orphaned children in Swaziland who create a fictional heroine and send her on a dangerous quest.

In their first year, 30 projects from the Us were submitted by Sundance and none made the cut. Last year saw some strong Us docs. This year they saw some real USA indies which were submitted by individuals who heard the call. These were indies not influenced by Us commercial concerns, wanting to fill TV slots or other such systemic strictures.

I agree with them that Us filmmakers need to look abroad for more originality and cannot remain Us-centric if they want to break the constraints of TV and Hollywood imposed styles.

Since those early years, Sundance itself has changed its direction and expanded its international slate, and Us itself has become more multi cultural.

Submissions for the Fall 2015 grants session will open July 18 and close August 1, so act now!

By and large however, topical themes of exile, the aftermath of war, coming of age and the importance of family feature figure prominently in the Institute’s Spring 2015 session of its grants program whose recipients were announced today at the Cannes Film Festival.

Twenty-five projects – comprising 14 narrative feature films, 5 feature documentaries, 1 feature experimental film and 5 short films – will receive funding for development, production or post-production.

This round’s selection also highlights the strength of submissions from first- and second-time feature filmmakers from the Mena region along with a strong group of short films receiving grants, reflecting the Doha Film Institute’s dedication to supporting emerging new talent.

After expanding the grants criteria to include established filmmakers from the Mena region for the category of post-production, this cycle also sees Mai Masri (Palestine) and Merzak Allouache (Algeria) awarded funding for their respective new projects – Masri’s ‘"3000 Nights," a narrative feature about a newlywed Palestinian schoolteacher who gives birth to her son in an Israeli prison and Allouache’s "Madame Courage," a narrative feature about an unstable and lonely teenager, living in a slum in the suburbs of Mostaganem, Algeria.

Former grantees Leila Hotait Salas ("Crayons of Askalan") and Nejib Belkadhi (‘Bastardo’) are also returning with new projects. Hotait Salas’ narrative feature "Stolen Skies," is set against the demonstrations in Cairo in 2011 about a women who remembers her Lebanese lover from 30 years ago and Belkadhi’s narrative feature ‘Retina’, is about a Tunisian immigrant forced to return to his country to take care of his autistic son.

Gulf representation in the short films includes Fahad Al Kuwari’s "One of Them’ from Qatar" and Amal Al-Agroobi’s "Under The Hat" from the UAE. Qatari feature film, "Sahaab" by Khalifa Abdullah Al Muraikhi marks the first Qatari feature awarded for a production grant and is a project which recently participated in Qumra – the first edition of the Institute’s new industry platform dedicated to the development of first- and second-time filmmakers.

In the feature documentary category, stories from or about Syria and its ongoing civil war and set against a backdrop of political, social and emotional turmoil form the subject matter of several projects selected for grants including Boutheyna Bouslama’s "Seeking The Man With the Camera" (Tunisia, Switzerland, France, Qatar), Ziad Kalthoum’s "Beirut Rooster" (Syria, Lebanon, Qatar) and Noura Kevorkian’s "Batata" (Lebanon, Qatar).

In the feature narrative category, regional projects from Algeria, Lebanon and Palestine span a variety of genres and cover a range of subject matter such as modern-day life in the Middle East, lost love and immigration; projects include Muhannad Lamin’s "Tin Hinan," Lidia Terki’s "Paris The White," Firas Khoury’s "Alam, The Flag" and Mir-Jean Bou Chaaya’s innovative genre film "Film Kteer Kbeer."

Five projects from outside the Mena region have received funding, including grants for filmmakers from Singapore (‘Apprentice’ by Junfeng Boo) and Slovenia (‘Houston, We Have a Problem’ by Ziga Virc) for the first time.

The new-wave of filmmaking coming out of Argentina, a story of familial secrets between sisters and a moving documentary about orphan children in Swaziland form an eclectic selection of projects chosen from the rest of the world by filmmakers Francisco Varone ("Road To La Paz"), Manu Gerosa ("Between Sisters") and Aaron and Amanda Kopp ("Liyana").

Fatma Al Remaihi, CEO of the Doha Film Institute, said: “Our Spring grantees demonstrate the strength of new work coming from emerging filmmakers with 23 projects awarded to first- and second-time directors and a strong selection of short films by new talents to watch.”

“These grants give support to projects with diverse regional perspectives and genres, underlining the Doha Film Institute’s commitment to the development of innovative new voices in cinema which is also echoed in our recently launched development platform, Qumra.”

What is Qumra? I asked and they showed me the recent Screen International Cannes supplement about it. Those of you in Cannes can get it off the trade stands or in the Screen offices. It is no red carpet event, nor is it a series of matter lasses. It is a regional conference aimed at deepening the conversations of experienced experts and emerging filmmakers. No masterclass or labs replace the personal conversations though there are workshops and grants involved. The grants are not merely monetary; they are grants of support, mentorships and approval which open the way for the filmmakers to optimize their chances to move ahead with their projects toward their intended goals.

It is a question of control often for filmmakers who may be forced to fit an organization's requirements when they receive funding. In Qumra, they have their own space without an authoritarian producer, although the producer is also invited and is treated well. Because the projects and producers themselves are curated, the producers are committed to committing themselves as it were to the projects. They are not forced to take on projects if they don't find the one that fits, but they are only invited if they intend to consider the projects seriously for their own portfolio. That filmmakers and producers both come out of Qumra contented is crucial.

“We have funded more than 220 projects through the grants programme since it was established and I am pleased to welcome back some of our grantee alumni who are returning this session with their new films. I am also pleased to introduce in this funding round a new avenue of support for established Mena directors, which reflects an integral part of our mission to support voices from the Arab world.”

Films supported in previous sessions of the grants programme are strongly represented in the Festival de Cannes this year with five grantees making their world premiere in various sections. They are: "Waves ’98" by Elie Dagher (Lebanon, Qatar) competing in the Official Short Film Competition; "Dégradé" by Tarzan and Arab Abunasser (Palestine, France, Qatar) and "Mediterranea" by Jonas Carpignano (Italy, France, Germany, Qatar) in the Critics’ Week sidebar which is dedicated to showcasing innovative works by new filmmakers; ‘"Lamb" by Yared Zeleke (Ethiopia, France, Qatar) in the main world cinema showcase, Un Certain Regard; and "Mustang" by Deniz Gamze Ergüven (Turkey, France, Germany, Qatar) selected for the Directors’ Fortnight.

Submissions for the Fall 2015 grants session will open July 18 and close August 1, so act now!

The fund is primarily for first and second-time filmmakers with the exception of the category of Post-Production which is available to established filmmakers from the Mena region.

For more information about eligibility and submission process visit:

http://www.dohafilminstitute.com/financing/grants/guidelines

A full directory of past grant recipients is available to view online at:

http://www.dohafilminstitute.com/financing/projects/grants

Doha Film Institute grantees for the Spring 2015 session are:

Development

Feature Narrative

"Seeking the Man with the Camera" by Boutheyna Bouslama (Tunisia, Switzerland, France, Qatar)

An investigative documentary that follows the narrator as she seeks out Seymo, a childhood friend with whom she used to play in the streets of Homs.

"Stolen Skies" by Laila Hotait Salas (Lebanon, Qatar)

Against the backdrop of the demonstrations in Cairo in 2011, a woman wants to remember the Lebanese lover she had 30 years ago – but first she will need to forgive herself.

"Tin Hinan" by Muhannad Lamin (Libya, Qatar)

A mythical coming-of-age tale in which a young girl is forced to travel into the Sahara to find a new home, ‘Tin Hinan’ depicts the struggle for identity in the midst of a revolution.

Production

Feature Narrative

"1982" by Oualid Mouaness (Lebanon, Qatar)

When 11-year-old Wissam decides to tell a classmate that he loves her, his will is challenged, his courage falters and an impending war threatens to separate them permanently.

"Alam, The Flag" by Firas Khoury (Palestine, France, Qatar)

Tamer, a young Palestinian high-school student, takes part in the mysterious Operation Flag mission on the eve of Israel’s Independence Day celebrations – a day of mourning for Palestinians.

"Paris the White" by Lidia Terki (Algeria, France, Qatar)

Aicha, a woman of 70, leaves her village in Algeria for the first time to go to Paris in search of her husband, who has not contacted her in years.

"Retina" by Nejib Belkadhi (Tunisia, Qatar)

Lotfi, a Tunisian immigrant who lives in France, is forced to return to his homeland to take care of his autistic child.

"Sahaab" by Khalifa Abdullah Al Muraikhi (Qatar)

When Nasser and his friends are lost in the desert, struggling to retrieve their falcon, their search turns out to be a deadly journey.

Short Narrative

"Aya" by Moufida Fedhila (Tunisia, France, Qatar)

‘Aya’ is a story about faith in God and in humanity, and of making changes and sacrifices in order to save one’s soul.

"The Boss" by Rzgar Huseein Ahmed (Iraq, Qatar)

A group of boys decides to select a boss from among themselves. Then the boss becomes the group’s dictator.

"One of Them" by Fahad Al Kuwari (Qatar)

Khalid finds himself in an enigmatic situation when he suddenly develops immunity to religious advocacy.

"Under the Hat" by Amal Al-Agroobi (United Arab Emirates, Qatar)

A mosque’s mu’athen loses his voice and looks for a replacement in his neighbor – the young vocalist in a heavy metal band.

Feature Documentary

"Batata" by Noura Kevorkian (Lebanon, Qatar)

While war rages back home, a family of Syrian potato farmers works the fields in neighboring Lebanon.

"Ghosts Hunting" by Raed Andoni (Palestine, France, Qatar)

Director Raed Andoni assembles an eclectic group of Palestinian ex-prisoners to rebuild the Israeli investigation centre in which they were imprisoned – a place they never in fact saw, because they were always blindfolded.

Short Experimental or Essay

"The Most Pretty Dudes" by Mohammad Dibo (Syria, Qatar)

In Homs, a city destroyed by war, two embattled groups negotiate to ensure their safe escape from the building they are both trapped in.

Post-production

Feature Narrative

"3000 Nights" by Mai Masri (Palestine, France, Jordan, Lebanon, UAE, Qatar)

A recently wed Palestinian schoolteacher gives birth in an Israeli prison, where she fights to protect her son, survive and maintain hope.

"Apprentice" by Junfeng Boo (Singapore, Germany, France, Hong Kong, Qatar)

Aiman, a corrections officer, is transferred to a high-security prison. There, he befriends Rahim, who, it turns out, is chief executioner. Can Aiman overcome his conscience and become Rahim's apprentice?

"Film Kteer Kbeer" by Mir-Jean Bou Chaaya (Lebanon, Qatar)

Intending to smuggle the amphetamine Captagon to Iraq in film canisters, a small-time Lebanese drug-dealer transforms himself into a film producer and, with the help of an underrated filmmaker, slyly manipulates public opinion.

"Houston, We Have a Problem!" by Ziga Virc (Slovenia, Germany, Croatia, Qatar)

In March, 1961, Yugoslavia sold its secret space programme to the USA. Two months later, President Kennedy announced that Americans would travel to the Moon.

"Madame Courage" by Merzak Allouache (Algeria, France, Qatar)

Omar, an unstable and lonely teenager, lives in a slum in the suburbs of Mostaganem.

"Road to La Paz" by Francisco Varone (Argentina, The Netherlands, Germany, Qatar)

Sebastián is hired to take Jahlil, a Muslim retiree, on the most important mission of his life. What begins as an inconvenient trip turns out to be a life-changing adventure.

Feature Documentary

"Beirut Rooster" by Ziad Kalthoum (Syria, Lebanon, Qatar)

While Syrian workers rebuild Lebanon, a country ruined by a lengthy civil war, their hometowns in Syria are destroyed during the brutal conflict there. Who will rebuild their houses?

"Between Sisters" by Manu Gerosa (Italy, Qatar)

Before life runs out, Ornella decides to confront her aging sister Teresa with a painful untold story – one that might change their close bond forever.

"Liyana" by Aaron and Amanda Kopp (USA, Swaziland, Qatar)

In Swaziland, some talented orphaned children create a fictional heroine and send her on a dangerous quest.

Feature Experimental or Essay

"In My Head, A Roundabout" by Lahcene Ferhani (Algeria, France, Qatar)

In the Ruisseau District of Algiers, workers and animals come together for a last dance of death: the city’s main slaughterhouse is about to close forever.

The Doha Film Institute (Dfi) has unveiled the projects to receive grants in its Spring 2015 funding cycle, including the first Qatari feature awarded a production grant.

Sahaabfrom Qatar’s Khalifa Abdullah Al Muraikhi recently participated in Qumra – the first edition of Dfi’s new industry platform dedicated to the development of first- and second-time filmmakers.

“Our filmmakers are learning a lot through Qumra and attending other festivals where they can interact with filmmakers and producers from around the world,” said Dfi CEO Fatma Al Remaihi. “Its encouraging to see them progressing from shorts to feature films.”

In total, 25 projects – including features, documentaries and shorts – were selected to receive grants, with 23 from first and second-time filmmakers.

Five projects from outside the Mena region received funding, including three features: Apprentice from Singapore’s Boo Junfeng; Slovenian filmmaker Ziga Virc’s Houston, We Have a Problem; and Road To La Paz from Argentina’s Francisco Varone.

Dfi has also...

Gazing into the crystal ball, Screen rounds up its Cannes predictions.

With the unveiling of Cannes Film Festival’s Official Selection now exactly three weeks away buzz over the titles that Thierry Fremaux and his team will select for the 68th edition is hitting fever pitch.

Official teaser announcements have started to roll this week, led by the confirmation on Wednesday that George Miller’s Mad Max: Fury Road would premiere in an Out of Competition screening on May 14.

Earlier the week, Cannes unveiled its poster featuring Ingrid Bergman to mark the centenary of the late big screen’s birth and it was announced that Stig Bjorkman’s documentary Ingrid Bergman – In Her Own Words would show in Cannes Classics as part of the commemorations.

For the rest of the Official Selection, except perhaps the opening film which is traditionally revealed in advance, Cannes watchers will have to wait for the announcement press conference in Paris on April...

Irrfan Khan, Christina Voros and Catherine Dussart to preside over feature competition juries; seven world premieres of Arab films in feature competitions.

Abu Dhabi Film Festival (Oct 23-Nov 1) has released the names of its jury members, who will select the award winners of this year’s Adff competitions.

This year’s Narrative Features jury led by Mumbai-based actor Irrfan Khan (The Lunchbox, Life of Pi) will be rounded out by Algerian novelist and academic Waciny Laredj, award-winning English writer-director Steven Shainberg, Australian film director Cate Shortland and Palestinian actor Ali Suliman.

The panel evaluating the New Horizons section led by Paris-based film producer Catherine Dussart (The Missing Picture) includes Syrian actor Bassel Al Khayat, Moroccan filmmaker Leila Kilani, Geneva-based Indian filmmaker Anup Singh and film critic Charles Tesson, artistic director of Critics’ Week at the Cannes Film Festival.

Heading the Documentary Features jury is Brooklyn-based director and cinematographer Christina Voros. The other jury...

Christophe Offenstein’s Turning Tide took the Colcoa Audience Award as the week-long French cinema showcase in Los Angeles came to a conclusion (28).

Cédric Klapisch’s Chinese Puzzle earned the Audience Special Prize as well as the Colcoa Coming Soon Award given in association with Kpcc 89.3 to a film with Us distribution. Cohen Media Group will release on May 16.

Hélier Cisterne’s Vandal won the Colcoa Lafca Critics Award presented the Los Angeles Film Critics Association jury.

The Critics Special Prize went to One Of A Kind, written and directed by François Dupeyron.

The Colcoa First Feature Award went to Guillaume Gallienne’s César winner Me, Myself And Mom, while there was an audience special mention for Diane Kurys’ For A Woman and a critics’ special mention for Merzak Allouache’s The Rooftops.

The Colcoa Documentary Prize went to Flore by Jean-Albert Lièvre.

The Run Away, written and directed by Jean-Bernard Marlin, won the Colcoa...

Actor prizes go to Dame Judi Dench and Jesse Eisenberg; Enough Said, starring the late James Gandolfini, wins audience award.Scroll down for full list of winners

The 7th Abu Dhabi Film Festival handed out its Black Pearl awards at a closing ceremony tonight (Oct 31), including cash prizes amounting to around $700,000.

The Black Pearl for Narrative Feature, worth $100,000, went to A Touch of Sin (Tian zhu ding) directed by Jia Zhangke.

The film, which played in competition at Cannes where it won the best screenplay award, revolves around four threads set in vastly different geographical and social milieus across modern-day China and features random acts of violence.

The Narrative jury, presided over by two-time Oscar nominated actress Jacki Weaver, gave the special jury award ($50,000) to Hiner Saleem’s My Sweet Pepper Land, centred on a law man in a small town on the border of Iran, Iraq and Turkey.

In addition, Dame Judi Dench won best...

Festival kicks off Thursday with gala screening of Daniel Schechter’s Life of Crime.

Forest Whitaker will be among the guests when the Abu Dhabi Film Festival kicks off Thursday evening. Whitaker will receive the festival’s Black Pearl Career Achievement award.

The festival will open with a gala screening of the Middle East premiere of Life of Crime with director Daniel Schechter and actor Mark Boone Junior both in attendance and participating in an audience Q&A.

Another career achievement award winner will be actress and director Hiam Abbass, who stars in festival world premiere Peace After Marriage.

International guests will include Danis Tanovic, Amma Asante, Jia Zhangke, Beeban Kidron, Emir Baigazin, Agnes B, Cedomir Kolar, Uberto Pasolini, Tao Zhao, Eugene Domingo, Louis Garrel, Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Catherine Dussart.

Arab stars set to attend Adff include Mervat Amin, Hend Sabri, Ahmad Ezz, Basel Khayat, Eyad Nassar, Kinda Aloush, Abed Fahad, Manal Khader, Nesrine...

Festival kicks off Thursday with gala screening of Daniel Schechter’s Life of Crime.

Forest Whitaker will be among the guests when the Abu Dhabi Film Festival kicks off Thursday evening. Whitaker will receive the festival’s Black Pearl Career Achievement award.

The festival will open with a gala screening of the Middle East premiere of Life of Crime with director Daniel Schechter and actor Mark Boone Junior both in attendance and participating in an audience Q&A.

Another career achievement award winner will be actress and director Hiam Abbass, who stars in festival world premiere Peace After Marriage.

International guests will include Danis Tanovic, Amma Asante, Jia Zhangke, Beeban Kidron, Emir Baigazin, Agnes B, Cedomir Kolar, Uberto Pasolini, Tao Zhao, Eugene Domingo, Louis Garrel, Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Catherine Dussart.

Arab stars set to attend Adff include Mervat Amin, Hend Sabri, Ahmad Ezz, Basel Khayat, Eyad Nassar, Kinda Aloush, Abed Fahad, Manal Khader, Nesrine...

★★★☆☆ One of several African efforts to screen at this year's London Film Festival, Merzak Allouache's The Rooftops (2013) presents a day in the life of Algiers as seen through the lives of a wide cast of characters and from a distinctly privileged perspective. Playing like an Algerian Short Cuts, the drama recounts the various lives of the people who use and live on the rooftops. Some do so out of necessity, squatting in makeshift shacks, or colonising the wash room and charging people to use the rooftop. In a number terraces spread throughout different quarters of the city - from the Casbah to Bab El Oued - the rooftops are crammed with life.

There's a boxer working out with his punch bag; a band rehearsing, watched on by an admirer; a gangster and his thugs torture a building contractor and a documentary film crew search for a panorama of the city.

The full line up has been unveiled for the 7th edition of the Abu Dhabi Film Festival.

Daniel Schechter’s Life Of Crime will open the 7th edition of the Abu Dhabi Film Festival, which runs Oct 24- Nov 2.

13 Arab feature films (seven of which are world premieres) will compete across different sections of the festival, including Rani Massalha’s Giraffada and Nejib Belkhadi’s Bastardo in the New Horizons Competition, Ahmed Abdallah’s Rags And Tatters and Hicham Ayouch’s Fevers in the Narrative Feature Competition, and Sherief Elkatsha’s Cairo Drive and Mohammad Soueid’s The Boy From Aleppo in the Documentary Feature Competition.

Tobe Hooper’s UAE horror Djin will screen in the festival’s Showcase section.

Films competing in the Narrative Feature Competition include Jun Robles Lana’s Barber’s Tales, Denis Villeneuve’s Prisoners, Danis Tanovic’s An Episode In The Life Of An Iron Picker, Jasmila Zbanic’s [link...