“Directors Factory Philippines,” an omnibus film project initiated by the Cannes Directors’ Fortnight, has completed production in the historic city of Dapitan.
Operating since 2013, when it kicked off in Taiwan, the Directors’ Factory works with a new partner country each year to mentor eight budding filmmakers who are preparing ambitious first or second feature projects that they will make in pairs. The Philippines was selected in November.
The four resulting co-written and co-directed short films will be screened as part of the Directors’ Fortnight (aka Quinzaine des Cineastes) in May.
Dapitan, a city in The Philippines’ Zamboanga Peninsula, known for its many shrines and as the place of exile of Philippines’ national hero, Jose Rizal. These days it is a hub for domestic and international tourism.
Eve Baswel (Philippines) and Gogularaajan Rajendran (Malaysia) directed the short film “Walay Balay”, the portrait of a mother and daughter, evacuated during wartime to...
Operating since 2013, when it kicked off in Taiwan, the Directors’ Factory works with a new partner country each year to mentor eight budding filmmakers who are preparing ambitious first or second feature projects that they will make in pairs. The Philippines was selected in November.
The four resulting co-written and co-directed short films will be screened as part of the Directors’ Fortnight (aka Quinzaine des Cineastes) in May.
Dapitan, a city in The Philippines’ Zamboanga Peninsula, known for its many shrines and as the place of exile of Philippines’ national hero, Jose Rizal. These days it is a hub for domestic and international tourism.
Eve Baswel (Philippines) and Gogularaajan Rajendran (Malaysia) directed the short film “Walay Balay”, the portrait of a mother and daughter, evacuated during wartime to...
- 3/27/2024
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Taking place alongside Filmart, the Hong Kong-Asia Film Financing Forum (Haf) is one of Asia’s oldest and most established project markets, helping a string of award-winning films to get made.
Recent Haf successes include Mongolian drama If Only I Could Hibernate, which was selected for last year’s Cannes Un Certain Regard, and Huang Ji and Ryuji Otsuka’s Stonewalling, which won best film at Taiwan’s Golden Horse Awards and was sold to KimStim for North America.
However, Haf is now just one component in an expanding range of activities organised by Hkiff Industry, the industry platform of Hong Kong International Film Festival (Hkiff). This year, the festival has partnered with CAA China to launch the Hkiff Industry-caa China Genre Initiative (Hcg), which is presenting six selected projects to an industry-wide audience during Haf.
Hkiff Industry director Jacob Wong explains that a genre initiative is a logical next...
Recent Haf successes include Mongolian drama If Only I Could Hibernate, which was selected for last year’s Cannes Un Certain Regard, and Huang Ji and Ryuji Otsuka’s Stonewalling, which won best film at Taiwan’s Golden Horse Awards and was sold to KimStim for North America.
However, Haf is now just one component in an expanding range of activities organised by Hkiff Industry, the industry platform of Hong Kong International Film Festival (Hkiff). This year, the festival has partnered with CAA China to launch the Hkiff Industry-caa China Genre Initiative (Hcg), which is presenting six selected projects to an industry-wide audience during Haf.
Hkiff Industry director Jacob Wong explains that a genre initiative is a logical next...
- 3/5/2024
- by Liz Shackleton
- Deadline Film + TV
Over the last seven years or so, the ever more capitalized Catalan industry, much based in capital Barcelona, has driven into domestic co-production with other parts of Spain. One result: an exciting new generation of young directors and producers, often women, which have scored a Berlin Golden Bear (Carla Simon’s “Alcarràs”) and best lead performance.
The Catalan film-tv industry is now, however, in the throes of a gathering industry makeover which is showing its first fruits. One driver, as so often in Europe, is public sector funding.
In 2019, total allocated Catalan government audiovisual funding stood at €12.6 million ($13.7 million). It rose to €40.8 million ($44.5 million) in 2022 and will rise again to an estimated €50 million ($54.5 million) in 2024, if the Catalan Parliament approves the budget, says Edgar Garcia, director of the governmental culture industry unit Icec.
In response to ramped-up funding, Catalonia industry has grown vibrantly. 130 execs and talent, representing 80 companies, attend 2024’s Berlin Film Market.
The Catalan film-tv industry is now, however, in the throes of a gathering industry makeover which is showing its first fruits. One driver, as so often in Europe, is public sector funding.
In 2019, total allocated Catalan government audiovisual funding stood at €12.6 million ($13.7 million). It rose to €40.8 million ($44.5 million) in 2022 and will rise again to an estimated €50 million ($54.5 million) in 2024, if the Catalan Parliament approves the budget, says Edgar Garcia, director of the governmental culture industry unit Icec.
In response to ramped-up funding, Catalonia industry has grown vibrantly. 130 execs and talent, representing 80 companies, attend 2024’s Berlin Film Market.
- 2/15/2024
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
The Hong Kong International Film Festival Society (Hkiffs) has added 15 work-in-progress projects to the 22nd Hong Kong-Asia Film Financing Forum (Haf), rounding up a bumper line-up of the new Hkiff Project Market.
This year, Haf joins the inaugural Hkiff Industry-caa China Genre Initiative (Hcg) to create the new Hkiff Industry Project Market, which will showcase 47 projects, including 26 previously announced in-development Haf projects and six Hcg projects.
The Wip section will introduce the latest works by notable filmmakers such as Chang Tso-Chi, Lav Diaz, Mark Gill, Midi Z, Tan Chui Mui, and Yang Chao as well as by prominent and emerging actors,...
This year, Haf joins the inaugural Hkiff Industry-caa China Genre Initiative (Hcg) to create the new Hkiff Industry Project Market, which will showcase 47 projects, including 26 previously announced in-development Haf projects and six Hcg projects.
The Wip section will introduce the latest works by notable filmmakers such as Chang Tso-Chi, Lav Diaz, Mark Gill, Midi Z, Tan Chui Mui, and Yang Chao as well as by prominent and emerging actors,...
- 2/1/2024
- ScreenDaily
Leading Asian filmmakers including Chang Tso-Chi, Lav Diaz, Midi Z, Tan Chui Mui and Yang Chao are poised to make appearances next month at the Work-in-Progress section of the Hong Kong – Asia Film Financing Forum (Haf) project market.
Haf organizers Thursday added 15 Wip projects, having previously selected 26 in-development projects and six genre film projects in the CAA China Genre Initiative.
The 47-project Hkiff Industry Project Market will run March 11-13, alongside the 2024 edition of the Hong Kong International Film & TV Market (FilMart), which operates March 11-14..
Highlights include: “The Land is Our Navel,” directed by Zhang Zhongchen (“The White Cow”) and produced by Midi Z (director of 2019’s “Nina Wu” and the upcoming “The Unseen Sister”), depicting the surreal journey of a six-year-old girl and a ghost;
“The Wind is Unstoppable,” by Huo Meng (“Crossing the Border – Zhaoguan”), about small-town family life before China’s rural-urban migration; “Deep Quiet Room,...
Haf organizers Thursday added 15 Wip projects, having previously selected 26 in-development projects and six genre film projects in the CAA China Genre Initiative.
The 47-project Hkiff Industry Project Market will run March 11-13, alongside the 2024 edition of the Hong Kong International Film & TV Market (FilMart), which operates March 11-14..
Highlights include: “The Land is Our Navel,” directed by Zhang Zhongchen (“The White Cow”) and produced by Midi Z (director of 2019’s “Nina Wu” and the upcoming “The Unseen Sister”), depicting the surreal journey of a six-year-old girl and a ghost;
“The Wind is Unstoppable,” by Huo Meng (“Crossing the Border – Zhaoguan”), about small-town family life before China’s rural-urban migration; “Deep Quiet Room,...
- 2/1/2024
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Award-winning filmmaker Ishan Shukla’s debut feature ‘Schirkoa: In Lies We Trust’, a dystopian sci-fi animation film which recently had its World Premiere at the 2024 International Film Festival of Rotterdam (IFFR) in the Bright Future section strikes a special chord with the audience.
‘Schirkoa: In Lies We Trust’ tells the story of a dystopian world where people are made to wear paper bags over their heads to dissolve differences, and an anonymous citizen sparks an accidental revolution. Tensions rise when the whispers of a mythical land without the bags start to float and a fresh council member sparks an accidental revolution.
Ishan’s debut feature is based on his award-winning short with the same name, ‘Schirkoa’ (2016) which played at 120 plus international film festivals and won 33 awards, including Best Animated Short award at the LA Shorts Festival and was longlisted for the Academy Awards.
The 103-minute film features principal voices of...
‘Schirkoa: In Lies We Trust’ tells the story of a dystopian world where people are made to wear paper bags over their heads to dissolve differences, and an anonymous citizen sparks an accidental revolution. Tensions rise when the whispers of a mythical land without the bags start to float and a fresh council member sparks an accidental revolution.
Ishan’s debut feature is based on his award-winning short with the same name, ‘Schirkoa’ (2016) which played at 120 plus international film festivals and won 33 awards, including Best Animated Short award at the LA Shorts Festival and was longlisted for the Academy Awards.
The 103-minute film features principal voices of...
- 1/29/2024
- by Editorial Desk
- GlamSham
Dropping out from Bits, reaching Rotterdam with full marks filmmaker Ishan Shukla’s animated journey
He may have cracked the prestigious Bits entrance but during his time there, what interested him more was writing plays and sketching. He soon realised, not Thermodynamics but looking inside people’s minds interested him. And that is when he decided to do an animation course in Singapore next.
Filmmaker Ishan Shukla, whose dystopian sci-fi animation film ‘Schirkoa: In Lies We Trust’, which will have its world premiere at the prestigious 53rd International Film Festival of Rotterdam (IFFR) smiles, “Well, it may sound all cool now, but believe me, I was really worried that time — what if I don’t get a job after the animation course? Of course, I don’t generally admit that,” he tells Ians.
While he did get a job in Singapore, in less than a year it started getting boring for him.
“In this sea of monotony, I started sketching in my diary and I...
Filmmaker Ishan Shukla, whose dystopian sci-fi animation film ‘Schirkoa: In Lies We Trust’, which will have its world premiere at the prestigious 53rd International Film Festival of Rotterdam (IFFR) smiles, “Well, it may sound all cool now, but believe me, I was really worried that time — what if I don’t get a job after the animation course? Of course, I don’t generally admit that,” he tells Ians.
While he did get a job in Singapore, in less than a year it started getting boring for him.
“In this sea of monotony, I started sketching in my diary and I...
- 1/12/2024
- by Agency News Desk
- GlamSham
A prize ceremony attended by Hamaguchi Ryusuke (“Drive My Car”), Vinod Vidhu Chopra (“3 Idiots”), Amir Naderi and Yonfan on Thursday wrapped up the final event of the debut edition of the Festival of Young Cinema in Macau.
Following a week (Jan. 6-11) of industry-only screenings and presentations of 17 partly-completed films by emerging directors and producers from the region, the prizes went to four work-in-progress films from mainland China and one from Macau.
A jury consisting of producer Jeremy Chua, the Jio Mami Mumbai festival’s artistic director Deepti DCunha, Chinese producer Wang Yang, Chinese screenwriter Wang Yixin and Hong Kong-based executive Esther Yeung determined the in-kind prizes according to the needs of the productions.
“Macau is a very small place, but people here have a big heart,” said Weng Tingting, director of “Revisit,” the tale of a reluctant care-giver which earned a special mention. “I used all the money...
Following a week (Jan. 6-11) of industry-only screenings and presentations of 17 partly-completed films by emerging directors and producers from the region, the prizes went to four work-in-progress films from mainland China and one from Macau.
A jury consisting of producer Jeremy Chua, the Jio Mami Mumbai festival’s artistic director Deepti DCunha, Chinese producer Wang Yang, Chinese screenwriter Wang Yixin and Hong Kong-based executive Esther Yeung determined the in-kind prizes according to the needs of the productions.
“Macau is a very small place, but people here have a big heart,” said Weng Tingting, director of “Revisit,” the tale of a reluctant care-giver which earned a special mention. “I used all the money...
- 1/11/2024
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
“I don’t find the definition of Chinese filmmakers by generation to be a useful tool,” said Marco Mueller, introducing dark satire “The Movie Emperor” as the opening film of the first edition of his Festival of Young Cinema (Asia-Europe) in Macau on Friday. “Much more interesting is the concept of exchange between new and old and between East and West.”
“The new forces of Chinese cinema are present and participating. More than 100 young filmmakers will have the opportunity to meet and interact with names including Amir Naderi, Aleksei German Jr and Yonfan,” Mueller continued. While Macau is these days best known for its high-tech casinos, the former Portuguese colony has long been a venue for international cultural exchange and retains ambitions to restore some of that diversity.
Along with screenings of 27 films and 17 works in progress, masterclasses and on-stage dialogs are a key educational tool on offer at the...
“The new forces of Chinese cinema are present and participating. More than 100 young filmmakers will have the opportunity to meet and interact with names including Amir Naderi, Aleksei German Jr and Yonfan,” Mueller continued. While Macau is these days best known for its high-tech casinos, the former Portuguese colony has long been a venue for international cultural exchange and retains ambitions to restore some of that diversity.
Along with screenings of 27 films and 17 works in progress, masterclasses and on-stage dialogs are a key educational tool on offer at the...
- 1/5/2024
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Some 15 projects will be featured at the festival’s first works in progress lab.
Upcoming projects by Chinese filmmaker Li Dongmei and Taiwan’s Lee Hong-chi are among 15 work-in-progress titles selected for the inaugural Festival of Young Cinema (Asia-Europe) in Macau, which will open with Ning Hao’s The Movie Emperor.
The WiP Lab will comprise 11 projects from mainland Chinese filmmakers and four international Chinese-language projects and will be screened in Macau and nearby Zhuhai from January 8-10.
A five-strong jury, who will grant awards in post-production services, include producers Jeremy Chua and Wang Yang, Mumbai Film Festival artistic director Deepti Dcunha,...
Upcoming projects by Chinese filmmaker Li Dongmei and Taiwan’s Lee Hong-chi are among 15 work-in-progress titles selected for the inaugural Festival of Young Cinema (Asia-Europe) in Macau, which will open with Ning Hao’s The Movie Emperor.
The WiP Lab will comprise 11 projects from mainland Chinese filmmakers and four international Chinese-language projects and will be screened in Macau and nearby Zhuhai from January 8-10.
A five-strong jury, who will grant awards in post-production services, include producers Jeremy Chua and Wang Yang, Mumbai Film Festival artistic director Deepti Dcunha,...
- 1/4/2024
- by Michael Rosser
- ScreenDaily
Ning Hao’s The Movie Emperor will screen as the opening film of Macau’s Asia-Europe Young Cinema Film Festival, which is holding its inaugural edition from January 5-11. Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s 12th Fail, recently a hit in India, will screen as the closing film.
The event has two major sections – a programme of masterclasses and screenings aimed at young directors, film students and local audiences, and a Works-in-Progress (WiP) Lab, which will be attended by international sales agents, distributors and festival programmers.
The masterclasses will be held by leading international filmmakers including several from the Chinese-speaking world – Ning Hao, Li Dongmei, Johnnie To, Yon Fan and Lee Hong-chi – along with Japanese filmmakers Ryosuke Hamaguchi and Shinya Tsukamoto, Russia’s Aleksey German Jr, Italy’s Gabriel Menetti, India’s Anurag Kashyap, Lav Diaz from the Philippines and Iranian filmmaker Amir Naderi.
China Film Directors Association is actively involved in...
The event has two major sections – a programme of masterclasses and screenings aimed at young directors, film students and local audiences, and a Works-in-Progress (WiP) Lab, which will be attended by international sales agents, distributors and festival programmers.
The masterclasses will be held by leading international filmmakers including several from the Chinese-speaking world – Ning Hao, Li Dongmei, Johnnie To, Yon Fan and Lee Hong-chi – along with Japanese filmmakers Ryosuke Hamaguchi and Shinya Tsukamoto, Russia’s Aleksey German Jr, Italy’s Gabriel Menetti, India’s Anurag Kashyap, Lav Diaz from the Philippines and Iranian filmmaker Amir Naderi.
China Film Directors Association is actively involved in...
- 1/4/2024
- by Liz Shackleton
- Deadline Film + TV
No reasonably intelligent person imagines an artist’s statement about the horrors in Gaza would, in fact, end those horrors, but there are always limits to what one can take and hopes for what one could do. It might even be said that, as observers of the world and human behavior, filmmakers are especially inclined to recoil. When I interviewed Pedro Costa last month he spoke, unprompted, of a situation that’s only grown worse: “It’s very clear that we cannot stand images anymore. I can’t. I can’t. The images of the world for me [Exhales] I can’t. I turn my eyes, and I’m sure you do the same. It’s unbearable.” When I spoke with Anthony Dod Mantle a couple of weeks later it, again, emerged––vis-a-vis The Zone of Interest, whose own cinematographer alluded to it the next day. It’s difficult being a person in the world,...
- 12/29/2023
- by Nick Newman
- The Film Stage
by Tobiasz Dunin
“Elegy to the Visitor from the Revolution” is a drama written and directed by Lav Diaz. At first, it was supposed to be a one-minute segment of a video compilation honoring the late film critics Alexis Tioseco and Nika Bohinc. However, Diaz's creation grew beyond its initial intent, and became a full-length feature. The title alludes to the 1896 Philippine Revolution, a conflict where Filipino revolutionaries fought against Spanish colonial authorities, aiming to gain independence.
The plot is quite vague and tells a story about a woman (Hazel Orencio) from the late 19th century that travels to contemporary Philippines and witnesses intertwined narratives – about a sex worker, a musician, and a gang of lawbreakers. These segments are further divided into disparate plot lines – a sex worker (Sigrid Bernardo) awaits a client, a musician (Diaz) plays guitar by himself, and three criminals are figuring out a way to make some money.
“Elegy to the Visitor from the Revolution” is a drama written and directed by Lav Diaz. At first, it was supposed to be a one-minute segment of a video compilation honoring the late film critics Alexis Tioseco and Nika Bohinc. However, Diaz's creation grew beyond its initial intent, and became a full-length feature. The title alludes to the 1896 Philippine Revolution, a conflict where Filipino revolutionaries fought against Spanish colonial authorities, aiming to gain independence.
The plot is quite vague and tells a story about a woman (Hazel Orencio) from the late 19th century that travels to contemporary Philippines and witnesses intertwined narratives – about a sex worker, a musician, and a gang of lawbreakers. These segments are further divided into disparate plot lines – a sex worker (Sigrid Bernardo) awaits a client, a musician (Diaz) plays guitar by himself, and three criminals are figuring out a way to make some money.
- 12/23/2023
- by Guest Writer
- AsianMoviePulse
Jonathan Ogilvie’s post-punk coming-of-age comedy “Head South” will open the 53rd International Film Festival Rotterdam on Jan. 25, with the festival running until Feb. 4.
Ogilvie’s semi-autobiographical film is set in Christchurch, New Zealand in 1979 where a private schoolboy becomes desperately enamored with all things post-punk. The director’s last film, thriller “Lone Wolf,” screened in the festival’s Big Screen competition section in 2021.
Vanja Kaludjercic, IFFR festival director, said: “With ‘Head South,’ Jonathan Ogilvie returns to the festival with an unpredictable coming-of-age story that delights in its shifting tone. Quirkiness and nostalgia become sober and thoughtful, only to turn exuberant and then something else again, in a fitting tribute to post-punk subculture. Ogilvie is the kind of filmmaker we cherish at IFFR: those for whom the art is, above all, an adventure of discovery.”
Other films to have their world premieres at the Dutch festival include Indian filmmaker Ishan Shukla...
Ogilvie’s semi-autobiographical film is set in Christchurch, New Zealand in 1979 where a private schoolboy becomes desperately enamored with all things post-punk. The director’s last film, thriller “Lone Wolf,” screened in the festival’s Big Screen competition section in 2021.
Vanja Kaludjercic, IFFR festival director, said: “With ‘Head South,’ Jonathan Ogilvie returns to the festival with an unpredictable coming-of-age story that delights in its shifting tone. Quirkiness and nostalgia become sober and thoughtful, only to turn exuberant and then something else again, in a fitting tribute to post-punk subculture. Ogilvie is the kind of filmmaker we cherish at IFFR: those for whom the art is, above all, an adventure of discovery.”
Other films to have their world premieres at the Dutch festival include Indian filmmaker Ishan Shukla...
- 11/23/2023
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
In his debut film “Which Colour?” director Shahrukhkhan Chavada is juggling perspectives of various characters, thus painting a polyphonic portrait of a Gujarat-based ghettoised Muslim community. Thanks to his eye for detail, Chavada finds in the formally rigorous approach an angle to tell a politically loaded story without sensationalism. Rather, by following several characters stemming from two generations, “Which Colour?” captures the social and economic nuances that both divide and connect the film's community.
Which Colour is screening at Five Flavours
Told over the course of 24 hours in Kalupur, Ahmadebad, “Which Colour?” follows Raziya (Samina Shaikh), as she does her best at caring for the other inhabitants of her house. Among them is, initially comical and naïve, but ultimately tragic, husband Razzak (Imtiyaz Shaikh). He has been unemployed for over a month now, and rather than focusing on getting a new job, he fantasizes about a rickshaw which could grant him financial independence.
Which Colour is screening at Five Flavours
Told over the course of 24 hours in Kalupur, Ahmadebad, “Which Colour?” follows Raziya (Samina Shaikh), as she does her best at caring for the other inhabitants of her house. Among them is, initially comical and naïve, but ultimately tragic, husband Razzak (Imtiyaz Shaikh). He has been unemployed for over a month now, and rather than focusing on getting a new job, he fantasizes about a rickshaw which could grant him financial independence.
- 11/22/2023
- by Olek Młyński
- AsianMoviePulse
Cannes’ Directors Fortnight section has joined forces with The Philippines for the latest edition of its Directors Factory professional training program.
Operating since 2013, when it kicked off in Taiwan, the Directors’ Factory works with a new partner country each year to mentor eight budding filmmakers who are preparing ambitious first or second feature projects that they will make in pairs.
The four resulting co-written and co-directed short films will be screened as part of the Directors’ Fortnight (aka Quinzaine des Cineastes) in May.
Four pairs were selected in Manila in October: Eve Baswel (Philippines) and Gogularaajan Rajendran (Malaysia); Maria Estela Paiso (Philippines) and Ashok Vish (India); Arvin Belarmino (Philippines) and Lomorpich Rithy (aka YoKi) (Cambodia); Don Josephus Raphael Eblahan (Philippines) and Tan Siyou (Singapore).
They have now begun writing their screenplays and are expected to shoot their films March in Dapitan, a city in The Philippines’ Zamboanga Peninsula, known for...
Operating since 2013, when it kicked off in Taiwan, the Directors’ Factory works with a new partner country each year to mentor eight budding filmmakers who are preparing ambitious first or second feature projects that they will make in pairs.
The four resulting co-written and co-directed short films will be screened as part of the Directors’ Fortnight (aka Quinzaine des Cineastes) in May.
Four pairs were selected in Manila in October: Eve Baswel (Philippines) and Gogularaajan Rajendran (Malaysia); Maria Estela Paiso (Philippines) and Ashok Vish (India); Arvin Belarmino (Philippines) and Lomorpich Rithy (aka YoKi) (Cambodia); Don Josephus Raphael Eblahan (Philippines) and Tan Siyou (Singapore).
They have now begun writing their screenplays and are expected to shoot their films March in Dapitan, a city in The Philippines’ Zamboanga Peninsula, known for...
- 11/22/2023
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
As Roger Ebert's old adage goes, no good film is too long, and no bad film is short enough. When it comes to a film's running time, the better movies will expertly pace out their scenes and present their story in exactly the way they need to be presented, whether that takes 60 minutes or 600. There's no universal bellwether connecting running time to quality. A film can drag through a very brief running time, or be riveting for several straight hours.
It's only when certain genres traditionally associated with brief running times suddenly see the release of a two-hour-plus entry that discussions of film length are revived in earnest. Action pictures are typically 90 to 100 minutes. When a superhero film comes along that's 180 minutes (as was "The Batman"), questions arise pertaining to the necessity of that length. The same might be said of Damian Leone's 2022 sleeper hit "Terrifier 2," a gore-soaked...
It's only when certain genres traditionally associated with brief running times suddenly see the release of a two-hour-plus entry that discussions of film length are revived in earnest. Action pictures are typically 90 to 100 minutes. When a superhero film comes along that's 180 minutes (as was "The Batman"), questions arise pertaining to the necessity of that length. The same might be said of Damian Leone's 2022 sleeper hit "Terrifier 2," a gore-soaked...
- 11/7/2023
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
Film Development Council of the Philippines (Fdcp) has tweaked its incentive schemes for both international co-productions and offshore production, with the latter cash rebate being increased to 25% with the addition of a cultural bonus.
Philippines currently offers a 20% incentive through its Film Location Incentive Program (Flip), which is now being augmented with the 5% cultural bonus capped at $540,000 (PHP30M). Eligible formats for Flip include features, animated and documentary films, TV and streaming series and virtual reality content.
The miniumum qualifying spend to apply for the rebate is PHP20M for feature films and animation, PHP8M for documnetary and PHP3M for short films and each episode of a series of eight episodes or more.
Fcdp has also combined its International Co-production Fund (Icof) and Asean Co-production Fund (Acof) into a single Icof fund that has three separate funding caps for different formats.
Feature films will be awarded $54,000-$180,000 (PHP...
Philippines currently offers a 20% incentive through its Film Location Incentive Program (Flip), which is now being augmented with the 5% cultural bonus capped at $540,000 (PHP30M). Eligible formats for Flip include features, animated and documentary films, TV and streaming series and virtual reality content.
The miniumum qualifying spend to apply for the rebate is PHP20M for feature films and animation, PHP8M for documnetary and PHP3M for short films and each episode of a series of eight episodes or more.
Fcdp has also combined its International Co-production Fund (Icof) and Asean Co-production Fund (Acof) into a single Icof fund that has three separate funding caps for different formats.
Feature films will be awarded $54,000-$180,000 (PHP...
- 10/8/2023
- by Liz Shackleton
- Deadline Film + TV
Bradley Liew of Epicmedia Productions (Philippines), Stefano Centini of Volos Films (Taiwan/Italy) and Singapore’s Huang Junxiang have reunited to launch two genre projects at the Busan International Film Festival’s Asian Contents and Film Market.
The trio previously teamed on Sundance Midnight hit, “In My Mother’s Skin” by Kenneth Dagatan, which was recently ranked number six on Variety’s Best Horror Movies of 2023. The film was acquired by Amazon Studios and will stream on Prime Video from Oct. 12.
The producers are backing Dagatan’s “Molder,” a body-horror supernatural thriller set in a sleepy Italian town where an elderly Filipino immigrant struggling with signs of early onset dementia, grapples with the sudden disappearance of his wife and the mysterious young man who claims to have placed a curse upon them. The film aims to blend both Filipino folklore based supernatural horror with the experiences of the Filipino diaspora in Italy.
The trio previously teamed on Sundance Midnight hit, “In My Mother’s Skin” by Kenneth Dagatan, which was recently ranked number six on Variety’s Best Horror Movies of 2023. The film was acquired by Amazon Studios and will stream on Prime Video from Oct. 12.
The producers are backing Dagatan’s “Molder,” a body-horror supernatural thriller set in a sleepy Italian town where an elderly Filipino immigrant struggling with signs of early onset dementia, grapples with the sudden disappearance of his wife and the mysterious young man who claims to have placed a curse upon them. The film aims to blend both Filipino folklore based supernatural horror with the experiences of the Filipino diaspora in Italy.
- 10/8/2023
- by Naman Ramachandran and Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Kathryn Bernardo, known as the Queen of Philippines Cinema, and Triangle Of Sadness star Dolly de Leon are both almost unrecognizable in their new movie, A Very Good Girl, which Abs-cbn and Star Cinema are opening at the U.S. box office today (October 6).
Bernardo, who is famous for her roles in romantic dramas, plays a woman hell bent on revenge against a former employer who sacked her – a glamorous retail tycoon called Mother Molly, played by De Leon. Bernardo’s character switches between her true self – down-trodden, working-class girl Mercy, now forced to scam foreigners online for a living, and her faux persona as high-rolling socialite Philo, out to trick her former boss.
“I specifically asked Star Cinema to pitch me something a bit out of the box for me – something about empowerment or a bit dark,” says Bernardo, when asked what she liked about the project. “My fans...
Bernardo, who is famous for her roles in romantic dramas, plays a woman hell bent on revenge against a former employer who sacked her – a glamorous retail tycoon called Mother Molly, played by De Leon. Bernardo’s character switches between her true self – down-trodden, working-class girl Mercy, now forced to scam foreigners online for a living, and her faux persona as high-rolling socialite Philo, out to trick her former boss.
“I specifically asked Star Cinema to pitch me something a bit out of the box for me – something about empowerment or a bit dark,” says Bernardo, when asked what she liked about the project. “My fans...
- 10/6/2023
- by Liz Shackleton
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: It’s just another day in Manila’s Riverbanks Center studios and a stand-in actor is beating off a group of gangsters with an outsized prosthetic penis – thankfully one that is wrapped in a tasteful chiffon scarf.
The actor he’s standing in for, Enrique Gil, is one of the biggest heartthrobs in the Philippines’ film and TV industries and it’s safe to say he’s taking a slight departure with his most recent project, I Am Not Big Bird, which was mostly filmed in Thailand with some interiors in Manila.
Produced by Anima Studios and Abs-cbn’s Black Sheep, the film is about a 30-something virgin (Gil) who, dejected after his girlfriend turns down his marriage proposal, heads off on holiday to Thailand with a bunch of friends. Once there, a peculiar chain of events ensues when Gil’s character is mistaken for a famous Thai porn star,...
The actor he’s standing in for, Enrique Gil, is one of the biggest heartthrobs in the Philippines’ film and TV industries and it’s safe to say he’s taking a slight departure with his most recent project, I Am Not Big Bird, which was mostly filmed in Thailand with some interiors in Manila.
Produced by Anima Studios and Abs-cbn’s Black Sheep, the film is about a 30-something virgin (Gil) who, dejected after his girlfriend turns down his marriage proposal, heads off on holiday to Thailand with a bunch of friends. Once there, a peculiar chain of events ensues when Gil’s character is mistaken for a famous Thai porn star,...
- 10/5/2023
- by Liz Shackleton
- Deadline Film + TV
After 21 years at the helm, festival director Wiederspiel steps down after this year’s edition.
The 31st Filmfest Hamburg opens today (September 28) with Jordanian filmmaker Amjad Al Rasheed’s Inshallah A Boy and will close on October 7 with Mika Gustafson’s Paradise Is Burning.
The festival’s accompanying Industry Days from October 2-6 will address issues such as the promotion of young talents in German cinema, diversity and intersectionality, and green producing before rounding off with the fourth edition of the Explorer Conference on October 6.
Festival director Albert Wiederspiel and director of programming Kathrin Kohlstedde talk about preparing their final...
The 31st Filmfest Hamburg opens today (September 28) with Jordanian filmmaker Amjad Al Rasheed’s Inshallah A Boy and will close on October 7 with Mika Gustafson’s Paradise Is Burning.
The festival’s accompanying Industry Days from October 2-6 will address issues such as the promotion of young talents in German cinema, diversity and intersectionality, and green producing before rounding off with the fourth edition of the Explorer Conference on October 6.
Festival director Albert Wiederspiel and director of programming Kathrin Kohlstedde talk about preparing their final...
- 9/28/2023
- by Martin Blaney
- ScreenDaily
The Tokyo Film Festival has set the lineup for its bumper 2023 edition, running October 23 to November 1. Scroll down for the full list.
In the main competition, the festival has set 10 world premieres. The features include Japanese filmmaker Kishi Yoshiyuki’s latest pic (Ab)normal Desire and Gu Xiaogang’s Dwelling by the West Lake. Xiaogang is also set to receive the festival’s Kurosawa Akira Award alongside Mouly Surya.
Of the main competition titles, six are from East Asia, and there is noticeably a feature from Russia, with Alexey German Jr. screening his latest film, Air. Elsewhere, the festival’s Gala section is chock-full of audience favorites from fall festivals. Titles like Yorgos Lanthimos’ Poor Things and All of Us Strangers by Andrew Haigh will screen alongside David Gordon Green’s remake The Exorcist: Believer. The Japanese films set for the Gala section include Kitano Takeshi’s Kubi, Miike Takashi’s Lumberjack the Monster,...
In the main competition, the festival has set 10 world premieres. The features include Japanese filmmaker Kishi Yoshiyuki’s latest pic (Ab)normal Desire and Gu Xiaogang’s Dwelling by the West Lake. Xiaogang is also set to receive the festival’s Kurosawa Akira Award alongside Mouly Surya.
Of the main competition titles, six are from East Asia, and there is noticeably a feature from Russia, with Alexey German Jr. screening his latest film, Air. Elsewhere, the festival’s Gala section is chock-full of audience favorites from fall festivals. Titles like Yorgos Lanthimos’ Poor Things and All of Us Strangers by Andrew Haigh will screen alongside David Gordon Green’s remake The Exorcist: Believer. The Japanese films set for the Gala section include Kitano Takeshi’s Kubi, Miike Takashi’s Lumberjack the Monster,...
- 9/27/2023
- by Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
The Tokyo International Film Festival undertook a series of bold changes in 2020 to enhance its international reach, including a location change and major shakeups across staffing and programming. For the global film community, however, much of the overhaul went unfelt due to the travel restrictions of the pandemic. The Tokyo festival’s chairman, Hiroyasu Ando, emphasized at a press conference in the Japanese capital Wednesday that the event “aims to take a bigger leap” this year with its upcoming 36th edition, making good on its ambitions for a transformation.
“We’re really focussing on international interaction,” Ando said, noting that the festival would welcome some 600 overseas guests this year, including filmmakers, jury members and industry professionals, a major uptick from the 104 international industry VIPs who attended in 2022.
The Tokyo International Film Festival will open Oct. 23 with a gala screening of acclaimed German auteur Wim Wenders’ Tokyo-set drama Perfect Days, which...
“We’re really focussing on international interaction,” Ando said, noting that the festival would welcome some 600 overseas guests this year, including filmmakers, jury members and industry professionals, a major uptick from the 104 international industry VIPs who attended in 2022.
The Tokyo International Film Festival will open Oct. 23 with a gala screening of acclaimed German auteur Wim Wenders’ Tokyo-set drama Perfect Days, which...
- 9/27/2023
- by Patrick Brzeski
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Shrooms.This year’s edition of TIFF Wavelengths opened with an unannounced extra. It was a 1967 film called Standard Time, an eight-minute series of circular pans around an apartment. The camera speeds up and slows down; it pans right, then left, then right again. Later, the film describes a truncated arc, showing one small section of the flat. Then, the camera pans up and down. Living beings can be glimpsed along the way, most notably a cat perched in a window, artist Joyce Wieland, and a surprise visitor at the end. But they are given the same relative attention as the objects in the space: a TV, a stereo, a cooktop, a blender, and a hutch full of china. Which is to say that all things in the field of the camera’s vision are abstracted, turned into pure painterly velocity.Of course, Standard Time is by Michael Snow, a...
- 9/12/2023
- MUBI
“Essential Truths of the Lake” is the last thing most people would expect from Lav Diaz: a direct follow-up to his previous film, “When the Waves Are Gone.” It’s not a sequel, per se (this one actually comes earlier), but they are connected, with a third movie featuring the same disillusioned police detective in the works.
The Filipino filmmaker, whose pokey social critiques run anywhere from three to 11 hours, established the character of Lt. Hermes Papauran (John Lloyd Cruz) in “Waves.” Described there as “arguably the greatest Filipino investigator ever,” he’s Diaz’s version of “The Singing Detective”: a tortured enforcer afflicted with a skin condition that reflects on the surface the conflict and cynicism roiling within him. He’s a good cop in a corrupt country, furious with how Rodrigo Duterte mishandled the war on drugs.
It’s a basic rule of dramaturgy that it...
The Filipino filmmaker, whose pokey social critiques run anywhere from three to 11 hours, established the character of Lt. Hermes Papauran (John Lloyd Cruz) in “Waves.” Described there as “arguably the greatest Filipino investigator ever,” he’s Diaz’s version of “The Singing Detective”: a tortured enforcer afflicted with a skin condition that reflects on the surface the conflict and cynicism roiling within him. He’s a good cop in a corrupt country, furious with how Rodrigo Duterte mishandled the war on drugs.
It’s a basic rule of dramaturgy that it...
- 8/12/2023
- by Peter Debruge
- Variety Film + TV
Locarno — Switzerland’s Locarno Fest hit its final straits on Wednesday evening with “Spring Breakers” director Harmony Korine, among a slim roster of on-site stars, set to arrive to accept in person an Honorary Golden Pard.
Otherwise, the dust is settling on activities at the festival’s vibrant industry arm, Locarno Pro, which broke all-time attendance records with 1,530 delegates, and on a market which, however relaxed, says much about larger forces rocking the arthouse and crossover business worldwide:
Arthouse Crunch
Over the last decade, theatrical arthouse markets have imploded soufflé-like. “We used to make 5,000 admissions per title, now the target audience is 500,” Peter Bognar, at Hungary’s CinefilCo, told Variety at Locarno. So, to close the gap and move hopefully into a little upside, having tapped subsidies and local TV pre-buys, producers are looking ever more to overseas public-sector coin, channelled via international co-producer partners. Tapping that not by chance...
Otherwise, the dust is settling on activities at the festival’s vibrant industry arm, Locarno Pro, which broke all-time attendance records with 1,530 delegates, and on a market which, however relaxed, says much about larger forces rocking the arthouse and crossover business worldwide:
Arthouse Crunch
Over the last decade, theatrical arthouse markets have imploded soufflé-like. “We used to make 5,000 admissions per title, now the target audience is 500,” Peter Bognar, at Hungary’s CinefilCo, told Variety at Locarno. So, to close the gap and move hopefully into a little upside, having tapped subsidies and local TV pre-buys, producers are looking ever more to overseas public-sector coin, channelled via international co-producer partners. Tapping that not by chance...
- 8/9/2023
- by John Hopewell and Marta Balaga
- Variety Film + TV
This year marks 30 years since Bob Byington’s first feature, though it’s only during the last 15 of those — since SXSW midnight-movie breakout “Rso: Registered Sex Offender” — that the Austin-based director has enjoyed “indie darling” status. During that same stretch, the cultural discourse has changed a great deal, while Byington’s voice remains remarkably (if somewhat frustratingly) consistent, churning out self-deprecating feature-length sitcoms about flaccid man-babies. Those aren’t the kind of movies American festivals are looking for so much anymore, which could explain why his latest, “Lousy Carter,” wound up premiering abroad, at the Locarno Film Festival.
Locarno’s programmers typically gravitate toward austere, experimental and/or formally audacious works of cinema. “Lousy Carter” is none of these things, but neither is it lousy. That unfortunate moniker belongs to the film’s lead character, a lumpy failed animator turned tenured literature professor, who’s rendered all the more pathetic...
Locarno’s programmers typically gravitate toward austere, experimental and/or formally audacious works of cinema. “Lousy Carter” is none of these things, but neither is it lousy. That unfortunate moniker belongs to the film’s lead character, a lumpy failed animator turned tenured literature professor, who’s rendered all the more pathetic...
- 8/9/2023
- by Peter Debruge
- Variety Film + TV
As the first major international film festival mounted following SAG-aftrta’s decision to join the WGA in strike action against the studios, there was much speculation about how the Locarno Film Festival would adapt its lineup.
The fest lost its opening-night centerpiece at short notice, with UK actor-producer Riz Ahmed pulling out of an appearance during which he was set to receive Locarno’s Davide Campari lifetime achievement award. Fellow lifetime award recipient Stellan Skarsgård also pulled out of his festival engagements.
Instead, the fest pulled into motion Wednesday evening with a subdued opening-night ceremony. Proceedings began with the festival’s outgoing president, Marco Solari, opening the event for the last time following a 23-year tenure. He was followed onstage by artistic director Giona A. Nazzaro, who, despite Ahmed’s absence, pushed on with the Davide Campari lifetime achievement award presentation, handing the gong to director Yann Mounir Demange. The...
The fest lost its opening-night centerpiece at short notice, with UK actor-producer Riz Ahmed pulling out of an appearance during which he was set to receive Locarno’s Davide Campari lifetime achievement award. Fellow lifetime award recipient Stellan Skarsgård also pulled out of his festival engagements.
Instead, the fest pulled into motion Wednesday evening with a subdued opening-night ceremony. Proceedings began with the festival’s outgoing president, Marco Solari, opening the event for the last time following a 23-year tenure. He was followed onstage by artistic director Giona A. Nazzaro, who, despite Ahmed’s absence, pushed on with the Davide Campari lifetime achievement award presentation, handing the gong to director Yann Mounir Demange. The...
- 8/2/2023
- by Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
Easy to overlook in the looming shadow of the Venice, Telluride, Toronto, and New York Film Festivals (and all of the awards season hoopla they portend), Switzerland’s historic Locarno Film Festival has remained so distinct and essential precisely because of its refusal to concede to industry pressures or chase attention over artistry.
While the magical Piazza Grande has been home to its fair share of glitzy outdoor screenings over the years — last year saw the 8,000-seat town square transform into an impromptu “Bullet Train” station, for example, while this year’s fest will host open-air screenings of everything from “Theater Camp” to Federico Fellini’s “City of Women” — Locarno has always prided itself on providing a more curious and less hostile platform for elite auteurs whose work may not conform to the commercial demands of the international marketplace; recent winners of the festival’s prestigious Golden Leopard award include Hong Sang-soo,...
While the magical Piazza Grande has been home to its fair share of glitzy outdoor screenings over the years — last year saw the 8,000-seat town square transform into an impromptu “Bullet Train” station, for example, while this year’s fest will host open-air screenings of everything from “Theater Camp” to Federico Fellini’s “City of Women” — Locarno has always prided itself on providing a more curious and less hostile platform for elite auteurs whose work may not conform to the commercial demands of the international marketplace; recent winners of the festival’s prestigious Golden Leopard award include Hong Sang-soo,...
- 8/1/2023
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
When we dial Locarno chief Giona A. Nazzaro’s line, he’s in the process of slipping into an air-conditioned bar where he can escape the blistering heat that has consumed Southern Europe for much of July.
“It’s like living in a furnace,” he says. “It’s terrible, believe me.”
This year’s Locarno Film Festival is Nazzaro’s third edition as Artistic Director. He took charge in 2020, navigating the festival through the pandemic, and has now been tasked with pulling the event together amid dual US labor strikes.
“There hasn’t been a moment since I took the helm where I could switch to autopilot and cruise along,” he adds.
Mounted on the Italian-Swiss border, Locarno will be the first major international festival impacted by the strike, with an Aug 2 kick-off date. The fest runs until Aug 12. Locarno hosts an Official Competition, several sidebar sections, and an open-air screening program for local audiences.
“It’s like living in a furnace,” he says. “It’s terrible, believe me.”
This year’s Locarno Film Festival is Nazzaro’s third edition as Artistic Director. He took charge in 2020, navigating the festival through the pandemic, and has now been tasked with pulling the event together amid dual US labor strikes.
“There hasn’t been a moment since I took the helm where I could switch to autopilot and cruise along,” he adds.
Mounted on the Italian-Swiss border, Locarno will be the first major international festival impacted by the strike, with an Aug 2 kick-off date. The fest runs until Aug 12. Locarno hosts an Official Competition, several sidebar sections, and an open-air screening program for local audiences.
- 7/27/2023
- by Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
Lav Diaz is “concerned” about the situation in his native Philippines. But it doesn’t mean he will stop making films.
“If you do any kind of cultural work, you can be branded as a ‘communist’ and it’s a reason for them to kill you,” he says.
“There aren’t many venues to show my films, so we basically give them away for free. Listen, I am aware of the danger. But you have to accept the reality, confront these issues and continue to make things. And be careful, because we know what happened to Salman Rushdie.”
Diaz, speaking to Variety at Armenia’s Golden Apricot festival, where he headed the jury, also opened up about his upcoming Locarno world premiere “Essential Truths of the Lake.”
The film, which contends in main competition for the Golden Leopard, sees him returning to investigator Hermes Papauran from “When the Waves Are Gone,...
“If you do any kind of cultural work, you can be branded as a ‘communist’ and it’s a reason for them to kill you,” he says.
“There aren’t many venues to show my films, so we basically give them away for free. Listen, I am aware of the danger. But you have to accept the reality, confront these issues and continue to make things. And be careful, because we know what happened to Salman Rushdie.”
Diaz, speaking to Variety at Armenia’s Golden Apricot festival, where he headed the jury, also opened up about his upcoming Locarno world premiere “Essential Truths of the Lake.”
The film, which contends in main competition for the Golden Leopard, sees him returning to investigator Hermes Papauran from “When the Waves Are Gone,...
- 7/19/2023
- by Marta Balaga
- Variety Film + TV
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...
- 7/6/2023
- MUBI
For his third edition at the helm, Locarno Film Festival artistic director Giona A. Nazzaro has assembled a wide spectrum of films that “do not resemble each other in terms of tone or form” while reflecting “the world in all its expressions and manifestations,” he tells Variety.
This boundless range is best exemplified by the fact that starkly surrealist Filipino arthouse star Lav Díaz’s latest work, “Essential Truths of the Lake,” will be vying for the fest’s Golden Leopard alongside fare that, at least on paper, appears much lighter. This includes U.S. director Bob Byington’s indie comedy “Lousy Carter” and Estonian helmer Rainer Sarnet’s “The Invisible Flight,” which Nazzaro says “mixes Kung Fu, hard rock and the Orthodox Church.”
There are also lots of titles at Locarno that can broadly be described as “political,” like Ukrainian director Maryna Vroda’s “Stepne” — which marks a rare...
This boundless range is best exemplified by the fact that starkly surrealist Filipino arthouse star Lav Díaz’s latest work, “Essential Truths of the Lake,” will be vying for the fest’s Golden Leopard alongside fare that, at least on paper, appears much lighter. This includes U.S. director Bob Byington’s indie comedy “Lousy Carter” and Estonian helmer Rainer Sarnet’s “The Invisible Flight,” which Nazzaro says “mixes Kung Fu, hard rock and the Orthodox Church.”
There are also lots of titles at Locarno that can broadly be described as “political,” like Ukrainian director Maryna Vroda’s “Stepne” — which marks a rare...
- 7/6/2023
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
A total of 24 feature films, including five world premieres, make up this year’s programme.
Edinburgh International Film Festival has unveiled a 24-title programme for 2023, featuring the world premiere of Janis Pugh’s feature debut Chuck Chuck Baby, and international titles spanning Europe, China, India and Japan.
There are five world premieres, plus five retrospective titles, five short films and an outdoor screening weekend of seven features.
Chuck Chuck Baby unfurls in a chicken factory in north Wales, and stars Louise Brealey, Annabel Scholey, Sorcha Cusack, Celyn Jones and Emily Fairn. It’s set in the present day, with a...
Edinburgh International Film Festival has unveiled a 24-title programme for 2023, featuring the world premiere of Janis Pugh’s feature debut Chuck Chuck Baby, and international titles spanning Europe, China, India and Japan.
There are five world premieres, plus five retrospective titles, five short films and an outdoor screening weekend of seven features.
Chuck Chuck Baby unfurls in a chicken factory in north Wales, and stars Louise Brealey, Annabel Scholey, Sorcha Cusack, Celyn Jones and Emily Fairn. It’s set in the present day, with a...
- 7/6/2023
- by Mona Tabbara
- ScreenDaily
French filmmaker won the jury prize at Cannes with ‘Les Misérables’, which went on to secure an Oscar nomination.
Les Indésirables, the second feature of Cannes award-winner Ladj Ly, will receive its world premiere at the 48th Toronto International Film Festival.
The French filmmaker was previously at TIFF in 2019 with debut Les Misérables, which won the jury prize when it premiered in Competition at Cannes and went on to secure an Oscar nomination for best international feature film.
Les Indésirables is a timely tale of revolution, set in the suburbs on the outskirts of Paris, and stars Alexis Manenti, Jeanne Balibar and Steve Tientcheu,...
Les Indésirables, the second feature of Cannes award-winner Ladj Ly, will receive its world premiere at the 48th Toronto International Film Festival.
The French filmmaker was previously at TIFF in 2019 with debut Les Misérables, which won the jury prize when it premiered in Competition at Cannes and went on to secure an Oscar nomination for best international feature film.
Les Indésirables is a timely tale of revolution, set in the suburbs on the outskirts of Paris, and stars Alexis Manenti, Jeanne Balibar and Steve Tientcheu,...
- 7/5/2023
- by Michael Rosser
- ScreenDaily
The full lineup has been unveiled for the 76th Locarno International Film Festival, which will take place in the Swiss town from August 2-12. At a glance, highlights include new films from Filipino slow cinema auteur Lav Diaz, Romanian social satirist Radu Jude, zany French funnyman Quentin Dupieux and Argentine director Eduardo Williams. Also featured in this year’s lineup is Family Portrait, the feature debut from Lucy Kerr, who we included on our annual 25 New Faces of Film list last year. Check out the full lineup below, and visit Locarno’s official […]
The post The 2023 Locarno Film Festival Lineup Features Lav Diaz, Radu Jude, Quentin Dupieux and More first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post The 2023 Locarno Film Festival Lineup Features Lav Diaz, Radu Jude, Quentin Dupieux and More first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 7/5/2023
- by Natalia Keogan
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
The full lineup has been unveiled for the 76th Locarno International Film Festival, which will take place in the Swiss town from August 2-12. At a glance, highlights include new films from Filipino slow cinema auteur Lav Diaz, Romanian social satirist Radu Jude, zany French funnyman Quentin Dupieux and Argentine director Eduardo Williams. Also featured in this year’s lineup is Family Portrait, the feature debut from Lucy Kerr, who we included on our annual 25 New Faces of Film list last year. Check out the full lineup below, and visit Locarno’s official […]
The post The 2023 Locarno Film Festival Lineup Features Lav Diaz, Radu Jude, Quentin Dupieux and More first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post The 2023 Locarno Film Festival Lineup Features Lav Diaz, Radu Jude, Quentin Dupieux and More first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 7/5/2023
- by Natalia Keogan
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Get in touch to send in cinephile news and discoveries. For daily updates follow us @NotebookMUBI.NEWSConann.The lineup for the 76th Locarno Film Festival is now online, and it includes new films from Radu Jude, Eduardo Williams, Bertrand Mandico (a feature and two shorts), Leonor Teles, Lav Diaz, and Denis Côté, plus many more. The festival runs from August 2 through 12.Following Barbie, which releases later this month, Greta Gerwig will next direct two Chronicles of Narnia adaptations for Netflix. This news comes as a side detail in a wide-reaching New Yorker piece on Mattel Films by Alex Barasch, which details the toy company’s plans to develop more than 45 films using its properties, including a Hot Wheels film by J.J. Abrams and a Daniel Kaluuya-led, "surrealistic" reboot of the children's show Barney.REMEMBERINGThe great comic actor Alan Arkin died last week at age 89. For the New York Times,...
- 7/5/2023
- MUBI
A stellar precursor to the busy fall film festival season, Locarno Film Festival annually premieres some of the year’s most exciting cinema and 2023 looks to be no different. Taking place from August 2-12 in the Swiss town, the festival has now unveiled its lineup for the 76th edition. Highlights include Eduardo Williams’ The Human Surge 3 (brilliantly forgoing a second film), Radu Jude’s Do Not Expect Too Much Of The End Of The World, Lav Diaz’s Essential Truths of the Lake, Sylvain George’s Nuit Obscure – Au Revoir Ici, N’Importe Où, and Quentin Dupieux’s Yannick.
Speaking to its main section, Giona A. Nazzaro, artistic director of the Locarno Film Festival, said, “From Quentin Dupieux and his edgy surrealism to Lav Diaz. From the sarcastic humor of Radu Jude to the night poetry of Sylvain Georges. From the mad inventions of Rainer Sarnet to the abstract psychedelia of Eduardo Williams.
Speaking to its main section, Giona A. Nazzaro, artistic director of the Locarno Film Festival, said, “From Quentin Dupieux and his edgy surrealism to Lav Diaz. From the sarcastic humor of Radu Jude to the night poetry of Sylvain Georges. From the mad inventions of Rainer Sarnet to the abstract psychedelia of Eduardo Williams.
- 7/5/2023
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Marks the feature directorial debut of Singapore’s Nelson Yeo.
Italian sales agent Lights On has picked up world rights for Singapore director Nelson Yeo’s feature debut Dreaming And Dying and US filmmaker Lucy Kerr’s Family Portrait, which will receive their world premieres in competition at Locarno Film Festival (August 2-12).
Both are set to play in Locarno’s competitive Cinema of the Present section, which spotlights new talent.
Fantasy drama Dreaming And Dying revolves around three middle-aged friends who reunite after years apart. But their vacation takes a surprising turn when the undercurrent of their past lives...
Italian sales agent Lights On has picked up world rights for Singapore director Nelson Yeo’s feature debut Dreaming And Dying and US filmmaker Lucy Kerr’s Family Portrait, which will receive their world premieres in competition at Locarno Film Festival (August 2-12).
Both are set to play in Locarno’s competitive Cinema of the Present section, which spotlights new talent.
Fantasy drama Dreaming And Dying revolves around three middle-aged friends who reunite after years apart. But their vacation takes a surprising turn when the undercurrent of their past lives...
- 7/5/2023
- by Silvia Wong
- ScreenDaily
Marks the feature directorial debut of Singapore’s Nelson Yeo.
Italian sales agent Lights On has picked up world rights for Singapore director Nelson Yeo’s feature debut Dreaming And Dying, which is set to receive its world premiere in competition at Locarno Film Festival (August 2-12).
The fantasy drama will screen in Locarno’s competitive Cinema of the Present section and revolves around three middle-aged friends who reunite after years apart. But their vacation takes a surprising turn when the undercurrent of their past lives threatens to resurface and each of them sets out to confess unexpressed feelings.
The...
Italian sales agent Lights On has picked up world rights for Singapore director Nelson Yeo’s feature debut Dreaming And Dying, which is set to receive its world premiere in competition at Locarno Film Festival (August 2-12).
The fantasy drama will screen in Locarno’s competitive Cinema of the Present section and revolves around three middle-aged friends who reunite after years apart. But their vacation takes a surprising turn when the undercurrent of their past lives threatens to resurface and each of them sets out to confess unexpressed feelings.
The...
- 7/5/2023
- by Silvia Wong
- ScreenDaily
Films Boutique will handle international sales on Filipino master Lav Díaz’s “Essential Truths of The Lake,” one of the highest-profile titles in the just announced main International Competition at this year’s Locarno Festival.
The Berlin and Lyon-based production-sales company’s fifth collaboration with Diaz following, among others, Venice Golden Bear Winner “The Woman Who Left” and Berlin Silver Bear Winner “Lullaby To A Sorrowful Mystery,” “Essential Truths of The Lake” marks a prequel to Diaz’s ‘When The Waves Are Gone’ that premiered out of competition at Venice last year.
It reprises the character of the ethically conflicted police lieutenant Hermes Papauran, one of the best investigators of the Philippines. When asked what drives a man to search for the truth, Papauran says dejectedly that maybe he just wants to keep inflicting pain on himself.
Faced with Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s bloody murders and brazen lies, he...
The Berlin and Lyon-based production-sales company’s fifth collaboration with Diaz following, among others, Venice Golden Bear Winner “The Woman Who Left” and Berlin Silver Bear Winner “Lullaby To A Sorrowful Mystery,” “Essential Truths of The Lake” marks a prequel to Diaz’s ‘When The Waves Are Gone’ that premiered out of competition at Venice last year.
It reprises the character of the ethically conflicted police lieutenant Hermes Papauran, one of the best investigators of the Philippines. When asked what drives a man to search for the truth, Papauran says dejectedly that maybe he just wants to keep inflicting pain on himself.
Faced with Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s bloody murders and brazen lies, he...
- 7/5/2023
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
Switzerland’s Locarno Film Festival, Europe’s biggest mid-Summer movie event, has announced its lineup, welcoming recognizable names to its main competition, from Filipino auteur Lav Diaz (“Essential Truths of the Lake”) to Romanian powerhouse Radu Jude, who will show “Do Not Expect Too Much of the End of the World.”
As already announced, Cate Blanchett and Zar Amir Ebrahimi are set to attend the Locarno Film Festival’s closing night to promote the European launch of Iranian-Australian director Noora Niasari’s debut film “Shayda.”
Among the titles selected for Locarno’s more broad-audience-friendly Piazza Grande lineup, Justine Triet will attend with her Cannes Palme’ d’Or winner “Anatomy of a Fall,” along with Ken Loach and his “The Old Oak.”
The festival will also celebrate the careers of Harmony Korine, producer Marianne Slot, editor Pietro Scalia, Tsai Ming-liang and present a Lifetime Achievement Award to Italian producer Renzo Rossellini.
As already announced, Cate Blanchett and Zar Amir Ebrahimi are set to attend the Locarno Film Festival’s closing night to promote the European launch of Iranian-Australian director Noora Niasari’s debut film “Shayda.”
Among the titles selected for Locarno’s more broad-audience-friendly Piazza Grande lineup, Justine Triet will attend with her Cannes Palme’ d’Or winner “Anatomy of a Fall,” along with Ken Loach and his “The Old Oak.”
The festival will also celebrate the careers of Harmony Korine, producer Marianne Slot, editor Pietro Scalia, Tsai Ming-liang and present a Lifetime Achievement Award to Italian producer Renzo Rossellini.
- 7/5/2023
- by Marta Balaga
- Variety Film + TV
UK star Riz Ahmed will be feted with a career achievement award at the upcoming 76th edition of the Locarno Film Festival, running August 2 and 12.
The Sound Of Metal actor will be presented with the Excellence Award Davide Campari at the opening night ceremony on the festival’s landmark Piazza Grande open-air cinema.
The ceremony will premiere Yann Mounir Demange’s semi-autobiographical short film Dammi, in which Ahmed participated alongside Isabelle Adjani, Souheila Yacoub, Sandor Funtek and Suzy Bemba.
The tribute will also screen Bassam Tariq’s 2020 rapper drama Mughal Mowgli, which Ahmed starred in and also produced and co-wrote, as part of it program.
Locarno announced the tribute during its announcement on Wednesday of its full 2023 line-up.
French directorial duo Fiona Gordon and Dominique Abel’s The Falling Star will open the festival as part of the Piazza Grande program, which also features Justine Triet’s 2023 Cannes d’Or Winner Anatomy of a Fall,...
The Sound Of Metal actor will be presented with the Excellence Award Davide Campari at the opening night ceremony on the festival’s landmark Piazza Grande open-air cinema.
The ceremony will premiere Yann Mounir Demange’s semi-autobiographical short film Dammi, in which Ahmed participated alongside Isabelle Adjani, Souheila Yacoub, Sandor Funtek and Suzy Bemba.
The tribute will also screen Bassam Tariq’s 2020 rapper drama Mughal Mowgli, which Ahmed starred in and also produced and co-wrote, as part of it program.
Locarno announced the tribute during its announcement on Wednesday of its full 2023 line-up.
French directorial duo Fiona Gordon and Dominique Abel’s The Falling Star will open the festival as part of the Piazza Grande program, which also features Justine Triet’s 2023 Cannes d’Or Winner Anatomy of a Fall,...
- 7/5/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
International competition features 16 world premieres.
The Locarno Film Festival (August 2-12) has revealed the line-up for its 76th edition, which includes the world premiere of Romanian director Radu Jude’s Do Not Expect Too Much Of The End Of The World.
Locarno’s international competition will comprise 17 films, including 16 world premieres, which will vie for the coveted Golden Leopard awards.
Scroll down for full list of titles
These titles include Jude’s Do Not Expect Too Much Of The End Of The World, his first feature since winning the Berlinale Golden Bear for Bad Luck Banging Or Loony Porn in...
The Locarno Film Festival (August 2-12) has revealed the line-up for its 76th edition, which includes the world premiere of Romanian director Radu Jude’s Do Not Expect Too Much Of The End Of The World.
Locarno’s international competition will comprise 17 films, including 16 world premieres, which will vie for the coveted Golden Leopard awards.
Scroll down for full list of titles
These titles include Jude’s Do Not Expect Too Much Of The End Of The World, his first feature since winning the Berlinale Golden Bear for Bad Luck Banging Or Loony Porn in...
- 7/5/2023
- by Tim Dams
- ScreenDaily
The Locarno International Film Festival unveiled the full program for 2023 on Wednesday, with dozens of world premieres set to screen in the 76th edition of the Swiss festival.
Locarno’s main Piazza Grande section will include several of this season’s festival favorites, among them Cannes Palme d’Or winner Anatomy of a Fall from French director Justine Triet starring Sandra Hüller; Ken Loach’s latest (and possibly last) feature, The Old Oak; Noora Niasari’s Sundance audience award winner Shayda, featuring Holy Spider star Zar Amir Ebrahimi; and Molly Gordon and Nick Lieberman’s comedy Theater Camp, which won a special jury prize at Sundance. Other highlights include U.S. horror feature Falling Stars by directors Richard Karpala and Gabriel Bienczycki; Dammi from 71′ and White Boy Rick-helmer Yann Demange; and Magnetic Continent, the new nature documentary from March of the Penguins‘ filmmaker Luc Jacquet about the continent of Antarctica.
Locarno’s main Piazza Grande section will include several of this season’s festival favorites, among them Cannes Palme d’Or winner Anatomy of a Fall from French director Justine Triet starring Sandra Hüller; Ken Loach’s latest (and possibly last) feature, The Old Oak; Noora Niasari’s Sundance audience award winner Shayda, featuring Holy Spider star Zar Amir Ebrahimi; and Molly Gordon and Nick Lieberman’s comedy Theater Camp, which won a special jury prize at Sundance. Other highlights include U.S. horror feature Falling Stars by directors Richard Karpala and Gabriel Bienczycki; Dammi from 71′ and White Boy Rick-helmer Yann Demange; and Magnetic Continent, the new nature documentary from March of the Penguins‘ filmmaker Luc Jacquet about the continent of Antarctica.
- 7/5/2023
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Nuri Bilge Ceylan likes to take his time. The Turkish director is one of the greatest living practitioners of slow cinema. The filmmaking ethos — pioneered by Russian auteur Andrei Tarkovsky and taken up by the likes of Theo Angelopoulos, Albert Serra, Béla Tarr, Kelly Reichardt and Lav Diaz — eschews the rapid editing and relentless nonstop forward-driving plots of the Hollywood blockbuster (looking at you, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny) for a more contemplative, metaphysical approach.
The characters in a Ceylan movie don’t do much. There’s little action or traditional suspense, and the storylines are fairly basic. In 2002’s Distant, a rural factory worker visits his cousin in Istanbul. Homicide police unearth the body of a murder victim and take a long drive back to the city for the autopsy in 2011’s Once Upon a Time in Anatolia. An old actor, his wife and his sister sit...
The characters in a Ceylan movie don’t do much. There’s little action or traditional suspense, and the storylines are fairly basic. In 2002’s Distant, a rural factory worker visits his cousin in Istanbul. Homicide police unearth the body of a murder victim and take a long drive back to the city for the autopsy in 2011’s Once Upon a Time in Anatolia. An old actor, his wife and his sister sit...
- 5/27/2023
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
While Southeast Asian films have premiered at the Cannes Film Festival many times before, and even won the Palme d’Or, there’s an energy around the region this year that we haven’t felt on the Croisette at previous editions.
Tiger Stripes, a body horror from Malaysian filmmaker Amanda Nell Eu, about a young Muslim girl going through extreme puberty, premieres Wednesday in Critics Week, while Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell, from Pham Thien An, a young director who is at the forefront of a new wave of Vietnamese filmmakers, has been selected for Directors’ Fortnight.
Singaporean director Anthony Chen – who won the Camera d’Or in 2013 for his debut Ilo Ilo – is back in Cannes with a mainland Chinese production The Breaking Ice, which is premiering in Un Certain Regard this weekend. He is also producing an ambitious slate of Southeast Asian and international films through his Singapore-based Giraffe Pictures.
Tiger Stripes, a body horror from Malaysian filmmaker Amanda Nell Eu, about a young Muslim girl going through extreme puberty, premieres Wednesday in Critics Week, while Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell, from Pham Thien An, a young director who is at the forefront of a new wave of Vietnamese filmmakers, has been selected for Directors’ Fortnight.
Singaporean director Anthony Chen – who won the Camera d’Or in 2013 for his debut Ilo Ilo – is back in Cannes with a mainland Chinese production The Breaking Ice, which is premiering in Un Certain Regard this weekend. He is also producing an ambitious slate of Southeast Asian and international films through his Singapore-based Giraffe Pictures.
- 5/17/2023
- by Liz Shackleton
- Deadline Film + TV
It’s been a rocky year for Ulrich Seidl. As far back as last February, Rimini was winning over critics at the Berlinale (us included) with its bleak beauty and frankly stunning central turn from Michel Thomas as the washed-up troubadour Richie Bravo. The director’s follow-up, titled Sparta and focusing on Bravo’s brother, was selected to open at the Toronto International Film Festival in September. A week before its premiere, allegations against Seidl emerged from an article published in Der Spiegel. In Sparta, Bravo’s brother (a pedophile played brilliantly by Georg Friedrich) travels to Romania and opens a judo school for young boys. The article alleged, amongst other things, that the child actors in Sparta had not been sufficiently protected on set and that their families had not been made aware of the film’s themes.
Seidl denied any wrongdoing; TIFF pulled the film the morning it was due to premiere.
Seidl denied any wrongdoing; TIFF pulled the film the morning it was due to premiere.
- 4/6/2023
- by Rory O'Connor
- The Film Stage
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