Blandine Lenoir’s completed family drama Juliette In Spring, starring Izia Higelin, has sold to key buyers including Palace Films for Australia and New Zealand, Polyfilm in Austria, Pandora in Germany, Surstey in Spain, and Cineworx in Switzerland for Indie Sales.
The film, based on Camille Jourdy’s graphic novel, is about a woman who returns to her hometown to spend time with her family as buried memories, unspoken truths and long-buried secrets bubble up to the surface in what Indie Sales calls “a sweet, tender and sometimes extravagant family portrait.”
Jean-Pierre Darroussin, Noémie Lvovsky and Sophie Guillemin co-star in...
The film, based on Camille Jourdy’s graphic novel, is about a woman who returns to her hometown to spend time with her family as buried memories, unspoken truths and long-buried secrets bubble up to the surface in what Indie Sales calls “a sweet, tender and sometimes extravagant family portrait.”
Jean-Pierre Darroussin, Noémie Lvovsky and Sophie Guillemin co-star in...
- 5/14/2024
- ScreenDaily
Indie Sales is re-teaming with rising Belgian filmmaker Laura Wandel on her sophomore feature “In Adam’s Interest,” having previously sold around the world her critically acclaimed feature debut “Playground” which premiered at Cannes’ Un Certain Regard.
“In Adam’s Interest” also reunites Wandel with producer Stéphane Lhoest at Belgium’s Dragons Films, and is produced by Delphine Tomson at Les Films du Fleuve, the Dardenne’ brothers banner. Co-producers are Jan de Clercq at Lunanime, who will release the film in Benelux under his distribution company Lumière; and Marie-Ange Luciani’s Les Films de Pierre, the Oscar-nominated outfit behind “Anatomy of a Fall.” Memento will release “In Adam’s Interest” in French theaters.
A tense social drama, “In Adam’s Interest” follows four-year-old Adam who is suffering from malnutrition and has been taken to hospital following a court’s decision. Lucy, a pediatrics head nurse, authorizes Rebecca, Adam’s mother,...
“In Adam’s Interest” also reunites Wandel with producer Stéphane Lhoest at Belgium’s Dragons Films, and is produced by Delphine Tomson at Les Films du Fleuve, the Dardenne’ brothers banner. Co-producers are Jan de Clercq at Lunanime, who will release the film in Benelux under his distribution company Lumière; and Marie-Ange Luciani’s Les Films de Pierre, the Oscar-nominated outfit behind “Anatomy of a Fall.” Memento will release “In Adam’s Interest” in French theaters.
A tense social drama, “In Adam’s Interest” follows four-year-old Adam who is suffering from malnutrition and has been taken to hospital following a court’s decision. Lucy, a pediatrics head nurse, authorizes Rebecca, Adam’s mother,...
- 5/8/2024
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Christian De Schutter, Barbara Van Lombeek launch awards strategy agency The FYC Academy (exclusive)
European film executives Christian De Schutter and Barbara Van Lombeek have teamed up to launch The FYC Academy, an agency for global awards strategies.
FYC – which stands for For Your Campaign – will launch officially in Cannes next month. The company’s focus is to set up international campaigns and develop strategies aimed at achieving optimum visibility for films during awards season.
It will include, but is not limited to Academy Awards campaigns, and will work initially on around five titles per year, from any international territory.
The FYC Academy will operate separately from Van Lombeek’s The PR Factory and...
FYC – which stands for For Your Campaign – will launch officially in Cannes next month. The company’s focus is to set up international campaigns and develop strategies aimed at achieving optimum visibility for films during awards season.
It will include, but is not limited to Academy Awards campaigns, and will work initially on around five titles per year, from any international territory.
The FYC Academy will operate separately from Van Lombeek’s The PR Factory and...
- 4/24/2024
- ScreenDaily
Anatomy of a Fall French producer Marie-Ange Luciani put in a flying appearance at the Berlinale this week with Claire Burger’s coming-of-age drama Langue Étrangère which received a warm reception in competition.
With the Berlin premiere taking place the day after the Baftas in London (where Anatomy of a Fall won Best Screenplay) and eight days before the January 27 voting deadline for this year’s Academy Awards, Luciani was also in the thick of the awards campaign.
She co-produced the Oscar hopeful with David Thion at Les Films Pelléas under the banner of her Paris-based banner Les Films de Pierre, the company created by Yves Saint Laurent’s long-time business and life partner Pierre Bergé which she acquired on his death in 2018.
New production Langue Étrangère is a bittersweet coming-of-age tale starring Lilith Grasmug as French teenager Fanny who travels to Germany on language exchange trip. Her German counterpart...
With the Berlin premiere taking place the day after the Baftas in London (where Anatomy of a Fall won Best Screenplay) and eight days before the January 27 voting deadline for this year’s Academy Awards, Luciani was also in the thick of the awards campaign.
She co-produced the Oscar hopeful with David Thion at Les Films Pelléas under the banner of her Paris-based banner Les Films de Pierre, the company created by Yves Saint Laurent’s long-time business and life partner Pierre Bergé which she acquired on his death in 2018.
New production Langue Étrangère is a bittersweet coming-of-age tale starring Lilith Grasmug as French teenager Fanny who travels to Germany on language exchange trip. Her German counterpart...
- 2/23/2024
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
If the shooting schedule remains intact, we can circle a 2025 Cannes Film Festival playdate for the next Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne film project and quite possibly a 2025 Lido premiere for Laura Wandel‘s sophomore project — which could logically be L’intérêt d’Adam – a project that was workshopped at the 44th Cannes Residence. Both of these films would be housed by the Dardenne’s les Films du Fleuve prod company label.
For the Dardennes, casting is currently underway for what is tentatively August to October 2024 shoot. No word on the title, synopsis or location, but we imagine this will be shot in their own backyard and tonally will once again fall under the social realism umbrella.…...
For the Dardennes, casting is currently underway for what is tentatively August to October 2024 shoot. No word on the title, synopsis or location, but we imagine this will be shot in their own backyard and tonally will once again fall under the social realism umbrella.…...
- 2/7/2024
- by Eric Lavallée
- IONCINEMA.com
2023 Wallonia-Brussels: Woodworth, Lafosse, Guit Bros., Baloji, Mitevska & Laura Wandel Receive Coin
The folks at the Centre du Cinéma et de l’Audiovisuel de la Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles folks are throwing some coin support towards 27 fiction feature films. We find several top Belgian filmmakers setting up projects for 2024 shoots and for probable 2025 playdates. At the top of the list we find sophomore features from the likes of Harpo and Lenny Guit (Sundance preemed Mother Schmuckers (2021) and Laura Wandel (Cannes Un Certain Regard breakout Playground) joining established vets such as Jessica Woodworth (who is now working on L’Incubatrice), Joachim Lafosse (who is setting up Les Petits Voleurs for a Spring 2024 shoot) and Baloji (an Un Certain Regard winner this year) who is already moving into his sophomore feature.…...
- 10/3/2023
- by Eric Lavallée
- IONCINEMA.com
’The Worst Person In The World’, ’Everything Everywhere All At Once’ among international selections.
Joachim Trier’s The Worst Person In The World and Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert’s Everything Everywhere All At Once are among the titles in the 17-strong longlist for best international independent film at the 2022 British Independent Film Awards (Bifa).
Laura Poitras’ Venice Golden Lion winner All The Beauty And The Bloodshed also made the longlist. As did Park Chan-Wook’s Decision To Leave; Colm Bairead’s The Quiet Girl; Lukas Dhont’s Close; Carla Simon’s Alcarras; and Santiago Mitre’s Argentina, 1985.
Scroll down...
Joachim Trier’s The Worst Person In The World and Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert’s Everything Everywhere All At Once are among the titles in the 17-strong longlist for best international independent film at the 2022 British Independent Film Awards (Bifa).
Laura Poitras’ Venice Golden Lion winner All The Beauty And The Bloodshed also made the longlist. As did Park Chan-Wook’s Decision To Leave; Colm Bairead’s The Quiet Girl; Lukas Dhont’s Close; Carla Simon’s Alcarras; and Santiago Mitre’s Argentina, 1985.
Scroll down...
- 10/21/2022
- by Ellie Calnan
- ScreenDaily
The British Independent Film Awards (BIFAs) have revealed the nomination longlists for Best Feature Documentary and Best International Independent Film categories. In addition, BIFA’s Raindance Discovery Award longlist has also been unveiled.
Of the 15 films longlisted for Best Feature Documentary, eight are directed by women. The 17 films longlisted for Best International Independent Film have already won top prizes from this year’s premier international festivals.
The final five nominations in each category will be announced in early November and winners will be revealed at the 25th annual BIFA ceremony on Dec. 4.
Best International Independent Film Sponsored By Champagne Taittinger
“Alcarràs” – Carla Simón, María Zamora, Stefan Schmitz, Tono Folguera, Sergi Moreno
“All The Beauty And The Bloodshed” – Laura Poitras, Howard Gertler, Nan Goldin, Yoni Golijov, John S. Lyons
“Argentina, 1985” – Santiago Mitre, Mariano Llinás, Axel Kuschevatzky, Federico Posternak, Agustina Llambi Campbell, Ricardo Darín, Santiago Carabante, Chino Darín, Victoria Alonso
“Broker” – Kore-eda Hirokazu,...
Of the 15 films longlisted for Best Feature Documentary, eight are directed by women. The 17 films longlisted for Best International Independent Film have already won top prizes from this year’s premier international festivals.
The final five nominations in each category will be announced in early November and winners will be revealed at the 25th annual BIFA ceremony on Dec. 4.
Best International Independent Film Sponsored By Champagne Taittinger
“Alcarràs” – Carla Simón, María Zamora, Stefan Schmitz, Tono Folguera, Sergi Moreno
“All The Beauty And The Bloodshed” – Laura Poitras, Howard Gertler, Nan Goldin, Yoni Golijov, John S. Lyons
“Argentina, 1985” – Santiago Mitre, Mariano Llinás, Axel Kuschevatzky, Federico Posternak, Agustina Llambi Campbell, Ricardo Darín, Santiago Carabante, Chino Darín, Victoria Alonso
“Broker” – Kore-eda Hirokazu,...
- 10/21/2022
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
After 18 days of in-person screenings, over 370 movies and the allocation of a new prize fund totaling 210,000 Aud the Melbourne International Film Festival (Miff) has to be one of the lengthiest, liveliest and now most lucrative film festivals in the world. The winning films were announced at Saturday evening’s closing gala, with Afrofuturist sci-fi musical “Neptune Frost,” a U.S.-Rwandan co-production directed by Saul Williams and Anisia Uzeyman, taking the Bright Horizons top prize of 140,000 Aud. Jub Clerc, the Indigenous Australian director of coming-of-age road movie “Sweet As,” scooped the Blackmagic Design Australian Innovation Award of 70,000 Aud.
This is the first year of the Bright Horizons competition. After being selected from an exceptionally strong 11-film lineup, which included festival favourites like Charlotte Wells’ “Aftersun,” Laura Wandel’s “Playground” and Natalia López Gallardo’s “Robe of Gems,” Williams and Uzeyman were clearly moved while accepting the award via Zoom.
“It...
This is the first year of the Bright Horizons competition. After being selected from an exceptionally strong 11-film lineup, which included festival favourites like Charlotte Wells’ “Aftersun,” Laura Wandel’s “Playground” and Natalia López Gallardo’s “Robe of Gems,” Williams and Uzeyman were clearly moved while accepting the award via Zoom.
“It...
- 8/20/2022
- by Jessica Kiang
- Variety Film + TV
A total of 11 titles to compete at 70th anniversary edition of festival.
The 70th Melbourne International Film Festival (August 4-28) has unveiled the 11 titles set to compete in its first ever international competition.
The Miff Bright Horizons competition has a focus on first and second features, and a prize of A140,000 – the biggest film prize in Australia.
Scroll down for full list of titles
Miff artistic director Al Cossar’s line-up includes several debut features from female directors including Aftersun from UK director Charlotte Wells and magical realist eco drama The Cow Who Sang A Song Into The Future from Chilean filmmaker Francisca Alegría.
The 70th Melbourne International Film Festival (August 4-28) has unveiled the 11 titles set to compete in its first ever international competition.
The Miff Bright Horizons competition has a focus on first and second features, and a prize of A140,000 – the biggest film prize in Australia.
Scroll down for full list of titles
Miff artistic director Al Cossar’s line-up includes several debut features from female directors including Aftersun from UK director Charlotte Wells and magical realist eco drama The Cow Who Sang A Song Into The Future from Chilean filmmaker Francisca Alegría.
- 7/12/2022
- by Sandy George
- ScreenDaily
It’s another eclectic month for Mubi releases as they’ve announced their July 2022 slate. When it comes to new releases, highlights include Albert Birney and Kentucker Audley’s inventive Sundance hit Strawberry Mansion, Andrew Dominik’s new Nick Cave and Warren Ellis documentary This Much I Know to Be True, Camilo Restrepo’s Los conductos, Laura Wendel’s Oscar-shortlisted drama Playground, and Lucrecia Martel’s new short North Terminal.
They’ll also be featuring Johnnie To’s Drug War, King Hu’s Raining in the Mountain, Terence Davies’ Sunset Song, Bertrand Bonello’s Zombi Child, a pair of features from both Diao Yi’nan and Athina Rachel Tsangari, and much more.
Check out the lineup below and get 30 days free here.
July 1 – Strawberry Mansion, directed by Albert Birney, Kentucker Audley | Mubi Spotlight
July 2 – The Wild Goose Lake, directed by Diao Yi’nan | The Electric Dark: Two Neo-noirs by Diao Yinan
July 3 – Little Girl,...
They’ll also be featuring Johnnie To’s Drug War, King Hu’s Raining in the Mountain, Terence Davies’ Sunset Song, Bertrand Bonello’s Zombi Child, a pair of features from both Diao Yi’nan and Athina Rachel Tsangari, and much more.
Check out the lineup below and get 30 days free here.
July 1 – Strawberry Mansion, directed by Albert Birney, Kentucker Audley | Mubi Spotlight
July 2 – The Wild Goose Lake, directed by Diao Yi’nan | The Electric Dark: Two Neo-noirs by Diao Yinan
July 3 – Little Girl,...
- 6/29/2022
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Click here to read the full article.
A Chiara
Jonas Carpignano completes his Southern Italian trilogy about a Calabrian town where African refugees, the Romani community and Mafia exist side by side, for the first time focusing on a young female protagonist: a teen girl (Swamy Rotolo) absorbing shocking discoveries about her adored father. The result is a film of haunting intimacy. — David Rooney
After Yang
Colin Farrell and Jodie Turner-Smith play a couple whose family harmony suffers when the android sibling they purchased for their adopted Chinese daughter breaks down in writer-director Kogonada’s exquisite, meditative sci-fi drama. The film’s stealthy emotional power creeps up on you. — D.R.
ANAïS In Love
A restless young Parisian woman (Anaïs Demoustier, charming) falls in love with her ex’s partner, a famous writer played by a brilliant Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, in Charline Bourgeois-Tacquet’s seductive debut feature. It’s a...
A Chiara
Jonas Carpignano completes his Southern Italian trilogy about a Calabrian town where African refugees, the Romani community and Mafia exist side by side, for the first time focusing on a young female protagonist: a teen girl (Swamy Rotolo) absorbing shocking discoveries about her adored father. The result is a film of haunting intimacy. — David Rooney
After Yang
Colin Farrell and Jodie Turner-Smith play a couple whose family harmony suffers when the android sibling they purchased for their adopted Chinese daughter breaks down in writer-director Kogonada’s exquisite, meditative sci-fi drama. The film’s stealthy emotional power creeps up on you. — D.R.
ANAïS In Love
A restless young Parisian woman (Anaïs Demoustier, charming) falls in love with her ex’s partner, a famous writer played by a brilliant Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, in Charline Bourgeois-Tacquet’s seductive debut feature. It’s a...
- 6/22/2022
- by David Rooney, Sheri Linden, Lovia Gyarkye and Jordan Mintzer
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Belgium’s Lukas Dhont takes a deserved step up to the Cannes Film Festival competition with Close, only his second film — a minimalist melodrama that shows a definite growth in visual style but may be confronting to some with its deliberately unhurried, Eric Rohmer-esque aesthetic. The international success of Dhont’s well-intentioned debut Girl, about a young trans-female ballet dancer, was somewhat blunted in the U.S., where G.L.A.A.D. amplified complaints of misrepresentation on behalf of the trans lobby. Close is a much safer proposition, but may yet sail into choppy waters with its themes of youth suicide.
Most certainly mined from personal experience, it stars newcomer Eden Dambrine as Léo, a 13-year-old boy who lives in a rustic idyll with his best friend Rémi (Gustav De Waele). Léo’s family runs a flower farm, and flowers are a constant motif throughout, whether growing, blooming, being threshed,...
Most certainly mined from personal experience, it stars newcomer Eden Dambrine as Léo, a 13-year-old boy who lives in a rustic idyll with his best friend Rémi (Gustav De Waele). Léo’s family runs a flower farm, and flowers are a constant motif throughout, whether growing, blooming, being threshed,...
- 5/26/2022
- by Damon Wise
- Deadline Film + TV
Spoiler Alert: The penultimate paragraph of this review contains spoilers.
Few of us are fortunate enough to have a friendship as intimate and effortless as the one shared by 13-year-old Belgian boys Leo (Eden Dambrine) and Remi (Gustav De Waele) in “Close.” That connection, and the responsibility that comes with it, is at the heart of Lukas Dhont’s sophomore feature, so subtle and sensitive in the first half, so devastatingly false from its tragic twist on. This beautifully evocative film, which hails from an openly queer director, offers as pure a portrait of innocent, innocuous same-sex affection as we’ve ever encountered on film. And then it becomes something incredibly, unwelcomely different.
“Close” marks an auspicious return to the Cannes Film Festival for Dhont, whose 2018 Camera d’Or-winning debut, “Girl,” was simultaneously ahead of and behind the cultural conversation about trans youth. That remarkable first film dramatized the journey...
Few of us are fortunate enough to have a friendship as intimate and effortless as the one shared by 13-year-old Belgian boys Leo (Eden Dambrine) and Remi (Gustav De Waele) in “Close.” That connection, and the responsibility that comes with it, is at the heart of Lukas Dhont’s sophomore feature, so subtle and sensitive in the first half, so devastatingly false from its tragic twist on. This beautifully evocative film, which hails from an openly queer director, offers as pure a portrait of innocent, innocuous same-sex affection as we’ve ever encountered on film. And then it becomes something incredibly, unwelcomely different.
“Close” marks an auspicious return to the Cannes Film Festival for Dhont, whose 2018 Camera d’Or-winning debut, “Girl,” was simultaneously ahead of and behind the cultural conversation about trans youth. That remarkable first film dramatized the journey...
- 5/26/2022
- by Peter Debruge
- Variety Film + TV
Italy’s Valerio Ferrara was named the winner of the 25th edition La Cinef for his warm take on a hapless barber who believes in conspiracy theories in “A Conspiracy Man” (“Il Barbiere Complottista”). Laughing stock of his family, nobody takes him seriously. Until he is arrested by the police.
“Personally, I have a special affection for the cinema of this country,” said Canadian actor Monia Chokri, praising the director’s sense of humor. The film hails from Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia.
“Comedy, as a genre, is undervalued at festivals. And yet, from making comedies myself, I know it’s the most difficult one. It’s a cutthroat genre: you either laugh or you don’t. We all laughed spontaneously,” she added.
“You are crazy! All of you! Oh, my God,” exclaimed the filmmaker at the prize ceremony on Thursday evening.
“Comedy is always viewed as something that’s not serious.
“Personally, I have a special affection for the cinema of this country,” said Canadian actor Monia Chokri, praising the director’s sense of humor. The film hails from Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia.
“Comedy, as a genre, is undervalued at festivals. And yet, from making comedies myself, I know it’s the most difficult one. It’s a cutthroat genre: you either laugh or you don’t. We all laughed spontaneously,” she added.
“You are crazy! All of you! Oh, my God,” exclaimed the filmmaker at the prize ceremony on Thursday evening.
“Comedy is always viewed as something that’s not serious.
- 5/26/2022
- by Marta Balaga
- Variety Film + TV
No new titles in the top five.
RankFilm (distributor)Three-day gross (Apr 22-24)Total gross to date Week 1. Sonic The Hedgehog 2 (Paramount) £1.64m £20.2m 4 2. Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets Of Dumbledore (Warner Bros) £1.59m £16.5m 3 3. The Lost City (Paramount) £1.4m £5.6m 2 4. Operation Mincemeat (Warner Bros) £758,285 £2.6m 2 5. The Bad Guys (Universal) £737,853 £9.4m 4
Gbp to Usd conversion rate: 1.27
Paramount’s Sonic The Hedgehog 2 has retaken the UK-Ireland box office lead from Warner Bros’ Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore, on a weekend when no new titles managed to break into the top five.
Sonic The Hedgehog 2 added £1.64m on its...
RankFilm (distributor)Three-day gross (Apr 22-24)Total gross to date Week 1. Sonic The Hedgehog 2 (Paramount) £1.64m £20.2m 4 2. Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets Of Dumbledore (Warner Bros) £1.59m £16.5m 3 3. The Lost City (Paramount) £1.4m £5.6m 2 4. Operation Mincemeat (Warner Bros) £758,285 £2.6m 2 5. The Bad Guys (Universal) £737,853 £9.4m 4
Gbp to Usd conversion rate: 1.27
Paramount’s Sonic The Hedgehog 2 has retaken the UK-Ireland box office lead from Warner Bros’ Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore, on a weekend when no new titles managed to break into the top five.
Sonic The Hedgehog 2 added £1.64m on its...
- 4/25/2022
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
Festival titles ‘Happening’ and ‘Playground’ are also new this week.
It is a fairly quiet week for openers at the UK-Ireland box office, with Lionsgate’s The Unbearable Weight Of Massive Talent the widest release, opening at 563 locations, and the chief contender for making a dent in the top five.
The action comedy sees Nicolas Cage – who is also a producer on the feature – play a fictionalised version of himself, with the actor teaming up with the CIA stop a Cage superfan who may also be the dangerous head of a cartel. Tom Gormican directs, and has co-written the screenplay with Kevin Etten.
It is a fairly quiet week for openers at the UK-Ireland box office, with Lionsgate’s The Unbearable Weight Of Massive Talent the widest release, opening at 563 locations, and the chief contender for making a dent in the top five.
The action comedy sees Nicolas Cage – who is also a producer on the feature – play a fictionalised version of himself, with the actor teaming up with the CIA stop a Cage superfan who may also be the dangerous head of a cartel. Tom Gormican directs, and has co-written the screenplay with Kevin Etten.
- 4/22/2022
- by Mona Tabbara
- ScreenDaily
Maya Vanderbeque makes an amazing debut as seven-year-old Nora, who tells on the boys bullying her brother with nightmarish consequences
Laura Wandel’s debut feature was Belgium’s official submission for the Oscars: a kid’s-eye-view nightmare of playground bullying impossible to watch without a sick, jittery feeling of rage and dread. The original French title is “Un Monde” – “A World” – and the playground is a universe of fear which we all edit out of our adult memories.
A rather amazing seven-year-old newcomer called Maya Vanderbeque stars as Nora, seen mostly in extreme, searching closeup. Just the opening shot of her crying face supplies pretty much enough emotional charge to power the whole film. Nora is just starting school, and her sobbing mini-drama-queen distress at the school gates discomforts her dad (Karim Leklou) and especially her older brother Abel (Günter Duret), a wannabe tough guy who doesn’t want his...
Laura Wandel’s debut feature was Belgium’s official submission for the Oscars: a kid’s-eye-view nightmare of playground bullying impossible to watch without a sick, jittery feeling of rage and dread. The original French title is “Un Monde” – “A World” – and the playground is a universe of fear which we all edit out of our adult memories.
A rather amazing seven-year-old newcomer called Maya Vanderbeque stars as Nora, seen mostly in extreme, searching closeup. Just the opening shot of her crying face supplies pretty much enough emotional charge to power the whole film. Nora is just starting school, and her sobbing mini-drama-queen distress at the school gates discomforts her dad (Karim Leklou) and especially her older brother Abel (Günter Duret), a wannabe tough guy who doesn’t want his...
- 4/21/2022
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
The schoolyard is a psychological minefield in Playground, Wandel’s stomach-churning debut. As the film is released in the UK, she reveals the secret to immersing the viewer in a child’s world
It has been quite a year for Brussels-born director Laura Wandel. Last July saw the premiere of her debut feature film, Playground, at the Cannes film festival; since then, this stomach-churning drama about the psychological minefield of the schoolyard has gone on to garner awards and adulation at festivals around the world and became Belgium’s entry for the 2022 best international feature Oscar..
Playground is about a seven-year-old girl named Nora who must quickly adapt to the social order of her new school with older kids, which includes her brother, Abel, who has his own bully-shaped obstacles to overcome. “What I was interested in,” says Wandel, “is a young child who leaves the world of their family...
It has been quite a year for Brussels-born director Laura Wandel. Last July saw the premiere of her debut feature film, Playground, at the Cannes film festival; since then, this stomach-churning drama about the psychological minefield of the schoolyard has gone on to garner awards and adulation at festivals around the world and became Belgium’s entry for the 2022 best international feature Oscar..
Playground is about a seven-year-old girl named Nora who must quickly adapt to the social order of her new school with older kids, which includes her brother, Abel, who has his own bully-shaped obstacles to overcome. “What I was interested in,” says Wandel, “is a young child who leaves the world of their family...
- 4/20/2022
- by Ben Nicholson
- The Guardian - Film News
“The Lost City” and “Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore” led the U.K. and Ireland box office over the four-day Easter holiday weekend.
Paramount’s “The Lost City,” with a star-studded cast including Sandra Bullock, Channing Tatum, Daniel Radcliffe and Brad Pitt, debuted with £2.7 million (3.5 million) atop the box office, according to numbers released by Comscore. Warner Bros.’ “Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore” was close behind with £2.6 million and has a total of £12.6 million after its second weekend.
In third position, Paramount’s “Sonic the Hedgehog 2” collected £2.04 million for a total of £16.3 million after three weekends.
Universal’s “The Northman,” directed by Robert Eggers and starring Alexander Skarsgård, Nicole Kidman, Anya Taylor-Joy and Ethan Hawke debuted in fourth position with £897,737.
Rounding off the top five was another debutant, Warner Bros.’ WWII drama “Operation Mincemeat,” starring Colin Firth, Matthew Macfadyen and Kelly Macdonald with £895,008.
There were two Indian debuts in the top 10 – “Beast,...
Paramount’s “The Lost City,” with a star-studded cast including Sandra Bullock, Channing Tatum, Daniel Radcliffe and Brad Pitt, debuted with £2.7 million (3.5 million) atop the box office, according to numbers released by Comscore. Warner Bros.’ “Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore” was close behind with £2.6 million and has a total of £12.6 million after its second weekend.
In third position, Paramount’s “Sonic the Hedgehog 2” collected £2.04 million for a total of £16.3 million after three weekends.
Universal’s “The Northman,” directed by Robert Eggers and starring Alexander Skarsgård, Nicole Kidman, Anya Taylor-Joy and Ethan Hawke debuted in fourth position with £897,737.
Rounding off the top five was another debutant, Warner Bros.’ WWII drama “Operation Mincemeat,” starring Colin Firth, Matthew Macfadyen and Kelly Macdonald with £895,008.
There were two Indian debuts in the top 10 – “Beast,...
- 4/19/2022
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
People make documentaries about all kinds of things: some slight and silly, others educational or emotional. But if you want to be nominated for an Oscar in the doc short category, it’s best to zero in on an issue the Academy can get behind, like homelessness, bullying or prejudice. Just imagine if any other category were the same way — say, if the award for best sound mixing recognized only engineers who’d worked on movies that make the world a better place — but so it goes. At least all five of this year’s nominees are solid (sometimes quite sophisticated) treatments of their subjects. As Roger Ebert used to say, “It’s not what a movie is about, it’s how it is about it.”
“Audible” is art, even if the project originated as a TV commercial. One of three Netflix-acquired entries in the mix (all of this...
“Audible” is art, even if the project originated as a TV commercial. One of three Netflix-acquired entries in the mix (all of this...
- 3/26/2022
- by Peter Debruge
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Film Movement has acquired U.S. rights to the dramedy Queen of Glory, written, directed by and starring Nana Mensah, from Magnolia Pictures International, with plans to release it in theaters and on digital and VOD later this year.
In her debut feature, Mensah plays Sarah, a Ghanaian-American doctoral student at Columbia University who is weeks away from following her very married boyfriend to Ohio when her mother dies suddenly, leaving her as the owner of the small, Bronx-based Christian bookstore, King of Glory. Tasked with planning a culturally respectful funeral befitting the family matriarch, Sarah is forced to juggle the expectations of her loving, yet demanding family while also navigating the reappearance of her estranged father. Aided by an only-in-New York ensemble of Eastern European neighbors, feisty African aunties and a no-nonsense ex-con co-worker, she faces her new responsibilities while figuring out how to remain true to herself.
In her debut feature, Mensah plays Sarah, a Ghanaian-American doctoral student at Columbia University who is weeks away from following her very married boyfriend to Ohio when her mother dies suddenly, leaving her as the owner of the small, Bronx-based Christian bookstore, King of Glory. Tasked with planning a culturally respectful funeral befitting the family matriarch, Sarah is forced to juggle the expectations of her loving, yet demanding family while also navigating the reappearance of her estranged father. Aided by an only-in-New York ensemble of Eastern European neighbors, feisty African aunties and a no-nonsense ex-con co-worker, she faces her new responsibilities while figuring out how to remain true to herself.
- 2/28/2022
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
With her forceful feature debut Playground, Laura Wandel takes an intimate, intense look at the intricacies of abuse at school from a child’s point of view. Following 7-year-old Nora and her big brother Abel, Belgium’s Oscar short-listed drama is a microcosm of the cycles of bullying and violence playing out across the world.
“Wandel pulls no punches in her depiction, and both Leklou and Vanderbeque deliver performances well beyond their years. (A child’s ability to embark on roles this psychologically draining will never cease to amaze.),” Jared Mobarak said in his review. “With only 70 minutes at its disposal, Playground pushes forward with powerful intent. Not a second can be wasted. Not a single glance can be unmoored from the bigger picture. That sacrifice above is thus the catalyst for Abel’s rapid descent into abuse from those who know him and those who don’t.”
With the...
“Wandel pulls no punches in her depiction, and both Leklou and Vanderbeque deliver performances well beyond their years. (A child’s ability to embark on roles this psychologically draining will never cease to amaze.),” Jared Mobarak said in his review. “With only 70 minutes at its disposal, Playground pushes forward with powerful intent. Not a second can be wasted. Not a single glance can be unmoored from the bigger picture. That sacrifice above is thus the catalyst for Abel’s rapid descent into abuse from those who know him and those who don’t.”
With the...
- 2/16/2022
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
The awards took place In Brussels for the first time in two years after pandemic hiatus.
Laura Wandel’s drama Playground and Raphaël Balboni and Ann Sirot’s comedy drama Madly In Life tied as the top winners at Belgium’s Magritte awards on Saturday (February 12).
Both features won prizes in seven categories of the awards focused on French-language Belgian films.
Madly In Life stars Jo Deseure and Jean Le Peltier as a couple dealing with the dementia of the husband’s mother.
It won best film, screenplay, actress, actor, supporting actor (for Gilles Remiche), production design and costumes.
Playground...
Laura Wandel’s drama Playground and Raphaël Balboni and Ann Sirot’s comedy drama Madly In Life tied as the top winners at Belgium’s Magritte awards on Saturday (February 12).
Both features won prizes in seven categories of the awards focused on French-language Belgian films.
Madly In Life stars Jo Deseure and Jean Le Peltier as a couple dealing with the dementia of the husband’s mother.
It won best film, screenplay, actress, actor, supporting actor (for Gilles Remiche), production design and costumes.
Playground...
- 2/13/2022
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- ScreenDaily
Opening today at New York’s Film Forum before, next week, rolling out to additional theaters across the country, is Laura Wandel’s Playground, an astonishingly immersive and nuanced drama that plunges the viewer into the complex childhood dynamics of school bullying. It’s Wandel’s debut following well-received shorts, and the film’s seeming simplicity belies a pre-production that had to be handled with incredible sensitivity. (As we discuss below, Wandel worked extensively with her young lead, using devices such as finger puppets to walk her through the emotional arc of her character as well make clear to her the “make believe” element of […]
The post “I Believe that School Defines Who We Become as Adults”: Director Laura Wandel on Her Astonishing School Bullying Drama, Playground first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post “I Believe that School Defines Who We Become as Adults”: Director Laura Wandel on Her Astonishing School Bullying Drama, Playground first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 2/11/2022
- by Scott Macaulay
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
Opening today at New York’s Film Forum before, next week, rolling out to additional theaters across the country, is Laura Wandel’s Playground, an astonishingly immersive and nuanced drama that plunges the viewer into the complex childhood dynamics of school bullying. It’s Wandel’s debut following well-received shorts, and the film’s seeming simplicity belies a pre-production that had to be handled with incredible sensitivity. (As we discuss below, Wandel worked extensively with her young lead, using devices such as finger puppets to walk her through the emotional arc of her character as well make clear to her the “make believe” element of […]
The post “I Believe that School Defines Who We Become as Adults”: Director Laura Wandel on Her Astonishing School Bullying Drama, Playground first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post “I Believe that School Defines Who We Become as Adults”: Director Laura Wandel on Her Astonishing School Bullying Drama, Playground first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 2/11/2022
- by Scott Macaulay
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Suffer the Children: Wandel Explores Bullying Through a Child’s Perspective in Superb Debut
If everything one needs to know is learned in kindergarten, part of this is a conditioning to navigate the treacherous ambivalence of one’s peers. Bullying drives the brute force of Laura Wandel’s ferociously distressing Playground, (Un monde) the asphalt jungle of childhood joy and anguish, where invisible hierarchies are revealed amongst the repressed dysfunctions of the savage student body. Told completely through the eyes of its seven-year-old-heroine, it’s a grueling if begrudgingly hopeful tale of an initial introduction to the cruelty of a world too large to properly care for the well-being of all.…...
If everything one needs to know is learned in kindergarten, part of this is a conditioning to navigate the treacherous ambivalence of one’s peers. Bullying drives the brute force of Laura Wandel’s ferociously distressing Playground, (Un monde) the asphalt jungle of childhood joy and anguish, where invisible hierarchies are revealed amongst the repressed dysfunctions of the savage student body. Told completely through the eyes of its seven-year-old-heroine, it’s a grueling if begrudgingly hopeful tale of an initial introduction to the cruelty of a world too large to properly care for the well-being of all.…...
- 2/10/2022
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
The camera never leaves young Nora (Maya Vanderbeque) throughout the entirety of Playground. Writer-director Laura Wandel needs us to follow her closely and understand the ups and downs of adolescence through eyes yet unversed in the unfortunate drama life has to offer. All this girl knows at the start is that she’s being left alone. Dad (Karim Leklou) isn’t allowed past the school gate, so his “goodbye” occurs well before the classroom door closes behind her. Older brother Abel (Günter Duret) has his own friends and teachers to deal with, the familiar hierarchy we’ve all experienced in our youth already known to him. So what’s Nora to do but wait for reunion? She bides time, says as little as possible, and rejoices at the recess bell.
Except things don’t get better. They will once she gets more acclimated, but right now life is only going to get worse.
Except things don’t get better. They will once she gets more acclimated, but right now life is only going to get worse.
- 2/9/2022
- by Jared Mobarak
- The Film Stage
Audrey Diwan’s “Happening,” Jane Campion’s “The Power of the Dog,” Ryûsuke Hamaguchi’s “Drive My Car” and Terence Davies’s “Benediction” won top prizes at the 2022 Ics Awards, which are handed out by the International Cinephile Society.
This 19th edition marked a milestone with female talents winning best picture, director, animated film, documentary, debut feature, breakthrough performance and cinematography.
“Happening,” a timely abortion drama set in 1960s France, took home best picture, while its star, Anamaria Vartolomei, won best breakthrough performance.
“Remarkable in its combination of artistic delicacy and brutal realism, yet resisting any hint of didacticism, the film quietly builds tension to a gut-wrenching emotional pitch,” stated the Ics.
Campion, meanwhile, won best director with her Western family drama “The Power of the Dog.” Runner-up for top film was Hamaguchi with “Drive My Car,” a road drama based on Haruki Murakami’s short story about guilt and grief.
This 19th edition marked a milestone with female talents winning best picture, director, animated film, documentary, debut feature, breakthrough performance and cinematography.
“Happening,” a timely abortion drama set in 1960s France, took home best picture, while its star, Anamaria Vartolomei, won best breakthrough performance.
“Remarkable in its combination of artistic delicacy and brutal realism, yet resisting any hint of didacticism, the film quietly builds tension to a gut-wrenching emotional pitch,” stated the Ics.
Campion, meanwhile, won best director with her Western family drama “The Power of the Dog.” Runner-up for top film was Hamaguchi with “Drive My Car,” a road drama based on Haruki Murakami’s short story about guilt and grief.
- 2/7/2022
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
With a top prize of $44,000 it is one of the world’s most lucrative film awards.
Denmark won big with the two Dragon awards handed out in Goteborg on February 5, with Tea Lindeburg’s As In Heaven winning the prize for best Nordic film. With a prize of $44,000, it is one of the world’s most lucrative film awards.
The film, which previously won best director and best actress at San Sebastian, is about a girl in the 19thcentury who hopes to leave her family’s farm to be the first in her family to study. Her future prospects change...
Denmark won big with the two Dragon awards handed out in Goteborg on February 5, with Tea Lindeburg’s As In Heaven winning the prize for best Nordic film. With a prize of $44,000, it is one of the world’s most lucrative film awards.
The film, which previously won best director and best actress at San Sebastian, is about a girl in the 19thcentury who hopes to leave her family’s farm to be the first in her family to study. Her future prospects change...
- 2/7/2022
- by Wendy Mitchell
- ScreenDaily
In a new series, Variety catches up with the directors of the films shortlisted for the International Feature Film Oscar to discuss their road to the awards, what they’ve learned so far, and what’s taken them off guard.
Laura Wandel is the auteur behind “Playground” (“Un Monde”), her first feature, about the reality of schoolyard bullying. The film stars newcomer Maya Vanderbeque as seven-year-old Nora, who struggles to know what to do as she witnesses her older brother Abel (Günter Duret) bullied at school. The story is told through Nora’s eyes, including all the cinematography, which is captured at waist-height.
Congratulations on being shortlisted! What does it mean to you to be shortlisted for the best international feature Oscar?
Well of course, this is totally immense, gigantic. It moves me in the sense that it means that the film will be seen [throughout] the whole world. And that...
Laura Wandel is the auteur behind “Playground” (“Un Monde”), her first feature, about the reality of schoolyard bullying. The film stars newcomer Maya Vanderbeque as seven-year-old Nora, who struggles to know what to do as she witnesses her older brother Abel (Günter Duret) bullied at school. The story is told through Nora’s eyes, including all the cinematography, which is captured at waist-height.
Congratulations on being shortlisted! What does it mean to you to be shortlisted for the best international feature Oscar?
Well of course, this is totally immense, gigantic. It moves me in the sense that it means that the film will be seen [throughout] the whole world. And that...
- 2/7/2022
- by K.J. Yossman
- Variety Film + TV
Terence Davies' Benediction Photo: Courtesy of San Sebastian Film Festival
It was a good night for female filmmakers at this year's International Cinephile Society awards, with women taking home the gongs for Best Picture, Director, Animated Film, Documentary and Debut Feature. Although no film swept the boards, Terence Davies' Siegfried Sassoon biopic Benediction won the most gongs, with three.
Audrey Diwan’s tense 1960s-set abortion drama Happening was named Best Picture, while her star Anamaria Vartolomei won Best Breakthrough Performance for her role as a woman who is increasingly desperate to terminate her pregnancy. Jane Campion was named Best Director for her Western about toxic masculinity, The Power Of The Dog.
Immersive school portrait Mr Bachmann And His Class, directed by Maria Speth and Best Animated Film went to Florence Miailhe's the crossing, which is painted on glass. Laura Wandel's gripping school bullying drama Playground was named best debut feature.
It was a good night for female filmmakers at this year's International Cinephile Society awards, with women taking home the gongs for Best Picture, Director, Animated Film, Documentary and Debut Feature. Although no film swept the boards, Terence Davies' Siegfried Sassoon biopic Benediction won the most gongs, with three.
Audrey Diwan’s tense 1960s-set abortion drama Happening was named Best Picture, while her star Anamaria Vartolomei won Best Breakthrough Performance for her role as a woman who is increasingly desperate to terminate her pregnancy. Jane Campion was named Best Director for her Western about toxic masculinity, The Power Of The Dog.
Immersive school portrait Mr Bachmann And His Class, directed by Maria Speth and Best Animated Film went to Florence Miailhe's the crossing, which is painted on glass. Laura Wandel's gripping school bullying drama Playground was named best debut feature.
- 2/6/2022
- by Amber Wilkinson
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Danish debut feature helmer-writer Tea Lindeburg’s period drama “As In Heaven,” that portrays a fateful summer day and night in 19th century farming society, came away the biggest winner at the 44th Göteborg Film Festival, scoring on Saturday the best Nordic film kudo, this year worth approx. $44,000.
Meanwhile, Seidi Haarla of Finland’s Oscar-shortlisted drama, “Compartment No. 6” took the best acting prize. The film, helmed by Juho Kuosmanen, also nabbed the Fipresci critics nod.
Norway-born Dp Sturla Brandth Grøvlen claimed the Sven Nykvist Cinematography Award for his work on the Norwegian film “The Innocents,” directed by Eskil Vogt. The perfectly executed thriller about rival playmates with paranormal abilities also took the audience award for best Nordic film.
Danish helmer Simon Lereng Wilmont captured the best Nordic documentary title and a purse of approx. $27,000 for “A House Made Of Splinters,” a masterful portrayal of the children and daily life at an orphanage in Eastern Ukraine.
Meanwhile, Seidi Haarla of Finland’s Oscar-shortlisted drama, “Compartment No. 6” took the best acting prize. The film, helmed by Juho Kuosmanen, also nabbed the Fipresci critics nod.
Norway-born Dp Sturla Brandth Grøvlen claimed the Sven Nykvist Cinematography Award for his work on the Norwegian film “The Innocents,” directed by Eskil Vogt. The perfectly executed thriller about rival playmates with paranormal abilities also took the audience award for best Nordic film.
Danish helmer Simon Lereng Wilmont captured the best Nordic documentary title and a purse of approx. $27,000 for “A House Made Of Splinters,” a masterful portrayal of the children and daily life at an orphanage in Eastern Ukraine.
- 2/5/2022
- by Alissa Simon
- Variety Film + TV
With Sundance now wrapped up, this month we turn our sights on Berlinale and a number of notable releases arriving both theatrically and digitally. From international Oscar contenders to long-delayed releases to musician-focused docs to our favorite group of jackasses, it’s an eclectic month. See our picks below.
15. The Sky Is Everywhere (Josephine Decker; Feb. 11 in theaters and Apple TV+)
Curiously absent from Sundance and Berlinale is the latest by an alum of both, Josephine Decker. Following Madeline’s Madeline and Shirley, the director is back with The Sky Is Everywhere, which was adapted by Jandy Nelson, based on her novel. Produced by A24 and Apple, it follows a high-schooler who loses her older sister and attempts to regain her footing in life. With the YA material, it looks like Decker is carving a new path; we’re curious to see the results.
14. Taste (Lê Bảo; Feb. 16 on Mubi...
15. The Sky Is Everywhere (Josephine Decker; Feb. 11 in theaters and Apple TV+)
Curiously absent from Sundance and Berlinale is the latest by an alum of both, Josephine Decker. Following Madeline’s Madeline and Shirley, the director is back with The Sky Is Everywhere, which was adapted by Jandy Nelson, based on her novel. Produced by A24 and Apple, it follows a high-schooler who loses her older sister and attempts to regain her footing in life. With the YA material, it looks like Decker is carving a new path; we’re curious to see the results.
14. Taste (Lê Bảo; Feb. 16 on Mubi...
- 2/2/2022
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Belgium’s Oscar-shortlisted International Feature is an intimate child’s-eye view of bullying from debut writer-director Laura Wandel. Playground is known as Un Monde in its native French language, and this is set in a world of its own: the school that two siblings must navigate to get through the day.
We meet 7-year-old Nora (Maya Vanderbeque) and her older brother Abel (Günter Duret) when they are dropped off at the school gates by their father (Karim Leklou). Nervous Nora just wants to hang out with Abel, but he’s busy trying to impress children his own age. “I’m beating up the new kids with Antoine,” he says, setting the stage for a drama that’s dominated by peer pressure, shifting loyalties and violence — some of which could be life-threatening, even if the perpetrators may not realize it.
These may be children, but their problems feel as urgent as any thriller,...
We meet 7-year-old Nora (Maya Vanderbeque) and her older brother Abel (Günter Duret) when they are dropped off at the school gates by their father (Karim Leklou). Nervous Nora just wants to hang out with Abel, but he’s busy trying to impress children his own age. “I’m beating up the new kids with Antoine,” he says, setting the stage for a drama that’s dominated by peer pressure, shifting loyalties and violence — some of which could be life-threatening, even if the perpetrators may not realize it.
These may be children, but their problems feel as urgent as any thriller,...
- 1/31/2022
- by Anna Smith
- Deadline Film + TV
As the Best International Feature race comes to a close, it’s fairly clear to see who the favorites are. Since it premiered at Cannes last year, Ryûsuke Hamaguchi’s Drive My Car has dominated the landscape, featuring highly in international critics’ awards and even penetrating the consciousness of the Golden Globes. But—as we saw at Cannes, where Hamaguchi only went home with Best Screenplay—critical mass doesn’t always impact on industry juries. It’s just as possible, then, that the Oscar might go to Norway’s The Worst Person in the World, a gently subversive romcom by Joachim Trier that captures the exact moment in a director’s career when they nail their style. To add a third alternative, Jonas Poher Rasmussen’s sobering emigrant story Flee has been quietly making history, a feat that will be cemented if it becomes, as many think it might, the...
- 1/30/2022
- by Damon Wise
- Deadline Film + TV
by Nathaniel R
This season's finalist list for the Best International Feature Film Oscar is a mixture of international icons (Farhadi! Sorrentino!), legends in the making (Hamaguchi! Trier!) and rising auteurs (everyone else). Four of the films are even directorial debuts. Imagine being shortlisted for the Oscar on your first movie! That's what's happened to Belgium's Laura Wandel.
The 37 year old filmmaker had been making short films since 2007. After her 2014 short Les corps éstrangers competed at Cannes, it was time to make the leap to features. The result, which was tabled for a time due to pandemic delays, was the moving bullying drama Playground about a brother and sister struggling in school. We were delighted to speak to Wandel shortly after her moving film made the finals...
This season's finalist list for the Best International Feature Film Oscar is a mixture of international icons (Farhadi! Sorrentino!), legends in the making (Hamaguchi! Trier!) and rising auteurs (everyone else). Four of the films are even directorial debuts. Imagine being shortlisted for the Oscar on your first movie! That's what's happened to Belgium's Laura Wandel.
The 37 year old filmmaker had been making short films since 2007. After her 2014 short Les corps éstrangers competed at Cannes, it was time to make the leap to features. The result, which was tabled for a time due to pandemic delays, was the moving bullying drama Playground about a brother and sister struggling in school. We were delighted to speak to Wandel shortly after her moving film made the finals...
- 1/27/2022
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
Predicting the eventual five Oscar nominees for Best International Feature is made difficult by the three-step process that began after the November 1 deadline for countries to submit entries. To be part of the selection process for this category, which was called Best Foreign Language Film before 2020, requires a great deal of dedication. (Scroll down for the most up-to-date 2022 Oscar predictions for Best International Feature.)
First, the several hundred academy members of the International Feature screening committee were divided into groups and required to watch a minimum of 12 of the submissions over a six-week period that ended in mid December. They rated them from 6 to 10 and their top 15 vote-getters made it to the next round. That list of semi-finalists was revealed on December 21, 2021.
These 15 films are made available to the entire academy membership who can cast ballots for the final five nominees provided they attest to having watched all the entries.
First, the several hundred academy members of the International Feature screening committee were divided into groups and required to watch a minimum of 12 of the submissions over a six-week period that ended in mid December. They rated them from 6 to 10 and their top 15 vote-getters made it to the next round. That list of semi-finalists was revealed on December 21, 2021.
These 15 films are made available to the entire academy membership who can cast ballots for the final five nominees provided they attest to having watched all the entries.
- 1/24/2022
- by Paul Sheehan
- Gold Derby
If you wanted to name a winner from the Oscar international film shortlist right now, it would be the Cannes Film Festival. Nine of the 15 titles that made the cut came from the fest, even though the Palme d’Or winner, France’s submission “Titane,” did not. But then only those who were not paying attention to past trends in stage one voting assumed that it would be included.
Although a record 93 countries put forward an entry, only 15 are moving on. The ones selected for the shortlist come from almost every continent, although Africa, despite some exciting entries such as Somalia’s “The Gravedigger’s Wife,” Chad’s “Lingui: The Sacred Bonds” and Morocco’s “Casablanca Beats,” was ignored (all three titles premiered at Cannes).
Cannes players that are in the mix include Iran’s “A Hero,” helmed by previous Oscar-winner Asghar Farhadi; Norway’s “The Worst Person in the World...
Although a record 93 countries put forward an entry, only 15 are moving on. The ones selected for the shortlist come from almost every continent, although Africa, despite some exciting entries such as Somalia’s “The Gravedigger’s Wife,” Chad’s “Lingui: The Sacred Bonds” and Morocco’s “Casablanca Beats,” was ignored (all three titles premiered at Cannes).
Cannes players that are in the mix include Iran’s “A Hero,” helmed by previous Oscar-winner Asghar Farhadi; Norway’s “The Worst Person in the World...
- 1/22/2022
- by Shalini Dore and Alissa Simon
- Variety Film + TV
Years ago, you wouldn’t have looked to the international feature category — or foreign-language film, as it was more insularly named back then — for much in the way of reflecting the modern world. World War II history and heartwarming child’s-eye family portraits were for a long time the staple diet of an award that shied away from more nervy topics. This year’s shortlist, however, sees a number of global filmmakers tackling more resonant, contemporary subject matter — with matters of gender and sexuality woven through a number of them.
Germany’s entry, “I’m Your Man,” even strays into science fiction, a genre rarely given much attention in this category. Maria Schrader’s witty, philosophical romantic comedy begins as a battle of wills between Alma (Maren Eggert), an independent, career-oriented academic, and Tom (Dan Stevens), the android boyfriend tailored directly for her needs in a lab — though it seems he...
Germany’s entry, “I’m Your Man,” even strays into science fiction, a genre rarely given much attention in this category. Maria Schrader’s witty, philosophical romantic comedy begins as a battle of wills between Alma (Maren Eggert), an independent, career-oriented academic, and Tom (Dan Stevens), the android boyfriend tailored directly for her needs in a lab — though it seems he...
- 1/22/2022
- by Guy Lodge
- Variety Film + TV
Get in touch to send in cinephile news and discoveries. For daily updates follow us @NotebookMUBI.NEWSAbove: Sidney Poitier holding his best actor Oscar, won for his role in Lilies of the Field (1963). The singular actor, director, and civil rights activist Sidney Poitier died last Thursday. An immigrant from the Bahamas who rose to prominence through the American Negro Theatre, then Broadway, Poitier entered Hollywood when few complex roles for Black actors were available. He became the first Black man to win the best actor Oscar in 1963 for Lillies of the Field, but also frequently received criticism for playing roles perceived as overly chaste and stately. Poitier persisted nonetheless, and later directed his own films, such as Buck and the Preacher (1972), starring his friend Harry Belafonte and Ruby Dee, and the Gene Wilder-Richard Pryor prison break comedy Stir Crazy (1980). The prolific critic, programmer, and filmmaker Peter Bogdanovich also died on Thursday.
- 1/12/2022
- MUBI
Following The Film Stage’s collective top 50 films of 2021, as part of our year-end coverage, our contributors are sharing their personal top 10 lists.
Two years into the pandemic, we’re still living through a collective nightmare, a cycle of crisis/reprieve/next-wave that can be so demoralizing. All the more reason, then, to be thankful for the filmmakers who soldiered on, telling stories that helped to make things feel less bad.
What a joy it was to travel through Siberia with the protagonists of Finnish director Juho Kuosmanen’s Compartment Number 6 and be reminded of the sparks of chemistry we share with random passers-by in our lives. How healing it felt to see a deep, life-changing bond develop between two strangers in Japanese filmmaker Ryūsuke Hamaguchi’s poetic Murakami adaptation Drive My Car. And bless Norwegian auteur Joachim Trier for the bittersweet ride that is The Worst Person in the World,...
Two years into the pandemic, we’re still living through a collective nightmare, a cycle of crisis/reprieve/next-wave that can be so demoralizing. All the more reason, then, to be thankful for the filmmakers who soldiered on, telling stories that helped to make things feel less bad.
What a joy it was to travel through Siberia with the protagonists of Finnish director Juho Kuosmanen’s Compartment Number 6 and be reminded of the sparks of chemistry we share with random passers-by in our lives. How healing it felt to see a deep, life-changing bond develop between two strangers in Japanese filmmaker Ryūsuke Hamaguchi’s poetic Murakami adaptation Drive My Car. And bless Norwegian auteur Joachim Trier for the bittersweet ride that is The Worst Person in the World,...
- 1/5/2022
- by Zhuo-Ning Su
- The Film Stage
Playground Trailer — Laura Wandel‘s Playground / Un monde (2021) movie trailer has been released by Film Movement. The Playground trailer stars Maya Vanderbeque, Günter Duret, Karim Leklou, Thao Maerten, Lena Girard Voss, and Laura Verlinden. Crew Laura Wandel wrote the screenplay for Playground. Frédéric Noirhomme crafted the cinematography for film. Nicolas Rumpl conducted the [...]
Continue reading: Playground (2021) Movie Trailer: A 7-year-old Girl Witnesses the Continuous Bullying of Her Brother in Laura Wandel’s Film...
Continue reading: Playground (2021) Movie Trailer: A 7-year-old Girl Witnesses the Continuous Bullying of Her Brother in Laura Wandel’s Film...
- 12/29/2021
- by Rollo Tomasi
- Film-Book
Belgium’s Oscar entry “Playground” has an official trailer.
The film, which documents the brutal reality of playground bullying, opened at Cannes Un Certain Regard before going on to screen at the San Sebastian and the BFI film festivals. It also won the Fipresci award. Variety’s reviewer described it as “raw” and “rattling.”
“Playground” tells the story of 7-year-old Nora who sees her big brother Abel being bullied at school. When she tries to tell their father Abel dissuades her, imploring her to remain silent. Nora must navigate her way between the brutality of the children’s world and its adult counterpart as she tries to work out her loyalties.
The film is told through Nora’s eyes.
Laura Wandel, who directed and wrote the film’s screenplay worked on the film for five years, thoroughly researching the subject of schoolyard politics. She says she wanted to show the playground as a “micro-society,...
The film, which documents the brutal reality of playground bullying, opened at Cannes Un Certain Regard before going on to screen at the San Sebastian and the BFI film festivals. It also won the Fipresci award. Variety’s reviewer described it as “raw” and “rattling.”
“Playground” tells the story of 7-year-old Nora who sees her big brother Abel being bullied at school. When she tries to tell their father Abel dissuades her, imploring her to remain silent. Nora must navigate her way between the brutality of the children’s world and its adult counterpart as she tries to work out her loyalties.
The film is told through Nora’s eyes.
Laura Wandel, who directed and wrote the film’s screenplay worked on the film for five years, thoroughly researching the subject of schoolyard politics. She says she wanted to show the playground as a “micro-society,...
- 12/23/2021
- by K.J. Yossman
- Variety Film + TV
Paolo Sorrentino, director of the 86th Academy Awards winner The Great Beauty, has his latest The Hand Of God (a Netflix release) shortlisted for the 94th Academy Awards Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
From Kosovo, Hive, Blerta Basholli director; Belgium, Playground, Laura Wandel director; Bhutan, Lunana: A Yak In The Classroom, Pawo Choyning Dorji director; Austria, Great Freedom, Sebastian Meise director; Germany, I’m Your Man, Maria Schrader director; Italy, The Hand Of God, Paolo Sorrentino director (also of the Oscar-winning The Great Beauty at the 86th Academy Awards); Japan, Drive My Car, Ryusuke Hamaguchi director; Panama, Plaza Catedral, Abner Benaim director; Norway, The Worst Person In The World, Joachim Trier director; Iran, A Hero, Asghar Farhadi director; Spain, The Good Boss, Fernando León de Aranoa director; Denmark, Flee, Jonas Poher Rasmussen director; Mexico, Prayers For The Stolen, Tatiana Huezo director; Finland, Compartment No. 6, Juho Kuosmanen director, and Iceland, Lamb, Valdimar Jóhannsson director...
From Kosovo, Hive, Blerta Basholli director; Belgium, Playground, Laura Wandel director; Bhutan, Lunana: A Yak In The Classroom, Pawo Choyning Dorji director; Austria, Great Freedom, Sebastian Meise director; Germany, I’m Your Man, Maria Schrader director; Italy, The Hand Of God, Paolo Sorrentino director (also of the Oscar-winning The Great Beauty at the 86th Academy Awards); Japan, Drive My Car, Ryusuke Hamaguchi director; Panama, Plaza Catedral, Abner Benaim director; Norway, The Worst Person In The World, Joachim Trier director; Iran, A Hero, Asghar Farhadi director; Spain, The Good Boss, Fernando León de Aranoa director; Denmark, Flee, Jonas Poher Rasmussen director; Mexico, Prayers For The Stolen, Tatiana Huezo director; Finland, Compartment No. 6, Juho Kuosmanen director, and Iceland, Lamb, Valdimar Jóhannsson director...
- 12/21/2021
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Other winners included German drama ‘Other Cannibals’ and Lithuania’s ‘Runner’.
Andreas Kleinert’s German drama Dear Thomas has been awarded the Grand Prix at the 2021 Black Nights Film Festival, held in the Estonian capital of Tallinn.
The black-and-white historical biopic follows the struggles of East German author and filmmaker Thomas Brasch, played by Albrecht Schuch who was also named best actor at Black Nights’ closing ceremony on Saturday evening (November 27).
Scroll down for full list of winners
It marks the latest feature of prolific Germany filmmaker Kleinert, known for titles such as Leb Whol, Joseph; Lost Landscape; and Head Under Water,...
Andreas Kleinert’s German drama Dear Thomas has been awarded the Grand Prix at the 2021 Black Nights Film Festival, held in the Estonian capital of Tallinn.
The black-and-white historical biopic follows the struggles of East German author and filmmaker Thomas Brasch, played by Albrecht Schuch who was also named best actor at Black Nights’ closing ceremony on Saturday evening (November 27).
Scroll down for full list of winners
It marks the latest feature of prolific Germany filmmaker Kleinert, known for titles such as Leb Whol, Joseph; Lost Landscape; and Head Under Water,...
- 11/28/2021
- by Michael Rosser
- ScreenDaily
Maya Vanderbeque, second left, as Nora in Playground Photo: New Wave Belgian director Laura Wandel's debut film Playground steps down to child height and into the interpersonal politics of the school playground. We watch as Nora (Maya Vanderbeque) tentatively starts school and begins to make friends, gradually realising that Abel (Günter Duret), the older brother whom she idolises is being bullied. With the situation worsening but Abel insisting she keep things secret young girl faces a moral dilemma over who to tell and when, even as the effects of the bullying of one child start to snowball, showing how one act of school violence can begin to poison the atmosphere more generally. The film is screening at the French Film Festival UK, Leeds Film Festival and Cambridge Film Festival this month - and has been nominated as Belgium's submission for Best International Feature at the Oscars. We caught up...
- 11/16/2021
- by Amber Wilkinson
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
These are the submissions for the international film Oscar by country. The deadline for entries was Nov. 1. A shortlist of 15 films will be announced Dec. 21 and the nominations will come out Feb 8. The 94th Academy Awards will take place on March 27 at the Dolby Theatre. The Academy has not yet released a final list of entries; Variety compiled this list from individual country’s announcements.
Albania
Two Lions Heading to Venice
Dir. Jonid Jorji
Key cast: Vasjan Lami, Alessandra Bonarotta
Logline: A pair of filmmakers heading to the Venice festival are sidetracked from their destination after meeting two adult film actors.
Prodco: Bajo Films
Algeria
Heliopolis
Dir. Djaafar Gacem
Key cast: Souhila Mallem, Mehdi Ramdani, Cesar Duminil
Logline: True story of an uprising in the Algerian town of Guelma that was violently put down by the colonial French rulers.
Prodco: Hewes Pictures
Argentina
The Intruder
Dir. Natalia Meta
Key cast: Guillermo Arengo,...
Albania
Two Lions Heading to Venice
Dir. Jonid Jorji
Key cast: Vasjan Lami, Alessandra Bonarotta
Logline: A pair of filmmakers heading to the Venice festival are sidetracked from their destination after meeting two adult film actors.
Prodco: Bajo Films
Algeria
Heliopolis
Dir. Djaafar Gacem
Key cast: Souhila Mallem, Mehdi Ramdani, Cesar Duminil
Logline: True story of an uprising in the Algerian town of Guelma that was violently put down by the colonial French rulers.
Prodco: Hewes Pictures
Argentina
The Intruder
Dir. Natalia Meta
Key cast: Guillermo Arengo,...
- 11/11/2021
- by Shalini Dore
- Variety Film + TV
School bullying remains, sadly, an enduring universal theme, with filmmakers from across the globe tackling it. This consideration of it from Belgian first-time feature director Laura Wandel finds something new to say by working the angles, both hunkering down to a child's pint-size perspective and shifting the emphasis by taking the viewpoint not of the child who is the initial victim of bullying but his kid sister instead. By doing this, she is able to not just the direct impact bullying has on the bullied but the indirect consequences of these actions as the toxicity created seeps across the schoolyard.
"You'll make lots of friends," Nora's dad (Karim Leklou) tells her as the seven-year-old (Maya Vanderbeque) clings tearfully to him at the gates on her first day. We've all been there, that first step into the unknown world of the classroom, the sheer anxiety of it etched across Nora's face.
"You'll make lots of friends," Nora's dad (Karim Leklou) tells her as the seven-year-old (Maya Vanderbeque) clings tearfully to him at the gates on her first day. We've all been there, that first step into the unknown world of the classroom, the sheer anxiety of it etched across Nora's face.
- 11/9/2021
- by Amber Wilkinson
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
It has been claimed that women who forget the worst of the pain of childbirth are programmed to do so by evolutionary necessity: The selective editing of the body’s memory of trauma helps ensure the species continues to propagate itself. However true that is, a similar theory might account for why so many of us remember our school days in only the vaguest and fuzziest of terms: If we precisely recalled all those terrors, would we really force our own children to run the same gantlet? Laura Wandel’s janglingly visceral “Playground” is here to shatter that willful forgetfulness by .
Seven-year-old Nora (an extraordinary Maya Vanderbeque) is crying, clinging to her father (Karim Leklou) at the school gates. Now, and for the rest of the film, we are at her eye level: Frédéric Noirhomme’s dogged shallow-focus camerawork immediately creates a world where doorknobs and banisters are mounted dauntingly high,...
Seven-year-old Nora (an extraordinary Maya Vanderbeque) is crying, clinging to her father (Karim Leklou) at the school gates. Now, and for the rest of the film, we are at her eye level: Frédéric Noirhomme’s dogged shallow-focus camerawork immediately creates a world where doorknobs and banisters are mounted dauntingly high,...
- 11/1/2021
- by Jessica Kiang
- Variety Film + TV
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.