ReFrame, the Sundance Institute and Women In Film partnership to advance gender equity in the screen industries, announced in Cannes on Friday it is expanding its programme recognising gender-balanced hiring on features into Canada, the UK, Ireland, India, and Australia.
The ReFrame Stamp verifies feature productions that hire women or individuals from minority gender communities including trans, nonbinary, or gender-nonconforming individuals in at least 50% of key roles, above and below the line.
The Stamp will be accessible to producers in the five countries starting in autumn, when full international qualifying criteria will be released.
Since launching in 2017 it has been...
The ReFrame Stamp verifies feature productions that hire women or individuals from minority gender communities including trans, nonbinary, or gender-nonconforming individuals in at least 50% of key roles, above and below the line.
The Stamp will be accessible to producers in the five countries starting in autumn, when full international qualifying criteria will be released.
Since launching in 2017 it has been...
- 5/17/2024
- ScreenDaily
NewFest, a New York LGBTQ+ film and media organization, revealed the full lineup for their fourth annual NewFest Pride summer film series. NewFest’s five-day festival kicks off LGBTQ+ Pride Month from May 30 – June 3, 2024, in-person in New York and streaming throughout the United States, and will feature a mix of premieres and conversations, virtual screenings, and social events. The announcement came today from NewFest’s Executive Director David Hatkoff and Director of Programming Nick McCarthy.
“It’s no accident that this year’s NewFest Pride starts on May 30; it’s part of our not-so-secret mission to celebrate Pride 365 days a year,” said NewFest Executive Director David Hatkoff. “We can’t wait to provide a space for the community to come together for bold new films and series, thought-provoking conversations, and joyful social gatherings. This moment calls for celebration and resistance, and we intend to offer opportunities for both in equal measure.
“It’s no accident that this year’s NewFest Pride starts on May 30; it’s part of our not-so-secret mission to celebrate Pride 365 days a year,” said NewFest Executive Director David Hatkoff. “We can’t wait to provide a space for the community to come together for bold new films and series, thought-provoking conversations, and joyful social gatherings. This moment calls for celebration and resistance, and we intend to offer opportunities for both in equal measure.
- 5/3/2024
- by Valerie Complex
- Deadline Film + TV
The 48th annual San Francisco International LGBTQ+ Film Festival (aka Frameline48) has announced its opening night film for 2024 and a block party to celebrate Juneteenth. The first-ever Castro neighborhood celebration of Juneteenth, Frameline48’s free outdoor event will feature an afternoon of music plus a screening of “Lil Nas X: Long Live Montero.”
In addition to joining Frameline48’s attempt to organize the largest, queerest Electric Slide ever, Bay Area moviegoers can attend 80-plus programs during the festival, which runs June 19–29. (The full program will be announced May 21). The 11-day celebration of film, queerness, and the San Francisco Bay Area will carry on the 2023 festival’s “Neighborhood Nights” spirit. The Juneteenth opening night film and block party will be followed by screenings all over the Bay in beloved venues like the Roxie Theater, the Palace of Fine Arts Theatre, the Herbst Theatre, the Vogue Theater, and The New Parkway Theater in Oakland.
In addition to joining Frameline48’s attempt to organize the largest, queerest Electric Slide ever, Bay Area moviegoers can attend 80-plus programs during the festival, which runs June 19–29. (The full program will be announced May 21). The 11-day celebration of film, queerness, and the San Francisco Bay Area will carry on the 2023 festival’s “Neighborhood Nights” spirit. The Juneteenth opening night film and block party will be followed by screenings all over the Bay in beloved venues like the Roxie Theater, the Palace of Fine Arts Theatre, the Herbst Theatre, the Vogue Theater, and The New Parkway Theater in Oakland.
- 4/30/2024
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
Zoya Akhtar (The Archies), Fawzia Mirza (Queen of My Dreams), and Roshan Sethi (A Nice Indian Boy) are set to join the 1497 Features Lab as Mentors.
Returning for its fourth year, the nonprofit 1497’s annual Features Lab will once again offer robust mentorship, script development, and industry access to elevate and advance the careers of screenwriters of South Asian descent. After expanding the Lab to a fully in-person format last year, this year’s program will build on that success with an intensive Retreat and subsequent Pitch Day. The Lab Retreat will take place this October 23-28, 2024 in Malibu.
The 1497 Features Lab, their signature impact program, entails three rounds of rigorous evaluation by independent Selection Committees to ultimately discover three Mentees to invest in. Each Mentee is then paired with a pod of Mentors – comprised of an established filmmaker, producer, industry representative, and a 1497 Features Lab Alum – from whom they...
Returning for its fourth year, the nonprofit 1497’s annual Features Lab will once again offer robust mentorship, script development, and industry access to elevate and advance the careers of screenwriters of South Asian descent. After expanding the Lab to a fully in-person format last year, this year’s program will build on that success with an intensive Retreat and subsequent Pitch Day. The Lab Retreat will take place this October 23-28, 2024 in Malibu.
The 1497 Features Lab, their signature impact program, entails three rounds of rigorous evaluation by independent Selection Committees to ultimately discover three Mentees to invest in. Each Mentee is then paired with a pod of Mentors – comprised of an established filmmaker, producer, industry representative, and a 1497 Features Lab Alum – from whom they...
- 4/29/2024
- by Valerie Complex
- Deadline Film + TV
The path to paradise, so it has been foretold in Islamic scripture, is through loving and respecting one's own mother. As axiomatic yet clichéd as this sentiment may seem today, there is some merit to these words: to be connected to the family matriarch is to remain closely tied to one's own culture. To retain such a connection means to possess a greater understanding of who we are, not just as individuals but members of a greater cause. From a three-minute short to a one-woman play to a feature length debut, Fawzia Mirza's ‘The Queen of My Dreams' is an ambitious demonstration of what happens when that connection has been compromised, and the journey required to claim it back.
The Queen Of My Dreams is screening at San Diego Asian Film Festival Spring Showcase
After her father (Hamza Haq) dies tragically during a visit to Pakistan, Azra (Amrit Kaur...
The Queen Of My Dreams is screening at San Diego Asian Film Festival Spring Showcase
After her father (Hamza Haq) dies tragically during a visit to Pakistan, Azra (Amrit Kaur...
- 4/18/2024
- by JC Cansdale-Cook
- AsianMoviePulse
Exclusive: Coming off her SXSW US feature debut, and TIFF 2023 world premiere, The Queen of My Dreams, Fawzia Mirza has signed on to direct the Australian feature film, Written in the Stars.
Penned by and starring Menik Gooneratne, Written in the Stars is an adaptation of the bestselling novel The Wedding Season by Su Dharmapala. Set in and around the Sri Lankan diaspora in Melbourne, the film centers on a woman (Gooneratne) who, when modern dating attempts fail, turns to Vedic Astrology and horoscope matching in the hopes of finding her true love.
Gooneratne’s screenplay received industry attention after making the 2021 Cape x Blacklist. The actor is best known for her work on the Peter Jackson sci-fi epic Mortal Engines and Oscar nominated Lion.
“Written in the Stars is a love letter to my hometown and community, and I am thrilled to have someone who brings such vibrancy and...
Penned by and starring Menik Gooneratne, Written in the Stars is an adaptation of the bestselling novel The Wedding Season by Su Dharmapala. Set in and around the Sri Lankan diaspora in Melbourne, the film centers on a woman (Gooneratne) who, when modern dating attempts fail, turns to Vedic Astrology and horoscope matching in the hopes of finding her true love.
Gooneratne’s screenplay received industry attention after making the 2021 Cape x Blacklist. The actor is best known for her work on the Peter Jackson sci-fi epic Mortal Engines and Oscar nominated Lion.
“Written in the Stars is a love letter to my hometown and community, and I am thrilled to have someone who brings such vibrancy and...
- 4/9/2024
- by Valerie Complex
- Deadline Film + TV
“The Queen of My Dreams” has been on its way to the big screen for more than ten years. Though not originally planned as a feature, writer and director Fawzia Mirza originally saw the story through life as both a short film and a stage play, based on her own experiences as a queer Pakistani-Canadian woman. The title is a literal translation of “Meri Sapno Ki Rani,” the wildly popular Hindi song from 1969’s “Aradhana.”
The film opens with narration from Azra (Amrit Kaur), Mirza’s self-insert, who has a complicated relationship with mother Mariam (Nimra Bucha) — but the two share an uncomplicated, undying love for the movie “Aradhana” starring Sharmila Tagore and Rajesh Khanna. When Azra’s father Hassan (Hamza Haq) suffers a fatal heart attack, Azra must join the family in Pakistan to mourn his passing — and salvage a rocky relationship with the only parent she has left.
The film opens with narration from Azra (Amrit Kaur), Mirza’s self-insert, who has a complicated relationship with mother Mariam (Nimra Bucha) — but the two share an uncomplicated, undying love for the movie “Aradhana” starring Sharmila Tagore and Rajesh Khanna. When Azra’s father Hassan (Hamza Haq) suffers a fatal heart attack, Azra must join the family in Pakistan to mourn his passing — and salvage a rocky relationship with the only parent she has left.
- 3/13/2024
- by Proma Khosla
- Indiewire
Film lovers, filmmakers, industry insiders, actors, artists and more are expected to return en masse for the milestone festivities that will include a packed calendar of parties, panels, concerts, gatherings and networking opportunities, in addition to all the big-screen showings. Below is a roundup of all of the intel The Hollywood Reporter has gathered thus far, featuring events in Park City. All times listed are local and information for how to submit an event is at the end of the list.
Houses, Lodges and Activations
Acura House of Energy
Acura House of Energy, 550 Swede Alley, daily from Jan. 19-22 (with both public and private, invite-only hours)
Acura returns to Sundance for a 14th year as presenting sponsor and official vehicle of the festival by bringing new “energy” to its commitment to uplift independent artists and underrepresented through official Sundance programming and a reimagined, revamped space dubbed the Acura House of Energy.
Houses, Lodges and Activations
Acura House of Energy
Acura House of Energy, 550 Swede Alley, daily from Jan. 19-22 (with both public and private, invite-only hours)
Acura returns to Sundance for a 14th year as presenting sponsor and official vehicle of the festival by bringing new “energy” to its commitment to uplift independent artists and underrepresented through official Sundance programming and a reimagined, revamped space dubbed the Acura House of Energy.
- 1/12/2024
- by Chris Gardner
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
March fest announces multiple competition sections.
SXSW announced on Wednesday that Netflix series 3 Body Problem from Game Of Thrones co-creators David Benioff and D. B. Weiss is the festival’s opening night TV premiere, while Universal’s action comedy The Fall Guy with Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt is the centrepiece screening.
Top brass at the Austin, Texas, festival (March 8-16) also unveiled feature and short competitions and Midnighters and Global sections, as well as select titles from other categories and Xr Experience for the 31st edition.
Headliners selections include world premieres of Pamela Adlon’s Babes starring Ilana Glazer,...
SXSW announced on Wednesday that Netflix series 3 Body Problem from Game Of Thrones co-creators David Benioff and D. B. Weiss is the festival’s opening night TV premiere, while Universal’s action comedy The Fall Guy with Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt is the centrepiece screening.
Top brass at the Austin, Texas, festival (March 8-16) also unveiled feature and short competitions and Midnighters and Global sections, as well as select titles from other categories and Xr Experience for the 31st edition.
Headliners selections include world premieres of Pamela Adlon’s Babes starring Ilana Glazer,...
- 1/10/2024
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
The traditionally celebrity-heavy Toronto Film Festival has unveiled its list of Canada’s best indie films for 2023, which includes a host of first-time directors that have come to the fore as the Hollywood actors strike put local movies and talent front and center at TIFF last September.
Canadian filmmakers were able to grab the spotlight after SAG-AFTRA members barred from promoting studio or streamer projects allowed them to fill the vacuum on TIFF red carpets and at industry events.
New directors were also favorites of Toronto programmers as a shifting TIFF film market with few American celebrities in town also allowed the marquee festival to double down on finding new creative voices.
So here’s the top Canadian feature films of 2023, as decided by film pickers in Toronto.
1. BlackBerry
Matt Johnson’s drama about the meteoric rise of the world’s first smartphone, before its competitive collapse, bowed in Berlin.
Canadian filmmakers were able to grab the spotlight after SAG-AFTRA members barred from promoting studio or streamer projects allowed them to fill the vacuum on TIFF red carpets and at industry events.
New directors were also favorites of Toronto programmers as a shifting TIFF film market with few American celebrities in town also allowed the marquee festival to double down on finding new creative voices.
So here’s the top Canadian feature films of 2023, as decided by film pickers in Toronto.
1. BlackBerry
Matt Johnson’s drama about the meteoric rise of the world’s first smartphone, before its competitive collapse, bowed in Berlin.
- 12/20/2023
- by Etan Vlessing
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Empathy and connection are to be found not in shared characteristics but in parallel experiences in Fawzia Mirza’s gorgeously presented romantic drama, which screened at the 2023 Toronto and Leeds film festivals. Based on Fawzia’s 2012 short of the same name, it’s the story of Azra (Amrit Kaur), a young Canadian woman who lives in Toronto with her girlfriend Rachel (Kya Mosey), and of her mother Mariam (Ninra Bucha), who lives in Karachi and has barely spoken to her when she came out. The two women are reunited following the death of Azra’s father Hassan (Hamza Haq), whom they both adored, but it will take a lot more than that to bring them together in any meaningful way.
Azra grew up worshipping her mother, whom she pictured as a Bollywood heroine, always immaculately dressed and presented. Beyond their shared life, however, she actually knows very little about her.
Azra grew up worshipping her mother, whom she pictured as a Bollywood heroine, always immaculately dressed and presented. Beyond their shared life, however, she actually knows very little about her.
- 11/11/2023
- by Jennie Kermode
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
‘The Queen of My Dreams’ Review: A Charming and Fanciful Debut Tackles Mother-Daughter Relationships
Fawzia Mirza’s charming debut The Queen of My Dreams begins with a familiar and heartbreaking revelation. “I used to worship my mother,” our protagonist Azra (Amrit Kaur, The Sex Lives of College Girls) says through voiceover. “I thought she was perfect. I tried to be like my mother, but I wasn’t.”
As with most daughters navigating fractious relationships with their mothers, Azra’s entry into adulthood coincided with the shattering realization that her mother is only human. The woman who guided her since infancy and counseled her through challenging moments carries her own traumas. She doesn’t always understand Azra and, perhaps most upsettingly, she might not want to.
The Queen of My Dreams is Mirza’s take on a recognizable theme. It joins a formidable batch of films exploring mother-daughter relationships this festival season, a group that includes Raven Jackson’s gorgeous and poetic film All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt...
As with most daughters navigating fractious relationships with their mothers, Azra’s entry into adulthood coincided with the shattering realization that her mother is only human. The woman who guided her since infancy and counseled her through challenging moments carries her own traumas. She doesn’t always understand Azra and, perhaps most upsettingly, she might not want to.
The Queen of My Dreams is Mirza’s take on a recognizable theme. It joins a formidable batch of films exploring mother-daughter relationships this festival season, a group that includes Raven Jackson’s gorgeous and poetic film All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt...
- 10/17/2023
- by Lovia Gyarkye
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
In a world where familial ties are often tested by time and tradition, Fawzia Mirza’s latest film, The Queen of My Dreams offers a poignant dive into the dynamics between a rebellious daughter and a mother with a past not so dissimilar. This film weaves various generational narratives together, shedding light on the age-old war between convention and personal aspirations. This is a heartfelt ode to women of different eras who journey through the challenges and triumphs that bind them. The film stars Amrit Kaur, Nimra Bucha, and Hamza Haq.
The film follows Azra (Kaur), a Pakistani Canadian who isn’t concerned with conformity. Naturally, her parents Miriam (Bucha) and Hassan (Haq) aren’t happy with her choosing acting classes and an LGBTQ lifestyle. It is these choices that leave mother and daughter estranged. When her father dies, Azra travels from Canada to Pakistan to mourn with her family.
The film follows Azra (Kaur), a Pakistani Canadian who isn’t concerned with conformity. Naturally, her parents Miriam (Bucha) and Hassan (Haq) aren’t happy with her choosing acting classes and an LGBTQ lifestyle. It is these choices that leave mother and daughter estranged. When her father dies, Azra travels from Canada to Pakistan to mourn with her family.
- 10/3/2023
- by Valerie Complex
- Deadline Film + TV
Cineplex Pictures has picked up the Canadian rights to Fawzia Mirza’s debut feature The Queen Of My Dreams, about an estranged mother and daughter coming of age in different eras, after a world premiere at the 2023 Toronto Film Festival.
Cineplex and partner Shut Up & Color will release the indie in early 2024 in theaters, with Amrit Kaur (The Sex Lives of College Girls), Nimra Bucha (Ms. Marvel) and Hamza Haq (Transplant) starring.
The film has Kaur playing Azra, a queer grad student on a trip to Pakistan facing the sudden death of her father, which sees her collide with her conservative Muslim mother Mariam (Bucha). She also plays the younger Mariam.
Azra soon finds herself on a Bollywood-inspired journey through memories, both real and imagined. Those flashbacks include her mother’s youth in Karachi, a Bolllywood-style romance with her eventual husband and Azra’s own youth in Canada.
The Canadian...
Cineplex and partner Shut Up & Color will release the indie in early 2024 in theaters, with Amrit Kaur (The Sex Lives of College Girls), Nimra Bucha (Ms. Marvel) and Hamza Haq (Transplant) starring.
The film has Kaur playing Azra, a queer grad student on a trip to Pakistan facing the sudden death of her father, which sees her collide with her conservative Muslim mother Mariam (Bucha). She also plays the younger Mariam.
Azra soon finds herself on a Bollywood-inspired journey through memories, both real and imagined. Those flashbacks include her mother’s youth in Karachi, a Bolllywood-style romance with her eventual husband and Azra’s own youth in Canada.
The Canadian...
- 9/14/2023
- by Etan Vlessing
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Et Canada’s Carlos Bustamante caught up with Amrit Kaur on the TIFF red carpet, where she was on hand for the world premiere of her new film “The Queen of My Dreams”.
Kaur, best known for playing Bela in “The Sex Lives of College Girls” stars in the directorial debut of Fawzia Mirza, an expansion of her 2012 short film of the same name.
”I feel like I’m very much in the beginning of my work.”
In Mirza’s semi-autobiographical film, Kaur plays queer Muslim grad student Azra, who returns to her ancestral home in Pakistan after the death of her father. While she clashes with her traditional mother, Mariam (Nimra Bucha), who insists she play the role of perfect grieving daughter, flashbacks to Mariam’s own life in Karachi 30 years earlier demonstrate the connections that unite mother and daughter — particularly in their shared adoration of Bollywood star Sharmila Tagore.
Kaur, best known for playing Bela in “The Sex Lives of College Girls” stars in the directorial debut of Fawzia Mirza, an expansion of her 2012 short film of the same name.
”I feel like I’m very much in the beginning of my work.”
In Mirza’s semi-autobiographical film, Kaur plays queer Muslim grad student Azra, who returns to her ancestral home in Pakistan after the death of her father. While she clashes with her traditional mother, Mariam (Nimra Bucha), who insists she play the role of perfect grieving daughter, flashbacks to Mariam’s own life in Karachi 30 years earlier demonstrate the connections that unite mother and daughter — particularly in their shared adoration of Bollywood star Sharmila Tagore.
- 9/9/2023
- by Brent Furdyk
- ET Canada
The apple rarely falls far from the tree and religion too often convinces said apple and tree of the opposite. This is the case with Mariam (Nimra Bucha) and Azra (Amrit Kaur) in Fawzia Mirza’s Pakistani-Canadian dramedy The Queen of My Dreams. Both are / were rebellious in their youth, desperate to cut a path that they desired beyond the boundaries of Islam or their parents. And yet both discover they are confined by those same boundaries through culture, generational trauma, and guilt.
That said, this isn’t a somber affair. Not really. Yes, it revolves around the untimely death of Azra’s father / Mariam’s husband Hassan (Hamza Haq), but the tragedy itself is as much a means to expose the cracks in this faltering mother-daughter relationship as it is to express the love that exists beneath it all. Because despite the traditionally conservative nature Mariam adheres to in the present,...
That said, this isn’t a somber affair. Not really. Yes, it revolves around the untimely death of Azra’s father / Mariam’s husband Hassan (Hamza Haq), but the tragedy itself is as much a means to expose the cracks in this faltering mother-daughter relationship as it is to express the love that exists beneath it all. Because despite the traditionally conservative nature Mariam adheres to in the present,...
- 9/9/2023
- by Jared Mobarak
- The Film Stage
Fawzia Mirza’s feature debut, “The Queen of My Dreams,” which premieres Sept. 8 at Toronto, isn’t just a love letter to Bollywood, it’s a love letter to mothers and daughters and intergenerational connections. “It’s an attempt to reflect on the compassion we have for the elders in our lives,” says Mirza.
Amrit Kaur (“The Sex Lives of College Girls”) plays Azra, a Muslim teen living in Toronto. When her father, Hassan (Hamza Haq), suddenly dies, Azra is forced into grieving as she returns to Pakistan. “Ms. Marvel’s” Nimra Bucha plays Miriam, in the coming-of-age film that crosses decades, generations, cultures and beliefs.
“The Queen of My Dreams” began over a decade ago as a short film in which Mirza starred and co-directed with Ryan Logan. “It really began as a private conversation that I was having about my struggle with whether I could be queer and...
Amrit Kaur (“The Sex Lives of College Girls”) plays Azra, a Muslim teen living in Toronto. When her father, Hassan (Hamza Haq), suddenly dies, Azra is forced into grieving as she returns to Pakistan. “Ms. Marvel’s” Nimra Bucha plays Miriam, in the coming-of-age film that crosses decades, generations, cultures and beliefs.
“The Queen of My Dreams” began over a decade ago as a short film in which Mirza starred and co-directed with Ryan Logan. “It really began as a private conversation that I was having about my struggle with whether I could be queer and...
- 9/8/2023
- by Jazz Tangcay
- Variety Film + TV
Titles include Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Evil Does Not Exist; Kitty Green’s The Royal Hotel; and Christos Nikou’s Fingernails.
BFI London Film Festival has unveiled the competition line-ups for best film, best first feature and best documentary.
The 11 films competing for best film include Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Evil Does Not Exist; Kitty Green’s The Royal Hotel; Daniel Kokotajlo’s Starve Acre and Christos Nikou’s Fingernails.
Christine Molloy returns to the competition after 2019’s Rose Plays Julie. This time she has co-directed Baltimore with frequent collaborator and partner Joe Lawlor. The pair recently directed The Future Tense which...
BFI London Film Festival has unveiled the competition line-ups for best film, best first feature and best documentary.
The 11 films competing for best film include Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Evil Does Not Exist; Kitty Green’s The Royal Hotel; Daniel Kokotajlo’s Starve Acre and Christos Nikou’s Fingernails.
Christine Molloy returns to the competition after 2019’s Rose Plays Julie. This time she has co-directed Baltimore with frequent collaborator and partner Joe Lawlor. The pair recently directed The Future Tense which...
- 8/29/2023
- by Ellie Calnan
- ScreenDaily
Next Goal Wins (Taika Waititi, 2023).The lineup is being unveiled for the 2023 edition of the Toronto International Film Festival, starting with 60 selections from the Gala and Special Presentations programs. The festival takes place from September 7–17, 2023.Gala PRESENTATIONSConcrete Utopia (Um Tae-Hwa)Dumb Money (Craig Gillespie)Fair Play (Chloe Domont)Flora and Son (John Carney)Hate to Love: Nickelback (Leigh Brooks)Lee (Ellen Kuras)Next Goal Wins (Taika Waititi)Nyad (Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, Jimmy Chin)Punjab ’95 (Honey Trehan)Solo (Sophie Dupuis)The End We Start From (Mahalia Belo)The Movie Emperor (Ning Hao)The New Boy (Warwick Thornton) The Royal Hotel (Kitty Green)The Holdovers.Special Presentationsa Difficult Year (Éric Toledano, Olivier Nakache)A Normal Family (Hur Jin-ho)American Fiction (Cord Jefferson)Anatomy of a Fall (Justine Triet)Close to You (Dominic Savage)Days of Happiness (Chloé Robichaud)The Rescue (Daniela Goggi)Ezra (Tony Goldwyn)Fingernails (Christos Nikou)Four Daughters (Kaouther Ben Hania...
- 8/14/2023
- MUBI
TIFF continues to build out its speaker lineup despite the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes barring a number of participants from this year’s 48th edition.
Of note, actor Viggo Mortensen will appear on stage in Toronto to discuss his feature directorial debut, the western The Dead Don’t Hurt, a movie he also stars in with Garret Dillahunt, Danny Huston and Vicky Krieps. Despite the SAG-AFTRA strike, Mortensen will appear at TIFF under the guise of director. He’ll be joined by producer Jeremy Thomas and Regina Solórzano. Global rights are available on The Dead Don’t Hurt; HanWay Films is handling.
Also having onstage conversations in the Visionaries section are Oscar winners Guillermo del Toro and Spike Lee.
Last week, TIFF announced that Pedro Almodovar, who is already receiving a tribute at the fest, Hong Kong actor Andy Lau and the stars of Korean disaster epic, Concrete Utopia, are already set to have sitdown conversations.
Of note, actor Viggo Mortensen will appear on stage in Toronto to discuss his feature directorial debut, the western The Dead Don’t Hurt, a movie he also stars in with Garret Dillahunt, Danny Huston and Vicky Krieps. Despite the SAG-AFTRA strike, Mortensen will appear at TIFF under the guise of director. He’ll be joined by producer Jeremy Thomas and Regina Solórzano. Global rights are available on The Dead Don’t Hurt; HanWay Films is handling.
Also having onstage conversations in the Visionaries section are Oscar winners Guillermo del Toro and Spike Lee.
Last week, TIFF announced that Pedro Almodovar, who is already receiving a tribute at the fest, Hong Kong actor Andy Lau and the stars of Korean disaster epic, Concrete Utopia, are already set to have sitdown conversations.
- 8/14/2023
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Speakers include Guillermo del Toro, Ladj Ly, Nadine Labaki, Viggo Mortenson, Jeremy Thomas.
TIFF top brass have unveiled the bulk of the TIFF Industry Conference line-up with sessions and speakers including Spike Lee, Lucy Walker, AI and film, and African cinema and film industries.
The Conference is divided into six sections and encompasses Doc Day and the new Sloane science and technology project pitch initiative funded by Alfred P. Sloan Foundation’s Public Understanding of Science and Technology programme.
Besides Lee and Walker, whose acquisition title Mountain Queen: The Summits Of Lhakpa Sherpa will premiere in TIFF Docs, speakers include Guillermo del Toro,...
TIFF top brass have unveiled the bulk of the TIFF Industry Conference line-up with sessions and speakers including Spike Lee, Lucy Walker, AI and film, and African cinema and film industries.
The Conference is divided into six sections and encompasses Doc Day and the new Sloane science and technology project pitch initiative funded by Alfred P. Sloan Foundation’s Public Understanding of Science and Technology programme.
Besides Lee and Walker, whose acquisition title Mountain Queen: The Summits Of Lhakpa Sherpa will premiere in TIFF Docs, speakers include Guillermo del Toro,...
- 8/14/2023
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Toronto — Today, the Toronto International Film Festival® announced this year’s Short Cuts lineup, supported by Ontario Arts Council, showcasing 42 live action narrative, documentary, and animated shorts by a groundbreaking group of filmmakers representing 23 countries. More than half of this year’s selections are directed or co-directed by female and female-identifying filmmakers. TIFF alumni directors with new films at Short Cuts include Yann Demange, Jasmin Mozaffari, Miryam Charles, Farnoosh Samadi, Halima Ouardiri, Renee Zhan, Andrea Nirmala Widjajanto, and the team of Ivete Lucas and Patrick Bresnan. Among the directors with short films at the Festival for the first time are Malia Ann and Canadian actor Mackenzie Davis. Among the notable performers in this year’s slate of new shorts are Riz Ahmed (Dammi) and Kaniehtiio Horn (Redlights).
A robust selection of new animated short films will be showcased in the programme this year. Animated films in Short Cuts include the...
A robust selection of new animated short films will be showcased in the programme this year. Animated films in Short Cuts include the...
- 8/9/2023
- by Movies Martin Cid Magazine
- Martin Cid Magazine - Movies
Toronto — Today, the Toronto International Film Festival® announced this year’s Short Cuts lineup, supported by Ontario Arts Council, showcasing 42 live action narrative, documentary, and animated shorts by a groundbreaking group of filmmakers representing 23 countries. More than half of this year’s selections are directed or co-directed by female and female-identifying filmmakers. TIFF alumni directors with new films at Short Cuts include Yann Demange, Jasmin Mozaffari, Miryam Charles, Farnoosh Samadi, Halima Ouardiri, Renee Zhan, Andrea Nirmala Widjajanto, and the team of Ivete Lucas and Patrick Bresnan. Among the directors with short films at the Festival for the first time are Malia Ann and Canadian actor Mackenzie Davis. Among the notable performers in this year’s slate of new shorts are Riz Ahmed (Dammi) and Kaniehtiio Horn (Redlights).
A robust selection of new animated short films will be showcased in the programme this year. Animated films in Short Cuts include the...
A robust selection of new animated short films will be showcased in the programme this year. Animated films in Short Cuts include the...
- 8/9/2023
- by Movies Martin Cid Magazine
- Martin Cid Magazine - Movies
The Toronto International Film Festival unveiled its Short Cuts showcase counting 42 live action narrative, documentary, and animated shorts from global filmmakers repping 23 countries.
That’s comprised of 21 World Premieres, 13 North American Premieres, and five International Premieres presented in 19 different languages.
More than half of this year’s selections are directed or co-directed by female and female-identifying filmmakers. TIFF alumni directors with new films at Short Cuts include Yann Demange (White Boy Rick), Jasmin Mozaffari, Miryam Charles, Farnoosh Samadi, Halima Ouardiri, Renee Zhan, Andrea Nirmala Widjajanto, and the team of Ivete Lucas and Patrick Bresnan. Among the directors with short films at the Festival for the first time are Malia Ann and Canadian actor Mackenzie Davis. Among the notable performers in this year’s slate of new shorts are Riz Ahmed in Dammi and Kaniehtiio Horn in Redlights.
Animated films in Short Cuts include the...
That’s comprised of 21 World Premieres, 13 North American Premieres, and five International Premieres presented in 19 different languages.
More than half of this year’s selections are directed or co-directed by female and female-identifying filmmakers. TIFF alumni directors with new films at Short Cuts include Yann Demange (White Boy Rick), Jasmin Mozaffari, Miryam Charles, Farnoosh Samadi, Halima Ouardiri, Renee Zhan, Andrea Nirmala Widjajanto, and the team of Ivete Lucas and Patrick Bresnan. Among the directors with short films at the Festival for the first time are Malia Ann and Canadian actor Mackenzie Davis. Among the notable performers in this year’s slate of new shorts are Riz Ahmed in Dammi and Kaniehtiio Horn in Redlights.
Animated films in Short Cuts include the...
- 8/9/2023
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
It is the feature directorial debut from Fawzia Mirza.
LevelK has boarded international sales for the Canadian/Pakistani dramedy The Queen Of My Dreams, which will have its world premiere in Toronto’s Discovery section. Signature Move’s Fawzia Mirza writes and directs.
Azra, a Pakistani woman living in Toronto, is worlds apart from her conservative Muslim mother. When her father suddenly dies on a trip home to Pakistan, Azra finds herself on a Bollywood-inspired journey through memories, both real and imagined, from her mother’s youth in Karachi to her own coming-of-age in rural Canada.
Amrit Kaur from HBO...
LevelK has boarded international sales for the Canadian/Pakistani dramedy The Queen Of My Dreams, which will have its world premiere in Toronto’s Discovery section. Signature Move’s Fawzia Mirza writes and directs.
Azra, a Pakistani woman living in Toronto, is worlds apart from her conservative Muslim mother. When her father suddenly dies on a trip home to Pakistan, Azra finds herself on a Bollywood-inspired journey through memories, both real and imagined, from her mother’s youth in Karachi to her own coming-of-age in rural Canada.
Amrit Kaur from HBO...
- 8/8/2023
- by Wendy Mitchell
- ScreenDaily
Toronto — The Toronto International Film Festival® is thrilled to announce the 2023 selections for the Discovery and Midnight Madness programmes. The infamous Midnight Madness lineup features 10 titles, 7 of which are World Premieres. The Discovery lineup, which primarily boasts World and International Premieres, includes 26 titles. Notably, 13 female filmmakers representing 50% of the total programme are featured in this year’s Discovery programme.
Midnight Madness and Discovery provide a cornucopia of original and unexpected work. Midnight Madness is a fan favourite, iconoclastic programme highlighting the weird and the wicked, while the Discovery programme offers a window to contemporary international cinema and introduces the public to first and second feature films from gifted new filmmakers.
“We’re excited to be showcasing new voices, audacious vision, and genre-bending cinema,” said Anita Lee, TIFF Chief Programming Officer. “TIFF’s Discovery and Midnight Madness programmes for 2023 will once again prove to be the ultimate destination for tastemakers and experience seekers.
Midnight Madness and Discovery provide a cornucopia of original and unexpected work. Midnight Madness is a fan favourite, iconoclastic programme highlighting the weird and the wicked, while the Discovery programme offers a window to contemporary international cinema and introduces the public to first and second feature films from gifted new filmmakers.
“We’re excited to be showcasing new voices, audacious vision, and genre-bending cinema,” said Anita Lee, TIFF Chief Programming Officer. “TIFF’s Discovery and Midnight Madness programmes for 2023 will once again prove to be the ultimate destination for tastemakers and experience seekers.
- 8/3/2023
- by Movies Martin Cid Magazine
- Martin Cid Magazine - Movies
The Toronto International Film Festival lineup keeps rolling in, with Midnight Madness, Discovery, and Platform programs being unveiled this week. Leading the pack is the North American premiere of Harmony Korine’s infrared action feature Aggro DR1FT, while new films from Tarsem, Larry Charles, Patricia Arquette, Molly Manning Walker, and more were also added.
“Sides will be split — both figuratively and literally (on screen) — as Midnight Madness returns to the Royal Alexandra Theatre with another stimulating concoction of unpredictable shock and ‘y’arr!’ cinema,” said Peter Kuplowsky, TIFF International Programmer, Midnight Madness. “Featuring two timely satiric provocations from Saudi Arabia (Naga) and Serbia (Working Class Goes to Hell) — nations that are making their section debut — this year’s madness infectiously ignites with 11 o’clock numbers that go all the way to midnight courtesy of Larry Charles’ bonkers and bawdy Dicks: The Musical. A menagerie of tastes will be sated, so bottoms up!
“Sides will be split — both figuratively and literally (on screen) — as Midnight Madness returns to the Royal Alexandra Theatre with another stimulating concoction of unpredictable shock and ‘y’arr!’ cinema,” said Peter Kuplowsky, TIFF International Programmer, Midnight Madness. “Featuring two timely satiric provocations from Saudi Arabia (Naga) and Serbia (Working Class Goes to Hell) — nations that are making their section debut — this year’s madness infectiously ignites with 11 o’clock numbers that go all the way to midnight courtesy of Larry Charles’ bonkers and bawdy Dicks: The Musical. A menagerie of tastes will be sated, so bottoms up!
- 8/3/2023
- by Leonard Pearce
- The Film Stage
Patricia Arquette’s Gonzo Girl and Larry Charles’ Dicks: The Musical open the sections.
The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) has unveiled the titles in its Discovery and Midnight Madness programmes, with the line-ups including Harmony Korine’s Aggro Dr1ft, Patricia Arquette’s Gonzo Girl and Molly Manning Walker’s How To Have Sex.
The Discovery line-up, designed to open a window on contemporary international cinema with first and second features from new filmmakers, comprises 26 titles from 25 countries, most of them world or international premieres.
As well as Arquette’s directing debut Gonzo Girl, with the actor also starring alongside Willem Dafoe,...
The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) has unveiled the titles in its Discovery and Midnight Madness programmes, with the line-ups including Harmony Korine’s Aggro Dr1ft, Patricia Arquette’s Gonzo Girl and Molly Manning Walker’s How To Have Sex.
The Discovery line-up, designed to open a window on contemporary international cinema with first and second features from new filmmakers, comprises 26 titles from 25 countries, most of them world or international premieres.
As well as Arquette’s directing debut Gonzo Girl, with the actor also starring alongside Willem Dafoe,...
- 8/3/2023
- by John Hazelton
- ScreenDaily
The Toronto International Film Festival announced the 2023 selections for the Discovery and Midnight Madness program this morning. The Midnight Madness lineup features 10 titles, seven of which are World Premieres. The Discovery lineup, which primarily boasts World and International Premieres, includes 26 titles. Notably, 13 female filmmakers representing 50% of the total are featured in this year’s Discovery program.
Midnight Madness and Discovery provide a cornucopia of original and unexpected work. Midnight Madness is a fan favorite, iconoclastic program highlighting the weird and the wicked, while the Discovery program offers a window to contemporary international cinema and introduces the public to first and second feature films from gifted new filmmakers.
“We’re excited to be showcasing new voices, audacious vision, and genre-bending cinema,” said Anita Lee, TIFF Chief Programming Officer. “TIFF’s Discovery and Midnight Madness program for 2023 will once again prove to be the ultimate destination for tastemakers and experience seekers.”
Midnight...
Midnight Madness and Discovery provide a cornucopia of original and unexpected work. Midnight Madness is a fan favorite, iconoclastic program highlighting the weird and the wicked, while the Discovery program offers a window to contemporary international cinema and introduces the public to first and second feature films from gifted new filmmakers.
“We’re excited to be showcasing new voices, audacious vision, and genre-bending cinema,” said Anita Lee, TIFF Chief Programming Officer. “TIFF’s Discovery and Midnight Madness program for 2023 will once again prove to be the ultimate destination for tastemakers and experience seekers.”
Midnight...
- 8/3/2023
- by Valerie Complex
- Deadline Film + TV
New films from Patricia Arquette, Larry Charles, Harmony Korine and Finn Wolfhard will screen in the Midnight Madness and Discovery sections of the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival, TIFF organizers announced on Thursday.
Korine’s “Aggro DR1FT” and Charles’ “Dicks: The Musical” will screen in the Midnight Madness section, along with eight other films that also include Jason Yu’s “Sleep” and Wolfhard and Billy Bryk’s “Hell of a Summer.”
“Dicks: The Musical,” which TIFF Midnight Madness programmer Peter Kuplowsky called “bonkers and bawdy” in the press release announcing the lineups, will open the Midnight Madness section, while Weston Razooli’s “Riddle of Fire” will be the closing-night attraction.
The Discovery section will showcase 26 films from up-and-coming directors around the world. It will open with Arquette’s “Gonzo Girl,” which stars Willem Dafoe and Camilla Morrone (“Daisy Jones & the Six”) and is one of many TIFF titles from actors who have turned to directing.
Korine’s “Aggro DR1FT” and Charles’ “Dicks: The Musical” will screen in the Midnight Madness section, along with eight other films that also include Jason Yu’s “Sleep” and Wolfhard and Billy Bryk’s “Hell of a Summer.”
“Dicks: The Musical,” which TIFF Midnight Madness programmer Peter Kuplowsky called “bonkers and bawdy” in the press release announcing the lineups, will open the Midnight Madness section, while Weston Razooli’s “Riddle of Fire” will be the closing-night attraction.
The Discovery section will showcase 26 films from up-and-coming directors around the world. It will open with Arquette’s “Gonzo Girl,” which stars Willem Dafoe and Camilla Morrone (“Daisy Jones & the Six”) and is one of many TIFF titles from actors who have turned to directing.
- 8/3/2023
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
The Toronto International Film Festival has today announced the lineup for two of its more unpredictable and interesting sections: Discovery and Midnight Madness. Billed as “the infamous,” this year’s Midnight Madness lineup features 10 titles, seven of which are world premieres. The Discovery lineup, which primarily includes world and international premieres, includes 26 titles.
Per TIFF, both “Midnight Madness and Discovery provide a cornucopia of original and unexpected work. Midnight Madness is a fan favorite, iconoclastic program highlighting the weird and the wicked, while the Discovery program offers a window to contemporary international cinema and introduces the public to first and second feature films from gifted new filmmakers.” The festival’s announcement also notes that 13 female filmmakers, representing 50 percent of the total program, are featured in this year’s Discovery lineup.
Those films include new offerings from Harmony Korine and Larry Charles, plus — as Peter Kuplowsky, TIFF International Programmer, Midnight Madness,...
Per TIFF, both “Midnight Madness and Discovery provide a cornucopia of original and unexpected work. Midnight Madness is a fan favorite, iconoclastic program highlighting the weird and the wicked, while the Discovery program offers a window to contemporary international cinema and introduces the public to first and second feature films from gifted new filmmakers.” The festival’s announcement also notes that 13 female filmmakers, representing 50 percent of the total program, are featured in this year’s Discovery lineup.
Those films include new offerings from Harmony Korine and Larry Charles, plus — as Peter Kuplowsky, TIFF International Programmer, Midnight Madness,...
- 8/3/2023
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
Finn Wolfhard, Larry Charles, Harmony Korine Films Set for Midnight Madness at Toronto Film Festival
The Toronto Film Festival’s Midnight Madness sidebar will open with Borat director Larry Charles’ latest movie Dicks: The Musical getting a world premiere.
Charles’ latest film, from A24 and in theaters from Sept. 29, stars Megan Mullally, Megan Thee Stallion, Bowen Yang as God and Nathan Lane, as the comedy duo of Aaron Jackson and Josh Sharp (who also wrote the film’s script) play self-obsessed businessmen who discover they’re long-lost identical twins and come together to plot the reunion of their eccentric and divorced parents.
“This year’s madness infectiously ignites with 11 o’clock numbers that go all the way to midnight courtesy of Larry Charles’ bonkers and bawdy Dicks: The Musical. A menagerie of tastes will be sated, so bottoms up!” Peter Kuplowsky, TIFF International programmer of Midnight Madness, said in a statement on Thursday.
The latest additions to the Toronto Film Festival also include the lineup...
Charles’ latest film, from A24 and in theaters from Sept. 29, stars Megan Mullally, Megan Thee Stallion, Bowen Yang as God and Nathan Lane, as the comedy duo of Aaron Jackson and Josh Sharp (who also wrote the film’s script) play self-obsessed businessmen who discover they’re long-lost identical twins and come together to plot the reunion of their eccentric and divorced parents.
“This year’s madness infectiously ignites with 11 o’clock numbers that go all the way to midnight courtesy of Larry Charles’ bonkers and bawdy Dicks: The Musical. A menagerie of tastes will be sated, so bottoms up!” Peter Kuplowsky, TIFF International programmer of Midnight Madness, said in a statement on Thursday.
The latest additions to the Toronto Film Festival also include the lineup...
- 8/3/2023
- by Etan Vlessing
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Leaders of the Tasveer South Asian Film Festival are celebrating their newly announced status as an Oscar-qualifying festival.
Rita Meher, co-founder of the Seattle-area event, received official word from the Motion Picture Academy on Wednesday that Tasveer “has been approved as an Academy-qualifying festival on the Short Films Qualifying Festival List.”
Per the Academy’s letter to Meher, “Short films that receive your Best Short Film award may now be eligible to enter the Short Films competition for the concurrent season, provided that the films meet all the requirements set forth in our official rules for that season which can be found at www.oscars.org/rules.”
According to a release from Tasveer, it’s the first time a South Asian film festival has earned the Oscar-qualifying distinction.
“We are ecstatic to announce this incredible milestone,” said Meher, the festival’s executive director and fo-founder. “We have always believed in...
Rita Meher, co-founder of the Seattle-area event, received official word from the Motion Picture Academy on Wednesday that Tasveer “has been approved as an Academy-qualifying festival on the Short Films Qualifying Festival List.”
Per the Academy’s letter to Meher, “Short films that receive your Best Short Film award may now be eligible to enter the Short Films competition for the concurrent season, provided that the films meet all the requirements set forth in our official rules for that season which can be found at www.oscars.org/rules.”
According to a release from Tasveer, it’s the first time a South Asian film festival has earned the Oscar-qualifying distinction.
“We are ecstatic to announce this incredible milestone,” said Meher, the festival’s executive director and fo-founder. “We have always believed in...
- 7/1/2023
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
In HBO/Max’s The Sex Lives of College Girls, created by Mindy Kaling and Justin Noble, Amrit Kaur plays Bela, who often finds herself in sticky situations for stopping at nothing to advance her comedy writing career.
“I’m very similar,” says the 30-year-old actress, who grew up in Ontario in a Sikh family. “I think my approach to acting is: There is nothing in the human experience that isn’t in me. I’m very ambitious. I love comedy. I love fashion. I am so desperate to be liked, I am so desperate to be the most beautiful. I’m so desperate to make everyone happy. Those are things that are the cusp of Bela.”
After graduating from theater school in Toronto, Kaur felt “I hadn’t learned enough, and I went around to so many acting studios.” The search led her to Gracemoon Arts Company and its founder,...
“I’m very similar,” says the 30-year-old actress, who grew up in Ontario in a Sikh family. “I think my approach to acting is: There is nothing in the human experience that isn’t in me. I’m very ambitious. I love comedy. I love fashion. I am so desperate to be liked, I am so desperate to be the most beautiful. I’m so desperate to make everyone happy. Those are things that are the cusp of Bela.”
After graduating from theater school in Toronto, Kaur felt “I hadn’t learned enough, and I went around to so many acting studios.” The search led her to Gracemoon Arts Company and its founder,...
- 6/11/2023
- by Hilton Dresden
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
A group of South Asian filmmakers, including Indian director Anurag Kashyap (Kennedy) and the team behind Pakistani Directors Fortnight title In Flames, talked on a Cannes panel about how cinema can cross the political barriers that are keeping their countries apart.
Tensions between India and Pakistan are making it difficult for films and filmmakers to travel between each other’s countries, despite the popularity of Indian cinema in Pakistan, and the recent rise of Pakistani films on the world stage, including In Flames and last year’s Cannes Un Certain Regard Jury Prize winner, Joyland.
Kashyap, who is in Cannes with neo-noir thriller Kennedy playing Out Of Competition, said a new generation of young producers from different South Asian countries is helping talent from the region to work together and introducing global audiences to the whole region’s films: “These young producers make a difference because they don’t have any boundaries,...
Tensions between India and Pakistan are making it difficult for films and filmmakers to travel between each other’s countries, despite the popularity of Indian cinema in Pakistan, and the recent rise of Pakistani films on the world stage, including In Flames and last year’s Cannes Un Certain Regard Jury Prize winner, Joyland.
Kashyap, who is in Cannes with neo-noir thriller Kennedy playing Out Of Competition, said a new generation of young producers from different South Asian countries is helping talent from the region to work together and introducing global audiences to the whole region’s films: “These young producers make a difference because they don’t have any boundaries,...
- 5/22/2023
- by Liz Shackleton
- Deadline Film + TV
Participating in the Goes to Cannes initiative for the very first time, Australia’s Queer Screen Mardi Gras Film Festival has unveiled titles selected for its works-in-progress showcase: Four feature films and one documentary.
“It is the first time that Goes to Cannes has a partner from Australia and it’s also the first time when we have a festival dedicated to LGBTQ films and content. It’s also a part of our impACT initiative, which supports diversity, inclusion and sustainability in the film industry,” observes Guillaume Esmiol, executive director at Marché du Film.
Fawzia Mirza’s “The Queen of My Dreams” and Poppy Stockell’s dark comedy-drama “Triple Oh!” – “about a mismatched pair of queer ambulance paramedics who get hands-on with life, death, and each other,” teases the director – will be presented, as well as “Sunflower” by Gabriel Carrubba.
“For me, the mood of the film is sensual. It’s tender,...
“It is the first time that Goes to Cannes has a partner from Australia and it’s also the first time when we have a festival dedicated to LGBTQ films and content. It’s also a part of our impACT initiative, which supports diversity, inclusion and sustainability in the film industry,” observes Guillaume Esmiol, executive director at Marché du Film.
Fawzia Mirza’s “The Queen of My Dreams” and Poppy Stockell’s dark comedy-drama “Triple Oh!” – “about a mismatched pair of queer ambulance paramedics who get hands-on with life, death, and each other,” teases the director – will be presented, as well as “Sunflower” by Gabriel Carrubba.
“For me, the mood of the film is sensual. It’s tender,...
- 5/5/2023
- by Marta Balaga
- Variety Film + TV
1497, the nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting South Asian filmmakers, has enlisted Mira Nair, Geeta Malik (India Sweets and Spices)and Minhal Baig (Hala) as mentors for its third Features Lab. Baig is returning after having also served as a mentor for last year’s lab, held virtually and in-person in New York.
The 2023 edition will move cross-country to Malibu for the first time, taking place Oct. 18 through 23, wherein a newly structured format each of the three Lab participants will be given a dedicated pod of experts — a filmmaker, a producer, a representative and a Lab alum — to help them with script development and career guidance. In addition, they will receive (along with seven other finalists) the latest version of software from Final Draft, which is returning as Lab sponsor.
1497 has assembled a team of industry figures descended from all eight officially recognized South Asian countries — Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, The Maldives,...
The 2023 edition will move cross-country to Malibu for the first time, taking place Oct. 18 through 23, wherein a newly structured format each of the three Lab participants will be given a dedicated pod of experts — a filmmaker, a producer, a representative and a Lab alum — to help them with script development and career guidance. In addition, they will receive (along with seven other finalists) the latest version of software from Final Draft, which is returning as Lab sponsor.
1497 has assembled a team of industry figures descended from all eight officially recognized South Asian countries — Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, The Maldives,...
- 4/12/2023
- by Rebecca Sun
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
“Me, My Mom & Sharmila,” the feature directorial debut of queer Muslim writer-director Fawzia Mirza, has set its cast.
The film will feature Amrit Kaur, the breakout star of Mindy Kaling and Justin Noble’s HBO Max series “The Sex Lives of College Girls”; Hamza Haq, who won best actor in 2021 and 2022 at the Canadian Screen Awards for CTV medical drama “Transplant”; and Nimra Bucha.
Set in 1999, the film follows Azra (Kaur) over 48 hours as she travels from her home in Canada to her parents’ homeland of Pakistan to bury her father (Haq). Azra struggles to connect with her conservative mother Mariam (Bucha), but her return to Pakistan launches her into memories both real and imagined that reveal their unexpected similarities.
Adapted from Mirza’s stage play of the same name, “Me, My Mom & Sharmila” is produced by Jason Levangie and Marc Tetreault for Shut Up & Colour Pictures (“Night Blooms...
The film will feature Amrit Kaur, the breakout star of Mindy Kaling and Justin Noble’s HBO Max series “The Sex Lives of College Girls”; Hamza Haq, who won best actor in 2021 and 2022 at the Canadian Screen Awards for CTV medical drama “Transplant”; and Nimra Bucha.
Set in 1999, the film follows Azra (Kaur) over 48 hours as she travels from her home in Canada to her parents’ homeland of Pakistan to bury her father (Haq). Azra struggles to connect with her conservative mother Mariam (Bucha), but her return to Pakistan launches her into memories both real and imagined that reveal their unexpected similarities.
Adapted from Mirza’s stage play of the same name, “Me, My Mom & Sharmila” is produced by Jason Levangie and Marc Tetreault for Shut Up & Colour Pictures (“Night Blooms...
- 8/24/2022
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Talk show reunions, heartland justice, stateside backlash to the 1970s Iranian hostage crisis, and faith vs a child’s transgender identity are among the stories that make up the second annual Muslim List.
The collaboration between The Black List, the Muslim Public Affairs Council Hollywood Bureau and Pillars Fund has once again selected 10 writers out of the hundreds of submission received for this latest apportionment. The deadline for the second Muslim List was February 28.
First announced back in September 2020, the List aims to amplify the depth and range of voices and perspectives of Muslim scribes and storytellers on both the big and small screen. So, producers, agents and A-listers, see the full list of the 2022 coterie below.
“I said last year that it was an honor to partner with both Mpac and Pillars Fund and it’s doubly so this year,” stated Black List boss Franklin Leonard today. “These...
The collaboration between The Black List, the Muslim Public Affairs Council Hollywood Bureau and Pillars Fund has once again selected 10 writers out of the hundreds of submission received for this latest apportionment. The deadline for the second Muslim List was February 28.
First announced back in September 2020, the List aims to amplify the depth and range of voices and perspectives of Muslim scribes and storytellers on both the big and small screen. So, producers, agents and A-listers, see the full list of the 2022 coterie below.
“I said last year that it was an honor to partner with both Mpac and Pillars Fund and it’s doubly so this year,” stated Black List boss Franklin Leonard today. “These...
- 7/26/2022
- by Dominic Patten
- Deadline Film + TV
The 2022 Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (Iffla) announced details of its Closing Gala presentation, the addition of a Master Class with celebrated filmmaker and Iffla alum, Anurag Kashyap, and the film festival’s annual One-on-One program to connect its filmmakers to industry executives and encourage further career development. This year’s jury members were also revealed.
The 20th annual edition of the internationally acclaimed film festival will wrap up with a first look at Iffla alum Kahlil Maskati’s feature screenplay, Alim Uncle, presented as a live table read featuring a dozen of top Los Angeles-based talent, and a preview of Nimisha Mukerji’s Warner Bros. Discovery 150 supported project, New Country. The evening, taking place at Regal LA Live (1000 W. Olympic Blvd.), will also include the Awards Ceremony and will be bookended by red carpet entrances and one of Iffla’s signature afterparties at The Continental Club (116 W 4th...
The 20th annual edition of the internationally acclaimed film festival will wrap up with a first look at Iffla alum Kahlil Maskati’s feature screenplay, Alim Uncle, presented as a live table read featuring a dozen of top Los Angeles-based talent, and a preview of Nimisha Mukerji’s Warner Bros. Discovery 150 supported project, New Country. The evening, taking place at Regal LA Live (1000 W. Olympic Blvd.), will also include the Awards Ceremony and will be bookended by red carpet entrances and one of Iffla’s signature afterparties at The Continental Club (116 W 4th...
- 4/26/2022
- by Rhythm Zaveri
- AsianMoviePulse
April 23, 2022 01:30pm Pdt – 10:45pm Pdt
NewFilmmakers Los Angeles (Nfmla) hosts its April Monthly Film Festival and annual InFocus: Asian Cinema program, spotlighting Asian filmmakers and stories from around the world across two shorts programs featuring work by emerging Asian and Asian-American talent in front of and behind the camera. Additionally, the day includes a selection of films from past editions of LA’s own Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (Iffla), as well as the LA premiere of Alana Waksman’s award-winning debut feature film, We Burn Like This, which follows a young Jewish woman confronted with rising antisemitism in her community.
The day begins with a retrospective shorts program from the archives of Nfmla partner, the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (Iffla). In advance of its upcoming landmark 20th Anniversary edition, which takes place April 28 – May 1, Iffla celebrates its remarkable history with an eclectic program of...
NewFilmmakers Los Angeles (Nfmla) hosts its April Monthly Film Festival and annual InFocus: Asian Cinema program, spotlighting Asian filmmakers and stories from around the world across two shorts programs featuring work by emerging Asian and Asian-American talent in front of and behind the camera. Additionally, the day includes a selection of films from past editions of LA’s own Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (Iffla), as well as the LA premiere of Alana Waksman’s award-winning debut feature film, We Burn Like This, which follows a young Jewish woman confronted with rising antisemitism in her community.
The day begins with a retrospective shorts program from the archives of Nfmla partner, the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (Iffla). In advance of its upcoming landmark 20th Anniversary edition, which takes place April 28 – May 1, Iffla celebrates its remarkable history with an eclectic program of...
- 4/5/2022
- by Suzie Cho
- AsianMoviePulse
In June 2021, Oscar-nominee and Emmy-winner Riz Ahmed and Pillars Fund’s Kashif Shaikh and Arij Mikati outlined the urgent need for more Muslim representation in the entertainment industry, both in front of and behind the camera, during an extensive interview with Variety.
The trio announced plans to launch a first-of-its-kind initiative, dubbed the Pillars Artist Fellowship, with a mission to provide resources and mentorship to a group of talented Muslim artists to help them use their talents to change the game in the film and television industries. Today, Pillars Fund, Ahmed and his Left Handed Films banner unveil the inaugural cohort of fellows.
“We spent months getting to know many talented candidates,” stated Shaikh, Pillars Fund’s co-founder and president. “We are honored to work with these incredible artists and are excited to provide them resources to reach even greater heights in the coming year.”
Sponsored by Netflix and Amazon Studios,...
The trio announced plans to launch a first-of-its-kind initiative, dubbed the Pillars Artist Fellowship, with a mission to provide resources and mentorship to a group of talented Muslim artists to help them use their talents to change the game in the film and television industries. Today, Pillars Fund, Ahmed and his Left Handed Films banner unveil the inaugural cohort of fellows.
“We spent months getting to know many talented candidates,” stated Shaikh, Pillars Fund’s co-founder and president. “We are honored to work with these incredible artists and are excited to provide them resources to reach even greater heights in the coming year.”
Sponsored by Netflix and Amazon Studios,...
- 3/15/2022
- by Angelique Jackson
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Up-and-coming writer-director Fawzia Mirza has signed with APA for representation.
Mirza’s first feature film, Signature Move, which she co-wrote, produced and starred in, claimed 15 awards after making its world premiere at SXSW, including Outfest’s Grand Jury Prize.
She most recently directed the short film The Syed Family Xmas Eve Game Night, which premiered at the 2021 Toronto Film Festival and was named to Canada’s Top 10, the festival’s list of the best Canadian films of 2021. The short Brown Elephant, which she directed and co-wrote, will premiere December 17 on Freeform’s social media channel @25Days.
Mirza also wrote on Greg Berlanti and Ava Duvernay’s CBS drama series, The Red Line. Her next short, Auntie, exec produced by Powderkeg and Paul Feig as part of the Fuse women writer-director incubator program, will premiere in 2022.
Mirza is also developing her feature directorial debut, Me, My Mom & Sharmila, which is...
Mirza’s first feature film, Signature Move, which she co-wrote, produced and starred in, claimed 15 awards after making its world premiere at SXSW, including Outfest’s Grand Jury Prize.
She most recently directed the short film The Syed Family Xmas Eve Game Night, which premiered at the 2021 Toronto Film Festival and was named to Canada’s Top 10, the festival’s list of the best Canadian films of 2021. The short Brown Elephant, which she directed and co-wrote, will premiere December 17 on Freeform’s social media channel @25Days.
Mirza also wrote on Greg Berlanti and Ava Duvernay’s CBS drama series, The Red Line. Her next short, Auntie, exec produced by Powderkeg and Paul Feig as part of the Fuse women writer-director incubator program, will premiere in 2022.
Mirza is also developing her feature directorial debut, Me, My Mom & Sharmila, which is...
- 12/16/2021
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
South Asian writer/actor Kausar Mohammed has signed with Paradigm for representation. She can currently be seen as “techspert” Soraya on CW’s 4400. She also voices series lead, Yaz, on Dreamwork’s Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous.
Mohammed wrote and stars in the holiday romcom The Syed Family Xmas Eve Game Night, directed by Fawzia Mirza, which world premiered at TIFF 2021. She also worked alongside Taraji P. Henson on Paramount’s What Men Want, with Issa Rae on the Universal film Little, and has additional credits on shows such as HBO’s Silicon Valley, CW’s Black Lightning and Carol’s Second Act on CBS.
Mohammed is a featured talent in this year’s ViacomCBS Diversity 2021 Showcase and plays series lead in Paul Feig’s dramedy, East of La Brea. She portrays Rakhi in Coffee Shop Names, alongside Danny Pudi and Karan Soni, that was recently released on HBO Max. She also is the co-founder of Shift,...
Mohammed wrote and stars in the holiday romcom The Syed Family Xmas Eve Game Night, directed by Fawzia Mirza, which world premiered at TIFF 2021. She also worked alongside Taraji P. Henson on Paramount’s What Men Want, with Issa Rae on the Universal film Little, and has additional credits on shows such as HBO’s Silicon Valley, CW’s Black Lightning and Carol’s Second Act on CBS.
Mohammed is a featured talent in this year’s ViacomCBS Diversity 2021 Showcase and plays series lead in Paul Feig’s dramedy, East of La Brea. She portrays Rakhi in Coffee Shop Names, alongside Danny Pudi and Karan Soni, that was recently released on HBO Max. She also is the co-founder of Shift,...
- 12/7/2021
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
Frameline, the arts nonprofit that hosts San Francisco’s International LGBTQ+ Film Festival, has announced seven new selections for their 10th annual Frameline Voices short distribution program.
Frameline Voices is a curated program of short films and episodic content representing experiences unique to LGBTQ+ people and communities. Voices fosters career advancement for queer and gender non-binary creators through the exhibition of their work. Voices also aims to improve and equalize mainstream media representations of LGBTQ+ people through content distribution and career development of LGBTQ+ creators.
“We’re delighted to continue to bring the special fun of a Frameline festival to all screens, everywhere through our Frameline Voices program,” says Frameline’s Director of Distribution and Educational Programming, Lindsey Hodgson. “Our new cohort of Voices filmmakers are the fiercest and finest of LGBTQ+ storytellers, bringing us stories with unique points of view and all kinds of hilarity, heart and soul. We...
Frameline Voices is a curated program of short films and episodic content representing experiences unique to LGBTQ+ people and communities. Voices fosters career advancement for queer and gender non-binary creators through the exhibition of their work. Voices also aims to improve and equalize mainstream media representations of LGBTQ+ people through content distribution and career development of LGBTQ+ creators.
“We’re delighted to continue to bring the special fun of a Frameline festival to all screens, everywhere through our Frameline Voices program,” says Frameline’s Director of Distribution and Educational Programming, Lindsey Hodgson. “Our new cohort of Voices filmmakers are the fiercest and finest of LGBTQ+ storytellers, bringing us stories with unique points of view and all kinds of hilarity, heart and soul. We...
- 11/18/2021
- by Valerie Complex
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Kausar Mohammed (The Syed Family Xmas Eve Game Night), Wilder Yari (The L Word: Generation Q) and Theo Germaine (The Politician) are set for heavily recurring roles in 4400, the CW’s reimagining of the 2004-07 USA Network sci-fi drama series.
Based on the original TV series created by Scott Peters and Renee Echevarria, 4400 hails from Riverdale co-executive producer Ariana Jackson, who wrote the pilot; Sunil Nayar; and Anna Fricke and Laura Terry of Pursued By a Bear.
2021-22 The CW New Series
In 4400, over the last century at least 4,400 people who were overlooked, undervalued, or otherwise marginalized vanished without a trace off the face of the planet. Last night, inexplicably, they were all returned in an instant to Detroit having not aged a day and with no memory of what happened to them. As the government races to understand the phenomenon, analyze the potential threat and contain the story,...
Based on the original TV series created by Scott Peters and Renee Echevarria, 4400 hails from Riverdale co-executive producer Ariana Jackson, who wrote the pilot; Sunil Nayar; and Anna Fricke and Laura Terry of Pursued By a Bear.
2021-22 The CW New Series
In 4400, over the last century at least 4,400 people who were overlooked, undervalued, or otherwise marginalized vanished without a trace off the face of the planet. Last night, inexplicably, they were all returned in an instant to Detroit having not aged a day and with no memory of what happened to them. As the government races to understand the phenomenon, analyze the potential threat and contain the story,...
- 10/14/2021
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
The Inside Out 2Slgbtq+ Film Festival on Monday unveiled winners for its just-wrapped 31st edition, bestowing its Audience Award for narrative feature on Ümit Ünal’s Love, Spells and All That and its best first feature honor on Marley Morrison’s Sweetheart.
A total of 143 films including 33 features and five episodic series unspooled during the Ontario-based virtual festival that ran May 27-June 6, with a total of 70% of this year’s selected films by women/trans/non-binary directors.
Love, Spells centers on the reunion 20 years later of two woman who were separated from their families after a love affair as teens; one believes they were reunited because she cast a love spell on the other. Sweetheart is a comedic coming-of-age story about a socially awkward girl (Nell Barlow) forced to go on a family vacation only to discover after a chance meeting with a local lifeguard that she has a chance...
A total of 143 films including 33 features and five episodic series unspooled during the Ontario-based virtual festival that ran May 27-June 6, with a total of 70% of this year’s selected films by women/trans/non-binary directors.
Love, Spells centers on the reunion 20 years later of two woman who were separated from their families after a love affair as teens; one believes they were reunited because she cast a love spell on the other. Sweetheart is a comedic coming-of-age story about a socially awkward girl (Nell Barlow) forced to go on a family vacation only to discover after a chance meeting with a local lifeguard that she has a chance...
- 6/7/2021
- by Patrick Hipes
- Deadline Film + TV
The arc of the moral universe may bend toward justice, but it needs a little boost here and there. In the case of Black LGBTQ media, a few watershed moments shot through the culture more like a geyser than a sprinkling of incremental change: When “Orange Is The New Black” introduced the force that is Laverne Cox, when “Moonlight” won Best Picture, and when “Pose” premiered on FX.
Heading into its third and final season next month, the New York City ballroom scene drama — set in the late 1980s to early ‘90s — broke records from the jump. Its 2018 premiere marked the most transgender performers as series regulars in scripted television history, and they were all of Black or Latinx descent.
“‘Pose’ was a game-changer. Centering trans women of color in their own stories, in front of and behind the camera, has not only impacted the industry, but impacted communities and saved lives,...
Heading into its third and final season next month, the New York City ballroom scene drama — set in the late 1980s to early ‘90s — broke records from the jump. Its 2018 premiere marked the most transgender performers as series regulars in scripted television history, and they were all of Black or Latinx descent.
“‘Pose’ was a game-changer. Centering trans women of color in their own stories, in front of and behind the camera, has not only impacted the industry, but impacted communities and saved lives,...
- 4/16/2021
- by Jude Dry
- Indiewire
Onir is directing and co-writing “symbolic sequel” to his award-winning anthology I Am, with Fawzia Mirza as co-writer.
Shant Joshi’s Canada-based Fae Pictures is joining forces with Indian director Onir’s Anticlock Films on LGBTQ-themed feature We Are, which is being set up as an India-Canada co-production.
Onir is directing and co-writing the feature with Fawzia Mirza (Signature Move). Anticlock’s Sanjay Suri is producing with Onir and Joshi, in association with Baby Daal Productions. Production is expected to start in late 2021 or early 2022.
The two companies describe the project as a “symbolic sequel” to Onir’s award-winning 2011 anthology film,...
Shant Joshi’s Canada-based Fae Pictures is joining forces with Indian director Onir’s Anticlock Films on LGBTQ-themed feature We Are, which is being set up as an India-Canada co-production.
Onir is directing and co-writing the feature with Fawzia Mirza (Signature Move). Anticlock’s Sanjay Suri is producing with Onir and Joshi, in association with Baby Daal Productions. Production is expected to start in late 2021 or early 2022.
The two companies describe the project as a “symbolic sequel” to Onir’s award-winning 2011 anthology film,...
- 12/9/2020
- by Liz Shackleton
- ScreenDaily
"My mother wants to meet you..." Music Box Films has released an official US trailer for an indie romantic comedy titled Signature Move, from filmmaker Jennifer Reeder, with a script written by Lisa Donato and Fawzia Mirza (who stars in the film). This originally premiered back in 2017 at the SXSW Film Festival, and won the Grand Jury Prize for Best US Narrative Feature at Outfest 2017, and is finally getting a release this year after a long delay. Zaynab, a thirty-something Pakistani, Muslim, lesbian in Chicago takes care of her sweet and TV-obsessed mother. As Zaynab falls for Alma, a bold and very bright Mexican woman, she searches for her identity in life, love and wrestling. Starring Fawzia Mirza as Zaynab, along with Shabana Azmi, Sari Sanchez, Audrey Francis, Charin Alvarez, and Molly Brennan. This looks like good fun, although it seems a bit cliche exploring this kind of relationship, but...
- 11/2/2020
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
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.