Trish Dalton and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy’s Diane von Furstenberg: Woman In Charge will open the 23rd edition of the Tribeca Festival. Photo: Anne Katrin Titze
In the Spotlight Documentary program Kelly Anderson and Jay Arthur Sterrenberg’s (co-founder of the Meerkat Media Collective) Emergent City on the Sunset Park community efforts to reign in the developers of the waterfront property now known as Industry City in Brooklyn, New York and Dana Flor’s 1-800-on-her-own on the professional and personal journey singer/songwriter/activist Ani Difranco (who is currently starring on Broadway in Anäis Mitchell’s Hadestown) has taken to remain an independent voice in the music world, plus in the Midnight section Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala’s The Devil's Bath (Des Teufels Bad) starring Anja Plaschg (who is also the composer as Soap&Skin), shot by Martin Gschlacht (Silver Bear winner in the 2024 Berlin Film Festival), executive...
In the Spotlight Documentary program Kelly Anderson and Jay Arthur Sterrenberg’s (co-founder of the Meerkat Media Collective) Emergent City on the Sunset Park community efforts to reign in the developers of the waterfront property now known as Industry City in Brooklyn, New York and Dana Flor’s 1-800-on-her-own on the professional and personal journey singer/songwriter/activist Ani Difranco (who is currently starring on Broadway in Anäis Mitchell’s Hadestown) has taken to remain an independent voice in the music world, plus in the Midnight section Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala’s The Devil's Bath (Des Teufels Bad) starring Anja Plaschg (who is also the composer as Soap&Skin), shot by Martin Gschlacht (Silver Bear winner in the 2024 Berlin Film Festival), executive...
- 6/3/2024
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Despite the glass-ceiling-smashing success of Greta Gerwig’s Barbie, gender parity in the global film sector remains a distant goal. Re-Framing the Picture, a recent study from an international and multidisciplinary research team looking at the German, British and Canadian film industries, projects that, at the current rate of progress, true 50-50 equality in key creative positions won’t be reached until 2041 in Germany, 2085 in the U.K., and 2215 (!) in Canada. It’s not an optimistic forecast for the producers, managers, film executives and talents picked by THR as the most influential women in international cinema, but they continue to find new models to produce, finance and distribute movies that amplify diverse voices. More than ever, it’s their efforts that are required if the promise of a more representative and inclusive film industry is ever to be realized.
Mo Abudu
CEO, EbonyLife Media (Nigeria)
Africa’s production industry was...
Mo Abudu
CEO, EbonyLife Media (Nigeria)
Africa’s production industry was...
- 5/13/2024
- by Patrick Brzeski, Scott Roxborough and Georg Szalai
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Georgian director Elene Naveriani’s late-coming-of-age, female empowerment drama Blackbird Blackbird Blackberry topped the prizes at the Swiss Film Awards in Zurich over the weekend.
The drama, which world premiered in Cannes Directors’ Fortnight last year, revolves around an independent-minded, single woman in her 40s in a small Georgian village, who faces a personal crossroads when she unexpectedly falls in love.
The feature won Best Feature Film, as well as Best Screenplay and for Best Screenplay for Naveriani and for Best Film Editing for Aurora Franco Vögeli.
The Swiss-Georgian co-production was produced by Thomas Reichlin, Ketie Danelia and Bettina Brokemper for Alva Film in Switzerland and Takes Film in Georgia.
Pierre Monnard’s clandestine fight club drama Bisons also won three prizes: Best Film Score for Nicolas Rabaeus, Best Cinematography for Joseph Areddy and Best Actor for Karim Barras.
Swiss-French Barras will also soon be seen in period drama Winter Palace,...
The drama, which world premiered in Cannes Directors’ Fortnight last year, revolves around an independent-minded, single woman in her 40s in a small Georgian village, who faces a personal crossroads when she unexpectedly falls in love.
The feature won Best Feature Film, as well as Best Screenplay and for Best Screenplay for Naveriani and for Best Film Editing for Aurora Franco Vögeli.
The Swiss-Georgian co-production was produced by Thomas Reichlin, Ketie Danelia and Bettina Brokemper for Alva Film in Switzerland and Takes Film in Georgia.
Pierre Monnard’s clandestine fight club drama Bisons also won three prizes: Best Film Score for Nicolas Rabaeus, Best Cinematography for Joseph Areddy and Best Actor for Karim Barras.
Swiss-French Barras will also soon be seen in period drama Winter Palace,...
- 3/25/2024
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
The European Film Academy has unveiled its new board which has been voted in under updated guidelines aimed at ensuring a more balanced geographical representation of its members.
Three incumbent board members have been re-elected for a fresh two-year term running from 2024-25. Mike Downey (Ireland/UK) will continue as chair of the board with Joanna Szymańska (Poland) joining Ada Solomon (Romania) as Deputy Chair.
Another eight new members have been voted in for the next two years, while a further six incumbent members will continue their mandate until the end of 2024.
The new structure has increased board representation of members in countries in Northeastern and Southeastern Europe such as Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Slovenia.
A new seat representing members from transnational populations is dedicated to Sámi filmmakers from 2024-2025, followed by Romani filmmakers for 2026-2027.
Anne-Lajla Utsi (Sápmi/Norway), who is head...
Three incumbent board members have been re-elected for a fresh two-year term running from 2024-25. Mike Downey (Ireland/UK) will continue as chair of the board with Joanna Szymańska (Poland) joining Ada Solomon (Romania) as Deputy Chair.
Another eight new members have been voted in for the next two years, while a further six incumbent members will continue their mandate until the end of 2024.
The new structure has increased board representation of members in countries in Northeastern and Southeastern Europe such as Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Slovenia.
A new seat representing members from transnational populations is dedicated to Sámi filmmakers from 2024-2025, followed by Romani filmmakers for 2026-2027.
Anne-Lajla Utsi (Sápmi/Norway), who is head...
- 1/10/2024
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Board has greater representation of filmmakers from North- and Southeastern Europe.
Eight people have been voted onto the board of the European Film Academy following a restructure to improve representation from across Europe.
They include Giorgos Karnavas, co-founder of Athens- based production company and sales firm Heretic; Tine Klint, founder of Copenhagen sales company LevelK; and Hanka Kastelicová, HBO Max’s VP documentaries for Emea, from the Czech Republic.
Also joining the board are Lithuanian producer Marija Razgutė, whose most recent film Slow world premiered at Karlovy Vary this year; Turkish producer and festival director Başak Emre; Spain’s Paz Lázaro,...
Eight people have been voted onto the board of the European Film Academy following a restructure to improve representation from across Europe.
They include Giorgos Karnavas, co-founder of Athens- based production company and sales firm Heretic; Tine Klint, founder of Copenhagen sales company LevelK; and Hanka Kastelicová, HBO Max’s VP documentaries for Emea, from the Czech Republic.
Also joining the board are Lithuanian producer Marija Razgutė, whose most recent film Slow world premiered at Karlovy Vary this year; Turkish producer and festival director Başak Emre; Spain’s Paz Lázaro,...
- 1/10/2024
- by Tim Dams
- ScreenDaily
The festival’s full Industry Days programme will take place from October 2-6.
Filmfest Hamburg’s Industry Days brings together the local industry with colleagues from throughout Germany and the international industry.
The programme of keynotes, panels, and workshops kicks off on October 2 with a keynote speech by one of Germany’s most prolific directors, Dominik Graf, known for features such as Fabian: Going To The Dogs and Beloved Sisters. It will be followed by discussions about the situation of emerging talents in Germany and the initiatives being developed to promote this up-and-coming generation of filmmakers.
For the second year running,...
Filmfest Hamburg’s Industry Days brings together the local industry with colleagues from throughout Germany and the international industry.
The programme of keynotes, panels, and workshops kicks off on October 2 with a keynote speech by one of Germany’s most prolific directors, Dominik Graf, known for features such as Fabian: Going To The Dogs and Beloved Sisters. It will be followed by discussions about the situation of emerging talents in Germany and the initiatives being developed to promote this up-and-coming generation of filmmakers.
For the second year running,...
- 9/28/2023
- by Martin Blaney
- ScreenDaily
International sales house Totem Films has closed distribution deals in multiple territories for “Blackbird Blackbird Blackberry,” which had its world premiere in Directors’ Fortnight in Cannes. The company also closed a deal for France for another Directors’ Fortnight film, “A Song Sung Blue.”
“Blackbird Blackbird Blackberry” was sold to France (Capricci), U.K. (New Wave), Benelux (Vedette), Sweden (Folkets Bio), Greece (Ama Films), Czech Republic (Artcam), and Germany (Eksystent). More deals are in negotiation. The distributor in Switzerland is Frenetic.
The film, directed by Elene Navierani, centers on Etero, a 48-year-old woman living in a small village in Georgia. Etero never wanted a husband and cherishes her freedom as much as her cakes. But her choice to live alone is the cause of much gossip among her fellow villagers.
Unexpectedly, she finds herself passionately falling for a man, and is suddenly faced with the decision to pursue a relationship or continue a life of independence.
“Blackbird Blackbird Blackberry” was sold to France (Capricci), U.K. (New Wave), Benelux (Vedette), Sweden (Folkets Bio), Greece (Ama Films), Czech Republic (Artcam), and Germany (Eksystent). More deals are in negotiation. The distributor in Switzerland is Frenetic.
The film, directed by Elene Navierani, centers on Etero, a 48-year-old woman living in a small village in Georgia. Etero never wanted a husband and cherishes her freedom as much as her cakes. But her choice to live alone is the cause of much gossip among her fellow villagers.
Unexpectedly, she finds herself passionately falling for a man, and is suddenly faced with the decision to pursue a relationship or continue a life of independence.
- 5/30/2023
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
Sophie Heldman will direct the real-life Lgbtqi+ drama.
Charlie Murphy and Flora Nicholson will lead the cast of Miss Pirie And Miss Woods, a true story Lgbtqi+ drama from director Sophie Heldman and Winners producer Paul Welsh.
Based on historian Lilian Faderman’s book Scotch Verdict, it tells the 1810 story of a scandal when a Scottish student accused two of her teachers of having an affair. The producers expect to close finance this week in Cannes, ahead of a shoot in Scotland and Germany in autumn 2023.
Having co-written the film with Nicholson, it will be a second feature for German director Heldman,...
Charlie Murphy and Flora Nicholson will lead the cast of Miss Pirie And Miss Woods, a true story Lgbtqi+ drama from director Sophie Heldman and Winners producer Paul Welsh.
Based on historian Lilian Faderman’s book Scotch Verdict, it tells the 1810 story of a scandal when a Scottish student accused two of her teachers of having an affair. The producers expect to close finance this week in Cannes, ahead of a shoot in Scotland and Germany in autumn 2023.
Having co-written the film with Nicholson, it will be a second feature for German director Heldman,...
- 5/19/2023
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
You could call the 40 executives on THR‘s inaugural International Women in Entertainment — Film list “the survivors.” As seismic disruptions rocked the indie world, from Covid shutdowns to the decimation of the special cinema market, these women have found a way to secure the money and the partners to keep making the stories they care about — often told by filmmakers from ignored or underrepresented groups — and get them out to the audiences that love them, worldwide. In a business that lionizes ego, these bosses — some who run pan-national mini-studios, others who oversee boutique operations with a handful of employees — have made an art out of collaboration, understanding that only by pooling their resources, by co-producing, co-financing or distributing one another’s movies, and by mentoring and encouraging young (often female) filmmakers, can the polyglot world of international indie cinema survive.
Mo Abudu
CEO, EbonyLife Media (Nigeria)
Mo Abudu
Abudu got...
Mo Abudu
CEO, EbonyLife Media (Nigeria)
Mo Abudu
Abudu got...
- 5/15/2023
- by Patrick Brzeski, Alex Ritman, Scott Roxborough and Etan Vlessing
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Hochhäusler’s latest feature Till The End Of The Night is screening in Competition at the Berlinale.
German director Christoph Hochhäusler, whose latest feature Till The End Of The Night is screening in Competition at the Berlinale, is to make his first foray into French-language filmmaking with Death Will Come, a thriller starring Franco-Belgian actress Sophie Verbeeck and veteran French actor Louis-Do de Lencquesaing.
Principal photography on the thriller will begin in Brussels on March 1 before moving to Luxembourg and Cologne. It is being produced by Cologne-based Heimatfilm with Amour Fou Luxembourg and Tarantula Belgique.
Death Will Come centres on female contract killer Tez,...
German director Christoph Hochhäusler, whose latest feature Till The End Of The Night is screening in Competition at the Berlinale, is to make his first foray into French-language filmmaking with Death Will Come, a thriller starring Franco-Belgian actress Sophie Verbeeck and veteran French actor Louis-Do de Lencquesaing.
Principal photography on the thriller will begin in Brussels on March 1 before moving to Luxembourg and Cologne. It is being produced by Cologne-based Heimatfilm with Amour Fou Luxembourg and Tarantula Belgique.
Death Will Come centres on female contract killer Tez,...
- 2/17/2023
- by Martin Blaney
- ScreenDaily
Romantic crime drama “Till the End of the Night,” which plays in competition at the Berlin Film Festival, has debuted its first clip (below) with Variety, and its poster, designed by the U.S. graphic designer Midnight Marauder.
The film, directed by Christoph Hochhäusler (“The City Below”), is a complex love story intertwined with crime and deception, starring Timocin Ziegler as gay cop Robert, and introducing newcomer Thea Ehre as trans woman Leni. The script is by Florian Plumeyer, and the producer is Bettina Brokemper at Heimatfilm. The Match Factory is handling international sales.
In order to gain the trust of a drugs dealer, undercover cop Robert has to pretend to be Leni’s lover. The police hope her ties with the felon will help him to infiltrate the organization. But while this part of the plan works relatively smoothly, their fake relationship is rocky from the start. Robert was once in love with Leni,...
The film, directed by Christoph Hochhäusler (“The City Below”), is a complex love story intertwined with crime and deception, starring Timocin Ziegler as gay cop Robert, and introducing newcomer Thea Ehre as trans woman Leni. The script is by Florian Plumeyer, and the producer is Bettina Brokemper at Heimatfilm. The Match Factory is handling international sales.
In order to gain the trust of a drugs dealer, undercover cop Robert has to pretend to be Leni’s lover. The police hope her ties with the felon will help him to infiltrate the organization. But while this part of the plan works relatively smoothly, their fake relationship is rocky from the start. Robert was once in love with Leni,...
- 2/14/2023
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
The Bureau Sales has scored a raft of deals on “The Sitting Duck,” Jean-Paul Salomé’s thriller based on a true story starring Isabelle Huppert (“Elle”). The movie world premiered at the Venice Film Festival in the Horizons section.
Adapted from Caroline Michel-Aguirre’s book “La Syndicaliste,” “The Sitting Duck” tells the true story of Maureen Kearney (Huppert), the head union representative of a French multinational nuclear powerhouse who becomes a whistleblower, denouncing top-secret deals that shook the French nuclear sector. One day, Kearney is found in her home, tied to a chair, the letter “A” carved into her abdomen, and a knife handle inserted into her vagina.
Traumatized, she has no memory of the assault. However, after an investigation, the police accused her of staging the attack herself.
The Bureau Sales, which is spearheaded by Clementine Hugot, has sold the film to the U.K. (Modern Films), Latin America (Cineplex), Japan (Only Hearts Co.
Adapted from Caroline Michel-Aguirre’s book “La Syndicaliste,” “The Sitting Duck” tells the true story of Maureen Kearney (Huppert), the head union representative of a French multinational nuclear powerhouse who becomes a whistleblower, denouncing top-secret deals that shook the French nuclear sector. One day, Kearney is found in her home, tied to a chair, the letter “A” carved into her abdomen, and a knife handle inserted into her vagina.
Traumatized, she has no memory of the assault. However, after an investigation, the police accused her of staging the attack herself.
The Bureau Sales, which is spearheaded by Clementine Hugot, has sold the film to the U.K. (Modern Films), Latin America (Cineplex), Japan (Only Hearts Co.
- 11/1/2022
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Festival hosts three initiatives to promote links between young filmmakers.
Filmfest Hamburg is hosting three new initiatives to promote closer links between young European filmmakers at the beginning of their careers.
The first initiative sees the festival join forces with Cannes’ Critics’ Week, the Institut Francais and the Association of German Film School Students to launch the #Atelier22 initiative.
16 film students - two each from eight German film schools such as Film University Babelsberg Konrad Wolf, Munich’s University for Television and Film (Hff), Berlin’s German Film & Television Academy and Hamburg Media School - will be in Hamburg from...
Filmfest Hamburg is hosting three new initiatives to promote closer links between young European filmmakers at the beginning of their careers.
The first initiative sees the festival join forces with Cannes’ Critics’ Week, the Institut Francais and the Association of German Film School Students to launch the #Atelier22 initiative.
16 film students - two each from eight German film schools such as Film University Babelsberg Konrad Wolf, Munich’s University for Television and Film (Hff), Berlin’s German Film & Television Academy and Hamburg Media School - will be in Hamburg from...
- 10/4/2022
- by Martin Blaney
- ScreenDaily
After taking a break from his filmmaking career to preside over the French film promotion org Unifrance, Jean-Paul Salomé has made a big comeback with a pair of films with Oscar-nominated French actor Isabelle Huppert. The latest one, “The Sitting Duck,” is world premiering at Venice in the Horizons section.
Adapted from Caroline Michel-Aguirre’s book “La Syndicaliste,” “The Sitting Duck” tells the true story of Maureen Kearney, the head union representative of a French multinational nuclear powerhouse who becomes a whistleblower, denouncing top-secret deals that shook the French nuclear sector. One day, Kearney is found in her home, tied to a chair, the letter “A” carved into her abdomen, and a knife handle inserted into her vagina. Traumatized, she has no memory of the assault. However, after an investigation, the police accused her of staging the attack herself.
Penned by Salomé and Fadette Drouard, the film has already been...
Adapted from Caroline Michel-Aguirre’s book “La Syndicaliste,” “The Sitting Duck” tells the true story of Maureen Kearney, the head union representative of a French multinational nuclear powerhouse who becomes a whistleblower, denouncing top-secret deals that shook the French nuclear sector. One day, Kearney is found in her home, tied to a chair, the letter “A” carved into her abdomen, and a knife handle inserted into her vagina. Traumatized, she has no memory of the assault. However, after an investigation, the police accused her of staging the attack herself.
Penned by Salomé and Fadette Drouard, the film has already been...
- 9/3/2022
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Projects are Barbara Albert’s ’Die Mittagsfrau’ and Christoph Hochhäusler’s ’Learning To Die’.
The Match Factory is to handle international sales for the new feature films by Barbara Albert and Christoph Hochhäusler, which are currently in production at locations in Germany.
Shooting began earlier this month in Bavaria on Albert’s screen adaptation of Julia Franck’s international bestseller Die Mittagsfrau which won the German Book Prize and has been translated into 37 languages.
The book, which first appeared in English in 2009 as The Blind Side Of The Heart ( US title: Blindness Of The Heart), reconstructs a mother’s biography...
The Match Factory is to handle international sales for the new feature films by Barbara Albert and Christoph Hochhäusler, which are currently in production at locations in Germany.
Shooting began earlier this month in Bavaria on Albert’s screen adaptation of Julia Franck’s international bestseller Die Mittagsfrau which won the German Book Prize and has been translated into 37 languages.
The book, which first appeared in English in 2009 as The Blind Side Of The Heart ( US title: Blindness Of The Heart), reconstructs a mother’s biography...
- 5/23/2022
- by Martin Blaney
- ScreenDaily
Leading arthouse sales company the Match Factory has acquired the rights to “Bachmann & Frisch,” a biopic about the radical Austrian writer and poet Ingeborg Bachmann, directed by Venice Golden Lion winner Margarethe von Trotta. The film stars Vicky Krieps — who appears in two Cannes Film Festival films this year, “Corsage” and “More Than Ever” — as the poet, and Ronald Zehrfeld as her partner, the Swiss writer Max Frisch.
The pickup follows the international sales success for the Match Factory with Von Trotta’s “Hannah Arendt” in 2012. The company also represented Von Trotta’s “Forget About Nick” in 2017.
“Bachmann & Frisch” tells the story of the author’s life in Berlin, Zurich and Rome, her relationship with Frisch, her trip to Egypt and her radical texts and readings.
Also in the cast are Tobias Resch (“Breaking the Ice”), Basil Eidenbenz (“Denial”), Luna Wedler (“Je Suis Karl”) and Marc Limpach (“Munich: The Edge of War...
The pickup follows the international sales success for the Match Factory with Von Trotta’s “Hannah Arendt” in 2012. The company also represented Von Trotta’s “Forget About Nick” in 2017.
“Bachmann & Frisch” tells the story of the author’s life in Berlin, Zurich and Rome, her relationship with Frisch, her trip to Egypt and her radical texts and readings.
Also in the cast are Tobias Resch (“Breaking the Ice”), Basil Eidenbenz (“Denial”), Luna Wedler (“Je Suis Karl”) and Marc Limpach (“Munich: The Edge of War...
- 5/22/2022
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
Bettina Brokemper of Cologne-based Heimatfilm, the German co-producer of Lars von Trier films including “Melancholia” and “Antichrist,” has boarded “Blackbird Blackbird Blackberry,” the third feature from rising Georgian filmmaker Elene Naveriani, which was selected for the Rotterdam Film Festival’s CineMart co-production market.
Based on the novel by Georgian author and feminist activist Tamta Melashili, the film tells the story of a single woman in her late 40s stuck in a small, backward-looking town who discovers love for the first time.
Naveriani, who directed the Rotterdam premiere “I Am Truly a Drop of Sun on Earth” and the Locarno prize winner “Wet Sand,” told Variety that when she first read Melashili’s novel she “imagined how powerful it would be to see this story on the screen, how empowering and controversial.”
“The main character of the story, Etero, is a feminist in her own way – without even realizing it,” she said.
Based on the novel by Georgian author and feminist activist Tamta Melashili, the film tells the story of a single woman in her late 40s stuck in a small, backward-looking town who discovers love for the first time.
Naveriani, who directed the Rotterdam premiere “I Am Truly a Drop of Sun on Earth” and the Locarno prize winner “Wet Sand,” told Variety that when she first read Melashili’s novel she “imagined how powerful it would be to see this story on the screen, how empowering and controversial.”
“The main character of the story, Etero, is a feminist in her own way – without even realizing it,” she said.
- 1/28/2022
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
Isabelle Huppert, the Oscar-nominated actor of “Elle,” is set to reteam with French director Jean-Paul Salomé (“Mama Weed”) on the French thriller “The Sitting Duck.”
The movie, produced by Bertrand Faivre at Le Bureau and co-produced by Bettina Brokemper at Heimatfilm, boasts a stellar cast, which also includes Benoit Magimel, Marina Fois, Alexandra Maria Lara, Grégory Gadebois and François-Xavier Demaison.
Huppert previously starred in Salomé’s crime comedy “Mama Weed” as a French-Arabic translator for the Paris drug police who becomes a savvy wholesale pusher.
The French star will this time star as Maureen Kearney, a whistleblower who is found in her home, tied to a chair, the letter “A” carved into her abdomen, and a knife handle inserted into her vagina. Traumatized, she has no memory of the assault. But the investigation uncovers new elements leading Maureen to become a suspect.
The Bureau Sales (“True Things”) will launch the...
The movie, produced by Bertrand Faivre at Le Bureau and co-produced by Bettina Brokemper at Heimatfilm, boasts a stellar cast, which also includes Benoit Magimel, Marina Fois, Alexandra Maria Lara, Grégory Gadebois and François-Xavier Demaison.
Huppert previously starred in Salomé’s crime comedy “Mama Weed” as a French-Arabic translator for the Paris drug police who becomes a savvy wholesale pusher.
The French star will this time star as Maureen Kearney, a whistleblower who is found in her home, tied to a chair, the letter “A” carved into her abdomen, and a knife handle inserted into her vagina. Traumatized, she has no memory of the assault. But the investigation uncovers new elements leading Maureen to become a suspect.
The Bureau Sales (“True Things”) will launch the...
- 1/10/2022
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
As part of its 70th anniversary, the International Film Festival Mannheim-Heidelberg (Iffmh) is presenting its new Grand Iffmh Award for the first time, honoring two filmmakers at the top of their game, Andrea Arnold and Guillaume Nicloux. Iffmh will also pay tribute to producer Bettina Brokemper and director Claude Lelouch with Homages.
All four will be on hand for this year’s festival, where they will hold masterclasses and discuss their work.
“This year we’re trying to find a balance between tradition and innovation, so with our Homage we are paying tribute to the tradition of cinema with Lelouch, and radical cinema, which Lelouch has done and which Brokemper is also producing,” says Iffmh director Sascha Keilholz.
Keilholz described Brokemper “one of the most important German producers,” in part for her ability to find different solutions to make different types of films. She does not limit herself to only...
All four will be on hand for this year’s festival, where they will hold masterclasses and discuss their work.
“This year we’re trying to find a balance between tradition and innovation, so with our Homage we are paying tribute to the tradition of cinema with Lelouch, and radical cinema, which Lelouch has done and which Brokemper is also producing,” says Iffmh director Sascha Keilholz.
Keilholz described Brokemper “one of the most important German producers,” in part for her ability to find different solutions to make different types of films. She does not limit herself to only...
- 11/10/2021
- by Ed Meza
- Variety Film + TV
Polish director Agnieszka Holland also named new European Film Academy president.
Italian drama Hidden Away has won two of the first European Film Awards of 2020, which are being staggered across four nights of virtual ceremonies due to the virus crisis.
Further winners in the first ceremony, which focussed on the technical categories, included The Personal History Of David Copperfield, Berlin Alexanderplatz and The Platform.
Hidden Away, Giorgio Diritti’s portrait of Italian painter Antonio Ligabue, won best cinematography for the work of Matteo Cocco and best costume design, for Ursula Patzak. The film premiered at the Berlinale where Elio Germano...
Italian drama Hidden Away has won two of the first European Film Awards of 2020, which are being staggered across four nights of virtual ceremonies due to the virus crisis.
Further winners in the first ceremony, which focussed on the technical categories, included The Personal History Of David Copperfield, Berlin Alexanderplatz and The Platform.
Hidden Away, Giorgio Diritti’s portrait of Italian painter Antonio Ligabue, won best cinematography for the work of Matteo Cocco and best costume design, for Ursula Patzak. The film premiered at the Berlinale where Elio Germano...
- 12/10/2020
- by Michael Rosser
- ScreenDaily
While international co-productions have for years been trending upwards across much of Europe, the coronavirus pandemic has forced many of the continent’s producers to rethink how they finance and shoot in an era of uncertainty. With government support schemes varying from one country to the next, and no clear sense of how cross-border travel will fare in the months ahead, many producers are thinking outside the box as they adapt to changing circumstances.
The challenge for producers moving forward was the subject of “The Current State of Co-production,” an online panel on Monday, which brought together eight leading women producers from across Europe. Presented during the Thessaloniki Film Festival, the discussion was hosted by the European Women’s Audiovisual Network (Ewa), with the support of Greece’s National Center of Audiovisual Media and Communication (Ekome).
The upside—for 2020 at least—is that most European producers appear determined to keep the production pipeline flowing.
The challenge for producers moving forward was the subject of “The Current State of Co-production,” an online panel on Monday, which brought together eight leading women producers from across Europe. Presented during the Thessaloniki Film Festival, the discussion was hosted by the European Women’s Audiovisual Network (Ewa), with the support of Greece’s National Center of Audiovisual Media and Communication (Ekome).
The upside—for 2020 at least—is that most European producers appear determined to keep the production pipeline flowing.
- 11/10/2020
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
Greece, where the death rate due to the coronavirus outbreak has been among among the lowest in Europe, is looking to lure more international productions by raising its cash rebates from 35% to 40% just as cameras are already rolling there on what is being touted as the first post-pandemic European co-production to start up.
“Greece is quite a success story in these particularly difficult times because of (anti-coronavirus) measures that were taken early on,” said Venia Vergou, director of the Hellenic Film Commission during a virtual Cannes Market panel.
The country was on lockdown between March 3 and May 4, and just one week later shooting had already resumed on hit Greek TV series “Wild Bees,” a period piece about three farmer sisters who live in a small, fictional village in the Thessalian flatland in the late 1950s, which was the first Greek production that started filming after the pandemic.
The scheduled production output of “Wild Bees,...
“Greece is quite a success story in these particularly difficult times because of (anti-coronavirus) measures that were taken early on,” said Venia Vergou, director of the Hellenic Film Commission during a virtual Cannes Market panel.
The country was on lockdown between March 3 and May 4, and just one week later shooting had already resumed on hit Greek TV series “Wild Bees,” a period piece about three farmer sisters who live in a small, fictional village in the Thessalian flatland in the late 1950s, which was the first Greek production that started filming after the pandemic.
The scheduled production output of “Wild Bees,...
- 6/25/2020
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Here’s a positive one for the Euro film industry – shooting has resumed on Tochter (English translation Daughter), a co-production between significant producers from Germany, Greece and Italy.
The project is being heralded as the first post-covid international co-pro to get back underway in Europe, a fact confirmed by two major bodies Eave (European Audiovisual Entrepreneurs) and Ace (Association des Cinémathèques Européennes).
Pic is based on German author Lucy Fricke’s best-selling novel of the same title and is being directed by Nana Neul (To Faro). Producers include Bettina Brokemper of Heimatfilm, whose credits span Lars Von Trier’s The House That Jack Built and Eran Riklis’ Dancing Arabs. Warner Bros Germany is a co-producer and will handle the local release.
Also onboard are Giorgos Karnavas and Konstantinos Kontovrakis of Greek outfit Heretic, who won the European Film Academy prize for co-production in 2018 and have produced pics including festival hit Son Of Sofia.
The project is being heralded as the first post-covid international co-pro to get back underway in Europe, a fact confirmed by two major bodies Eave (European Audiovisual Entrepreneurs) and Ace (Association des Cinémathèques Européennes).
Pic is based on German author Lucy Fricke’s best-selling novel of the same title and is being directed by Nana Neul (To Faro). Producers include Bettina Brokemper of Heimatfilm, whose credits span Lars Von Trier’s The House That Jack Built and Eran Riklis’ Dancing Arabs. Warner Bros Germany is a co-producer and will handle the local release.
Also onboard are Giorgos Karnavas and Konstantinos Kontovrakis of Greek outfit Heretic, who won the European Film Academy prize for co-production in 2018 and have produced pics including festival hit Son Of Sofia.
- 6/23/2020
- by Tom Grater
- Deadline Film + TV
The 70th edition of the Berlin International Film Festival is now in the books. The jury, featuring Jeremy Irons, Bérénice Bejo, Bettina Brokemper, Annemarie Jacir, Kenneth Lonergan, Luca Marinelli, and Kleber Mendonça Filho, shared their award winners–and now here’s a look at what we admired the most during the festival.
Featuring a fair bit of cross-over, check out our favorites below and return for more coverage (including reviews and interviews). Also, be sure to follow us on Twitter for updates as these films get distribution and release dates.
Dau. Natasha
It is no use of hyperbole to suggest that Dau. Natasha already looks like one of the most provocative art films ever made. The first strictly theatrical feature to be released from Ilya Khrzhanovsky’s gargantuan, unprecedented Dau project (12 other films were shown at an immersive exhibition in Paris last year), it offers the viewer a kind of...
Featuring a fair bit of cross-over, check out our favorites below and return for more coverage (including reviews and interviews). Also, be sure to follow us on Twitter for updates as these films get distribution and release dates.
Dau. Natasha
It is no use of hyperbole to suggest that Dau. Natasha already looks like one of the most provocative art films ever made. The first strictly theatrical feature to be released from Ilya Khrzhanovsky’s gargantuan, unprecedented Dau project (12 other films were shown at an immersive exhibition in Paris last year), it offers the viewer a kind of...
- 3/5/2020
- by The Film Stage
- The Film Stage
“Sheytan vojud nadarad” (“There Is No Evil”) has won the Golden Bear Award at the 2020 Berlin International Film Festival, the Berlin jury announced at a ceremony on Saturday.
The film by director Mohammad Rasoulof consists of four different stories about military men in Iran who are asked to perform executions. It won in a competition lineup that consisted of 18 movies and also included Kelly Reichardt’s “First Cow,” Sally Potter’s “‘The Roads Not Taken,” Philippe Garrel’s “The Salt of Tears,” Abel Ferrara’s “Siberia” and Christian Petzold’s “Undine.”
Eliza Hittman’s “Never Rarely Sometimes Always,” the story of two teenage girls traveling from Pennsylvania to New York City for an abortion, won the Grand Jury Prize, the festival’s second-place award.
Also Read: 'Never Rarely Sometimes Always' Director Explains Why Her Stars Auditioned in a Bathroom (Video)
Acting awards went to Elio Germano for “Volevo nascondermi” (“Hidden Away...
The film by director Mohammad Rasoulof consists of four different stories about military men in Iran who are asked to perform executions. It won in a competition lineup that consisted of 18 movies and also included Kelly Reichardt’s “First Cow,” Sally Potter’s “‘The Roads Not Taken,” Philippe Garrel’s “The Salt of Tears,” Abel Ferrara’s “Siberia” and Christian Petzold’s “Undine.”
Eliza Hittman’s “Never Rarely Sometimes Always,” the story of two teenage girls traveling from Pennsylvania to New York City for an abortion, won the Grand Jury Prize, the festival’s second-place award.
Also Read: 'Never Rarely Sometimes Always' Director Explains Why Her Stars Auditioned in a Bathroom (Video)
Acting awards went to Elio Germano for “Volevo nascondermi” (“Hidden Away...
- 2/29/2020
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
The 2020 Berlin Film Festival, which kicked off on February 20, handed out its top prizes today as the fest comes to a close in Germany. The night’s top winner, Iranian filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof for “There Is No Evil,” could not attend the ceremony due to an Iran-sanctioned travel ban and possible prison sentence for his politically charged film (read IndieWire’s review here). See all this year’s winners below.
As is befitting for a festival season marked by tension, activists were gathered outside the festivities in front of the Berlinale Palast, where the honors took place, demonstrating for climate change. The 70th edition of the Berlinale weathered its share of controversies this year, too, from jury president Jeremy Irons digging up past controversial remarks to the revelation that late festival chief Alfred Bauer had ties to the Nazi party. The first edition assembled by artistic director Carlo Chatrian and...
As is befitting for a festival season marked by tension, activists were gathered outside the festivities in front of the Berlinale Palast, where the honors took place, demonstrating for climate change. The 70th edition of the Berlinale weathered its share of controversies this year, too, from jury president Jeremy Irons digging up past controversial remarks to the revelation that late festival chief Alfred Bauer had ties to the Nazi party. The first edition assembled by artistic director Carlo Chatrian and...
- 2/29/2020
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
The prolific Greek outfit has arrived in Berlin with multiple new projects which it is either producing, coproducing or selling.
Prolific Greek outfit Heretic has arrived in Berlin with multiple new projects which it is either producing, coproducing or selling.
Greek director Vassilis Katsoupis’ first English language project Inside, scripted by British screenwriter Ben Hopkins and which Heretic is producing, has just received German funding from The Film and Media Foundation, Nrw. The film will shoot in Cologne and Berlin. Backers thus far include Gfc, Nrw and Mmc studio. Coproducers are Schiwago Films and Borde Carde. A sales agent is yet to be announced.
Prolific Greek outfit Heretic has arrived in Berlin with multiple new projects which it is either producing, coproducing or selling.
Greek director Vassilis Katsoupis’ first English language project Inside, scripted by British screenwriter Ben Hopkins and which Heretic is producing, has just received German funding from The Film and Media Foundation, Nrw. The film will shoot in Cologne and Berlin. Backers thus far include Gfc, Nrw and Mmc studio. Coproducers are Schiwago Films and Borde Carde. A sales agent is yet to be announced.
- 2/21/2020
- by 57¦Geoffrey Macnab¦41¦
- ScreenDaily
”I wish I didn’t have to take up time with this, but I don’t want it to continue as a distraction to the Berlinale.”
Berlin International Film Festival jury president Jeremy Irons addressed his controversial past remarks about sexual harassment, abortion and gay marriage at the festival’s opening jury press conference, saying he was hoping to “put my past comments to bed.”
“I should like, not as the jury president, but on a personal level to address various comments that I have reportedly made in the past, and which have resurfaced in certain sections of the press over the past few weeks,...
Berlin International Film Festival jury president Jeremy Irons addressed his controversial past remarks about sexual harassment, abortion and gay marriage at the festival’s opening jury press conference, saying he was hoping to “put my past comments to bed.”
“I should like, not as the jury president, but on a personal level to address various comments that I have reportedly made in the past, and which have resurfaced in certain sections of the press over the past few weeks,...
- 2/20/2020
- by 1101184¦Orlando Parfitt¦38¦
- ScreenDaily
Jeremy Irons used the platform of this morning’s opening jury press conference at the 70th Berlin International Film Festival to address controversial statements he has been reported to have made in the past about same-sex marriages, women’s rights and abortion.
Pre-empting questions from the attending press, jury president Irons spoke about the issues head-on, saying he didn’t want it to be “a distraction to the Berlinale”, adding that he had “already refuted and apologised for” the attributed comments.
“Let me make my views entirely clear on these particular subjects once and for all,” said Irons. “Firstly, I support wholeheartedly the global movement to address the inequality of women’s rights and to protect them from abusive, damaging and disrespectful harassment both at home and in workplace.” Irons drew fire in 2009 for signing a petition in support of Polish film director Roman Polanski.
“Secondly, I applaud the legislation of same-sex marriage,...
Pre-empting questions from the attending press, jury president Irons spoke about the issues head-on, saying he didn’t want it to be “a distraction to the Berlinale”, adding that he had “already refuted and apologised for” the attributed comments.
“Let me make my views entirely clear on these particular subjects once and for all,” said Irons. “Firstly, I support wholeheartedly the global movement to address the inequality of women’s rights and to protect them from abusive, damaging and disrespectful harassment both at home and in workplace.” Irons drew fire in 2009 for signing a petition in support of Polish film director Roman Polanski.
“Secondly, I applaud the legislation of same-sex marriage,...
- 2/20/2020
- by Tom Grater
- Deadline Film + TV
The line-ups of six juries have been revealed and a controversial 1970 film added to the programme just as the Nazi past of former Berlinale director Alfred Bauer has been uncovered by Die Zeit. The Berlinale, running for the 70th time this year, from 20 February-1 March, has revealed the names of the jurors in all of its competition strands. The International Jury, which, it was announced earlier, will be presided by Jeremy Irons, will include French-Argentinian actress Bérénice Bejo, German producer Bettina Brokemper, Italian actor Luca Marinelli, and directors Annemarie Jacir (Palestine), Kenneth Lonergan (USA) and Kleber Mendonça Filho (Brazil). The panel will decide on all of the traditional awards, minus the Silver Bear Alfred Bauer Prize, which has just been suspended, after the German newspaper Die Zeit revealed that the revered former Berlinale director was a high-ranking Nazi working closely with Goebbels. The jury of the newly established...
Jeremy Irons previously announced to lead seven-person jury.
The Berlin International Film Festival (February 20 – March 1) has revealed its competition juries, including director Kenneth Lonergan, actress Bérénice Bejo and filmmaker Kleber Mendonça Filho.
The seven-person jury also includes German producer Bettina Brokemper, Palestinian director Annemarie Jacir, and Italian actor Luca Marinelli.
Lonergan is the Oscar-winning writer-director of Manchester By The Sea while Argentine-French star Bejo is perhaps best-known for her performance in Academy Award-winner The Artist. Brazil’s Mendonça Filho won the jury prize at last year’s Cannes with Bacurau.
Jeremy Irons was announced last month as president of the jury for the 70th edition,...
The Berlin International Film Festival (February 20 – March 1) has revealed its competition juries, including director Kenneth Lonergan, actress Bérénice Bejo and filmmaker Kleber Mendonça Filho.
The seven-person jury also includes German producer Bettina Brokemper, Palestinian director Annemarie Jacir, and Italian actor Luca Marinelli.
Lonergan is the Oscar-winning writer-director of Manchester By The Sea while Argentine-French star Bejo is perhaps best-known for her performance in Academy Award-winner The Artist. Brazil’s Mendonça Filho won the jury prize at last year’s Cannes with Bacurau.
Jeremy Irons was announced last month as president of the jury for the 70th edition,...
- 2/4/2020
- by 1101321¦Ben Dalton¦26¦
- ScreenDaily
American playwright and filmmaker Kenneth Lonergan, French actor and “The Artist” star Bérénice Bejo, and Palestinian director Annemarie Jacir will serve on the International Jury of the Berlin Film Festival.
The other jury members are German producer Bettina Brokemper, Italian actor Luca Marinelli, and programmer, film critic and director Kleber Mendonça Filho from Brazil. As previously reported actor Jeremy Irons will head the jury.
Lonergan wrote and directed “Manchester by the Sea,” for which he won the Oscar for original screenplay. He earned Oscar nominations for co-writing “Gangs of New York” and “You Can Count on Me” in the same category.
Bejo was Oscar nominated for “The Artist” and won best actress at Cannes for “The Past.”
Jacir’s debut feature “Salt of This Sea” was in the official program of the Cannes Film Festival. Her second feature film, “When I Saw You,” premiered in the Berlinale’s Forum section,...
The other jury members are German producer Bettina Brokemper, Italian actor Luca Marinelli, and programmer, film critic and director Kleber Mendonça Filho from Brazil. As previously reported actor Jeremy Irons will head the jury.
Lonergan wrote and directed “Manchester by the Sea,” for which he won the Oscar for original screenplay. He earned Oscar nominations for co-writing “Gangs of New York” and “You Can Count on Me” in the same category.
Bejo was Oscar nominated for “The Artist” and won best actress at Cannes for “The Past.”
Jacir’s debut feature “Salt of This Sea” was in the official program of the Cannes Film Festival. Her second feature film, “When I Saw You,” premiered in the Berlinale’s Forum section,...
- 2/4/2020
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
The 70th Berlin International Film Festival has unveiled its juries.
Joining president Jeremy Irons on the international jury is actress Bérénice Bejo (Argentina / France), producer Bettina Brokemper (Germany), director Annemarie Jacir (Palestine), plawright and director Kenneth Lonergan (USA), actor Luca Marinelli (Italy) and film critic and director Kleber Mendonça Filho (Brazil).
They will award prizes including the Golden and the Silver Bears to the 18 films in this year’s Competition line up.
Berlin dropped one of its awards, the Silver Bear Alfred Bauer prize, which goes to a film that “opens new perspectives on cinematic art”, after Nazi collaborator accusations emerged against its namesake in German press this week. No word yet on whether the prize will be reintroduced with a new moniker.
The festival’s new competitive section Encounters will see Dominga Sotomayor (Chile), Eva Trobisch (Germany) and Shôzô Ichiyama (Japan) award three prizes: Best Film, Best Director and a Special Jury Award.
Joining president Jeremy Irons on the international jury is actress Bérénice Bejo (Argentina / France), producer Bettina Brokemper (Germany), director Annemarie Jacir (Palestine), plawright and director Kenneth Lonergan (USA), actor Luca Marinelli (Italy) and film critic and director Kleber Mendonça Filho (Brazil).
They will award prizes including the Golden and the Silver Bears to the 18 films in this year’s Competition line up.
Berlin dropped one of its awards, the Silver Bear Alfred Bauer prize, which goes to a film that “opens new perspectives on cinematic art”, after Nazi collaborator accusations emerged against its namesake in German press this week. No word yet on whether the prize will be reintroduced with a new moniker.
The festival’s new competitive section Encounters will see Dominga Sotomayor (Chile), Eva Trobisch (Germany) and Shôzô Ichiyama (Japan) award three prizes: Best Film, Best Director and a Special Jury Award.
- 2/4/2020
- by Tom Grater
- Deadline Film + TV
The 70th Berlin International Film Festival has unveiled the six film professionals — three men and three women — who will join jury president Jeremy Irons in picking this year's Gold and Silver Bear winners.
Oscar-nominated French actress Bérénice Bejo (The Artist) and Oscar-winning screenwriter Kenneth Lonergan (Manchester by the Sea) will judge the competition lineup, alongside Brazilian director Kleber Mendonça Filho (Bacurau, Aquarius) and Palestinian filmmaker Annemarie Jacir (Wajib, Salt of This Sea). Italian actor Luca Marinelli (Don't Be Bad, The Great Beauty) and German producer Bettina Brokemper, whose credits include Lars von Trier's Antichrist and The ...
Oscar-nominated French actress Bérénice Bejo (The Artist) and Oscar-winning screenwriter Kenneth Lonergan (Manchester by the Sea) will judge the competition lineup, alongside Brazilian director Kleber Mendonça Filho (Bacurau, Aquarius) and Palestinian filmmaker Annemarie Jacir (Wajib, Salt of This Sea). Italian actor Luca Marinelli (Don't Be Bad, The Great Beauty) and German producer Bettina Brokemper, whose credits include Lars von Trier's Antichrist and The ...
The 70th Berlin International Film Festival has unveiled the six film professionals — three men and three women — who will join jury president Jeremy Irons in picking this year's Gold and Silver Bear winners.
Oscar-nominated French actress Bérénice Bejo (The Artist) and Oscar-winning screenwriter Kenneth Lonergan (Manchester by the Sea) will judge the competition lineup, alongside Brazilian director Kleber Mendonça Filho (Bacurau, Aquarius) and Palestinian filmmaker Annemarie Jacir (Wajib, Salt of This Sea). Italian actor Luca Marinelli (Don't Be Bad, The Great Beauty) and German producer Bettina Brokemper, whose credits include Lars von Trier's Antichrist and The ...
Oscar-nominated French actress Bérénice Bejo (The Artist) and Oscar-winning screenwriter Kenneth Lonergan (Manchester by the Sea) will judge the competition lineup, alongside Brazilian director Kleber Mendonça Filho (Bacurau, Aquarius) and Palestinian filmmaker Annemarie Jacir (Wajib, Salt of This Sea). Italian actor Luca Marinelli (Don't Be Bad, The Great Beauty) and German producer Bettina Brokemper, whose credits include Lars von Trier's Antichrist and The ...
Daughter of Rage
Nicaragua’s Laura Baumeister should have her highly anticipated feature debut Daughter of Rage ready for 2020. A co-production between Nicaragua-Netherlands-Mexico-Germany, Baumeister took home three of the four prizes at San Sebastian’s Co-production Forum in 2019. The project is produced by Rossana Baumeister, Christine Anderton, Bettina Brokemper and Samuel Chauvin. Daughter of Rage is the first narrative feature to be directed by a Nicaraguan woman. Her 2019 short, “Water Navel” was selected for the International Film Festival Rotterdam.
Gist: A mother-daughter story that takes place in a garbage dump in Managua, the young Maria is consumed by rage after being abandoned by her mother and joins a gang of other abandoned children.…...
Nicaragua’s Laura Baumeister should have her highly anticipated feature debut Daughter of Rage ready for 2020. A co-production between Nicaragua-Netherlands-Mexico-Germany, Baumeister took home three of the four prizes at San Sebastian’s Co-production Forum in 2019. The project is produced by Rossana Baumeister, Christine Anderton, Bettina Brokemper and Samuel Chauvin. Daughter of Rage is the first narrative feature to be directed by a Nicaraguan woman. Her 2019 short, “Water Navel” was selected for the International Film Festival Rotterdam.
Gist: A mother-daughter story that takes place in a garbage dump in Managua, the young Maria is consumed by rage after being abandoned by her mother and joins a gang of other abandoned children.…...
- 12/31/2019
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
San Sebastian — Already backed by a four-way production partnership spanning Nicaragua, Mexico, the Netherlands and Germany, Nicaraguan Laura Baumeister’s stirring feature debut project “Daughter of Rage” swept three of the four prizes on offer at San Sebastian’s 8th Europe-Latin America Co-production Forum, which wrapped Wednesday night.
The other big prize of the night, a Films in Progress Prize for San Sebastian’s pix-on-post competition, went to another alumna of Mexico’s Centro de Capacitación Cinematográfica (Ccc) film school, Fernanda Valadez for “Non Distinguishing Features.” an extraordinary achievement for an already celebrated institution.
The trio of trophies – Best Project Award, an Efads-Caaci Grant, and Artekino Intl. Prize – for “Daughter of Rage” mark further recognition for a movie project whose combination of mother-daughter story and social-issue drama has won development backing from the Hubert Bals, Hb Minority Europe, Ibermedia funds.It also garnered a Woulter Barendrecht Award at the Rotterdam Festival.
The other big prize of the night, a Films in Progress Prize for San Sebastian’s pix-on-post competition, went to another alumna of Mexico’s Centro de Capacitación Cinematográfica (Ccc) film school, Fernanda Valadez for “Non Distinguishing Features.” an extraordinary achievement for an already celebrated institution.
The trio of trophies – Best Project Award, an Efads-Caaci Grant, and Artekino Intl. Prize – for “Daughter of Rage” mark further recognition for a movie project whose combination of mother-daughter story and social-issue drama has won development backing from the Hubert Bals, Hb Minority Europe, Ibermedia funds.It also garnered a Woulter Barendrecht Award at the Rotterdam Festival.
- 9/25/2019
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
Michael Weber’s The Match Factory is on board as sales agent of Locarno Film Festival International Competition title “Wintermärchen” (A Winter’s Tale), the company announced Tuesday. The film is German writer-director Jan Bonny’s follow-up to black comedy “Counterparts,” which played in Directors’ Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival in 2007.
“Wintermärchen” explores how social problems and emotional disorientation can result in violent right-wing terrorism. The film centers on a right-wing terror cell, whose members dream of nationwide attention. “Tommy and Becky are tired and disillusioned until Maik joins them. Overwhelmed by a complex relationship of love, hate and friendship their path of destruction leads to a series of violent crimes,” according to a statement.
The German-language film, which world premieres Aug. 10, stars Thomas Schubert, Ricarda Seifried and Jean-Luc Bubert. It was written by Jan Eichberg and Bonny, and produced by Bettina Brokemper at Heimatfilm, whose other titles include...
“Wintermärchen” explores how social problems and emotional disorientation can result in violent right-wing terrorism. The film centers on a right-wing terror cell, whose members dream of nationwide attention. “Tommy and Becky are tired and disillusioned until Maik joins them. Overwhelmed by a complex relationship of love, hate and friendship their path of destruction leads to a series of violent crimes,” according to a statement.
The German-language film, which world premieres Aug. 10, stars Thomas Schubert, Ricarda Seifried and Jean-Luc Bubert. It was written by Jan Eichberg and Bonny, and produced by Bettina Brokemper at Heimatfilm, whose other titles include...
- 7/31/2018
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
“Lamb”, directed by Yared Zeleke and presented by Ama Ampadu and Laurent Lavolé showed in Competition at Doha's Ajyal Youth Film Festival this month to an audience of youth and children under the age of 18. “Lamb” premiered in Cannes’ Un Certain Regard 2015, marking the first time an Ethiopian film has ever screened as an Official Selection at Cannes. ). It was this year’s Ethiopian submission for Academy Award© nomination for Best Foreign Language Film Oscar©.
This is no Little Bo Peep lamb. This lamb has rough brown wool and is led on a rope, dragged on a rope by a young boy, Ephraim, eight years old, who lives in the devout Coptic Christian land of Northern Ethiopia
“Lamb” is a classic tale of a child and pet, the type of story which has been loved by children in every generation. Think “Old Yeller”, “Black Beauty”, “Charlotte’s Web”, “Babe”, “Lassie Come Home”. Ephraim’s pet lamb Chuni belonged to his mother who has died from the drought-caused famine hitting their land. His father must leave the boy with distant relatives while he seeks work in the city. His lamb is the only link he has to a life of happy innocence once shared with his loving mother and father.
The small nuclear family where he must stay lives together in a one-room hut: a grandmother who presides over the family, her son an authoritarian father who reacts against change of any sort, his wife and their sick child. They have also taken in the sixteen year old Tsion who is always reading and seeking ways to educate herself and eventually leaves for the city.
Ephraim does not conform to the norms of males as farmers; instead he prefers cooking.
The authoritarian patriarch of the family refuses to listen to advice of his niece about modern ways of growing crops during the drought and he forbids the child Ephraim, whose love of cooking (“girl’s work! The uncle says) leads him to make money by selling samosas at the market.
Moreover, the authoritarian father of the family wants to serve Ephraim’s lamb as a meal for the upcoming holiday feast and to save his family from starvation.
This moves Ephraim to act to save his lamb. In order to make money he sells his extraordinary samosas in the market place to raise enough to finance his trip to the city to find his father and save his sheep from being sacrificed and served for the upcoming holiday feast.
The children who saw this film at Ajyal Film Festival were entranced by how foreign and strange the landscape, and indeed, the people themselves were. The questions they asked Yared Zeleke, the director, and the two young stars, sixteen-year-old Kidist Siyum and eight year old Rediat Amare were startling. Not the usual Q&A of adults that you hear after they have seen a movie.
Was the boy really being hit?
Yared: Well yes and no. He had lots of padding, lots of practice, and the whip was very small."
Why did you have so much landscape?
Yared: Because the land was a character in the movie. The land shapes who we are. This special land in Ethiopia shapes the characters in the movie. It is as ancient as the people who practice the earliest form of Christianity and Judaism. There is so much history in the mountains. Ethiopia is the only country in Africa never colonized by Europeans. The mountains protected them and the people are very spiritual.
Yared: It was shot in Gondar, the most Jewish section of Ethiopia where Felashas (Jews) and Christians live. The Felashas are a minority and so you see the little boy is an outsider because his mother, who died of the famine and draught, was a Jew and he is given a special blessing by the priest.
When the action was going on, focus was on the boy. Why did you make the film like that?
Yared: The movie is about the boy, so everything is shown around him. Staying with the boy it’s is more “true” to stick with the character.
What was your favorite scene?
Yared: My favorite scene is the magic forest. The hardest scenes were with Chuni the lamb. I’ll never work with an animal again.
Why does your film say “dedicated to my grandmother”?
Yared: I’m from the city; I never had a pet and I don’t cook. But I went to visit my family in the country when I was little and I met my grandmother. When I was 10, I lost all my family in Ethiopia and I moved to New York.
Where do you live?
Yared: I live in Addis Adaba.
I liked seeing Muslim, Jewish and Christians together. I liked the landscapes. They were works of art. How did you choose the actors?
Yared: We auditioned and videotaped 7,000 people over six months. Half of them were kids. The two stars chosen just stood out. Without Rediat Amare playing Ephraim and Kidist Siyum playing Tsion, the movie would be completely different.
How did the 16 year old actress like her role?
Kidist Siyum: I’m a city girl, it was hard to learn to be a country girl.
Yared: Both Kidist and were very smart good students and had not acted before.
Rediat Amare : Ephraim is quiet and introverted. I am not. I’m very outgoing. We are both mischievous and misfits.
How do you feel about audiences their age seeing the movie?
Yared: As the writer, I never thought of who it was for. I only wrote about my loss. The country is like a fairy-tale, so beautiful. I have only had adults watching it in the past so showing it to kids is great! What do you think?
Kidist Siyum : I am happy to see people my age. I hope people will take away lessons from the movie.
Why did the boy leave the lamb?
Yared: He had to let go in order to grow. Sometimes that is a part of growing up, to let go of childish things.
“Lamb” is a carefully nuanced film of silences and understatements, stunning landscapes and beautiful people dressing in exotic styles. Three female figures, the grandmother, the mother and the teenaged Tsion, the strong-willed nose-in-a-book girl bring a measured warmth and depth which increases our feel that we are participating in their lives, lived in such close quarters, beautifully shot and a contrast to the vast and beautiful mountainous countryside of Ethiopia where Ephraim spends much of his waking and dreaming hours.
Christians, Jews, Muslims and others lead a peaceful coexistence in what looks like a hard life but still a life in a sort of paradise which is disappearing. To see it in a family setting will instill a special feeling of participating in the audiences.
The music is outstanding as is the final celebratory dance, with shimmy shoulder shaking I have never seen before.
“Lamb” (not to be confused with Ross Partridge’s “Lamb” soon to be released stateside by The Orchard) is the first film of director Yared Zeleke, who received an Mfa in Writing and Directing from Nyu.
It was workshopped in Addis Ababa. The producer, Slum Kid Films, an Ethiopia-based film production company co-founded by Ama Ampadu aims to discover and nurture emerging talent in Ethiopia, as well as to support the development of Ethiopian filmmaking.
Ama knows the European system of filmmaking and was able to secure support from Acp from Norway and Cnc from France. The fact that "Lamb" was selected for the Cannes L'Atelier film financing summit two years ago, almost assured that, upon completion, it would premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, as it now has.
France, Ethiopia, Germany and Norway are represented by coproducers Gloria Films, Slum Kid Films, Heimatfilm, Dublin Films, Film Farms, Zdf/Das kleine Fernsehspiel.
Producers are Ama Ampadu, Laurent Lavolé, Johannes Rexin. Co-producers are Alan R. Milligan. Executive producers David Hurst, Bettina Brokemper.
Medienboard Berlin funded this international co-production and Naomi Kawase’s “An”, both of which played in Cannes’ official selection this year.
It was supported by the Doha Film Institute, which has funded more than 220 projects since its inception. Five of their grantees made their world premieres in the Festival de Cannes this year in various sections among which ‘"Lamb" was in the main world cinema showcase, Un Certain Regard. The others were "Waves ’98" by Elie Dagher (Lebanon, Qatar) in the Official Short Film Competition; "Dégradé" by Tarzan and Arab Abunasser (Palestine, France, Qatar) and " Mediterranea" by Jonas Carpignano (Italy, France, Germany, Qatar) in the Critics’ Week and "Mustang" by Deniz Gamze Ergüven (Turkey, France, Germany, Qatar) selected for the Directors’ Fortnight.
International sales agent is Films Distribution. The film has been has licensed to
Kimstim Films for U.S.
Haut et Court for France
Neue Visionen for Germany
Trigon film for Switzerland
Filmarti for Turkey
Moving Turtle for Middle East
Ost for Paradis for Denmark
Mantarraya for Mexico
Betta Pictures for Spain
Maison Motion for Taiwan
Suraya for South Asia
Bio Paradis for Iceland
DDDream for China
7ème Ciné Art for Tunisia and Morocco...
This is no Little Bo Peep lamb. This lamb has rough brown wool and is led on a rope, dragged on a rope by a young boy, Ephraim, eight years old, who lives in the devout Coptic Christian land of Northern Ethiopia
“Lamb” is a classic tale of a child and pet, the type of story which has been loved by children in every generation. Think “Old Yeller”, “Black Beauty”, “Charlotte’s Web”, “Babe”, “Lassie Come Home”. Ephraim’s pet lamb Chuni belonged to his mother who has died from the drought-caused famine hitting their land. His father must leave the boy with distant relatives while he seeks work in the city. His lamb is the only link he has to a life of happy innocence once shared with his loving mother and father.
The small nuclear family where he must stay lives together in a one-room hut: a grandmother who presides over the family, her son an authoritarian father who reacts against change of any sort, his wife and their sick child. They have also taken in the sixteen year old Tsion who is always reading and seeking ways to educate herself and eventually leaves for the city.
Ephraim does not conform to the norms of males as farmers; instead he prefers cooking.
The authoritarian patriarch of the family refuses to listen to advice of his niece about modern ways of growing crops during the drought and he forbids the child Ephraim, whose love of cooking (“girl’s work! The uncle says) leads him to make money by selling samosas at the market.
Moreover, the authoritarian father of the family wants to serve Ephraim’s lamb as a meal for the upcoming holiday feast and to save his family from starvation.
This moves Ephraim to act to save his lamb. In order to make money he sells his extraordinary samosas in the market place to raise enough to finance his trip to the city to find his father and save his sheep from being sacrificed and served for the upcoming holiday feast.
The children who saw this film at Ajyal Film Festival were entranced by how foreign and strange the landscape, and indeed, the people themselves were. The questions they asked Yared Zeleke, the director, and the two young stars, sixteen-year-old Kidist Siyum and eight year old Rediat Amare were startling. Not the usual Q&A of adults that you hear after they have seen a movie.
Was the boy really being hit?
Yared: Well yes and no. He had lots of padding, lots of practice, and the whip was very small."
Why did you have so much landscape?
Yared: Because the land was a character in the movie. The land shapes who we are. This special land in Ethiopia shapes the characters in the movie. It is as ancient as the people who practice the earliest form of Christianity and Judaism. There is so much history in the mountains. Ethiopia is the only country in Africa never colonized by Europeans. The mountains protected them and the people are very spiritual.
Yared: It was shot in Gondar, the most Jewish section of Ethiopia where Felashas (Jews) and Christians live. The Felashas are a minority and so you see the little boy is an outsider because his mother, who died of the famine and draught, was a Jew and he is given a special blessing by the priest.
When the action was going on, focus was on the boy. Why did you make the film like that?
Yared: The movie is about the boy, so everything is shown around him. Staying with the boy it’s is more “true” to stick with the character.
What was your favorite scene?
Yared: My favorite scene is the magic forest. The hardest scenes were with Chuni the lamb. I’ll never work with an animal again.
Why does your film say “dedicated to my grandmother”?
Yared: I’m from the city; I never had a pet and I don’t cook. But I went to visit my family in the country when I was little and I met my grandmother. When I was 10, I lost all my family in Ethiopia and I moved to New York.
Where do you live?
Yared: I live in Addis Adaba.
I liked seeing Muslim, Jewish and Christians together. I liked the landscapes. They were works of art. How did you choose the actors?
Yared: We auditioned and videotaped 7,000 people over six months. Half of them were kids. The two stars chosen just stood out. Without Rediat Amare playing Ephraim and Kidist Siyum playing Tsion, the movie would be completely different.
How did the 16 year old actress like her role?
Kidist Siyum: I’m a city girl, it was hard to learn to be a country girl.
Yared: Both Kidist and were very smart good students and had not acted before.
Rediat Amare : Ephraim is quiet and introverted. I am not. I’m very outgoing. We are both mischievous and misfits.
How do you feel about audiences their age seeing the movie?
Yared: As the writer, I never thought of who it was for. I only wrote about my loss. The country is like a fairy-tale, so beautiful. I have only had adults watching it in the past so showing it to kids is great! What do you think?
Kidist Siyum : I am happy to see people my age. I hope people will take away lessons from the movie.
Why did the boy leave the lamb?
Yared: He had to let go in order to grow. Sometimes that is a part of growing up, to let go of childish things.
“Lamb” is a carefully nuanced film of silences and understatements, stunning landscapes and beautiful people dressing in exotic styles. Three female figures, the grandmother, the mother and the teenaged Tsion, the strong-willed nose-in-a-book girl bring a measured warmth and depth which increases our feel that we are participating in their lives, lived in such close quarters, beautifully shot and a contrast to the vast and beautiful mountainous countryside of Ethiopia where Ephraim spends much of his waking and dreaming hours.
Christians, Jews, Muslims and others lead a peaceful coexistence in what looks like a hard life but still a life in a sort of paradise which is disappearing. To see it in a family setting will instill a special feeling of participating in the audiences.
The music is outstanding as is the final celebratory dance, with shimmy shoulder shaking I have never seen before.
“Lamb” (not to be confused with Ross Partridge’s “Lamb” soon to be released stateside by The Orchard) is the first film of director Yared Zeleke, who received an Mfa in Writing and Directing from Nyu.
It was workshopped in Addis Ababa. The producer, Slum Kid Films, an Ethiopia-based film production company co-founded by Ama Ampadu aims to discover and nurture emerging talent in Ethiopia, as well as to support the development of Ethiopian filmmaking.
Ama knows the European system of filmmaking and was able to secure support from Acp from Norway and Cnc from France. The fact that "Lamb" was selected for the Cannes L'Atelier film financing summit two years ago, almost assured that, upon completion, it would premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, as it now has.
France, Ethiopia, Germany and Norway are represented by coproducers Gloria Films, Slum Kid Films, Heimatfilm, Dublin Films, Film Farms, Zdf/Das kleine Fernsehspiel.
Producers are Ama Ampadu, Laurent Lavolé, Johannes Rexin. Co-producers are Alan R. Milligan. Executive producers David Hurst, Bettina Brokemper.
Medienboard Berlin funded this international co-production and Naomi Kawase’s “An”, both of which played in Cannes’ official selection this year.
It was supported by the Doha Film Institute, which has funded more than 220 projects since its inception. Five of their grantees made their world premieres in the Festival de Cannes this year in various sections among which ‘"Lamb" was in the main world cinema showcase, Un Certain Regard. The others were "Waves ’98" by Elie Dagher (Lebanon, Qatar) in the Official Short Film Competition; "Dégradé" by Tarzan and Arab Abunasser (Palestine, France, Qatar) and " Mediterranea" by Jonas Carpignano (Italy, France, Germany, Qatar) in the Critics’ Week and "Mustang" by Deniz Gamze Ergüven (Turkey, France, Germany, Qatar) selected for the Directors’ Fortnight.
International sales agent is Films Distribution. The film has been has licensed to
Kimstim Films for U.S.
Haut et Court for France
Neue Visionen for Germany
Trigon film for Switzerland
Filmarti for Turkey
Moving Turtle for Middle East
Ost for Paradis for Denmark
Mantarraya for Mexico
Betta Pictures for Spain
Maison Motion for Taiwan
Suraya for South Asia
Bio Paradis for Iceland
DDDream for China
7ème Ciné Art for Tunisia and Morocco...
- 1/30/2016
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
The final chapter in the Nymphomaniac-saga is about to unfold as Nymphomaniac Director’S Cut will finally meet its international audience at upcoming festivals, theatrical screenings and events all over the world.
The local releases of the film will be accompanied by a simultaneous VOD release in a number of countries.
Read Melissa Howland’s reviews of Volume One Here and Volume Two Here.
Nymphomaniac will be released on VOD on October 2nd in the Us, Canada, Spain, The Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Estonia as well as in von Trier’s native Denmark with more territories to follow in the weeks to come.
In Lars von Trier’s native country, Denmark, the director’s cut version has received rave reviews in connection with its theatrical release and event screenings. Danish critics have handed out 5 and 6-star reviews to the film which met the audience for the first...
The local releases of the film will be accompanied by a simultaneous VOD release in a number of countries.
Read Melissa Howland’s reviews of Volume One Here and Volume Two Here.
Nymphomaniac will be released on VOD on October 2nd in the Us, Canada, Spain, The Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Estonia as well as in von Trier’s native Denmark with more territories to follow in the weeks to come.
In Lars von Trier’s native country, Denmark, the director’s cut version has received rave reviews in connection with its theatrical release and event screenings. Danish critics have handed out 5 and 6-star reviews to the film which met the audience for the first...
- 9/16/2014
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Lars von Trier’s sex drama to receive North American premiere at the festival in Austin.
Nymphomaniac Director’s Cut has been selected for Us genre festival Fantastic Fest (Sept 18-25), where it will receive its North American premiere.
The first volume of Lars von Trier’s sex epic received its world premiere at the Berlinale in February while the second part debuted at Venice last week (Sept 1).
The full five-and-a-half hour film is now set to be screened at Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas.
The feature centres on self-diagnosed nymphomaniac, played by Charlotte Gainsbourg, who recounts her lifetime of erotic experiences to the man (Stellan Skarsgård) who saved her after a beating.
Nymphomaniac is produced by Louise Vesth for Zentropa Entertainments31 in co-production with Bettina Brokemper for Zentropa International Köln, Marianne Slot for Slot Machine, Bert Hamelinck for Caviar and Arte France Cinéma, Film i Väst and Group Grand Accord: Arte G.E.I.E, with...
Nymphomaniac Director’s Cut has been selected for Us genre festival Fantastic Fest (Sept 18-25), where it will receive its North American premiere.
The first volume of Lars von Trier’s sex epic received its world premiere at the Berlinale in February while the second part debuted at Venice last week (Sept 1).
The full five-and-a-half hour film is now set to be screened at Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas.
The feature centres on self-diagnosed nymphomaniac, played by Charlotte Gainsbourg, who recounts her lifetime of erotic experiences to the man (Stellan Skarsgård) who saved her after a beating.
Nymphomaniac is produced by Louise Vesth for Zentropa Entertainments31 in co-production with Bettina Brokemper for Zentropa International Köln, Marianne Slot for Slot Machine, Bert Hamelinck for Caviar and Arte France Cinéma, Film i Väst and Group Grand Accord: Arte G.E.I.E, with...
- 9/10/2014
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
31st edition of festival will close with The Wind Rises.
The 31st edition of the Jerusalem Film Festival will kick off on July 10 with the world premiere of Eran Riklis’ Dancing Arabs.
Sayed Kashua wrote the script based on his bestselling novels Dancing Arabs and Second Person Singular.
The film is about Eyad, a Palestinian-Israeli boy from the town of Tira whose parents send to a prestigious Jewish boarding school in Jerusalem. He has to make personal sacrifices to be accepted in the new environment.
The gala screening will take place at the Sultan’s Pool in the presence of the director and cast members including Tawfeek Barhom, Yael Abecassis, Michael Moshonov, Ali Suliman, Daniel Kitzis and Norman Issa.
Dancing Arabs is an Israeli-German-French co-production, produced by Chilik Michaeli, Avraham Pirchi, Tami Leon, Moshe Edery, and Leon Edery, Michael Eckelt, Antoine de Clermont-Tonnerre and Bettina Brokemper.
The festival will close on July 17 with Hayao Miyazaki’s The...
The 31st edition of the Jerusalem Film Festival will kick off on July 10 with the world premiere of Eran Riklis’ Dancing Arabs.
Sayed Kashua wrote the script based on his bestselling novels Dancing Arabs and Second Person Singular.
The film is about Eyad, a Palestinian-Israeli boy from the town of Tira whose parents send to a prestigious Jewish boarding school in Jerusalem. He has to make personal sacrifices to be accepted in the new environment.
The gala screening will take place at the Sultan’s Pool in the presence of the director and cast members including Tawfeek Barhom, Yael Abecassis, Michael Moshonov, Ali Suliman, Daniel Kitzis and Norman Issa.
Dancing Arabs is an Israeli-German-French co-production, produced by Chilik Michaeli, Avraham Pirchi, Tami Leon, Moshe Edery, and Leon Edery, Michael Eckelt, Antoine de Clermont-Tonnerre and Bettina Brokemper.
The festival will close on July 17 with Hayao Miyazaki’s The...
- 5/16/2014
- by wendy.mitchell@screendaily.com (Wendy Mitchell)
- ScreenDaily
Detailfilm reunites with director Kutlug Ataman following their collaboration on The Lamb.
Henning Kamm, who will represent Germany at Cannes next month as its Producer on the Move, and business partner Fabian Gasmia at Hamburg-based Detailfilm are to reunite with Turkish filmmaker Kutlug Ataman for his next feature project.
Kamm and Gasmia were co-producers on Ataman’s last feature film The Lamb (Kuzu), which had its world premiere at the Berlinale’s Panorama last February and won the Cicae Art Cinema Award.
Detailfilm will now serve as the co-producer on Ataman’s Hilil, Feza And Other Planets, which received support from the German-Turkish Co-Production Co-Development Fund at this month’s Meetings on the Bridge co-production market in Istanbul.
Moreover, Berlin-based producer Titus Kreyenberg of Unafilm confirmed to ScreenDaily at this week’s Visions du Réel documentary festival in Nyon that the Co-Development Fund had also awarded funding to Jessica Krummacher’s feature debut, Birth Of Purple...
Henning Kamm, who will represent Germany at Cannes next month as its Producer on the Move, and business partner Fabian Gasmia at Hamburg-based Detailfilm are to reunite with Turkish filmmaker Kutlug Ataman for his next feature project.
Kamm and Gasmia were co-producers on Ataman’s last feature film The Lamb (Kuzu), which had its world premiere at the Berlinale’s Panorama last February and won the Cicae Art Cinema Award.
Detailfilm will now serve as the co-producer on Ataman’s Hilil, Feza And Other Planets, which received support from the German-Turkish Co-Production Co-Development Fund at this month’s Meetings on the Bridge co-production market in Istanbul.
Moreover, Berlin-based producer Titus Kreyenberg of Unafilm confirmed to ScreenDaily at this week’s Visions du Réel documentary festival in Nyon that the Co-Development Fund had also awarded funding to Jessica Krummacher’s feature debut, Birth Of Purple...
- 4/29/2014
- by screen.berlin@googlemail.com (Martin Blaney)
- ScreenDaily
Detailfilm reunites with director Kutlug Ataman following their collaboration on The Lamb.
Henning Kamm, who will represent Germany at Cannes next month as its Producer on the Move, and business partner Fabian Gasmia at Hamburg-based Detailfilm are to reunite with Turkish filmmaker Kutlug Ataman for his next feature project.
Kamm and Gasmia were co-producers on Ataman’s last feature film The Lamb (Kuzu), which had its world premiere at the Berlinale’s Panorama last February and won the Cicae Art Cinema Award.
Detailfilm will now serve as the co-producer on Ataman’s Hilil, Feza And Other Planets, which received support from the German-Turkish Co-Production Co-Development Fund at this month’s Meetings on the Bridge co-production market in Istanbul.
Moreover, Berlin-based producer Titus Kreyenberg of Unafilm confirmed to ScreenDaily at this week’s Visions du Réel documentary festival in Nyon that the Co-Development Fund had also awarded funding to Jessica Krummacher’s feature debut, Birth Of Purple...
Henning Kamm, who will represent Germany at Cannes next month as its Producer on the Move, and business partner Fabian Gasmia at Hamburg-based Detailfilm are to reunite with Turkish filmmaker Kutlug Ataman for his next feature project.
Kamm and Gasmia were co-producers on Ataman’s last feature film The Lamb (Kuzu), which had its world premiere at the Berlinale’s Panorama last February and won the Cicae Art Cinema Award.
Detailfilm will now serve as the co-producer on Ataman’s Hilil, Feza And Other Planets, which received support from the German-Turkish Co-Production Co-Development Fund at this month’s Meetings on the Bridge co-production market in Istanbul.
Moreover, Berlin-based producer Titus Kreyenberg of Unafilm confirmed to ScreenDaily at this week’s Visions du Réel documentary festival in Nyon that the Co-Development Fund had also awarded funding to Jessica Krummacher’s feature debut, Birth Of Purple...
- 4/29/2014
- by screen.berlin@googlemail.com (Martin Blaney)
- ScreenDaily
This year the 12th edition of the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (Iffla) includes a lineup of narrative and documentary features and short films. The impressive program reflects the rich diversity of Indian cinema, as well as the future of Indian filmmaking, with cutting-edge filmmakers and emerging voices bringing their acclaimed films to Los Angeles.
The festival is widely recognized as the premiere showcase of groundbreaking Indian cinema globally. Iffla will run April 8-13 at ArcLight Hollywood in Los Angeles, the festival’s home since its inception. Jadoo, an exploration of family bonds amidst two feuding brothers’ restaurants in England, will screen as the festival’s Closing Night Gala. The film is written and directed by Iffla alum Amit Gupta, and first premiered at the 2013 Berlinale. It features a wonderful ensemble cast that includes Kulvinder Ghir, Amara Karan, Harish Patel, Tom Mison, and Madhur Jaffrey. As previously announced, Iffla will open with Jeffrey D. Brown’s Sold, produced by Jane Charles and executive produced by Emma Thompson.
Iffla 2014 wil l present more than 33 films, including three world premieres, six North American premieres, six U.S. premieres, and 16 Los Angeles premieres. The films feature 10 different languages, from Hindi to Marathi, to Russian to Bengali. Additionally, Iffla supports American, Australian, British, Canadian, and European diaspora filmmakers from nine different countries telling their stories.
“I'm thrilled and proud that Iffla's line-up this year includes an especially diverse range of cinematic experiences, covering many regions of India and the diaspora,” said Iffla’s Artistic Director Jasmine Jaisinghani. "We would like to thank our Programming Advisor in India, Uma Da Cunha, for helping our programming team source some of these exceptional films."
Program highlights include: the North American premiere of Anurag Kashyap’s latest, Ugly an intense, masterfully directed psychological thriller that premiered in the 2013 Director’s Fortnight section of Cannes; Liar's Dice, the remarkable directorial debut of South Indian actress Geetu Mohandas that premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival; Anup Singh’s latest feature Qissa: The Tale of a Lonely Ghost, starring Irrfan Khan (Life of Pi, Slumdog Millionaire), winner of Netpac Award at the Toronto International Film Festival, and Dioraphte Award at the International Film Festival Rotterdam; the Audience Award winner at the 2013 Slamdance Film Festival Hank and Asha , an exploratory, romantic look at two people bonding in the digital age by newcomer James E. Duff; Nagraj Manjule’s Fandry, a highly praised debut feature for its multilayered emotion and realism on the subject of caste discrimination; Brahmin Bulls starring Roshan Seth (Gandhi, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Mississippi Masala) and Sendhil Ramamurthy (Beauty and the Beast, Heroes) as an estranged father and son unexpectedly brought together to confront the family’s past; and Siddharth, a nuanced look at a family whose son goes missing, by lauded Canadian director and Iffla alum Richie Mehta (Amal).
The festival's feature documentary competition includes an eclectic mix of films from established and upcoming filmmakers that consider India's unique traditions and dynamic future. The films include: the world premiere of
The Auction House , an intimate and funny look at two brothers trying to keep their anachronistic family business going in the digital age; festival favorite Powerless, which depicts intense struggles over electricity in a mid-size Indian city; Faith Connections, Iffla alum Pan Nalin's beautiful and rare look at the Kumbh Mela; and the National Award-winning Shepherds of Paradise, about an arduous, mountainous trek through an animal drive in the Kashmiri winter.
The Bollywood by Night series returns this year with Bombay Talkies and Monsoon Shootout. Premiering at last year’s Cannes Film Festival, Bombay Talkies is a quartet of short films that celebrates 100 years of Indian cinema. The omnibus film features work by four of India’s most exciting contemporary directors: Karan Johar, Dibakar Banerjee, Zoya Akhtar, and Anurag Kashyap, as well as a stellar cast that includes Amitabh Bachchan, Rani Mukerji, and Katrina Kaif. Monsoon Shoutout is a thrilling debut by Iffla alum writer/director Amit Kumar about how a split-second decision made by a rookie police officer has rippling effects in his life and the lives of those around him.
The shorts competition showcases a diverse selection of 15 films that include narrative, documentary, experimental, and animated works. Highlights of this year’s program include Academy Award® shortlisted Kush; Sundance award winner Love.Love.Love.; and the world premiere of acclaimed director Umesh Kulkarni’s The Fly.
Festival Passes and Gala tickets are currently on sale at the festival's website.
For more information, please visit:
Website: www.indianfilmfestival.org.
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ indianfilmfestival
Twitter: https://twitter.com /iffla
Tumblr: http://indianfilmfestival.tumblr.com/
About Iffla
Now in its 12th year, the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (Iffla) is a nonprofit organization devoted to a greater appreciation of Indian cinema and culture by showcasing films, honoring entertainment industry business executives, and promoting the diverse perspectives of the Indian diaspora.
Opening Night Gala
Sold
Los Angeles Premiere
USA/2014/97min
Director: Jeffrey D. Brown
Producer: Jane Charles
Executive Producer: Emma Thompson
Screenwriters: Joseph Kwong, Jeffrey D. Brown
Composer: John McDowell, Sammy Chand, Salim & Sulaiman Merchant
Cast: Susmita Mukherjee, Seema Biswas, Tillotama Shome, Niyar Saikia, Priyanka Bose, Ankur Vikal, Parambrata Chatterjee, Gillian Anderson, David Arquette
Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Jeffrey D. Brown adapts Patricia McCormick’s novel Sold – a National Book Award finalist – into a vivid, harrowing and inspiring story of a young girl’s resilience in the face of unspeakable cruelty.
Closing Night
Jadoo
Los Angeles Premiere
UK/2013/84 mins
Director: Amit Gupta
Producers: Amanda Faber, Isabelle Georgeaux, Richard Holmes, Nikki Parrott
Screenwriter: Amit Gupta
Composer: Stephen Warbeck
Cast: Kulvinder Ghir, Amara Karan, Harish Patel, Tom Mison, Madhur Jaffrey
Set in Leicester, England, Amit Gupta’s culinary comedy charts the chaos that ensues when young Shalini gets engaged to her longtime boyfriend Mark. The fact that Mark is not Indian is the least of Shalini’s concerns. Her father Raja and uncle Jagi have been at war for years. After a legendary falling out that caused them to close their family restaurant, each man opened his own establishment – directly across the street from one another! Shalini’s dream wedding would see both men put aside their differences and prepare the feast together, but resentment runs deep and neither man can hear mention of the other’s name without a spike in blood pressure. Both the prospect of disappointing their beloved Shalini and the threat of a new, hip restaurant opening in the area force Raja and Jagi to work together – but for how long? In this uproariously funny and heartfelt exploration of family bonds, shared history and gastronomic perfection, Gupta’s cast is endlessly appealing. Plus, there’s enough mouth-watering Indian food on display to have your stomach growling before the credits roll.
Feature Films
Before My Eyes (Ankhon Dekhi)
Los Angeles Premiere
India/2013/107min
Director: Rajat Kapoor Producer: Manish Mundra
Screenwriter: Rajat Kapoor
Cast: Sanjay Sanjay Mishra, Seema Pahwa, Rajat Kapoor, Taranjeet, Maya Sarao
Celebrated writer, director, and actor Rajat Kapoor (Midnight’s Children, Monsoon Wedding, Mixed Doubles, Mithya) paints an offbeat yet thought-provoking portrait of domestic life in modern day Delhi when an incident prompts head of the family Bauji to reject anything he himself has not experienced, much to the exasperation of his extended family but to the delight of his newfound philosopher disciples. Balancing the comical and the existential, both Bauji and the film ask the basic question, ‘Can you know truth without true experience?’
Brahmin Bulls
Los Angeles Premiere
USA/96min/2013
Director: Mahesh Pailoor
Producer: Yoshinobu Tsuji
Screenwriters: Anu Pradhan, Mahesh Pailoor
Cast: Sendhil Ramamurthy, Roshan Seth, Mary Steenburgen, Justin Bartha, Cassidy Freeman, Monica Raymund, Michael Lerner
Mahesh Pailoor's tender, funny, and touching debut tells the story of estranged father and son Ashok and Sid, who reunite at Sid's Los Angeles home when Ashok arrives unexpectedly. Each man is keeping secrets from one another, and when the truth is revealed, parent and child must work even harder to close the rift between them.
Fandry
North American Premiere
India/2013/103min
Director: Nagraj Manjule
Producers: Vivek Kajaria, Nilesh Navalakha
Screenwriter: Nagraj Manjule
Cast: Kishor Kadam, Chhaya Kadam, Somnath Awghade, Suraj Pawar, Rajshree Kharat, Sakshi Vyavhare, Aishvarya Shinde, Nagraj Manjule
Marathi poet Nagraj Manjule's impressive debut feature tells the story of Jabya, a Dalit boy, and his family's struggle against daily prejudice in their Maharashtra village. Jabya's carefree childhood desires and antics are soon stifled by his family's "untouchable" status, and the film's gradual transformation into an insightful and damning look at caste discrimination builds from a murmur to a defiant roar. Refusing to reduce his Dalit characters to victims – most explicitly at the film's explosive conclusion - Manjule's socially reflective film has received critical acclaim in India.
Hank and Asha
Los Angeles Premiere
USA/2013/73min
Director: James E. Duff
Producers: James E. Duff, Julia Morrison
Screenwriters: James E. Duff, Julia Morrison
Cast: Mahira Kakkar, Andrew Pastides
James E. Duff's feature directorial debut, the Audience Award winner at the 2013 Slamdance Film Festival, is an endearing tale of a long-distance connection in the digital age. Hank and Asha, two aspiring filmmakers separated by an ocean, connect with one another through video messages and quickly find themselves heading towards romance. That is, until Asha reveals some surprising news. Duff has created a captivating ode to the new possibilities open to us now that the world's gotten smaller.
Liar's Dice
Los Angeles Premiere
India/2013/104min
Director: Geetu Mohandas
Producers: Alan McAlex, Ajay G. Rai
Screenwriter: Geetu Mohandas
Cast: Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Geetanjali Thapa, Manya Gupta
Established actress Geetu Mohandas steps behind the lens for her bracing directorial debut. A woman named Kamala and her daughter journey from their remote Himalayan village to Delhi in search of Kamala's missing husband. They find a guide in an unfriendly wanderer whose interest may lie more in his personal gain than in any help he can offer them. Beautifully shot by Rajeev Ravi (Gangs of Wasseypur), Mohandas' film evokes a hazardous world where answers may never be clear and a helping hand always comes at a price.
Phoring
North American Premiere
India/2013/128min
Director: Indranil Roychowdhury
Producers: Anasua Roychowdury, Sugata Bal
Screenwriters: Indranil Roychowdhury, Sugata Sinha
Cast: Akash Adhikary, Sohini Sarkar, Sourav Basak, Ritwick Charaborty, Shankar Debnath, Senjuti Roymukherjee
Indranil Roychowdhury's stunning feature debut is an evocative, unpredictable tale of confused adolescence in a struggling North Bengal town. Phoring, an imaginative adolescent boy, and his beautiful new teacher Doel form a close friendship that soon arouses doubt and suspicion when Doel's presence in the town is revealed to have less-than-noble origins. Roychowdhury accomplishes a tricky feat with his first film by luring us with the promise of an inspirational teacher-student story before ultimately delivering a much more complex and truthful account of the joys and pains of growing up.
Qissa: The Tale of a Lonely Ghost (2013)
Los Angeles Premiere Germany-India-Netherlands/2013/109min
Director: Anup Singh
Producers: Bero Beyer, Johannes Rexin, Bettina Brokemper, Thierry Lenouvel
Screenwriter: Anup Singh, Madhuja Mukherjee
Cast: Irrfan Khan, Tisca Chopra, Tillotama Shome, Rasika Dugal
Set in 1940s Punjab, Anup Singh’s latest feature Qissa details the aftermath of the Indo-Pakistan Partition through the experiences of one Sikh family, headed by Umber (Irrfan Khan). Following the family’s forceful displacement from their village, Umber’s desire for a male heir is stronger than ever. When his wife gives birth to their fourth daughter, Kanwar, Umber makes the fateful decision to raise her as a boy. This tragic choice ends up dividing the family in violent ways, and provokes a series of increasingly unsettling situations for Kanwar as she grows up. While in a sense a ghost story, the source of pain and suffering is all too real.
Siddharth
Los Angeles Premiere
Canada-India/2013/96min
Director: Richie Mehta
Producers: David Miller, Steven N. Bray
Screenwriter: Richie Mehta
Cast: Rajesh Tailang, Tannishtha Chatterjee
A celebrated Iffla alum, Canadian director Richie Mehta returns to the festival with a heartbreaking story of parents Mahendra and Suman, whose son goes missing after being sent to work 200 miles north of Delhi. Carried by powerful yet restrained performances from Rajesh Tailang and Tannishtha Chatterjee as the parents, Mehta and cast capture the dignity of those facing the unthinkable. Mehta's chance encounter with a man searching for his lost son alerted him to the underreported plight of the families of 44,000 children estimated missing in India every year.
Ugly
North American Premiere
India/2013/128mins/Dcp
Director: Anurag Kashyap
Writer: Anurag Kashyap
Producers: Vikas Bahl, Madhu Mantena, Vikramaditya Motwane, Vivek Rangachari, Arun Rangachari
Cast: Rahul Bhatt, Ronit Roy, Tejaswini Kolhapure, Anshika Shrivastava
When ten-year-old Kali disappears from her father Rahul's car on the busy streets of Mumbai, the events that follow quickly spiral out of control and plunge into a morass of corruption and violence. Rahul and Kali's mother, Shalini, are divorced. Shalini is now married to Shoumik, the local police chief. When Shoumik learns that his stepdaughter is missing, he and Rahul clash in a breathless race to find the girl. With intricate plotting and vivid characterizations, Iffla alum Anurag Kashyap fashions a story that's sure to keep the heart racing.
Writers (Sulemani Keeda)
North American Premiere
India/2013/90min
Director: Amit V Masurkar
Writer: Amit V Masurkar
Producer: Datta Dave
Cast: Naveen Kasturia, Mayank Tewari, Aditi Vasudev and Karan Mirchandani
Writing partners Dulal and Mainak dream of shaking up Bollywood in director Amit Masurkar's slacker comedy. The two young men take a job from the wealthy, oddball son of a famous B-movie producer, but soon fear they're on the path to selling out. Masurkar's film captures the creative spirit of Andheri West, a Mumbai suburb where writers, directors, and actors come from all over India with the dream of working in the film industry, and is a sweet taste of things to come from the new "hindie" cinema.
Documentary Features
The Auction House: A Tale of Two Brothers
World Premiere
UK/2014/85min
Director: Ed Owles
Producers: Ed Owles, Giovanna Stopponi
The auction houses of Kolkata used to be where the rich and famous found the right high-end objects to decorate their homes. Today, the family-owned Russell Exchange is the last, and oldest, one to remain in India. Director Ed Owles follows two brothers, with the older brother moving back to Kolkata from London with hopes of using his Western business acumen to bring the Exchange into the 21st century. However, in a country radically transformed by technology and a rising youth culture, it may already be too late.
Faith Connections
Los Angeles Premiere
France-India/2013/115min/Dcp
Director: Pan Nalin
Producers: Raphaël Berdugo, Gaurav Dhingra, Pan Nalin, Virginie Lacombe
Every three years, Hindus gather at one of four rotating sites for Kumbh Mela, a religious celebration of faith and devotion marked by bathing in the sacred waters of the Ganges. With 100 million people at the 2013 Kumbh Mela, the pilgrimage is said to be the largest gathering on the planet. Iffla alum Pan Nalin crafts a moving and unique view of the mass gathering and presents unique stories of how individuals came to be there to share in the belief of the divine.
Powerless (Katiyabaaz)
Los Angeles Premiere
India/2013/82min
Director: Fahad Mustafa and Deepti Kakkar
Producers: Fahad Mustafa, Deepti Kakkar, Judy Tam, Leopold Koegler
Screenwriter: Fahad Mustafa
In Kanpur, a city of three million that has seen better days, one of the only ways for many residents to get electricity is to steal it. Co-directors Fahad Mustafa and Deepti Kakkar focus their attention on the likes of pirate engineers like Loha Singh and first female CEO at the local power authority Ritu Maheshwari. Coupled with beautiful photography of the intricately tied together powerlines of the city and a pulsating original score, they present a unique documentary about current-day India and its future battles over limited resources.
Shepherds of Paradise
U.S. Premiere
India/2013/50min
Director/Producer/Screenwriter/Cinematographer/Editor: Raja Shabir Khan
Composer: Bilal Iran
Nomadic herder Gafoor has to lead his large flock of goats, sheep, cows and horses across Jammu all the way to Kashmir so they can graze. Director Raja Shabir Khan presents lives few have ever seen, let alone lived, with simple beauty and real terror in a film that has won major National Awards in India. A cinematic wonder that must be seen to truly understand, Shepherds of Paradise is a testament of the power of film to transport us to other lands and experiences.
Bollywood By Night
Bombay Talkies
North American Premiere
India/117min/2013
Directors: Karan Johar, Dibakar Banerjee, Zoya Akhtar, Anurag Kashyap
Producers: Ritesh Sidhwani, Farhan Akhtar, Guneet Monga
Screenwriters: Karan Johar, Dibakar Banerjee, Zoya Akhtar, Reema Kagti, Anurag Kashyap
Cast: Amitabh Bachchan , Rani Mukerji, Katrina Kaif, Randeep Hooda, Saqib Saleem, Nawazuddin Siddiqui
A quartet of short films directed by four of India’s most exciting contemporary filmmakers celebrates 100 years of Indian cinema in this omnibus film. Karan Johar, Dibakar Banerjee, Zoya Akhtar and Anurag Kashyap crafts a tale of ordinary people whose love of movies profoundly alters the course of their lives. Each story beautifully captures how lovers of cinema can’t help but carry that fascination into their day-to-day life. Haven’t we all wished, at one time or another, that our lives were more like a film?
Monsoon Shootout
Los Angeles Premiere
India-uk-Netherlands/2013/88min
Director: Amit Kumar
Producers: Trevor Ingman, Guneet Monga, Martijn De Grunt
Screenwriter: Amit Kumar
Cast: Vijay Varma, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Tannishtha Chatterjee, Geetanjali Thapa
A split-second decision made by a rookie police officer propels writer/director Amit Kumar’s debut feature, which fascinatingly splinters into three separate, equally pulse-pounding scenarios. In a secluded alley drenched in the pouring rain, principled cop Adi aims his gun at Shiva, a vicious gangster on the run. What Adi decides to do next will reverberate throughout his personal and professional life in ways he could never imagine. Kumar thus explores the ripple effect our choices have, and how we unknowingly alter the lives of those around us.
Shorts
Aarti
Shorts Program 2
World Premiere
USA/2013/4min
Director: David Walter Lech
Producer: Terrie Samundra
A hypnotic look into the nightly “ceremony of light” ritual in a Hindu temple in Sheikhupur, Punjab.
Alchemy
Shorts Program 2
U.S. Premiere
India/2013/5min
Directors: Pranay Patwardhan, Shivangi Ranawat, Janmeet Singh
Producer: Pritesh Varia
A bold and vibrant song to the intricate fabric of modern day India, a kaleidoscope of voices, colors and traditions.
Bhiwani Junction
Shorts Program 1
Los Angeles Premiere
USA/2013/18min
Director: Abhi Singh
Producer: Abhi Singh
A poignant documentary portrait of Himanshu, a 12-year old boxer, whose formidable commitment to the sport makes his lofty dreams to become an Olympic champion appear well within reach.
Black Rock (Kaatal)
Shorts Program 1
U.S. Premiere
India/2012/22min
Director: Vikrant Pawar
Producer: Film and Television Institute of India
Two young lovers spend one last afternoon together. A beautiful meditation on the ephemeral nature of young love that has won three of India’s National Film Awards.
The Fly (Makhi)
Shorts Program 2
World Premiere
India/2013/31min
Director: Umesh Vinayak Kulkarni
Producer: Film and Television Institute of India
Employed as a Fly Killer in an upscale restaurant, Pipal must ensure a fly-free environment by smacking dead the flies that buzz over the patrons’ heads. When a nearby drainage is closed and the source of the fly infestation eradicated, Pipal must find a way to produce enough live flies to save his job, in this delightfully absurdist commentary on urban India’s emerging work culture.
Beloved (Humsafar)
Shorts Program 2
U.S. Premiere
India/2012/6min
Directors/Writers: Swapnil Awate, Laura Erbacher
Producer: Dsk Supinfocom
A sweeping single shot takes us on the breathtaking animated journey of two lovers and their eternal pursuit of harmony.
Jaya
Shorts Program 2
USA/2013/19min
Director: Puja Maewal
Producer: Puja Maewal
Young Jaya is able to survive the gruesome gang life in the unforgiving streets of Mumbai by posing as a boy. When she meets a wealthy businessman who looks like he could be the father who abandoned her, she sets out to reclaim her identity, in this engrossing drama that was shortlisted for a Student Academy Award®.
Kush
Shorts Program 1
India/2013/25min
Director: Shubhashish Bhutiani
Producer: Shubhashish Bhutiani
A bus full of schoolchildren boisterously makes its way back from a field trip when the news of Indira Gandhi’s assassination by her Sikh bodyguards breaks. As violence quickly erupts across the country, Kush, the only Sikh student in the class, must find a way to escape the unquenchable fury of retribution, in this gripping drama that was shortlisted for an Academy Award®.
Little Gypsy (Kachho Gadulo)
Shorts Program 1
Los Angeles Premiere
India/2012/6min
Directors: Saptesh Chaubal, Pranay Patwardhan, Shivangi Ranawat
Producer: D.S.K. Supinfocom
Inspired by the folk traditions of various parts of India, this stunning animated film sweeps us into a mythical journey that celebrates the power of play and imagination.
Love.Love.Love.
Shorts Program 2
Los Angeles Premiere
Russian Federation/2013/12min
Director: Sandhya Daisy Sundaram
Producers: Tanya Petrik, Guillaume Protsenko
An intimate ode to the wondrous force of love, as it takes new shapes and forms through the endless Russian winters. Love. Love.Love. won the Short Film Special Jury Award for Non-Fiction at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival.
Outpost
Shorts Program 1
U.S. Premiere
India-usa/2013/17min
Director: Shiva Shankar Bajpai
Producer: Aditi Anand
In the barren desert of the India-Pakistan border, two lone army guards on the opposite sides of the line yearn for booze, mosquito repellent and some human contact, in this humorous glimpse into the absurdity of rigid immaterial divides.
Presence
Shorts Program 2
U.S. Premiere
India/2012/17min
Directors: Ekta Mittal, Yashaswini Raghunandan
Producers: Ekta Mittal, Yashaswini Raghunandan
Long days and nights spent within the bellies of the rising structural beasts that rapidly transform the city of Bangalore bring on visions of ghosts that speak of the construction workers’ memories, longings and fears, in this haunting meditation on the migrant experience.
Skin Deep
Screens with Writers
U.S. Premiere
India/2013/20min
Director: Hardik Mehta
Producers: Devang Bhavsar, Niraj Kothari
Sanjay and Sushma plan to elope to escape a looming arranged marriage. They are in love and their future together shines bright and perfect and filled with possibility--that is, as long as an extra piece of skin that complicates their sex life gets fixed in what should be a routine medical procedure. But Mumbai’s electricity gods have other plans in store for them.
Small Yellow Field (Tau Seru)
Shorts Program 1
Los Angeles Premiere
Australia-India/2013/8min
Director: Rodd Rathjen
Producer: Rodd Rathjen
In the remote vastness of the Himalayas, a young nomad's curiosity lies beyond the horizon. This stunningly photographed film made its world premiere at Cannes Critics’ Week.
The Puppet (Tamaash)
Screens with Shepherds Of Paradise
Los Angeles Premiere
India/2013/32min
Directors: Devanshu Singh, Satyanshu Singh
Producers: Datta Dave, Chaitanya Hegde, Omar Nissar Paul, Devanshu Singh, Satyanshu Singh
A mysterious puppet offers young Anzar the chance to escape his father’s relentless punishments over his poor school grades by granting him the power to inflict misfortune on his nemesis, his brilliant classmate, Sadat. However, his newfound peace is short-lived as Sadat falls severely ill and Anzar comes to realize that the puppet’s powers are spiraling out of his control...
The festival is widely recognized as the premiere showcase of groundbreaking Indian cinema globally. Iffla will run April 8-13 at ArcLight Hollywood in Los Angeles, the festival’s home since its inception. Jadoo, an exploration of family bonds amidst two feuding brothers’ restaurants in England, will screen as the festival’s Closing Night Gala. The film is written and directed by Iffla alum Amit Gupta, and first premiered at the 2013 Berlinale. It features a wonderful ensemble cast that includes Kulvinder Ghir, Amara Karan, Harish Patel, Tom Mison, and Madhur Jaffrey. As previously announced, Iffla will open with Jeffrey D. Brown’s Sold, produced by Jane Charles and executive produced by Emma Thompson.
Iffla 2014 wil l present more than 33 films, including three world premieres, six North American premieres, six U.S. premieres, and 16 Los Angeles premieres. The films feature 10 different languages, from Hindi to Marathi, to Russian to Bengali. Additionally, Iffla supports American, Australian, British, Canadian, and European diaspora filmmakers from nine different countries telling their stories.
“I'm thrilled and proud that Iffla's line-up this year includes an especially diverse range of cinematic experiences, covering many regions of India and the diaspora,” said Iffla’s Artistic Director Jasmine Jaisinghani. "We would like to thank our Programming Advisor in India, Uma Da Cunha, for helping our programming team source some of these exceptional films."
Program highlights include: the North American premiere of Anurag Kashyap’s latest, Ugly an intense, masterfully directed psychological thriller that premiered in the 2013 Director’s Fortnight section of Cannes; Liar's Dice, the remarkable directorial debut of South Indian actress Geetu Mohandas that premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival; Anup Singh’s latest feature Qissa: The Tale of a Lonely Ghost, starring Irrfan Khan (Life of Pi, Slumdog Millionaire), winner of Netpac Award at the Toronto International Film Festival, and Dioraphte Award at the International Film Festival Rotterdam; the Audience Award winner at the 2013 Slamdance Film Festival Hank and Asha , an exploratory, romantic look at two people bonding in the digital age by newcomer James E. Duff; Nagraj Manjule’s Fandry, a highly praised debut feature for its multilayered emotion and realism on the subject of caste discrimination; Brahmin Bulls starring Roshan Seth (Gandhi, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Mississippi Masala) and Sendhil Ramamurthy (Beauty and the Beast, Heroes) as an estranged father and son unexpectedly brought together to confront the family’s past; and Siddharth, a nuanced look at a family whose son goes missing, by lauded Canadian director and Iffla alum Richie Mehta (Amal).
The festival's feature documentary competition includes an eclectic mix of films from established and upcoming filmmakers that consider India's unique traditions and dynamic future. The films include: the world premiere of
The Auction House , an intimate and funny look at two brothers trying to keep their anachronistic family business going in the digital age; festival favorite Powerless, which depicts intense struggles over electricity in a mid-size Indian city; Faith Connections, Iffla alum Pan Nalin's beautiful and rare look at the Kumbh Mela; and the National Award-winning Shepherds of Paradise, about an arduous, mountainous trek through an animal drive in the Kashmiri winter.
The Bollywood by Night series returns this year with Bombay Talkies and Monsoon Shootout. Premiering at last year’s Cannes Film Festival, Bombay Talkies is a quartet of short films that celebrates 100 years of Indian cinema. The omnibus film features work by four of India’s most exciting contemporary directors: Karan Johar, Dibakar Banerjee, Zoya Akhtar, and Anurag Kashyap, as well as a stellar cast that includes Amitabh Bachchan, Rani Mukerji, and Katrina Kaif. Monsoon Shoutout is a thrilling debut by Iffla alum writer/director Amit Kumar about how a split-second decision made by a rookie police officer has rippling effects in his life and the lives of those around him.
The shorts competition showcases a diverse selection of 15 films that include narrative, documentary, experimental, and animated works. Highlights of this year’s program include Academy Award® shortlisted Kush; Sundance award winner Love.Love.Love.; and the world premiere of acclaimed director Umesh Kulkarni’s The Fly.
Festival Passes and Gala tickets are currently on sale at the festival's website.
For more information, please visit:
Website: www.indianfilmfestival.org.
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ indianfilmfestival
Twitter: https://twitter.com /iffla
Tumblr: http://indianfilmfestival.tumblr.com/
About Iffla
Now in its 12th year, the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (Iffla) is a nonprofit organization devoted to a greater appreciation of Indian cinema and culture by showcasing films, honoring entertainment industry business executives, and promoting the diverse perspectives of the Indian diaspora.
Opening Night Gala
Sold
Los Angeles Premiere
USA/2014/97min
Director: Jeffrey D. Brown
Producer: Jane Charles
Executive Producer: Emma Thompson
Screenwriters: Joseph Kwong, Jeffrey D. Brown
Composer: John McDowell, Sammy Chand, Salim & Sulaiman Merchant
Cast: Susmita Mukherjee, Seema Biswas, Tillotama Shome, Niyar Saikia, Priyanka Bose, Ankur Vikal, Parambrata Chatterjee, Gillian Anderson, David Arquette
Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Jeffrey D. Brown adapts Patricia McCormick’s novel Sold – a National Book Award finalist – into a vivid, harrowing and inspiring story of a young girl’s resilience in the face of unspeakable cruelty.
Closing Night
Jadoo
Los Angeles Premiere
UK/2013/84 mins
Director: Amit Gupta
Producers: Amanda Faber, Isabelle Georgeaux, Richard Holmes, Nikki Parrott
Screenwriter: Amit Gupta
Composer: Stephen Warbeck
Cast: Kulvinder Ghir, Amara Karan, Harish Patel, Tom Mison, Madhur Jaffrey
Set in Leicester, England, Amit Gupta’s culinary comedy charts the chaos that ensues when young Shalini gets engaged to her longtime boyfriend Mark. The fact that Mark is not Indian is the least of Shalini’s concerns. Her father Raja and uncle Jagi have been at war for years. After a legendary falling out that caused them to close their family restaurant, each man opened his own establishment – directly across the street from one another! Shalini’s dream wedding would see both men put aside their differences and prepare the feast together, but resentment runs deep and neither man can hear mention of the other’s name without a spike in blood pressure. Both the prospect of disappointing their beloved Shalini and the threat of a new, hip restaurant opening in the area force Raja and Jagi to work together – but for how long? In this uproariously funny and heartfelt exploration of family bonds, shared history and gastronomic perfection, Gupta’s cast is endlessly appealing. Plus, there’s enough mouth-watering Indian food on display to have your stomach growling before the credits roll.
Feature Films
Before My Eyes (Ankhon Dekhi)
Los Angeles Premiere
India/2013/107min
Director: Rajat Kapoor Producer: Manish Mundra
Screenwriter: Rajat Kapoor
Cast: Sanjay Sanjay Mishra, Seema Pahwa, Rajat Kapoor, Taranjeet, Maya Sarao
Celebrated writer, director, and actor Rajat Kapoor (Midnight’s Children, Monsoon Wedding, Mixed Doubles, Mithya) paints an offbeat yet thought-provoking portrait of domestic life in modern day Delhi when an incident prompts head of the family Bauji to reject anything he himself has not experienced, much to the exasperation of his extended family but to the delight of his newfound philosopher disciples. Balancing the comical and the existential, both Bauji and the film ask the basic question, ‘Can you know truth without true experience?’
Brahmin Bulls
Los Angeles Premiere
USA/96min/2013
Director: Mahesh Pailoor
Producer: Yoshinobu Tsuji
Screenwriters: Anu Pradhan, Mahesh Pailoor
Cast: Sendhil Ramamurthy, Roshan Seth, Mary Steenburgen, Justin Bartha, Cassidy Freeman, Monica Raymund, Michael Lerner
Mahesh Pailoor's tender, funny, and touching debut tells the story of estranged father and son Ashok and Sid, who reunite at Sid's Los Angeles home when Ashok arrives unexpectedly. Each man is keeping secrets from one another, and when the truth is revealed, parent and child must work even harder to close the rift between them.
Fandry
North American Premiere
India/2013/103min
Director: Nagraj Manjule
Producers: Vivek Kajaria, Nilesh Navalakha
Screenwriter: Nagraj Manjule
Cast: Kishor Kadam, Chhaya Kadam, Somnath Awghade, Suraj Pawar, Rajshree Kharat, Sakshi Vyavhare, Aishvarya Shinde, Nagraj Manjule
Marathi poet Nagraj Manjule's impressive debut feature tells the story of Jabya, a Dalit boy, and his family's struggle against daily prejudice in their Maharashtra village. Jabya's carefree childhood desires and antics are soon stifled by his family's "untouchable" status, and the film's gradual transformation into an insightful and damning look at caste discrimination builds from a murmur to a defiant roar. Refusing to reduce his Dalit characters to victims – most explicitly at the film's explosive conclusion - Manjule's socially reflective film has received critical acclaim in India.
Hank and Asha
Los Angeles Premiere
USA/2013/73min
Director: James E. Duff
Producers: James E. Duff, Julia Morrison
Screenwriters: James E. Duff, Julia Morrison
Cast: Mahira Kakkar, Andrew Pastides
James E. Duff's feature directorial debut, the Audience Award winner at the 2013 Slamdance Film Festival, is an endearing tale of a long-distance connection in the digital age. Hank and Asha, two aspiring filmmakers separated by an ocean, connect with one another through video messages and quickly find themselves heading towards romance. That is, until Asha reveals some surprising news. Duff has created a captivating ode to the new possibilities open to us now that the world's gotten smaller.
Liar's Dice
Los Angeles Premiere
India/2013/104min
Director: Geetu Mohandas
Producers: Alan McAlex, Ajay G. Rai
Screenwriter: Geetu Mohandas
Cast: Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Geetanjali Thapa, Manya Gupta
Established actress Geetu Mohandas steps behind the lens for her bracing directorial debut. A woman named Kamala and her daughter journey from their remote Himalayan village to Delhi in search of Kamala's missing husband. They find a guide in an unfriendly wanderer whose interest may lie more in his personal gain than in any help he can offer them. Beautifully shot by Rajeev Ravi (Gangs of Wasseypur), Mohandas' film evokes a hazardous world where answers may never be clear and a helping hand always comes at a price.
Phoring
North American Premiere
India/2013/128min
Director: Indranil Roychowdhury
Producers: Anasua Roychowdury, Sugata Bal
Screenwriters: Indranil Roychowdhury, Sugata Sinha
Cast: Akash Adhikary, Sohini Sarkar, Sourav Basak, Ritwick Charaborty, Shankar Debnath, Senjuti Roymukherjee
Indranil Roychowdhury's stunning feature debut is an evocative, unpredictable tale of confused adolescence in a struggling North Bengal town. Phoring, an imaginative adolescent boy, and his beautiful new teacher Doel form a close friendship that soon arouses doubt and suspicion when Doel's presence in the town is revealed to have less-than-noble origins. Roychowdhury accomplishes a tricky feat with his first film by luring us with the promise of an inspirational teacher-student story before ultimately delivering a much more complex and truthful account of the joys and pains of growing up.
Qissa: The Tale of a Lonely Ghost (2013)
Los Angeles Premiere Germany-India-Netherlands/2013/109min
Director: Anup Singh
Producers: Bero Beyer, Johannes Rexin, Bettina Brokemper, Thierry Lenouvel
Screenwriter: Anup Singh, Madhuja Mukherjee
Cast: Irrfan Khan, Tisca Chopra, Tillotama Shome, Rasika Dugal
Set in 1940s Punjab, Anup Singh’s latest feature Qissa details the aftermath of the Indo-Pakistan Partition through the experiences of one Sikh family, headed by Umber (Irrfan Khan). Following the family’s forceful displacement from their village, Umber’s desire for a male heir is stronger than ever. When his wife gives birth to their fourth daughter, Kanwar, Umber makes the fateful decision to raise her as a boy. This tragic choice ends up dividing the family in violent ways, and provokes a series of increasingly unsettling situations for Kanwar as she grows up. While in a sense a ghost story, the source of pain and suffering is all too real.
Siddharth
Los Angeles Premiere
Canada-India/2013/96min
Director: Richie Mehta
Producers: David Miller, Steven N. Bray
Screenwriter: Richie Mehta
Cast: Rajesh Tailang, Tannishtha Chatterjee
A celebrated Iffla alum, Canadian director Richie Mehta returns to the festival with a heartbreaking story of parents Mahendra and Suman, whose son goes missing after being sent to work 200 miles north of Delhi. Carried by powerful yet restrained performances from Rajesh Tailang and Tannishtha Chatterjee as the parents, Mehta and cast capture the dignity of those facing the unthinkable. Mehta's chance encounter with a man searching for his lost son alerted him to the underreported plight of the families of 44,000 children estimated missing in India every year.
Ugly
North American Premiere
India/2013/128mins/Dcp
Director: Anurag Kashyap
Writer: Anurag Kashyap
Producers: Vikas Bahl, Madhu Mantena, Vikramaditya Motwane, Vivek Rangachari, Arun Rangachari
Cast: Rahul Bhatt, Ronit Roy, Tejaswini Kolhapure, Anshika Shrivastava
When ten-year-old Kali disappears from her father Rahul's car on the busy streets of Mumbai, the events that follow quickly spiral out of control and plunge into a morass of corruption and violence. Rahul and Kali's mother, Shalini, are divorced. Shalini is now married to Shoumik, the local police chief. When Shoumik learns that his stepdaughter is missing, he and Rahul clash in a breathless race to find the girl. With intricate plotting and vivid characterizations, Iffla alum Anurag Kashyap fashions a story that's sure to keep the heart racing.
Writers (Sulemani Keeda)
North American Premiere
India/2013/90min
Director: Amit V Masurkar
Writer: Amit V Masurkar
Producer: Datta Dave
Cast: Naveen Kasturia, Mayank Tewari, Aditi Vasudev and Karan Mirchandani
Writing partners Dulal and Mainak dream of shaking up Bollywood in director Amit Masurkar's slacker comedy. The two young men take a job from the wealthy, oddball son of a famous B-movie producer, but soon fear they're on the path to selling out. Masurkar's film captures the creative spirit of Andheri West, a Mumbai suburb where writers, directors, and actors come from all over India with the dream of working in the film industry, and is a sweet taste of things to come from the new "hindie" cinema.
Documentary Features
The Auction House: A Tale of Two Brothers
World Premiere
UK/2014/85min
Director: Ed Owles
Producers: Ed Owles, Giovanna Stopponi
The auction houses of Kolkata used to be where the rich and famous found the right high-end objects to decorate their homes. Today, the family-owned Russell Exchange is the last, and oldest, one to remain in India. Director Ed Owles follows two brothers, with the older brother moving back to Kolkata from London with hopes of using his Western business acumen to bring the Exchange into the 21st century. However, in a country radically transformed by technology and a rising youth culture, it may already be too late.
Faith Connections
Los Angeles Premiere
France-India/2013/115min/Dcp
Director: Pan Nalin
Producers: Raphaël Berdugo, Gaurav Dhingra, Pan Nalin, Virginie Lacombe
Every three years, Hindus gather at one of four rotating sites for Kumbh Mela, a religious celebration of faith and devotion marked by bathing in the sacred waters of the Ganges. With 100 million people at the 2013 Kumbh Mela, the pilgrimage is said to be the largest gathering on the planet. Iffla alum Pan Nalin crafts a moving and unique view of the mass gathering and presents unique stories of how individuals came to be there to share in the belief of the divine.
Powerless (Katiyabaaz)
Los Angeles Premiere
India/2013/82min
Director: Fahad Mustafa and Deepti Kakkar
Producers: Fahad Mustafa, Deepti Kakkar, Judy Tam, Leopold Koegler
Screenwriter: Fahad Mustafa
In Kanpur, a city of three million that has seen better days, one of the only ways for many residents to get electricity is to steal it. Co-directors Fahad Mustafa and Deepti Kakkar focus their attention on the likes of pirate engineers like Loha Singh and first female CEO at the local power authority Ritu Maheshwari. Coupled with beautiful photography of the intricately tied together powerlines of the city and a pulsating original score, they present a unique documentary about current-day India and its future battles over limited resources.
Shepherds of Paradise
U.S. Premiere
India/2013/50min
Director/Producer/Screenwriter/Cinematographer/Editor: Raja Shabir Khan
Composer: Bilal Iran
Nomadic herder Gafoor has to lead his large flock of goats, sheep, cows and horses across Jammu all the way to Kashmir so they can graze. Director Raja Shabir Khan presents lives few have ever seen, let alone lived, with simple beauty and real terror in a film that has won major National Awards in India. A cinematic wonder that must be seen to truly understand, Shepherds of Paradise is a testament of the power of film to transport us to other lands and experiences.
Bollywood By Night
Bombay Talkies
North American Premiere
India/117min/2013
Directors: Karan Johar, Dibakar Banerjee, Zoya Akhtar, Anurag Kashyap
Producers: Ritesh Sidhwani, Farhan Akhtar, Guneet Monga
Screenwriters: Karan Johar, Dibakar Banerjee, Zoya Akhtar, Reema Kagti, Anurag Kashyap
Cast: Amitabh Bachchan , Rani Mukerji, Katrina Kaif, Randeep Hooda, Saqib Saleem, Nawazuddin Siddiqui
A quartet of short films directed by four of India’s most exciting contemporary filmmakers celebrates 100 years of Indian cinema in this omnibus film. Karan Johar, Dibakar Banerjee, Zoya Akhtar and Anurag Kashyap crafts a tale of ordinary people whose love of movies profoundly alters the course of their lives. Each story beautifully captures how lovers of cinema can’t help but carry that fascination into their day-to-day life. Haven’t we all wished, at one time or another, that our lives were more like a film?
Monsoon Shootout
Los Angeles Premiere
India-uk-Netherlands/2013/88min
Director: Amit Kumar
Producers: Trevor Ingman, Guneet Monga, Martijn De Grunt
Screenwriter: Amit Kumar
Cast: Vijay Varma, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Tannishtha Chatterjee, Geetanjali Thapa
A split-second decision made by a rookie police officer propels writer/director Amit Kumar’s debut feature, which fascinatingly splinters into three separate, equally pulse-pounding scenarios. In a secluded alley drenched in the pouring rain, principled cop Adi aims his gun at Shiva, a vicious gangster on the run. What Adi decides to do next will reverberate throughout his personal and professional life in ways he could never imagine. Kumar thus explores the ripple effect our choices have, and how we unknowingly alter the lives of those around us.
Shorts
Aarti
Shorts Program 2
World Premiere
USA/2013/4min
Director: David Walter Lech
Producer: Terrie Samundra
A hypnotic look into the nightly “ceremony of light” ritual in a Hindu temple in Sheikhupur, Punjab.
Alchemy
Shorts Program 2
U.S. Premiere
India/2013/5min
Directors: Pranay Patwardhan, Shivangi Ranawat, Janmeet Singh
Producer: Pritesh Varia
A bold and vibrant song to the intricate fabric of modern day India, a kaleidoscope of voices, colors and traditions.
Bhiwani Junction
Shorts Program 1
Los Angeles Premiere
USA/2013/18min
Director: Abhi Singh
Producer: Abhi Singh
A poignant documentary portrait of Himanshu, a 12-year old boxer, whose formidable commitment to the sport makes his lofty dreams to become an Olympic champion appear well within reach.
Black Rock (Kaatal)
Shorts Program 1
U.S. Premiere
India/2012/22min
Director: Vikrant Pawar
Producer: Film and Television Institute of India
Two young lovers spend one last afternoon together. A beautiful meditation on the ephemeral nature of young love that has won three of India’s National Film Awards.
The Fly (Makhi)
Shorts Program 2
World Premiere
India/2013/31min
Director: Umesh Vinayak Kulkarni
Producer: Film and Television Institute of India
Employed as a Fly Killer in an upscale restaurant, Pipal must ensure a fly-free environment by smacking dead the flies that buzz over the patrons’ heads. When a nearby drainage is closed and the source of the fly infestation eradicated, Pipal must find a way to produce enough live flies to save his job, in this delightfully absurdist commentary on urban India’s emerging work culture.
Beloved (Humsafar)
Shorts Program 2
U.S. Premiere
India/2012/6min
Directors/Writers: Swapnil Awate, Laura Erbacher
Producer: Dsk Supinfocom
A sweeping single shot takes us on the breathtaking animated journey of two lovers and their eternal pursuit of harmony.
Jaya
Shorts Program 2
USA/2013/19min
Director: Puja Maewal
Producer: Puja Maewal
Young Jaya is able to survive the gruesome gang life in the unforgiving streets of Mumbai by posing as a boy. When she meets a wealthy businessman who looks like he could be the father who abandoned her, she sets out to reclaim her identity, in this engrossing drama that was shortlisted for a Student Academy Award®.
Kush
Shorts Program 1
India/2013/25min
Director: Shubhashish Bhutiani
Producer: Shubhashish Bhutiani
A bus full of schoolchildren boisterously makes its way back from a field trip when the news of Indira Gandhi’s assassination by her Sikh bodyguards breaks. As violence quickly erupts across the country, Kush, the only Sikh student in the class, must find a way to escape the unquenchable fury of retribution, in this gripping drama that was shortlisted for an Academy Award®.
Little Gypsy (Kachho Gadulo)
Shorts Program 1
Los Angeles Premiere
India/2012/6min
Directors: Saptesh Chaubal, Pranay Patwardhan, Shivangi Ranawat
Producer: D.S.K. Supinfocom
Inspired by the folk traditions of various parts of India, this stunning animated film sweeps us into a mythical journey that celebrates the power of play and imagination.
Love.Love.Love.
Shorts Program 2
Los Angeles Premiere
Russian Federation/2013/12min
Director: Sandhya Daisy Sundaram
Producers: Tanya Petrik, Guillaume Protsenko
An intimate ode to the wondrous force of love, as it takes new shapes and forms through the endless Russian winters. Love. Love.Love. won the Short Film Special Jury Award for Non-Fiction at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival.
Outpost
Shorts Program 1
U.S. Premiere
India-usa/2013/17min
Director: Shiva Shankar Bajpai
Producer: Aditi Anand
In the barren desert of the India-Pakistan border, two lone army guards on the opposite sides of the line yearn for booze, mosquito repellent and some human contact, in this humorous glimpse into the absurdity of rigid immaterial divides.
Presence
Shorts Program 2
U.S. Premiere
India/2012/17min
Directors: Ekta Mittal, Yashaswini Raghunandan
Producers: Ekta Mittal, Yashaswini Raghunandan
Long days and nights spent within the bellies of the rising structural beasts that rapidly transform the city of Bangalore bring on visions of ghosts that speak of the construction workers’ memories, longings and fears, in this haunting meditation on the migrant experience.
Skin Deep
Screens with Writers
U.S. Premiere
India/2013/20min
Director: Hardik Mehta
Producers: Devang Bhavsar, Niraj Kothari
Sanjay and Sushma plan to elope to escape a looming arranged marriage. They are in love and their future together shines bright and perfect and filled with possibility--that is, as long as an extra piece of skin that complicates their sex life gets fixed in what should be a routine medical procedure. But Mumbai’s electricity gods have other plans in store for them.
Small Yellow Field (Tau Seru)
Shorts Program 1
Los Angeles Premiere
Australia-India/2013/8min
Director: Rodd Rathjen
Producer: Rodd Rathjen
In the remote vastness of the Himalayas, a young nomad's curiosity lies beyond the horizon. This stunningly photographed film made its world premiere at Cannes Critics’ Week.
The Puppet (Tamaash)
Screens with Shepherds Of Paradise
Los Angeles Premiere
India/2013/32min
Directors: Devanshu Singh, Satyanshu Singh
Producers: Datta Dave, Chaitanya Hegde, Omar Nissar Paul, Devanshu Singh, Satyanshu Singh
A mysterious puppet offers young Anzar the chance to escape his father’s relentless punishments over his poor school grades by granting him the power to inflict misfortune on his nemesis, his brilliant classmate, Sadat. However, his newfound peace is short-lived as Sadat falls severely ill and Anzar comes to realize that the puppet’s powers are spiraling out of his control...
- 4/8/2014
- by Carlos Aguilar
- Sydney's Buzz
From April 8th to the 11th, Indian films will once again be showcased in the Us at the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (Iffla). In its 12th year, Iffla boasts an incredible lineup of fabulous films that reflects the rich diversity of Indian cinema. Iffla’s Artistic Director Jasmine Jaisinghani says, “I’m thrilled and proud that Iffla’s line-up this year includes an especially diverse range of cinematic experiences, covering many regions of India and the diaspora.”
Iffla 2014 presents 33 films that include feature films, documentaries and shorts. The festival will have three world premieres, six North American premieres, six U.S. premieres, and 16 Los Angeles premieres. The films feature 10 different languages, from Hindi to Marathi, to Russian to Bengali. Additionally, Iffla supports American, Australian, British, Canadian, and European diaspora filmmakers from nine different countries telling their stories.
Bollywood will be well represented with three outstanding films all showing during the festival’s run.
Iffla 2014 presents 33 films that include feature films, documentaries and shorts. The festival will have three world premieres, six North American premieres, six U.S. premieres, and 16 Los Angeles premieres. The films feature 10 different languages, from Hindi to Marathi, to Russian to Bengali. Additionally, Iffla supports American, Australian, British, Canadian, and European diaspora filmmakers from nine different countries telling their stories.
Bollywood will be well represented with three outstanding films all showing during the festival’s run.
- 3/21/2014
- by Stacey Yount
- Bollyspice
A still from Qissa
Q issa, that premieres at Toronto International Film Festival in September, is the culmination of a 12-year long ‘exile’ period for Geneva-based filmmaker Anup Singh.
Set in post-colonial India, Qissa tells the story of Umber Singh, a Sikh, who is forced to flee his village due to ethnic cleansing at the time of partition in 1947.
In an interview to Nandita Dutta, Singh describes his journey of making Qissa, why audiences will relate to it easily, and why he hopes to be invited for a Punjabi meal after the world premiere at Toronto!
How did Qissa originate? You were born in Tanzania and currently live in Switzerland. What drew you towards writing a story about partition and displacement in Punjab?
Qissa had been flickering within me from that terrible day my parents, my two younger sisters and I had to leave forever the city of my birth,...
Q issa, that premieres at Toronto International Film Festival in September, is the culmination of a 12-year long ‘exile’ period for Geneva-based filmmaker Anup Singh.
Set in post-colonial India, Qissa tells the story of Umber Singh, a Sikh, who is forced to flee his village due to ethnic cleansing at the time of partition in 1947.
In an interview to Nandita Dutta, Singh describes his journey of making Qissa, why audiences will relate to it easily, and why he hopes to be invited for a Punjabi meal after the world premiere at Toronto!
How did Qissa originate? You were born in Tanzania and currently live in Switzerland. What drew you towards writing a story about partition and displacement in Punjab?
Qissa had been flickering within me from that terrible day my parents, my two younger sisters and I had to leave forever the city of my birth,...
- 8/29/2013
- by Nandita Dutta
- DearCinema.com
European Film Promotion has special programs highlighting talent in Berlin (Shooting Stars), a Producer Lab in Toronto, 10 Directors to Watch at Karlovy Vary, European Directors at Busan and a great networking party at Afm. For 14 years Efp has hosted Producers on the Move in Cannes. This year 29 producers from 29 different European countries will take part in the event from 18 to 21 May, 2013. The Republic of Kosovo* and Montenegro will both be represented for the first time this year with a producer. These are the producers who set the ball rolling on projects, forge coalitions and conjure up a film out of an idea. Film producers are increasingly looking past their national borders. In order to facilitate an exchange with similarly ambitious colleagues from other European countries and showcase their range of achievements, European Film Promotion (Efp) offers a platform for networking to carefully selected producers. 12 of the 29 producers are women ♀.
Looking back at the 2012 edition of Producers on the Move, almost all of the producers are still in contact with one another to follow up on ideas. 17 from last year's 25 participants (68%) are already working on 15 co-productions.
The group of former participants includes such internationally known and award-winning producers as Ada Solomon from Romania (Child's Pose), Bettina Brokemper from Germany (Bal), Louise Vesth from Denmark (Melancholia) and Siniša Juričić from Croatia (Sofia’s Last Ambulance).
Scheduled during the Cannes International Film Festival, the program provides its participants with an additional visibility they get at this melting pot for filmmakers, sales agents, financiers and the international media. Producers On The Move's schedule with pitching sessions, one-on-one speed-dating meetings and various opportunities to build up business relationships and to exchange knowledge enables the selected filmmakers to return home with advanced film projects and, sometimes, with a co-production deal. At the Producers' Lunch, they can, moreover, get in contact with participants from previous years.
The participants have already realized joint European film projects which were noticed on the international radar, but they still are on their way to becoming international players. Many of them produced feature films as well as documentaries, and some are additionally active in the field of animation films.
For the fourth time, Efp will be cooperating for Producers On The Move with the pan-European co-production fund Eurimages.
The following producers were selected by Efp member organizations from their respective countries:
Belgium
Anton Iffland Stettner, Need Productions
i.e. Home by Ursula Meier ♀
selected by Wallonie Bruxelles Image
Bulgaria
Konstantin Bojanov, Argentum Lux Films
i.e. Avé by Konstantin Bojanov
selected by the Bulgarian National Film Centre
Croatia
Zdenka Gold, ♀ Spiritus Movens Production
i.e. A Stranger by Bobo Jelčić
selected by the Croatian Audiovisual Centre
Czech Republic
Viktor Tauš, Fog’n’Desire Films
i.e. House by Zuzana Liová
selected by the Czech Film Center
Denmark
Mikael Chr. Rieks, Nordisk Film Production
i.e. A Funny Man by Martin Zandvliet
selected by The Danish Film Institute
Estonia
Kiur Aarma, Traumfabrik
i.e. Disco & Atomic War by Jaak Kilmi & Kiur Aarma
selected by Baltic Films
Finland
Jussi Rantamäki, Aamu Filmcompany
i.e. The Painting Sellers by Juho Kuosmanen
selected by the Finnish Film Foundation
France
Mathieu Robinet, Révérence
i.e. Love is in the Air by Alexandre Castagnetti
selected by Unifrance films
Georgia
Zaza Rusadze, Zazarfilm
i.e. A Fold in my Blanket by Zaza Rusadze
selected by the Georgian National Film Center
Germany
Jochen Laube, teamWorx Ludwigsburg
i.e. Five Years by Stefan Schaller
selected by German Films
Greece
Giorgos Karnavas, Heretic
i.e. Boy Eating The Bird’s Food by Ektoras Lygizos
selected by the Greek Film Centre
Hungary
Andrea Taschler, ♀ Mirage Film Studio
i.e. Bibliothèque Pascal by Szabolcs Hajdu
selected by Magyar Filmunió / Hungarian National Film Fund
Iceland
Thorkell Hardarson, Markell Productions
i.e. Feathered Cocaine by Thorkell Hardarson & Örn Marinó Arnarson
selected by the Icelandic Fim Centre
Ireland
Conor Barry, Sp Films
i.e. Love Eternal by Brendan Muldowney
selected by the Irish Film Board
Italy
Viola Prestieri, Buena Onda
i.e. The Great Beauty by Paolo Sorrentino ♀
selected by Istituto Luce Cinecittà
Republic of Kosovo*
Valon Jakupaj, Gegnia Film
i.e. Adventures of Santa Clause by Valon Jakupaj
selected by the Kosova Cinematography Center
Luxembourg
Gilles Chanial, Red Lion
i.e. Le goût des myrtilles by Thomas de Thier
selected by Film Fund Luxembourg
Fyr of Macedonia
Labina Mitevska, ♀ Sisters and Brother Mitevski Production
i.e. The Woman Who Brushed Off Her Tears by Teona Mitevska ♀
selected by Macedonian Film Fund
Montenegro
Sehad Čekić, Cut-Up Production
i.e. The Ascent by Neminja Becanovic
selected by the Ministry of Culture of Montenegro
The Netherlands
Marleen Slot, ♀ Viking Film
i.e. Zurich by Sacha Polak ♀
selected by Eye International / Netherlands
Norway
Hans-Jørgen Osnes, Motlys
i.e. Oslo, August 31st by Joachim Trier
selected by the Norwegian Film Institute
Poland
Agnieszka Kurzydło, ♀ MD 4
i.e. In The Name Of by Małgośka Szumowska ♀
selected by the Polish Film Institute
Portugal
João Matos, Terratreme filmes
i.e. Lacrau by João Vladimiro
selected by Ica I.P. / Portugal
Romania
Anca Puiu, ♀ Mandragora
i.e. Rocker by Marian Crisan ♀
selected by the Romanian Film Promotion
Slovak Republic
Mira Fornay, ♀ Mirafox
i.e. My Dog Killer by Mira Fornay ♀
selected by Slovak Film Institute
Spain
María Zamora, ♀ Avalon P.C.
i.e. Todos están muertos by Beatriz Sanchis ♀
selected by Icaa / Spain
Sweden
Erika Wasserman, ♀ Idyll
i.e. Avalon by Axel Petersén
selected by the Swedish Film Institute
Switzerland
Joëlle Bertossa, ♀ Close Up Film
i.e. Body by Halima Ouardiri ♀
selected by Swiss Films
United Kingdom
Andrea Cornwell, ♀ Lobo Films Ltd
i.e. The Last Days On Mars by Ruairi Robinson ♀
selected by the British Council...
Looking back at the 2012 edition of Producers on the Move, almost all of the producers are still in contact with one another to follow up on ideas. 17 from last year's 25 participants (68%) are already working on 15 co-productions.
The group of former participants includes such internationally known and award-winning producers as Ada Solomon from Romania (Child's Pose), Bettina Brokemper from Germany (Bal), Louise Vesth from Denmark (Melancholia) and Siniša Juričić from Croatia (Sofia’s Last Ambulance).
Scheduled during the Cannes International Film Festival, the program provides its participants with an additional visibility they get at this melting pot for filmmakers, sales agents, financiers and the international media. Producers On The Move's schedule with pitching sessions, one-on-one speed-dating meetings and various opportunities to build up business relationships and to exchange knowledge enables the selected filmmakers to return home with advanced film projects and, sometimes, with a co-production deal. At the Producers' Lunch, they can, moreover, get in contact with participants from previous years.
The participants have already realized joint European film projects which were noticed on the international radar, but they still are on their way to becoming international players. Many of them produced feature films as well as documentaries, and some are additionally active in the field of animation films.
For the fourth time, Efp will be cooperating for Producers On The Move with the pan-European co-production fund Eurimages.
The following producers were selected by Efp member organizations from their respective countries:
Belgium
Anton Iffland Stettner, Need Productions
i.e. Home by Ursula Meier ♀
selected by Wallonie Bruxelles Image
Bulgaria
Konstantin Bojanov, Argentum Lux Films
i.e. Avé by Konstantin Bojanov
selected by the Bulgarian National Film Centre
Croatia
Zdenka Gold, ♀ Spiritus Movens Production
i.e. A Stranger by Bobo Jelčić
selected by the Croatian Audiovisual Centre
Czech Republic
Viktor Tauš, Fog’n’Desire Films
i.e. House by Zuzana Liová
selected by the Czech Film Center
Denmark
Mikael Chr. Rieks, Nordisk Film Production
i.e. A Funny Man by Martin Zandvliet
selected by The Danish Film Institute
Estonia
Kiur Aarma, Traumfabrik
i.e. Disco & Atomic War by Jaak Kilmi & Kiur Aarma
selected by Baltic Films
Finland
Jussi Rantamäki, Aamu Filmcompany
i.e. The Painting Sellers by Juho Kuosmanen
selected by the Finnish Film Foundation
France
Mathieu Robinet, Révérence
i.e. Love is in the Air by Alexandre Castagnetti
selected by Unifrance films
Georgia
Zaza Rusadze, Zazarfilm
i.e. A Fold in my Blanket by Zaza Rusadze
selected by the Georgian National Film Center
Germany
Jochen Laube, teamWorx Ludwigsburg
i.e. Five Years by Stefan Schaller
selected by German Films
Greece
Giorgos Karnavas, Heretic
i.e. Boy Eating The Bird’s Food by Ektoras Lygizos
selected by the Greek Film Centre
Hungary
Andrea Taschler, ♀ Mirage Film Studio
i.e. Bibliothèque Pascal by Szabolcs Hajdu
selected by Magyar Filmunió / Hungarian National Film Fund
Iceland
Thorkell Hardarson, Markell Productions
i.e. Feathered Cocaine by Thorkell Hardarson & Örn Marinó Arnarson
selected by the Icelandic Fim Centre
Ireland
Conor Barry, Sp Films
i.e. Love Eternal by Brendan Muldowney
selected by the Irish Film Board
Italy
Viola Prestieri, Buena Onda
i.e. The Great Beauty by Paolo Sorrentino ♀
selected by Istituto Luce Cinecittà
Republic of Kosovo*
Valon Jakupaj, Gegnia Film
i.e. Adventures of Santa Clause by Valon Jakupaj
selected by the Kosova Cinematography Center
Luxembourg
Gilles Chanial, Red Lion
i.e. Le goût des myrtilles by Thomas de Thier
selected by Film Fund Luxembourg
Fyr of Macedonia
Labina Mitevska, ♀ Sisters and Brother Mitevski Production
i.e. The Woman Who Brushed Off Her Tears by Teona Mitevska ♀
selected by Macedonian Film Fund
Montenegro
Sehad Čekić, Cut-Up Production
i.e. The Ascent by Neminja Becanovic
selected by the Ministry of Culture of Montenegro
The Netherlands
Marleen Slot, ♀ Viking Film
i.e. Zurich by Sacha Polak ♀
selected by Eye International / Netherlands
Norway
Hans-Jørgen Osnes, Motlys
i.e. Oslo, August 31st by Joachim Trier
selected by the Norwegian Film Institute
Poland
Agnieszka Kurzydło, ♀ MD 4
i.e. In The Name Of by Małgośka Szumowska ♀
selected by the Polish Film Institute
Portugal
João Matos, Terratreme filmes
i.e. Lacrau by João Vladimiro
selected by Ica I.P. / Portugal
Romania
Anca Puiu, ♀ Mandragora
i.e. Rocker by Marian Crisan ♀
selected by the Romanian Film Promotion
Slovak Republic
Mira Fornay, ♀ Mirafox
i.e. My Dog Killer by Mira Fornay ♀
selected by Slovak Film Institute
Spain
María Zamora, ♀ Avalon P.C.
i.e. Todos están muertos by Beatriz Sanchis ♀
selected by Icaa / Spain
Sweden
Erika Wasserman, ♀ Idyll
i.e. Avalon by Axel Petersén
selected by the Swedish Film Institute
Switzerland
Joëlle Bertossa, ♀ Close Up Film
i.e. Body by Halima Ouardiri ♀
selected by Swiss Films
United Kingdom
Andrea Cornwell, ♀ Lobo Films Ltd
i.e. The Last Days On Mars by Ruairi Robinson ♀
selected by the British Council...
- 4/26/2013
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
Source: FilmShaft - New International Poster For Lars von Trier’s Melancholia Plus Stills
A brand new international poster for Lars von Trier's eagerly anticipated drama, Melancholia, has been put online. The Danish auteur has attracted a great cast including Kirsten Dunst, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Charlotte Rampling, John Hurt, Udo Kier and Stellan Skarsgård for what has been often described as a "psychological disaster film".
The poster looks to have taken its inspiration from a book jacket and is a classy affair. The stills themselves are gorgeous and very Scandinavian looking. This should be a treat after the horror of AntiChrist.
Synopsis:
Kirsten Dunst and Charlotte Gainsbourg and Kiefer Sutherland star together with Alexander Skarsgård, Charlotte Rampling, John Hurt, Stellan Skarsgård, Udo Kier and Jesper Christensen. The behind-the-scenes team includes award-winning cinematographer Manuel Alberto Claro Dff (Reconstruction), production designer Jette Lehmann (Flame and Citron), and costume designer Manon Rasmussen (Dancer in the Dark...
A brand new international poster for Lars von Trier's eagerly anticipated drama, Melancholia, has been put online. The Danish auteur has attracted a great cast including Kirsten Dunst, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Charlotte Rampling, John Hurt, Udo Kier and Stellan Skarsgård for what has been often described as a "psychological disaster film".
The poster looks to have taken its inspiration from a book jacket and is a classy affair. The stills themselves are gorgeous and very Scandinavian looking. This should be a treat after the horror of AntiChrist.
Synopsis:
Kirsten Dunst and Charlotte Gainsbourg and Kiefer Sutherland star together with Alexander Skarsgård, Charlotte Rampling, John Hurt, Stellan Skarsgård, Udo Kier and Jesper Christensen. The behind-the-scenes team includes award-winning cinematographer Manuel Alberto Claro Dff (Reconstruction), production designer Jette Lehmann (Flame and Citron), and costume designer Manon Rasmussen (Dancer in the Dark...
- 4/28/2011
- by Martyn Conterio
- FilmShaft.com
The trailer made its debut last week (see it Melancholia Trailer) and now Lars von Trier's next magnum opus will open in the UK from 30th September. Melancholia will be receiving its world premiere at the 64th Cannes Film Festival next month, which means Lars will be making the trip to the fest in his camper van. He's scared of flying, apparently.
So will Melancholia cause outrage on the Croisette like Antichrist did? Who knows. Von Trier announced at the pre-shoot press conference there would be "no more happy endings!" He's such a joker. Expect this to polarise opinion just like all his other films.
Press release:
Artificial Eye will release Lars von Trier's Melancholia on 30 September. A beautiful movie about the end of the world, Melancholia is written and directed by von Trier and produced by Meta Louise Foldager and Louise Vesth for Zentropa Entertainments27. Melancholia will...
So will Melancholia cause outrage on the Croisette like Antichrist did? Who knows. Von Trier announced at the pre-shoot press conference there would be "no more happy endings!" He's such a joker. Expect this to polarise opinion just like all his other films.
Press release:
Artificial Eye will release Lars von Trier's Melancholia on 30 September. A beautiful movie about the end of the world, Melancholia is written and directed by von Trier and produced by Meta Louise Foldager and Louise Vesth for Zentropa Entertainments27. Melancholia will...
- 4/19/2011
- by Martyn Conterio
- FilmShaft.com
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