"One wrong step and they will deport us." Focus Features has revealed the official US trailer for an indie trailer for Limbo, the latest from filmmaker Ben Sharrock (of Pikadero previously). This was selected for the 2020 Cannes Film Festival, but premiered later at the Toronto & London & Zurich Film Festival in the fall last year. Nominated two times at the 2021 BAFTA Film Awards, Sharrock's Limbo is a "wry, funny and poignant cross-cultural satire that subtly sews together the hardship and hope of the refugee experience." Set on a fictional remote Scottish island, this follows a group of new arrivals as they await the results of their asylum claims. Amir El-Masry stars as Omar, a Syrian musician hoping to start his new life in the UK. The cast includes Vikash Bhai, Ola Orebiyi, Kwabena Ansah, Sidse Babett Knudsen, and Kais Nashif. This one opens in the US first in theaters in April...
- 3/30/2021
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
A favorite at Toronto International Film Festival last fall (where it premiered following being selected for Cannes), Ben Sharrock’s BAFTA-nominated drama Limbo takes a wry and poignant look at the refugee experience in a fictional remote Scottish island. Now set to arrive in the U.S. on April 30 via Focus Features and in the U.K. and Ireland on July 30 via Mubi, the latter have released the first trailer, which suggests it could be a strong double feature pairing with Aki Kaurismäki’s The Other Side of Hope.
Jared Mobarak said in his Tff review, “What begins as a modest and perhaps slight take on the refugee crisis tinged by an acquired yet welcome taste of British comedy, however, slowly reveals its underlying drama via the stark inevitability of its existence. You can only deflect from your plight so long before the stress and anxiety bubbles back to the surface.
Jared Mobarak said in his Tff review, “What begins as a modest and perhaps slight take on the refugee crisis tinged by an acquired yet welcome taste of British comedy, however, slowly reveals its underlying drama via the stark inevitability of its existence. You can only deflect from your plight so long before the stress and anxiety bubbles back to the surface.
- 3/29/2021
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
"How long have you been waiting?" Mubi in the UK has released the first UK trailer for an acclaimed indie titled Limbo, the latest from filmmaker Ben Sharrock (of Pikadero previously). This was selected for the 2020 Cannes Film Festival, but premiered later at the Toronto & London & Zurich Film Festival in the fall last year. Nominated for Outstanding British Film and Outstanding Debut at the 2021 BAFTA Film Awards, Sharrock's Limbo is a "wry, funny and poignant cross-cultural satire that subtly sews together the hardship and hope of the refugee experience." Set on a fictional remote Scottish island, this follows a group of new arrivals as they await the results of their asylum claims. Amir El-Masry stars as Omar, a Syrian musician hoping to start his new life in the UK. The cast includes Vikash Bhai, Ola Orebiyi, Kwabena Ansah, Sidse Babett Knudsen, and Kais Nashif. This looks like something truly special,...
- 3/26/2021
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Focus Features will release Ben Sharrock’s two-time BAFTA nominated Limbo on Friday, April 30 in limited theaters.
The pic is a wry and poignant observation of the refugee experience, set on a fictional remote Scottish island where a group of new arrivals await the results of their asylum claims. It centers on Omar, a young Syrian musician who is burdened by his grandfather’s oud, which he has carried all the way from his homeland. Limbo received two BAFTA noms for Best British Film and Best Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer.
Sharrock spent time working for an Ngo in refugee camps in southern Algeria and living in Damascus in 2009 shortly before the outbreak of the Syrian civil war. There, he formed a network of friends whose personal stories inspired the film he wrote and directed.
Limbo stars Amir El-Masry (The Night Manager), along with Vikash Bhai, Ola Orebiyi,...
The pic is a wry and poignant observation of the refugee experience, set on a fictional remote Scottish island where a group of new arrivals await the results of their asylum claims. It centers on Omar, a young Syrian musician who is burdened by his grandfather’s oud, which he has carried all the way from his homeland. Limbo received two BAFTA noms for Best British Film and Best Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer.
Sharrock spent time working for an Ngo in refugee camps in southern Algeria and living in Damascus in 2009 shortly before the outbreak of the Syrian civil war. There, he formed a network of friends whose personal stories inspired the film he wrote and directed.
Limbo stars Amir El-Masry (The Night Manager), along with Vikash Bhai, Ola Orebiyi,...
- 3/12/2021
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Mubi holds UK distribution rights.
Focus Features has set an April 30 limited US theatrical release date for Ben Sharrock’s Bafta-nominated immigrant drama Limbo.
The studio acquired worldwide rights excluding the UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand last month. Universal Pictures International will release internationally except in the UK, where Mubi holds rights.
Sharrock’s Cannes Label selection is nominated at the Baftas for outstanding British film and outstanding debut by a British writer, director or producer.
Amir El-Masry stars as a young Syrian musician on a fictitious Scottish island awaiting the outcome of his asylum application.
The cast includes Vikash Bhai,...
Focus Features has set an April 30 limited US theatrical release date for Ben Sharrock’s Bafta-nominated immigrant drama Limbo.
The studio acquired worldwide rights excluding the UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand last month. Universal Pictures International will release internationally except in the UK, where Mubi holds rights.
Sharrock’s Cannes Label selection is nominated at the Baftas for outstanding British film and outstanding debut by a British writer, director or producer.
Amir El-Masry stars as a young Syrian musician on a fictitious Scottish island awaiting the outcome of his asylum application.
The cast includes Vikash Bhai,...
- 3/12/2021
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Asylum drama has won prizes at Cairo and Macao.
Focus Features has acquired worldwide rights excluding the UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand to Ben Sharrock’s Bafta longlisted festival winner and Cannes Label asylum seeker drama Limbo.
Universal Pictures International will release internationally except in the UK, where Mubi will distribute. Focus acquired rights from Protagonist Pictures.
Sharrock wrote the screenplay about a young Syrian musician (Bifa nominee Amir El-Masry) on a fictitious Scottish island awaiting the outcome of his asylum application.
The cast includes Vikash Bhai, Ola Orebiyi, and Kwabena Ansah, Sidse Babett Knudsen, and Kais Nashif
Irune Gurtubai...
Focus Features has acquired worldwide rights excluding the UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand to Ben Sharrock’s Bafta longlisted festival winner and Cannes Label asylum seeker drama Limbo.
Universal Pictures International will release internationally except in the UK, where Mubi will distribute. Focus acquired rights from Protagonist Pictures.
Sharrock wrote the screenplay about a young Syrian musician (Bifa nominee Amir El-Masry) on a fictitious Scottish island awaiting the outcome of his asylum application.
The cast includes Vikash Bhai, Ola Orebiyi, and Kwabena Ansah, Sidse Babett Knudsen, and Kais Nashif
Irune Gurtubai...
- 2/10/2021
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Focus Features has taken worldwide rights, excluding the UK & Ire and Australia/Nz, to Cannes and TIFF 2020 selection Limbo.
Writer-director Ben Sharrock’s (Pikadero) well-received sophomore feature about the refugee experience is set on a fictional remote Scottish island where a group of new arrivals await the results of their asylum claims. It centers on Omar, a young Syrian musician who is burdened by his grandfather’s oud, which he has carried all the way from his homeland.
BIFA-nominee Amir El-Masry (The Night Manager) stars in the drama which also scored BIFA nominations for Breakthrough Producer, Best Cinematography and Best Casting. Festival play also included San Sebastian, where it won the Youth Jury Award, and the BFI London Film Festival where it was runner-up for the Audience Award.
Supporting cast includes Vikash Bhai, Ola Orebiyi, Kwabena Ansah, Sidse Babett Knudsen (Borgen) and Kais Nashif (Tel Aviv On Fire).
Sharrock...
Writer-director Ben Sharrock’s (Pikadero) well-received sophomore feature about the refugee experience is set on a fictional remote Scottish island where a group of new arrivals await the results of their asylum claims. It centers on Omar, a young Syrian musician who is burdened by his grandfather’s oud, which he has carried all the way from his homeland.
BIFA-nominee Amir El-Masry (The Night Manager) stars in the drama which also scored BIFA nominations for Breakthrough Producer, Best Cinematography and Best Casting. Festival play also included San Sebastian, where it won the Youth Jury Award, and the BFI London Film Festival where it was runner-up for the Audience Award.
Supporting cast includes Vikash Bhai, Ola Orebiyi, Kwabena Ansah, Sidse Babett Knudsen (Borgen) and Kais Nashif (Tel Aviv On Fire).
Sharrock...
- 2/10/2021
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
“No Man’s Land,” “Fauda” and “False Flag” producer Maria Feldman is teaming with “Tel Aviv on Fire” writer-director Sameh Zoabi on a new identity crisis series “Inheritance,” which offers a fresh, comedic take on the Israel-Palestine conflict, breaking new ground for scripted TV.
Created by Zoabi, Alma Ganihar and Leora Kamenetzky, a writer on “Fauda” and co-creator with Feldman on “False Flag,” “Inheritance” is set up at Feldman’s New York-based Masha Productions label, with Feldman and Cliff W. Roberts taking producer credits. The partners have a bible and screenplay for a pilot. Zoabi will direct all episodes.
Zoabi’s TV debut, “Inheritance” asks a weighty question: How far people can change their position on the Palestine-Israeli conflict? But it looks set to do so through light, fast-paced comedy – a combination of thematic weight and lightness of touch at the heart of “Tel Aviv on Fire,” Zoabi’s 2018 breakthrough movie,...
Created by Zoabi, Alma Ganihar and Leora Kamenetzky, a writer on “Fauda” and co-creator with Feldman on “False Flag,” “Inheritance” is set up at Feldman’s New York-based Masha Productions label, with Feldman and Cliff W. Roberts taking producer credits. The partners have a bible and screenplay for a pilot. Zoabi will direct all episodes.
Zoabi’s TV debut, “Inheritance” asks a weighty question: How far people can change their position on the Palestine-Israeli conflict? But it looks set to do so through light, fast-paced comedy – a combination of thematic weight and lightness of touch at the heart of “Tel Aviv on Fire,” Zoabi’s 2018 breakthrough movie,...
- 1/14/2021
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
Two Africans, an Afghan, and a Syrian walk onto a remote island in Scotland. The punch line potential is infinite. Writer/director Ben Sharrock knows it too as he places them all in the same cramped apartment with a “Refugees Welcome” banner outside so they can argue about the merits of Ross and Rachel’s “break” courtesy of a burned Friends box set left behind by whomever lived there last. Add an eccentric cultural awareness course led by a duo in Helga (Sidse Babett Knudsen) and Boris (Kenneth Collard) who teach sexual harassment by having the former smack the latter’s intentionally handsy dance partner in the face and you’ll find yourself mimicking the class of foreigners watching in stunned silence thanks to the dryly humorous mix of confusion and horror.
Sharrock’s Limbo is very British in this way despite its multi-cultural cast of strangers in a very strange land.
Sharrock’s Limbo is very British in this way despite its multi-cultural cast of strangers in a very strange land.
- 9/13/2020
- by Jared Mobarak
- The Film Stage
Protagonist is handling worldwide sales.
Mubi has acquired UK and Irish rights to Ben Sharrock’s Cannes 2020 selection Limbo, ahead of the film’s world premiere at Toronto later this month.
The company has picked up theatrical and streaming rights in the territory from Protagonist Pictures, handling world sales. Film4, which financed and developed the feature with Creative Scotland and the BFI, retains UK free TV broadcast rights.
Limbo is set on a fictional remote Scottish island where refugee arrivals await the result of their asylum claims. It centres on a young Syrian musician burdened by the weight of his...
Mubi has acquired UK and Irish rights to Ben Sharrock’s Cannes 2020 selection Limbo, ahead of the film’s world premiere at Toronto later this month.
The company has picked up theatrical and streaming rights in the territory from Protagonist Pictures, handling world sales. Film4, which financed and developed the feature with Creative Scotland and the BFI, retains UK free TV broadcast rights.
Limbo is set on a fictional remote Scottish island where refugee arrivals await the result of their asylum claims. It centres on a young Syrian musician burdened by the weight of his...
- 9/3/2020
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
French sellers will market premiere a number of Cannes 2020 label titles.
MK2 Films is launching Carine Tardieu’s romantic drama The Young Lovers, starring Fanny Ardant opposite Melvil Poupaud as a 70-year-old woman who embarks on an affair with a married doctor 25 years her junior, and Ratatouille screenwriter Jim Capobianco’s stop-motion animation feature The Inventor about the life of Leonardo da Vinci, featuring Stephen Fry and Daisy Ridley in the voice cast. It will also market premiere Cannes 2020 titles The Big Hit by Emmanuel Courcol and Israeli filmmaker Nir Bergman’s father-and-son tale Here We Are.
Charades is running...
MK2 Films is launching Carine Tardieu’s romantic drama The Young Lovers, starring Fanny Ardant opposite Melvil Poupaud as a 70-year-old woman who embarks on an affair with a married doctor 25 years her junior, and Ratatouille screenwriter Jim Capobianco’s stop-motion animation feature The Inventor about the life of Leonardo da Vinci, featuring Stephen Fry and Daisy Ridley in the voice cast. It will also market premiere Cannes 2020 titles The Big Hit by Emmanuel Courcol and Israeli filmmaker Nir Bergman’s father-and-son tale Here We Are.
Charades is running...
- 6/21/2020
- by 1100388¦Melanie Goodfellow¦69¦
- ScreenDaily
Feature is lead produced by Israeli The Cakemaker producer Itai Tamir.
Paris-based Alpha Violet has acquired sales rights to Israeli director Roy Krispel’s debut feature Abu Omar, starring Palestinian actor Kais Nashif as a man attempting to smuggle the body of his dead son back into Palestine from Israel.
Nashif won best actor in Venice’s Horizons competition in 2018 for his performance in Sameh Zoabi’s Tel Aviv On Fire and is soon to be seen in Ben Sharrock’s Cannes 2020 selection Limbo. He originally broke out internationally in Hany Abu Assad’s 2005 Oscar-nominated drama Paradise Now.
In Abu Omar,...
Paris-based Alpha Violet has acquired sales rights to Israeli director Roy Krispel’s debut feature Abu Omar, starring Palestinian actor Kais Nashif as a man attempting to smuggle the body of his dead son back into Palestine from Israel.
Nashif won best actor in Venice’s Horizons competition in 2018 for his performance in Sameh Zoabi’s Tel Aviv On Fire and is soon to be seen in Ben Sharrock’s Cannes 2020 selection Limbo. He originally broke out internationally in Hany Abu Assad’s 2005 Oscar-nominated drama Paradise Now.
In Abu Omar,...
- 6/18/2020
- by 1100388¦Melanie Goodfellow¦69¦
- ScreenDaily
The Closing Night Film at the Israel Film Festival Los Angeles, daring and funny…how can Palestinians criticize Israelis and Israelis criticize Palestinians? Make a comedy like ‘Tel Aviv on Fire’. In this interview with the director and co-writer, Sameh Zoabi, we explore the power and pitfalls of comedy in the international market place.
Commonly considered outside of the “arthouse” genre, comedy is a little looked down on by cinephiles. But this notion is belied by the social-political comedies of Ernst Lubitsch or Charlie Chaplin…and Life is Beautiful did win the Oscar in 1998.
Tel Aviv on Fire is about Salam, an inexperienced young Palestinian man who becomes a writer on a popular soap opera after a chance meeting with an Israeli soldier. His creative career is on the rise — until the soldier and the show’s financial backers disagree about how the show should end, and Salam is caught in the middle.
Commonly considered outside of the “arthouse” genre, comedy is a little looked down on by cinephiles. But this notion is belied by the social-political comedies of Ernst Lubitsch or Charlie Chaplin…and Life is Beautiful did win the Oscar in 1998.
Tel Aviv on Fire is about Salam, an inexperienced young Palestinian man who becomes a writer on a popular soap opera after a chance meeting with an Israeli soldier. His creative career is on the rise — until the soldier and the show’s financial backers disagree about how the show should end, and Salam is caught in the middle.
- 11/26/2019
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
Luxembourg has selected Tel Aviv on Fire, a drama from writer-director Sameh Zoabi (Family Albums) as its contender for the 2020 Oscars in the international feature film category.
The comedic drama, which premiered at last year's Venice Film Festival, is set in the Middle East but was largely shot in Luxembourg, using a local crew.
The plot follows a 30-something Palestinian slacker (Kais Nashif) who lucks into a writing gig on a propagandistic Palestinian soap called Tel Aviv on Fire. A chance meeting with the Israeli commander Assi (Yaniv Biton) during a checkpoint stop leads to an unlikely partnership, with the two ...
The comedic drama, which premiered at last year's Venice Film Festival, is set in the Middle East but was largely shot in Luxembourg, using a local crew.
The plot follows a 30-something Palestinian slacker (Kais Nashif) who lucks into a writing gig on a propagandistic Palestinian soap called Tel Aviv on Fire. A chance meeting with the Israeli commander Assi (Yaniv Biton) during a checkpoint stop leads to an unlikely partnership, with the two ...
- 9/24/2019
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Luxembourg has selected Tel Aviv on Fire, a drama from writer-director Sameh Zoabi (Family Albums) as its contender for the 2020 Oscars in the international feature film category.
The comedic drama, which premiered at last year's Venice Film Festival, is set in the Middle East but was largely shot in Luxembourg, using a local crew.
The plot follows a 30-something Palestinian slacker (Kais Nashif) who lucks into a writing gig on a propagandistic Palestinian soap called Tel Aviv on Fire. A chance meeting with the Israeli commander Assi (Yaniv Biton) during a checkpoint stop leads to an unlikely partnership, with the two ...
The comedic drama, which premiered at last year's Venice Film Festival, is set in the Middle East but was largely shot in Luxembourg, using a local crew.
The plot follows a 30-something Palestinian slacker (Kais Nashif) who lucks into a writing gig on a propagandistic Palestinian soap called Tel Aviv on Fire. A chance meeting with the Israeli commander Assi (Yaniv Biton) during a checkpoint stop leads to an unlikely partnership, with the two ...
- 9/24/2019
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
“Incitement” was the best-picture winner at Israel’s Ophir Awards on Sunday night, automatically becoming the country’s choice to vie for the international feature film Oscar.
The winning film, a drama about the period leading up to the assassination of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin by a Jewish extremist in 1995, had its global premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival earlier this month. The movie was directed by Yaron Zilberman and co-written by Zilberman and Ron Leshem, creator of the original Israeli TV series “Euphoria” and the Oscar-nominated “Beaufort.”
Zilberman’s acceptance speech for the best-picture prize was one of the few overtly political moments of the night, coming days after an inconclusive national election in Israel.
“Rabin was a giant of a man who was murdered because of his struggle to bring peace,” said Zilberman. In a jab at Benjamin Netanyahu, who is fighting to remain prime minister,...
The winning film, a drama about the period leading up to the assassination of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin by a Jewish extremist in 1995, had its global premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival earlier this month. The movie was directed by Yaron Zilberman and co-written by Zilberman and Ron Leshem, creator of the original Israeli TV series “Euphoria” and the Oscar-nominated “Beaufort.”
Zilberman’s acceptance speech for the best-picture prize was one of the few overtly political moments of the night, coming days after an inconclusive national election in Israel.
“Rabin was a giant of a man who was murdered because of his struggle to bring peace,” said Zilberman. In a jab at Benjamin Netanyahu, who is fighting to remain prime minister,...
- 9/22/2019
- by Amy Spiro
- Variety Film + TV
Don’t call it a wave just yet, but Israel has emerged as a mini-hotbed for wry comedies of late. “Tel Aviv on Fire” picks up where “One Week and a Day” left off, with writer-director Sameh Zoabi delivering on a setup you’re unlikely to have seen before: a lush soap opera about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that gives the film its title.
Much of the drama is set on the show’s, well, set, shifting between the “fake” and “real” stories with ease — and, the longer things go on, blurring the line between the two as art imitates life (and vice versa).
Navigating that porous border is Salam (Kais Nashif), a Palestinian who recently landed his “Tel Aviv” gig thanks to a producer on the show who just happens to be his uncle. Initially hired to punch up the dialogue, he falls upwards into a staff-writing position. His inexperience...
Much of the drama is set on the show’s, well, set, shifting between the “fake” and “real” stories with ease — and, the longer things go on, blurring the line between the two as art imitates life (and vice versa).
Navigating that porous border is Salam (Kais Nashif), a Palestinian who recently landed his “Tel Aviv” gig thanks to a producer on the show who just happens to be his uncle. Initially hired to punch up the dialogue, he falls upwards into a staff-writing position. His inexperience...
- 8/1/2019
- by Michael Nordine
- The Wrap
"Our spy has a problem. Duty is more important than love." Cohen Media Group has debuted an official Us trailer for an indie from Palestine / Israeli titled Tel Aviv on Fire, the latest film from filmmaker Sameh Zoabi (Under the Same Sun). This premiered at the Venice Film Festival last fall, before going on a global tour to other fests including Tiff & Rotterdam. The comedy is about a young Palestinian man who becomes a writer on a popular soap opera in Tel Aviv. His creative career catches fire, until the check point guard and the show's financial backers disagree on how the soap opera should end. Starring Kais Nashif as Salam, along with Lubna Azabal, Yaniv Biton, Nadim Sawalha, Maïsa Abd Elhadi, Salim Daw, Yousef Sweid, Amer Hlehel, Ashraf Farah, and Laëtitia Eïdo. It seems quite clever and bold - worth a watch. Here's the official Us trailer (+ poster) for...
- 7/7/2019
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Film now shooting in Scotland.
London-based sales outfit Protagonist Pictures has taken world rights to Ben Sharrock’s refugee drama Limbo, that is now shooting in Scotland.
The film is Sharrock’s second feature after Pikadero, which won the Michael Powell Award at the Edinburgh International Film Festival in 2016.
Limbo stars Amir El-Masry, whose credits include Jack Ryan, with Vikash Bhai, Ola Orebiyi, Kwabena Ansah, Sidse Babett Knudsen and Kais Nashif in a story set on a fictional Scottish island where refugees are waiting to be granted asylum. The film also features non-actors, including refugees, in small roles.
The film...
London-based sales outfit Protagonist Pictures has taken world rights to Ben Sharrock’s refugee drama Limbo, that is now shooting in Scotland.
The film is Sharrock’s second feature after Pikadero, which won the Michael Powell Award at the Edinburgh International Film Festival in 2016.
Limbo stars Amir El-Masry, whose credits include Jack Ryan, with Vikash Bhai, Ola Orebiyi, Kwabena Ansah, Sidse Babett Knudsen and Kais Nashif in a story set on a fictional Scottish island where refugees are waiting to be granted asylum. The film also features non-actors, including refugees, in small roles.
The film...
- 10/16/2018
- by Tom Grater
- ScreenDaily
Sameh Zoabi’s “Tel Aviv on Fire,” the critically acclaimed Israeli comedy that world premiered at the Venice Film Festival, has been acquired by Cohen Media for the U.S., along with a flurry of distributors in key territories.
Paris-based sales company Indie Sales has also sold the pic to Italy (Academy Two), Spain (Surtsey Films), Switzerland (Trigon Film), and Greece (Seven Films). Indie Sales is now in final negotiations to close deals for Canada, Benelux, Germany, and Austria.
The politically-charged comedy world premiered at Venice in the Orizzonti section, nabbing the best actor award for Kais Nashif. It went on to play at fests in Toronto and Haifa, where it won best film and screenplay prizes.
“Tel Aviv on Fire” reteams actor Kais Nashef and Lubna Azabal (“Incendies”), who co-starred in the foreign-language Oscar-nominated “Paradise Now.”
“Tel Aviv” follows the journey of Salam, a charming 30-year-old Palestinian man living...
Paris-based sales company Indie Sales has also sold the pic to Italy (Academy Two), Spain (Surtsey Films), Switzerland (Trigon Film), and Greece (Seven Films). Indie Sales is now in final negotiations to close deals for Canada, Benelux, Germany, and Austria.
The politically-charged comedy world premiered at Venice in the Orizzonti section, nabbing the best actor award for Kais Nashif. It went on to play at fests in Toronto and Haifa, where it won best film and screenplay prizes.
“Tel Aviv on Fire” reteams actor Kais Nashef and Lubna Azabal (“Incendies”), who co-starred in the foreign-language Oscar-nominated “Paradise Now.”
“Tel Aviv” follows the journey of Salam, a charming 30-year-old Palestinian man living...
- 10/9/2018
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Sameh Zoabi: 'These individuals live in a state of political tension but it’s not the daily aspect of their life. They create their own things that they worry about – daily things, simple things' Photo: Samsa Film/Ts Productions/Lama Films/Artémis Productions
Writer/director Sameh Zoabi is in an upbeat mood when I catch up with over Skype, fresh from the world premiere of his satire Tel Aviv On Fire in the Horizons section of the Venice Film Festival he's back home in Brooklyn, New York, and about to head to Toronto for its international premiere.
Expressing his delight that the 1500-strong audience in Venice had treated him to a standing ovation at the premiere, he admits: "I was worried that people might think it wasn’t serious enough and that the subject matter is too tense to be comedic about. I was fearing it would create a...
Writer/director Sameh Zoabi is in an upbeat mood when I catch up with over Skype, fresh from the world premiere of his satire Tel Aviv On Fire in the Horizons section of the Venice Film Festival he's back home in Brooklyn, New York, and about to head to Toronto for its international premiere.
Expressing his delight that the 1500-strong audience in Venice had treated him to a standing ovation at the premiere, he admits: "I was worried that people might think it wasn’t serious enough and that the subject matter is too tense to be comedic about. I was fearing it would create a...
- 9/12/2018
- by Amber Wilkinson
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Over the weekend, the Venice Film Festival gave out their prizes for the 75th time in their history. This time around, the fest opted to spread the love quite a bit with their awards. At the same time, they went back to the well in a way, rewarding filmmaker Alfonso Cuaron once again. Previously, they had honored him with a prize for Gravity, but this time around, it was for his passion project Roma. That led the way with the top prize, though overall, The Favourite from Yorgos Lanthimos was the most honored, among the In Competition titles. We’ll get to all of the victors soon, but before that, a quick word on the Oscar hopefuls that did well over in Italy. Below, you’ll be able to see every one of the awards given out at the Venice Film Festival. As a quick preview, the Golden Lion went to Cuaron’s Roma,...
- 9/10/2018
- by Joey Magidson
- Hollywoodnews.com
Alfonso Cuaron’s drama shifts to an awards season favourite with Venice victory; The Favourite also receives boost winning Silver Lion and best actress for Olivia Colman.
The Guillermo del Toro-led jury has awarded Alfonso Cuaron’s Roma the Golden Lion at the 75th Venice Film Festival.
Yorgos Lanthimos’s The Favourite earned the Silver Lion grand jury prize at the awards ceremony on Saturday evening, while Jacques Audiard won the best director award for The Sisters Brothers.
In the acting stakes, Olivia Colman earned the Coppa Volpi best actress prize for The Favourite, and Willem Dafoe took the best...
The Guillermo del Toro-led jury has awarded Alfonso Cuaron’s Roma the Golden Lion at the 75th Venice Film Festival.
Yorgos Lanthimos’s The Favourite earned the Silver Lion grand jury prize at the awards ceremony on Saturday evening, while Jacques Audiard won the best director award for The Sisters Brothers.
In the acting stakes, Olivia Colman earned the Coppa Volpi best actress prize for The Favourite, and Willem Dafoe took the best...
- 9/8/2018
- by Screen staff
- ScreenDaily
RomaIn CompetitionGolden Lion – Roma, directed by Alfonso CuarónSilver Lion (Grand Jury Prize) – The Favourite, directed by Yorgos LanthimosSilver Lion (Best Director) – Jacques Audiard (The Sisters Brothers)Coppa Volpi for Best Actress – Olivia Colman (The Favourite)Coppa Volpi for Best Actor – Willem Dafoe (At Eternity's Gate)Best Screenplay – Joel and Ethan Coen (The Ballad of Buster Scruggs)Special Jury Prize – The Nightingale, directed by Jennifer KentMarcello Mastroianni Award for Best Young Actor or Actress – Baykali Ganambarr (The Nightingale)OrizzontiManta RayOrizzonti Award for Best Film – Kraben Rahu (Manta Ray) directed by Phuttiphong AroonphengOrizzonti Award for Best Director – Emir Baigazin (The River)Special Orizzonti Jury Prize – Anons, directed by Mahmut Fazıl CoşkunOrizzonti Award for Best Actress – Natalya Kudryashova (The Man Who Surprised Everyone)Orizzonti Award for Best Actor – Kais Nashif (Tel Aviv on Fire)Orizzonti Award for Best Screenplay – Pema Tseden (Jinpa)Orizzonti Award for Best Short Film – Kado directed by Adity AhmadLion...
- 9/8/2018
- MUBI
Alfonso Cuaron’s “Roma” took home the top prize at the Venice Film Festival on Saturday, the Golden Lion for Best Film.
The film is a semi-autobiographical black-and-white film chronicling a year in the life of a middle-class family in Mexico City in the early 1970s.
“Roma,” produced and financed by Participant, will be distributed by Netflix.
David Linde, CEO of Participant Media and Executive Producer of “Roma,” said, “Working with Alfonso on ‘Roma’ has already been an amazing journey for everyone at Participant, and we are beyond thrilled that his brilliant film has been honored with the Golden Lion. This film is a gift to all audiences, transcending language and cultural barriers and inspiring compassion across the globe.”
The drama, which the streaming giant plans to release theatrically as well, was the choice of a Venice jury led by another Mexican filmmaker, “The Shape of Water” director Guillermo del Toro.
The film is a semi-autobiographical black-and-white film chronicling a year in the life of a middle-class family in Mexico City in the early 1970s.
“Roma,” produced and financed by Participant, will be distributed by Netflix.
David Linde, CEO of Participant Media and Executive Producer of “Roma,” said, “Working with Alfonso on ‘Roma’ has already been an amazing journey for everyone at Participant, and we are beyond thrilled that his brilliant film has been honored with the Golden Lion. This film is a gift to all audiences, transcending language and cultural barriers and inspiring compassion across the globe.”
The drama, which the streaming giant plans to release theatrically as well, was the choice of a Venice jury led by another Mexican filmmaker, “The Shape of Water” director Guillermo del Toro.
- 9/8/2018
- by Trey Williams
- The Wrap
Here's 3 international clips and a featurette for the isralian movie directed by Aharon Keshales and Navot Papushado, "Big Bad Wolves". Lior Ashkenazi, Rotem Keinan, Tzahi Grad, Doval'e Glickman, Menashe Noy, Dvir Benedek and Kais Nashif are starring.A series of brutal murders puts the lives of three men on a collision course: The father of the latest victim now out for revenge, a vigilante police detective operating outside the boundaries of law, and the main suspect in the killings - a religious studies teacher arrested and released due to a police blunder....
- 7/1/2014
- www.ohmygore.com/
Big Bad Wolves blends elements of the horror thriller and comedy genres. The ultimate premise is revenge but knowing Keshales and Papsuahdos work were in for a hearty multilayered visual treat. Honestly these two do not let down as filmmakers their willingness to take major risks yields some highly rewarding results. Magnet will release Big Bad Wolves on the Us on January 17 2014. Big Bad Wolves features the onscreen talents of Lior Ashkenazi (Rabies) Kais Nashif (Body of Lies) Dvir Benedek (The Attack) Menashe Noy (Rabies) Ami Weinberg (Munich) and Gur Bentvich (OffWhite Lies).
- 12/3/2013
- Best-Horror-Movies.com
Susan Youssef's first feature Habibi is an earnest if not entirely impressive tale of forbidden love set in Israeli-occupied Palestine. While the film does stir and touch at appropriate moments, the threads of a tried-and-true narrative ultimately fail to come together into something noteworthy. Layla (Abd Elhadi) and Qays (Kais Nashif) are lovers who, at the opening of the film, have had their student visas revoked, and are thus forced to return to their respective families. Layla, an engineering student, comes from a somewhat well-off family that is attempting to arrange her marriage to a very wealthy doctor. Qays, a gloomy writer and poet, comes from a working-class home and works in construction. As the film progresses, Qays' lovesickness prompts him to steal away to...
- 11/19/2012
- Screen Anarchy
Nearly 10 years in the making, Habibi is the semi-autobiographical first feature from 2010 “25 New Face” Susan Youssef, a tale of forbidden love between two Palestinian students who find it impossible for their affection to overcome the rigid conventions of class in Palestinian life and Israel’s ironclad security regime. With Israelis and Palestinians again in actively violent conflict, the film couldn’t be more newsworthy, but Youssef’s low-budget aesthetic ingenuity (she couldn’t shoot in Gaza, but faked it admirably) and a remarkable performance from Maisa Abd Elhadi, as the young woman at the center of multiple circles of conflict (family vs. lover, tradition vs. modernity), should ultimately receive the bulk of attention.
As Layla, a university student whose academic career has been cut short after having her West Bank visa revoked by the Israeli authorities, Elhadi shows tremendous range and vulnerability as her character deals with her traditional but seemingly supportive family.
As Layla, a university student whose academic career has been cut short after having her West Bank visa revoked by the Israeli authorities, Elhadi shows tremendous range and vulnerability as her character deals with her traditional but seemingly supportive family.
- 11/16/2012
- by Brandon Harris
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
A love letter stuck in limbo—forever undelivered, returned to sender, and lost in transit—the union between Layla and Qays can never be cemented. Caught in a world of oppressive forces from both occupiers of their land and the zealots perverting their religion, these two college students must contend with tradition in a generation ready to move forward. Theirs is a time where a Palestinian should be allowed to enjoy a film such as Rocky without being called a traitor or ally of the Zionists. In 2001, art should stand on its own as a way to live and breathe away from the stifled dreams of an anger-ravaged Gaza Strip lost and unable to find its way home.
Written and directed by Susan Youssef, Habibi Rasak Kharban [Habibi] is a contemporary retelling of the ninth century tragic love poem Majnun Layla. Legend has the work written by a poet driven mad...
Written and directed by Susan Youssef, Habibi Rasak Kharban [Habibi] is a contemporary retelling of the ninth century tragic love poem Majnun Layla. Legend has the work written by a poet driven mad...
- 9/11/2011
- by jpraup@gmail.com (thefilmstage.com)
- The Film Stage
Ifp have announced the lucky ten projects that have been selected to participate in this year’s narrative edition of Independent Filmmaker Labs, which officially started yesterday. Among the selected projects, we find a couple we've already been tracking and will probably be seeing this coming January in Park City. We have Dee Rees' Pariah, Andrew Dosunmu's Restless City, the much anticipated Yelling To The Sky from Victoria Mahoney and I'm adding Brady Kiernan's Stuck Between Stations as a film to watch out for. - Ifp have announced the lucky ten projects that have been selected to participate in this year’s narrative edition of Independent Filmmaker Labs, which officially started yesterday. Among the selected projects, we find a couple we've already been tracking and will probably be seeing this coming January in Park City. We have Dee Rees' Pariah, Andrew Dosunmu's Restless City,...
- 6/9/2010
- IONCINEMA.com
Ifp have announced the lucky ten projects that have been selected to participate in this year’s narrative edition of Independent Filmmaker Labs, which officially started yesterday. Among the selected projects, we find a couple we've already been tracking and will probably be seeing this coming January in Park City. We have Dee Rees' Pariah, Andrew Dosunmu's Restless City, the much anticipated Yelling To The Sky from Victoria Mahoney and I'm adding Brady Kiernan's Stuck Between Stations as a film to watch out for. The 2010 Labs include an initial five days of workshops that assist filmmakers with the technical, creative and strategic advice needed to complete their films; a Strategy & Networking Lab following in September with specialized workshops on web building, sales & marketing and audience building, as well as pre-scheduled meetings for the projects with potential buyers, funders and festival programmers during Ifp’s Independent Film Week...
- 6/8/2010
- IONCINEMA.com
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