Tenerife-based Bendita Films has pounced on international rights to “Almamula,” a buzzy debut, mixing folklore, sexuality and fantasy. From helmer Juan Sebastián Torales, the film will have its world premiere as part of the Generation 14plus’ strand at this month’s Berlinale. The film is nominated for the Gwff Best First Feature Award 2023 and has seen wins already with the Ciné+ Award for distribution at Ventana Sur 2022 and the Eurimages Development Co-production Award at the San Sebastian Co-Production Forum in 2019.
“We have been following this project since 2019, when we had the opportunity to attend Juan Sebastián Torales impressive pitch at the san Sebastian Co-Production Forum,” says Luis Renart, CEO of Bendita Film Sales.
He added: “We were immediately captivated by the director’s singular vision and that delicate combination of coming-of-age sexuality and fantasy, rooted in the legends and folklore of the Argentine countryside. Now, we are excited to be...
“We have been following this project since 2019, when we had the opportunity to attend Juan Sebastián Torales impressive pitch at the san Sebastian Co-Production Forum,” says Luis Renart, CEO of Bendita Film Sales.
He added: “We were immediately captivated by the director’s singular vision and that delicate combination of coming-of-age sexuality and fantasy, rooted in the legends and folklore of the Argentine countryside. Now, we are excited to be...
- 2/7/2023
- by Callum McLennan
- Variety Film + TV
In a new legal setback for Colombian director Ciro Guerra, best known for his Oscar-nominated film “Embrace of the Serpent,” a Bogota court has denied the injunction that he filed against the journalists behind an explosive 2020 report detailing anonymous accounts of alleged sexual harassment and abuse.
In its statement, the court noted: “The journalists did not violate the rights of the petitioner, but instead presented a report of public and political interest, which reflects a specially protected discourse that is necessary to confront discrimination against women and gender-based violence.”
“These women brought to society the echoes of the voices of other women, insecure in the face of an institution that is still precarious to face harassment and abuse; and that, on many occasions, ends up generating additional damage to the victims,” it added.
“This ruling by the Constitutional Court vindicates the democratic value of feminist journalism as a form of...
In its statement, the court noted: “The journalists did not violate the rights of the petitioner, but instead presented a report of public and political interest, which reflects a specially protected discourse that is necessary to confront discrimination against women and gender-based violence.”
“These women brought to society the echoes of the voices of other women, insecure in the face of an institution that is still precarious to face harassment and abuse; and that, on many occasions, ends up generating additional damage to the victims,” it added.
“This ruling by the Constitutional Court vindicates the democratic value of feminist journalism as a form of...
- 2/2/2023
- by Anna Marie de la Fuente
- Variety Film + TV
Establishing herself as one of the world’s few Arctic Circle feature film producers, having set up shop in Norway’s Tromsø, former Mer Films production exec Elisa Fernanda Pirir is launching her own production company, Staer, which is backing productions by Morocco’s Nabil Ayouch and Colombia’s Juan Carlos Arango, among others, as she also develops her first titles by Sami talent.
Born in Guatemala, Pirir is joined at Staer by KriStine Ann Skaret, behind the award-winning film “Villagers and Vagabonds” (2020), the co-production “Aswang” (2019) and the premiere-ready “Not That Kind of Guy” (2022).
Born in Guatemala but moving to northern Norway in 2007, Pirir joined Mer Film, the company behind Jorunn Myklebust Syversen’s “Disco” Eskil Vogt’s “The Innocents” and Ole Giæver’s “Ellos eatnu – Let the River Flow,” which plays in Nordic Competition at this year’s Goteborg Film Festival. Mer also co-produced Jonas Poher Rasmussen’s Oscar-nominated documentary “Flee.
Born in Guatemala, Pirir is joined at Staer by KriStine Ann Skaret, behind the award-winning film “Villagers and Vagabonds” (2020), the co-production “Aswang” (2019) and the premiere-ready “Not That Kind of Guy” (2022).
Born in Guatemala but moving to northern Norway in 2007, Pirir joined Mer Film, the company behind Jorunn Myklebust Syversen’s “Disco” Eskil Vogt’s “The Innocents” and Ole Giæver’s “Ellos eatnu – Let the River Flow,” which plays in Nordic Competition at this year’s Goteborg Film Festival. Mer also co-produced Jonas Poher Rasmussen’s Oscar-nominated documentary “Flee.
- 1/18/2023
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
Before “The Kings of the World,” the latest feature from Colombian writer-director Laura Mora, inserts us in the bustling streets of Medellín, where teenagers wield machetes to protect themselves, a shot of a fairy-tale-appropriate white horse introduces the dreamlike atmosphere of this .
Homeless and with no blood family to guard them, the young souls at the forefront of this electrifying social drama fend for themselves in a gritty urban environment. Their only comfort comes from the brotherly affection they display for one another. That state, caught between tenderness and violence as they navigate an inhospitable reality, defines the visceral energy of “The Kings of the World,” Colombia’s most recent Oscar entry.
The leader of the group, 19-year-old Rá (Carlos Andrés Castañeda), has just learned that the land his grandmother was forcefully evicted from many years in the past has finally been returned to him, the sole heir, as part...
Homeless and with no blood family to guard them, the young souls at the forefront of this electrifying social drama fend for themselves in a gritty urban environment. Their only comfort comes from the brotherly affection they display for one another. That state, caught between tenderness and violence as they navigate an inhospitable reality, defines the visceral energy of “The Kings of the World,” Colombia’s most recent Oscar entry.
The leader of the group, 19-year-old Rá (Carlos Andrés Castañeda), has just learned that the land his grandmother was forcefully evicted from many years in the past has finally been returned to him, the sole heir, as part...
- 1/10/2023
- by Carlos Aguilar
- Indiewire
Colombian cinema has shown a ferocious loyalty to the country’s dispossessed: to the generation that lost its lands to exploitation and its moral moorings to the drug trade, to the kids who grew up parentless on the streets or found some kind of refuge in the militias that terrorized the country. It has also proved to be a hotbed of vibrant artistic experiment. Films such as Monos (2019) and La Jauria (2022), in which myth, magic and documentary observation collide and mingle, are notable for their untethered energy and complete disregard for prescribed categories. Stories are not so much told as imaginatively experienced. Perhaps, in a country with so few visible rules, anything is possible.
Which brings us to Laura Mora’s The Kings of the World, about a volatile street hustler from Medellin who sets out to reclaim his grandmother’s stolen farm. It is a glorious film, pulsing with life.
Which brings us to Laura Mora’s The Kings of the World, about a volatile street hustler from Medellin who sets out to reclaim his grandmother’s stolen farm. It is a glorious film, pulsing with life.
- 12/19/2022
- by Stephanie Bunbury
- Deadline Film + TV
The dreamy surreal and harshest of realities rub shoulders in Laura Mora Ortega’s San Sebastián Golden Shell-winning drama, which also suggests the past and the present have a closer interplay than you might first think. Her tale of five street kids hoping to claim a patch of ancestral land often has the tone of a fable, emphasised by its opening near-post-apocalypic opening of a city street, empty of everything except a white horse, in which a voiceover notes: “One day all the men fell asleep and all the fences of the Earth burst into flames.”
This world of foreboding calm is quickly replaced by the tumble of life for a group of homeless teens - Cuebro (Cristian David), Sere (Davison Florez), Nano (Brahian Acevedo) and Winny (Cristian Campaña) - led by the streetwise Rá (Carlos Andrés Castañeda). A brighter future than the streets of Medellin is held out in tantalising prospect.
This world of foreboding calm is quickly replaced by the tumble of life for a group of homeless teens - Cuebro (Cristian David), Sere (Davison Florez), Nano (Brahian Acevedo) and Winny (Cristian Campaña) - led by the streetwise Rá (Carlos Andrés Castañeda). A brighter future than the streets of Medellin is held out in tantalising prospect.
- 12/18/2022
- by Amber Wilkinson
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
In anticipation of the upcoming 95th Academy Awards, I chatted with Laura Mora, whose latest film The Kings of the World is Colombia’s official submission in consideration for the Best International Feature Category. The film won the Golden Seashell, the top prize at the 2022 San Sebastián Film Festival. Mora discusses development of her script, which eventually included screenwriter Maria Camila Arias, and as well as her collaboration with celebrated cinematographer David Gallego. The importance of showcasing empathy and intimacy between her characters pulls focus, and Mora speaks to the organic creative process which transpired among her first time actors during production.…...
- 12/11/2022
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
A truncated Panama Int’l Film Festival (Iff Panama) wrapped Dec. 4 on a high note, with the debut doc-feature “Nación de Titanes” by Panamanian Joaquín Horna Sosa snagging the Audience Award, a good indication of its box office potential.
One of only four Panamanian features in competition, “Nación de Titanes” follows six wrestlers during Panama’s golden age of wrestling during the ‘60s through the ‘80s. Doc-feature stars wrestlers Sandokan, Ricardo Díaz, El Greco, El Titán, Cronox II and Johnny González as it chronicles the ups and downs of their respective careers and digs into the origins of the sport.
The three-day festival had encouraging news from Culture Minister Giselle Gonzalez and Panama City Deputy Mayor Judy Meana who both pledged their continued support for the festival.
Pituka Ortega Heilbron, chair of the festival board and foundation, noted that the festival was operating at a fraction of its normal size...
One of only four Panamanian features in competition, “Nación de Titanes” follows six wrestlers during Panama’s golden age of wrestling during the ‘60s through the ‘80s. Doc-feature stars wrestlers Sandokan, Ricardo Díaz, El Greco, El Titán, Cronox II and Johnny González as it chronicles the ups and downs of their respective careers and digs into the origins of the sport.
The three-day festival had encouraging news from Culture Minister Giselle Gonzalez and Panama City Deputy Mayor Judy Meana who both pledged their continued support for the festival.
Pituka Ortega Heilbron, chair of the festival board and foundation, noted that the festival was operating at a fraction of its normal size...
- 12/5/2022
- by Anna Marie de la Fuente
- Variety Film + TV
The first episode features Laura Mora, a Colombian director whose international recognition began with her feature film Matar a Jesús (Killing Jesus), which premiered at the Toronto Festival in 2017. More recently, she won the Golden Shell at the San Sebastian Festival for Los reyes del mundo (The Kings of the World), a road movie with lyrical episodes unanimously applauded by the jury.The second guest is Chilean director Fernando Guzzoni, who has premiered his feature films in venues such as Toronto, San Sebastian and Venice, where he won the Best Screenplay Award in the Orizzonti section for his most recent film, Blanquita.In this first episode, the hosts talk about cinema as a means to expose the construction of masculinity and the origins of violence itself. Laura and Fernando meet here to talk about their immediate contexts and common interest in state violence.Listen to the first episode of the...
- 11/29/2022
- MUBI
The deadline to submit films in the international feature Oscar category was Oct. 3, but the Academy has not yet announced the full list of accepted titles, so it is a provisional report. AMPAS will release a shortlist of 15 movies on Dec. 21 and the nominations will be announced Jan. 24. The Oscar ceremony will take place March 12 at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.
Albania
A Cup of Coffee and New Shoes On
Director: Gentian Koçi
Logline: Deaf-mute twins in Tirana discover they have a genetical disease that will take away their sight slowly. They have a decision to make.
International Sales: M-Appeal
Algeria
Our Brothers
Director. Rachid Bouchareb
Logline: Mixing documentary and fiction, pic explores police violence and the deaths of student Malik Oussekine and bar patron Abdel Benyahia.
Intl. Sales: Wild Bunch
Argentina
Argentina , 1985
Director: Santiago Mitre
Logline: Lawyers battle Argentina’s military junta in the 1980s.
U.S. Distributor: Amazon...
Albania
A Cup of Coffee and New Shoes On
Director: Gentian Koçi
Logline: Deaf-mute twins in Tirana discover they have a genetical disease that will take away their sight slowly. They have a decision to make.
International Sales: M-Appeal
Algeria
Our Brothers
Director. Rachid Bouchareb
Logline: Mixing documentary and fiction, pic explores police violence and the deaths of student Malik Oussekine and bar patron Abdel Benyahia.
Intl. Sales: Wild Bunch
Argentina
Argentina , 1985
Director: Santiago Mitre
Logline: Lawyers battle Argentina’s military junta in the 1980s.
U.S. Distributor: Amazon...
- 11/2/2022
- by Shalini Dore
- Variety Film + TV
The film that Toronto and Venice programmers (might have) passed on while the San Sebastian folks were all too happy to nab the world preem status, Laura Mora’s Golden Shell winner (and multiple fests since then) has found a suitor for North American. Screen Daily reports that The Kings Of The World (Colombia’s Oscar submission) has been picked up by Netflix for all the Americas excluding Colombia and Mexico. The film recently landed the Golden Eye for best feature film at the Zurich Film Festival. There is no mention of when Netflix might release Los Reyes del Mundo, but we imagine it could be dated as early as December.…...
- 10/24/2022
- by Eric Lavallée
- IONCINEMA.com
Cinecolor, Interior 13 to distribute theatrically in Colombia, Mexico.
Netflix has picked up the Americas excluding Colombia and Mexico on Laura Mora’s San Sebastian Golden Shell winner and Colombian Oscar submission The Kings Of The World.
The drama about friendship among a group of street boys from Medellin, Colombia, will also launch on the platform after its theatrical releases in Colombia and Mexico through Cinecolor and Interior 13, respectively.
Mora, who broke out with her 2017 revenge drama Killing Jesus, co-wrote the screenplay with María Camila Arias. The Kings Of The World follows five boys as they set out on a journey...
Netflix has picked up the Americas excluding Colombia and Mexico on Laura Mora’s San Sebastian Golden Shell winner and Colombian Oscar submission The Kings Of The World.
The drama about friendship among a group of street boys from Medellin, Colombia, will also launch on the platform after its theatrical releases in Colombia and Mexico through Cinecolor and Interior 13, respectively.
Mora, who broke out with her 2017 revenge drama Killing Jesus, co-wrote the screenplay with María Camila Arias. The Kings Of The World follows five boys as they set out on a journey...
- 10/24/2022
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Steven Spielberg’s semi-autobiographical, coming-of-age drama The Fabelmans has been announced as the opening film of 44th Cairo International Film Festival, running from November 13 to 22.
This year’s edition of the historic Egyptian festival will unfold under the direction of a new management team following the departure of former head Mohamed Hefzy in March.
Veteran actor Hussein Fahmy returns as president at the festival, a role he held in the past, while respected Egyptian film programmer Amir Ramses has taken up the baton of artistic director.
This year’s main International Competition features Ahmad Abdalla’s 19B (Egypt), Firas Khoury’s Alam (Palestine), Nicolas’s Giraud’s The Astronaut (France), Pierre Földes’s Blind Willow Sleeping Woman (France), Damian Kocur’s Bread And Salt (Poland), Maksym Nakonechnyi’s Butterfly Vision (Ukraine), Ali Cherri’s The Dam, Ivan Löwenberg’s I Don’t Want To Be Dust (Mexico), Ridha Behi...
This year’s edition of the historic Egyptian festival will unfold under the direction of a new management team following the departure of former head Mohamed Hefzy in March.
Veteran actor Hussein Fahmy returns as president at the festival, a role he held in the past, while respected Egyptian film programmer Amir Ramses has taken up the baton of artistic director.
This year’s main International Competition features Ahmad Abdalla’s 19B (Egypt), Firas Khoury’s Alam (Palestine), Nicolas’s Giraud’s The Astronaut (France), Pierre Földes’s Blind Willow Sleeping Woman (France), Damian Kocur’s Bread And Salt (Poland), Maksym Nakonechnyi’s Butterfly Vision (Ukraine), Ali Cherri’s The Dam, Ivan Löwenberg’s I Don’t Want To Be Dust (Mexico), Ridha Behi...
- 10/18/2022
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Keep track of all the submissions for best international feature at the 2023 Academy Awards.
Entries for the 2023 Oscar for best international feature are underway, and Screen is profiling each one on this page.
Scroll down for profiles of each Oscar entry
An international feature film is defined as a feature-length motion picture produced outside the US with a predominantly (more than 50) non-English dialogue track and can include animated and documentary features.
Submitted films must have been released theatrically in their respective countries between January 1, 2022 and November 30, 2022. The deadline for submissions to the Academy is October 3, 2022.
A shortlist of 15 finalists is...
Entries for the 2023 Oscar for best international feature are underway, and Screen is profiling each one on this page.
Scroll down for profiles of each Oscar entry
An international feature film is defined as a feature-length motion picture produced outside the US with a predominantly (more than 50) non-English dialogue track and can include animated and documentary features.
Submitted films must have been released theatrically in their respective countries between January 1, 2022 and November 30, 2022. The deadline for submissions to the Academy is October 3, 2022.
A shortlist of 15 finalists is...
- 10/5/2022
- by Screen staff
- ScreenDaily
Colombian director Laura Mora’s drama The Kings Of The World has clinched the Golden Eye for best feature film at the Zurich Film Festival.
The award follows hot on the heels of the film’s triumph at the San Sebastian Film Festival exactly a week ago, where it world premiered and then won the Golden Shell for best film.
The drama follows five street kids from Medellin who set off on a dangerous trip into the Colombian hinterland, after one of them is granted the right to a piece of land taken from his family by paramilitaries, during the country’s 52-year conflict which displaced more than five million people.
The Kings Of The World was produced by producer and director Cristina Gallego, whose credits include Birds Of Passage and the Oscar-nominated The Embrace Of The Serpent.
The film also previously screened to professionals as part of the TIFF...
The award follows hot on the heels of the film’s triumph at the San Sebastian Film Festival exactly a week ago, where it world premiered and then won the Golden Shell for best film.
The drama follows five street kids from Medellin who set off on a dangerous trip into the Colombian hinterland, after one of them is granted the right to a piece of land taken from his family by paramilitaries, during the country’s 52-year conflict which displaced more than five million people.
The Kings Of The World was produced by producer and director Cristina Gallego, whose credits include Birds Of Passage and the Oscar-nominated The Embrace Of The Serpent.
The film also previously screened to professionals as part of the TIFF...
- 10/1/2022
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Laura Mora’s “The Kings of the World” was named Best Film at the Zurich Film Festival Saturday.
The jury, led by Asghar Farhadi and featuring Clio Barnard, Daniel Dreifuss, Petra Volpe and Piodor Gustafsson, was taken with the coming-of-age drama about young friends living on the streets of Medellín, one that has triumphed at San Sebastian as well. Film Factory Entertainment handles sales.
“I am so happy the jury voted for it. I am convinced this film will stand the test of time,” artistic director Christian Jungen told Variety.
“It shows that film can be an art form, but it also provides social criticism on the situation in Colombia. Where poor, regular people can’t easily access their rights.”
Mora got the idea for the story while casting her feature debut “Killing Jesus,” she told Variety back in August.
“More than 90 boys we interviewed all shared a terrible feeling of exclusion,...
The jury, led by Asghar Farhadi and featuring Clio Barnard, Daniel Dreifuss, Petra Volpe and Piodor Gustafsson, was taken with the coming-of-age drama about young friends living on the streets of Medellín, one that has triumphed at San Sebastian as well. Film Factory Entertainment handles sales.
“I am so happy the jury voted for it. I am convinced this film will stand the test of time,” artistic director Christian Jungen told Variety.
“It shows that film can be an art form, but it also provides social criticism on the situation in Colombia. Where poor, regular people can’t easily access their rights.”
Mora got the idea for the story while casting her feature debut “Killing Jesus,” she told Variety back in August.
“More than 90 boys we interviewed all shared a terrible feeling of exclusion,...
- 10/1/2022
- by Marta Balaga
- Variety Film + TV
A film that we thought had a chance to preem in Cannes, Venice and even TIFF was now crowned Best Film at the San Sebastian Film Festival. Laura Mora’s Kings of the World beat out a fierce comp with several veteran filmmakers for the Golden Shell. Kings of the World also won a pair of other awards (Signis Award and Feroz Zinemaldia Award) while the runner-ish award of a Special Jury Prize went to Marian Mathias and Runner – the debut feature was just featured at TIFF (read review), and speaking of Toronto, discovery Paul Kircher won Best Lead Performance for Christophe Honoré’s Winter Boy (read review) — he tied with newbie teen actress Carla Quílez for La Maternal by Pilar Palomero.…...
- 9/26/2022
- by Eric Lavallée
- IONCINEMA.com
The Kings Of The World Photo: Courtesy of San Sebastian Film Festival Laura Mora’s Columbian film The Kings of the World took home the Golden Shell at San Sebastian Festival’s 70th edition. The film - a coproduction Luxembourg, France, Mexico and Norway - blends the harsh reality for a bunch of streetkids with something more mystical as they go on an, at times surreal, road trip in order to reclaim a patch of land.
The Silver Shell for Best Director went to Genki Kawamura's consideration of the impact of Alzheimer's on a strained mother and son relationship in A Hundred Flowers (Japan), while the Best Screenplay Award went to Dong Yun Zhou and Wang Chao for their work on the latter’s movie A Woman (China).
Young stars Carla Quílez and Paul Kircher landed the Silver Shell ex-aequo for Best Leading Performance in Pilar Palomero’s hybrd...
The Silver Shell for Best Director went to Genki Kawamura's consideration of the impact of Alzheimer's on a strained mother and son relationship in A Hundred Flowers (Japan), while the Best Screenplay Award went to Dong Yun Zhou and Wang Chao for their work on the latter’s movie A Woman (China).
Young stars Carla Quílez and Paul Kircher landed the Silver Shell ex-aequo for Best Leading Performance in Pilar Palomero’s hybrd...
- 9/25/2022
- by Amber Wilkinson
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Colombian filmmaker Laura Mora has clinched the Golden Shell in the main competition of the 70th San Sebastian Film Festival with her latest feature The Kings of the World (Los reyes del mundo).
Billed as a subversive tale of disobedience, friendship, and dignity, the film follows five boys living on the streets of Medellín who set out on a journey in search of the promised land. The film is a Colombian co-production with Luxembourg, France, Mexico, and Norway.
This is the third year running that a film helmed by a woman has taken home the Golden Shell following Dea Kulumbegashvili’s Beginning in 2020 and Alina Grigore’s Blue Moon last year. This is also the first time a Colombian production has picked up San Sebastian’s top prize in the festival’s seven decades.
In other main competition awards, Japanese writer Genki Kawamura picked up the Silver Shell for Best...
Billed as a subversive tale of disobedience, friendship, and dignity, the film follows five boys living on the streets of Medellín who set out on a journey in search of the promised land. The film is a Colombian co-production with Luxembourg, France, Mexico, and Norway.
This is the third year running that a film helmed by a woman has taken home the Golden Shell following Dea Kulumbegashvili’s Beginning in 2020 and Alina Grigore’s Blue Moon last year. This is also the first time a Colombian production has picked up San Sebastian’s top prize in the festival’s seven decades.
In other main competition awards, Japanese writer Genki Kawamura picked up the Silver Shell for Best...
- 9/24/2022
- by Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
Laura Mora’s Columbian drama The Kings of the World has won the Golden Shell for best film at the 2022 San Sebastián film festival, Spain’s premiere film fest. Mora’s sophomore feature follows five young men growing up on the streets of Medellín who set off on a journey in search of the promised land.
Best director went to Japanese filmmaker Genki Kawamura for dementia-focused drama Hyakka, his feature debut. Kawamura is best known as the producer of such hit Japanese animated features as Your Name (2016) and Weathering With You (2019).
Marian Mathias’ drama Runner, the story of an 18-year-old girl who decides to fulfill her dead father’s last wish to be buried in his hometown along the Mississippi, won the festival’s special jury prize.
The Silver Shell for best performance went, jointly, to Paul Kircher for his performance in Christophe Honoré...
Laura Mora’s Columbian drama The Kings of the World has won the Golden Shell for best film at the 2022 San Sebastián film festival, Spain’s premiere film fest. Mora’s sophomore feature follows five young men growing up on the streets of Medellín who set off on a journey in search of the promised land.
Best director went to Japanese filmmaker Genki Kawamura for dementia-focused drama Hyakka, his feature debut. Kawamura is best known as the producer of such hit Japanese animated features as Your Name (2016) and Weathering With You (2019).
Marian Mathias’ drama Runner, the story of an 18-year-old girl who decides to fulfill her dead father’s last wish to be buried in his hometown along the Mississippi, won the festival’s special jury prize.
The Silver Shell for best performance went, jointly, to Paul Kircher for his performance in Christophe Honoré...
- 9/24/2022
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Other winners include Genki Kawamura’s ‘A Hundred Flowers’ and China’s ‘A Woman’.
Colombian director Laura Mora’s second film The Kings Of The World has won the Golden Shell award for best film at the 70th edition of the San Sebastian International Film Festival (Ssiff).
Scroll down for full list of winners
A Colombian co-production with Luxembourg, France, Mexico and Norway, the film follows five street kids from Medellin who venture into the countryside in search of the land that one of them inherited. Film Factory Entertainment handles international sales. Mora’s debut was 2017 Toronto and San Sebastian selection Killing Jesus.
Colombian director Laura Mora’s second film The Kings Of The World has won the Golden Shell award for best film at the 70th edition of the San Sebastian International Film Festival (Ssiff).
Scroll down for full list of winners
A Colombian co-production with Luxembourg, France, Mexico and Norway, the film follows five street kids from Medellin who venture into the countryside in search of the land that one of them inherited. Film Factory Entertainment handles international sales. Mora’s debut was 2017 Toronto and San Sebastian selection Killing Jesus.
- 9/24/2022
- by Elisabet Cabeza
- ScreenDaily
Colombian director Laura Mora’s coming-of-age drama “Kings of the World” has taken the Golden Shell for Best Film at the San Sebastian Film Festival, marking the third consecutive year that a female filmmaker has taken the top prize at the Spanish fest.
The film, Mora’s second feature, is a raw, unusual coming-of-age drama, supplanting the sentimentality that tends to dominate that genre with delirious, even surreal energy in its story of five Medellin street kids who venture from the city into the jungle, in pursuit of ancestral land. Premiering in the latter days of the fest, it proved popular with critics, but nonetheless represents an underdog victor in a competition that included such established names as Sebastian Lelio, Hong Sangsoo and Christophe Honoré.
Instead, youth dominated the slate of winners, with freshman American filmmaker Marian Mathias taking the runner-up Special Jury Prize for her debut feature “Runner,” while...
The film, Mora’s second feature, is a raw, unusual coming-of-age drama, supplanting the sentimentality that tends to dominate that genre with delirious, even surreal energy in its story of five Medellin street kids who venture from the city into the jungle, in pursuit of ancestral land. Premiering in the latter days of the fest, it proved popular with critics, but nonetheless represents an underdog victor in a competition that included such established names as Sebastian Lelio, Hong Sangsoo and Christophe Honoré.
Instead, youth dominated the slate of winners, with freshman American filmmaker Marian Mathias taking the runner-up Special Jury Prize for her debut feature “Runner,” while...
- 9/24/2022
- by Guy Lodge
- Variety Film + TV
The 70th San Sebastian rounded its final bend with new deals announced for Spain by A Contracorriente, Bteam and Avalon, joy among industry players at a first full on site festival, blessed by early autumn sunshine, a sense of an even slower international sales business.
Equally, Spain’s market and production sector remain on ebullient, buoyed by art-house breakouts and a vibrant drama series production. Five takeaways from this year’s San Sebastian Festival, which wraps tomorrow, Sept. 24:
San Sebastian Grows (Again)
“There are markets that have improved during Covid-19, and others that haven’t and San Sebastian is a festival that’s improved thanks to its industry activities,” says Film Factory’s Vicente Canales. That build comes from afar, with a Films in Progress strand in 2002, an Europe-Latin America Co-Production Forum from 2012, the Ikusmira Berriak development residency from 2017 and now a Creative Investors Conference.
There’s a form of cross collaterization here.
Equally, Spain’s market and production sector remain on ebullient, buoyed by art-house breakouts and a vibrant drama series production. Five takeaways from this year’s San Sebastian Festival, which wraps tomorrow, Sept. 24:
San Sebastian Grows (Again)
“There are markets that have improved during Covid-19, and others that haven’t and San Sebastian is a festival that’s improved thanks to its industry activities,” says Film Factory’s Vicente Canales. That build comes from afar, with a Films in Progress strand in 2002, an Europe-Latin America Co-Production Forum from 2012, the Ikusmira Berriak development residency from 2017 and now a Creative Investors Conference.
There’s a form of cross collaterization here.
- 9/23/2022
- by John Hopewell and Emiliano De Pablos
- Variety Film + TV
Spanish production and distribution company Bteam Pictures has picked up all rights for Spain to San Sebastián competition title “Los Reyes del Mundo” (“Kings of the World”).
Film Factory Entertainment brokered the deal with Bteam partners Ania Jones, Alex Lafuente and Lara Pérez Camiña.
Film Factory’s Vicente Canales confirmed to Variety that the company is handling worldwide sales for the film, excluding France, Benelux, Colombia and Mexico.
“Bteam is well known for distributing quality films in Spain and has already released several of our Spanish pictures,” said Canales. “We believe they are the best match for ‘Kings of the World,’ which is one of the most important Colombian films of the year.”
Barcelona-based Film Factory is focused on the international sale of Spanish productions and collaborations with Europe and Latin America.
CineColombia is confirmed to distribute the film in Colombia.
Jones saw the film in San Sebastián where the Bteam co-production,...
Film Factory Entertainment brokered the deal with Bteam partners Ania Jones, Alex Lafuente and Lara Pérez Camiña.
Film Factory’s Vicente Canales confirmed to Variety that the company is handling worldwide sales for the film, excluding France, Benelux, Colombia and Mexico.
“Bteam is well known for distributing quality films in Spain and has already released several of our Spanish pictures,” said Canales. “We believe they are the best match for ‘Kings of the World,’ which is one of the most important Colombian films of the year.”
Barcelona-based Film Factory is focused on the international sale of Spanish productions and collaborations with Europe and Latin America.
CineColombia is confirmed to distribute the film in Colombia.
Jones saw the film in San Sebastián where the Bteam co-production,...
- 9/23/2022
- by Liza Foreman
- Variety Film + TV
Spanish fest has more Latin American films and projects than ever before.
This year’s San Sebastian InternationaI Film Festival has the highest number of Latin American films across its official selection and marketplaces than ever before, according to festival director José Luis Rebordinos.
The line-up includes three titles in official selection: two from Argentinian directors - Manuel Abramovich’s Pornomelancolia and Diego Lerman’s The Substitute – and The Wonder from Chilean director Sebastian Lelio.
“It’s a very good moment for Latin America cinema for both quantity and the high quality of the proposals,” says Rebordinos.
Argentina in focus...
This year’s San Sebastian InternationaI Film Festival has the highest number of Latin American films across its official selection and marketplaces than ever before, according to festival director José Luis Rebordinos.
The line-up includes three titles in official selection: two from Argentinian directors - Manuel Abramovich’s Pornomelancolia and Diego Lerman’s The Substitute – and The Wonder from Chilean director Sebastian Lelio.
“It’s a very good moment for Latin America cinema for both quantity and the high quality of the proposals,” says Rebordinos.
Argentina in focus...
- 9/21/2022
- by Emilio Mayorga
- ScreenDaily
Festival runs October 12-23.
Jafar Panahi’s No Bears, Alice Diop’s Saint Omer, and Sergei Loznitsa’s The Natural History Of Destruction are among the international competitions line-up at the 58th Chicago International Film Festival next month.
This year’s competitions include 10 films receiving their North American premiere and 17 getting their US premiere as the entries vie for the festival’s Gold Hugo award in the categories of international feature, international documentary, and new directors.
The festival runs October 12-23. The full international competition line-ups are below.
Playing in International Feature Competition are: The Beasts (Sp-Fr), Rodrigo Sorogoyen, US premiere; Before,...
Jafar Panahi’s No Bears, Alice Diop’s Saint Omer, and Sergei Loznitsa’s The Natural History Of Destruction are among the international competitions line-up at the 58th Chicago International Film Festival next month.
This year’s competitions include 10 films receiving their North American premiere and 17 getting their US premiere as the entries vie for the festival’s Gold Hugo award in the categories of international feature, international documentary, and new directors.
The festival runs October 12-23. The full international competition line-ups are below.
Playing in International Feature Competition are: The Beasts (Sp-Fr), Rodrigo Sorogoyen, US premiere; Before,...
- 9/16/2022
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Thanks in part to a strong co-production drive, 13 Mexican-nationality movies play at San Sebastian this year, a major presence.
Perlak frames Alejandro G. Iñarritu Venice player “Bardo: False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths.” Much of the heat, in industry terms at least, will come from the the premieres and sneak peeks.
In one highlight, Natalia Beristáin will world premiere “Noise” (“Ruido”), before its Netflix November bow. In possibly another, Mexico’s Laura Pancarte (“Non-Western”) unveils “Sueño Mexicano” as a pic-in-post.
Eyes will also be turned to Mexico’s latest generation of auteurs. One director is suddenly very well known: Longtime editor Natalia López Gallardo, a Berlin Jury Prize winner for “Robe of Gems.”
Others are bubbling under: Juan Pablo González whose “Dos Estaciones” impressed at Sundance, Rodrigo Ruiz Patterson, director of “Summer White,” another Sundance title, and Bruno Santamaría, a Gold Hugo best doc winner at the 2020 Chicago Festival...
Perlak frames Alejandro G. Iñarritu Venice player “Bardo: False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths.” Much of the heat, in industry terms at least, will come from the the premieres and sneak peeks.
In one highlight, Natalia Beristáin will world premiere “Noise” (“Ruido”), before its Netflix November bow. In possibly another, Mexico’s Laura Pancarte (“Non-Western”) unveils “Sueño Mexicano” as a pic-in-post.
Eyes will also be turned to Mexico’s latest generation of auteurs. One director is suddenly very well known: Longtime editor Natalia López Gallardo, a Berlin Jury Prize winner for “Robe of Gems.”
Others are bubbling under: Juan Pablo González whose “Dos Estaciones” impressed at Sundance, Rodrigo Ruiz Patterson, director of “Summer White,” another Sundance title, and Bruno Santamaría, a Gold Hugo best doc winner at the 2020 Chicago Festival...
- 9/16/2022
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
San Sebastian festival director José Luis Rebordinos: “It’s a sweet moment for the Spanish industry”
The San Sebastian festival director reflects on the innovations for the 70th anniversary
José Luis Rebordinos has been the director of the San Sebastian International Film Festival since 2011.
He talks to Screen about this year’s 70th anniversary edition which will celebrate San Sebastian’s history as well as the exciting present moment for Spanish cinema and host an expanded industry section.
The festival opens today, Friday September 16, and runs until September 24.
San Sebastian prides itself as a festival that showcases both new and established Spanish filmmakers. How would you describe the Spanish productions selected this year?
There’s a...
José Luis Rebordinos has been the director of the San Sebastian International Film Festival since 2011.
He talks to Screen about this year’s 70th anniversary edition which will celebrate San Sebastian’s history as well as the exciting present moment for Spanish cinema and host an expanded industry section.
The festival opens today, Friday September 16, and runs until September 24.
San Sebastian prides itself as a festival that showcases both new and established Spanish filmmakers. How would you describe the Spanish productions selected this year?
There’s a...
- 9/16/2022
- by Elisabet Cabeza
- ScreenDaily
Barcelona-based Film Factory Entertainment has picked up world sales rights to “El Otro Hijo,” the feature debut of Colombia’s Juan Sebastián Quebrada.
The Evidencia Films production adds to the growing list of Colombian pickups by Film Factory, including last year’s sweeping Premios Platino winner, “Memories of My Father” (“El Olvido que Seremos”) by Fernando Trueba. and Laura Mora’s “Kings of the World,”which competes at the upcoming San Sebastian Film Festival and is part of Toronto’s Industry Select section.
“Film Factory is excited to be on board; Colombian cinema is very strong and we are eager to discover new talents from the country. We believe we found one in Juan Sebastián Quebrada,” Film Factory’s Vicente Canales told Variety.
“El Otro Hijo” is a coming-of-age tale that revolves around a teenager who after the sudden and unexpected death of his younger brother, falls in love with...
The Evidencia Films production adds to the growing list of Colombian pickups by Film Factory, including last year’s sweeping Premios Platino winner, “Memories of My Father” (“El Olvido que Seremos”) by Fernando Trueba. and Laura Mora’s “Kings of the World,”which competes at the upcoming San Sebastian Film Festival and is part of Toronto’s Industry Select section.
“Film Factory is excited to be on board; Colombian cinema is very strong and we are eager to discover new talents from the country. We believe we found one in Juan Sebastián Quebrada,” Film Factory’s Vicente Canales told Variety.
“El Otro Hijo” is a coming-of-age tale that revolves around a teenager who after the sudden and unexpected death of his younger brother, falls in love with...
- 9/10/2022
- by Anna Marie de la Fuente
- Variety Film + TV
Th 47th edition of the Toronto International Film Festival has selected its Industry Selects, a section of ten audience friendly films up for global acquisition. In addition it was announced that Jason Reitman’s Live Read is returning to the Festival for an all-star event featuring a surprise cast; the filmmaker presenting a surprise screenplay in honor of his late father, Ivan Reitman.
“We’ve worked to build a selection that will appeal to buyers as well as audiences,’’ said Norm Wilner, Programmer, Digital Releasing and Industry Selects. “We aim to celebrate new voices and showcase international talent, in line with the Festival’s global spirit.”
“We’re delighted to present these director-driven and audience-engaging sales titles from around the world to international buyers who rely on our festival to strengthen their upcoming film slate,” added Geoff Macnaughton, Senior Director, Industry and Theatrical. “Fostering sales at the Festival is a key part of our mandate,...
“We’ve worked to build a selection that will appeal to buyers as well as audiences,’’ said Norm Wilner, Programmer, Digital Releasing and Industry Selects. “We aim to celebrate new voices and showcase international talent, in line with the Festival’s global spirit.”
“We’re delighted to present these director-driven and audience-engaging sales titles from around the world to international buyers who rely on our festival to strengthen their upcoming film slate,” added Geoff Macnaughton, Senior Director, Industry and Theatrical. “Fostering sales at the Festival is a key part of our mandate,...
- 8/23/2022
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
The 10 “audience friendly” films will be screened in-person to accredited buyers and industry professionals
Neil Maskell’s comedy Klokkenluider and Bill Pohlad’s musical biopic Dreamin’ Wild are among the line-up for the Toronto International Film Festival Industry Selects programme.
The 10 ”audience friendly” films will be screened in-person to accredited buyers and industry professionals during the festival and are available for worldwide acquisition.
Klokkenluider is the feature directing debut of UK filmmaker and actor Neil Maskell, best known for roles in Kill List and TV series Utopia. Tom Burke and Jenna Coleman star as a whistleblower and his wife who...
Neil Maskell’s comedy Klokkenluider and Bill Pohlad’s musical biopic Dreamin’ Wild are among the line-up for the Toronto International Film Festival Industry Selects programme.
The 10 ”audience friendly” films will be screened in-person to accredited buyers and industry professionals during the festival and are available for worldwide acquisition.
Klokkenluider is the feature directing debut of UK filmmaker and actor Neil Maskell, best known for roles in Kill List and TV series Utopia. Tom Burke and Jenna Coleman star as a whistleblower and his wife who...
- 8/23/2022
- by Ellie Calnan
- ScreenDaily
Click here to read the full article.
The Toronto International Film Festival is set to test whether the indie cinema business has rebounded amid the pandemic by screening 10 movies, including Steve Buscemi’s The Listener and Bill Pohlad’s Dreamin’ Wild, for buyers outside of its official selection.
International buyers will get an exclusive look via the new TIFF Industry Selects program at Buscemi’s latest film that stars Tessa Thompson as a young helpline volunteer amid the Covid-19 crisis, supporting people during their darkest hours.
Toronto is also teeing up Focus Features’ Dreamin’ Wild, which stars Casey Affleck and Zooey Deschanel in a musical biopic about the real-life story of musical duo Donnie and Joe Emerson, whose family leveraged their farm in the 1970s to produce the brothers’ record Dreamin’ Wild.
Other acquisition titles for industry eyes only at TIFF include Georgia Oakley’s Blue Jean, which stars Rosy McEwen...
The Toronto International Film Festival is set to test whether the indie cinema business has rebounded amid the pandemic by screening 10 movies, including Steve Buscemi’s The Listener and Bill Pohlad’s Dreamin’ Wild, for buyers outside of its official selection.
International buyers will get an exclusive look via the new TIFF Industry Selects program at Buscemi’s latest film that stars Tessa Thompson as a young helpline volunteer amid the Covid-19 crisis, supporting people during their darkest hours.
Toronto is also teeing up Focus Features’ Dreamin’ Wild, which stars Casey Affleck and Zooey Deschanel in a musical biopic about the real-life story of musical duo Donnie and Joe Emerson, whose family leveraged their farm in the 1970s to produce the brothers’ record Dreamin’ Wild.
Other acquisition titles for industry eyes only at TIFF include Georgia Oakley’s Blue Jean, which stars Rosy McEwen...
- 8/23/2022
- by Etan Vlessing
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
One Un Certain Regard selected film (Lotfy Nathan‘s Harka), four films headed to Venice, one San Sebastián comp title in Laura Mora‘s highly anticipated Kings of the World, and four market premieres in Hilmar Oddsson‘s Driving Mum, Avan Jogia‘s Door Mouse, Neil Maskell‘s Klokkenluider and Kasia Rosłaniec‘s Salt Lake are the ten films selected for TIFF 2022 Industry Selects – a pandemic solution that will indeed carry over into “normal” times.…...
- 8/23/2022
- by Eric Lavallée
- IONCINEMA.com
“Kings of the World” (“Los Reyes del Mundo”), by Colombia’s Laura Mora has shared its trailer exclusively with Variety in advance of its world premiere in Spain’s San Sebastian festival and its Oct. 6 theatrical release in Colombia.
Said Mora: “We are very happy to finally be able to release the film! It has been a very long and demanding process…. And to premiere in the official competition of a festival like San Sebastián, surrounded by directors that we deeply admire, is an honor.”
Film Factory Entertainment handles international sales.
Played by non-pros, “Kings of the World” follows five teens ranging from ages 12 to 19 who roam aimlessly through the streets of Medellin, Colombia. When Rá, the oldest in the gang, receives a letter from the government about the restitution of land that was seized from his grandmother by the paramilitary, he and his friends decide to make the trip...
Said Mora: “We are very happy to finally be able to release the film! It has been a very long and demanding process…. And to premiere in the official competition of a festival like San Sebastián, surrounded by directors that we deeply admire, is an honor.”
Film Factory Entertainment handles international sales.
Played by non-pros, “Kings of the World” follows five teens ranging from ages 12 to 19 who roam aimlessly through the streets of Medellin, Colombia. When Rá, the oldest in the gang, receives a letter from the government about the restitution of land that was seized from his grandmother by the paramilitary, he and his friends decide to make the trip...
- 8/5/2022
- by Anna Marie de la Fuente
- Variety Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
The 70th San Sebastián Film Festival unveiled its competition line-up Tuesday, with new works from award-winning directors Sebastián Lelio, Hong Sang-soo and Ulrich Seidl in the running for the 2022 Golden Shell.
Chilean filmmaker Lelio, who won an Oscar for best international feature with A Fantastic Woman (2017), will premiere his latest, The Wonder, in San Sebastián. The period drama, based on the Emma Donoghue novel, is set in mid-19th century Ireland and stars Florence Pugh, Ciarán Hinds, Tom Burke and Toby Jones.
The prolific Hong Sang-Soo, who just won the Jury Prize in Berlin in February for The Novelist’s Film, brings his latest minimalist drama, Walk Up, to the Spanish festival. The plot involves a middle-aged film director and his estranged daughter who are being shown around a building owned by an interior designer.
Seidl, the Austrian director who has made a career...
The 70th San Sebastián Film Festival unveiled its competition line-up Tuesday, with new works from award-winning directors Sebastián Lelio, Hong Sang-soo and Ulrich Seidl in the running for the 2022 Golden Shell.
Chilean filmmaker Lelio, who won an Oscar for best international feature with A Fantastic Woman (2017), will premiere his latest, The Wonder, in San Sebastián. The period drama, based on the Emma Donoghue novel, is set in mid-19th century Ireland and stars Florence Pugh, Ciarán Hinds, Tom Burke and Toby Jones.
The prolific Hong Sang-Soo, who just won the Jury Prize in Berlin in February for The Novelist’s Film, brings his latest minimalist drama, Walk Up, to the Spanish festival. The plot involves a middle-aged film director and his estranged daughter who are being shown around a building owned by an interior designer.
Seidl, the Austrian director who has made a career...
- 8/2/2022
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Lelio makes his San Sebastian competition debut with The Wonder starring Florence Pugh.
Films from Sebastián Lelio and Hong Sang-soo are among the new titles to be selected in competition at this year’s San Sebastian Film Festival (September 16-24).
Lelio, whose A Fantastic Woman won the Academy Award for best foreign-language film in 2017, makes his San Sebastian competition debut with The Wonder. Adapted from Emma Donoghue’s novel set in a 19th-century Irish town, it stars Florence Pugh, Ciarán Hinds, Tom Burke, Toby Jones and Niamh Algar.
Cannes and Berlin prize winner Hong San-soo will make his second appearance...
Films from Sebastián Lelio and Hong Sang-soo are among the new titles to be selected in competition at this year’s San Sebastian Film Festival (September 16-24).
Lelio, whose A Fantastic Woman won the Academy Award for best foreign-language film in 2017, makes his San Sebastian competition debut with The Wonder. Adapted from Emma Donoghue’s novel set in a 19th-century Irish town, it stars Florence Pugh, Ciarán Hinds, Tom Burke, Toby Jones and Niamh Algar.
Cannes and Berlin prize winner Hong San-soo will make his second appearance...
- 8/2/2022
- by Orlando Parfitt
- ScreenDaily
Sebastian Lelio’s “Wonder,” starring “Black Widow’s” Florence Pugh, “Winter Boy” with Juliette Binoche and directors Hong Sang-soo and Ulrich Seidl will compete in main competition at September’s San Sebastian Film Festival, the biggest film event in the Spanish-speaking world.
In “Wonder,” the latest from Academy Award winning director Lelio (“A Fantastic Woman”),Pugh plays an English nurse brought in to the Irish Midlands in 1862 to observe the alleged miracle of girls going months without food.
Binoche co-stars in “Winter Boy,” from resilient French auteur Christophe Honoré who won at Cannes Un Certain Regard with 2019’s “On a Magical Night.” Hong Sang-soo, the prolific South Korean director, will present “Walk Up,” a film which is billed as taking a gently delightful new perspective on themes dear to his poetics.
Seidl’s “Sparta” forms part of a diptych with 2022 Berlin competition contender “Rimini,” both movies turning on men who cannot escape their past.
In “Wonder,” the latest from Academy Award winning director Lelio (“A Fantastic Woman”),Pugh plays an English nurse brought in to the Irish Midlands in 1862 to observe the alleged miracle of girls going months without food.
Binoche co-stars in “Winter Boy,” from resilient French auteur Christophe Honoré who won at Cannes Un Certain Regard with 2019’s “On a Magical Night.” Hong Sang-soo, the prolific South Korean director, will present “Walk Up,” a film which is billed as taking a gently delightful new perspective on themes dear to his poetics.
Seidl’s “Sparta” forms part of a diptych with 2022 Berlin competition contender “Rimini,” both movies turning on men who cannot escape their past.
- 8/2/2022
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
San Sebastián Film Festival Lineup: Sebastián Lelio And Hong Sang-Soo Debut New Works In Competition
The San Sebastián Film Festival has revealed the line-up for its latest edition, which is due to unfold from September 16-24.
The festival, which is celebrating its 70th anniversary, will be the European premiere of Chilean filmmaker Sebastián Lelio’s highly-anticipated latest feature The Wonder based on Emma Donoghue’s novel starring Florence Pugh alongside an ensemble cast including Ciarán Hinds, Tom Burke, Toby Jones, Elaine Cassidy, and Niamh Algar.
South Korean filmmaker Hong Sang-soo will also debut his latest offering Top / Walk Up in competition. The film follows the interactions of a middle-aged moviemaker. This will be the South Korean filmmaker’s second participation in the Official Selection.
Other titles due to debut at the festival include French director Christophe Honoré’s new flick Winter Boy, Portuguese director Marco Martins’s Great Yarmouth-Provisional Figures, and veteran Japanese producer Genki Kawamura’s directorial debut A Hundred Flowers.
The latest movie...
The festival, which is celebrating its 70th anniversary, will be the European premiere of Chilean filmmaker Sebastián Lelio’s highly-anticipated latest feature The Wonder based on Emma Donoghue’s novel starring Florence Pugh alongside an ensemble cast including Ciarán Hinds, Tom Burke, Toby Jones, Elaine Cassidy, and Niamh Algar.
South Korean filmmaker Hong Sang-soo will also debut his latest offering Top / Walk Up in competition. The film follows the interactions of a middle-aged moviemaker. This will be the South Korean filmmaker’s second participation in the Official Selection.
Other titles due to debut at the festival include French director Christophe Honoré’s new flick Winter Boy, Portuguese director Marco Martins’s Great Yarmouth-Provisional Figures, and veteran Japanese producer Genki Kawamura’s directorial debut A Hundred Flowers.
The latest movie...
- 8/2/2022
- by Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
Panama City — In March 2019, Iff Panama’s artistic director Diana Sanchez, was appointed senior director of film at the Toronto Intl. Film Festival, as part of a wider remodeling of the fest’s senior management.
Sanchez has served as artistic director of Iff Panama since its launch in 2011 and has also worked with many different festivals, including programming for the Houston Latin Wave and the Los Angeles Latino Film Festival.
Under her new role, in addition to programming for the main fest, she will coordinate the Tiff Cinematheque, Film Circuit and theatrical programming at the Tiff Bell Lightbox. Speaking to Variety she looked back at the achievements of Iff Panama – where she will continue in an advisory role – and the challenges posed by her new appointment.
What do you think have been the main achievements of Iff Panama to date?
When we began the festival in 2012, we had to screen...
Sanchez has served as artistic director of Iff Panama since its launch in 2011 and has also worked with many different festivals, including programming for the Houston Latin Wave and the Los Angeles Latino Film Festival.
Under her new role, in addition to programming for the main fest, she will coordinate the Tiff Cinematheque, Film Circuit and theatrical programming at the Tiff Bell Lightbox. Speaking to Variety she looked back at the achievements of Iff Panama – where she will continue in an advisory role – and the challenges posed by her new appointment.
What do you think have been the main achievements of Iff Panama to date?
When we began the festival in 2012, we had to screen...
- 4/9/2019
- by Martin Dale
- Variety Film + TV
Panama City — On Thursday night, Panama City’s Teatro Balboa hosted the opening ceremony for the 7th Panama Intl. Film Festival, screening this year’s foreign-language Oscar winner, Sebastián Lelio’s “A Fantastic Woman.”
The screening took place in the presence of the film’s lead actress, Daniela Vega.
This year’s edition has a record number of films and participating countries – 75 films from 51 countries, including two world premieres. Since the fest’s launch in 2012, it has welcomed over 4,300 films and over 700 international guests.
Speaking onstage to a packed audience in the 1,200-seater cinema, fest director Pituka Ortega Heilbron greeted “extraordinary films, extraordinary guests, a passionate audience and a hopeful future for the cinema of our region, to which we are deeply committed.”
She noted that more than 10% of our program is occupied by Panamanian cinema. “The local industry is growing and we are happy to be its platform. We...
The screening took place in the presence of the film’s lead actress, Daniela Vega.
This year’s edition has a record number of films and participating countries – 75 films from 51 countries, including two world premieres. Since the fest’s launch in 2012, it has welcomed over 4,300 films and over 700 international guests.
Speaking onstage to a packed audience in the 1,200-seater cinema, fest director Pituka Ortega Heilbron greeted “extraordinary films, extraordinary guests, a passionate audience and a hopeful future for the cinema of our region, to which we are deeply committed.”
She noted that more than 10% of our program is occupied by Panamanian cinema. “The local industry is growing and we are happy to be its platform. We...
- 4/6/2018
- by Martin Dale
- Variety Film + TV
Line-up includes A Fantastic Woman, April’s Daughter
Lucrecia Martel’s Zama (pictured) and Laura Mora Ortega’s Killing Jesus (Argentina-Colombia) are among the Iberoamerican showcase at the upcoming seventh edition of the International Film Festival of Panama (Iff Panama).
The festival, set to run from April 5-11, will also screen previously announced Sebastian Lelio’s Oscar-nominated A Fantastic Woman and Michael Franco’s April’s Daughter (Mexico), as well as Alex de la Iglesia’s Perfectos Desconocidos (Spain), and Anahí Berneri’s Alanis (Argentina).
The Gold Seekers (Paraguay) by Juan Carlos Maneglia and Tana Schembori, Marcela Said’s Los Perros (Chile-France), and Gustavo Rondón Córdova’s La Familia (Venezuela) are also included.
Previously announced selections (that will not screen in the Iberoamerican programme) include Ruben Ostlund’s The Square, and Ziad Doueiri’s The Insult, both of which are in contention for the best foreign-language Oscar on March 4
Iff Panama will run from April 5-11. Click...
Lucrecia Martel’s Zama (pictured) and Laura Mora Ortega’s Killing Jesus (Argentina-Colombia) are among the Iberoamerican showcase at the upcoming seventh edition of the International Film Festival of Panama (Iff Panama).
The festival, set to run from April 5-11, will also screen previously announced Sebastian Lelio’s Oscar-nominated A Fantastic Woman and Michael Franco’s April’s Daughter (Mexico), as well as Alex de la Iglesia’s Perfectos Desconocidos (Spain), and Anahí Berneri’s Alanis (Argentina).
The Gold Seekers (Paraguay) by Juan Carlos Maneglia and Tana Schembori, Marcela Said’s Los Perros (Chile-France), and Gustavo Rondón Córdova’s La Familia (Venezuela) are also included.
Previously announced selections (that will not screen in the Iberoamerican programme) include Ruben Ostlund’s The Square, and Ziad Doueiri’s The Insult, both of which are in contention for the best foreign-language Oscar on March 4
Iff Panama will run from April 5-11. Click...
- 2/23/2018
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Chicago – The Chicago International Film Festival is a competitive fest, and the 53rd edition presented its awards on October 20th, 2017, at the AMC River East Theatre in Chicago. The winner of the Gold Hugo as Best Film was “A Sort of Family” (Argentina), directed by Diego Lerman.
The 53rd Chicago International Film Festival Awards Night was October 20th, 2017
Photo credit: Patrick McDonald for HollywoodChicago.com
The awards event was hosted by entertainment reporter Bill Zwecker of the Chicago Sun-Times and FOX32. Presenters included Artistic Director Mimi Plauché, programmers Anthony Kaufman and Sam Flancher, plus various jury members. Local treasures Chaz Ebert of RogerEbert.com and Festival Founder Michael Kutza joined in as presenters. The Festival’s highest honor is the Gold Hugo, named for the mythical God of Discovery.
International Feature Film Competition
“A Sort of Family,” Directed by Diego Lerman
Photo credit: Chicago International Film Festival
The Gold Hugo...
The 53rd Chicago International Film Festival Awards Night was October 20th, 2017
Photo credit: Patrick McDonald for HollywoodChicago.com
The awards event was hosted by entertainment reporter Bill Zwecker of the Chicago Sun-Times and FOX32. Presenters included Artistic Director Mimi Plauché, programmers Anthony Kaufman and Sam Flancher, plus various jury members. Local treasures Chaz Ebert of RogerEbert.com and Festival Founder Michael Kutza joined in as presenters. The Festival’s highest honor is the Gold Hugo, named for the mythical God of Discovery.
International Feature Film Competition
“A Sort of Family,” Directed by Diego Lerman
Photo credit: Chicago International Film Festival
The Gold Hugo...
- 10/21/2017
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Killing Jesus must have been a tough film to make for the Colombian Laura Mora, whose own father, like her heroine’s, was shot dead by a hitman — whom, like her heroine, she later met. But far from being a straight-up good vs. bad revenge drama, Mora has wisely reserved her anger not for the killers, but for the kind of society that turns people into killers. Thus simmering with controlled bitterness, Jesus has an intensity and rawness that more than make up for its flaws. Further festival killings are likely, following outings at Zurich, Toronto and San Sebastian.
At...
At...
- 10/6/2017
- by Jonathan Holland
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The San Sebastian Film Festival today announced the line-up of its Kutxabank-New Directors Award, which seeks to discover new filmmaking talent.
Thirteen films will compete in the section, all made by first or second-time filmmakers.
Among the names, who have previously created waves in non-feature format, are Swedish photographer Jens Assur, whose 2011 short Killing Chickens To Scare Monkeys, won several festival awards. Here, he makes his debut with Ravens (Korparna) - the story of a young buy who is hell-bent on his son taking over the running of the family farm.
Also making the step up from short films - and TV show The Natives (Bevergem) - is director/screenwriter Gilles coulier. The Belgian brings his debut feature Cargo to San Sebastian, exploring conflict between three siblings of a family on the edge of an abyss.
Laura Mora is one of the directors screening their second film...
Thirteen films will compete in the section, all made by first or second-time filmmakers.
Among the names, who have previously created waves in non-feature format, are Swedish photographer Jens Assur, whose 2011 short Killing Chickens To Scare Monkeys, won several festival awards. Here, he makes his debut with Ravens (Korparna) - the story of a young buy who is hell-bent on his son taking over the running of the family farm.
Also making the step up from short films - and TV show The Natives (Bevergem) - is director/screenwriter Gilles coulier. The Belgian brings his debut feature Cargo to San Sebastian, exploring conflict between three siblings of a family on the edge of an abyss.
Laura Mora is one of the directors screening their second film...
- 7/18/2017
- by Amber Wilkinson
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Thirteen first and second films revealed.
The San Sebastian Film Festival has revealed 13 of the first and second films by European, Asian and Latin American filmmakers set to compete for the Kutxabank-New Directors Award.
Among the films are Chilean film Princess, produced by Juan de Dios, Pablo Larraín and Fernanda del Nido, and the first film by Marine Francen, former assistant to Michael Haneke and Olivier Assayas, starring Pauline Burlet (The Past) and Géraldine Pailhas (Young & Beautiful).
Princess is the second feature film by Marialy Rivas. The Chilean director debuted with Young & Wild (Joven & Alocada) selected for Films in Progress 20 at the San Sebastian Festival (2011) and a competitor in Horizontes Latinos after winning the World Cinema Screenwriting Award at Sundance in 2012.
The film, which was selected by Films in Progress 28, narrates the experience of a 12-year-old girl living in a sect.
The Sower (Le Semeur), the first film by Marine Francen, former assistant...
The San Sebastian Film Festival has revealed 13 of the first and second films by European, Asian and Latin American filmmakers set to compete for the Kutxabank-New Directors Award.
Among the films are Chilean film Princess, produced by Juan de Dios, Pablo Larraín and Fernanda del Nido, and the first film by Marine Francen, former assistant to Michael Haneke and Olivier Assayas, starring Pauline Burlet (The Past) and Géraldine Pailhas (Young & Beautiful).
Princess is the second feature film by Marialy Rivas. The Chilean director debuted with Young & Wild (Joven & Alocada) selected for Films in Progress 20 at the San Sebastian Festival (2011) and a competitor in Horizontes Latinos after winning the World Cinema Screenwriting Award at Sundance in 2012.
The film, which was selected by Films in Progress 28, narrates the experience of a 12-year-old girl living in a sect.
The Sower (Le Semeur), the first film by Marine Francen, former assistant...
- 7/18/2017
- by andreas.wiseman@screendaily.com (Andreas Wiseman)
- ScreenDaily
Thirteen first and second films revealed.
The San Sebastian Film Festival has revealed thirteen of the first and second films by European, Asian and Latin American filmmakers set to compete for the Kutxabank-New Directors Award.
Among the films are Chilean movie Princess, produced by Juan de Dios, Pablo Larraín and Fernanda del Nido and the first film by Marine Francen, former assistant to Michael Haneke and Olivier Assayas, starring Pauline Burlet (The Past) and Géraldine Pailhas (Young & Beautiful).
Princess is the second feature film by Marialy Rivas. The Chilean director debuted with Young & Wild (Joven & Alocada) selected for Films in Progress 20 at the San Sebastian Festival (2011) and a competitor in Horizontes Latinos after winning the World Cinema Screenwriting Award at Sundance in 2012.
The film, which was selected by Films in Progress 28, narrates the experience of a 12 year-old girl living in a sect.
The Sower (Le Semeur), the first film by Marine Francen, former assistant...
The San Sebastian Film Festival has revealed thirteen of the first and second films by European, Asian and Latin American filmmakers set to compete for the Kutxabank-New Directors Award.
Among the films are Chilean movie Princess, produced by Juan de Dios, Pablo Larraín and Fernanda del Nido and the first film by Marine Francen, former assistant to Michael Haneke and Olivier Assayas, starring Pauline Burlet (The Past) and Géraldine Pailhas (Young & Beautiful).
Princess is the second feature film by Marialy Rivas. The Chilean director debuted with Young & Wild (Joven & Alocada) selected for Films in Progress 20 at the San Sebastian Festival (2011) and a competitor in Horizontes Latinos after winning the World Cinema Screenwriting Award at Sundance in 2012.
The film, which was selected by Films in Progress 28, narrates the experience of a 12 year-old girl living in a sect.
The Sower (Le Semeur), the first film by Marine Francen, former assistant...
- 7/18/2017
- by andreas.wiseman@screendaily.com (Andreas Wiseman)
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Sales outfit boards Siete Cabezas and Killing Jesus.
Spanish sales outfit Latido Films is strengthening its links with Latin American cinema at every market, and Cannes is no exception. The Madrid-based company has scored two key Latin American deals at the start of the Marché, boarding international sales for Siete Cabezas (pictured) by El Paramo director Jaime Osorio Marquez and Killing Jesus, the debut feature of Laura Mora.
They are two of the most anticipated Colombian films of the year. With Ciro Guerra’s Embrace Of The Serpent winning the Directors’ Fortnight prize in 2015 and Cesar Augusto Acevedo’s Land And Shade winning the Camera d’Or that same year, Cannes has been a strong launchpad for the country’s films in recent years.
Diana Bustamante, who produced Land And Shade and is on the Critics’ Week jury this year, is a driving force in the new wave of Latin American cinema. She has teamed...
Spanish sales outfit Latido Films is strengthening its links with Latin American cinema at every market, and Cannes is no exception. The Madrid-based company has scored two key Latin American deals at the start of the Marché, boarding international sales for Siete Cabezas (pictured) by El Paramo director Jaime Osorio Marquez and Killing Jesus, the debut feature of Laura Mora.
They are two of the most anticipated Colombian films of the year. With Ciro Guerra’s Embrace Of The Serpent winning the Directors’ Fortnight prize in 2015 and Cesar Augusto Acevedo’s Land And Shade winning the Camera d’Or that same year, Cannes has been a strong launchpad for the country’s films in recent years.
Diana Bustamante, who produced Land And Shade and is on the Critics’ Week jury this year, is a driving force in the new wave of Latin American cinema. She has teamed...
- 5/20/2017
- ScreenDaily
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