Taskovski Films Sales has picked up Iranian documentary “Maydegol,” which will have its world premiere at the Berlin Film Festival in the Generation 14plus section.
The film, directed by Iranian filmmaker Sarvnaz Alambeigi, focuses on an Afghan teenage girl, living with her parents in Iran. The film follows her as she strives to pursue her dream of becoming a professional Muay Thai boxer, despite her family’s conservative mindset, enduring physical abuse, and anti-immigrant sentiments. Working day and night, she finances her Thai boxing classes without her family’s knowledge.
Alambeigi said: “‘Maydegol’ embodies the harsh reality of marginalized women seeking a better life abroad.” Irena Taskovski, CEO and head of sales at Taskovski Films, added: “The film is a poignant portrayal of immigration realities, championing the fight for women’s rights globally.”
The film is produced by Alambeigi through Rabison Art Productions in Germany and Katayoon Shahabi at Noori Pictures in France.
The film, directed by Iranian filmmaker Sarvnaz Alambeigi, focuses on an Afghan teenage girl, living with her parents in Iran. The film follows her as she strives to pursue her dream of becoming a professional Muay Thai boxer, despite her family’s conservative mindset, enduring physical abuse, and anti-immigrant sentiments. Working day and night, she finances her Thai boxing classes without her family’s knowledge.
Alambeigi said: “‘Maydegol’ embodies the harsh reality of marginalized women seeking a better life abroad.” Irena Taskovski, CEO and head of sales at Taskovski Films, added: “The film is a poignant portrayal of immigration realities, championing the fight for women’s rights globally.”
The film is produced by Alambeigi through Rabison Art Productions in Germany and Katayoon Shahabi at Noori Pictures in France.
- 2/7/2024
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
The documentary festival also announced the ‘Filmmaker Challenge’ participants and key guest speakers
Filmmaker Kim Longinotto and Bafta film committee chair Anna Higgs are among the jurors for the Sheffield DocFest (June 14-19) competition strands.
Longinotto, who directed 2005 documentary Sisters In Law, will sit on the international competition jury alongside Mexican filmmaker Rodrigo Reyes and While We Watched director Vinay Shukla.
Higgs joins the international first feature competition jury with fellow producer Sonja Henrici and director Rosa Ruth Boesten whose debut documentary Master Of Light won the grand jury prize at SXSW in 2022.
The jury for the Tim Hetherington award...
Filmmaker Kim Longinotto and Bafta film committee chair Anna Higgs are among the jurors for the Sheffield DocFest (June 14-19) competition strands.
Longinotto, who directed 2005 documentary Sisters In Law, will sit on the international competition jury alongside Mexican filmmaker Rodrigo Reyes and While We Watched director Vinay Shukla.
Higgs joins the international first feature competition jury with fellow producer Sonja Henrici and director Rosa Ruth Boesten whose debut documentary Master Of Light won the grand jury prize at SXSW in 2022.
The jury for the Tim Hetherington award...
- 5/31/2023
- by Ellie Calnan
- ScreenDaily
The funding per project will rise from €150,000 to €200,000.
Funding for the next edition of Biennale College Cinema, Venice Film Festival’s emerging filmmakers’ training and production initiative, will be hiked from €150,000 to €200,000 per project.
The increase comes off the back of a three-year sponsorship deal with French media giant Vivendi that was announced in July. “Vivendi will join us as our partner,” said Venice festival artistic director Alberto Barbera. “We believe this will have a significant impact on our projects in coming years.”
Financial details of the partnership were not revealed. Biennale College Cinema is also supported by Italy’s ministry of culture,...
Funding for the next edition of Biennale College Cinema, Venice Film Festival’s emerging filmmakers’ training and production initiative, will be hiked from €150,000 to €200,000 per project.
The increase comes off the back of a three-year sponsorship deal with French media giant Vivendi that was announced in July. “Vivendi will join us as our partner,” said Venice festival artistic director Alberto Barbera. “We believe this will have a significant impact on our projects in coming years.”
Financial details of the partnership were not revealed. Biennale College Cinema is also supported by Italy’s ministry of culture,...
- 9/5/2022
- by Alina Trabattoni
- ScreenDaily
Now entering its 11th edition, the Venice Film Festival’s Biennale College Cinema program acts as incubator for first or second films, inviting 12 micro-budget projects on a two-week development workshop each October before funding production on four selected works. The only catch – the films have to be ready in time to screen at the next festival.
“It’s a bet,” says Venice director Alberto Barbera, who also oversees the program. “But we’ve been so lucky that in 10 years, all the projects have been successful. All of them made it in time for the following year.”
This year will see those microbudgets grow, as the Biennale College program ups its production grant from 150,000 to 200,000 for each selected feature, and from 60,000 to 80,000 for the one selected VR piece. Everything else will stay in place for an initiative that has proven remarkably fruitful.
“More than 80 projects have been made,” Barbera says. “The...
“It’s a bet,” says Venice director Alberto Barbera, who also oversees the program. “But we’ve been so lucky that in 10 years, all the projects have been successful. All of them made it in time for the following year.”
This year will see those microbudgets grow, as the Biennale College program ups its production grant from 150,000 to 200,000 for each selected feature, and from 60,000 to 80,000 for the one selected VR piece. Everything else will stay in place for an initiative that has proven remarkably fruitful.
“More than 80 projects have been made,” Barbera says. “The...
- 9/1/2022
- by Ben Croll
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Film Movement Classics has acquired North American rights to 2K digital restorations of Asghar Farhadi’s first two features Dancing in the Dust and Beautiful City, which have been signed off on by the two-time Oscar winner himself. Both restored dramas will be released theatrically this year, with a release on all heading home entertainment and digital platforms to follow.
In Farhadi’s 2003 feature directorial debut Dancing in the Dust, Nazar (Yousef Khodaparast) is pressured into divorcing his wife (Baran Kosari) because of her family’s bad reputation. This leads to money problems, and before long, he’s on the run due to debts that he can’t pay. Hiding out in the desert, he meets an eccentric elderly man (Faramarz Gharibian) who makes a living by collecting venom from poisonous snakes. Nazar becomes his unlikely partner and gets an unexpected chance at redemption. The film won Best Director,...
In Farhadi’s 2003 feature directorial debut Dancing in the Dust, Nazar (Yousef Khodaparast) is pressured into divorcing his wife (Baran Kosari) because of her family’s bad reputation. This leads to money problems, and before long, he’s on the run due to debts that he can’t pay. Hiding out in the desert, he meets an eccentric elderly man (Faramarz Gharibian) who makes a living by collecting venom from poisonous snakes. Nazar becomes his unlikely partner and gets an unexpected chance at redemption. The film won Best Director,...
- 3/2/2022
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
The 6th edition of Herat International Women’s Film Festival was held from November 16th to 19th, and Saeed Roustayi’s ‘Just 6.5′ won the Golden Earring Statue for Best Feature Narrative (World Cinema).
‘Hava, Maryam, Ayesha‘ by Afghani ‘Sahraa Karimi‘ and produced by Iranian ‘Katayoon Shahabi’ won the Golden Earring Statue for Best Feature Narrative (Women Cinema). Also, the Joint Award Certificate for the best actress went to ‘Sara Bahrami’ for ‘Axing’ made by ‘Behrouz Shoeibi’ and ‘The Visit’ by ‘Azadeh Mousavi’ won the Bronze Earring Statue for Best Short Narrative.
Hava, Maryam, Ayesha
The ‘Tangle’ directed by ‘Maleha Gholamzadeh’ won the Bronze Earring Statue for Best Animation and ‘Khatemeh’ by Hadi and Mehdi Zarei won the Bronze Earrings Statue for Feature Documentary.
Afshin Hashemi’s film ‘Goodbye Shirazi Girl’ also received a certificate of appreciation for the different view of women in his film
The 6th edition of the...
‘Hava, Maryam, Ayesha‘ by Afghani ‘Sahraa Karimi‘ and produced by Iranian ‘Katayoon Shahabi’ won the Golden Earring Statue for Best Feature Narrative (Women Cinema). Also, the Joint Award Certificate for the best actress went to ‘Sara Bahrami’ for ‘Axing’ made by ‘Behrouz Shoeibi’ and ‘The Visit’ by ‘Azadeh Mousavi’ won the Bronze Earring Statue for Best Short Narrative.
Hava, Maryam, Ayesha
The ‘Tangle’ directed by ‘Maleha Gholamzadeh’ won the Bronze Earring Statue for Best Animation and ‘Khatemeh’ by Hadi and Mehdi Zarei won the Bronze Earrings Statue for Feature Documentary.
Afshin Hashemi’s film ‘Goodbye Shirazi Girl’ also received a certificate of appreciation for the different view of women in his film
The 6th edition of the...
- 11/21/2020
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Documentary director Sahraa Karimi held the world premiere of her narrative debut “Hava, Maryam, Ayesha” at the 2019 Venice Film Festival in the Orizzonti section in September and that was just the beginning of a stream of well deserved achievements. The film is in fact Karimi’s labor of love, a project to empower Afghan women. Karimi, who was recently appointed head of the state-run Afghan Film Organization has not only directed the film, but also co-written it and co-produced it with Iranian female producer and sales agent Katayoon Shahabi from Noori. A good commercial success in Afghanistan, “Hava, Maryam, Ayesha” was chosen in September as the national entry for the international feature film award at the 92nd Academy Awards.
“Hava, Maryam, Ayesha” is screening at
Festival des Cinémas d’Asie de Vesoul
The film’s focus is on the stories of three very different women in Kabul who only brush...
“Hava, Maryam, Ayesha” is screening at
Festival des Cinémas d’Asie de Vesoul
The film’s focus is on the stories of three very different women in Kabul who only brush...
- 2/13/2020
- by Adriana Rosati
- AsianMoviePulse
After bowing at Venice where it was nominated for the Horizons Award, “Hava, Maryam, Ayesha” has its Asian premiere at the Busan International Film Festival. Directed by debutante Sahraa Karimi, it plays in the ‘A Window On Asian Cinema’ strand.
The film is a rarity in that it is an Afghan film made by an Afghani woman in Afghanistan, using local talent. The powerhouse behind the film is producer Katayoon Shahabi, who produced through her Paris and Tehran based outfit Noori Pictures.
Through Sheherazad Media International from 2001, and then with Noori from 2011, Shahabi has been championing the cause of Afghan and Iranian cinema. She served on the Cannes competition jury in 2016.
Noori’s recent successes include Vahid Jalilvand’s “No Date, No Signature” which won multiple awards at Venice, Las Palmas, Bratislava, Fajr, Stockholm, Thessaloniki and the Asia Pacific Screen Awards in 2017; and Jamshid Mahmoudi’s “Rona, Azim’s Mother” which collected prizes at Vesoul,...
The film is a rarity in that it is an Afghan film made by an Afghani woman in Afghanistan, using local talent. The powerhouse behind the film is producer Katayoon Shahabi, who produced through her Paris and Tehran based outfit Noori Pictures.
Through Sheherazad Media International from 2001, and then with Noori from 2011, Shahabi has been championing the cause of Afghan and Iranian cinema. She served on the Cannes competition jury in 2016.
Noori’s recent successes include Vahid Jalilvand’s “No Date, No Signature” which won multiple awards at Venice, Las Palmas, Bratislava, Fajr, Stockholm, Thessaloniki and the Asia Pacific Screen Awards in 2017; and Jamshid Mahmoudi’s “Rona, Azim’s Mother” which collected prizes at Vesoul,...
- 10/4/2019
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Drama Hava, Maryam, Ayesha will represent Afghanistan in the best international film category at the Oscars.
Directed by first-time female Afghan filmmaker Sahraa Karimi, the feminist drama is the story of three pregnant Afghan women from different social backgrounds who each experience different but connected challenges relating to their culture.
The Venice world premiere, which is produced by female producer Katayoon Shahabi of Noori Pictures, has been championed by Angelina Jolie, who issued a statement about the movie before its Lido debut, “This delicately made and moving film chronicles the lives of young women in contemporary Afghanistan. It shows the grace, beauty and spirit of Afghan women as they navigate marriage, love, friendship, family and motherhood. Every film made in Afghanistan is a triumph against the odds. At a time when the future of Afghanistan is hanging in the balance, it reminds us of all that is at stake for millions of Afghan women,...
Directed by first-time female Afghan filmmaker Sahraa Karimi, the feminist drama is the story of three pregnant Afghan women from different social backgrounds who each experience different but connected challenges relating to their culture.
The Venice world premiere, which is produced by female producer Katayoon Shahabi of Noori Pictures, has been championed by Angelina Jolie, who issued a statement about the movie before its Lido debut, “This delicately made and moving film chronicles the lives of young women in contemporary Afghanistan. It shows the grace, beauty and spirit of Afghan women as they navigate marriage, love, friendship, family and motherhood. Every film made in Afghanistan is a triumph against the odds. At a time when the future of Afghanistan is hanging in the balance, it reminds us of all that is at stake for millions of Afghan women,...
- 9/27/2019
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Afghanistan has chosen Sahraa Karimi’s “Hava, Maryam, Ayesha” as its entry for the newly re-branded international feature film award at the 92nd Academy Awards, it was announced Friday.
The film is the story of three Afghan women from different social backgrounds who live in Kabul and are facing big challenges in their lives. Hava, a traditional woman who is pregnant, lives with her father and mother-in-law. Maryam, an educated TV news reporter, is about to get a divorce from her unfaithful husband when she finds out she is pregnant. Ayesha, an 18-year-old girl, decides to marry her cousin because she is pregnant from her boyfriend who disappeared after hearing the news.
“Hava, Maryam, Ayesha” held its world premiere at the 2019 Venice Film Festival in the Orizzonti section and is produced by female producer and sales agent Katayoon Shahabi from Noori. It’s currently playing in cinemas in Kabul, Afghanistan.
The film is the story of three Afghan women from different social backgrounds who live in Kabul and are facing big challenges in their lives. Hava, a traditional woman who is pregnant, lives with her father and mother-in-law. Maryam, an educated TV news reporter, is about to get a divorce from her unfaithful husband when she finds out she is pregnant. Ayesha, an 18-year-old girl, decides to marry her cousin because she is pregnant from her boyfriend who disappeared after hearing the news.
“Hava, Maryam, Ayesha” held its world premiere at the 2019 Venice Film Festival in the Orizzonti section and is produced by female producer and sales agent Katayoon Shahabi from Noori. It’s currently playing in cinemas in Kabul, Afghanistan.
- 9/27/2019
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
Angelina Jolie has given her support to female-led Afghan film “Hava, Maryam, Ayesha,” made by first-time director Sahraa Karimi. The pic, which has its world premiere Friday at the Venice Film Festival, chronicles the lives of, and the difficult choices facing, three Afghan women from different social backgrounds.
In a statement of support, Jolie called it a “delicately made and moving film [that] chronicles the lives of young women in contemporary Afghanistan. It shows the grace, beauty and spirit of Afghan women as they navigate marriage, love, friendship, family and motherhood.”
The film was made with an entirely local Afghan cast and crew. And it was produced by female producer and sales agent Katayoon Shahabi from Noori.
“Every film made in Afghanistan is a triumph against the odds,” Jolie said. “At a time when the future of Afghanistan is hanging in the balance, it reminds us of all that is at...
In a statement of support, Jolie called it a “delicately made and moving film [that] chronicles the lives of young women in contemporary Afghanistan. It shows the grace, beauty and spirit of Afghan women as they navigate marriage, love, friendship, family and motherhood.”
The film was made with an entirely local Afghan cast and crew. And it was produced by female producer and sales agent Katayoon Shahabi from Noori.
“Every film made in Afghanistan is a triumph against the odds,” Jolie said. “At a time when the future of Afghanistan is hanging in the balance, it reminds us of all that is at...
- 9/6/2019
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
As the daughter of refugees who fled Afghanistan for a new life in Iran, Sahraa Karimi never lost touch with her parents’ homeland, whose culture and traditions were kept alive in her Tehran household. But as the years passed, and her pursuit of a career in filmmaking took her to Europe, the distance between Karimi and Afghanistan grew. Suddenly, the director was faced with a difficult choice.
“Somehow, from a storytelling perspective, I don’t belong to this part of the world,” she said, recalling her studies in Slovakia. “I belong to Afghanistan.”
Karimi returned to Kabul to shoot “Hava, Maryam, Ayesha,” her fiction feature debut that has its world premiere in the Horizons section of the Venice Film Festival. The film is produced by Katayoon Shahabi (Noori Pictures), who has helped introduce Iranian filmmakers such as Asghar Farhadi and Mohammad Rasoulof to the world.
Inspired by a longing to deepen her understanding of Afghanistan,...
“Somehow, from a storytelling perspective, I don’t belong to this part of the world,” she said, recalling her studies in Slovakia. “I belong to Afghanistan.”
Karimi returned to Kabul to shoot “Hava, Maryam, Ayesha,” her fiction feature debut that has its world premiere in the Horizons section of the Venice Film Festival. The film is produced by Katayoon Shahabi (Noori Pictures), who has helped introduce Iranian filmmakers such as Asghar Farhadi and Mohammad Rasoulof to the world.
Inspired by a longing to deepen her understanding of Afghanistan,...
- 8/30/2019
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
U.S. President Donald Trump’s escalating pressure on Iran is taking its toll on the country’s film industry, with production slowing down owing to the crippled economy and international sales of Iranian movies — especially to U.S. distributors — being hampered by sanctions.
“The economic situation is a disaster for independent cinema” in Iran, said Paris-based sales agent and producer Katayoon Shahabi, who is Iranian and was a member of the main Cannes jury three years ago. “Inflation is slashing budgets and funding sources.”
The sanctions mean that “it’s basically impossible to sell to any country, not just to the U.S.,” she said, because for companies based in Iran, “you can’t receive any money.”
Shahabi’s Cannes slate this year includes Tehran-set drama “I’m Scared,” directed by veteran Iranian auteur Behnam Behzadi, who was in Un Certain Regard in 2016 with “Inversion.”
“I’m Scared” — which...
“The economic situation is a disaster for independent cinema” in Iran, said Paris-based sales agent and producer Katayoon Shahabi, who is Iranian and was a member of the main Cannes jury three years ago. “Inflation is slashing budgets and funding sources.”
The sanctions mean that “it’s basically impossible to sell to any country, not just to the U.S.,” she said, because for companies based in Iran, “you can’t receive any money.”
Shahabi’s Cannes slate this year includes Tehran-set drama “I’m Scared,” directed by veteran Iranian auteur Behnam Behzadi, who was in Un Certain Regard in 2016 with “Inversion.”
“I’m Scared” — which...
- 5/19/2019
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Panama City — The 8th Iff Panama has further reinforced its industry dimension, with a record number of submissions to the Primera Mirada pix-in-post sidebar and more sales agents and festival programmers attending the event, which this year includes the Locarno Industry Academy and a new Fipresci Award for the 12-pic Stories from Central America and the Caribbean competition.
2019 boasts a record number of guests and, according to the organizers, advance ticket sales are higher than ever.
23 films were submitted to Primera Mirada, covering different genres from Costa Rica, Guatemala, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, and Panama.
“The selection is powerful and has strong voices,” says Karla Quintero, co-ordinator of Iff Panama’s Industry and Educational Programs. “The films have a consolidated discourse and pay testimony to incredibly sensitive filmmakers in whose films the region’s identity definitely shines through.
She added: “These are exactly the voices this award is meant to amplify and empower.
2019 boasts a record number of guests and, according to the organizers, advance ticket sales are higher than ever.
23 films were submitted to Primera Mirada, covering different genres from Costa Rica, Guatemala, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, and Panama.
“The selection is powerful and has strong voices,” says Karla Quintero, co-ordinator of Iff Panama’s Industry and Educational Programs. “The films have a consolidated discourse and pay testimony to incredibly sensitive filmmakers in whose films the region’s identity definitely shines through.
She added: “These are exactly the voices this award is meant to amplify and empower.
- 4/5/2019
- by Martin Dale
- Variety Film + TV
Festival competition jury also features Park Chan-wook, Fan Bingbing, Agnès Jaoui, Gabriel Yared.
The 2017 Cannes Film Festival (May 17-28) has unveiled the jury for its main competition.
American actor and singer Will Smith will be joined by German director Maren Ade, whose Toni Erdmann played in Cannes competition last year.
The jury also features:
South Korean director Park Chan-wook, who has had three films play in competition at Cannes: The Handmaiden, Oldboy, and Thirst.
Italian director Paolo Sorrentino, who has been nominated for the Palme d’Or five times: Youth, The Great Beauty, This Must Be The Place, Family Friend and The Consequences Of Love.
American actress Jessica Chastain, a two-time Oscar nominee who also starred in Terrence Malick’s Palme d’Or-winning The Tree Of Life.
Chinese actress Fan Bingbing, whose credits include Xiaogang Feng’s I Am Not Madame Bovary.
French director, writer and actress Agnès Jaoui, whose 2004 comedy-drama Look At Me played in competition...
The 2017 Cannes Film Festival (May 17-28) has unveiled the jury for its main competition.
American actor and singer Will Smith will be joined by German director Maren Ade, whose Toni Erdmann played in Cannes competition last year.
The jury also features:
South Korean director Park Chan-wook, who has had three films play in competition at Cannes: The Handmaiden, Oldboy, and Thirst.
Italian director Paolo Sorrentino, who has been nominated for the Palme d’Or five times: Youth, The Great Beauty, This Must Be The Place, Family Friend and The Consequences Of Love.
American actress Jessica Chastain, a two-time Oscar nominee who also starred in Terrence Malick’s Palme d’Or-winning The Tree Of Life.
Chinese actress Fan Bingbing, whose credits include Xiaogang Feng’s I Am Not Madame Bovary.
French director, writer and actress Agnès Jaoui, whose 2004 comedy-drama Look At Me played in competition...
- 4/25/2017
- by tom.grater@screendaily.com (Tom Grater)
- ScreenDaily
Katayoon Shahabi is CEO of the first private Iranian company to distribute Iranian-made movies and documentaries around the world.
Continue reading on SydneysBuzz The Blog »...
Continue reading on SydneysBuzz The Blog »...
- 6/23/2016
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
As we mounted the stairs of the Red Carpet for the last time, the Closing Night Awards for the Cannes International Film Festival were announced by the Jury President, George Miller, Director of “Mad Max: Fury Road”. The eight additional members, four women and four men -- Arnaud Desplechin, Kirsten Dunst, Valeria Golino, Mads Mikkelsen, László Nemes , Vanessa Paradis, Katayoon Shahabi and Donald Sutherland presented the awards. Surprise of the evening was that the German Competition film, Maren Ade’s “Toni Erdmann”, clearly an audience favorite and snatched up immediately for the U.S. by Sony Pictures Classics, received no award at all. However, it was a great evening for IFC/ Sundance Selects who has the U.S. rights to three winners, "I, Daniel Blake", "Graduation" and "Personal Shopper".
The Palme d’Or went to Ken Loach for “I, Daniel Blake”, the sad drama of a disabled worker and of a young single mother of two who hold each other up as they try to navigate the social service morass which denies them their rightful ability to pursue happiness. The 79-year-old British director Ken Loach also won in 2006 for "The Wind that Shakes the Barley" and has had over 18 films selected for Cannes. This Sundance Selects acquisition brought audiences to wrenching tears.
“The festival is very important for the future of cinema,” said Loach. “When there is despair, the people from the far right take advantage. We must say that another world is possible and necessary.”
Best Director Award was split between Romanian Cristian Mungiu ("Graduation" or “Bacalaureat”) and Olivier Assayas (“Personal Shopper”). Mungiu’s "4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days" won the Palme d'Or in 2007. His actresses had shared the Actress prize for "Beyond the Hills." Like the Romanian 2013 Berlinale winner, “Child’s Pose” and Iranian Asghar Farhadi’s 2012 Academy Award winner, “A Separation”, the film contains object lessons about the moral choices made by humans whose actions result in greater damage than originally foreseen, especially when taking place in an already corrupted society. In this story a father tries to protect his daughter and give her the greatest opportunities for making her life better than that of her parents.
Co-winner Olivier Assayas, received his first Cannes award for "Personal Shopper" (IFC Films). This is his second English-language film starring Kristen Stewart (Cesar winner for "Clouds of Sils Maria"). As she buys fashionable attire for a rich client and tries to communicate with her twin brother, who has recently died. It was a great Cannes for Stewart, who was well-received in Woody Allen's "Cafe Society" (Amazon has U.S.) as well.
Best Screenplay went to “The Salesman” by Iranian filmmaker Asghar Farhadi (Amazon and Cohen Media Group share U.S. rights). His star, Shahab Hosseini won Best Actor his role as an actor in the midst of moving apartments and starring in Arthur Miller's "Death of a Salesman" when his wife (Taraneh Alidoosti) is assaulted in the shower of their new domicile by a man who assumes that she is the former tenant, a prostitute. Winning the Jury Prize for the third time (!) for coming of age road movie “American Honey” (A24 has U.S.) starring Shia Labeouf and unknown Sasha Lane. British director Andrea Arnold wanted to dance as she accepted the award. Xavier Dolan, who won the 2014 Jury Prize of “Mommy” won the Grand Prix for his very theatrical "It's Only the End of the World". He cried to receive the award for his family drama starring some of the greatest French actors living today, Nathalie Baye, Vincent Cassel, Marion Cotillard, Léa Seydoux, Gaspard Ulliel. The film has no U.S. distributor yet. To my mind, the acting far outstripped the story. I am just glad the other greatest French actor, Isabelle Huppert, was not in Dolan’s film. She had her hands full in Paul Verhoeven’s “Elle” the Competition film about another woman attacked in her home by an unknown assailant. Best Actress went to Jaclyn Jose for “Ma' Rosa” by Philippine director Brillante Mendoza.
The Caméra d'Or ("Golden Camera") for the best first feature film presented in one of the Cannes' selections (Official Selection, Directors' Fortnight or International Critics' Week) went to “Divines” directed by Houda Benyamina. Houda received her award with unconcealed joy and enthusiasm. The 35 year old Franco-Moroccan film director whose long and strong speech called on women to be more present in the world of cinema said, “I was always saying that I do not care about Cannes …but today, well I’m happy to be here. Cannes belongs to us too …For things to change, you have to put a lot more women in decision-making positions…I am a committed filmmaker, making films is a way to turn my [feminist] anger into perspective…Women! Women!” she added as she broke into the Arabic women’s Ululation. Houda’s film follows an impoverished young girl who drops out of school and escapes her family in search of her own emancipation and personal freedom.
Outside of the Official Awards the winner of the Queer Palm (Feature) was "Les Vies de Thérèse" by Sébastien Lifshitz and Queer Palm (Short): "Gabber Lover" Anna Cazenave-Cambet. And finally, the Palme Dog went to Nellie for “Paterson”by Jim Jarmusch.
The Palme d’Or went to Ken Loach for “I, Daniel Blake”, the sad drama of a disabled worker and of a young single mother of two who hold each other up as they try to navigate the social service morass which denies them their rightful ability to pursue happiness. The 79-year-old British director Ken Loach also won in 2006 for "The Wind that Shakes the Barley" and has had over 18 films selected for Cannes. This Sundance Selects acquisition brought audiences to wrenching tears.
“The festival is very important for the future of cinema,” said Loach. “When there is despair, the people from the far right take advantage. We must say that another world is possible and necessary.”
Best Director Award was split between Romanian Cristian Mungiu ("Graduation" or “Bacalaureat”) and Olivier Assayas (“Personal Shopper”). Mungiu’s "4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days" won the Palme d'Or in 2007. His actresses had shared the Actress prize for "Beyond the Hills." Like the Romanian 2013 Berlinale winner, “Child’s Pose” and Iranian Asghar Farhadi’s 2012 Academy Award winner, “A Separation”, the film contains object lessons about the moral choices made by humans whose actions result in greater damage than originally foreseen, especially when taking place in an already corrupted society. In this story a father tries to protect his daughter and give her the greatest opportunities for making her life better than that of her parents.
Co-winner Olivier Assayas, received his first Cannes award for "Personal Shopper" (IFC Films). This is his second English-language film starring Kristen Stewart (Cesar winner for "Clouds of Sils Maria"). As she buys fashionable attire for a rich client and tries to communicate with her twin brother, who has recently died. It was a great Cannes for Stewart, who was well-received in Woody Allen's "Cafe Society" (Amazon has U.S.) as well.
Best Screenplay went to “The Salesman” by Iranian filmmaker Asghar Farhadi (Amazon and Cohen Media Group share U.S. rights). His star, Shahab Hosseini won Best Actor his role as an actor in the midst of moving apartments and starring in Arthur Miller's "Death of a Salesman" when his wife (Taraneh Alidoosti) is assaulted in the shower of their new domicile by a man who assumes that she is the former tenant, a prostitute. Winning the Jury Prize for the third time (!) for coming of age road movie “American Honey” (A24 has U.S.) starring Shia Labeouf and unknown Sasha Lane. British director Andrea Arnold wanted to dance as she accepted the award. Xavier Dolan, who won the 2014 Jury Prize of “Mommy” won the Grand Prix for his very theatrical "It's Only the End of the World". He cried to receive the award for his family drama starring some of the greatest French actors living today, Nathalie Baye, Vincent Cassel, Marion Cotillard, Léa Seydoux, Gaspard Ulliel. The film has no U.S. distributor yet. To my mind, the acting far outstripped the story. I am just glad the other greatest French actor, Isabelle Huppert, was not in Dolan’s film. She had her hands full in Paul Verhoeven’s “Elle” the Competition film about another woman attacked in her home by an unknown assailant. Best Actress went to Jaclyn Jose for “Ma' Rosa” by Philippine director Brillante Mendoza.
The Caméra d'Or ("Golden Camera") for the best first feature film presented in one of the Cannes' selections (Official Selection, Directors' Fortnight or International Critics' Week) went to “Divines” directed by Houda Benyamina. Houda received her award with unconcealed joy and enthusiasm. The 35 year old Franco-Moroccan film director whose long and strong speech called on women to be more present in the world of cinema said, “I was always saying that I do not care about Cannes …but today, well I’m happy to be here. Cannes belongs to us too …For things to change, you have to put a lot more women in decision-making positions…I am a committed filmmaker, making films is a way to turn my [feminist] anger into perspective…Women! Women!” she added as she broke into the Arabic women’s Ululation. Houda’s film follows an impoverished young girl who drops out of school and escapes her family in search of her own emancipation and personal freedom.
Outside of the Official Awards the winner of the Queer Palm (Feature) was "Les Vies de Thérèse" by Sébastien Lifshitz and Queer Palm (Short): "Gabber Lover" Anna Cazenave-Cambet. And finally, the Palme Dog went to Nellie for “Paterson”by Jim Jarmusch.
- 5/27/2016
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
British filmmaker Ken Loach wins second Palme d’Or; Asghar Farhadi’s The Salesman wins two.Scroll down for full list of winners
Ken Loach’s I, Daniel Blake has won the Palme d’Or at the 69th Cannes Film Festival (May 11-22), marking the second time the British filmmaker has won the top prize after The Wind That Shakes The Barley in 2006.
The 79-year-old filmmaker returned for a record 13th Competition entry with the tale of an injured carpenter and single mother caught in a bureaucracy nightmare within the UK welfare system.
Accepting the Palme d’Or from actor Mel Gibson, Loach used his acceptance speech to spotlight the “dangerous project of austerity”.
“We must give a message of hope, we must say another world is possible,” he said. “The world we live in is at a dangerous point right now. We are in the grip of a dangerous project of austerity driven by ideas that we...
Ken Loach’s I, Daniel Blake has won the Palme d’Or at the 69th Cannes Film Festival (May 11-22), marking the second time the British filmmaker has won the top prize after The Wind That Shakes The Barley in 2006.
The 79-year-old filmmaker returned for a record 13th Competition entry with the tale of an injured carpenter and single mother caught in a bureaucracy nightmare within the UK welfare system.
Accepting the Palme d’Or from actor Mel Gibson, Loach used his acceptance speech to spotlight the “dangerous project of austerity”.
“We must give a message of hope, we must say another world is possible,” he said. “The world we live in is at a dangerous point right now. We are in the grip of a dangerous project of austerity driven by ideas that we...
- 5/22/2016
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
Louis Garrel on Paul Thomas Anderson, Eric Rohmer, Jacques Demy and Federico Fellini, I Vitelloni moments Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
Arnaud Desplechin, César Best Director for My Golden Days and Cannes jury member along with Valeria Golino, Donald Sutherland, Katayoon Shahabi, Mads Mikkelsen, Kirsten Dunst, Vanessa Paradis, László Nemes, headed by George Miller, has announced that Mathieu Amalric, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Marion Cotillard and Louis Garrel will star in his next film, Les Fantomes D’Ismaël.
Mona (Golshifteh Farahani) with Abel (Louis Garrel) and Clément (Vincent Macaigne)
Garrel's Two Friends (Les Deux Amis), written with Métamorphoses director Christophe Honoré, stars Golshifteh Farahani (of Asghar Farhadi's About Elly), Vincent Macaigne (Mia Hansen-Løve's Eden) and Garrel. The director is also featured in Maiwenn's My King (Mon Roi) with Emmanuelle Bercot, Isild Le Besco and Vincent Cassel.
Both films had their World Premieres at last year's Cannes Film Festival and screened at...
Arnaud Desplechin, César Best Director for My Golden Days and Cannes jury member along with Valeria Golino, Donald Sutherland, Katayoon Shahabi, Mads Mikkelsen, Kirsten Dunst, Vanessa Paradis, László Nemes, headed by George Miller, has announced that Mathieu Amalric, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Marion Cotillard and Louis Garrel will star in his next film, Les Fantomes D’Ismaël.
Mona (Golshifteh Farahani) with Abel (Louis Garrel) and Clément (Vincent Macaigne)
Garrel's Two Friends (Les Deux Amis), written with Métamorphoses director Christophe Honoré, stars Golshifteh Farahani (of Asghar Farhadi's About Elly), Vincent Macaigne (Mia Hansen-Løve's Eden) and Garrel. The director is also featured in Maiwenn's My King (Mon Roi) with Emmanuelle Bercot, Isild Le Besco and Vincent Cassel.
Both films had their World Premieres at last year's Cannes Film Festival and screened at...
- 5/13/2016
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Mads Mikkelsen and Jury head George Miller, who said jury is like being in film school all over again. Photo: Richard Mowe The Cannes Film Festival jury, headed by Mad Max director George Miller, and including Valeria Golino, Donald Sutherland, Katayoon Shahabi, Arnaud Desplechin, Mads Mikkelsen, Kirsten Dunst, Vanessa Paradis and Laszlo Nemes, lined up yesterday (May 11) to be probed by the press about the style of their decision-making – and predictably avoided making any grand statements and for the most part avoid controversy.
Danish actor Mikkelsen did say he was open to “bribes”. That was a joke, although more seriously he addressed the question of whether he might show favouritism to fellow Dane Nicolas Windig Refn, whose The Neon Demon is in the official Competition.
"I thought I might get a phone call saying I couldn’t be on the jury. I love Nicolas, I love his films ... but I will view [Neon Demon] like any other,...
Danish actor Mikkelsen did say he was open to “bribes”. That was a joke, although more seriously he addressed the question of whether he might show favouritism to fellow Dane Nicolas Windig Refn, whose The Neon Demon is in the official Competition.
"I thought I might get a phone call saying I couldn’t be on the jury. I love Nicolas, I love his films ... but I will view [Neon Demon] like any other,...
- 5/12/2016
- by Richard Mowe
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
The Cannes Film Festival's most important decision makers were offered a final glimpse of sunlight Wednesday afternoon before descending into darkened rooms for their 10-day cinematic adventure. The nine-person strong jury team, led by George Miller and including Kirsten Dunst, Arnaud Desplechin, Valeria Golino, Mads Mikkelsen, Laszlo Nemes, Vanessa Paradis, Katayoon Shahabi and Donald Sutherland, assembled before the media in the Palais for the traditional pre-festival press conference, where attempts to prize any clue as to which film might come away with the Palme d'Or were – predictably – thwarted. Mikkelson was probed on any favoritism he
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- 5/11/2016
- by Alex Ritman
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Oscar-robbed George Miller is back! Well, not in movie theaters (alas) but as president of this year's Cannes Film Festival competition jury. The announcement of the jury is always a cause for excitement since the list provides an annual eclectic mix of international artists both behind and in front of the camera. For 2016 we have:
President
George Miller (Writer/Director/Producer, Australia) fresh off of his across-the-board triumph Mad Max Fury Road
Jury Members (Alpha Order)
Arnaud Desplechin (Writer/Director, France) His current release is My Golden Days (our interview) and he's also responsible for the sublime double of Kings & Queen (2004) and A Christmas Tale (2008) which are must-see feats of intricate storytelling & actressing
Kirsten Dunst (Actress, Us) Little Kiki has long since grown up though she's the youngest member of this jury at 33. There seems to be a renewed appreciation for her talent out there, for which we have Fargo season 2 to thank.
President
George Miller (Writer/Director/Producer, Australia) fresh off of his across-the-board triumph Mad Max Fury Road
Jury Members (Alpha Order)
Arnaud Desplechin (Writer/Director, France) His current release is My Golden Days (our interview) and he's also responsible for the sublime double of Kings & Queen (2004) and A Christmas Tale (2008) which are must-see feats of intricate storytelling & actressing
Kirsten Dunst (Actress, Us) Little Kiki has long since grown up though she's the youngest member of this jury at 33. There seems to be a renewed appreciation for her talent out there, for which we have Fargo season 2 to thank.
- 4/26/2016
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
Cannes jury line-up, clockwise from top left, George Miller (president), Valeria Golino, Donald Sutherland, Katayoon Shahabi, Arnaud Desplechin, Mads Mikkelsen, Kirsten Dunst, Vanessa Paradis and Laszlo Nemes. Photo: Courtesy of Cannes Film Festival Cannes Film Festival has announced the previous prize-winners and stellar talents who will make up the official selection jury under the presidency of Mad Max director George Miller, who will decide on the Palme d’Or winner for the closing ceremony on Sunday 22 May. In a break with tradition, the Palme d’Or film will be screened again after the awards ceremony.
Kirsten Dunst, the American actress who scored a best actress gong in Cannes for Melancholia in 2011 will figure in the jury alongside Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen. Four years ago he took the award for Cannes best actor for his performance in Thomas Vinterberg's The Hunt.
Laszlo Nemes, the Hungarian director who won the grand...
Kirsten Dunst, the American actress who scored a best actress gong in Cannes for Melancholia in 2011 will figure in the jury alongside Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen. Four years ago he took the award for Cannes best actor for his performance in Thomas Vinterberg's The Hunt.
Laszlo Nemes, the Hungarian director who won the grand...
- 4/25/2016
- by Richard Mowe
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Donald Sutherland, Arnaud Desplechin, Vanessa Paradis among those to join president George Miller.
The 69th Cannes Film Festival jury, presided over by Mad Max director George Miller, will be made up of eight luminaries of world cinema, from Iran, Denmark, United States, Italy, France, Canada and Hungary.
The jury, made up of four women and four men, will comprise a collection of directors, actors and writers. They will decide on the prizes for the 21 films in Competition.
The jury:
George Miller – President
(Director, Writer, Producer – Australia)
Arnaud Desplechin (Director, Writer – France)
Kirsten Dunst (Actress– United States)
Valeria Golino (Actress, Director, Writer, Producer – Italia)
Mads Mikkelsen (Actor – Denmark)
László Nemes (Director, Writer – Hungaria)
Vanessa Paradis (Actress, Singer – France)
Katayoon Shahabi (Producer – Iran)
Donald Sutherland (Actor – Canada)
Arnaud Desplechin, Director, Writer (France)
Arnaud Desplechin became an official competitor at Cannes with The Sentinel, his first feature film. He then made My Sex Life… or How I Got...
The 69th Cannes Film Festival jury, presided over by Mad Max director George Miller, will be made up of eight luminaries of world cinema, from Iran, Denmark, United States, Italy, France, Canada and Hungary.
The jury, made up of four women and four men, will comprise a collection of directors, actors and writers. They will decide on the prizes for the 21 films in Competition.
The jury:
George Miller – President
(Director, Writer, Producer – Australia)
Arnaud Desplechin (Director, Writer – France)
Kirsten Dunst (Actress– United States)
Valeria Golino (Actress, Director, Writer, Producer – Italia)
Mads Mikkelsen (Actor – Denmark)
László Nemes (Director, Writer – Hungaria)
Vanessa Paradis (Actress, Singer – France)
Katayoon Shahabi (Producer – Iran)
Donald Sutherland (Actor – Canada)
Arnaud Desplechin, Director, Writer (France)
Arnaud Desplechin became an official competitor at Cannes with The Sentinel, his first feature film. He then made My Sex Life… or How I Got...
- 4/25/2016
- by andreas.wiseman@screendaily.com (Andreas Wiseman)
- ScreenDaily
Donald Sutherland, Arnaud Desplechin, Vanessa Paradis among those to join president George Miller.
The 69th Cannes Film Festival, presided over by Mad Max director George Miller, will comprise eight luminaries of world cinema, from Iran, Denmark, United States, Italy, France, Canada and Hungary.
The jury, made up of four women and four men, comprises directors, actors and writers.
The jury:
George Miller – President
(Director, Writer, Producer – Australia)
Arnaud Desplechin (Director, Writer – France)
Kirsten Dunst (Actress– United States)
Valeria Golino (Actress, Director, Writer, Producer – Italia)
Mads Mikkelsen (Actor – Denmark)
László Nemes (Director, Writer – Hungaria)
Vanessa Paradis (Actress, Singer – France)
Katayoon Shahabi (Producer – Iran)
Donald Sutherland (Actor – Canada)
Arnaud Desplechin, Director, Writer (France)
Arnaud Desplechin became an official competitor at Cannes with The Sentinel, his first feature film. He then made My Sex Life… or How I Got into an Argument, which introduced a new generation of actors. The artists in his films have regularly been awarded the most...
The 69th Cannes Film Festival, presided over by Mad Max director George Miller, will comprise eight luminaries of world cinema, from Iran, Denmark, United States, Italy, France, Canada and Hungary.
The jury, made up of four women and four men, comprises directors, actors and writers.
The jury:
George Miller – President
(Director, Writer, Producer – Australia)
Arnaud Desplechin (Director, Writer – France)
Kirsten Dunst (Actress– United States)
Valeria Golino (Actress, Director, Writer, Producer – Italia)
Mads Mikkelsen (Actor – Denmark)
László Nemes (Director, Writer – Hungaria)
Vanessa Paradis (Actress, Singer – France)
Katayoon Shahabi (Producer – Iran)
Donald Sutherland (Actor – Canada)
Arnaud Desplechin, Director, Writer (France)
Arnaud Desplechin became an official competitor at Cannes with The Sentinel, his first feature film. He then made My Sex Life… or How I Got into an Argument, which introduced a new generation of actors. The artists in his films have regularly been awarded the most...
- 4/25/2016
- by andreas.wiseman@screendaily.com (Andreas Wiseman)
- ScreenDaily
2016 Cannes Jury George Miller – President (Director, Writer, Producer – Australia) Arnaud Desplechin (Director, Writer – France) Kirsten Dunst (Actress– United States) Valeria Golino (Actress, Director, Writer, Producer – Italia) Mads Mikkelsen (Actor – Denmark) László Nemes (Director,...
- 4/25/2016
- by Ryan Adams
- AwardsDaily.com
We have what should now be the full line-up for the 2016 Cannes Film Festival, featuring many of our most-anticipated films of the year. Coming next in line is the announcement of the competition jury, which director George Miller will be presiding over, returning to Cannes after delivering one of the best films of the festival last year, Mad Max: Fury Road.
Made up of four women and five men, they include Arnaud Desplechin (returning after last year’s My Golden Days), Kristen Dunst, Italian actress Valeria Golino, Mad Mikkelsen (Cannes Best Actor winner for The Hunt), Grand Prix-winning Son of Saul director László Nemes, actress/singer Vanessa Paradis, Iranian producer Katayoon Shahabi, as well as actor Donald Sutherland. Check out their biographies below as we look forward to seeing what they award the Palme d’Or, and beyond.
Arnaud Desplechin, Director, Writer (France)
Arnaud Desplechin became an official competitor at Cannes with The Sentinel,...
Made up of four women and five men, they include Arnaud Desplechin (returning after last year’s My Golden Days), Kristen Dunst, Italian actress Valeria Golino, Mad Mikkelsen (Cannes Best Actor winner for The Hunt), Grand Prix-winning Son of Saul director László Nemes, actress/singer Vanessa Paradis, Iranian producer Katayoon Shahabi, as well as actor Donald Sutherland. Check out their biographies below as we look forward to seeing what they award the Palme d’Or, and beyond.
Arnaud Desplechin, Director, Writer (France)
Arnaud Desplechin became an official competitor at Cannes with The Sentinel,...
- 4/25/2016
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Kirsten Dunst, Donald Sutherland and “Son of Saul” director Laszlo Nemes will join previously announced George Miller on the jury at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival, festival organizers announced on Monday. Also on the jury, over which “Mad Max” director Miller will preside: French director Arnaud Desplechin, Italian actress Valeria Golino, Danish actor Mads Mikkelson, French actress Vanessa Paradis and Iranian producer Katayoon Shahabi. The jury will screen all the films in Cannes’ main competition and choose the winners in a number of categories, including the Palme d’Or. The winners will be announced at a closing-night ceremony on May 22. Also Read:.
- 4/25/2016
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
More than 80 documentaries to receive world premieres.
The line-up for the 27th Idfa (International Documentary Festival Amsterdam) has been unveiled.
A total of 298 titles, selected from 3,200 submissions, will be screened from Nov 19-30 in Amsterdam - of which 81 will receive their world premiere.
This year, a special themed programme, titled The Female Gaze, is dedicated to the role of women in documentary.
Another strand, Of Media and Men, will focus on how opinions are shaped within a democracy through the media.
This year’s Top 10 is provided by Heddy Honigmann, and a retrospective of her work will also be screening. Her film, Around the World in 50 Concerts, opens this year’s Idfa and also plays in Competition.
Idfa and Eye, the Netherlands national museum for film, will be present a joint themed programme concentrating on hybrid film: Framing Reality.
The festival’s main locations will once again be Pathé Tuschinski, Pathé de Munt...
The line-up for the 27th Idfa (International Documentary Festival Amsterdam) has been unveiled.
A total of 298 titles, selected from 3,200 submissions, will be screened from Nov 19-30 in Amsterdam - of which 81 will receive their world premiere.
This year, a special themed programme, titled The Female Gaze, is dedicated to the role of women in documentary.
Another strand, Of Media and Men, will focus on how opinions are shaped within a democracy through the media.
This year’s Top 10 is provided by Heddy Honigmann, and a retrospective of her work will also be screening. Her film, Around the World in 50 Concerts, opens this year’s Idfa and also plays in Competition.
Idfa and Eye, the Netherlands national museum for film, will be present a joint themed programme concentrating on hybrid film: Framing Reality.
The festival’s main locations will once again be Pathé Tuschinski, Pathé de Munt...
- 10/10/2014
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
Noori Pictures is the new name for Sherahazad, Katayoon Shahabi's independent, Iranian international sales agency. After spending 11 months in one of Iran's most notorious prisons for "collaborating with the BBC", she has pitched her tent in Paris where she spent her college years before returning to Iran with idealistic plans which 20 some odd years later she as been forced to abandon.
Her new lineup of films includes a documentary she is producing about Ashghar Farhadi, the director of the Academy Award winner for Best Foreign Language Film 2011:
A Separation (Az Iran, Yek Jodaee)Color, HD, 16:9, 52 min, 2012-13, IranDirectors & Research: Azadeh Mousavi, Kourosh AtaeiProducer: Katayoon Shahabi, Azadeh Mousavi, Kourosh AtaeiStage: Post- Production
This documentary film depicts the importance of receiving an Oscar Award for “A Separation” for the Iranians. It gives a general view on Iran’s society of today. The documentary is narrated with an ironic language and uses animation in some parts.
Feature
Bending the Rules (Ghaedeye Tasadof)
Color, D-Cinema, 2.00:1, Sound: Digital5.1,94 min., 2013, Iran, 2nd Film, World Premiere
Director, Scriptwriter & Editor: Behnam Behzadi Producer: Behnam Behzadi Director of Photography: Amin Jafari Cast: Amir Jafari, Ashkan Khatibi, Mehrdad Sedighian, Baharan Bani Ahmadi, Neda Jebraeeli, Martin Shamoonpour, Roshanak Gerami, Mohammad-Reza Ghaffari, Elaheh Hesari, Soroosh Sehhat, Omid Roohani
An enthusiastic and amateur theatrical group finds the opportunity to perform abroad which is a great success. Sheherazad, a desperate girl, joins the group and takes the leading role in the play. She decides, unlike her other fellow actors to tell the truth to her father. He is against this trip. The group is now in a dilemma: replace her or....
Bending the Rules is the story of the third generation of the Iranian Revolution that does not want to compromise on their principles and rights with their parents.
Bardou (Oun Khoub Sang Mizanad)
Color, HD, 16:9, 85min, 2013, Iran, Debut, World Premiere
Director & Scriptwriter: Seyed Hadi Mohaghegh Producer: Ebrahim Asghari Director of Photography: Meisam Riahi Cast: Ahmad Derakhshan, Saaed Soheili, Davoud Einabadi
Bardou is the story of a 16-year-old teenager who has recently lost his father and has to get back his father's loan from Nasir, who is unwilling to pay off his debt. In order to get his right and to deal with the difficulties, Bardou has to become a man.
The Bag of Flour (Le Sac de Farine)
Screening : Tuesday, May 21, 11 :30 a.m., Riviera, Palais H, Debut (Market Premier)
Color, 35mm, 92 min, 2012, Belgium, Morocco, France
Director: Kadija Leclere Scriptwriter: Kadija Leclere, Pierre Olivier Mornas Producers: Gaëtan David, Samy Layani, André Logie Editor: Virginie Messiaen, Ludo Troch Director of Photography: Gilles Porte, Philippe Guilbert Cast: Hafsia Herzi, Hiam Abbass, Smain Fairouze, Mehdi Dehbi, Rania Mellouli
Based on the true life of the director, the film traces the story of an eight year-old Moroccan Muslim girl who is living in a Catholic orphanage in Belgium in 1970s. She is taken by her biological father to a poverty-stricken village in the Atlas Mountains of Morocco, where she spends her teen ages simultaneous with the years of Hunger Revolt in Morocco...
Death is My Profession (Marg Kasb va Kare Man Ast) Color, 35 mm, 1:1/85, 90 min, 2011, Iran, Debut
Director & Scriptwriter: Amir Hossein Saghafi Director of Photography: Nader Masoumi Editor: Mastaneh Mohajer Producer: Aliakbar Saghafi
Cast: Pejman Bazeghi, Amir Aghaei, Maryam Boobani, Kamran Tafti, Mahchehreh Khalili, Akbar Sangi, Meysam Ghanizadeh, Sonia Espahram, Ramin Rastad
Death is My Profession is about the struggle of people who have to accept any work offered, to survive in a neglected society.
Documentaries in Production
(Looking for Co-Producer)
Local Kitchen (Ashpazkhaneye Mahalli) Color, HD, 16:9, 60 min, 2013-14, Iran, France
Director & Research: Loghman Khaledi Producer: Katayoon Shahabi & Artline Films
Stage: Pre-production
The documentary depicts social and economical aspects of Iranian society through a story about seven women who decide to take part in family economy by establishing a catering that offers traditional food.
The Pain We Share (Darde Moshtarak) Color, HD, 16:9, 60 & 75 min, 2011-13, Iran, Japan & Canada
Directors & Research: Fima Emami & Reza Daryanoush Producer: Katayoon Shahabi & Nhk/Japan Broadcasting Corporation
Stage: Post-production
Fima Emami is a filmmaker and daughter of an Iran-Iraq War veteran. She is focusing on the Iranian and American veterans who are suffering from Ptsd and the effects it has had on their families including her own family.
Documentaries
Nessa (Nessa)
Color, HD, 16:9, 52 min, 2011-12, Iran
Director & Research: Loghman Khaledi Producer: Katayoon Shahabi
Nessa is a young woman from Kurdistan of Iran, who is trying to progress in her acting and artistic career. Due to the conservative environment, her family prevents her from reaching her goal. The film is about her struggle..
Moving Up (Kami Balatar)
Color, HD, 16:9, 58 min, 2011, Iran
Director & Research: Loghman Khaledi Producer: Katayoon Shahabi
Shahriyar, a garbage collector, has a passion for literature and poetry. He writes imaginative stories to escape from his dull and prosaic life but all the people around him constantly conspire to hold him back from “Moving Up”.
21 Days and Me (21 Rooz va Man) Color, HD, 16:9, 58 min, 2011, Iran
Director & Research: Shirin Barghnavard Producer: Katayoon Shahabi
Nominated for the Best Asian Doc. in Asian Pacific 2011
Iwar Asian Women’s Film Festival (2013/ India)
This film covers the 21 days before the operation of a 35-year-old woman who is struggling with the issue to become a mother or not.
Unwelcome in Tehran (Nakhandeh dar Tehran) Color, HD, 16:9, 52 min, 2011, Iran
Director & Research: Mina Keshavarz Producer: Katayoon Shahabi
Thessaloniki Documentary Festival (2012/ Greece) Filmmor Women's Int'l F. F. (2012/ Turkey)
Mina, the director, is a girl from Shiraz who gets married in order to move to Tehran. Influenced by her own life, she decides to make a documentary about the girls nationwide who, like Azar, move to Tehran to start an independent life.
Reluctant Bachelor (Pir Pesar) Color, HD, 16:9, 58 min., HD, 2011, Iran
Director & Research: Mehdi Bagheri Producer: Katayoon Shahabi
Asiatica Film Mediale F. F. (2012/ Italy) Gene Siskle Film Center (2012/ USA) Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (2013 / USA)
This film is about the director himself who is 30 years old and still living with his parents. He tells his story while trying to revise his attitude towards every member of his family by interviewing them. This film is the reflection of the young generations’ lives in Iran.
Her new lineup of films includes a documentary she is producing about Ashghar Farhadi, the director of the Academy Award winner for Best Foreign Language Film 2011:
A Separation (Az Iran, Yek Jodaee)Color, HD, 16:9, 52 min, 2012-13, IranDirectors & Research: Azadeh Mousavi, Kourosh AtaeiProducer: Katayoon Shahabi, Azadeh Mousavi, Kourosh AtaeiStage: Post- Production
This documentary film depicts the importance of receiving an Oscar Award for “A Separation” for the Iranians. It gives a general view on Iran’s society of today. The documentary is narrated with an ironic language and uses animation in some parts.
Feature
Bending the Rules (Ghaedeye Tasadof)
Color, D-Cinema, 2.00:1, Sound: Digital5.1,94 min., 2013, Iran, 2nd Film, World Premiere
Director, Scriptwriter & Editor: Behnam Behzadi Producer: Behnam Behzadi Director of Photography: Amin Jafari Cast: Amir Jafari, Ashkan Khatibi, Mehrdad Sedighian, Baharan Bani Ahmadi, Neda Jebraeeli, Martin Shamoonpour, Roshanak Gerami, Mohammad-Reza Ghaffari, Elaheh Hesari, Soroosh Sehhat, Omid Roohani
An enthusiastic and amateur theatrical group finds the opportunity to perform abroad which is a great success. Sheherazad, a desperate girl, joins the group and takes the leading role in the play. She decides, unlike her other fellow actors to tell the truth to her father. He is against this trip. The group is now in a dilemma: replace her or....
Bending the Rules is the story of the third generation of the Iranian Revolution that does not want to compromise on their principles and rights with their parents.
Bardou (Oun Khoub Sang Mizanad)
Color, HD, 16:9, 85min, 2013, Iran, Debut, World Premiere
Director & Scriptwriter: Seyed Hadi Mohaghegh Producer: Ebrahim Asghari Director of Photography: Meisam Riahi Cast: Ahmad Derakhshan, Saaed Soheili, Davoud Einabadi
Bardou is the story of a 16-year-old teenager who has recently lost his father and has to get back his father's loan from Nasir, who is unwilling to pay off his debt. In order to get his right and to deal with the difficulties, Bardou has to become a man.
The Bag of Flour (Le Sac de Farine)
Screening : Tuesday, May 21, 11 :30 a.m., Riviera, Palais H, Debut (Market Premier)
Color, 35mm, 92 min, 2012, Belgium, Morocco, France
Director: Kadija Leclere Scriptwriter: Kadija Leclere, Pierre Olivier Mornas Producers: Gaëtan David, Samy Layani, André Logie Editor: Virginie Messiaen, Ludo Troch Director of Photography: Gilles Porte, Philippe Guilbert Cast: Hafsia Herzi, Hiam Abbass, Smain Fairouze, Mehdi Dehbi, Rania Mellouli
Based on the true life of the director, the film traces the story of an eight year-old Moroccan Muslim girl who is living in a Catholic orphanage in Belgium in 1970s. She is taken by her biological father to a poverty-stricken village in the Atlas Mountains of Morocco, where she spends her teen ages simultaneous with the years of Hunger Revolt in Morocco...
Death is My Profession (Marg Kasb va Kare Man Ast) Color, 35 mm, 1:1/85, 90 min, 2011, Iran, Debut
Director & Scriptwriter: Amir Hossein Saghafi Director of Photography: Nader Masoumi Editor: Mastaneh Mohajer Producer: Aliakbar Saghafi
Cast: Pejman Bazeghi, Amir Aghaei, Maryam Boobani, Kamran Tafti, Mahchehreh Khalili, Akbar Sangi, Meysam Ghanizadeh, Sonia Espahram, Ramin Rastad
Death is My Profession is about the struggle of people who have to accept any work offered, to survive in a neglected society.
Documentaries in Production
(Looking for Co-Producer)
Local Kitchen (Ashpazkhaneye Mahalli) Color, HD, 16:9, 60 min, 2013-14, Iran, France
Director & Research: Loghman Khaledi Producer: Katayoon Shahabi & Artline Films
Stage: Pre-production
The documentary depicts social and economical aspects of Iranian society through a story about seven women who decide to take part in family economy by establishing a catering that offers traditional food.
The Pain We Share (Darde Moshtarak) Color, HD, 16:9, 60 & 75 min, 2011-13, Iran, Japan & Canada
Directors & Research: Fima Emami & Reza Daryanoush Producer: Katayoon Shahabi & Nhk/Japan Broadcasting Corporation
Stage: Post-production
Fima Emami is a filmmaker and daughter of an Iran-Iraq War veteran. She is focusing on the Iranian and American veterans who are suffering from Ptsd and the effects it has had on their families including her own family.
Documentaries
Nessa (Nessa)
Color, HD, 16:9, 52 min, 2011-12, Iran
Director & Research: Loghman Khaledi Producer: Katayoon Shahabi
Nessa is a young woman from Kurdistan of Iran, who is trying to progress in her acting and artistic career. Due to the conservative environment, her family prevents her from reaching her goal. The film is about her struggle..
Moving Up (Kami Balatar)
Color, HD, 16:9, 58 min, 2011, Iran
Director & Research: Loghman Khaledi Producer: Katayoon Shahabi
Shahriyar, a garbage collector, has a passion for literature and poetry. He writes imaginative stories to escape from his dull and prosaic life but all the people around him constantly conspire to hold him back from “Moving Up”.
21 Days and Me (21 Rooz va Man) Color, HD, 16:9, 58 min, 2011, Iran
Director & Research: Shirin Barghnavard Producer: Katayoon Shahabi
Nominated for the Best Asian Doc. in Asian Pacific 2011
Iwar Asian Women’s Film Festival (2013/ India)
This film covers the 21 days before the operation of a 35-year-old woman who is struggling with the issue to become a mother or not.
Unwelcome in Tehran (Nakhandeh dar Tehran) Color, HD, 16:9, 52 min, 2011, Iran
Director & Research: Mina Keshavarz Producer: Katayoon Shahabi
Thessaloniki Documentary Festival (2012/ Greece) Filmmor Women's Int'l F. F. (2012/ Turkey)
Mina, the director, is a girl from Shiraz who gets married in order to move to Tehran. Influenced by her own life, she decides to make a documentary about the girls nationwide who, like Azar, move to Tehran to start an independent life.
Reluctant Bachelor (Pir Pesar) Color, HD, 16:9, 58 min., HD, 2011, Iran
Director & Research: Mehdi Bagheri Producer: Katayoon Shahabi
Asiatica Film Mediale F. F. (2012/ Italy) Gene Siskle Film Center (2012/ USA) Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (2013 / USA)
This film is about the director himself who is 30 years old and still living with his parents. He tells his story while trying to revise his attitude towards every member of his family by interviewing them. This film is the reflection of the young generations’ lives in Iran.
- 5/14/2013
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
One of my dearest friends in the business, Katayoon Shahabi, international sales agent and producer of the Iranian documentary A Brief Peace is among the six Iranian filmmakers just imprisoned in Iran for working for the BBC. Her company Sheherazade is the only independent international sales agent in Iran. She sold Iron Island to my other dear friend Don Krim (whose memorial service will be held in N.Y. September 25.) I am completely unnerved by this news. Read the full story in IndieWIRE. You can also sign a petition here for the prisoners' release. Festivals Mannheim-Heidelberg and San Sebastian so…...
- 9/22/2011
- Sydney's Buzz
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