Exclusive: Newly launched Dubai-based sales company Mad World has acquired worldwide rights to Egyptian director Morad Mostafa’s Aisha Can’t Fly Away, a tense African migrant drama shooting later this year in Egypt.
The title joins the inaugural slate of Mad World, as the Arab cinema-focused sales arm of Mena distributor and talent agency Mad Solutions gears up for its Cannes Market debut next week.
Aisha Can’t Fly Away revolves around the story of Aisha, a 26-year-old African immigrant caregiver residing in Ain-shams, a Cairo neighborhood with a large African migrant community.
The film explores the intricate dynamics of a world where the authorities’ indifference to the violent tensions between Egyptians and various African nationalities has allowed different gangs to seize control. Aisha’s situation turns sour after one of these gangs offers protection in exchange for a favor.
Egypt-based South Sudanese model Buliana Simona plays Aisha in...
The title joins the inaugural slate of Mad World, as the Arab cinema-focused sales arm of Mena distributor and talent agency Mad Solutions gears up for its Cannes Market debut next week.
Aisha Can’t Fly Away revolves around the story of Aisha, a 26-year-old African immigrant caregiver residing in Ain-shams, a Cairo neighborhood with a large African migrant community.
The film explores the intricate dynamics of a world where the authorities’ indifference to the violent tensions between Egyptians and various African nationalities has allowed different gangs to seize control. Aisha’s situation turns sour after one of these gangs offers protection in exchange for a favor.
Egypt-based South Sudanese model Buliana Simona plays Aisha in...
- 5/10/2024
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Right at the beginning of Frank Berry’s film, a dance is interrupted. Aisha (Letitia Wright) protests that the room was booked in advance. It needs to be used by staff, she is told. Everyone has to go. This rather abrupt event may seem like an odd choice of opening, but it sets the scene perfectly for what is to come. Exposure to petty tyranny, the inability to plan, life’s few sweet moments disrupted.
Aisha is living in an asylum seekers’ centre in Ireland. “This is not a prison,” she will point out later on, only to be told “You keep that up and see where it gets you.” She is labelled a troublemaker because in spite of it all, she persists in behaving like a human being.
Born in Nigeria, Aisha has been in Ireland for just over a year. She desperately misses her mother, who is in hiding in Lagos,...
Aisha is living in an asylum seekers’ centre in Ireland. “This is not a prison,” she will point out later on, only to be told “You keep that up and see where it gets you.” She is labelled a troublemaker because in spite of it all, she persists in behaving like a human being.
Born in Nigeria, Aisha has been in Ireland for just over a year. She desperately misses her mother, who is in hiding in Lagos,...
- 5/8/2024
- by Jennie Kermode
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
New York’s Public Theater announced its upcoming season at their Astor Place home as well as Central Park’s to-be-reopened Delacorte Theater where the Public will stage Twelfth Night, directed by Saheem Ali, in summer 2025.
In its 2024-25 season, the Public will feature productions by playwrights Caryl Churchill, Lisa Sanaye Dring, David Finnigan, James Ijames, John Purugganan and S. Shakthidharan. The line-up will include partnerships with theater companies Belvoir St Theatre, Kurinji, and NYU Skirball; Elevator Repair Service; and Ma-Yi Theatre Company and La Jolla Playhouse.
See the entire line-up below.
“In my 20th season at The Public Theater, I’m overjoyed to share programming that is as bold and ambitious as The Public’s mission,” said Artistic Director Oskar Eustis, adding, “The season finishes with the reopening of The Delacorte Theater. We’re counting down the minutes until we can celebrate our revitalized home with a joyful production of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night.
In its 2024-25 season, the Public will feature productions by playwrights Caryl Churchill, Lisa Sanaye Dring, David Finnigan, James Ijames, John Purugganan and S. Shakthidharan. The line-up will include partnerships with theater companies Belvoir St Theatre, Kurinji, and NYU Skirball; Elevator Repair Service; and Ma-Yi Theatre Company and La Jolla Playhouse.
See the entire line-up below.
“In my 20th season at The Public Theater, I’m overjoyed to share programming that is as bold and ambitious as The Public’s mission,” said Artistic Director Oskar Eustis, adding, “The season finishes with the reopening of The Delacorte Theater. We’re counting down the minutes until we can celebrate our revitalized home with a joyful production of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night.
- 5/7/2024
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Tiwa Savage has long held a unique position in African music as the leading female artist in the Afrobeats genius. After headlining global tours, collaborating with Beyoncé and Brandy and championing newcomers, Savage Tiwa is embarking on her next venture: starring in and executive producing her debut full-length feature film, “Water and Garri.”
The film, slated for global debut on Prime Video on May 10, follows Aisha, a successful fashion designer, as she returns to Nigeria after a decade in the United States. She’s taken aback by the profound changes that have swept through her homeland and the people she once knew. Set to the evocative soundtrack of the same name, Aisha’s journey unfolds to reveal poignant cultural shifts. The accompanying soundtrack is a key component of the experience, as the film’s tracklisting mirrors Aisha’s interactions and feelings throughout.
The soundtrack makes heavy use of live instrumentation...
The film, slated for global debut on Prime Video on May 10, follows Aisha, a successful fashion designer, as she returns to Nigeria after a decade in the United States. She’s taken aback by the profound changes that have swept through her homeland and the people she once knew. Set to the evocative soundtrack of the same name, Aisha’s journey unfolds to reveal poignant cultural shifts. The accompanying soundtrack is a key component of the experience, as the film’s tracklisting mirrors Aisha’s interactions and feelings throughout.
The soundtrack makes heavy use of live instrumentation...
- 5/7/2024
- by Emanuel Okusanya
- Variety Film + TV
An anguished update of, and response to, Ousmane Sembène’s 1965 anti-colonialist classic Black Girl, writer-director Nikyatu Jusu’s Nanny grapples with the psychic pain of cultural alienation and familial disconnection. Though it contains elements of supernatural horror—including trickster spiders and murderous mermaids—it’s at heart a deeply felt immigration story, one that finds hope not in the empty promises of the American dream but in the strength and resilience of oppressed peoples.
The film opens on Aisha’s (Anna Diop) first day of work at the luxe Manhattan apartment of a businesswoman, Amy (Michelle Monaghan), who’s hired her to care for her young daughter, Rose (Rose Decker). Aisha, a teacher in her native Senegal, has no trouble caring for the girl, helping her with her French lessons and making food that she’ll actually eat, but she does have issues with Amy, whose festering anxieties make her...
The film opens on Aisha’s (Anna Diop) first day of work at the luxe Manhattan apartment of a businesswoman, Amy (Michelle Monaghan), who’s hired her to care for her young daughter, Rose (Rose Decker). Aisha, a teacher in her native Senegal, has no trouble caring for the girl, helping her with her French lessons and making food that she’ll actually eat, but she does have issues with Amy, whose festering anxieties make her...
- 11/8/2023
- by Keith Watson
- Slant Magazine
Gary Martin, a veteran Sony Pictures executive who served as president of studio operations and product for 32 years, has died, according to a family spokesperson. Martin was 79.
Martin died on Nov. 2 from natural causes at his home in the Los Angeles suburb of Sherwood Forest.
Martin, who began his studio career at 20th Century Fox in 1961, joined Columbia Pictures 20 years later and rose to the position of president of production in 1988. He retained his position after Sony acquired Columbia in 1989 and was promoted to president of studios operations in 2003.
During his 32-year career at Columbia/Sony, Martin played a key role in the company’s impressive string of box office hits, overseeing the production of films such as Best Picture Oscar nominee “Tootsie” and “Ghostbusters,” as well as the “Men in Black,” “Spider-Man” and “Casino Royale” franchises.
Martin oversaw the production of over 600 films for the studio.
Upon his retirement...
Martin died on Nov. 2 from natural causes at his home in the Los Angeles suburb of Sherwood Forest.
Martin, who began his studio career at 20th Century Fox in 1961, joined Columbia Pictures 20 years later and rose to the position of president of production in 1988. He retained his position after Sony acquired Columbia in 1989 and was promoted to president of studios operations in 2003.
During his 32-year career at Columbia/Sony, Martin played a key role in the company’s impressive string of box office hits, overseeing the production of films such as Best Picture Oscar nominee “Tootsie” and “Ghostbusters,” as well as the “Men in Black,” “Spider-Man” and “Casino Royale” franchises.
Martin oversaw the production of over 600 films for the studio.
Upon his retirement...
- 11/7/2023
- by Umberto Gonzalez
- The Wrap
Gary Martin, a retired longtime executive at Sony Pictures who served as President of Studio Operations and Product during a 32-year stint at the studio, has died. He was 79.
Sony reps said he died November 2 of natural causes at his home in Sherwood Forest, CA.
Martin began his studio career at 20th Century Fox in 1961, moving over to Columbia 20 years later. Promoted to President, Production Administration in 1988, he retained his position after Sony’s acquisition of Columbia in 1989 and continued to serve in that role even after his promotion to President of Studios Operations in 2003.
During his 32 years with Columbia/Sony, Martin helped define the company’s impressive record of box office hits, overseeing production of such films as Best Picture Oscar nominee Tootsie and Ghostbusters as well as Men in Black, Spider-Man and Casino Royale.
Upon his retirement in 2013, Sony Pictures renamed its most storied sound stage, Stage 15 — one...
Sony reps said he died November 2 of natural causes at his home in Sherwood Forest, CA.
Martin began his studio career at 20th Century Fox in 1961, moving over to Columbia 20 years later. Promoted to President, Production Administration in 1988, he retained his position after Sony’s acquisition of Columbia in 1989 and continued to serve in that role even after his promotion to President of Studios Operations in 2003.
During his 32 years with Columbia/Sony, Martin helped define the company’s impressive record of box office hits, overseeing production of such films as Best Picture Oscar nominee Tootsie and Ghostbusters as well as Men in Black, Spider-Man and Casino Royale.
Upon his retirement in 2013, Sony Pictures renamed its most storied sound stage, Stage 15 — one...
- 11/6/2023
- by Erik Pedersen
- Deadline Film + TV
Gary O. Martin, a former Sony Pictures executive who served as president of studio operations and production for several decades, died of natural causes on Thursday at his home in Sherwood Forest, Calif. He was 79 years old.
Martin’s death was confirmed by a publicist for his family members.
After coming to Sony — then Columbia Pictures — as a production manager in 1981, Martin was elevated to overseeing production and post-production on the lot in 1988. In 2003, he took on the responsibilities of studio operations. His tenure at the studio helped steer the launch of franchises such as “Spider-Man,” “Men in Black” and Ron Howard’s adaptations of Dan Brown novels.
“As a colleague at Sony and then as the production head when I made a few films there, Gary was rough, tough, great at his work—-and one of the sweetest, most beautiful people on the lot,” Sid Ganis, former president of...
Martin’s death was confirmed by a publicist for his family members.
After coming to Sony — then Columbia Pictures — as a production manager in 1981, Martin was elevated to overseeing production and post-production on the lot in 1988. In 2003, he took on the responsibilities of studio operations. His tenure at the studio helped steer the launch of franchises such as “Spider-Man,” “Men in Black” and Ron Howard’s adaptations of Dan Brown novels.
“As a colleague at Sony and then as the production head when I made a few films there, Gary was rough, tough, great at his work—-and one of the sweetest, most beautiful people on the lot,” Sid Ganis, former president of...
- 11/6/2023
- by J. Kim Murphy
- Variety Film + TV
Gary Martin, the longtime Sony Pictures executive and major supporter of the Motion Picture & Television Fund who has a historic Wizard of Oz soundstage named for him, has died. He was 79.
Martin died Thursday of natural causes at his home in Sherwood Forest, California, a family spokesperson announced.
When he retired as president of studio operations and production at Sony in 2013, the studio renamed its storied Stage 15 — one of the largest in the world — the Gary Martin Stage. Built in 1927, it was used for 1939’s The Wizard of Oz — the yellow brick road is under the current stage floor — and more recently for Spider-Man and Men in Black films.
At the dedication, then-Sony Pictures Entertainment co-chair Amy Pascal said of Martin: “His leadership, grace and skill are unparalleled in our business. There is no one who comes close.”
He oversaw production of more than 600 films at the studio.
Martin died Thursday of natural causes at his home in Sherwood Forest, California, a family spokesperson announced.
When he retired as president of studio operations and production at Sony in 2013, the studio renamed its storied Stage 15 — one of the largest in the world — the Gary Martin Stage. Built in 1927, it was used for 1939’s The Wizard of Oz — the yellow brick road is under the current stage floor — and more recently for Spider-Man and Men in Black films.
At the dedication, then-Sony Pictures Entertainment co-chair Amy Pascal said of Martin: “His leadership, grace and skill are unparalleled in our business. There is no one who comes close.”
He oversaw production of more than 600 films at the studio.
- 11/6/2023
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
In a recent episode of Loki season 2, Ravonna Renslayer and Miss Minutes travel to 1863 Chicago. There, they find a young boy and give him a Tva handbook written by Ke Huy Quan’s Tva technician, Ouroboros. The next time we see that boy in 1893, he’s a man going by the name of Victor Timely who has studied the details of that book and is now able to invent the contraptions inside it, including the temporal loom that will become the center of the Tva.
This, of course, raises a question. Who really started the Tva? We’ve been told that the Tva was founded by He Who Remains, the man who Victor Timely will become. But now Loki shows that Victor/Hwr got the idea for the Tva from Ob’s book. How can He Who Remains be both the inspiration and be inspired?
The answer, of course, is time travel.
This, of course, raises a question. Who really started the Tva? We’ve been told that the Tva was founded by He Who Remains, the man who Victor Timely will become. But now Loki shows that Victor/Hwr got the idea for the Tva from Ob’s book. How can He Who Remains be both the inspiration and be inspired?
The answer, of course, is time travel.
- 10/28/2023
- by Kirsten Howard
- Den of Geek
Inspirational teachers and action cinema always seems to recall “The Substitute” series of American movies back in the 1990's. It is an odd mix to combine from a storyline perspective with a high probability of being either preachy or exploitative. It does however offer a mix of dramatic possibilities. Which leads us to “Walid”, a Malaysian feature that aims to deliver just that whilst promoting the Silat martial art to a wider international audience.
“Walid” Opens in U.S. Theaters, July 28 at Cinema Village in NYC and August 11 at the Laemmle Glendale in LA, courtesy of Outsider Pictures
Walid (Megat Sharizal) gives his time teaching the underprivileged children in the village, extolling the virtues of how to live life through giving them the chance to read and write. One day, he notices Aisha (Putri Qaseh) a young girl from a neighboring village watching his class from the outside and intrigued by this,...
“Walid” Opens in U.S. Theaters, July 28 at Cinema Village in NYC and August 11 at the Laemmle Glendale in LA, courtesy of Outsider Pictures
Walid (Megat Sharizal) gives his time teaching the underprivileged children in the village, extolling the virtues of how to live life through giving them the chance to read and write. One day, he notices Aisha (Putri Qaseh) a young girl from a neighboring village watching his class from the outside and intrigued by this,...
- 7/15/2023
- by Ben Stykuc
- AsianMoviePulse
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