Indonesia’s KawanKawan Media has boarded Singaporean filmmaker Nelson Yeo’s sophomore feature “The Drought,” it was announced at the Cannes Film Festival.
Yeo’s debut feature “Dreaming & Dying” debuted at last year’s Locarno Film Festival where it won the Golden Leopard – Filmmakers of the Present and Best First Feature awards.
A dystopian horror-dark comedy set in a time of an uninhabitable drought, “The Drought” follows Kai as he struggles with his retracting genitals and his wife, Ling, who demeans him for this impotency. Their widowed neighbor, Daming, grieves over the death of the last of his three sons, while his mother devises a secret plan for another grandson.
The project participated at the Philippines QCinema project market last year, where it won a prize.
Lead producers are Singapore’s Momo Film Co.’s Tan Si En and Sophia Sim who produced “Dreaming & Dying,” and Yeo’s award-winning shorts “Dreaming,...
Yeo’s debut feature “Dreaming & Dying” debuted at last year’s Locarno Film Festival where it won the Golden Leopard – Filmmakers of the Present and Best First Feature awards.
A dystopian horror-dark comedy set in a time of an uninhabitable drought, “The Drought” follows Kai as he struggles with his retracting genitals and his wife, Ling, who demeans him for this impotency. Their widowed neighbor, Daming, grieves over the death of the last of his three sons, while his mother devises a secret plan for another grandson.
The project participated at the Philippines QCinema project market last year, where it won a prize.
Lead producers are Singapore’s Momo Film Co.’s Tan Si En and Sophia Sim who produced “Dreaming & Dying,” and Yeo’s award-winning shorts “Dreaming,...
- 5/22/2024
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Award-winning Malaysian filmmaker Woo Ming Jin has wrapped principal photography on his latest film, “The Fox King,” the producers revealed at the Cannes Film Festival.
Set in a coastal Malaysian town in the early 2000s, “The Fox King” tells the story of Ali and Amir, inseparable fraternal twins with a telepathic bond. The brothers are forced to fend for themselves when their father abandons them after remarrying a younger bride. The arrival of a new teacher, Lara, tests their brotherly bond.
The film is headlined by Indonesian star Dian Sastrowardoyo (Netflix’s “Cigarette Girl”) alongside Idan Aedan (“Blood Flower”), Amerul Affendi (“I.D.”), Chew Kin Wah (“Rain Town”) and newcomer Hadi Putra.
“The Fox King” participated in the Tokyo gap financing market and the QCinema project market in 2023. The film is a Sunstrong Entertainment (Venice selection “Snow in Midsummer”) production in collaboration with fellow Malaysian companies Greenlight Pictures and Da Huang Pictures...
Set in a coastal Malaysian town in the early 2000s, “The Fox King” tells the story of Ali and Amir, inseparable fraternal twins with a telepathic bond. The brothers are forced to fend for themselves when their father abandons them after remarrying a younger bride. The arrival of a new teacher, Lara, tests their brotherly bond.
The film is headlined by Indonesian star Dian Sastrowardoyo (Netflix’s “Cigarette Girl”) alongside Idan Aedan (“Blood Flower”), Amerul Affendi (“I.D.”), Chew Kin Wah (“Rain Town”) and newcomer Hadi Putra.
“The Fox King” participated in the Tokyo gap financing market and the QCinema project market in 2023. The film is a Sunstrong Entertainment (Venice selection “Snow in Midsummer”) production in collaboration with fellow Malaysian companies Greenlight Pictures and Da Huang Pictures...
- 5/21/2024
- by Naman Ramachandran and Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Josh Krasinski’s If leads the charge at the UK and Ireland box office in 650 cinemas for Paramount.
The family film about imaginary friends is Krasinski’s widest opening as a director following A Quiet Place Part II which arrived in 563 cinemas in 2021.
If includes an ensemble cast of A-listers, both on-screen and on voice duties, including Ryan Reynolds, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Fiona Shaw, Steve Carrell, Matt Damon, Bradley Cooper and Emily Blunt. Cailey Fleming leads the cast as a girl who, having recently experienced a traumatic loss, begins seeing everyone’s imaginary friends.
Krasinski previously wrote and directed A Quiet Place...
The family film about imaginary friends is Krasinski’s widest opening as a director following A Quiet Place Part II which arrived in 563 cinemas in 2021.
If includes an ensemble cast of A-listers, both on-screen and on voice duties, including Ryan Reynolds, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Fiona Shaw, Steve Carrell, Matt Damon, Bradley Cooper and Emily Blunt. Cailey Fleming leads the cast as a girl who, having recently experienced a traumatic loss, begins seeing everyone’s imaginary friends.
Krasinski previously wrote and directed A Quiet Place...
- 5/17/2024
- ScreenDaily
Cannes parallel section Critics’ Week opens Wednesday with French director Jonathan Millet’s psychological manhunt thriller Ghost Trail (Les Fantômes), starring Adam Bessa as man in in pursuit of a faceless, former torturer.
Running from May 15 to 23, the compact line-up will showcase 11 first and second works features by emerging directors, seven in competition, as well as 13 short films.
Deadline caught up with Artistic Director Ava Cahen on the eve of the 63rd edition.
Deadline: You’re on your third selection as Critics’ Week artistic director. How was it this year?
Ava Cahen: We always put the counters back to zero. So everything felt new, even if it’s my third year. We received a few more films than normal and screened 1,050 features. It’s hard when you’ve only got 11 slots. Obviously there were a lot more than 11 films that we would have liked to have welcomed. There was a lot of discussion.
Running from May 15 to 23, the compact line-up will showcase 11 first and second works features by emerging directors, seven in competition, as well as 13 short films.
Deadline caught up with Artistic Director Ava Cahen on the eve of the 63rd edition.
Deadline: You’re on your third selection as Critics’ Week artistic director. How was it this year?
Ava Cahen: We always put the counters back to zero. So everything felt new, even if it’s my third year. We received a few more films than normal and screened 1,050 features. It’s hard when you’ve only got 11 slots. Obviously there were a lot more than 11 films that we would have liked to have welcomed. There was a lot of discussion.
- 5/15/2024
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Brazilian director Marcelo Caetano’s Critics’ Week title Baby has been sold to Dark Star Pictures and Uncork’d Entertainment for North America in advance of its Cannes premiere later this week.
Germany’s M-Appeal is handling sales on the film about an 18 year-old boy is released from a juvenile detention centre, only to find himself alone and adrift on the streets of São Paulo.
The film is a Brazil-France-Netherlands co-production involving Cup Filmes, Desbun Filmes, Plateau Produções, Still Moving, Circe Films and Kaap Holland Film.
Further recent Dark Star releases include 2023 Critics; Week winner Tiger Stripes and Fantastic Fest winner Property.
Germany’s M-Appeal is handling sales on the film about an 18 year-old boy is released from a juvenile detention centre, only to find himself alone and adrift on the streets of São Paulo.
The film is a Brazil-France-Netherlands co-production involving Cup Filmes, Desbun Filmes, Plateau Produções, Still Moving, Circe Films and Kaap Holland Film.
Further recent Dark Star releases include 2023 Critics; Week winner Tiger Stripes and Fantastic Fest winner Property.
- 5/15/2024
- ScreenDaily
Disney’s “Kingdom of The Planet of the Apes” debuted atop the U.K. and Ireland box office with £3.8 million ($4.7 million), according to numbers from Comscore.
Universal’s “The Fall Guy” dropped down to second place with £948,970 and now has a running total of £6.7 million. In third place, in its third weekend, Warner Bros.’ “Challengers” collected £333,281 for a total of £4.7 million.
In fourth position, in its fifth weekend, Studiocanal’s “Back to Black” earned £211,408 for a total of £11.2 million. Rounding off the top five was Sony’s “Tarot,” which read the cards to the tune of £140,983 in its second weekend and now has a total of £923,013.
The only other debut in the Top 10 was Trafalgar Releasing’s opera recording “Madama Butterfly,” which bowed in ninth place with £96,727.
The mid-week releases coming up include Trafalgar’s “Transformers: 40th Anniversary Event,” where episodes of the animated 1984 series will be screened alongside original voice-over talent,...
Universal’s “The Fall Guy” dropped down to second place with £948,970 and now has a running total of £6.7 million. In third place, in its third weekend, Warner Bros.’ “Challengers” collected £333,281 for a total of £4.7 million.
In fourth position, in its fifth weekend, Studiocanal’s “Back to Black” earned £211,408 for a total of £11.2 million. Rounding off the top five was Sony’s “Tarot,” which read the cards to the tune of £140,983 in its second weekend and now has a total of £923,013.
The only other debut in the Top 10 was Trafalgar Releasing’s opera recording “Madama Butterfly,” which bowed in ninth place with £96,727.
The mid-week releases coming up include Trafalgar’s “Transformers: 40th Anniversary Event,” where episodes of the animated 1984 series will be screened alongside original voice-over talent,...
- 5/14/2024
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
The feature “Tales of Taipei” is a tribute to the low-pressure, culturally rich city, which has been shaped by its regional neighbors, taken in diverse peoples and distilled the multiple competing influences into a messy, happy-go-lucky morass.
Produced by Bowie Tsang and Amy Ma, the film calls on 10 directors hailing from Malaysia, France, Bhutan and Hong Kong, and Taiwanese locals Yin Cheng-han and Remii Huang to contribute.
“Everything is possible in Taiwan, everything exits side by side,” says Tsang, who was born in Hong Kong. “We have old Chinese myths. We believe in the afterlife. Churches exist side by side with temples. We are still trying to figure out how to tell our stories.”
As in the film, juxtapositions exist throughout the Taiwan film industry. Theatrical B.O. improved last year, but from a low 2022 base. Last year, Taiwan productions increased market share from 10% to nearly 16%, helping to lift the...
Produced by Bowie Tsang and Amy Ma, the film calls on 10 directors hailing from Malaysia, France, Bhutan and Hong Kong, and Taiwanese locals Yin Cheng-han and Remii Huang to contribute.
“Everything is possible in Taiwan, everything exits side by side,” says Tsang, who was born in Hong Kong. “We have old Chinese myths. We believe in the afterlife. Churches exist side by side with temples. We are still trying to figure out how to tell our stories.”
As in the film, juxtapositions exist throughout the Taiwan film industry. Theatrical B.O. improved last year, but from a low 2022 base. Last year, Taiwan productions increased market share from 10% to nearly 16%, helping to lift the...
- 5/14/2024
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Cannes Critics’ Week, now in its 63rd year, is always an opportunity to explore uncharted work from new and emerging filmmakers — and away from the glitter and glitz of the Croisette, where the main competition bows. Recent Critics’ Week Grand Prize winners have included everything from “Tiger Stripes,” a Malaysian coming-of-age debut opening in stateside theaters later this month, to 2019’s honoree “I Lost My Body,” the animated favorite that went on to be nominated for an Oscar.
Coming up in the Special Screenings category of Critics’ Week, Alexis Langlois makes their feature directorial debut with “Queens of Drama,” a French pop/punk musical that brings a mid-aughts camp sensibility to Cannes this year. Below, IndieWire shares an exclusive clip for the film along with a first-look image. “Queens of Drama” premieres at Critics’ Week on Saturday, May 18, with Charades handling sales.
Per the synopsis, in 2005, Mimi Madamour, the young pop idol,...
Coming up in the Special Screenings category of Critics’ Week, Alexis Langlois makes their feature directorial debut with “Queens of Drama,” a French pop/punk musical that brings a mid-aughts camp sensibility to Cannes this year. Below, IndieWire shares an exclusive clip for the film along with a first-look image. “Queens of Drama” premieres at Critics’ Week on Saturday, May 18, with Charades handling sales.
Per the synopsis, in 2005, Mimi Madamour, the young pop idol,...
- 5/9/2024
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
First-time feature filmmaker Amanda Nell Eu takes on puberty for “Tiger Stripes,” the critically acclaimed feature that won the Grand Prize of Critics’ Week during the 2023 Cannes Film Festival.
Set in a rural Malaysian village, “Tiger Stripes” follows 12-year-old Zaffan (Zafreen Zairizal) as she discovers a terrifying secret about her body. Ostracized by her community, Zaffan fights back, learning that to be free she must embrace the body she feared, emerging as a proud, strong woman, all while trying to balance her mother (Jun Lojong) and father’s (Khairunazwan Rodzy) expectations.
The film is shot on phones and incorporates TikTok, with Jimmy Gimferrer serving as cinematographer. “Tiger Stripes” made history at Cannes 2023 by being the first feature from a Malaysian female director to play at the festival.
The IndieWire review called “Tiger Stripes” a “well-made, eminently watchable illustration of the ‘monster’ that so many young girls are told to see themselves as.
Set in a rural Malaysian village, “Tiger Stripes” follows 12-year-old Zaffan (Zafreen Zairizal) as she discovers a terrifying secret about her body. Ostracized by her community, Zaffan fights back, learning that to be free she must embrace the body she feared, emerging as a proud, strong woman, all while trying to balance her mother (Jun Lojong) and father’s (Khairunazwan Rodzy) expectations.
The film is shot on phones and incorporates TikTok, with Jimmy Gimferrer serving as cinematographer. “Tiger Stripes” made history at Cannes 2023 by being the first feature from a Malaysian female director to play at the festival.
The IndieWire review called “Tiger Stripes” a “well-made, eminently watchable illustration of the ‘monster’ that so many young girls are told to see themselves as.
- 5/9/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
In a celebration of talent and cinematic excellence, Kering and the Festival de Cannes have announced Malaysian director Amanda Nell Eu as the recipient of the prestigious 2024 Women In Motion Emerging Talent Award. This accolade, decided upon by Swiss director and 2023 awardee Carmen Jaquier, underscores the burgeoning influence of female directors in the film industry. The award, which includes a €50,000 grant, is designed to support the creation of the recipient’s next film project.
Women In Motion
The official presentation of the award is set to take place during the esteemed Women In Motion dinner in Cannes. Here, industry giants including Dame Donna Langley, Chairman of the NBCUniversal Studio Group and Chief Content Officer, will be present to celebrate the achievements of women in film. Both the Women In Motion Emerging Talent Award and the Women In Motion Award will be presented by François-Henri Pinault, Chairman and CEO of Kering,...
Women In Motion
The official presentation of the award is set to take place during the esteemed Women In Motion dinner in Cannes. Here, industry giants including Dame Donna Langley, Chairman of the NBCUniversal Studio Group and Chief Content Officer, will be present to celebrate the achievements of women in film. Both the Women In Motion Emerging Talent Award and the Women In Motion Award will be presented by François-Henri Pinault, Chairman and CEO of Kering,...
- 5/8/2024
- by Anna Green
- Martin Cid Magazine - Movies
Tiger Stripes, about a girl who turns into a jungle cat when her periods start, was chosen by Malaysia as its Oscar entry. But they wanted cuts. Amanda Nell Eu relives a ‘painful and comedic’ experience
The director Amanda Nell Eu has always been a bit of a rebel, she says over video chat from her home in Kuala Lumpur. “When I was a teenager, I was sometimes labelled a monster by my parents and teachers. I probably wasn’t the most obedient child.” Now Eu has turned the horrors of puberty into an actual horror movie. Tiger Stripes is her feature debut, a funny and political film with a whopping air punch of girl power. Set in a conservative Muslim school, it mixes body horror with Mean Girls energy and a sprinkle of Malaysian folklore.
Eu cast her trio of leading girls during lockdown, putting adverts on Instagram and...
The director Amanda Nell Eu has always been a bit of a rebel, she says over video chat from her home in Kuala Lumpur. “When I was a teenager, I was sometimes labelled a monster by my parents and teachers. I probably wasn’t the most obedient child.” Now Eu has turned the horrors of puberty into an actual horror movie. Tiger Stripes is her feature debut, a funny and political film with a whopping air punch of girl power. Set in a conservative Muslim school, it mixes body horror with Mean Girls energy and a sprinkle of Malaysian folklore.
Eu cast her trio of leading girls during lockdown, putting adverts on Instagram and...
- 5/7/2024
- by Cath Clarke
- The Guardian - Film News
Magnify, the International sales arm of Magnolia Pictures, has acquired global and U.S. sales rights to Taiwanese thriller “Pierce” from first-time feature filmmaker Nelicia Low. An official teaser has now been released for the title ahead of its sales launch at the upcoming Marche du Film in Cannes.
“Pierce” follows Jie, a young fencer reconnecting with his estranged older brother Han, who mysteriously returns after seven years in juvenile prison for killing an opponent during a fencing competition. Jie believes Han’s insistence that he is innocent and decides to help him, defying his mother’s efforts to erase Han from their lives. Han grows close to Jie in training him for the national championships, but his hostile past is triggered after an argument, leaving Jie to begin to question whether his beloved brother might be a violent sociopath after all.
The film stars Ding Ning (who won a...
“Pierce” follows Jie, a young fencer reconnecting with his estranged older brother Han, who mysteriously returns after seven years in juvenile prison for killing an opponent during a fencing competition. Jie believes Han’s insistence that he is innocent and decides to help him, defying his mother’s efforts to erase Han from their lives. Han grows close to Jie in training him for the national championships, but his hostile past is triggered after an argument, leaving Jie to begin to question whether his beloved brother might be a violent sociopath after all.
The film stars Ding Ning (who won a...
- 5/1/2024
- by Alex Ritman
- Variety Film + TV
The Cannes Critics’ Week, the parallel film festival sidebar organized by the French film critics’ union, has unveiled its 2024 selection.
The psychological thriller Ghost Trail, the first feature from acclaimed French shorts director Jonathan Millet, will open the 2024 sidebar. Adam Bessa (star of 2022’s Un Certain Regard winner Harka) plays the lead in the manhunt drama about a man pursuing his former torturer, using only his sensory memories to guide him.
The competition lineup includes Brazilian drama Baby from director Marcelo Caetano, a portrait of a young outsider growing up in São Paulo; Constance Tsang’s Blue Sun Palace, which looks at the lives of Chinese immigrants in Queens; and the Egyptian/French/Danish/Qatari/Saudi Arabian drama The Brink of Dreams about a group of girls from the disenfranchised Christian Copts who defy tradition and set up an all-female street theater troupe.
Baby
Other competition titles include Antoine Chevrollier’s Block Pass,...
The psychological thriller Ghost Trail, the first feature from acclaimed French shorts director Jonathan Millet, will open the 2024 sidebar. Adam Bessa (star of 2022’s Un Certain Regard winner Harka) plays the lead in the manhunt drama about a man pursuing his former torturer, using only his sensory memories to guide him.
The competition lineup includes Brazilian drama Baby from director Marcelo Caetano, a portrait of a young outsider growing up in São Paulo; Constance Tsang’s Blue Sun Palace, which looks at the lives of Chinese immigrants in Queens; and the Egyptian/French/Danish/Qatari/Saudi Arabian drama The Brink of Dreams about a group of girls from the disenfranchised Christian Copts who defy tradition and set up an all-female street theater troupe.
Baby
Other competition titles include Antoine Chevrollier’s Block Pass,...
- 4/15/2024
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Cannes Critics’ Week, spotlighting first and second features, has unveiled the competition and special screenings selection for its 63rd edition running May 15-23.
Scroll down for full list of titles
Artistic director Ava Cahen, now in her third year in the position, announced the selection of 11 features chosen from 1,050 films screened. Seven films will vie for four top prizes in competition, chosen by a jury led by Spanish filmmaker Rodrigo Sorogoyen. Nine are first films that will vie for the Camera d’Or and three are directed or co-directed by women.
The sidebar will open with French director Jonathan Millet...
Scroll down for full list of titles
Artistic director Ava Cahen, now in her third year in the position, announced the selection of 11 features chosen from 1,050 films screened. Seven films will vie for four top prizes in competition, chosen by a jury led by Spanish filmmaker Rodrigo Sorogoyen. Nine are first films that will vie for the Camera d’Or and three are directed or co-directed by women.
The sidebar will open with French director Jonathan Millet...
- 4/15/2024
- ScreenDaily
Cannes Critics’ Week championing work by emerging filmmakers has unveiled the line-up for its 63rd edition running from May 15 to 23.
The traditionally compact parallel selection will showcase 11 features, seven in competition, as well as 13 short films, selected from 1,050 features and 2,150 short films. (scroll down for full list)
The 2024 edition marks Artistic Director Ava Cahen’s third at the helm, with buzzy discoveries under her directorship to date including Tiger Stripes, The Rapture, Aftersun and Love According To Dalva.
Opening and closing films
French director Jonathan Millet’s psychological manhunt thriller Ghost Trail (Les Fantômes) will open the section. It marks his first feature after half a dozen shorts including Tell Me About The Stars.
Adam Bessa, who won the Un Certain Regard prize for his performance in Harka in 2022, stars as a man in pursuit of his former torturer. He never saw his oppressor’s face, but knows his smell,...
The traditionally compact parallel selection will showcase 11 features, seven in competition, as well as 13 short films, selected from 1,050 features and 2,150 short films. (scroll down for full list)
The 2024 edition marks Artistic Director Ava Cahen’s third at the helm, with buzzy discoveries under her directorship to date including Tiger Stripes, The Rapture, Aftersun and Love According To Dalva.
Opening and closing films
French director Jonathan Millet’s psychological manhunt thriller Ghost Trail (Les Fantômes) will open the section. It marks his first feature after half a dozen shorts including Tell Me About The Stars.
Adam Bessa, who won the Un Certain Regard prize for his performance in Harka in 2022, stars as a man in pursuit of his former torturer. He never saw his oppressor’s face, but knows his smell,...
- 4/15/2024
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Cannes’ Critics Week has rounded out the jury for its 63rd edition running running May 15-23.
The previously announced Spanish writer-director-producer Rodrigo Sorogoyen will preside over the festival’s parallel selection dedicated to first and second features alongside Rwandan actress Eliane Umuhire, French producer Sylvie Pialat, Belgian director of photography Virginie Surdej, and Canadian journalist and film critic Ben Croll.
Sorogoyen is known for psychological thriller The Beasts which premiered in the Cannes Premiere strand in 2022 and won nine Goya awards, plus 2019 drama Mother, 2018 Spanish-French thriller The Realm, 2016 crime thriller May God Save Us, 2013 romantic drama Stockholm, and 2008’s 8 Dates co-directed with Peris Romano.
The previously announced Spanish writer-director-producer Rodrigo Sorogoyen will preside over the festival’s parallel selection dedicated to first and second features alongside Rwandan actress Eliane Umuhire, French producer Sylvie Pialat, Belgian director of photography Virginie Surdej, and Canadian journalist and film critic Ben Croll.
Sorogoyen is known for psychological thriller The Beasts which premiered in the Cannes Premiere strand in 2022 and won nine Goya awards, plus 2019 drama Mother, 2018 Spanish-French thriller The Realm, 2016 crime thriller May God Save Us, 2013 romantic drama Stockholm, and 2008’s 8 Dates co-directed with Peris Romano.
- 4/10/2024
- ScreenDaily
Rwandan actress Eliane Umuhire (“Augure by Baloji,” “My New Friends”), French producer Sylvie Pialat (“Timbuktu,” “Staying Vertical”), Belgian cinematographer Virginie Surdej and Canadian film critic, journalist and frequent Variety contributor Ben Croll have been named on the jury for the Critics’ Week section of the Cannes Film Festival.
The four will now join Spanish filmmaker Rodrigo Sorogoyen, who last week was named Critics’ Week jury president, with the group set to choose the sidebar competition’s award winners, including the Grand Prize for best feature film, the French Touch Prize of the Jury, the Louis Roederer Foundation Rising Star award for best actor or actress and the Leitz Ciné Discovery Prize for best short film.
The 2024 Critics Week lineup is set to be unveiled on April 15, four days after the Cannes official selection is announced on April 11.
Last year, Venice Golden Lion-winning “Happening” director Audrey Diwan presided over a Critics...
The four will now join Spanish filmmaker Rodrigo Sorogoyen, who last week was named Critics’ Week jury president, with the group set to choose the sidebar competition’s award winners, including the Grand Prize for best feature film, the French Touch Prize of the Jury, the Louis Roederer Foundation Rising Star award for best actor or actress and the Leitz Ciné Discovery Prize for best short film.
The 2024 Critics Week lineup is set to be unveiled on April 15, four days after the Cannes official selection is announced on April 11.
Last year, Venice Golden Lion-winning “Happening” director Audrey Diwan presided over a Critics...
- 4/10/2024
- by Alex Ritman
- Variety Film + TV
Spanish director Rodrigo Sorogoyen (Stockholm, The Realm, Madre, The Beasts), who was nominated for the best international film honor at Italy’s David Di Donatello Awards, has been named jury president of this year’s Cannes Critics’ Week, the festival sidebar run by the French film critics union that focuses on first and second features from up-and-coming directors.
In a social media clip shared Friday, Sorogoyen called the jury duty “a great responsibility.”
Rodrigo Sorogoyen sera le Président du Jury de la 63e Semaine de la Critique ! À cette occasion, le réalisateur de "Que Dios nos perdone", "El Reino" ou encore "As Bestas" a un message pour vous.
#sdlc2024 #rodrigosorogoyen #Cannes2024 @semainecannes pic.twitter.com/XOBeKDGmhp
— AlloCiné (@allocine) April 5, 2024
Originally set up by an association of French film critics in 1962, Critics’ Week is the oldest nonofficial Cannes sidebar. The section is credited with discovering some of the biggest names in independent and art house cinema,...
In a social media clip shared Friday, Sorogoyen called the jury duty “a great responsibility.”
Rodrigo Sorogoyen sera le Président du Jury de la 63e Semaine de la Critique ! À cette occasion, le réalisateur de "Que Dios nos perdone", "El Reino" ou encore "As Bestas" a un message pour vous.
#sdlc2024 #rodrigosorogoyen #Cannes2024 @semainecannes pic.twitter.com/XOBeKDGmhp
— AlloCiné (@allocine) April 5, 2024
Originally set up by an association of French film critics in 1962, Critics’ Week is the oldest nonofficial Cannes sidebar. The section is credited with discovering some of the biggest names in independent and art house cinema,...
- 4/5/2024
- by Scott Roxborough and Georg Szalai
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Spanish writer-director-producer Rodrigo Sorogoyen has been named President of the Jury of the 63rd edition of Cannes’ Critics’ Week, the festival’s parallel selection dedicated to first and second features running May 15-23.
Watch Sorogoyen announce the news below.
Sorogoyen praised Critics’ Week for providing “vital support to cinema, new voices, and new ways to tell stories” and that without such voices, “there would be no new cinema. They’re the ones that make it live and make it work.”
He said his role as jury president is “a big responsibility which I look forward to.”
The multiple Goya award-winning...
Watch Sorogoyen announce the news below.
Sorogoyen praised Critics’ Week for providing “vital support to cinema, new voices, and new ways to tell stories” and that without such voices, “there would be no new cinema. They’re the ones that make it live and make it work.”
He said his role as jury president is “a big responsibility which I look forward to.”
The multiple Goya award-winning...
- 4/5/2024
- ScreenDaily
Last year’s edition of Critics’ Week featured the likes of Ama Gloria, Tiger Stripes and Iris Kaltenbäck’s Le Ravissement — which would become the section’s identifier for the 63rd edition with actress Hafsia Herzi giving us the side-eye. Currently in year three of her mandate, Critics’ Week topper Ava Cahen will likely once again select first-time features only for the competition and will give extra visibility to French cinema with Special Screenings selections to popular industry figures (and France co-productions) perhaps a Céline Sallette’s Niki or a revisit of Jesse Eisenberg with A Real Pain. We don’t know when they’ll unveil the selections but it should be more or less around the second week of April.…...
- 3/25/2024
- by Eric Lavallée
- IONCINEMA.com
Censoring Streamers
Malaysia’s Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail has said that he plans to hold meetings with the Communications Ministry with a view to extending the remit of the country’s Film Censorship Board (Lpf) to video streamers. Currently, the Lpf has jurisdiction over theatrical releases, but not content carried on the internet.
Malaysia has been notable in demanding cuts – sometimes refused by rights holders – to imported and local films, especially where they touch on religion or homosexuality, even tangentially. Hollywood films “Thor” and “Lightyear” were both banned. Last year, local director Amanda Nell Eu denounced the censored cut of her prize-winning film “Tiger Stripes.”
Speaking in parliament, Saifuddin said “the Lpf will not approve the screening of any films that promote LGBTQ, communism, Islamophobia, and those conflicting Islamic beliefs.”
VFX Investment
Japanese broadcaster TBS Holdings has announced “a significant capital investment” in Megalis a Tokyo-based VFX production company...
Malaysia’s Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail has said that he plans to hold meetings with the Communications Ministry with a view to extending the remit of the country’s Film Censorship Board (Lpf) to video streamers. Currently, the Lpf has jurisdiction over theatrical releases, but not content carried on the internet.
Malaysia has been notable in demanding cuts – sometimes refused by rights holders – to imported and local films, especially where they touch on religion or homosexuality, even tangentially. Hollywood films “Thor” and “Lightyear” were both banned. Last year, local director Amanda Nell Eu denounced the censored cut of her prize-winning film “Tiger Stripes.”
Speaking in parliament, Saifuddin said “the Lpf will not approve the screening of any films that promote LGBTQ, communism, Islamophobia, and those conflicting Islamic beliefs.”
VFX Investment
Japanese broadcaster TBS Holdings has announced “a significant capital investment” in Megalis a Tokyo-based VFX production company...
- 3/22/2024
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Oscar winner Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s formalist arthouse drama Evil Does Not Exist won the best film prize Sunday night at the Asia Film Awards in Hong Kong.
The Japanese film industry had a big night overall at the 17th edition of the awards ceremony, which was hosted this year in Hong Kong’s gleaming new Xiqu Centre, part of the city’s $2.7 billion West Kowloon Cultural District development. Japanese festival favorite Hirokazu Kore-eda won best director for his mystery drama Monster, while the great Koji Yakusho took best actor for Wim Wender’s moving minimalist drama Perfect Days. Hamaguchi’s chief collaborator on Evil Does Not Exist, Eiko Ishibashi, won best music and the Kaiju critical and commercial sensation Godzilla Minus One claimed both best visual effects and best sound.
In many ways, it was Zhang Yimou’s night, however. The venerated Chinese director took the stage twice, once to...
The Japanese film industry had a big night overall at the 17th edition of the awards ceremony, which was hosted this year in Hong Kong’s gleaming new Xiqu Centre, part of the city’s $2.7 billion West Kowloon Cultural District development. Japanese festival favorite Hirokazu Kore-eda won best director for his mystery drama Monster, while the great Koji Yakusho took best actor for Wim Wender’s moving minimalist drama Perfect Days. Hamaguchi’s chief collaborator on Evil Does Not Exist, Eiko Ishibashi, won best music and the Kaiju critical and commercial sensation Godzilla Minus One claimed both best visual effects and best sound.
In many ways, it was Zhang Yimou’s night, however. The venerated Chinese director took the stage twice, once to...
- 3/10/2024
- by Patrick Brzeski
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Hamaguchi Ryusuke’s “Evil Does Not Exist,” was Sunday evening named as the best picture at the Asian Film Awards.
The 17th edition of the prizes was held at the Xiqu Centre, part of the West Kowloon Cultural District in Hong Kong.
While “Evil Does Not Exist” and Korean blockbuster “12.12: The Day” had dominated the nominations with six each, including those in the best film category, the prizes on Sunday were much more evenly distributed. No title collected more than two prizes.
Outside, crowds failed to be muted by the March drizzle, though VIP guests were given escorts with purple umbrellas.
Filmmaker and industry attendance was also robust. Those spotted on the red carpet and pre-event cocktails included: Lee Yong Kwan (former chair of the Busan film festival), Tom Yoda, Udine festival heads Sabrina Baracetti and Thomas Bertacche, Anthony Chen, Stanley Kwan, Rina Damayanti, Hong Kong distributor Winnie Tsang,...
The 17th edition of the prizes was held at the Xiqu Centre, part of the West Kowloon Cultural District in Hong Kong.
While “Evil Does Not Exist” and Korean blockbuster “12.12: The Day” had dominated the nominations with six each, including those in the best film category, the prizes on Sunday were much more evenly distributed. No title collected more than two prizes.
Outside, crowds failed to be muted by the March drizzle, though VIP guests were given escorts with purple umbrellas.
Filmmaker and industry attendance was also robust. Those spotted on the red carpet and pre-event cocktails included: Lee Yong Kwan (former chair of the Busan film festival), Tom Yoda, Udine festival heads Sabrina Baracetti and Thomas Bertacche, Anthony Chen, Stanley Kwan, Rina Damayanti, Hong Kong distributor Winnie Tsang,...
- 3/10/2024
- by Patrick Frater and Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Variety Awards Circuit section is the home for all awards news and related content throughout the year, featuring the following: the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars, Emmys, Grammys and Tony Awards ceremonies, curated by Variety senior awards editor Clayton Davis. The prediction pages reflect the current standings in the race and do not reflect personal preferences for any individual contender. As other formal (and informal) polls suggest, competitions are fluid and subject to change based on buzz and events. Predictions are updated every Thursday.
Visit the prediction pages for the respective ceremonies via the links below:
Oscars | Emmys | Grammys | Tonys
2024 Oscars Predictions:
Best International Feature Wim Wenders’ ‘Perfect Days’
Weekly Commentary: The United Kingdom is poised to win its first Academy Award with Jonathan Glazer’s “The Zone of Interest” and what a deserved win it will be.
But while I have the floor: it’s time for the...
Visit the prediction pages for the respective ceremonies via the links below:
Oscars | Emmys | Grammys | Tonys
2024 Oscars Predictions:
Best International Feature Wim Wenders’ ‘Perfect Days’
Weekly Commentary: The United Kingdom is poised to win its first Academy Award with Jonathan Glazer’s “The Zone of Interest” and what a deserved win it will be.
But while I have the floor: it’s time for the...
- 3/7/2024
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
Gordon Main’s apartheid-era documentary “London Recruits” has been tapped as the opening film at the sixth Joburg Film Festival, which takes place Feb. 27 – March 3 in Johannesburg, South Africa.
The film sheds light on a pivotal moment in South Africa‘s history, when the struggle against the apartheid government in South Africa developed a new secret weapon. Oliver Tambo hatched a plan to infiltrate young British activists into the country, posing as tourists. Their mission, in the face of brutal lockdown by the racist regime, was to help inspire ordinary South Africans to join a liberation movement that would never give up till freedom was won.
The film is produced by Jacintha de Nobrega (“Deep End”), Robyn Slovo, Geoff Arbourne, Colin Charles (“The Surveyor”), James Barrett (“A Change in the Weather”) and Felix Gill (“78/52″). As Variety previously reported, XYZ Films is repping the doc’s North American sales.
Earlier this week,...
The film sheds light on a pivotal moment in South Africa‘s history, when the struggle against the apartheid government in South Africa developed a new secret weapon. Oliver Tambo hatched a plan to infiltrate young British activists into the country, posing as tourists. Their mission, in the face of brutal lockdown by the racist regime, was to help inspire ordinary South Africans to join a liberation movement that would never give up till freedom was won.
The film is produced by Jacintha de Nobrega (“Deep End”), Robyn Slovo, Geoff Arbourne, Colin Charles (“The Surveyor”), James Barrett (“A Change in the Weather”) and Felix Gill (“78/52″). As Variety previously reported, XYZ Films is repping the doc’s North American sales.
Earlier this week,...
- 2/14/2024
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
Closing this year’s International Film Festival Rotterdam, M. Raihan Halim’s “La Luna” pushes the boundaries of Malay-language comedy by chronicling the changes brought by the opening of a lingerie shop in a conservative rural community in Malaysia.
Titled after the eponymous shop, the film follows a rebellious woman who opens the lingerie parlour not only to teach local women about their sexuality but also to provide a haven for those who might be struggling under the hands of controlling — and often violent — husbands and fathers. Despite the prodding of such complicated political and religious issues, “La Luna” still plays as a classic uplifting comedy about the importance of community.
The film is based on a true story about a lingerie shop that burned down in Qatar’s capital of Doha, but Halim tells Variety he knew he had to set the film in an environment he was familiar with.
Titled after the eponymous shop, the film follows a rebellious woman who opens the lingerie parlour not only to teach local women about their sexuality but also to provide a haven for those who might be struggling under the hands of controlling — and often violent — husbands and fathers. Despite the prodding of such complicated political and religious issues, “La Luna” still plays as a classic uplifting comedy about the importance of community.
The film is based on a true story about a lingerie shop that burned down in Qatar’s capital of Doha, but Halim tells Variety he knew he had to set the film in an environment he was familiar with.
- 2/3/2024
- by Rafa Sales Ross
- Variety Film + TV
Tamara Tatishvili is going full steam into her first edition of the International Film Festival Rotterdam, which runs Jan. 25 – Feb. 4, following her appointment as the head of the festival’s funding arm, the Hubert Bals Fund. She started full-time in early January.
“I will use the festival to connect to professionals outside of IFFR, hosting informal think tank meetings with industry professionals, producers and sales agents within a close environment to see what their observations and ideas are, and how this could feed into the future thinking strategies of Hubert Bals Fund,” she tells Variety.
She went on to emphasize the importance of festivals from a funder’s point of view. “Festivals are key platforms to connect the stories funds help create to audiences. Audience engagement is a key topic. Funders and producers believe films need to be made to reach audiences. It’s how you create impact and how...
“I will use the festival to connect to professionals outside of IFFR, hosting informal think tank meetings with industry professionals, producers and sales agents within a close environment to see what their observations and ideas are, and how this could feed into the future thinking strategies of Hubert Bals Fund,” she tells Variety.
She went on to emphasize the importance of festivals from a funder’s point of view. “Festivals are key platforms to connect the stories funds help create to audiences. Audience engagement is a key topic. Funders and producers believe films need to be made to reach audiences. It’s how you create impact and how...
- 1/25/2024
- by Rafa Sales Ross
- Variety Film + TV
More than 100 Taiwanese filmmakers have issued a joint statement, expressing their concerns about recent proposed changes to an international funding scheme by the Taiwan Creative Content Agency (Taicca).
Headlined ‘Worried about Taicca tarnishing the international image of Taiwan’, local film and TV professionals who have signed the statement include actor Lee Kang-Sheng, producer-editor Liao Ching-Sung, producer Patrick Mao Huang, sound designer Tu Duu-Chih and music composer Lim Giong.
Earlier this month, it was announced that the Taiwan International Co-funding Program (Ticp), which has backed award-winning titles such as Tiger Stripes, would shift its focus to more mainstream projects as part...
Headlined ‘Worried about Taicca tarnishing the international image of Taiwan’, local film and TV professionals who have signed the statement include actor Lee Kang-Sheng, producer-editor Liao Ching-Sung, producer Patrick Mao Huang, sound designer Tu Duu-Chih and music composer Lim Giong.
Earlier this month, it was announced that the Taiwan International Co-funding Program (Ticp), which has backed award-winning titles such as Tiger Stripes, would shift its focus to more mainstream projects as part...
- 1/22/2024
- ScreenDaily
A total of 35 films from 24 countries and regions have been shortlisted to compete for 16 awards at this year's Asian Film Awards.
Renowned Japanese director Kurosawa Kiyoshi will serve as the Jury President for this year's Awards. As the first Japanese director to hold this position, Kurosawa Kiyoshi is deeply honored. He will lead the Jury and over 200 Voting Members in selecting the winners for this year's Asian Film Awards.
The winners of other Afa awards, including the Lifetime Achievement Award, Excellence in Asian Cinema Award, Afa Next Generation Award, and Rising Star Award, will be announced later.
The 17th Asian Film Awards Nomination List
Best Film
12.12: The Day (South Korea)
Evil Does Not Exist (Japan)
Paradise
Perfect Days (Japan)
Snow Leopard (Mainland China)
Best Director
Kim Sung-soo | 12.12: The Day (South Korea)
Gu Xiaogang | Dwelling by the West Lake (Mainland China)
Hamaguchi Ryusuke | Evil Does Not Exist (Japan)
Kore-eda Hirokazu...
Renowned Japanese director Kurosawa Kiyoshi will serve as the Jury President for this year's Awards. As the first Japanese director to hold this position, Kurosawa Kiyoshi is deeply honored. He will lead the Jury and over 200 Voting Members in selecting the winners for this year's Asian Film Awards.
The winners of other Afa awards, including the Lifetime Achievement Award, Excellence in Asian Cinema Award, Afa Next Generation Award, and Rising Star Award, will be announced later.
The 17th Asian Film Awards Nomination List
Best Film
12.12: The Day (South Korea)
Evil Does Not Exist (Japan)
Paradise
Perfect Days (Japan)
Snow Leopard (Mainland China)
Best Director
Kim Sung-soo | 12.12: The Day (South Korea)
Gu Xiaogang | Dwelling by the West Lake (Mainland China)
Hamaguchi Ryusuke | Evil Does Not Exist (Japan)
Kore-eda Hirokazu...
- 1/12/2024
- by Adriana Rosati
- AsianMoviePulse
‘Snow Leopard’, ‘Paradise’, ‘The Goldfinger’ and ‘Godzilla Minus One’ also land multiple nods.
South Korean box office hit 12.12: The Day and Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Evil Does Not Exist lead the nominations for the 17th Asian Film Awards, with six nods each including best film.
Also up for best film is Prasanna Vithanage’s Paradise from Sri Lanka-India, Wim Wenders Perfect Days from Japan and Chinese feature Snow Leopard by the late Pema Tseden.
Scroll down for full list of nominations
The winners will be announced at a ceremony in Hong Kong on March 10 and will be decided by a...
South Korean box office hit 12.12: The Day and Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Evil Does Not Exist lead the nominations for the 17th Asian Film Awards, with six nods each including best film.
Also up for best film is Prasanna Vithanage’s Paradise from Sri Lanka-India, Wim Wenders Perfect Days from Japan and Chinese feature Snow Leopard by the late Pema Tseden.
Scroll down for full list of nominations
The winners will be announced at a ceremony in Hong Kong on March 10 and will be decided by a...
- 1/12/2024
- by Michael Rosser
- ScreenDaily
Japanese filmmaker Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s latest feature, Evil Does Not Exist, and the period action pic 12.12: The Day, from Korea, lead the nominations at this year’s Asian Film Awards.
Both films received six nominations, including Best Film and Best Director. Directed by Kim Sung-soo, whose credits include Asura: The City Of Madness and The Flu, 12.12: The Day is set against the backdrop of the real-life military coup of 1979, which resulted in an eight-year military junta in South Korea. The cast includes Hwang Jung-min (The Wailing), Jung Woo-sung (Asura: The City Of Madness), and Lee Sung-min (The Spy Gone North). Released on November 22, the film sailed past the 12 million admissions mark at the Korean box office over the Christmas holiday period, becoming the highest-grossing film of 2023 in the market.
Hamaguchi’s Evil Does Not Exist — which debuted out of Venice — follows Takumi and his daughter Hana, who live...
Both films received six nominations, including Best Film and Best Director. Directed by Kim Sung-soo, whose credits include Asura: The City Of Madness and The Flu, 12.12: The Day is set against the backdrop of the real-life military coup of 1979, which resulted in an eight-year military junta in South Korea. The cast includes Hwang Jung-min (The Wailing), Jung Woo-sung (Asura: The City Of Madness), and Lee Sung-min (The Spy Gone North). Released on November 22, the film sailed past the 12 million admissions mark at the Korean box office over the Christmas holiday period, becoming the highest-grossing film of 2023 in the market.
Hamaguchi’s Evil Does Not Exist — which debuted out of Venice — follows Takumi and his daughter Hana, who live...
- 1/12/2024
- by Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
Welcome to Deadline’s International Disruptors, a feature where we’ll shine a spotlight on key executives and companies outside of the U.S. shaking up the offshore marketplace. This week, we’re talking to Reno Studios, a digital studio launched in Taipei in 2017, initially handling VFX for Taiwanese films, and now also bringing work from international clients including Netflix, EuropaCorp, Saudi-owned Mbc Group and India’s Zee to Taiwan. Deadline sat down with co-founders Peter Huang and Tomi Kuo, and Executive Producer/Senior VFX Supervisor Christopher Chen, to talk about how the company has grown, their future plans, and why Taiwan is an ideal destination for VFX and Virtual Production.
Despite being known internationally for its semiconductor and computer hardware industries, Taiwan is not the first destination that springs to mind in the Asia Pacific when it comes to VFX and digital production. Australia and New Zealand have traditionally...
Despite being known internationally for its semiconductor and computer hardware industries, Taiwan is not the first destination that springs to mind in the Asia Pacific when it comes to VFX and digital production. Australia and New Zealand have traditionally...
- 1/11/2024
- by Liz Shackleton
- Deadline Film + TV
Sophia Bosch’s debut feature is a dystopian folklore drama.
LevelK has boarded sales rights on Sophia Bosch’s dystopian folklore drama Milk Teeth, ahead of the film’s world premiere at International Film Festival Rotterdam.
The film will play in the Big Screen Competition ; it is the debut feature of Swiss filmmaker Bosch.
Set in an isolated rural community, Milk Teeth follows a woman who has gained the respect of the community despite being born to an ‘outsider’ mother; but that respect is put at risk when the woman finds a mysterious girl in the local woods.
Bosch says...
LevelK has boarded sales rights on Sophia Bosch’s dystopian folklore drama Milk Teeth, ahead of the film’s world premiere at International Film Festival Rotterdam.
The film will play in the Big Screen Competition ; it is the debut feature of Swiss filmmaker Bosch.
Set in an isolated rural community, Milk Teeth follows a woman who has gained the respect of the community despite being born to an ‘outsider’ mother; but that respect is put at risk when the woman finds a mysterious girl in the local woods.
Bosch says...
- 1/9/2024
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
The Ticp has previously funded titles including Cannes award-winner ‘Tiger Stripes’ and ‘The Settlers’.
A Taiwanese international funding scheme that backed Cannes award-winners Tiger Stripes and The Settlers looks set to shift its focus to more mainstream projects as part of a rethink of the programme.
The Taiwan International Co-funding Program (Ticp) was launched in January 2021 by the Taiwan Creative Content Agency (Taicca) and offered international features, TV series, animation and documentaries up to 30% of a production budget with a cap of $300,000.
However, three years into the scheme, its strategy is being revised to encompass more commercial titles, include more...
A Taiwanese international funding scheme that backed Cannes award-winners Tiger Stripes and The Settlers looks set to shift its focus to more mainstream projects as part of a rethink of the programme.
The Taiwan International Co-funding Program (Ticp) was launched in January 2021 by the Taiwan Creative Content Agency (Taicca) and offered international features, TV series, animation and documentaries up to 30% of a production budget with a cap of $300,000.
However, three years into the scheme, its strategy is being revised to encompass more commercial titles, include more...
- 1/5/2024
- by Gabriella Geisinger
- ScreenDaily
Taiwan’s government has suspended its Taiwan International Co-funding Program (Ticp) in a move that appears to signal a change in direction towards more mainstream projects.
The decision has prompted concern among Taiwan’s production community, as the fund was being accessed to set up a wide range of international co-production projects, many of which have secured slots at top international film festivals including Berlin, Venice and Cannes.
When contacted by Deadline, Taiwan Creative Content Agency (Taicca), which manages the fund, offered the following statement:
“To enhance international joint funding and co-production opportunities and to meet the demands of international investments, Taicca has undertaken discussions to revise and optimize the investment initiatives based on the experience of Taiwan’s International Co-funding Program (Ticp). This strategic move aims to attract a broader spectrum of large-scale investment projects, fostering more collaborations between Taiwan and the global community.”
Launched in January 2021, Ticp provides...
The decision has prompted concern among Taiwan’s production community, as the fund was being accessed to set up a wide range of international co-production projects, many of which have secured slots at top international film festivals including Berlin, Venice and Cannes.
When contacted by Deadline, Taiwan Creative Content Agency (Taicca), which manages the fund, offered the following statement:
“To enhance international joint funding and co-production opportunities and to meet the demands of international investments, Taicca has undertaken discussions to revise and optimize the investment initiatives based on the experience of Taiwan’s International Co-funding Program (Ticp). This strategic move aims to attract a broader spectrum of large-scale investment projects, fostering more collaborations between Taiwan and the global community.”
Launched in January 2021, Ticp provides...
- 1/5/2024
- by Liz Shackleton
- Deadline Film + TV
As we have mentioned many times the past few years, it seems that the future of Asian cinema lies somewhere among the Asean countries, with the filmmakers from the particular region having both the inspiration and the command of the medium to present new things, both in terms of stories and cinematic approach. Malaysia in particular seems to have one of its greatest years in that regard, with the huge success of “Tiger Stripes” being the tip of the iceberg. Indonesian audience seems to have returned to cinemas even more massively than before the pandemic, the Filipino film industry is also experiencing a boom in the last few years, particularly in amount of titles, while the rest of the countries in the region are following close by, mostly through approaches that combine genre with art-house filmmaking.
Without further ado, here are 30 movies that highlighted all the aforementioned in 2023, in reverse order,...
Without further ado, here are 30 movies that highlighted all the aforementioned in 2023, in reverse order,...
- 12/24/2023
- by AMP Group
- AsianMoviePulse
Denmark
The Promised Land
Mads Mikkelsen stars in this Nordic Western as a low-born military man determined to tame the wild Jutland heath, whatever the costs. Touching on themes of class, racism and labor exploitation, it’s an old-fashioned period romp with stunning set pieces, plenty of romance and a satisfying villain in Simon Bennebjerg’s scene-chewing aristocrat Frederik De Schinkel.
Finland
Fallen Leaves
In his first film in six years, Aki Kaurismäki serves up a slender but deeply satisfying slice of blue-collar romance. Jussi Vatanen and Alma Pöysti star as lonely souls yearning for love, kept apart by a series of obstacles both tragic and farcical. Touching, with plenty of laugh-out-loud moments, this Finnish gem might be the little awards contender that could.
Malaysia
Tiger Stripes
Amanda Nell Eu’s subversive story about a girl confronting the horrors of puberty could become Malaysia’s first-ever Oscar nominee. The film...
The Promised Land
Mads Mikkelsen stars in this Nordic Western as a low-born military man determined to tame the wild Jutland heath, whatever the costs. Touching on themes of class, racism and labor exploitation, it’s an old-fashioned period romp with stunning set pieces, plenty of romance and a satisfying villain in Simon Bennebjerg’s scene-chewing aristocrat Frederik De Schinkel.
Finland
Fallen Leaves
In his first film in six years, Aki Kaurismäki serves up a slender but deeply satisfying slice of blue-collar romance. Jussi Vatanen and Alma Pöysti star as lonely souls yearning for love, kept apart by a series of obstacles both tragic and farcical. Touching, with plenty of laugh-out-loud moments, this Finnish gem might be the little awards contender that could.
Malaysia
Tiger Stripes
Amanda Nell Eu’s subversive story about a girl confronting the horrors of puberty could become Malaysia’s first-ever Oscar nominee. The film...
- 12/11/2023
- by Patrick Brzeski, Alex Ritman and Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The third Red Sea International Film Festival in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia put a spotlight on movies from the Middle East and North Africa region.
It also presented an opportunity to bring together six filmmakers with strong cinematic voices for the first-ever Hollywood Reporter roundtable at the fest, in partnership with Neom.
Among those participating in the roundtable were two past Oscar nominees and four hopefuls for the 2024 best international feature Oscar.
Representing Saudi Arabia was Ali Alkalthami, whose Mandoob, a satirical drama exploring the class divide, screened in the Red Sea festival’s competition. Tunisia’s Kaouther Ben Hania, an Oscar nominee in 2021 for The Man Who Sold His Skin, brought Four Daughters, an experimental documentary-drama hybrid in which professional actors re-enact a family’s devastating experience of loss and that won the doc award in Cannes, to the fest’s Arab Spectacular lineup. It is also Tunisia’s submission...
It also presented an opportunity to bring together six filmmakers with strong cinematic voices for the first-ever Hollywood Reporter roundtable at the fest, in partnership with Neom.
Among those participating in the roundtable were two past Oscar nominees and four hopefuls for the 2024 best international feature Oscar.
Representing Saudi Arabia was Ali Alkalthami, whose Mandoob, a satirical drama exploring the class divide, screened in the Red Sea festival’s competition. Tunisia’s Kaouther Ben Hania, an Oscar nominee in 2021 for The Man Who Sold His Skin, brought Four Daughters, an experimental documentary-drama hybrid in which professional actors re-enact a family’s devastating experience of loss and that won the doc award in Cannes, to the fest’s Arab Spectacular lineup. It is also Tunisia’s submission...
- 12/11/2023
- by Georg Szalai
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Every year since its creation in 1956, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) invites the film industries of various countries to submit their best film for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film. The category was previously called the Best Foreign Language Film, but this was changed in April 2019 to Best International Feature Film, after the Academy deemed the word “Foreign” to be outdated.
The award is presented annually by the Academy to a feature-length motion picture produced outside the United States that contains primarily non-English dialogue. For the 96th Academy Awards, the submitted motion pictures must be first released theatrically in their respective countries between December 1, 2022, and October 31, 2023. The deadline for submissions to the Academy was October 2, 2023, and 92 countries submitted a film. The 15-film shortlist will be announced on December 21, 2023, followed by the official nominations on January 23, 2024.
Here are this edition's Asian Submissions for Best International Feature Film.
The award is presented annually by the Academy to a feature-length motion picture produced outside the United States that contains primarily non-English dialogue. For the 96th Academy Awards, the submitted motion pictures must be first released theatrically in their respective countries between December 1, 2022, and October 31, 2023. The deadline for submissions to the Academy was October 2, 2023, and 92 countries submitted a film. The 15-film shortlist will be announced on December 21, 2023, followed by the official nominations on January 23, 2024.
Here are this edition's Asian Submissions for Best International Feature Film.
- 12/11/2023
- by Adriana Rosati
- AsianMoviePulse
Indian film project “Notun Gur – A New Sweetness” has attracted a host of international co-producers.
Fran Borgia of Akanga Film Asia, Singapore, Camera d’Or winner Vimukthi Jayasundara of Film Council Productions, Sri Lanka, Ivy Yu-Hua Shen of Betula Films, Taiwan and Ajay Rai of In Front Films, U.K. have boarded the project as international co-producers.
The script is by Deyali Mukherjee, who will also direct. The producer is Sriram Raja of India’s Srdm Productions. Indian producers on board include Prateek Chakravorty of Pramod Films and Samir Sarkar of Magic Hour Films. The film is currently in the financing stage.
Raja was selected at the Asian Producers Network (Apn), an initiative of the Singapore International Film Festival (Sgiff) Film Academy, as an emerging producer. The mentors are Borgia, Lorna Tee and Park Heeseong of the Korean Film Council (Kofic).
“This is an exclusive program for independent producers who...
Fran Borgia of Akanga Film Asia, Singapore, Camera d’Or winner Vimukthi Jayasundara of Film Council Productions, Sri Lanka, Ivy Yu-Hua Shen of Betula Films, Taiwan and Ajay Rai of In Front Films, U.K. have boarded the project as international co-producers.
The script is by Deyali Mukherjee, who will also direct. The producer is Sriram Raja of India’s Srdm Productions. Indian producers on board include Prateek Chakravorty of Pramod Films and Samir Sarkar of Magic Hour Films. The film is currently in the financing stage.
Raja was selected at the Asian Producers Network (Apn), an initiative of the Singapore International Film Festival (Sgiff) Film Academy, as an emerging producer. The mentors are Borgia, Lorna Tee and Park Heeseong of the Korean Film Council (Kofic).
“This is an exclusive program for independent producers who...
- 12/10/2023
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
With her debut feature “Tiger Stripes,” Malaysian writer-director Amanda Nell Eu joins an exciting group of directors who provide subversive takes on genre and body horror. Julia Ducournau and “Raw” comes to mind, as do Agnieszka Smoczynska and “The Lure” and John Fawcett and “Ginger Snaps” — like David Cronenberg before them.
Eu, an Ma graduate of the London Film School, blends Malaysian folklore with heightened realism and a large dollop of “Mean Girls” in the story of a tween going through changes wrought by puberty and alterations in her friendship group. World premiering at the Cannes Critics Week, it came away with the Grand Jury Prize for best feature and has been collecting additional kudos ever since. It represents Malaysia in the Oscar international feature competition.
Bold 12-year-old Zaffan (Zafreen Zairizal) is the natural leader among her group of gal pals, all currently seniors at their religious primary school. She...
Eu, an Ma graduate of the London Film School, blends Malaysian folklore with heightened realism and a large dollop of “Mean Girls” in the story of a tween going through changes wrought by puberty and alterations in her friendship group. World premiering at the Cannes Critics Week, it came away with the Grand Jury Prize for best feature and has been collecting additional kudos ever since. It represents Malaysia in the Oscar international feature competition.
Bold 12-year-old Zaffan (Zafreen Zairizal) is the natural leader among her group of gal pals, all currently seniors at their religious primary school. She...
- 12/9/2023
- by Alissa Simon
- Variety Film + TV
Shortlist of 15 films to be announced December 21, nominations out on January 23, 2024.
The Academy has announced eligible features in the categories of international feature film, animation, and documentary for the 96th Academy Awards on March 10, 2024.
The shortlist of 15 films will be announced on December 21, and the nominations announcement is January 23, 2024.
International
Eighty-eight countries or regions have submitted films eligible for consideration in the international feature film category. An international feature film is defined as a feature-length motion picture (more than 40 minutes long) produced outside the US with a predominantly (more than 50%) non-English dialogue track. Namibia is a first-time entrant.
Academy members...
The Academy has announced eligible features in the categories of international feature film, animation, and documentary for the 96th Academy Awards on March 10, 2024.
The shortlist of 15 films will be announced on December 21, and the nominations announcement is January 23, 2024.
International
Eighty-eight countries or regions have submitted films eligible for consideration in the international feature film category. An international feature film is defined as a feature-length motion picture (more than 40 minutes long) produced outside the US with a predominantly (more than 50%) non-English dialogue track. Namibia is a first-time entrant.
Academy members...
- 12/7/2023
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
“I told myself that I had to stand up for my work,” says Amanda Nell Eu
Malaysian filmmaker Amanda Nell Eu says she was ‘terrified’ about speaking out to disown a censored version of her feature Tiger Stripes that was released in her home country.
Censors cut key scenes from Tiger Stripes, which won the Grand Prize in Critics’ Week at Cannes and is Malaysia’s Oscar entry. It prompted Eu to release a public statement in October against the cuts.
Speaking to Screen about her decision to speak out, Eu said: “I told myself that I had to stand up for my work.
Malaysian filmmaker Amanda Nell Eu says she was ‘terrified’ about speaking out to disown a censored version of her feature Tiger Stripes that was released in her home country.
Censors cut key scenes from Tiger Stripes, which won the Grand Prize in Critics’ Week at Cannes and is Malaysia’s Oscar entry. It prompted Eu to release a public statement in October against the cuts.
Speaking to Screen about her decision to speak out, Eu said: “I told myself that I had to stand up for my work.
- 12/6/2023
- by Tim Dams
- ScreenDaily
Singapore is launching a new fund to support international coproduction of TV series. It will also expand government investment into virtual production (VP).
The two moves were announced on Wednesday by senior minister of state for communications and information Tan Kiat How at the opening ceremony of the Asia Television Forum and Market (Atf).
Tan said that the S$30 million ($22.4 million) co-production fund will be open to Singapore-based companies with a track record in long-form content production. It aims to support productions with local flavor and international appeal. An initial call for project submissions will be open until the end of January.
The new funding for VP sees S$25 million ($18.7 million) allocated over the next three years and top up an initial S$5 million of seed funding established this time last year. Both funds will be administered by the InfoComm Media Development Authority.
Some 20 projects tapped into the initial VP...
The two moves were announced on Wednesday by senior minister of state for communications and information Tan Kiat How at the opening ceremony of the Asia Television Forum and Market (Atf).
Tan said that the S$30 million ($22.4 million) co-production fund will be open to Singapore-based companies with a track record in long-form content production. It aims to support productions with local flavor and international appeal. An initial call for project submissions will be open until the end of January.
The new funding for VP sees S$25 million ($18.7 million) allocated over the next three years and top up an initial S$5 million of seed funding established this time last year. Both funds will be administered by the InfoComm Media Development Authority.
Some 20 projects tapped into the initial VP...
- 12/6/2023
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
The actor gave an in-conversation event at Red Sea International Film Festival.
Will Smith has confirmed he is making a sequel to his 2007 sci-fi I Am Legend, and is working on the script with Michael B. Jordan; while the US actor also addressed his controversial Oscars slap at the 2022 ceremony.
Speaking at an in-conversation session at Red Sea International Film Festival in Saudi Arabia, Smith said, ”I have a call with Michael B. Jordan tomorrow. The script just came in… I’m probably giving away too much information…”
Smith said that, while his character Robert Neville dies at the end of the first film,...
Will Smith has confirmed he is making a sequel to his 2007 sci-fi I Am Legend, and is working on the script with Michael B. Jordan; while the US actor also addressed his controversial Oscars slap at the 2022 ceremony.
Speaking at an in-conversation session at Red Sea International Film Festival in Saudi Arabia, Smith said, ”I have a call with Michael B. Jordan tomorrow. The script just came in… I’m probably giving away too much information…”
Smith said that, while his character Robert Neville dies at the end of the first film,...
- 12/2/2023
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
The actor gave an in-conversation event at Red Sea International Film Festival.
Will Smith has confirmed he is working on a sequel to his 2007 sci-fi I Am Legend, and is working on the script with Michael B. Jordan.
Speaking at an in conversation session at Red Sea International Film Festival in Saudi Arabia, Smith said, ”I have a call with Michael B. Jordan tomorrow. The script just came in… I’m probably giving away too much information…”
Smith said that, while his character Robert Neville dies at the end of the first film, the DVD extras contained an alternative ending...
Will Smith has confirmed he is working on a sequel to his 2007 sci-fi I Am Legend, and is working on the script with Michael B. Jordan.
Speaking at an in conversation session at Red Sea International Film Festival in Saudi Arabia, Smith said, ”I have a call with Michael B. Jordan tomorrow. The script just came in… I’m probably giving away too much information…”
Smith said that, while his character Robert Neville dies at the end of the first film, the DVD extras contained an alternative ending...
- 12/2/2023
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
The actor gave an in-conversation event at Red Sea International Film Festival.
Will Smith has confirmed he is working on a sequel to his 2007 sci-fi I Am Legend, and is working on the script with Michael B. Jordan.
Speaking at an in conversation session at Red Sea International Film Festival in Saudi Arabia, Smith said, ”I have a call with Michael B. Jordan tomorrow. The script just came in… I’m probably giving away too much information…”
Smith said that, while his character Robert Neville dies at the end of the first film, the DVD extras contained an alternative ending...
Will Smith has confirmed he is working on a sequel to his 2007 sci-fi I Am Legend, and is working on the script with Michael B. Jordan.
Speaking at an in conversation session at Red Sea International Film Festival in Saudi Arabia, Smith said, ”I have a call with Michael B. Jordan tomorrow. The script just came in… I’m probably giving away too much information…”
Smith said that, while his character Robert Neville dies at the end of the first film, the DVD extras contained an alternative ending...
- 12/2/2023
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
Last week Amanda Nell Eu disowned a Malaysian cut of her film, which is the country’s Oscar entry.
Malaysian Oscar entry Tiger Stripes has secured deals for key territories ahead of its Mena premiere in the Red Sea Competition at Red Sea International Film Festival on Tuesday, December 5.
The film has sold to North America (Dark Star Pictures), UK-Ireland (Modern Films), France (Jour2Fete), Spain (Flamingo Films), Australia-New Zealand (Screenxcope), Benelux (Vedette), Brazil (Fenix Filmes), South Korea (Aud), Norway (As Fidalgo Film Distribution) and Taiwan (Proview Entertainment). Films Boutique handles world sales.
The debut feature of Malaysian filmmaker Amanda Nell Eu,...
Malaysian Oscar entry Tiger Stripes has secured deals for key territories ahead of its Mena premiere in the Red Sea Competition at Red Sea International Film Festival on Tuesday, December 5.
The film has sold to North America (Dark Star Pictures), UK-Ireland (Modern Films), France (Jour2Fete), Spain (Flamingo Films), Australia-New Zealand (Screenxcope), Benelux (Vedette), Brazil (Fenix Filmes), South Korea (Aud), Norway (As Fidalgo Film Distribution) and Taiwan (Proview Entertainment). Films Boutique handles world sales.
The debut feature of Malaysian filmmaker Amanda Nell Eu,...
- 12/2/2023
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
“Tiger Stripes”, the opening film of this year’s Singapore International Film Festival (Sgiff), was “kind of a joke that became something very, very close to me and ended up being this film,” Malaysian filmmaker, Amanda Nell Eu, said during Thursday night’s opening ceremony.
Speaking to a packed theatre before the screening, Eu said her inspiration had been puberty mixed with her sense of humor.
“I love playing with horror. I love playing with comedy and I was like, I want to make a film about a girl who literally turns into a monster because I felt like a monster as a kid,” she said. “ ‘Tiger Stripes’ is really a story that fights for the people who feel like they don’t fit in society.”
Opening the festival, Singapore filmmaker and Sgiff chairperson, Boo Junfeng, talked about the event’s “sense of community” and a “collective sense of purpose.
Speaking to a packed theatre before the screening, Eu said her inspiration had been puberty mixed with her sense of humor.
“I love playing with horror. I love playing with comedy and I was like, I want to make a film about a girl who literally turns into a monster because I felt like a monster as a kid,” she said. “ ‘Tiger Stripes’ is really a story that fights for the people who feel like they don’t fit in society.”
Opening the festival, Singapore filmmaker and Sgiff chairperson, Boo Junfeng, talked about the event’s “sense of community” and a “collective sense of purpose.
- 11/30/2023
- by Janine Stein
- Variety Film + TV
Amanda Nell Eu’s feature debut Tiger Stripes is filled with vivid scenes of contemporary girlhood. The film, which won the prize for best feature at the 2023 Cannes Critics’ Week and is Malaysia’s Oscar entry, opens with a giggling trio recording a dance routine. Anyone familiar with the TikTok dance challenges will clock the pattern of these videos. An off-screen voice asks “Okay, ready?” A young girl beams at the camera as she shakes her hips, flicks her wrists and spins. Her rhythm matches the bumping cadence of the electronic dance track playing in the background. Another friend, also off-screen, cheers her on.
Zaffan (Zafreen Zairizal), Miriam (Piqa) and Farah (Deena Ezral) are a trio of middle-school girls who break up the monotony of classroom days with brief bathroom conventions. In this space, a private lavatory for the older students in their school, the girls record their videos, gossip,...
Zaffan (Zafreen Zairizal), Miriam (Piqa) and Farah (Deena Ezral) are a trio of middle-school girls who break up the monotony of classroom days with brief bathroom conventions. In this space, a private lavatory for the older students in their school, the girls record their videos, gossip,...
- 11/16/2023
- by Lovia Gyarkye
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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