News

Itzik Lerner has gained access to Israel’s Nafha prison for documentary Secret Link.

Director Itzik Lerner has gained unprecedented access to Israel’s notorious Nafha political prison and its Palestinian inmates, including key figures from the militant group Hamas, for his upcoming documentary Secret Link.

Jerusalem-based documentary sales agent Ruth Diskin is backing and handling international sales on the project.

“It took Itzik six years to gain permission to shoot in the jail, which is one of the most protected facilities in Israel,” said Diskin, who works under the Ruth Diskin Films banner.

Lerner has been filming in the jail in southern Israel sporadically since April. Access has been denied during the current escalation of the conflict. More than 5,500 Palestinian political prisoners are currently held in Israeli jails.

“We already have some rough footage,” said Diskin. “Itzik has unique access to both the prison and the inmates, some of them Hamas militants, who are keen...

Sundance Selects has acquired North American rights to Hilla Medalia’s documentary Dancing In Jaffa following its world premiere at Tribeca. Separately Doppelganger Releasing has acquired Black Out and Image Entertainment announced it will release the found footage thriller Evidence this summer.

Diane Nabatoff, Neta Zwebner-Zaibert and Medalia produced Dancing In Jaffa [pictured], the story of a ballroom dancer who sets up classes for ethnically diverse students in the Israeli city.

Morgan Spurlock and Jeremy Chilnick, La Toya Jackson and Jeffré Phillips and Nigel Lythgoe served as executive producers alongside Dan Setton, J Arnhold, Robert Machinist and Jonathan Shukat.

Sundance Selects/IFC Films negotiated the deal with Preferred Content and UTA Independent Film Group on behalf of the filmmakers. K5 handles international sales.

Doppelganger Releasing has picked up Us rights to Arne Toonen’s Dutch crime comedy Black Out, set to screen at Fantasia International Film Festival in Montreal in July. William Schopf of parent...

In April, Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad resigned from office, five months after Palestine received non-member observer state status at the United Nations. The new documentary State 194 teases apart Fayyad's efforts to make Palestine the 194th member state of the U.N., and how those efforts were received in Palestine, Israel, and abroad. Filmmaker Dan Setton highlights the grinding political processes that halted the realization of a two-state solution and full recognition of Palestine. The best part of State 194 is its domesticity, its low-key approach to a conflict that has been widely sensationalized in the media. Fayyad is depicted not just as an international spokesperson for a peaceful struggle, but as a man whose wife criticizes him for not packing enough ...

Here is a slew of new release dates for the following films: Dracula - Universal's Dracula origin story directed by Gary Shore and starring Luke Evans (The Raven) will open August 8, 2014. Transcendence - Cinematographer Wally Pfister's directorial debut starring Johnny Depp and Morgan Freeman has been moved up one week to April 18, 2014. Blended - The tentatively-titled new rom-com with Adam Sandler and (possibly) Drew Barrymore will open May 23, 2014. The Purge - The violent speculative-thriller written and directed by James DeMonaco and starring Ethan Hawke (Sinister) and Lena Headey (Game of Thrones) will open June 7th. State 194 - Dan Setton's documentary on Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad will open May 17th. When the Game Stands Tall - Director Thomas Carter’s (Coach Carter) upcoming high school football drama starring James Caviezel (Person of Interest) and Michael Chiklis (The Shield) will open September 19, 2014. Heaven Is for Real - Director...

See the trailer for State 194, a documentary from director Dan Setton chronicling Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad’s campaign for Palestine to become the 194th state recognized by the United Nations. The story has continued to develop after the Un General Assembly voted by an overwhelming majority to recognize Palestine as a non-Member Observer State on Nov. 29, 2012. The vote came exactly 65 years after the Un passed a resolution to partition Palestine, allowing for the formation of the state of Israel on November 29, 1947. State 194, produced by Participant Media (An Inconvenient Truth, Food, Inc.), will be making its European Premiere at the Berlinale on 8 February in the Panorama section. Trailer Trailer: http://www.takepart.com/state194 Synopsis: If you build the foundations of peace . . . will it come? This fascinating question lies at the heart of State 194, a vital and revealing look deep inside Israel and Palestine at the men...

Watch the trailer, a new clip, see the poster and images in the gallery for Dan Setton's State 194 documentary. Produced by Participant Media (An Inconvenient Truth, Food, Inc.) the film will be making its European Premiere at the Berlinale on 8 February in the Panorama section. Director Setton chronicles Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad’s campaign for Palestine to become the 194th state recognized by the United Nations. The story has continued to develop after the Un General Assembly voted by an overwhelming majority to recognize Palestine as a non-Member Observer State on Nov. 29, 2012. The vote came exactly 65 years after the Un passed a resolution to partition Palestine, allowing for the formation of the state of Israel on November 29, 1947.

Watch the trailer, a new clip, see the poster and images in the gallery for Dan Setton's State 194 documentary. Produced by Participant Media (An Inconvenient Truth, Food, Inc.) the film will be making its European Premiere at the Berlinale on 8 February in the Panorama section. Director Setton chronicles Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad’s campaign for Palestine to become the 194th state recognized by the United Nations. The story has continued to develop after the Un General Assembly voted by an overwhelming majority to recognize Palestine as a non-Member Observer State on Nov. 29, 2012. The vote came exactly 65 years after the Un passed a resolution to partition Palestine, allowing for the formation of the state of Israel on November 29, 1947.

Watch the trailer and check out the new poster for the documentary State 194 directed by Dan Setton at Tiff 2012 In 2009, Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad launched a plan to demonstrate that his people were deserving of statehood, inspiring them to change their destiny and seek Un membership. Since then, they've made remarkable progress, but the political quagmire threatens to destroy the most promising opportunity for peace in years. Filmmaker Setton gained unprecedented access to the highest circles of the Palestinian leadership as he chronicles Prime Minister Salam Fayaad's quest to have Palestine recognized by the United Nations as an independent state.

Watch the trailer and check out the new poster for the documentary State 194 directed by Dan Setton at Tiff 2012 In 2009, Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad launched a plan to demonstrate that his people were deserving of statehood, inspiring them to change their destiny and seek Un membership. Since then, they've made remarkable progress, but the political quagmire threatens to destroy the most promising opportunity for peace in years. Filmmaker Setton gained unprecedented access to the highest circles of the Palestinian leadership as he chronicles Prime Minister Salam Fayaad's quest to have Palestine recognized by the United Nations as an independent state.

Premiering today at the Toronto International Film Festival is the doc "State 194," which takes a look at the quest for Palestinian statehood over the past few years.   The film's title comes from the fact that there are 193 nations in the Un and the pro-Palestinian forces are lobbying for Palestine to enter as the 194th state. Watch the trailer for Dan Setton's "State 194" below:...

Palestinian Authority prime minister Salam Fayyad will make the argument for statehood at this year's Toronto International Film Festival. Fayyad is scheduled to appear at a press conference on Sept. 11 in conjunction with the Toronto premiere of "State 194," producer Participant Media said Tuesday. The documentary by Dan Setton ("Shattered Dreams of Peace") follows the Palestinian leader's efforts to gain United Nations recognition as the 194th independent state. It charts the diplomatic and military conflicts between the Palestinians and Israel by focusing on Fayyad's attempts to forge a new course in...

Above: Ernie Gehr's Auto-Collider Xv.

The vast bulk of Tiff's 2012 has been announced and listed here, below. We'll be updating the lineup with the previous films announced, as well as updating links to specific films for more information on them in the coming days. Of particular note is that the Wavelengths and Visions programs have been combined to create what is undoubtedly the most interesting section of the festival. Stay tuned, too, for our own on the ground coverage of Tiff.

Galas

A Royal Affair (Nikolai Arcel, Demark/Sweden/Czech Republic/Germany)

Argo (Ben Affleck, USA)

The Company You Keep (Robert Redford, USA)

Dangerous Liaisons (Hur Jin-ho, China)

Emperor (Peter Webber, Japan/USA)

English Vinglish (Gauri Shinde, India)

Free Angela & All Political Prisoners (Shola Lynch)

Great Expectations (Mike Newell, UK)

Hyde Park on Hudson (Roger Michell, UK)

Inescapable (Ruba Nadda, Canada)

Jayne Mansfield's Car (Billy Bob Thorton, USA/Russia)

Looper (Rian Johnson,...

The 37th Toronto International Film Festival® will roll out the red carpet for hundreds of guests from the four corners of the globe in September. Filmmakers expected to present their world premieres in Toronto include: Rian Johnson, Noah Baumbach, Deepa Mehta, Derek Cianfrance, Sion Sono, Joss Whedon, Neil Jordan, Lu Chuan, Shola Lynch, Barry Levinson, Yvan Attal, Ben Affleck, Marina Zenovich, Costa-Gavras, Laurent Cantet, Sally Potter, Dustin Hoffman, Francois Ozon, David O. Russell, David Ayer, Pelin Esmer, Tom Tykwer, Lana Wachowski, Andy Wachowski, Andrew Adamson, Michael McGowan, Bahman Ghobadi, Ziad Doueiri, Alex Gibney, Stephen Chbosky, Eran Riklis, Edward Burns, Bernard Émond, Zhang Yuan, Michael Winterbottom, Mike Newell, Miwa Nishikawa, Margarethe Von Trotta, David Siegel, Scott McGehee, Gauri Shinde, Goran Paskaljevic, Baltasar Kormákur, J.A. Bayona, Rob Zombie, Peaches and Paul Andrew Williams.

Actors expected to attend include: Bruce Willis, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Jackie Chan, Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Bill Murray, Robert Redford,...

The 2012 Toronto International Film Festival line-up got another boost with today's announcement of the Midnight Madness, Vanguard and Documentary selections which include films from the likes of Barry Levinson, Don Coscarelli, Rob Zombie, Martin McDonagh, Ben Wheatley, Michel Gondry and Alex Gibney and include titles such as Aftershock, Dredd, Seven Psychopaths, Pusher, Sightseers, The We and the I, The Gatekeepers, Finding Nemo 3D, Hotel Transylvania and a Cinemateque selection that includes Alfred Hitchcock's Dial M For Murder, Roman Polanski's Tess and Roberto Rossellini's Stromboli. Considering Paul Thomas Anderson's The Master was recently added to the official selection as a Special Presentation I am going to have my hands full when it comes to screenings, but I will definitely make sure to catch McDonagh's Seven Psychopaths, which is one of my most anticipated films of the year. Otherwise, the schedule will determine which ones I check out. The...

In terms of documentary film servings in the fall (pre Idfa in November), in the hands of Thom Powers, Tiff’s former Real to Reel section now simply known as Tiff Docs is the equivalent to riding the gravy train. To be housed at the new spanking brand new Bloor Hot Docs Cinema, this year’s docu items included such names/titles as Ken Burns and what looks to be the Telluride preemed The Central Park Five, Julien Temple’s London – The Modern Babylon, Marina Zenovich’s sequel Roman Polanski: Odd Man Out, another hot topic subject for Alex Gibney with Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God and an exec produced item from Errol Morris with Joshua Oppenheimer’s The Act of Killing side by side with with the latest from Crossing the Line helmer Daniel Gordon (9.79*) and Operation Filmmaker helmer Nina Davenport (First Comes Love). Here...

Following up an already stellar initial line-up, the Toronto International Film Festival 2012 has announced additional sections including Midnight Madness, Documentaries and Vanguard. When the clock strikes 12, some titles one will be able to see include the highly anticipated Seven Psychopaths, from In Bruges director Martin McDonagh. There’s also the world premiere of the horror anthology The ABCs of Death, as well as Dredd and Eli Roth‘s Aftershock and new films from Rob Zombie and Barry Levinson.

The documentary section brings new films from Alex Gibney, Ken Burns and an interesting one titled How to Make Money Selling Drugs, featuring interviews with 50 Cent, Eminem and more. Rounding out the Vanguard section is many titles screened elsewhere, including the excellent documentary on The Shining, Room 237, as well as the next from Kill List director Ben Wheatley, Sightseers (Cannes review). We also have Luis Prieto‘s Pusher remake, and Michel Gondry...