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Other winners include Ivan Marinovic, Amikam Kovner and Assaf Snir.

Ethiopian-born, Israeli filmmaker Alamork Marsha’s Fig Tree, based on her experiences as a child in war-torn Addis Ababa in 1991, has won the $50,000 top prize at the pitching event of Sam Spiegel school’s Jerusalem International Film Lab.

It was an apt choice as fighting escalated between Israel and Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip, some 70 kilometres down the road, where more than 160 inhabitants have died in Israeli air strikes over the past six days, launched in response to a barrage of rocket attacks on Israel. (In fact air sirens were heard in Jerusalem just 15 minutes before the awards were announced.)

In her pitch, Marsha revealed how Fig Tree was inspired by her childhood, living with her grandmother on the outskirts of the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa during the civil war and her Jewish family’s decision to move to Israel. She said one...

City of Neon Lights: Marie’s Debut a Soundtrack Assisted Cliché

How the title Paris Countdown was decided upon to stand as the English language translation of Le Jour Attendre (Day Wait) is the first of many unnecessary questions to ask while watching Edgar Marie’s directorial debut, a revenge thriller meant to be a pulse pounding high octane endeavor, filled with car chases, violent showdowns, double crossings, vaguely relayed female characters in distress, and a thumping soundtrack.

Milan (Olivier Marchal) and Victor (Jacques Gamblin) are best friends and co-owners of a Parisian nightclub, Le Sound. Unfortunately, they’re in considerable debt, and Milan gets them involved in a drug trafficking transaction that gets horribly botched in Mexico. Tortured, they agree to squeal against their liaison, Serki (Carlo Brandt), who gets sentenced to six years in prison. Upset and traumatized, Victor vows never to speak with Milan again. Unfortunately, Serki is unfathomably psychotic,...

Two estranged friends are forced to reunite when the drug dealer they put behind bars is released in Paris Countdown. Screen Media Films has the first trailer, starring Olivier Marchal and Jacques Gamblin as Milan and Victor, owners of a Paris nightclub who are lured into a drug deal gone sour. Six years later, the psychotic man they testified against is released from prison, forcing them to partner up once again as they try to survive. In addition, we have the first poster for this crime thriller, debuting in theaters and on VOD formats November 8.

Unable to repay their debts, Milan and Victor, best friends and co-owners of a Paris nightclub are lured into a drug deal that goes bad. Tortured by police, they negotiate their freedom against an overwhelming testimony that condemns their psychotic liaison to prison. Six years later, the men's nightmare begins again when the psychopath is granted his freedom.

Watch fresh clips from eOne's Inch'Allah, starring Evelyne Brochu, Sabrina Ouazani, Sivan Levy, and Yousef Sweid. The drama opens in New York on August 16th followed by Los Angeles on August 23rd. naïs Barbeau-Lavalette directs and writes. Chloe (Evelyne Brochu) is a young Canadian obstetrician working in a makeshift clinic in a Palestinian refugee camp in the West Bank, where she treats pregnant women under the supervision of Michael (Carlo Brandt), a French doctor. Facing daily checkpoints and the separation barrier, Chloe is confronted with the conflict and the people it affects: Rand (Sabrina Ouazani), a patient for whom Chloe develops a deep affection; Faysal (Yousef Sweid), Rand’s older brother, a fervent resister; Safi (Hammoudeh Alkarmi), their younger brother, a child shattered by war who dreams of flying across borders; and Ava (Sivan Levy), a young soldier who lives next door to Chloe in her apartment in Israel.

Watch the trailer and see the poster for Anaïs Barbeau-Lavalette's Inch'Allah, starring Evelyne Brochu, Sabrina Ouazani, Sivan Levy, Yousef Sweid, Hammoudeh Alkarmi and Carlo Brandt. The eOne Films release opens in theaters on : August 16th in New York City at The Quad Cinema, followed by an August 23rd, 2013 expansion in Los Angeles at the Laemmle Music Hall and West Park Theater in Orange County. Chloe (Brochu) is a young Canadian obstetrician working in a makeshift clinic in a Palestinian refugee camp in the West Bank, where she treats pregnant women under the supervision of Michael (Brandt), a French doctor. Facing daily checkpoints and the separation barrier, Chloe is confronted with the conflict and the people it affects: Rand (Ouazani), a patient for whom Chloe develops a deep affection; Faysal (Sweid), Rand’s older brother, a fervent resister; Safi (Alkarmi), their younger brother, a child shattered by war who...

“Welcome to the empire of the buried-alive!” As young François (Grégoire Leprince Ringuet) goes into hiding during the Nazi occupation of Luxembourg, he leaves behind a world of fear and mistrust and enters something even worse. The French title of director Nicolas Steil’s debut The Undercover War (2009) is Réfractaire, which is perhaps a more accurate reflection of the fact that his film is all about resistance – both active and passive.

After panning over the exterior of the mine where much of the film is set, the camera closes in on the beaten and bloodied face of the prostrate François. The flashback that tells his story begins with his own description of the grim prospects for young Luxembourgian men in 1944, after their country was occupied by the Nazis. They could either endure forced conscription and become cannon fodder on the Russian Front, or go into hiding and wait for liberation – or death.

Somehow, I missed this film when it played this past August in Montreal. It sounds like an Outer Limits episode and plays like a fantastic looking arthouse scifi film via the trailer.

Synopsis:

Jonathan Vogel (Guillaume Depardieu) would like to turn back the clock and undo the accident that led to his disability and destroyed his life. When he learns that Stivlas Karr (Carlo Brandt), a well-known professor and geneticist, has developed a gene therapy for regenerating the human body, he makes an appointment with him for some clinical tests. But the therapy doesnt go according to Professor Karrs plan and leads to unexpected results. Jonathan, whose life is now in danger, has become aware that there is only one person who can help him: Alice (Alysson Paradis), the professors daughter.

Trailer with English subs after the break.

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