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Mahdi Fleifel’s “To a Land Unknown” won the Transilvania Trophy at the Transilvania Film Festival, Romania’s most prominent film fest. Noaz Deshe took the best directing award for “Xoftex,” while the Special Jury Award went to Julian Castronovo’s “Debut, or, Objects of the Field of Debris as Currently Catalogued.” Other award winners at the 2025 edition, which wraps this Sunday, June 22, include Bogdan Mureșanu’s “The New Year That Never Came,” Daniel Tornero’s “Saturn,” and Arjun Talwar’s “Letters From Wolf Street.”

This year’s festival, which saw over 200 features across the ten-day event, opened with Brendan Canty’s Berlinale entry “Christy” and wraps Sunday with a buzzy Cannes title in Oliver Laxe’s award-winning “Sirât.” 16 national features played within Romanian Days, from veterans such as Andrei Ujică (“Twst – Things We Said Today”) and Radu Jude (“Kontinental ‘25” and “Sleep #2”) to up-and-coming talent such as Mihai Dragolea...

This year’s Romanian Days selection at the Transilvania Film Festival sees national filmmakers split largely into two thematic categories: piercing documentaries looking at the Romania of today and films grappling with the country of yesteryear. Igor Cobileanski’s “Comatogen,” however, goes against this grain in playing with genre to tell the story of a mother going to extreme lengths to keep her young, troublesome son from going to prison — or much worse.

Speaking with Variety ahead of the film’s world premiere in Cluj, Cobileanski — whose career spans over two decades and includes directing high-profile projects such as HBO’s “Shadows” and “Hackerville” — says he is particularly nervous about sharing his latest with audiences.

“As a filmmaker, you never know how audiences are going to react, but with ‘Comatogen’ I don’t know at all, and I feel like this is a test for me. I was so immersed...

A few months after Radu Jude’s Silver Berlin Bear for best screenplay in Berlin for “Kontinental ‘25,” Romania’s largest film festival, the Transilvania International Film Festival, is here to help take the temperature of the country’s national cinema. Jude’s latest, as well as the director’s Andy Warhol-inspired “Sleep #2,” spearhead the Romanian Days section of TIFF, taking place in Cluj-Napoca over June 13-22.

Jude’s two films join another 14 Romanian features at this year’s festival, as well as 25 short films. Standouts include Bogdan Mureșanu’s Orizzonti award winning “The New Year That Never Came” and the latest by renowned auteur Andrei Ujică, “Twst – Things We Said Today.”

Speaking with Variety ahead of the festival, artistic director Mihai Chirilov says: “Revisiting the past is always a winner” with Romanian cinema, as proven by both Mureșanu’s lauded feature debut and Jude’s latest comedy. But,...

HBO Europe and German broadcaster TNT Serie have released the first trailer for their six-part cyber drama Hackerville, which will also be available in the U.S.

The two broadcasters are launching the show, produced by Deutschland 83 producer Ufa Fiction and Mobra Films in November with HBO Europe airing the show in Central Europe, Scandinavia and Spain on Sunday 4 November and TNT Serie premiering the series in Germany, Austria and Switzerland on Thursday 8 November. It will also be available to U.S. HBO subscribers across HBO Go, HBO Now and HBO On Demand, although a premiere date has not been set.

Hackerville follows a network of hackers and the investigators tasked with tracking them down. It is both broadcasters’ first moves into co-productions.

It was created by Ralph Martin and Joerg Winger from Ufa Fiction and will be produced by Cristian Mungiu and Tudor Reu and exec produced by Winger and Johnathan Young.

20 feature films, 17 documentaries and 20 TV dramas set for pitching forum.

A slate of 20 feature films, 17 documentaries and 20 TV dramas have been selected for the pitching session at the fourth edition of the Mia Market in Rome (October 17-21).

Feature Film

This year’s feature film projects, which come from 16 different countries, were selected by Jason Ishikawa (international sales at Cinetic Media), Anne Lai (cirector of creative producing and artist support for the feature film program at the Sundance Institute) and Sophie Mas (producer at Rt Features). Half the projects are directed by women.

Among these are productions that passed through the Sundance Screenwriting lab,...

Cable company HBO Europe has started to shoot cyber-crime thriller series “Hackerville” in Transilvania, a region of Romania, as its first international co-production, building on a string of locally shot productions, including Romania-set detective series “Umbre” (pictured).

“It will put Romania on the map of the international TV drama scene,” says co-creator and executive producer Joerg Winger (“Deutschland 83”), adding he was won over by the location “as a dynamic and colorful place with a vastly unexplored history and present.”

The project was “created in a truly multi-cultural process, with great Romanian talent attached,” Winger adds, with music a key component, as it was in “Deutschland 83,” the Cold War-set spy series for AMC Networks’ SundanceTV and Rtl Television.

The original six-part “Hackerville,” about a network of hackers and the investigators tasked with tracking them down, co-produced with TNT Serie, was created by Ralph Martin and Winger for Ufa Fiction,...

Six-part thriller follows the hunt for a network of hackers.

HBO Europe has revealed its first international co-production, Hackerville, which it is making with German company TNT Serie.

The six-part thriller is a Germany-Romania co-production and is about a network of hackers and the investigators tracking them down.

Created by Ralph Martin and Joerg Winger from Ufa Fiction, the series will be produced by Cristian Mungiu (4 Months, 3 Weeks And 2 Days and Beyond The Hills) and Tudor Reu through Mobra Films.

The story will open with the hacking of a major German bank and will follow cyber crime expert Lisa Metz as she works with investigators in her hometown of Timisoara in an attempt to catch the perpetrators. Igor Cobileanski (Umbre) and Anca Miruna Lazarescu (That Trip We Took With Dad) will direct, with Winger and Johnathan Young amongst the executive producers.

HBO Europe will premiere Hackerville across its territories in Central Europe, Scandinavia and Spain, with...

Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival or in native Estonian — PÖFF — winners were announced in one of the largest and most distinctive film events in Northern Europe.

The festival is a long one from November 11 to 27, 2016 to accomodate the public and it embraces a cluster of events, accommodating three full-blown sub-festivals (Animated Dreams, Just Film, Sleepwalkers) as well as international industry events bringing together filmmakers from all over the world.

The festival includes two international competition programs (Main Competition and First Features Competition), a traditional film festival program with documentaries and feature films as well as programs for short films, retrospectives and film related special events (concerts, exhibitions, talks and more).

The winners of this year’s festival are:

Main Competition Jury Members: Uberto Pasolini, Steen Bille, Fridrik Thor Fridriksson, Laura Birn, Kang Soo-Yeon, William Goldstei

Grand Prix for the Best Film (Bronze wolf statuette and a grant of 10,000 Euros, equally...

Iran’s Narges Abyar takes best director for Breath, Kadri Kõusaar’s Mother scoops best Estonian film.

Israeli feature A Quiet Heart has been awarded the grand prix for best film at this year’s Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival (Nov 11-27).

The drama receives a prize of €10,000, which is shared between director Eitan Anner (Love & Dance) and producer Gal Greenspan, who made the film under his banner Green Productions.

The Jerusalem-set film follows a secular young woman who seeks refuge from her life as a concert pianist. Star Ania Bukstein took the best actress prize.

A jury comprised of Uberto Pasolini, Steen Bille, Fridrik Thor Fridriksson, Laura Birn, Kang Soo–Youn and William Goldstein issued a statement saying that the film was “an inspiring journey towards hope and courage”.

The event’s best director prize went to Iran’s Narges Abyar for her feature Breath, which tells the story of a family living in Iran in...

The festival will also honour Mad Max: Fury Road producer Iain Smith.

Legendary Italian actress Sophia Loren and Mad Max: Fury Road producer Iain Smith will be guests of honour at the 15th edition of the Transilvania International Film Festival (Tiff, May 27 – June 5).

The festival kicks off this evening with the world premiere of Romanian director Nae Caranfil’s comedy 6.9. On The Richter Scale.

The festival’s closing gala on June 4 will see Loren [pictured in 2014 short Human Voice] – who is visiting Romania for the first time - receive a Lifetime Achievement Award, while Smith – who came to Romania to produce Anthony Minghella’s Cold Mountain in 2003 - will be presented with the Transilvania Trophy for Special Contribution to World Cinema on the same evening in Cluj’s National Theatre.

Competition

This year’s 12-strong Competition includes nine first features such as Bogdan Mirică’s Balkan anti-Western Dogs, Iranian director Ali Abbasi’s horror film Shelley, and [link=nm...

Few parts of this world have contributed as much to the filmic language as Romania. As singular a national voice and aesthetic as they come, Romanian cinema has become a launching pad not only for some of modern cinema’s most entrancing filmmakers, but also some of the most exciting explorations of a culture that few have much genuine knowledge of. Be it the typically chilly photography or the even more isolating sense of dread many of their dramas have, or even the dry nature of their comedies, Romanian cinema is in a golden age, and has spent the last decade leading world cinema. And now one of this country’s great smaller scale film festivals marks a decade itself, as the 10th edition of Making Waves: New Romanian Cinema is set to get under way. Here are the five films you absolutely can’t afford to miss.

Festival...

Selection includes the debut feature from the editor/Dop of The Tribe.

The ten titles selected for the 11th CentEast Market works-in-progress presentations.

Nine feature fiction films and one documentary are among selected projects that will be presented in Warsaw (Oct 16) before travelling to CentEast Moscow (Oct 19) and then the Beijing Film Market (April 2016), in the framework of China-Eastern Europe Film Promotion Project/CentEast in Beijing

Highlights include the untitled first feature of Valentyn Vasyanovych, the Ukrainian editor and director of photography on multi-award winner The Tribe.

Kazakh director Adilkhan Yerzhanov (The Owners) will present his latest project, The Plague at the Karatas Village, alongside producer Olga Khlasheva.

Romanian producer Dan Burlac (4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days) will present the second feature of Gabriel Achim (Adalbert’s Dream), dark comedy The Last Day.

The second feature directed by Slovak producer Michal Kollar of Fog’n’ Desire Films, The Red Captain is an adaptation of a bestselling Slovak novel, featuring...

Producers from Finland, the Czech Republic, Sweden, Poland and Russia picked up awards at this year’s 13th Baltic Event co-production market (Nov 24-28) in Tallinn.

Finnish comedy Impaled Rektum by feature debutants Jukka Vidgren and Juuso Laatio was awarded the Screen International Best Pitch Award.

The €1.4m production about a young loser trying to overcome his stage fright and other fears by leading the worst heavy band of Finland, Impaled Rektum, to the hottest metal festival in Norway, will be produced by Kai Nordberg and Kaarle Aho of Helsinki-based Making Movies Oy.

This is the second time that Nordberg and Aho have received Screen’s Best Pitch Award after having previously been selected with Petri Kotwica’s Rat King which then went on to premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival.

Other past winners of the award include Alexei German’s Under Electric Clouds, which is understood to be premiering at a major international film festival soon, and...

Every year Hollywood gets a curated batch of films from dozens of countries seeking an Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Language Film. One film per nation is chosen to represent the best of its cinematic production during the previous year. Certainly the chosen film is not always the ideal candidate, but the reasoning behind the selection usually follows two patterns: there are countries that go with the best film even if this is not the most appealing choice and there are countries that go with the most ambitious, industry-friendly, and financially successful work. This year the astonishing number of submissions – a total of 83 – makes for an incredible list of films that range from those that sport festival pedigree of the highest caliber, unknown gems looking for an audience, expensive visual achievements, and obscure art house hopefuls.

This year more than most, there are a great number of films with serious possibilities. There is no unshakable front-runner, but there are numerous favorites. Yet, looking at last year’s 9 shortlisted films and eventual 5 nominees, nothing is written in stone. Critics and audience favorites like “ The Past” (Iran), “Gloria” (Chile), “Heli” (Mexico), and “Wadjda” (Saudi Arabia) were left out to include surprises like “The Missing Picture“ (Cambodia), “An Episode in the Life of an Iron Picker” (Bosnia & Herzegovina) or “The Notebook” (Hungary).

With Awards Season now in full swing and knowing that this is one of the most difficult races to follow, here is a comprehensive list that includes information for each of the 83 submissions. Below each poster you will find the title of the film linked to its page on IMDb Pro followed by the title in the original language; the director’s name also linked to his/her IMDb Page; the language the film is primarily in; the name of the U.S. distributor if there is one; the name of the film’s International Sales Agent (Isa) or Production Company (PC) linked to the film’s page on Cinando; and a link to the film’s trailer (most of them have English subtitles, others are only in the original language, and a few are videos related to the film because a trailer wasn't available). In addition, reviews and interviews with many of these filmmakers will be added regularly.

Before getting into the list, let’s take a look at some of the statistics and patterns among these 83 foreign language features.

Period Dramas/Biopics

Several countries selected films based on the lives of prominent local figures or great period pieces, both showcase the level of films being produced across the globe in terms of production value and scope. Mexico’s “Cantinflas,” Venezuela’s “The Liberator,” Kyrgyzstan “Kurmanjan Datka Queen of the Mountains,” Bolivia’s “Forgotten,” Indonesia’s “Soekarno,” Greece’s “Little England,” Macedonia’s “To the Hilt,” Hong Kong’s “The Golden Era,” Austria’s “The Dark Valley,” Switzerland’s “The Circle,” Bulgaria’s “Bulgarian Rhapsody,” Serbia’s “ See You in Montevideo,” Slovakia’s “A Step Into the Dark” and New Zealand’s “The Dead Lands” are some of the most expensive films ever made in their respective territories. All of them are epic productions that highlight an important historical period using impressive cinematography, a great number of extras, intricate costumes, lavish locations, detailed production design, as well as great battle sequences in several of them. Other more traditional biopics/period pieces on the list include France’s “Saint Laurent,” The Netherlands “ Accused,” Germany’s “Beloved Sisters,” Spain’s “Living Is Easy with Eyes Closed” and the Czech Republic’s “Fair Play”

Masters and Festival Winners

Not surprisingly many of the films on the list come into this race after winning important awards at international festivals. Furthermore, a handful of them are from master filmmakers, masters in the making, or unique new voices. These films include Belgium’s “Two Days, One Night” (Cannes, Telluride, Tiff, Nyff, AFI Fest) by the Dardenne Brothers, Canada’s “Mommy” (Cannes, Telluride, Tiff, AFI Fest) by prodigy Xavier Dolan, Chile’s “To Kill a Man” (Sundance, Rotterdam, Cartagena) by Alejandro Fernandez Almendras, Hungary's "White God" (Cannes) by Kornél Mundruczó, Norway’s “1001 Grams” (Tiff) by Bent Hamer, Poland’s “Ida”(Tiff, Sundance) by Pawel Pawlikowski, Russia’s “Leviathan” (Cannes, Telluride, Tiff, AFI Fest) by Andrey Zvyagintsev, Sweden’s “Force Majeure” (Cannes, Telluride, Tiff) by Ruben Östlund, and Turkey’s “ Winter Sleep” (Cannes, Telluride, Tiff) by Nuri Bilge Ceylan. All of these films have played at renowned international festivals and most have earned important recognition there.

Out of the Box

Whether they are aware of their actual possibilities at a nomination or not, each year a few countries take the risk of sending a film that defies convention despite having more safe choices. But that is not say they are entirely out of the race, films like “The Missing Picture” and “Dogtooth” prove that sometimes there is room for daring and unique filmmaking. With “Rocks in My Pockets” Latvia is the only country to submit an animated film this year. The film is an inventive and colorful look at depression. Then there is the almost-silent and highly poetic Ecuadorian entry “Silence in Dreamland” and Singapore’s musically driven drama “Sayang Disayang.” However, the boldest selection has to be the Philippines’ “Norte, the End of History” by acclaimed auteur Lav Diaz, which runs over four hours and is inspired by Dostoyevsky Crime and Punishment.

Documentaries

Only two countries chose to go with non-fiction entries. One of them is Panama’s “Invasion,” which deals with the aftermath of the U.S. intervention in that country in 1989. This is the Central American nation’s first ever Oscar submission. The other documentary contending is Portugal’s “ What Now? Remind Me,“ a self-portrait by filmmaker Joaquim Pinto exploring his struggles living with HIV. One should note that Portugal is one of the few countries in Western Europe to have never obtained a nomination in the category despite entering films consecutively for several decades.

Lgbt

Films with stories that highlight sexual diversity occasionally make their way into this list. Last year the only Lgbt title submitted was “ Soongava: Dance of the Orchids,” which surprisingly came from Nepal and dealt with the relationship between two young women in the traditional Asian society. This time around two countries selected films with similar themes. Brazil’s festival darling “ The Way He Looks” – a sweet coming-of-age tale- was an audacious choice among the many other films the South American country produces every year. Then there is Switzerland’s “The Circle” about a pioneering gay publication during the 1940s/1950s in Zurich and the real life relationship between two of its prominent members.

Surprising Choices

As it usually happens, some countries go against what the industry expects and decide to send films that weren’t on most people’s radars. Bulgaria for example selected “Bulgarian Rhapsody” by veteran director Ivan Nitchev over Sundance’s “Viktoria” by young female director Maya Vitkova. Similarly, Ukraine overlooked Cannes favorite “The Tribe”- a powerful drama entirely in sign language - and decided to go with “The Guide” by Oles Sanin. Nevertheless, the most shocking decision came from China. Instead of selecting a Chinese-directed film like Berlin’s Golden Bear winner “Black Coal, Thin Ice” or Zhang Yimou’s “Coming Home,” the Chinese selection committee chose “The Nightingale” by French director Philippe Muyl. Despite having a European helmer the film is authentically Chinese in terms of language and story, but it was still an unexpected move from the traditionally patriotic country.

First Timers

The unprecedented number of entries is in part due to the addition of countries submitting for the first time. Besides aforementioned Panama, there are three other debutant nations in the mix. Kosovo- a tiny Balkan state often associated with the rampart war that afflicted the region a few decades ago - is finally showcasing its film production. Their entry titled “Three Windows and a Hanging” is said to be a high quality, affecting drama. Malta - a European island nation near Italy - is often used as astonishing location for big budget studio films. This year, however, “ Simshar,” a great immigration drama will represent the country. Lastly, Mauritania – a prominently Muslim nation in Sub-Saharan Africa – selected Abderrahmane Sissako’s “Timbuktu,”which played in competition at Cannes,as their inaugural submission. Although Sissako has had several successful films at international festivals, this is the first time his country decides to participate.

Female Directors

Out of the 83 films, 14 were directed by women. That’s 17% of all entries. What’s more interesting is the fact that some of these films come from countries that are often seen as traditionally patriarchal societies. 3 Latin American entries were created by female directors: Colombia’s “Mateo,” Costa Rica’s “Red Princesses” and the Dominican Republic’s “Cristo Rey.” 4 from Asia: Hong Kong’s “ The Golden Era,” India’s “Liar’s Dice,” Japan’s “The Light Shines Only There,” and Pakistan’s “Dukhtar.” 2 from the Middle East: Israel’s “Gett: The Trial of Viviane Amsalem” (Co-directed) and Palestine’s “Eyes of a Thief.” Lastly, 5 films from Europe: The Czech Republic’s “Fair Play,” Finland’s “Concrete Night,” Latvia’s “ Rocks in My Pockets,” Malta’s “Simshar” and the Netherlands’ “Accused.”

U.S. Distribution

Another interesting fact is the number of these films that already have U.S. distribution. Several of them have actually already opened theatrically here, and others are set to open early next year. Out 83 films, 24 already have U.S. distribution. That’s 29% of all films. Hopefully that number increases by the end of the season. The films are: Argentina’s “Wild Tales,” Austria’s “The Dark Valley,” Belgium’s “Two Days, One Night,” Brazil’s “The Way He Looks,” Canada’s “Mommy,” Chile’s “To Kill a Man,” France’s “Saint Laurent,” Germany’s “Beloved Sisters,” Hungary’s “White God,” Israel’s “ Gett: The Trial of Viviane Amsalem,” Italy’s “Human Capital,” Latvia’s “Rocks in My Pockets,” Mauritania’s “Timbuktu,” Mexico’s “Cantinflas,” Norway’s “1001 Grams,” The Philippines “Norte, the End of History,” Poland’s “Ida,” Portugal's "What Now? Remind Me," Russia’s “Leviathan,” Spain’s “Living Is Easy with Eyes Closed,” Sweden’s “Force Majeure,” Switzerland’s “The Circle,” Turkey’s “Winter Sleep,” and Venezuela’s “ The Liberator.”

To see which distribution company has each of these films please refer to the list below.

Afghanistan

"A Few Cubic Meters of Love" (چند متر مکعب عشق)

Dir: Jamshid Mahmoudi

Language: Persian

U.S Distribution: None Yet

Isa: Dreamlab Films

Trailer

Argentina

"Wild Tales" (Relatos Salvajes)

Dir: Damián Szifrón

Language: Spanish

U.S Distribution: Sony Pictures Classics

Isa: Film Factory Entertainment

Trailer

Austria

"The Dark Valley" (Das finstere Tal)

Dir: Andreas Prochaska

Language: German

U.S Distribution: Film Movement

Isa: Films Distribution

Trailer

Australia

"Charlie's Country"

Dir: Rolf de Heer

Language: Yolŋu Matha/English

U.S Distribution: None Yet

Isa: Visit Films

Trailer

Azerbaijan

"Nabat"

Dir: Elcin Musaoglu

Language: Azerbaijani

U.S Distribution: None Yet

Isa: Dreamlab Films

Trailer

Bangladesh

"Glow of the Firefly" (Jonakir Alo)

Dir: Khalid Mahmood Mithu

Language: Bengali

U.S Distribution: None Yet

PC: Impress Telefilm

Trailer

Belgium

"Two Days, One Night" (Deux jours, une nuit)

Dir: Jean-Pierre Dardenne & Luc Dardenne

Language: French/Arabic

U.S Distribution: Sundance Selects

Isa: Wild Bunch

Trailer

Bolivia

"Forgotten" (Olvidados)

Dir: Carlos Bolado

Language: Spanish

U.S Distribution: None Yet

PC: Flor de Loto Pictures

Trailer

Bosnia & Herzegovina

"With Mom" (Sa mamom)

Dir: Faruk Loncarevic

Language: Bosnian

U.S Distribution: None Yet

PC: Scca/pro.ba

TraileR

Brazil

"The Way He Looks" (Hoje Eu Quero Voltar Sozinho)

Dir: Daniel Ribeiro

Language: Portuguese

U.S Distribution: Strand Releasing

Isa: Films Boutique Trailer

Bulgaria

"Bulgarian Rhapsody" (българска рапсодия)

Dir: Ivan Nitchev

Language: Bulgarian

U.S Distribution: None Yet

PC: Cinepaz Eood

Trailer

Canada

"Mommy"

Dir: Xavier Dolan

Language: French/English

U.S Distribution: Roadside Attractions

Isa: Seville International

Trailer

Chile

"To Kill a Man" (Matar a un Hombre)

Dir: Alejandro Fernández Almendras

Language: Spanish

U.S Distribution: Film Movement

Isa: Film Factory Entertainment

Trailer

China

"The Nightingale" (夜莺/Le promeneur d'oiseau)

Dir: Philippe Muyl

Language: Mandarin

U.S Distribution: None Yet

Isa: Kinology

Trailer

Colombia

"Mateo"

Dir: Maria Gamboa ♀

Language: Spanish

U.S Distribution: None Yet

Isa: Alpha Violet

Trailer

Costa Rica

"Red Princesses" (Princesas Rojas)

Dir: Laura Astorga ♀

Language: Spanish

U.S Distribution: None Yet

Isa: Latido Films Trailer

Croatia

"Cowboys" (Kauboji)

Dir: Tomislav Mrsic

Language: Croatian

U.S Distribution: None Yet

Isa: Wide

Trailer

Cuba

"Behavior" (Conducta)

Dir: Ernesto Daranas

Language: Spanish

U.S Distribution: None Yet

Isa: Latido Films

Trailer

Czech Republic

"Fair Play"

Dir: Andrea Sedlácková Andrea Sedlácková

Language: Czech

U.S Distribution: None Yet

Isa: IntraMovies

Trailer

Denmark

"Sorrow and Joy" (Sorg og glæde)

Dir: Nils Malmros

Language: Danish

U.S Distribution: None Yet

PC: Nordisk Film Production

Trailer

Dominican Republic

"Cristo Rey"

Dir: Leticia Tonos ♀

Language: Spanish

U.S Distribution: None Yet

Isa: The Little Film Company

Trailer

Ecuador

"Silence in Dreamland" (El Silencio en la Tierra de los Sueños)

Dir: Tito Molina

Language: Spanish

U.S Distribution: None Yet

PC: La Facultad

Trailer

Egypt

"Factory Girl" (فتاة المصنع )

Dir: Mohamed Khan

Language: Arabic

U.S Distribution: None Yet

PC: DayDream Art Production

Trailer

Estonia

"Tangerines" (Mandariinid)

Dir: Zaza Urushadze

Language: Estonian/Russian

U.S Distribution: None Yet

Isa: Cinemavault

Trailer

Ethiopia

"Difret"

Dir: Zeresenay Mehari

Language: Amharic

U.S Distribution: None Yet

Isa: Films Boutique Trailer

Finland

"Concrete Night" (Betoniyö)

Dir: Pirjo Honkasalo ♀

Language: Finnish

U.S Distribution: None Yet

Isa: Film Republic Trailer

France

"Saint Laurent"

Dir: Bertrand Bonello

Language: French

U.S Distribution: Sony Pictures Classics

Isa: Europacorp

Trailer

Georgia

"Corn Island" (სიმინდის კუნძული)

Dir: George Ovashvili

Language: Georgian/Abkhazian/Russian

U.S Distribution: None Yet

Isa: Arizona Productions

Trailer

Germany

"Beloved Sisters" (Die geliebten Schwestern)

Dir: Dominik Graf

Language: German /French

U.S Distribution: Music Box Films

Isa: Global Screen

Trailer

Greece

"Little England" (Μικρά Αγγλία)

Dir: Pantelis Voulgaris

Language: Greek

U.S Distribution: None Yet

PC: Black Orange

Trailer

Hong Kong

"The Golden Era" (黄金时代)

Dir: Ann Hui ♀

Language: Mandarin

U.S Distribution: None Yet

Isa: Edko Films

Trailer

Hungary

"White God" (Fehér isten)

Dir: Kornél Mundruczó

Language: Hungarian/English

U.S Distribution: Magnolia Pictures

Isa: The Match Factory

Trailer

Iceland

"Life in a Fishbowl" (Vonarstræti)

Dir: Baldvin Zophoníasson

Language: None Yet

U.S Distribution: None Yet

Isa: Films Boutique Trailer

India

"Liar's Dice" (लायर्स डाइस)

Dir: Geethu Mohandas ♀

Language: Hindi

U.S Distribution: None Yet

PC: Jar Pictures Trailer

Indonesia

"Soekarno"

Dir: Hanung Bramantyo

Language: Indonesian

U.S Distribution: None Yet

PC: Mvp Pictures

Trailer

Iran

"Today" (امروز )

Dir: Reza Mirkarimi

Language: Persian

U.S Distribution: None Yet

Isa: Dreamlab Films

Trailer

Iraq

"Mardan"

Dir: Batin Ghobadi

Language: Kurdish

U.S Distribution: None Yet

Isa: Versatile Trailer

Ireland

"The Gift" (An Bronntanas)

Dir: Tom Collins

Language: Irish/English

U.S Distribution: None Yet

PC: Rosg/De Facto Films

Trailer

Israel

"Gett: The Trial of Viviane Amsalem" (Gett: Le Procès de Viviane Amsalem)

Dir: Ronit Elkabetz ♀ & Shlomi Elkabetz

Language: Hebrew/French/Arabic

U.S Distribution: Music Box Films

Isa: Films Distribution

Trailer

Italy

"Human Capital" (Il Capitale Umano)

Dir: Paolo Virzì

Language: Italian

U.S Distribution: Film Movement

PC: Indiana Production Company

Trailer

Japan

"The Light Shines Only There" (そこのみにて光輝く)

Dir: Mipo Oh ♀

Language: Japanese

U.S Distribution: None Yet

Isa: Open Sesame

Trailer

Kosovo

"Three Windows and a Hanging" (Tri Dritare dhe një Varje)

Dir: Isa Qosja

Language: Albanian

U.S Distribution: None Yet

PC: CMb Productions

Trailer

Kyrgyzstan

"Kurmanjan Datka Queen of the Mountains" (Курманжан Датка)

Dir: Sadyk Sher-Niyaz

Language: Kirghiz

U.S Distribution: None Yet

PC: Aitysh Film

Trailer

Latvia

"Rocks in My Pockets" (Akmeņi manās kabatās)

Dir: Signe Baumane ♀

Language: Latvian

U.S Distribution: Zeitgeist Films

Isa: New Europe Film Sales

Trailer

Lebanon

"Ghadi" (غدي)

Dir: Amin Dora

Language: Arabic

U.S Distribution: None Yet

Isa: Fortissimo Films

Trailer

Lithuania

"The Gambler" (Lošėjas)

Dir: Ignas Jonynas

Language: Lithuanian

U.S Distribution: None Yet

Isa: Wide

Trailer

Luxembourg

"Never Die Young"

Dir: Pol Cruchten

Language: French

U.S Distribution: None Yet

Isa: EastWest Distribution

Trailer

MacEdonia

"To the Hilt" (До балчак)

Dir: Stole Popov

Language: Macedonian/French/English/ Turkish

U.S Distribution: None Yet

PC: Triangle Film- Skopje

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Malta

"Simshar"

Dir: Rebecca Cremona ♀

Language: Maltese

U.S Distribution: None Yet

PC: Kukumajsa Productions

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Mauritania

"Timbuktu"

Dir: Abderrahmane Sissako

Language: French/Arabic/Bambara/English/Songhay/Tamasheq

U.S Distribution: Cohen Media Group

Isa: Le Pacte

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Mexico

"Cantinflas"

Dir: Sebastian del Amo

Language: Spanish/English

U.S Distribution: Pantelion Films

Isa: 6 Sales

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Moldova

"The Unsaved" (La Limita de Jos a Cerului)

Dir: Igor Cobileanski

Language: Romanian

U.S Distribution: None Yet

Isa: Insomnia World Sales Trailer

Montenegro

"The Boys from Marx and Engels Street" (Djecaci iz ulice Marksa i Engelsa)

Dir: Nikola Vukcevic

Language: Serbian

U.S Distribution: None Yet

PC: Artikulacija Production

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Morocco

"The Red Moon" (القمر الأحمر)

Dir: Hassan Benjelloun

Language: Arabic

U.S Distribution: None Yet

PC: Bentaqerla

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Nepal

"Jhola" (झोला)

Dir: Yadav Kumar Bhattarai

Language: Nepali

U.S Distribution: None Yet

PC: Media for Culture

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The Netherlands

"Accused" (Lucia de B.)

Dir: Paula van der Oest ♀

Language: Dutch

U.S Distribution: None Yet

Isa: Fortissimo Films

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New Zealand

"The Dead Lands"

Dir: Toa Fraser

Language: Maori

U.S Distribution: None Yet

Isa: Xyz Films

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Norway

"1001 Grams" (1001 Gram)

Dir: Bent Hamer

Language: Norwegian/French/ English

U.S Distribution: Kino Lorber

Isa: Les Films du Losange

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Pakistan

"Dukhtar" (دختر، بیٹی)

Dir: Afia Nathaniel ♀

Language: Urdu

U.S Distribution: None Yet

PC: Zambeel Films

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Palestine

"Eyes of a Thief" (عيون الحراميه)

Dir: Najwa Najjar ♀

Language: Arabic

U.S Distribution: None Yet

PC: Ustura Films Trailer

Panama

"Invasion" (Invasión)

Dir: Abner Benaim

Language: Spanish

U.S Distribution: None Yet

Isa: Apertura Films Trailer

Peru

"The Gospel of the Flesh" (El Evangelio de la Carne)

Dir: Eduardo Mendoza de Echave

Language: Spanish

U.S Distribution: None Yet

PC: La Soga Producciones

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The Philippines

"Norte, the End of History" (Norte, Hangganan ng Kasaysayan)

Dir: Lav Diaz

Language: Tagalog/English

U.S Distribution: The Cinema Guild

Isa: M-Appeal World Sales

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Poland

"Ida"

Dir: Pawel Pawlikowski

Language: Polish

U.S Distribution: Music Box Films

Isa: Portobello Film Sales

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Portugal

"What Now? Remind Me" (E Agora? Lembra-me)

Dir: Joaquim Pinto

Language: Portuguese

U.S Distribution: The Cinema Guild

PC: C.R.I.M Productions

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Romania

"The Japanese Dog" (Câinele Japonez)

Dir: Tudor Cristian Jurgiu

Language: Romanian/Japanese

U.S Distribution: None Yet

Isa: M-Appeal World Sales

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Russia

"Leviathan" (Левиафан)

Dir: Andrey Zvyagintsev

Language: Russian

U.S Distribution: Sony Pictures Classics

Isa: Pyramide International

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Serbia

"See You in Montevideo" (Montevideo, vidimo se!)

Dir: Dragan Bjelogrlic

Language: Serbian/Spanish/ English

U.S Distribution: None Yet

PC: Intermedia Network

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Singapore

"Sayang Disayang"

Dir: Sanif Olek

Language: Malay/Indonesian

U.S Distribution: None Yet

PC: ReelJuice

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Slovakia

"A Step Into the Dark" (Krok do tmy)

Dir: Miloslav Luther

Language: Slovak

U.S Distribution: None Yet

PC: Trigon Production Trailer

Slovenia

"Seduce Me" (Zapelji me)

Dir: Marko Santic

Language: Slovenian

U.S Distribution: None Yet

PC: Radio-Television Slovenia

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South Africa

"Elelwani"

Dir: Ntshaveni Wa Luruli

Language: Venda

U.S Distribution: None Yet

Isa: EastWest FilmDistribution

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South Korea

"Haemoo" (해무)

Dir: Sung Bo Shim

Language: Korean

U.S Distribution: None Yet

Isa: Finecut

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Spain

"Living Is Easy with Eyes Closed" (Vivir es fácil con los ojos cerrados)

Dir: David Trueba

Language: Spanish

U.S Distribution: Outsider Pictures

Isa: 6 Sales

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Sweden

"Force Majeure" (Turist)

Dir: Ruben Östlund

Language: Swedish/English

U.S Distribution: Magnolia Pictures

Isa: Coproduction Office (Paris)

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Switzerland

"The Circle" (Der Kreis)

Dir: Stefan Haupt

Language: Swiss German/ German/ French

U.S Distribution: Wolfe Video

Isa: Wide House

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Taiwan

"Ice Poison" (冰毒)

Dir: Midi Z.

Language: Burmese/Chinese

U.S Distribution: None Yet

Isa: Flash Forward Enterteinment

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Thailand

"The Teacher's Diary" (คิดถึงวิทยา)

Dir: Nithiwat Tharathorn

Language: Thai

U.S Distribution: None Yet

Isa: Gth

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Turkey

"Winter Sleep" (Kis uykusu)

Dir: Nuri Bilge Ceylan

Language: Turkish/English

U.S Distribution: Adopt Films

Isa: Memento Films International

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Ukraine

"The Guide" (Поводир)

Dir: Oles Sanin

Language: Ukrainian/Russia/English

U.S Distribution: None Yet

PC: Pronto Film

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United Kingdom

"Little Happiness" (Uzun Yol)

Dir: Nihat Seven

Language: Turkish

U.S Distribution: None Yet

Isa: 7&7 Producers' Sales Services

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Uruguay

"Mr. Kaplan"

Dir: Álvaro Brechner

Language: Spanish

U.S Distribution: None Yet

Isa: Memento Films International

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Venezuela

"The Liberator" (Libertador)

Dir: Alberto Arvelo

Language: Spanish/English/ French

U.S Distribution: Cohen Media Group

Isa: Mundial

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A record 83 countries have submitted films for consideration in the Foreign Language Film category for the 87th Academy Awards. Kosovo, Malta, Mauritania and Panama are first-time entrants.

The 2014 submissions are:

Afghanistan, “A Few Cubic Meters of Love,” Jamshid Mahmoudi, director;

Argentina, “Wild Tales,” Damián Szifrón, director;

Australia, “Charlie’s Country,” Rolf de Heer, director;

Austria, “The Dark Valley,” Andreas Prochaska, director;

Azerbaijan, “Nabat,” Elchin Musaoglu, director;

Bangladesh, “Glow of the Firefly,” Khalid Mahmood Mithu, director;

Belgium, “Two Days, One Night,” Jean-Pierre Dardenne and Luc Dardenne, directors;

Bolivia, “Forgotten,” Carlos Bolado, director;

Bosnia and Herzegovina, “With Mom,” Faruk Lončarevič, director;

Brazil, “The Way He Looks,” Daniel Ribeiro, director;

Bulgaria, “Bulgarian Rhapsody,” Ivan Nitchev, director;

Canada, “Mommy,” Xavier Dolan, director;

Chile, “To Kill a Man,” Alejandro Fernández Almendras, director;

China, “The Nightingale,” Philippe Muyl, director;

Colombia, “Mateo,” María Gamboa, director;

Costa Rica, “Red Princesses,” Laura Astorga Carrera, director;

Croatia, “Cowboys,” Tomislav Mršić,...

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced on Thursday the final submissions for the Foreign Language Film category for the 87th annual Academy Awards. A record 83 countries have entered a film for consideration, including Kosovo, Malta, Mauritania, and Panama for the first time. Notable selections include Xavier Dolan's Canadian drama Mommy, a favorite at this year's Cannes, Sweden's Force Majeure, and the Russian retelling of the Book of Job, Leviathan, winner of the Best Screenplay award at Cannes. Nominations will be announced on Thursday, Jan. 15, ahead of the live telecast on ABC Sunday, Feb. 22, from Hollywood. Last...

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has released the list of submissions for the 2015 Best Foreign Language Film Academy Award. According to the Academy's press release, a record 83 countries have submitted films for consideration, including first-timers Kosovo, Malta, Mauritania, and Panama. Now, if only all those movies were made available for online viewing — or at least on DVD (outside of their respective countries). The 2015 Oscar nominations will be announced live on Thursday, January 15, at 5:30 a.m. Pt in the Academy's Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills. The 2015 Oscar ceremony will be held on Sunday, February 22, at the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center in Hollywood. In the United States, the Oscarcast will be televised live by ABC; additionally, the Oscars will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide. See below the full list of 2015 Best Foreign Language Film Oscar submissions. Afghanistan, A Few Cubic Meters of Love,...

The Academy has announced the complete list of 2015 Foreign Language Oscar contenders for the 2015 Oscar awards and again its a new record, topping last year's record 76 submissions, this year the list reaches 83 total submissions. Kosovo, Malta, Mauritania and Panama are first-time entrants. I've seen a few more on the list than I did last year and I actually have to assume with the buzz from those I've seen they may end up being major players. I'm particularly happy to see Xavier Dolan's Mommy in the field from Canada and it's great seeing the hilarious Wild Tales submitted by Argentina. The Russian submission of Leviathan (Leviafan) came, I think, as a bit of a surprise to everyone considering its subject matter, which could be looked at as critical of its native country. The Dardennes' Two Days, One Night has received a lot of acclaim everywhere it has played and we...

The Academy has received a record 83 submissions for the Best Foreign-Language Film Oscar.

Last year, a record 76 countries submitted features and the eventual winner was Italian entry The Great Beauty, directed by Paolo Sorrentino.

Nine finalists will be shortlisted, which will be whittled down to five nominees that will be announced on Jan 15, 2015.

The awards ceremony will be held on Feb 22, 2015 in the Dolby Theatre, Hollywood.

The 2014 submissions are (in alphabetical order of country):

Afghanistan, A Few Cubic Meters Of Love, Jamshid Mahmoudi

Argentina, Wild Tales, Damián Szifrón

Australia, Charlie’s Country, Rolf de Heer

Austria, The Dark Valley, Andreas Prochaska

Azerbaijan, Nabat, Elchin Musaoglu

Bangladesh, Glow Of The Firefly, Khalid Mahmood Mithu

Belgium, Two Days, One Night, Jean-Pierre Dardenne and Luc Dardenne

Bolivia, Forgotten, Carlos Bolado

Bosnia and Herzegovina, With Mom, Faruk Lončarevič

Brazil, The Way He Looks, Daniel Ribeiro

Bulgaria, Bulgarian Rhapsody, Ivan Nitchev

Canada, Mommy, Xavier Dolan

Chile, To Kill A...

Shine International Launching Branded On-Demand Channel In a first for Shine International, the sales and distribution division of Shine Group is launching a branded on-demand streaming channel. Initially going out in the U.S. via Roku, the channel will offer more than 200 hours of multi-genre programming including The School, Got To Dance, The Magicians, Eternal Law and The Sandhamn Murders. Content is available for free with advertising, or can be rented ad-free. ‘Small Time Gangster’ Heads To Romania As ‘Umbre’ HBO Europe will start production next month in Romania on Umbre, a local version of Australian series Small Time Gangster. The eight-parter is set to air on HBO Romania in early 2015, Film News Europe reports. The dark comedy follows a taxi driver whose side job is working for a Bucharest mobster. After he accidentally kills someone, he can’t extricate himself from the mob. Igor Cobileanski (The Unsaved) is directing...

Films from Russia, Kosovo and Serbia were the main winners at this year’s FilmFestival Cottbus and its parallel East-West co-production market Connecting Cottbus.

Russian director Aleksandr Veledinsky’s The Geographer Drank His Globe Away has continued its successful international festival career by picking up the Main Prize at Germany’s Cottbus festival with a cash award of €20,000.

The International Competition Jury praised Veledinsky’s “exquisite mastery of his craft and great playfulness” in its motivation.

Handled internationally by Moscow-based Ant!pode Sales & Distribution, The Geographer Drank His Globe Away was released theatrically on almost 500 screens in Russia last Thursday (Nov 7) as well as in the Ukraine, Belarus and Kazakhstan. Forthcoming festival invitations include the Black Nights Festival in Tallinn and festivals in Tromsø and Göteborg.

Winning the festival’s Main Prize also gives Veledinsky and his producers the opportunity to return to Cottbus next year as part of Connecting Cottbus’ Special Pitch Award for them to...

Central and Eastern European filmmakers presented 19 projects at various stages of production at Karlovy Vary’s annual Works in Progress initiative.

The popular industry programme at Kviff is in its ninth year, and past films shown as Works In Progress include I Am, Lunacy, Katyn, Tricks, Alois Nebel and My Dog Killer, among many others.

This year’s selection included a standout pitch for The Disobedient [pictured], a Serbian coming-of-age road movie about two 24-year-olds from Tilva Ros producers Mina Djukic (who will direct) and Nikola Lezaic.The film is now in post for autumn delivery after wrapping its shoot in September 2012.

Another promising Serbian title, of a very different flavour, was the crowdpleasing dark comedy Monument to Michael Jackson (working title). The film will be ready to launch this autumn and the footage shown got the day’s only laughs out of the industry-heavy crowd. The film is a co-production with Macedonia and Germany.

Among the Czech...

Michel Gondry’s Mood Indigo (L’écume des jours) was a surprise no-show in Cannes this year (his film debuted theatrically in France the previous month) but the stage is set for an opening gala opening ceremony for the 48th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. Among the slew of titles that were announced today, at the top of must see list we find Ben Wheatley’s A Field in England making its world premiere in the Main Competition category, a pic we thought would end up showing on the Croisette. Another item we had short-listed for a Cannes showing but will be shown in the Spa village backdrop, we have János Szasz’s The Notebook, and making it’s international debut after a stellar Tribeca debut, Lance Edmands’ Bluebird will compete against a pack that also includes hometown favorite Jan Hřebejk and his his psychological thriller Honeymoon. In the Docu...

Ben Wheatley’s A Field In England is to receive its first screening at the 48th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival as one of the 14 titles in Competition.

The psychedelic horror film, set during the English Civil War in the mid-17th century, will screen at the festival in the Czech Republic on July 4.

As previously reported, it will be the first UK film to be released simultaneously in cinemas, on DVD, free TV and VoD. This will take place on July 5.

Scroll down for full line-up

The main section of Karlovy Vary will include a further six world and seven international premieres, with new films from six returning directors – two of whom have already won Crystal Globes for Best Film at the festival in recent years.

Krzysztof Krauze and Joanna Kos-Krauze, who won at Kviff in 2005 with My Nikifor, will compete for the third time with the story of Papusza, the first Roma...

The Moldovan director (often seen as a Romanian one), Igor Cobileanski, has just completed shooting on his second feature film, Flying Lessons (La limita de jos a cerului). His first feature, Tache, was made for TV and released back in 2007. But that’s not what has made him so well-known in Romania. Cobileanski has got a lot of fans with his comedy short films: Sașa, Grișa and Ion (Sașa, Grișa și Ion) (see below) and When the Lights Go Out (Când se stinge lumina). He first started shooting Flying Lessons last year, in mid October, in Orhei city, Republic of Moldova, and now the film is in post-production. Flying Lessons is a bittersweet drama and tells a story about friendship, betrayal and about how people live in a country town. Sergiu Voloc plays a dreamer who earns his living as a drug dealer, while Igor Babac plays the main character,...

• Everything that Romanian director Corneliu Porumboiu touches is gold and/or silver (he claimed the Jury Prize this year for the Un Certain Regard selected Police, Adjective) so imagine the chance for an up-and-coming filmmaker to share screenwriting duties on a project that Porumboiu originally developed in Cannes Cinéfondation Residence (workshop for screenplays) and then to take that same screenplay and make it your feature length debut. This will be Igor Cobileanski's feature length debut (he has previously directed short films as the one you can find below.  Filmneweurope.com reports that this would be the first project that Porumboiu writes but doesn't helm, instead giving it to the Moldavian filmmaker mentioned above. Going either by the title Flying Lessons (or working title Broken Rib), this is a drama about a 25-year-old small-time drug dealer from a forgotten little town in the contemporary Republic of Moldavia, who tries

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