Documentaries about the impact of war claimed two of the top prizes as the International Documentary Festival Amsterdam handed out awards Thursday night.
1489, directed by Armenian filmmaker Shoghakat Vardanyan, won Best Film in International Competition. The film revolves around the disappearance of the director’s 21-year-old brother, Soghomon Vardanyan, who went missing in the early days of the renewed fighting in 2020 between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh, an area Armenians refer to as Artsakh.
The award comes with a €15,000 cash prize. The jury members of the International Competition were Emilie Bujès, Francesco Giai Via, Tabitha Jackson, Ada Solomon, and Xiaoshuai Wang.
‘1489’
Jurors called 1489, “A film that acts as a piercing light that makes visible the vast hidden interior landscape of grief and creates a tangible presence from unbearable absence. Cinema as a tool of survival—to allow us all, to look at the things we would rather not see.
1489, directed by Armenian filmmaker Shoghakat Vardanyan, won Best Film in International Competition. The film revolves around the disappearance of the director’s 21-year-old brother, Soghomon Vardanyan, who went missing in the early days of the renewed fighting in 2020 between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh, an area Armenians refer to as Artsakh.
The award comes with a €15,000 cash prize. The jury members of the International Competition were Emilie Bujès, Francesco Giai Via, Tabitha Jackson, Ada Solomon, and Xiaoshuai Wang.
‘1489’
Jurors called 1489, “A film that acts as a piercing light that makes visible the vast hidden interior landscape of grief and creates a tangible presence from unbearable absence. Cinema as a tool of survival—to allow us all, to look at the things we would rather not see.
- 11/17/2023
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
Shoghakat Vardanyan’s “1489,” which follows the director’s family after her brother goes missing while serving in the Armenian army, won documentary festival IDFA’s best film prize Thursday.
The jury of the International Competition section said the film “acts as a piercing light that makes visible the vast hidden interior landscape of grief and creates a tangible presence from unbearable absence.”
The jury added that it was “cinema as a tool of survival — to allow us all to look at the things we would rather not see, and ultimately, an unforgettable example of cinema as an act of love.”
The best directing award went to Mohamed Jabaly for “Life Is Beautiful,” in which the Palestinian filmmaker documents his life in 2014 when he was visiting Norway and was prevented from returning home to Gaza because the border was closed.
“Life Is Beautiful”
The jury members said the film was “a...
The jury of the International Competition section said the film “acts as a piercing light that makes visible the vast hidden interior landscape of grief and creates a tangible presence from unbearable absence.”
The jury added that it was “cinema as a tool of survival — to allow us all to look at the things we would rather not see, and ultimately, an unforgettable example of cinema as an act of love.”
The best directing award went to Mohamed Jabaly for “Life Is Beautiful,” in which the Palestinian filmmaker documents his life in 2014 when he was visiting Norway and was prevented from returning home to Gaza because the border was closed.
“Life Is Beautiful”
The jury members said the film was “a...
- 11/16/2023
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
Film at Lincoln Center and The Museum of Modern Art has set Audrey Diwan’s Happening and The African Desperate by Martine Syms will bookend the 51st edition of their collaboration, New Directors/New Films running April 20–May 1 in NYC.
The festival will introduce 26 features and 11 shorts and total of 39 directors — 21 of which are women.
“Portraits of individuals and communities navigating uncertain and turbulent circumstances in pursuit of freedom, self-determination, and survival set a remarkably contemplative tone to the lineup,” said La Frances Hui, curator of MoMa’s film department and event co-char.
Happening (L’Événement), winner of the 2021 Venice International Film Festival’s Golden Lion, is the portrait of a young woman attempting to secure an illegal abortion in 1960s provincial France. It was acquired by IFC Films and will be released May 6.
The African Desperate, a debut feature from Syms, rushes through 24 hours in the life of protagonist Palace...
The festival will introduce 26 features and 11 shorts and total of 39 directors — 21 of which are women.
“Portraits of individuals and communities navigating uncertain and turbulent circumstances in pursuit of freedom, self-determination, and survival set a remarkably contemplative tone to the lineup,” said La Frances Hui, curator of MoMa’s film department and event co-char.
Happening (L’Événement), winner of the 2021 Venice International Film Festival’s Golden Lion, is the portrait of a young woman attempting to secure an illegal abortion in 1960s provincial France. It was acquired by IFC Films and will be released May 6.
The African Desperate, a debut feature from Syms, rushes through 24 hours in the life of protagonist Palace...
- 3/29/2022
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
Golden Lion winner “Happening” will open the 2022 New Directors/New Films Festival, Film at Lincoln Center and the Museum of Modern Art announced Tuesday.
Now in its 51st year, the New Directors/New Films Festival screens the best films made by young filmmakers, many of which tend to be their debut features. The festival has served as an early showcase for many notable directors, including Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Kelly Reichardt, Pedro Almodóvar, Spike Lee, Lynne Ramsay, Michael Haneke, Wong Kar Wai, Guillermo del Toro and Luca Guadagnino. This year, the festival will screen 26 features and 11 shorts.
“Portraits of individuals and communities navigating uncertain and turbulent circumstances in pursuit of freedom, self-determination, and survival set a remarkably contemplative tone for the lineup,” 2022 Nd/Nf co-chair and MoMa department of film curator La Frances Hui said in a statement. “This year’s new directors look inward and draw on events past and present...
Now in its 51st year, the New Directors/New Films Festival screens the best films made by young filmmakers, many of which tend to be their debut features. The festival has served as an early showcase for many notable directors, including Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Kelly Reichardt, Pedro Almodóvar, Spike Lee, Lynne Ramsay, Michael Haneke, Wong Kar Wai, Guillermo del Toro and Luca Guadagnino. This year, the festival will screen 26 features and 11 shorts.
“Portraits of individuals and communities navigating uncertain and turbulent circumstances in pursuit of freedom, self-determination, and survival set a remarkably contemplative tone for the lineup,” 2022 Nd/Nf co-chair and MoMa department of film curator La Frances Hui said in a statement. “This year’s new directors look inward and draw on events past and present...
- 3/29/2022
- by Wilson Chapman
- Variety Film + TV
Rwandan director Kivu Ruhorahoza’s “Father’s Day,” which bows in the competitive Encounters strand of the Berlin Film Festival, is a timely story of fatherhood in a country that saw a generation orphaned by one of the worst atrocities of the 20th century.
The film presents a trio of interwoven stories set in the East African nation. A mother tries to cope with the loss of her only son. A young woman prepares for an organ donation that could save the life of a father who she never truly loved. And a young boy roams the city with his father, a small-time crook with anger management issues, who introduces him to a hustler’s life.
Though “Father’s Day” is not a film about the Rwandan genocide, as is so often the case in a country still reeling from that bloody period, the genocide and its lingering trauma provide...
The film presents a trio of interwoven stories set in the East African nation. A mother tries to cope with the loss of her only son. A young woman prepares for an organ donation that could save the life of a father who she never truly loved. And a young boy roams the city with his father, a small-time crook with anger management issues, who introduces him to a hustler’s life.
Though “Father’s Day” is not a film about the Rwandan genocide, as is so often the case in a country still reeling from that bloody period, the genocide and its lingering trauma provide...
- 2/12/2022
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
After launching last year’s edition as a two-pronged event held last March and June, this year’s Berlin Film Festival is attempting to return to (relative) normalcy, complete with an enviable lineup of new films. While the Berlinale’s European Film Market has moved online, this year’s Berlin Film Festival is sticking to an in-person event with limited capacity, mandatory vaccines, and no parties.
But although moviegoers might not be literally partying it up during the course of the 10-day festival, there will still be plenty to celebrate, including new films from beloved auteurs like Claire Denis, Dario Argento, Quentin Dupieux, Ursula Meier, and Peter Strickland, plus new works from rising stars on the international circuit like Kivu Ruhorahoza, Ashley McKenzie, and Li Ruijun. There are Covid-made features and murderous revenge thrillers, small-scale romances and real-life twins making their debut, and at least one film that just might...
But although moviegoers might not be literally partying it up during the course of the 10-day festival, there will still be plenty to celebrate, including new films from beloved auteurs like Claire Denis, Dario Argento, Quentin Dupieux, Ursula Meier, and Peter Strickland, plus new works from rising stars on the international circuit like Kivu Ruhorahoza, Ashley McKenzie, and Li Ruijun. There are Covid-made features and murderous revenge thrillers, small-scale romances and real-life twins making their debut, and at least one film that just might...
- 2/9/2022
- by Kate Erbland, David Ehrlich and Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
Orange Studio has boarded “Tanzanite,” a female-centric thriller from Swiss-Rwandan filmmaker Kantarama Gahigiri, Variety has learned exclusively.
“Tanzanite” takes place in the year 2045 in Kenya’s capital Nairobi, a lawless city where temperatures have become dangerously high and the government has imposed a curfew to tame brewing unrest. One day, a bright and feisty 11-year-old girl working in an illegal mine discovers a precious tanzanite gemstone, which is believed to hold the soul of the region and give hope and protection to its bearer.
But the gemstone’s discovery sets off a scramble to possess it and harness its powers, pitting a psychopathic cult leader and his private army against an all-female militia and a jaded detective on the downward slope of her career.
“Tanzanite” is co-produced by Urucu Media and Close Up Films, with development funding from Orange Studio and Switzerland’s Migros. The film is co-written by Gahigiri...
“Tanzanite” takes place in the year 2045 in Kenya’s capital Nairobi, a lawless city where temperatures have become dangerously high and the government has imposed a curfew to tame brewing unrest. One day, a bright and feisty 11-year-old girl working in an illegal mine discovers a precious tanzanite gemstone, which is believed to hold the soul of the region and give hope and protection to its bearer.
But the gemstone’s discovery sets off a scramble to possess it and harness its powers, pitting a psychopathic cult leader and his private army against an all-female militia and a jaded detective on the downward slope of her career.
“Tanzanite” is co-produced by Urucu Media and Close Up Films, with development funding from Orange Studio and Switzerland’s Migros. The film is co-written by Gahigiri...
- 7/22/2020
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
Art imitates life until the line between them blurs in “Europa, ‘Based on a True Story,’” Rwandan director Kivu Ruhorahoza’s provocative portrayal of a love affair gone bad that mirrors the growing social and racial tensions in Great Britain and Europe. Produced by Anthony Rui Ribeiro for Moon Road Films and co-produced by Cocoon Production, with MaryEllen Higgins executive producing, the film world premieres in competition at Idfa on Nov. 27.
After his first two fiction features earned critical plaudits and A-list festival premieres, Ruhorahoza took up residence in the U.K. to shoot his new movie, “A Tree Has Fallen,” which was intended to be a drama about a mysterious Nigerian man who returns to London to settle the fallout from a messy love triangle.
Little did the director know that British politics and life in the U.K. were about to get even messier. “My initial plan was...
After his first two fiction features earned critical plaudits and A-list festival premieres, Ruhorahoza took up residence in the U.K. to shoot his new movie, “A Tree Has Fallen,” which was intended to be a drama about a mysterious Nigerian man who returns to London to settle the fallout from a messy love triangle.
Little did the director know that British politics and life in the U.K. were about to get even messier. “My initial plan was...
- 11/27/2019
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
After being appointed director of Dox Box earlier this year, the acclaimed French-Egyptian documentary filmmaker Jihan El-Tahri had a vision for how she could foster the continued evolution of a Berlin-based organization already devoted to the development of a sustainable documentary industry in the Arab world.
From the start, that meant strengthening ties between the Arab region and sub-Saharan Africa, “having spent 30 years of my life trying to connect the north of the continent to the south of it,” said El-Tahri, whose credits include the Emmy-nominated “House of Saud.” “It’s the idea of being that bridge that for me was really important.”
El-Tahri points to the fundamental challenges facing both African and Arab documentary filmmakers, working without broad financial or institutional support in their own regions, while frequently being marginalized by funding bodies in the global north. “We’re trying to be more inclusive,” she said. “We’re trying...
From the start, that meant strengthening ties between the Arab region and sub-Saharan Africa, “having spent 30 years of my life trying to connect the north of the continent to the south of it,” said El-Tahri, whose credits include the Emmy-nominated “House of Saud.” “It’s the idea of being that bridge that for me was really important.”
El-Tahri points to the fundamental challenges facing both African and Arab documentary filmmakers, working without broad financial or institutional support in their own regions, while frequently being marginalized by funding bodies in the global north. “We’re trying to be more inclusive,” she said. “We’re trying...
- 11/23/2019
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
The 32nd International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (Idfa) opened Wednesday with gender parity, inclusion, and young talent front and center.
Twenty-one year-old Canadian-Vietnamese director Carol Nguyen — whose short “No Crying at the Dinner Table” screens at the festival — kicked off the evening, reflecting Idfa’s commitment to young talent and women filmmakers. Nguyen said that she was optimistic about the position of women in film.
“Within the last few years alone, we have seen a rise of diverse representation in mainstream media,” Nguyen said. “Society and our audiences are more conscious than ever about the lack of gender and racial parity in film. Film festivals have even set gender parity goals for themselves. We are all demanding it.” Nguyen added that there is still a lot more work to be done, and that everyone must act together to achieve parity.
In his opening speech, Orwa Nyrabia, Idfa’s artistic director,...
Twenty-one year-old Canadian-Vietnamese director Carol Nguyen — whose short “No Crying at the Dinner Table” screens at the festival — kicked off the evening, reflecting Idfa’s commitment to young talent and women filmmakers. Nguyen said that she was optimistic about the position of women in film.
“Within the last few years alone, we have seen a rise of diverse representation in mainstream media,” Nguyen said. “Society and our audiences are more conscious than ever about the lack of gender and racial parity in film. Film festivals have even set gender parity goals for themselves. We are all demanding it.” Nguyen added that there is still a lot more work to be done, and that everyone must act together to achieve parity.
In his opening speech, Orwa Nyrabia, Idfa’s artistic director,...
- 11/20/2019
- by Damon Wise and Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
Shoring up artistic director Orwa Nyrabia’s commitment to showcasing more women’s stories and platforming more women’s voices, Idfa has announced that this year’s festival features the highest percentage of female filmmakers in the event’s 31-year history: 64% of competition titles and 47% of the total program.
“Reaching a fairer representation was much easier than it seemed to be,” noted Nyrabia. “We only had to keep our goal in mind. The outstanding films that found their way to us this year was a humble reminder that we are in the presence of exceptional female filmmakers.”
The festival opens with the world premiere of Mehrdad Oskouei’s “Sunless Shadows,” which depicts five young Iranian women complicit in the murders of abusive husbands, fathers, or brothers-in-law. Oskouei’s film competes in the Feature-Length Documentary Competition alongside Jørgen Leth’s “I Walk”; Heidi Hassan and Patricia Pérez Fernández’s “In a...
“Reaching a fairer representation was much easier than it seemed to be,” noted Nyrabia. “We only had to keep our goal in mind. The outstanding films that found their way to us this year was a humble reminder that we are in the presence of exceptional female filmmakers.”
The festival opens with the world premiere of Mehrdad Oskouei’s “Sunless Shadows,” which depicts five young Iranian women complicit in the murders of abusive husbands, fathers, or brothers-in-law. Oskouei’s film competes in the Feature-Length Documentary Competition alongside Jørgen Leth’s “I Walk”; Heidi Hassan and Patricia Pérez Fernández’s “In a...
- 10/24/2019
- by Damon Wise
- Variety Film + TV
Festival brass say 64% of competition titles directed by women, representing record 47% of total programme.
The International Documentary Festival Amsterdam (Idfa) has unveiled the line-up for its 32nd edition, which is set to take place from Nov 20-Dec 1.
At present, 64% of the festival’s competition titles are directed by women, representing 47% of the total programme - the highest in the festival’s history.
Idfa will open with the world premiere of Mehrdad Oskouei’s Sunless Shadows, about five young Iranian women who are all accomplices in the murder of their abusive husbands, fathers, or brothers-in-law.
The flagship 12-strong Best Feature-Length Documentary competition line-up includes I Walk,...
The International Documentary Festival Amsterdam (Idfa) has unveiled the line-up for its 32nd edition, which is set to take place from Nov 20-Dec 1.
At present, 64% of the festival’s competition titles are directed by women, representing 47% of the total programme - the highest in the festival’s history.
Idfa will open with the world premiere of Mehrdad Oskouei’s Sunless Shadows, about five young Iranian women who are all accomplices in the murder of their abusive husbands, fathers, or brothers-in-law.
The flagship 12-strong Best Feature-Length Documentary competition line-up includes I Walk,...
- 10/23/2019
- by 1101184¦Orlando Parfitt¦38¦
- ScreenDaily
Festival brass say 64% of competition titles directed by women, representing record 47% of total programme.
The International Documentary Festival Amsterdam (Idfa) has unveiled the line-up for its 32nd edition, which is set to take place from Nov 20-Dec 1.
At present, 64% of the festival’s competition titles are directed by women, representing 47% of the total programme - the highest in the festival’s history.
Idfa will open with the world premiere of Mehrdad Oskouei’s Sunless Shadows, about five young Iranian women who are all accomplices in the murder of their abusive husbands, fathers, or brothers-in-law.
The flagship 12-strong Best Feature-Length Documentary competition line-up includes I Walk,...
The International Documentary Festival Amsterdam (Idfa) has unveiled the line-up for its 32nd edition, which is set to take place from Nov 20-Dec 1.
At present, 64% of the festival’s competition titles are directed by women, representing 47% of the total programme - the highest in the festival’s history.
Idfa will open with the world premiere of Mehrdad Oskouei’s Sunless Shadows, about five young Iranian women who are all accomplices in the murder of their abusive husbands, fathers, or brothers-in-law.
The flagship 12-strong Best Feature-Length Documentary competition line-up includes I Walk,...
- 10/23/2019
- by 1101184¦Orlando Parfitt¦38¦
- ScreenDaily
Festival brass say 64% of competition titles directed by women, representing record 47% of total programme.
The International Documentary Festival Amsterdam (Idfa) has unveiled the line-up for its 32nd edition, which is set to take place from Nov 20-Dec 1.
At present, 64% of the festival’s competition titles are directed by women, representing 47% of the total programme - the highest in the festival’s history.
Idfa will open with the world premiere of Mehrdad Oskouei’s Sunless Shadows, about five young Iranian women who are all accomplices in the murder of their abusive husbands, fathers, or brothers-in-law.
The flagship 12-strong Best Feature-Length Documentary competition line-up includes I Walk,...
The International Documentary Festival Amsterdam (Idfa) has unveiled the line-up for its 32nd edition, which is set to take place from Nov 20-Dec 1.
At present, 64% of the festival’s competition titles are directed by women, representing 47% of the total programme - the highest in the festival’s history.
Idfa will open with the world premiere of Mehrdad Oskouei’s Sunless Shadows, about five young Iranian women who are all accomplices in the murder of their abusive husbands, fathers, or brothers-in-law.
The flagship 12-strong Best Feature-Length Documentary competition line-up includes I Walk,...
- 10/23/2019
- by 1101184¦Orlando Parfitt¦38¦
- ScreenDaily
Five titles from six filmmakers were chosen from more than 130 entries.
Realness, the African screenwriting residency created by Elias Ribeiro and Cait Pansegrouw of Urucu Media, has selected the projects for its 2018 edition.
Taking part in this year’s programme are Kantarama Gahigiri (Tapis Rouge) and Kivu Ruhorahoza (Grey Matter) from Rwanda, Matthys Boshoff (Flesh Of My Flesh) from South Africa, Ng’endo Mukii (Yellow Fever) from Kenya and Reem Morsi (The Door) and Mohammed Siam (Whose Country?), both from Egypt.
The participants were selected by a panel of 16 industry figures, including sales agents Thembe Bhebhe and Efuru Flowers (Flourishing Films...
Realness, the African screenwriting residency created by Elias Ribeiro and Cait Pansegrouw of Urucu Media, has selected the projects for its 2018 edition.
Taking part in this year’s programme are Kantarama Gahigiri (Tapis Rouge) and Kivu Ruhorahoza (Grey Matter) from Rwanda, Matthys Boshoff (Flesh Of My Flesh) from South Africa, Ng’endo Mukii (Yellow Fever) from Kenya and Reem Morsi (The Door) and Mohammed Siam (Whose Country?), both from Egypt.
The participants were selected by a panel of 16 industry figures, including sales agents Thembe Bhebhe and Efuru Flowers (Flourishing Films...
- 5/25/2018
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
On Monday September 18th 2017 the 2nd edition of the Ouaga Film Lab , organized by Generation Films began. Launched in 2016 this development and coproduction residency aims to strengthen the competitiveness of West African directors and producers within major international labs, as well as to facilitate their access to local funds, international co-productions and closer collaborations with experienced mentors from around the continent.
10 feature projects (narrative and documentary) were selected this year:
A l’ombre d’Elimane, a documentary film project by Hamedine Kane (Senegal), produced by Rama Thiaw from Boul Fallé Images (Senegal)Agoodjie, a fiction film project by Félicien M. Assogba (Benin), produced by Fredy Boris Agblo from F-media (Benin)Bori Bana, a fiction film project by Joël Akafou (Côte d’Ivoire), produced by Floriane Zoundi (Burkina Faso) from Merveilles Production (Benin)Dia, a fiction film project by Achille Ronaïmou (Chad), produced by Faissol Gnonlonfin (Benin)Duba, Les charognards, a...
10 feature projects (narrative and documentary) were selected this year:
A l’ombre d’Elimane, a documentary film project by Hamedine Kane (Senegal), produced by Rama Thiaw from Boul Fallé Images (Senegal)Agoodjie, a fiction film project by Félicien M. Assogba (Benin), produced by Fredy Boris Agblo from F-media (Benin)Bori Bana, a fiction film project by Joël Akafou (Côte d’Ivoire), produced by Floriane Zoundi (Burkina Faso) from Merveilles Production (Benin)Dia, a fiction film project by Achille Ronaïmou (Chad), produced by Faissol Gnonlonfin (Benin)Duba, Les charognards, a...
- 9/22/2017
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
"Things of the Aimless Wanderer" takes its title from Bantu accounts of early European explorers renowned for getting lost in their wanderings. In the BFI (British Film Institute) interview at the bottom of this post, published today, writer-director Kivu Ruhorahoza and producer Antonio Ribeiro discuss the development of their project, subtext in the film and Western modernity, in an enlightening 30-minute conversation moderated by Isabel Moura Mendes. But first, for some backstory, read the piece Kivu wrote when the film was set to premiere at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year. In it, he summarizes the production of the film and his intent. *** Moon Road...
- 11/13/2015
- by Tambay A. Obenson
- ShadowAndAct
Neil Armfield.s Holding the Man, Simon Stone.s The Daughter, Jeremy Sims. Last Cab to Darwin and Jen Peedom.s feature doc Sherpa will have their world premieres at the Sydney Film Festival.
The festival program unveiled today includes 33 world premieres (including 22 shorts) and 135 Australian premieres (with 18 shorts) among 251 titles from 68 countries.
Among the other premieres will be Daina Reid.s The Secret River, Ruby Entertainment's. ABC-tv miniseries starring Oliver Jackson Cohen and Sarah Snook, and three Oz docs, Marc Eberle.s The Cambodian Space Project — Not Easy Rock .n. Roll, Steve Thomas. Freedom Stories and Lisa Nicol.s Wide Open Sky.
Festival director Nashen Moodley boasted. this year.s event will be far larger than 2014's when 183 films from 47 countries were screened, including 15 world premieres. The expansion is possible in part due to the addition of two new screening venues in Newtown and Liverpool.
As previously announced, Brendan Cowell...
The festival program unveiled today includes 33 world premieres (including 22 shorts) and 135 Australian premieres (with 18 shorts) among 251 titles from 68 countries.
Among the other premieres will be Daina Reid.s The Secret River, Ruby Entertainment's. ABC-tv miniseries starring Oliver Jackson Cohen and Sarah Snook, and three Oz docs, Marc Eberle.s The Cambodian Space Project — Not Easy Rock .n. Roll, Steve Thomas. Freedom Stories and Lisa Nicol.s Wide Open Sky.
Festival director Nashen Moodley boasted. this year.s event will be far larger than 2014's when 183 films from 47 countries were screened, including 15 world premieres. The expansion is possible in part due to the addition of two new screening venues in Newtown and Liverpool.
As previously announced, Brendan Cowell...
- 5/6/2015
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
To be absolutely mesmerized by a film, totally transfixed, is a rare happening in cinema, but should be the norm, right? Rwanda director Kivu Ruhorahoza's Things Of The Aimless Wanderer is just such a film, spectacular and ambitious in all its working parts, catapulting cutting-edge African cinema onto the world stage with the intensity of a new religion. Ruhorahoza's efforts are made up of a pure cinema, observant and immaculate, cutting deep swatches into East African culture, post-genocide, positing questions of what a modern Rwanda looks like, wondering where Western influence and agendas end. The work is reminiscent of such filmmakers as Werner Herzog, Miguel Gomes (Taboo), Chris Marker (Sans Soleil) and Apichatpong "Joe" Weerasethakul (Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives), towing the...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 1/31/2015
- Screen Anarchy
Moon Road Film’s first narrative feature "Things of the Aimless Wanderer" by Kivu Ruhorahoza has made it to Sundance 2015! About “Things of the Aimless Wanderer” A white man meets a black girl. Then the girl disappears. The white man tries to understand what happened to her and eventually finish a travelogue. When the first explorers visited East Africa, the local Bantu populations called them "wazungu." The word comes from the verb “kuzunguka”, to spin around, as a result of the explorer’s propensity to get lost in their wanderings… "Things of the Aimless Wanderer" is a film about the sensitive topic of relations between “Locals” and Westerners....
- 1/26/2015
- by Kivu Ruhorahoza
- ShadowAndAct
Iffr reveals Big Screen Awards nominees and the complete line-up for its Bright Future and Spectrum strands, including world premieres from the Us, China and the Netherlands.
Second Coming, starring Idris Elba and Nadine Marshall, has been named as one of 10 films up for the Big Screen Award at the International Film Festival Rotterdam (Iffr) (Jan 21 - Feb 1).
The UK film, written and directed by Debbie Tucker Green, will be vying for a prize of €10,000 ($12,000) awarded specifically to support theatrical distribution of the film in The Netherlands
The 10 nominees are from Iffr’s Bright Future and Spectrum programmes with the winner chosen by a specially selected audience jury. Other titles include Lisandro Alonso’s Cannes Fipresci winner Jauja and Carlos Vermut’s San Sebastian winner Magical Girl.
The nominees are:
I Swear I’ll Leave This Town, Danial AragãoJauja, Lisandro AlonsoKey House Mirror, Michael NoerThe Lesson, Kristina Grozeva, Petar ValchanovMagical Girl, Carlos VermutA...
Second Coming, starring Idris Elba and Nadine Marshall, has been named as one of 10 films up for the Big Screen Award at the International Film Festival Rotterdam (Iffr) (Jan 21 - Feb 1).
The UK film, written and directed by Debbie Tucker Green, will be vying for a prize of €10,000 ($12,000) awarded specifically to support theatrical distribution of the film in The Netherlands
The 10 nominees are from Iffr’s Bright Future and Spectrum programmes with the winner chosen by a specially selected audience jury. Other titles include Lisandro Alonso’s Cannes Fipresci winner Jauja and Carlos Vermut’s San Sebastian winner Magical Girl.
The nominees are:
I Swear I’ll Leave This Town, Danial AragãoJauja, Lisandro AlonsoKey House Mirror, Michael NoerThe Lesson, Kristina Grozeva, Petar ValchanovMagical Girl, Carlos VermutA...
- 1/7/2015
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
Announcements for the lineup for the 2015 Sundance Film Festival, taking place between January 22nd and February 1st, are starting to roll out. Watch this page for updates as more films and sections are revealed.
Premieres
Brooklyn (John Crowley, UK)
Digging for Fire (Joe Swanberg, USA)
Don Verdean (Jared Hess, USA)
End of the Tour (James Ponsoldt, USA)
Experimenter (Michael Almereyda, USA)
Grandma (Paul Weitz, USA)
I Am Michael (Justin Kelly, USA)
I'll See You In My Dreams (Brett Haley, USA)
Last Days in the Desert (Rodrigo Garcia, USA)
Lila & Eve (Charles Stone III, USA)
Mississipi Grind (Ryan Fleck & Anna Boden, USA)
Mistress America (Noah Baumbach, USA)
Seoul Searching (Benson Lee, USA/Korea)
Sleeping with Other People (Leslye Headland, USA)
Ten Thousand Saints (Robert Pulcini & Shari Springer Berman, USA)
True Story (Rupert Goold, USA)
A Walk in the Woods (Ken Kwapis, USA)
Zipper (Mora Stephens, USA)
Documentary Premieres
Beaver Trilogy Part IV (Brad Besser,...
Premieres
Brooklyn (John Crowley, UK)
Digging for Fire (Joe Swanberg, USA)
Don Verdean (Jared Hess, USA)
End of the Tour (James Ponsoldt, USA)
Experimenter (Michael Almereyda, USA)
Grandma (Paul Weitz, USA)
I Am Michael (Justin Kelly, USA)
I'll See You In My Dreams (Brett Haley, USA)
Last Days in the Desert (Rodrigo Garcia, USA)
Lila & Eve (Charles Stone III, USA)
Mississipi Grind (Ryan Fleck & Anna Boden, USA)
Mistress America (Noah Baumbach, USA)
Seoul Searching (Benson Lee, USA/Korea)
Sleeping with Other People (Leslye Headland, USA)
Ten Thousand Saints (Robert Pulcini & Shari Springer Berman, USA)
True Story (Rupert Goold, USA)
A Walk in the Woods (Ken Kwapis, USA)
Zipper (Mora Stephens, USA)
Documentary Premieres
Beaver Trilogy Part IV (Brad Besser,...
- 12/16/2014
- by Notebook
- MUBI
At first glance, there doesn't appear to be a lot for *us* - except for "Girlhood" which we've been on-top of since its Cannes debut (it screens in the Spotlight section), and the latest from Rwandan filmmaker Kivu Ruhorahoza, whose first film, the smoldering "Grey Matter" (aka "Matière Grise"), made its debut at the 2011 installment of the Tribeca Film Festival here in New York City, and was later selected for the touring Global Lens 2012 series. We've been following the filmmaker since that work, so it's great to see him back, with a new film, titled "Things of the Aimless Wanderer," which screens in...
- 12/4/2014
- by Tambay A. Obenson
- ShadowAndAct
The 2015 selection includes a strong Latin American flavour, led by Eli Roth’s Chilewood psychosexual Park City At Midnight entry Knock Knock starring Keanu Reeves and Lorenza Izzo.
Mexico-based Dark Factory’s thriller Reversal also premieres in the section, while the New Frontier film slate includes Carlos Moreno’s Liveforever from Colombia-Mexico.
Spotlight — Sundance programmers’ tribute to their favourite films of 2014 — includes Argentinean box office smash and Academy Awards submission Wild Tales (pictured) from Damián Szifrón.
Among the Midnight films are Rodney Ascher’s sleep paralysis documentary The Nightmare, Bruce McDonald’s Hellions from Canada, Cop Car from the Us starring Kevin Bacon and Irish-uk forest-set The Hallow from Corin Hardy.
Spotlight selections also feature Yann Demange’s feted UK thriller ‘71, Kornél Mundruczó’s Hungarian drama White God and Mia Hansen-Løve’s Eden from France. Canadian auteur Guy Maddin is back withThe Forbidden Room, which he co-directed with Evan Johnson, in New Frontier...
Mexico-based Dark Factory’s thriller Reversal also premieres in the section, while the New Frontier film slate includes Carlos Moreno’s Liveforever from Colombia-Mexico.
Spotlight — Sundance programmers’ tribute to their favourite films of 2014 — includes Argentinean box office smash and Academy Awards submission Wild Tales (pictured) from Damián Szifrón.
Among the Midnight films are Rodney Ascher’s sleep paralysis documentary The Nightmare, Bruce McDonald’s Hellions from Canada, Cop Car from the Us starring Kevin Bacon and Irish-uk forest-set The Hallow from Corin Hardy.
Spotlight selections also feature Yann Demange’s feted UK thriller ‘71, Kornél Mundruczó’s Hungarian drama White God and Mia Hansen-Løve’s Eden from France. Canadian auteur Guy Maddin is back withThe Forbidden Room, which he co-directed with Evan Johnson, in New Frontier...
- 12/4/2014
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Tribeca Film Institute (Tfi), in partnership with the Ford Foundation’s JustFilms Initiative, has announced grant recipients of the 2014 Tfi New Media Fund. The diverse assortment of interactive, non-fiction, transmedia projects were selected from a pool of 208 submissions and explore a range of complex social issues, from online tracking to the story of Peru’s unconsented sterilization policy to gender-based sexual violence in India. Of most interest to this blog, given its stated mission, is a project titled "Single Rwandan Seeks Serious Relationship," from Jacqueline Kalimunda and Kivu Ruhorahoza, whose first film, "Grey Matter" (aka "Matière...
- 8/5/2014
- by Tambay A. Obenson
- ShadowAndAct
Tribeca Film Institute (Tfi), in partnership with the Ford Foundation’s JustFilms Initiative has announced five grant recipients of the 2014 Tfi New Media Fund.
Tribeca Film Institute (Tfi), in partnership with the Ford Foundation’s JustFilms Initiative has announced five grant recipients of the 2014 Tfi New Media Fund.
The interactive, non-fiction transmedia projects were selected from a pool of 208 submissions and explore social issues from online tracking to gender-based sexual violence in India.
The Fund will now begin accepting submissions biannually, allowing applicants’ projects to focus on timely events and social issues.
The five developed docu-projects have been awardned between $50,000 and $100,000 apiece, with funding effective immediately.
Grantees will also take part in regular peer-to-peer meetings and a lab focused on interactive storytelling to help them develop their projects and build engagement with audiences.
The jury comprised Local Projects founder Jake Barton, Fledgling executive director Sheila Leddy, Melcher Media and Future Of Storytelling founder Charles Melcher, Trilogy Films founder...
Tribeca Film Institute (Tfi), in partnership with the Ford Foundation’s JustFilms Initiative has announced five grant recipients of the 2014 Tfi New Media Fund.
The interactive, non-fiction transmedia projects were selected from a pool of 208 submissions and explore social issues from online tracking to gender-based sexual violence in India.
The Fund will now begin accepting submissions biannually, allowing applicants’ projects to focus on timely events and social issues.
The five developed docu-projects have been awardned between $50,000 and $100,000 apiece, with funding effective immediately.
Grantees will also take part in regular peer-to-peer meetings and a lab focused on interactive storytelling to help them develop their projects and build engagement with audiences.
The jury comprised Local Projects founder Jake Barton, Fledgling executive director Sheila Leddy, Melcher Media and Future Of Storytelling founder Charles Melcher, Trilogy Films founder...
- 7/31/2014
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
The International Film Festival Rotterdam’s Hubert Bals Fund (Hbf) has almost always selected a Diaspora project for its many yearly rounds, for as long as I've been following the initiative on this site. Most recently, last December, Donald Mugisha (Uganda) and Vincent Moloi (South Africa) were selected to receive grant money from the fund. And previously, Kenneth Gyang' (Nigeria) award-winning Confusion Na Wa, was was also an Hbf recipient, as was Rwandan filmmaker Kivu Ruhorahoza's Jomo, and others. So I'm always anxious to see what new feature film I'll first learn about, whenever the Hbf (an initiative of the International Film Festival Rotterdam...
- 5/21/2014
- by Tambay A. Obenson
- ShadowAndAct
Presented University of British Columbia and The Cinematheque, a "New Wave in African Cinema" is an upcoming Vancouver film screening series that will take place from November 1-3 and 5-7. The lineup includes several titles you would've read about on S&A in the last 12 to 24 months, including Alain Gomis' Tey, Kivu Ruhorahoza's Grey Matter, Judy Kibinge's Something Necessary, Dyana Gaye's Under The Starry Sky, and more. You'll find the full lineup, including showtimes and ticket information Here. Courtesy of Program Director and Curator Dr. Julie MacArthur, details on the series follow below: The New Wave in African Cinema film series is a joint production of...
- 10/23/2013
- by Natasha Greeves
- ShadowAndAct
Children.s movie Paper Planes, Cambodian-set romantic drama Ruin and art-house drama Partisan received investment from Screen Australia at Tuesday's board meeting.
The agency is investing almost $15.5 million in the three features, five adult drama series, one telemovie and three children.s series, triggering production worth almost $84 million.
Writer/director/producer Robert Connolly.s Paper Planes is a drama about a young boy from a small outback town who dreams of competing in the World Paper Plane Championships in Japan. The writers are Connolly and Steve Worland, produced by Maggie Miles and Liz Kearney.
Connolly told If, .We don.t make this kind of film any more in Australia, where the hero is an Australian kid. If kids don.t grow up watching Australian films we are not building a future..
The film will shoot in Perth later this year. Connolly and John Maynard.s Footprint Films will release in...
The agency is investing almost $15.5 million in the three features, five adult drama series, one telemovie and three children.s series, triggering production worth almost $84 million.
Writer/director/producer Robert Connolly.s Paper Planes is a drama about a young boy from a small outback town who dreams of competing in the World Paper Plane Championships in Japan. The writers are Connolly and Steve Worland, produced by Maggie Miles and Liz Kearney.
Connolly told If, .We don.t make this kind of film any more in Australia, where the hero is an Australian kid. If kids don.t grow up watching Australian films we are not building a future..
The film will shoot in Perth later this year. Connolly and John Maynard.s Footprint Films will release in...
- 6/26/2013
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
Rwandan filmmaker Kivu Ruhorahoza, whose first film, Grey Matter (aka Matière Grise), made its debut at the 2011 installment of the Tribeca Film Festival here in New York City, and was later selected for the touring Global Lens 2012 series, has long begun work on his second feature, Jomo, which was selected for the Rotterdam CineMart last year, out of 465 entries, where it was presented to 850 potential co-financiers during the event. No word on where Jomo currently stands in terms of production, but it's on my watch-list, so as soon as I hear anything, it'll be shared here. In the meantime, you are strongly encouraged to check out...
- 4/17/2013
- by Tambay A. Obenson
- ShadowAndAct
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