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“I’m going to do a rewrite,” said Romanian director Andrei Tanase of his script, following the feedback he received from international experts at Croatia’s Slano Film Days.

Tanase is a member of one of the teams from eight feature film projects in development that attended the CineLink Workshop as part of Slano Film Days, held June 17-21.

It takes place ahead of the full CineLink programme at Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Sarajevo Film Festival from August 15-22.

The workshop helped connect the regional filmmakers with international experts in production, finance, distribution, and sales.The programme also offered tailored...

Sarajevo Film Festival has selected new feature projects from Hilal Baydarov and David Kapac among the first titles for its Co-Production Market.

Eight projects will participate in the CineLink Workshop from June 16-20, while one -The Flowering of a Chimera - is inthe CineLink Co-Production Market from August 16-21. The programme includes script development support through consultations and expert-led sessions.

Azeri filmmaker Baydarov will present Stone Over Stone, in which a young couple living and working on a decaying construction site struggle to secure a hopeful future for their unborn child. Written by Baydarov and Georg Tiller, the film is produced by Maeva Ranaivojaona,...

Sarajevo Film Festival’s industry section CineLink has revealed the first projects selected for its co-production market.

CineLink has selected eight feature film projects from Southeast Europe to take part in the CineLink Workshop, running from June 16–20, with one additional project set to join the others in the CineLink Co-Production Market, running Aug. 16–21. The program aims to connect filmmakers with decision-makers in production, financing, distribution and sales. In addition, the program offers script development support through tailored consultations and expert-led sessions.

This year’s projects are thematically connected through their “exploration of trauma, drawing parallels between contemporary struggles and historical events,” according to a statement. “They delve into the tension between the need for belonging and the quest for individual identity, offering a search for meaning amid chaos, and inviting audiences to discover beauty in vulnerability and strength in connection.”

The statement adds: “Seeking a responsible and thoughtful way to speak about the present moment,...

It’s Christmas Time at Fantastic Fest! This year, the festival programmers seem to have gotten the holiday spirit a bit early, and there are a number of holiday horror films on the program. In addition to The Sacrifice Game, I have seen a handful of others that are not only enjoyable, but each have a unique take on the Yuletide Spirit.

The Uncle 5/5

Some films are to be savored. You walk in knowing little about the plot, outside of a simple premise. The lights go down, the movie starts, and you find yourself asking….”What the Hell is going on here?”

That’s the joy of The Uncle. It keeps you guessing. It drops information like breadcrumbs. Bit by bit, we gain more understanding of our characters and the strange situation they find themselves in.

At the beginning of the film, a family prepares for their Christmas celebration. The turkey is roasting,...

A scene from ‘Property’ – Fantastic Fest 2023

Director Daniel Bandeire’s Property starring Malu Galli took home top honors at the 2023 Fantastic Fest held in Austin, Texas. This year’s festival kicked off on September 21st and wraps up on September 28th.

“We were graced with wonderful films from around the world this year,” said Annick Mahnert, Director of Programming for Fantastic Fest. “Curating this diverse showcase of cinema for our esteemed jurors was a real privilege. With so many incredible perspectives represented, their job reviewing these fantastic movies was undeniably challenging. Their thoughtful and professional critiques of each work embody the cinematic excellence we love to champion at Fantastic Fest.”

2023 Fantastic Fest Winners

“Main Competition” Features

Best Picture: Property, directed by Daniel Bandeire

Best Director: Robert Morgan – Stopmotion

Honorable Mention: Animalia, directed by Sofia Alaoui

“Next Wave” Features

Best Picture: Sri Asih, directed by Upi Avianto

Best Directors: David Kapac...

Fantastic Fest is currently winding down in Austin, Texas, with two more days of blood-splattered programming unfurling at the Alamo Drafthouse on South Lamar.

But before the festival concludes (with a closing-night screening of Nahnatchka Khan’s “Totally Killer”), TheWrap can exclusively reveal the winners from this year’s festival – in all of their gore-drenched glory.

“We were graced with wonderful films from around the world this year,” said Annick Mahnert, Director of Programming for Fantastic Fest, in an official statement. “Curating this diverse showcase of cinema for our esteemed jurors was a real privilege. With so many incredible perspectives represented, their job reviewing these fantastic movies was undeniably challenging. Their thoughtful and professional critiques of each work embody the cinematic excellence we love to champion at Fantastic Fest.”

Choosing the very best films of this year’s festival must have been though; not only were there a ton of...

The 22nd edition of the Transilvania International Film Festival kicked off Friday night in the city of Cluj-Napoca with the international premiere of Northern Comfort, a comedy directed by Icelandic filmmaker Hafsteinn Gunnar Sigurðsson, and with a tribute to the film’s star, Timothy Spall.

The famed British character actor, known for his roles in Mike Leigh’s Topsy-Turvy and Mr. Turner, Cameron Crowe’s Vanilla Sky, Edward Zwick’s The Last Samurai, Tom Hooper’s The King’s Speech and the Harry Potter films, received this year’s lifetime achievement award at the festival’s opening gala.

The Icelandic-uk-German co-production Northern Comfort is part of the massive Nordic Focus at the festival this year, with more than 40 films from Norway, Iceland, Denmark, Finland and Sweden, as well as live music performances and cine-concerts. Some of the Nordic highlights include Ruben Östlund’s 2022 Palm d’Or winner Triangle of Sadness, Lars von Trier...

The Romanian film festival runs June 9-18.

Transilvania International Film Festival has announced the line-up for its 22nd edition which takes place in Cluj-Napoca, Romania.

The official competition is made up of 12 features while the documentary strand, entitled What’s Up Doc?, will screen 10 titles. All of the films are from first and second-time directors.

Among the competition selection is Ion Bors’ Carbon which premiered in San Sebastian’s New Directors strand last year, having won the festival’s Wip Europa Industry and Wip Europa awards the previous year. The dark comedy, surrounding the Transnistrian conflict of the 1990s, is...

Spanish sales company to handle Spanish director’s third feature.

Spanish sales company Bendita Films has acquired international rights to Lois Patiño’s third feature Samsara, which plays in the Berlinale’s Encounters section

Samsara is a Sanskrit word referring to the cycle of birth, life, death and re-incarnation. Patiño’s film travels from the temples of Laos to the beaches of Zanzibar, accompanying a soul in transit from one body to another.

Patiño’s Red Moon Tide premiered in the Berlinale Forum in 2020 while Coast of Death won the best emerging director prize at Locarno in 2013. His short film...

Spain’s Bendita Films (“The Clash”) has scooped international sales rights to twisted and suspenseful production “The Uncle” (“Stric”) ahead of its market screening at the Toronto Festival.

“We’re thrilled to represent the brilliant debut feature from David Kapac and Andrija Mardešić, a captivating, oppressive thriller with humorous notes that will surely surprise international audiences with its unsettling atmosphere and inventive narrative structure,” stated Luis Renart, CEO-sales & acquisitions at Bendita Films.

Written and directed in tandem by Kapac and Mardešić, the project garnered a special jury mention in July at the Proxima strand which has replaced East of the West at the Karlovy Vary Festival. It marks the first feature effort for the Croatian duo who’ve previously paired to create several festival-showcased short films, including post-war noir comedy “Iris.”

“The Uncle” is a near-claustrophobic depiction of a Yugoslavian family in the late ‘80s as they hastily prepare to gather for Christmas Eve dinner.

The Iranian/Canadian co-production “Summer of Hope,” a drama about the relationship between a young Iranian swimmer and his new coach, has won the Grand Prix in the Crystal Globe Competition at the 2022 Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, Kviff organizers announced on Saturday. Director Sadaf Foroughi and her producers will receive a 25,000 prize as part of the award, which was selected by the festival’s Crystal Globe Jury.

Spanish director Jonas Trueba’s “You Have to Come and See It” won the 15,000 Jury Prize, while Beata Parkanova was named best director for the family drama “Word.”

Also Read:

Karlovy Vary Film Festival Explores Israeli-American Connections in ‘America’ and ‘June Zero’

“Word” also took the best-actor award for Martin Finger, while Taki Mumladze and Mariam Khundadze shared the best-actress award for their work in the Georgian film “A Room of My Own.”

The Pravo Audience Award went to the Czech film “Psh Neverending Story,...

Sadaf Foroughi’s Iran-set feature Summer With Hope has clinched the Grand Prix award in the main Crystal Globe Competition of the 56th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, running July 1-9.

The social drama revolves around a young swimming champion whose close bond with his trainer sparks disapproval from people around them.

Summer With Hope is Iranian-Canadian filmmaker Foroughi’s second film after Ava which debuted at Toronto in 2017, winning the Fipresci international critics prize.

Kviff’s Grand Prix comes with a 25,000 cash prize to be shared equally between the director and producer. Kiarash Anvari of Toronto-based First Generation Films is the lead producer on the film.

This year’s Crystal Globe competition jury comprised Argentinian film producer Benjamin Domenech, German filmmaker Jan-Ole Gerster, Polish distributor and festival organiser Roman Gutek, international sales agent and producer Fiorella Moretti and Danish film editor and screenwriter Molly Malene Stensgaard.

In other main competition awards,...

Czech title ‘Word’ takes best director for Beata Parkanova; ‘A Room Of My Own’ leads share best actress.

Sadaf Foroughi’s Canadian-Iranian drama Summer With Hope has won the Crystal Globe for best film at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (Kviff), which held its closing awards ceremony on Friday July 9.

Foroughi’s second feature is about a swimmer learning a new open water discipline, who develops a close alliance with his coach.

Scroll down for the full list of winners

Written and directed and produced by Foroughi, it is also produced by Kiarash Anvari and Christina Piovesan for Canada’s First Generation Films.

Iran-set coming-of-age story “Summer With Hope” won the top prize at the 56th Karlovy Vary Intl. Film Festival, winning over the Crystal Globe jury with its story of youthful competitive swimmer Omid as he struggles to train for a risky ocean competition.

The film, directed and written by Iranian-Canadian Sadaf Foroughi, is her sophomore feature, following up on 2017 teen drama “Ava.” The Karlovy Vary prize comes with 25,000.

The closing night gala, which filled the Grand Hall of the storied Hotel Thermal in the western Czech spa town, saw several honorees commenting on the critical issue of artistic freedom and urging solidarity with the people of Ukraine. Benicio Del Toro, honored with the fest president’s prize, praised Karlovy Vary for hosting the Odesa film fest’s work-in-progress event this year, saying, the support would help “ensure another culture won’t be a casualty of war.” He also thanked film audiences,...

Geoffrey Rush and Benicio Del Toro will receive special awards at the 2022 Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, Kviff organizers announced on Tuesday. The two actors will both receive their awards during the closing ceremony on July 9 in the festival’s namesake spa town outside Prague in the Czech Republic.

Rush will receive the Crystal Globe for Outstanding Artistic Contribution to World Cinema, an award that in the past has gone to Michael Caine, Julianne Moore, Jude Law and Judi Dench. Three of Rush’s films – “The King’s Speech,” “Quills” and “Shine,” for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor – will be screened at the festival.

Del Toro will receive the President’s Award for making “a fundamental contribution to the development of film and cinema.” “The Usual Suspects” and his Oscar-winning turn in “Traffic” will be screened for the occasion. Ethan Hawke received the President’s Award last year.

The Croatian film and TV sector is expected to get a financial boost of more than 5 million Hrk from international streaming platforms through the Croatian Electronic Media Act, which came into effect in October 2021, the Croatian Audiovisual Center (Havc) has told Film New Europe.

Netflix is expected to participate with 3 million Hrk and other contributors will include HBO Max, Disney+ and Amazon Prime.

According to the new law, streamers will have to invest 2 of their revenues generated in Croatia in local production or acquisition. Network operators will invest 10 of the revenue generated by their own services. Private broadcasters will set aside 5 percent of their annual revenue for independent productions in Croatia.

“With our new law, we have introduced a series of interlinked measures to promote independent production in Croatia. The law is not prescriptive as to how the new funds will be invested. Sure there was resistance as the law was taking shape,...

Croatian event moved to November for the first time, excluded documentary programme to strengthen the industry section.

The 13th Zagreb Film Festival (Nov 14-22) saw Lászlo Nemes’ Cannes Grand Prix winner Son of Saul win the main prize, the Golden Pram for best feature film and a cash prize of €4,000.

The holocaust drama beat 12 other first or second films by their directors, including Icelandic duo Rams and Sparrows, indie hit Me Earl And The Dying Girl, Czech offerings Family Film and Home Care, and Venezuela’s Venice winner From Afar.

The jury, comprising directors Levan Koguashvili and Jessica Woodworth, and producer Christoph Thoke, said of the winner: ”It’s shattering. It’s a masterpiece. It’s unforgettable. A physical experience. An extraordinary film.”

Special mentions went to Tobias Lindholm’s A War, which world premiered at Venice, and Australia-Vanuatu co-production Tanna by Bentley Dean and Martin Butler, which won the audience prize in the Venice Critics’ Week.

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