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The Best International Feature Film award went to the Brazilian film “I’m Still Here,” which was the festival’s surprise winner. The festival, which took place from January 2 to 13, 2025, featured 165 films from 71 countries, including 35 films competing for the Academy Awards’ International Feature Film category.

“I’m Still Here,” directed by Walter Salles, gives a touching view of life as a regime takes hold. The international jury applauded the film for its strong story, which highlighted its intimate portrayal of a mother’s fight to keep her family safe and maintain her dignity during a crucial historical moment. The jury noted that Salles shows this truth clearly and effectively without being overly dramatic.

Zoe Saldaña won the Fipresci Prize for Best Actress for her strong performance in the movie Emilia Pérez, directed by Jacques Audiard. Even though her part was meant to be supportive, the jury recognized her impressive acting skills. They...

Walter Salles’ Brazilian drama “I’m Still Here” was named the best of the 35 Oscar-contending international films at the 2025 Palm Springs International Film Festival, Psiff announced on Sunday.

The award given out by a jury from the international film critics association Fipresci was open to 35 of the 85 eligible films in the category, including all 15 of the Oscars shortlisted titles. “I’m Still Here” won in a field that also included Golden Globes winner “Emilia Pérez,” “The Seed of the Sacred Fig,” “Flow,” “Vermiglio,” “Kneecap” and others.

Italy’s “Vermiglio” won the award for screenplay, while acting awards went to Zoe Saldaña for “Emilia Pérez” and the trio of Irish hip-hop musicians Mo Chara, Móglaí Bap, and DJ Provái for “Kneecap.”

The documentary award was open to 10 nonfiction films that screened at the festival. The Palestinian/Israeli film “No Other Land,” was the only eligible film that also made the Oscars Best Documentary Feature shortlist.

Following Fernanda Torres’ surprise Golden Globe win last Sunday, Walter Salles’ political bio-drama “I’m Still Here” is picking up steam going into Oscars voting as it has now also received the Fipresci Prize for Best International Feature Film at the 36th Annual Palm Springs International Film Festival. Salles’ film is based on Marcelo Rubens Paiva’s 2015 memoir of the same name and follows a mother and activist as she comes to terms with the forced disappearance of her husband, a dissident politician fighting against the dictatorship in Brazil at the time.

Of the film, the Palm Springs jury said in a statement, “To ‘I’m Still Here,’ for conveying the horror of encroaching dictatorship from the intimate perspective of a mother defending not just her family of five, but her dignity. Evoking the severity of the violence without resorting to melodrama, director Walter Salles captures a critical moment of history in scrupulous and compelling detail.

The Palm Springs International Film Festival on Sunday revealed its 2025 juried award winners, which includes Walter Salles’ I’m Still Here, Zoe Saldaña and the documentary No Other Land.

The juried categories include the Fipresci Prize for films in the international feature film Oscar submissions program, the best documentary award and the New Voices New Visions Award, among others.

The festival took place between Jan. 2 and Jan. 13 and screened 165 films from over 71 countries.

See below for a full list of juried winners.

Fipresci Prize for Best International Feature Film

I’m Still Here (Brazil), Director Walter Salles

Jury Statement: “To I’m Still Here, for conveying the horror of encroaching dictatorship from the intimate perspective of a mother defending not just her family of five, but her dignity. Evoking the severity of the violence without resorting to melodrama, director Walter Salles captures a critical moment of history in scrupulous and compelling detail.

Cinema Tropical, the premier presenter of Latin American cinema in the United States, has announced its annual list of the Best Latin American and U.S. Latinx Films of 2024. This year’s prestigious selection showcases 32 exceptional films—26 from across Latin America and six from U.S. Latinx filmmakers—representing a vibrant spectrum of contemporary storytelling. These films will compete for the 15th Annual Cinema Tropical Awards, with winners to be revealed on January 14, 2025, at a ceremony at Film at Lincoln Center in New York City.

The selected films span diverse genres, themes, and countries, highlighting the creative and cultural richness of Latin American cinema. Festival favorites such as La Cocina by Alonso Ruizpalacios, The Delinquents by Rodrigo Moreno, Pepe by Nelson Carlo de los Santos Arias, and Sujo by Fernanda Valadez and Astrid Rondero are among the contenders for top honors. The winners will be recognized in categories including Best Film,...

The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences on Tuesday unveiled the shortlist of 15 films that will vie for a nomination for the best international feature film Oscar at the 97th Academy Awards.

85 countries submitted features this award season but several frontrunners quickly pulled out from the pack, and easily made it onto the longlist, including Jacques Audiard’s Emilia Pérez, representing France, the Danish contender The Girl With the Needle from director Magnus von Horn, and Mohammad Rasoulof’s The Seed of the Sacred Fig, an Iran-set feature submitted by co-production country Germany.

Several festival circuit favorites made the cut. I’m Still Here, Brazil’s contender comes to the Oscars on referral from Venice, where it won the best screenplay prize. Director Walter Salles scored an Oscar nom back in Central Station in the international category (then known as best foreign-language film), with Fernanda Montenegro, who has a cameo in I’m Still Here,...

A story about a boy deciding whether to enter the criminal underworld or become a student that lacks enough passion and anger to really hit home

Here is a Mexican crime drama without the crime – or without much of it, taking place chiefly on the margins of serious violence. It is the coming-of-age story of a teenage boy whose dad was a sicario, or cartel killer, in the Tierra Caliente of Michoacán in southern Mexico. Young Sujo (Kevin Aguilar) is at primary school when his father is brutally killed and the killers come looking for the little boy, fearing he will grow up to avenge his dad’s death. Sujo takes refuge at the remote shack belonging to his watchful aunt Nemesia (Yadira Pérez); she becomes his protective family, along with his other aunt Rosalia (Karla Garrido) and his cousins Jai (Alexis Varela) and Jeremy (Jairo Hernandez). Sujo grows to...

“Sujo,” a compelling new Mexican film, will confront spectators with its honest representation of generational grief when it hits theaters in the United States and Canada on December 6. The film, directed by Astrid Rondero and Fernanda Valadez, follows one man’s effort to escape his traumatic family past.

The film follows Sujo, a young guy whose life is shaped by his father’s history as a cartel gunman. After a rival gang member slays his father, four-year-old Sujo is rescued by his aunt Nemesia, who raises him in a difficult rural environment.

“We wanted each episode to have its atmosphere,” the directors stated, emphasizing their distinct approach to storytelling. The film follows Sujo’s life in stages, employing various visual styles to depict his transition from orphaned youngster to young adult.

As a teenager, Sujo initially joins the local cartel. However, the film’s plot turns hopeful when he tries...

One of the more formally impressive features I saw at Sundance earlier this year was the latest from Identifying Features team Astrid Rondero and Fernanda Valadez. Sujo, which picked up a Sundance Grand Jury Prize and was named Mexico’s Oscar entry, will now arrive in U.S. theaters starting next week, on December 6, and the first trailer has landed.

Here’s the synopsis: “After a cartel gunman from a small Mexican town is murdered, Sujo, his beloved four-year-old son, is left an orphan and in danger. Sujo narrowly escapes death with the help of his aunt who raises him in the isolated countryside amidst hardship, poverty, and the constant peril associated with his identity. When he enters his teens a rebelliousness awakens in him, and like a rite of passage, he joins the local cartel. As a young man, Sujo attempts to make his life anew, away from the violence of his hometown.

The saga of the character of “Sujo” spans decades, all in the shadow of the cartel. Mexico submitted the lyrical film, from co-writers/directors Fernanda Valadez and Astrid Rondero, in the Best International Feature Oscar category. The film premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the World Cinema Grand Jury: Dramatic prize.

Here’s the official synopsis: “After a cartel gunman (Juan Jesús Varela) from a small Mexican town is murdered, Sujo, his beloved four-year-old son (Kevin Aguilar), is left an orphan and in danger. Sujo narrowly escapes death with the help of his aunt (Yadira Pérez) who raises him in the isolated countryside amidst hardship, poverty, and the constant peril associated with his identity. When he enters his teens (Juan Jesús Varela), a rebelliousness awakens in him, and like a rite of passage, he joins the local cartel. As a young man, Sujo attempts to make his life anew,...

Michael Gracey’s Robbie Williams biopic musical Better Man will open the 36th annual Palm Springs Film Festival on Thursday, January 2, while The Penguin Lessons, directed by Peter Cattaneo and starring Steve Coogan in the heartwarming story of a teacher who rescues and adopts an adorable penguin, closes it out January 13. Both films had premieres at the Toronto Film Festival earlier this year, and Better Man first had its world premiere at Telluride.

As always a hallmark of Psiff are screenings of numerous entries into the Oscar International Feature Film race, this year with 35 scheduled to screen in the desert.

The festival has programmed 158 films from 71 countries including 68 premieres. The lineup also includes sections like Talking Pictures, a focus on Spanish films with a spotlight on Pedro Almodóvar, New Voices New Visions, Modern Masters, Queer Cinema, Cine Latino, True Stories,...

On Tuesday, the Palm Springs International Film Festival (Psiff) announced its official 2025 lineup for the nearly two-week event that’s being held from Jan. 2 to Jan. 13.

The opening night movie will be Paramount Pictures’ “Better Man,” starring Robbie Williams and directed by Michael Gracey, which chronicles the pop star’s meteoric rise and dramatic fall. And the festival will close with Sony Pictures Classics’ “The Penguin Lessons,” starring Steve Coogan and directed by Peter Cattaneo, in the dramedy about a teacher whose life changes when he adopts a penguin. In all, Psiff will screen 158 films from 71 countries, including 68 premieres.

Artistic director Lili Rodriguez said, “Our lineup this year is truly something special. In true Psiff fashion, it spans genres and crosses borders to bring an exciting mix of films to the Coachella Valley. Over the past year, our Palm Springs International Film Festival team has carefully crafted a program that celebrates the art of storytelling,...

The Palm Springs International Film Festival is set to kick off on Jan. 2 with “Better Man,” directed by Michael Gracey, while the closing film on Jan. 12 will be “The Penguin Lessons,” directed by Peter Cattaneo.

The lineup will feature 35 of the international feature film Oscar submissions. Over 11 days, the festival will screen 158 films from 71 countries, including 68 premieres.

Also set are a focus on Spanish films including a spotlight on Pedro Almodóvar, and the return of sections such as New Voices New Visions, Modern Masters, Queer Cinema, Cine Latino, True Stories and World Cinema Now.

“Better Man” is based on the true story of the rise, fall and return of British musician Robbie Williams. Cattaneo will be in attendance for “The Penguin Lessons,” a dramedy about a schoolteacher in militaristic Argentina who rescues a penguin.

Several of the honorees from the Palm Springs International Film Awards are set to participate in the Talking Pictures screenings,...

Mexico’s official entry to the Oscars, “Sujo,” made a sweep of the 22nd Morelia Int’l Film Festival (Ficm), winning the festival’s Ojo Awards for Best Film, Director and Screenplay.

Co-helmer-scribes Astrid Rondero and Fernanda Valadez, whose debut pic “Identifying Features” won a couple of Sundance awards and took the Best International Feature prize at the Gotham Awards in 2021, also snagged the Sundance Grand Jury Prize for World Cinema with “Sujo,” their sophomore feature, in January.

Hailed by Variety as an “optimistic alternative to violent drug war movies,” the poignant coming-of-age story revolves around the impact of drug cartels on the youth. The tale follows young Sujo (played by Kevin Uriel Aguilar Luna and Juan Jesús Varela) who grows up surrounded by their violence. When his father, a sicario (hired assassin), is killed, he becomes a target but Sujo’s intrepid aunt rescues him.

Sujo’s win caps...

Sujo, Mexico’s Oscar submission, topped the Morelia International Film Festival with three wins across Best Screenplay, Direction and overall Fiction Feature film. It’s a good start to the international film contender, following up its nabbing of the Sundance Film Festival’s Grand Jury Prize for World Cinema.

From filmmakers Astrid Rondero and Fernanda Valadez, the drama centers on the eponymous beloved son of a small-town cartel gunman who narrowly escapes death when his father is murdered. When his aunt takes him in and raises him in the isolated countryside, he must contend with hardship, poverty and the constant peril associated with his identity.

Rondero and Valadez shared the awards for Best Mexican Fiction Feature Film Screenplay, Best Direction of Mexican Fiction Feature Film and Best Mexican Feature Film overall. In September, The Forge acquired the North American rights to the pic, which will hit select theaters beginning Nov.

The upcoming 14th GuadaLAjara Film Festival in Los Angeles (Glaff) will honour Emmy-nominated Nava Mau from Baby Reindeer, Ilse Salas from Pedro Páramo, and Diane Guerrero from Jane The Virgin.

Mau will receive the Trailblazer Award at the opening night gala at the United Artists Theater in Downtown Los Angeles on November 1. Besides Netflix hit Baby Reindeer she was a series regular in Max’s Generation.

Mau is an activist who has worked with immigrant survivors as a legal assistant, and a peer counselor and advocate for LGBTQ survivors of violence. Her short film All The Words But The One...

Predicting the eventual five Oscar nominees for Best International Feature is made difficult by the three-step process that begins after the October 2, 2024 deadline for countries to submit entries. To be part of the selection process for this category, which was called Best Foreign Language Film before 2020, requires a great deal of dedication. (Scroll down for the most up-to-date 2025 Oscar predictions for Best International Feature.)

In the days following the deadline for submissions, the academy determines each film’s eligibility. Then the several hundred academy members who serve on the International Feature screening committee are divided into groups and required to watch all their submissions over a six-week period that ends in early December. Their top 15 vote-getters will make it to the next round. That list of semi-finalists will be revealed on December 17, 2024.

These 15 films will be made available to the entire academy membership who can cast ballots for the final...

Japan’s leading indie film festival, Tokyo Filmex (November 23-December 1) has unveiled the line-up for its competition, opening and closing films, and other sections.

The festival, which marks its 25th year in 2024, will open with Jia Zhang-Ke’s Caught By The Tides, which played in competition at this year’s Cannes, and close with Hong Sang-soo’s By the Stream, for which actor Kim Min-hee won the Pardo for best performance at Locarno.

The 10 competition titles include the Georgian film April, directed by Dea Kulumbegashvili, which won the special jury prize at Venice this year; Girls Will Be Girls, the...

The 14th GuadaLAjara Film Festival (Glaff) in Los Angeles running November 1-3 will open with Mexican Oscar submission Sujo.

The Forge holds North American rights to the Sundance Grand Jury Prize winner from Astrid Rondero and Fernanda Valadez about a youngster growing up under the shadow of the murder of his cartel hitman father.

The festival will close with Prime Video’s post-#MeToo series La Liberación from Alejandra Marquez Abella, about three women who team up to persuade a young actress to drop an allegation of sexual harassment against a film director.

The Dia de los Muertos centerpiece gala...

The GuadaLAjara Film Festival (Glaff) will return to Los Angeles for its 14th edition, running from November 1-3, 2024. This year’s event promises a dynamic blend of films and events featuring a stellar lineup of talent, including Zoe Saldaña, Rooney Mara, Raúl Briones, Dylan O’Brien and Nava Mau.

The festival will open with “Sujo,” a Spanish-language drama from directors Astrid Rondero and Fernanda Valadez. Selected as Mexico’s official submission for the Oscars’ best international feature category, “Sujo” delves into the life of a young man growing up amid the violence that looms over rural Mexico. The film is set for a U.S. theatrical release in Dec. by indie distributor The Forge.

Glaff’s short film selections will include standout projects such as “All the Words but the One,” directed and starring recent Emmy nominee Nava Mau (“Baby Reindeer”), and “Dovecote,” produced by and starring Zoe Saldaña, who is...

Gia Coppola’s The Last Showgirl took home the Special Jury Prize at the 2024 San Sebastián Film Festival, held in Spain’s Basque Country from Sept. 20 through 28.

“For the high quality of its acting, packed with truth and nuances, which with great subtlety and restraint, brings us closer to the feelings of a group of people who must confront a disappearing profession, a world that is coming to an end,” the jury’s verdict read, per the fete’s press release.

About a veteran Las Vegas showgirl who must switch up her life’s routine following the unexpected closure of her three-decade-long show, the drama features a star-studded cast in Pamela Anderson, Kiernan Shipka, Brenda Song, Billie Lourd, Dave Bautista and Jamie Lee Curtis. As Deadline exclusively reported yesterday, The Last Showgirl was just acquired by Roadside Attractions for its North American release.

The Golden Shell for Best Film was...

Recent submissions for Best International Feature Film at the 97th Academy Awards are quickly piling up. Jordan has entered My Sweet Land (Sheffield DocFest), Switzerland has chosen Klaudia Reynicke’s Reinas (Sundance premiere), the United Kingdom selected Sandhya Suri’s Santosh (Un Certain Regard), and India made the expected-unexpected choice of Kiran Rao’s Laapataa Ladies. Iran submitted Babak Lotfi Khajepasha’s In the Arms of the Tree, Argentina opted for Luis Ortega’s Kill The Jockey (Venice competition), and Mexico is backing Astrid Rondero and Fernanda Valadez’s Sujo (a big Sundance winner). However, it’s the entries from Italy, Brazil, and France that are truly stealing the spotlight.…...

Mexico’s has selected “Sujo” as the country’s entry for Best International Feature Film at the 97th Academy Awards. The movie written and directed by Astrid Rondero and Fernanda Valadez won the World Cinema Dramatic Grand Jury Prize at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival and will hit theaters November 29.

After a cartel gunman from a small Mexican town is murdered, Sujo (Kevin Uriel Aguilar Luna/Juan Jesús Varel), his beloved four-year-old son, is left an orphan and in danger. Sujo narrowly escapes death with the help of his aunt who raises him in the isolated countryside amidst hardship, poverty, and the constant peril associated with his identity.When he enters his teens a rebelliousness awakens in him, and like a rite of passage, he joins the local cartel. As a young man, Sujo attempts to make his life anew, away from the violence of his hometown. However, when his father...

Entries for the 2025 Oscar for best international feature are underway, and Screen is profiling each one on this page.

The 97th Academy Awards is set to take place on March 2, 2025 at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.

An international feature film is defined as a feature-length motion picture (over 40 minutes) produced outside the US with a predominantly (more than 50%) non-English dialogue track and can include animated and documentary features.

Submitted films must have been released theatrically in their respective countries between November 1, 2023, and September 30, 2024. The deadline for submissions to the Academy is October 2, 2024.

A shortlist of 15 finalists is scheduled to...

Mexico has picked Sundance Film Festival winner Sujo to represent the country at the 2025 Oscars in the Best International Feature category. The drama from Identifying Features directors Astrid Rondero and Fernanda Valadez premiered at Sundance this year, where it won the Grand Jury Prize for World Cinema. It is currently doing the festival tour and will screen in San Sebastian and the London Film Festival this fall.

The coming-of-age story focuses on the titular Sujo, the son of a small-town cartel sicario who is orphaned when his father is murdered as a traitor. Under constant threat of death — the cartels traditionally kill male heirs of assassinated members lest they grow up to avenge their fathers — Sujo goes into hiding in the mountains, living in isolation with only his aunts and two young cousins for company. But as a young man, Sujo, played by Identifying Features actor Juan Jesús Varela, drifts...

Mexico has selected the drama film “Sujo” as its entry for the Best International Feature Film category at the 2025 Academy Awards. The movie tells the story of a young man growing up in a small Mexican town threatened by cartel violence.

“Sujo” follows the life of its title character after his cartel member father is murdered. Sujo is raised by his aunt in the countryside but grows up surrounded by poverty and danger. As a teen, Sujo gets drawn into the local drug gang. He later tries to escape his violent past. The film explores how destiny and the cycle of cartel activity impact Mexico.

The movie from directors Astrid Rondero and Fernanda Valadez won the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year. Juan Jesús Varela plays the adult Sujo, supported by Yadira Pérez, Alexis Varela and others. Rondero, Valadez, and producers Diana Casarreal, Jewerl Keats Ross,...

Astrid Rondero and Fernanda Valadez’s Mexico-set drama Sujo has been selected as Mexico’s Oscar submission in the best international feature film category.

‘Sujo’: Sundance Review

The Forge has scheduled a November 29 theatrical release in select US and Canadian markets on the coming-of-age drama about the son of a slain cartel hitman who, now a young man after growing up in hiding, must reckon as a young man with destiny as his father’s legacy catches up with him. Juan Jesús Varela stars

Sujo premiered in Sundance where it won the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize: Drama. It...

Sujo, which won the Sundance Film Festival’s Grand Jury Prize for World Cinema following its world premiere there earlier this year, has been selected to represent Mexico in the 2025 Oscar race for Best International Feature Film.

Astrid Rondero and Fernanda Valadez’s drama centers on Sujo, the beloved son of a small-town cartel gunman who narrowly escapes death when his father is murdered. His aunt takes him in and raises him in the isolated countryside amidst hardship, poverty and the constant peril associated with his identity.

When Sujo enters his teens a rebelliousness awakens in him and he joins the local cartel. As a young man (Juan Jesús Varela), he attempts to make his life anew, away from the violence of his hometown. But when his father’s legacy catches up with him, he will come face-to-face with what seems to be his destiny.

Yadira Pérez, Alexis Varela, Sandra Lorenzano,...

Sundance prize-winner Sujo has been picked up for UK theatrical distribution by Ijaz Kato and John Kinson’s newly-launched outfit Beam Films.

Sujo won the grand jury prize in the world cinema dramatic competition at Sundance, and will continue its festival run at San Sebastian and BFI London Film Festival.

Alpha Violet represents international sales on the title, with Beam lining up a release for November. The Forge will release the title in North America on November 29.

Mexican directors and producer duo Astrid Rondero and Fernanda Valadez’s film tells the story of a boy’s survival after the murder of his father,...

The world premiere of Liu Juan’s A River Without Tears is set to open this year’s Pingyao International Film Festival, which has revealed its full line-up.

The eighth edition of the festival, founded by acclaimed director Jia Zhangke, is scheduled to run from September 24-30 in the picturesque city of Pingyao, in China’s Shanxi province.

Sections include Crouching Tigers, made up of emerging international filmmakers; Hidden Dragons, featuring the first or second films of Chinese directors; gala films by renowned directors; and Made-in-Shanxi, comprising titles by local filmmakers or films shot in in the province.

Opening film...

Pingyao International Film Festival (Pyiff) has announced the line-up for its eighth edition, including its Crouching Tigers and Hidden Dragons sections, and opening film A River Without Tears.

The festival also announced that it is screening a restored version of Chen Kaige’s award-winning Yellow Earth, to mark the 40th anniversary of the film, one of the first major titles of China’s Fifth Generation movement, which won a Silver Leopard at Locarno as well as best cinematography for Zhang Yimou at Nantes Three Continents Film Festival.

Opening film A River Without Tears, the second feature of female director Liu Juan, is the story of a father who insists on finding out the truth of his daughter’s suicide. Executive produced by Chinese auteur and Pingyao festival founder Jia Zhangke, the film will also screen as one of 12 titles in the festival’s Hidden Dragons section for emerging Chinese filmmakers (see full list below).

Meanwhile,...

The Forge has bulked up its arthouse slate of major festival winners and acquired North American rights to Sundance Grand Jury Prize winner Sujo. The company plans to support the film with a full awards campaign.

Astrid Rondero and Fernanda Valadez’s Mexico-set drama premiered in Park City in January when it won the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize: Drama.

The feature will participate in a number of upcoming festivals including San Sebastian’s Horizontes Latinos strand spotlighting films from Latin America and AFI Latin American Film Festival, both of which take place later this month.

The Forge will release...

A restored edition of Chen Kaige’s “Yellow Earth” is one of the highlights of the selection for the 8th edition of China’s boutique Pingyao International Film Festival. The film, which helped put Chinese art-house cinema on the map overseas and signaled a new era of Chinese directors, now referred to the FIfth Generation, was originally released 40 years ago.

The festival, which runs Sept. 24-30, will open with the world premiere of Liu Juan’s “A River Without Tears.”

The festival’s Hidden Dragons section of Chinese-made films includes: the Asian premiere of Ma Lanhua’s “Hello, Spring”; the Asian premiere of Tang Yongkan’s “Stars and the Moon”; and world premieres of Wang Lina’s “Village Music”; Zhu Xin’s “A Song River”; Yang Suiyi’s “Karst”; Luka Yang Yuanyuan’s “Chinatown Cha-Cha”; Shen Tao’s “Floating Clouds Obscure the Sun”; Siu Koon-ho’s “True Love, For Once...

Festival Short Film Juror Ke-Xi Wu Participated in the Master Panels Throughout, Gaining Valuable Insights and Connecting with the International Community

The five-day 2024 Sundance Film Festival: Asia concluded yesterday in Taipei with great fanfare, attracting tens of thousands of movie enthusiasts and industry professionals, adding immense brilliance to Taiwan’s film scene. This year’s festival featured 15 award-winning films from the Sundance Film Festival, premiering in Taiwan, and hosted 14 panels and workshops. Over 40 international filmmakers from oversea participated, including director Macoto Tezka; Lisa Joy, producer of the global hit Westworld; Nina Yang Bongiovi, producer of Passing, which won the BAFTA Award for Outstanding British Film; Christina Oh, producer of the Oscar-nominated Minari, which won the Best Supporting Actress award; and Anthony Francisco, former Senior Visual Development Artist at Marvel. They engaged in various panels and discussions, fostering deep exchanges with local Taiwanese filmmakers. Renowned actors including Ke-Xi Wu, Janet Hsieh,...

Santiago Loza, Natalia Meta and Martín Boulocq are among the filmmakers returning to San Sebastian with projects in this year’s Europe-Latin America co-production forum (September 23-25), alongside the latest project from the directors of Sundance prize winner Sujo.

This will be Argentinian director Loza’s eighth participation in the Spanish festival, previously taking part in the forum in 2017 with Brief Story Of The Green Planet. His latest project is Animales Del Desierto.

Argentina’s Meta is taking part with The Spirit Of Law, after The Intruder played in Horizontes Latinos in 2020.

Bolivia’s Boulocq returns with The Strange Woman,...

Brazilian Gabriela Amaral Almeida’s “She, Crocodile,” Victoria Galardi “Hedgehogs” and “Rambler,” from Mexico’s Astrid Rondero and Fernanda Valadez, feature among the 14 projects being brought to market at San Sebastian’s Europe-Latin America Co-Production Forum.

Further titles are from admired established helmers – Argentina’s Santiago Loza, Bolivia’s Martin Boulocq – or fast emerging directors such as Cuba’s Rosa Maria Rodríguez, Argentina’s Natalia Meta, Paraguay’s Pablo Lamar and Mexico-based Natalia López Gallardo.

One of the strongest lineups in years, the showcase is powered by the allure of the biggest Latin American co-production event in Europe, the need to drive into co-production to counter rising costs and the more specific dire straits of Argentina’s film industry.

“She, Crocodile” marks the first feature from New York City and São Paulo-based South, the new production company launched by ‘Queen of the South’ lead Alice Braga and ‘3%’ star Bianca Comparato.

After premieres in the Venice competition, a Toronto splash and an eventual NYFF slot, Luis Ortega‘s Kill The Jockey is among the fourteen films selected for San Sebastián’s Horizontes Latinos section (which is essentially the best film fest circuit items of the new year that come from other Latin American nations. We have Sundance Grand Jury Prize winners Astrid Rondero and Fernanda Valadez with Sujo, Juliana Rojas’ Berlinale Encounters section fave in Cidade; Campo and Argentinean Cannes items in Most People Die On Sundays by Iair Said and Simon Of The Mountain by Federico Luis. Next section to be unveiled should be the Zabaltegi-Tabakalera line-up.…...

Jamie Lee Curtis will be awarded with an honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts by the American Film Institute at the AFI Conservatory’s commencement ceremony Aug. 10 at the Tcl Chinese Theatre in Hollywood.

Curtis, who won an Oscar in 2023 for her role in “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” has appeared in plenty of films over her career, including 1978’s “Halloween,” 2018’s “Halloween,” “Freaky Friday,” “My Girl,” “Knives Out” and many more. Her television credits also include “The Bear,” “Scream Queens,” “Anything But Love” and more.

Past recipients include Michelle Yeoh, Robert Altman, Maya Angelou, Saul Bass, Angela Bassett, Kathryn Bigelow, Mel Brooks, Carol Burnett, Clint Eastwood, Rita Moreno, Spike Lee, Jodie Foster and more.

Vashon Island Film Festival Program Includes ‘Bang Bang,’ ‘Black Dog,’ ‘I Saw the TV Glow’

The third annual Vashon Island Film Festival has announced its slate for the event set for Aug. 8-11. Located off the coast of Washington State,...

G2Go Entertainment and Sundance Institute have announced the line-up of 10 features and a curated programme of shorts for Sundance Film Festival: Asia in Taipei, Taiwan, running August 21-25 at Spot-Huashan.

The event will open with the Taiwan premiere of Taiwanese-American Sean Wang’s coming-of-age film Dìdi (弟弟); and includes Rich Peppiatt’s Irish-language romp Kneecap; winner of the 2024 Sundance Film Festival Audience Award: Next, and Josh Margolin’s action-packed Thelma starring June Squibb.

Among the roster are: India Donaldson’s feature debut Good One; Caroline Lindy’s Your Monster, winner of the Sundance Film Festival: London 2024 Audience Favorite Award...

Malaysia Festival Selections

The Malaysia International Film Festival (Miffest), which runs July 21-28, will open with horror film “Indera” by local director Woo Ming Jin and starring Shaheizy Sam and Azira Shafinaz. The festival will conclude with the double feature of “Love Lies” by Ho Miu Ki and “Peg O’ My Heart” by Nick Cheung.

The festival’s nine films in competition include: “Abang Adik” by Jin Ong; “Betania” by Marcelo Botta; “Every You Every Me” by Michael Fetter Nathansky, a critical exploration of personal identity and a highlight of German cinema; Afghan refugee tale “In the Land of Brothers” by Alireza Ghasemi and Raha Amirfazli; “Rapture” by Dominic Sangma, set in a mystically charged village and exploring oppressive themes through a child’s perspective; “Sujo” by Astrid Rondero and Fernanda Valadez, a gritty tale of youth amidst cartel violence; “The Editorial Office” by Roman Bondarchuk, a satirical take on...

Malaysian director Woo Ming Jin’s local horror Indera will open the Malaysia International Film Festival (Miffest), which will be closed by two Hong Kong features, Ho Miu Ki’s Love Lies and Nick Cheung’s Peg O’ My Heart.

The 7th edition of Miffest will take place in Malaysia’s capital of Kuala Lumpur from July 21-28. It will pay tribute to Japanese auteur Hirokazu Kore-eda and celebrated Indonesian actress Christine Hakim with lifetime achievement awards, as well as honour Hong Kong actor-director Cheung with an award for excellent achievement in film.

In a press conference held yesterday (June...

Cinema Icons Hirokazu Kore-eda and Christine Hakim to be Honoured with Lifetime Achievement Awards

Kuala Lumpur, 24 June — The Malaysia International Film Festival (MIFFest) has announced its programme lineup for the much-anticipated 7th edition, set to transform Kuala Lumpur into a cinematic paradise from 21-28 July 2024. With an exceptional array of films, MIFFest continues to celebrate the spirit of both Malaysian and international cinema.

Opening and Closing Nights

This year's festival will kick off with the spine-tingling Malaysian horror film “Indera” by acclaimed director Woo Ming Jin, featuring the talented Shaheizy Sam and Azira Shafinaz. The festival will conclude on a high note with the double feature of “Love Lies” by Ho Miu Ki and “Peg O' My Heart” by Nick Cheung.

Honouring Cinema Masters Hirokazu Kore-eda and Christine Hakim

At the pinnacle of this year's festival, MIFFest proudly confers its esteemed Lifetime Achievement Awards upon two cinematic titans: Hirokazu Kore-eda...

Pimienta has come on board as co-producer on Sujo, the Sundance Dramatic World Cinema grand jury prize winner that Paris-based Alpha Violet continues to sell in Cannes.

The Mexican company will add its weight to the film’s profile as it rolls out across that country and Latin America through Cinepolis.

Astrid Rondero and Fernanda Valadez co-directed and co-wrote the coming-of-age drama about the son of a slain cartel hitman who must decide whether to follow in his father’s footsteps or pursue a different path.

Valadez directed and co-wrote with Rondero the Sundance 2020 selection Identifying Features.

UTA Independent Film Group...

Sydney Film Festival (June 5-16) has unveiled the 12 titles that will play in competition at its 71st edition, including six features that are set to premiere at Cannes this month.

Fresh from playing in Competition at Cannes will be Kinds of Kindness, starring Emma Stone and directed by Yorgos Lanthimos, who won the Sydney Film Prize in 2012 with Alps. Further Palme d’Or contenders selected for Sydney include Grand Tour from Portugal’s Miguel Gomes, whose Arabian Nights won the Sydney Film Prize in 2015; Christophe Honoré’s French-Italian comedy Marcello Mio; and Payal Kapadia’s Indian romantic drama All We Imagine As Light.

Mexican directors Astrid Rondero and Fernanda Valadez’s Sujo won the Grand Prix at this year’s Sofia International Film Festival (March 13-24).

The Mexican-French-us co-production about a boy who must fight against the temptation of local gangs premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival where it won the Grand Jury Prize, and is being handled internationally by Alpha Violet.

The festival’s top prize has gone to a film from Mexico for the second year running after Carlos Eichelmann Kaiser’s Red Shoes won last year.

The international jury, presided over by Hungarian actor-writer-director Szabolcs Hadju and including outgoing EFM director Dennis Ruh,...

Filmmaker duo Fernanda Valadez and Astrid Rondero have signed with CAA.

Valadez and Rondero co-directed and co-wrote “Sujo,” which premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival and won the Grand Jury Prize for World Dramatic competition. The film currently holds a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Their previous film, “Identifying Features,” won best international feature at the 2021 Gotham Awards. Valadez directed, and Valadez and Rondero co-wrote, co-produced and co-edited.

“Identifying Features” premiered at Sundance in 2020, where it won the audience and screenwriting awards.

In 2017, Rondero’s directorial debut, “The Darkest Days of Us,” won two Ariel Awards in Mexico for best actress and best debut film.

Valadez and Rondero continue to be represented by Silent R Management.

In “Sujo,” a cartel gunman in Mexico is killed, leaving behind Sujo, his beloved 4-year-old son. The shadow of violence surrounds Sujo during each stage of his life in the isolated Mexican countryside.

Premiering in January to a Sundance Dramatic World Cinema Grand Jury Prize, “Sujo” from “Identifying Features” filmmakers Astrid Rondero and Fernanda Valadez has expanded its global reach, closing multiple distribution deals forged by Paris-based Alpha Violet, who heads international distribution.

Paris-based Damned Films has picked up the title for France while Twelve Oaks Pictures, Trigon Films, Cinobo and McF Megacom have swooped on the film for Spain, Switzerland, Greece and Cyprus and Ex-Yugoslavia territories respectively, with Auckland’s Vendetta Films securing rights to the title for the Australia and New Zealand markets.

The sales outfit, who co-produced the title alongside Valadez and Romero’s EnAguas Cine, Mexico’s Corpulenta and California’s Silent R Management, have also negotiated a TV deal with HBO Europe on top of closing a recent sale to Mexico and Latin American via Cinepolis. UTA is assisting with the domestic U.S. market.

“It’s been...

A snapshot of the most exciting voices working in American and international cinema today––and with a strong focus on newcomers––the Museum of the Moving Image’s First Look festival returns this week, taking place March 13-17.

As always, the annual festival brings together a varied, eclectic lineup of cinema from all corners of the world––including a number of films still seeking distribution, making this series perhaps one of your only chances to see these works on the big screen. Check out our top picks below, along with the exclusive premiere of the festival trailer.

Arthur&Diana (Sara Summa)

A lo-fi siblings road trip movie shot with a mix of MiniDV, Betacam, and 16mm, Sara Summa’s Arthur&Diana marks an interesting, mostly successful gamble of personal storytelling, in which Summa stars alongside her-real brother, Robin Summa. Jared Mobarak said in his TIFF review, “As such, we glean...

Ray Yeung’s All Shall Be Well has been set as the opening film of the 48th Hong Kong International Film Festival, which has unveiled its full lineup today.

It will mark the Asian premiere of the Hong Kong feature, which debuted in the Panorama strand of the Berlinale last month and won the Teddy Award. Starring Patra Au and Maggie Li, it centres on a lesbian couple in their twilight years. After one of them dies, the other struggles to retain both her dignity and the home they shared for more than 30 years.

Miyake Sho’s All The Long Nights,...

Exclusive: Alpha Violet has acquired world sales rights for Uruguayan filmmaking duo Ana Guevara and Leticia Jorge’s new drama Don’t You Let Me Go, exploring themes of friendship and death.

The Paris-based company previously worked with the filmmakers on their debut film So Much Water (Tanta Agua), which world premiered in the Berlinale’s Panorama section in 2013 and was acquired by Arte for Europe and HBO for the U.S.

The new movie, which is in post-production, sees follows a woman’s journey through time to see her best friend after one of them dies.

They reconnect in a past that may not be perfect but seems more real than the unintelligible present in which death has come to soon.

The cast features Eva Dans, Chiara Hourcade and Victoria Jorge.

“Don’t You Let Me Go is totally a movie for us,” said Virginie Devesa, Alpha Violet co-founding head with Keiko Funato.