Leeds International Film Festival (Liff) is set to return this November for its 38th edition, offering an exciting showcase of international cinema with a strong focus on fantasy, sci-fi, horror, and dark comedy through its Fanomenon strand. Running from 1 to 17 November 2024, the festival will take place in various venues across Leeds, including Everyman Leeds, Vue Leeds, Hyde Park Picture House, and the Howard Assembly Room.
The Fanomenon section of the festival, renowned for spotlighting films that push boundaries, will feature a variety of UK premieres, retrospectives, and thrilling movie marathons that celebrate global cinematic creativity. This year’s Fanomenon opens with Escape from the 21st Century, a UK premiere from writer-director Yang Li. This fast-paced sci-fi film blends comic-book animation with high-octane martial arts, setting the tone for the festival’s more unconventional offerings. The closing film, The Killers, hails from South Korea and brings together four inventive crime stories in a gripping,...
The Fanomenon section of the festival, renowned for spotlighting films that push boundaries, will feature a variety of UK premieres, retrospectives, and thrilling movie marathons that celebrate global cinematic creativity. This year’s Fanomenon opens with Escape from the 21st Century, a UK premiere from writer-director Yang Li. This fast-paced sci-fi film blends comic-book animation with high-octane martial arts, setting the tone for the festival’s more unconventional offerings. The closing film, The Killers, hails from South Korea and brings together four inventive crime stories in a gripping,...
- 10/11/2024
- by Oliver Mitchell
- Love Horror
World premieres of US filmmaker Chris Gude’s Morichales, about gold mining in Venezuela, Italian director Maria Mauti’s Miralles dedicated to the legacy of a Catalan architect, and La Jetée, The Fifth Shot by renowned French director Dominique Cabrera, are among the films selected for the international competition at this year’s Dok Leipzig festival.
It is taking place from October 28 to November 3 in Germany.
The international competition titles also include Ukrainian director Adelina Borets’s Flowers Of Ukraine, about a woman cultivating a small plot of land in Kyiv amid war. The project was presented at last year...
It is taking place from October 28 to November 3 in Germany.
The international competition titles also include Ukrainian director Adelina Borets’s Flowers Of Ukraine, about a woman cultivating a small plot of land in Kyiv amid war. The project was presented at last year...
- 10/10/2024
- ScreenDaily
Ever since Threads – or, arguably, Dr. Strangelove – cinema has been presenting us with visions of what the world might look like after a nuclear war. Realistically, every scenario modelled shows zero survivors, but if there were to be some, it seems likely that their existence would be much, much stranger than anything we can imagine. The cultural, teratological and geographic consequences would be so vast as to make the little survivor communities of popular fiction absurd. Taking its cue from experiments in far future fiction, Niles Atallah’s inspired work, which screened as part of the 2024 Fantasia International Film Festival uses surrealist techniques, dance and even puppetry to tell a tale whose implications are vast and unlikely and yet which we can believe in.
We explore it in the company of a creature who, for practical purposes, has been dubbed Animalia by the production team, though we...
We explore it in the company of a creature who, for practical purposes, has been dubbed Animalia by the production team, though we...
- 7/20/2024
- by Jennie Kermode
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Montreal’s Fantasia International Film Festival has unveiled its second wave of titles, which includes the world premiere of Ant Timpson’s “Bookworm” as the opening night film. This year’s edition, the 28th for the festival, will run from July 18 to August 4. More titles will be announced July 3.
Other world premieres included in the line-up are “The Beast Within” starring Kit Harington (“Game of Thrones”), which follows a young girl as she starts to question her atypical life in her family’s compound in England, and makes a shocking discovering about her dad; and “Mononoke the Movie: The Phantom in the Rain,” with director Kenji Nakamura reviving the thrills of the original anime.
“Bookworm” stars Elijah Wood (“Yellowjackets”) and Nell Fisher (“Evil Dead Rise”). The official logline reads, “Mildred (Fisher), a precocious eleven-year-old bookworm, escapes her humdrum existence by immersing herself in novels where literary adventures abound, with a...
Other world premieres included in the line-up are “The Beast Within” starring Kit Harington (“Game of Thrones”), which follows a young girl as she starts to question her atypical life in her family’s compound in England, and makes a shocking discovering about her dad; and “Mononoke the Movie: The Phantom in the Rain,” with director Kenji Nakamura reviving the thrills of the original anime.
“Bookworm” stars Elijah Wood (“Yellowjackets”) and Nell Fisher (“Evil Dead Rise”). The official logline reads, “Mildred (Fisher), a precocious eleven-year-old bookworm, escapes her humdrum existence by immersing herself in novels where literary adventures abound, with a...
- 6/6/2024
- by Lexi Carson
- Variety Film + TV
‘Six Months In The Pink And Blue Building’ takes 11th Co-Production Forum best project award.
The main industry prizes of Sebastian have been announced, with awards going to Bruno Santamaría’s Six Months In The Pink And Blue Building, Selman Nacar’s Hesitation Wound, and Martín Benchimol’s The Castle.
The 11th Co-Production Forum best project winner, Six Months In The Pink And Blue Building, marks the third directing credit from cinematographer-editor Santamaria and is told from the perspective of 10-year-old Bru, who is attracted to his friend Vlady and learns that his father has been diagnosed with HIV, sending shock waves through his family.
The main industry prizes of Sebastian have been announced, with awards going to Bruno Santamaría’s Six Months In The Pink And Blue Building, Selman Nacar’s Hesitation Wound, and Martín Benchimol’s The Castle.
The 11th Co-Production Forum best project winner, Six Months In The Pink And Blue Building, marks the third directing credit from cinematographer-editor Santamaria and is told from the perspective of 10-year-old Bru, who is attracted to his friend Vlady and learns that his father has been diagnosed with HIV, sending shock waves through his family.
- 9/21/2022
- by Emilio Mayorga
- ScreenDaily
Six Months In The Pink And Blue Building takes 11th Co-production Forum best project award.
The main industry prizes of Sebastian have been announced, with awards going to Bruno Santamaría’s Six Months In The Pink And Blue Building, Selman Nacar’s Hesitation Wound, and Martín Benchimol’s The Castle.
The 11th Co-production Forum best project winner, Six Months In The Pink And Blue Building, marks the third directing credit from cinematographer-editor Santamaria and is told from the perspective of 10-year-old Bru, who is attracted to his friend Vlady and learns that his father has been diagnosed with HIV, sending shock waves through his family.
The main industry prizes of Sebastian have been announced, with awards going to Bruno Santamaría’s Six Months In The Pink And Blue Building, Selman Nacar’s Hesitation Wound, and Martín Benchimol’s The Castle.
The 11th Co-production Forum best project winner, Six Months In The Pink And Blue Building, marks the third directing credit from cinematographer-editor Santamaria and is told from the perspective of 10-year-old Bru, who is attracted to his friend Vlady and learns that his father has been diagnosed with HIV, sending shock waves through his family.
- 9/21/2022
- by Emilio Mayorga
- ScreenDaily
Mexico’s Bruno Santamaría, Argentina’s Martín Benchimol and Turkey’s Selman Nacar proved three of the big winners among San Sebastian Industry Awards, announced Wednesday.
João Paulo Miranda, already a young star on Brazil’s film scene after “Memory House,” meanwhile won the Ikusmira Berriak Award.
A Chicago Golden Hugo winner for doc feature “Things We Dare Not Do,” Santamaría swept two awards at the fest’s Europe-Latin America Co-Production Forum, a Mecca for Latin America auteurs and their producers seeking vital co-production partners as state funding prospects have plunged across the region.
Also written by Santamaría, its heavily autobiographical story, set in the ’90s, follows 10-year-old boy Bru, whose father is diagnosed with HIV, sparking his parents break up.“I want to film the glances and conversations that my parents had in silence and which I couldn’t observe as a child and find some sense [in what happened],” Santamaría told Variety.
João Paulo Miranda, already a young star on Brazil’s film scene after “Memory House,” meanwhile won the Ikusmira Berriak Award.
A Chicago Golden Hugo winner for doc feature “Things We Dare Not Do,” Santamaría swept two awards at the fest’s Europe-Latin America Co-Production Forum, a Mecca for Latin America auteurs and their producers seeking vital co-production partners as state funding prospects have plunged across the region.
Also written by Santamaría, its heavily autobiographical story, set in the ’90s, follows 10-year-old boy Bru, whose father is diagnosed with HIV, sparking his parents break up.“I want to film the glances and conversations that my parents had in silence and which I couldn’t observe as a child and find some sense [in what happened],” Santamaría told Variety.
- 9/21/2022
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
Spanish fest has more Latin American films and projects than ever before.
This year’s San Sebastian InternationaI Film Festival has the highest number of Latin American films across its official selection and marketplaces than ever before, according to festival director José Luis Rebordinos.
The line-up includes three titles in official selection: two from Argentinian directors - Manuel Abramovich’s Pornomelancolia and Diego Lerman’s The Substitute – and The Wonder from Chilean director Sebastian Lelio.
“It’s a very good moment for Latin America cinema for both quantity and the high quality of the proposals,” says Rebordinos.
Argentina in focus...
This year’s San Sebastian InternationaI Film Festival has the highest number of Latin American films across its official selection and marketplaces than ever before, according to festival director José Luis Rebordinos.
The line-up includes three titles in official selection: two from Argentinian directors - Manuel Abramovich’s Pornomelancolia and Diego Lerman’s The Substitute – and The Wonder from Chilean director Sebastian Lelio.
“It’s a very good moment for Latin America cinema for both quantity and the high quality of the proposals,” says Rebordinos.
Argentina in focus...
- 9/21/2022
- by Emilio Mayorga
- ScreenDaily
Festival’s Europe-Latin America forum is set to run from September 19-21.
New projects from Ulises Porra and Beatriz Seigner are among the 14 taking part in this year’s San Sebastian Europe-Latin America Co-production Forum, now in its 11th edition.
Spanish filmmaker Porra returns to San Sebastian after Carajita, co-written and co-directed with Silvina Schnicer, received a special mention from last year’s New Directors jury. Porra’s new project Bajo El Mismo Sol is produced by Dominican Republic’s Wooden Boat Productions, a company founded by Ulla Prida, who also produced Carajita.
The feature is set in 1820, and tells...
New projects from Ulises Porra and Beatriz Seigner are among the 14 taking part in this year’s San Sebastian Europe-Latin America Co-production Forum, now in its 11th edition.
Spanish filmmaker Porra returns to San Sebastian after Carajita, co-written and co-directed with Silvina Schnicer, received a special mention from last year’s New Directors jury. Porra’s new project Bajo El Mismo Sol is produced by Dominican Republic’s Wooden Boat Productions, a company founded by Ulla Prida, who also produced Carajita.
The feature is set in 1820, and tells...
- 8/12/2022
- by Mona Tabbara
- ScreenDaily
Benjamín Mirguet’s “Alfredo Larón,” Niles Atallah’s “Celestial Twins” and Silvina Schnicer’s “The Cottage” feature among 16 projects to be presented at Ventana Sur’s 4th Proyecta co-production forum, a wide-ranging showcase of emerging auteurs and new talents to track from Latin America and Europe.
“Alfredo Larón,” for example, marks the feature debut of Mirguet, the editor of Carlos Reygadas’ “Battle in Heaven,” and also a former Cannes Directors’ Fortnight programmer. Its action takes in a 17-year-old Larón syndrome sufferer’s battle for legal compensation from the Ecuador government and, in a turn of fortune, his happy high-school days in Germany.
Atallah caught attention with “Lucia” at San Sebastián’s 2009 Films In Progress, but all the more for 2017 Rotterdam Tiger Award Special Mention winner “Rey,” edited, as it happens, by Mirguet. A vision of the delirious Orllie-Antoine de Tonnens, who proclaimed himself King of Patagonia in 1860, “Rey” was shot...
“Alfredo Larón,” for example, marks the feature debut of Mirguet, the editor of Carlos Reygadas’ “Battle in Heaven,” and also a former Cannes Directors’ Fortnight programmer. Its action takes in a 17-year-old Larón syndrome sufferer’s battle for legal compensation from the Ecuador government and, in a turn of fortune, his happy high-school days in Germany.
Atallah caught attention with “Lucia” at San Sebastián’s 2009 Films In Progress, but all the more for 2017 Rotterdam Tiger Award Special Mention winner “Rey,” edited, as it happens, by Mirguet. A vision of the delirious Orllie-Antoine de Tonnens, who proclaimed himself King of Patagonia in 1860, “Rey” was shot...
- 11/22/2021
- by John Hopewell and Anna Marie de la Fuente
- Variety Film + TV
Giancarlo Nasi’s Quijote Films, one of the lead producers of Chile’s current Oscar entry “White on White,” has closed a co-production deal with France’s Les Valseurs at the American Film Market for “The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo,” the first feature from Diego Cespedes, the Cannes Festival’s 2018 Cinefondation first prize winner.
Mexico’s Varios Lobos, led by Pablo Zimbron, is also a co-producer.
In addition, the pact includes the financing and co-production of a short film by Cespedes, with a budget that exceeds $116,000, making it one the most expensive short films to be ever made in Chile’s cinematic history. Titled “The Most Wretched Man in the Desert,” it is slated to shoot by January next year. According to Nasi, who has been in Los Angeles for the AFM and other meetings, the short will feature a good number of special effects, which drive up the budget.
Mexico’s Varios Lobos, led by Pablo Zimbron, is also a co-producer.
In addition, the pact includes the financing and co-production of a short film by Cespedes, with a budget that exceeds $116,000, making it one the most expensive short films to be ever made in Chile’s cinematic history. Titled “The Most Wretched Man in the Desert,” it is slated to shoot by January next year. According to Nasi, who has been in Los Angeles for the AFM and other meetings, the short will feature a good number of special effects, which drive up the budget.
- 11/5/2021
- by Anna Marie de la Fuente
- Variety Film + TV
Chile’s Storyboard Media has unveiled a new feature film project, “Un Buen Día Para Morir,” the third feature from celebrated film and TV director Marcelo Ferrari. Carlos Núñez and Gabriela Sandoval will lead produce for the Santiago-based company, and are discussing co-production opportunities at the Cannes Marché du Film.
Based on a true story, “Un Buen Día Para Morir” is set in 1987, during the bloody military dictatorship of Agusto Pinochet, and kicks off when young piano student Pachi is shot in the head during a political protest. In a serious condition herself, the danger is doubled by her late-stage pregnancy. After a life and death battle for mother and child, Pachi and her son Cristián both manage to survive, but quickly flee to Paris to avoid further political dangers.
Ferrari’s film is based on the life of pianist María Paz Santibáñez, and uses the musician’s own reflections...
Based on a true story, “Un Buen Día Para Morir” is set in 1987, during the bloody military dictatorship of Agusto Pinochet, and kicks off when young piano student Pachi is shot in the head during a political protest. In a serious condition herself, the danger is doubled by her late-stage pregnancy. After a life and death battle for mother and child, Pachi and her son Cristián both manage to survive, but quickly flee to Paris to avoid further political dangers.
Ferrari’s film is based on the life of pianist María Paz Santibáñez, and uses the musician’s own reflections...
- 7/8/2021
- by Jamie Lang
- Variety Film + TV
Winners of an Annecy Animation Festival best feature jury distinction, Chile’s Cristóbal León and Joaquín Cociña (“The Wolf House”) have wrapped shooting on a new short, “The Bones,” a stop-motion piece for adult audiences with a bold auteur aim.
“Bones” is produced by Lucas Engel’s new company Pista B in co-production with Diluvio. Director Ari Aster and Adam Butterfield are executive producing the short. It will be ready to premiere in the second half of this year.
“With ‘La Casa Lobo’ (‘The Wolf House’), Cociña and León struck me as the clear successors to Jan Svankmajer and the Quays,” Aster told Variety of his decision to board the film. “Here they seem to be channeling Ladislas Starevich and Joel-Peter Witkin, while sharpening their uncanny and unmistakable signature. ‘Los Huesos’ is a brilliant film by two utterly singular filmmakers.”
American composer and charismatic violinist Tim Fain created the film...
“Bones” is produced by Lucas Engel’s new company Pista B in co-production with Diluvio. Director Ari Aster and Adam Butterfield are executive producing the short. It will be ready to premiere in the second half of this year.
“With ‘La Casa Lobo’ (‘The Wolf House’), Cociña and León struck me as the clear successors to Jan Svankmajer and the Quays,” Aster told Variety of his decision to board the film. “Here they seem to be channeling Ladislas Starevich and Joel-Peter Witkin, while sharpening their uncanny and unmistakable signature. ‘Los Huesos’ is a brilliant film by two utterly singular filmmakers.”
American composer and charismatic violinist Tim Fain created the film...
- 7/7/2021
- by Emilio Mayorga and Jamie Lang
- Variety Film + TV
Chile’s Santiago International Film Festival (Sanfic), which is preparing for its rescheduled, entirely digital industry section which will run March 18-25, ahead of its traditional in-person festival, scheduled for August, has revealed the projects’ lineup for its Santiago Lab Fiction, Documentary and Series sections.
Sanfic’s brand new Series Lab, headed by Agustina Lumi and Alejandra Marano, has selected six Chilean productions or co-productions representative of the region’s impressive push into original TV production with the legs to travel to international broadcasters and platforms – see Fabula’s Amazon Prime Video pickup “La Jauria” or Germany-Chile co-production “Dignity” for German platform Joyn.
Santiago Series Lab is highlighted by Kathy Harder’s “Silver Bridges,” from “Invisible Heroes” producers Parox. The series was first announced at MipCancun 2018 and dramatizes the origins of Chile’s cocaine trade. Another standout can be found in International Emmy winner Hernán Caffiero’s “Anonymous Voices,” produced by Btf Media.
Sanfic’s brand new Series Lab, headed by Agustina Lumi and Alejandra Marano, has selected six Chilean productions or co-productions representative of the region’s impressive push into original TV production with the legs to travel to international broadcasters and platforms – see Fabula’s Amazon Prime Video pickup “La Jauria” or Germany-Chile co-production “Dignity” for German platform Joyn.
Santiago Series Lab is highlighted by Kathy Harder’s “Silver Bridges,” from “Invisible Heroes” producers Parox. The series was first announced at MipCancun 2018 and dramatizes the origins of Chile’s cocaine trade. Another standout can be found in International Emmy winner Hernán Caffiero’s “Anonymous Voices,” produced by Btf Media.
- 3/5/2021
- by Jamie Lang
- Variety Film + TV
Eleven development grants worth €10,000
and two co-production grants worth €50,000
This spring, International Film Festival Rotterdam (Iffr)’s Hubert Bals Fund(Hbf) selected 11 projects by both upcoming talents and established filmmakers to receive €10,000 each for Script and Project Development. Additionally, two co-productions have been selected for the Nff+Hbf Co-Production Scheme and receive €50,000 each from the Netherlands Film Fund. The Dutch producers working on these two projects are Keplerfilm and Rinkel Film.
Marit van den Elshout, head of Iffr Pro: “This year feels extra special to us, because 2018 marks the 30th anniversary of the Hubert Bals Fund — a good moment to reflect on what we have accomplished in supporting quality independent cinema since 1988. This year, we received a remarkably high number of applicants with project proposals of exceptional quality. We’ll just take it as an indicator of our success that our shortlist was not short at all. I’m happy...
and two co-production grants worth €50,000
This spring, International Film Festival Rotterdam (Iffr)’s Hubert Bals Fund(Hbf) selected 11 projects by both upcoming talents and established filmmakers to receive €10,000 each for Script and Project Development. Additionally, two co-productions have been selected for the Nff+Hbf Co-Production Scheme and receive €50,000 each from the Netherlands Film Fund. The Dutch producers working on these two projects are Keplerfilm and Rinkel Film.
Marit van den Elshout, head of Iffr Pro: “This year feels extra special to us, because 2018 marks the 30th anniversary of the Hubert Bals Fund — a good moment to reflect on what we have accomplished in supporting quality independent cinema since 1988. This year, we received a remarkably high number of applicants with project proposals of exceptional quality. We’ll just take it as an indicator of our success that our shortlist was not short at all. I’m happy...
- 7/22/2018
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
The selection consists of 11 development grants and two co-production grants.
International Rotterdam Film Festival (Iffr)’s Hubert Bals Fund (Hbf) has announced the recipients of 11 development grants and two co-production grants for its spring 2018 selection, the 30th anniversary of the Fund.
The Fund, which provides financial support to filmmakers from Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and parts of Eastern Europe, has awarded script and project development grants of €10,000 and co-production grants of €50,000.
Scroll down for the full list of titles
The former are separated into two categories: ‘Bright Future’, for films by first- and second-time filmmakers, and ‘Voices’ for more advanced creators.
International Rotterdam Film Festival (Iffr)’s Hubert Bals Fund (Hbf) has announced the recipients of 11 development grants and two co-production grants for its spring 2018 selection, the 30th anniversary of the Fund.
The Fund, which provides financial support to filmmakers from Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and parts of Eastern Europe, has awarded script and project development grants of €10,000 and co-production grants of €50,000.
Scroll down for the full list of titles
The former are separated into two categories: ‘Bright Future’, for films by first- and second-time filmmakers, and ‘Voices’ for more advanced creators.
- 5/15/2018
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
Only in its 3rd iteration, New York’s Neighboring Scenes series has quickly become one of the most exciting bits of any year’s film festival schedule. Focusing on modern Latin American cinema, Ns teams The Film Society Of Lincoln Center and distributor Cinema Tropical, who join forces to highlight the latest and greatest in Latin American filmmaking, featuring films from countries like Bolivia and Chile, and the hottest films from places like Costa Rica and Cuba.
And among these films are some truly superb discoveries. Opening the festival is Anahi Berneri’s Alanis, a gorgeous and haunting looking at life on the margins in Buenos Aires. The story of a young woman trying to do right by herself and child on the streets of Buenos Aires, Alanis is a captivating and deeply moving look at life as part of the culturally forgotten, and is a cementing of Berneri as...
And among these films are some truly superb discoveries. Opening the festival is Anahi Berneri’s Alanis, a gorgeous and haunting looking at life on the margins in Buenos Aires. The story of a young woman trying to do right by herself and child on the streets of Buenos Aires, Alanis is a captivating and deeply moving look at life as part of the culturally forgotten, and is a cementing of Berneri as...
- 3/1/2018
- by Joshua Brunsting
- CriterionCast
AlanisThis year’s Neighboring Scenes, an annual showcase of Latin American cinema in New York, offers primarily a taste of the region’s narrative cinema, with a few showings of experimental film and video art. In the first category, a number of films stand out for either their carefully crafted characters and attention to social context or for their formal playfulness. In the opening night film Alanis, by Argentine filmmaker Anahí Berneri, a young woman (Sofía Gala) negotiates motherhood and making a living as a sex worker. Berneri’s narration is assertive and quick-footed, with the entire film built around the dilemma of Alanis having been busted by undercover cops and lost her apartment, without which she can’t get back to work. The main complication—and the film’s strike of genius—is to present Alanis as a fumbling, struggling, yet determined and caring young mother. Berneri dispenses with...
- 2/28/2018
- MUBI
Seven years in the making, video artist Niles Atallah’s hallucinatory film follows a French explorer who was crowned by the Mapuche in Chile
Video artist and director Niles Atallah exhumes an eccentric footnote of Chilean history with his hallucinatory and woozily experimental feature Rey. In the 1860s a French country lawyer named Orélie-Antoine de Tounens somehow persuaded the indigenous Mapuche people to crown him their king. What spurred him to sail halfway around the world in the insane pursuit of a dream, like one of Werner Herzog’s mad obsessives? Was he a narcissist with a messiah complex? Did he set out to exploit the Mapuche? Historical record is patchy, and it is the unknowns – the many ways the De Tounens episode can be interpreted – that interest Atallah.
It took him seven years to make Rey; the process included filming the actor Rodrigo Lisboa as scraggly bearded De Tounens...
Video artist and director Niles Atallah exhumes an eccentric footnote of Chilean history with his hallucinatory and woozily experimental feature Rey. In the 1860s a French country lawyer named Orélie-Antoine de Tounens somehow persuaded the indigenous Mapuche people to crown him their king. What spurred him to sail halfway around the world in the insane pursuit of a dream, like one of Werner Herzog’s mad obsessives? Was he a narcissist with a messiah complex? Did he set out to exploit the Mapuche? Historical record is patchy, and it is the unknowns – the many ways the De Tounens episode can be interpreted – that interest Atallah.
It took him seven years to make Rey; the process included filming the actor Rodrigo Lisboa as scraggly bearded De Tounens...
- 1/5/2018
- by Cath Clarke
- The Guardian - Film News
What a surprising city Rotterdam is and the Festival and Cinemart are full of surprises too.
Being in The Netherlands is like a homecoming for me. My first major job in the film industry was with 20th Century Fox International and City Fox Films in Amsterdam in 1975 which is when I first attended the International Film Festival of Rotterdam, three years after its founding by Huub Bals. It was much smaller then. Iffr’s logo is a tiger, loosely based on the M.G.M. lion as an alternative. From the beginning, the festival has profiled itself as a promoter of alternative, innovative and non-commercial films, with an emphasis on the Far East and developing countries. It has become one of the most important events in the film world, an integral part of the winter circuit of Sundance, Rotterdam and Berlin Film Festivals.
“Fox and HIs Friends”
Except for my...
Being in The Netherlands is like a homecoming for me. My first major job in the film industry was with 20th Century Fox International and City Fox Films in Amsterdam in 1975 which is when I first attended the International Film Festival of Rotterdam, three years after its founding by Huub Bals. It was much smaller then. Iffr’s logo is a tiger, loosely based on the M.G.M. lion as an alternative. From the beginning, the festival has profiled itself as a promoter of alternative, innovative and non-commercial films, with an emphasis on the Far East and developing countries. It has become one of the most important events in the film world, an integral part of the winter circuit of Sundance, Rotterdam and Berlin Film Festivals.
“Fox and HIs Friends”
Except for my...
- 3/8/2017
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
Get in touch to send in cinephile news and discoveriesNEWSSexy DurgaThe Hivos Tiger Awards of the International Film Festival Rotterdam have been announced, with Sanal Kumar Sasidharan's Sexy Durga taking home the Tiger, Niles Atallah's Rey winning the Special Jury Award, and Caroline Leone's Pela janela being picked by Fipresci.New York's Whitney Museum has revealed its full film program for the 2017 Biennial, with a focus on such filmmakers as Mary Helena Clark, James N. Kienitz Wilkins, Kevin Jerome Everson, Eric Baudelaire and Robert Beavers.Recommended VIEWINGThe eagerly awaited trailer for Sofia Coppola's new film, a remake of Don Siegel's bizarre and wonderful The Beguiled, with Colin Farrell in Clint Eastwood's role.The glorious full trailer for James Gray's Amazonia exploration melodrama, The Lost City of Z."The screen is a neutral element in the film-going experience. Or is it? It projects dreams...
- 2/8/2017
- MUBI
Films and projects travel from Sundance to Rotterdam and Rotterdam’s love affair with Latin America becomes apparent.
Making their way from Sundance to Rotterdam, “Lemon” was Opening Night in the International Film Festival Rotterdam, Sloan Prize Winner “Marjorie Prime” played in Voices while director Michael Almereyda was on the Jury of the Hivos Tiger Competition. His documentary, “Escapes” also played in the Regained section of the festival.
“Marjorie Prime”: Director Michael Almereyda, Lois Smith and Jon Hamm
“Chile’s “Family Life” by Alicia Scherson and Cristian Jimenez, Singapore’s “Pop Aye”, “Lady Macbeth” and “Sami Blood” all screened here after premiering in Sundance as well.
Pop Aye director Kirsten Tan won the Big Screen Competition and in addition to the cash prize may also count on a guaranteed release in Dutch cinemas and on TV.
“The Wound” by John Trengove has even longer legs, reaching from Sundance World...
Making their way from Sundance to Rotterdam, “Lemon” was Opening Night in the International Film Festival Rotterdam, Sloan Prize Winner “Marjorie Prime” played in Voices while director Michael Almereyda was on the Jury of the Hivos Tiger Competition. His documentary, “Escapes” also played in the Regained section of the festival.
“Marjorie Prime”: Director Michael Almereyda, Lois Smith and Jon Hamm
“Chile’s “Family Life” by Alicia Scherson and Cristian Jimenez, Singapore’s “Pop Aye”, “Lady Macbeth” and “Sami Blood” all screened here after premiering in Sundance as well.
Pop Aye director Kirsten Tan won the Big Screen Competition and in addition to the cash prize may also count on a guaranteed release in Dutch cinemas and on TV.
“The Wound” by John Trengove has even longer legs, reaching from Sundance World...
- 2/8/2017
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
Sexy Durga, Rey and Moonlight win top prizes.
The winners at the 46th International Film Festival Rotterdam (25 Jan-5 Feb) have been announced.
Sexy Durga (pictured) by Sanal Kumar Sasidharan won the Hivos Tiger competition, which comes with a $40,000 cash prize.
The jury report said of the film: “The particular use of camera and acting give a sense of immediacy and momentum, while providing an insight into multi-layered power dynamics of gender, class and authority.”
Rey director Niles Atallah won this year’s $10,000 special jury award for exceptional artistic achievement in the competition.
The jury was; Michael Almereyda, Diana Bustamante Escobar, Amir Muhammad, Fien Troch, Newsha Tavakolian.
The Oscar-nominated Moonlight won the Warsteiner audience award. The $10,000 prize is voted for buy Iffr visitors.
The Vpro big screen award went to Pop Aye by Kirsten Tan. The competition is judged by a five-person audience jury and awards a cash prize to one of the eight films having their international...
The winners at the 46th International Film Festival Rotterdam (25 Jan-5 Feb) have been announced.
Sexy Durga (pictured) by Sanal Kumar Sasidharan won the Hivos Tiger competition, which comes with a $40,000 cash prize.
The jury report said of the film: “The particular use of camera and acting give a sense of immediacy and momentum, while providing an insight into multi-layered power dynamics of gender, class and authority.”
Rey director Niles Atallah won this year’s $10,000 special jury award for exceptional artistic achievement in the competition.
The jury was; Michael Almereyda, Diana Bustamante Escobar, Amir Muhammad, Fien Troch, Newsha Tavakolian.
The Oscar-nominated Moonlight won the Warsteiner audience award. The $10,000 prize is voted for buy Iffr visitors.
The Vpro big screen award went to Pop Aye by Kirsten Tan. The competition is judged by a five-person audience jury and awards a cash prize to one of the eight films having their international...
- 2/5/2017
- ScreenDaily
Changes made to fund which support filmmakers from developing countries.
The Hubert Bals Fund has undergone a makeover. The Fund, founded in 1988 to support filmmakers from developing countries and one of the core parts of International Film Festival Rotterdam, has restructured.
As Iwana Chronis (soon to leave her position as Head of the Fund) explains:
“It seemed like a good a decision to cancel the fall (2016) selection round in order to have a moment to breathe and see how we could organise things differently and then to re-start at the festival with the new team, the new policies and the new financing (structure).”
With Chronis stepping down, Marit van den Elshout (head of Iffr Pro) will take over at the helm. She will be working closely with Iffr Pro Fund coordinator Fay Brennan.
The Fund has a track record for supporting films from talents like Chen Kaige, Carlos Reygadas and Elia Suleiman early in their careers. There...
The Hubert Bals Fund has undergone a makeover. The Fund, founded in 1988 to support filmmakers from developing countries and one of the core parts of International Film Festival Rotterdam, has restructured.
As Iwana Chronis (soon to leave her position as Head of the Fund) explains:
“It seemed like a good a decision to cancel the fall (2016) selection round in order to have a moment to breathe and see how we could organise things differently and then to re-start at the festival with the new team, the new policies and the new financing (structure).”
With Chronis stepping down, Marit van den Elshout (head of Iffr Pro) will take over at the helm. She will be working closely with Iffr Pro Fund coordinator Fay Brennan.
The Fund has a track record for supporting films from talents like Chen Kaige, Carlos Reygadas and Elia Suleiman early in their careers. There...
- 1/29/2017
- by geoffrey@macnab.demon.co.uk (Geoffrey Macnab)
- ScreenDaily
Rotterdam reveals 2017 Tiger lineup and jury ahead of 46th edition.
The 46th International Film Festival Rotterdam (25 Jan – 5 Feb) has revealed the full lineup for the Hivos Tiger Competition 2017.
Scroll down for lineup
This year’s selection includes world premieres of new feature films by up and coming directors Niles Atallah, Pedro Aguilera and Hagar Ben Ashar, as well as debut features by India’s Sanal Kumar Sasidharan, American-Korean filmmaker Kogonada and Dutch director Daan Bakker.
This year’s jury will comprise of Newsha Tavakolia, Diana Bustamante Escobar, Fien Troch, Michael Almereyda and Amir Mohammed.
Festival director Bero Beyer commented: “This years line-up of the Hivos Tiger Competition features bold and daring filmmakers that don’t shun the use of other media, alternative narrative structures and provocative and relevant themes. The nominees and their works deserve international recognition for their artistry. We are proud to present each of these eight films with a special spotlight on their own day...
The 46th International Film Festival Rotterdam (25 Jan – 5 Feb) has revealed the full lineup for the Hivos Tiger Competition 2017.
Scroll down for lineup
This year’s selection includes world premieres of new feature films by up and coming directors Niles Atallah, Pedro Aguilera and Hagar Ben Ashar, as well as debut features by India’s Sanal Kumar Sasidharan, American-Korean filmmaker Kogonada and Dutch director Daan Bakker.
This year’s jury will comprise of Newsha Tavakolia, Diana Bustamante Escobar, Fien Troch, Michael Almereyda and Amir Mohammed.
Festival director Bero Beyer commented: “This years line-up of the Hivos Tiger Competition features bold and daring filmmakers that don’t shun the use of other media, alternative narrative structures and provocative and relevant themes. The nominees and their works deserve international recognition for their artistry. We are proud to present each of these eight films with a special spotlight on their own day...
- 1/3/2017
- by andreas.wiseman@screendaily.com (Andreas Wiseman)
- ScreenDaily
Films in Progress is the professional platform, which supports the production of Latin American feature films contributing to their completion and international circulation. Organized by the San Sebastian and Cinélatino, Rencontres de Toulouse Festivals, Films in Progress promotes meeting, dialogue and interaction between professionals from the Latin American and European film worlds, fostering the diversity and talent of independent filmmakers.
Films in Progress 29 received the submission of 182 films from 17 countries. The Toulouse - San Sebastian selection committee has selected 6 films: "A Cidade do Futuro" by Cláudio Marques and Marília Hughes (Brazil); "El Cristo Ciego," by Christopher Murray (Chile - France); "Don’t Swallow My Heart, Alligator Girl!" by Felipe Bragança (Brazil - France - Netherlands); "El Invierno," by Emiliano Torres (Argentina - France); "Los Niños," by Maite Alberdi (Chile - France - Netherlands) and "Rey" by Niles Atallah (Chile - France - Germany - Netherlands - Qatar), who also participated in New Directors with "Lucía."
"A Cidade do Futuro" Cláudio Marques and Marília Hughes (Brazil) Mila is 19, teaches theatre and is pregnant. Gilmar, 27, is a history teacher in a relationship with Igor, a 19 year old cowboy. The three will form a rather unconventional family. The film follows the path of these young people in the small city of Serra do Ramalho, in the dry lands of Bahía, and society’s reaction to this peculiar tale.
"El Cristo Ciego" Christopher Murray (Chile - France) Michael (30) is a mechanic who claims to have experienced a divine revelation in the desert. But far from believing him, the locals treat him like the village madman. One afternoon he learns that a childhood friend has had an accident in a distant town. Michael decides to leave everything he has to set out on a barefoot pilgrimage and cure him with a miracle. His walk begins to attract the attention of people exploited by the mining companies and drug addicts, who see him as a Christ capable of alleviating the harsh reality of the Chilean desert.
"Don’t Swallow My Heart, Alligator Girl!" Felipe Bragança (Brazil - France - Netherlands) Joca is a 13 year old Brazilian boy in love with a native Paraguayan girl on the border between the two countries. To fight for their love he must face up to the secrets of his elder brother, Fernando, a motorcycling cowboy.
"El Invierno" Emiliano Torres (Argentina - France) The old foreman of a cattle ranch in Patagonia is fired from his job. A younger ranch hand takes his place. The change won’t be easy for either of them. Each, in his own way, must survive the coming winter. Debut film.
"Los Niños" Maite Alberdi (Chile - France - Netherlands) A group of friends with Down’s Syndrome have been going to the same school for 40 years and no longer want to be students. Most of them have lost their parents by now, none of whom had ever imagined that their children would outlive them. The children always thought that when their parents died, they would be able to do everything they had always been forbidden to do, like living alone, having sex, becoming parents, getting married and having real jobs. But nothing has changed for them, and they have to wrestle with the frustration of living as if they were only 10, even if they are almost 50.
"Rey" Niles Atallah (Chile - France - Germany - Netherlands - Qatar) In 1860, a French lawyer dreamt of becoming the King of Patagonia. And that’s exactly what happened. Or that’s what it seems like. Participated in New Directors with Lucía, his previous film.
Awards The following awards will be presented at Films in Progress 29:
Films in Progress Toulouse Award
Consisting of post-production services offered by the collaborating companies, a grant for post-production work on the winning film.
The “Films in Progress Toulouse Award” will be delivered by a jury composed of representatives of companies and entities involved in the award:
Ccas (Caisse Centrale d’Activités Sociales du personnel des industries électriques et gazières), Cnc (Centre National du Cinéma et de l’Image Animée), Commune Image, Eaux Vives, Firelfly, Mactari,
Titra TV.
Special Cine + In Progress Award
The Cine + channel guarantees to purchase the winning film for the amount of €15,000, and to broadcast it on its television network. This award will go to the distributor of the film in France.
European Distribution and Exhibitors Award
Consisting of promotion of the film by the Europa Distribution network and by the Confédération Internationale des Cinémas d'Art et d'Essai (Cicae).
You can see the award details here...
Films in Progress 29 received the submission of 182 films from 17 countries. The Toulouse - San Sebastian selection committee has selected 6 films: "A Cidade do Futuro" by Cláudio Marques and Marília Hughes (Brazil); "El Cristo Ciego," by Christopher Murray (Chile - France); "Don’t Swallow My Heart, Alligator Girl!" by Felipe Bragança (Brazil - France - Netherlands); "El Invierno," by Emiliano Torres (Argentina - France); "Los Niños," by Maite Alberdi (Chile - France - Netherlands) and "Rey" by Niles Atallah (Chile - France - Germany - Netherlands - Qatar), who also participated in New Directors with "Lucía."
"A Cidade do Futuro" Cláudio Marques and Marília Hughes (Brazil) Mila is 19, teaches theatre and is pregnant. Gilmar, 27, is a history teacher in a relationship with Igor, a 19 year old cowboy. The three will form a rather unconventional family. The film follows the path of these young people in the small city of Serra do Ramalho, in the dry lands of Bahía, and society’s reaction to this peculiar tale.
"El Cristo Ciego" Christopher Murray (Chile - France) Michael (30) is a mechanic who claims to have experienced a divine revelation in the desert. But far from believing him, the locals treat him like the village madman. One afternoon he learns that a childhood friend has had an accident in a distant town. Michael decides to leave everything he has to set out on a barefoot pilgrimage and cure him with a miracle. His walk begins to attract the attention of people exploited by the mining companies and drug addicts, who see him as a Christ capable of alleviating the harsh reality of the Chilean desert.
"Don’t Swallow My Heart, Alligator Girl!" Felipe Bragança (Brazil - France - Netherlands) Joca is a 13 year old Brazilian boy in love with a native Paraguayan girl on the border between the two countries. To fight for their love he must face up to the secrets of his elder brother, Fernando, a motorcycling cowboy.
"El Invierno" Emiliano Torres (Argentina - France) The old foreman of a cattle ranch in Patagonia is fired from his job. A younger ranch hand takes his place. The change won’t be easy for either of them. Each, in his own way, must survive the coming winter. Debut film.
"Los Niños" Maite Alberdi (Chile - France - Netherlands) A group of friends with Down’s Syndrome have been going to the same school for 40 years and no longer want to be students. Most of them have lost their parents by now, none of whom had ever imagined that their children would outlive them. The children always thought that when their parents died, they would be able to do everything they had always been forbidden to do, like living alone, having sex, becoming parents, getting married and having real jobs. But nothing has changed for them, and they have to wrestle with the frustration of living as if they were only 10, even if they are almost 50.
"Rey" Niles Atallah (Chile - France - Germany - Netherlands - Qatar) In 1860, a French lawyer dreamt of becoming the King of Patagonia. And that’s exactly what happened. Or that’s what it seems like. Participated in New Directors with Lucía, his previous film.
Awards The following awards will be presented at Films in Progress 29:
Films in Progress Toulouse Award
Consisting of post-production services offered by the collaborating companies, a grant for post-production work on the winning film.
The “Films in Progress Toulouse Award” will be delivered by a jury composed of representatives of companies and entities involved in the award:
Ccas (Caisse Centrale d’Activités Sociales du personnel des industries électriques et gazières), Cnc (Centre National du Cinéma et de l’Image Animée), Commune Image, Eaux Vives, Firelfly, Mactari,
Titra TV.
Special Cine + In Progress Award
The Cine + channel guarantees to purchase the winning film for the amount of €15,000, and to broadcast it on its television network. This award will go to the distributor of the film in France.
European Distribution and Exhibitors Award
Consisting of promotion of the film by the Europa Distribution network and by the Confédération Internationale des Cinémas d'Art et d'Essai (Cicae).
You can see the award details here...
- 3/9/2016
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
Heidi Brandenburg & Mathew Orzel’s "When Two Worlds Collide" (Isa: Film Sales Company) is the story of an indigenous Peruvian man and his people, and of the fate of one of our planet’s most valuable natural resources – the Amazon rain forest. The film, which had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in January, is the first-ever Peruvian recipient of a grant from the Institute.
It received a post-production grant from the Doha Film Institute following the Dubai International Film Festival in the fall of 2015. The grants program is dedicated to supporting new cinematic talent, with a focus on first- and second-time filmmakers. And, for the first time in its 11 year history, filmmakers from Chile, Peru and Spain received funding from the program. Twenty-four of the projects are from the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region, while six are from the rest of the world.
"Rey" (King) by Niles Atallah (Chile)
In 1860, a French lawyer dreamed of becoming the King of Patagonia – and he did just that. Or so it seemed.
As in several previous sessions of the grants program, powerful projects from Argentina secured funding. Milagros Mumenthaler’s Swiss/Argentinian film "The Idea of a Lake" is about a photographer who undergoes a personal exploration of her past and the absence of her father while creating a book of her work, while Maximiliano Schonfeld’s "The Black Frost" is a drama set on a plantation where a pernicious black frost threatens to devastate the countryside until a mysterious woman arrives.
The 30 projects, comprising 16 feature-length narrative films, 10 feature documentaries and 4 short films –received funding for development, production or post-production.
The fund is primarily for first and second-time filmmakers. Post-production funding is available to established filmmakers from the Mena region.
For more information about eligibility and submissions, please visit
http://www.dohafilminstitute.com/financing/grants/guidelines
A full directory of past grant recipients is available to view at
http://www.dohafilminstitute.com/financing/projects/grants...
It received a post-production grant from the Doha Film Institute following the Dubai International Film Festival in the fall of 2015. The grants program is dedicated to supporting new cinematic talent, with a focus on first- and second-time filmmakers. And, for the first time in its 11 year history, filmmakers from Chile, Peru and Spain received funding from the program. Twenty-four of the projects are from the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region, while six are from the rest of the world.
"Rey" (King) by Niles Atallah (Chile)
In 1860, a French lawyer dreamed of becoming the King of Patagonia – and he did just that. Or so it seemed.
As in several previous sessions of the grants program, powerful projects from Argentina secured funding. Milagros Mumenthaler’s Swiss/Argentinian film "The Idea of a Lake" is about a photographer who undergoes a personal exploration of her past and the absence of her father while creating a book of her work, while Maximiliano Schonfeld’s "The Black Frost" is a drama set on a plantation where a pernicious black frost threatens to devastate the countryside until a mysterious woman arrives.
The 30 projects, comprising 16 feature-length narrative films, 10 feature documentaries and 4 short films –received funding for development, production or post-production.
The fund is primarily for first and second-time filmmakers. Post-production funding is available to established filmmakers from the Mena region.
For more information about eligibility and submissions, please visit
http://www.dohafilminstitute.com/financing/grants/guidelines
A full directory of past grant recipients is available to view at
http://www.dohafilminstitute.com/financing/projects/grants...
- 1/28/2016
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
The Doha Film Institute has announced the recipients of the Fall 2015 session of its grants program following the Dubai International Film Festival, where 15 of the Institute’s previous grantees, 4 of which are world premieres, were showcased. Thirty projects from 19 countries – comprising 16 feature-length narrative films, 10 feature documentaries and 4 short films – will receive funding for development, production or post-production.
The Fall session marks the 11th session of the grants program, which is dedicated to supporting new cinematic talent, with a focus on first- and second-time filmmakers.
Twenty-four of the projects are from the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region, while 6 are from the rest of the world. For the first time, filmmakers from Chile, Peru and Spain will receive funding from the program.
Stories of displacement, physical or spiritual journeys, tales of family life, the power of nature and the importance of protecting the environment are highlighted in the selections this Fall.
Four projects from Qatar-based filmmakers were awarded grants – Hafiz Ali Abdullah’s "The Search for the Star Pearl," about a young pearl diver from Doha who discovers a map to the most valuable gem on Earth, and sets sail with three teenage friends in search of it; Hamida Al Kawari’s "To the Ends of the Earth" – the first Qatari feature documentary to receive a grant from the Institute – which follows a Qatari woman on an environmental expedition to Antarctica in search of hope; A.J. Al Thani’s "Kashta," a family drama about a father who takes his sons out into the desert to teach them about hunting and survival; and Hend Fakhroo’s "The Waiting Room," about an Arab and a Western family who find themselves sharing a hospital room.
Among the 30 projects selected for funding, 5 are from Morocco – Fyzal Boulifa’s "Pagan Magic," the story of a poor youngster working as a maid for a middle-class family; second-time grantee Uda Benyamina’s "Bastard," about a 15-year-old girl who lives with her mother in a rough Parisian suburb; Yakout Elhababi’s "Behind the Doors," which looks at family life and childhood set high in the Rif mountains of Morocco; Hind Bensari’s "Weight Throwers," a documentary look at the struggles of two young athletes as they train for the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro; and "Behind The Wall," by Karima Zoubir, a short film set in a Casablanca slum.
Also featuring strongly are three animation projects – established filmmaker Haifaa Al Mansour’s "Miss Camel," the story of a teenage Saudi camel who challenges the deep-rooted restrictions of her culture by travelling across the kingdom to compete in the Miss Camel beauty pageant in Doha; Mortada Gzar’s "Language," about a blind man on the streets of Baghdad who wakes up as a giant and reads the devastation of the city by touch; and Hafiz Ali Abdullah’s "The Search for the Star Pearl."
As in several previous sessions of the grants program, powerful projects from Argentina have also secured funding. Milagros Mumenthaler’s Swiss/Argentinian film "The Idea of a Lake" is about a photographer who undergoes a personal exploration of her past and the absence of her father while creating a book of her work, while Maximiliano Schonfeld’s "The Black Frost" is a drama set on a plantation where a pernicious black frost threatens to devastate the countryside until a mysterious woman arrives.
Continuing the environmental theme, Heidi Brandenburg and Mathew Orzel’s "When Two Worlds Collide" is the story of an indigenous Peruvian man and his people, and of the fate of one of our planet’s most valuable natural resources – the Amazon rainforest. The film, which has its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in January, is the first-ever Peruvian recipient of a grant from the Institute.
Fatma Al Remaihi, CEO of the Doha Film Institute, said: “Our Fall grantees cover a broad range of subjects and represent some powerful new voices in cinema, especially from Qatar and North Africa with several projects supported from Morocco and Algeria.”
“Animated films are very popular in our region so it is very encouraging to see an acclaimed filmmaker like Haifaa Al Mansour turn her skills to this important genre; we support two other animated projects in this grants cycle as well.”
“Our grantees represent the core of the Doha Film Institute’s mandate to support emerging filmmakers and contribute to the development of the regional film industry. We have supported more than 255 films since the inception of the grants program and we continue to seek out projects with a strong directorial vision that are challenging, creative and thought-provoking. Our new round of grantees is no exception and I am delighted to welcome this outstanding crop of projects to our growing community of grantee alumni.”
Submissions for the next funding round open January 6 and close January 19, 2016. Funding is available to projects by filmmakers from around the world, with an emphasis on support for filmmakers from the Mena region. Certain categories of funding reserved for Mena and Qatari filmmakers.
The fund is primarily for first and second-time filmmakers. Post-production funding is available to established filmmakers from the Mena region.
For more information about eligibility and submissions, please visit
http://www.dohafilminstitute.com/financing/grants/guidelines
A full directory of past grant recipients is available to view at
http://www.dohafilminstitute.com/financing/projects/grants
The Doha Film Institute Grants Program funding recipients for the Fall 2015 session are:
Feature Narrative / Development
"Death Street" by Mohanad Hayal (Iraq)
Tariq, the sniper of Haifa Street in Baghdad, kills Ahmed on his wedding day. While Tariq prevents anyone from approaching the corpse in the street, an intimate and telling drama unfolds.
"Miss Camel" by Haifaa Al Mansour (Saudia Arabia)
A teenage Saudi camel challenges the deep-rooted restrictions of her culture by traveling across the kingdom to compete in the Miss Camel beauty pageant in Doha.
"Pagan Magic" by Fyzal Boulifa (Morocco, France)
A young, poor and uneducated girl works as a maid for a middle-class family in contemporary Morocco. Her use of pagan rites to confront her entrapment and make sense of her world ultimately corrupt her.
"The Search for the Star Pearl" by Hafiz Ali Abdullah (Qatar)
Ali, a 17-year-old pearl diver from Doha, discovers a map to the Star Pearl of Abu Derya, the most valuable gem on Earth, and sets sail with three teenaged friends in search of the pearl. Along the way, they face mythological beasts that challenge their skills and friendship.
Feature Narrative / Production
"Cactus Flower" by Hala Elkoussy (Egypt)
A flood leaves three Cairenes homeless. As they journey across the city in search of shelter, they depend upon one another to survive and keep their dreams alive.
"Poisonous Roses" by Fawzi Saleh (Egypt)
The world has left nothing to Taheya apart from her brother Saqr. When he disappears, Taheya pursues him in desperation.
"The Return" by Meyar Al-Roumi (Syria, France)
A love story blossoms between Taysir and Lina, exiles from Syria, while they drive across their homeland to bury Taysir’s brother, a victim of the armed conflict.
"Till the Swallows Return" by Karim Moussaoui (Algeria, France)
This is the story of three characters who are a product of the conflicted Algeria of the 2000s. Their ideals shattered and their moral strength drained, each now faces a difficult life choice.
Feature Narrative / Post-production
"Bastard" by Uda Benyamina (Morocco, France)
Fifteen-year-old Dounia lives with her mother in a rough Parisian suburb, where she has been saddled with the nickname “bastard”.
"The Black Frost" by Maximiliano Schonfeld (Argentina)
Soon after a mysterious woman arrives on a plantation, a pernicious black frost ceases to devastate the countryside. Hope emerges. Might she might be a saviour?
"Blue Bicycle" by Ümit Köreken (Turkey)
Young Ali saves up all the money he can working at a tyre repair shop to buy a coveted blue bicycle. Meanwhile, at school, his love for his schoolmate Elif leads him to defend her dismissal as school president. A story of childish love, dreams and resistance.
"The Dark Wind" by Hussein Hassan (Iraq)
Radical Islamists attack a village in Iraq where two young Yazidis are preparing for their marriage. At that moment, their lives become a nightmare.
"The Idea of a Lake" (note: previously titled Air Pocket) by Milagros Mumenthaler (Switzerland, Argentina)
Inés, a photographer, is creating a book of her work. Gradually, the process becomes a personal exploration of her past and the absence of her father, who was disappeared during the military dictatorship in Argentina.
"The Mimosas" by Oliver Laxe (Spain, Morocco, France)
In the Atlas Mountains in the past, a caravan searches for the path to take a Sufi master home to die. Among the party is Ahmed, a rascal who eventually becomes inspired to lead the caravan to its destination. Along the way, he is assisted by Shakib, a man sent from contemporary Morocco to guide Ahmed on his journey.
"Rey" (King) by Niles Atallah (Chile)
In 1860, a French lawyer dreamed of becoming the King of Patagonia – and he did just that. Or so it seemed.
"Suspension" by Ala Eddine Slim (Tunisia)
N is a candidate for an illegal crossing of the Mediterranean from Tunisia. A supernatural voyage, during which N will confront Nature and himself, begins.
Feature Documentary / Development
"Agnus Dei" by Karim Sayad (Algeria, Switzerland)
In Algeria, Ali and his sheep, bought for slaughter on Eid Al-Adha, are getting ready for the fight. Once the bets are in, the referee invites the owners into the ring…
"Behind the Doors" by Yakout Elhababi (Morocco)
High in the Rif mountains of Morocco, the people survive by growing kif. Beneath the shadow of the ambiguous legality of the crop, ‘Behind the Doors’ tells the story of a family through its children and their mirroring games.
"The Great Family" by Eliane Raheb (Lebanon)
In 1976, at the age of four, Marlene was put up for adoption in Lebanon and raised in France. In delving into her past, she discovers she is a survivor of the massacre at the Tal Al-Zaatar Palestinian refugee camp, and a family of survivors grows around her.
Feature Documentary / Production
"The Colonel’s Stray Dogs" by Khalid Shamis (Libya, South Africa)
While director Khalid Shamis watched television in his suburban London home, his father was plotting the overthrow of Muammar Gadaffi in his study. When the regime fell, Shamis sought answers about Libya under Gadaffi and his father’s role in its failed liberation.
"Ibrahim" by Lina Alabed (Jordan)
‘Ibrahim’ uncovers the long journey of the director’s father as a young man, when he was a secret member of Abu Nidal, a militant Palestinian revolutionary organisation.
"Searching for Janitou" by Mohamed El Amine hattou (Algeria)
A journey to unravel love in past and contemporary Algeria by exploring the unique phenomenon of a Bollywood film that swept the country in the 1980s.
"To the Ends of the Earth" by Hamida Al Kawari ( Qatar)
A Qatari woman travels on an environmental expedition to Antarctica in search of hope, before returning to the Gulf and finding unity and inspiration for positive change.
"Weight Throwers" by Hind Bensari (Morocco)
‘Weight Thowers’ follows the struggles of Azzedine and Youssef, disabled members of Morocco’s unemployed and disillusioned young generation, as they struggle to train for the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
Feature Documentary / Post-production
"Tadmor" by Lokman Slim, Monika Borgmann (Lebanon)
A group of Lebanese men re-enact the ordeals they experienced as detainees in Syria’s notorious Tadmor prison. An ode to the human will to survive.
"When Two Worlds Collide" by Heidi Brandenburg, Mathew Orzel (Peru)
A story of a man and a people, and of the fate of one of our planet’s most valuable natural resources – the Amazon rainforest.
Short Narrative / Production
"Behind the Wall" by Karima Zoubir (Morocco)
Nadia, a little girl, lives in a Casablanca slum that is surrounded by a wall. One day, the municipality begins to paint the wall – but why this sudden interest?
"Kashta" by A.J. Al Thani (Qatar)
A father takes his two sons out to the desert to learn about hunting and survival, but the results are not quite what he was expecting.
"Language" by Mortada Gzar (Iraq)
An old blind man walks throught the streets of Baghdad, then falls asleep while reading a book in Braille. When he wakes up, he finds he has become a giant and reads the devastation of the city by touch.
"The Waiting Room" by Hind Fakhroo (Qatar)
An Arab family and a Western family find themselves sharing a hospital room; the only thing that separates them is a curtain.
The Fall session marks the 11th session of the grants program, which is dedicated to supporting new cinematic talent, with a focus on first- and second-time filmmakers.
Twenty-four of the projects are from the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region, while 6 are from the rest of the world. For the first time, filmmakers from Chile, Peru and Spain will receive funding from the program.
Stories of displacement, physical or spiritual journeys, tales of family life, the power of nature and the importance of protecting the environment are highlighted in the selections this Fall.
Four projects from Qatar-based filmmakers were awarded grants – Hafiz Ali Abdullah’s "The Search for the Star Pearl," about a young pearl diver from Doha who discovers a map to the most valuable gem on Earth, and sets sail with three teenage friends in search of it; Hamida Al Kawari’s "To the Ends of the Earth" – the first Qatari feature documentary to receive a grant from the Institute – which follows a Qatari woman on an environmental expedition to Antarctica in search of hope; A.J. Al Thani’s "Kashta," a family drama about a father who takes his sons out into the desert to teach them about hunting and survival; and Hend Fakhroo’s "The Waiting Room," about an Arab and a Western family who find themselves sharing a hospital room.
Among the 30 projects selected for funding, 5 are from Morocco – Fyzal Boulifa’s "Pagan Magic," the story of a poor youngster working as a maid for a middle-class family; second-time grantee Uda Benyamina’s "Bastard," about a 15-year-old girl who lives with her mother in a rough Parisian suburb; Yakout Elhababi’s "Behind the Doors," which looks at family life and childhood set high in the Rif mountains of Morocco; Hind Bensari’s "Weight Throwers," a documentary look at the struggles of two young athletes as they train for the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro; and "Behind The Wall," by Karima Zoubir, a short film set in a Casablanca slum.
Also featuring strongly are three animation projects – established filmmaker Haifaa Al Mansour’s "Miss Camel," the story of a teenage Saudi camel who challenges the deep-rooted restrictions of her culture by travelling across the kingdom to compete in the Miss Camel beauty pageant in Doha; Mortada Gzar’s "Language," about a blind man on the streets of Baghdad who wakes up as a giant and reads the devastation of the city by touch; and Hafiz Ali Abdullah’s "The Search for the Star Pearl."
As in several previous sessions of the grants program, powerful projects from Argentina have also secured funding. Milagros Mumenthaler’s Swiss/Argentinian film "The Idea of a Lake" is about a photographer who undergoes a personal exploration of her past and the absence of her father while creating a book of her work, while Maximiliano Schonfeld’s "The Black Frost" is a drama set on a plantation where a pernicious black frost threatens to devastate the countryside until a mysterious woman arrives.
Continuing the environmental theme, Heidi Brandenburg and Mathew Orzel’s "When Two Worlds Collide" is the story of an indigenous Peruvian man and his people, and of the fate of one of our planet’s most valuable natural resources – the Amazon rainforest. The film, which has its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in January, is the first-ever Peruvian recipient of a grant from the Institute.
Fatma Al Remaihi, CEO of the Doha Film Institute, said: “Our Fall grantees cover a broad range of subjects and represent some powerful new voices in cinema, especially from Qatar and North Africa with several projects supported from Morocco and Algeria.”
“Animated films are very popular in our region so it is very encouraging to see an acclaimed filmmaker like Haifaa Al Mansour turn her skills to this important genre; we support two other animated projects in this grants cycle as well.”
“Our grantees represent the core of the Doha Film Institute’s mandate to support emerging filmmakers and contribute to the development of the regional film industry. We have supported more than 255 films since the inception of the grants program and we continue to seek out projects with a strong directorial vision that are challenging, creative and thought-provoking. Our new round of grantees is no exception and I am delighted to welcome this outstanding crop of projects to our growing community of grantee alumni.”
Submissions for the next funding round open January 6 and close January 19, 2016. Funding is available to projects by filmmakers from around the world, with an emphasis on support for filmmakers from the Mena region. Certain categories of funding reserved for Mena and Qatari filmmakers.
The fund is primarily for first and second-time filmmakers. Post-production funding is available to established filmmakers from the Mena region.
For more information about eligibility and submissions, please visit
http://www.dohafilminstitute.com/financing/grants/guidelines
A full directory of past grant recipients is available to view at
http://www.dohafilminstitute.com/financing/projects/grants
The Doha Film Institute Grants Program funding recipients for the Fall 2015 session are:
Feature Narrative / Development
"Death Street" by Mohanad Hayal (Iraq)
Tariq, the sniper of Haifa Street in Baghdad, kills Ahmed on his wedding day. While Tariq prevents anyone from approaching the corpse in the street, an intimate and telling drama unfolds.
"Miss Camel" by Haifaa Al Mansour (Saudia Arabia)
A teenage Saudi camel challenges the deep-rooted restrictions of her culture by traveling across the kingdom to compete in the Miss Camel beauty pageant in Doha.
"Pagan Magic" by Fyzal Boulifa (Morocco, France)
A young, poor and uneducated girl works as a maid for a middle-class family in contemporary Morocco. Her use of pagan rites to confront her entrapment and make sense of her world ultimately corrupt her.
"The Search for the Star Pearl" by Hafiz Ali Abdullah (Qatar)
Ali, a 17-year-old pearl diver from Doha, discovers a map to the Star Pearl of Abu Derya, the most valuable gem on Earth, and sets sail with three teenaged friends in search of the pearl. Along the way, they face mythological beasts that challenge their skills and friendship.
Feature Narrative / Production
"Cactus Flower" by Hala Elkoussy (Egypt)
A flood leaves three Cairenes homeless. As they journey across the city in search of shelter, they depend upon one another to survive and keep their dreams alive.
"Poisonous Roses" by Fawzi Saleh (Egypt)
The world has left nothing to Taheya apart from her brother Saqr. When he disappears, Taheya pursues him in desperation.
"The Return" by Meyar Al-Roumi (Syria, France)
A love story blossoms between Taysir and Lina, exiles from Syria, while they drive across their homeland to bury Taysir’s brother, a victim of the armed conflict.
"Till the Swallows Return" by Karim Moussaoui (Algeria, France)
This is the story of three characters who are a product of the conflicted Algeria of the 2000s. Their ideals shattered and their moral strength drained, each now faces a difficult life choice.
Feature Narrative / Post-production
"Bastard" by Uda Benyamina (Morocco, France)
Fifteen-year-old Dounia lives with her mother in a rough Parisian suburb, where she has been saddled with the nickname “bastard”.
"The Black Frost" by Maximiliano Schonfeld (Argentina)
Soon after a mysterious woman arrives on a plantation, a pernicious black frost ceases to devastate the countryside. Hope emerges. Might she might be a saviour?
"Blue Bicycle" by Ümit Köreken (Turkey)
Young Ali saves up all the money he can working at a tyre repair shop to buy a coveted blue bicycle. Meanwhile, at school, his love for his schoolmate Elif leads him to defend her dismissal as school president. A story of childish love, dreams and resistance.
"The Dark Wind" by Hussein Hassan (Iraq)
Radical Islamists attack a village in Iraq where two young Yazidis are preparing for their marriage. At that moment, their lives become a nightmare.
"The Idea of a Lake" (note: previously titled Air Pocket) by Milagros Mumenthaler (Switzerland, Argentina)
Inés, a photographer, is creating a book of her work. Gradually, the process becomes a personal exploration of her past and the absence of her father, who was disappeared during the military dictatorship in Argentina.
"The Mimosas" by Oliver Laxe (Spain, Morocco, France)
In the Atlas Mountains in the past, a caravan searches for the path to take a Sufi master home to die. Among the party is Ahmed, a rascal who eventually becomes inspired to lead the caravan to its destination. Along the way, he is assisted by Shakib, a man sent from contemporary Morocco to guide Ahmed on his journey.
"Rey" (King) by Niles Atallah (Chile)
In 1860, a French lawyer dreamed of becoming the King of Patagonia – and he did just that. Or so it seemed.
"Suspension" by Ala Eddine Slim (Tunisia)
N is a candidate for an illegal crossing of the Mediterranean from Tunisia. A supernatural voyage, during which N will confront Nature and himself, begins.
Feature Documentary / Development
"Agnus Dei" by Karim Sayad (Algeria, Switzerland)
In Algeria, Ali and his sheep, bought for slaughter on Eid Al-Adha, are getting ready for the fight. Once the bets are in, the referee invites the owners into the ring…
"Behind the Doors" by Yakout Elhababi (Morocco)
High in the Rif mountains of Morocco, the people survive by growing kif. Beneath the shadow of the ambiguous legality of the crop, ‘Behind the Doors’ tells the story of a family through its children and their mirroring games.
"The Great Family" by Eliane Raheb (Lebanon)
In 1976, at the age of four, Marlene was put up for adoption in Lebanon and raised in France. In delving into her past, she discovers she is a survivor of the massacre at the Tal Al-Zaatar Palestinian refugee camp, and a family of survivors grows around her.
Feature Documentary / Production
"The Colonel’s Stray Dogs" by Khalid Shamis (Libya, South Africa)
While director Khalid Shamis watched television in his suburban London home, his father was plotting the overthrow of Muammar Gadaffi in his study. When the regime fell, Shamis sought answers about Libya under Gadaffi and his father’s role in its failed liberation.
"Ibrahim" by Lina Alabed (Jordan)
‘Ibrahim’ uncovers the long journey of the director’s father as a young man, when he was a secret member of Abu Nidal, a militant Palestinian revolutionary organisation.
"Searching for Janitou" by Mohamed El Amine hattou (Algeria)
A journey to unravel love in past and contemporary Algeria by exploring the unique phenomenon of a Bollywood film that swept the country in the 1980s.
"To the Ends of the Earth" by Hamida Al Kawari ( Qatar)
A Qatari woman travels on an environmental expedition to Antarctica in search of hope, before returning to the Gulf and finding unity and inspiration for positive change.
"Weight Throwers" by Hind Bensari (Morocco)
‘Weight Thowers’ follows the struggles of Azzedine and Youssef, disabled members of Morocco’s unemployed and disillusioned young generation, as they struggle to train for the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
Feature Documentary / Post-production
"Tadmor" by Lokman Slim, Monika Borgmann (Lebanon)
A group of Lebanese men re-enact the ordeals they experienced as detainees in Syria’s notorious Tadmor prison. An ode to the human will to survive.
"When Two Worlds Collide" by Heidi Brandenburg, Mathew Orzel (Peru)
A story of a man and a people, and of the fate of one of our planet’s most valuable natural resources – the Amazon rainforest.
Short Narrative / Production
"Behind the Wall" by Karima Zoubir (Morocco)
Nadia, a little girl, lives in a Casablanca slum that is surrounded by a wall. One day, the municipality begins to paint the wall – but why this sudden interest?
"Kashta" by A.J. Al Thani (Qatar)
A father takes his two sons out to the desert to learn about hunting and survival, but the results are not quite what he was expecting.
"Language" by Mortada Gzar (Iraq)
An old blind man walks throught the streets of Baghdad, then falls asleep while reading a book in Braille. When he wakes up, he finds he has become a giant and reads the devastation of the city by touch.
"The Waiting Room" by Hind Fakhroo (Qatar)
An Arab family and a Western family find themselves sharing a hospital room; the only thing that separates them is a curtain.
- 1/5/2016
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
Wadjda director among 30 awarded grants in the Doha Film Institute’s latest round of funding.Scroll down for the full list of projects
Haifaa Al Mansour, the director of 2012 Bafta-nominated Wadjda, has received a grant for her first animated feature project Miss Camel (in development) as part of the Doha Film Institute’s Fall 2015 round of funding.
The film will follow a teenage camel in Saudi Arabia which travels across the country to compete in a beauty pageant.
In total, 30 projects have received grants, including 16 feature films, three of which are animations, and 10 documentaries.
Of the projects selected, 24 are from the Mena region, while for the first time filmmakers from Chile, Peru and Spain will all receive funding.
Fatma Al Remaihi, CEO of the Doha Film Institute, said: “Animated films are very popular in our region so it is very encouraging to see an acclaimed filmmaker like Haifaa Al Mansour turn her skills to this important genre; we...
Haifaa Al Mansour, the director of 2012 Bafta-nominated Wadjda, has received a grant for her first animated feature project Miss Camel (in development) as part of the Doha Film Institute’s Fall 2015 round of funding.
The film will follow a teenage camel in Saudi Arabia which travels across the country to compete in a beauty pageant.
In total, 30 projects have received grants, including 16 feature films, three of which are animations, and 10 documentaries.
Of the projects selected, 24 are from the Mena region, while for the first time filmmakers from Chile, Peru and Spain will all receive funding.
Fatma Al Remaihi, CEO of the Doha Film Institute, said: “Animated films are very popular in our region so it is very encouraging to see an acclaimed filmmaker like Haifaa Al Mansour turn her skills to this important genre; we...
- 12/21/2015
- ScreenDaily
TorinoFilmLab awards more than $460,000 to several upcoming projects.
Laszlo Nemes’ Sunset was among several titles to win funding at this week’s 8th TorinoFilmLab Meeting Event (Nov 25-27).
The coming-of-age thriller, centred on a young woman in Budapest before the First World War, was awarded a grant of €50,000 ($53,000).
The film marks the second feature from Nemes, whose debut Son Of Saul won the Grand Jury Prize and Fipresci Prize when it premiered at Cannes in May and is tipped for Oscar success.
Sunset will be produced by Gabor Sipos of Hungary’s Laokoon Cinema, the production company behind Son Of Saul.
Speaking to ScreenDaily in June, Nemes said Sunset will be set in Budapest in 1910, when the city was cosmopolitan, tolerant and full of inhabitants from different cultural and religious backgrounds.
“[The Nazis] killed all of that. The 20th century transformed Hungary into an ethnically pure country in a way,” said Nemes.
“It’s a coming-of-age...
Laszlo Nemes’ Sunset was among several titles to win funding at this week’s 8th TorinoFilmLab Meeting Event (Nov 25-27).
The coming-of-age thriller, centred on a young woman in Budapest before the First World War, was awarded a grant of €50,000 ($53,000).
The film marks the second feature from Nemes, whose debut Son Of Saul won the Grand Jury Prize and Fipresci Prize when it premiered at Cannes in May and is tipped for Oscar success.
Sunset will be produced by Gabor Sipos of Hungary’s Laokoon Cinema, the production company behind Son Of Saul.
Speaking to ScreenDaily in June, Nemes said Sunset will be set in Budapest in 1910, when the city was cosmopolitan, tolerant and full of inhabitants from different cultural and religious backgrounds.
“[The Nazis] killed all of that. The 20th century transformed Hungary into an ethnically pure country in a way,” said Nemes.
“It’s a coming-of-age...
- 11/27/2015
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
Veteran Dutch producer Stienette Bosklopper, owner and MD of Circe Film, is turning screenwriter and has written two projects already in advanced development.
Bosklopper, whose credits include Wolfsbergen and Brownian Movement, will be at this week’s Iffr CineMart in Rotterdam in a dual capacity - as screenwriter and producer of Nanouk Leopold’s new feature, Cobain.
The €1.6m film, which has already received backing from the Netherlands Film Fund, is being coproduced with Waterland Film.
“It’s part of a personal development you have at a certain stage in your career,” the producer says of her foray into screenwriting.
“I had been working with a lot of writers and directors. Somehow, there was an urge to contribute on a different level. To my own amazement, it is going very well. It comes quite naturally and I have the feeling that I will be continuing doing this.”
Cobain is the story of a teenage boy with a...
Bosklopper, whose credits include Wolfsbergen and Brownian Movement, will be at this week’s Iffr CineMart in Rotterdam in a dual capacity - as screenwriter and producer of Nanouk Leopold’s new feature, Cobain.
The €1.6m film, which has already received backing from the Netherlands Film Fund, is being coproduced with Waterland Film.
“It’s part of a personal development you have at a certain stage in your career,” the producer says of her foray into screenwriting.
“I had been working with a lot of writers and directors. Somehow, there was an urge to contribute on a different level. To my own amazement, it is going very well. It comes quite naturally and I have the feeling that I will be continuing doing this.”
Cobain is the story of a teenage boy with a...
- 1/22/2015
- by geoffrey@macnab.demon.co.uk (Geoffrey Macnab)
- ScreenDaily
Dutch producers Volya Films and Waterland Film have been selected for Hubert Bals Fund Plus to co-produce two films in Southeast Asia.
Each receives a grant of €50,000 from the Netherlands Film Fund for co-producing a Hubert Bals Fund-supported film.
Volya Films co-produces Vietnamese feature Big Father, Small Father, and Waterland Film co-produces Philippines picture Women of the Weeping River.
Big Father, Small Father is the second film by Phan Dang Di, whose debut Bi, Don’t Be Afraid premiered at the Cannes Film Festival.
Big Father, Small Father is the story of a group of friends struggling to survive in the overpopulated city of Saigon during the Asian economic crisis of the 1990s.
The film is produced by Vblock Media (Vietnam) and co-produced by Acrobat Films (France) and Volya Films.
Phan Dang Di received a script and project development grant for this film from the Hubert Bals Fund in 2011.
Women of the Weeping River is Sheron Dayoc’ssecond...
Each receives a grant of €50,000 from the Netherlands Film Fund for co-producing a Hubert Bals Fund-supported film.
Volya Films co-produces Vietnamese feature Big Father, Small Father, and Waterland Film co-produces Philippines picture Women of the Weeping River.
Big Father, Small Father is the second film by Phan Dang Di, whose debut Bi, Don’t Be Afraid premiered at the Cannes Film Festival.
Big Father, Small Father is the story of a group of friends struggling to survive in the overpopulated city of Saigon during the Asian economic crisis of the 1990s.
The film is produced by Vblock Media (Vietnam) and co-produced by Acrobat Films (France) and Volya Films.
Phan Dang Di received a script and project development grant for this film from the Hubert Bals Fund in 2011.
Women of the Weeping River is Sheron Dayoc’ssecond...
- 11/22/2013
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
Jane Campion, President of the Jury for Shorts and also the Cinefondation's 15 shorts by new filmmakers coming from Asia, Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, Turkey, India, Greece, Italy and France. The ninth edition of the Atelier de la Cinéfondation Cannes Festival will run parallel to the Competition screenings and can be seen in the Riviera between 15 and 26 May 2013.
Mexican Jorge Hernandez Aldana and his film The heirs and Chilean Attalah Niles and his film King along with the other participants will be presented to potential partners, sales companies and producers who might be interested in entering into co-productions with them.
Born in Caracas, cinematically formed in the Polish school in Lodz, and settled professionally in Mexico, Jorge Hernandez Aldana was the director of The Night Buffalo written by Guillermo Arriaga and starring Diego Luna, Liz Gallardo and Irene Azuela. Heirs has initial support from Lucia Films, producer of Mexican Michel Franco, and the main characters are a group of teenagers and their families in the city of Monterrey during the first half of the 90s. The boys are in search of the keys to achieve the American dream on Mexican soil. It is a portrait, comedic and serious, of an era that will not return, a story about the meaning of friendship and the need to belong, to what happens to a group of teenagers from good families while spending the summer on a skateboard, while waiting for a future of wealth, success and power.
King, by Chilean-American Niles Atallah ( Lucia ), deals Orélie Tounens Antoine, a lawyer who in 1860 took over a Mapuche territory, Araucania, make a kingdom where he would be the king, and his ministers and citizins Indians to maintain independence from Chile. According to its makers, the film, with a budget of half a million euros, penetrates the mind and offers a multifaceted portrait of an ambitious dreamer in a hallucinatory and surreal style.
Two projects from Asia are among the 15 new works selected to take part in this year's Atelier, part of the Cannes Film Festival's Cinefondation.
From China, it has selected Ciao Ciao by Song Chuan. From India, Chenu and film-maker Manjeet Singh will participate. Details of the projects will be disclosed at the beginning of April.
The remaining projects are approved for Atelier Sworn Virgin by Italian Laura Bispuri ♀ , Stage Fright by Greek director Yorgos Zois; Memories of the Wind by Turkish Ozcan Alper, Je ne suis pas un salaud by French Emmanuel Finkiel; Road Kill by Japanese Yuichi Hibi; Days of Cannibalism by Teboho Edkins Joscha (South Africa); Lamb by Yared Zeleke (Ethiopia), Out / In the Streets by Jasmina Metwaly ♀ and Philip Rizk (Egypt); Chenu by Manjeet Singh ( India), Ciao Ciao , Song Chuan (China), Me, Myself and Murdoch by Alabdallah Yahya (Jordan / Palestine), and Holy Airby Shady Srour, and The House on End Stree by Amir Manor, both Israelis .
The Atelier was created in 2005 within the Cannes Film Festival in order to give impetus to the movies and to create a new generation of filmmakers, helping them to complete the financing for his films. During the past eight years, 126 projects have been through the workshop, of which 83 have been completed and 29 are performing currently in preproduction.
Mexican Jorge Hernandez Aldana and his film The heirs and Chilean Attalah Niles and his film King along with the other participants will be presented to potential partners, sales companies and producers who might be interested in entering into co-productions with them.
Born in Caracas, cinematically formed in the Polish school in Lodz, and settled professionally in Mexico, Jorge Hernandez Aldana was the director of The Night Buffalo written by Guillermo Arriaga and starring Diego Luna, Liz Gallardo and Irene Azuela. Heirs has initial support from Lucia Films, producer of Mexican Michel Franco, and the main characters are a group of teenagers and their families in the city of Monterrey during the first half of the 90s. The boys are in search of the keys to achieve the American dream on Mexican soil. It is a portrait, comedic and serious, of an era that will not return, a story about the meaning of friendship and the need to belong, to what happens to a group of teenagers from good families while spending the summer on a skateboard, while waiting for a future of wealth, success and power.
King, by Chilean-American Niles Atallah ( Lucia ), deals Orélie Tounens Antoine, a lawyer who in 1860 took over a Mapuche territory, Araucania, make a kingdom where he would be the king, and his ministers and citizins Indians to maintain independence from Chile. According to its makers, the film, with a budget of half a million euros, penetrates the mind and offers a multifaceted portrait of an ambitious dreamer in a hallucinatory and surreal style.
Two projects from Asia are among the 15 new works selected to take part in this year's Atelier, part of the Cannes Film Festival's Cinefondation.
From China, it has selected Ciao Ciao by Song Chuan. From India, Chenu and film-maker Manjeet Singh will participate. Details of the projects will be disclosed at the beginning of April.
The remaining projects are approved for Atelier Sworn Virgin by Italian Laura Bispuri ♀ , Stage Fright by Greek director Yorgos Zois; Memories of the Wind by Turkish Ozcan Alper, Je ne suis pas un salaud by French Emmanuel Finkiel; Road Kill by Japanese Yuichi Hibi; Days of Cannibalism by Teboho Edkins Joscha (South Africa); Lamb by Yared Zeleke (Ethiopia), Out / In the Streets by Jasmina Metwaly ♀ and Philip Rizk (Egypt); Chenu by Manjeet Singh ( India), Ciao Ciao , Song Chuan (China), Me, Myself and Murdoch by Alabdallah Yahya (Jordan / Palestine), and Holy Airby Shady Srour, and The House on End Stree by Amir Manor, both Israelis .
The Atelier was created in 2005 within the Cannes Film Festival in order to give impetus to the movies and to create a new generation of filmmakers, helping them to complete the financing for his films. During the past eight years, 126 projects have been through the workshop, of which 83 have been completed and 29 are performing currently in preproduction.
- 3/28/2013
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
Boost! is a cooperation between the Hubert Bals Fund, Iffr's CineMart, Binger Filmlab and Nfdc of India and supported by Media Mundus. Yearly five projects selected for Hubert Bals Fund Script and Project Development support are offered the opportunity to further develop their project at Binger Filmlab as part of the Binger On Demand programme. At Binger Filmlab, the filmmakers are offered coaching based on the specific needs of the project and filmmaker. Strange but True by Michel Lipkes (Mexico) and Days of Cannibalism by Teboho Edkins (South Africa) are the final two Hbf supported projects that will receive a special coaching trajectory from the Binger Filmlab.
Strange but True tells the love story of two young trash collectors working under the despotic direction of Mr.Clean. Tragedy ensues when they find a corpse of a wealthy man and Mr. Clean takes terrible decisions.
Days of Cannibalism is a three-part feature film in three parts, stylistically a Western, set in contemporary Africa. It is a film about man-eat-man, from the business of globalised trade in China, to a band of smugglers in Lesotho to the violence of a cattle raid deep in the high mountains.
Selected earlier this year were:
Silver Shadow by Pablo Stoll (Uruguay/Argentina)
The Load by Ognjen Glavonic (Serbia)
The Fourth Direction by Gurvinder Singh (India)
Their first coaching sessions already took place in Berlin, Amsterdam and Mumbai. All Boost! projects will be presented at CineMart during the International Film Festival Rotterdam, where they will be offered special pitching and project development sessions prior to taking one-to-one meetings at the co-production market.
Boost!-project taking part in Rotterdam Lab 2013:
- The Fourth Direction / Gurvinder Singh / India
Check out Boost! on the Web
Additional Binger Filmlab News:
Eurimages is supporting Land. by writer/director Jan-Willem van Ewijk with Eur 230.000! Current Lab participant Meikeminne Clinckspoor has won 7 prices in the Cinekid Festival edition of the 48 hour project with Gewoon Ongewoon. Milo, by Berend and Roel Boorsma, has taken another prize: MovieSquad Best International Children’s Movie at the Cinekid Festival. Miro Bilbrough's Being Venice developed in the 2006 Writers Lab, had it's international premiere at The International Film Festival Mannheim-Heidelberg. Writers and Creative Producers Lab participants Arno Dierickx & Joram Willink have received support from the Netherlands Film Fund for their current lab project The Circle. Raf Reyntjes also received support for Paradise Trips from the Netherlands Film Fund. Parts of a Family by Diego Gutierrez Coppe, developed in the Binger Doc Lab, premiered at the Morelia Iff in Mexico. Niles Atallah and Lucie Kalmar have been granted a Production Award of Eur 70.000 at the Torino Film Lab Meeting Event for Rey.
Strange but True tells the love story of two young trash collectors working under the despotic direction of Mr.Clean. Tragedy ensues when they find a corpse of a wealthy man and Mr. Clean takes terrible decisions.
Days of Cannibalism is a three-part feature film in three parts, stylistically a Western, set in contemporary Africa. It is a film about man-eat-man, from the business of globalised trade in China, to a band of smugglers in Lesotho to the violence of a cattle raid deep in the high mountains.
Selected earlier this year were:
Silver Shadow by Pablo Stoll (Uruguay/Argentina)
The Load by Ognjen Glavonic (Serbia)
The Fourth Direction by Gurvinder Singh (India)
Their first coaching sessions already took place in Berlin, Amsterdam and Mumbai. All Boost! projects will be presented at CineMart during the International Film Festival Rotterdam, where they will be offered special pitching and project development sessions prior to taking one-to-one meetings at the co-production market.
Boost!-project taking part in Rotterdam Lab 2013:
- The Fourth Direction / Gurvinder Singh / India
Check out Boost! on the Web
Additional Binger Filmlab News:
Eurimages is supporting Land. by writer/director Jan-Willem van Ewijk with Eur 230.000! Current Lab participant Meikeminne Clinckspoor has won 7 prices in the Cinekid Festival edition of the 48 hour project with Gewoon Ongewoon. Milo, by Berend and Roel Boorsma, has taken another prize: MovieSquad Best International Children’s Movie at the Cinekid Festival. Miro Bilbrough's Being Venice developed in the 2006 Writers Lab, had it's international premiere at The International Film Festival Mannheim-Heidelberg. Writers and Creative Producers Lab participants Arno Dierickx & Joram Willink have received support from the Netherlands Film Fund for their current lab project The Circle. Raf Reyntjes also received support for Paradise Trips from the Netherlands Film Fund. Parts of a Family by Diego Gutierrez Coppe, developed in the Binger Doc Lab, premiered at the Morelia Iff in Mexico. Niles Atallah and Lucie Kalmar have been granted a Production Award of Eur 70.000 at the Torino Film Lab Meeting Event for Rey.
- 12/13/2012
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
Festivalissimo, the Ibero-Latin-American Film Festival of Montreal just ended the 16th edition, where its artistic programming was being highly praised by thousands of festival-goers. Originating from 12 different countries, the menu offered 27 feature-length films that were all premieres in their own right; 5 North American premieres, 12 Canadian premieres rounded out with 10 never before seen films in Quebec. As with all festivals, they do hand out awards. Here is the list for all the winners from this year’s edition.
Best Male Actor (ex æquo)
Marcelo Alonso – Post Mortem by Pablo Larraín, Chile
Jean Remy Gentil – Jean Gentil by Israel Cárdenas and Laura Amelia Guzmán, Mexico / Dominican Republic
A special mention goes to:
Alberto San Juan – La isla interior by Dunia Ayaso and Félix Sabroso, Spain
Best Female Actor (ex æquo)
Ofelia Medina – Las buenas hierbas by María Novaro, Mexico
Eva Bianco – Los labios by Iván Fund and Santiago Loza, Argentina
A special...
Best Male Actor (ex æquo)
Marcelo Alonso – Post Mortem by Pablo Larraín, Chile
Jean Remy Gentil – Jean Gentil by Israel Cárdenas and Laura Amelia Guzmán, Mexico / Dominican Republic
A special mention goes to:
Alberto San Juan – La isla interior by Dunia Ayaso and Félix Sabroso, Spain
Best Female Actor (ex æquo)
Ofelia Medina – Las buenas hierbas by María Novaro, Mexico
Eva Bianco – Los labios by Iván Fund and Santiago Loza, Argentina
A special...
- 6/8/2011
- by Ricky
- SoundOnSight
This year's Palme d'or winner (Apichatpong Weerasethakul's Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives) is a glowing example of exact purpose that the Hubert Bals Fund of the International Film Festival Rotterdam serves: supporting national cinemas and filmmakers through various stages of production. The Fund’s Fall 2010 Selection Round includes one of our profiled Ioncinephile filmmakers in Mexico's Pedro Gonzalez-Rubio, who won over critics and film festival prizes (2010 Tiger Award) with Alamar, and who is now in the development phase of his next project entitled, Sombra del arbol (Tree Shade). In total, four projects from Mexico are receiving well-needed coin. Here are the selected projects: Postproduction & Final Financing Ausensias (Absences) - Milagros Mumenthaler; Argentina Black Blood - Miaoyan Zhang; China Flying Fish - Sanjeewa Pelanwattage; Sri Lanka The Old Donkey - Li Ruijun; China Paraísos Artificiales (Artificial Paradises) - Yulene Olaizola; Mexico Digital Production If It Is Not Now,...
- 10/14/2010
- IONCINEMA.com
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