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“Little Jaffna,” directed by Lawrence Valin in his feature debut, is a crime drama set in Paris’ Tamil community, exploring identity within the diaspora. The film follows Michael, a Sri Lankan Tamil undercover cop, as he works within a local gang supporting the Tamil Tigers.

Valin, who also stars as Michael, brings an original viewpoint to a genre typically dominated by Western storytelling, creating a film that is deeply personal and globally significant. The district of Little Jaffna reflects the cultural and political tensions between tradition and assimilation in the immigrant experience.

The film explores identity—how it emerges from cultural heritage and personal history. Michael’s internal conflict between his Tamil roots and police duties reveals the challenges immigrants encounter while balancing cultural loyalty and societal adaptation.

The story also examines the Tamil Tigers’ impact, providing insight into how historical conflicts continue to influence diaspora communities.

The Tension of...

Civil war drama ‘Safe House’ is set to world premiere as the opening feature of the 48th Goteborg Film Festival (January 24-February 2).

Directed by Norway’s Eirik Svensson, the film is set in the Central African Republic during the civil war in 2013. It begins when a Muslim man seeks refuge at a field hospital as a threatening Christian militia gathers outside, demanding his life. At the centre of the events is a Norwegian aid worker played by Kristine Kujath Thorp.

The screenplay is written by Harald Rosenløw Eeg and Lars Gudmestad, and is based on real events from the autobiography...

The fourth edition of the Red Sea International Film Festival in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia brought out big stars, from Wicked‘s Cynthia Erivo and Michelle Yeoh to Jeremy Renner, Michael Douglas and Benedict Cumberbatch, as well as new movies from the Middle East, Asia and Africa along with festival favorites of the year.

It also presented an opportunity to bring together six filmmakers who have made names for themselves as game changers and innovators for the second annual Hollywood Reporter roundtable at the Red Sea International Film Festival.

Rsiff 2024 jury president Spike Lee took time out of his busy festival schedule to take part in the discussion at the historic Nassif House Museum in Jeddah’s Old Town Al-Balad. Representing host nation Saudi Arabia was Meshal Al Jaser, whose humorous thriller Naga, which tells the story of a young woman who sneaks out for a date that goes wrong, screened...

The Fourth edition of the Red Sea International Film Festival (Rsiff) came to a crescendo with the naming of the winners of this year’s prestigious Yusr Awards.

The features jury, Tûba Büyüküstün, Minnie Driver, Daniel Dae Kim, and Abu Bakr Shawky, led by Jury President Spike Lee deliberated to finally select winners across 16 feature films in competition, while the shorts jury Hamzah Jamjoom, Ramata-Toulaye Sy, and Ke-Xi Wu judged across the short film offering of Rsiff 2024.

Red Path (Tunisia) directed by Lotfi Achour was awarded the prestigious Golden Yusr for Best Feature Film. An extraordinary journey into the wounded psyche of a child in a war zone, Red Path is the third feature film by director Lotfi Achour, and it had its world premiere at the Locarno Festival in Switzerland. With this film, we observe the development of Tunisian cinema, its craftsmanship, and its distinctive presence in this edition of the festival.

Tunisia’s “Red Path,” directed by Lotfi Achour, was awarded the Golden Yusr for best feature film Thursday at the Red Sea Film Festival awards ceremony, where honorary awards were bestowed on Viola Davis and Priyanka Chopra Jonas. Sarah Jessica Parker, Dev Patel, John Boyega and Nick Jonas were among the star guests.

Johnny Depp’s “Modi – Three Days on the Wing of Madness” screened as the festival’s final gala screening, with Depp attending with star Riccardo Scamarcio.

“Red Path,” described as “a journey into the wounded psyche of a child in a war zone,” is the third feature film by Achour. It had its world premiere at the Locarno Film Festival. The Golden Yusr comes with a $100,000 cash prize.

Achour also took home Red Sea’s Yusr prize for best director, which comes with a $10,000 prize.

The awards were bestowed by a features jury led by its president Spike Lee,...

Tunisian director Lotfi Achour’s Red Path won the Yusr Award for best competition film and the best director honor at the fourth edition of the Red Sea International Film Festival (Rsiff) in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia during its Thursday evening awards ceremony that also saw Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Viola Davis being honored.

The Silver Yusr Feature Film Award went to Mahdi Fleifel’s To A Land Unknown, a drama about young Palestinians caught in an eternal state of exile. Little Jaffna, starring and directed by Lawrence Valin, was honored with the AlUla Audience Award International Film, with Hobal from director Abdulaziz Alshlahei getting the Saudi film audience award.

“Ashraf, a shepherd boy working with his teenage cousin in impoverished northern Tunisia faces the unimaginable when Islamic State terrorists set on them and behead his cousin Nizar in front of him,” says a synopsis for Red Path. “Ashraf has no...

Tunisia director Lotfi Achour’s Red Path has won best film and director at the fourth edition of Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea Film Festival.

The drama was among 15 titles from the Middle East, Africa, and, for the first time, Asia competing for the festival’s Yusrs awards.

Red Path, which world premiered at Locarno, revolves around a shepherd boy who is traumatized when his teenager cousin is beheaded by Islamic State terrorists in front of him. He brings the head back to his family, but recovering the teenage boy’s body becomes a challenge with the terrorists remaining a threat in the backdrop.

This year’s jury for the main feature film competition was presided over by Spike Lee, with support from Egyptian director Abu Bakr Shawky, UK actor Minnie Driver, Turkish actress Tûba Büyüküstün and U.S. actor and producer Daniel Dae Kim

Thursday evening’s ceremony kicked...

In the light of current world events, defiance will be in sharp relief at the 48th Göteborg Film Festival, which runs Jan. 26 – Feb. 4, 2025

Under the banner “Focus: Disobedience,” the festival will highlight themes of civil resistance and pose such questions as: “When does rebellion become a moral obligation? When can it go too far? And is the flouting of laws and regulations a reasonable price to pay for change in a democratic society?”

“We will explore the concept of disobedience by showing contemporary films that explore the theme, and highlighting their significance in society. We look forward to discussing, problematizing, and mobilizing our defiance during the festival,” said Pia Lundberg, artistic director of the festival.

The annual event’s poster was created for this edition by artist Britta Marakatt-Labba, who has long engaged in activism. “I was born into a fight. My artistry began in Alta in northern Norway, when...

France’s Les Arcs Film Festival has unveiled the line-up for its 16th edition of its mountaintop movie marathon, taking place from December 14-21, 2024.

Eight European films will vie for the festival’s Crystal Arrow awards.

They include Rich Peppiatt’s Kneecap, a comedy about titular west Belfast hip-hop trio that is Ireland’s entry for the best international feature Oscar race and leads the Bifa 2024 nominations, Runar Runarsson’s Icelandic drama When the Light Breaks that opened this year’s Cannes Un Certain Regard, and Kurdwin Ayub’s Moon about a former Austrian martial arts master hired to train...

By Milani Perera

“Little Jaffna“, Lawrence Valin‘s stunning directorial debut, is a gripping crime drama that offers a colourful and insightful perspective on the French Tamil diaspora. Premiering at the prestigious Venice Critics’ Week, this film quickly grabbed international cinephines’ attention for its daring voice and naïve cinematic expression. It was also screened at the Toronto Film Festival and is set to be screened at Tallinn Black Night’s Film Festival under the Best of The Fest banner.

At the film’s heart is Michael (portrayed by Valin himself), a young police officer thrust into a morally ambiguous mission. Tasked with infiltrating a local gang, he faces the daunting challenge of reconciling his duty as an officer with his deep-rooted cultural heritage and personal connections. This internal struggle forms the film’s crux, as Valin masterfully intertwines personal dilemmas with broader sociopolitical themes, highlighting the clash between personal, cultural and historical identities.

The Red Sea International Film Festival in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, has picked 12 movies for its Festival Favorites selection of standouts from the fest circuit, including U.K. Oscar submission Santosh, an Indian police procedural about two women who form an unlikely alliance directed by Sandhya Suri; and Chinese auteur Guan Hu’s Black Dog, which won the Un Certain Regard Prize at Cannes.

Representing the U.S. in the lineup is Familiar Touch from director Sarah Friedland whose synopsis reads: “Arriving at an aged care facility, Ruth thinks she is in a fancy hotel on a date — with a man who is actually her son. Gradually, she reconciles herself to the life she has now.” The film had its world premiere in the Horizons lineup of the Venice Film Festival.

The Festival Favorites program also includes two films from Africa that played at the Toronto International Film Festival: The Legend...

Mumbai Film Festival has announced the 11 titles selected for its South Asia competition, the main competitive section of the festival, which includes the UK’s Oscars submission, Sandhya Suri’s Santosh, making its South Asian premiere.

The line-up also includes Nepal’s Oscars submission, Min Bahadur Bham’s Shambhala, along with one other Nepali title – Deepak Rauniyar’s Pooja, Sir – and Bhutanese title Agent Of Happiness, directed by Arun Bhattarai and Dorottya Zurbo.

Indian titles in the competition include Rima Das’ Village Rockstars 2, which recently won a Jiseok award at Busan International Film Festival; multiple award-winner Girls Will Be Girls, by Shuchi Talati; Raam Reddy’s The Fable and Midhun Murali’s Kiss Wagon (see full line-up below).

The non competitive Focus South Asia section is screening ten features and 13 shorts, including a title from Afghanistan – Roya Sadat’s The Sharp Edge Of Peace – and a short film from Myanmar,...

Payal Kapadia’s Cannes Grand Prix winner “All We Imagine as Light” will kick off the Mami Mumbai Film Festival’s 2024 edition, while Sean Baker’s Palme d’Or recipient “Anora” will close the festival.

Billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s Jio is no longer the title sponsor and, consequently, this year’s edition is a shortened version running from Oct. 19-24. The festival is led this year by renowned archivist and filmmaker Shivendra Singh Dungarpur.

The festival issued an open letter stating: “This year marks a period of transition for us, where Mami has no title sponsor. While we have had to adjust to the challenges that come with such a shift, we are proud to announce that we’ve put together an exciting edition of the festival.”

“Now more than ever, we need the goodwill and encouragement of our audience. We ask for your patience and understanding as we bring...

The Zurich Film Festival (Zff) has unveiled its full line-up for its 20th anniversary edition, which takes place from 3-13 October.

Zff’s main competition line-up comprises 14 films, with eight of them directed by women. Two of them are world premieres: Lucia Chiarla’s Es Geht Um Luis from Germany and Lisa Bruhlmann’s When We Were Sisters from Switzerland.

“This year the female gaze dominates our competition. Numerous films tell their stories through the eyes of women, for example Linda or Mother Mara,” Christian Jungen said.

The competition is aimed at discovering new talents compromising first, second and third directorial works,...

Lawrence Valin’s feature directorial debut “Little Jaffna” is set to make its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival. The first clip has been unveiled from the film.

The film, which Valin also co-wrote and stars in, explores the Tamil diaspora experience in France through the prism of gang culture in the area of central Paris known informally as Little Jaffna, named after the capital city of the Northern Province of Sri Lanka. It is set against the backdrop of the Sri Lankan civil war, which ravaged the island nation from 1983 to 2009.

Valin, a French-Tamil filmmaker, developed the project after his experiences acting in and directing short films. His journey to “Little Jaffna” was influenced by his involvement with Jacques Audiard’s Cannes Palme d’Or-winning film “Dheepan” (2015), which also dealt with the Sri Lankan Tamil experience in France.

“I got the audition to pass the casting for ‘Dheepan’ for the main role,...

Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) has unveiled the 43 features selection for the Centrepiece programme including world premieres for Algerian director Merzak Allouache’s feuding matriarchs comedy Front Row and Laura Piani’s romantic comedy Jane Austen Wrecked My Life.

Taking their place in the global cinema showcase alongside the latest work from 41 countries are features that have already impressed at festivals, such as Mohammad Rasoulof’s Cannes award winner The Seed Of The Sacred Fig, and Steven Soderbergh’s Sundance selection Presence.

The 18 world premieres include Iranian filmmaker Ali Samadi Ahadi’s human rights drama Seven Days written by Rasoulof,...

A drama about an Iranian human rights activist and a documentary about the hacking of queer indie pop duo Tegan and Sara are among the films that have been added to the lineup of the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival, which unveiled its Centrepiece section on Tuesday to kick off a second week of programming announcements.

The 43 films come from filmmakers representing 41 countries, with 18 of the titles receiving their world premieres at TIFF. Those premieres include “Seven Days,” a film about an imprisoned Iranian activist directed by Ali Samadi Ahadi and written by Mohammad Rasoulof, a filmmaker who was himself sentenced to flogging and prison by Iranian authorities; “Jane Austen Wrecked My Life,” a romantic comedy from French writer-director Laura Piani; “The Legend of the Vagabond Queen of Lagos,” a debut from the Nigerian filmmaking group known as the Agbajowo Collective; and Erin Lee Carr’s “Fanatical: The Catfishing of Tegan and Sara,...

The 2024 Toronto International Film Festival has revealed its Centrepiece program lineup, with 43 films from 41 countries. The selections include 18 world premieres plus an array of festival favorites and winners from Cannes (“The Seed of the Sacred Fig“), Sundance (“Presence“), and more recently the 2024 Venice Film Festival (“April”). This year’s festival runs Thursday, September 5 through Sunday, September 15.

Per TIFF, Centrepiece honors “and celebrates global cinematic achievements, inviting audiences to immerse themselves in a dynamic array of contemporary films. The programme is a reflection of TIFF’s commitment to providing an elevated platform for international cinema, acclaimed titles from festivals around the globe, highly anticipated premieres from Canadian and international talents, and the latest work of influential filmmaking luminaries.”

The 2024 Centrepiece selection has been programmed by Jason Anderson, Kelly Boutsalis, Diana Cadavid, Robyn Citizen, Giovanna Fulvi, Nataleah Hunter-Young, June Kim, Dorota Lech, Jason Ryle, and Norm Wilner.

Per the festival, “Notable world premieres include ‘Front Row,...

Steven Soderbergh’s spooky ghost story Presence — starring Lucy Liu, Chris Sullivan and newcomer Callina Liang — will receive its international premiere as part of the Centerpiece sidebar at the 2024 Toronto Film Festival.

Soderbergh first screened Presence at Sundance earlier this year, some 35 years after the debut of his breakout film, Sex, Lies and Videotape, in Park City. In all, TIFF’s Centerpiece section, previously known as Contemporary World Cinema, unveiled 43 films from 41 countries on Tuesday.

There’s world premieres for Marcelle Lunam’s rom com Addition, starring Teresa Palmer and Joe Dempsie; Erin Lee Carr’s documentary Fanatical: The Catfishing of Tegan and Sara, a Hulu title about the Canadian pop duo falling victim to identity theft; French director Laura Piani’s Jane Austen Wrecked My Life, with a Frederick Wiseman cameo; Sofia Bohdanowicz’s Measures for a Funeral, written by actor Derah Campbell; and Algerian director Merzak Allouache’s Front Row,...

Venice Critics’ Week, the Venice Film Festival sidebar dedicated to first-time filmmakers, unveiled the selection of seven competition features and two out-of-competition titles for its 39th edition, which runs Aug. 28-Sept. 7.

Among the more timely entries is Homegrown from U.S. director Michael Premo. The documentary follows three far-right activists as they campaign for Donald Trump during the tumultuous 2020 election.

U.S-French filmmaker Alexandra Simpson makes her Venice debut with No Sleep Till, a drama set against the backdrop of a Florida coastal town in the lead-up to a hurricane. Other Venice Critics’ Week competition highlights include Paul & Paulette Take A Bath, from UK-French director Jethro Massey, about an American photographer and a French girl who bond over a dark game involving the reenactment of notorious crimes at their original locations; Anywhere Anytime, from Iranian-Italian director Milad Tangshir, a modern-day immigrant story inspired by Italian neorealist classic Bicycle Thieves; and Don’t Cry Butterfly,...

UK-French director Jethro Massey’s debut feature Paul & Paulette Take A Bath is among the world premieres that will screen in next month’s Venice Critics’ Week.

The dark comedy is about a young American journalist and a French woman, whose friendship and flirtation develops around a dark game – going to the sites of historic crimes to recreate moments in the lives of victims and perpetrators. Marie Benati and Jérémie Galiana star.

Also in the line-up is Michael Premo’s Donald Trump documentary Homegrown, that follows three right-wing activists on Donald Trump’s 2020 US presidential campaign trail.

Iranian rock star...

Venice Critics’ Week has unveiled the selection for its 39th edition running from August 28 to September 7.

The seven titles in Competition include U.S-French filmmaker Alexandra Simpson’s debut feature No Sleep Till, set against the background of a Florida coastal town in the lead-up to a hurricane.

The film is produced by Tyler Taormina under the banner of the Omnes Films collective which made a splash at Cannes this year with two films in Directors’ Fortnight: Tyler’s Christmas Eve in Miller’s Point and Eephus by Carson Lund.

Also out of the U.S., Micheal Premo will unveil his timely documentary Homegrown, following three right-wing activists as they criss-cross the country in 2020, campaigning for Donald Trump.

Further contenders include UK-French director Jethro Massey’s debut film Paul & Paulette Take A Bath, about a American photographer and a French girl who bond in Paris around a dark game involving...

U.S. journalist and filmmaker Michael Premo’s doc “Homegrown,” which follows a group of Donald Trump supporters from the 2020 campaign trail all the way to the attack on the U.S. Capitol, is among titles set to world premiere at the Venice Film Festival’s Critics’ Week.

Brooklyn-born Premo played a significant role in Occupy Wall Street and Occupy Sandy’s hurricane response effort.

The out-of-competition opener of the section dedicated to first works is French director Aude Léa Rapin’s “Planet B,” a cyberpunk sci-fi film starring Adèle Exarchopoulos (“Blue Is the Warmest Color”) about a group of political activists in 2039 France who, pursued by the state, vanish without a trace only to reawaken “trapped in an entirely unfamiliar world,” according to the provided synopsis.

Besides “Homegrown,” the seven-title competition comprises Italian drama “Anywhere Anytime,” directed by Iran-born helmer Milad Tangshir. The film riffs off Vittorio De Sica’s “Bicycle Thieves,...

Director Lawrence Valin has garnered quite an acclaim for both of his directorial efforts. His previous short-film won big at Clermont Ferrand. With ‘The Loyal Man’, he takes it to another level by getting an award for his acting performance as well. This second short film, which is also written and directed by him, is part of this year’s Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (Iffla). Within the 37 minutes, he is able to bring a surprising level of exuberance with his prowess over the craft.

“The Loyal Man” is screening at Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles

Through the short, we take a dive into the psyches of two characters, both of whom appear just as muted as the other. The male character, Aathi (played by the director himself), is part of a Tamil smuggling-ring that operates in Paris. As opposed to his problematic background, Minnale (played by Aurora Marion) is just another young,...

"He said just the words you needed to be happy." Peccadillo Pictures in the UK has released an official UK trailer for a French drama titled Don't Look Down, which already opened in France last year. Don’t Look Down is the latest offering from the French directing duo Olivier Ducastel & Jacques Martineau. In a high-rise apartment, a woman and four men gather to share their experiences of a man that they have all been involved with, to their cost. In the main room, they talk, drink, dance, while one by one, each goes next door for a private moment of truth. Starring Geoffrey Couet, Manika Auxire, Simon Frenay, Francois Nambot, and Lawrence Valin. It looks like a conceptual drama attempting to address sexual abuse and how it can happen to anyone. This has a some cool visuals, not sure about the rest. Here's the full UK trailer (+ French poster) for...