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‘Tis the season for sisterhood.

Los Angeles has hosted a crush of female-focused events lately, like The Hollywood Reporter’s Women in Entertainment breakfast, Elle’s Women in Hollywood affair and the Women in Film Honors, all of which celebrate the gender’s impact both in front of and behind the camera. But the latest installment, a fashionable affair situated on the deck of the Academy Museum’s stunning open-air sphere on Tuesday, was the only one presented by Chanel in partnership with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences. Meaning that many of the A-list attendees who made the rounds inside the afternoon gathering were dressed in chic threads by the French fashion house and the guest list featured high-profile actresses, directors, producers, writers, agents and other creative insiders.

There also happened to be a couple of recently nominated multi-hyphenates like Ariana Grande and Selena Gomez, whose sisterly interactions...

The Academy’s Gold Fellowship for women has been offering support and mentorship to female filmmakers since 2018. On Tuesday, the organization announced that Raha Amirfazli and Shadi Karamroudi have been selected as the 2024 recipients.

“The Academy is pleased to support talented and emerging women filmmakers as they seek to advance and grow in their careers. Through the Gold Fellowship for Women, we aim to provide meaningful guidance, foster a more inclusive film industry and champion diverse voices,” said Academy senior vice president of Impact and Global Talent Development Kendra Carter. “We are deeply grateful to our partner Chanel, whose shared commitment of empowering the next generation of women filmmakers and generous support makes this work possible.”

According to the Academy, which awards one U.S.-based and one non-u.S. recipient per cycle, “Applicants to the Gold Fellowship for Women must be alumnae of an Academy talent development program or...

Raha Amirfazli and Shadi Karamroudi will receive the 2024 Academy Gold Fellowship For Women.

As part of the Academy’s global talent development and inclusion work, the Gold Fellowship for Women is a one-year programme that combines support, mentorship and access to networking opportunities for emerging women filmmakers.

The Academy currently awards two fellowships annually, one to a US-based filmmaker and one to a non-us-based filmmaker.

Amirfazli is an Iranian writer, director and producer based in New York. She is currently pursuing her Mfa in Film and TV production at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. Her debut feature...

Mit drei Auszeichnungen war Michael Fetter Nathanskys Berlinale-Beitrag der große Abräumer beim Malaysia International Film Festival.

Beim Malaysia International Film Festival dreifach ausgezeichnet: „Alle die du bist“ (Credit: Contando Films/Studio Zentral/Network Movie

Michael Fetter Nathanskys „Alle die du bist“, der im Februar im Rahmen der Panorama-Sektion der Berlinale seine Weltpremiere gefeiert hatte, ist zum Abschluss des 7. Malaysia International Film Festival als bester Film ausgezeichnet worden. Aenne Schwarz, die in dem Drama eine Fabrikarbeiterin spielt, die die Gefühle zu ihrem Mann wieder aufleben lassen will und sich die Frage stellt, was sie einst in ihm gesehen hat und jetzt nicht mehr findet, wurde außerdem als beste Darstellerin prämiert, Michael Fetter Nathansky für das beste Drehbuch.

„Der Film stellt sich mutig den realen Herausforderungen, denen sich die Arbeiterklasse gegenübersieht, insbesondere den Kämpfen im Zusammenhang mit Defiziten beim Vermögen und setzt diese harten Realitäten gekonnt in filmische Spitzenleistungen um“, heißt es in der Begründung der Jury.

Michael Fetter Nathansky’s Every You Every Me scooped three prizes including best film at the 7th Malaysia International Film Festival (Miffest) while Japanese auteur Hirokazu Kore-eda and renowned Indonesian actress Christine Hakim received lifetime achievement awards.

German director Nathansky came on stage to receive the awards for best film and best screenplay and his leading lady Aenne Schwarz was in attendance to collect the best actress award. The romantic social drama, which premiered in the Panorama section of this year’s Berlinale, follows a single mother and factory worker as she falls in and out of love.

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In the Land of Brothers, the feature debut of young Iranian directors Raha Amirfazli and Alireza Ghasemi, sets itself apart both from contemporary Iranian cinema and from other stories of refugees, by focusing on a community that has until now been all but invisible on screen: the millions of refugees from Afghanistan who have found shelter in Iran, the “land of their brothers.”

As one might expect, the situation for Afghans on the ground is not so fraternal. The feature traces the stories of three refugees from an extended family, each told as a vignette set 10 years apart, and set around a different historical milestone in Afghanistan, starting with the 2001 U.S. invasion of Afghanistan and ending with the Taliban takeover of the country in 2021.

The first story follows Mohamed, a sensitive teen and avid student with a crush on fellow Afghan refugee Leila, who gets picked up by the...

For their feature debut, In the Land of Brothers, young Iranian directors Raha Amirfazli and Alireza Ghasemi, turned their cameras on Iran’s community of Afghan refugees, the millions of people who have fled decades of war in Kabul to find shelter across the border in the “land of their brothers.”

Amirfazli and Ghasemi’s drama follows a family of refugees over 20 years, telling three separate stories, each separated by a decade, beginning in 2001 following the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan leading up to 2021 when the Taliban re-took control of the country.

In the first exclusive trailer for the film (see below), we are introduced to the film’s three protagonists. There is Mohamed, a sensitive teen with a crush on fellow Afghan refugee Leila, who gets picked up by the Iranian police and pressed into free labor because of his status as an immigrant. A decade on Leila, now...

Malaysia Festival Selections

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

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

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

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

In a press conference held yesterday (June...

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

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

Opening and Closing Nights

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

Honouring Cinema Masters Hirokazu Kore-eda and Christine Hakim

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

Exclusive: ColorCreative, the management and production company founded by Issa Rae and Deniese Davis, has signed filmmaker duo Raha Amirfazli and Alireza Ghasemi to its roster.

The Iranian filmmakers made their feature debut with In the Land of Brothers at Sundance in January. The film was in competition in the World Cinema Dramatic section, where it won the Directing Award. Raha is still a student at NYU, while Alireza is based in Paris.

In the Land of Brothers follows an Afghan refugee family and their trek to find shelter in Iran. The film recently was nabbed by September Film in Benelux, with Alpha Violet handling world sales.

“I was delighted to see the incredible response to In The Land of Brothers at Sundance,” said ColorCreative manager and producer Chervine Naamani. “With their stunning feature debut, Raha and Alireza have established themselves as formidable storytellers whose contributions will greatly enrich the film landscape.

Karlovy Vary International Film Festival has unveiled the official selection for its 58th edition, including new features by Mark Cousins, Noaz Deshe, Oleg Sentsov and Beata Parkanova.

The festival, which runs from June 28-July 6 in the Czech spa town, has selected 34 films for its official selection, which spans the main Crystal Globe Competition, the Proxima Competition and Special Screenings.

Scroll down for full selection

There are 11 world premieres and one international premiere in the Crystal Globe Competition. UK director Cousins world premieres A Sudden Glimpse To Deeper Things, a documentary portrait of British painter Wilhelmina Barns-Graham, a leading figure in...

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

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

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

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

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

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

“In the Land of Brothers” highlights the remarkable debut for co-directors Raha Amirfazli and Alireza Ghasemi, who walked away with the Directing Award for their entry in the World Cinema – Dramatic Competition. The film marks a milestone for many on the team. This is the first co-directed feature for Amirfazli and Ghasemi; the first feature for acting co-lead, Mohammad Hosseini; and finally, the first time on-camera for co-lead Hamideh Jafari. Despite the many firsts, the feature is remarkably well-crafted, as Amirfazli and Ghasemi exhibit their natural inclination as storytellers.

In the Land of Brothers screened at Sundance

The co-directors have a track record of writing and directing shorts, and this shows in the tripartite structure of “In the Land of Brothers.” The quiet narrative loosely ties together three different stories demarcated by ten-year intervals. The film starts in 2001, when Afghan trade school student Mohamed (Mohammad Hosseini) is racially profiled by the Iranian police.

Distinguishing itself from other immigration narratives by telling a story set in an overlooked part of the world, “In the Land of Brothers” introduces two distinctive new filmmakers in Raha Amirfazli and Alireza Ghasemi. Making their feature debut — which landed them the directing prize in Sundance’s World Dramatic competition — the pair follow in the footsteps of such recent movies about the journey to a new land as Mati Diop’s “Atlantics“(which traced African migration into Europe) and “I Carry You With Me” (one of many about flight from the Americas into the U.S.). With deft storytelling and assured filmmaking, they tell the story of an extended family from Afghanistan and their 20-year odyssey to find shelter and home in neighboring Iran after the American invasion of 2011.

The film is divided into three vignettes, all set in Iran, though each at a different time and around a different...

Across the globe, thousands of refugees lose their lives in the relentless pursuit of escaping the clutches of poverty and conflict. The arbitrary boundaries that divide nations stand as a deceptive construct, blurring the lines between empathy and indifference. Envisioning a world devoid of these imaginary barriers is imperative, yet it remains a utopian concept. Touching upon such a sensitive subject, debutant filmmakers Raha Amirfazli and Alireza Ghasemi immerse us in In The Land of Brothers, unfolding as a poignant dramatization of the Afghan refugee experience in Iran through a deeply emotional portrayal of tragic yet resilient events. The filmmaker duo skillfully weaves a triptych that depicts the plight of these refugees, resonating far beyond geographical boundaries. With both heart-wrenching emotion and unyielding fortitude, the film artfully captures the essence of human struggle in forced exile, rendering the tale not as a localized tragedy but as a universal vicissitude etched...

The Sundance Film Festival announced its 2024 winners on January 26, two days before the festival’s end date. The Awards Ceremony took place at The Ray Theater in Park City, Utah. This year marks its 40th annual festival run taking place from January 18 to January 28.

In the Summer, a film director Alessandra Lacorazza, won the top honor, U.S. Grand Jury Prize, starring Lio Mehiel.

Last year, Mehiel told uInterview exclusively about the importance of trans representation.

“Whenever there is an uptick of queer or trans representation in the media, there is an equal and perhaps greater response from the other side … that are looking to suppress trans rights, trans agency [and] queer liberation,” Mehiel told uInterview founder Erik Meers. “While in Hollywood we are seeing trans representation and this film is able to be part of that movement, this film is more important now than ever because even just in Utah,...

Sundance announced its winners on Friday morning, with Alessandra Lacorazza’s In The Summers took the U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic and Brendan Bellomo’s Porcelain War the U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Documentary.

Silje Evensmo Jacobsen’s A New Kind Of Wilderness won the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize: Documentary, while Astrid Rondero and Fernanda Valadez earned the corresponding world cinema dramatic prize for Sujo.

The pair collaborated as writers on the 2020 World Cinema – Dramatic prize winner Identifying Features directed by Valadez.

The Festival Favorite Award went to Daughters by Angela Patton and Natalie Rae, whose film also...

Sundance announced its winners on Friday morning, with Alessandra Lacorazza’s In The Summers took the U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic and Brendan Bellomo’s Porcelain War the U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Documentary.

Silje Evensmo Jacobsen’s A New Kind Of Wilderness won the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize: Documentary, while Astrid Rondero and Fernanda Valadez earned the corresponding world cinema dramatic prize for Sujo.

The pair collaborated as writers on the 2020 World Cinema – Dramatic prize winner Identifying Features directed by Valadez.

The Festival Favorite Award went to Daughters by Angela Patton and Natalie Rae, whose film also...

The 2024 Sundance Film Festival has announced its winners, with In the Summers taking the Grand Jury prize for U.S. Dramatic Competition and Porcelain War landing the award for U.S. Documentary Competition.

Sujo won the jury prize for the World Cinema Dramatic Competition section, and A New Kind of Wilderness won for World Cinema Documentary Competition.

Audience awards went to Sean Wang’s Dìdi (弟弟) in the U.S. Dramatic Competition and Daughters in the U.S. Documentary Competition, with the latter also earning the Festival Favorite Award selected by audiences across all new feature films presented at the fest. Girls Will Be Girls landed the audience award for World Cinema Dramatic Competition, and Ibelin won it in the World Cinema Documentary Competition.

Elsewhere, the Next innovator award went to Little Death, with Irish rap biopic Kneecap winning the audience award for the Next section.

Sundance CEO Joana Vicente said,...

The 2024 Sundance Film Festival awards were announced today at The Ray Theatre in Park City, Utah.

See the list of 2024 winners below, and congrats to all the winners.

Festival Favorite Award

Daughters (USA) – Angela Patton and Natalie Rae

U.S. Dramatic Competition

Grand Jury Prize

In the Summers (USA) – Alessandra Lacorazza

Directing Award

In the Summers (USA) – Alessandra Lacorazza

The Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award

A Real Pain – Jesse Eisenberg

Special Jury Award for Breakthrough Performance

Suncoast (USA) – Nico Parker

Special Jury Award for Best Ensemble

Dìdi – Sean Wang

Audience Award

Dìdi – Sean Wang

U.S. Documentary Competition

Grand Jury Prize

Porcelain War – Brendan Bellomo and Slava Leontyev

Directing Award

Sugarcane – Julian Brave NoiseCat and Emily Kassie

Special Jury Award for Sound

Gaucho Gaucho (USA, Argentina) – Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw

Special Jury Award for The Art of Change

Union (USA) – Stephen Maing and Brett Story

Jonathan Oppenheim Editing Award

Frida...

The Sundance Film Festival welcomed a new class of indie film stars on Friday, handing out its annual awards in Park City, Utah.

Taking the festival’s grand jury prize in the U.S. dramatic competition was “In the Summers” from writer-director Alessandra Lacorazza Samudio. The film tells of two daughters who come of age navigating a turbulent but loving father during yearly visits to his home in New Mexico. “Porcelain War” won the U.S. Documentary competition, for its portrait of artists-turned-soldiers in the Ukraine.

Top prizes in the world cinematic category went to “A New Kind of Wilderness” for documentary, the tale of a wild-living family who must return to the modern world after an untimely death; “Sujo” won for narrative feature, about a 4-year-old orphan who may find it impossible to escape a future working for a drug cartel.

Incoming Sundance Film Festival director Eugene Hernandez began...

The debut film from Raha Amirfazli and Alireza Ghasemi is a refugee drama with a difference, both in terms of its setting and its timescale. The stream of films about the refugee experience on the fringes of Europe has continued this year with the likes of Io Capitano and The Green Border, which, like many before them, focus on the struggles of refugees to reach safe haven.

This triptych of stories - connected by an extended family - takes a different tack. It is set within Iran after migration has happened and bookended by the beginning and the end of the US invasion of Afghanistan from 2001 to 2021, allowing the writer/directors to explore systemic injustices faced by those who have sought sanctuary in the country. The invasion was just the driver of the latest wave of refugees, with an intertitle at the start of the film noting that five...

A French co-production shot entirely in Iran, In the Land of Brothers follows three Afghan refugees who struggle for decades to make Iran feel like a real home. The film is the debut feature of Raha Amirfazli and Alireza Ghasemi, who previously co-directed the short Solar Eclipse together. The film was produced by first-time producer Adrien Barrouillet, who discusses how he came up in the industry and recalls the moment he knew the film was in a good position. See all responses to our questionnaire for first-time Sundance producers here. Filmmaker: Tell us about the professional path that led you to produce […]

The post “Every Time I Watch the Film, I Still Get Choked Up”: Producer Adrien Barrouillet on In the Land of Brothers first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.

A French co-production shot entirely in Iran, In the Land of Brothers follows three Afghan refugees who struggle for decades to make Iran feel like a real home. The film is the debut feature of Raha Amirfazli and Alireza Ghasemi, who previously co-directed the short Solar Eclipse together. The film was produced by first-time producer Adrien Barrouillet, who discusses how he came up in the industry and recalls the moment he knew the film was in a good position. See all responses to our questionnaire for first-time Sundance producers here. Filmmaker: Tell us about the professional path that led you to produce […]

The post “Every Time I Watch the Film, I Still Get Choked Up”: Producer Adrien Barrouillet on In the Land of Brothers first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.

Mohammad Hosseini in In The Land Of Brothers. Raha Amirfazli 'Both Ali and I are very careful with our actors and the acting of the film is very important. Based on our personal relationship with the actor, who the actor connects to more, who they will trust more in a certain scene for the film, we split our responsibilities' Photo: Courtesy of Sundance Institute Raha Amirfazli and Alireza Ghasemi craft a triptych of interconnected tales for their impressive film debut In The Land Of Brothers, showing different facets of the Afghan refugee experience in Iran through the lives of members of an extended family. The result is measured and moving and, though grounded in a harsh reality, also celebrates the bonds of family. We caught up with the pair ahead of the film’s world premiere in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition at Sundance to chat about it.

Tell us...

Raha Amirfazli and Alireza Ghasemi first co-directed the short Solar Eclipse, and they have teamed up again for In the Land of Brothers, a feature debut for each. The film tells the story of three members of an Afghan family who flee to Iran as refugees and struggle to find acceptance and security. In The Land of Brothers‘ editor is Hayedeh Safiyari, who has edited many of contemporary Iran’s best-known filmmakers. Below, she discusses the novel challenges of editing a film with sharply delineated chapters and the importance of an editor connecting emotionally to the script. See […]

The post “The Turning Points of the Story are Painful and Challenging Moments”: Editor Hayedeh Safiyari on In The Land of Brothers first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.

Raha Amirfazli and Alireza Ghasemi first co-directed the short Solar Eclipse, and they have teamed up again for In the Land of Brothers, a feature debut for each. The film tells the story of three members of an Afghan family who flee to Iran as refugees and struggle to find acceptance and security. In The Land of Brothers‘ editor is Hayedeh Safiyari, who has edited many of contemporary Iran’s best-known filmmakers. Below, she discusses the novel challenges of editing a film with sharply delineated chapters and the importance of an editor connecting emotionally to the script. See […]

The post “The Turning Points of the Story are Painful and Challenging Moments”: Editor Hayedeh Safiyari on In The Land of Brothers first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.

The 40th edition of Sundance Film Festival kicks off today, and notably, queer and Himalaya-themed films take over the Asian/Asian diaspora slate of the mountain festival. In previous years, Sundance has been a frontier for Asian diaspora films. Last year alone saw a full slate of Asian diaspora films, with “Past Lives” (Celine Song), “Shortcomings” (Randall Park), “The Persian Version” (Maryam Keshavarz), and more, among others – there are considerably less Asian American films in the primary competition. This year, in the US Dramatic Competition, only one film, “Didi (弟弟)” by Sean Wang stands out amid the crowd.

Films about the Himalayas have taken center-stage in the World Cinema Competitions, however, with three titles this year: “Girls will be Girls” (Shuchi Talati), “Agent of Happiness” (Arun Bhattarai), and “Nocturnes” (Anirban Dutta). Queer Asian diaspora cinema is front and center this year as well, with “Layla” (Amrou Al-Khadi) and “Desire Lines...

September Film has acquired all rights for Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg for “In the Land of Brothers,” which has its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition section.

The film is written and directed by Iranian filmmakers Raha Amirfazli and Alireza Ghasemi. Alpha Violet is handling world sales.

The film tells the story of three members of an extended Afghan family who start their lives over in Iran as refugees, but are unaware of the decades-long struggle ahead of them — and the ultimate price expected of them.

It is a journey across landscapes, cultures and generations as felt by the three lead characters: Mohammad, a young teenager and promising student; Leila, a woman isolated by geography; and Qasem, who bears the weight of his family’s sacrifice.

“’In the Land of Brothers’ is about the feeling of being ‘the other’ in a place you thought you belonged,...

Girls Will Be Girls To Premiere At Sundance Film Festival 2024: Here’s Everything You Should Know About Chadha & Ali Fazal’s Debut Production! ( Photo Credit – Instagram )

Ali Fazal and Richa Chadha’s debut production, ‘Girls Will Be Girls,’ a female-led drama written and directed by debutante Shuchi Talati, is set to premiere at the prestigious Sundance Film Festival 2024. The film will be screened in the World Dramatic Feature category, marking an extraordinary achievement for producers as well as the director. ‘Girls Will Be Girls’ is one of 16 films chosen to participate in the competitive category of the renowned Film Festival.

The 40th edition of the Sundance Film Festival, which aims to provide a space to gather, celebrate, and engage with risk-taking artists who are committed to bringing their independent visions to audiences through independent storytelling, will take place from January 18–28, 2024, in Park City, Utah.

Speaking about the film, producer Richa Chadha earlier said,...

Korean filmmaker Lee Jeong-hong’s A Wild Roomer and Shivamma, from India’s Jaishankar Aryar, were the winners of the New Currents Awards at the close of an encouragingly busy Busan International Film Festival.

A Wild Roomer, about a 30-something drifter, picked up multiple honors at the festival, also taking the Netpac Award, Critic b Award and Kbs Independent Film Award. Set in an Indian village, Shivamma is about an illiterate woman who falls for a pyramid selling scheme.

The Kim Jiseok Awards went to Scent Of Wind, from Iranian filmmaker Hadi Mohaghegh, which also played as Biff’s opening film, and Alteration from Uzbekistan’s Yalkin Tuychiev.

Other winners included Aamir Bashir’s The Winter Within, which took the Kb New Currents Audience Award, and Vinay Shukla’s documentary While We Watched, which was presented with the Busan Cinephile Award (see full list of winners below...

Further winners include ‘Gaspar’ from Indonesia and ‘Sima’s Song’ from Afghan director Roya Sadat.

Myanmar project Future Laobans, directed by Maung Sun and produced by jailed filmmaker Ma Aeint, won the Busan Award at the Asian Project Market today (October 11).

The project picked up the 15,000 cash prize in Busan. Currently in script development, Future Laobans is about three young scavengers in Myanmar who smuggle a jade stone across the border with dreams of becoming millionaires.

Filmmaker Ma Aeint was jailed in Myanmar in April on charges of anti-junta activity and is serving a three-year sentence. She was mentioned as...

“Future Laobans,” a project directed by Maung Sun and produced by Maung Sun and Ma Aeint claimed the Busan Prize, the top award at the Asian Project Market, on Tuesday.

The awards were made at an event held at the Paradise Hotel in Busan’s Haeundae district at the end of three days of quick-fire meetings between producers and directors and an array of potential co-producers, financiers and distributors. Organizers said that they put together 705 such one-on-one meetings on the sidelines of the Busan International Film Festival.

Ma Aeint had not been able to take part in meetings at the Apm or participate in the closing ceremony as she is a political prisoner, currently in prison in Myanmar. She has currently served roughly one and ahalf years of a three-year sentence.

Unable to make a speech at the closing ceremony Maung Sun told Variety: “I’m making this film for her.

Projects selected from 15 countries.

South Korea’s Busan International Film Festival (Biff) has unveiled the 29 titles selected for the 2022 Asian Project Market (Apm).

The film financing event that runs as part of Biff’s Asian Contents and Film Market will return in-person from October 9-11, after taking place as a hybrid event last year due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

From this year, Apm has excluded non-Asian projects to provide more focused support for Asian projects, which must be submitted by directors who have made at least one short or full-length feature as well as producers who have been involved with at least one feature.

Busan International Film Festival (Biff) has announced the 29 projects selected for this year’s Asian Project Market (Apm), a core strand of the festival’s industry activities, including new works from Thailand’s Aditya Assarat, China’s Wang Qi, Vietnam’s Le Bao and Myanmar’s Maung Sun, whose producer Ma Aeint is currently in prison in Yangon.

Ma Aeint, who previously produced Maung Sun’s award-winning Money Has Four Legs, was recently sentenced to three years in jail with hard labor by Myanmar’s military junta, which took over the country in a brutal coup in early 2021. She was accused of “causing fear, spreading fake news or agitating against government employees”. She is attached as a producer to Maung Sun’s new project, Future Laobans, described as a drama about the “international dimension of organized crime.”

Assarat, an award-winning Thai director, is returning to feature-length directing after focusing on producing,...

ReelAbilities Film Festival Announces Special Guests and Live Events

The New York ReelAbilities Film Festival has announced a selection of exclusive events and speakers to accompany its 13th annual ReelAbilities Film Festival programming.

Highlights include the pilot reading of “Disgraced” with Julie Klausner (“Difficult People”), Shannon DeVido (“Best Summer Ever”) and Alex Scordelis (“Difficult People”)

The festival’s closing night will also feature the subject of the film “Not Going Quietly,” activist Ady Barkan, along with the filmmakers. Highlighted panels at the festival include: Black Future Month: Legacy, Present & Afro-Futurism on the realities that keep us from the American “dream.” The panel will include Black-disabled filmmakers: Keith Jones, Jd Michaels, Tameka Citchen-Spruce, Safiya Eshe Gyasi, Diana Elizabeth Jordan and Trelanda R. Lowe.

The 13th annual ReelAbilities Film Festival runs from April 29 through May 5. Tickets are now on sale and can be purchased at reelabilities.org/newyork/.

Cleopatra Entertainment Acquires Distribution...

New York University’s Black List-inspired annual selection of the best production-ready screenplays from its Tisch School of the Arts graduate film students and recent alumni, known as The Purple List, has revealed its 2021 picks.

The five screenplays, selected by a panel of industry professionals, are Adrian Cardenas’ El Cuento de la Ballena / The Story of the Whale, Raha Amirfazli’s In the Land of Brothers, Sontenish Myers’ Stampede, Farida Zahran’s The Leftover Ladies and Juan Pablo Daranas Molina’s Zoe.

This year’s Purple List selection panel included producers, screenwriters, casting directors, writers and editors from Searchlight Pictures, Netflix, Sundance ...

New York University’s Black List-inspired annual selection of the best production-ready screenplays from its Tisch School of the Arts graduate film students and recent alumni, known as The Purple List, has revealed its 2021 picks.

The five screenplays, selected by a panel of industry professionals, are Adrian Cardenas’ El Cuento de la Ballena / The Story of the Whale, Raha Amirfazli’s In the Land of Brothers, Sontenish Myers’ Stampede, Farida Zahran’s The Leftover Ladies and Juan Pablo Daranas Molina’s Zoe.

The Story of the Whale focuses on a Cuban fisherman who wakes up on the shore next to an enormous humpback whale ...