News

Exclusive: Organisers at Frontières Co-Production Market have received a record 180-plus project submissions for the upcoming 2025 edition in Montreal (July 23-26) that runs in conjunction with Fantasia International Film Festival (July 16-August 3).

The four-day event brings new projects from around the world led by a healthy Canadian contingent that includes Karl Lemieux’s supernatural horror Le Majestic from Metafilms, whose Peak Everything premiered in Cannes Directors’ Fortnight last month; Anouk Whissell’s psychological horror Holi Womb, about a spa with a horrifying past; and Austin Birtch’s creature feature Mystery Of The Mothman,centred on a Vietnam veteran caught up in a conspiracy.

Focus Asia, the industry arm of the Far East Film Festival, has unveiled its full 2025 lineup featuring Indonesian star Reza Rahadian’s directorial debut “On Your Lap” and Canadian-Pakistani “In Flames” filmmaker Zarrar Kahn’s “Suffering is Optional” among its selections.

The industry platform, running April 28-30 in Udine, Italy, has selected 11 projects for its All Genres Project Market and seven films for the Far East in Progress section from over 120 submissions spanning 31 countries.

The projects selected for the All Genres Project Market, spotlighting productions with Asian-European co-production potential, include “Cubs,” directed by Riri Riza and produced by Forka Films (Indonesia); “Delight Delight,” directed by Sunny Yu and produced by In Bloom Films (Taiwan) in partnership with E&w Films (Singapore); “Dinosaur Boy,” directed by Zhiquan Liu and produced by Dinosaur Studio (China); and “Green Valley and the Amber Marbles,” directed by Nguyen Nam Vu and produced through a five-country collaboration...

It is a truth universally acknowledged that whatever little the world knows of Pakistan is based on the assumption that the country and its populace are only moments away from backsliding into their perpetual state of extremism and terrorism. This, of course, is a heavily charged ideological pattern of thought, for there can be no country that willingly stays in a morass of fear and trauma without ever desiring its share of the sweetness of living. To the world, Pakistan is weighed in terms of its stuffy pieties and the victimhood of its women. While none of these critiques can be entirely dismissed, and very rightfully so, in the face of the thrust of hate-mongering that the West driven media propagates, we rarely get stories of the spirit of humanity that runs through the veins of Pakistan. My point is not to counter the truth of the experience that the...

New features from Tatiana Huezo, Kirsten Tan and Stephan Komandarev are among the 35 projects selected for the 2025Berlinale Co-Production Market.

The 35 projects hail from 27 countries, and will participate in the market to find financing and production partners. The Berlinale has also programmed its Forum Special and Forum Expanded strands.

Scroll down for the full list of titles

Salvadoran-Mexican filmmaker Huezo will participate with her new project Galerna, produced by Mexico’s Pimienta Films. Huezo’s first fiction feature Prayers For The Stolenwon a special mention in Un Certain Regard at Cannes 2021, and was Mexico’s entry for the international feature Oscar.

The Berlinale’s Co-Production Market has selected 35 feature projects for its 2025 edition, including new works from Tatiana Huezo, Kirsten Tan and Stephan Komandarev.

The 35 projects hail from 27 countries, and will participate in the market to find financing and production partners. The Berlinale has also programmed its Forum Special and Forum Expanded strands.

Scroll down for the full list of titles

Salvadoran-Mexican filmmaker Huezo will participate with her new project Galerna, produced by Mexico’s Pimienta Films. Huezo’s first fiction feature Prayers For The Stolenwon a special mention in Un Certain Regard at Cannes 2021, and was Mexico’s entry for the international feature Oscar.

Telefilm Canada and the Talent Fund are backing 17 film teams behind first features highlighting the country’s diverse storytelling communities including one with Guy Maddin on board as executive producer.

Maddin, whose Cannes entry Rumours is being positioned in the awards conversation, is on board the English-language dramedy Hue & Cry from director Maziyar Khatam. No further details were available at time of writing.

Telefilm Canada and the Talent Fund have committed C$3.45m (approximately Usd $2.5m) after receiving a “high volume” of projects for the fiscal year 2024-2025 representing nearly C$35m (approximately Usd $26m) in funding requests, based...

Telefilm Canada and the Talent Fund are backing 17 film teams behind first features highlighting the country’s storytelling communities including one with Rumours director Guy Maddin on board as executive producer.

The bodies have committed C$3.45m (approximately Usd $2.5m) after receiving a “high volume” of projects for the fiscal year 2024-2025 representing nearly C$35m (approximately Usd $26m) in funding requests, based on recommendations from an advisory committee of external and internal representatives.

Funds are invested in Telefilm Canada’s Talen To Watch career accelerator programme, which Julie Roy, executive director and CEO of Telefilm Canada, said “continues to...

The International South Asian Film Festival of Canada (iSAFF) just completed its fourteenth edition and hosted the North American premiere of Usman Riaz’s “The Glassworker.” Riaz’s film is the first hand-drawn animated feature from Pakistan and the country’s official Academy Award entry for 2025.

The festival honors filmmaking in various categories; short films (international and North America), documentary filmmaking, feature filmmaking, and the annual Sher Vancouver Award for Best LGBTQ+ Film. Jurors across categories were filmmakers, content creators, performers, and more, including “Ms. Marvel” star Iman Vellani and Shahani Goswami, star of the U.K.’s official Oscar entry, “Santosh.”

This year also introduced the Rbc Film Fund in partnership with Royal Bank of Canada, which will provide five thousand Canadian dollars to each of five different iSAFF films. A year from now, iSAFF plans to celebrate the first batch of recipients from this fund and the work they’ve achieved.

‘A haunting tale of oppression’ – The Hollywood Reporter

‘A genre-bending horror movie’ – Indiewire

‘Straddles the line between a bold genre exercise and a bruising portrait of contemporary Pakistan to deliver a welcome story about resistance and resilience’ – Variety

★★★★

‘An intense psychological horror, one that tightens its vice with a slow and deliberate intensity’ – Screen Anarchy

In Flames is an incendiary horror-thriller that illuminates the psychological impact of gendered oppression and the horror of being young and in love in a fiercely patriarchal society.

After the death of the family patriarch, a mother and daughter’s precarious existence is ripped apart by figures from their past. They must find strength in each other if they are to survive the malevolent forces that threaten to engulf them.

In Flames is the feature directorial debut from award-winning writer and director Zarrar Kahn, and is produced by Anam Abbas (The Stained Dawn). Starring Ramesha Nawal,...

Frontières has announced the full line-up of its 16th co-production market running July 24-27 in Montreal alongside Fantasia International Film Festival.

The selection of projects seeking partners encompasses a broad range of genre. It includes new work from Sophie Mair and Dan Gitsham with UK-set grief horror Ginger; Québecois filmmaker Patrice Laliberté with coming-of-age sci-fi He Who Sows Misery, Reaps Wrath; and Caye Casas’s Spanish dark comedy Sueños Son.

Also from Quebec is Eric Tessier with psychological horror Flots; while Germany’s Till Kleinert brings the supernatural thriller Turn On The Bright Lights; Australian Robyn Grace has pre-apocalyptic, coming-of-age...

Directed by Karachi-born filmmaker Zarrar Kahn, In Flames is an impressive addition to contemporary Pakistani cinema. In it, the writer-director explores the consequences of living in the confines of a strongly patriarchal society through the eyes of Mariam (played by Ramesha Nawal), a young woman living with her younger brother and their mother, Fariha (Bakhtawar Mazhar), in a tiny apartment in Karachi, Pakistan.

After Mariam’s maternal grandfather dies, his brother tries to manipulate the family into signing over their small apartment to him. Mariam’s mother, isolated in her grief, becomes an easy target for influence and coercion at the hands of her cruel uncle. Distressed by her mother’s susceptibility, Mariam finds comfort in a secret romance with Asad (Omar Javaid), a fellow student.

When their relationship takes an unexpected turn for the worse, Mariam becomes plagued by nightmares and eerie apparitions. Meanwhile, her mother, entangled with her...

Described as a ghostly parable about Pakistan’s insidious patriarchal order, Game Theory Films brings In Flames to stream at home on VOD, and we’ve got an exclusive clip for you today.

Written and Directed by Pakistani-Canadian filmmaker Zarrar Kahn, In Flames was the first Pakistani film to play in Cannes Director’s Fortnight in nearly half a century.

The cast for Zarrar Kahn’s In Flames includes Ramesha Nawal, Omar Javaid, Bakhtawar Mazhar, Adnan Shah Tipu, Mohammad Ali Hashmi and Jibran Khan.

In the thriller, “Mariam lives with her younger brother and their mother, Fariha, in a tiny apartment in Karachi. When Mariam’s maternal grandfather passes, his brother tries to manipulate them into signing over their apartment to him, a common occurrence in Pakistan, where women’s property rights are fragile.

“Mariam’s mother, grieving and isolated, is easy to influence. Mariam, distraught by her mother’s foolishness,...

After the well-received “Joyland” in 2022 and “In Flames” last year, Pakistan is debuting a central hub at the Cannes Film Festival this year.

The Pakistan Crescent Collective, set up by Modoxy Media, will represent the country’s official presence at the festival, with a mission to “discover and nurture the next generation of talent, preserve film, and

promote Pakistani and diaspora films globally, thereby advancing Pakistan’s visual culture.” The collective consists of a global team of film industry professionals based in London, Karachi, New York and Los Angeles.

Saim Sadiq’s “Joyland” won the Un Certain Regard jury prize in 2022, while Zarrar Kahn’s “In Flames” was a Directors’ Fortnight selection. Both films were Pakistan’s official submissions to the Academy Awards. Usman Riaz’s animated film “The Glassworker,” which is selected at Annecy, is an homage to films in the style of this year’s honorary Palme d’Or winner Studio Ghibli.

A blend of genres creates a haunting, original film with a powerful meditation on patriarchy and family dynamics. Superb performances and stellar direction make In Flames a top-tier drama exploring trauma in a fundamentalist culture. The mother-daughter bond truly shines in this film, where the characters must unite to survive oppressive beliefs.

In Flames may be marketed as a horror film, but, in actuality, it is so much more than that. Indeed, for a film that's currently making its global festival run — it made its world premiere at Cannes in 2023 before arriving at the Toronto International Film Festival for its North American premiere — horror fundamentally serves as a universal entry point for audiences who might be watching a Pakistani film for the first time. Once seated, audiences will find that while In Flames fulfills its promise of thrills, it also offers a story brimming with heart. It's now in theaters.

A supernatural-charged exploration of patriarchy in Pakistan, Zarrar Kahn's In Flames is now playing in theaters via Game Theory Films, and we have an exclusive clip to share with Daily Dead readers!

Below, you can enter the "door to the beach" and take a plunge into our exclusive clip from In Flames. Written and directed by Zarrar Kahn, In Flames stars Ramesha Nawal, Omar Javaid, Bakhtawar Mazhar, Adnan Shah Tipu, Mohammad Ali Hashmi, and Jibran Khan.

"A psychological thriller, In Flames is a ghostly parable about Pakistan’s insidious patriarchal order. The film was the first Pakistani film to play in Director’s Fortnight in nearly half a century.

Mariam lives with her younger brother and their mother, Fariha, in a tiny apartment in Karachi. When Mariam’s maternal grandfather passes, his brother tries to manipulate them into signing over their apartment to him, a common occurrence in Pakistan,...

Between Joyland and The Queen of My Dreams, Pakistani films have started to assert their own identity in a sea of culturally authentic films. Drawing inspiration from the country’s diverse traditions and folklore, these films often manage a strong dialogue around identity, sexuality, womanhood, and patriarchy. Though the subject matter is usually taboo to discuss openly in its native country, these films boldly explore the local heritage through some very controversial dialogues that give more of an attentive focus to oppressed voices. One such film is Pakistani-Canadian director Zarrar Kahn’s eerie debut In Flames, Pakistan’s official entry for the Best International Film category at the Academy Awards. While the film offers strong, artistic visuals through striking direction and cinematography, In Flames doesn’t lean into mainstream horror, but it fiercely nails an unnerving ambiance for a deeply affecting psychological thriller.

Writer-director Zarrar Kahn has spent the better part of the last calendar year sharing his feature directorial debut, In Flames, with audiences around the world. The film made its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival last year, where it screened as part of the Directors' Fortnight collection. From there, it traveled along the festival circuit, making notable stops at TIFF and the Red Sea Film Festival, winning numerous awards along the way. At the latter, in fact, the film won the Golden Yusr for best film, which included a cash prize of $100,000.

"It's definitely deepened," Kahn said in our interview of how his relationship with In Flames has evolved over the course of the year. "I'm so grateful for how people are describing this movie, and the way it's landing as a movie that can speak to how systems of oppression enact violence on marginalized communities, both overtly and also covertly.

Described as a ghostly parable about Pakistan’s insidious patriarchal order, Game Theory Films brings In Flames to theaters on Friday, April 12, and we’ve got an exclusive clip for you today.

Written and Directed by Pakistani-Canadian filmmaker Zarrar Kahn, In Flames was the first Pakistani film to play in Cannes Director’s Fortnight in nearly half a century.

The cast for Zarrar Kahn’s In Flames includes Ramesha Nawal, Omar Javaid, Bakhtawar Mazhar, Adnan Shah Tipu, Mohammad Ali Hashmi and Jibran Khan.

In the thriller, “Mariam lives with her younger brother and their mother, Fariha, in a tiny apartment in Karachi. When Mariam’s maternal grandfather passes, his brother tries to manipulate them into signing over their apartment to him, a common occurrence in Pakistan, where women’s property rights are fragile.

“Mariam’s mother, grieving and isolated, is easy to influence. Mariam, distraught by her mother’s foolishness,...

Screen Rant debuts a clip from the Pakistani psychological thriller In Flames, directed by Zarrar Kahn. The movie follows Mariam's struggles in a patriarchal society, highlighting gendered oppression and psychological stress. Through tension and artistic filmmaking, In Flames offers a unique peek into Karachi's culture and the life of women in Pakistan.

In Flames is Pakistan’s official entry for the Academy Awards’ Best International Films category, and Screen Rant has a clip from the movie. The movie is the feature film debut of writer/director Zarrar Kahn, who was born in the story’s setting of Karachi. The movie also marks Pakistan’s return to the Cannes Director’s Fortnight after 47 years, a win for both Kahn and filmmakers from the country.

Screen Rant is happy to debut a clip from the movie which sees Mariam, played by Ramesha Nawal, going into town alone, only to be targeted by a robber.

The term 'gaslighting' is now quite ubiquitous, and one which still remains scoffed at by many (usually those who hold power). But if you're a member of a marginalized group, that gaslighting could come not just from one person, but an entire society, especially one hellbent on keeping some groups marginalized. To say patriarchal ideology is gaslighting might seem to minimize its impact, but on an individual level, this is how it can feel, in every moment, in every activity, for every woman. Zarrar Kahn's feature debut takes this psychological state to a whole new level. In Flames in an intense psychological horror, one that tightens its vice with a slow and deliberate intensity that challenges the viewer to feel what it's like to have...

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...

"No one will find out...?" Game Theory Films has revealed an official trailer for an indie horror film titled In Flames, made by the Canadian-Pakistani filmmaker Zarrar Kahn. He's making his feature directorial debut with this film after a few other shorts. Described mainly as a psychological thriller, In Flames is a ghostly parable about Pakistan's insidious patriarchal order. It was the first Pakistani film to premiere in Director's Fortnight at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival in nearly half a century, and was submitted as Pakistan's entry to this year's Academy Awards. After the death of the family patriarch, a mother and daughter’s precarious existence is ripped apart by figures from their past. They must find strength in each other if they are to survive the malevolent forces that threaten to engulf them. That sounds unsettling. Set mostly in Karachi, In Flames stars Ramesha Nawal, Omar Javaid, Bakhtawar Mazhar, Adnan Shah Tipu,...

A range of subjects, ranging from hot button to mystical, await Academy voters considering the contenders from South Asia in the international feature category.

The most visible film from the region is certainly Bhutan’s “The Monk and the Gun,” Pawo Choyning Dorji‘s follow-up to the Oscar-nominated “Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom.” In the film, Dorji uses the first elections in one of the world’s youngest democracies to comment on what is lost as his country modernizes. The Variety critics pick, following its festival premieres at Telluride, Toronto, Rome and Busan, sold to a raft of major territories worldwide, including Roadside Attractions in the U.S.

Another South Asian feature in the Oscar race that’s striking a high profile is Pakistani-Canadian filmmaker Zarrar Kahn’s “In Flames,” Pakistan’s entry to the category. The film debuted at the Cannes Directors’ Fortnight, kicking off a stellar festival run including Toronto,...

Every year since its creation in 1956, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) invites the film industries of various countries to submit their best film for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film. The category was previously called the Best Foreign Language Film, but this was changed in April 2019 to Best International Feature Film, after the Academy deemed the word “Foreign” to be outdated.

The award is presented annually by the Academy to a feature-length motion picture produced outside the United States that contains primarily non-English dialogue. For the 96th Academy Awards, the submitted motion pictures must be first released theatrically in their respective countries between December 1, 2022, and October 31, 2023. The deadline for submissions to the Academy was October 2, 2023, and 92 countries submitted a film. The 15-film shortlist will be announced on December 21, 2023, followed by the official nominations on January 23, 2024.

Here are this edition's Asian Submissions for Best International Feature Film.

he Red Sea International Film Festival (Red Sea Iff) marked the closing of its third edition with a screening of Micheal Mann's Ferrari, a Red Sea International Film Financing project, and revealed the winners of its highly anticipated Yusr Awards. The festival also welcomed Hollywood icon Nicolas Cage, receiving a Red Sea Honoree award, and joining the 2023 Honoree line-up of Diane Kruger, Ranveer Singh, and Abdullah Al-Sadhan. Kristoffer Borgli's comedy horror Dream Scenario, starring Nicolas Cage, will screen as the Final Festival Gala on Saturday 9th December.

Two juries deliberated to finally select winners across 14 categories; led by Jury President Baz Luhrmann. Seventeen films in competition, as well as 23 shorts, were in the running for the coveted awards.

The festival this year celebrated its biggest year yet in terms of attendance – welcoming almost 6,000 accredited guests and selling more than 40,000 tickets across all screenings and In Conversations.

The Closing Ceremony...

Oscar winner Nicholas Cage received a Red Sea Honouree award

Zarrar Kahn’s Karachi-set thriller In Flames won the $100,000 Golden Yusr award for best feature film at the 2023 Red Sea International Film Festival, which announced its winners on Thursday evening (December 7).

A Canada-Pakistan co-production and Pakistan’s entry to the Oscars, In Flames is the story of a mother and daughter trying to survive after losing the family patriarch. It world premiered in Cannes’ Directors’ Fortnight.

Indian production Dear Jassi, directed by Tarsem Singh, won the $30,000 Silver Yusr. Based on the true story of an Indian couple who fell foul of the class system,...

The third annual Red Sea Film Festival handed out its Yusr Awards on Thursday night, with Zarrar Kahn’s In Flames taking Best Feature and Farah Nabulsi’s The Teacher scoring a pair of wins including Best Actor for Saleh Bakri. See the full list below.

Elvis director and two-time Oscar nominee Baz Luhrmann headed the Rea Sea jury, which handed out awards in 17 categories.

The Saudi Arabian fest also gave a Red Sea Honorary Award to Nicolas Cage. The Oscar winner, whose Dream Scenario will close the festival on December 9, joined fellow 2023 honorees Diane Kruger, Ranveer Singh and Abdullah Al-Sadhan.

“Over the past eight days, we have welcomed the world to Jeddah and celebrated this vibrant global film community together – with a goal of bridging cultures and creating new ties,” said Jomana Al-Rashid, Chairwoman of the Red Sea Film Foundation. “We’ve done that with over 125 films from Saudi Arabia,...

At the closing ceremony of the 3rd edition of the Red Sea Film Festival Thursday, which took place in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, in front of an audience that included Hollywood stars Nicolas Cage, Gwyneth Paltrow, Halle Berry, Jason Statham and Adrien Brody, the Golden Yusr for best film and a $100,000 cash prize went to Pakistani-Canadian horror film “In Flames,” directed by Zarrar Kahn.

The director said that the indie movie was shot for “just $300,000 — the size of a Red Sea Fund production grant.” He urged “everyone who gets a grant to go make a movie, because this was made for nothing.”

The Silver Yusr prize for best feature film went to Tarsem Singh for “Dear Jassi.” The film, an India/Canada/U.S. co-production, is based on the true story of a Canadian Punjabi woman who ran afoul of her family’s expectations when she chose to marry a working-class...

Zarrar Khan’s In Flames has picked up the Yusr Award for best competition film at the third edition of the Red Sea International Film Festival in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

The festival, which attracted such Hollywood stars as Will Smith, Johnny Depp, Chris Hemsworth and Sharon Stone, on Thursday evening unveiled the winners of its Red Sea competition honors, the so-called Yusr awards, as well as other prizes.

Khan’s Pakistani-Canadian horror pic that bowed in Cannes portrays a mother and daughter having to navigate loss, oppression and vulnerability after the death of the family patriarch. The debut feature is rendered as a ghost story as they must find strength in each other if they are to survive the malevolent forces that threaten to engulf them.

The Silver Yusr award for best feature went to Tarsem Singh’s modern day tragic drama Dear Jassi, which bowed in Toronto, where it won the 2023 Platform Prize.

by Cláudio Alves

Considering the Academy's general disinclination to honor horror cinema, it's always surprising when the genre pops up amid Best International Film submissions. This year, Pakistan is one of the brave countries that didn't let genre bias stop them from selecting a scary movie for the Oscar race. Zarrar Kahn's In Flames is the lucky flick, a Canadian-produced meditation on grief, trauma, and poisonous patriarchy bound to unnerve viewers. Neighboring nation India didn't dip their toes into nightmare cinema but sent a disaster picture that's horrifying in its own way. Juan Anthany Joseph's 2018 dramatizes a real-life catastrophe that befell the state of Kerala…...

Zarrar Kahn’s “In Flames” is set mostly in a cramped apartment nestled not too far from the rowdy, crowded streets of Karachi. The hustle and bustle from the outside — not to mention the social and societal forces that so define it — continually threaten to creep inside the walls of that apartment, which serves as a safe haven that may well crumble under the weight of the very world order that rules beyond its walls. A ghostly parable about Pakistan’s insidious patriarchal order, Khan’s film — the first Pakistani film to screen in Cannes Director’s Fortnight in nearly half a century — finds mother and daughter slowly losing grip on the reality they’ve always known.

Mariam can sense her life is fated to change. While she’s dutifully been studying to become a doctor, she knows the death of her grandfather is sure to have ruinous consequences for her home life.

Award

Zarrar Kahn‘s “In Flames,” Pakistan‘s submission to the Oscars‘ international feature category, has won the International Newcomer Award for the best film in competition at the 72nd International Film Festival Mannheim-Heidelberg, Germany. The award carries a cash prize of €30,000.

“In Flames,” a Pakistani Canadian horror-drama about a Karachi woman and her mother who are beset by malevolent figures from their past after the family patriarch dies, premiered at the Cannes Directors’ Fortnight and has had considerable festival play since, including at Toronto, Busan, Sitges, Sao Paulo and Pingyao.

The award’s jury members, Elisa Schlott, Denis Dercourt and Goran Stolevski, stated: “Our award goes to a filmmaker who manages to shift and play with genre while maintaining a connection both to his audience as well as his protagonist throughout the film. The main character is a young woman who is allowed to be both brave and fragile,...

In Flames, the feature debut of Pakistani-Canadian director Zarrar Kahn, has been picked up for the U.S. market by Game Theory Films.

The Urdu-language horror movie, which premiered as part of Cannes Directors’ Fortnight lineup, follows a young woman and her mother tormented by real and fantastic forces following the death of the family patriarch. The ensemble cast includes Ramesha Nawal, Bakhtawar Mazhar, Omar Javaid, Mohammad Ali Hashmi, Adnan Shah Tipu and Jibraan Khan.

A theatrical release is set in early 2024 in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Toronto and Vancouver, with a focus on South Asian audiences across North America. A home video and video-on-demand release of In Flames is scheduled to follow in the second quarter of 2024.

The AFM deal for In Flames with sales agent XYZ Films follows Game Theory Films earlier nabbing the Canadian rights out of Cannes to the horror film that is also Pakistan...

Exclusive: United Talent Agency has signed Zarrar Kahn, director of Pakistan’s Oscar entry In Flames, for representation in all areas.

In Flames premiered at this year’s Cannes film festival in Directors Fortnight and was recently named as Pakistan’s submission for the Best International Feature category of the Oscars. The film has also played at festivals including Toronto, Busan, Sitges, Pingyao, Helsinki, and SXSW Sydney.

The film, which is Kahn’s feature directorial debut, revolves around a mother and daughter whose precarious existence is ripped apart following the death of the family patriarch.

Produced by Anam Abbas and executive produced by Shant Joshi, Todd Brown and Maxime Cottray, the film recently won the Kevin Tierney Indiescreen Award for Emerging Producer at Toronto and Best Feature at the International South Asian Film Festival Canada.

Prior to In Flames, Kahn’s international breakout short film Dia, about a girl who...

Screen is profiling every submission for best international feature at the 96th Academy Awards.

Entries for the 2024 Oscar for best international feature are underway, and Screen is profiling each one on this page.

The 96th Academy Awards is set to take place on March 10, 2024 at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.

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

Submitted films must have been released theatrically in their respective countries between December 1, 2022, and October 31, 2023. The deadline...

Pakistan: “In Flames”

Zarrar Kahn’s horror film “In Flames” is Pakistan’s entry for the international feature Oscar. The film debuted at Cannes Directors’ Fortnight earlier this year.

In the Karachi-set film, after the death of the family patriarch, a mother and daughter’s precarious existence is ripped apart by figures from their past – both real and phantasmal. They must find strength in each other if they are to survive the malevolent forces that threaten to engulf them.

The film, produced by Anam Abbas and executive produced by Shant Joshi, Todd Brown and Maxime Cottray, is part of XYZ’s New Visions slate. As revealed by Variety, XYZ had boarded the title last year.

“‘In Flames’ has resonated profoundly with our committee members, as it beautifully encapsulates the essence of our culture, art, and cinematic craftsmanship. We believe that the narrative, performances, direction, and every element that went into...

China’s The Wandering Earth 2 and Pakistan’s In Flames were added to the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences’ members-only streaming service, Academy Screening Room, on Friday, sources tell The Hollywood Reporter. This means that these are the respective countries’ official selections for the 2024 Oscars in the best international feature film category.

2019’s The Wandering Earth was directed by Frant Gwo and was loosely based on the 2000 short story of the same name. It became China’s fifth highest-grossing film of all time. The prequel was released in January.

China has submitted more than 20 films for an Oscar since 1979, with two going on to receive a nomination. Both were directed by Zhang Yimou. A Chinese film has not won an Academy Award in the international feature film category.

In Flames is written and directed by Zarrar Kahn and had its North American premiere at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival.

The 2023 Chanel X Biff Asian Film Academy has come to a close with the graduation ceremony and screening of the two short films produced by the fellows over the 20 days. This year’s edition presented a strengthened educational program by extending the program period from 18 to 20 days to secure additional time for pre-production and feedback, enhancing the quality of the projects, and introducing a ‘script doctor’, a screenplay specialist, to the line-up of instructors, in addition to the original faculty of dean, directing mentor, and cinematography mentor.

From hands-on training to get familiarized with filming equipment to a masterclass session by the dean, director Suwa Nobuhiro, which will provide insight into his experience and expertise, and workshops to better understand the film industry, such as MPA-bafa Film Workshop: Bridge to Hollywood, the practical programs and mentoring by the faculty, who are deeply invested in the future of the film industry,...

China’s Pingyao International Film Festival has announced the line-up for its seventh edition (October 11-18), which will open with Wei Shujun’s Only The River Flows and close with the world premiere of Fei Yu’s Football On The Roof.

Wei’s 1990s-set noir thriller, which premiered in Un Certain Regard at this year’s Cannes film festival, is also one of 11 titles competing in Pingyao’s Hidden Dragons competition for emerging Chinese filmmakers. Football On The Roof tells the story of a female soccer team fighting against the odds in the remote mountains of Yunnan province.

The Hidden Dragons line-up also includes Geng Zihan’s A Song Sung Blue, which premiered in Cannes Directors Fortnight, along with world premieres including Hao Feihuan’s Records Without Words, Li Binbin’s The Night Rain South Township and Yang Pingdao’s A Romantic Fragment (see full line-up below).

Pingyao has also...

The SXSW Sydney festival has set a 75-film screening schedule for its first edition. The selection skews heavily towards music, but is also distinctly international.

Headline titles include re-edited Talking Heads concert film “Stop Making Sense,” “Hot Potato: The Story of The Wiggles,” an exploration of iconic Australian musical act The Wiggles; drill rap documentary “Onefour: Against All Odds,” directed by Gabriel Gasparinatos; and the widely-acclaimed “Ryuichi Sakamoto: Opus,” directed by Neo Sora.

“The first ever SXSW Sydney Screen Festival aims to platform the most exciting new voices, new forms and new ways of creating on screen. We hope to inspire our audiences and industry, by unwrapping the future of screen innovation as it emerges,” said Ghita Loebenstein, the festival’s head of screen. “Like our Austin counterparts, our festival presents global programming from leading creators, and our unique offer is this distinctive Asia Pacific lens. We also thematically lean...

The term 'gaslighting' is now quite ubiquitous, and one which still remains scoffed at by many (usually those who hold power). But if you're a member of a marginalized group, that gaslighting could come not just from one person, but an entire society, especially one hellbent on keeping some groups marginalized. To say patriarchal ideology is gaslighting might seem to minimize its impact, but on an individual level, this is how it can feel, in every moment, in every activity, for every woman. Zarrar Kahn's feature debut takes this psychological state to a whole new level. In Flames in an intense psychological horror, one that tightens its vice with a slow and deliberate intensity that challenges the viewer to feel what it's like to have...

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...

Pakistani Canadian filmmaker Anam Abbas has won the Canadian Media Producers Assn.’s 2023 Kevin Tierney Emerging Producer Award, it was announced Sept. 7 at the Indiescreen Awards, the opening event of the Toronto International Film Festival’s industry conference at Glenn Gould Studios.

Abbas’ latest feature is writer and director Zarrar Kahn’s feature debut “In Flames,” a Pakistani Canadian horror-drama about a Karachi woman and her mother who are beset by malevolent figures from their past after the family patriarch dies. The film, which screens next week in Toronto, premiered in Director’s Fortnight at Cannes, where XYZ Films’ announced the title would launch its New Visions slate.

The award, which comes with a C$10,000 cash prize, recognizes the talents of emerging feature producers. Abbas was recognized by the jury for her ingenuity and her passion for creating films that feel real and essential.

Nancy Grant of Metafilms received the...

Location, Location, Location

Entertainment, sports and brand licensing firms WildBrain Cplg and WildBrain Ltd. have brokered location-based entertainment (Lbe) deals on behalf of Peanuts Worldwide for “Peanuts,” “Teletubbies” and “In the Night Garden” with China’s Max-Matching Entertainments. These are expected to lead to the opening of family entertainment centers and IP-themed hotel rooms for each brand in Beijing, in Zhongshan City, Guangdong and a third city yet to be announced. These will roll out over the next five years.

The moves come at a time when WildBrain Cplg is expanding its Asia-focused teams. These include the Los Angeles-based veteran licensing executive, Kevin Suh who is former president of themed entertainment & consumer products at Paramount Pictures. Suh was also a senior executive at the Motion Picture Association of America and a lawyer in California. Shanghai-based Evi Sari joins as VP of Lbe in Apac and the Gcc. She was previously...

France, UK, Middle East among buyers.

XYZ Films has reported brisk trade on Zarrar Kahn’s Cannes Directors’ Fortnight entry In Flames and will continue talks with buyers on the New Visions sales title in TIFF.

Sales have closed with The Jokers for France, Blue Finch for the UK, NonStop for Scandinavia, Falcon for the Middle East, Game Theory for Canada, and Shaw for Singapore.

Several other territories are in active negotiations ahead of screenings at TIFF and Sitges in September and October, said the sales company,.

In Flames stars Ramesha Nawa in a Karachi-set thriller about a young Pakistani...

TIFF continues to build out its speaker lineup despite the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes barring a number of participants from this year’s 48th edition.

Of note, actor Viggo Mortensen will appear on stage in Toronto to discuss his feature directorial debut, the western The Dead Don’t Hurt, a movie he also stars in with Garret Dillahunt, Danny Huston and Vicky Krieps. Despite the SAG-AFTRA strike, Mortensen will appear at TIFF under the guise of director. He’ll be joined by producer Jeremy Thomas and Regina Solórzano. Global rights are available on The Dead Don’t Hurt; HanWay Films is handling.

Also having onstage conversations in the Visionaries section are Oscar winners Guillermo del Toro and Spike Lee.

Last week, TIFF announced that Pedro Almodovar, who is already receiving a tribute at the fest, Hong Kong actor Andy Lau and the stars of Korean disaster epic, Concrete Utopia, are already set to have sitdown conversations.

Speakers include Guillermo del Toro, Ladj Ly, Nadine Labaki, Viggo Mortenson, Jeremy Thomas.

TIFF top brass have unveiled the bulk of the TIFF Industry Conference line-up with sessions and speakers including Spike Lee, Lucy Walker, AI and film, and African cinema and film industries.

The Conference is divided into six sections and encompasses Doc Day and the new Sloane science and technology project pitch initiative funded by Alfred P. Sloan Foundation’s Public Understanding of Science and Technology programme.

Besides Lee and Walker, whose acquisition title Mountain Queen: The Summits Of Lhakpa Sherpa will premiere in TIFF Docs, speakers include Guillermo del Toro,...

Auteurs Agnieszka Holland, Wim Wenders, Hamaguchi Ryusuke and Aki Kaurismaki are among the filmmakers featured in the Toronto International Film Festival’s (TIFF) Centrepiece program.

The strand, previously known as Contemporary World Cinema, which honors and celebrates global cinematic achievements, features 47 titles from filmmakers representing 45 countries.

TIFF has also revealed the additional lineup of galas, special presentations and documentaries, which feature star wattage from around the world including Tommy Lee Jones and Anil Kapoor.

“We are very excited to present the new Centrepiece program, a cinematic journey that transcends boundaries and embraces the art of human experience,” said Anita Lee, TIFF chief programming officer. “The rebranding of the TIFF program, formerly Contemporary World Cinema, is a reflection of the festival’s vision to provide 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.

Ahead of Toronto International Film Festival kicking off in less than a month, the festival announced more additions, including Ryûsuke Hamaguchi’s Evil Does Not Exist, Close Your Eyes by Víctor Erice, Fallen Leaves by Aki Kaurismäki, Green Border by Agnieszka Holland, Perfect Days by Wim Wenders, About Dry Grasses by Nuri Bilge Ceylan, and more.

“We are very excited to present the new Centrepiece programme, a cinematic journey that transcends boundaries and embraces the art of human experience,” said Anita Lee, TIFF Chief Programming Officer. “The rebranding of the TIFF programme, formerly Contemporary World Cinema, is a reflection of the Festival’s vision to provide 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.”

See the lineup below.

Centrepiece Programme 2023

100 Yards Xu Haofeng, Xu Junfeng | China

International Premiere

About...

The programme comprises 47 films from 45 countries.

The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) has unveiled the line-up for its Centrepiece programme, with 47 titles screening from filmmakers representing 45 countries.

Included in the programme (previously known as Contemporary World Cinema) are Victor Erice’s Close Your Eyes, getting its North American premiere; Aki Kaurismaki’s Fallen Leaves, receiving its Canadian premiere; and Agnieszka Holland’s Green Border, a North American premiere.

Scroll down for the full list of Centrepiece titles

TIFF also announced additional titles for its Galas, Special Presentations and Documentaries programmes, among them the world premiere of Brian Helgeland’s Finestkind.

The Toronto International Film Festival has added 59 more films to the lineup of its 2023 festival, including 47 international films in the Centrepiece program, which in previous years was known as Contemporary World Cinema. New films were also added to the Galas, Special Presentations and Documentary sections.

World premieres among the new selections include “Finestkind,” a crime thriller from Brian Helgeland (screenwriter of “L.A. Confidential”) starring Tommy Lee Jones and Ben Foster; The Movie Teller,” a film set in Chile starring Berenice Bejo from “An Education” director Lone Scherfig; and Jessica Yu’s “Quiz Lady,” with Sandra Oh and Awkwafina.

The Centrepiece selections include a number of films from May’s Cannes Film Festival, among them Wim Wenders’ “Perfect Days,” Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s “About Dry Grasses,” Aki Kaurismaki’s “Fallen Leaves,” Ramata-Toulaye Sy’s “Banel & Adama,” Amjad Al Rasheed’s “Inshallah a Boy,” Joanna Arnow’s “The Feeling That the...

The Toronto International Film Festival continues to expand its 2023 lineup with 47 films from 45 countries in the Centerpiece program, previously known as Contemporary World Cinema. The highlights include Cannes Film Festival winners “Fallen Leaves” from Aki Kaurismäki and “Perfect Days” from Wim Wenders as well as Agnieszka Holland’s Venice-bound “Green Border.” See the full lineup below.

“We are very excited to present the new Centrepiece program, a cinematic journey that transcends boundaries and embraces the art of human experience,” said Anita Lee, TIFF Chief Programming Officer, in an official statement. “The rebranding of the TIFF program, formerly Contemporary World Cinema, is a reflection of the festival’s vision to provide an elevated platform for international cinema, for acclaimed titles from festivals around the globe, highly anticipated premieres from Canadian and international talents, and the latest work of influential filmmaking luminaries.”

Centerpiece Program 2023

About Dry Grasses (Kuru Otlar Üstüne) Nuri Bilge Ceylan...