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“The Square” was the big winner at the European Film Awards, taking nearly every top prize: Best Film, Director, Actor, Screenwriter, even Best Comedy for good measure. It continues a very good year for Ruben Östlund’s art-world satire, which won the Palme d’Or at Cannes and is considered a likely nominee for the Academy Award for Best Foreign-Language Film.

Also represented were “On Body and Soul,” which won the Golden Bear at Berlinale and earned Alexandra Borbely the Best Actress award, and “Communion,” which took the Documentary prize.

This year’s ceremony, the 30th, took place in Berlin. Avail yourself of the winner list below.

Read More:2017 European Film Awards Nominations: ‘The Square,’ ‘Bpm,’ ‘The Killing of a Sacred Deer,’ and More Lead the Way Best European Film

“Bpm (Beats per Minute),” (Robin Campillo, France)

“Loveless,” (Andrey Zvyagintsev, Russia, Belgium, Germany, France)

“On Body and Soul,” (Ildiko Enyedi,...

The European Film Awards nominations have been released, with a number of festival favorites landing high-profile nods. Among them are “The Square” and “Bpm,” which were both nominated for Best European Film, and “The Killing of a Sacred Deer,” which missed out on the top category but was recognized in the Director, Actor, and Screenwriter fields.

Read More:‘The Square’ Director Ruben Östlund Wants to Push Cultural Boundaries, But Won’t Read Any Scripts With Killing

This year’s ceremony, the 30th, takes place in Berlin on December 9. Here are all the nominees:

Best European Film

“Bpm (Beats per Minute),” (Robin Campillo, France)

“Loveless,” (Andrey Zvyagintsev, Russia, Belgium, Germany, France)

“On Body and Soul,” (Ildiko Enyedi, Hungary)

“The Other Side of Hope,” (Aki Kaurismaki, Finland, Germany)

“The Square,” (Ruben Ostlund, Sweden, Germany, France, Denmark)

Best European Director

Ildiko Enyedi, (“On Body and Soul”)

Aki Kaurismaki, (“The Other Side of Hope”)

Yorgos Lanthimos,...

Keep up with the glitzy awards world with our weekly Awards Roundup column.

– The Broadcast Film Critics Association (Bfca) and the Broadcast Television Journalists Association (Btja) have announced that Oscar-winning documentary filmmaker Errol Morris as the recipient of the Critics’ Choice Lifetime Achievement Award. Morris will receive his award at the second annual Critics’ Choice Documentary Awards gala event, set to take place on Thursday, November 2 at Bric in Brooklyn, New York, hosted by Penn Jillette.

Journalist and author Kathryn Schulz will present the Critics’ Choice Lifetime Achievement Award to Morris. Damien Echols will present the previously announced Critics’ Choice Impact Award to filmmaker Joe Berlinger. Additional award presenters include: Clive Davis, Matt Dillon, Gilbert Gottfried, Barbara Kopple, Lawrence O’Donnell, Linda Perry, and Fisher Stevens, Diane Warren, among others.

Read More:Helen Mirren Set for Chaplin Award, European Film Academy Honors Newcomers, and More — Awards Roundup

Netflix will release Morris’ newest offering,...

Ruben Ostlund's The Square, winner of the Palme d'Or in Cannes, has also picked up a nomination for this year's European Film Awards.

Ostlund's satire of the international art world, starring Claes Bang, Elisabeth Moss and Dominic West, is one of four nominees for best European comedy, announced Wednesday by the European Film Academy. The other contenders in the category are Simon Verhoeven's box- office hit Welcome to Germany, Christophe Van Rompaey's Vincent and the End of the World and King of the Belgians, from directors Jessica Woodworth and Peter Brosens.

In the best European animation category, this year's nominees...

The European Film Academy has set nominees in the Animated Feature Film and Comedy categories for this year's awards. In the European Comedy race are Ruben Ostlund's Palme d'Or winner The Square (Sweden/Germany/France/Denmark) which is also Sweden's Foreign Language Oscar entry; and smash German comedy Welcome To Germany by Simon Verhoeven. Figuring too are King Of The Belgians (Belgium/Netherlands/Bulgaria) helmed by Jessica Woodworth & Peter Brosens, and Vincent And The…...

Keep up with the always-hopping film festival world with our weekly Film Festival Roundup column. Check out last week’s Roundup right here.

Lineup Announcements

– The Provincetown International Film Festival (Piff) has announced the latest slate of programming for its 19th edition, running June 14 – 18. The added programming includes an awards presentation for actress Aubrey Plaza, who will receive the festival’s inaugural Next Wave Award, which recognizes those who have exciting and distinctive voices, take artistic risks, and have a passionate commitment to independent film. Plaza, who stars in and produced the festival’s Closing Night Film, “Ingrid Goes West,” will receive the honor at a ceremony on Sunday, June 18 at Fishermen Hall in Provincetown.

Additionally, the festival announced a special presentation with Julie Klausner and Scott King, the creators of Hulu’s hit original series “Difficult People“ and a special screening of a new documentary from acclaimed filmmakers Sebastian Junger...

Exclusive: Das Boot director’s first film since 2006’s Poseidon.

Picture Tree International has pre-sold Wolfgang Petersen (Das Boot) comedy Four Against The Bank, starring Til Schweiger, to Cis (Voxell Media), China (Beijing Shangzhou Media), Spain (Twelve Oaks), Poland (Monolith), Turkey (Sinema TV), Former Yugoslavia (Blitz), Taiwan (Av Jet) and airlines (Global Eagle).

The film marks Petersen’s first film as director since 2006’s Poseidon.

The crime comedy stars Schweiger, Matthias Schweighoefer, Michael ‘Bully’ Herbig and Jan Josef Liefers as four men, betrayed by a bank, who unite to take revenge. The cast also features Alexandra Maria Lara and Anje Traute.

Warner Bros. Germany released the film in German-speaking markets on Christmas Day last year, generating €9.1 million ($9.5 million) in Germany.

Meanwhile, Picture Tree’s Welcome To Germany has gone to Twelve Oaks (Spain), Turkey (Sinema TV), China (Hua Shi), Japan (Cetera), Eastern Europe (HBO) and Poland (Tvp).

Italy’s Draka has bought Tiger Girl and biopic [link=tt...

Exclusive: Das Boot director’s first film since 2006’s Poseidon.

Picture Tree International has pre-sold Wolfgang Peterson (Das Boot) comedy Four Against The Bank, starring Til Schweiger, to Cis (Voxell Media), China (Beijing Shangzhou Media), Spain (Twelve Oaks), Poland (Monolith), Former Yugoslavia (Blitz), Taiwan (Av Jet) and airlines (Global Eagle).

The film marks Petersen’s first film as director since 2006’s Poseidon.

The crime comedy stars Til Schweiger, Matthias Schweighoefer, Michael ‘Bully’ Herbig and Jan Josef Liefers as four men, betrayed by a bank, who unite to take revenge. The cast also features Alexandra Maria Lara and Anje Traute.

Warner Bros. Germany released the film in German-speaking markets on Christmas Day last year, generating €9.1 million ($9.5 million) in Germany.

Meanwhile, Picture Tree’s Welcome To Germany has gone to China (Hua Shi), Japan (Cetera), Eastern Europe (HBO) and Poland (Tvp). Italy’s Draka has bought Tiger Girl and biopic Egon Schiele.

Comedy and romance bookend the 2017 Stony Brook Film Festival presented by Island Federal Credit Union. The 22nd Annual Sbff opens on July 20th at Staller Center for the Arts at Stony Brook University. U.S. premiere screening of Welcome to Germany (Willkommen bei den Hartmanns), a feature written and directed by Simon Verhoeven (Men in the City), opens the Festival. Welcome to Germany is a timely comedy about a well-off Munich family who offer to take in a refugee. The film stars Senta Berger, Heiner Lauterbach, Palina Rojinski, Elyas M'Barek and Eric Kabongo. The film from Picture Tree, produced by Quirin Berg, Michael Verhoeven, Simon Verhoeven and Max Wiedemann, is being shown in its first screening in North America. A romantic comedy, Text for You, from...

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

Keep up with the always-hopping film festival world with our weekly Film Festival Roundup column. Check out last week’s Roundup right here.

Lineup Announcements

– BAMcinématek has announced the full lineup for the ninth annual BAMcinemaFest (Jun 14 – 25, 2017), which features 24 New York premieres, one North American premiere, and two world premieres. Opening the festival on Wednesday, June 14 is the New York premiere of Aaron Katz’s “Gemini.” This year’s Closing Night selection is the New York premiere of Brooklyn filmmaker Alex Ross Perry’s fifth feature, “Golden Exits.”

Other highlights include “En el Séptimo Día,” “A Ghost Story,” “Landline,” and “Whose Streets.” Check out the full lineup here.

– The Greenwich International Film Festival is proud to announce the full film slate and programming for the 3rd annual festival running June 1 – 4, 2017 in Greenwich, Connecticut.

“Bending the Arc,” a documentary about the extraordinary team of doctors and activists whose work thirty years...

Maren Ade named best director as female filmmakers flourish.

Toni Erdmann continued its triumphant run at the German Film Awards on Friday night, taking home six coveted Lola statuettes in an evening dominated by strong women filmmakers.

Maren Ade’s tragicomedy received the Golden Lola for Best Feature Film as well as double honours for Ade (pictured at left) herself as director and screenwriter, plus statuettes for her lead actors Sandra Hueller (pictured at right) and Peter Simonischek, and a Lola for the film’s editor Heike Parplies.

Handled internationally by The Match Factory, Toni Erdmann began winning the hearts of critics and audiences around the globe following its premiere in Cannes’ Official Competition last year.

It picked up five European Film Awards in Poland’s Wroclaw last December – in the same categories as the Lolas except for editing – as well as Golden Globe and Oscar nominations.

Hours before Friday night’s ceremony in Berlin, the film’s...

German government reveals bold plan to increase film funding to €150m from 2018; Toni Erdmann scores six German Film Awards nominations.

The German government has approved a major increase in film funding in a bold bid to grow the local and international film business in Germany.

Chancellor Angela Merkel’s cabinet has authorized a €50m boost to approximately $150m in film funding for 2018.

Culture secretary Monika Grütters confirmed on Thursday morning during the announcement of the nominations for this year’s German Film Awards (Lolas) that the budget from 2018 would comprise of €25m for culturally-oriented funding, €50m for the existing German Federal Film Fund (Dfff) cash rebate incentive programme, and €75m for the Dfff II scheme.

The latter is targeted at attracting and retaining major national and international productions in Germany as well as providing support for production service producers such as studios and VFX companies operating out of Germany.

This latest move to put Germany on a more...

German government reveals bold plan to increase film funding to €150m from 2018; Toni Ermann scores six German Film Awards nominations.

The German government has approved a major increase in film funding in a bold bid to grow the local and international film business in Germany.

Chancellor Angela Merkel’s cabinet has authorized a €50m boost to approximately $150m in film funding for 2018.

Culture secretary Monika Grütters confirmed on Thursday morning during the announcement of the nominations for this year’s German Film Awards (Lolas) that the budget from 2018 would comprise of €25m for culturally-oriented funding, €50m for the existing German Federal Film Fund (Dfff) cash rebate incentive programme, and €75m for the Dfff II scheme.

The latter is targeted at attracting and retaining major national and international productions in Germany as well as providing support for production service producers such as studios and VFX companies operating out of Germany.

This latest move to put Germany on a more...

German government reveals bold plan to increase film funding to €150m from 2018; Toni Ermann scores six German Film Awards nominations.

The German government has approved a major increase in film funding in a bold bid to grow the local and international film business in Germany.

Chancellor Angela Merkel’s cabinet has authorized a €50m boost to approximately $150m in film funding for 2018.

Culture secretary Monika Grütters confirmed on Thursday morning during the announcement of the nominations for this year’s German Film Awards (Lolas) that the budget from 2018 would comprise of €25m for culturally-oriented funding, €50m for the existing German Federal Film Fund (Dfff) cash rebate incentive programme, and €75m for the so-called Dfff II scheme.

The latter is targeted at attracting and retaining major national and international productions in Germany as well as providing support for production service producers such as studios and VFX companies operating out of Germany.

This latest...

The box office in Germany saw a double-digit drop in 2016, according to official figures published Wednesday by the German Federal Film Board.

Revenue fell 12.4 percent to €1.023 billion ($1.1 billion), while admissions dropped by $18.1 million, or 13 percent, to $121.1 million.

U.S. animation films, led by Zootopia, The Secret Life of Pets and Finding Dory, were among the few highlights in an otherwise slow year.

German films accounted for 22.7 percent of total admissions, down from 27.5 percent a year earlier.

Welcome to Germany (aka Welcome to the Hartmanns), a feel-good comedy set against the backdrop of...

The agony and the ecstasy

The Glasgow Film Festival got into full swing on Friday with the gala premières of The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and Trishna, two films that take very different perspectives on the conflict between tradition and Western values in modern India. Almanya - Welcome To Germany launched the festival's German strand and there was a chance to see beautifully shot art documentaries <a ...

Still from Dekh Indian Circus

Dekh Indian Circus (Watch Indian Circus) directed by Mangesh Hadawale will have its Us premiere at the 23rd Palm Springs International Film Festival in California.

The festival will commence on January 5, 2012 with Salmon Fishing in the Yemen and close on January 15, 2012 with Almanya, Welcome to Germany. 187 films from 73 countries will be shown at the festival.

Two other Indian co-productions that will screen at the festival are Arranged Happiness (Germany/India) Daniela Creutz and Lucky (South Africa/India) by Avie Luthra.

Dekh Indian Circus won the Audience Choice Award at the 16th Busan International Film Festival recently. To read interview of director Mangesh Hadawale, click here.

Lasse Halstrom’s Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, starring Ewan McGregor, Emily Blunt and Kristin Scott Thomas, will open the 23rd annual Palm Springs International Film Festival, which runs from Jan. 5-15. The festival, which will screen 187 films from 73 countries, will close with Yasemin Samdereli’s Almanya, Welcome to Germany. “It’s a wide ranging line-up of highly accomplished and often provocative new films, coupled with an expanded archival section,” festival director Darryl Macdonald said. “I’m particularly delighted to be opening the festival with the U.S. debut of Lasse Hallstrom’s hugely engaging crowd-pleaser, Salmon Fishing in

read more...

It’s been a bit now since the Chicago International Film Festival closed up after another great year. And with any festival’s conclusion comes the inevitable wrap-up.

On the 24th, the festival announced the winners of their annual audience awards.

The award for Best Narrative Feature went to two films this year. They were Michel Hazanavicius’ acclaimed The Artist, and the lesser known but just as loved Almanya: Welcome to Germany. For the documentary section, the prize went to Undefeated.

Do you agree with the choices, or do you think there were some stronger contenders in the bunch? Unfortunately, I don’t have much to say as I was unable to see these films. Truthfully, I wish I could see every film that plays, but alas schedules don’t really allow for that. But I did get to see a nice number of films this year, and from those...

Chicago – Three crowd-pleasing films were selected by audiences at the 47th Chicago International Film Festival as their favorites of the year. A record 50 percent of festivalgoers participated in the selection of this year’s winners of the American Airlines Audience Choice Award.

Two pictures garnered the award for Best Narrative Feature. The first is French filmmaker Michel Hazanavicius’ affectionate valentine to cinema, “The Artist,” which snagged the Best Actor award at the Cannes Film Festival for its lead, Jean Dujardin (who played the title role in Hazanavicius’ “Oss 117”). It’s a black-and-white, nearly silent romance with a talent-packed ensemble including John Goodman and Malcolm McDowell. The festival buzz has been so strong that some movie buffs have speculated about whether this could actually become a surprise mainstream hit. Regardless, this accolade has further solidified this film’s status as a top Oscar contender.

The Artist.

Photo credit: The Chicago International...

Created to celebrate the contributions that female writers and directors continue to make to film around the world, the REELwomen program at the 47th Chicago International Film Festival will introduce Chicago audiences to the works of first-time women filmmakers and documentarians.

More than half of the documentaries featured in this year.s Docufest competition are directed by women, most of them focusing on the arts. First-time filmmakers like Yasemin Samderelli, Alice Rohrwacher and Julia Leigh explore issues of identity – whether national or sexual – while others, like Susan Jacobson are staking a claim on genre films. The program also welcomes the return of Festival alumni filmmakers Mia Hansen-Løve and Lynne Ramsay.

All Me: The Life and Times of Winfred Rembert USA (Director: Vivian Ducat) . If there was ever a case for designating a person a National Treasure, Winfred Rembert is that person. Though he lived through segregation and the civil rights era in the Deep South,...

In the same way China approached its preparations for the Beijing Olympics, businesses have fully detailed each sensory impression a product will have on consumers. One company's ultimate objective: Become a global leader in car manufacturing. Look out, Detroit.

There I stood, having just been given permission to see an area of a building that few were allowed to enter. As I opened the door to the first room, the unmistakable smell of freshly cut grass pervaded my senses. The air was misty, the colors were light green, and the Mandarin name of the room I'd just entered, translated, meant "The people from the Nordic countries." With my Danish background, it was comfortably familiar--the colors seemed lifted directly from the designer Arne Jacobsen's catalogue, the smell took me right back to my parents' garden, and the air was full of spring sounds Scandinavian birds make at dusk.

The building I...

Something like the Turkish-German equivalent of East is East combined with its upcoming sequel West is West, the bittersweet comedy Almanya – Willkommen In Deutschland (Almanya – Welcome to Germany) follows both the immigrant experience for Turks coming into Germany in the 1960s as well as a reluctant family trip back to the homeland, as second and third generation immigrants discover their heritage at the behest of an ageing patriarch – a former ‘guest worker’, now a German citizen and the focus of this story.

The film is riotously funny from the outset, with broad physical comedy and exaggerated characterisations working to make a lot of satirical points, often using national stereotyping. The difference between this and an episode of Top Gear though is that Welcome to Germany almost certainly has its heart in the right place and uses these stereotypes to play up the stupidity of stereotypes themselves.

The Germans and Turks...