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Singapore-based production company Akanga Film Asia has been set as the newly-launched Spanish Audiovisual Hub in Asia. It will seek to expand connections between the film, TV, animation and games industries of Spain and those in Asia.

Akanga is headed by Fran Borgia, a Spanish producer who has Asian film production credits including Boo Junfeng’s “Apprentice,” Yeo Siew Hua’s Locarno-winning “A Land Imagined,” Kamila Andini’s “Yuni” and Amanda Nell Eu’s “Tiger Stripes.”

The company was selected after a tender process initiated by the Economic and Commercial Office of Spain in Singapore, representing Icex Spain Export and Investment. Borgia is appointed as the “Consultant for the Audiovisual Sector of Spain in Asia” and will work closely with veteran producer and festival consultant Lorna Tee.

“The project aims to enhance Spain’s positioning as a production country and as a destination for filming, post-production of live-action and digital images,...

The spice must flow, and take over most theaters. While Denis Villeneuve’s gargantuan-sized blockbuster will suck up much of the oxygen when it comes to discussions around March’s releases, there’s plenty more to uncover. From adventurous festival favorites to micro-sized productions to a would-be blockbuster relegated to streaming, here are my picks for what to see next month.

15. Road House (Doug Liman; March 21)

While his recent output hasn’t touched the entertainment value of Edge of Tomorrow, The Bourne Identity, or Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Doug Liman seems quite confident in the crowdpleaser appeal of his Jake Gyllenhaal-led Road House remake. While he won’t be getting the theatrical release he believes he deserves, those at SXSW will at least be able to experience it in a crowd before it lands on Prime Video soon after.

14. Yuni (Kamila Andini; March 22)

One of our favorite undistributed films...

One of our favorite undistributed films of 2021 now has a home. Film Movement, who released Kamila Andini’s 2022 festival premiere Before, Now & Then in theaters last summer, has picked up the Indonesian director’s prior feature, the coming-of-age tale Yuni, for a digital release on March 22. Ahead of the debut, were pleased to exclusively debut the U.S. trailer.

Here’s the synopsis: “Having rejected a marriage proposal and now facing limited options after graduation, Indonesian high-school student Yuni (Arawinda Kirana) finds herself having to define her desires within a society attempting to prescribe her fate. Navigating her burgeoning sexuality and educational prospects while coming to terms with the rigid gender politics with which they collide, Yuni observes her peers and the women around her as they reject or give in to the expectations made of them and the consequences their decisions carry.”

Reyzando Nawara said in his review, “Kamila...

Yosep Anggi Noen, whose “24 Hours With Gaspar” premiered at Busan and is playing at the Red Sea and Singapore festivals, has lined up his next movie, an untitled horror film.

The film is produced by Palari Films, the Jakarta-based production company behind Edwin’s “Vengeance Is Mine, All Others Pay Cash,” which won the Golden Leopard at Locarno in 2021. Noen is no stranger to Locarno glory himself, having been nominated in 2012 for “Peculiar Vacation and Other Illnesses” and in 2016 for “Solo, Solitude” and scored a special mention in 2019 for “The Science of Fictions.”

The untitled horror-drama-thriller film, produced by Palari’s Muhammad Zaidy and Meiske Taurisia, will unite acclaimed actors Happy Salma and Putri Marino for the first time. Salma was nominated for best actress at the Asian Film Awards and best performance at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards for Kamila Andini’s “Before Now & Then” (2022). Palari is...

It’s been a remarkable couple of years for Indonesian filmmaker Kamila Andini who’s career took flight at TIFF when she showcased The Seen and Unseen (2017) and then won the Platform competition a couple of years later with Yuni (2021). She quickly followed that with Before, Now & Then (formerly known as “Nana”) which would premiere at the 2022 Berlinale competition section (winning the Silver Berlin Bear for Best Supporting Performance by Laura Basuki). A drama about domestication (or being placed in a physical confined space) that is intertwined with a turbulent historical backdrop (1960s Indonesia), this is about a time, a place, about how two women can come together despite what would normally be a conversation non-starter.…...

Indonesian filmmakers Kamila Andini and Ifa Isfansyah are making their Netflix debut with five-part series Cigarette Girl (Gadis Kretek), which streams worldwide from November 2.

Deadline sat down with the husband-and-wife filmmaking team, both award-winning arthouse directors in their own right, in Busan International Film Festival, where the first few episodes of the series world premiered as part of the festival’s Indonesia Special Program.

Based on Ratih Kumala’s novel ‘Gadis Kretek’, the story spans two time periods – in the 1960s, the daughter of a family business producing Indonesia’s world-famous clove cigarettes struggles to make her mark in a male-dominated industry, while in the early 2000s, a young man is searching for a mystery woman to fulfil his father’s dying wish.

Dian Sastrowardoyo and Ario Bayu, both big stars in Indonesia, play the love struck main characters in the 1960s, while Putri Marino and Arya Saloka play a...

Distribution in Indonesia was the subject of a lively debate at the Busan International Film Festival’s Asian Contents and Film Market.

With 277 million people, Indonesia has one of the largest populations in the world. However, geographically it is an archipelago and for its population, the country is under-screened with just 2,300 cinema screens. Despite this, box office is booming. The 2022 total surpassed pre-pandemic 2019 levels, with more than 54 million admissions. Indonesia also operates under a unique distribution model in that there are no independent distributors. Producers instead deal directly with the country’s three major multiplex chains and a smattering of small cinemas in second and third tier cities.

“The country’s span is from Dublin to Istanbul, but we have only 2,300 screens,” said producer Angga Dwimas Sasangko of Visinema, whose “Ali Topan” is screening at Busan. Sasangko was speaking at a panel on Indonesian distribution that also included producer Shanty...

Indonesia has selected Makbul Mubarak’s award-winning drama Autobiography as its submission in the Best International Feature category of the Oscars.

Selected from a pool of 100 films, Autobiography was handpicked by a nine-person committee, established by the Indonesian Film Companies Union.

Set in a rural Indonesian town, the film tells the story of a young man who works as a housekeeper in an empty mansion belonging to a retired general. When the general returns to the town to start his mayoral campaign, an act of vandalism triggers an escalating chain of violence. Kevin Ardilova and award-winning veteran actor Arswendy Bening Swara head the cast.

The film had its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival in 2022, where it won the Fipresci award, then went on to screen at more than 50 international festivals. It also won awards including the Grand Prize at Tokyo Filmex, Best Screenplay at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards,...

On the final weekend of a bustling 18-day event, the in-person edition of this year’s Melbourne Film Festival has drawn to a close with an awards ceremony that saw a whopping $300,000 Aud in prize money handed out across six categories. The biggest individual award of $140,000 Aud was presented to the winner of the fest’s international Bright Horizons competition: “Banel & Adama,” an arresting debut feature by Franco-Senegalese filmmaker Ramata-Toulaye Sy.

It’s a notable coup for a small-scale rural love story that turned heads — but won no prizes — when it premiered in Competition at the Cannes Film Festival in May, and is still seeking distribution in the U.S. and other major territories. Reviewing the film out of Cannes, Variety critic Jessica Kiang commended the “subtly seductive power” of a “striking debut [that] revolves with graceful poetry around the inner experiences of a curious, unknowable woman.”

Its win came...

Toronto — TIFF today unveiled the 10 World Premiere features that comprise the Platform programme for 2023, along with the 2023 Platform jury members: Academy Award–winning filmmaker Barry Jenkins, joined by Cannes Jury Prize–winning director, writer, and actor Nadine Labaki, and 2022 Platform Prize–winning filmmaker Anthony Shim.

Since its introduction in 2015, Platform has celebrated and showcased films with unique directorial perspectives. The 10 films in the 2023 programme are eligible for the Platform Prize, an award of $20,000 Cad given to the best film in the programme, selected by an in-person international jury.

“I am delighted to announce that we have an international dream jury with acclaimed filmmakers Barry Jenkins, Nadine Labaki, and Anthony Shim as jury members for the Platform programme at TIFF,” said Anita Lee, Chief Programming Officer, TIFF. “Together, they represent the bold and independent spirit of the Platform Prize.”

Platform is TIFF’s competitive programme that champions bold directorial visions. The...

Having already announced documentary as well as gala and special presentation lineups, TIFF now unveils 10 world premiering films selected for this year’s Platform program. The 2023 Platform jury is also revealed today, consisting of of Oscar-winning filmmaker Barry Jenkins, Cannes Jury Prize-winning director, writer, and actor Nadine Labaki and Anthony Shim, whose 2022 film Riceboy Sleeps won the Platform Prize last year. The Platform Prize—consisting of $20,000 Cad—is given to the best film as selected by the jury. Notable past recipients of the Platform Prize also include Hany Abu-Assad’s Huda’s Salon (2021), Kamila Andini’s Yuni (2021), Darius Marder’s Sound of Metal (2019), Alice Winocour’s Proxima (2019), […]

The post TIFF Reveals 2023 Platform Lineup and Jury first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.

Having already announced documentary as well as gala and special presentation lineups, TIFF now unveils 10 world premiering films selected for this year’s Platform program. The 2023 Platform jury is also revealed today, consisting of of Oscar-winning filmmaker Barry Jenkins, Cannes Jury Prize-winning director, writer, and actor Nadine Labaki and Anthony Shim, whose 2022 film Riceboy Sleeps won the Platform Prize last year. The Platform Prize—consisting of $20,000 Cad—is given to the best film as selected by the jury. Notable past recipients of the Platform Prize also include Hany Abu-Assad’s Huda’s Salon (2021), Kamila Andini’s Yuni (2021), Darius Marder’s Sound of Metal (2019), Alice Winocour’s Proxima (2019), […]

The post TIFF Reveals 2023 Platform Lineup and Jury first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.

The Toronto Film Festival on Wednesday revealed the 10 titles in its Platform program, a sidebar that will tee off with A24’s Kristoffer Borgli comedy Dream Scenario starring Nicolas Cage. This year’s Platform includes movies from 12 countries across three continents, all of which are making their world premiere at TIFF, which this year runs from September 7-17.

In addition, the fest today unveiled this year’s Platform jury, which includes Oscar-winning filmmaker Barry Jenkins as chair; Cannes Jury Prize–winning director, writer, and actor Nadine Labaki; and 2022 Platform Prize–winning filmmaker Anthony Shim.

The Platform program, going into its eighth year, is curated for its bold directorial visions. The movies in the 2023 program are eligible for the Platform Prize, an award of CA$20,000 selected by the in-person international jury.

Barry Jenkins

“I am delighted to announce that we have an international dream jury with acclaimed filmmakers Barry Jenkins, Nadine Labaki,...

The Toronto International Film Festival has today announced the 10 world premiere features that comprise its Platform program for the 2023 edition, along with the 2023 Platform jury members: Academy Award–winning filmmaker Barry Jenkins serves as jury chair; joined by Cannes Jury Prize–winning director, writer, and actor Nadine Labaki; and 2022 Platform Prize–winning filmmaker Anthony Shim. Both Jenkins and Shim have previously shown work in the section, and Shim was awarded program’s highest prize in 2022 for his “Riceboy Sleeps.”

Per TIFF, “Since its introduction in 2015, Platform has celebrated and showcased films with unique directorial perspectives.” The section is the fest’s “competitive program that champions bold directorial visions.” The films selected for this year’s lineup come from 12 countries across three continents, all of which will be making their world premiere at TIFF.

This year’s lineup includes new films from Kristoffer Borgli, whose razor-sharp “Sick of Myself” recently hit America,...

The international co-production support scheme aims to build on the growing success of features from the country.

Indonesia has launched the first film matching fund scheme of its kind to support international co-productions, building on the growing success of features from the country.

The one-to-one matching fund is supported by the Indonesian Cultural Endowment Fund, which has put aside $10m for the grant. To be eligible, the project must have an Indonesian producer or director attached.

“There is no cap for each selected project. It depends on the number of international grants they have previously received so long as the government budget is still available,...

by Pawel Mizgalewicz

“Orpa” is a kind of an adventure movie that can also remind the outsiders that the country of Indonesia is, coast to coast, bigger than the whole Europe – after all, the distance between Lisbon and Kiyv is about the same as between Jakarta and central Papua, where the action takes place. When Ryan, a Javanese musician from the capital, arrives in the relatively virgin forest of Papua, he uses the same language as the locals, but we can see him as almost as foreign in the place as a European would be. Orpa can be a great chance to discover the culture of the country's least-developed province, born out of a “Window of Papua” (Jendela Papua) program aimed at giving the voice to the island's natives. Usually, if Papua was present on film, it would be thanks to a Jakartian crew arriving in the East and telling...

The turn Indonesian indie cinema seems to be making the last few years, towards social issues that torment the local society, mostly through the lives of youths, is one of the most interesting things happening in the industry at the moment, with movies like “Yuni” and “Photocopier” being among the most prominent samples. Award winning script writer turned director Gina S. Noer's movie also follows in the footsteps of the aforementioned.

Like & Share is screening at Osaka Asian Film Festival

Best friends Lisa and Sarah are two 17-year-olds living in Jakarta, who are trying to forge a career in the world of Asmr, by eating food in a way that is both artful and sensual. The more they deal with the world of YouTube however, the more they find themselves sucked in, with Lisa in particular, developing an obsession with porn that is soon revealed to be something completely different.

Prolific Indonesian producer KawanKawan Media, which has Makbul Mubarak’s “Autobiography” in competition at the Venice Film Festival’s Horizons strand, has a raft of projects on its slate.

The company, led by Yulia Evina Bhara, scored a hat trick of wins at Locarno over the last few years with Yosep Anggi Noen’s “The Science of Fictions” (2019), Carlo Francisco Manatad’s “Whether the Weather Is Fine” (2021) and Ming Jin Woo’s “Stone Turtle” (2022), and won an award at Cph:dox for Fanny Chotimah’s documentary “You and I” in 2020.

Noen’s “Gaspar,” which is set in the Javanese city Semarang in 2032 and is an adaptation of Sabda Armandio’s novel “24 Hours of Gaspar,” has just wrapped production. It stars Reza Rahadian, Shenina Cinnamon, Laura Basuki, Sal Priadi, Kristo Immanuel and Dewi Irawan.

Gaspar (Rahadian) is a dilettante detective working on a mass slaughter case involving the government, in which he...

Streaming giant staged its first-ever Indonesian slate event.

Netflix has announced its most ambitious slate of upcoming Indonesian films and series from local directors including Timo Tjahjanto, Kamila Andini and Joko Anwar.

The line-up of three features and four series were unveiled at Netflix’s first-ever Indonesian slate event, held in Jakarta, with the local-language original set for release in 2022 and 2023.

First up is feature The Big 4, marking the first action comedy from Timo, who is one half of the Mo Brothers known for their action thrillers Killers and Headshot. In the upcoming film, set for release toward the end of this year,...

French filmmaker Alain Guiraudie to also sit on New Currents jury.

The 27th Busan International Film Festival (Biff) has announced the line-up for its two Asian competition juries with Unifrance president Serge Toubiana set to preside over the New Currents jury.

New Currents is Biff’s main competition section, which introduces first or second feature films of emerging directors that the festival sees as potential future leaders in Asian cinema.

Toubiana will be joined on the jury the French director Alain Guiraudie, whose Stranger By The Lake won the Queer Palm and directing prize when it played in Un Certain...

Indian Media World Shaken By Hostile Takeover Bid For Ndtv

Indian billionaire Guatam Adani looks set to acquire India’s premiere independent news broadcaster New Delhi Television (Ndtv) after his Adani Group exercised a right to buy a 29.18 stake under a loan agreement taken out by its founders more than a decade ago. The Adani Group has indicated that it plans to make an offer for a further 26 stake to give it a controlling 55 share in the company.

Ndtv was founded by the husband and wife team, economist Prannoy Roy and journalist Radhika Roy, in 1984. The company has put out a statement saying that Adani’s move to execute the right to buy clause had been undertaken without first consulting the co-founders, who hold a 32.26 stake.

Ndtv is regarded as one of the last homes of independent journalism in India and there are fears that a takeover by the Andani Group,...

Indonesia’s 2021 Oscar pick, “Yuni,” played as the Centerpiece Screening at the 45th Asian American Film Festival this year. Kamila Andini’s latest also reaped its own fair share of awards back during its competitive circuit run. With 5 wins and 20 nominations, Andini – and newcomer actress Arawinda Kirana – gathered acclaim from Toronto all the way back to their home country. It’s little wonder why: the film illustrates a compelling portrayal of a high school girl harshly greeted by the world of adulthood.

Here, Andini weaves together a coming-of-age story of a bright high school student, Yuni (played by Kirana). Like most girls her age, Yuni is relatively clueless about the realities of womanhood. She does know two things, however: she wants to pursue a university scholarship, and she loves the color purple. In order to execute the former, however, she must stay single – and brush up on her Indonesian Literature grade,...

“Before Now & Then,” a period drama film about Indonesian women battling the traumas of war and patriarchal society, has been picked up for North American distribution by Film Movement. The film is directed by Kamila Andini.

The film had its premiere earlier this year at the Berlin festival, where it was rewarded with a Silver Bear for Laura Basuki’s supporting performance. It also recently captured the jury prize at the Brussels International Film Festival.

Film Movement plans a theatrical release in the first quarter of 2023, followed by a wide release on home entertainment and digital platforms.

Rights sales are handled by Wild Bunch International and CAA Media Finance.

The film is set in the late 1960s, where Nana (played by Happy Salma) cannot escape her past. Poverty-stricken, having lost her family to the war in West Java, she marries again and begins a new life. Her new husband is wealthy,...

Toronto announced the 10 world premieres in its Platform program, a section comprised of first-time feature filmmakers and vets whose voices are emerging in the cinematic landscape.

“We launched Platform to shine a brighter light on some of the most original films and distinct voices at our Festival,” said Cameron Bailey, TIFF CEO. “Now in year seven, it’s become a true home for international auteurs on the rise.”

Named after Jia Zhang-ke’s groundbreaking second feature, Platform is curated by TIFF Chief Programming Officer Anita Lee; Director, Festival Programming Robyn Citizen; and Senior Manager, Festival Programming Ravi Srinivasan.

“Eclectic in vision, this year’s selection not only represents all World Premieres of exciting, on-the-rise voices from around the world, but it also reflects the very timely and unique perspectives of racialized filmmakers from diasporic communities broadening the canvas,” said Lee.

Of the ten Platform titles making their world premiere at TIFF,...

The Toronto International Film Festival today revealed the 10 feature films that will make up its Platform section. The festival, which runs September 8 through 18 this year, annually hosts the Platform vertical to shine a light on first-time and veteran filmmakers and their bold directorial visions from around the globe.

The program’s opening night selection is the directorial debut of actor Frances O’Connor, “Emily,” which centers on author Emily Brontë and the years leading up to the publication of her novel “Wuthering Heights.” Notably the selection also includes two Canadian films as well as the latest movie from Maïmouna Doucouré, the director of 2020’s controversial “Cuties.” All 10 films in the program are world premieres.

“We launched Platform to shine a brighter light on some of the most original films and distinct voices at our Festival,” said Cameron Bailey, the CEO of the Toronto International Film Festival. “Now in year seven, it...

Ten features selected for competitive strand championing bold visions.

Frances O’Connor’s feature directorial debut Emily will open 2022 Toronto International Film Festival’s (TIFF) Platform, the competitive section championing bold visions which also includes Hawa from French director Maïmouna Doucouré.

Emily charts the romantic life of Emily Brontë in the lead-up to her classic novel Wuthering Heights. Hawa, the follow-up to Doucouré’s 2020 Sundance and Berlin entry Cuties, centres on a teenage girl who sets off to get adopted by one of the most powerful women in the world.

The 10 Platform selections feature Subtraction from Iranian filmmaker Mani Haghighi, the...

The Red Sea International Film Festival in partnership with Vox Cinemas, Mbc Group, and Saudia Airlines announced the winners of the Red Sea competition sections. The 16 feature, 18 shorts selection and 21 ground-breaking global virtual reality experiences are a celebration of the most exciting, innovative new films and cinematic storytelling from established and emerging filmmakers from the Arab world and Africa.

This year’s jury included: President of the Red Sea Features Competition, Academy Award-winning Italian director and writer Giuseppe Tornatore, Tunisian actress Hend Sabry, Palestinian-American director, writer, actress, and producer Cherien Dabis, Mexican festival director and founder of the Morelia International Film Festival Daniela Michel and Saudi film director Abdulaziz Alshlahei.

Competition Jury Prize went to the Cannes Directors Fortnight premiering Hit the Road by Panah Panahi from Iran.

Competition Best Film went to Brighton 4th by Levan Koguashvili a coproduction of Georgia, Russia, Bulgaria, USA, Monaco. This is Georgia’s submission for Oscar Nomination for Best International Film and the winner of the Asian World Film Festival, Los Angeles for Best Picture. This film about the Georgian emigrants living in Brighton Beach, USA today captures the heart of the viewers with its open sharing of the Georgians today. Its director Levan Koguashvili graduated NYU Film school. The film is the winner of three prizes at Cottbus Film Festival and three awards at Tribeca as well.

Competition Best Actor and Best Director for Europa went to Amal Ali and Haider Rashid respectively, a coproduction of Iraq, Italy, and Kuwait:

Haider Rashid says, “Regarding the main role, Kamal, I was set on finding an actor who could understand the sense of displacement that we wanted to portray on an emotional level. My colleague Daniele Bernabei ran into a trailer for a short film while at the Short Film Corner in Cannes and sent it to me, as the cast was composed of several Arab actors. As soon as I saw Adam Ali I felt there was something interesting about him, a silent movie face in a way. That made me want to find out more, since we were going to make a film in which dialogue is at a minimum and most of the film is on the protagonist’s shoulders.

While he was in Canada shooting Apple+’s Little America, we had a very interesting conversation and found some common grounds on certain issues like the misrepresentation of certain ethnicities in film and TV and what it feels like to be sometimes torn between two cultures. Adam is of Libyan origins and moved with his family to Manchester when he was a child, so the issue of identity was also a common ground between us.

Of course this film is pretty different as it is so physical and it was clear that we were going to do many things that not every actor would be willing to do. While speaking to Adam, it seemed to me that there was a certain pride about him that would help me in pushing him in certain directions both physically and emotionally by sometimes provoking him. He was great in being determined to do what was necessary and I have to say he was really brave in how he faced the physical and emotional challenges that the story entailed.”

Competition Best Actress Award went to Arawinda Kirana for her role in Yuni a production of Indonesia, Singapore, France, Australia. She also won for best actress in the Asian World Film Festival, Los Angeles. This is a beautifully shot story of the feisy rebellion of a young woman in Indonesia today, a place we have not seen in its contemporary feminine aspects until now.

Best Saudi Film Rupture by Hamzah K. Jamjoom — Saudi Arabia

Audience Award You Resemble Me by Dina Amer — Egypt, France, USA

Immersive Silver Yusr Samsara by Hsin-Chien Huang — Taiwan

Immersive Gold Yusr End of Night by David Adler — Denmark, France

Short Competition Golden Yusr Tala’vision by Murad Abu Eisheh — Jordan, Germany

Competition Special Mention Farha by Darin J. Sallam — Jordan

Competition Best Cinematic Contribution went to Amin Jafari for Hit the Road — Iran

Competition Best Screenplay Neighbours by Mano Khalil — Syria, Switzerland...

Celebrating its 10th anniversary the Helsinki Cine Aasia festival will once again present a selection of the latest films from East and South-East Asia. Along with better known film countries like Korea and Japan, the program also includes films from countries like the Philippines and Cambodia. Many of the festival’s films have been seen at international festivals and have received awards. The opening film is Anatomy of Time (2021) from Thailand, and altogether the program includes 20 films from eight different countries.

Familiar filmmakers

Japanese film director Ogigami Naoko’s newest film Riverside Mukolitta comes to Helsinki Cine Aasia in May. Ogigami became well known to the Finnish audiences with her film Kamome shokudō (2006) which was shot in a restaurant at Punavuori, Helsinki where the story was also set. Ogigami has since become known for the unique characters in her stories. Her latest visit to Finland was in 2019 during the retrospective...

This year’s crop of filmmakers at the Cannes Film Festival does not represent a new benchmark in terms of gender diversity.

Since becoming the first international festival to sign a gender parity pledge in 2018, Cannes has failed to make substantial progress in ramping up the representation of female directors in competition, which remains dominated by male directors.

Cannes director Thierry Fremaux told Variety last week that he was aiming to “hopefully” have a “stronger presence of female directors” in 2022. But so far, it’s not looking like he’s achieved that goal.

At this point, there are only three films by female directors in competition out of 18 titles. The proportion is on par with last year when four of the 21 titles were from female filmmakers. That matched a previous high of four female moviemakers from the 2019 edition.

This year’s competition boasts a handful of well-established veteran directors such as Kelly Reichardt,...

During the pandemic, no major film festival was all shook up more than Cannes, forced to cancel the 2019 event and shifting dates to mid-summer for an overstocked comeback event the following year. Now, this all-important showcase for global art cinema looks to be finding its feet again, thanks to a diverse lineup that includes everything from Baz Luhrmann’s “Elvis” to the directorial debut of his granddaughter, Riley Keough, whose “Beast” (co-directed by Gina Gammell) is set on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.

Sounding optimistic at the press conference on the Champs-Élysées in Paris, artistic director Thierry Frémaux announced new films from George Miller (“Three Thousand Years of Longing”), David Cronenberg (“Crimes of the Future”), Kelly Reichardt (”Showing Up”) and James Gray (“Armageddon Time”) in the official selection.

Accompanied by outgoing festival president Pierre Lescure, Frémaux announced the opening film, Michel Hazanvicius’ “Final Cut,” which had originally been selected for Sundance,...

Charlotte Gainsbourg-starring “The Passengers of the Night” and Ralph Fiennes- and Jessica Chastain-starring “The Forgiven” are among the first batch of movies revealed by the Sydney Film Festival. The festival is planning an in-person event running 8-19 June, 2022.

Australian-produced titles include dance film “Keep Stepping”; “Sissy,” which mixes social media and horror; music title “Six Festivals”; and intimate portrait “The Plains,” which had its premiere in Rotterdam earlier this year.

The 22-film advanced lineup also leans heavily on other festival favorites. “Gentle” which premiered in Sundance; “Hinterland,” which won the audience award in Locarno last year; Peter Strickland’s “Flux Gourmet,” from the Berlinale; Kamila Andini’s “Yuni” winner of Toronto’s Platform award; “Private Desert,” audience award winner at Venice; documentary “Calendar Girls” from the recent Sundance and Cph:dox festivals; “Please Baby Please,” which opened the Rotterdam festival; “The Territory,” the documentary award-winner at Sundance; “Blue Moon,...

IFFKTo enjoy them, one may need to shelve the logic of grownups and embrace the blind faith children have in magic and fantasy and the words spoken by their friends.CrisStill from 'Dostojee'From the kitchen of an old house rises the sweet sound of laughter of two little girls, attempting to make an omelette and royally messing it up. Elsewhere, half a dozen children huddle secretly behind trees to watch a strange man, who seems magical to them. In another scenario, two boys living on either side of a thatched fence find themselves inseparable. Many such enviable moments of childhood lie scattered across films chosen for the International Film Festival of Kerala (Iffk) this year. To enjoy them, one may need to shelve the logic of grownups and embrace the blind faith children have in magic and fantasy and the words spoken by their friends. In Petite Maman, one little...

Drama follows the personal life of a woman navigating Indonesia’s turbulent post-independence years.

Screen can reveal the first trailer for Indonesian director Kamila Andini’s female-focused drama Before, Now & Then ahead of its premiere in competition at the Berlinale.

Set against Indonesia’s turbulent post-independence years in the 1960s, the story revolves around the domestic life of a woman whose personal life has been completely overturned by the political turmoil.

Happy Salma stars as a woman who loses her first husband, child and home in the conflict but finds a refuge of sorts in a second marriage to a...

Though the Covid-19 pandemic crushed in-person plans, officials went ahead with announcing honors for films that were set to screen at this month’s Palm Springs International Film Festival. That decision has led to good news for Asghar Farhadi’s A Hero.

The film, starring Amir Jadidi in the story of a man who tries to convince a creditor to withdraw his complaint, picked up three awards from the festival by winning the Mozaik Bridging the Borders Award and earning a best actor prize for Jadidi and best screenplay prize for Farhadi. The latter two honors came in Fipresci international categories. A special jury of international film critics reviewed 36 of the 93 official submissions for the Academy Awards international feature film category and picked winners for best international feature film, best actor, best actress and best screenplay.

Tatiana Huezo’s Prayers for the Stolen was named best international film. The Mexican...

Giuseppe Tornatore was jury president for the inaugural competition featuring 16 features.

Georgian director Levan Koguashvili’s Brighton 4th has won best film at the inaugural edition of Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea International Film Festival, unfolding in Jeddah from December 6-15.

It follows a raft of prizes for the New York-set father-son drama that world premiered at Tribeca where it won best international feature, actor and screenplay.

There were 16 features from the Middle East and Africa in the inaugural competition.

Italian director Giuseppe Tornatore presided over the main competition jury with Tunisian actress Hend Sabry, Palestinian-American director Cherien Dabis, Morelia...

Levan Koguashvili’s “Brighton 4th” has won best film at Saudi Arabia’s inaugural Red Sea Film Festival, while Hamzah K. Jamjoom’s “Rupture” won best Saudi film.

“Brighton 4th” is Georgia’s entry in the Academy Awards’ international feature category.

Haider Rashid won best director for “Europa” and Adam Ali won best actor for his role in the film. Arawinda Kirana won best actress for her performance in Kamila Andini’s “Yuni,” which is Indonesia’s entry in the Oscars’ international category.

This year’s jury included: president of the Red Sea features competition, Academy Award-winning Italian director and writer Giuseppe Tornatore; Tunisian actor Hend Sabry; Palestinian-American director, writer, actor, and producer Cherien Dabis; Mexican festival director and founder of the Morelia International Film Festival Daniela Michel; and Saudi film director Abdulaziz Alshlahei. The Red Sea shorts competition jury was headed by Egyptian director Marwan Hamed and joined by...

Hamaguchi Ryusuke’s “Drive My Car,” Japan’s entry to the Academy Awards’ international category, looks to be the odds on favorite from Asia to win the category.

The drama with a theater world backdrop follows the trajectory of South Korean four-statuette winner “Parasite” in that it began its winning ways at Cannes and is festooned with awards en route to the Oscars. “Parasite” won the Palme d’Or, which “Drive My Car” did not, with that honor this year going to Julia Ducournau’s “Titane,” which became France’s entry to the category. It also recently won at the New York Film Critics Circle.

Nevertheless, “Drive My Car” won three awards at Cannes and has the added advantage of U.S. distribution, where it is currently on theatrical release.

The 2008 win for Takita Yojiro’s “Departures” remains Japan’s only win since the category was made competitive in 1956.

While...

The Bangkok Asean Film Festival kicked off on Wednesday evening with the screening of “One Second” Zhang Yimou’s homage to cinema and veiled critique of China’s Cultural Revolution.

The festival runs Dec 8-13 and is one of the first major cultural showcases to take place in person after Thailand has opened its borders to welcome visitors. Fully-vaccinated international visitors to Thailand no longer needs to go through quarantine, though they are required to have a Pcr test upon arrival.

Coincidentally, it is taking place in the week that film trade show and convention CineAsia was to have taken place in the city. CineAsia was canceled due to the uncertainty of Thailand’s Covid response and anticipated travel difficulties.

The non-competitive feature film part of the program includes: the Locarno-winning “Vengeance Is Mine, All Others Pay Cash” by Indonesian director Edwin; Cambodian Kavich Neang’s Venice entry “White Building...

Acclaimed Germany based Indonesian filmmaker Monica Vanesa Tedja is preparing for her feature directorial project “Dear Family,” selected at the Southeast Asia Film Lab, which is part of the Singapore Media Festival.

Tedja got hooked on the medium watching her father film family vacations with his handycam when she was seven. She studied filmmaking for her bachelors degree in Indonesia and made several shorts among which “How to Make a Perfect Xmas Eve” (2012) was a Blencong Award nominee at the Jogja-netpac Asian Film Festival. She went on to do a masters in film directing in Germany and her 2021 thesis short film “Dear to Me,” won the German young talent award First Steps, for graduation films from Germany, Austria and Switzerland and also scored a special mention at Locarno.

“Dear Family,” an observation of Asian family dynamics, will follow Tim, whose devout Christian parents find out about his same-sex attraction and...

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 award is presented annually by the Academy to a feature-length motion picture produced outside the United States that contains primarily non-English dialogue and that was released theatrically in their respective countries between 1 January 2021 and 31 December 2021. The shortlist of fifteen finalists is scheduled to be announced on 21 December 2021. The final five nominees are scheduled to be announced on 8 February 2022.

Here are the Asian Submissions for Best International Feature Film. There are some excellent movies in this bunch and we have seen and reviewed already some of them.

Armenia

“Should the Wind Drop” by Nora Martirosyan

Azerbaijan

“The Island Within” by Ru Hasanov

Bangladesh

“Rehana” by Abdullah Mohammad Saad

Bhutan

“Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom...

The Singapore International Film Festival is to be held as an in-person event this year, after operating as an online-offline hybrid in 2020. It will open with Indonesian filmmaker Edwin’s “Vengeance is Mine, All Others Pay Cash” and run Nov. 25- Dec. 5, 2021.

With a new program director, Thong Kay Wee the festival will be aligned as five new thematic strands: Foreground, Milestone, Standpoint, Undercurrent and Domain. It will also maintain its Singapore Panorama section dedicated to local works and its familiar Asian feature competition and Southeast Asian short film competition.

The competition includes: Palestinian director Mohamed Diab’s “Amira”; Thai director Jakrawal Nilthamrong’s “Anatomy of Time”; Aizhan Kassymbek’s “Fire”; Panah Panahi’s ”Hit The Road”; Chinese director Qiu Jiongjiong’s “A New Old Play”; Indian Oscar-contender “Pebbles,” by P.S. Vinothraj; Bangladesh’s Oscar contender “Rehana” by Abdullah Mohammad Saad; “Whether the Weather is Fine,” by Filipino director Carlo Francisco Manatad...

Nominations in the 14th Asia Pacific Screen Awards (Apsa) were revealed today with nods for 38 films from 25 Asia Pacific countries and regions. Winners will be announced on Thursday, November 11, at the 14th Apsa Ceremony on the Australia Gold Coast. Nominations include Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Drive My Car, which won the best screenplay award at Cannes, Asghar Farhadi’s Cannes Grand Prix winning, film A Hero, and the TIFF Platform award winning film Yuni directed by Kamila Andini.

Apsa celebrates cinema from over 70 countries, with an enhanced focus on content that reflects the region’s diversity.

Below is the full list of nominees.

Best Feature Film

A Hero (Ghahreman)

Directed by Asghar Farhadi

A Night of Knowing Nothing

Directed by Payal Kapadia

Drive My Car

Directed by Ryusuke Hamaguchi

The Pencil (Prostoy karandash)

Directed by Natalya Nazarova

There is No Evil (Sheytan vojud nadarad)

Directed by Mohammad Rasoulof

Best Youth Feature...

Get in touch to send in cinephile news and discoveries. For daily updates follow us @NotebookMUBI.NEWSAbove: Kenneth Branagh's Belfast.The Toronto International Film Festival has come to a close, with Kenneth Branagh’s semi-autobiographical drama Belfast claiming the TIFF People’s Choice Award and Kamila Andini's coming-of-age film Yuni taking home the Platform Prize. Hot off of last year's Tenet, Christopher Nolan has made a deal with Universal to back his next film, which is centered on the theoretical physicist and one of the "fathers of the atomic bomb," J. Robert Oppenheimer. The deal marks the end of Nolan's lengthy working relationship with Warner Bros. and gives the auteur "total creative control, at least a 100-day theatrical window, around a $100 million budget, equal marketing spend, 20 percent of first-dollar gross, and a blackout period where the studio would not release another movie for three weeks before and after the feature.

Kenneth Branagh’s “Belfast” won the People’s Choice Award at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival.

The Platform Jury prize went to “Yuni,” directed by Kamila Andini, while the People’s Choice Documentary Award winner went to “The Rescue,” directed by E. Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin. The People’s Choice Midnight Madness Award went to “Titane,” directed by Julia Ducournau.

“Our first showing of ‘Belfast’ at TIFF was one of the most memorable experiences of my entire career,” Branagh said in his acceptance speech. “That so many Canadian film lovers connected with ‘Belfast’ so profoundly was absolutely overwhelming to myself and Jamie Dornan, and we talked about it long into a memorable night of laughter and tears in your great city. Thanks to Focus Features and Universal for making it happen, they’ve been incredible partners. Thank you to Cameron Bailey, an Irish name if ever there was one,...

Kenneth Branagh’s black-and-white drama “Belfast” has won the People’s Choice Award at the 2021 Toronto International Film Festival, TIFF announced on Saturday.

The gentle drama, which is based on Branagh’s childhood growing up in Northern Ireland, won over Shasha Nakhai and Rich Williamson’s “Scarborough,” a story of three low-income children that finished second, and Jane Campion’s revisionist Western “The Power of the Dog,” which finished third.

In its review of the film from TIFF, TheWrap wrote, “Visually stunning, emotionally wrenching and gloriously human, ‘Belfast’ takes one short period from Branagh’s life and finds in it a coming-of-age story, a portrait of a city fracturing in an instant and a profoundly moving lament for what’s been lost during decades of strife in his homeland of Northern Ireland.”

Other films in competition for the award included “Dear Evan Hansen,” “The Eyes of Tammy Faye” and “The Guilty.

Kenneth Branagh’s “Belfast” won the People’s Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival on Saturday night. The prize is often considered a bellwether for the Academy Awards, as the winner for the past nine years has gone on to receive a Best Picture Oscar nomination. This includes last year’s winner “Nomadland,” which went on to win Best Picture. See the full list of the 2021 TIFF winners below.

The People’s Choice Award winner based on votes, as revealed during the ceremony, was between “The Power of the Dog,” “Belfast,” and “Scarborough.”

Alongside the announcement of the People’s Choice Award, prizes were doled out to “The Eyes of Tammy Faye” star Jessica Chastain (TIFF Tribute Actor Award supported by the Tory Family), “The Power of the Dog” star Benedict Cumberbatch (TIFF Tribute Actor Award), “Dune” director Denis Villeneuve (TIFF Ebert Director Award), filmmaker Alanis Obomsawin (Jeff...

Documentary Exposure from The Babushkas Of Chernobyl director Morris gets its world premiere.

The 57th Chicago International Film Festival has unveiled its international competitions line-up, a roster that includes Venice Silver Lion winner The Power Of The Dog, Tatiana Huezo’s Prayers For The Stolen, and the world premiere of Holly Morris’s documentary Exposure.

The programme includes the international premiere of Franziska Stünkel’s The Last Execution. The festival runs October 13-24 and is the longest running competitive festival in North America.

The International Feature Competition line-up comprises: Péter Kerekes’s 107 Mothers (Slo-Czech-Ukr); Mohammed Diab’s Amira (Egy-Jor-uae-Saud...

Firm messages about female liberty and self-determination are delivered with a gentle touch in “Yuni,” a compassionate and engaging coming-of-age tale about a 16-year-old schoolgirl who doesn’t know exactly what she wants to do with her life but does know that she’s not ready to follow tradition and become a teenage bride. The third feature directed solo by Kamila Andini (“The Seen and Unseen”) tackles topics that need to be discussed and further enhances her standing as a vital and intelligent voice in contemporary Indonesian cinema. “Yuni” is sure to travel widely at festivals and has what it takes to become a domestic commercial success that entertains audiences and gets them talking about the pertinent issues it raises.

. The screenplay by Andini and Prima Rusdi doesn’t shy away from anything, but at the same time it never has to stand on a soapbox to get its progressive and persuasive messages across.