Exclusive: L.A. and Cairo-based production company Ambient Light Films is upping its support for Middle East and North African indie cinema.
The company has unveiled details of six grants that it awarded to Mena filmmakers in the context of the CineGouna Bridge project market at the El Gouna Film Festival in December.
They included cast grants for Tunisian filmmaker Hinde Boujemaa’s Yammi, about a son who lashes out at the women closest to him following his mother’s death, and Lebanese director Dahlia Nemlich’s Assa, a Fish in a Bowl, about a couple who hire an Ethiopian maid to care for their child with unexpected consequences.
Service grants went to to Lebanese director George Peter Barbari’s So the Lover Could Come Out Again about the relationship between snipers against the backdrop of the Lebanese civil war, and Tunisian road movie Tunis-Djerba by Amel Guellaty.
Further in-kind...
The company has unveiled details of six grants that it awarded to Mena filmmakers in the context of the CineGouna Bridge project market at the El Gouna Film Festival in December.
They included cast grants for Tunisian filmmaker Hinde Boujemaa’s Yammi, about a son who lashes out at the women closest to him following his mother’s death, and Lebanese director Dahlia Nemlich’s Assa, a Fish in a Bowl, about a couple who hire an Ethiopian maid to care for their child with unexpected consequences.
Service grants went to to Lebanese director George Peter Barbari’s So the Lover Could Come Out Again about the relationship between snipers against the backdrop of the Lebanese civil war, and Tunisian road movie Tunis-Djerba by Amel Guellaty.
Further in-kind...
- 1/24/2024
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Co-Production Market will support 34 feature film projects from around the world.
The 2024 Berlinale has selected 34 feature film projects for its Co-Production Market, including Sally Potter’s Alma.
The festival has also chosen 202 Berlinale Talents, and 14 titles for its Forum Special strand.
Scroll down for the full list of Co-Production Market projects
The 34 feature projects in the Co-Production Market hail from 27 countries, and were selected from 318 submissions – a slight increase on 2023.
Potter’s Alma follows a family battling survivor guilt and sibling rivalries while on an expedition to scatter the ashes of an archaeologist. It will be produced by Christopher Sheppard...
The 2024 Berlinale has selected 34 feature film projects for its Co-Production Market, including Sally Potter’s Alma.
The festival has also chosen 202 Berlinale Talents, and 14 titles for its Forum Special strand.
Scroll down for the full list of Co-Production Market projects
The 34 feature projects in the Co-Production Market hail from 27 countries, and were selected from 318 submissions – a slight increase on 2023.
Potter’s Alma follows a family battling survivor guilt and sibling rivalries while on an expedition to scatter the ashes of an archaeologist. It will be produced by Christopher Sheppard...
- 1/9/2024
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
The Berlin Film Festival has unveiled the 34 projects, hailing from 27 countries and selected from 318 submissions, that will be showcased at its Berlinale Co-Production Market, running from February 17 to 21. (scroll down for full list)
The 18 projects in the official selection include upcoming works from Ukrainian directors Kateryna Gornostai (Stop-Zemila) and Antonio Lukich as well as Italian filmmaker Andrea Pallaoro (Monica), Turkey’s Burak Çevik (Hesitation Wound), Serb director and actor Mirjana Karanović (A Good Wife) and Chinese-Japanese directing duo Huang Ji and Ryuji Otsuka (Stonewalling).
The Official Selection projects are already partly financed and have budgets between 600,000 and five million euros.
The Berlinale Directors section showcasing new projects from festival habitués in the early funding stages includes Sally Potter’s upcoming production Alma about a family on an expedition to scatter the ashes of an archaeologist.
Two projects by Andreas Fontana and Fradique have also been selected as part of the Rotterdam-Berlinale Express initiative,...
The 18 projects in the official selection include upcoming works from Ukrainian directors Kateryna Gornostai (Stop-Zemila) and Antonio Lukich as well as Italian filmmaker Andrea Pallaoro (Monica), Turkey’s Burak Çevik (Hesitation Wound), Serb director and actor Mirjana Karanović (A Good Wife) and Chinese-Japanese directing duo Huang Ji and Ryuji Otsuka (Stonewalling).
The Official Selection projects are already partly financed and have budgets between 600,000 and five million euros.
The Berlinale Directors section showcasing new projects from festival habitués in the early funding stages includes Sally Potter’s upcoming production Alma about a family on an expedition to scatter the ashes of an archaeologist.
Two projects by Andreas Fontana and Fradique have also been selected as part of the Rotterdam-Berlinale Express initiative,...
- 1/9/2024
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Top prizes were handed out by the CineGouna Platform (Cgp) at the El Gouna Film Festival this week to projects in various stages of inception or completion. Winning a $15,000 prize for a project in development, “Theft of Fire” is Palestinian filmmaker Amer Shomali’s hybrid documentary, retelling the true story of an art heist “that never happened” to steal back antiquities pilfered from Palestinian lands by former Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Dayan.
Produced by Rashid Abdelhamid, the film is in the early stages of development but has already secured Canadian co-production.
“She Was Not Alone” won the equivalent Cgp Award for a film in postproduction. Produced by Huda Al Kadhimi and Huma Gupta and directed by Iraq’s Hussein Al-Asadi, the documentary gives a character portrait of Fatima, a nomad who tends for her buffalos in the poisoned marshes of Iraq as her island and way of life are threatened...
Produced by Rashid Abdelhamid, the film is in the early stages of development but has already secured Canadian co-production.
“She Was Not Alone” won the equivalent Cgp Award for a film in postproduction. Produced by Huda Al Kadhimi and Huma Gupta and directed by Iraq’s Hussein Al-Asadi, the documentary gives a character portrait of Fatima, a nomad who tends for her buffalos in the poisoned marshes of Iraq as her island and way of life are threatened...
- 12/21/2023
- by John Bleasdale
- Variety Film + TV
Maria Hatzakou and Alexandra Matheou’s “Stringa,” a female-led folk-horror set in remote rural Greece, won the top prize at Thessaloniki Film Festival’s Crossroads Co-Production Forum, which wrapped with an award ceremony Wednesday.
The Greek project took home the Two Thirty-Five Co-Production Award, giving full post-production image and sound support to a film that’s in development. This will be a debut feature for Matheou and Hatzakou, who also produces the film under her label Merricat. She was the one to receive the prize from the jury, which called the project “very solid and persuasive” in the ways in which it “addresses freedom of choice in a patriarchal society.”
The directors, who also co-wrote the script, describe it as “a film about the female experience,” a subversive horror that “touches on post-generational trauma and the sly ways by which the patriarchy still manages to impose itself on our lives and choices.
The Greek project took home the Two Thirty-Five Co-Production Award, giving full post-production image and sound support to a film that’s in development. This will be a debut feature for Matheou and Hatzakou, who also produces the film under her label Merricat. She was the one to receive the prize from the jury, which called the project “very solid and persuasive” in the ways in which it “addresses freedom of choice in a patriarchal society.”
The directors, who also co-wrote the script, describe it as “a film about the female experience,” a subversive horror that “touches on post-generational trauma and the sly ways by which the patriarchy still manages to impose itself on our lives and choices.
- 11/9/2023
- by Savina Petkova
- Variety Film + TV
The forbidden love between two soldiers in a society riven by war is at the heart of “So the Lovers Could Come Out Again,” the sophomore feature from Lebanese filmmaker George Peter Barbari, whose debut, “Death of a Virgin, and the Sin of Not Living,” premiered in the Berlin Film Festival’s Panorama strand. Barbari will be presenting the project at the Crossroads Co-Production Forum, which takes place Nov. 5 – 9 at the Thessaloniki International Film Festival.
“So the Lovers Could Come Out Again” is the story of two young soldiers holed up in a building controlled by Christian militias during the Lebanese civil war. As the fighting intensifies, the two men begin to find safety in each other, sharing their hopes and fears and recognizing that both are running from the past, as well as the war that rages inside them. Each offers the other their perspective on life, love,...
“So the Lovers Could Come Out Again” is the story of two young soldiers holed up in a building controlled by Christian militias during the Lebanese civil war. As the fighting intensifies, the two men begin to find safety in each other, sharing their hopes and fears and recognizing that both are running from the past, as well as the war that rages inside them. Each offers the other their perspective on life, love,...
- 11/5/2023
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
The festival runs November 11-19
The Marrakech International Film Festival (November 11-19) has mapped out its 2022 Atlas Workshops programme with 23 projects and films selected for its 5th edition.
The Moroccan festival’s industry platform will feature 16 projects in development and six films in post-production from 11 countries. The project incubator and industry platform was launched in 2018 and was held online in 2020 and 2021. This will be its return to an in-person event set for Nov 14-17. The program aims to support the next generation of Moroccan, Arab and African filmmakers by giving their projects exposure on the international stage during the global,...
The Marrakech International Film Festival (November 11-19) has mapped out its 2022 Atlas Workshops programme with 23 projects and films selected for its 5th edition.
The Moroccan festival’s industry platform will feature 16 projects in development and six films in post-production from 11 countries. The project incubator and industry platform was launched in 2018 and was held online in 2020 and 2021. This will be its return to an in-person event set for Nov 14-17. The program aims to support the next generation of Moroccan, Arab and African filmmakers by giving their projects exposure on the international stage during the global,...
- 10/19/2022
- by Rebecca Leffler
- ScreenDaily
Dubai-based independent film distributor and producer Front Row Filmed Entertainment has acquired global rights – excluding theatrical, which is limited to the Mena region – for Lebanese drama “Death of a Virgin and the Sin of Not Living” that launched last year from Berlin’s Panorama section.
Produced by Beirut-based Bee On Set Productions, “Death of a Virgin” marks director George Peter Barbari’s feature debut. It stars newcomers Etienne Assal, Adnan Khabbaz, Jean-Paul Franjieh and Elie Dankoura Saad. Set in Batroun, one of Lebanon’s most famous coastal cities, pic follows a group of troubled teens who are taking their friend Etienne (Assal) to a sex worker in an attempt to make him lose his virginity.
Variety in its review called the film “an impressive debut” that “burrows inside until you find yourself flooded by the fragility of life, with all its beauty and sorrow.”
Since launching from Berlin, “Death of...
Produced by Beirut-based Bee On Set Productions, “Death of a Virgin” marks director George Peter Barbari’s feature debut. It stars newcomers Etienne Assal, Adnan Khabbaz, Jean-Paul Franjieh and Elie Dankoura Saad. Set in Batroun, one of Lebanon’s most famous coastal cities, pic follows a group of troubled teens who are taking their friend Etienne (Assal) to a sex worker in an attempt to make him lose his virginity.
Variety in its review called the film “an impressive debut” that “burrows inside until you find yourself flooded by the fragility of life, with all its beauty and sorrow.”
Since launching from Berlin, “Death of...
- 2/16/2022
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
George Peter Barbari, born on the 28th of January, 1992 is an Argentinian-Lebanese filmmaker. He was born in Orange County, California and grew up in Batroun, Lebanon.
On the occasion of his feature debut, “Death of a Virgin, and the Sin of Not Living”, screening at Thessaloniki International Film Festival, we talk with him about the four protagonists, shooting a film about having sex with a prostitute, the thoughts of the people appearing in the movie, death, Lebanese cinema, and many other topics.
Let’s start with a fun question. If you were to pick one of the friends to get a drink with, who would it be?
(laughter) In real life or as characters in the film?
(laughter) Let’s say both.
From the characters in the film, I would choose Etienne, because I would be able to have a conversation with him, a long one which might get interesting.
On the occasion of his feature debut, “Death of a Virgin, and the Sin of Not Living”, screening at Thessaloniki International Film Festival, we talk with him about the four protagonists, shooting a film about having sex with a prostitute, the thoughts of the people appearing in the movie, death, Lebanese cinema, and many other topics.
Let’s start with a fun question. If you were to pick one of the friends to get a drink with, who would it be?
(laughter) In real life or as characters in the film?
(laughter) Let’s say both.
From the characters in the film, I would choose Etienne, because I would be able to have a conversation with him, a long one which might get interesting.
- 11/15/2021
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Despite the current overabundance of offered films, through distribution, festivals and Ott, finding titles that actually manage to do something different while being artful is still a rather difficult pursuit. Argentinian-Lebanese first-time filmmaker George Peter Barbari, however, seems to have accomplished exactly that.
“Death of a Virgin, and the Sin of Not Living” is screening at the 62nd Thessaloniki International Film Festival
Introvert Etienne and his best friend, Adnan, are on their way to visit a prostitute for the first time, along with two other friends, Jean-Paul and Dankoura. Adnan has brokered a deal for the other three to ‘indulge”, since he was taken there by his uncle a week ago. The tension and eagerness of the four is palpable from the beginning, and the constant fights between Jean Paul and Adnan make things worse. Furthermore, their trip ends up taking much longer than they expected.
Barbari shoots a road...
“Death of a Virgin, and the Sin of Not Living” is screening at the 62nd Thessaloniki International Film Festival
Introvert Etienne and his best friend, Adnan, are on their way to visit a prostitute for the first time, along with two other friends, Jean-Paul and Dankoura. Adnan has brokered a deal for the other three to ‘indulge”, since he was taken there by his uncle a week ago. The tension and eagerness of the four is palpable from the beginning, and the constant fights between Jean Paul and Adnan make things worse. Furthermore, their trip ends up taking much longer than they expected.
Barbari shoots a road...
- 11/9/2021
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
The 62nd Thessaloniki International Film Festival will return to the movie theaters starting from November 4 to 14, 2021. This year’s celebration of independent cinema will take place in physical spaces as well as online (https://online.filmfestival.gr/).
Among the 197 films to be screened at the Festival (with 144 of these available online), a number of Asian films will feature in the following categories:
International Competition
Moneyboys, C. B. Yi, Austria-France-Taiwan-Belgium, 2021, 120’ (in theatre and online)
Fei works illegally as a hustler in order to support his family, yet when he realizes they are only willing to accept his money but not his way of life, their relationship breaks down. Together with the headstrong Long, Fei seems to find a new lease on life, but then he encounters Xiaolai, the love of his youth, who confronts him with the guilt of his repressed past.
White Building, Kavich Neang, Cambodia-France-China-Qatar, 2020, 90’ (in theatre and online...
Among the 197 films to be screened at the Festival (with 144 of these available online), a number of Asian films will feature in the following categories:
International Competition
Moneyboys, C. B. Yi, Austria-France-Taiwan-Belgium, 2021, 120’ (in theatre and online)
Fei works illegally as a hustler in order to support his family, yet when he realizes they are only willing to accept his money but not his way of life, their relationship breaks down. Together with the headstrong Long, Fei seems to find a new lease on life, but then he encounters Xiaolai, the love of his youth, who confronts him with the guilt of his repressed past.
White Building, Kavich Neang, Cambodia-France-China-Qatar, 2020, 90’ (in theatre and online...
- 10/26/2021
- by Suzie Cho
- AsianMoviePulse
In its fourth “Hashtag” section, #letSEXplore, Zurich Film Festival will explore sexuality and desire. Through films that have already generated heated discussions as well as those that deserve to be rediscovered, starting with Alex Liu’s documentary “A Sexplanation” (pictured), set to celebrate its European premiere at the festival.
Other titles include George Peter Barbari’s “Death of a Virgin, and the Sin of Not Living,” Jacques Audiard’s Cannes title “Paris, 13th District,” Maria Finitzo’s documentary “Dilemma of Desire” and Hadas Ben Aroya’s “All Eyes Off Me.”
“When it comes to sex, people are very interested, but they are also a bit wary,” says programmer Christine Albrecht. “There is this duality, because almost everyone has done it but people have a hard time being open about it. It’s 2021! Maybe we can finally talk about sex.”
Instead of focusing on explicit scenes, the festival team decided to spotlight films that normalize sexuality.
Other titles include George Peter Barbari’s “Death of a Virgin, and the Sin of Not Living,” Jacques Audiard’s Cannes title “Paris, 13th District,” Maria Finitzo’s documentary “Dilemma of Desire” and Hadas Ben Aroya’s “All Eyes Off Me.”
“When it comes to sex, people are very interested, but they are also a bit wary,” says programmer Christine Albrecht. “There is this duality, because almost everyone has done it but people have a hard time being open about it. It’s 2021! Maybe we can finally talk about sex.”
Instead of focusing on explicit scenes, the festival team decided to spotlight films that normalize sexuality.
- 9/22/2021
- by Marta Balaga
- Variety Film + TV
With a two-part structure featuring an online press and industry component that’s just concluded, followed by physical screenings this summer, the Berlin International Film Festival is unveiling a selection of the year’s finest films. Along with our extensive coverage of the festival (with a few reviews still to come), we’ve asked our Berlinale contributors to share their personal favorites. Check out their lists below, with links to coverage where available.
Ed Frankl
Memory Box
1. Petite Maman (Céline Sciamma)
2. Memory Box (Joana Hadjithomas & Khalil Joreige)
3. Brother’s Keeper (Ferit Karahan)
4. Ballad of a White Cow (Behtash Sanaeeha & Maryam Moghaddam)
5. Ninjababy (Yngvild Sve Flikke)
Honorable Mentions: The Fam, Language Lessons, Natural Light, Taste, and Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy.
Leonardo Goi
Taste
1. Taste (Lê Bảo)
2. Petite Maman (Céline Sciamma)
3. The Scary of Sixty-First (Dasha Nekrasova)
4. Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy (Ryûsuke Hamaguchi)
5. Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn (Radu Jude...
Ed Frankl
Memory Box
1. Petite Maman (Céline Sciamma)
2. Memory Box (Joana Hadjithomas & Khalil Joreige)
3. Brother’s Keeper (Ferit Karahan)
4. Ballad of a White Cow (Behtash Sanaeeha & Maryam Moghaddam)
5. Ninjababy (Yngvild Sve Flikke)
Honorable Mentions: The Fam, Language Lessons, Natural Light, Taste, and Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy.
Leonardo Goi
Taste
1. Taste (Lê Bảo)
2. Petite Maman (Céline Sciamma)
3. The Scary of Sixty-First (Dasha Nekrasova)
4. Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy (Ryûsuke Hamaguchi)
5. Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn (Radu Jude...
- 3/10/2021
- by The Film Stage
- The Film Stage
There may be films that resemble in certain details “Death of a Virgin, and the Sin of Not Living,” though nothing readily comes to mind, and even were there something to compare it to, it wouldn’t lessen the way it burrows inside until you find yourself flooded by the fragility of life, with all its beauty and sorrow. That novice director George Peter Barbari was even able to get this made given financing difficulties is nearly miraculous, and while debuting during a pandemic isn’t ideal, somehow the heightened awareness of how easy it is to be pushed off course makes the film’s poetics even more effective. “Death” is, of course, about everything that leads up to our demise, and the hurried paths that take us there, told through a basic story of four teenage boys in northern Lebanon losing their virginity to a prostitute.
Barbari takes that...
Barbari takes that...
- 3/6/2021
- by Jay Weissberg
- Variety Film + TV
New features from ‘Thunder Road’ director Jim Cummings and Denis Cote among line-up.
The Berlin International Film Festival has unveiled the features that will comprise its Encounters and Panorama strands, which will first be seen at the industry-focused, online-only event from March 1-5.
Panorama will include 19 titles, of which 16 are world premieres, while Encounters includes 12 features, all world premieres.
Like other strands that have been slimmed down for this year’s first virtual edition, Panorama is nearly half of the 36 titles that were selected last year. However, the Encounters competition, now in its second year, is just three titles fewer...
The Berlin International Film Festival has unveiled the features that will comprise its Encounters and Panorama strands, which will first be seen at the industry-focused, online-only event from March 1-5.
Panorama will include 19 titles, of which 16 are world premieres, while Encounters includes 12 features, all world premieres.
Like other strands that have been slimmed down for this year’s first virtual edition, Panorama is nearly half of the 36 titles that were selected last year. However, the Encounters competition, now in its second year, is just three titles fewer...
- 2/10/2021
- by Michael Rosser
- ScreenDaily
The Berlin Film Festival has revealed 12 titles from 16 countries that will compete in the festival’s Encounters strand, including Denis Côté’s “Social Hygiene” from Canada, Alice Diop’s “We” from France, and Fern Silva’s “Rock Bottom Riser” from the U.S.
The selections also take in “As I Want” (Egypt/France/Norway/Palestine) by Samaher Alqadi; “Azor” (Switzerland/France/Argentina) by Andreas Fontana; “The Beta Test” (U.S./U.K.) by Jim Cummings, Pj McCabe; and “Bloodsuckers (Germany) by Julian Radlmaier.
Also competing will be “The Girl and the Spider” (Switzerland) by Ramon Zürcher, Silvan Zürcher; “District Terminal” (Iran/Germany) by Bardia Yadegari, Ehsan Mirhosseini; “Moon, 66 Questions” (Greece/France) by Jacqueline Lentzou; “The Scary of Sixty-First” (U.S.) by Dasha Nekrasova; and “Taste” (Vietnam/Singapore/France/Thailand/Germany/Taiwan) by Lê Bảo.
The Encounters strand supports new or innovative voices in cinema. A jury will choose winners for best film,...
The selections also take in “As I Want” (Egypt/France/Norway/Palestine) by Samaher Alqadi; “Azor” (Switzerland/France/Argentina) by Andreas Fontana; “The Beta Test” (U.S./U.K.) by Jim Cummings, Pj McCabe; and “Bloodsuckers (Germany) by Julian Radlmaier.
Also competing will be “The Girl and the Spider” (Switzerland) by Ramon Zürcher, Silvan Zürcher; “District Terminal” (Iran/Germany) by Bardia Yadegari, Ehsan Mirhosseini; “Moon, 66 Questions” (Greece/France) by Jacqueline Lentzou; “The Scary of Sixty-First” (U.S.) by Dasha Nekrasova; and “Taste” (Vietnam/Singapore/France/Thailand/Germany/Taiwan) by Lê Bảo.
The Encounters strand supports new or innovative voices in cinema. A jury will choose winners for best film,...
- 2/10/2021
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Day 3 of this year’s Berlinale announcements contain the line-ups for Encounters, Panorama and Perspektive Deutsches Kino. Check back in tomorrow for the Competition program.
Encounters was first introduced at last year’s festival to support new voices in cinema. A three-member jury will award Best Film, Best Director and a Special Jury Award during the industry event in March, with the prizes handed out physically at the summer event.
The selection consists of 12 titles from 16 countries, including seven debuts. Scroll down for the full list.
Over in Panorama, there are 19 titles including 14 world premieres. Several titles arrive from Sundance such as Prano Bailey-Bond’s UK feature Censor and Ronny Trocker’s Human Factors.
Perspektive Deutsches Kino will again present new views on German cinema, with six titles, all of which are world premieres. The full lists are below.
This week so far has seen the Generation, Retrospective, Forum, Forum Expanded and Shorts programs announced.
Encounters was first introduced at last year’s festival to support new voices in cinema. A three-member jury will award Best Film, Best Director and a Special Jury Award during the industry event in March, with the prizes handed out physically at the summer event.
The selection consists of 12 titles from 16 countries, including seven debuts. Scroll down for the full list.
Over in Panorama, there are 19 titles including 14 world premieres. Several titles arrive from Sundance such as Prano Bailey-Bond’s UK feature Censor and Ronny Trocker’s Human Factors.
Perspektive Deutsches Kino will again present new views on German cinema, with six titles, all of which are world premieres. The full lists are below.
This week so far has seen the Generation, Retrospective, Forum, Forum Expanded and Shorts programs announced.
- 2/10/2021
- by Tom Grater
- Deadline Film + TV
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