As I have mentioned many times this year, it seems that Sri Lanka is taking big steps forward regarding cinema, with all the three movies I managed to watch this year being quite good. As such, I thought it would be also interesting to check what was happening the previous years, starting with “Peacock Lament” by Sanjeewa Pushpakumara, one the most renowned local directors, along with Prasanna Vithanage.
“Peacock Lament” review is part of the Submit Your Film Initiative
Amila is a 19-year-old boy who was born in a small village in Eastern Sri Lanka. After losing his parents, he moves to Colombo in search of a better life for him and his four younger siblings, two brothers – 14-year-old and 1-year-old – and two sisters – the elder, Inoka, is 12 and their little sister 5. Inoka is suffering from a congenital heart defect, a condition called Tetralogy of Fallot. The doctor recommends Amila...
“Peacock Lament” review is part of the Submit Your Film Initiative
Amila is a 19-year-old boy who was born in a small village in Eastern Sri Lanka. After losing his parents, he moves to Colombo in search of a better life for him and his four younger siblings, two brothers – 14-year-old and 1-year-old – and two sisters – the elder, Inoka, is 12 and their little sister 5. Inoka is suffering from a congenital heart defect, a condition called Tetralogy of Fallot. The doctor recommends Amila...
- 11/30/2023
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Psychological thriller The Beasts, directed by Spain’s Rodrigo Sorogoyen, won three awards at this year’s Tokyo International Film Festival, including the Tokyo Grand Prix, best director and best actor for Denis Menochet.
The film, which premiered in an Out Of Competition slot at this year’s Cannes film festival, follows a French couple who move to Spain’s Galician countryside to run an organic farm, but receive a hostile welcome from the locals. The Tokyo Grand Prix comes with a cash award of Y3M.
Iranian filmmaker Houman Seyedi’s satirical drama World War III took the Special Jury Prize at the festival following its wins in Venice for best film and best actor in the Horizons section. Tokyo’s Special Jury Prize comes with a cash award of Y500,000.
Best actress went to Aline Kuppenheim for her role in Manuela Martelli’s 1976, in which she...
The film, which premiered in an Out Of Competition slot at this year’s Cannes film festival, follows a French couple who move to Spain’s Galician countryside to run an organic farm, but receive a hostile welcome from the locals. The Tokyo Grand Prix comes with a cash award of Y3M.
Iranian filmmaker Houman Seyedi’s satirical drama World War III took the Special Jury Prize at the festival following its wins in Venice for best film and best actor in the Horizons section. Tokyo’s Special Jury Prize comes with a cash award of Y500,000.
Best actress went to Aline Kuppenheim for her role in Manuela Martelli’s 1976, in which she...
- 11/3/2022
- by Liz Shackleton
- Deadline Film + TV
“The Beasts,” Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s psychological thriller about a French couple who come to live a peaceful life in Spain’s Galician countryside, but get a less than warm welcome from the locals, won the Tokyo Grand Prix at the 35th Tokyo International Film Festival at Tuesday night’s closing ceremony.
The festival, which unspooled Oct. 24 to Nov. 2 at venues in central Tokyo, also awarded Sorogoyen Best Director honors and named “The Beasts” star Denis Menochet best actor.
The film, which premiered out of competition at Cannes this year, opened in French theaters in July. The Japan release has yet to be announced, however.
Winning the second-place Special Jury Prize was Iranian director Houman Seyedi’s satirical drama “World War III.” At its premiere in this year’s Venice Film Festival Horizon’s section it won Best Film, while lead Mohsen Tanabandeh took the Best Actor prize. The film’s...
The festival, which unspooled Oct. 24 to Nov. 2 at venues in central Tokyo, also awarded Sorogoyen Best Director honors and named “The Beasts” star Denis Menochet best actor.
The film, which premiered out of competition at Cannes this year, opened in French theaters in July. The Japan release has yet to be announced, however.
Winning the second-place Special Jury Prize was Iranian director Houman Seyedi’s satirical drama “World War III.” At its premiere in this year’s Venice Film Festival Horizon’s section it won Best Film, while lead Mohsen Tanabandeh took the Best Actor prize. The film’s...
- 11/2/2022
- by Mark Schilling
- Variety Film + TV
Further winners included ‘World War III’ and ‘by the window’.
Spanish-French rural thriller The Beasts has won a hat-trick of awards at Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF), including the Tokyo Grand Prix, best director for Rodrigo Sorogoyen and best actor for Denis Menochet.
The winners were announced at the closing ceremony of TIFF’s 35th edition in the Ginza district of Tokyo this evening (November 2).
The Beasts is a psychological thriller starring Ménochet and Marina Foïs as a French couple who settle in a remote Galician village to run an organic farm but whose arrival is seen as a threat...
Spanish-French rural thriller The Beasts has won a hat-trick of awards at Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF), including the Tokyo Grand Prix, best director for Rodrigo Sorogoyen and best actor for Denis Menochet.
The winners were announced at the closing ceremony of TIFF’s 35th edition in the Ginza district of Tokyo this evening (November 2).
The Beasts is a psychological thriller starring Ménochet and Marina Foïs as a French couple who settle in a remote Galician village to run an organic farm but whose arrival is seen as a threat...
- 11/2/2022
- by Michael Rosser
- ScreenDaily
Click here to read the full article.
Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s multi-layered thriller The Beasts nearly achieved a clean sweep of the Tokyo International Film Festival’s major awards categories Wednesday night in the Japanese capital. During a ceremony held in the city’s glitzy Ginza district, The Beasts came away with the Tokyo Grand Prix, the festival’s top honor, as well as best director honors for Sorogoyen and best actor for his star Denis Menochet.
A brooding, psychological thriller set in rural Spain, The Beasts tells the story of a cosmopolitan French couple, Antoine and Olga (Menochet and actress Marina Foïs), who settle in a small village hoping to connect with nature. Instead, their presence soon arouses hostility — and eventually, downright violence — from some of the locals. The film has been praised for its feral, even savage, portrayal of the hardscrabble realities of the majestic Galician countryside.
Tokyo’s...
Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s multi-layered thriller The Beasts nearly achieved a clean sweep of the Tokyo International Film Festival’s major awards categories Wednesday night in the Japanese capital. During a ceremony held in the city’s glitzy Ginza district, The Beasts came away with the Tokyo Grand Prix, the festival’s top honor, as well as best director honors for Sorogoyen and best actor for his star Denis Menochet.
A brooding, psychological thriller set in rural Spain, The Beasts tells the story of a cosmopolitan French couple, Antoine and Olga (Menochet and actress Marina Foïs), who settle in a small village hoping to connect with nature. Instead, their presence soon arouses hostility — and eventually, downright violence — from some of the locals. The film has been praised for its feral, even savage, portrayal of the hardscrabble realities of the majestic Galician countryside.
Tokyo’s...
- 11/2/2022
- by Patrick Brzeski
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Tokyo International Film Festival’s 35th edition will include titles from Bui Thac Chuyen, Olivia Wilde and Hiroki Ryuichi.
The 35th Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF) today unveiled its line-up for its first full-scale physical edition since the pandemic started, with 15 international competition titles including its first from Vietnam - Bui Thac Chuyen’s Glorious Ashes.
Set to make its world premiere at TIFF, the film was a recipient of the Asean Co-production Fund (Acof) launched by the Film Development Council of the Philippines (Fdcp) and the Southeast Asia co-production grant (Scpg) established by the Singapore Film Commission (Sfc), as...
The 35th Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF) today unveiled its line-up for its first full-scale physical edition since the pandemic started, with 15 international competition titles including its first from Vietnam - Bui Thac Chuyen’s Glorious Ashes.
Set to make its world premiere at TIFF, the film was a recipient of the Asean Co-production Fund (Acof) launched by the Film Development Council of the Philippines (Fdcp) and the Southeast Asia co-production grant (Scpg) established by the Singapore Film Commission (Sfc), as...
- 9/21/2022
- by Jean Noh
- ScreenDaily
World premieres include debut from Happy Hour co-writer Tadashi Nohara and new works from Brillante Mendoza and Mikhail Red.
Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF) has announced the full line-up for its 34th edition, including the main competition section of 15 films, among which 10 titles are world premieres. Other sections include Asian Future, Gala Selection, World Focus, Nippon Cinema Now and Japanese Animation.
The competition section includes the world premieres of two Japanese films – Third Time Lucky, the debut feature of Tadashi Nohara, who co-wrote Happy Hour and Wife Of A Spy; and Just Remembering from Daigo Matsui (Ice Cream And The...
Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF) has announced the full line-up for its 34th edition, including the main competition section of 15 films, among which 10 titles are world premieres. Other sections include Asian Future, Gala Selection, World Focus, Nippon Cinema Now and Japanese Animation.
The competition section includes the world premieres of two Japanese films – Third Time Lucky, the debut feature of Tadashi Nohara, who co-wrote Happy Hour and Wife Of A Spy; and Just Remembering from Daigo Matsui (Ice Cream And The...
- 9/28/2021
- by Matt Schley
- ScreenDaily
The interview was initially conducted on September 2017
Sanjeewa Pushpakumara is a prominent Sri Lankan film director, who directed much acclaimed and awarded movies like “Flying Fish” and “Burning Birds”. After completing a Masters Degree in mass communications, he studied filmmaking in Chuang – Ang University in South Korea. Sanjeewa Pushpakumara made three short films before directing two full length features.
We speak with him about Sri Lankan and world cinema, his influences, career, awards and his future endeavors.
From a Masters Degree in Mass Communications to filmmaking, can you elaborate on this journey?
During my school days, I always dreamt of being a TV presenter. That is the only reason why I came to Colombo, the capital city of Sri Lanka from my home town. After arrived in Colombo, I began to work as a TV presenter. Later on, I became script writer and TV producer as well. However, I wasn...
Sanjeewa Pushpakumara is a prominent Sri Lankan film director, who directed much acclaimed and awarded movies like “Flying Fish” and “Burning Birds”. After completing a Masters Degree in mass communications, he studied filmmaking in Chuang – Ang University in South Korea. Sanjeewa Pushpakumara made three short films before directing two full length features.
We speak with him about Sri Lankan and world cinema, his influences, career, awards and his future endeavors.
From a Masters Degree in Mass Communications to filmmaking, can you elaborate on this journey?
During my school days, I always dreamt of being a TV presenter. That is the only reason why I came to Colombo, the capital city of Sri Lanka from my home town. After arrived in Colombo, I began to work as a TV presenter. Later on, I became script writer and TV producer as well. However, I wasn...
- 8/2/2020
- by Sankha Ray
- AsianMoviePulse
Some movies depict reality. But the approach of presentation varies from film to film. Director Sanjeewa Pushpakumara portrays reality in its crudest form in “Burning Birds” and questions the position of women in Sri Lankan society in the time of prolonged civil war.
The movie is set in a rural area of 90’s Sri Lanka tormented by civil war. Kusum’s (Anoma Janadari) husband, a fish-seller is tortured and killed by the local militia, as he was suspected of being involved in terrorism. The struggle for survival begins for Kusum and her eight children in a difficult situation. She starts working in a quarry but loses the job after few days due to a sudden shutdown, after an accident. In her fight for existence, she joins a male dominated abattoir, but starts facing sexual assaults from the male workers and gets gang-raped by the owner and his mates. To earn livelihood for her family,...
The movie is set in a rural area of 90’s Sri Lanka tormented by civil war. Kusum’s (Anoma Janadari) husband, a fish-seller is tortured and killed by the local militia, as he was suspected of being involved in terrorism. The struggle for survival begins for Kusum and her eight children in a difficult situation. She starts working in a quarry but loses the job after few days due to a sudden shutdown, after an accident. In her fight for existence, she joins a male dominated abattoir, but starts facing sexual assaults from the male workers and gets gang-raped by the owner and his mates. To earn livelihood for her family,...
- 5/21/2020
- by Sankha Ray
- AsianMoviePulse
One project from Sri Lanka –Sanjeewa Pushpakumara’s “Mother”– and another from Myanmar –The Maw Naing’s “The Women”– won ex-aequo, the main kudos at the Locarno Festival’s Open Doors co-production forum.
The winning projects share a high sensitivity towards female-related issues, a trend among many of the participants this year. The $50,000 award was split between the two.
Produced by Youngjeong Oh at Yangon-based One Point Zero, “The Women,” the third feature of The Maw Naing (Karlovy Vary-premiered “The Monk”) turns on the struggles of four women who have moved from remote villages to the city of Yangon, Myanmar to work and get a better life. The four women share a bedroom near the city factory area.
“Despite working hard and keeping their hopes high, they can’t escape from poverty. Their lives are not strongly connected, but from their present, we can see their past and future. I...
The winning projects share a high sensitivity towards female-related issues, a trend among many of the participants this year. The $50,000 award was split between the two.
Produced by Youngjeong Oh at Yangon-based One Point Zero, “The Women,” the third feature of The Maw Naing (Karlovy Vary-premiered “The Monk”) turns on the struggles of four women who have moved from remote villages to the city of Yangon, Myanmar to work and get a better life. The four women share a bedroom near the city factory area.
“Despite working hard and keeping their hopes high, they can’t escape from poverty. Their lives are not strongly connected, but from their present, we can see their past and future. I...
- 8/7/2018
- by Emilio Mayorga
- Variety Film + TV
‘The Women’ by Myanmar’s The Maw Naing wins the top prize of €30,300.
Filmmakers from Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal were among the winners of this year’s edition of the Locarno Festival’s Open Doors project showcase.
Myanmar-based poet, artist and filmmaker The Maw Naing won the Open Doors production grant of €30,300 for his second narrative feature film project The Women.
The drama about four women from remote villages who travel to the city in search of work is being produced by the Berlin-based Yangon Film School and the director’s own production company One Point Zero. The...
Filmmakers from Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal were among the winners of this year’s edition of the Locarno Festival’s Open Doors project showcase.
Myanmar-based poet, artist and filmmaker The Maw Naing won the Open Doors production grant of €30,300 for his second narrative feature film project The Women.
The drama about four women from remote villages who travel to the city in search of work is being produced by the Berlin-based Yangon Film School and the director’s own production company One Point Zero. The...
- 8/7/2018
- by Martin Blaney
- ScreenDaily
Locarno, Switzerland — Asian Shadows has acquired international rights to Suba Sivakumaran’s feature debut “House of My Fathers,” a project presented at Locarno’s Open Doors in 2016.
It will be the first Sri Lankan film on the slate of Asian Shadows, the Hong Kong-based sales agency representing Asian talent such as Chinese Wang Bing’s “Mrs. Fang,” a Golden Leopard Winner in 2017, and Thai Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit’s “Die Tomorrow,” premiered in Berlin this year.
“House of My Fathers” is produced by Suba Sivakumaran’s Palmyrah Talkies which is based in London, in co-production with Dominique Welinski at Dw Productions, whose credits include Karim Aïnouz’ “Madame Satã” and Alireza Khatami’s “Oblivion Verses.” Welinski is co-producing Sanjeewa Pushpakumara’s new project “Mother,” which is being presented at this year 71st Locarno Open Doors Hub.
“We were amazed by the strength of the film, in both its style and message. Suba has...
It will be the first Sri Lankan film on the slate of Asian Shadows, the Hong Kong-based sales agency representing Asian talent such as Chinese Wang Bing’s “Mrs. Fang,” a Golden Leopard Winner in 2017, and Thai Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit’s “Die Tomorrow,” premiered in Berlin this year.
“House of My Fathers” is produced by Suba Sivakumaran’s Palmyrah Talkies which is based in London, in co-production with Dominique Welinski at Dw Productions, whose credits include Karim Aïnouz’ “Madame Satã” and Alireza Khatami’s “Oblivion Verses.” Welinski is co-producing Sanjeewa Pushpakumara’s new project “Mother,” which is being presented at this year 71st Locarno Open Doors Hub.
“We were amazed by the strength of the film, in both its style and message. Suba has...
- 8/6/2018
- by Emilio Mayorga
- Variety Film + TV
In 2015, a French director won the Cannes Film Festival's top prize with a film inspired by Sri Lanka's contemporary political troubles; now, the South Asian country's very own filmmakers have finally offered their own riposte. Revolving around a war widow's near-complete physical and psychological breakdown as she goes to extremes to feed her family, Sanjeewa Pushpakumara's Burning Birds is a much more poised and harrowing affair than Jacques Audiard's Palme d'Or-winning Dheepan.
Burning Birds is, first and foremost, a fiery indictment about how women struggle and sink in war-torn, machismo-dripping societies. Just like his compatriot Vimukthi Jayasundara (The Forsaken...
Burning Birds is, first and foremost, a fiery indictment about how women struggle and sink in war-torn, machismo-dripping societies. Just like his compatriot Vimukthi Jayasundara (The Forsaken...
- 1/29/2017
- by Clarence Tsui
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
World premieres include Fanny Ardant’s Stalin’s Couch [pictured], Elisabeth E. Schuch’s The Book Of Birdie, Erlingur Ottar Thoroddsen’s Rift, and Manuel Concha’s Blind Alley.
Goteborg Film Festival has announced its programme of nearly 450 films from 84 countries to screen during the festival’s 40th anniversary edition (Jan 27-Feb 6).
As reported earlier, the festival will kick off with Dome Karukoski’s Tom Of Finland.
The eight films (all world premieres) competing for the Dragon Award for Best Nordic Film – with a prize of $110,500 (Sek 1m) — are as follows:
Tom Of Finland by Dome Karukoski (Finland/Sweden/Denmark/Germany/Us)Beyond Dreams by Rojda Sekersöz (Sweden)The Ex-wife by Katja Wik (Sweden)Heartstone by Gudmundur A. Gudmundsson (Iceland/Denmark)Sámi Blood by Amanda Kernell (Sweden/Denmark/Norway)Little Wing bySelma Vilhunen (Finland)The Man by Charlotte Sieling (Denmark)Handle With Care by Arild Andresen (Norway)
The Nordic documentary competition includes:
Citizen Schein by Maud Nycander, [link...
Goteborg Film Festival has announced its programme of nearly 450 films from 84 countries to screen during the festival’s 40th anniversary edition (Jan 27-Feb 6).
As reported earlier, the festival will kick off with Dome Karukoski’s Tom Of Finland.
The eight films (all world premieres) competing for the Dragon Award for Best Nordic Film – with a prize of $110,500 (Sek 1m) — are as follows:
Tom Of Finland by Dome Karukoski (Finland/Sweden/Denmark/Germany/Us)Beyond Dreams by Rojda Sekersöz (Sweden)The Ex-wife by Katja Wik (Sweden)Heartstone by Gudmundur A. Gudmundsson (Iceland/Denmark)Sámi Blood by Amanda Kernell (Sweden/Denmark/Norway)Little Wing bySelma Vilhunen (Finland)The Man by Charlotte Sieling (Denmark)Handle With Care by Arild Andresen (Norway)
The Nordic documentary competition includes:
Citizen Schein by Maud Nycander, [link...
- 1/11/2017
- by wendy.mitchell@screendaily.com (Wendy Mitchell)
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Iffr reveals lineup and jury for programme focused on emerging filmmakers.
International Film Festival Rotterdam (Iffr) (25 Jan – 5 Feb) has announced the full line-up of its Bright Future programme, including the titles that will compete for the Bright Future Award.
Scroll down for the full lineup
The competition for the Bright Future Award 2017 consists of sixteen debut films, including Chinese documentary Children Are Not Afraid of Death, Children Are Afraid of Ghosts by Rong Guang Rong and Caroline Leone’s melancholy Brazilian road movie Pela Janela. Also competing are Belgian title Inside the Distance and German feature Self-Criticism Of A Bourgeois Dog.
The jury for the award will be made up of Italian film producer Marta Donzelli (Le Quattro Volte); Marleen Slot, Netherlands producer for Viking Film (Neon Bull) and chair of Film Producers Netherlands (Fpn); and Jean-Pierre Rehm, director of the French film festival Fid Marseille.
Outside of this competition, Bright Future also presents...
International Film Festival Rotterdam (Iffr) (25 Jan – 5 Feb) has announced the full line-up of its Bright Future programme, including the titles that will compete for the Bright Future Award.
Scroll down for the full lineup
The competition for the Bright Future Award 2017 consists of sixteen debut films, including Chinese documentary Children Are Not Afraid of Death, Children Are Afraid of Ghosts by Rong Guang Rong and Caroline Leone’s melancholy Brazilian road movie Pela Janela. Also competing are Belgian title Inside the Distance and German feature Self-Criticism Of A Bourgeois Dog.
The jury for the award will be made up of Italian film producer Marta Donzelli (Le Quattro Volte); Marleen Slot, Netherlands producer for Viking Film (Neon Bull) and chair of Film Producers Netherlands (Fpn); and Jean-Pierre Rehm, director of the French film festival Fid Marseille.
Outside of this competition, Bright Future also presents...
- 1/4/2017
- by andreas.wiseman@screendaily.com (Andreas Wiseman)
- ScreenDaily
Festival will open with the world premiere of Zhang Lu’s Korean film A Quiet Dream.
Busan International Film Festival (Biff) on Tuesday unveiled its line-up, set to open with the world premiere of Zhang Lu’s Korean film A Quiet Dream.
Running October 6-15, the 21st Biff will screen a total of 301 films from 69 countries with 96 world premieres and 27 international premieres. The festival will close with the international premiere of Iraq-Germany-Qatar co-production The Dark Wind, directed by Hussein Hassan (Narcissus Blossom).
Festival director Kang Soo-youn said of A Quiet Dream: “It’s a film that people who like films and people who make films can’t help but like.”
The latest from Korean-Chinese director Zhang Lu (Dooman River, Grain In Ear), A Quiet Dream stars Han Ye-ri (Haemoo) as a young woman caring for her comatose father while running a bar and being wooed by three men.
Young Korean indie directors Yang Ikjune, Yoon Jong-bin...
Busan International Film Festival (Biff) on Tuesday unveiled its line-up, set to open with the world premiere of Zhang Lu’s Korean film A Quiet Dream.
Running October 6-15, the 21st Biff will screen a total of 301 films from 69 countries with 96 world premieres and 27 international premieres. The festival will close with the international premiere of Iraq-Germany-Qatar co-production The Dark Wind, directed by Hussein Hassan (Narcissus Blossom).
Festival director Kang Soo-youn said of A Quiet Dream: “It’s a film that people who like films and people who make films can’t help but like.”
The latest from Korean-Chinese director Zhang Lu (Dooman River, Grain In Ear), A Quiet Dream stars Han Ye-ri (Haemoo) as a young woman caring for her comatose father while running a bar and being wooed by three men.
Young Korean indie directors Yang Ikjune, Yoon Jong-bin...
- 9/6/2016
- by hjnoh2007@gmail.com (Jean Noh)
- ScreenDaily
Festival will open with the world premiere of Zhang Lu’s Korean film A Quiet Dream.
Busan International Film Festival (Biff) on Tuesday unveiled its line-up, set to open with the world premiere of Zhang Lu’s Korean film A Quiet Dream.
Running Oct 6-15, the 21st Biff will screen a total of 301 films from 69 countries with 96 world premieres and 27 international premieres. The festival will close with the international premiere of Iraq-Germany-Qatar co-production The Dark Wind, directed by Hussein Hassan (Narcissus Blossom).
Festival director Kang Soo-youn said of A Quiet Dream: “It’s a film that people who like films and people who make films can’t help but like.”
The latest from Korean-Chinese director Zhang Lu (Dooman River, Grain In Ear), A Quiet Dream stars Han Ye-ri (Haemoo) as a young woman caring for her comatose father while running a bar and being wooed by three men. Young Korean indie directors Yang Ikjune, Yoon Jong-bin...
Busan International Film Festival (Biff) on Tuesday unveiled its line-up, set to open with the world premiere of Zhang Lu’s Korean film A Quiet Dream.
Running Oct 6-15, the 21st Biff will screen a total of 301 films from 69 countries with 96 world premieres and 27 international premieres. The festival will close with the international premiere of Iraq-Germany-Qatar co-production The Dark Wind, directed by Hussein Hassan (Narcissus Blossom).
Festival director Kang Soo-youn said of A Quiet Dream: “It’s a film that people who like films and people who make films can’t help but like.”
The latest from Korean-Chinese director Zhang Lu (Dooman River, Grain In Ear), A Quiet Dream stars Han Ye-ri (Haemoo) as a young woman caring for her comatose father while running a bar and being wooed by three men. Young Korean indie directors Yang Ikjune, Yoon Jong-bin...
- 9/6/2016
- by hjnoh2007@gmail.com (Jean Noh)
- ScreenDaily
The Hubert Bals Fund of the International Film Festival Rotterdam has selected fourteen film projects from countries across Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East to receive grants in the categories Hbf Script & Project Development and Hbf Postproduction, totalling € 175,000. The selected films include the latest project by acclaimed Iranian auteur Mohammad Rasoulof
Two film projects from Argentina, produced by Viking Film and Topkapi Films, have been selected for the second round of the Netherlands Film Fund + Hubert Bals Fund (Nff+Hbf) Coproduction Scheme 2015.
Hbf Script & Project Development selection
In its Fall 2015 selection round, the Hbf supported eight projects with a Script and Project Development grant, selected from 259 applications. The selection includes four first or second projects by filmmakers Sorayos Prapapan, Gym Lumbera, Shahram Mokri and Liu Shu, and new projects by four award-winning filmmakers.
"Arnold Is a Model Student," Sorayos Prapapan, Thailand
"Kékszakállú," Gastón Solnicki, Argentina
"Lotus Position," Liu Shu, China
"The Mysteries of Taal: A Philippine Volcano and Lake, Her Sea Life and Lost Towns," Gym Lumbera, Philippines
"Over the City," Emir Baigazin, Kazakhstan
"Wine Sediment," Mohammad Rasoulof, Iran
"Yellow Apples," Shahram Mokri, Iran
"Antigone," Pedro González-Rubio, Mexico
Hbf Postproduction selection
The Hubert Bals Fund supported six films with a Postproduction grant, selected from 65 applications. Three filmmakers’ first fiction feature films were selected: "Hedi" by Mohamed Ben Attia, "Suspension" by Ala Eddine Slim and Alba by Ana Cristina Barragan. Also awarded with a Hbf Postproduction grant are: "La flor" by Mariano Llinás, "Era o Hotel Cambridge" by Eliane Caffé and "Burning Birds" by former Iffr Tiger Awards nominee Sanjeewa Pushkumara.
"Alba," Ana Cristina Barragan, Ecuador
"Burning Birds," Sanjeewa Pushpakumara, Sri Lanka
"Era o Hotel Cambridge," Eliane Caffé, Brazil
"Hedi," Mohamed Ben Attia, Tunisia
"La flor," Mariano Llinás, Argentina
"Suspension," Ala Eddine Slim, Tunisia
Nff+Hbf Coproduction Scheme 2015 selection
The Netherlands Film Fund and the Hubert Bals Fund have selected two Argentinian film projects in the Fall 2015 round of its joint Nff+Hbf Coproduction Scheme: "Rojo" by Benjamin Naishtat, coproduced by Dutch producer Viking Film and "La cama" by Mónica Lairana, coproduced by Dutch producer Topkapi Films. These two projects will receive a production contribution of €50,000 from the Netherlands Film Fund.
Viking Film will coproduce "Rojo," Benjamin Naishtat’s third feature film. Earlier films of this filmmaker include " Historia del miedo" (Competition Berlinale, 2014) and "El movimiento" (Competition Locarno, Filmmakers of the Present, 2015). "Rojo" is set in Argentina in the 1970s, a country suffering from an unprecedented wave of political violence. In these dark times, an ordinary man sees his chances to hide a very bad deed. The film will be produced by Pucará Cine (Argentina) and coproduced by Ecce Films (France), Sutor Kolonko Filmproduktion (Germany) , Desvia (Brazil) and Viking Film (The Netherlands).
Topkapi Films will coproduce Mónica Lairana’s first feature film "La cama." Laraina’s previous short films include "María" (2012), "Rosa" (2010), which both screened at Iffr. La cama tells the story of Jorge (58) and Mabel (56) in the final day of their relationship. We see them eat, make love, cry and laugh, while deconstructing their family home after 30 years of marriage. The film will be produced by Rio Abajo Producciones (Argentina) and coproduced by Gema Films (Argentina), Adriana Yurkovich (Argentina) , Mónica Lairana (Argentina) and Topkapi Films (The Netherlands).
Two film projects from Argentina, produced by Viking Film and Topkapi Films, have been selected for the second round of the Netherlands Film Fund + Hubert Bals Fund (Nff+Hbf) Coproduction Scheme 2015.
Hbf Script & Project Development selection
In its Fall 2015 selection round, the Hbf supported eight projects with a Script and Project Development grant, selected from 259 applications. The selection includes four first or second projects by filmmakers Sorayos Prapapan, Gym Lumbera, Shahram Mokri and Liu Shu, and new projects by four award-winning filmmakers.
"Arnold Is a Model Student," Sorayos Prapapan, Thailand
"Kékszakállú," Gastón Solnicki, Argentina
"Lotus Position," Liu Shu, China
"The Mysteries of Taal: A Philippine Volcano and Lake, Her Sea Life and Lost Towns," Gym Lumbera, Philippines
"Over the City," Emir Baigazin, Kazakhstan
"Wine Sediment," Mohammad Rasoulof, Iran
"Yellow Apples," Shahram Mokri, Iran
"Antigone," Pedro González-Rubio, Mexico
Hbf Postproduction selection
The Hubert Bals Fund supported six films with a Postproduction grant, selected from 65 applications. Three filmmakers’ first fiction feature films were selected: "Hedi" by Mohamed Ben Attia, "Suspension" by Ala Eddine Slim and Alba by Ana Cristina Barragan. Also awarded with a Hbf Postproduction grant are: "La flor" by Mariano Llinás, "Era o Hotel Cambridge" by Eliane Caffé and "Burning Birds" by former Iffr Tiger Awards nominee Sanjeewa Pushkumara.
"Alba," Ana Cristina Barragan, Ecuador
"Burning Birds," Sanjeewa Pushpakumara, Sri Lanka
"Era o Hotel Cambridge," Eliane Caffé, Brazil
"Hedi," Mohamed Ben Attia, Tunisia
"La flor," Mariano Llinás, Argentina
"Suspension," Ala Eddine Slim, Tunisia
Nff+Hbf Coproduction Scheme 2015 selection
The Netherlands Film Fund and the Hubert Bals Fund have selected two Argentinian film projects in the Fall 2015 round of its joint Nff+Hbf Coproduction Scheme: "Rojo" by Benjamin Naishtat, coproduced by Dutch producer Viking Film and "La cama" by Mónica Lairana, coproduced by Dutch producer Topkapi Films. These two projects will receive a production contribution of €50,000 from the Netherlands Film Fund.
Viking Film will coproduce "Rojo," Benjamin Naishtat’s third feature film. Earlier films of this filmmaker include " Historia del miedo" (Competition Berlinale, 2014) and "El movimiento" (Competition Locarno, Filmmakers of the Present, 2015). "Rojo" is set in Argentina in the 1970s, a country suffering from an unprecedented wave of political violence. In these dark times, an ordinary man sees his chances to hide a very bad deed. The film will be produced by Pucará Cine (Argentina) and coproduced by Ecce Films (France), Sutor Kolonko Filmproduktion (Germany) , Desvia (Brazil) and Viking Film (The Netherlands).
Topkapi Films will coproduce Mónica Lairana’s first feature film "La cama." Laraina’s previous short films include "María" (2012), "Rosa" (2010), which both screened at Iffr. La cama tells the story of Jorge (58) and Mabel (56) in the final day of their relationship. We see them eat, make love, cry and laugh, while deconstructing their family home after 30 years of marriage. The film will be produced by Rio Abajo Producciones (Argentina) and coproduced by Gema Films (Argentina), Adriana Yurkovich (Argentina) , Mónica Lairana (Argentina) and Topkapi Films (The Netherlands).
- 12/1/2015
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
Up to three low-budget features will be greenlit from the 12 selections.
La Biennale di Venezia has unveiled the 12 projects selected for the third round of the Biennale College - Cinema programme.
They attended the first workshop in Venice from Oct 4-13. Further workshops will be held in December and January, and up to three of the features will be greenlit to screen at the Venice International Film Festival in 2015.
The College has backed previous low-budget features including Memphis, Short Skin and Blood Cells.
The group of participants hail from Argentina, Brazil, Bulgaria, France,, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Sri Lanka, the Us and the UK.
The selections, with information provided by the Biennale, are:
Baby Bump – Kuba Czekaj (director, Poland), Madgadalena Kaminska (producer, Poland): a story centred on the fear of puberty and the sexual transformation of an eleven-year-old. As his body changes, a dark and fantastic world begins to take hold of his life...
La Biennale di Venezia has unveiled the 12 projects selected for the third round of the Biennale College - Cinema programme.
They attended the first workshop in Venice from Oct 4-13. Further workshops will be held in December and January, and up to three of the features will be greenlit to screen at the Venice International Film Festival in 2015.
The College has backed previous low-budget features including Memphis, Short Skin and Blood Cells.
The group of participants hail from Argentina, Brazil, Bulgaria, France,, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Sri Lanka, the Us and the UK.
The selections, with information provided by the Biennale, are:
Baby Bump – Kuba Czekaj (director, Poland), Madgadalena Kaminska (producer, Poland): a story centred on the fear of puberty and the sexual transformation of an eleven-year-old. As his body changes, a dark and fantastic world begins to take hold of his life...
- 10/14/2014
- by wendy.mitchell@screendaily.com (Wendy Mitchell)
- ScreenDaily
Other winners include Ivan Marinovic, Amikam Kovner and Assaf Snir.
Ethiopian-born, Israeli filmmaker Alamork Marsha’s Fig Tree, based on her experiences as a child in war-torn Addis Ababa in 1991, has won the $50,000 top prize at the pitching event of Sam Spiegel school’s Jerusalem International Film Lab.
It was an apt choice as fighting escalated between Israel and Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip, some 70 kilometres down the road, where more than 160 inhabitants have died in Israeli air strikes over the past six days, launched in response to a barrage of rocket attacks on Israel. (In fact air sirens were heard in Jerusalem just 15 minutes before the awards were announced.)
In her pitch, Marsha revealed how Fig Tree was inspired by her childhood, living with her grandmother on the outskirts of the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa during the civil war and her Jewish family’s decision to move to Israel. She said one...
Ethiopian-born, Israeli filmmaker Alamork Marsha’s Fig Tree, based on her experiences as a child in war-torn Addis Ababa in 1991, has won the $50,000 top prize at the pitching event of Sam Spiegel school’s Jerusalem International Film Lab.
It was an apt choice as fighting escalated between Israel and Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip, some 70 kilometres down the road, where more than 160 inhabitants have died in Israeli air strikes over the past six days, launched in response to a barrage of rocket attacks on Israel. (In fact air sirens were heard in Jerusalem just 15 minutes before the awards were announced.)
In her pitch, Marsha revealed how Fig Tree was inspired by her childhood, living with her grandmother on the outskirts of the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa during the civil war and her Jewish family’s decision to move to Israel. She said one...
- 7/13/2014
- ScreenDaily
The Doha Film Institute has selected 20 projects for its first global film grants programme, including post-production support for Benjamin Naishtat’s debut feature History of Fear, which premieres in Berlin in Competition.
The grants go to projects (mostly first or second features) from Asia, Africa, Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East-North Africa (Mena) region; the 20 are selected from 396 applications.
This is the first global round of the grants, which were previously only available to Mena projects.
The funding is used for development, production and post-production. The next round of applications are open April 1-21.
The Narrative features backed are:
Men in the Sun directed by Mahdi Fleifel (Palestine/United Kingdom/Greece/Denmark/Qatar);
The Returning directed by Ehab Tarabieh (Syria/Qatar);
Burning Birds directed by Sanjeewa Pushpakumara (Sri Lanka/France/Qatar);
By The Time It Gets Dark directed by Anocha Suwichakornpong (Thailand/Qatar);
Hedi directed by Mohamed Ben Attia (Tunisia/Qatar);
House Without Roof directed by [link...
The grants go to projects (mostly first or second features) from Asia, Africa, Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East-North Africa (Mena) region; the 20 are selected from 396 applications.
This is the first global round of the grants, which were previously only available to Mena projects.
The funding is used for development, production and post-production. The next round of applications are open April 1-21.
The Narrative features backed are:
Men in the Sun directed by Mahdi Fleifel (Palestine/United Kingdom/Greece/Denmark/Qatar);
The Returning directed by Ehab Tarabieh (Syria/Qatar);
Burning Birds directed by Sanjeewa Pushpakumara (Sri Lanka/France/Qatar);
By The Time It Gets Dark directed by Anocha Suwichakornpong (Thailand/Qatar);
Hedi directed by Mohamed Ben Attia (Tunisia/Qatar);
House Without Roof directed by [link...
- 2/9/2014
- by wendy.mitchell@screendaily.com (Wendy Mitchell)
- ScreenDaily
★★☆☆☆ Following three parallel stories set against the backdrop of the Sri Lankan Civil War, Sanjeewa Pushpakumara's debut feature Flying Fish (Igillena maluwo) - starring Chaminda Sampath Jayaweera, Rathnayaka Marasinghe and Siththi Mariyam - is unfortunately too languorous to sustain any prolonged sense of drama, despite an undeniably shocking finale.
Flying Fish has a great deal of potential due to its Civil War setting, and Pushpakumara's debut begins well with a tense scene involving a bus full of elderly women and young children. However, before long the film's multiple narratives become tangled and unbalanced, with none of them giving an expectant audience much to get their teeth into.
The film essentially hinges on a final crescendo of violence (think the Satan-denouncing scene from Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather [1972] for a reference point), which works as a physical manifestation of the frustration, pain and anger latent within the portrayed community.
Flying Fish has a great deal of potential due to its Civil War setting, and Pushpakumara's debut begins well with a tense scene involving a bus full of elderly women and young children. However, before long the film's multiple narratives become tangled and unbalanced, with none of them giving an expectant audience much to get their teeth into.
The film essentially hinges on a final crescendo of violence (think the Satan-denouncing scene from Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather [1972] for a reference point), which works as a physical manifestation of the frustration, pain and anger latent within the portrayed community.
- 10/14/2011
- by Daniel Green
- CineVue
New Jersey Independent South-Asian Cinefest 2011 which will be held from October 21-23 will screen films by women or about women from India and other south-asian countries. The lineup includes Amit Dutta’s Aadmi Ki Aurat Aur Anya Kahaniyan, Sonali Gulati’s I Am, Natasha Mendonca’s Jan Villa and Lalit Marathe’s Shabri.
The three day festival aims to introduce new and established independent women film artists, from South Asia and the South Asian Diaspora. New Jersey Independent South Asian Cine Fest (Njisacf) was created as a part of the Asian American Film and Theater Project, a non-profit organization based in USA.
The complete list of films to be screened at the festival:
Aadmi Ki Aurat Aur Anya Kahaniyan
Director: Amit Dutta
At the Stairs
Director: Rajesh S. Jala
Banshiwala
Director: Anjan Das
Beyond Grace
Director: Sara & Urs Baur
The Desire – A Journey of a Woman
Director: R. Sarath
Flying...
The three day festival aims to introduce new and established independent women film artists, from South Asia and the South Asian Diaspora. New Jersey Independent South Asian Cine Fest (Njisacf) was created as a part of the Asian American Film and Theater Project, a non-profit organization based in USA.
The complete list of films to be screened at the festival:
Aadmi Ki Aurat Aur Anya Kahaniyan
Director: Amit Dutta
At the Stairs
Director: Rajesh S. Jala
Banshiwala
Director: Anjan Das
Beyond Grace
Director: Sara & Urs Baur
The Desire – A Journey of a Woman
Director: R. Sarath
Flying...
- 10/10/2011
- by NewsDesk
- DearCinema.com
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