Filipino director Sheron Dayoc’s The Gospel Of The Beast won the top Golden Star Award for best Southeast Asian film at the first Ho Chi Minh City International Film Festival (Hiff) in Vietnam, which also saw several titles dropped from the final programme due to censorship by local authorities.
The Gospel Of The Beast marks the first feature in seven years from Dayoc and tells the story of a teenage boy who accidentally kills his classmate and runs away with an older man he barely knows, forming a unique father-son relationship. It premiered at Tokyo in October.
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The Gospel Of The Beast marks the first feature in seven years from Dayoc and tells the story of a teenage boy who accidentally kills his classmate and runs away with an older man he barely knows, forming a unique father-son relationship. It premiered at Tokyo in October.
Scroll down...
- 4/15/2024
- ScreenDaily
The Gospel Of The Beast, directed by the Philippines’ Sheron Dayoc, picked up the Golden Star Award for Best Southeast Asian Film at the first edition of the Ho Chi Minh City International Film Festival (Hiff) in Vietnam.
Nicole Midori Woodford’s Singapore-Japan collaboration, Last Shadow At First Light, won multiple awards in the festival’s Southeast Asia competition, including the Jury Prize, best cinematography (Hideho Urata), best screenplay (Nicole Midori Woodford) and best visual effects (Laokoon VFX).
Oasis Of Now, directed by Malaysia’s Chee Sum Chia, took awards for best director and best actress for Vietnam’s Tạ Thị Dịu, who plays an immigrant in the film. Singaporean drama Wonderland won awards for best actor (Mark Lee) and best supporting actor (Peter Yu), while best supporting actress to Rawipa Srisanguan for Thailand’s Solids By The Seashore.
Indonesian action drama 13 Bombs was awarded with best sound design...
Nicole Midori Woodford’s Singapore-Japan collaboration, Last Shadow At First Light, won multiple awards in the festival’s Southeast Asia competition, including the Jury Prize, best cinematography (Hideho Urata), best screenplay (Nicole Midori Woodford) and best visual effects (Laokoon VFX).
Oasis Of Now, directed by Malaysia’s Chee Sum Chia, took awards for best director and best actress for Vietnam’s Tạ Thị Dịu, who plays an immigrant in the film. Singaporean drama Wonderland won awards for best actor (Mark Lee) and best supporting actor (Peter Yu), while best supporting actress to Rawipa Srisanguan for Thailand’s Solids By The Seashore.
Indonesian action drama 13 Bombs was awarded with best sound design...
- 4/15/2024
- by Liz Shackleton
- Deadline Film + TV
TorinoFilmLab (Tfl) has selected three international co-productions as winners of its 2024 Audience Design Fund, which provides financial aid and coaching for films at the distribution stage.
The three awarded projects are Indian director Kapadia Payal’s All We Imagine As Light; Egyptian directors Nada Riyadh and Ayman El Amir’s The Brink Of Dreams; and US-based Nepalese director Deepak Rauniyar’s The Sky Is Mine.
Each film is currently in post-production and will receive a €45,000 grant plus three online consultancy sessions to advise on innovative audience engagement and outreach strategies.
All We Imagine As Light is the second film from Kapadia Payal,...
The three awarded projects are Indian director Kapadia Payal’s All We Imagine As Light; Egyptian directors Nada Riyadh and Ayman El Amir’s The Brink Of Dreams; and US-based Nepalese director Deepak Rauniyar’s The Sky Is Mine.
Each film is currently in post-production and will receive a €45,000 grant plus three online consultancy sessions to advise on innovative audience engagement and outreach strategies.
All We Imagine As Light is the second film from Kapadia Payal,...
- 4/8/2024
- ScreenDaily
The inaugural Ho Chi Minh City International Film Festival (Hiff) in Vietnam has unveiled its line-up of about 100 films, including 12 each for the Southeast Asia competition and for the first or second film competition, with directors Anne Fontaine and Hirokazu Kore-eda among its guests.
Scroll down for line-up
The Asian premiere of French biopic Bolero will open the festival on April 6. Director Fontaine and leading actor Raphaël Personnaz will be present for the film’s Asian premiere, which will take place at the city’s historic Opera House.
Further notable festival guests include acclaimed Japanese director Kore-eda who will receive...
Scroll down for line-up
The Asian premiere of French biopic Bolero will open the festival on April 6. Director Fontaine and leading actor Raphaël Personnaz will be present for the film’s Asian premiere, which will take place at the city’s historic Opera House.
Further notable festival guests include acclaimed Japanese director Kore-eda who will receive...
- 3/21/2024
- ScreenDaily
The Osaka Asian Film Festival (Oaff) 2024 has announced the results of each award on March 10, 2024. These are as follows:
Osaka Asian Film Festival 2024 Award Winners
★ Grand Prix (Best Picture Award)
This award is given to the best film among the Competition films, as selected by the jury. The winner receives 500,000 yen. The Oaff 2024 Jury, comprised of Directors Dave Boyle, Angga Dwimas Sasongko, and CEO, Mimosa Films, Inc. Murata Atsuko, having viewed all 14 films in competition, decided as follows:
Winner | “City of Wind” | France, Mongolia. Germany, Portugal, Netherlands, Qatar | Director: Lkhagvadulam Purev-Ochir
Jury Comment:
Working within the confines of the coming of age genre, the Grand Prize winning film illuminates a world we had not seen before and tackles issues of spirituality and intergenerational conflict with a deft and confident hand. The film depicts the growth of the central character with sensitivity and features a revelatory performance at the center.
Osaka Asian Film Festival 2024 Award Winners
★ Grand Prix (Best Picture Award)
This award is given to the best film among the Competition films, as selected by the jury. The winner receives 500,000 yen. The Oaff 2024 Jury, comprised of Directors Dave Boyle, Angga Dwimas Sasongko, and CEO, Mimosa Films, Inc. Murata Atsuko, having viewed all 14 films in competition, decided as follows:
Winner | “City of Wind” | France, Mongolia. Germany, Portugal, Netherlands, Qatar | Director: Lkhagvadulam Purev-Ochir
Jury Comment:
Working within the confines of the coming of age genre, the Grand Prize winning film illuminates a world we had not seen before and tackles issues of spirituality and intergenerational conflict with a deft and confident hand. The film depicts the growth of the central character with sensitivity and features a revelatory performance at the center.
- 3/12/2024
- by Suzie Cho
- AsianMoviePulse
Korean Action
Korean action drama “A Shop For Killers” has become the most viewed local original on Disney+ in the Asia Pacific region so far in 2024, the streamer has revealed.
Set in contemporary Korea, the eight-part series follows college student Jeong Jian who dives for cover in her childhood home after a series of highly skilled assassins come after her. Fighting to survive, Jian begins to remember invaluable lessons her uncle taught her before his apparent suicide, drawing on them to help her stay alive. Jian now has to uncover her uncle’s hidden past and figure out why so many people are desperate to gain access to her house and the extensive arsenal hidden inside.
The cast includes Lee Dongwook (“Guardian: The Lonely”) and Kim Hyejun (“Connect”). “A Shop For Killers” is based on the popular novel by Kang Jiyoung, written by Ji Hojin and Lee Kwon, and directed...
Korean action drama “A Shop For Killers” has become the most viewed local original on Disney+ in the Asia Pacific region so far in 2024, the streamer has revealed.
Set in contemporary Korea, the eight-part series follows college student Jeong Jian who dives for cover in her childhood home after a series of highly skilled assassins come after her. Fighting to survive, Jian begins to remember invaluable lessons her uncle taught her before his apparent suicide, drawing on them to help her stay alive. Jian now has to uncover her uncle’s hidden past and figure out why so many people are desperate to gain access to her house and the extensive arsenal hidden inside.
The cast includes Lee Dongwook (“Guardian: The Lonely”) and Kim Hyejun (“Connect”). “A Shop For Killers” is based on the popular novel by Kang Jiyoung, written by Ji Hojin and Lee Kwon, and directed...
- 3/12/2024
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
The world moves fast, and everyone knows it. New technology is increasingly becoming a part of everyday life, no matter where you are in the world. There is a mixture of fear and excitement in the air, as people learn to work, socialize and play in a multitude of new and innovative ways. But do these new ways of living connect us to our neighbors or alienate us from them? When new ways of living become normalized, what happens to old cultural traditions? Director Lkhagvadulam Purev-Ochir explores these questions in her debut feature film ‘City of Wind' to astounding effect: It is a movie that is both profoundly thought-provoking and deeply sentimental.
City of Wind is screening at Cinemasia
The movie delivers its message through a character study of protagonist Ze, a 17 year-old boy living with his family in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia's capital city. Ever since he was a kid,...
City of Wind is screening at Cinemasia
The movie delivers its message through a character study of protagonist Ze, a 17 year-old boy living with his family in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia's capital city. Ever since he was a kid,...
- 3/7/2024
- by Spencer Nafekh-Blanchette
- AsianMoviePulse
“City of Wind” is the debut feature film by Mongolian director Lkhagvadulam Purev-Ochir. Presented last September at the 80th Venice Film Festival, it won the “Best Actor” award in the Horizons section for the performance of Tergel Bold-Erdene. The film received numerous nominations at major world festivals, including the Palm Springs International Film Festival (Best Foreign Language Film – Fipresci Prize), Molodist Kyiv International Film Festival (International Competition), and Asian Film Awards. At the Pingyao International Film Festival, in addition to being nominated for the Rossellini Award and People's Choice Award categories, it was recognized as the Best Director (Roberto Rossellini Award).
City of Wind is screening at Osaka Asian Film Festival
Without a shadow of a doubt, we are faced with an interesting and promising debut. We find ourselves in the ger district of the icy Ulaanbaatar. A shaman with a deep guttural voice, enveloped in cigarette smoke and hidden behind a traditional mask,...
City of Wind is screening at Osaka Asian Film Festival
Without a shadow of a doubt, we are faced with an interesting and promising debut. We find ourselves in the ger district of the icy Ulaanbaatar. A shaman with a deep guttural voice, enveloped in cigarette smoke and hidden behind a traditional mask,...
- 3/1/2024
- by Siria Falleroni
- AsianMoviePulse
Awards Jamboree
The Asian Film Awards Academy has revealed several events around the annual Asian Film Awards in Hong Kong. Veteran filmmakers, jury president of this year’s awards, Japan’s Kurosawa Kiyoshi and Hong Kong’s Fruit Chan, will share their filmmaking experiences and artistic concepts in a joint masterclass. Thai star Metawin Opas-Iamkajorn (“2gether” series and film) known as Win, will be honored with the Afa Rising Star Award and the event will host the world premiere of his new film “Under Parallel Skies.”
There will also be six themed panel discussions featuring actors Wan Fang (Taiwan), Rachel Leung and Yoyo Tse (both Hong Kong), Tergel Bold-Erdene (Mongolia), Awat Ratanapintha (Thailand) and Shirata Mihaya (Japan). The discussions will also include filmmakers Nick Cheuk, Lkhagvadulam Purev-Ochir, Dominic Sangma, Oscar-winning production designer Tim Yip, production and costume designers Eric Lam, Man Lim Chung, Mitsumatsu Keiko, Elaine Ng, Zhang Menglun, editors Keith Chan Hiu Chun,...
The Asian Film Awards Academy has revealed several events around the annual Asian Film Awards in Hong Kong. Veteran filmmakers, jury president of this year’s awards, Japan’s Kurosawa Kiyoshi and Hong Kong’s Fruit Chan, will share their filmmaking experiences and artistic concepts in a joint masterclass. Thai star Metawin Opas-Iamkajorn (“2gether” series and film) known as Win, will be honored with the Afa Rising Star Award and the event will host the world premiere of his new film “Under Parallel Skies.”
There will also be six themed panel discussions featuring actors Wan Fang (Taiwan), Rachel Leung and Yoyo Tse (both Hong Kong), Tergel Bold-Erdene (Mongolia), Awat Ratanapintha (Thailand) and Shirata Mihaya (Japan). The discussions will also include filmmakers Nick Cheuk, Lkhagvadulam Purev-Ochir, Dominic Sangma, Oscar-winning production designer Tim Yip, production and costume designers Eric Lam, Man Lim Chung, Mitsumatsu Keiko, Elaine Ng, Zhang Menglun, editors Keith Chan Hiu Chun,...
- 2/28/2024
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Event Outline
The Osaka Asian Film Festival aims to facilitate human resources development and exchange, to invigorate the Osaka economy, and to increase the city's appeal, through providing opportunities to watch excellent Asian films, supporting filmmaking in Osaka and attracting filmmakers from Asian countries and regions to Osaka. Promoting Osaka worldwide as a gateway city for Asian films, and engaging with many people from the fields of culture, art, education, tourism and business, from Osaka and all of Asia, Oaff works as an open platform to contribute to the development of Osaka and cinema.
Marking its 19th edition this year, Oaff, under programming director Teruoka Sozo, will again select high-quality Asian films. The Competition section, which receives increased recognition every year, will again select films previously unreleased in Japan. The regular sections, Special Screenings and Indie Forum, and other special programs will also feature a wide variety of excellent Asian films.
The Osaka Asian Film Festival aims to facilitate human resources development and exchange, to invigorate the Osaka economy, and to increase the city's appeal, through providing opportunities to watch excellent Asian films, supporting filmmaking in Osaka and attracting filmmakers from Asian countries and regions to Osaka. Promoting Osaka worldwide as a gateway city for Asian films, and engaging with many people from the fields of culture, art, education, tourism and business, from Osaka and all of Asia, Oaff works as an open platform to contribute to the development of Osaka and cinema.
Marking its 19th edition this year, Oaff, under programming director Teruoka Sozo, will again select high-quality Asian films. The Competition section, which receives increased recognition every year, will again select films previously unreleased in Japan. The regular sections, Special Screenings and Indie Forum, and other special programs will also feature a wide variety of excellent Asian films.
- 1/30/2024
- by Suzie Cho
- AsianMoviePulse
From March 5 to 10, the 16th edition of the CinemAsia Film Festival will bring Asian cinema to Amsterdam at Studio/K, Rialto De Pijp, and Rialto Vu. Since CinemAsia's first edition in 2004, the Competition program has been at the heart of the festival. This year, the competition features seven titles from a new generation of filmmakers from China, Japan, Indonesia, India, Mongolia, Malaysia, and the Philippines. On March 10, the 2024 CinemAsia Jury Award winner will be announced during the closing ceremony, and the festival will conclude with the film Gaga by Golden Horse-winning director Laha Mebow, the first indigenous female director of Taiwan, who will be in attendance.
Seven competition films covering the diversity of Asia
In the Competition program, CinemAsia puts the spotlight on emerging independent filmmakers with a distinct artistic voice and cinematographic vision. The films showcase the wealth of themes and genres in Asian cinema and reflect a mosaic of cultural,...
Seven competition films covering the diversity of Asia
In the Competition program, CinemAsia puts the spotlight on emerging independent filmmakers with a distinct artistic voice and cinematographic vision. The films showcase the wealth of themes and genres in Asian cinema and reflect a mosaic of cultural,...
- 1/26/2024
- by Rouven Linnarz
- AsianMoviePulse
Three Japanese films enjoying their world premieres, along with festival favorites “City of Wind” and “Solids by the Seashore,” are set to appear in the 13-title competition section of the Osaka Asian Film Festival in March.
The event will be held March 1-10 at venues including ABC Hall, Cine Libre Umeda, T-Joy Umeda and the Nakanoshima Museum of Art. The opening and closing films will be announced in early February.
The 19th edition of the festival, which will eventually contain 55 feature and short films, is set to also include three special programs – a “Thai Cinema Kaleidoscope,” “Taiwan: Movies on the Move,” and “Special Focus on Hong Kong” – as well as its regular Spotlight Section on underrated Asian films and the Indie Forum of more challenging and innovative works.
The competition titles are: “City of Wind,” by Mongolia’s Lkhagvadulam Purev-Ochir; “Fire on Water,” by Malaysia’s Sun-j Perumal; “Hyphen,” by...
The event will be held March 1-10 at venues including ABC Hall, Cine Libre Umeda, T-Joy Umeda and the Nakanoshima Museum of Art. The opening and closing films will be announced in early February.
The 19th edition of the festival, which will eventually contain 55 feature and short films, is set to also include three special programs – a “Thai Cinema Kaleidoscope,” “Taiwan: Movies on the Move,” and “Special Focus on Hong Kong” – as well as its regular Spotlight Section on underrated Asian films and the Indie Forum of more challenging and innovative works.
The competition titles are: “City of Wind,” by Mongolia’s Lkhagvadulam Purev-Ochir; “Fire on Water,” by Malaysia’s Sun-j Perumal; “Hyphen,” by...
- 1/25/2024
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Brussels-based company Best Friend Forever (“Banel & Adama”) has acquired international rights to “Shambhala,” the first Nepalese film to premiere in competition at the Berlinale or any other top film festival.
Directed by Min Bahadur Bham, “Shambhala” is also the first South Asian film to be selected in Berlinale’s competition lineup after three decades. Bham is best known for his feature debut, “Kalo Pothi,” which won a prize at Venice Critics’ Week in 2015. The helmer previously directed “Bansulli,” which was Nepal’s first selection at the Venice Film Festival in 2012.
“Shambhala” is set in a Himalayan polyandrous village in Nepal, where a newly married and pregnant woman, Pema, tries to make the best of her new life. But soon, her husband Tashi vanishes, prompting her to embark on a journey into the wilderness to find him, accompanied by her monk.
The film shot in the world’s highest settlement, located...
Directed by Min Bahadur Bham, “Shambhala” is also the first South Asian film to be selected in Berlinale’s competition lineup after three decades. Bham is best known for his feature debut, “Kalo Pothi,” which won a prize at Venice Critics’ Week in 2015. The helmer previously directed “Bansulli,” which was Nepal’s first selection at the Venice Film Festival in 2012.
“Shambhala” is set in a Himalayan polyandrous village in Nepal, where a newly married and pregnant woman, Pema, tries to make the best of her new life. But soon, her husband Tashi vanishes, prompting her to embark on a journey into the wilderness to find him, accompanied by her monk.
The film shot in the world’s highest settlement, located...
- 1/24/2024
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
The CinemAsia Film Festival in Amsterdam has unveiled titles from seven different Asian countries for its competition section.
The festival will play at the Studio/K, Rialto De Pijp and Rialto Vu venues March 5-10, 2024. The event will close with the out-of-competition screening of “Gaga,” a drama about indigenous communities in Taiwan, directed by Laha Mebow.
“Gaga” documents the challenges faced by a commune after the death of a respected tribal elder who, while alive, had held things together. Following his death problems that emerge include a land dispute, financial difficulties, an unwanted pregnancy and the risk of over-riding ‘Ga Ga’ or old tribal norms. It debuted at the 2022 Golden Horse festival and won the best director and best supporting actress awards. In 2023, it won a trio of awards including best narrative feature at the Taipei Film Festival.
This year’s seven competition titles include: “A Song Sung Blue,” by China’s Geng Zihan,...
The festival will play at the Studio/K, Rialto De Pijp and Rialto Vu venues March 5-10, 2024. The event will close with the out-of-competition screening of “Gaga,” a drama about indigenous communities in Taiwan, directed by Laha Mebow.
“Gaga” documents the challenges faced by a commune after the death of a respected tribal elder who, while alive, had held things together. Following his death problems that emerge include a land dispute, financial difficulties, an unwanted pregnancy and the risk of over-riding ‘Ga Ga’ or old tribal norms. It debuted at the 2022 Golden Horse festival and won the best director and best supporting actress awards. In 2023, it won a trio of awards including best narrative feature at the Taipei Film Festival.
This year’s seven competition titles include: “A Song Sung Blue,” by China’s Geng Zihan,...
- 1/23/2024
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Brussels-based company Best Friend Forever has acquired international rights to Lenny and Harpo Guit’s new feature “Heads or Fails,” the duo’s follow-up to Sundance comedy “Mother Schmuckers.”
Now in post, “Heads or Fails” tells the story of Armande Pigeon, a queen of shenanigans in Brussels who struggles to make ends meet because she can’t stop gambling on everything, always ending up on the wrong side of luck. When she teams up with Ronnie one night, everything changes – they win it all. And when you hit a winning streak, you have to know when to stop.
Lenny and Harpo Guit’s previous film, “Mother Schmuckers,” premiered at Sundance in the Midnight section in 2021 and was critically lauded. Along with having directed numerous short films, they also have their own YouTube channel, Clubb Guitos.
“Heads or Fails” stars Maria Cavalier-Bazan, Axel Perin (“Mother Schmuckers”), Maxi Delmelle (“Mother Schmuckers”), Michael Zindel...
Now in post, “Heads or Fails” tells the story of Armande Pigeon, a queen of shenanigans in Brussels who struggles to make ends meet because she can’t stop gambling on everything, always ending up on the wrong side of luck. When she teams up with Ronnie one night, everything changes – they win it all. And when you hit a winning streak, you have to know when to stop.
Lenny and Harpo Guit’s previous film, “Mother Schmuckers,” premiered at Sundance in the Midnight section in 2021 and was critically lauded. Along with having directed numerous short films, they also have their own YouTube channel, Clubb Guitos.
“Heads or Fails” stars Maria Cavalier-Bazan, Axel Perin (“Mother Schmuckers”), Maxi Delmelle (“Mother Schmuckers”), Michael Zindel...
- 1/19/2024
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
A total of 35 films from 24 countries and regions have been shortlisted to compete for 16 awards at this year's Asian Film Awards.
Renowned Japanese director Kurosawa Kiyoshi will serve as the Jury President for this year's Awards. As the first Japanese director to hold this position, Kurosawa Kiyoshi is deeply honored. He will lead the Jury and over 200 Voting Members in selecting the winners for this year's Asian Film Awards.
The winners of other Afa awards, including the Lifetime Achievement Award, Excellence in Asian Cinema Award, Afa Next Generation Award, and Rising Star Award, will be announced later.
The 17th Asian Film Awards Nomination List
Best Film
12.12: The Day (South Korea)
Evil Does Not Exist (Japan)
Paradise
Perfect Days (Japan)
Snow Leopard (Mainland China)
Best Director
Kim Sung-soo | 12.12: The Day (South Korea)
Gu Xiaogang | Dwelling by the West Lake (Mainland China)
Hamaguchi Ryusuke | Evil Does Not Exist (Japan)
Kore-eda Hirokazu...
Renowned Japanese director Kurosawa Kiyoshi will serve as the Jury President for this year's Awards. As the first Japanese director to hold this position, Kurosawa Kiyoshi is deeply honored. He will lead the Jury and over 200 Voting Members in selecting the winners for this year's Asian Film Awards.
The winners of other Afa awards, including the Lifetime Achievement Award, Excellence in Asian Cinema Award, Afa Next Generation Award, and Rising Star Award, will be announced later.
The 17th Asian Film Awards Nomination List
Best Film
12.12: The Day (South Korea)
Evil Does Not Exist (Japan)
Paradise
Perfect Days (Japan)
Snow Leopard (Mainland China)
Best Director
Kim Sung-soo | 12.12: The Day (South Korea)
Gu Xiaogang | Dwelling by the West Lake (Mainland China)
Hamaguchi Ryusuke | Evil Does Not Exist (Japan)
Kore-eda Hirokazu...
- 1/12/2024
- by Adriana Rosati
- AsianMoviePulse
‘Snow Leopard’, ‘Paradise’, ‘The Goldfinger’ and ‘Godzilla Minus One’ also land multiple nods.
South Korean box office hit 12.12: The Day and Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Evil Does Not Exist lead the nominations for the 17th Asian Film Awards, with six nods each including best film.
Also up for best film is Prasanna Vithanage’s Paradise from Sri Lanka-India, Wim Wenders Perfect Days from Japan and Chinese feature Snow Leopard by the late Pema Tseden.
Scroll down for full list of nominations
The winners will be announced at a ceremony in Hong Kong on March 10 and will be decided by a...
South Korean box office hit 12.12: The Day and Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Evil Does Not Exist lead the nominations for the 17th Asian Film Awards, with six nods each including best film.
Also up for best film is Prasanna Vithanage’s Paradise from Sri Lanka-India, Wim Wenders Perfect Days from Japan and Chinese feature Snow Leopard by the late Pema Tseden.
Scroll down for full list of nominations
The winners will be announced at a ceremony in Hong Kong on March 10 and will be decided by a...
- 1/12/2024
- by Michael Rosser
- ScreenDaily
Japanese filmmaker Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s latest feature, Evil Does Not Exist, and the period action pic 12.12: The Day, from Korea, lead the nominations at this year’s Asian Film Awards.
Both films received six nominations, including Best Film and Best Director. Directed by Kim Sung-soo, whose credits include Asura: The City Of Madness and The Flu, 12.12: The Day is set against the backdrop of the real-life military coup of 1979, which resulted in an eight-year military junta in South Korea. The cast includes Hwang Jung-min (The Wailing), Jung Woo-sung (Asura: The City Of Madness), and Lee Sung-min (The Spy Gone North). Released on November 22, the film sailed past the 12 million admissions mark at the Korean box office over the Christmas holiday period, becoming the highest-grossing film of 2023 in the market.
Hamaguchi’s Evil Does Not Exist — which debuted out of Venice — follows Takumi and his daughter Hana, who live...
Both films received six nominations, including Best Film and Best Director. Directed by Kim Sung-soo, whose credits include Asura: The City Of Madness and The Flu, 12.12: The Day is set against the backdrop of the real-life military coup of 1979, which resulted in an eight-year military junta in South Korea. The cast includes Hwang Jung-min (The Wailing), Jung Woo-sung (Asura: The City Of Madness), and Lee Sung-min (The Spy Gone North). Released on November 22, the film sailed past the 12 million admissions mark at the Korean box office over the Christmas holiday period, becoming the highest-grossing film of 2023 in the market.
Hamaguchi’s Evil Does Not Exist — which debuted out of Venice — follows Takumi and his daughter Hana, who live...
- 1/12/2024
- by Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
For all its many, many faults, 2023 was a banner year for international films. The awards season buzz for global gems like Justine Triet’s French courtroom thriller Anatomy of a Fall (released by Neon stateside), Jonathan Glazer’s German-language Holocaust drama Zone of Interest (A24), Hayao Miyazaki’s Japanese anime The Boy and the Heron (GKids), and J.A. Bayona’s Spanish-language real-life survival tale Society of the Snow (Netflix) only scratches the surface.
Among the many many other foreign highlights from last year are Mubi’s Fallen Leaves and How to Have Sex — the first a laconic triumph by Finnish film master Aki Kaurismäki, the latter a stunning debut by Brit first-timer Molly Manning Walker — Sony Pictures Classics’ The Teachers’ Lounge, a German school drama from director Ilker Çatak and Iranian drama Shayda from director Noora Niasari; Agnieszka Holland’s harrowing The Green Border, about Poland’s treatment of would-be...
Among the many many other foreign highlights from last year are Mubi’s Fallen Leaves and How to Have Sex — the first a laconic triumph by Finnish film master Aki Kaurismäki, the latter a stunning debut by Brit first-timer Molly Manning Walker — Sony Pictures Classics’ The Teachers’ Lounge, a German school drama from director Ilker Çatak and Iranian drama Shayda from director Noora Niasari; Agnieszka Holland’s harrowing The Green Border, about Poland’s treatment of would-be...
- 1/5/2024
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Following The Film Stage’s collective top 50 films of 2023, as part of our year-end coverage, our contributors are sharing their personal top 10 lists.
Something you often hear cinephiles proclaim is that “Every year is a good year in film.” Well, that’s obviously true––if one pays attention and knows where to look––but then there are also years that are simply better. To me, 2023 has turned out to be one of those.
It’s a year where the top festivals like Cannes, Berlin, and Venice all overperformed with stellar lineups. Geographically speaking, American/UK cinema can be proud of its output while productions from the rest of the world, especially France, Japan, Latin America, didn’t disappoint either. It’s also a year where not only indie/arthouse films delivered, but (some) blockbusters dared to get smart too. Even the presumed Oscar contenders this season include legitimate masterpieces in the mix.
Something you often hear cinephiles proclaim is that “Every year is a good year in film.” Well, that’s obviously true––if one pays attention and knows where to look––but then there are also years that are simply better. To me, 2023 has turned out to be one of those.
It’s a year where the top festivals like Cannes, Berlin, and Venice all overperformed with stellar lineups. Geographically speaking, American/UK cinema can be proud of its output while productions from the rest of the world, especially France, Japan, Latin America, didn’t disappoint either. It’s also a year where not only indie/arthouse films delivered, but (some) blockbusters dared to get smart too. Even the presumed Oscar contenders this season include legitimate masterpieces in the mix.
- 12/29/2023
- by Zhuo-Ning Su
- The Film Stage
A range of subjects, ranging from hot button to mystical, await Academy voters considering the contenders from South Asia in the international feature category.
The most visible film from the region is certainly Bhutan’s “The Monk and the Gun,” Pawo Choyning Dorji‘s follow-up to the Oscar-nominated “Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom.” In the film, Dorji uses the first elections in one of the world’s youngest democracies to comment on what is lost as his country modernizes. The Variety critics pick, following its festival premieres at Telluride, Toronto, Rome and Busan, sold to a raft of major territories worldwide, including Roadside Attractions in the U.S.
Another South Asian feature in the Oscar race that’s striking a high profile is Pakistani-Canadian filmmaker Zarrar Kahn’s “In Flames,” Pakistan’s entry to the category. The film debuted at the Cannes Directors’ Fortnight, kicking off a stellar festival run including Toronto,...
The most visible film from the region is certainly Bhutan’s “The Monk and the Gun,” Pawo Choyning Dorji‘s follow-up to the Oscar-nominated “Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom.” In the film, Dorji uses the first elections in one of the world’s youngest democracies to comment on what is lost as his country modernizes. The Variety critics pick, following its festival premieres at Telluride, Toronto, Rome and Busan, sold to a raft of major territories worldwide, including Roadside Attractions in the U.S.
Another South Asian feature in the Oscar race that’s striking a high profile is Pakistani-Canadian filmmaker Zarrar Kahn’s “In Flames,” Pakistan’s entry to the category. The film debuted at the Cannes Directors’ Fortnight, kicking off a stellar festival run including Toronto,...
- 12/12/2023
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Every year since its creation in 1956, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) invites the film industries of various countries to submit their best film for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film. The category was previously called the Best Foreign Language Film, but this was changed in April 2019 to Best International Feature Film, after the Academy deemed the word “Foreign” to be outdated.
The award is presented annually by the Academy to a feature-length motion picture produced outside the United States that contains primarily non-English dialogue. For the 96th Academy Awards, the submitted motion pictures must be first released theatrically in their respective countries between December 1, 2022, and October 31, 2023. The deadline for submissions to the Academy was October 2, 2023, and 92 countries submitted a film. The 15-film shortlist will be announced on December 21, 2023, followed by the official nominations on January 23, 2024.
Here are this edition's Asian Submissions for Best International Feature Film.
The award is presented annually by the Academy to a feature-length motion picture produced outside the United States that contains primarily non-English dialogue. For the 96th Academy Awards, the submitted motion pictures must be first released theatrically in their respective countries between December 1, 2022, and October 31, 2023. The deadline for submissions to the Academy was October 2, 2023, and 92 countries submitted a film. The 15-film shortlist will be announced on December 21, 2023, followed by the official nominations on January 23, 2024.
Here are this edition's Asian Submissions for Best International Feature Film.
- 12/11/2023
- by Adriana Rosati
- AsianMoviePulse
Richard Linklater’s action comedy “Hit Man” is set to open the Marrakech International Film Festival, which has announced its lineup of more than 70 films mixing known titles and fresh fare.
The fest is forging ahead with its 20th edition, which will run Nov. 24- Dec.2 in the ancient Moroccan city despite the Israel-Hamas conflict that has caused cancellations of several other fests in the region, as well as the earthquake that hit the country in September.
“Hit Man,” for which organizers declined to specify whether talent will attend, will screen as part of Marrakech’s red carpet gala screenings. Italian director Matteo Garrone is expected to make the trek for the gala of his Venice prizewinning immigration drama “Io Capitano” and Michel Franco will be coming to present another Venice prizewinner, “Memory,” starring Jessica Chastain, who is presiding over the fest’s main jury.
Also expected on hand for...
The fest is forging ahead with its 20th edition, which will run Nov. 24- Dec.2 in the ancient Moroccan city despite the Israel-Hamas conflict that has caused cancellations of several other fests in the region, as well as the earthquake that hit the country in September.
“Hit Man,” for which organizers declined to specify whether talent will attend, will screen as part of Marrakech’s red carpet gala screenings. Italian director Matteo Garrone is expected to make the trek for the gala of his Venice prizewinning immigration drama “Io Capitano” and Michel Franco will be coming to present another Venice prizewinner, “Memory,” starring Jessica Chastain, who is presiding over the fest’s main jury.
Also expected on hand for...
- 11/2/2023
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Oscar voters in the Best International Feature Film category have received their group assignments for this year’s initial round of voting, with 89 films included on the seven lists that the Academy has sent to members.
The lists, which were obtained by TheWrap, include presumed favorites “The Zone of Interest” (United Kingdom), “The Taste of Things” (France), “The Promised Land” (Denmark) and “Perfect Days” (Japan), along with a number of documentaries, among them Estonia’s “Smoke Sauna Sisterhood,” Brazil’s “Pictures of Ghosts” and Ukraine’s “20 Days in Mariupol.”
The 89 films are four short of the record of 93 qualifying films in the category. The list of group assignments does not make up the Academy’s official list of eligible films; it’s possible that assigned films might still fail to qualify before first-round voting begins on Dec. 18. For the most part, though, films that are included in the group...
The lists, which were obtained by TheWrap, include presumed favorites “The Zone of Interest” (United Kingdom), “The Taste of Things” (France), “The Promised Land” (Denmark) and “Perfect Days” (Japan), along with a number of documentaries, among them Estonia’s “Smoke Sauna Sisterhood,” Brazil’s “Pictures of Ghosts” and Ukraine’s “20 Days in Mariupol.”
The 89 films are four short of the record of 93 qualifying films in the category. The list of group assignments does not make up the Academy’s official list of eligible films; it’s possible that assigned films might still fail to qualify before first-round voting begins on Dec. 18. For the most part, though, films that are included in the group...
- 10/31/2023
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon East-West Award
Huang Jianxin
International Contribution to Chinese Cinema Award
Norman Wang
Fei Mu Awards
Fei Mu Awards: Best Film
“Only the River Flows” Dir. Wei Shujun.
Fei Mu Awards: Best Director
Geng Zihan for “A Song Sung Blue”
Film Review: A Song Sung Blue (2023) by Zihan Geng
Fei Mu Awards: Best Actress
Lyu Xingchen for “Carefree Days” (dir. Xu Lingling)
Fei Mu Awards: Best Actor
Zhang Yu for “Records Without Words” (dir. Li Lizhong)
Fei Mu Awards: Jury Award
“Dance Still” Dirs. Qin Muqiu, Zhan Hanqi
Fei Mu Awards: Special Mention (joint winners)
“The Night Rain South Township” Dir. Li Binbin.
“Undoing Time” Dir. Li Pu
Fei Mu Awards: Best Short Film
“Questions to Heaven” Dirs. Wenqi, Zheng Ziyi.
Roberto Rossellini Awards
Roberto Rossellini Awards: Best Film
“Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell” Dir. Pham Thien An
Roberto Rossellini Awards: Best Director
Lkhagvadulam Purev-Ochir for “City of Wind...
Huang Jianxin
International Contribution to Chinese Cinema Award
Norman Wang
Fei Mu Awards
Fei Mu Awards: Best Film
“Only the River Flows” Dir. Wei Shujun.
Fei Mu Awards: Best Director
Geng Zihan for “A Song Sung Blue”
Film Review: A Song Sung Blue (2023) by Zihan Geng
Fei Mu Awards: Best Actress
Lyu Xingchen for “Carefree Days” (dir. Xu Lingling)
Fei Mu Awards: Best Actor
Zhang Yu for “Records Without Words” (dir. Li Lizhong)
Fei Mu Awards: Jury Award
“Dance Still” Dirs. Qin Muqiu, Zhan Hanqi
Fei Mu Awards: Special Mention (joint winners)
“The Night Rain South Township” Dir. Li Binbin.
“Undoing Time” Dir. Li Pu
Fei Mu Awards: Best Short Film
“Questions to Heaven” Dirs. Wenqi, Zheng Ziyi.
Roberto Rossellini Awards
Roberto Rossellini Awards: Best Film
“Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell” Dir. Pham Thien An
Roberto Rossellini Awards: Best Director
Lkhagvadulam Purev-Ochir for “City of Wind...
- 10/17/2023
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Two titles which debuted at Cannes this year were named as the major prize-winners at the seventh edition of the Pingyao International Film Festival in China.
Wei Shujun’s black comedy-thriller “Only the River Flows” won the festival’s Fei Mu prize for best Chinese film. “Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell,” by Vietnamese feature film debutant Pham Thien An, won the Roberto Rossellini prize for best international film. The picture is a Vietnam, Singapore, France, Spain co-production and won Cannes’ Camera d’Or for best first film.
Other prizes went to Hong Kong-based Norman Wang, a veteran consultant, marketeer and festival scout, and to Huang Jianxin, a leading mainland Chinese director-screenwriter and producer whose directing career has ranged from satire to propaganda. He also produced Sun Zhou’s Gong Li- and Tony Leung-starring “Zhou Yu’s Train.”
The festival, originally conceived by Jia Zhangke and Marco Mueller, is held in the Unesco-heritage,...
Wei Shujun’s black comedy-thriller “Only the River Flows” won the festival’s Fei Mu prize for best Chinese film. “Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell,” by Vietnamese feature film debutant Pham Thien An, won the Roberto Rossellini prize for best international film. The picture is a Vietnam, Singapore, France, Spain co-production and won Cannes’ Camera d’Or for best first film.
Other prizes went to Hong Kong-based Norman Wang, a veteran consultant, marketeer and festival scout, and to Huang Jianxin, a leading mainland Chinese director-screenwriter and producer whose directing career has ranged from satire to propaganda. He also produced Sun Zhou’s Gong Li- and Tony Leung-starring “Zhou Yu’s Train.”
The festival, originally conceived by Jia Zhangke and Marco Mueller, is held in the Unesco-heritage,...
- 10/17/2023
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Wei Shujun’s Only The River Flows was presented with Best Film in the Fei Mu Awards at this year’s Pingyao International Film Festival (Pyiff), while Inside The Yellow Cocoon Shell, directed by Vietnam’s Pham Thien An, won Best Film in the festival’s Roberto Rossellini Awards.
The Fei Mu Awards recognise up-and-coming Chinese filmmakers selected in the festival’s Hidden Dragons section. The Roberto Rossellini Awards are presented to films in the Crouching Tigers section for emerging international filmmakers.
Both Only The River Flows and Inside The Yellow Cocoon Shell premiered at this year’s Cannes film festival, the former in Un Certain Regard and the latter in Directors Fortnight where it won the Camera d’Or.
Geng Zihan won Best Director in the Fei Mu Awards for A Song Sung Blue, which also premiered in Cannes Directors Fortnight. Luc Besson, who was in Pingyao with Dogman,...
The Fei Mu Awards recognise up-and-coming Chinese filmmakers selected in the festival’s Hidden Dragons section. The Roberto Rossellini Awards are presented to films in the Crouching Tigers section for emerging international filmmakers.
Both Only The River Flows and Inside The Yellow Cocoon Shell premiered at this year’s Cannes film festival, the former in Un Certain Regard and the latter in Directors Fortnight where it won the Camera d’Or.
Geng Zihan won Best Director in the Fei Mu Awards for A Song Sung Blue, which also premiered in Cannes Directors Fortnight. Luc Besson, who was in Pingyao with Dogman,...
- 10/16/2023
- by Liz Shackleton
- Deadline Film + TV
For her debut feature film, Lkhagvadulam Purev-Ochir delves into her own past experiences, exploring customs and traditions through the eyes of her young protagonist. Ze must navigate the delicate balance between pursuing personal desires and fulfilling sacred duties as the shaman for their village. Shot in Ulaanbaatar, the film captures a pivotal moment in time—a crossroads between adolescence and adulthood, a reflection on traditions from the past and their relevance in the present, and an evolving city that starkly contrasts with its recent history and is likely to undergo significant changes in the near future.
Already a notable presence on the film festival circuit due to her previous short films, Purev-Ochir was chosen to participate in the 2023 Venice Film Festival’s Orizzonti section.…...
Already a notable presence on the film festival circuit due to her previous short films, Purev-Ochir was chosen to participate in the 2023 Venice Film Festival’s Orizzonti section.…...
- 10/10/2023
- by Eric Lavallée
- IONCINEMA.com
Don’t have a favorite Mongolian film yet? Worry no more. City of Wind, writer-director Lkhagvadulam Purev-Ochir’s feature debut, is here to expand your cinematic map and win your heart. Following a premiere in Venice, it screened at the Filmfest Hamburg and proved an absolute charmer. Slight as it may seem in narrative scope, this coming-of-age tale buzzes with tenderness and so much soul it feels positively healing.
We are introduced to the protagonist at a ceremony performed inside a yurt. Accompanied by well-wishers, an old man is kneeling in front of someone covered head to toe in bells, feathers, and a giant headgear, addressed only as “Spirit Grandfather.” From behind the face veil, a raspy and ancient voice answers the old man’s questions and offers solace. When the ritual is over and the traditional garb removed, “Spirit Grandfather” turns out to be 17-year-old Ze (Tergel Bold-Erdene), a...
We are introduced to the protagonist at a ceremony performed inside a yurt. Accompanied by well-wishers, an old man is kneeling in front of someone covered head to toe in bells, feathers, and a giant headgear, addressed only as “Spirit Grandfather.” From behind the face veil, a raspy and ancient voice answers the old man’s questions and offers solace. When the ritual is over and the traditional garb removed, “Spirit Grandfather” turns out to be 17-year-old Ze (Tergel Bold-Erdene), a...
- 10/9/2023
- by Zhuo-Ning Su
- The Film Stage
China’s Pingyao International Film Festival has announced the line-up for its seventh edition (October 11-18), which will open with Wei Shujun’s Only The River Flows and close with the world premiere of Fei Yu’s Football On The Roof.
Wei’s 1990s-set noir thriller, which premiered in Un Certain Regard at this year’s Cannes film festival, is also one of 11 titles competing in Pingyao’s Hidden Dragons competition for emerging Chinese filmmakers. Football On The Roof tells the story of a female soccer team fighting against the odds in the remote mountains of Yunnan province.
The Hidden Dragons line-up also includes Geng Zihan’s A Song Sung Blue, which premiered in Cannes Directors Fortnight, along with world premieres including Hao Feihuan’s Records Without Words, Li Binbin’s The Night Rain South Township and Yang Pingdao’s A Romantic Fragment (see full line-up below).
Pingyao has also...
Wei’s 1990s-set noir thriller, which premiered in Un Certain Regard at this year’s Cannes film festival, is also one of 11 titles competing in Pingyao’s Hidden Dragons competition for emerging Chinese filmmakers. Football On The Roof tells the story of a female soccer team fighting against the odds in the remote mountains of Yunnan province.
The Hidden Dragons line-up also includes Geng Zihan’s A Song Sung Blue, which premiered in Cannes Directors Fortnight, along with world premieres including Hao Feihuan’s Records Without Words, Li Binbin’s The Night Rain South Township and Yang Pingdao’s A Romantic Fragment (see full line-up below).
Pingyao has also...
- 10/8/2023
- by Liz Shackleton
- Deadline Film + TV
Oscars: Venice Drama ‘City Of Wind’ From Lkhagvadulam Purev-Ochir Set As Mongolia’s 2024 Oscar Entry
The indie drama City of Wind, marking the feature directorial debut of Lkhagvadulam Purev-Ochir, has been set as Mongolia’s International Feature Oscar entry for 2024.
The news comes following its recent world premiere in the Orizzonti Competition of the Venice Film Festival, where actor Tergel Bold-Erdene won the Venice Horizons Award for Best Actor.
The film from the creative nicknamed Dulmaa tells the story of Ze (Tergel Bold-Erdene), a 17-year-old serving as the shaman for his village, who at the same time studies hard at school, in order to succeed in the cold, callous society of modern Mongolia. When Ze encounters Maralaa (Nomin-Erdene Ariunbyamba), his senses are awakened and another reality seems possible.
Also starring Bulgan Chuluunbat, Ganzorig Tsetsgee, and Tsend-Ayush Nyamsuren, City of Wind is produced by Katia Khazak and Charlotte Vincent. Writer-director Purev-Ochir adapted the film loosely from her debut short Mountain Cat, which premiered in competition at...
The news comes following its recent world premiere in the Orizzonti Competition of the Venice Film Festival, where actor Tergel Bold-Erdene won the Venice Horizons Award for Best Actor.
The film from the creative nicknamed Dulmaa tells the story of Ze (Tergel Bold-Erdene), a 17-year-old serving as the shaman for his village, who at the same time studies hard at school, in order to succeed in the cold, callous society of modern Mongolia. When Ze encounters Maralaa (Nomin-Erdene Ariunbyamba), his senses are awakened and another reality seems possible.
Also starring Bulgan Chuluunbat, Ganzorig Tsetsgee, and Tsend-Ayush Nyamsuren, City of Wind is produced by Katia Khazak and Charlotte Vincent. Writer-director Purev-Ochir adapted the film loosely from her debut short Mountain Cat, which premiered in competition at...
- 10/4/2023
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Although Italy and France took the lion's share of awards at the 80th Biennale, and Yorgos Lanthinmos took home the Golden Lion, a number of productions from Asia still found space to shine, starting with the latest festival sensation, Ryusuke Hamaguchi, who went home with the Silver Lion for “Evil Does not Exist”. In more detail:
Silver Lion – Grand Jury Prize to:
Aku Wa Sonzai Shinai (Evil Does Not Exist) by Ryusuke Hamaguchi (Japan)
the Orizzonti Award For Best Actor to:
Tergel Bold-Erdene in the film Ser Ser Salhi (City of Wind) by Lkhagvadulam Purev-Ochir
Lion Of The Future – “Luigi De Laurentiis” Venice Award For A Debut Film to:
Ai Shi Yi Ba Qiang (Love Is A Gun) di Lee Hong-Chi (Hong Kong/Taiwan)
Check the review of the film Film Review: Love Is A Gun (2023) by Lee Hong-Chi|
the Venice Classics Award For Best Restored Film to:
Ohikkoshi (Moving...
Silver Lion – Grand Jury Prize to:
Aku Wa Sonzai Shinai (Evil Does Not Exist) by Ryusuke Hamaguchi (Japan)
the Orizzonti Award For Best Actor to:
Tergel Bold-Erdene in the film Ser Ser Salhi (City of Wind) by Lkhagvadulam Purev-Ochir
Lion Of The Future – “Luigi De Laurentiis” Venice Award For A Debut Film to:
Ai Shi Yi Ba Qiang (Love Is A Gun) di Lee Hong-Chi (Hong Kong/Taiwan)
Check the review of the film Film Review: Love Is A Gun (2023) by Lee Hong-Chi|
the Venice Classics Award For Best Restored Film to:
Ohikkoshi (Moving...
- 9/10/2023
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
The young people of Mongolia are caught between centuries of tradition and the demands of the modern world in City of Wind, the new film and first full-length feature from award-winning shorts director Lkhagvadulam Purev-Ochir (Snow in September, Mountain Cat).
The film, which premiered in Venice and is screening at the Toronto International Film Festival, follows the relationship between Ze, a 17-year-old, gentle Mongolian shaman and Maralaa, a young woman who takes him outside his world into the, for him, alien urban world of Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia’s capital city.
First-timer Tergel Bold-Erdene, who plays Ze, won the best actor honor for the Venice Horizons sidebar for his performance. In an exclusive first trailer of the film (see below), viewers follow Ze as he moves between the ancient spiritual traditions of his homeland and the barrage of the modern world. Nomin-Erdene Ariunbyamba plays Maralaa. Tsend-Ayush Nyamsuren, Ganzorig Tsetsgee and Bulgan Chuluunbat co-star.
The film, which premiered in Venice and is screening at the Toronto International Film Festival, follows the relationship between Ze, a 17-year-old, gentle Mongolian shaman and Maralaa, a young woman who takes him outside his world into the, for him, alien urban world of Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia’s capital city.
First-timer Tergel Bold-Erdene, who plays Ze, won the best actor honor for the Venice Horizons sidebar for his performance. In an exclusive first trailer of the film (see below), viewers follow Ze as he moves between the ancient spiritual traditions of his homeland and the barrage of the modern world. Nomin-Erdene Ariunbyamba plays Maralaa. Tsend-Ayush Nyamsuren, Ganzorig Tsetsgee and Bulgan Chuluunbat co-star.
- 9/9/2023
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
As many predicted, the 80th annual Venice Film Festival bestowed its top prize, the Golden Lion, to Yorgos Lanthimos’ rapturously received “Poor Things.” The win furthers the film’s increasing Oscar buzz, powered by a performance from star Emma Stone that could bring her a second Oscar for Best Actress. The film will open in limited release from Searchlight on Dec. 8, then slowly roll out nationwide.
However, the leading actress prize went to Cailee Spaeny for her work in Sofia Coppola’s “Priscilla,” an intimate look at Priscilla Presley’s early courtship with Elvis Presley. (The film opens in theaters on Nov. 3.) Peter Sarsgaard won leading actor honors for his turn as a dementia-afflicted widower in Michel Franco’s “Memory,” opposite Jessica Chastain.
Matteo Garrone’s immigrant drama “Me Captain” captured two major awards, including the best director prize and the Marcello Mastroianni Young Actor/Actress Award for breakout star Seydou Sarr.
However, the leading actress prize went to Cailee Spaeny for her work in Sofia Coppola’s “Priscilla,” an intimate look at Priscilla Presley’s early courtship with Elvis Presley. (The film opens in theaters on Nov. 3.) Peter Sarsgaard won leading actor honors for his turn as a dementia-afflicted widower in Michel Franco’s “Memory,” opposite Jessica Chastain.
Matteo Garrone’s immigrant drama “Me Captain” captured two major awards, including the best director prize and the Marcello Mastroianni Young Actor/Actress Award for breakout star Seydou Sarr.
- 9/9/2023
- by Jason Clark
- The Wrap
Yorgos Lanthimos’ Poor Things, a fantastical feminist fable starring Emma Stone as a woman reanimated by a Frankenstein-style Victorian scientist (Willem Dafoe), has won the Golden Lion for best film at the 80th Venice International Film Festival.
The Hollywood Reporter critics praised the film — which includes a potentially career-defining performance by star Emma Stone as Isabella Baxter, the woman who struggles to understand the restrictive patriarchy of the world around her, and then proceeds to dismantle it.
In his acceptance speech, Lanthimos said it took a long time to make the movie, his first since 2018 Oscar winner The Favourite, “until the world, until our industry, was ready for this film.” He singled out Stone for praise.
“Above all, this film is the central character of Isabella Baxter, this incredible creature, and she wouldn’t exist without Emma Stone, another incredible creature. This film is her, in front and behind the camera.
The Hollywood Reporter critics praised the film — which includes a potentially career-defining performance by star Emma Stone as Isabella Baxter, the woman who struggles to understand the restrictive patriarchy of the world around her, and then proceeds to dismantle it.
In his acceptance speech, Lanthimos said it took a long time to make the movie, his first since 2018 Oscar winner The Favourite, “until the world, until our industry, was ready for this film.” He singled out Stone for praise.
“Above all, this film is the central character of Isabella Baxter, this incredible creature, and she wouldn’t exist without Emma Stone, another incredible creature. This film is her, in front and behind the camera.
- 9/9/2023
- by Scott Roxborough and Alex Ritman
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Brussels-based company Best Friend Forever has revealed a raft of deals for key territories for Ramata-Toulaye Sy‘s feature film debut, “Banel & Adama,” which played in competition in Cannes and makes its North American premiere in Toronto. Variety reviewed it as “a dreamlike debut” in May.
The film just won the Melbourne International Film Festival’s top prize, the Bright Horizons Award.
The film was sold in Benelux (Cherry Pickers), Switzerland (trigon-films), Scandinavia (Njuta Films), Australia and New Zealand (Ahi), South Korea (Green Narae Media), Spain (Filmin), Greece (Cinobo), Portugal (Alambique), Poland (Afrykamera), and Baltics (From Afar). North America, U.K. and Japan are in discussions among others.
Previously announced deals are Tandem Films for French distribution, who just released the title in France and Pathé BC Afrique is releasing in Senegal on Oct. 4.
Ahead of TIFF, Best Friend Forever also unveiled the international trailer in exclusivity with Variety.
The film just won the Melbourne International Film Festival’s top prize, the Bright Horizons Award.
The film was sold in Benelux (Cherry Pickers), Switzerland (trigon-films), Scandinavia (Njuta Films), Australia and New Zealand (Ahi), South Korea (Green Narae Media), Spain (Filmin), Greece (Cinobo), Portugal (Alambique), Poland (Afrykamera), and Baltics (From Afar). North America, U.K. and Japan are in discussions among others.
Previously announced deals are Tandem Films for French distribution, who just released the title in France and Pathé BC Afrique is releasing in Senegal on Oct. 4.
Ahead of TIFF, Best Friend Forever also unveiled the international trailer in exclusivity with Variety.
- 9/9/2023
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
Mongolia, in the international cinematic imagination, tends to be largely defined by the rugged lyricism of its rural landscapes, peopled by grizzled nomads and eagle hunters, and of course, celebrated as the birthplace of conquering warlord Genghis Khan. So this quiet, confident debut from Lkhagvadulam Purev-Ochir comes as a refreshing change of pace, acknowledging the nation’s ancient heritage but only as distant backdrop to Ulaanbaatar’s skyscrapers, shopping malls and pulsing neon nightclubs. In the heart and on the fringes of this modern metropolis, a fragile connection sparks up between two teens — representatives of the youthful country’s expanding Gen Z demographic. Neither as self-consciously poetic nor as vaporous as its title implies, “City of Wind” is a carefully tended flame that spreads a little circle of light and warmth in the world’s coldest capital.
The very first scene lays out its surprising juxtapositions neatly. A shaman, referred to as “Grandfather-Spirit,...
The very first scene lays out its surprising juxtapositions neatly. A shaman, referred to as “Grandfather-Spirit,...
- 9/6/2023
- by Jessica Kiang
- Variety Film + TV
Ze (Tergel Bold-Erdene) and Maralaa (Nomin-Erdene Ariunbyamba) in City Of Wind. Lkhagvadulam Purev-Ochir: 'For me, the film is also an attempt to kind of document this particular time and space that is modern day Mongolia' Lkhagvadulam Purev-Ochir’s feature debut City Of Wind has made a strong start to its festival run, screening at Venice and, soon, in Toronto. Set in Mongolia’s Ulaanbaatar it is a coming-of-age tale about a young Shaman Ze (newcomer Tergel Bold-Erdene) as he considers his place in the world and navigates the conflicting pressures of being a Shaman and falling in love with fellow teenager Maralaa (Nomin-Erdene Ariunbyamba). We caught up with the director ahead of the Toronto screenings to chat about expressing Shamanism on film, modern Mongolia and the tip she got from A Separation Oscar-winner Asghar Farhadi.
A lot of people, if they like World Cinema, will have come to Mongolia via the countryside,...
A lot of people, if they like World Cinema, will have come to Mongolia via the countryside,...
- 9/6/2023
- by Amber Wilkinson
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Cinemagoers who have caught films about Mongolia previously are likely to have come to the country via the wide open spaces of the countryside captured in the likes of Tuya’s Wedding or The Eagle Huntress. This impressive debut from Lkhagvadulam Purev-Ochir, in contrast, takes us to the capital Ulaanbaatar. There, modern skyscrapers rub shoulders with brutalist architecture from the Soviet era and, in the ger district on the outskirts of the city, low-rise homes and yurts. This sense of contrast between the old, the new, the modern and the traditional is a current running beneath her tale that focuses on a young Shaman on the brink of adulthood.
Ze (Tergel Bold-Erdene) is 17 and in his last year of senior school, his stern teacher already expecting him to become a high-flying executive. The teenager already has another important job, however, that of being a shaman for his local community. We meet.
Ze (Tergel Bold-Erdene) is 17 and in his last year of senior school, his stern teacher already expecting him to become a high-flying executive. The teenager already has another important job, however, that of being a shaman for his local community. We meet.
- 9/5/2023
- by Amber Wilkinson
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
The Busan International Film Festival put aside many of its recent internal and local political problems to Tuesday unveil a large selection ranging from bleeding edge art titles to international festival favorites.
“The difficult times are not behind us, but hard work has made this year’s festival better than ever,” said programmer and interim festival chief Nam Dong-chul, speaking at an online press conference.
International guests expected to attend the festival include Luc Besson, Chinese superstar Fan Bingbing, Japanese directors Hamaguchi Ryusuke and Kore-Eda Hirokazu, Iranian filmmaker Mohsen Makhmalbaf, and Korean Americans Justin Chon (“Gook”) and Lee Isaac Chung (“Minari”).
Hong Kong-based superstar Chow Yun-fat has been named as Busan’s Asian Filmmaker of the Year and will be in person to receive the award. The Korean Cinema Award will presented to the late Yun Jung-hee, the actress who starred in “The General’s Mustache” and Lee Chang-dong’s 2010 drama “Poetry.
“The difficult times are not behind us, but hard work has made this year’s festival better than ever,” said programmer and interim festival chief Nam Dong-chul, speaking at an online press conference.
International guests expected to attend the festival include Luc Besson, Chinese superstar Fan Bingbing, Japanese directors Hamaguchi Ryusuke and Kore-Eda Hirokazu, Iranian filmmaker Mohsen Makhmalbaf, and Korean Americans Justin Chon (“Gook”) and Lee Isaac Chung (“Minari”).
Hong Kong-based superstar Chow Yun-fat has been named as Busan’s Asian Filmmaker of the Year and will be in person to receive the award. The Korean Cinema Award will presented to the late Yun Jung-hee, the actress who starred in “The General’s Mustache” and Lee Chang-dong’s 2010 drama “Poetry.
- 9/5/2023
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Fund supports filmmakers from countries where funding and infrastructure is lacking or restrictive.
Tamara Tatishvili has been appointed as head of International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR)’s global film fund, the Hubert Bals Fund.
A strategy consultant, producer and programmer, Tatishvili is a former director of the Georgian National Film Center and is currently head of studies at Medici, a training and exchange forum for decision makers of international public film funds.
She will take up the position heading the Hubert Bals Fund following the departure of its previous head, Bianca Taal. Taal took over last year following a major restructure at the IFFR.
Tamara Tatishvili has been appointed as head of International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR)’s global film fund, the Hubert Bals Fund.
A strategy consultant, producer and programmer, Tatishvili is a former director of the Georgian National Film Center and is currently head of studies at Medici, a training and exchange forum for decision makers of international public film funds.
She will take up the position heading the Hubert Bals Fund following the departure of its previous head, Bianca Taal. Taal took over last year following a major restructure at the IFFR.
- 9/4/2023
- by Tim Dams
- ScreenDaily
“City of Wind” depicts a version of Mongolian everyday life that is both traditional and modern. Ulaanbaatar is shown as messy and sprawlingly urban in a fashion that will be familiar to millions of city dwellers in Asia — even if there are yurts in the front garden.
Presented in Venice’s Horizons section, and then Toronto, “City” starts as a story of a shaman, who is still of school age. Its opening scenes deliver a deliciously slow reveal of the boy savant and, soon after, a challenge to his supposed authority.
But by the second reel, it has done away with much of the exploration of the contradiction between the boy’s age and inexperience and his apparent insight. Instead, he fights with his catty sister and falls in love with the teen-girl who previously called him out. What follows is a wider, but milder, exploration of the juxtaposition of modernity and tradition.
Presented in Venice’s Horizons section, and then Toronto, “City” starts as a story of a shaman, who is still of school age. Its opening scenes deliver a deliciously slow reveal of the boy savant and, soon after, a challenge to his supposed authority.
But by the second reel, it has done away with much of the exploration of the contradiction between the boy’s age and inexperience and his apparent insight. Instead, he fights with his catty sister and falls in love with the teen-girl who previously called him out. What follows is a wider, but milder, exploration of the juxtaposition of modernity and tradition.
- 9/2/2023
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
After winning the Orizzonti award for Best Short Film last year (for “Snow in September”), Mongolian director Lkhagvadulam Purev-Ochir returns to Venice with her feature debut: a scintillating, spiritual coming-of-age drama about a teenage shaman trapped between modernity and tradition.
For most of “Sèr sèr salhi” (or “City of Wind”) it’s hard to be certain of how much 17-year-old Ze (Tergel Bold-Erdene) believes in his own ancestral rituals; it’s the rare perspective Purev-Ochir intentionally denies her audience. However, in obfuscating this dramatic tenet, she illuminates not only his looming self-doubts and his search for identity, but also, the dynamic complications of his high school life on the precipice of adulthood.
Set in the dead of winter, the movie’s opening scene speaks to a dueling intimacy and unknowability — the confounding sense of self that pervades life at 17 — told here through close-ups that reveal details, but those details themselves only serve to obscure.
For most of “Sèr sèr salhi” (or “City of Wind”) it’s hard to be certain of how much 17-year-old Ze (Tergel Bold-Erdene) believes in his own ancestral rituals; it’s the rare perspective Purev-Ochir intentionally denies her audience. However, in obfuscating this dramatic tenet, she illuminates not only his looming self-doubts and his search for identity, but also, the dynamic complications of his high school life on the precipice of adulthood.
Set in the dead of winter, the movie’s opening scene speaks to a dueling intimacy and unknowability — the confounding sense of self that pervades life at 17 — told here through close-ups that reveal details, but those details themselves only serve to obscure.
- 8/31/2023
- by Siddhant Adlakha
- Indiewire
The Toronto Film Festival on Thursday revealed its Centerpiece program lineup that includes the Cannes Film Festival-winning Wim Wenders movie Perfect Days. The festival also revealed another couple of star-driven world premieres including Paramount’s Finestkind starring Jenna Ortega, Ben Foster and Tommy Lee Jones and 20th Century Studios/Hulu’s comedy Quiz Lady starring Awkwafina, Sandra Oh and Will Ferrell.
Finestkind comes from Oscar winner Brian Helgeland and follows two brothers who are pulled into a deal with an organized crime syndicate in Boston. The pic is playing as one of TIFF’s galas.
Quiz Lady follows a brilliant but tightly wound, game-show-obsessed woman Anne (Awkwafina) and her estranged, train-wreck of a sister Jenny (Oh) who must work together to help cover their mother’s gambling debts. When Anne’s beloved dog is kidnapped, they set out on a wild cross-country trek to get the cash the only way...
Finestkind comes from Oscar winner Brian Helgeland and follows two brothers who are pulled into a deal with an organized crime syndicate in Boston. The pic is playing as one of TIFF’s galas.
Quiz Lady follows a brilliant but tightly wound, game-show-obsessed woman Anne (Awkwafina) and her estranged, train-wreck of a sister Jenny (Oh) who must work together to help cover their mother’s gambling debts. When Anne’s beloved dog is kidnapped, they set out on a wild cross-country trek to get the cash the only way...
- 8/10/2023
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Last year the Contemporary World Cinema had plenty of Cannes Film Festival gems in Aftersun, Falcon Lake, R.M.N. and The Worst Ones. This year’s programme no longer called Cwc but could be called Cannes replay but the programmers want us to call it the Centrepiece programme. We have the masterful (Cannes Best Actress-winning) About Dry Grasses by Nuri Bilge Ceylan plus Croisette light touches in the feel-good films of Fallen Leaves, Perfect Days and Monia Chokri ‘s Simple Comme Sylvain. From Venice we find Lkhagvadulam Purev-Ochir’s City of Wind, Ariane Louis-Seize’s Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person and Ryûsuke Hamaguchi’s Evil Does Not Exist.…...
- 8/10/2023
- by Eric Lavallée
- IONCINEMA.com
Auteurs Agnieszka Holland, Wim Wenders, Hamaguchi Ryusuke and Aki Kaurismaki are among the filmmakers featured in the Toronto International Film Festival’s (TIFF) Centrepiece program.
The strand, previously known as Contemporary World Cinema, which honors and celebrates global cinematic achievements, features 47 titles from filmmakers representing 45 countries.
TIFF has also revealed the additional lineup of galas, special presentations and documentaries, which feature star wattage from around the world including Tommy Lee Jones and Anil Kapoor.
“We are very excited to present the new Centrepiece program, a cinematic journey that transcends boundaries and embraces the art of human experience,” said Anita Lee, TIFF chief programming officer. “The rebranding of the TIFF program, formerly Contemporary World Cinema, is a reflection of the festival’s vision to provide an elevated platform for international cinema, acclaimed titles from festivals around the globe, highly anticipated premieres from Canadian and international talents, and the latest work of influential filmmaking luminaries.
The strand, previously known as Contemporary World Cinema, which honors and celebrates global cinematic achievements, features 47 titles from filmmakers representing 45 countries.
TIFF has also revealed the additional lineup of galas, special presentations and documentaries, which feature star wattage from around the world including Tommy Lee Jones and Anil Kapoor.
“We are very excited to present the new Centrepiece program, a cinematic journey that transcends boundaries and embraces the art of human experience,” said Anita Lee, TIFF chief programming officer. “The rebranding of the TIFF program, formerly Contemporary World Cinema, is a reflection of the festival’s vision to provide an elevated platform for international cinema, acclaimed titles from festivals around the globe, highly anticipated premieres from Canadian and international talents, and the latest work of influential filmmaking luminaries.
- 8/10/2023
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Ahead of Toronto International Film Festival kicking off in less than a month, the festival announced more additions, including Ryûsuke Hamaguchi’s Evil Does Not Exist, Close Your Eyes by Víctor Erice, Fallen Leaves by Aki Kaurismäki, Green Border by Agnieszka Holland, Perfect Days by Wim Wenders, About Dry Grasses by Nuri Bilge Ceylan, and more.
“We are very excited to present the new Centrepiece programme, a cinematic journey that transcends boundaries and embraces the art of human experience,” said Anita Lee, TIFF Chief Programming Officer. “The rebranding of the TIFF programme, formerly Contemporary World Cinema, is a reflection of the Festival’s vision to provide an elevated platform for international cinema, acclaimed titles from festivals around the globe, highly anticipated premieres from Canadian and international talents, and the latest work of influential filmmaking luminaries.”
See the lineup below.
Centrepiece Programme 2023
100 Yards Xu Haofeng, Xu Junfeng | China
International Premiere
About...
“We are very excited to present the new Centrepiece programme, a cinematic journey that transcends boundaries and embraces the art of human experience,” said Anita Lee, TIFF Chief Programming Officer. “The rebranding of the TIFF programme, formerly Contemporary World Cinema, is a reflection of the Festival’s vision to provide an elevated platform for international cinema, acclaimed titles from festivals around the globe, highly anticipated premieres from Canadian and international talents, and the latest work of influential filmmaking luminaries.”
See the lineup below.
Centrepiece Programme 2023
100 Yards Xu Haofeng, Xu Junfeng | China
International Premiere
About...
- 8/10/2023
- by Leonard Pearce
- The Film Stage
The Toronto International Film Festival has added 59 more films to the lineup of its 2023 festival, including 47 international films in the Centrepiece program, which in previous years was known as Contemporary World Cinema. New films were also added to the Galas, Special Presentations and Documentary sections.
World premieres among the new selections include “Finestkind,” a crime thriller from Brian Helgeland (screenwriter of “L.A. Confidential”) starring Tommy Lee Jones and Ben Foster; The Movie Teller,” a film set in Chile starring Berenice Bejo from “An Education” director Lone Scherfig; and Jessica Yu’s “Quiz Lady,” with Sandra Oh and Awkwafina.
The Centrepiece selections include a number of films from May’s Cannes Film Festival, among them Wim Wenders’ “Perfect Days,” Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s “About Dry Grasses,” Aki Kaurismaki’s “Fallen Leaves,” Ramata-Toulaye Sy’s “Banel & Adama,” Amjad Al Rasheed’s “Inshallah a Boy,” Joanna Arnow’s “The Feeling That the...
World premieres among the new selections include “Finestkind,” a crime thriller from Brian Helgeland (screenwriter of “L.A. Confidential”) starring Tommy Lee Jones and Ben Foster; The Movie Teller,” a film set in Chile starring Berenice Bejo from “An Education” director Lone Scherfig; and Jessica Yu’s “Quiz Lady,” with Sandra Oh and Awkwafina.
The Centrepiece selections include a number of films from May’s Cannes Film Festival, among them Wim Wenders’ “Perfect Days,” Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s “About Dry Grasses,” Aki Kaurismaki’s “Fallen Leaves,” Ramata-Toulaye Sy’s “Banel & Adama,” Amjad Al Rasheed’s “Inshallah a Boy,” Joanna Arnow’s “The Feeling That the...
- 8/10/2023
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
The Toronto International Film Festival continues to expand its 2023 lineup with 47 films from 45 countries in the Centerpiece program, previously known as Contemporary World Cinema. The highlights include Cannes Film Festival winners “Fallen Leaves” from Aki Kaurismäki and “Perfect Days” from Wim Wenders as well as Agnieszka Holland’s Venice-bound “Green Border.” See the full lineup below.
“We are very excited to present the new Centrepiece program, a cinematic journey that transcends boundaries and embraces the art of human experience,” said Anita Lee, TIFF Chief Programming Officer, in an official statement. “The rebranding of the TIFF program, formerly Contemporary World Cinema, is a reflection of the festival’s vision to provide an elevated platform for international cinema, for acclaimed titles from festivals around the globe, highly anticipated premieres from Canadian and international talents, and the latest work of influential filmmaking luminaries.”
Centerpiece Program 2023
About Dry Grasses (Kuru Otlar Üstüne) Nuri Bilge Ceylan...
“We are very excited to present the new Centrepiece program, a cinematic journey that transcends boundaries and embraces the art of human experience,” said Anita Lee, TIFF Chief Programming Officer, in an official statement. “The rebranding of the TIFF program, formerly Contemporary World Cinema, is a reflection of the festival’s vision to provide an elevated platform for international cinema, for acclaimed titles from festivals around the globe, highly anticipated premieres from Canadian and international talents, and the latest work of influential filmmaking luminaries.”
Centerpiece Program 2023
About Dry Grasses (Kuru Otlar Üstüne) Nuri Bilge Ceylan...
- 8/10/2023
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
Eighteen is the exact number of films selected last year, and will probably be the case for (the opener was not yet announced) the Orizzonti aka Horizons competition section at the 2023 edition of the Venice Film Festival. Among the titles we’ve been keeping tabs on we find Nehir Tuna’s debut feature Dormitory – which was part of the Sundance Film Festival labs (we sat down with him back in 2019). Lkhagvadulam Purev-Ochir‘s heavily anticipated City of Wind (formerly going by Ze) a major presence on the film fest circuit. From Brazil and on our Most Anticipated Films list (#130), we find Nara Normande and Tiao‘s Heartless.…...
- 7/25/2023
- by Eric Lavallée
- IONCINEMA.com
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