There’s a wealth of African film on demand through Okiki and Mubi, from stirring drama to moral thrillers
Even in the home entertainment market, African cinema still gets such short shrift from UK distributors that the announcement of an on-demand service from London’s Film Africa initiative is genuine cause for celebration – even if their selection at the moment, available through the Nollywood-specific Okiki app, is something of a lucky dip for the unacquainted. Dominated by Nigeria and Ghana, the menu mixes impassioned, socially conscious storytelling with clunkier stabs at genre, but it has a couple of winningly accessible entry points.
Glowingly shot but uncushioned by sentimentality, Ghanaian director Priscilla Anany’s Children of the Mountain stirringly tells of a young rural mother’s social ostracism after she gives birth to a deformed child. In a more western vein, Frenchman Simon Rouby’s gorgeous animation Adama is an engrossing first world war survival story.
Even in the home entertainment market, African cinema still gets such short shrift from UK distributors that the announcement of an on-demand service from London’s Film Africa initiative is genuine cause for celebration – even if their selection at the moment, available through the Nollywood-specific Okiki app, is something of a lucky dip for the unacquainted. Dominated by Nigeria and Ghana, the menu mixes impassioned, socially conscious storytelling with clunkier stabs at genre, but it has a couple of winningly accessible entry points.
Glowingly shot but uncushioned by sentimentality, Ghanaian director Priscilla Anany’s Children of the Mountain stirringly tells of a young rural mother’s social ostracism after she gives birth to a deformed child. In a more western vein, Frenchman Simon Rouby’s gorgeous animation Adama is an engrossing first world war survival story.
- 8/27/2017
- by Guy Lodge
- The Guardian - Film News
12 Unique Visions We Are Excited to See at the 35th Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival
Numerous sections that range from those that focus on particular geographical regions, to one that highlights features crafted by homegrown talent, another formed by stories about people who have left their hometowns to find a better life elsewhere, and even one that honors Minnesota’s Scandinavian heritage, are some of the blocks that build the extensive and boldly curated program of the 35th Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival (Mspiff).
Discerning which films to watch from the couple hundred that will play in the Midwestern city during the next two weeks is a colossal task and one that is directed by taste and interests; however, there are plenty of options for adventurous audiences looking to watch a unique cinematic vision outside of their comfort zone.
The most audacious offers include a French animated featured focused on a war-torn African country, Joel Potrykus follow-up to “Buzzard,” a subversive Lgbt drama about skaters in Mexico City, the story of a Somali man in Minneapolis who finds friendship in a lonely dog, a dark Swedish comedy that resembles the humor of celebrated Nordic masters, or a Brazilian coming-of-ager centered on a girl obsessed with the recent murders of local women. Just from the premises is easy to predict that these will not be your typical experience at the movies, but that's not to say they won't be exponentially more entertaining and eye-opening.
Here is a list with 12 unconventional choices, including those mentioned above, playing at Mspiff that we can't wait to see.
Synopses courtesy of the festival.
The 35th Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival takes place runs April 7-23. For the full program and tickets visit Here.
"Adama"
Dir. Simon Rouby
France
12 year-old Adama, voiced by French-Malian child actor Azize Abdoulaye Diabaté, lives in an idyllic village sheltered by cliffs. When his brother Samba defies their elders and flees to join the ‘Nassara’ (colonialist French army), Adama follows in an attempt to bring Samba home. Experimental animation combining laser-scanned sculptures of clay and sand with painterly animated scenes bring magical realism to Adama’s journey north from West Africa to Europe’s Western Front in 1914. A heroic odyssey mixes elements of mysticism and allegory with action, adventure, and a little known historical African narrative
Screens April 20 at 2:30 Pm and April 16 at 3:45
"The Alchemist Cookbook"
Dir. Joel Potrykus
U.S.
Sean is a young hermit, living in near total isolation and obsessed with a mysterious alchemic and somewhat manic pursuit that challenges the laws of nature. Off the grid and turning his back on civilization, his days play out inside an old trailer in the swamps, conducting experiments. When a demonic entity appears in the shadows, Sean’s self-induced seclusion is shattered by a true force of evil. Joel Potrykus delivers another meditation on the idiosyncratic side of the male psyche that feels like a dark and demented modern-day folk tale.
Screens April 14 at 9:50 Pm and April 21 at 10:00 Pm
"The Ardennes"
Dir. Robin Pront
Belgium
Robin Pront's feature-film debut opens with a powerful punch and continues with a slow burn downward spiral of brotherly betrayal and brutal retribution. After a robbery goes hopelessly wrong, Dave escapes the scene leaving his brother Kenny behind to take the rap. Flash forward four years and Dave has been able to turn his life around while time has stood still for Kenny, now out on parole, who was left simmering in jail. The palpable tension between Dave and Kenny builds to brutal and thrilling crescendo in the shadows of Belgium's Ardennes forest.
Screens April 10 at 9:40 Pm and April 22 at 9:45 Pm
"A Decent Man"
Dir. Micha Lewinsky
Switzerland
This provocative drama chronicles a family vacation that turns into every parent’s nightmare. Thomas, an amiable man in his mid-forties, resolves that his family will take their annual skiing holiday in the Swiss Alps even though neither his wife or daughter are interested. But things soon become more complicated when his manipulative boss pressures him to include his difficult daughter, Sarah. A convincing portrait of an insecure man whose failure to be a beloved father, brilliant journalist and understanding husband is sending him over the edge.
Screens April 8 at 4:45 Pm and April 19 at 9:40 Pm
"Dragonfly"
Dir. Maribeth Romslo and Cara Greene Epstein
U.S.
Told with heart, humor, and a little bit of magic, "Dragonfly" is a film about homecoming and healing for a Midwestern family divided by divorce and illness. When Anna’s mom is diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s, Anna returns home to help but not without some reluctance tied to her emotional family baggage. As she unpacks her past, Anna rediscovers a mysterious mailbox from her childhood and embarks on a search to solve its mystery. What she learns along the way may be the key to her own reconciliation.
Screens: April 10 at 7:10 Pm and April 16 at 4:40 Pm
"Endorphine"
Dir. André Turpin
Canada
What’s the connection between trauma, memory and the relativity of space and time? Endorphine sends you down a rabbit hole where time and existence are scrambled into a Lynchian fever dream. After 12-year-old Simone helplessly witnesses the murder of her mother, she is thrust into an endless loop that explores alternate realities and parallel lives, including what may or may not be adult versions of herself. Expertly crafted by André Turpin (cinematographer on Xavier Dolan’s Mommy and Tom at the Farm and Denis Villeneuve’s Incendies), "Endorphine" is a dark and visually arresting head trip.
Screens April 10 at 9:15 Pm and April 18 at 9:30 Pm
"The Garbage Helicopter"
Dir. Jonas Selberg Augustsén
Sweden
An old Roma woman is seized by a sudden urge to reclaim her antique clock, sending her three grandchildren on an odyssey across the lonesome, big-sky highways of northern Sweden (captured in beautifully bleak black-and-white). The action takes place in the deadpan absurdist territory pioneered by Jarmusch, Kaurismäki, and Andersson. Here, crosswords are completed (including the mysterious entry, "garbage helicopter"), a speed-trap camera is demolished, a Holocaust museum is visited, the world’s second-biggest chair is solemnly viewed, and a gang of art thieves is encountered.
Screens April 21 at 9:40 Pm and April 23 at 7:05 Pm
"Kill Me Please"
Dir. Anita Rocha da Silveira
Brazil/Argentina
Anita Rocha da Silveira’s stunning debut drops us directly into the psyche of a middle-class teenage girl, piqued by raging hormones and fueled with fearless curiosity. A string of grisly neighborhood murders of women captures the imagination of a clique of girls, but especially Bia who feels more and more connected to the dead women than her high school friends. The incident ignites something in Bia, causing her to embrace fantasy and openly explore her sexuality. Built on a unique atmosphere devoid of adults, Kill Me Please is a dark yet pop-infused coming-of-age story.
Screens April 9 at 3:15 Pm and April 14 at 9:45 Pm
"I Promise Anarchy"
Dir. Julio Hernández Cordón
Mexico
Miguel and Johnny are friends from opposite sides of the tracks, but that doesn’t inhibit their romance with one another that revolves around sex, drugs and skateboarding. To support their devil-may-care lifestyle, the boys sell their own blood—and occasionally the blood of their friends and whomever they can find—to an underground network run by the drug cartel. When one such arrangement goes wrong, Miguel and Johnny find themselves way over their head. Director Julio Hernandez Cordon’s stylishly blends a breezy romance of wayward youth with a gritty nior thriller on the streets of Mexico City.
Screens April 8 at 9:15 Pm and April 11 at 9:50 Pm
"Schneider vs. Bax"
Dir. Alex van Warmerdam
Netherlands/Belgium
This black comedy makes a point of turning the hitman genre on its head with unconventional setups that spiral into absurdism. Schneider wakes to his adoring wife and two young daughters planning his birthday party only to have it interrupted by a call from his boss with a job that must be done right away: an easy hit on an isolated novelist named Bax that he can finish by noon. Needless to say, things do not go as planned. Schneider vs. Bax is as much about the contrast and comparison of these two men and their families, as it is the nascent yet ineffective real-world cage match.
Screens April 10 at 9:35 Pm and April 14 at 9:40 Pm
"A Stray"
Dir. Musa Syeed
U.S.
In the microcosm of Minneapolis’ large Somali community, Adan has run out of options. Looking to turn his life around, he finds solace, friendship and a job as a janitor at the mosque. Finding an even better job driving a taxi, Adan unexpectedly finds a new friend in a stray dog. But the mosque sees the dog as impure, and Adan finds himself on the streets again. Director Musa Syeed brings the streets of Riverside and the struggles of young Somalis to the big screen in this vivid and moving drama.
Screens April 15 at 7:20 Pm and April 17 at 3: 50 Pm
"Wednesday, May 9"
Dir. Vahid Jalilvand
Iran
Leila works in a chicken packing factory to support her family, but still has no money left over to save for a much-needed operation for her disabled husband. Setareh secretly married against her family’s wishes, and when her tyrannical cousin finds out, an altercation lands her young husband in jail, requiring 30 million tomans in “blood money” for his release. The two tragic stories of these women are connected to a potential benefactor who could help them in Vahid Jalilvand’s incredible debut feature of carefully drawn characters and bold statements of humanism.
Screens April 8 at 4:50 Pm and April 19 at 4:30 Pm...
Discerning which films to watch from the couple hundred that will play in the Midwestern city during the next two weeks is a colossal task and one that is directed by taste and interests; however, there are plenty of options for adventurous audiences looking to watch a unique cinematic vision outside of their comfort zone.
The most audacious offers include a French animated featured focused on a war-torn African country, Joel Potrykus follow-up to “Buzzard,” a subversive Lgbt drama about skaters in Mexico City, the story of a Somali man in Minneapolis who finds friendship in a lonely dog, a dark Swedish comedy that resembles the humor of celebrated Nordic masters, or a Brazilian coming-of-ager centered on a girl obsessed with the recent murders of local women. Just from the premises is easy to predict that these will not be your typical experience at the movies, but that's not to say they won't be exponentially more entertaining and eye-opening.
Here is a list with 12 unconventional choices, including those mentioned above, playing at Mspiff that we can't wait to see.
Synopses courtesy of the festival.
The 35th Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival takes place runs April 7-23. For the full program and tickets visit Here.
"Adama"
Dir. Simon Rouby
France
12 year-old Adama, voiced by French-Malian child actor Azize Abdoulaye Diabaté, lives in an idyllic village sheltered by cliffs. When his brother Samba defies their elders and flees to join the ‘Nassara’ (colonialist French army), Adama follows in an attempt to bring Samba home. Experimental animation combining laser-scanned sculptures of clay and sand with painterly animated scenes bring magical realism to Adama’s journey north from West Africa to Europe’s Western Front in 1914. A heroic odyssey mixes elements of mysticism and allegory with action, adventure, and a little known historical African narrative
Screens April 20 at 2:30 Pm and April 16 at 3:45
"The Alchemist Cookbook"
Dir. Joel Potrykus
U.S.
Sean is a young hermit, living in near total isolation and obsessed with a mysterious alchemic and somewhat manic pursuit that challenges the laws of nature. Off the grid and turning his back on civilization, his days play out inside an old trailer in the swamps, conducting experiments. When a demonic entity appears in the shadows, Sean’s self-induced seclusion is shattered by a true force of evil. Joel Potrykus delivers another meditation on the idiosyncratic side of the male psyche that feels like a dark and demented modern-day folk tale.
Screens April 14 at 9:50 Pm and April 21 at 10:00 Pm
"The Ardennes"
Dir. Robin Pront
Belgium
Robin Pront's feature-film debut opens with a powerful punch and continues with a slow burn downward spiral of brotherly betrayal and brutal retribution. After a robbery goes hopelessly wrong, Dave escapes the scene leaving his brother Kenny behind to take the rap. Flash forward four years and Dave has been able to turn his life around while time has stood still for Kenny, now out on parole, who was left simmering in jail. The palpable tension between Dave and Kenny builds to brutal and thrilling crescendo in the shadows of Belgium's Ardennes forest.
Screens April 10 at 9:40 Pm and April 22 at 9:45 Pm
"A Decent Man"
Dir. Micha Lewinsky
Switzerland
This provocative drama chronicles a family vacation that turns into every parent’s nightmare. Thomas, an amiable man in his mid-forties, resolves that his family will take their annual skiing holiday in the Swiss Alps even though neither his wife or daughter are interested. But things soon become more complicated when his manipulative boss pressures him to include his difficult daughter, Sarah. A convincing portrait of an insecure man whose failure to be a beloved father, brilliant journalist and understanding husband is sending him over the edge.
Screens April 8 at 4:45 Pm and April 19 at 9:40 Pm
"Dragonfly"
Dir. Maribeth Romslo and Cara Greene Epstein
U.S.
Told with heart, humor, and a little bit of magic, "Dragonfly" is a film about homecoming and healing for a Midwestern family divided by divorce and illness. When Anna’s mom is diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s, Anna returns home to help but not without some reluctance tied to her emotional family baggage. As she unpacks her past, Anna rediscovers a mysterious mailbox from her childhood and embarks on a search to solve its mystery. What she learns along the way may be the key to her own reconciliation.
Screens: April 10 at 7:10 Pm and April 16 at 4:40 Pm
"Endorphine"
Dir. André Turpin
Canada
What’s the connection between trauma, memory and the relativity of space and time? Endorphine sends you down a rabbit hole where time and existence are scrambled into a Lynchian fever dream. After 12-year-old Simone helplessly witnesses the murder of her mother, she is thrust into an endless loop that explores alternate realities and parallel lives, including what may or may not be adult versions of herself. Expertly crafted by André Turpin (cinematographer on Xavier Dolan’s Mommy and Tom at the Farm and Denis Villeneuve’s Incendies), "Endorphine" is a dark and visually arresting head trip.
Screens April 10 at 9:15 Pm and April 18 at 9:30 Pm
"The Garbage Helicopter"
Dir. Jonas Selberg Augustsén
Sweden
An old Roma woman is seized by a sudden urge to reclaim her antique clock, sending her three grandchildren on an odyssey across the lonesome, big-sky highways of northern Sweden (captured in beautifully bleak black-and-white). The action takes place in the deadpan absurdist territory pioneered by Jarmusch, Kaurismäki, and Andersson. Here, crosswords are completed (including the mysterious entry, "garbage helicopter"), a speed-trap camera is demolished, a Holocaust museum is visited, the world’s second-biggest chair is solemnly viewed, and a gang of art thieves is encountered.
Screens April 21 at 9:40 Pm and April 23 at 7:05 Pm
"Kill Me Please"
Dir. Anita Rocha da Silveira
Brazil/Argentina
Anita Rocha da Silveira’s stunning debut drops us directly into the psyche of a middle-class teenage girl, piqued by raging hormones and fueled with fearless curiosity. A string of grisly neighborhood murders of women captures the imagination of a clique of girls, but especially Bia who feels more and more connected to the dead women than her high school friends. The incident ignites something in Bia, causing her to embrace fantasy and openly explore her sexuality. Built on a unique atmosphere devoid of adults, Kill Me Please is a dark yet pop-infused coming-of-age story.
Screens April 9 at 3:15 Pm and April 14 at 9:45 Pm
"I Promise Anarchy"
Dir. Julio Hernández Cordón
Mexico
Miguel and Johnny are friends from opposite sides of the tracks, but that doesn’t inhibit their romance with one another that revolves around sex, drugs and skateboarding. To support their devil-may-care lifestyle, the boys sell their own blood—and occasionally the blood of their friends and whomever they can find—to an underground network run by the drug cartel. When one such arrangement goes wrong, Miguel and Johnny find themselves way over their head. Director Julio Hernandez Cordon’s stylishly blends a breezy romance of wayward youth with a gritty nior thriller on the streets of Mexico City.
Screens April 8 at 9:15 Pm and April 11 at 9:50 Pm
"Schneider vs. Bax"
Dir. Alex van Warmerdam
Netherlands/Belgium
This black comedy makes a point of turning the hitman genre on its head with unconventional setups that spiral into absurdism. Schneider wakes to his adoring wife and two young daughters planning his birthday party only to have it interrupted by a call from his boss with a job that must be done right away: an easy hit on an isolated novelist named Bax that he can finish by noon. Needless to say, things do not go as planned. Schneider vs. Bax is as much about the contrast and comparison of these two men and their families, as it is the nascent yet ineffective real-world cage match.
Screens April 10 at 9:35 Pm and April 14 at 9:40 Pm
"A Stray"
Dir. Musa Syeed
U.S.
In the microcosm of Minneapolis’ large Somali community, Adan has run out of options. Looking to turn his life around, he finds solace, friendship and a job as a janitor at the mosque. Finding an even better job driving a taxi, Adan unexpectedly finds a new friend in a stray dog. But the mosque sees the dog as impure, and Adan finds himself on the streets again. Director Musa Syeed brings the streets of Riverside and the struggles of young Somalis to the big screen in this vivid and moving drama.
Screens April 15 at 7:20 Pm and April 17 at 3: 50 Pm
"Wednesday, May 9"
Dir. Vahid Jalilvand
Iran
Leila works in a chicken packing factory to support her family, but still has no money left over to save for a much-needed operation for her disabled husband. Setareh secretly married against her family’s wishes, and when her tyrannical cousin finds out, an altercation lands her young husband in jail, requiring 30 million tomans in “blood money” for his release. The two tragic stories of these women are connected to a potential benefactor who could help them in Vahid Jalilvand’s incredible debut feature of carefully drawn characters and bold statements of humanism.
Screens April 8 at 4:50 Pm and April 19 at 4:30 Pm...
- 4/7/2016
- by Carlos Aguilar
- Sydney's Buzz
The new French animated feature film, "Adama," from directors Simon Rouby and Julien Lilti, will make its New York premiere at the New York International Children's Film Festival (Nyicff) next month. Set to screen twice - on Sun Mar 06, 12:15pm, at the Sva Theatre, and on Sat Mar 12, 4pm, at Bow Tie Chelsea Cinemas - "Adama" is produced by Naia Productions. In development for three+ years, the film, set in 1916, in an unnamed colonized West African country, tells the story of a young boy named Adama, who goes in search of his brother, a rifleman with the French army during the First World War. His journey (by truck, ship, and train) takes him...
- 2/23/2016
- by Tambay A. Obenson
- ShadowAndAct
The European Film Academy has announced the 3 nominations for the 2015 Best European Animated Feature Film award, and the upcoming French animated feature film, "Adama," from directors Simon Rouby and Julien Lilti, is one of them! Produced by Naia Productions, the film is scheduled for an October 21, 2015 theatrical debut - in France. No USA release date yet. In development for three years, the film, set in 1916, in an unnamed colonized West African country, tells the story of a young boy named Adama, who goes in search of his brother, a rifleman with the French army during the First World War. His journey (by truck, ship, and train) takes him...
- 10/13/2015
- by Tambay A. Obenson
- ShadowAndAct
France’s Adama also nominated for European Film Awards.
The European Film Academy has announced the three nominations in the category European Animated Feature Film 2015.
Based on a list of films provided by Cartoon, the European Association of Animation Film, as well as on individual film submissions, a committee decided on Simon Rouby’s French feature Adama; UK-France co-production Shaun The Sheep The Movie, written and directed by Richard Starzak and Mark Burton; and Song of the Sea, Tomm Moore’s Oscar-nominated fable that was a co-pro of Ireland, Belgium, Denmark, France and Luxembourg.
The committee comprised Efa Board Member Antonio Saura, producer (Spain), animation experts Marcel Jean (Annecy Ff, Canada) and Anja Šošić (Human Ark, Poland), as well as Petteri Pasanen (Anima Vitae, Finland), Iain Harvey (The Illuminated Film Company, UK) and Jacques-Rémy Girerd (director, France), the latter three representing Cartoon.
The nominated films will soon be submitted to more than 3,000 Efa members, who will elect...
The European Film Academy has announced the three nominations in the category European Animated Feature Film 2015.
Based on a list of films provided by Cartoon, the European Association of Animation Film, as well as on individual film submissions, a committee decided on Simon Rouby’s French feature Adama; UK-France co-production Shaun The Sheep The Movie, written and directed by Richard Starzak and Mark Burton; and Song of the Sea, Tomm Moore’s Oscar-nominated fable that was a co-pro of Ireland, Belgium, Denmark, France and Luxembourg.
The committee comprised Efa Board Member Antonio Saura, producer (Spain), animation experts Marcel Jean (Annecy Ff, Canada) and Anja Šošić (Human Ark, Poland), as well as Petteri Pasanen (Anima Vitae, Finland), Iain Harvey (The Illuminated Film Company, UK) and Jacques-Rémy Girerd (director, France), the latter three representing Cartoon.
The nominated films will soon be submitted to more than 3,000 Efa members, who will elect...
- 10/13/2015
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
The 51st annual Chicago International Film Festival, which runs this year from Oct. 15-29, has released it's complete schedule, and there are several films being screened at this year's event which have been profiled on S & A previously - most within the last few months - and that will be of particular interest to our readers. The films are: - "Adama" (France - Dir.Simon Rouby and Julien Lilti - The French animated film "set in 1916, in colonized West Africa, tells the story of a young boy named Adama, who goes in search of his brother, a rifleman with the French army during the First World War. His journey (by truck, ship, and train) takes him to Verdun, a small...
- 10/12/2015
- by Sergio
- ShadowAndAct
Zabaltegi strand of the festival will feature 24 titles.Scroll down for full list
The 63rd San Sebastian Film Festival (Sept 18-26) has unveiled the features that will comprise its Zabaltegi programme, including Spanish premieres of new films from Laurie Anderson, Eric Khoo, Corneliu Porumboiu, Walter Salles and Alexander Sokurov.
The non-competitive strand includes features, documentaries, animation and shorts, and the first screening of all films in the section will run at the Tabakalera centre for contemporary culture and creation, the hub of Zabaltegi activities from this year.
Titles in the section that played at this year’s Cannes include Porumboiu’s black comedy The Treasure, which won the Un Certain Regard Talent Prize; Tambutti documentary Beyond My Grandfather Allende, winner of the L’Oeil d’Or award for best documentary; and Magnus Von Horn’s debut The Here After, which played in Directors’ Fornight.
Films that will first be seen at Venice (Sept 2-12) include Francofonia, from Russian...
The 63rd San Sebastian Film Festival (Sept 18-26) has unveiled the features that will comprise its Zabaltegi programme, including Spanish premieres of new films from Laurie Anderson, Eric Khoo, Corneliu Porumboiu, Walter Salles and Alexander Sokurov.
The non-competitive strand includes features, documentaries, animation and shorts, and the first screening of all films in the section will run at the Tabakalera centre for contemporary culture and creation, the hub of Zabaltegi activities from this year.
Titles in the section that played at this year’s Cannes include Porumboiu’s black comedy The Treasure, which won the Un Certain Regard Talent Prize; Tambutti documentary Beyond My Grandfather Allende, winner of the L’Oeil d’Or award for best documentary; and Magnus Von Horn’s debut The Here After, which played in Directors’ Fornight.
Films that will first be seen at Venice (Sept 2-12) include Francofonia, from Russian...
- 8/10/2015
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
The film's first trailer, which I published on this blog yesterday, was for its upcoming already set release in France, and thus was in French with no English subtitles. Today, the filmmakers thankfully sent over an English-subtitled version of the trailer for us to share, and it's embedded below. A quick recap... The upcoming French animated feature film is titled "Adama," and it hails from directors Simon Rouby and Julien Lilti, produced by Naia Productions, and is scheduled for an October 21, 2015 theatrical debut - in France. In development for three years, the film, set in 1916, in colonized West Africa, tells the story of a young boy named Adama, who goes in...
- 6/10/2015
- by Tambay A. Obenson
- ShadowAndAct
Here's your first look at the trailer for the upcoming French animated feature film, "Adama," from directors Simon Rouby and Julien Lilti, produced by Naia Productions, and scheduled for an October 21, 2015 theatrical debut - in France. In development for three years, the film, set in 1916, in colonized West Africa, tells the story of a young boy named Adama, who goes in search of his brother, a rifleman with the French army during the First World War. His journey (by truck, ship, and train) takes him to Verdun, a small city in north-eastern France, and the site of a major battle during the First World War - one of the costliest battles of...
- 6/9/2015
- by Tambay A. Obenson
- ShadowAndAct
m-appeal has picked up Argentinian director Gabriel Lichtmann’s How To Win Enemies ahead of the Marché du Film in Cannes.
The Doménica Films production, which had its world premiere during the Bafici festival in Buenos Aires last month, centres on a young lawyer who believes he has finally found his ideal woman until she disappears without a trace – and with his life savings
The Berlin-based sales agent has also added three new Lgbt titles to its line-up.
The films are Israeli filmmaker Michal Vinik’s coming of age lesbian love story Barash, actor-director Gerald McCullouch’s Daddy, based on Dan Via’s acclaimed play of the same name, and Micaela Rueda’s Uio: Take Me For A Ride.
M-appeal will also be continuing sales in Cannes for such films as veteran German director Rosa von Praunheim’s latest feature Tough Love (Härte) which premiered at the Berlinale’s Panorama in February.
Last week, the...
The Doménica Films production, which had its world premiere during the Bafici festival in Buenos Aires last month, centres on a young lawyer who believes he has finally found his ideal woman until she disappears without a trace – and with his life savings
The Berlin-based sales agent has also added three new Lgbt titles to its line-up.
The films are Israeli filmmaker Michal Vinik’s coming of age lesbian love story Barash, actor-director Gerald McCullouch’s Daddy, based on Dan Via’s acclaimed play of the same name, and Micaela Rueda’s Uio: Take Me For A Ride.
M-appeal will also be continuing sales in Cannes for such films as veteran German director Rosa von Praunheim’s latest feature Tough Love (Härte) which premiered at the Berlinale’s Panorama in February.
Last week, the...
- 5/11/2015
- by screen.berlin@googlemail.com (Martin Blaney)
- ScreenDaily
Competition titles revealed; exclusive first footage to screen from Pixar’s The Good Dinosaur and Disney’s Zootopia.
The Annecy International Animation Film Festival (June 15-20) is to spotlight the contribution of women to animation and their growing presence in the medium.
This year’s Honorary Cristal will be awarded to French director Florence Miailhe, whose unusual technique has been called “film painting”. She was first at Annecy in 2000 with Au premier dimanche d’aout, which won the Cear for Best Short Film, and won a special mention at Cannes in 2006 for her short Conte de quartier.
Sticking with the female focus, there will be films about maternity and sexuality, the female imagination and a strand titled The Future Is Woman.
Canadian filmmaker Janet Perlman, who secured an Oscar nomination with The Tender Tale of Cinderella Penguin (1981), will also be the subject of a special focus.
This year’s festival, overseen by artistic...
The Annecy International Animation Film Festival (June 15-20) is to spotlight the contribution of women to animation and their growing presence in the medium.
This year’s Honorary Cristal will be awarded to French director Florence Miailhe, whose unusual technique has been called “film painting”. She was first at Annecy in 2000 with Au premier dimanche d’aout, which won the Cear for Best Short Film, and won a special mention at Cannes in 2006 for her short Conte de quartier.
Sticking with the female focus, there will be films about maternity and sexuality, the female imagination and a strand titled The Future Is Woman.
Canadian filmmaker Janet Perlman, who secured an Oscar nomination with The Tender Tale of Cinderella Penguin (1981), will also be the subject of a special focus.
This year’s festival, overseen by artistic...
- 4/29/2015
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
Check out these new images from an upcoming French animated feature film titled "Adama," from directors Simon Rouby and Julien Lilti, produced by Naia Productions, and scheduled for an October 21, 2015 theatrical debut - in France. In development for three years, the film, set in 1916, in colonized West Africa, tells the story of a young boy named Adama, who goes in search of his brother, a rifleman with the French army during the First World War. His journey (by truck, ship, and train) takes him to Verdun, a small city in north-eastern France, and the site of a major battle during the First World War - one of the costliest battles of the...
- 4/15/2015
- by Tambay A. Obenson
- ShadowAndAct
Check out these new images from an upcoming French animated feature film titled "Adama," from directors Simon Rouby and Julien Lilti, produced by Naia Productions, and scheduled for an October 21, 2015 theatrical debut - in France. In development for three years, the film, set in 1916, tells the story of a young boy named Adama, from "a remote village in West Africa" (the information I have doesn't specify what country in West Africa, which always frustrates me), who goes in search of his brother, a rifleman with the French army during the First World War. His journey (by truck, ship, and train) takes him from his "remote village in West...
- 4/6/2015
- by Tambay A. Obenson
- ShadowAndAct
Hot projects on Screenbase this week include German-Canadian co-production In The Lost Lands, twin brothers Mohammed Abou Nasser and Ahmad Abou Nasser’s Dégradé, spy-thriller Damascus Cover and documentary Tomorrow.
Fantasy adventure In The Lost Lands
Milla Jovovich will star alongside Justin Chatwin in this new feature based on short stories from the creator of Game Of Thrones. The German-Canadian co-production is directed by Constantin Werner.
The story revolves around a series of magical and fantastic tales centring on a sorceress in search of a spell, a warrior girl on a quest and a young barbarian who encounters a witch in a spacecraft.
Steve Hoban, Oliver Luer and Nico Bruinsma produce. Myriad Pictures chief Kirk D’Amico will serve as an executive producer.
Terrence Malick’s Voyage Of Time
Malick’s documentary features the voices of Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett. Dede Gardner, Nicolas Gonda, Sarah Green, Grant Hill, Brad Pitt, Bill Pohlad and [link...
Fantasy adventure In The Lost Lands
Milla Jovovich will star alongside Justin Chatwin in this new feature based on short stories from the creator of Game Of Thrones. The German-Canadian co-production is directed by Constantin Werner.
The story revolves around a series of magical and fantastic tales centring on a sorceress in search of a spell, a warrior girl on a quest and a young barbarian who encounters a witch in a spacecraft.
Steve Hoban, Oliver Luer and Nico Bruinsma produce. Myriad Pictures chief Kirk D’Amico will serve as an executive producer.
Terrence Malick’s Voyage Of Time
Malick’s documentary features the voices of Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett. Dede Gardner, Nicolas Gonda, Sarah Green, Grant Hill, Brad Pitt, Bill Pohlad and [link...
- 2/9/2015
- by maud.le-rest@sciencespo-toulouse.net (Maud Le Rest)
- ScreenDaily
Global Screen and Picture Tree International are lining up a number of market premieres to be unveiled at the European Film Market (Efm) in Berlin later this week.
Munich-based Global Screen’s market premieres include the first 3D screening of Toby Genkel’s animation film Ooops! Noah Is Gone as well as a presentation of the Danish Christmas film The Christmas Family, directed by Carsten Rudolf.
The company is also using this year’s Efm to begin presales on the apocalyptic sci-fi film Sum 1 to be directed by Christian Pasquariellio, with Games Of Thrones actor Iwan Rheon in the starring role opposite German actor André Hennicke.
The English-language film is being produced by Christian Alvart’s production outfit Syrreal Entertainment and is the first title to go into production from a first look and co-development deal signed with Global Screen. Shooting is set to roll on February 9.
In addition, presales are planned on another four animation productions:...
Munich-based Global Screen’s market premieres include the first 3D screening of Toby Genkel’s animation film Ooops! Noah Is Gone as well as a presentation of the Danish Christmas film The Christmas Family, directed by Carsten Rudolf.
The company is also using this year’s Efm to begin presales on the apocalyptic sci-fi film Sum 1 to be directed by Christian Pasquariellio, with Games Of Thrones actor Iwan Rheon in the starring role opposite German actor André Hennicke.
The English-language film is being produced by Christian Alvart’s production outfit Syrreal Entertainment and is the first title to go into production from a first look and co-development deal signed with Global Screen. Shooting is set to roll on February 9.
In addition, presales are planned on another four animation productions:...
- 2/2/2015
- by screen.berlin@googlemail.com (Martin Blaney)
- ScreenDaily
A Brazilian feature wins at the animation festival for the second consecutive year; market reports record high.Scroll down for full list of winners
Brazilian director Ale Abreu’s The Boy and the World, about a child who heads to the city in search of his father, has won both the Crystal Award and Audience Award for the best feature-length film at the 38th edition of the Annecy International Animation Festival.
“The rising strength of Brazilian animation is confirmed. The Boy and The World’s double honours signal yet again the vitality of this cinematography,” said the festival’s artistic director, Marcel Jean.
It is the second year in a row that a Brazilian film has won the top prize. Last year, Luiz Bolognesi’s Rio 2096, capturing key periods in Brazil’s history though a man who lives for 600 years, clinched the Crystal for best feature.
In other awards, the [link=tt...
Brazilian director Ale Abreu’s The Boy and the World, about a child who heads to the city in search of his father, has won both the Crystal Award and Audience Award for the best feature-length film at the 38th edition of the Annecy International Animation Festival.
“The rising strength of Brazilian animation is confirmed. The Boy and The World’s double honours signal yet again the vitality of this cinematography,” said the festival’s artistic director, Marcel Jean.
It is the second year in a row that a Brazilian film has won the top prize. Last year, Luiz Bolognesi’s Rio 2096, capturing key periods in Brazil’s history though a man who lives for 600 years, clinched the Crystal for best feature.
In other awards, the [link=tt...
- 6/14/2014
- ScreenDaily
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