Members of an all-girl robotics team from Afghanistan, the majority of whom narrowly fled the country following the Taliban’s brutal takeover of power, are the subjects of a new feature documentary depicting the group’s rise to become national heroes, Variety can reveal.
Directed by David Greenwald and produced by Beth Murphy, “Afghan Dreamers” — named after the original team of six girls — is in post-production, though currently on hold as the pair frantically works to ensure the young women and their families are safe and secure after escaping the Taliban.
Variety can confirm that most of the girls are now in Mexico, while one remains in Doha, Qatar.
“On the way from Herat to Kabul, we were very scared,” reads a tense message from one member of the team, shared with Variety, as she sought to escape. “Every hour, the Taliban would enter the car and check the inside of the car.
Directed by David Greenwald and produced by Beth Murphy, “Afghan Dreamers” — named after the original team of six girls — is in post-production, though currently on hold as the pair frantically works to ensure the young women and their families are safe and secure after escaping the Taliban.
Variety can confirm that most of the girls are now in Mexico, while one remains in Doha, Qatar.
“On the way from Herat to Kabul, we were very scared,” reads a tense message from one member of the team, shared with Variety, as she sought to escape. “Every hour, the Taliban would enter the car and check the inside of the car.
- 8/25/2021
- by Manori Ravindran
- Variety Film + TV
Considering the planning and shooting of The Truffle Hunters took years, it’s only fitting the roll-out of the film would have quite a journey. After premiering at last year’s Sundance Film Festival, Gregory Kershaw and Michael Dweck’s delightful, visually magnificent documentary exploring a storied, sacred tradition would go on to be selected for Cannes, Telluride, TIFF, and NYFF––a rare feat for any film to achieve. After an awards-qualifying run last year, it’s now finally arriving in select theaters nationwide, including NYC’s Film Forum this weekend.
I said in my review at last year’s Sundance, “The Truffle Hunters explores this age-old tradition of culinary treasure-hunting and the clash of passion and commerce around such a specific way of life. Executive produced by Luca Guadagnino, it’s also far from your standard documentary in terms of the picturesque approach in which we meticulously enter this Northern Italy milieu.
I said in my review at last year’s Sundance, “The Truffle Hunters explores this age-old tradition of culinary treasure-hunting and the clash of passion and commerce around such a specific way of life. Executive produced by Luca Guadagnino, it’s also far from your standard documentary in terms of the picturesque approach in which we meticulously enter this Northern Italy milieu.
- 4/1/2021
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
The Czech director has started shooting a period drama film about the tragic true story of a 1913 skiing race, previous versions of which tended to omit a crucial person for political reasons. Czech documentarian and prolific television writer Tomáš Hodan, who directed the documentary biopic Film Adventurer Karel Zeman, about one of the most influential Czech directors ever, is tackling another biopic for his first feature-length fiction offering, The Last Race. The period drama, which is set before World War I in the Czech-German environment of the Krkonoše mountains, will relive a tragic skiing race from 1913. Czech skier Bohumil Hanč remained alone on the piste after a snowstorm forced all other competitors to abandon the race. Hanč was found frozen to death, as was his friend Václav Vrbata, who lent him a jacket and a hat, as Hanč was racing in a shirt and with no gloves. This...
If one purpose of documentaries is to expose viewers to untold stories, then “The Truffle Hunters” does just that. Co-directed by Gregory Kershaw and Michael Dweck, the film follows a group of elderly Italian men hunting for truffles with their dogs in the woods, revealing a charming top-secret world untouched by modern times that the filmmakers themselves had trouble infiltrating.
The duo first heard of these mythical-sounding truffle hunters when they each stayed in the same Italian town separately as they were wrapping their previous film “The Last Race” (2018). “We were talking about this place and we were drawn to it because it felt different from a lot of places … like a fairy tale. It felt like we had stepped back in time,” Kershaw shares during Gold Derby’s Meet the Btl Experts: Documentary panel (watch above). “And then we had heard these rumors of these truffle hunters that went...
The duo first heard of these mythical-sounding truffle hunters when they each stayed in the same Italian town separately as they were wrapping their previous film “The Last Race” (2018). “We were talking about this place and we were drawn to it because it felt different from a lot of places … like a fairy tale. It felt like we had stepped back in time,” Kershaw shares during Gold Derby’s Meet the Btl Experts: Documentary panel (watch above). “And then we had heard these rumors of these truffle hunters that went...
- 1/19/2021
- by Joyce Eng
- Gold Derby
A version of this story about “The Truffle Hunters” first appeared in the documentary issue of TheWrap’s awards magazine.
An observational documentary about a rural Italian community of old men and their dogs who hunt for enormously valuable truffles in the dead of night, Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw’s film “The Truffle Hunters” has been a steady festival favorite since it was chosen to be in the official selection at Cannes. Dweck and Kershaw talked to TheWrap about getting the secretive truffle hunters to trust them, and getting the dogs to carry (and aim!) their cameras.
What was it that appealed to you about the community of truffle hunters and their dogs in Northern Italy?
Michael Dweck We had finished wrapping the edit on our last film, “The Last Race,” in August of 2017, and we were looking for a place to go in Europe to relax. I thought,...
An observational documentary about a rural Italian community of old men and their dogs who hunt for enormously valuable truffles in the dead of night, Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw’s film “The Truffle Hunters” has been a steady festival favorite since it was chosen to be in the official selection at Cannes. Dweck and Kershaw talked to TheWrap about getting the secretive truffle hunters to trust them, and getting the dogs to carry (and aim!) their cameras.
What was it that appealed to you about the community of truffle hunters and their dogs in Northern Italy?
Michael Dweck We had finished wrapping the edit on our last film, “The Last Race,” in August of 2017, and we were looking for a place to go in Europe to relax. I thought,...
- 1/19/2021
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
Isabella Rossellini first saw “The Truffle Hunters” while serving on the 2020 Sundance jury, where Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw’s doc — now considered among the frontrunners in the race for the best documentary feature Oscar — first launched.
Their unique cinéma vérité depiction of a vanishing Italian world in the forests of Piedmont, where old men and their dogs hunt white truffles prized by gourmet restaurants around the world, struck a deep chord with Rossellini, to the point of wanting to support it “with one of these virtual interviews set up due to Covid-19,” she tells Variety in a joint interview with the directors. The resulting interview ranged from the earthy aspects of the critically acclaimed “Truffle Hunters” and the ancestral bond between dogs and humans, to her father, Roberto Rossellini, and Federico Fellini’s shared aversion to fast-cut editing.
Isabella, why did “The Truffle Hunters” make such a big impression on you?...
Their unique cinéma vérité depiction of a vanishing Italian world in the forests of Piedmont, where old men and their dogs hunt white truffles prized by gourmet restaurants around the world, struck a deep chord with Rossellini, to the point of wanting to support it “with one of these virtual interviews set up due to Covid-19,” she tells Variety in a joint interview with the directors. The resulting interview ranged from the earthy aspects of the critically acclaimed “Truffle Hunters” and the ancestral bond between dogs and humans, to her father, Roberto Rossellini, and Federico Fellini’s shared aversion to fast-cut editing.
Isabella, why did “The Truffle Hunters” make such a big impression on you?...
- 1/14/2021
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
“The Truffle Hunters” is a stark contrast to many of this year’s acclaimed documentaries. Pandemics, wars and political failures are far away from the film’s secretive, enveloping look at the elderly men and their dogs who track down the rare, delicious and staggeringly expensive white fungi in the forests of Northern Italy.
Environmental stresses and globalization are closing in on these Piedmontese villagers who live almost as they would have a century ago, with little reliance on digital technology. As the men wind down their lives combing the forests to supply far-flung restaurants, generations of knowledge might be at risk of fading away into an earthy-smelling pile of truffle dust.
It’s that vanishing world that Gregory Kershaw and Michael Dweck wanted to capture in “The Truffle Hunters.” The documentary was first presented at IDFA’s production forum a few years ago, premiered at Sundance and is set...
Environmental stresses and globalization are closing in on these Piedmontese villagers who live almost as they would have a century ago, with little reliance on digital technology. As the men wind down their lives combing the forests to supply far-flung restaurants, generations of knowledge might be at risk of fading away into an earthy-smelling pile of truffle dust.
It’s that vanishing world that Gregory Kershaw and Michael Dweck wanted to capture in “The Truffle Hunters.” The documentary was first presented at IDFA’s production forum a few years ago, premiered at Sundance and is set...
- 11/25/2020
- by Pat Saperstein
- Variety Film + TV
The Hamptons Film Festival’s 2020 lineup will feature some of the year’s most buzzworthy films, from Francis Lee’s Ammonite to Lee Isaac Chung’s Steven Yeun-starrer Minari.
Announced Thursday, the Hamptons’ Spotlight Films section includes Florian Zeller’s The Father, Edson’s Oda’s Nine Days, Darius Marder’s Sound of Metal, Tara Miele’s Wander Darkly and Chloe Zhao’s Venice winner Nomadland.
The annual festival, which runs October 8-14, will also feature titles in the Views From Long Island, Air, Land & Sea; Documentary Competition and Narrative Competition categories. A number of movies, such as Nathan Grossman’s I Am Greta and Alex Gibney’s Crazy, Not Insane, are set to make their U.S. debut.
Deadline reported last month that Tommie Smith’s With Drawn Arms will open the festival’s 2020 iteration, which is going virtual while featuring some drive-in screenings. Set to close the...
Announced Thursday, the Hamptons’ Spotlight Films section includes Florian Zeller’s The Father, Edson’s Oda’s Nine Days, Darius Marder’s Sound of Metal, Tara Miele’s Wander Darkly and Chloe Zhao’s Venice winner Nomadland.
The annual festival, which runs October 8-14, will also feature titles in the Views From Long Island, Air, Land & Sea; Documentary Competition and Narrative Competition categories. A number of movies, such as Nathan Grossman’s I Am Greta and Alex Gibney’s Crazy, Not Insane, are set to make their U.S. debut.
Deadline reported last month that Tommie Smith’s With Drawn Arms will open the festival’s 2020 iteration, which is going virtual while featuring some drive-in screenings. Set to close the...
- 9/17/2020
- by Alexandra Del Rosario
- Deadline Film + TV
An involving Luca Guadagnino-produced look at the world of truffle hunting doubles as a sweet study of the relationship between old men and their dogs
A strange, funny, mysterious and rather beautiful film about an activity that’s recherché to say the least: truffle hunting, and it is a taste on which my palate still needs educating. This film is also a heart-wrenchingly sweet study of the pure love that exists between old men and their dogs. The directors are Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw, who made the 2018 award-winner The Last Race about a stock-car racing track threatened with redevelopment, and with that and The Truffle Hunters, these film-makers are developing a sympathy for arts (and artists) who may be dying out. Luca Guadagnino is the producer.
Related: I Am Greta review – slick yet shallow Thunberg documentary...
A strange, funny, mysterious and rather beautiful film about an activity that’s recherché to say the least: truffle hunting, and it is a taste on which my palate still needs educating. This film is also a heart-wrenchingly sweet study of the pure love that exists between old men and their dogs. The directors are Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw, who made the 2018 award-winner The Last Race about a stock-car racing track threatened with redevelopment, and with that and The Truffle Hunters, these film-makers are developing a sympathy for arts (and artists) who may be dying out. Luca Guadagnino is the producer.
Related: I Am Greta review – slick yet shallow Thunberg documentary...
- 9/16/2020
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
Exclusive: Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw, whose documentary The Truffle Hunters played in competition at this year’s Sundance Film Festival where it was acquired by Sony Pictures Classics in a $1.5 million rights deal, has signed with UTA. The agency will also rep the pair’s newly formed company Beautiful Stories, which will aim to produce film and TV projects for global audiences.
The Truffle Hunters follows a group of aging men in Northern Italy who hunt the woods for the Alba truffle, using a certain breed of dogs to sniff out the culinary treasures and working at night to hide their trail and keep outsiders from poaching their supply. It was Dweck and Kershaw’s second feature-length film together; Dweck made his directorial debut on the 2018 Sundance docu The Last Race, on which Kershaw served as director of photography.
Dweck is also an acclaimed visual artist known for his narrative photography,...
The Truffle Hunters follows a group of aging men in Northern Italy who hunt the woods for the Alba truffle, using a certain breed of dogs to sniff out the culinary treasures and working at night to hide their trail and keep outsiders from poaching their supply. It was Dweck and Kershaw’s second feature-length film together; Dweck made his directorial debut on the 2018 Sundance docu The Last Race, on which Kershaw served as director of photography.
Dweck is also an acclaimed visual artist known for his narrative photography,...
- 5/27/2020
- by Patrick Hipes
- Deadline Film + TV
Critics sniffing out gems at the Us indie film festival found an Italian foodie treat, a career high for Miranda July – and solid proof that a Peter Pan remake rarely flies
As glamorous as covering the Sundance film festival can be – this year’s opening night delivered Taylor Swift to wintry Park City, Utah – it’s an assignment that can make a critic feel like a dog. You’re constantly nosing around for new treasures: buzzy finds, hopefully wonderful. You’re eating scraps at parties or in alleys. You always have to pee.
So it made perfect sense when, early in the week, we found The Truffle Hunters – the most apt movie that will ever emerge from a film festival, anywhere. It’s an exquisite, frequently funny documentary about an Italian trade in its twilight phase: the woodsy pursuit of ultra-expensive white Alba truffles undertaken by elderly men and their...
As glamorous as covering the Sundance film festival can be – this year’s opening night delivered Taylor Swift to wintry Park City, Utah – it’s an assignment that can make a critic feel like a dog. You’re constantly nosing around for new treasures: buzzy finds, hopefully wonderful. You’re eating scraps at parties or in alleys. You always have to pee.
So it made perfect sense when, early in the week, we found The Truffle Hunters – the most apt movie that will ever emerge from a film festival, anywhere. It’s an exquisite, frequently funny documentary about an Italian trade in its twilight phase: the woodsy pursuit of ultra-expensive white Alba truffles undertaken by elderly men and their...
- 2/1/2020
- by Joshua Rothkopf
- The Guardian - Film News
Update: Sony Pictures Classics has confirmed Deadline’s story that it acquired The Truffle Hunters. Release is below original scoop.
Earlier Exclusive, 6:25 pm Pst: Sony Pictures Classics has dug out The Truffle Hunters, a documentary that got a tasty reaction since it premiered Sunday at The Prospector. The docu, directed by Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw, went for $1.5 million in a worldwide rights deal, with several distributors bidding.
The film unlocks a fascinating business success story in Northern Italy, where a group of aging men hunt in the woods for a prized quarry: the Alba truffle. These are impossible to cultivate other than the secret culture that this group employs. They employ a certain breed of dogs, which sniff out the culinary treasures, walking with their dogs at night to hide their trail. Part of their business is to keep outsiders from poaching their underground truffle supply. The truffles...
Earlier Exclusive, 6:25 pm Pst: Sony Pictures Classics has dug out The Truffle Hunters, a documentary that got a tasty reaction since it premiered Sunday at The Prospector. The docu, directed by Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw, went for $1.5 million in a worldwide rights deal, with several distributors bidding.
The film unlocks a fascinating business success story in Northern Italy, where a group of aging men hunt in the woods for a prized quarry: the Alba truffle. These are impossible to cultivate other than the secret culture that this group employs. They employ a certain breed of dogs, which sniff out the culinary treasures, walking with their dogs at night to hide their trail. Part of their business is to keep outsiders from poaching their underground truffle supply. The truffles...
- 1/28/2020
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
Here’s a challenge: Watch the opening moments of “The Truffle Hunters” and try not to fall hard for the immediate flavors of joy it spreads. With a breathtaking Northern Italy setting that teases the five senses like a Luca Guadagnino film (no surprise that the “Call Me by Your Name” director is an executive producer here), this delectable nonfiction treat follows a group of idiosyncratic, mostly octogenarian Italian elders and their highly-skilled dogs, as they exercise the age-old practice of gleaning the rare — and steeply priced — Alba white truffle.
Like the gastronomic delicacy that can neither be replaced nor cultivated, the film (part of this year’s World Documentary Competition at Sundance) from co-directors Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw oozes a cinematic perfume both delightful and distinctive. Think of “The Truffle Hunters” this year’s “Honeyland,” the now double-Oscar-nominated picture about a fearless Macedonian beekeeper. After all, Dweck and...
Like the gastronomic delicacy that can neither be replaced nor cultivated, the film (part of this year’s World Documentary Competition at Sundance) from co-directors Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw oozes a cinematic perfume both delightful and distinctive. Think of “The Truffle Hunters” this year’s “Honeyland,” the now double-Oscar-nominated picture about a fearless Macedonian beekeeper. After all, Dweck and...
- 1/27/2020
- by Tomris Laffly
- Variety Film + TV
The impression that The Truffle Hunters might be this year's Honeyland forms during the film's gorgeous opening sequence, as a lone man and his dogs make the arduous trek through rugged nature in search of gastronomical treasure. In this case, the place is the dense forests in the hills of Northern Italy's Piedmont region and the prized bounty is the pungent white Alba truffle, a culinary delicacy sought by high-end restaurants around the world.
Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw (The Last Race) directed, produced and shot this captivating vérité documentary, which finds humor, charm and poignancy in the ...
Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw (The Last Race) directed, produced and shot this captivating vérité documentary, which finds humor, charm and poignancy in the ...
- 1/26/2020
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The impression that The Truffle Hunters might be this year's Honeyland forms during the film's gorgeous opening sequence, as a lone man and his dogs make the arduous trek through rugged nature in search of gastronomical treasure. In this case, the place is the dense forests in the hills of Northern Italy's Piedmont region and the prized bounty is the pungent white Alba truffle, a culinary delicacy sought by high-end restaurants around the world.
Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw (The Last Race) directed, produced and shot this captivating vérité documentary, which finds humor, charm and poignancy in the ...
Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw (The Last Race) directed, produced and shot this captivating vérité documentary, which finds humor, charm and poignancy in the ...
- 1/26/2020
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Exclusive: “The film talks about an end of days…in a way, it’s a companion piece to The Irishman,” Luca Guadagnino says about Sundance documentary The Truffle Hunters, on which he is an executive producer.
Martin Scorsese’s $150m mob epic wasn’t the first movie that came to mind after watching the intimate documentary about elderly Truffle hunters in northern Italy. My thoughts went to Michelangelo Frammartino’s Le Quattro Volte and Cosima Spender’s Palio. But Guadagnino is right in a sense.
“The Truffle Hunters is about a group at the end of their lives who see their world fading and their place in reality increasingly on the boundaries,” the filmmaker observes. “At the same time, the aggression of the new goes over their heads. It’s about mortality and approaching death. The image of the hunter who doesn’t want to hunt any more reminds me...
Martin Scorsese’s $150m mob epic wasn’t the first movie that came to mind after watching the intimate documentary about elderly Truffle hunters in northern Italy. My thoughts went to Michelangelo Frammartino’s Le Quattro Volte and Cosima Spender’s Palio. But Guadagnino is right in a sense.
“The Truffle Hunters is about a group at the end of their lives who see their world fading and their place in reality increasingly on the boundaries,” the filmmaker observes. “At the same time, the aggression of the new goes over their heads. It’s about mortality and approaching death. The image of the hunter who doesn’t want to hunt any more reminds me...
- 1/24/2020
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Comprising a portion of our top 50 films of last year, Sundance Film Festival has proven to yield the first genuine look at what the year in cinema will bring. We’ll be heading back to Park City this week, but before we do, it’s time to highlight the films we’re most looking forward to, including documentaries and narrative features from all around the world.
While much of the joy found in the festival comes from surprises throughout the 11 days, below one will find our 20 most-anticipated titles. Check out our picks and for updates straight from the festival, make sure to follow us on Twitter, and stay tuned to all of our coverage here.
20. The Truffle Hunters (Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw)
There will be no shortage of timely, issue-driven documentaries at Sundance Film Festival, as is the case each year, and we’re looking forward to seeing a...
While much of the joy found in the festival comes from surprises throughout the 11 days, below one will find our 20 most-anticipated titles. Check out our picks and for updates straight from the festival, make sure to follow us on Twitter, and stay tuned to all of our coverage here.
20. The Truffle Hunters (Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw)
There will be no shortage of timely, issue-driven documentaries at Sundance Film Festival, as is the case each year, and we’re looking forward to seeing a...
- 1/20/2020
- by The Film Stage
- The Film Stage
There are few battles better known than the invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944. The courage on display that day helped turned the tide against the Axis powers.
On screens and streaming today, the Cinedigm release honors those who risked everything in the name of freedom.
Our friends at CInedigm want to celebrate the release by giving away a one-sheet signed by Chuck Liddell, Weston Cage Coppola and Jesse Kove, and the actual movie via free iTunes Digital code.
We have two sets to giveaway. All you need to do is tell us why you consider this battle so significant and any personal connection you or your family had with the event. Submit your responses no later than 11:59 p.m. Wednesday, September 18. Open only to North American readers and the judgment of ComicMix‘s judges will be final
D-day, starring Chuck Liddell (Former Ufc Champion & Hall of Famer, Kick-Ass 2, Altitude...
On screens and streaming today, the Cinedigm release honors those who risked everything in the name of freedom.
Our friends at CInedigm want to celebrate the release by giving away a one-sheet signed by Chuck Liddell, Weston Cage Coppola and Jesse Kove, and the actual movie via free iTunes Digital code.
We have two sets to giveaway. All you need to do is tell us why you consider this battle so significant and any personal connection you or your family had with the event. Submit your responses no later than 11:59 p.m. Wednesday, September 18. Open only to North American readers and the judgment of ComicMix‘s judges will be final
D-day, starring Chuck Liddell (Former Ufc Champion & Hall of Famer, Kick-Ass 2, Altitude...
- 9/13/2019
- by ComicMix Staff
- Comicmix.com
Los Angeles-based Electric Entertainment, co-headed by “Independence Day,” “Godzilla” and “Bad Samaritan” producer Dean Devlin, has acquired thriller “Alone” for worldwide distribution (except Cis).
Electric, headed by Devlin alongside Marc Roskin and Rachel Olschan, will be releasing the movie in the U.S. as well as handling international sales, and will screen it at Cannes.
“Alone,” which marks the feature directorial debut for Russian director Vladislav Khesin, follows a writer seeking peace and solitude in the countryside in an attempt to recover from tragedy and finish her book. However, as the welcoming country house turns into a living hell, she soon realizes that her inner demons are not the worst of her problems.
The film stars Elizabeth Arends (“On Wings of Eagles”) and Bailey Coppola. Also in the cast are Sara Anne, Albina Katsman, Dane Majors, Kyle Dondlinger, Caesar James and Christa Atkins. Evgeny Borisov, Daniel Shapovalov and Abylay Zhakashov...
Electric, headed by Devlin alongside Marc Roskin and Rachel Olschan, will be releasing the movie in the U.S. as well as handling international sales, and will screen it at Cannes.
“Alone,” which marks the feature directorial debut for Russian director Vladislav Khesin, follows a writer seeking peace and solitude in the countryside in an attempt to recover from tragedy and finish her book. However, as the welcoming country house turns into a living hell, she soon realizes that her inner demons are not the worst of her problems.
The film stars Elizabeth Arends (“On Wings of Eagles”) and Bailey Coppola. Also in the cast are Sara Anne, Albina Katsman, Dane Majors, Kyle Dondlinger, Caesar James and Christa Atkins. Evgeny Borisov, Daniel Shapovalov and Abylay Zhakashov...
- 5/14/2019
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
"We'll get through this... together." Archstone Distribution has released an official trailer for a film titled Wings of Eagles, or On Wings of Eagles, formerly known as The Last Race. Produced in China, this film tells true the story of a Scottish athlete stuck in war-torn China during WWII. Joseph Fiennes plays Eric Liddell, a Scottish athlete and missionary in China. After competing in the 1924 Summer Olympics, he then returned to China and remained there until his death in a Japanese civilian internment camp in 1945. Liddell's story is also told in the famous film Chariots of Fire, though this new film focuses more on his experiences in China (he was originally born there of Scottish missionary parents). The film's cast includes Shawn Dou, Elizabeth Arends, Jesse Kove, Augusta Xu-Holland, and Simon Twu. Check this out. Here's the first trailer (+ poster) for Stephen Shin & Michael Parker's Wings of Eagles, from...
- 11/7/2017
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Exclusive: Flying Scotsman stars Fiennes in the unofficial sequel to Chariots Of Fire.
Us-based Archstone Distribution is in town talking up the drama On Wings Of Eagles starring Joseph Fiennes as ‘Flying Scotsman’ Eric Liddell.
The drama charts the adult life of the athlete and devout Christian and is styled as an unofficial sequel to 1981 Oscar-winner Chariots Of Fire.
Liddell was born in 1902 in China to Scottish missionaries and became a gifted sportsman who represented his country at rugby and competed in the 1924 Olympics in Paris.
He won the 400m gold medal at the Games after he refused to compete in the 100m heats because they took place on a Sunday.
A year later Liddell returned to work as a missionary teacher in China and died in a Japanese civilian internment camp in 1945.
Archstone screens On Wings Of Eagles again on Sunday. Brady Bowen brokered the acquisition with Jerry Dasti of Goodland Pictures and Kevin Mills of Innowave...
Us-based Archstone Distribution is in town talking up the drama On Wings Of Eagles starring Joseph Fiennes as ‘Flying Scotsman’ Eric Liddell.
The drama charts the adult life of the athlete and devout Christian and is styled as an unofficial sequel to 1981 Oscar-winner Chariots Of Fire.
Liddell was born in 1902 in China to Scottish missionaries and became a gifted sportsman who represented his country at rugby and competed in the 1924 Olympics in Paris.
He won the 400m gold medal at the Games after he refused to compete in the 100m heats because they took place on a Sunday.
A year later Liddell returned to work as a missionary teacher in China and died in a Japanese civilian internment camp in 1945.
Archstone screens On Wings Of Eagles again on Sunday. Brady Bowen brokered the acquisition with Jerry Dasti of Goodland Pictures and Kevin Mills of Innowave...
- 2/11/2017
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
The actor, in Cannes to promote follow-up to the 1981 Oscar-winning sensation, says he consulted original’s director, Hugh Hudson, and that Eric Liddell’s legacy was a duty of care not exclusive to his Christianity
Despite The Last Race being billed as an “unofficial sequel” to Hugh Hudson’s Oscar-winning 1981 film Chariots of Fire, Joseph Fiennes, who headlines the follow-up, said he sought the support of Hudson before embarking on the project.
“I know Hugh well,” said Fiennes, on Saturday at the Cannes film festival, where he took part in a press conference to tout the Chinese production. “He’s a friend of mine.”
Continue reading...
Despite The Last Race being billed as an “unofficial sequel” to Hugh Hudson’s Oscar-winning 1981 film Chariots of Fire, Joseph Fiennes, who headlines the follow-up, said he sought the support of Hudson before embarking on the project.
“I know Hugh well,” said Fiennes, on Saturday at the Cannes film festival, where he took part in a press conference to tout the Chinese production. “He’s a friend of mine.”
Continue reading...
- 5/15/2016
- by Nigel M Smith
- The Guardian - Film News
Twenty years ago, the Shakespeare in Love star had Hollywood at his feet – then he all but disappeared. So what happened?
Joseph Fiennes is currently specialising in second acts. This weekend he is in Cannes to promote his film The Last Race, the unofficial Chinese-made sequel to Chariots of Fire. Fiennes plays Eric Liddell, the Flying Scotsman who in 1924 famously refused to run on an Olympic Sunday because of his religious beliefs. The film is concerned with the little-known years after that in which Liddell gave up on sporting fame to become a Christian missionary in China.
To open that film, Fiennes is taking a couple of days away from rehearsing the comparable afterlife of that other Boy’s Own legend, Lawrence of Arabia. Fiennes takes the lead in Adrian Noble’s Chichester Festival revival of Terence Rattigan’s play Ross, which finds Lawrence home from the desert after something...
Joseph Fiennes is currently specialising in second acts. This weekend he is in Cannes to promote his film The Last Race, the unofficial Chinese-made sequel to Chariots of Fire. Fiennes plays Eric Liddell, the Flying Scotsman who in 1924 famously refused to run on an Olympic Sunday because of his religious beliefs. The film is concerned with the little-known years after that in which Liddell gave up on sporting fame to become a Christian missionary in China.
To open that film, Fiennes is taking a couple of days away from rehearsing the comparable afterlife of that other Boy’s Own legend, Lawrence of Arabia. Fiennes takes the lead in Adrian Noble’s Chichester Festival revival of Terence Rattigan’s play Ross, which finds Lawrence home from the desert after something...
- 5/15/2016
- by Tim Adams
- The Guardian - Film News
A rival sequel to 1981 Best Picture winner "Chariots of Fire" is in the works it seems according to THR.
The original 'Chariots' followed the friendship between Eric Liddell, a devout Scottish Christian runner whose refused to compete on Sundays, and British Olympian Harold Abrahams who endured anti-Semitism. Both ran in the 1924 Olympics.
A while back came word of "The Last Race," a follow-up of sorts with Joseph Fiennes starring as Liddell and the film being a primarily Chinese production. Stephen Shin will co-direct the film which will downplay Liddell's religious beliefs.
Now comes word of "Absolute Surrender," a $20 million independent film which will explore how the Chinese-born Liddell returns to China after the Olympics to follow in the footsteps of his Christian missionary parents.
He also raced sporadically in China and ultimately ended up dying in a Japanese prisoner of war camp in 1945. Eric Eichinger and Howard Klausner are co-writing...
The original 'Chariots' followed the friendship between Eric Liddell, a devout Scottish Christian runner whose refused to compete on Sundays, and British Olympian Harold Abrahams who endured anti-Semitism. Both ran in the 1924 Olympics.
A while back came word of "The Last Race," a follow-up of sorts with Joseph Fiennes starring as Liddell and the film being a primarily Chinese production. Stephen Shin will co-direct the film which will downplay Liddell's religious beliefs.
Now comes word of "Absolute Surrender," a $20 million independent film which will explore how the Chinese-born Liddell returns to China after the Olympics to follow in the footsteps of his Christian missionary parents.
He also raced sporadically in China and ultimately ended up dying in a Japanese prisoner of war camp in 1945. Eric Eichinger and Howard Klausner are co-writing...
- 8/17/2015
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
Joseph Fiennes will star in the unofficial follow-up, titled The Last Race
"Chariots of Fire Sequel is Latest to Shoot in China" was originally published on Film School Rejects for our wonderful readers to enjoy. It is not intended to be reproduced on other websites. If you aren't reading this in your favorite RSS reader or on Film School Rejects, you're being bamboozled. We hope you'll come find us and enjoy the best articles about movies, television and culture right from the source.
"Chariots of Fire Sequel is Latest to Shoot in China" was originally published on Film School Rejects for our wonderful readers to enjoy. It is not intended to be reproduced on other websites. If you aren't reading this in your favorite RSS reader or on Film School Rejects, you're being bamboozled. We hope you'll come find us and enjoy the best articles about movies, television and culture right from the source.
- 6/25/2015
- by Christopher Campbell
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
While not going so far as to call itself Chariots Of Fire II: God’s Own Athlete, The Last Race is aiming to serve as a kind of sequel to the Oscar-winning classic, telling more of Scottish runner Eric Liddell’s story. Joseph Fiennes is now in place to play the man himself.Ian Charleson was Liddell in Chariots, and now Fiennes is aboard to star in The Last Race, which follows his life after the 1924 Paris Olympics and his work as a missionary in China. And that location gives a clue to where this new film is being backed – as it’ll have financial backing from Chinese companies and shoot in the country from a script by Stephen Shin, who also co-directs with Michael Parker. “It is not only the perfect movie theme, but it should also make younger generations more aware of their past,” Shin tells The Independent.
- 6/25/2015
- EmpireOnline
Live
Aaron Eckhart has been set to star in Darrin Prescott and Wade Allen's real time action film "Live!" for Solution Entertainment. Filming begins in October.
Jeremy Drysdale's script follows disgraced cop Kyle Penny (Eckhart) on his hunt to rescue the police commissioner’s kidnapped daughter, trapped somewhere in the city with only eighty minutes to live. With a deranged killer on his heels, his only hope is teaming with a young online reporter who films the wild chase live. [Source: Deadline]
The Last Race
Joseph Fiennes, Xiao 'Shawn' Dou and Elizabeth Arends are set to star in Stephen Shin and Michael Parker's "The Last Race". Fiennes will play Scottish runner and devout Christian Eric Liddell in the project which is being dubbed an unofficial sequel to the Oscar-winning "Chariots of Fire".
'Race' portrays Liddell's life after the events depicted in 'Chariots', a time when he worked as a teacher and missionary in China.
Aaron Eckhart has been set to star in Darrin Prescott and Wade Allen's real time action film "Live!" for Solution Entertainment. Filming begins in October.
Jeremy Drysdale's script follows disgraced cop Kyle Penny (Eckhart) on his hunt to rescue the police commissioner’s kidnapped daughter, trapped somewhere in the city with only eighty minutes to live. With a deranged killer on his heels, his only hope is teaming with a young online reporter who films the wild chase live. [Source: Deadline]
The Last Race
Joseph Fiennes, Xiao 'Shawn' Dou and Elizabeth Arends are set to star in Stephen Shin and Michael Parker's "The Last Race". Fiennes will play Scottish runner and devout Christian Eric Liddell in the project which is being dubbed an unofficial sequel to the Oscar-winning "Chariots of Fire".
'Race' portrays Liddell's life after the events depicted in 'Chariots', a time when he worked as a teacher and missionary in China.
- 6/25/2015
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
Joseph Fiennes is set to star in The Last Race, an unofficial follow-up to multi-award winning Brit epic Chariots of Fire, that takes the story of Scottish runner Eric Liddell through the latter parts of his life. The film, to be directed by Stephen Shin and Michael Parker, will follow Liddell after his win at the 1924 Paris Olympics- so famously scored in Hugh Hudson’s 1981 classic by Greek composer Vangelis- to look at his life in China, where he worked as a missionary…...
- 6/25/2015
- Deadline
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